Recaps

Lin Yu and Qianhuan ambushed a squad of Xia Jin soldiers, only to discover that a dangerous Player was using one of them to speak. Qianhuan identified her as Pen Name, the strongest Writer, and fled with Lin Yu to seek help.

• Lin Yu used Water Mist to blind fifteen Xia Jin soldiers, allowing Qianhuan to sever the tendons in their hands and feet with his playing cards.
• A masked soldier revealed that the squad had been bait and addressed Qianhuan by his former codename.
• Lin Yu removed the soldier’s mask and saw ink marks on his face that looked like lines of writing.
• Qianhuan recognized the marks, pulled Lin Yu into the cardboard box, and hurried toward the mirror’s exit.
• Qianhuan told Lin Yu that Pen Name was a formidable Writer with no organization, and that her involvement in a war would make her exponentially more dangerous.

Lin Yu and Qianhuan discussed Pen Name’s reality-altering Writer abilities and tried to evade her after she tracked them down. They emerged from hiding to find Pen Name alone, greeting Qianhuan and recognizing Lin Yu as the Director without showing hostility.

• Lin Yu realized Qianhuan was embarrassed because her friend Pen Name wrote popular fan fiction about Players, including Qianhuan and the Gambler.
• Qianhuan explained that Pen Name could alter reality through stories and settings, using people in Xia Jin’s army as extensions of her power.
• Ink-like writing crept over Lin Yu and Qianhuan’s cardboard box, so they prepared to break through rather than remain trapped.
• Qianhuan withdrew the box and Magic Handkerchief, revealing no surrounding army or ambush in the water mist.
• Pen Name appeared in a blue shirt and white fox-fur cloak, greeted Qianhuan, identified Lin Yu as the Director, and showed no apparent hostility.

Zuo Xi let Qianhuan and Lin Yu leave because she wanted Sanqiu Country to prepare for the coming battles, while keeping her own motives private. As they headed toward the Catfolk Sacred Land to negotiate with the Demon Race, Lin Yu grew wary of Zuo Xi’s unexplained familiarity and began considering how to keep her from interfering with his plans.

• Qianhuan asked Zuo Xi why she was letting him and Lin Yu go, and she said she wanted the coming battles to be less one-sided rather than gain influence in Xia Jin.
• Zuo Xi pointed out that Qianhuan’s rabbit assistant had gone ahead, allowing them to use switching magic, and urged them to leave before Xia Jin’s troops arrived.
• Lin Yu felt unsettled by Zuo Xi’s familiar gaze and decided he needed to discover why she seemed to know him and prevent her from disrupting his plans.
• Lin Yu considered using Qianhuan and the three unseen Players to limit Zuo Xi’s influence, even briefly contemplating killing her.
• Qianhuan noticed Lin Yu’s silence, reassured him about Zuo Xi, and suggested they focus on negotiating with the Demon Race near the Catfolk Sacred Land.

Lin Yu and Qianhuan reached the Raccoon Dog Tribe’s sacred land as it prepared to defend against the approaching Xia Jin army. After the guards verified their identities, the two entered the Council Hall, where the Tribe Leader recognized them as benefactors.

• Lin Yu and Qianhuan arrived at the Raccoon Dog Tribe’s fortified sacred land and learned that its leader was chosen by strength rather than inheritance.
• Raccoon Dog Guards challenged the pair at the raised drawbridge, then lowered it after Stiller and a Raccoon Dog woman confirmed their identities.
• The guard captain explained that the tribe had chosen to defend the sacred land, hidden its people in tunnels and cellars, and sent ten squads to seek reinforcements.
• Lin Yu and Qianhuan entered the Council Hall and found the Tribe Leader, Tribal Elder, and warriors arguing over how to face the Xia Jin army.
• The Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader noticed Lin Yu and Qianhuan and greeted them as their two benefactors.

Lin Yu and Qianhuan warned the tanuki Tribe Leader that an elite Xiajin force was approaching, carrying a tower filled with captured villagers. The tanuki leaders realized the force likely belonged to the powerful Zhi Zi Department, leaving them to prepare for a desperate defense of their sacred land and the possibility of a wider war.

• The tanuki Tribe Leader welcomed Lin Yu and Qianhuan and learned that the Xiajin army could arrive within half a day to a day, while reinforcements would take three days.
• Lin Yu reported that at least a thousand soldiers were dragging a Giant Tower holding captured tanuki and other Demon Race villagers.
• Qianhuan identified the shaman Spring Cang as belonging to the Li Zi Department and warned that a powerful guest shaman was with the army; Lin Yu added that three High Shamans and a Young Lord were involved.
• The tanuki Tribe Leader concluded that the force was likely an elite unit of the Zhi Zi Department, and the Council Hall fell silent at the prospect of facing it.
• The tanuki leaders questioned whether they could hold out and whether their request for aid would be enough, while the Tribe Leader insisted they must defend their sacred land.

As the Raccoon Dog Tribe prepared for the approaching Zhi Zi Department, Lin Yu and Qianhuan watched from the city wall and discussed the war, their organizations, and Lin Yu’s suspicions about the bounty on him. They spotted the Xia Jin army’s Giant Tower approaching, and Qianhuan sounded the alarm as the sanctuary erupted into action.

• The Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader sent out more teams to seek reinforcements because the tribe’s defenses were unlikely to withstand the Zhi Zi Department alone.
• Lin Yu and Qianhuan took watch atop the city wall, where Qianhuan said his assistant had reported that the Xia Jin army had broken free, possibly with Zuo Xi’s help.
• Qianhuan explained that Teacher Rabbit could remain away from him by consuming the amazement generated by his magic, and that he planned to keep it active throughout the dangerous Instance.
• Lin Yu and Qianhuan discussed Order’s records on its associates and enemies, and Lin Yu suggested that someone within Order might have placed a bounty on him.
• Lin Yu spotted the Giant Tower of Xia Jin’s Zhi Zi Department approaching the sanctuary.
• Qianhuan struck the gong and warned the raccoon dogs that Xia Jin’s army had been spotted, throwing the sanctuary into turmoil.

As the Xia Jin army approached the Tanuki Clan’s sacred ground, Lin Yu and Qianhuan weighed how to delay the attack without provoking a full-scale battle. Qianhuan proposed using magic to draw a large force away from the defenses, and Lin Yu recognized the boldness behind his plan.

• The Tanuki Clan mobilized its forces and fortified the sacred ground as the Giant Tower revealed the Xia Jin army’s approach.
• Lin Yu warned Qianhuan that an early clash of high-level fighters would hasten the battle and undermine their plan to buy time.
• Qianhuan suggested using his ability to run away to tie down the enemy shamans or Zuo Xi, but Lin Yu questioned how he would make them commit enough forces.
• Qianhuan said he would use magic to make the enemy send a large number of people after him.
• Lin Yu praised Qianhuan for acting despite his fear, and Qianhuan replied that Lin Yu was even bolder for going to the Gray Domain with Zhu Ming.

Lin Yu and Qianhuan stood with the Raccoon Dog Tribe as Xiajin’s army advanced on their holy land. The battle began with Xiajin’s charge, and its shield guards turned aside the Raccoon Dogs’ first volley without suffering a single disabling injury.

• The Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader thanked Lin Yu and Qianhuan for staying to fight, and they joked with him about the tribe’s slim chances of victory.
• The Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader rallied the Raccoon Dog warriors, declaring they would defend their holy land even against Xiajin’s strongest forces.
• Xiajin answered the Raccoon Dogs’ shouts with battle drums, and a commander ordered the army to attack.
• Xiajin’s soldiers rushed across a floating bridge over the moat as the Raccoon Dog warriors hurled spears from the city wall.
• Xiajin’s Shield Guards blocked nearly all the spears, and Lin Yu sensed that none of the enemy soldiers had suffered a disabling injury.

The Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader launched a desperate assault to slow Xiajin’s elite forces as they crossed the river, and both sides suffered heavy losses. Xiajin’s shamans and great figures remained still in the central command tent, leaving Lin Yu and Qianhuan to consider intervening.

• Lin Yu recognized the vast strength gap between Xiajin’s elite troops and the Raccoon Dog defenders after their javelins failed to stop the crossing.
• The Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader led the warriors off the wall and into the river, where they attacked Xiajin soldiers underwater.
• The Raccoon Dogs and Xiajin troops fought fiercely around the floating bridge, with the Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader killing several soldiers while sustaining wounds.
• Xiajin soldiers continued crossing the river as casualties mounted, while the shamans and great figures stayed silent in their command tent.
• Lin Yu wondered whether Xiajin meant to exhaust the Raccoon Dog Tribe Leader, and Qianhuan urged them to act.

Xia Jin's Zhi Zi Department forced its way across the river, but the raccoon dog Tribe Leader led the survivors in retreating into the city after severing the drawbridges. As the Tribe Leader wondered where the two benefactors had gone, the man in the Magic Suit disrupted the enemy army with explosions, smoke, and white doves, then vanished after provoking the Young Lord.

• Xia Jin troops broke through the raccoon dog defenses and reached the riverbank, prompting the Tribe Leader to order a retreat and have the drawbridges cut down.
• The wounded Tribe Leader transformed into his Ancestral True Form, fought off Xia Jin soldiers, and escaped back inside the city wall.
• The Tribe Leader claimed the raccoon dogs had killed at least a hundred Xia Jin soldiers and ordered the wounded treated, then realized the two benefactors were missing.
• Explosions and colorful smoke threw the Xia Jin army into chaos as the man in the Magic Suit appeared beneath a spotlight and released white doves.
• The Young Lord charged at the dove-covered figure, but the man vanished, then squeezed the Young Lord's butt and disappeared again.

Lin Yu and Qianhuan exploited the enemy experts’ reluctance to intervene by provoking the Zhi Zi Department’s Young Lord and drawing out his shamans. Lin Yu revealed his disguise as the opponent, while Qianhuan announced a magic show as the sky darkened.

• Lin Yu taunted the Young Lord about his need for his parents’ approval, driving him into a rage.
• The Young Lord swallowed a blood-red jade bead, awakened hundreds of eyes across his body, and ordered Chuncang and Chu Ju to trap his hidden opponent.
• Chuncang and Chu Ju formed a web of flesh tendrils that forced the top-hatted figure out of hiding.
• The Young Lord swung his axe at the figure, but Lin Yu caught it barehanded, revealed himself, and kicked the Young Lord in the crotch.
• Lin Yu told Chu Ju that the tailcoat’s owner was preparing a performance, and Qianhuan announced the greatest magic show in the world as the sky darkened.

Lin Yu beat the Xia-Jin Young Lord until Chun Cang and Chu Ju intervened with coordinated sorcery and rescued him. After recovering enough to issue orders, the Young Lord gave Chu Ju his golden Military Tally and ordered him to capture Lin Yu alive.

• Lin Yu overwhelmed the Young Lord with punches, leaving him unable to fight back, while deciding not to kill him because of his position.
• Chun Cang trapped Lin Yu's legs with Mud Sand Trap Flow as Chu Ju sent a flaming Giant Wild Boar Statue charging at him.
• Lin Yu braced against the boar but was pushed backward, giving Chun Cang and Chu Ju time to reach and rescue the Young Lord.
• Chun Cang treated the Young Lord's injuries, and the Young Lord cursed Lin Yu and berated the two shamans before calming down.
• The Young Lord gave Chu Ju his golden Military Tally and ordered him to capture Lin Yu alive.

Chu Ju took command of the Xia Jin troops and used Chun Cang’s aid to pin Lin Yu against the shield wall with the burning Giant Wild Boar Statue. As the Young Lord gloated over Lin Yu’s apparent defeat, Lin Yu drew his attention to the chaos behind him, and the Young Lord discovered his tower had vanished.

• The Young Lord handed Chu Ju the Military Tally, and Chu Ju ordered the troops to keep Qianhuan at bay and block Lin Yu’s escape.
• Chun Cang used blood and withered grass to strengthen the Giant Wild Boar Statue, which slammed Lin Yu into the soldiers’ shield wall.
• Lin Yu released a cloud of Water Mist and endured the statue’s continued pressure while Chu Ju suspected his artifact’s water-control art came from Sutu’s lineage.
• The Young Lord taunted Lin Yu, but resisted Lin Yu’s attempt to provoke him into approaching.
• Lin Yu told the Young Lord to look behind him, and the Young Lord turned to find his tower missing.

Lin Yu and Qianhuan made the Giant Tower disappear, revealing that it had been their real target all along. Qianhuan fled in his hat, drawing the Xia Jin army after him as the Li Clan Tribe Leader watched in disbelief.

• Lin Yu and Qianhuan distracted the Xia Jin army while Qianhuan transformed the Giant Tower into a Magic Item and stored it away.
• Qianhuan revealed that his magic show was complete, leaving the Young Lord of the Zhi Zi Department horrified by the tower’s disappearance.
• The Young Lord ordered his soldiers and the shamans Chun Cang and Chu Ju to capture Qianhuan.
• Qianhuan vanished into his top hat, which flew away and led the Xia Jin army in pursuit.
• The Tribe Leader of the Li Clan watched the army move and wondered if the two benefactors had driven it into retreat.

Lin Yu fought through Xia Jin's soldiers and drew Pen Name, revealed to be Zuo Xi, out of hiding. He probed her motives and tried to mislead her about how he knew her identity, but she saw through his deception.

• The Tanuki tribe chief ordered the city defenses reinforced while the tribe treated the wounded and prepared to fight again.
• Lin Yu knocked aside the Giant Wild Boar Statue and fought off Xia Jin's Shield Guards as he searched for Pen Name.
• A soldier's mask broke, releasing living ink that wrapped around Lin Yu's arm, so he cut away the stained flesh and used a recovery potion.
• Pen Name removed her mask and revealed herself as Zuo Xi, prompting Lin Yu to ask whether she had come for a bounty.
• Lin Yu claimed he knew Zuo Xi's identity because he had read her books before becoming a Player, but she recognized that he was deceiving her.

Lin Yu questioned Zuo Xi about why she had sought him out, and she explained that he resembled the protagonist of her unpublished work. Her explanation left Lin Yu convinced she was still hiding something.

• Lin Yu reflected that Zuo Xi was unusually perceptive and had seen through his attempt to pose as her fan.
• Lin Yu asked Zuo Xi why she had been waiting for him instead of pursuing Qianhuan or focusing on the Instance.
• Zuo Xi said she had approached Lin Yu for research because she found him more dramatic than she had expected.
• Zuo Xi admitted that Lin Yu resembled the protagonist of her unpublished work and that she had come to observe him for her writing.
• Lin Yu recognized that Zuo Xi's explanation was plausible but still regarded it as a lie.

Lin Yu discovered that Zuo Xi had been observing him since around Nian’s death because she saw him as an extraordinary protagonist, then she used her writing ability to trap and rewrite his actions. As Zuo Xi tried to stop his escape, Lin Yu countered her plot with the Karma Threads Divine Ability.

• Lin Yu questioned Zuo Xi and learned that she had noticed him around the time Nian died and had been gathering information about him.
• Zuo Xi explained her fascination with Lin Yu’s protagonist-like presence and predicted that he would seek to negotiate with her.
• Zuo Xi wrote a sentence that formed an ink cage around Lin Yu and began forcing him into a plot where he stayed to speak with her.
• Lin Yu called for Qianhuan, used the [Human Cannon] to escape, and entered it before Zuo Xi destroyed its barrel with her blade.
• Zuo Xi recognized Lin Yu’s [Qimo] and used ink to make him want to stay, but Lin Yu activated the Karma Threads Divine Ability to cancel her control.

Lin Yu used Zhu Qiansi’s Karma Threads Divine Ability to break Zuo Xi’s reality-altering influence and escape with the Mind-State Teleportation Gun. He regrouped with Stiller near the Spirit Race’s Northern Royal Palace and decided to scout it cautiously while considering how to deal with Zuo Xi.

• Lin Yu used Karma Threads Divine Ability to disrupt Zuo Xi’s ink-written plot and briefly daze her.
• Lin Yu activated the Mind-State Teleportation Gun and escaped hundreds of miles to Stiller’s anchor point.
• Lin Yu worried that Zuo Xi had discovered his core ability and resolved to make killing her a priority without jeopardizing his rank advancement.
• Stiller told Lin Yu they were near the Spirit Race’s Northern Royal Palace, where the Demon Race’s envoy was expected to arrive.
• Lin Yu praised Stiller and decided they would infiltrate the nearby Spirit Race base to scout the situation.

Lin Yu and Stiller infiltrated the Spirit Race’s Northern Royal Palace under Hannah’s camouflage and Old Zheng’s guidance, while Qianhuan escaped to the Tanuki Race’s holy land after distracting Xia Jin’s forces with the Giant Tower. The tanukis prepared to face the regrouping army, reassured that Lin Yu was alive even though he could not return soon.

• Lin Yu and Stiller traveled toward the Northern Royal Palace, and Lin Yu released Old Zheng and Hannah to help conceal them and detect patrols.
• Hannah camouflaged Lin Yu and Stiller while Old Zheng warned them of an approaching patrol, allowing them to pass the first defense line unseen.
• Xia Jin’s shamans discovered Qianhuan’s rabbit-carried handkerchief decoy, so Qianhuan released the Giant Tower to distract them and escaped to the Tanuki Race’s holy land.
• The tanukis welcomed Qianhuan and asked whether the other benefactor had died, and Qianhuan assured them that Lin Yu was alive but unlikely to return soon.
• The tanuki Tribe Leader said the two benefactors had bought them time and strengthened their chances of holding off Xia Jin’s army.

After the siege at the Fox Race’s sacred grounds, Zuo Xi recorded her theories about Lin Yu and decided to join the upcoming siege, hoping to observe his advancement. Meanwhile, Lin Yu and Stiller reached the Northern Royal Palace and found the Spirit Race’s defenses strangely relaxed despite Xia Jin’s surprise attack.

• Zuo Xi reasoned that the demon’s power was likely inside Lin Yu and suspected his Rank Advancement Trials came more frequently than Players believed.
• Zuo Xi told Chuncang she would participate in the upcoming siege, partly because she wanted to see what Lin Yu could do after reaching Tier 3.
• Lin Yu asked Stiller to confirm that the Demons seeking reinforcements had reached the Northern Royal Palace, and Stiller confirmed it.
• Lin Yu observed that the palace had no visible troop mobilization or heightened patrols despite the Spirit Race knowing about Xia Jin’s attack.

Lin Yu infiltrated the Northern Royal Palace and discovered that its iron walls contained the bones of people cast alive into them. Inside, he found the palace strangely empty outside the heavily guarded main hall and learned it was the home of the Spirit Race’s Northern Witch King.

• Lin Yu told Stiller to take Old Zheng farther from the palace and wait for his signal while he and Hannah went inside.
• Lin Yu used Spirit Form to pass through the iron wall, where he discovered human and Spirit Race skeletons embedded as living foundation stakes.
• Lin Yu entered the palace, had Hannah disguise him, and replenished his Mental Power with ice cream.
• Lin Yu sensed that the palace guards had gathered inside the main hall despite the empty grounds and tightly closed gates.
• Lin Yu identified the palace as the residence and school of the Northern Witch King, one of the Spirit Race’s six Witch Kings.

Lin Yu infiltrated the Northern Royal Palace and discovered that its guards were facing inward because a violent conflict had broken out inside. He found the fighting centered on the apothecary, where Spirit Clan factions and Fox Clan envoys faced off around a curtained bed.

• Lin Yu used Spirit Body Transformation to pass through the palace wall, then hid with Hannah and slipped past the guards.
• Lin Yu noticed that most of the palace guards were watching the interior rather than the entrance.
• Lin Yu followed the guards and corpses toward the apothecary, where he sensed Fox Clan warriors among the Spirit Clan.
• Lin Yu entered the apothecary and saw two armed groups in a standoff around a bed, with ten shamans led by a horned figure confronting the defenders.
• Lin Yu realized he had arrived amid a palace coup in the Northern Territory.

Lin Yu witnessed She She’s coup against the weakened Northern King and watched the two shamans prepare to fight. As the confrontation began, Lin Yu dropped his disguise, exposing himself to the Spirit Race leaders.

• Lin Yu realized that the Raccoonfolk seeking help had been caught in the palace coup.
• She She demanded that the Northern King abdicate and let him take the throne, while the King questioned his impatience and judgment.
• She She claimed he had surpassed the King’s peak strength, and the King rose from his bed and challenged him to fight.
• The Northern King’s power filled the medicine workshop with intense heat, prompting Lin Yu to tell Hannah to end their disguise.
• Hannah removed the disguises concealing Lin Yu, the Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals, and Mental Power, and the Northern King and She She reacted in shock to Lin Yu’s presence.

Lin Yu revealed She She's alliance with the Xiajin Human Race and watched as She She admitted to arranging the coup during the human invasion. The Northern King rose with terrifying power and demanded to know how Lu Gu knew he still had strength in reserve.

• Lin Yu appeared in the Northern Royal Palace, prompting the Northern King and She She to accuse one another over his presence.
• Lin Yu inferred that She She had colluded with Xiajin and suggested he had come on Lu Gu's orders to check on the plan.
• She She admitted he had timed the coup to coincide with Xiajin's attack and promised the humans two days to plunder the Demon Race.
• She She threatened Lin Yu and then allowed him to watch from the sidelines, while Lin Yu concealed his interest in the Spirit Race joining the battle.
• The Northern King rose from his bed, praised Lu Gu's insight, and asked Lin Yu how Lu Gu had known about his remaining strength.

Lin Yu watched as the Northern King used a hidden technique to regain his peak strength and challenge She She to prove who was superior in witchcraft. Their powerful spells clashed in the apothecary, where She She gained the upper hand and began forcing the Northern King back.

• Lin Yu admitted he did not know what Lu Gu had been thinking, and the Northern King said Lin Yu could watch the duel on Lu Gu’s behalf.
• The Northern King challenged She She to prove that he had surpassed his master in witchcraft, and She She accepted.
• The Northern King summoned a scorching fire totem that burned the surrounding area into ash and sent the destruction toward She She.
• She She answered with an iron-colored totem that grew golden as he used witchcraft prepared specifically to fight the Northern King.
• The spiritfolk beat their sword staffs like war drums as She She drove the Northern King’s spell backward and golden threads tightened around the old king, drawing blood.