Recaps

After the sun’s power and Etched Wisdom clash, Fu Qian finds himself caught in a worsening time loop at the ruined Mathematical Research Institute. He suspects Rainbow of Yao Bian caused the supernova while hiding nearby, and wonders whether she was also involved in the academy’s old expedition accident.

• The sun’s power overwhelms the scene, then shatters as Etched Wisdom fails for the third time and time resets.
• Fu Qian examines his timer and realizes the loop has returned him to the Mathematical Research Institute’s entrance, while his injuries and losses remain.
• Fu Qian repairs his clothes and recalls that Rainbow of Yao Bian had authority over the sun and a strong reason to stay hidden.
• Fu Qian concludes Rainbow of Yao Bian may have triggered the supernova after being provoked, then wonders whether she was involved in the academy’s expedition accident.

Fu Qian suspected Rainbow of Yao Bian had guided the academy exploration team to the Sea of Ashes to study the Crystalline Blessing. He encountered a grotesquely altered newcomer and led her away, posing as a receptionist.

• Fu Qian reconsidered the academy team's discovery of the Sea of Ashes and suspected Rainbow of Yao Bian had led them there as part of a scheme.
• Fu Qian connected the Crystalline Blessing to Rainbow of Yao Bian's possible experiments on the team.
• Fu Qian noticed a grotesque newcomer approaching through the corridor and greeted her as if he were a receptionist.
• The newcomer apologized for being late, and Fu Qian told her to come with him.
• The newcomer followed Fu Qian, dragging her injured leg.

Fu Qian led a cleaner candidate through the distorted space and used the difference in their clothes to make him attack a crazed researcher. As the candidate fought the researcher, Fu Qian found a feather that suggested the Chief Judge had influenced him.

• Fu Qian led the cleaner candidate toward the old reception area and encountered a researcher crawling on the ground.
• The researcher lunged at them, but the cleaner candidate hesitated because the two men wore similar clothes.
• Fu Qian pointed out that his own clothes were neater, and the cleaner candidate attacked the researcher.
• The cleaner candidate overwhelmed the researcher by striking his joints, while feathers emerged from the researcher's broken limbs.
• Fu Qian picked up a feather and recognized it as angelic in origin, linking it to the Chief Judge's influence.

Fu Qian led the wounded candidate to an armory and helped him choose a weapon so he could become a hunter. He then turned himself into a mobile armory and named the hunter A Fei.

• Fu Qian praised the candidate for killing the feathered creature with an iron spike and led him onward.
• Fu Qian opened a weapons room and told the candidate he could choose only one weapon.
• The candidate chose a saw-toothed curved blade, and Fu Qian welcomed him as a hunter.
• Fu Qian gathered the remaining weapons with his tentacles and offered to guide the hunter through the facility.
• Fu Qian set off with the hunter and named him A Fei.

Fu Qian explored Etched Wisdom with A Fei while considering the Inverted Lake, the Star Gazer disaster, and the missing crystal. He decided to continue sweeping through the place by using A Fei to spread his Calamity Blessing, and directed him toward the stairs.

• Fu Qian followed A Fei through the increasingly strange Etched Wisdom and pondered the Inverted Lake’s connection to the Point of Descent and the Akademiya expedition.
• Fu Qian tested his prosthetic eye, found that it changed nothing, and told A Fei to keep searching inside the building.
• Fu Qian explained that he had blessed A Fei’s blade and ordered him to pass the Calamity Blessing to others as they swept through the area.
• Fu Qian chose the stairs leading up as their next route.

A Fei climbed the staircase with Fu Qian when a hidden attacker struck his neck, and he reacted by counterattacking, extinguishing the lamp, and treating the wound. He told Fu Qian he could hear the attackers nearby, revealing a possible new ability as Fu Qian questioned him about the dark spots on the wall.

• A Fei climbed the obstructed staircase while Fu Qian followed and supported him with weapons.
• Distracted by the strange eyes held by the hand protruding from Fu Qian's eye socket, A Fei was attacked in the neck.
• A Fei swung his Serrated Curved Saber, shattered a pillar, put out the lamp, and hid in the darkness to stop his bleeding.
• Fu Qian assessed A Fei's quick counterattack and tactical response, then found that the wound had nearly stopped bleeding.
• A Fei told Fu Qian he had heard the attackers, and Fu Qian asked whether they were among the dark spots lining the wall.

Fu Qian helped A Fei identify the deadly arcs traveling through silver lines in the walls, while A Fei fought through the attacks to locate their source. After breaking through a protected door with the Blade of Calamity, they found a Night Watcher with Needle Witch’s rag doll pulling at his movements.

• Fu Qian told A Fei that dust falling from the silver lines revealed where the attacks traveled.
• A Fei dodged another arc by reading the lines’ geometry, but the next strike wounded him and nearly crippled his remaining usable hand.
• A Fei smashed through the obstruction above him to trace the attacks back to their source.
• A Fei used the Blade of Calamity to break through a door protected by silver lines.
• Fu Qian saw an ancient-uniformed Night Watcher move as if controlled by Needle Witch’s rag doll.

Fu Qian and A Fei discovered a Second Order Night Watcher’s Ragdoll controlling a researcher and fought its attacks in the laboratory. A Fei was pulled away from the exit when the researcher used a strange breath that drew nearby objects toward him.

• Fu Qian recognized the Ragdoll on the researcher’s shoulder as an item belonging to a Second Order Night Watcher.
• A Fei attacked the Ragdoll, but it vanished, and his strike tore into the researcher’s shoulder instead.
• The Ragdoll launched two hidden Stardust Spear attacks, and A Fei blocked both.
• The researcher took an exaggerated breath and released a force that pulled nearby equipment and A Fei toward him.
• A Fei kicked apart a stone platform but was still dragged farther from the door.

A Fei deduced that two Ragdolls were working together and killed the one hidden inside the laboratory, but a second doll and a burly researcher blocked his path as he tried to attack again. He was left badly wounded and facing the pair outside.

• A Fei endured the researcher puppet’s Gravity Breath and deflected another Stardust Spear before striking through the invisible shield with his broken Serrated Knife.
• A Fei’s Calamity Blessing killed the researcher and the Ragdoll hidden behind it, ending Gravity Breath, while a spear wounded him from behind.
• A Fei realized there were two Ragdolls and charged toward the one outside, but it was ready for him.
• A burly researcher threw a metal sphere that smashed into A Fei and blocked his way, while the second Ragdoll climbed onto the researcher’s head.

Fu Qian watched A Fei fight a puppet-controlled researcher while Needle Witch’s rag dolls multiplied around them. A Fei fought through a curse that made him drowsy and chose to let his wound worsen to deliver a decisive slash, leaving the second doll headless.

• Fu Qian recognized the puppet’s methods as consistent with Needle Witch’s abilities and suspected the dolls had spread throughout the area.
• A puppet-controlled researcher attacked A Fei with two long weapons, while a curse from an earlier wound made A Fei increasingly sleepy and sluggish.
• More than a dozen identical rag dolls emerged from nearby doors, laughing as they gathered around the fight.
• A Fei stopped gripping his old wound, letting it bleed heavily to use the pain to resist the curse and regain his speed.
• A Fei struck the second doll with a decisive slash and cut off its head.

A Fei killed a Ragdoll with the Calamity-blessed broken blade, frightening the remaining dolls into dropping their weapons and fleeing. Fu Qian offered him a replacement weapon, then headed toward the laboratory where they had unleashed the supernova.

• A Fei severed a Ragdoll's head with one slash, using up the blade's remaining Calamity Blessing.
• The onlooking Ragdolls dropped their weapons and ran after seeing A Fei kill their fellow doll.
• Fu Qian praised A Fei for drawing the Ragdolls together before striking to scare them off.
• A Fei chose a strangely curved sword from the Weapon Wheel to replace his ruined Serrated Knife.
• Fu Qian said they would go see if they could sunbathe and turned toward the laboratory where they had unleashed the supernova.

Fu Qian and A Fei reached the building where the supernova had appeared and found the Sun Apostle behind its closed door. After Fu Qian and A Fei bickered outside, the Apostle opened the door, revealing his unusual hooded appearance.

• Fu Qian led the injured A Fei to the building where the supernova had appeared.
• A Fei listened to the strange sword and said that it was calling to him.
• A voice from behind the door interrupted Fu Qian and A Fei, confirming someone was inside.
• Fu Qian kept ignoring the speaker until the irritated Sun Apostle opened the door himself.
• Fu Qian saw the Sun Apostle standing upright in a researcher's robe, his head covered by a large hood marked with silver lines and dots.

Fu Qian and A Fei confronted the Sun Apostle, whose strange mask concealed a radiant, nearly transparent body. A Fei’s attack failed, and he retreated after the Sun Apostle made his rapier glow with searing heat.

• Fu Qian welcomed the Sun Apostle, and A Fei answered his question by saying they were sunbathing.
• A Fei attacked the Sun Apostle while Fu Qian stood aside and let him handle the confrontation.
• The Sun Apostle blocked A Fei’s rapier with his hard, transparent body and revealed a brilliant glow within himself.
• The Sun Apostle stopped A Fei’s next strike with one finger and made the rapier blaze with intense heat.
• A Fei cried out in pain and dropped the glowing rapier before it could burn him.

A Fei endured Sun Apostle’s blazing attack and shattered both of his eyes with precise sword strikes, though the effort left him exhausted. Sun Apostle remained standing, praising A Fei as the fight paused with neither opponent able to immediately finish the other.

• Sun Apostle’s radiant attack burned A Fei badly, but A Fei kept reaching for his sword.
• A Fei struck Sun Apostle’s left eye and shattered the miniature sun within it.
• Sun Apostle recoiled and drew back as the power of his remaining eye faded.
• A Fei’s next precisely aligned strike shattered Sun Apostle’s other eye.
• A Fei ran out of strength and stood panting, while Sun Apostle stayed upright and called him very good.

After A Fei defeated the Demon King, the Sun Apostle praised his insight and used a colorful barrier to treat him and try to recruit him. A Fei soon awakened, questioned Fu Qian’s identity, and attacked him with a newly mastered sword as Fu Qian tested his strength.

• The Sun Apostle praised A Fei for throwing down his sword and learning to wield it properly, while A Fei remained dazed.
• The Sun Apostle raised a vivid barrier that kept Fu Qian out while he tried to recruit A Fei and heal them both.
• A Fei recovered within seconds, opened his eyes, and asked Fu Qian whether he was one of the researchers.
• Fu Qian confirmed that he was a researcher, and A Fei immediately attacked him with his rapier.
• Fu Qian deflected A Fei’s first strike with a finger, then caught the next sword thrust in his palm and acknowledged its doubled power.

Fu Qian tested A Fei’s swordsmanship while sparring with the Sun Apostle, then tried to turn A Fei against the Apostle by arguing that the Apostle had betrayed his own search for truth. A Fei turned on the Sun Apostle, who drew the colorful barrier around his body, revealing a technique belonging to Rainbow of Yao Bian.

• Fu Qian let A Fei’s sword pierce his hand, then flicked the blade away after assessing A Fei’s skill.
• Fu Qian told the Sun Apostle he intended to kill everyone but was waiting for A Fei’s heart to become clear.
• The Sun Apostle argued that Fu Qian had deceived A Fei and that A Fei would realize who had been misleading him.
• Fu Qian accused the Sun Apostle of abandoning his pursuit of knowledge by accepting a more powerful being as the answer to everything.
• A Fei rose and called everyone idiots, then faced the Sun Apostle.
• The Sun Apostle drew his colorful barrier tightly around his body, and Fu Qian recognized the technique as belonging to Rainbow of Yao Bian.

A Fei defeated the Sun Apostle with a series of extraordinary sword strikes, while Fu Qian suspected the Rainbow of Yao Bian was absent. After the Apostle died, Fu Qian offered A Fei a replacement weapon, and A Fei accepted the trade.

• Fu Qian connected the Sun Apostle to the Rainbow of Yao Bian’s poisoned-apple spy device and wondered why the Rainbow had not intervened.
• A Fei struck the Sun Apostle’s shattered eye socket, piercing his skull and breaking through his defenses.
• The wounded Sun Apostle unleashed a destructive storm, but A Fei endured it and struck the other eye socket with another powerful blow.
• The Sun Apostle cried out for light, received no divine help, and died as Fu Qian concluded that the Rainbow of Yao Bian was absent.
• Fu Qian praised A Fei and offered him a heavy replacement weapon, and A Fei traded away his damaged slender sword for it.

Fu Qian and A Fei headed downstairs toward the backrooms after killing the Sun Apostle, stopping at the open laboratory of the absent Behind-the-Gate Person. Fu Qian found a notebook filled on every page with the same sentence: “The starting point is the ending point, and the ending point is the starting point.”

• A Fei exchanged his rapier for a heavy greatsword and asked Fu Qian where they would go next.
• Fu Qian led A Fei downstairs toward the backrooms, and they passed through the silent, damaged facility without encountering anyone.
• A Fei noticed an intact door left open on the floor below, and Fu Qian recognized it as the entrance to the Behind-the-Gate Person’s room.
• Fu Qian entered the empty laboratory and found a black-covered notebook among the scattered belongings.
• Fu Qian opened the notebook and discovered that every page repeated the sentence, “The starting point is the ending point, and the ending point is the starting point.”

Fu Qian discovered that the research group believed the beginning of the world and the end of the supernatural were the same place. He entered the back room with A Fei and found Behind-the-Gate Person standing at the falling point, proclaiming himself the new Creator and Weaver of Wisdom.

• Fu Qian read Behind-the-Gate Person's notebook and realized its repeated claims suggested the beginning of the world and the end of the supernatural overlapped.
• Fu Qian asked A Fei why the beginning was the end, and A Fei suggested that crossing the beginning changed who a person was.
• A Fei forced open the back-room door after a voice invited them inside, and Fu Qian followed with his troops.
• Behind-the-Gate Person appeared alone in the lecture hall and declared himself the new Creator, the Weaver of Wisdom.
• Fu Qian recognized the figure as Behind-the-Gate Person and saw that he stood at the falling point marked by the tilted Twelve-faced Hourglass.

The Wisdom Creator revealed that he had found the endpoint of the organization’s pursuit and welcomed Fu Qian and A Fei as enemies. A Fei’s attack failed against the Wisdom Creator’s invisible defense, and the Wisdom Creator summoned the wills of countless sages to fight.

• The Wisdom Creator claimed he had found the endpoint and revealed a sword cane after saying he was pleased that Fu Qian and A Fei had come with hostile intentions.
• A Fei declared that the Wisdom Creator needed to be eliminated and leaped down to attack him.
• The Wisdom Creator stopped A Fei and his greatsword with an invisible barrier, then let A Fei crash to the ground.
• The Wisdom Creator detected the Calamity Blessing on A Fei’s weapon and used a stream of water to repair his sword cane.
• The Wisdom Creator summoned a web-like formation of countless sages’ wills.

Fu Qian watched the Wisdom Creator unleash a network of Brain Jellyfish that overwhelmed A Fei with divine patterns and drove him berserk. A Fei turned his madness into a weapon, using Fu Qian’s Calamity mark to guide his attack toward the Wisdom Creator.

• The Wisdom Creator connected the Brain Jellyfish and human brains into a network that filled the Backrooms with maddening symbols and knowledge.
• The Wisdom Creator’s attack overwhelmed A Fei, who dropped his greatsword and plunged it into his own body in a frenzy.
• A Fei fixed his gaze on Fu Qian, who understood his intent and marked the Wisdom Creator with a damage-amplifying Calamity effect.
• A Fei tore free, leaped toward the marked target, and used the Calamity on his sword to guide his mad attack.

Fu Qian watched A Fei’s swordsmanship reach a divinely empowered state, allowing him to destroy Wisdom Creator, who quickly resurrected and demonstrated how he could accept the Brain Jellyfish. The chapter left Fu Qian recognizing the spectacle as similar to the Bronze Lady’s illusion and the place where they had found the Bronze Headband.

• Fu Qian gave A Fei a Calamity mark to guide his instincts, and A Fei used a strange sword strike to shatter Wisdom Creator’s barrier and break his Sword Cane.
• A Fei’s sword and body reached a state of unity, and he drove his blade through Wisdom Creator, causing his body to explode.
• Wisdom Creator reassembled himself from droplets of liquid and blocked A Fei’s next attack with an automatic barrier.
• Wisdom Creator explained that people had to learn to be accepting, then opened his skull and summoned the Brain Jellyfish into it.
• Fu Qian compared the Brain Jellyfish entering Wisdom Creator’s skull to the illusion caused by the Bronze Lady, where they found the Bronze Headband.

Fu Qian considered whether Old Master Ji’s message and the Bronze Lady were part of a plan connected to the swollen brain before him. Wisdom Creator questioned why Fu Qian cared about A Fei, then created a shadowy duplicate that made A Fei stop fighting.

• Fu Qian connected the Bronze Lady, the headband, and the Sea of Ashes to Old Master Ji’s possible contingency plan, while wondering whether Ji sought help or intended to guide his descendants.
• Fu Qian asked Wisdom Creator whether he wanted to change his surname to Ji, but Wisdom Creator remained focused on his enlarged brain.
• Wisdom Creator praised Fu Qian’s abilities and asked why he bothered with A Fei, whom he considered an insignificant toy.
• Fu Qian said he enjoyed getting entangled with A Fei, and A Fei charged at Wisdom Creator’s barrier again.
• Wisdom Creator gestured toward A Fei, causing him to stop as an intangible, shadow-casting duplicate appeared before him.

At Depth Three, Fu Qian watched A Fei battle a shadowy greatsword wielder as the Wisdom Creator spoke of correcting the errors in the supernatural. The fighters briefly changed states, with A Fei becoming a shadow and his opponent turning corporeal.

• Fu Qian considered why shadows had not appeared in Etched Wisdom until the two states confronted each other at Depth Three.
• The Wisdom Creator declared that only what was absolutely right had meaning and vowed to correct the errors in the supernatural.
• Fu Qian questioned whether the Wisdom Creator had created A Fei's opponent, and the Wisdom Creator said the opponent had put himself there.
• A Fei and the shadowy greatsword wielder fought while Fu Qian and the others watched, with A Fei appearing to be at a disadvantage.
• Fu Qian saw A Fei's opponent become corporeal while A Fei turned into a shadow.

Fu Qian realized the apparent reversal between the two A Feis came from his own perspective shifting as he became a shadow, and discovered that another King of Prison Break was watching the fight. Wisdom Creator explained that Absolute Correct One reflected the original’s errors and motives, while Fu Qian remained confident that his Tool Person would win.

• Fu Qian inferred that he had briefly slipped into the shadow’s perspective and found a shadowed King of Prison Break observing the battle.
• Fu Qian considered that Absolute Correct One and the original might not be enemies, and that A Fei had been fighting on his own rather than acting on Wisdom Creator’s orders.
• Wisdom Creator confirmed that the correct version arose because the originals were wrong and said Absolute Correct One reflected their existence and inner nature.
• Wisdom Creator warned Fu Qian that his own error was too great for the fragile balance to last and suggested Fu Qian was plotting to attack him.
• Fu Qian dismissed Wisdom Creator’s suspicions and said he believed his Tool Person would win.