Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Daoist Academy of the Rebel Army Faction selects 5 out of 254 players to teach advanced-level skills or higher.
• Players must survive a month-long wilderness challenge in a frozen wasteland without their supernatural powers, relying on wisdom, character, and courage.
• Food is scarce, leading to desperate measures among the players.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi, using a Substitute Puppet, is unaffected by the loss of supernatural powers and doesn't need to eat, giving him an advantage.
• Other players struggle with hunger and desperation, leading some to turn on each other.

Significant Themes

• Survival of the fittest: Players must rely on their wit, strength, and morality to survive.
• The price of power: Those who seek advanced skills must also possess virtue, strength, and intelligence.
• Desperation leading to moral decay: Hunger and desperation cause players to turn on each other.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi keeps to himself, refusing to join a team and choosing to survive alone.
• Players form teams based on familiarity, then turn against each other in desperation.
• Feng Qi and Luo Shao, two players from Gao Linzhi's original server, approach him out of desperation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Players are stranded in an icy, snowy environment with no access to their Game Backpacks, leading to a struggle for survival.
• Many players resort to cannibalism to survive, leading to a significant decrease in population.
• The remaining players face a new challenge: extreme cold, which they initially try to combat by huddling together and creating shelters.
• They realize they need fuel to survive but find no resources in the barren landscape.
• The group discovers Gao Linzhi, who seems unaffected by the cold, and attacks him in hopes of obtaining his secret.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi: He remains hidden and observes the other players' actions, revealing his strategic and patient nature. He shows no mercy to those who attack him, demonstrating his ruthlessness when provoked.
• The Remaining Players: They initially cooperate to survive but turn on each other when faced with scarcity. Their desperation leads them to attack Gao Linzhi, showing their lack of morals and disregard for others' lives.

Significant Themes

• Survival of the Fittest: The harsh environment and scarcity of resources push the players to their limits, revealing their true nature and leading them to make desperate decisions.
• Morality and Virtue: The players' actions challenge the concept of morality and virtue. They initially claim to possess these qualities but quickly abandon them in the face of adversity.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi interacts with the remaining players only when they attack him. His interactions reveal his disdain for their lack of morals and his willingness to eliminate threats.
• The remaining players interact with each other in a desperate attempt to survive, initially cooperating but eventually turning on each other and attacking Gao Linzhi.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Five survivors emerge from a cellar after a month, greeted by the Headmaster who tests their courage in the second trial.
• An Ice and Snow Giant Anomaly, a thousand meters tall, blocks their path. They must exile or destroy it to pass the trial.
• The Headmaster disappears, leaving the task and a time limit.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi: He observes the anomaly, considering his strategy but keeps it to himself. He understands the Headmaster's emphasis on courage over outcome.
• Wang Family Three Brothers (Wang Da, Wang Qiang, Wang Shun): They discuss their reasons for rebelling and their plan to use anomalies to counter the giant. Wang Da is determined to reclaim his family's territory, while his brothers are more cautious.
• Wanshi Suifeng (female player): She suggests using a Big Shot's method with Jade Talismans to deal with anomalies.

Significant Themes

• Courage: The trial tests the survivors' courage in facing and challenging powerful forces, symbolizing their willingness to rebel against the Imperial Court.
• Obsession and Determination: Wang Da's obsession with reclaiming his family's territory drives him to face the trial's danger, while his brothers are more risk-averse.
• Teamwork and Strategy: The survivors must work together and strategize to pass the trial, but their individual goals and fears may hinder collective action.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi observes the anomaly and considers his strategy but doesn't reveal it, maintaining a mysterious demeanor.
• The Wang Family Three Brothers discuss their plan to use anomalies to counter the giant, with Wang Da being more determined and Wang Qiang and Wang Shun being more cautious.
• Wanshi Suifeng suggests using a Big Shot's method with Jade Talismans, showing her knowledge of anomaly countermeasures.
• The Headmaster's presence and instructions serve as a catalyst for the survivors' actions and interactions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Da, a feudal lord's descendant, leads a group to face an Ice Snow Giant anomaly.
• They attempt to use jade talismans and Anomaly Story Instance Tickets to subdue the giant, but they fail.
• Wang Da decides to use a traditional method of sacrifice, involving his two brothers, Wang Qiang and Wang Shun.
• The sacrifice fails, and the brothers die. Wang Da blames Gao Linzhi and Sui Feng for not speaking up earlier.
• Gao Linzhi creates ten thousand ice and snow dolls and arranges them in a ritual formation, mimicking the failed sacrifice. The giant reacts, showing potential success.

Character Developments

• Wang Da: Shows willingness to sacrifice his brothers for personal gain and power. Develops hatred towards Gao Linzhi and Sui Feng after his plan fails.
• Gao Linzhi: Remains calm and collected, using his knowledge and skills to create a solution. He doesn't intervene in Wang Da's initial plan, showing a lack of proactivity in good deeds.
• Sui Feng: Shows reluctance and remorse when Wang Da sacrifices his brothers. She helps arrange the dolls in the ritual formation.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice: The willingness to sacrifice others for personal gain or a greater cause. The theme is explored through Wang Da's actions and the eventual use of dolls as substitutes.
• Ingratitude and Blame: Wang Da blames Gao Linzhi and Sui Feng for not speaking up earlier, despite his proactive role in the failed sacrifice.
• Knowledge and Action: Gao Linzhi's knowledge and skills allow him to create a solution, but he chooses not to intervene in Wang Da's initial plan.

Character Interactions

• Wang Da and his brothers: Wang Da is willing to sacrifice his brothers for his goals. The brothers initially resist but eventually accept their fate due to Wang Da's persuasive words.
• Wang Da, Gao Linzhi, and Sui Feng: Wang Da blames Gao Linzhi and Sui Feng for not speaking up earlier, leading to a growing hatred towards them. Gao Linzhi and Sui Feng work together to create a solution to the anomaly problem.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Linzhi successfully lures and distracts an ice and snow giant anomaly using ice and snow puppets as bait, demonstrating courage and strategic thinking.
• The Headmaster appears and praises their victory, revealing that they must pass a third trial to learn advanced skills: writing a Proclamation of Conquest against the Imperial Court.
• Gao Linzhi passes the trial by writing a proclamation inspired by late Ming Dynasty thinkers, impressing the Headmaster.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi shows bravery, strategic thinking, and adaptability in facing the anomaly, and proves his writing skills in the third trial.
• Wang Da and Suifeng struggle with the third trial, and Wang Da expresses resentment towards Gao Linzhi's success.
• The Headmaster reveals her longevity method, turning into stone to extend her life.

Significant Themes

• Courage and Adaptability: Gao Linzhi's actions demonstrate that facing one's fears and adapting to situations can lead to success.
• Longevity and its Costs: The Headmaster's longevity method highlights the trade-offs and sacrifices involved in achieving extended life.
• The Power of Words: Gao Linzhi's proclamation shows the impact of persuasive language and ideas in swaying opinions and influencing others.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi interacts with the ice and snow giant anomaly, demonstrating his ability to communicate and manipulate it.
• Gao Linzhi, Wang Da, and Suifeng interact with the Headmaster, receiving instructions and judgments on their performance.
• Wang Da expresses resentment towards Gao Linzhi's success, while Suifeng acknowledges his capabilities.

Plot Points and Events

• Gao Linzhi meets the Headmaster of the Daoist Academy, who reveals she's a Longevity Being.
• The Headmaster offers to teach Gao Linzhi the Petrification Method, a Longevity Technique, in exchange for his help in disrupting the Sky Wolf Dynasty.
• Gao Linzhi begins learning the Petrification Method, with the first part being 'Heart Transforms into Stone', which stabilizes emotions for longevity.
• The Game System integrates all Longevity-related skills into the Beginner Longevity Technique, increasing Gao Linzhi's Constitution and Spirit to 2000 each.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi: He becomes more cautious and strategic, understanding the potential ulterior motives of the Headmaster. He also makes significant progress in his pursuit of longevity.
• The Headmaster: She reveals her true nature as a Longevity Being and her desire to maintain the balance of power in the world by preventing any single Dynasty from becoming too strong.

Significant Themes

• Longevity: The pursuit of longevity is the central theme, driving the actions of both Gao Linzhi and the Headmaster.
• Power Dynamics: The balance of power between the Imperial Court, local powers, and the Daoist Academy is a significant theme, with each party seeking to gain an advantage.
• Manipulation and Control: The Headmaster seeks to use Gao Linzhi to further her own goals, while the Federation tries to find ways to bind Gao Linzhi to the planet to prevent him from causing destruction.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi and the Headmaster: They engage in a mentor-mentee relationship, with the Headmaster teaching Gao Linzhi the Petrification Method. However, their interaction is also marked by caution and potential ulterior motives on both sides.
• Gao Linzhi and the Federation: The Federation, realizing the futility of their previous strategies, now seeks to find a way to bind Gao Linzhi to the planet to prevent him from causing destruction.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The leader of the team, a tall, cold, and stunning woman, enters the office and reprimands the team for underestimating Gao Linzhi and misjudging his preferences.
• She reveals that Gao Linzhi is pursuing longevity and detests the Incense Path, finding it inferior to his current longevity technique.
• The team decides to form the "Longevity Society" to attract powerhouses by sincerely understanding and becoming like-minded individuals.
• Anomalies start invading real cities, prompting the Company Union Federation to broadcast global announcements advising residents on how to deal with them.
• Gao Linzhi learns about the situation and connects with his pet, the Corpse Vine, to check online forums, finding discussions about the recent strange occurrences.
• Companies start releasing information about Anomalies, with some being straightforward and others remaining secretive.
• The city of Ancheng experiences Anomaly sightings, and the company offers a reward for any solutions.

Character Developments

• The team leader demonstrates her intelligence and understanding of Gao Linzhi's character, correcting the team's misconceptions and guiding them towards a better approach.
• Gao Linzhi shows his awareness of the changing situation and his ability to adapt and learn from it.

Significant Themes

• The struggle for understanding and cooperation between different factions (Gao Linzhi and the Company Union Federation).
• The adaptation of humans to the invasion of Anomalies and the Skyfall Game's influence on reality.
• The resilience and adaptability of the company system in the face of large-scale disasters.

Character Interactions

• The team leader interacts with her team, reprimanding them for their mistakes and guiding them towards a better strategy.
• Gao Linzhi interacts with his pet, the Corpse Vine, to gather information about the current situation in the real world.
• The Company Union Federation interacts with the residents, broadcasting announcements to guide them on how to deal with Anomalies.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A ban on incense and candles is issued by major companies to prevent wildfires and Anomaly invasions.
• Gao Linzhi observes that the ban's execution varies among cities, leading to stronger or weaker Anomaly presence.
• Gao Linzhi receives a recruitment notice from the Longevity Society, which claims to have three Longevity Paths: Petrification, Evergreen, and Incense.
• Gao Linzhi joins the Longevity Society group after passing their screening questions.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi demonstrates interest and understanding of the Longevity Paths, particularly the Petrification Method.
• Gao Linzhi shows caution and strategic thinking by not putting all his eggs in one basket and joining the Longevity Society.

Significant Themes

• Longevity: The pursuit of longevity is the central theme, driving characters' actions and decisions.
• Power and Control: The dynamics between companies, the Federation, and individuals like Gao Linzhi highlight the theme of power and control.
• Risk and Benefit: Characters weigh the risks and benefits of their actions, such as joining the Longevity Society.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi interacts with the Longevity Society through the Archipelago Forum, leading to his recruitment.
• The Longevity Society group members communicate about their expectations and the group's rules upon Gao Linzhi's entry.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Longevity Being group holds an online meeting to discuss longevity pursuits under the current chaotic circumstances.
• They share videos of ruthless corporate methods against rogue players, sparking outrage and unity among group members.
• The group leader announces the establishment of the Longevity Society, aiming to create a collaborative, equal, and safe environment for longevity research.
• The first in-game gathering is scheduled for Wolf Snake Island, with the safe zone of East Wolf Village as the meeting location.
• Gao Linzhi retrieves a Purple Tier Disguise Iron Mask from the group, allowing him to hide his game avatar and ID.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi remains cautious and distrustful of the Longevity Being group, declining to use their provided item and instead purchasing a similar one from the game store.
• The group leader demonstrates sincerity and thoughtfulness in addressing rogue players' concerns, aiming to build trust through repeated cooperation.

Significant Themes

• Unity and collaboration among rogue players to protect themselves and pursue longevity.
• The chaotic and dangerous situation in both the game world and the offline world, driving rogue players to seek opportunities and allies.
• The importance of trust and safety guarantees in the Longevity Society.

Character Interactions

• The group leader interacts with members, addressing their concerns and outlining the Longevity Society's goals and systems.
• Gao Linzhi communicates with Wu Liao to gather information about the Serenity Company operating the sixth floor of the safe zone.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Linzhi attends a Longevity Society gathering, expecting secrecy but finding an open event.
• He is led through four entertainment halls (Wine, Lust, Wealth, Power) and then to the gathering location.
• A debate ensues among attendees about the merits of preserving the spirit versus the body for longevity.
• The host, Chang Yu, introduces the conference agenda: sharing three paths to longevity, free speech, and mingling time.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi: Remains composed and indifferent to the sensory stimuli in the entertainment halls, showing strong self-discipline.
• Chang Tian: A social butterfly with a knack for making conversation, he becomes friends with Gao Linzhi.
• Chang Yu: The host of the Longevity Society meeting, he is open about the organization's desire to benefit from attendees' longevity achievements.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of longevity and the different methods to achieve it.
• The importance of self-control and discipline in the pursuit of longevity.
• The potential benefits and drawbacks of spiritual versus physical longevity.
• The question of identity and self when pursuing spiritual longevity.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi and Chang Tian: They bond over their shared interest in longevity and have a comfortable conversation.
• Various attendees: They engage in a heated debate about the merits of preserving the spirit versus the body for longevity.
• Gao Linzhi and Chang Yu: Although they don't interact directly, Gao Linzhi listens to Chang Yu's introduction of the conference agenda.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The conference discusses three paths to immortality: Path of Petrification, Path of Eternal Spring, and the official built-in group's benefits.
• The Path of Petrification involves emptying harmful memories and restraining thoughts to achieve longevity through avoidance.
• The Path of Eternal Spring mimics the ageless pine of Nanshan, requiring high constitution and spirit attributes to manipulate cells and genes.
• The official built-in group offers one free resurrection per year and a lifespan of 500 years, but joining is difficult and requires top-tier accomplishments.

Character Developments

• Gao Renzhi, despite having a cheat (Immortal Water), doesn't join the official built-in group due to its potential downsides and his conservative nature.
• Chang Yu, the host, reveals that immortality is difficult to achieve in any world, with high barriers to entry.

Significant Themes

• The difficulty and rarity of immortality.
• The importance of avoiding harmful thoughts and memories for longevity.
• The high entry barriers and potential risks of joining powerful groups.

Character Interactions

• Gao Renzhi interacts with other conference attendees, learning about the official built-in group and the Path of Eternal Spring.
• Chang Yu engages with the audience, answering questions and providing insights into the immortality paths.
• Some attendees express excitement about the Path of Eternal Spring, while others find it too difficult.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Immortality Society screens new arrivals, including Gao Renzhi.
• The game introduces three career paths: Berserker, Warrior, and Scholar.
• The host reveals that NPCs like Lin Zhongxian can provide quests, career guidance, and skill breakthroughs.
• Wolf-Snake Island is highlighted as a focal point for the game system.
• The game's safe zone on Wolf-Snake Island is praised for its size and the open-mindedness of its leader, Gao Renzhi.
• The host distributes materials on the Petrification and Changchun paths, with the Incense Flame path left unmentioned.
• An old man takes the stage to discuss the Incense path, emphasizing it as a viable path to longevity for ordinary geniuses.

Character Developments

• Gao Renzhi: Realizes the importance of NPCs in the game system and understands the Cthulhu way of becoming a god.
• The crowd: Become interested in the Incense path after finding the first two methods difficult.

Significant Themes

• The struggle to find a viable path to immortality in the game's evolving system.
• The comparison of paths and the realization that each has its drawbacks.
• The fear of losing one's body and sense of self in the pursuit of longevity.

Character Interactions

• The host, Chang Yu, interacts with the crowd, distributing materials and answering questions.
• An old man takes the stage to discuss the Incense path, engaging with the crowd's interests and concerns.
• Gao Renzhi listens and learns from the discussions, understanding the Cthulhu way of becoming a god.

Chapter Summary: Immortality Debate, Divinity through Incense

Key Plot Points and Events

• The players become excited when the Incense Path is presented as a relatively accessible route to immortality. Unlike traditional cultivation, it depends mainly on the number and devotion of one’s believers.
• Players recognize that their unique advantages—Game Backpacks, travel between worlds, abundant food supplies, and access to isolated island populations—make them especially suited to cultivating believers.
• The proposed method emphasizes Godhood through the physical body, allowing practitioners to retain their bodies and consciousness rather than becoming disembodied spirits or dependent on spirit tablets.
• The method requires a minimum of 500 Constitution and 500 Spirit, which the players consider manageable compared with more demanding cultivation requirements.
• Behind the gathering, the Longevity Society reveals that the event is largely a trap aimed at influential independent players, especially Gao Linzhi. The Society hopes to lure him into a system of immortality dependent on believers, thereby creating a weakness they can exploit.
• The Society presents a frightening example of physical-body godhood: a worshipped man with dozens of arms, each capable of storing incense offerings and preserving his consciousness for a century. With ninety-nine arms, he could theoretically live for 9,900 years.
• The method is not freely available. Practitioners must sign a contract with the Society, which supplies the training and technology while taking 70% of the incense offerings, leaving the practitioner only 30%.
• Despite the exploitative arrangement, many attendees rush to sign because the promise of immortality overwhelms their caution.
• During the open discussion, several competing views emerge:
  • One woman argues that contentment and moderation, rather than obsessive pursuit, lead to longevity.
  • The crowd rejects and nearly expels her for appearing to oppose immortality.
  • Another speaker proposes forming teams and concentrating resources so that a few people can become immortal first and later help others achieve immortality.

Character Developments

• The players display enthusiasm and practicality. They immediately assess how modern-world resources, food waste, and their game abilities could support mass believer cultivation. Their materialist upbringing also makes them particularly concerned with preserving their bodies and personal consciousness.
• The old man acts as a persuasive instructor and recruiter. He presents physical-body godhood as a safe, stable, and superior path while concealing its costs and using the contract to secure the Society’s control.
• Gao Linzhi remains observant and skeptical. Although he acknowledges the apparent advantages of the Incense Path, he recognizes that it may conceal terrible dangers. He specifically understands that the underlying Cthulhu Cultivation can eventually destroy sanity, erase self-awareness, and drive practitioners to slaughter their families and gods.
• Chang Yu, the host, maintains a calm and faintly amused presence, overseeing the event and transitioning it into an open forum.
• The Longevity Society’s leaders are revealed as calculating and openly hostile toward independent transcendent individuals. They believe powerful beings cannot coexist peacefully and must either be killed, controlled, or avoided.

Character Interactions

• The players collectively debate the advantages of the Incense Path and reinforce one another’s optimism.
• The old man encourages their enthusiasm, answers their questions, and uses the demonstration of the many-armed worshipped figure to intensify their desire for immortality.
• Attendees challenge the contract’s 70–30 division, but the old man bluntly explains that even minor gods must beg for incense and that access to the path itself is controlled by the Society.
• The Longevity Society discusses Gao Linzhi in private, viewing him as a dangerous outsider who lacks the family ties and social connections that make other powerful players controllable.
• During the open forum, the crowd attacks the woman advocating contentment, revealing how fear of death and desire for immortality have made the participants intolerant of opposing views.
• The final speaker shifts the discussion toward cooperation and collective advancement, suggesting that immortality should be achieved through organized groups rather than individual effort.

Significant Themes

• The price of immortality: The chapter emphasizes that every path to eternal life carries costs, whether loss of independence, physical deformity, dependence on believers, financial exploitation, or eventual madness.
• Power through dependence: Incense-based godhood gives practitioners power but also binds them to their followers. The Longevity Society intends to use that dependence to control otherwise uncontrollable individuals.
• Freedom versus security: The players prefer preserving their bodies and identities, yet the seemingly safer path may surrender their autonomy to institutions and believers.
• Exploitation and unequal power: The Society’s franchise model turns immortality into a commercial enterprise, allowing the powerful to profit from desperate seekers.
• The danger of temptation: Even intelligent elites abandon caution when offered immortality, showing how overwhelming the desire for eternal life can be.
• Conflict between transcendent beings: The Longevity Society rejects sincere coexistence, claiming that beings with overwhelming power are inherently uncontrollable and can only interact through domination, submission, or destruction.
• Appearance and identity: The Society believes physical transformation and deformity will undermine Gao Linzhi’s humanity and psychological stability, suggesting that immortality may gradually separate a person from their original self.
• Collective versus individual advancement: The concluding proposal introduces the idea that immortality may require teamwork and centralized resources, but this also raises questions about who controls the group and who benefits first.

Chapter Summary: “Castration as Leveling, Solving Both Problems at Once”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the Longevity Society gathering, several participants present schemes for achieving Immortality or gaining investment.
• One man proposes pooling everyone’s resources into a single account so he can become Immortal first and then help the others. The crowd immediately recognizes this as a scam, though Gao Linzhi notes that such promises resemble deceptive corporate investment pitches and would inevitably fool some people.
• Other attendees promote projects involving the Incense-Fueled Path to Godhood, imperial connections, and methods of obtaining Immortality. Their speeches resemble startup pitches, with each speaker trying to attract investors despite the dubious reliability of their plans.
• Gao Linzhi decides to speak under the identity “Wuming.” Rather than promoting a personal scheme, he proposes a nonaggression agreement among Longevity Beings. Conflicts should be settled through safe, revival-enabled contests rather than mutual slaughter.
• His proposal receives widespread approval, and the society’s host, Chang Yu, reveals that similar rules already exist in the society’s membership terms. Gao Linzhi successfully earns the respect and recognition of the attendees while concealing his true identity.
• A young speaker then argues that Immortality requires eliminating desire and achieving spiritual purity. He proposes castration as a way to suppress desire and potentially extend life, citing the longevity of eunuchs and neutered animals.
• The audience unexpectedly embraces the idea, joking that castration could serve as a temporary form of “leveling”: one could remove desire to pursue Immortality, then restore the missing parts afterward through supernatural means.
• Several observers mistakenly interpret Gao Linzhi’s neutral or thoughtful reaction as evidence that he himself has been castrated, explaining—incorrectly, in their minds—why female spies had failed to approach him.
• The discussion shifts toward supernatural methods of bodily restoration. A middle-aged man reveals information about a dangerous anomaly capable of recording a person’s condition and later resetting their body, even restoring someone who has been reduced to only a soul.
• The anomaly requires the victim to answer increasingly difficult questions, and failure results in irreversible death because the anomaly consumes the soul. Gao Linzhi becomes interested and asks for its location and appearance conditions.
• The man explains that the anomaly is found on an uninhabited island where ten villages were destroyed during an earlier supernatural catastrophe. Gao Linzhi memorizes the information and reasons that memory loss caused by the reset could be repaired using recordings.
• Chang Yu ends the discussion period and announces the conference’s next stage: free activity and social interaction across the reserved floor.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi/Wuming: Demonstrates shrewdness, skepticism, and strategic thinking. He recognizes scams, compares the attendees’ pitches to corporate investment fraud, and uses his speech to build a reputation rather than seek immediate profit. His proposal reveals a pragmatic desire to preserve useful Longevity Beings and prevent destructive conflict. He also identifies the body-resetting anomaly as a potentially valuable resource.
• The resource-pooling speaker: Revealed as an obvious opportunist who disguises personal greed as a collective plan to achieve Immortality.
• The young castration advocate: Presents a bizarre but partially reasoned theory based on suppressing desire and biological evidence. His confidence grows when others accept his argument.
• The middle-aged information broker: Gains attention and credibility by revealing details about the body-resetting anomaly, while also warning others of its severe risks.
• Chang Yu: Acts as an organized host who guides the meeting and confirms that Gao Linzhi’s proposed nonaggression principle is already reflected in the society’s rules.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and gullibility: The chapter mocks how easily people can be persuaded by promises of wealth, Immortality, or collective success. It compares the Longevity Society’s schemes to modern investment fraud and exploitative corporate promises.
• Self-interest versus cooperation: Although attendees speak about helping one another achieve Immortality, most are primarily seeking personal advantage. Gao Linzhi’s safety-net proposal offers a more genuinely cooperative alternative.
• Relative value and superiority: The discussion suggests that people often derive satisfaction from outperforming others, making universal success difficult to accept.
• Immortality and the suppression of desire: The castration theory humorously explores the idea that physical or spiritual purification might be necessary for Immortality.
• Information as currency: The meeting demonstrates the value of exchanging intelligence. A single piece of reliable information about an anomaly may be more useful than an elaborate investment pitch.
• Risk beneath apparent solutions: Every method for gaining Immortality or restoring the body carries hidden costs, especially the anomaly that can permanently consume the soul.

Important Character Interactions

• The crowd ridicules the resource-pooling speaker, exposing the distrust beneath the society’s supposedly cooperative atmosphere.
• Gao Linzhi listens to and evaluates the various presenters before choosing to address the group himself.
• His call for nonlethal conflict resolution wins broad applause and earns him recognition from both the attendees and Chang Yu.
• The young man explicitly praises Wuming’s speech, while others interpret Gao Linzhi’s reaction to the castration theory as proof that he has already undergone the procedure.
• Gao Linzhi questions the middle-aged man about the body-resetting anomaly and offers compensation, but the man shares the information freely as a contribution to the Longevity community.
• The chapter ends with Chang Yu moving the participants from formal speeches into informal interaction, creating opportunities for further alliances, trades, and deception.

Chapter Summary: “Building a Favorable Environment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Gao Linzhi proposes that Longevity Beings stop killing one another and create a formal platform for negotiating conflicts, many attendees approach him in support.
• The independent players, who have long suffered persecution from corporations and feared the brutality of Skyfall Game, are especially receptive to his plan. They trust Gao Linzhi because Wolf Snake Island is a genuine Safe Zone and free-trade area rather than a suspected trap.
• The group agrees that personal safety is essential for pursuing immortality. Constant fear, reliance on disguises and stand-ins, and the threat of assassination prevent people from conducting long-term research.
• Gao Linzhi compares the situation to the development of natural science: progress requires safety, freedom, cultural exchange, and an environment where knowledge can be preserved and developed over generations.
• He argues that a successful society should allow people to enter and leave freely, just as maritime regions historically enabled oppressed people to escape and helped cultures exchange knowledge.
• One participant objects that unrestricted freedom might allow someone to discover immortality and keep it secret. They suggest controlling everyone and concentrating resources.
• Gao Linzhi rejects this idea, arguing that intellectual control destroys creativity and prevents genuine scientific progress. He emphasizes that major discoveries depend on accumulated knowledge and technological foundations, so even a secret breakthrough could eventually be recreated by others.
• The gathering ultimately decides to establish a truly safe society centered on Wolf Snake Island, with freedom of movement and protections for open speech.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi emerges as a practical idealist and potential leader. Although his ultimate goal is immortality, he recognizes that social stability and intellectual freedom must come first.
• He demonstrates historical and scientific insight, using examples from natural science, oppressive dynasties, and technological accumulation to support his arguments.
• Gao also reveals a strong opposition to authoritarian control, reacting with visible irritation when someone suggests controlling the community.
• The independent players shift from wary observers to active supporters of Gao Linzhi’s proposal. Their past persecution makes them particularly committed to safety and freedom.
• The opposing participant represents the fear-driven, authoritarian approach: prioritizing control and collective strength over liberty and independent thought.

Significant Themes

• Security as the foundation of progress: People cannot pursue immortality or scientific research while living under constant threat.
• Freedom versus control: The chapter argues that creativity, truth, and innovation require freedom of thought, movement, and expression.
• Cumulative knowledge: Breakthroughs are rarely isolated miracles; they depend on generations of accumulated discoveries and shared foundations.
• The social conditions of science: Scientific and technological advancement requires safety, cultural exchange, continuity, and protection from political or personal persecution.
• Trust and legitimacy: Wolf Snake Island’s reputation as a neutral, safe, freely accessible zone allows people to cooperate despite their suspicions of the Longevity Society.
• Building immortality through society: Gao Linzhi concludes that creating a stable and open environment is itself a necessary step toward achieving immortality.

Character Interactions

• Multiple Longevity Beings approach Gao Linzhi to express agreement and offer cooperation.
• Gao listens to their concerns and validates their experiences, strengthening his relationship with the independent players.
• He engages in a debate with the advocate of strict control, directly challenging the belief that centralized authority produces better results.
• The group ultimately reaches a consensus with Gao’s vision: Wolf Snake Island will serve as the center of a free, safe community where people may leave freely and speak openly.

Chapter Summary: “Twelve Statues, Clearing the Trial Through Questions”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Longevity Society’s leaders monitor the group’s discussion and mock them for considering escape before accomplishing anything. They argue over whether immortality research should be managed through strict centralization or diversified investment.
• One member points out that excessive centralization could waste resources if the chosen project is wrong, comparing it to corporate investment and the failure of trying to solve every problem simply by adding more manpower.
• The Longevity Society also debates whether it should control the new power or risk becoming another oppressive organization. They disagree over centralized authority versus freedom and experimentation.
• Gao Linzhi and the others agree to remain anonymous by adopting code names. They also decide to locate an anomaly that can record a person’s condition and restore them after death, treating it like a “save file.”
• Guided by a middle-aged man, more than ten people travel by a game-provided flying boat to a remote island east of Wolf Snake Island. Gao Linzhi pays for the boat through the game system.
• The group discovers twelve enormous statues representing the Twelve Zodiac Animals. The statues can record a person’s state once each month, allowing them to be revived after death if their soul survives.
• To activate the statues, a person must approach them and answer twelve questions correctly. The questions become increasingly difficult in groups of three. A wrong answer results in immediate, irreversible death because the statues consume the person’s soul.
• Since nobody wants to risk their own life, the group considers using outsiders. Gao Linzhi purchases three Gold-tier Soul Charms from the game store, which protect souls from being devoured and make revival possible.
• Three desperate locals—a sick elderly man, a disabled middle-aged man, and a blind young man—agree to participate in exchange for generous rewards.
• The elderly man successfully answers basic arithmetic and astronomy questions at the first five statues. However, the snake statue asks how many stars are in the sky. Unable to provide an exact answer, he responds that they are countless and is killed instantly.
• The group realizes that the trial’s difficulty increases sharply and that vague or approximate answers are unacceptable. Gao Linzhi asks the Game System for the correct answer, but it refuses to help.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi demonstrates leadership, caution, and practical intelligence. Rather than personally testing the anomaly, he searches for a way to protect participants and uses his financial advantage in the game to buy Soul Charms.
• He also shows moral limits: he is willing to hire volunteers but does not support forcibly abducting people. His actions reflect a mixture of pragmatism, business sense, and concern for fairness.
• The middle-aged guide becomes a valuable source of information and cooperates with the group because their interests align. He wants access to the group’s strategies and knowledge.
• The participating locals embody desperation and hope. Each accepts extreme danger in pursuit of money, survival, dignity, or a chance to change their life.
• The Longevity Society’s leaders are revealed to be divided and hypocritical. Though they advocate control, their own debate exposes uncertainty about how best to manage dangerous new powers.
• The wider group shifts from confidence to fear. They initially assume the first questions will be easy, but the old man’s death forces them to recognize the anomaly’s severity.

Significant Themes

• Centralization versus competition: The Longevity Society debates whether immortality research should concentrate all resources under one authority or develop through diversified experimentation. The chapter favors the idea that uncertain, groundbreaking projects require competition and risk distribution.
• The limits of human control: The group believes it can prepare, purchase protection, and develop strategies, yet the statues impose an unforgiving system that cannot be negotiated with.
• Knowledge and uncertainty: Simple questions conceal deeper challenges. The transition from arithmetic to the number of stars shows how limited ordinary human knowledge becomes when exact answers are required.
• Life, death, and reversibility: The anomaly appears to offer a form of immortality, but its soul-destroying power creates a death that even revival items cannot normally overcome.
• Exploitation and choice: The wealthy participants rely on poor and vulnerable locals to face deadly risks. Although the volunteers consent, the arrangement raises questions about whether desperation makes such choices truly free.
• Commercialized power: Gao Linzhi’s game-store purchases and “pay-to-win” advantages contrast with the life-or-death seriousness of the trial, blending business, technology, and supernatural danger.

Character Interactions

• The Longevity Society’s leaders argue among themselves about control, resource allocation, and the dangers of surrendering authority.
• Gao Linzhi coordinates with the anonymous participants and accepts the middle-aged man’s guidance to reach the island.
• The group questions the guide repeatedly about the statues’ rules and challenges the reliability of using an anomaly for protection.
• Gao Linzhi reassures the others by displaying the Soul Charms, while the group debates who should test them and eventually chooses to hire local volunteers.
• The elderly volunteer interacts directly with the twelve statues, answering their questions until the snake statue exposes the gap between basic knowledge and exact understanding.
• After his death, the group collectively panics and debates whether “countless” should have been accepted, while Gao Linzhi turns to the Game System for assistance and is refused.

Chapter Summary: “The Truth Behind the Colossi, and the Real Solution!”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Linzhi bargains with the game system for the answer to the colossi’s trial, paying several tons of material for the information.
• The system reveals that the solution is simply to destroy the colossi: if a problem cannot be solved, eliminate the one who created it.
• Gao Linzhi attacks the trial directly instead of answering its questions. He destroys the rat, ox, tiger, and rabbit colossi with single punches, proving that their stone bodies can be destroyed even though the anomalies behind them are immortal.
• The other participants panic, believing that attacking the colossi will trigger deadly supernatural punishment. Gao remains confident because he is using a game character and has revival methods as protection.
• When Gao reaches the dragon colossus, it awakens and challenges him for refusing to answer its questions. Gao explains his philosophy: dilemmas imposed by others should be broken by defeating the person who created them.
• The dragon, unwilling to be destroyed, flees underground. The group then realizes that destroying the colossi may also eliminate the reset or revival function they came to obtain.
• Gao confronts the snake colossus and forces it into submission. It apologizes, agrees to record the group’s names and conditions, and promises that they may reconstruct their bodies there when they wish to revive.
• The participants deduce that the anomaly itself is harmless. The twelve stone demons had been exploiting its ability to record conditions and using the questions as an excuse to devour people.
• The remaining colossi either hide underground or kneel in fear. The group successfully records their conditions and completes the mission.

2. Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi demonstrates his boldness, physical power, strategic thinking, and willingness to take risks. He relies on unconventional solutions rather than accepting the trial’s rules at face value.
• His confidence is partly justified by his status as a game character and access to revival methods, but it also reflects his broader philosophy: great rewards require great risks.
• Gao also reveals a manipulative side. He gives an inspirational speech about sacrifice and pursuing immortality, but privately admits that he is using the speech to unite the group and advance his own goals.
• The other participants develop from fearful, rule-bound observers into people willing to accept Gao’s interpretation of the anomaly. They initially believe the colossi are untouchable, then recognize that their assumptions—not the actual rules—had limited them.
• The middle-aged leader is exposed as pragmatic and self-interested. He brought the group partly to use them as test subjects, assuming he would benefit if they succeeded and lose nothing if they failed. Gao’s actions overturn his expectations.
• The colossi, especially the dragon and snake, are revealed to be far less powerful and morally authoritative than they appeared. Once challenged, they become frightened, evasive, or submissive.

3. Significant Themes

• Breaking false assumptions: The colossi’s immense size and supernatural appearance create the illusion that they cannot be challenged. Gao succeeds by questioning the presumed rules.
• Solving the source of a problem: The chapter satirically presents the idea that one can resolve a dilemma by eliminating whoever created it. This is compared to solving conflict by eliminating the people involved, while also acknowledging that such a solution may destroy the system’s usefulness.
• Appearance versus reality: The anomaly appears deadly and divine, but the stone demons are merely vessels exploiting its power. Those who seem powerful or authoritative are shown to be greedy, limited, and afraid.
• Brute force and unconventional thinking: Gao combines overwhelming physical strength with lateral thinking. The chapter suggests that rigidly following established frameworks can prevent people from seeing simple solutions.
• The costs and limits of extreme solutions: Destroying the colossi technically solves the immediate danger but threatens the revival function everyone needs. The chapter therefore distinguishes between eliminating a problem and preserving the benefits of the system.
• Self-interest beneath cooperation: The group’s mission is presented as cooperation, but many participants—including their leader and the colossi—are motivated by personal gain.

4. Character Interactions

• Gao negotiates with the game system, treating it as a profiteering entity and forcing it to reveal the answer through payment.
• His companions repeatedly warn him that death in the trial is permanent, while Gao reassures them through his speech about sacrifice and immortality.
• The middle-aged leader watches Gao’s actions with suspicion and surprise, gradually realizing that his assumptions about the colossi were wrong.
• The dragon confronts Gao verbally, demanding to know why he refuses to answer the questions. Gao responds by defending his “destroy the questioner” philosophy.
• Gao’s confrontation with the snake ends not in further combat but in submission and negotiation, proving that intimidation can produce cooperation.
• The group reacts with astonishment as Gao’s method succeeds, and “Dian” articulates the final truth: the anomaly was harmless, while the stone demons had abused its power for their own purposes.

Chapter Summary: The Crowd’s Shock, Limited Slots

Key Plot Points and Events

• The survivors discover that the deserted island’s “Twelve Statues” provide a powerful save-file ability. Each person can record their current condition and revive at that point after death, with the save taking priority over a Revival Stone.
• The system allows up to twelve save files, but each recording must be at least one month apart. This prevents users from creating useless “dead saves” immediately before an unwinnable battle.
• Nearly everyone records their condition, viewing the discovery as a form of immortality and praising Gao Linzhi for making it possible.
• Gao Linzhi refuses to record himself because he distrusts the mysterious entity behind the ability and fears unknown threats to his body, soul, or memories.
• The group agrees to conceal the island and signs a confidentiality contract. However, after Wind and Fire point out the dangers of sealing away a potentially harmful phenomenon, they decide to allow only a limited number of outsiders access.
• They establish a private “Immortality” exchange association. The group will charge compensation for access while using outsiders as test subjects to identify possible side effects.
• Gao Linzhi takes 51% of the project’s shares and supplies guards and logistical support through his Wolf Snake Island base. The others receive smaller shares.
• Upon returning to the Longevity Society gathering, Gao Linzhi announces that the group has claimed the island. Interested attendees eagerly sign up despite warnings that the save ability may carry hidden dangers.
• The Longevity Society’s upper management is shocked by how quickly Gao Linzhi’s group solved the puzzle. They suspect he used his Pay-to-Win Talent and decide to suppress the group rather than cooperate with them.
• The executives return to their old tactics, considering division, internal attacks, and manipulation. They send a beautiful woman to tempt Feng.
• Feng reveals the island’s location, the save-file function, and the solution—destroying the twelve statues. He also openly praises Wuming/Gao Linzhi’s intelligence and expresses his desire to follow him toward immortality.
• The woman hints that the Longevity Society’s leaders are not morally pure, suggesting she is acting under coercion rather than personal conviction.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Gao Linzhi becomes the central organizer and dominant shareholder of the Immortality project. His caution distinguishes him from the others: he refuses to trust the save system blindly and insists on gathering test data first.
• The middle-aged man moves from initial shock to cooperation, helping formalize the confidentiality agreement. He later regrets revealing the island’s location to the broader gathering because the puzzle was solved far more quickly than expected.
• Wind and Fire demonstrate practical skepticism by questioning whether the save system could contain fatal hidden dangers. Their concerns reshape the group’s strategy from total secrecy to controlled access.
• Wuming is revealed to have solved the island’s challenge alone, apparently by obtaining the correct answers through the Game System rather than acquiring special items. His achievement greatly increases the group’s admiration for him.
• Feng is shown to be impressionable and vulnerable to manipulation. He is seduced into revealing sensitive information, though his comments also reveal genuine admiration and loyalty toward Gao Linzhi.
• The Longevity Society executives reveal that their apparent willingness to cooperate is superficial. Their instinct is still to control and suppress independent actors once those actors become too capable.
• The beauty sent to manipulate Feng appears conflicted. She obeys the executives but subtly suggests that their organization is corrupt, implying that she may recognize the injustice of their actions.

Significant Themes

• Immortality and hidden costs: The save system appears to offer resurrection, but the characters recognize that such power may involve dangers involving memory, souls, identity, or long-term degeneration.
• Trust versus self-preservation: Gao Linzhi’s refusal to save himself reflects the difficulty of trusting an unknown system, while the group’s secrecy shows how quickly miraculous discoveries become sources of suspicion and competition.
• Monopoly and controlled access: The group wants to preserve its advantage while admitting a limited number of users. Their plan combines profit, secrecy, and experimentation.
• Knowledge as power: Solving the twelve-statue puzzle gives Gao Linzhi’s faction enormous influence. The ability to control information becomes nearly as valuable as the immortality technology itself.
• Institutional hypocrisy: The Longevity Society claims to support humanity’s pursuit of longevity, but its leaders immediately resort to suppression and manipulation when independent people make unexpected progress.
• Human nature and power: The chapter argues that people and organizations tend to return to their fundamental habits. The executives are compared to wolves in sheep’s clothing: their outward cooperation cannot conceal their instinct to dominate and exploit others.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Linzhi allows the Longevity Society’s honey trap to proceed, viewing it as a test of the Society’s true nature and a “tribulation” for his companions. He believes people who cannot resist wealth and power will naturally be eliminated.
• After learning that the deserted island can record and reset a person’s condition, the Longevity Society’s leaders immediately seek control of it. They discuss acquiring the island, buying shares, or placing their own people inside a company established by Gao Linzhi and his companions.
• Chang Yu invites Gao Linzhi and the members of Wind Fire Thunder Lightning to negotiate. He first proposes buying the island, then suggests establishing a joint company or taking a stake in their existing business.
• Gao Linzhi rejects every offer. He refuses to let the Society dilute ownership, believing its members would eventually force him out and seize the island’s power for themselves.
• The Longevity Society offers various Rare Tier items in exchange for access, but Gao Linzhi finds them insufficient. Chang Yu then reveals information about Incense Making Island, where a special incense can greatly improve comprehension.
• Gao Linzhi agrees to exchange ten annual access slots for the island’s location and a detailed sea chart. The deal demonstrates that both sides prefer long-term trade over open conflict.
• Gao Linzhi travels alone by system flying boat to Incense Making Island. He realizes the Longevity Society and the Federation possess intelligence networks far beyond the newly established Four Village Trading Company.
• The island contains two villages: North Village, which grows spices, and South Village, which processes them into incense. North Village has about four thousand laborers, while South Village has only five hundred people who live far better and control the profits.
• The imperial court collects the island’s incense as tribute and supplies the villagers with food, cloth, medicine, metal, and other necessities. These benefits are not generosity but an attempt to preserve the island’s population and ensure continued production.
• Gao Linzhi begins infiltrating the island to investigate the incense and considers using the rebel Daoist Academy’s connections to learn more about other valuable imperial tributes.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi becomes more distrustful and strategically cautious. He recognizes that organizations claiming to promote peace or cooperation may still pursue monopoly and control when faced with immense profit.
• He demonstrates strong independence by refusing outside investment and protecting his position as the island’s founder. His goal is not merely wealth but preserving control over resources that may advance his cultivation.
• His interest in Incense Making Island is personal as well as strategic: he is studying the Way of Petrification and needs improved comprehension to master it more quickly.
• Chang Yu acts as a polished negotiator but reveals the Society’s coercive, hierarchical mindset. Although he avoids direct threats and claims to respect members’ rights, his proposals are designed to gradually take control of the island.
• The Longevity Society’s leaders are shown to value practical power over their stated ideals. They are highly intelligent and experienced in corporate manipulation, but their monopolistic instincts expose their feudal and self-serving nature.
• Wind Fire Thunder Lightning benefit from the company arrangement and appear willing to accept their share, though Gao Linzhi is the one who remains most alert to the danger of external control.

Significant Themes

• Idealism versus self-interest: The Longevity Society presents itself as cooperative and protective, but its leaders quickly attempt to monopolize the deserted island once its value becomes clear.
• Power and monopoly: The chapter criticizes companies and ruling institutions that seek to control every profitable resource, warning that excessive monopoly produces stagnation and corruption.
• Tribulation and selection: Gao Linzhi views greed, betrayal, and temptation as tests that reveal who is truly qualified to pursue immortality.
• Knowledge as a strategic resource: Information about rare items, islands, trade routes, and imperial tribute can be as valuable as physical wealth.
• Exploitation and controlled dependence: Incense Making Island’s farmers produce the essential raw materials but receive little of the profit, while the processing village and imperial court enjoy the greatest advantages.
• Pragmatic governance: The imperial court rewards the island not out of compassion but to keep its population alive and productive, illustrating how rulers preserve valuable resources through calculated incentives.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi and Chang Yu: Their negotiations are courteous on the surface but fundamentally adversarial. Chang Yu tries to gain control through purchases, investments, and appeals to shared benefits; Gao Linzhi recognizes the manipulation and repeatedly refuses.
• Gao Linzhi and the Longevity Society: Gao Linzhi treats the Society’s interest as a test of its integrity. The Society’s attempts to acquire the island confirm his suspicion that its ideals conceal a desire for domination.
• North and South Villages: Their unequal relationship reflects an internal economic hierarchy: North Village performs the difficult agricultural labor, while South Village controls processing, trade, and wealth.
• The imperial court and Incense Making Island: The court exploits the island’s production but provides enough resources to prevent collapse, creating a mutually dependent yet unequal relationship.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gao Linzhi investigates the conflict between north and south villages, discovering the villages' dependence on Enlightenment Incense and the Imperial Court's control over it.
• He learns that the incense requires human sacrifice and that the south villagers have been using a secret art given by the Imperial Court to control the incense production.
• Gao Linzhi decides to take over the spice island and poach from the Dynasty by luring an Anomaly and sealing off the area.

Character Developments

• Gao Linzhi: Shows his investigative skills and strategic thinking, deciding to take over the island and exploit its resources.
• Lu Shan: Reveals the truth about the incense production and its human cost.
• Han Lanlan: A beautiful woman in the real world with supernatural energy and Inspiration enhancement, indicating the reverse invasion of the Skyfall World's power into reality.

Significant Themes

• The dark nature of the Imperial Court and their control over resources and people.
• The reverse invasion of the Skyfall World's power into reality, affecting people and creating "Awakened Ones."
• The exploitation of resources and people for personal gain, as seen in Gao Linzhi's decision to take over the island.

Character Interactions

• Gao Linzhi interacts with the villagers and the Headmaster, gathering information and making decisions.
• The north and south villagers interact, revealing their grievances and the root of their conflict.
• Gao Linzhi encounters Han Lanlan in the real world, indicating the presence of "Awakened Ones" and the reverse invasion's effect on people.