Chapter Summaries

Lin Yu defeated A Yin’s attempts to break free and used the Fear Flame and A Yin’s fear of snakes to prevent him from using his life-risking techniques. As A Yin appeared close to defeat, he invoked the Dao Ancestor and revealed another trump card.

• Lin Yu, Stiller, Hannah, and Old Zheng worked together to pin A Yin to the ground.
• A Yin said the Hunyuan Dao Palace and Fumo Martial Arts School had a desperate combined technique, but Lin Yu restrained him before he could use it.
• Lin Yu triggered A Yin’s fear with the Fear Flame and summoned fake snakes, leaving him unable to control his Cultivation Method or complete the life-or-death techniques.
• A Yin staggered up as the audience expected him to lose, while Lin Yu stayed alert for another trump card.
• A Yin dropped to his knees and called on the Dao Ancestor for an edict.

A'yu used the Summoning God Method to overcome the Fear Flames and greatly enhance his combat abilities. Lin Yu stayed calm and fought to survive the one-minute countdown as A'yu pressed his attack.

• A'yu extinguished the Fear Flames with water, protected his burns, and summoned a god through the Summoning God Method.
• The Diviner and Neptune explained that A'yu’s technique summoned a Hunyuan Dao Palace ancestor’s assistance, while Lin Yu told Old Zheng to start a one-minute countdown.
• A'yu attacked Lin Yu with the Fumo Nineteen Forms and the Hunyuan Dao Palace’s Nine Dipper Loose Hand, while Stiller was knocked away trying to help.
• A'yu used Leaving Fire to send a fire dragon at Lin Yu, who dodged it with [The Virtuous and Frugal Drinkers] as Hannah disrupted A'yu with ink.
• A'yu used wind and the Fumo Nineteen Forms to attack again, but Lin Yu countered; at thirty seconds, A'yu retreated and opened five meters of space between them.

Lin Yu used A'yu’s attacks and a timed explosion to stall until Zhu Qiansi could trap him with Spider Silk. Lin Yu then activated Karma Threads, pulling both himself and Zhu Qiansi into A'yu’s past.

• A'yu used the Blood Locking Soul Technique on Lin Yu, but Hannah’s ink decoy let Lin Yu evade it and counterattack.
• A'yu regained the upper hand as he and Lin Yu fought with their martial techniques.
• At the end of the countdown, Lin Yu released an Unstable Elemental Gas Canister and ignited the gas with the Wailing Fish Launcher, blasting both fighters apart.
• Lin Yu called on Zhu Qiansi, whose Spider Silk ensnared A'yu despite his attempt to burn it away.
• Lin Yu activated Karma Threads, sending himself and Zhu Qiansi into A'yu’s past.

Lin Yu used Karma Threads to take A Yin back to the Hunyuan Dao Palace three months earlier, where A Yin was too weak to fight. Lin Yu spared him and sent a message to Order’s Director, and A Yin returned to the Arena and conceded.

• Lin Yu revealed that he had prepared A Yin to expect Karma Threads while concealing how their three days of karmic entanglement could extend its reach.
• Lin Yu and Zhu Qiansi used Karma Threads to reach the night A Yin was recovering at the Hunyuan Dao Palace three months earlier.
• A Yin recognized the power of Karma Threads and invited Lin Yu to attack, knowing his recently received True Essence left him unable to fight.
• Lin Yu told A Yin he would not cripple him, explained that he wanted to protect himself and Zhu Qiansi, and asked him to relay a message to the Director.
• Lin Yu ended the Karma Threads effect, returning A Yin to the Arena, where A Yin admitted defeat and left the stage.

After Zhu Ming defeated A'yin with the Karma Threads Divine Ability, the Diviner considered the two fighters’ Fragments of Fate and ordered the Marauders to seek their favor rather than attack. As the host prepared to announce Zhu Ming’s victory, she declared that she was leaving the Psychology Society for the Freedom Alliance and would take the code name Dog Trainer.

• A'yin conceded after Zhu Ming’s Spider Silk and Karma Threads Divine Ability left him with no safe way to continue, and the audience judged her the stronger Tier 2 fighter.
• The Diviner concluded that Zhu Ming and the Director both held Fragments of Fate and instructed the Marauders to seek Zhu Ming’s friendship and consider a trade.
• Lin Yu interrupted Earl before he announced the winner and asked him not to call her Clonazepam.
• Lin Yu announced that she was leaving the Psychology Society to join the Freedom Alliance, whose members welcomed her.
• Lin Yu chose the code name Dog Trainer Zhu Ming.

After leaving the Psychology Society, Lin Yu reassured Old Zheng that he could rejoin under another identity and joined the Freedom Alliance’s group chat as Zhu Ming. He learned that Fluoxetine wanted to meet him alone at the Land of Agreement the next night, leaving him uncertain about her intentions.

• Lin Yu told Old Zheng he could rejoin the Psychology Society with a new identity and bring Old Zheng along to advise him.
• Lin Yu switched to Zhu Ming’s phone, accepted Li Nian’s invitation, and joined the Freedom Alliance group chat as Zhu Ming.
• The Freedom Alliance members welcomed Zhu Ming and offered help, while Designer relayed that Fluoxetine wanted to meet her at the Land of Agreement the following night.
• Lin Yu agreed to attend the meeting alone and ask the group for backup if anything seemed wrong.
• Lin Yu wondered why Fluoxetine wanted to see him, since he understood the Psychology Society’s reaction to his departure but could not read her intentions.

Lin Yu attended a lavish Order and Night Watchers banquet, where his victory earned him recognition and a place among the organization’s leaders. The discussion turned to Zhu Ming and the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord, and the Administrator directed everyone to ask Lin Yu whether Zhu Ming could be trusted.

• Lin Yu arrived at Jiangcheng Grand Hotel and was seated with Order’s senior figures, including Li Hua, Tycoon, and Grandmaster.
• Li Hua explained that Lin Yu would be formally commended for winning his match and preserving two of the Nine Treasures, while warning him that his false codename could still cause trouble.
• Lin Yu explained that his Unique Profession’s [script] required righteous-organization members to be called “May May,” and Li Hua accepted the explanation.
• Grandmaster regretted that the group had failed to bring back the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord, but the Administrator said its obedience to Zhu Ming had been assessed and it showed no signs of hypnotic influence.
• Grandmaster questioned whether Zhu Ming could be trusted after she joined the Freedom Alliance, and the Administrator said Lin Yu was the person they should ask.

Lin Yu defended Zhu Ming during the celebration banquet, and Shen Bingmiao agreed to take charge of dealing with her. Afterward, Robin gave Lin Yu a drawing that could project Fluoxetine’s powerful Exclusive item once.

• Lin Yu argued that Zhu Ming had principles and was unlikely to use the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord to endanger public safety.
• Shen Bingmiao agreed to assess Zhu Ming and accepted responsibility for handling her, while Grandmaster supported the arrangement.
• Lin Yu learned that A-Yin had returned to train and Nicholas had gone to gather materials to repair his Christmas Elf.
• Robin congratulated Lin Yu on becoming Tier 2 and Jiang City's deputy captain, then gave him her drawing, Life and Death Bloom.
• Robin explained that Life and Death Bloom could project Fluoxetine's Exclusive item once and might help Lin Yu survive or understand her abilities.

After Robin gave Lin Yu a valuable painting and added him as a [Social] friend, Good Night confronted him with jealous suspicions that Lin Yu had been confessed to. In the restroom, Lin Yu checked the Freedom Alliance chat and read Braised Carp King's argument that strength was necessary for freedom.

• Robin warned Lin Yu not to rush into challenging Fluoxetine, then asked to add him as a [Social] friend, and Lin Yu accepted her request.
• Good Night accused Lin Yu of receiving a confession from Robin, but Lin Yu said she had only given him a painting and thanked him.
• Lin Yu entered a restroom stall and checked messages on [Cyber Ghost's Electronic Coffin].
• Lin Yu read the Freedom Alliance's discussion of their losses to Order and their need to strengthen their abilities.
• Braised Carp King argued that the Alliance had lost because it lacked strength and declared strength the prerequisite for freedom.

Lin Yu reviewed messages across his identities and discussed his promotion to captain with Li Hua. Li Hua planned to expedite the process so Lin Yu could attend a South China Region meeting where hidden moles in the Player Mutual Aid Society might reveal themselves.

• Lin Yu checked Old Yao’s messages, approved friend requests, and read Tycoon’s advice about connecting with May May and Zhu Ming.
• Lin Yu decided to use Old Yao and Heavenly Artisan more often while limiting his use of Director and Zhu Ming to preserve their reputations.
• Lin Yu found no new messages on Heavenly Artisan’s phone and considered how Heavenly Artisan’s reputation had grown through his connection to Director.
• Li Hua told Lin Yu that his merits were sufficient for promotion to captain and promised to complete the process within two weeks.
• Li Hua explained that the Player Mutual Aid Society would hold a South China Region restructuring meeting in two weeks, where Order would send witnesses and Lin Yu could attend as a captain.
• Li Hua said the meeting might expose moles shared by the Player Mutual Aid Society and Order, and maintained that Lin Yu was the best person to investigate them.

Lin Yu learned why Li Hua had wagered his trust on him and agreed to investigate the hidden organization during his trip to South China. He prepared for his meeting with Fluoxetine at Jinmao Tower and asked Shen Qingmiao to arrange backup in case she attacked.

• Li Hua explained that he had bet everything on Lin Yu finding the hidden group's purpose, members, and organization, while also making his own inquiries through trusted people.
• Lin Yu accepted the assignment to investigate during his trip to South China but admitted he was unsure he could succeed.
• After the banquet, Lin Yu stored his new [Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals] buff and considered meeting God of Cookery to seek another buff.
• Lin Yu reflected that Fluoxetine had held back when they last fought and that he could not challenge her at his current Tier 2 level.
• Lin Yu messaged Shen Qingmiao to watch over his meeting with Fluoxetine at Jinmao Tower and call for backup if she attacked.

Lin Yu met Fluoxetine on the rooftop, where she gave him a ticket to Heavenly Amusement Park and learned of a possible traitor in the Psychology Society. Fluoxetine agreed to keep his source secret but wanted Lin Yu to introduce her to Freud’s alleged disciple.

• Lin Yu met Fluoxetine on a decorated rooftop after leaving the Psychology Society and confirmed he planned to join the Freedom Alliance.
• Fluoxetine gave Lin Yu a deluxe ticket to Heavenly Amusement Park’s upcoming festival and asked him to get stronger and attend.
• Lin Yu told Fluoxetine that a traitor might be hiding within the Psychology Society’s Board of Directors, based on information from someone claiming to be Freud’s disciple.
• Fluoxetine agreed to keep Lin Yu’s source secret but asked him to introduce her to the alleged disciple so she could bring him into the Psychology Society.

Lin Yu planted clues about a supposed disciple of Freud to encourage Fluoxetine to bring him into the Psychology Society. Fluoxetine then revealed the Society was investigating Xia Yang, but said she had already hired Kres to protect her.

• Lin Yu described the masked man calling himself Freud, and Fluoxetine said she would remember the information.
• Fluoxetine showed Lin Yu surveillance footage of Xia Yue’s residential compound and explained that the Psychology Society planned to evaluate Xia Yang’s potential.
• Lin Yu threatened to destroy the Psychology Society if it harmed Xia Yang, and said he had already heard someone was watching her.
• Fluoxetine revealed that she had hired Kres anonymously to protect Xia Yang, and Kres reported that Xia Yang had gone about her day normally.

Fluoxetine revealed that she had hired Kres to watch over Xia Yang and intended to protect her so Lin Yu could grow stronger without worrying about his sister. Lin Yu confirmed that his Karma Threads could threaten Fluoxetine, then left the Jinmao Building with Zhu Qiansi.

• Fluoxetine explained that she had hired Kres to watch Xia Yang because she wanted to keep Lin Yu's sister safe and prevent her from hindering his growth.
• Fluoxetine said she had investigated Lin Yu's past and believed his concern for Xia Yang could make him risk himself in the Death game.
• Lin Yu thanked Fluoxetine, then tested an ambush with Zhu Qiansi's Spider Silk and concluded that Karma Threads could affect Fluoxetine.
• Fluoxetine admitted that she had let Lin Yu's earlier attack hit her because it could not kill her and she wanted to see his reaction.
• Lin Yu declined Fluoxetine's offer to add her as a social contact and jumped from the rooftop with Zhu Qiansi.

The Jiangcheng Media University Drama club set out on a six-stop performance tour, while Lin Yu and Shen Bingmiao discussed Li Hua’s mission to investigate a suspected mole in Order. Shen Bingmiao revealed that she believed a deeply hidden organization of Players was real, leaving Lin Yu aware of a threat operating within multiple Player groups.

• Shen Bingmiao took the Drama club north from Jiang City on a charitable performance tour, and Lin Yu reflected on the classic plays they would perform for young audiences.
• Shen Bingmiao told Lin Yu that the Drama club’s plans were settled but the 'Game' was not over, then praised his performance at the Ground of No Return.
• Lin Yu told Shen Bingmiao that Li Hua suspected a compromised high-ranking member inside Order and wanted him to investigate during the Player Mutual Aid Society Presidential election in South China two weeks later.
• Shen Bingmiao said some Order higher-ups were compromised and that Li Hua was investigating more than Order.
• Shen Bingmiao explained that the General suspected a hidden organization of Players communicating through secret methods, and she said she believed it existed.

Lin Yu questioned Shen Bingmiao’s claim that a Hidden Organization existed, but she explained that its members were secretly operating in the Ten Realms to stop the Professor’s god-making plan. She urged Lin Yu to investigate under Order’s assignment and prepare for his next [Instance], leaving him to ask her for an older forum account.

• Lin Yu challenged Shen Bingmiao to provide evidence that the Hidden Organization existed.
• Shen Bingmiao said unidentified Players were using blind spots in her monitoring to conduct secretive, coordinated trades and exchanges.
• Shen Bingmiao explained that the Death game involved competition between worlds and that the Hidden Organization was trying to stop the Professor’s plan to seize a god’s Authority.
• Shen Bingmiao told Lin Yu that investigating the group as an Order assignment might be convenient and warned him to prepare for his next [Instance].
• Shen Bingmiao advised Lin Yu to feed the [Cyber Ghost's Electronic Coffin] and buy [Items] for it.
• Lin Yu asked the President to prepare a forum account for him with an earlier registration date.

After a disappointing performance in Wancheng, Lin Yu learned that his next [Instance] would return him to Night Valley, the world of his first [Instance]. Shen Bingmiao explained the realm’s human and Dark Race factions and gave him special Items, leaving him to prepare for the game beginning before midnight.

• Lin Yu and the Drama club performed at the Wancheng Youth Palace, but the cast and Lin Yu were not in their usual form.
• Shen Bingmiao asked whether Lin Yu was distracted by the upcoming [Instance] or their earlier discussion, and Lin Yu said he was tired and still adjusting to the climate.
• Lin Yu told Shen Bingmiao that his latest [Instance] required him to become unconscious or nearly unconscious before midnight.
• Shen Bingmiao explained Night Valley’s Dark Races, human factions, churches, and Adventurer’s Guild, and Lin Yu concluded that he could seek help from powerful humans.
• Shen Bingmiao gave Lin Yu a box of special Items for Night Valley Realm.

Lin Yu entered the Sacred Day game and joined forces with Huang, a Tier 3 Player, after they found an overturned carriage in the heartland of the Malo Empire. Huang identified the carriage as a clue to finding the Dark Race, and the pair headed toward Lilai City to investigate.

• Lin Yu woke beside an overturned carriage after Shen Bingmiao knocked him unconscious to send him into the Instance.
• Lin Yu recognized Huang, introduced himself as Schreiber, and invited her to work together.
• Huang identified the carriage as belonging to the Supreme Heresy Inquisition and placed it near Lilai City in the Malo Empire.
• Huang reasoned that the carriage had been transporting heretics from the Church of the Eternal Dark Demon God and that someone had rescued a crucial prisoner.
• Huang proposed following the carriage's trail to uncover the Dark Race behind the heretical cult and complete the clearance condition.

Lin Yu and Huang investigated the overturned carriage and encountered a patrol from the Heresy Inquisition, who wanted to detain them for questioning. Huang presented her credentials, but Lin Yu’s lack of identification drew suspicion until he revealed a golden Cross Medal that made the patrol stand at attention.

• Lin Yu asked Huang where to investigate, and she pointed toward Lilai City while warning that the Heresy Inquisition would soon arrive at the wrecked carriage.
• Huang told Lin Yu to discard suspicious Items and explained that the Inquisition would likely take them into custody.
• Five members of the Heresy Inquisition arrived and questioned Huang and Lin Yu about the carriage attack.
• Huang presented her Holy Fire Church and Adventurer's Guild credentials and claimed Lin Yu was her companion, but the patrol remained suspicious of him.
• Lin Yu revealed a golden Cross Medal, and the five Inquisition members put away their weapons and apologized for failing to recognize him.

Lin Yu and Huang entered Lilai City with members of the Heresy Inquisition, and Lin Yu’s Golden Cross Medal helped secure their cooperation. As they rode through the city, Huang explained its poverty and the Holy Fire Church’s role in resisting the Abyss.

• Huang wondered how Lin Yu had obtained a Golden Cross Medal, and he said he had received it through a trade with a senior Player.
• Huang concluded that Lin Yu had powerful backing and said the medal would make their work easier.
• Lin Yu and Huang rode into Lilai City, where he saw dirty streets and impoverished residents.
• Huang explained that Night Valley remained at war with the Abyss, so resources went toward fighting the Dark Races rather than improving ordinary people’s lives.
• Huang showed Lin Yu the Holy Fire Church’s Lilai Cathedral and explained that its buildings helped deter the Dark Races and the Abyss.