Chapter Summaries

Lin Yu and Li Nian discussed their hidden strengths and exchanged apologies for keeping secrets from each other. Li Nian revealed that the Psychology Society was watching Xia Yue’s family and that Demon Hunter Kres had moved nearby to protect them, leaving Lin Yu suspicious about why her family had drawn such attention.

• Lin Yu asked Li Nian about her conversation with May May, and Li Nian admitted they had secretly exchanged information about the monster.
• Lin Yu confessed that she had reached Tier 2 earlier than she claimed, and Li Nian said she understood why Lin Yu had concealed it.
• Li Nian admitted that she had investigated Lin Yu’s family and secretly entered her home to check on her mother and sister.
• Li Nian said she had seen the Psychology Society watching Xia Yue’s family and learned that Demon Hunter Kres had rented a home across from them to protect them.
• Lin Yu realized Li Nian had taken Kres’s Item while investigating him and grew suspicious about why her family was being watched and protected.

Lin Yu entered the Ground of No Return for the five-match Gambling Duel, where his two identities, Zhu Ming and May May, were both set to compete. As spectators and players gathered in the arena, Lin Yu learned that Snowy Owl was resting after Loquat Candy cleansed her curse, while Robin remained in her lounge.

• Lin Yu used his player ticket to enter the Ground of No Return and explored the player lounge and arena audience seats.
• Lin Yu met Nicholas, who explained that nearly a hundred spectators had reserved seats for the Gambling Duel.
• Old Zhou, Comedian, Xiao Yun, Qianhuan, Li Hua, Good Night, Paper Kite, and Loquat Candy arrived at the arena.
• Lin Yu asked about Snowy Owl and Robin, and Loquat Candy said Snowy Owl was resting after being cleansed of her curse while Robin stayed alone in her lounge.

Players from prominent organizations gathered at the Ground of No Return to watch the Gambling Duel, and major figures from both sides arrived as the audience grew tense. Lin Yu spotted Fluoxetine sitting among the independent spectators.

• Lin Yu learned that spectator tickets were available through rewards and Instances, though demand had surged because of the duel.
• Grandmaster and Bifang arrived to support Order and the Night Watcher, with Bifang explaining that a Tier 4 expert was among their opponents.
• Wundt and the Diviner arrived with the opposing group, but the Diviner declined Grandmaster's offer of an exhibition match.
• Bifang fell asleep while Grandmaster returned to her seat, and the audience became more cautious as the prominent experts gathered.
• Lin Yu recognized Fluoxetine, disguised and seated among the independent spectators.

At the Ground of No Return, Earl of Flames explained the Arena theme selection and combat rules for the Gambling Duel between Freedom Alliance and Order. Li Hua and Diviner selected Storm and Falling, and the chapter ended as Nicholas and the Prisoner were announced for the first Duel.

• Earl of Flames introduced five possible Arena themes and explained that each side could eliminate one before choosing a final theme.
• Li Hua represented Order, while Comedian persuaded Diviner to select themes for Freedom Alliance.
• Li Hua eliminated Night and chose Falling; Diviner eliminated Drowning and chose Storm.
• Earl of Flames demonstrated the Storm Arena’s tornadoes and the Falling Arena’s shifting stone paths and sleep-inducing gas.
• Earl of Flames explained that victory required a surrender or an opponent remaining unconscious for more than ten seconds, then announced Nicholas versus the Prisoner.

Nicholas and Old Zhou began their arena match in the Storm-themed venue, and their first collision revealed that Nicholas’s reindeer were far stronger than Old Zhou expected. Nicholas then unleashed the reindeer’s full power, leaving Old Zhou facing eight towering, muscular giants.

• Nicholas and Old Zhou entered the arena as Earl of Flames prepared to referee their match.
• Earl started the match, and the arena transformed into the Storm theme as both contestants charged at each other.
• Nicholas’s reindeer sleigh collided with Old Zhou’s lightning-powered cross crutches, sending both fighters tumbling apart.
• Old Zhou realized that Nicholas’s reindeer had withstood his strikes and were blocking him from reaching Nicholas.
• Nicholas released the reindeer from the sleigh and ordered them to attack Old Zhou.
• The eight reindeer stood upright, revealing enormous muscular bodies that dwarfed Old Zhou.

Old Zhou defeated Nicholas's eight reindeer inside a tornado, while Nicholas healed them and revealed his powerful physique. The chapter ended as Nicholas blocked Old Zhou's punch and prepared to fight him directly.

• Old Zhou and Nicholas's eight reindeer charged into a merged tornado and clashed inside it.
• Old Zhou emerged with a bloodied reindeer, knocked it unconscious, and the other seven were flung out of the storm unconscious as well.
• Old Zhou said the reindeer had forced him to use the fully powered Heavenly Drum Battle Technique, while Nicholas healed them with his harp.
• Nicholas's reindeer disappeared, and his Flying Sled began transforming as he announced he would change forms again.
• Old Zhou attacked Nicholas, but Nicholas blocked his punch, shed his bags and red clothing, and revealed his muscular build.
• Old Zhou welcomed the direct fight as Nicholas stood ready to face him.

Old Zhou and Nicholas fought amid the tornadoes, with Nicholas using the Christmas Tree and Candy Cane to disrupt Old Zhou’s balance before driving him into a hurricane. Old Zhou remained conscious inside it and summoned his [Exclusive item], [The Path of Redemption].

• Old Zhou charged Nicholas, and their weapons clashed as the Christmas Tree strengthened Nicholas and the Candy Cane repeatedly reformed.
• Tycoon and Li Hua assessed Nicholas’s advantage, noting that he was less affected by the tornadoes and was targeting Old Zhou’s head and balance.
• Nicholas repeatedly struck Old Zhou, then transformed the Christmas Tree back into a sled and rammed him into the growing hurricane.
• Old Zhou was swept into the hurricane with the sled, but Grandmaster pointed out that he had not lost consciousness.
• Old Zhou decided to use his [Exclusive item] and summoned the rust-covered Brass Key called [The Path of Redemption].

Old Zhou reflected on how the Death game and the Freedom Alliance helped him escape the life he felt trapped in, and he embraced his Exclusive item, [Path of Redemption and Freedom]. He activated its power to remove restrictions on his items and burst out of the storm, returning to confront his foe.

• Old Zhou recalled leaving nightclub security for a respectable job, then joining the Freedom Alliance after meeting a girl in a black dress during his eighteenth Instance.
• After completing his Tier 3 prerequisite quest, Old Zhou learned that his Exclusive item was [Path of Redemption and Freedom] and realized he had always felt trapped by his life.
• Old Zhou infiltrated his company's owner's home, beat him, tied him up, stole the company's laundered money, and fled to another city on a shared bicycle.
• During a Freedom Alliance Group Chat call, Old Zhou understood that living freely meant doing what he wanted and growing strong enough to defeat powerful enemies and ignore every Rule.
• Old Zhou turned a rust-covered key and activated [Path of Redemption and Freedom], removing cooldowns and restrictions from his other items for ten minutes.
• Old Zhou drove his lightning items to their limits, absorbed their power through the Heavenly Drum Battle Technique, and shot out of the storm, announcing that he was back.

Old Zhou used the [Path of Redemption and Freedom] and the [Blink Magic Stone] to overwhelm Nicholas, but Nicholas endured the assault and detonated metal spheres in a final attack. Old Zhou recovered first, and the Earl of Flames declared him the winner.

• Old Zhou struck Nicholas with his batons and used the [Blink Magic Stone] repeatedly, while Nicholas struggled to defend himself.
• Good Night, Gao Shan, Li Hua, and Paper Kite worried that Old Zhou’s powerful item had restored him and removed its cooldown.
• Old Zhou battered Nicholas for several minutes, but Nicholas repeatedly got back up and challenged him to continue.
• Nicholas explained that he fought on because he would not die, while Old Zhou said he used his [Exclusive item] because defeating powerful enemies and earning freedom was his pursuit.
• Nicholas suddenly regained his speed, grabbed Old Zhou, and detonated more than ten metal spheres, knocking them both down.
• Old Zhou recovered with [Recovery Items], and the Earl of Flames declared him the winner after Nicholas remained unconscious for more than ten seconds.

After Old Zhou defeated Nicholas, both sides recovered and prepared their next contestants, the mountaineer and Snowy Owl, for the second duel. The match began in an arena transformed into a maze of rising stone walls.

• Old Zhou returned to the Freedom Alliance seats, where his allies praised his victory and discussed the dangers his new title and used skill posed for his next Instance.
• Nicholas recovered with Loquat Candy's treatment, learned the supplies cost 5,600 points, and was told to submit a reimbursement report.
• The Grandmaster encouraged Nicholas to treat the fight as a lesson and gave Snowy Owl a blackwood sword to replace her inferior temporary weapon.
• Snowy Owl and the mountaineer entered the arena, and Earl of Flames started their duel.
• The arena shook as stone blocks rose into narrow, twisting passages, forming a maze.

Snowy Owl attacked the Mountaineer with the Soul Severing Blade, but the Mountaineer’s golden body endured the wounds without bleeding. The Mountaineer explained that most physical attacks could not affect her and urged Snowy Owl to surrender.

• Snowy Owl chose a cautious route through the arena and then rushed the Mountaineer with a rapid sword strike.
• Snowy Owl cut deeply into the Mountaineer’s neck, but the wound revealed a golden interior and the Mountaineer stayed upright.
• The Mountaineer pulled the blade from her neck and chest as Snowy Owl struck her heart, revealing another golden wound.
• Snowy Owl backed away and asked why the Mountaineer was not fighting back.
• The Mountaineer said most physical attacks were ineffective against her and suggested Snowy Owl surrender.

Snowy Owl and the mountaineer faced off as spectators debated the mountaineer's strange resistance to slashing attacks. Snowy Owl refused to surrender and the mountaineer began testing her defenses, leaving Snowy Owl tripped and sprawled across the narrow path.

• The mountaineer sincerely advised Snowy Owl to surrender her blade, but most spectators took her words as mockery.
• Lin Yu asked Grandmaster how the mountaineer could ignore slashing attacks, and Grandmaster suggested severing her or knocking her off the arena.
• Bifang said the Order and Night Watcher should use the match to investigate the mountaineer's abilities and Items, even if they lost.
• Snowy Owl refused to surrender and said she would keep searching for the mountaineer's weakness while defending herself.
• The mountaineer drove a metal Rock Spike into the ground and used a nylon rope to pull Snowy Owl off balance, leaving her sprawled in a split on the narrow path.

Snowy Owl escaped the Mountaineer’s ropes by rapidly scraping away her own flesh and using a restorative Item. Despite her worsening injuries, she realized the principle behind the Mountaineer’s immunity to physical attacks and prepared to exploit it.

• The Mountaineer bound Snowy Owl with Rock Spikes and Safety Ropes, then relied on the arena’s shifting stone paths to send her slab sinking into the mist.
• Snowy Owl escaped by scraping away the flesh caught in the ropes and leapt back to confront the Mountaineer.
• Snowy Owl used a restorative Item to slow her bleeding, while the Mountaineer predicted that her injuries would soon leave her unable to continue.
• Snowy Owl raised the Ebony Blade and explained that the Mountaineer’s body was highly malleable and tough, so her earlier strike had deformed it rather than cut it.

Snowy Owl analyzed the Mountaineer’s [Super Adaptive Malleable Body] and discovered that precise, small cuts could injure her. Although Snowy Owl had found a way through the defense, she was badly wounded herself, and the Mountaineer challenged her to continue as the Freedom Alliance worried she might go berserk.

• Snowy Owl explained that the Mountaineer’s body changed shape when struck, and the Mountaineer confirmed her analysis.
• Snowy Owl reasoned that a sufficiently precise, small cut could exceed the Mountaineer’s local toughness and shaved flesh from her fingertip.
• The spectators and Grandmaster praised Snowy Owl’s insight, while Li Hua warned that she remained at a disadvantage because she had badly injured her own hands and feet.
• Xiao Yun declared that she wanted to collect the Mountaineer as a corpse, while Old Zhou warned that the Mountaineer’s advantage depended on her not going berserk.
• The Mountaineer tasted the blood from her finger and challenged Snowy Owl to prove her method and see who would fall first.

Snowy Owl fought the mountaineer at close range, but lost consciousness from blood loss before she could defeat her. The mountaineer revived her with a potion and gave her Lian Shan Zhu, asking her to unleash her strongest attack so they could continue the duel.

• Snowy Owl used her Flow State to attack the mountaineer rapidly, striking her with dozens of small wounds while her own blood loss worsened.
• The mountaineer endured the pain and judged that Snowy Owl would collapse first, then stepped forward and caught her as she lost consciousness.
• Bifang and Grandmaster praised the fight, and Grandmaster asked Loquat Candy to treat Snowy Owl at his expense.
• The mountaineer healed herself with a potion, then poured some into Snowy Owl to revive her.
• The mountaineer returned Lian Shan Zhu to Snowy Owl and urged her to use her strongest technique against the mountaineer’s defenses.

The Mountaineer recovered from her brutal fight while God of Cookery prepared to face Robin. After Snowy Owl won, Bifang criticized her performance, and Robin quietly arrived in the Audience Seats before her match.

• Xiao Yun stitched the Mountaineer's wound, and the Mountaineer admitted she had trusted her allies to win the overall contest.
• The Mountaineer wished God of Cookery luck and accepted the soup he had prepared for her.
• Bifang scolded Snowy Owl for relying on her opponent's mercy and failing to adapt, while Tycoon and Grandmaster defended her victory and praised her final strike.
• Snowy Owl learned that Robin had arrived unnoticed and was about to compete.
• Bifang told Robin to prioritize staying safe after Snowy Owl's win.

Zhigeng and the God of Cookery agreed to replace their fight with a timed cooking contest governed by rules favoring Zhigeng. The match began with the God of Cookery needing to prepare three dishes and earn her sincere approval.

• The God of Cookery proposed a battle of wits to avoid injuries, and Earl confirmed he could notarize fair temporary rules.
• The God of Cookery suggested competing through cooking and painting, with Zhigeng allowed to disrupt him and draw ingredients he would have to use.
• Earl’s scales showed that the proposed rules favored Zhigeng, and the God of Cookery agreed to accept her judgment of his dishes.
• Zhigeng accepted the contest and answered the God of Cookery’s questions about her home, residence, and dietary restrictions.
• Earl announced the finalized rules and started the fifteen-minute timer.

The God of Cookery revealed his multi-part Exclusive item, Hell’s Kitchen, and began preparing three dishes while explaining his cooking process. Robin attacked with a growing barrage of drawn geometric shapes, leaving the duel poised to escalate between two highly skilled geniuses.

• The God of Cookery summoned Hell’s Kitchen, and the spectators recognized that its functions could help him withstand Robin’s interference.
• Lin Yu recorded the God of Cookery and his Exclusive item, intending to show the footage to Hannah later.
• The God of Cookery began preparing stir-fried beef with chili peppers and used an acceleration function to marinate the meat quickly.
• Robin sent a triangular pyramid crashing toward the God of Cookery, who blocked it with an enlarged wok.
• The spectators noticed Robin’s growing pile of drawn shapes and realized she was launching them into the air with motion lines.
• Bifang praised Robin’s drawing skill as geometric shapes began falling toward the God of Cookery like a meteor shower.

Robin continued attacking the God of Cookery while he coordinated a team of lobster chefs to prepare dishes from Hell's Kitchen. She rejected their stir-fried beef with chilies as inferior to her grandmother's version, and the God of Cookery accepted defeat before starting a second dish.

• Robin's falling geometric shapes forced the God of Cookery to support the enormous pot, but he directed a sous chef and six lobster clones to cook while pinned beneath it.
• Lin Yu explained that the lobster team might sacrifice flavor because they lacked the God of Cookery's direct judgment and touch.
• A lobster served Robin stir-fried beef with chilies, which she ate while continuing to draw.
• Robin said the dish was not as delicious as her grandmother's and explained that her grandmother added vinegar to balance the spiciness.
• The God of Cookery accepted his defeat and ordered the lobsters to prepare flavorful eggplant as a second dish.

The God of Cookery prepared a third dish with rare ingredients while Good Night kept drawing rather than exploiting the rules. As his final cooking attempt began, Fluoxetine pointed out that the dish still had to be completed, and Good Night turned to a new page.

• The onlookers discussed Good Night’s refusal to use her drawings to sabotage the God of Cookery, and Bifang said she simply drew what she wanted.
• Good Night ate the second dish, Flavorful Eggplant, and said it was too tough and oily.
• The God of Cookery shielded Hell’s Kitchen from Good Night’s attacks and began preparing his final dish with special ingredients from the Ten Realms.
• Mosin-Nagant and Kres debated whether the God of Cookery’s dish could secure his victory, until Fluoxetine said it first had to be completed.
• Fluoxetine noticed that Good Night had turned her sketchbook to a new page.