Recaps

Cheng Shi returned to the laboratory with Conjugate Whisper’s fruit and three preserved petals, but as the group prepared to escape the Experiment Field, Bailing attacked the Prisoner and warned Cheng Shi that something was wrong. Cheng Shi suspected an unseen person was hiding nearby, revealing that the apparent group of three was not alone.

• Fang Shiqing led the Fire Keepers into the laboratory, where they found Cheng Shi beside the dead Grand Scholar Kevi with a hidden bundle.
• Cheng Shi revealed that he had obtained Conjugate Whisper’s black fruit and three white petals after Kevi refused to sell them.
• The group examined the flower’s fruit and petals, then Cui Qiushi urged everyone to leave and went to support Ji Yue at the front line.
• Fang Shiqing and Cui Qiushi left the laboratory, but Bailing stabbed the Prisoner and warned Cheng Shi to flee.
• Bailing shielded Cheng Shi from the Prisoner as Cheng Shi sensed an unseen person hiding nearby.

Cheng Shi deceived the Fire Keepers into believing he had produced the long-sought fruit and flower, using his talent to make the lie real. Bailing exposed the prisoner as a hidden Maestro of Lost Rhythms, who revealed he had helped make the deception succeed and demanded the items.

• Cheng Shi suspected that Mo Wu was secretly present and staged a reveal to draw out the hidden Source of Calamity.
• Cheng Shi's yarn and toilet paper transformed into a fruit and flower petals, confirming that an unseen person was in the laboratory.
• Bailing attacked the prisoner, and Cheng Shi realized the prisoner was a chaotic believer disguised as a silent Singer and a high-level Maestro of Lost Rhythms.
• The prisoner freed himself, praised Cheng Shi's deception, and explained that he had altered his own and the Source of Calamity's perceptions to make the fake result real.
• The prisoner demanded the fruit and petals and promised to spare the Fire Keepers if they handed them over.

Cheng Shi used Floating Dream of the Sea of Memory to erase himself from everyone’s memories, then exploited the confusion to turn the Prisoner against Bailing and strike. He killed the Prisoner and Mo Wu with the thunder stored in his ring, leaving Bailing alive in the laboratory.

• The Prisoner revealed that he had brought Mo Wu to the laboratory and threatened Bailing until she explained that her talent let her perceive his covetousness.
• Cheng Shi erased every memory of himself from the trial, then disguised his identity and attacked Bailing while pretending to be an ally of the Prisoner.
• Cheng Shi lured the Prisoner close by invoking Ultraman and pretending to be wounded, then blasted him with the thunder stored in his ring.
• Cheng Shi struck the newly awakened Mo Wu with another thunderbolt, killing him as well.

Cheng Shi escaped after attacking Bailing, but left two never-withered Whispering Flower Petals with her. As Ji Yue and the others faced an overwhelming assault and the burning of Conjugate Whisper, the petals restored hope to Ji Yue’s research.

• Cheng Shi vanished as Fang Shiqing’s attack passed through him, while Ji Yue and the others retreated into the laboratory under pressure from the Bellringer Knights.
• Ji Yue led the group to hold out in the void until the trial ended, and she and Fang Shiqing reaffirmed their trust despite their old divisions.
• Bailing revealed two never-withered Whispering Flower Petals, and Ji Yue recognized them as a way to resume her research.
• Bailing realized the masked man had left the petals near her waist and recounted his attack, prompting Ji Yue to grow solemn.

Ji Yue identified the masked thief’s gift of Conjugate Whisper petals as a deliberate plot to draw the Fire Keepers into further chaos. With enemies closing in and the petals offering their only chance to strengthen their defense, Fang Shiqing chose to trust Ji Yue and let her attempt the risky potion.

• Ji Yue explained that the masked intruder had left the petals to ensnare the Fire Keepers in a conspiracy that would prolong the chaos.
• Ji Yue warned that brewing the potion could have unpredictable effects and leave the group without her help while enemies attacked.
• Fang Shiqing’s memories of the Unashamed Mask and the squad’s downfall had been altered by Memory, leaving the Fire Keepers unaware of Cheng Shi’s role.
• Fang Shiqing decided to gamble on Ji Yue’s plan, ordered Cui Qiushi and Bailing to prepare for a last stand, and gave Ji Yue a petal.
• Ji Yue swore by Truth and War that she would not fail the group’s trust.

Cheng Shi returned from Nothingness to find Bai Fei scrutinizing him, so he impersonated Zhen Yi to convince her he was the Chosen of Deception. Bai Fei accepted the disguise, and Cheng Shi kept up the act by guessing Zhen Yi’s insulting nickname for her.

• Cheng Shi regained consciousness and found Bai Fei examining him after his absence from his body.
• To seize the initiative, Cheng Shi imitated Zhen Yi and asked Bai Fei how she had discovered his identity.
• Bai Fei concluded that Cheng Shi was really Zhen Yi, though she had only come to investigate his repeated periods of deep thought.
• Cheng Shi realized Lips of Foolish Play had misidentified Zhen Yi as Zhen Xin and continued pretending to be Zhen Yi.
• When Bai Fei demanded to know what he had called her, Cheng Shi guessed the nickname Xiao Bai... Strip, and Bai Fei accepted it as further proof that he was Zhen Yi.

Cheng Shi bargained with Bai Fei for her help setting a silent firework trap in the highest laboratory, claiming it would destroy a future discovery. He revealed that the prophecy was fake and that he had already obtained the gift of the future: a black fruit and a white petal.

• Bai Fei admitted she had come to learn the prophecy and suspected Cheng Shi had altered what Zhen Yi told everyone.
• Cheng Shi offered to explain the prophecy in exchange for Bai Fei helping him kill the owner of something he had taken.
• Cheng Shi proposed that Bai Fei use her Silent Arrow to rig a firework trap in the highest laboratory, where a Grand Scholar would arrive centuries later.
• Bai Fei agreed to the bargain after realizing the gods could grant Cheng Shi power of existence.
• Cheng Shi told Bai Fei the true prophecy was that the future was arriving between the void and reality, then showed her a black fruit and a white petal.

Cheng Shi posed as Zhen Yi and used a life-risking bluff to keep Hu Wei and Bai Fei from attacking while claiming he had traveled to the future and brought back the World Tree fruit and a petal of Conjugate Whisper. Hu Wei recognized the petal as genuine but concluded the prophecy meant more than the fruit, and demanded to know what Zhen Yi was hiding.

• Cheng Shi, posing as Zhen Yi, taunted Hu Wei and dared him to attack, making Hu Wei and Bai Fei wary of a possible trick.
• Cheng Shi revealed that he held the fruit and claimed he had brought it back from the future along with a petal of Conjugate Whisper.
• Hu Wei picked up the petal and confirmed it was real, then connected Zhen Yi to the prophecy and her search for the future.
• Hu Wei argued that the fruit could not explain the Blind Man's prophecy and accused Zhen Yi of still hiding the truth.

Cheng Shi revealed that she had tricked the Chosen Ones into descending just so she could taste the fruit of Conjugate Whisper, then ate it in front of Hu Wei and Bai Fei. Hu Wei left the Void Experiment Ground in anger, while Cheng Shi and Bai Fei headed toward the highest laboratory to leave a surprise for the future.

• Cheng Shi ate the fruit of Conjugate Whisper while Hu Wei and Bai Fei watched in disbelief.
• Hu Wei guessed that Cheng Shi had fabricated the prophecy and future to bring her friends down and taste the fruit, and Cheng Shi confirmed it.
• Cheng Shi said the Blind Man had helped because she was tired of the Chosen Ones calling her Blind Man, and she added that Zhen Xin had never stopped her.
• Hu Wei gave the petal he held to Bai Fei, who annihilated it rather than keep it.
• Hu Wei left the Void Experiment Ground, and Cheng Shi took Bai Fei toward the highest laboratory to leave a surprise for the future.

Cheng Shi and Bai Fei planted a time-delayed arrow trap in the highest laboratory, though Bai Fei secretly altered its target to destroy the Void Experiment Ground. Cheng Shi left without realizing her scheme, while Bai Fei wondered whether he had tricked her again.

• Bai Fei asked Cheng Shi how the fruit tasted, and he lied that it was sweet despite finding it bitter and useless.
• Cheng Shi and Bai Fei entered the highest laboratory, where he suggested planting a future firework in its domed ceiling.
• Bai Fei fired ten Silent Arrows into the void, intending them to return after 247 years and annihilate the Void Experiment Ground around the laboratory.
• Cheng Shi activated Raging Tide to rewrite the trap's traces into history, then left the Experiment Field.
• Bai Fei returned to reality, suspecting Cheng Shi had tricked her but unable to tell how.

Cheng Shi escaped Experiment Field No. 69 with Yan Chun, then killed him and sent his remains through a skeletal doorway. Two hundred years later, Ji Yue awakened as a hidden annihilation trap destroyed the attacking forces, and Fang Shiqing was left to explain Bailing’s talk of passing the flame.

• Cheng Shi posed as Leyer, and Yan Chun vouched for him as his student so they could leave Experiment Field No. 69.
• Yan Chun confessed that Zhen Yi had frightened him and that he was seeking entry to the History School; Cheng Shi killed him with the Death Amusement Ring and sent his transformed remains through a doorway.
• Two hundred years later, Ji Yue collapsed after drinking the Twin Potion, leaving Cui Qiushi, Fang Shiqing, and Bailing to face the advancing forces of chaos.
• Cui Qiushi’s Holy Light Great Wall shattered, but ten dim rays erupted into black holes that annihilated the attackers.
• Ji Yue awakened and realized that the Void Energetics Department had planted the annihilation as a contingency; Fang Shiqing confirmed that they were companions, and Ji Yue asked what passing the flame meant.

As Cheng Shi’s trial in Gasmella ended, he was summoned to Order’s courtroom and accused of repeatedly violating its rules. He challenged each charge and presented evidence of his good character, but the judge rejected his defense to the murder accusation and continued the charge.

• Cheng Shi donated his remaining inheritance to an east-district orphanage, accepted a drawing from the children, and faded away as the trial grounds ended.
• Cheng Shi arrived in Order’s trial courtroom, where the judge accused him of blaspheming Order and damaging property.
• Cheng Shi denied the accusations, blaming Hu Wei and Bai Fei for the destruction and arguing that opening the void was not under Order’s jurisdiction.
• Cheng Shi denied murdering someone in the city and argued that killing Yan Chun, a player, had not broken Gasmella’s laws.
• Cheng Shi named nearly a hundred witnesses and presented the orphanage children’s drawing as evidence of his kind nature, but the judge ruled the evidence irrelevant to the murder charge.

Cheng Shi faced a death sentence in Order’s courtroom until the Divine Pillar of Birth intervened, forcing the trial to end. Other players’ trials also concluded, and Cheng Shi cleared trials for both Order and Chaos, receiving rewards and changes to his rankings.

• Cheng Shi challenged the judge to provide evidence, but the court sentenced him to death by Thunder Punishment.
• As thunderbolts descended on Cheng Shi, the Divine Pillar of Birth appeared and swept them away, declaring that it had come because it kept its word.
• The judge adjourned Cheng Shi’s trial, and his consciousness sank into darkness.
• Hu Wei admitted to blaspheming Order, then rose above the judgment chair and accused Order of fabrication until the judge adjourned the trial.
• Bai Fei was pulled from her trial by Sinking, while two other trials ended with a reward and a sentence of one hundred lashes.
• Cheng Shi cleared the Order and Chaos trials, earning masks and updated Path to Godhood and Ladder of Audience scores.

Bai Fei was summoned by Annihilation, while Li Ziran returned from a trial with Past Prosperity and cured his sister A Jing. The chapter ended with Zhang Ruyu’s nightly cries provoking a neighborhood-wide exchange of curses and gunfire.

• Three figures discussed Lin Renyu’s absence, a prophecy, and the newcomer Hu Xuan before a cold wind scattered them.
• Bai Fei awoke in a collapsing world, believed Annihilation had summoned and rescued her, then was returned to reality after hearing a sigh.
• A laboratory owner crossed out dead specimens and revived Yan Chun, telling him that he was His warrior.
• Li Ziran gave A Jing Past Prosperity, restoring her health and voice, then revealed the many Grade-A potions he had brought back.
• Zhang Ruyu cried out in the street, and a neighbor fired a submachine gun while other residents shouted curses and taunts.

Ji Yue survived her trial by forsaking her oath to Truth and becoming a Mage of War, while Fang Shiqing learned that her memories had been altered. Hope's Flame restored those memories, then secretly snapped her fingers twice more as Fang Shiqing lost consciousness.

• Ji Yue showed Fang Jue that she could conjure fire, then explained that she had failed to find the Twin Potion and survived by becoming a Mage of War, the Purgatory Bishop.
• Ji Yue considered whether her ability to ignite fire meant she could pass on the flame and weighed Fang Shiqing's invitation to join the Fire Keeper Organization.
• Fang Shiqing hurried through the Path of Passing on the Flame with a fading Whispering Flower Petal, but Hope's Flame stopped her and revealed that someone had altered her memories during the trial.
• Hope's Flame assured Fang Shiqing that the Fire Keepers had not been exposed, and Fang Shiqing insisted on reclaiming her lost memories.
• Hope's Flame restored Fang Shiqing's memories, then secretly snapped her fingers twice more as Fang Shiqing's consciousness became muddled.

Fang Shiqing remembered Cheng Shi and brought a Conjugate Whisper petal to the founder of the Fire Keepers. After he gave her a way to conceal memories she was not ready to share, she told him she thought the City Builders' will was too conservative.

• Fang Shiqing remembered Cheng Shi and left Hope's Flame to find him.
• Fang Shiqing questioned Bailing about the Priest Leyer, realized Bailing had lied, and chose not to press her.
• Fang Shiqing gave the founder of the Fire Keepers the Conjugate Whisper petal, and he said the chosen of the gods had been played.
• The founder offered Fang Shiqing the consumable SS-grade item Remembrance and Mourning to conceal memories she wanted to keep secret.
• Fang Shiqing told the founder that the City Builders' will was far too conservative.

Fang Shiqing rejected the oath-bound organization’s compromises, inspiring Qin Xin and a blind woman to pursue the God Creation Plan. Back in reality, Bailing tried to erase her memory of Cheng Shi, Cui Qiushi recovered memories of the trial and then lost them again, and the Fire Keepers prepared to welcome a new Fire Seeker.

• Fang Shiqing told Qin Xin that an organization bound by oaths and constant compromise could not create a better tomorrow, then left him with the petals and her confidence in the path ahead.
• Qin Xin wrote down the God Creation Plan, and the blind woman encouraged him to pursue it; he crossed out the question mark and agreed to try.
• Bailing feared her memories of Cheng Shi would expose him, so she prayed to the god of Deception for a trial that would permanently erase them.
• Cui Qiushi recovered his trial memories while cooking and cried as he remembered his father, Cui Ding Tian, before resolving to continue passing on the flame.
• Cui Qiushi asked Hope's Flame to conceal his memories, and She erased them; he then learned that the Fire Keepers had found a new Fire Seeker and were preparing a welcoming ceremony.

Zhen Yi returned to her friends and was attacked over her cryptic answer about a fruit, while Death celebrated the bone offerings Cheng Shi had arranged. After returning from the trial, Cheng Shi found no sign that Destiny had compromised with anyone and wondered if hiding in shadows was the only way to escape it, then realized he had no shadow.

• Zhen Yi joined a trial with her friends and answered Baldy Uses Pantene’s question about whether the fruit was sweet.
• Baldy Uses Pantene and the others attacked Zhen Yi, who laughed and ran from them.
• Death received a flood of white bones taken from sacrifices intended for Annihilation and praised Cheng Shi.
• Cheng Shi returned to his rooftop and reviewed the trial, concluding that Destiny had not compromised with anyone.
• Cheng Shi wondered if he could escape Destiny by hiding in the shadows, then noticed he had no shadow.

Cheng Shi discovered that his shadow had become a three-dimensional mirror image, and placing the Mask on it transported him to a new Starting Point of Life Path. There, the Mask was only an illusion and Destiny’s die was the sole real relic; when Cheng Shi reached for the Mask again, the die changed from 6 to 1 and crushing pressure closed in.

• Cheng Shi wrestled with his detached shadow, then learned from the Lips of Foolish Play that it was likely harmless and began examining it.
• Cheng Shi found that ordinary objects passed through the shadow, but the Mask struck it and stayed on its head.
• Cheng Shi adjusted the Mask on the shadow, and his consciousness was pulled back to the Starting Point of Life Path.
• Cheng Shi found that the Mask was an illusion, the die showed 6, and the Lips of Foolish Play no longer spoke.
• Cheng Shi realized Destiny was urging him back onto its proper path, but he reached for the false Mask anyway, changing the die to 1 and summoning terrifying pressure.

Cheng Shi finally seized the Dice of Destiny and was acknowledged by Destiny as a believer, despite his repeated attempts to reach for the Mask. Destiny then challenged him over his reluctance to smile while paying respects.

• Cheng Shi repeatedly reached toward the vanished Mask, provoking Destiny until the Mask disappeared and the die remained.
• Cheng Shi pretended to accept his fate, then grabbed the Dice of Destiny showing one as Destiny’s power began destroying him.
• Destiny’s pressure stopped, the void reappeared, and the starry eyes of Destiny acknowledged Cheng Shi as a believer.
• Cheng Shi praised Destiny, and Destiny asked whether he recognized his Lord of Grace.
• Cheng Shi answered hesitantly, and Destiny asked why he was not smiling while paying respects.

Cheng Shi met Destiny after accepting its protection, and Destiny praised his explanation for restoring a predetermined fate before correcting his understanding of Nothingness. When Cheng Shi asked about the Oathbreak Curse and the gods’ plans, Destiny offered to answer his questions and revealed how it had arranged for Birth to protect its believer.

• Cheng Shi explained that he had restored the predetermined path of fate, earning Destiny’s approval.
• Destiny told Cheng Shi that change should be celebrated and that what transcended everything was Nothingness.
• Destiny assured Cheng Shi that its protection would keep the Oathbreak Curse from harming him.
• Cheng Shi wondered whether God of Merriment was plotting a fusion with Destiny and had sent him ahead as a vanguard.
• Destiny invited Cheng Shi to ask his doubts, then confirmed it had made agreements with Birth and Truth and rewritten the fate of Birth’s envoy in exchange for protection for its believer.

Cheng Shi learned that Destiny had orchestrated the gambit that led to his oath-breaking and asked about Birth, Hu Xuan, and Order. After Destiny sent him back, Deception arrived to punish him, but Destiny claimed him as Her believer and challenged Deception over their covenant.

• Cheng Shi realized Destiny had foreseen the trial and suspected Deception had sold him in the gods' gambit.
• Destiny told Cheng Shi that humans and gods could not share the authority of Birth, and said Hu Xuan's fate as Birth's envoy remained undecided.
• Destiny revealed that the being who insisted on executing Cheng Shi was not Order, then abruptly sent him back to reality.
• Deception appeared after Cheng Shi left and said she had come to punish him for betraying his faith.
• Destiny declared Cheng Shi Her believer and said Deception would be the one defying their covenant.
• Deception accused Destiny of exploiting loopholes and hinted that she had made a move behind Destiny's back.

After waking from the battle in the void, Cheng Shi discovered that his shadow had returned to normal and that he had become an Oathbreaker devoted to Destiny. He realized his past talents and Masks of All Beings may have been part of Destiny’s long-laid plan, and embraced his new identity as a Fate Weaver.

• Cheng Shi awoke after the battle in the void and found that his shadow had returned to normal.
• Cheng Shi examined his player panel and discovered his Destiny talents, including the Oathbreak talent Honest Clown.
• Cheng Shi realized Destiny Weaver could use his stored Masks of All Beings and suspected his former Lord of Grace had concealed their true connection to Destiny.
• Cheng Shi concluded that Destiny had planned his return and built a gambling-focused talent system around him.
• Cheng Shi raised the Dice of Destiny and declared that he would become a believer of Destiny and a Fate Weaver.

Cheng Shi learned how his new Destiny and profession-switching talents worked, explored the profession chat channels, and checked the audience rankings. After rolling a one while wearing a Warrior mask, he gained divine power and warned others not to blaspheme Destiny.

• Cheng Shi discovered that his Honest Clown talent made him rub his nose whenever he lied, and he avoided asking Deception for a trial.
• Cheng Shi tested Destiny Weaver, learned how he could switch professions by putting on and removing masks, and considered exploiting the once-per-trial limit.
• Cheng Shi used masks to inspect the profession chat channels and noticed their distinctive conversation styles.
• Cheng Shi entered I Never Lie as his ID on Destiny's Ladder of Audience and saw I See You ranked third.
• Cheng Shi wore a Warrior mask, rolled the Dice of Destiny, gained divine power despite rolling one, and warned people against blaspheming Destiny.

Cheng Shi found Xie Yang happily infatuated with the distant Xiao Yuan and used a macabre joke to fend off his offer to set him up with her sister. Just as a Special Trial began, Cheng Shi recognized that a powerful being was pursuing him again and entered the trial with six teammates.

• Cheng Shi found Xie Yang back after six days, glowing with happiness after seeing Xiao Yuan from afar.
• Cheng Shi concluded that Xie Yang had been deceived by an expert, but wished him well and declined an offer to meet Xiao Yuan's sister.
• Cheng Shi claimed he liked corpses and explained that he saw the dead as beyond gender, alarming Xie Yang.
• The Special Trial, "Regain New Life—Chaos," began with the objective of proving one's identity amid others' doubts within five days.
• Cheng Shi feared that the being he called "Him" had come after him again, then entered the trial after the six-person match succeeded.