Recaps

Fu Qian found Su Gao in a moonlit tower and learned that she was on a difficult mission while turning into a doll. He joined her hunt for the escaped target, and they spotted the figure fleeing higher up the tower.

• Fu Qian met Su Gao and realized his strength had returned after he left her consciousness space.
• Su Gao noticed that Fu Qian had become a demigod, while he sensed that her condition had worsened.
• Fu Qian learned that his mission was to stop Su Gao from becoming a doll and offered to help her catch her target.
• Su Gao led Fu Qian up the tower, warning him that the target was harder to deal with there.
• Fu Qian spotted the target darting away between the staircases, and Su Gao charged after him.

Fu Qian and Su Gao pursued an inhuman creature through a blood-filled maze inside the tower, where it attacked them from the walls and floor. After Fu Qian broke the creature’s illusion that Su Gao had been shattered, the space returned to normal, leaving Su Gao exhausted but alive.

• Su Gao chased a fleeing creature up the tower’s stairs, and Fu Qian followed her into a maze-like corridor where blood seeped from the floor.
• Su Gao cut down blood-made arms and attacked the creature, but it struck at her with its own limbs and claws emerging from the walls.
• Su Gao warned Fu Qian that the creature could affect people’s minds, then retreated beside him after blocking a surprise attack.
• The creature attacked Fu Qian with claws and bloody hands, while Fu Qian’s Sin Fire whip tore into its limbs.
• Fu Qian saw what appeared to be the creature piercing and shattering Su Gao, but realized it was an illusion and shouted the bloody hands away.
• The space returned to normal, and Su Gao stood nearby, panting and leaning on her longblade.

Fu Qian and Su Gao fought a tower-dwelling nonhuman who transformed into a many-eyed spider, but the creature’s apparent defeat gave way to a reality-bending shift that inverted the lake and night sky. The chapter left Su Gao gripping a blood-marked bone die as she stared at the changed world.

• Fu Qian identified himself through Su Gao as a Night Watchers special operations consultant of expert level, then exposed the nonhuman man’s ability to attack through the tower walls.
• The nonhuman man transformed into a many-eyed, clawed spider and attacked Su Gao, who dodged behind Fu Qian.
• Fu Qian unleashed Tendril Barrage Devastator and smashed the spider creature against the wall.
• The creature’s remains seeped into the wall, and Fu Qian realized the scene might still be an illusion as the lake and sky shifted upside down.
• Su Gao stared at the inverted world and took out a blood-marked six-sided bone die.

Fu Qian seized Su Gao’s Supernatural Item, Hidden Thread, while she mistook him for an illusion and attacked him. After stopping her with a barrage of shouted names, he learned how the die checked for mental influence and discovered she had used it six times.

• Su Gao rolled Hidden Thread, and Fu Qian grabbed it despite the invisible blades that wounded his hand.
• Su Gao decided everything around her was fake and attacked Fu Qian, who dodged while trying to understand the die.
• Fu Qian shouted several names until Su Gao stopped attacking and dropped her blade.
• Su Gao identified the die as Hidden Thread, a Night Watchers item that checks for and counters hallucinations and mental influence.
• Su Gao explained that Hidden Thread could cause mental parasitism after more than ten consecutive uses and revealed she had used it six times.

Fu Qian stopped Su Gao from using Hidden Thread again and convinced her to explain her mission and the Forbidden Zone. As they walked upward, he questioned her belief that the zone strengthened everyone and suspected something unusual was affecting her.

• Fu Qian realized Su Gao still believed she was in a hallucination and worried another roll of Hidden Thread would further damage her mind.
• Fu Qian convinced Su Gao to put away the die by correctly guessing that she had locked in the number six.
• Fu Qian asked Su Gao to describe her mission and the place as they walked toward the water overhead.
• Su Gao explained that the area was a medium-danger Forbidden Zone where she had tracked a shapeshifting target who manipulated minds.
• Fu Qian challenged Su Gao's assumption that the Forbidden Zone strengthened everyone and wondered why its effects seemed to apply only to her.

Fu Qian realized Su Gao’s rapid growth and puppet transformation were tied to a higher power, while the strain and her damaged mind pushed her toward collapse. He challenged her determination to complete the mission, leaving her to reconsider what failure would mean.

• Fu Qian asked Su Gao whether she had suppressed her strength in Old Town, and she explained that she had resisted her rapid growth because it caused disorienting discomfort.
• Su Gao said she had stopped suppressing her strength after Old Town because she believed only strength could stand against evil.
• Fu Qian drew Su Gao’s sword and showed her reflection, then warned that the cost of her power might be greater than she imagined.
• Fu Qian concluded that the Foolish Tree’s sap had made Su Gao’s puppet fusion fragile and damaged her mind, while the power of the area had pushed her close to becoming a true puppet.
• Fu Qian asked whether Su Gao might fail to defeat the target even after risking her life, and she said she would blame herself for not being strong enough.
• Fu Qian accused Su Gao of making excuses for failure and asked how she could repay the organization that had trained her.

Fu Qian tried to help Su Gao recover by challenging her doubts and prompting her memories, but she formed a new explanation for the trap and identified herself as Mousse. She revealed that she had used Hidden Thread nine times, leaving Fu Qian to reckon with how many personalities had been created.

• Fu Qian questioned Su Gao and led her to a platform, encouraging her to accept herself and recall names and fairy tales.
• Su Gao remembered Violetta and the others, then declared that six was the wrong number and that she had been misled about Hidden Thread.
• Su Gao explained that a planted suggestion had reversed her understanding of Hidden Thread, driving her to doubt herself and kill her split personalities.
• Su Gao said her name was Mousse and explained that the other personalities’ names came from fairy tales her mother had told her.
• Fu Qian counted the personalities and asked how many times Su Gao had used Hidden Thread, and she answered nine.

Soufflé explained her account of Hidden Thread and her struggle with Su Gao, though Fu Qian considered an alternative explanation for the split personalities. He tested Hidden Thread himself and asked Soufflé what she thought he would roll, leaving her to face a question that challenged her certainty.

• Soufflé said repeated uses of Hidden Thread had split off Su Gao's corrupted personality and that she had secretly guided the others toward rolling a six.
• Fu Qian considered that Soufflé might not have existed until he broke through Su Gao's psychological defenses, and weighed how to prevent either personality from being lost.
• Fu Qian asked Soufflé whether she thought he was a hallucination, then requested Hidden Thread from her.
• Soufflé explained how to activate Hidden Thread, and Fu Qian covered it in blood and established a mental connection.
• Fu Qian saw a one on the die and asked Soufflé what she thought he would roll next.

Fu Qian tried to stop Su Gao from using Hidden Thread again, but she tricked him and rolled a one, triggering its negative effect. He took the die from her by feeding her Violetta’s candy, leaving Su Gao to fight for control as he contained the die.

• Mousse insisted Fu Qian would not roll a one, but his die landed on one and shook her convictions.
• Su Gao pretended to accept that she was wrong, then secretly used Hidden Thread for the tenth time and rolled another one.
• Hidden Thread’s negative effect took hold as the moon darkened and Su Gao’s body blazed with light.
• Fu Qian grabbed the die despite the invisible blades tearing into his arm, then forced a sugar cube from the Mouth of Truth into Su Gao’s mouth and took the die.
• Fu Qian sent Su Gao the thought to bite the candy, and sparks of vitality stirred within her as a struggle unfolded in her soul.
• Fu Qian swallowed the die, and the system reported that containment of No. 3-3119 had succeeded.

Fu Qian completed the mission by destroying Hidden Thread, freeing Su Gao from her puppet transformation and possibly allowing her to become a demigod. He received the White Ring as a special reward, then returned to the bookstore and found another invitation from Yuan Shan.

• Fu Qian saw Su Gao’s porcelain covering fade as she remained motionless, apparently having overcome the struggle inside her.
• The mission evaluation credited Su Gao’s mother with making sweets from tree resin for her daughter, and Fu Qian received sanity and inspiration points along with the White Ring.
• Fu Qian inspected the White Ring, which could absorb and record a special attack before releasing it.
• Fu Qian left the Warehouse using the Emissary Mask and returned to the bookstore, deciding not to investigate Su Gao’s fate yet.
• Fu Qian found a letter from Yuan Shan saying the previous matter had been handled and inviting him to meet.

Fu Qian met Yuan Shan at the Night Watchers' base, where he unexpectedly reunited with Su Gao, now a demigod. Their conversation revealed their shared past and left Su Gao asking to visit Fu Qian's bookstore.

• Fu Qian visited Yuan Shan and learned that Logan had been sent to headquarters with his mind nearly broken.
• Yuan Shan explained that the Night Watchers knew Fu Qian's role in the incident and had asked her to thank him.
• Su Gao arrived, and Fu Qian recognized that she had become a demigod after escaping safely.
• Su Gao thanked Fu Qian for helping her, then noticed the White Ring on his hand and grew quiet.
• Yuan Shan mentioned Fu Qian's bookstore, and Su Gao asked if she could visit it.

Fu Qian met with Su Gao after Yuan Shan arranged their reunion, and they discussed her mission, her recovered memories, and a possible Native Council connection to the King of Leaf Island. Su Gao planned to return to headquarters soon, while Fu Qian offered to treat her to a meal before she left.

• Su Gao hurried out with Fu Qian after agreeing to meet him, leaving Yuan Shan and Xiao Mingyue surprised by their eagerness.
• At Fu Qian's bookstore, Su Gao recognized him beneath his disguise and explained how she had found her target after awakening from the nightmare-like incident.
• Su Gao confirmed that she had recovered many names and accepted that denying herself had been a mistake.
• Su Gao told Fu Qian that uncertain information from an earlier mission linked the King of Leaf Island to the Native Council.
• Su Gao said she would soon return to headquarters after her advancement, and Fu Qian invited her to a meal before she left.

After meeting Su Gao, Fu Qian entered the Containment Scene for Unclean Ecstasy, where he found himself at a masked gathering. He accepted a masked woman’s invitation to go somewhere private.

• Su Gao left Fu Qian’s shop without planning to return to Yuan Shan, having realized Yuan Shan had used her to test Fu Qian.
• Fu Qian began the task to recontain Unclean Ecstasy and entered its Containment Scene with his chosen skills and equipment.
• Fu Qian found himself at a dim, lavishly dressed masquerade ball where nearly a hundred ordinary people danced without clothes.
• A masked woman mistook Fu Qian for someone else, then invited him to dance and suggested they go somewhere nearby.
• Fu Qian agreed to the woman’s invitation to go somewhere private.

Fu Qian attended a masked gathering where the guests indulged in increasingly suggestive behavior, while a composed long-haired man explained their pursuit of pleasure. The brown-haired woman then realized Fu Qian had no invitation and pointed him out to the crowd.

• Fu Qian accepted the young married woman's invitation to go somewhere private, but another woman approached him instead.
• The brown-haired woman and the young married woman kissed and tumbled together while Fu Qian sat with a long-haired man.
• The long-haired man described the gathering as humanity surrendering to pleasure and hinted that his own enjoyment required a special talent.
• The crowd grew more aroused as the two women sprawled across a table and knocked Fu Qian's glass to the floor.
• The brown-haired woman stared at Fu Qian, then shrieked that he did not have an invitation.

Fu Qian was confronted for entering a masked party without an invitation and fought off the host’s guards and two transcendent bodyguards. As the Night Watchers arrived, he broke a hidden attacker’s Sword Light with an Air Bullet.

• A woman exposed that Fu Qian had no invitation, and the ballroom fell silent as the guests turned to stare at him.
• Two burly guards attacked Fu Qian, who tore off one man’s arm with a breath and sent both of the other man’s hands flying.
• The host confronted Fu Qian and threatened him with the Night Watchers, but backed away when Fu Qian pointed out they had not arrived yet.
• Fu Qian destroyed a mass of molten rock and redirected its sparks into the ceiling, while two transcendent bodyguards claimed the situation was for the Night Watchers to handle.
• The Night Watchers arrived, and Fu Qian blasted apart a hidden attacker’s Sword Light, making the young man in black struggle to hold on to his sword.

Fu Qian defended his actions at the gathering to Night Watcher Hu Mingyi, who questioned him after finding the injured guests. Lanaia arrived, and Fu Qian realized Jia Yi had likely recognized him and alerted her.

• Hu Mingyi confronted Fu Qian, but lowered his guard after realizing Fu Qian was far stronger than he was.
• Fu Qian claimed he had acted in self-defense and argued that his actions had prevented even more bloodshed.
• Hu Mingyi identified himself and began questioning Fu Qian, but Lanaia arrived and took over.
• Fu Qian inferred that Hu Mingyi had contacted Lanaia because he was an academy graduate.
• Fu Qian spotted Jia Yi hiding in the crowd and realized he had likely recognized him.

Fu Qian escaped accusations of excessive force after Lanaia intervened and arranged an academy hearing. He learned his new mission was to find and kill the Ecstasy Servant, then left with Lanaia, who warned him not to retaliate against Jia Yi.

• Fu Qian received a mission to find and kill the Ecstasy Servant, then told Lanaia that his actions had been self-defense.
• Lanaia proposed an academy hearing and a report to the Night Watchers, and Hu Mingyi agreed.
• Fu Qian left the hall with Lanaia without removing his mask, greeting the long-haired man on his way out.
• Outside, Fu Qian told Lanaia he had taken a private job, and she questioned how he had ended up at the venue.
• Lanaia confirmed Jia Yi had likely reported Fu Qian and warned him not to retaliate; Fu Qian agreed to attend the hearing.
• Lanaia teased Fu Qian about his interests, then moved away when he said he had all sorts of interests.

Lanaia caught Fu Qian after his night out and drove him back to the academy, where she planned to keep him under watch until his hearing. On the way, she told him about recent academy news, while Fu Qian continued to suspect the Ecstasy Servant might be connected to the academy.

• Lanaia admitted she had been drinking, then insisted Fu Qian return to the academy with her.
• Fu Qian and Lanaia discussed academy rules and the Academy of Revelation's extreme research practices.
• Lanaia said Li Weixuan had returned from seclusion still short of becoming a demigod, while a student named Ji Liushuang had achieved the rare Sword Heart Clarity.
• Lanaia told Fu Qian that Jia Yi was no longer the Yuan Corporation's representative at the academy after the previous incident.
• Fu Qian asked about recent academy incidents because he suspected the Ecstasy Servant might have ties to the academy.
• Lanaia brought Fu Qian to her residence and said she would keep him there until his hearing so he could not slip away.

Fu Qian attended a hearing about his actions at a private gathering and argued that he had acted to protect the academy’s reputation. The hearing ended without punishment, and Li Weixuan revealed that he had come to thank Fu Qian for guiding his student.

• Lanaia brought Fu Qian to a hearing about the previous night’s incident, where Li Weixuan sat as one of the hearing officers.
• Fu Qian admitted entering the gathering but claimed he had been forced to act after its guards attacked him.
• Fu Qian argued that staying and explaining himself had protected the academy and public trust between ordinary people and extraordinary individuals.
• The hearing officers accepted his account provisionally and said they might follow up with the Night Watchers.
• Li Weixuan thanked Fu Qian for guiding his student, who had comprehended Sword Intent.

Fu Qian used Betty Green’s business card to track her down and investigate the invitation from the masquerade ball. After entering her dream, he found her in a frenzied embrace and asked about the invitation, which she described as a key to the True Self that granted lasting pleasure.

• Lanaia recalled Fu Qian’s unusual encounter with Ji Liushuang and agreed to keep an eye on him for Li Weixuan.
• Fu Qian reasoned that Li Weixuan might suspect him, so he left the hearing without drawing further attention and decided to investigate the invitation.
• Fu Qian used Betty Green’s business card to locate her apartment and disguised himself as Old Master Lu Ming to get inside.
• Fu Qian used Clear Dream on Betty and the younger man embracing her, then synchronized with their dream.
• Betty recognized Fu Qian as a stranger in the dream, explained that the invitation was a key to the True Self, and asked if he wanted to experience ultimate pleasure.

Fu Qian investigated Betty’s invitation and discovered how desire transformed her and her companion in the dream, strengthening his suspicion that the gathering was connected to the Ecstasy Servant. After returning to the academy, he learned from Lanaia that Jia Yi was dead.

• Betty explained that invitations connected people through a sacred resonance of pleasure, and Fu Qian suspected the gathering’s members were linked to the Ecstasy Servant.
• Betty’s body transformed grotesquely in the dream and affected Fu Qian, so he left the dream and confirmed that the transformation faded when the dream ended.
• Fu Qian concluded that invitations made people’s desires come alive and decided to investigate the gathering’s organizer, the Old Man.
• Fu Qian returned to the academy cautiously, mindful of Li Weixuan’s ambiguous attention and the morning’s hearing.
• Lanaia rushed into Fu Qian’s office and told him that Jia Yi was dead.

After Jia Yi was found dead, Professor Lanaia brought Fu Qian to the Sword Participation Institute, where Night Watcher Yuan Fang questioned him as a suspect. Fu Qian acknowledged that he had left the academy and asked to see the crime scene.

• Lanaia told Fu Qian that Jia Yi had died shortly after submitting a hearing statement and asked whether he had gone out that day.
• Fu Qian admitted he had gone for a walk, denied killing Jia Yi, and agreed to accompany Lanaia for questioning.
• Lanaia took Fu Qian to the Sword Participation Institute, where Dean Li Weixuan introduced Night Watcher Yuan Fang, who promised a fair investigation.
• Yuan Fang questioned Fu Qian about leaving the academy and said the lack of an alibi meant he would have to list him as a suspect.
• Fu Qian challenged Yuan Fang's assumptions about his motives and asked to be taken to the crime scene.

Fu Qian inspected the scene of Jia Yi’s murder and noticed the victims’ bodies had changed to different degrees. Though the Night Watchers restricted him as a suspect, Li Weixuan agreed to let him join the investigation under Lanaia’s supervision.

• Yuan Fang approved Fu Qian’s request to visit Jia Yi’s mansion, where Hu Mingyi showed them the bodies of Jia Yi and a woman killed by brutal, extraordinary force.
• Hu Mingyi said a servant had discovered the victims around noon, and Fu Qian concluded that the timing and Jia Yi’s past conflict made him an obvious target for a frame-up.
• Fu Qian told Lanaia he felt no guilt for Jia Yi’s death and intended to avenge him to prove his innocence.
• Li Weixuan examined the bodies, while Fu Qian noticed that Jia Yi’s flesh and bones had changed far more than the woman’s.
• Hu Mingyi said the Night Watchers would have to restrict Fu Qian because he could not confirm his whereabouts, and Fu Qian asked to join the investigation.
• Li Weixuan agreed to let Fu Qian investigate with Lanaia watching over him.

After the academy assigned Lanaia to watch Fu Qian while it investigated Jia Yi’s death, Fu Qian took her to question Old Master Qiao. Their conversation ended with Fu Qian pressing Qiao to repeat his claim about Jia Yi’s death.

• Li Weixuan ruled that Lanaia would work with Fu Qian while the academy investigated, and Fu Qian left with her to pursue leads.
• Fu Qian told Lanaia he wanted to question two people and persuaded her to take him to Old Master Qiao.
• Fu Qian and Lanaia reached the heavily guarded Qiao estate, where Qiao Yanchuan greeted them nervously.
• Fu Qian asked Qiao when the gatherings began and whether Transcendents had attended; Qiao claimed Fu Qian himself had attended.
• Fu Qian challenged Qiao to repeat his words about Jia Yi’s death, and Qiao repeated that he could not help Fu Qian.

Fu Qian questioned Qiao Yanchuan about the masked balls and the mysterious silver-masked man who supplied the invitations. After leaving the Qiao residence, Fu Qian told Lanaia they were going to question Honma, whom Qiao Yanchuan had described as especially warped.

• Fu Qian intimidated Qiao Yanchuan into answering again, and Qiao said the masked balls had begun trying something new about four months earlier and excluded extraordinary beings.
• Qiao said a silver-masked man had first given him an invitation and taught him how to summon an unusual feeling of pleasure.
• Fu Qian prompted Qiao to recall that the man had urged invitees to let pleasure grow unchecked, and Qiao blamed Honma for revealing that information.
• Fu Qian ended the questioning and left the Qiao residence with Lanaia.
• Lanaia questioned Fu Qian about the invitations and his investigation, and Fu Qian said they were going to consult Honma next.