Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian returned from meeting the Witch with a Starlight Key that might lead to a way to end the Loss of Color Curse. He brought the key to the priest for identification, and the priest realized Fu Qian had encountered the Witch and warned that it had been dangerous.

• The Witch gave Fu Qian the Starlight Key and opened a portal back to the surface, while his mission updated to finding and eliminating Human Pus.
• Fu Qian returned to the Duchess and told her the Witch had given him a key that could lead to a way to end the Loss of Color Curse.
• A team member suggested that the priest might recognize the key, and the Duchess agreed to bring Fu Qian to him despite her unease about her theft.
• The Duchess explained the investigation's findings to the priest and credited Fu Qian with discovering the body in the box.
• Fu Qian handed the priest the key, and the priest realized he had encountered the Witch and warned that the meeting had been too dangerous.

After the priest failed to identify the Starlight Key, he warned Fu Qian and the inspection team that its power might be found in the forbidden Old Town. Fu Qian decided to investigate it, but the Duchess intercepted him as he set out at night.

• The priest examined the Starlight Key and said the Church had no power like it, though traces might remain in the Old Town.
• The priest explained that the town's residents had fled the Old Town during deadly blizzards, and contact with those who stayed behind had eventually ended.
• Fu Qian decided to explore the Old Town because he was curious about the key and the imprisoned woman's reasons for giving it to him.
• A young woman explained that people flirted with Awakened Ones in hopes of improving their chances against the Loss of Color Curse.
• Fu Qian left his lodgings at night to investigate the Old Town, but the Duchess appeared in his path and asked where he was going.

Fu Qian and the Duchess ventured into the buried Old Town, where an expanding blizzard forced them to seek shelter inside an ancient church. There they were attacked by animated armor, and the Duchess recoiled as black tar-like substance emerged from it.

• Fu Qian persuaded the Duchess to take him to the Old Town, and she led him toward it through the freezing wilderness.
• An unexpectedly wide blizzard engulfed them, but the Duchess shielded them with a golden aura and continued onward with Fu Qian.
• They found the Old Town buried beneath snow and ice and entered its church through a hole the Duchess blasted in a spire.
• Inside the church, Fu Qian warned the Duchess about an attacker dropping from above, and she struck the armored figure down with a phantom hammer.
• The empty armor stood back up as black, viscous matter seeped from its neck, and the Duchess screamed and unleashed brilliant radiance.

Fu Qian and the Duchess defeated two monsters, and the Duchess revealed that creatures capable of corrupting and destroying the world had reached their refuge. She hurried to warn the priest, while Fu Qian realized the Pus Stone might mean his mission involved finding many more infected targets.

• The Duchess destroyed a headless suit of armor, then she and Fu Qian fought off a hammer-wielding suit of armor and a fat, robe-clad monster.
• Fu Qian killed the fat monk with his pale dragon's breath, and its bursting body corroded the shield he used for protection.
• The Duchess explained that the monsters had destroyed the world outside and could corrupt or twist living beings and objects.
• The Duchess recognized the Pus Stone as a sign that the monsters had reached their refuge and urged Fu Qian to return with her to warn the priest.
• Fu Qian worried that many more infected targets might be buried beneath the snow and ice, and the Duchess asked whether his key had reacted.

Fu Qian and the Duchess discovered signs of monsters and corruption in Old Town, then warned the priest that the corruption might have reached their town. The priest refused to evacuate or inspect everyone, insisting they keep the danger secret, while Fu Qian noticed the priest’s ceremonial robes and wondered whether he had a brooch.

• Fu Qian showed the Duchess the Starlight Key but kept quiet about the stained-glass window only he could see shining inside the church.
• The Duchess brought Fu Qian to the priest and told him that Old Town was buried and held corrupted corpses, self-aware armor, and black fluid.
• The Duchess connected the monsters to Pus Stone found in town and proposed inspecting everyone and relocating away from the corruption.
• The priest rejected the Duchess’s plan, arguing that it would cause panic, and ordered them to keep the discovery secret while he investigated quietly.
• As Fu Qian returned to his lodgings, he noticed the priest’s neat ceremonial robes and wondered whether the priest also had a brooch.

Fu Qian interrupted the priest as he attacked the Duchess with a monstrous black snake, exposing the priest's role in the nun's death. After Fu Qian helped the Duchess escape briefly, the priest broke her leg and warned that other monsters like him were in town.

• Fu Qian suspected the priest might be behind the nun's death and went to check on the Duchess at her manor.
• Fu Qian found the priest using a black, snake-like mass to restrain the Duchess and confronted him.
• The Duchess managed to break free when Fu Qian attacked, but a hidden snake caught her and the priest broke her leg.
• The priest admitted the nun's curiosity had led to the deaths and warned Fu Qian that more monsters like him lived in town.

The priest tried to persuade the Duchess and Fu Qian to conceal their mutations, but the Duchess refused and the priest seized her as a shield. Fu Qian used her as bait to land his breath attack, destroying the priest’s Human Pus and leaving both the priest and Duchess gravely injured.

• The priest claimed the mutation had removed the negative effects of his awakening and proposed keeping it secret instead of fighting.
• The Duchess rejected his proposal, while Fu Qian recognized that the priest intended to kill them and cover it up.
• The priest used a black snake to restrain the Duchess and place her between himself and Fu Qian.
• Fu Qian pretended to consider the priest’s offer to let him leave, then struck with a breath attack while the priest was off guard.
• The attack destroyed the Human Pus and badly injured the priest and Duchess, and Fu Qian said the Duchess had agreed to serve as bait.

Fu Qian defeated the priest and learned that people afflicted by the corruption could sense others like them. After finding a hidden black snake in the Duchess, he let it infect him and walked into the night.

• Fu Qian questioned the dying priest, who revealed that the changed could sense others like them, before the priest tried to ambush him and Fu Qian killed him with a punch.
• The Duchess told Fu Qian that her body was rapidly aging and asked him to save the town, even if he had to kill every infected person.
• Fu Qian tore the Duchess's decayed leg away and pulled out a hidden black snake, suspecting it was a danger left by the priest.
• Fu Qian deliberately cut his palm and let the black fluid from the snake infect him, then woke someone outside and walked into the night.

Fu Qian discovered a hidden room behind the church’s stained-glass window and learned from the Witch that their world had been painted with her mother’s blood as humanity’s refuge. The Witch revealed that the painting was decaying, causing disasters, Human Pus, and the Loss of Color Curse, and said the only way to repair it would destroy the current world and kill everyone in it.

• Fu Qian entered a hidden space behind the church’s stained-glass window and found an old painting depicting the same view, along with the Starlight Key.
• The Witch appeared from the key and told Fu Qian that the painting had been made with her mother’s blood.
• The Witch explained that the painted world had been created as humanity’s refuge after the outside world was destroyed.
• Fu Qian learned that the Loss of Color Curse came from people being rejected by the painted world, while awakening through one of the seven rays synchronized people with it.
• The Witch explained that the painting’s decay caused disasters and Human Pus, and that painting a new world would destroy the existing one and kill everyone inside.

Fu Qian used the Witch’s blood and Human Pus to alter the painting, transforming corruption into part of the world’s essence and neutralizing the Human Pus. After completing his mission, he said goodbye to the Witch and returned to the Warehouse.

• The Witch explained that she had hidden in the prison because the ruined world was more interesting than the outside, then offered Fu Qian the chance to repaint the world.
• Fu Qian mixed Human Pus into the Witch’s blood and pressed his hand onto the canvas, creating an eighth dark light in the painted sky.
• The Human Pus settled into Fu Qian’s body, and the Witch said the change would neutralize it, restore the Loss of Color Curse to normal, and let Awakened Ones age naturally.
• The Witch named the place the Dark Moon Church and invited Fu Qian to become a Dark Moon Knight.
• Fu Qian’s mission to contain 1-019 was completed, and he bid farewell to the Witch before returning to the Warehouse.

After completing his mission, Fu Qian chose a suspicious reward instead of a demigod promotion and found that a Warehouse item was missing. Back home, he learned that two suspicious people were searching for him, and decided to go out for McDonald’s.

• Fu Qian received a choice between a completed demigod ritual and the Blasphemous Embrace, which could temporarily seal the sun.
• Suspecting the reward choice was bait, Fu Qian selected the Blasphemous Embrace and received a transparent longbow.
• Fu Qian searched the Warehouse for item 1-019 but could not find it, then learned he would be forced to take three days off.
• Fu Qian returned to his room and considered what to eat before Grandma Liu warned him that two suspicious people were asking about him with his photo.
• Fu Qian thanked Grandma Liu in his thoughts and decided to go out for McDonald’s.

Fu Qian confronted the men searching for him and learned they were connected to the aftermath of his fight with Xu Meng’s son. As Xu Meng threatened him, Tan Ying called to warn him that someone had been asking Pei Yanqing about him, and Fu Qian confirmed that the suspicious man was sitting across from him.

• Fu Qian spotted two burly men following him and used Tyrant's Fist to make them turn on each other.
• Xu Meng arrived at Fu Qian's table, showed him photos, and demanded to know what had happened to his son.
• Fu Qian refused to explain himself as Xu Meng threatened to make him pay.
• Tan Ying called to say someone had shown Pei Yanqing Fu Qian's photo and asked about him.
• Fu Qian told Tan Ying that Xu Meng was sitting across from him.

Tan Ying invited Fu Qian to her birthday party after Xu Meng confronted him over his son's death, offering her protection and a favor in return. At the party, Tan Ying's classmates teased Fu Qian about his work and hobbies, but he handled their questions with ease and spoiled her plans to embarrass him.

• Tan Ying arrived while Xu Meng questioned Fu Qian, then revealed she was the person he had asked her to find and sent him away.
• Tan Ying explained that Xu Meng was influential in Lin City and invited Fu Qian to her birthday party, partly to protect him from further trouble.
• Three days later, Fu Qian attended Tan Ying's crowded birthday party with Young Master Qin and encountered Tan Ying's classmates and Pei Yanqing.
• Tan Ying's classmates teased Fu Qian about his name, his work, and his hobbies, while he answered casually and Tan Ying watched from the side.
• Young Master Qin slipped away under the attention, but Fu Qian stayed relaxed and left Tan Ying frustrated that her teasing had failed.

Fu Qian entered the Academy’s Sword Pavilion to destroy the Legacy of the Sword Heart, the mission’s target, while trying to work out his role in the scene. The chapter left him under suspicion after a staff member identified his card as an instructor ID from the Academy of Revelation, despite his Sword Participation Institute uniform.

• Fu Qian entered Containment Scene 2-010, where he was tasked with destroying the Legacy of the Sword Heart at the Academy.
• A middle-aged man directed Fu Qian into the Sword Pavilion and warned him not to go above the third floor.
• Fu Qian surveyed the swords and recognized Yuan Xin from an earlier mission, though Yuan Xin did not recognize him.
• The middle-aged man asked Fu Qian for his student card, then identified it as an instructor ID from the Academy of Revelation.
• The middle-aged man questioned why Fu Qian was wearing the Sword Participation Institute’s uniform.

Fu Qian discovered that his identity made him a mentor at the Academy of Revelation and was drawn into an urgent investigation with Professor Lanaia. They reached the scene of a robbery at a secret Yuan Corporation warehouse, where Lanaia introduced him to a grim investigator.

• A middle-aged man checked Fu Qian's card, confirmed he was an Academy of Revelation mentor, and accused him of trespassing in the Sword Pavilion.
• Fu Qian argued that the man had invited him inside and claimed he had been researching students' sword meditation, until Professor Lanaia arrived and the man returned his card.
• Lanaia told Fu Qian that the Yuan Corporation had reported a robbed secret warehouse with stolen goods and murdered staff, and that the Department of Punishment had been assigned to investigate.
• Fu Qian learned that he was a new academy mentor with a part-time role in the Department of Punishment, and Lanaia took him to the warehouse scene.
• After Lanaia showed their credentials, she introduced Fu Qian as another academy mentor to a lean, grim investigator waiting at the sealed-off scene.

Fu Qian and Lanaia investigated the slaughter of six Yuan Corporation employees and the theft of supernatural materials, then learned that academy swordsman Li Weixuan was unaccounted for. Before they could determine whether he was involved, Jia Yi reported that another location had been attacked.

• Jia Yi showed Fu Qian and Lanaia the sword-mutilated bodies of six employees and reported that supernatural materials had been stolen.
• Lanaia reviewed the surveillance footage, contacted the academy, and promised that she and Fu Qian would stay to assist the investigation.
• Lanaia explained that the academy was checking travel records and that their presence could prevent further attacks and keep the Yuan Clan from acting rashly.
• The academy cleared the movements of its Intermediate Tier and higher sword practitioners, but Li Weixuan was missing because he had entered closed-door cultivation a month earlier.
• Jia Yi hurried in and announced that another location had been hit.

After another massacre at a Yuan Clan warehouse, Lanaia sent Fu Qian to the Academy to verify Li Weixuan’s whereabouts. Fu Qian found the Sword Pavilion’s information and prepared to investigate while avoiding a direct request to see Li Weixuan.

• Lanaia and Fu Qian confirmed that the warehouse killer was the same person, who had slaughtered the Yuan Clan guards and stolen supernatural materials.
• Lanaia ordered Fu Qian to report the incident to Li Weixuan and confirm whether he had been at the Academy, while she continued the investigation.
• Fu Qian returned to the Academy and recognized the stench of a mutated corpse previously held by the Night Watchers in Shangjing.
• Fu Qian searched the Academy’s files for the Sword Participation Institute and Sword Pavilion, then prepared a plan and headed out while the pavilion was still open.

Fu Qian infiltrated the Sword Participation Institute to find Li Weixuan, but Ji Liushuang caught him impersonating a student. He improvised a story suggesting he was her father, leaving her bewildered as he noticed something about her had changed.

• Fu Qian disguised himself as a Sword Participation Institute student and entered its core area to locate Li Weixuan.
• Fu Qian encountered Ji Liushuang, who recognized that he was not Tong Minghui and demanded to know why he had sneaked in.
• Fu Qian revealed his real face, then claimed to know Ji Liushuang’s mother and spoke about her name and favorite flower.
• Fu Qian implied that he was Ji Liushuang’s father, and she was left confused by his knowledge of her mother.
• Fu Qian reflected that something about Ji Liushuang seemed different from the last time they had met.

Fu Qian encountered Ji Liushuang after she left the Sword Pavilion, claimed to be her father, and learned that an unusual feeling had led her to recognize his disguise. Ji Liushuang described her experience with Sword Intent before the Sword Participation Institute students arrived, leaving Fu Qian to depart as Yuan Xin approached.

• Fu Qian followed Ji Liushuang out of the building and used his Academy of Revelation tutor card to support his claim that he was her father.
• Ji Liushuang said she had recognized Fu Qian by instinct, despite not seeing through his disguise, and explained that she had left the Sword Pavilion after becoming dazed and unwell.
• Ji Liushuang described Sword Intent as a personal sword path that could lead to demigodhood, while Fu Qian suspected her changed state might relate to his mission.
• Ji Liushuang told Fu Qian to leave and keep their conversation secret when the Sword Participation Institute students approached.
• Yuan Xin came forward and asked Ji Liushuang whether she was all right.

Fu Qian tested Yuan Xin’s newly awakened Sword Intent and found it carried a sinister, life-draining force. After leaving the Sword Participation Institute, he told Lanaia the investigation might need to expand because this year’s students were exceptionally talented.

• Ji Liushuang introduced Fu Qian to Yuan Xin and the other students, who learned that Yuan Xin had comprehended a seed of Sword Intent.
• Fu Qian asked Yuan Xin to strike him so he could examine the Sword Intent, then caught the sword between two fingers without being harmed.
• Fu Qian asked Ji Liushuang why she did not transfer to Tianqi, and she left without answering.
• Fu Qian contacted Lanaia and urged her to expand the investigation after describing Yuan Xin’s dangerous potential.
• Lanaia acknowledged the problem and sighed that the situation would be difficult.