Chapter Summaries

Ji Jue discovered how to use his Anchor Blessing to navigate the Border Purgatory Layer’s chaotic time and destroy the sludge there. After a creature emerged from the ashes and he killed it, he found grains of Dust that resembled Time Sand.

• The dispatcher explained that Ji Jue’s temp work began in the Border Purgatory Layer, where he and Beagle were swallowed by temporal sludge.
• Ji Jue used his Anchor Blessing to establish his position, escape the sludge with Beagle, and pull nearby monsters into the present.
• Ji Jue burned the sludge with Zhanlu and practiced precisely controlling the Anchor’s interference field.
• A skeletal beast assembled from the ashes and attacked Ji Jue, who severed its arm and destroyed its unstable body.
• Ji Jue found several grains of Dust that resembled Time Sand among the remains.

Ji Jue cleared the Border Purgatory layer’s sludge creatures and collected their Time Sand while learning that true Worms were fatally flawed beings burdened by the time they borrowed. He realized the creatures had targeted him because Residual Difference wanted to seize Youngest’s time.

• Ji Jue used Zhanlu and Anchor to destroy the sludge creatures and collected the Time Sand they left behind.
• Ji Jue asked the dispatcher whether the creatures were Worms and learned they were unhatched eggs that could not mature under Established Law.
• The dispatcher explained that Worms were inherently flawed and doomed because they borrowed time from Shadow Sun and eventually had to repay it with other people’s time.
• The dispatcher reminded Ji Jue that Residual Difference had pursued the child from his family and asked him to connect that behavior to the eggs’ hunger for him.
• Ji Jue realized that Residual Difference wanted to seize Youngest’s time.

Ji Jue used Anchor to master Fa Shan and defeat a powerful White Deer shadow in Border Purgatory. His confidence ended when Deeproot of Death awakened ahead, commanding the resurrected Face-Skinning Army to attack him.

• The dispatcher explained that worms like Residual Difference owed enormous amounts of time and warned Ji Jue that Border Purgatory grew more dangerous deeper inside.
• A White Deer shadow attacked Ji Jue, using Blood Vibration and techniques from the Eroded Scales Lineage.
• Ji Jue countered the shadow with Mo Defense and used Fa Shan to destroy the core sustaining it.
• Ji Jue realized Anchor had dramatically improved his control of Non-Aggression's Realm of Encirclement, then tested Fa Shan successfully on other afterimages.
• Ji Jue reached a vast chamber where the Giant Tree awakened as Deeproot of Death and summoned the sixty-seven Face-Skinning Knights, who turned their hatred toward him.

Ji Jue struggled to defeat the Deeproot of Death, then learned that the Sky Rail’s dogs were its original employees and that the CEO’s permissions powered the Doomsday Train. He used his bond with the CEO to bring in Coast’s workforce and gathered materials to begin a new project called Tai'a.

• Ji Jue fled the Deeproot of Death and its Horde, then failed to defeat the beast because its forces reset whenever he left combat for more than ten seconds.
• Ji Jue learned that the dogs were spirits born from the Sky Rail and that their permissions were tied up maintaining the Seal of Shadow Sun.
• The dispatcher revealed that the Doomsday Train carried the CEO’s own permissions, and Ji Jue persuaded the CEO to approve hiring contractors and using office software.
• Ji Jue summoned Coast’s Cat Mobile Unit, Peace Cat Type 11s, and nine Titan-class Autonomous Units called Matrix Holy Relic: Hydra to help with the Sky Rail’s work.
• Ji Jue borrowed Eternal Gate lineage Blessings from the Sky Rail’s warehouse and started a new engineering project, Tai'a.

Ji Jue redesigned and forged Tai'a, a costly sword of the Eternal Empire lineage, using the Nine Forms, Modern Alchemy, Three-Phase Refinement, and the Ten Treatises. After a dangerous refinement disrupted Central Station's timeline, Tai'a chose Ji Jue as its master and vanished from sight while remaining in his grasp.

• Ji Jue studied Tai'a's history and reworked its design into a tool for fighting Worm and clearing Border Purgatory layers.
• Ji Jue and Isis tested the design through repeated explosions, identified its weak points, and prepared the irreversible final activation.
• Ji Jue merged with the workshop to begin refinement, throwing the Doomsday Train and Central Station's timeline into turmoil.
• As Tai'a flickered on the verge of escaping across time, Ji Jue used Realm of Encirclement · [Non-Aggression] to seize it across infinite possibilities.
• Tai'a chose Ji Jue as its master and became invisible, and Ji Jue confirmed that the forging had succeeded.

Ji Jue revealed the Masterwork Tai'a Crown, an artifact bound to his present that concealed itself from anyone relying on visions of the past or future. He led his mechanical army into Worm’s nest, where the crown’s immunity to temporal interference let the Peace Cats slaughter the moth-like spawn, and he prepared to make his enemies share his confinement.

• The dispatcher confronted Ji Jue about his supposed Masterwork, and Ji Jue tricked him into seeing the crown only by bringing him into the present.
• The dispatcher realized Tai'a Crown was bound to Ji Jue’s Anchor and left no trace in the past or future.
• Ji Jue marched into the Border Purgatory Layer with Peace Cats and Hydra behemoths, while Beagle alerted the force to Worm’s nest.
• Worm’s moth-like spawn attacked with aging scale dust, but Ji Jue erased the dust and his Peace Cats advanced through the assault.
• The moths tried to blink away and manipulate time, but Tai'a Crown anchored them in place and made their temporal powers fail.
• Ji Jue used Tai'a Light to sever the past and future, turning the crown’s lack of temporal interference into immunity to it.

Ji Jue used Tai'a and the Meow Meow Squad to destroy Worm’s dead vessel and gathered a strange mineral shell as a reward. He then approached the Deeproot of Death, where his construction cats began building a concrete barrier before the fight.

• Ji Jue used Tai'a to trap Worm’s moths in the present while the Peace Cats burned them with a Refined Phlogiston Sprayer.
• Ji Jue destroyed Worm’s repeating egg and realized the moths had been future afterimages of the same unborn creature.
• Ji Jue took a crystalline stone shell from Beagle and led the Meow Meow Squad through the Border Purgatory layer, clearing several marked dead vessels.
• Ji Jue named the Deeproot of Death as his next target, and the Dispatcher warned him against boasting from a distance.
• Ji Jue marked a spot near the Deeproot of Death and ordered the construction cats to pour concrete there.

Ji Jue built an alchemically enhanced war fortress and used its cannon to badly wound the Deeproot of Death. The beast regenerated and sent sixty-seven face-skinned warriors to attack, but Ji Jue was ready to face them.

• Ji Jue directed the Command Cats to build a fortified position outside the Deeproot of Death’s aggro range, then enhanced it with alchemy and Blessings.
• Ji Jue ordered the fortress to fire, and Zhanlu’s Thunder Pool blasted a huge crescent-shaped hole through the Deeproot of Death, burning much of its trunk to ash.
• The Deeproot of Death regenerated from its roots, awakened in fury, and began producing warriors from its branches and blood.
• Sixty-seven face-skinned warriors charged toward Ji Jue’s fortress, offering themselves to the Sacrificial Master in a battle to the death.
• Ji Jue prepared to confront the attackers as the Prepared Artisan.

Ji Jue held his fortress against Deeproot of Death’s assault, using his mechanical forces and prepared defenses to wear down the Face-Skinning Army. When the wounded Deeproot of Death advanced toward the fortress itself, Ji Jue’s hidden Wild Grass traps ensnared it.

• Ji Jue’s Peace Cat combat company and Matrix Holy Relic Hydra held off the Face-Skinning Warriors while he remained safely at his fishing spot.
• Griefscar answered the battle’s summons, and its pain blessing drove a mechanical giant beast into a frenzy before it self-destructed, destroying several Face-Skinning Warriors.
• The surviving black box from the destroyed giant beast reached the fortress, where Maintenance Cats fitted it with a temporary exoskeleton and it complained to Ji Jue about being sent back to work.
• Deeproot of Death hurled branches at the fortress, but its attacks failed to breach the silver-light defenses.
• After losing more than half its Face-Skinning Warriors, Deeproot of Death pulled itself from the earth and advanced toward the fortress.
• Ji Jue’s buried Wild Grass sprang up and wrapped Deeproot of Death in thousands of thorny filaments, trapping the giant tree.

Ji Jue slowed Deeproot of Death with Wild Grass, then fought it directly after the fortress defenses cleared the way. Deeproot broke through mid-battle and trapped him in its Realm of Encirclement, but his Fiend Demon Reflection absorbed its pain attack, and Non-Aggression had already taken hold, leaving the beast choking under an invisible grip.

• Ji Jue used Wild Grass and the fortress's weapons to slow Deeproot of Death while he held Pan Ying back from joining the fight.
• After Deeproot unleashed a Blood Flame Tidal Wave and cleared the battlefield, Ji Jue emerged and fought through the Flayed Warriors with Pan Ying.
• Ji Jue dodged Deeproot's attacks and struck it repeatedly until the enraged beast expanded its Realm of Encirclement around him.
• Deeproot imposed immense pain on Ji Jue's soul, but Fiend Demon Reflection swallowed the attack before it could take effect.
• Ji Jue revealed that his Realm of Encirclement, Non-Aggression, had already activated, and Deeproot convulsed as an invisible force seized its throat.

Ji Jue used Tai'a and Non-Aggression's Realm of Encirclement to master Harm Elimination and kill Deeproot of Death with Fa Shan. After leaving the Realm, he suffered strange side effects, and the dispatcher warned him that Mohists often died from their own Realms of Encirclement.

• Ji Jue used Tai'a to lock the present and amplify Non-Aggression's Realm of Encirclement, letting him see and manipulate possibilities while Deeproot of Death's attacks faltered.
• Ji Jue grasped the essence of Fa Shan as Harm Elimination and gradually stripped away Deeproot of Death's possibilities.
• Ji Jue used Fa Shan to tear out and shatter Deeproot of Death's vital point, destroying the beast and its Face-Skinning Warriors.
• Ji Jue released Tai'a's seal and the Realm of Encirclement, then nearly collapsed as Beagle vomited, defecated, and urinated beside him.
• The dispatcher questioned Ji Jue's reckless use of his new abilities and said that most Transcendent Mohists died because of their own Realms of Encirclement.

Ji Jue learned that using the Realm of Encirclement exposed him to dangerous backlash, then relied on the Beagle to bear the strain while clearing the Border Purgatory layer. The Established Law healed and empowered him, triggering a vision of an ancient rebellion and the Collapse of the Heavenly Pillar.

• The dispatcher explained that Ji Jue's manipulation of possibility had caused time backlash and warned that exceeding his limits could erase him from the Present World.
• The Beagle revealed its role in absorbing the pressure from time manipulation, ate half of the Deeproot of Death's fossil remains, and left the other half for Ji Jue.
• Ji Jue and his allies cleared most of the drifters in the Border Purgatory layer, causing the region to contract under the dispatcher's control.
• The final hall's dome broke open to reveal the Well's projection, and the dispatcher explained that the Rainbow Light was an extension of the Established Law.
• The Established Law sent a drop of light into Ji Jue, healing his wear and strengthening his affinity, resistance, matrix, and Blessings.
• Ji Jue was swept into a vision of a prosperous city consumed by black flames and rebels attacking a great tower, witnessing the Collapse of the Heavenly Pillar.

Ji Jue witnessed a revelation of Mercury’s revolution against the Eternal Empire and saw a warning of a lurking threat behind him. After recounting the vision to the Dispatcher, he left Border Purgatory and headed to Tianmen University to find Rice Bug.

• Ji Jue watched Mercury destroy the Heavenly Origin Tower and sever the Eternal Empire’s dominion, then saw a pair of decaying hands reaching for him before the revelation shattered.
• Ji Jue told the Dispatcher that he had seen the Empire’s destruction, the Heavenly Pillar’s collapse, and Mercury, then recounted his history with her.
• The Dispatcher explained that his predecessor’s identity had been erased from causality and suggested Ji Jue’s revelation might relate to Worm and a threat Ji Jue had caused.
• The Dispatcher told Ji Jue to continue clearing Border Purgatory, but sent him off work because the next layer was not ready to explore.
• Ji Jue left with his group, drove to Tianmen University, and called Rice Bug to fry two dishes and bring him twenty thousand yuan.

Ji Jue pondered Mercury’s plans for Gloria and realized that completing their intertwined causal loop might explain what he still could not understand. His thoughts were interrupted when Ye Chun arrived and caught him absentmindedly handling her hand, and they began reminiscing over his past mishaps at Tianmen University.

• Ji Jue met Ye Chun near Tianmen University’s south gate to discuss Gloria, Mercury’s daughter and a seemingly complete creation he could not analyze.
• Ji Jue connected the Established Law’s demand for complete causality with Gloria’s unfinished past and future, but remained unsure how to close the loop or interpret his foresight.
• While musing over a mysterious bloodstained hand from his vision, Ji Jue unconsciously held and examined Ye Chun’s hand as she arrived.
• Ji Jue released Ye Chun’s hand and joked that her formal outfit made her look less like a salted fish, while Ye Chun teased him and demanded respect.
• Ji Jue reminded Ye Chun that he had once relied on her meal card, prompting her to recall the university food-poisoning incident in which he collapsed while clutching braised pork rice.

Ji Jue reminisced with Ye Chun about how she had once defended him, then asked about Gloria and tried to persuade Ye Chun to let the girl stay with him. Ye Chun refused, caught on that Ji Jue was hiding something from his teacher, and pressured him into becoming the second author of her paper before they went out to eat.

• Ji Jue recalled how Ye Chun had secured compensation for him and his friends after a stall owner refused to pay for an accident.
• Ji Jue asked Ye Chun about Gloria and suggested bringing her to stay with him, but Ye Chun refused and insisted she would not give the child to him.
• Ye Chun suspected Ji Jue had done something disgraceful and threatened to tell his teacher, prompting him to plead with her not to.
• Ye Chun pressured Ji Jue into joining her paper as its second author, and he agreed to write it for her.
• Ye Chun and Ji Jue chose coconut chicken for dinner, and Ye Chun laughed when Ji Jue tried to stack discounts at the counter.

Ji Jue used Tai'a Crown to crush the Living Cave’s false infinite space and uncover its calcified remains, then continued clearing Border Purgatory L2 while investigating the source of its pollution. The dispatcher explained that Ji Jue had to complete the cleanup process himself and hinted at a danger involving mirrors.

• Ji Jue and the Peace Cats attacked the Living Cave, whose faces tried to invade his memories, but the Shadow of the Fiend Demon devoured the intrusion.
• Ji Jue used Tai'a Crown’s overwhelming mass to collapse the Living Cave’s false endless space, and the Civil Engineering Cats dismantled what remained.
• Ji Jue let the Beagle eat most of a calcified arm found inside the cave, then kept its wrist and fingers as a potential crafting material.
• While clearing L2, Ji Jue considered whether pollution came from Shadow Sun or the Well, and wondered what lay inside the Well.
• The dispatcher praised Ji Jue for clearing more than half of L2 in three days, then said the cleanup process had to be completed by Ji Jue himself and asked whether he had seen two mirrors placed face-to-face and bent together.

Ji Jue investigated attacks on the Sky Rail and confronted the final sealed presence on L2, only to discover it was an imprint of his teacher, Ye Xian. After the dispatcher explained that Ye Xian was supposedly injured and weakened, Ji Jue tried to fight her again and was carried back in pieces, demanding an explanation.

• Ji Jue questioned the dispatcher and CEO about the Seal of Shadow Sun and learned its integrity had risen to 87% as it repaired itself under established law.
• The dispatcher reported that Doberman had repelled another raid, and Ji Jue suspected the attackers were probing the Sky Rail's defenses.
• Ji Jue opened the final sealed door on L2 and saw Ye Xian's imprint inside, then panicked and fled.
• Ji Jue told the dispatcher that Ye Xian was his teacher, and the dispatcher said her trace could suppress the entire floor despite her supposedly injured condition.
• Ji Jue returned to challenge Ye Xian, but Peace Cat brought him back on a cart in pieces as he demanded to know what the dispatcher meant by her strength being severely diminished.

Ji Jue challenged Ye Xian’s imprint to test how far his skills had advanced, but she unleashed her full arsenal and drove him into a desperate fight. The chapter ended as Ye Xian appeared behind him and pressed her hand to his back, triggering another Scene Tremor.

• Ji Jue recalled Ye Xian’s fearsome past and chose to face her without exploiting the available information or preparing a counter-strategy.
• Ji Jue entered L2 and challenged Ye Xian, who attacked him with Black Swan, Gray Rhino, Giant Whale, and a customized Pan Ying.
• Ji Jue revealed his transformed Nine Forms, provoking Ye Xian’s intense hostility and prompting her to unfold Black Swan’s full Domain.
• Ji Jue fought through Ye Xian’s attacks, matched her Disintegration Art, and gained the advantage in their Pan Ying clash by wielding the more complete blade.
• Ye Xian appeared behind Ji Jue and placed her hand against his back, setting off Scene Tremor.

Ji Jue fought Ye Xian through their Rebirth Forms, Realms of Encirclement, and Scene Tremors, and both were nearly destroyed in the final clash. Ji Jue rebuilt himself with Isis and struck Ye Xian through the heart, but she awakened from her false reflection and asked him his name.

• Ye Xian used her Rebirth Form and Perfectly Flawless Realm of Encirclement to pressure Ji Jue, who countered with Nine Forms, Non-Aggression, and destructive attacks.
• Ji Jue diverted Ye Xian's Yuchang strike into her arm, interrupted her Scene Tremor, and exposed the Sin Corruption she was suppressing inside her specimen case.
• Ye Xian revealed the seals on her body and unleashed an ultimate Scene Tremor, which burned her and turned Ji Jue to ashes.
• Isis and Ji Jue's Fluid Alchemy rebuilt him from scattered mercury, allowing him to pierce Ye Xian's heart with Chun Jun.
• As Ye Xian struggled to reassemble herself, she recognized her own responsibility and awakened from the false reflection, then asked Ji Jue his name.

Ji Jue awakened Ye Xian’s imprint, received her Time Gauge, and witnessed the emperor and the Matrix Child make a final wager beneath the celestial origin pillar. After returning to the present, Ji Jue learned that something had happened to Doberman.

• Ji Jue answered Ye Xian’s question, and she recognized him as her student before fading away and leaving him an hourglass.
• The dispatcher identified the hourglass as a rare Time Gauge that could strengthen Ji Jue’s Tai'a, while Ji Jue reflected on what he had learned from fighting Ye Xian.
• Ji Jue followed the Well’s light into the past and watched the Matrix Child confront the emperor at the nearly completed celestial origin pillar.
• The emperor and the Matrix Child agreed to a wager: if the emperor’s final gamble failed, the Matrix Child would kill him; if the Matrix Child failed, the emperor would kill him.
• Ji Jue returned to the present, where the dispatcher told him that something had happened to Doberman, prompting Ji Jue to spring up.