Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian questioned Kalaodola about the strange changes she had experienced and realized she might have come from an expedition tied to the Academy’s devastating secret operation. Kalaodola refused to reveal the operation’s details but agreed to discuss the changes.

• Kalaodola questioned whether she could help revive a Higher Being, and Fu Qian asked what she had been doing before she arrived.
• Kalaodola used her ability to gauge Fu Qian’s rank, accidentally causing an aggressive spiritual effect, then apologized and explained her power had changed.
• Kalaodola said the changes began during an expedition into a dangerous area, where others had been affected too.
• Fu Qian suspected Kalaodola had come from the Academy’s disastrous special operation and asked what the team had explored.
• Kalaodola refused to disclose the operation’s details but Fu Qian asked her to describe the changes instead.

Kalaodola described the academy expedition team's crystallization as a blessing that altered abilities and could push people toward ascension, while Fu Qian examined the change in her hand. As Fu Qian declined to attack her, the Holy Infant initiated another rock-paper-scissors round with explosive spheres, and Fu Qian prepared to respond.

• Kalaodola told Fu Qian that the crystallization affected abilities, seemed like a blessing, and could progress unpredictably.
• Kalaodola showed Fu Qian how the crystallization had transformed part of her hand into a dazzling, diamond-like extension of her ability.
• Kalaodola asked whether her projection had been chosen because of the crystallization and whether Fu Qian needed to deal with her; Fu Qian said he was not sure and declined to attack her for now.
• A conceptual red sphere appeared above Fu Qian's palm, and he sensed an identical sphere in the hand of the La Nina statue as the Holy Infant began another rock-paper-scissors round.
• Fu Qian activated Blood Conquest and Left and Right as the paired spheres' explosive bond tightened.

Professor Fu survived a Higher Being’s execution by using Left and Right to disrupt the bomb’s lock-on, then continued down the pilgrimage route with Kalaodola. He shared what he knew about her future and learned that the Academy had uncovered traces of a forgotten research organization in the Forbidden Zone.

• Professor Fu activated Left and Right while the hand-held bomb was locked onto his left hand, disrupting the execution enough to prevent the Chaos Multiplier from activating.
• Professor Fu recovered from his wounds and told Kalaodola that a Higher Being had attacked him, then warned that another attack could follow.
• Kalaodola told Professor Fu that her investigation in the Forbidden Zone had uncovered signs of a research organization resembling the Academy, with no surviving records of it.
• Professor Fu told Kalaodola that she would probably forget these experiences after the projection ended, and that she was still at the Academy of Revelation in her future.
• Professor Fu told Kalaodola that everyone was proud of her and that she had helped everyone a lot.

Fu Qian reasoned that the Holy Infant Disaster Star’s Apocalypse Knights and attacks were tied to spreading disasters, then faced its final attempt to kill him. He survived by activating Mythical Form, extracted the creature from the statue, and completed the containment mission.

• Kalaodola thanked Fu Qian, took a third step through the archway, and crumbled into dust as the Fourth Knight.
• Fu Qian crossed the archway and considered whether the knights had been chosen for spreading curses and disasters, and whether each attack represented one of the Holy Infant’s chances.
• Fu Qian realized the Holy Infant’s projection was running out of time and had offered Kalaodola a chance to ask about her future before she died.
• A crystalline meteor shaped like La Nina fell toward Fu Qian as another targeted the Holy Infant, starting the fourth Death Game without a trial.
• Fu Qian activated Mythical Form, became the ancient Mechanical Tyrant, pierced the statue with a colossal arm, and pulled out the Holy Infant, completing containment of No. 2-001.

Fu Qian examined the Scarlet Holy Infant’s connection to disasters as he destroyed it and the collapsing prison. Back in the Warehouse, he received the mission evaluation and an incomplete Fierce Star Swaddling reward.

• Fu Qian used Mythical Form to confront the Holy Infant and observe it at close range.
• The prison collapsed as Fu Qian’s attack shattered the Holy Infant and destroyed the Apocalypse Knights’ lingering power.
• Fu Qian saw the Holy Infant’s history-spanning blood vessels breaking apart and inferred that it had been reborn by feeding on disasters.
• The mission evaluation recounted the curse’s spread, La Nina’s role in nurturing the disaster, and the Night Watchers’ rescue of the survivors.
• Fu Qian received 30 Sanity Value and the incomplete Fierce Star Swaddling, then questioned the inauspicious mission title.

After reviewing the Night Watchers’ report on the Holy Infant Disaster Star incident, Fu Qian examined his reward: an incomplete Fierce Star Swaddling whose missing piece was linked to Kalaodola. He accepted the imperfect item without regret and considered using Rift Smelting to give it another chance.

• Fu Qian read the mission summary and learned how Jill’s special constitution, the prison, and the curse had enabled the Holy Infant Disaster Star’s attempted rebirth.
• Fu Qian concluded that the Rebirth Club had gained another mysterious appearance in the eyes of the Night Watchers.
• Fu Qian received an incomplete Fierce Star Swaddling, which had lost its final piece when Kalaodola fell.
• Fu Qian reflected that he could have completed the mission more directly but said he would still have spoken with Kalaodola again.
• Fu Qian considered offering the useless swaddling to Rift Smelting.

Fu Qian used Rift Smelting to combine a supernatural chalice with a golden candlestick, producing an unnamed sword. The chapter left him wondering where the gold had gone and considering naming the weapon Sword Three Missing One.

• Fu Qian decided he needed gold to use Rift Smelting and found a heavy, solid-gold candlestick in the academy laboratory.
• Fu Qian pressed the swaddled chalice and the candlestick against Rift Smelting, setting the process in motion.
• Rift Smelting crushed both items into a single point, which vanished without producing a visible result.
• Fu Qian reached into empty air and drew out a long, lightweight sword with a blade of interwoven gold and silver-white material.
• Fu Qian found no name or explanation for the sword and considered calling it Sword Three Missing One.

Fu Qian examined Sword Three Missing One, which could appear and vanish at his command and healed him by drawing on destruction. After Su Gao woke from a brief dream, she described being submerged in a dark sea filled with echoes of her own voice, where she eventually fell asleep.

• Fu Qian tested Sword Three Missing One and found that its wounds healed him through a strange form of vampirism.
• Fu Qian reflected on the Scarlet Fever curse, Jill, and the crystals and research organization linked to the academy’s hidden history.
• Fu Qian let Su Gao sleep after the dream ended and noticed an unusual ripple pass by.
• Su Gao woke and asked Fu Qian about the ripple; he said it was not normal but did not seem hostile, then asked her to describe the experiment.
• Su Gao recalled leaving a lighthouse in a dream, sinking into a lightless sea, hearing echoes of her own voice, and falling asleep there.

Fu Qian reflected on Su Gao’s successful visit to the Mind World and warned her against exploring it alone. They then went to the Institute of Curses to investigate a disturbance and learned that Professor Weilong had already checked on the situation.

• Fu Qian concluded that outsiders were barred from the collective Mind World, despite his past visits to its deeper reaches.
• Fu Qian praised Su Gao’s experience and advised her not to explore the Mind World alone.
• Fu Qian and Su Gao headed to the Institute of Curses to investigate the commotion and check on its staff.
• Lanaia told Su Gao and Fu Qian that Professor Weilong had arrived earlier, joined a discussion at Dean Li’s invitation, and left without asking to inspect the site.

Fu Qian and Weilong clashed over the investigation into the Bone Spirit Realm, while Lanaia intervened to keep their argument from disrupting duty. Weilong started to leave, but Fu Qian stopped him by asking to meet the young genius who had recently visited the Spirit Ash Institute.

• Fu Qian greeted Weilong with exaggerated praise, and Weilong responded coolly to him and Su Gao.
• Weilong asked whether the earlier disturbance had come from Fu Qian's laboratory, and Fu Qian described the work as a joint project with Professor Lisha.
• Fu Qian praised their expedition to the Bone Spirit Realm, while Weilong criticized the Apocalypse's handling of the investigation.
• Lanaia cut off their argument and reminded them to keep their dispute away from the duty post.
• Weilong began to leave, but Fu Qian asked to meet the young genius who had recently visited the Spirit Ash Institute, making Weilong pause.

Fu Qian explained that he had come to investigate the Spirit Ash Institute and had recognized Wen Li’s mental disturbance. After Professor Weilong challenged him to meet a talented young woman, Fu Qian accepted, then asked Lanaia whether anything new had happened.

• Fu Qian reasoned that Wen Li’s expanded ability had caused the disturbance that penetrated the Spirit Ash Institute’s shield, and that Weilong had likely come expecting him to investigate the meteor shower incident.
• Lanaia asked how Fu Qian knew about the Institute’s plans, and he claimed he had always followed the younger generation’s progress.
• Fu Qian described a talented young woman as a rough gem that deserved careful polishing, prompting Weilong to offer to bring her to visit him.
• Fu Qian accepted Weilong’s challenge, and Weilong left after greeting Su Demigod.
• Professor Rob asked who the young woman was, and Fu Qian said he hoped she had good judgment before asking Lanaia whether anything new had happened.

Fu Qian and Su Gao returned to the ruined Institute of Curses, where Fu Qian used Clear Dream to test Su Gao’s access to the Mind World again. Su Gao found a silent region within it and recalled a childhood fairy tale about a huge wooden ship and a disaster.

• Su Gao and Fu Qian confirmed the Institute of Curses had suffered no obvious new damage and went down to the underground passage.
• Fu Qian followed headquarters’ advice not to re-enter the ship and began a second Clear Dream test instead.
• Su Gao entered the darkness at the end of the dream passage and woke after sensing a silent area in the Mind World.
• Su Gao described the quiet region to Fu Qian and said she had ended the dream rather than explore farther.
• Fu Qian asked Su Gao about stories of a huge wooden ship or a disaster, and she recalled a fairy tale from childhood.

Fu Qian tested the underground ark’s connection to a miracle and asked Su Gao to recall the story associated with it. They left with the miracle’s nature and the story’s possible endings unresolved, deciding to wait for the support team’s arrival.

• Fu Qian considered that the underground ark might be anchored in place by a miracle that Nepheli could no longer reproduce.
• Fu Qian encouraged Su Gao to recount a story about a deity who warned a young man of a world-destroying storm and told him to build a ship.
• Su Gao recalled that the ship could carry survivors to a new beginning if the storm ended, or take them back to their homeland before the ship broke apart if the world truly ended.
• Fu Qian and Su Gao discussed whether the ark, its dock, and the special leaves were connected to the story, possibly through the Long Night or another apocalypse.
• Fu Qian and Su Gao headed back and agreed to wait for the support team’s methods before deciding whether to share the possibility of a miracle.

Fu Qian and Su Gao coordinated the Night Watchers’ response to the academy incident while Yuan Fang visited Fu Qian’s laboratory. Their tea gathering was interrupted by Ni Huayuan, who arrived with Wen, the teenage prodigy from the Spirit Ash Institute.

• Su Gao proposed having the local Night Watchers help secure the scene, and Fu Qian approved.
• Yuan Fang thanked Su Gao and Fu Qian, then accepted Fu Qian’s invitation to visit his laboratory.
• Yuan Fang told Fu Qian that the conflict between Siren and An Jing was worsening and that there was still no news about the underwater prison.
• Fu Qian asked Ji Liushuang to make tea for Yuan Fang and the others.
• Ni Huayuan arrived at Fu Qian’s door with Wen, who had come to visit the Spirit Ash Institute.

Fu Qian welcomed Ni Huayuan and Wen Li to the Night Watcher’s headquarters, concealing his interest in measuring Wen Li’s abilities beneath lavish praise. He invited her to use her power on him, leaving the visit poised for a demonstration.

• Fu Qian inferred that the Spirit Ash Institute had brought Wen Li so he could assess her abilities before offering guidance.
• Fu Qian greeted Ni Huayuan and praised Wen Li, while the assembled guests watched her closely.
• Wen Li introduced herself and responded naturally to Fu Qian’s attention, concealing that she recognized him.
• Fu Qian described his supposed discussion with Professor Weilong about guiding the next generation, while Liu Shuang and Su Gao kept their composure.
• Ni Huayuan explained that he had brought Wen Li to hear Fu Qian’s advice, and Fu Qian asked her to use her ability on him.

Fu Qian invited Wen Li to demonstrate her emotional projection ability and criticized her first attempt, prompting her to unleash a much stronger surge. After praising her improved control, Fu Qian asked whether her power had caused the earlier commotion, and Ni Huayuan answered with a hostile explanation.

• Ni Huayuan agreed that Wen Li should accept Fu Qian's offer to test her ability.
• Wen Li used emotional projection on Fu Qian, and he judged her first attempt too weak to prove Spirit Ash Institute was leading its students astray.
• Wen Li asked to try again after seeing Ni Huayuan react to Fu Qian's pointed criticism.
• Wen Li unleashed a surge of emotion more than a hundred times stronger than her first attempt, leaving her visibly exhausted.
• Fu Qian praised Wen Li's improved control and asked whether she had caused the earlier commotion.
• Ni Huayuan confirmed that Wen Li had been practicing with professors and said the tests had involved minor mishaps, ending on a hostile note.

Fu Qian praised Wen Li’s demonstrations and invited her to transfer to the Academy of Revelation for an exchange, provoking Ni Huayuan. He then offered Wen Li a glittering earring and urged her to sense its value with her ability.

• Fu Qian acknowledged that he had deliberately disrupted the Institute of Curses, then praised Wen Li’s talent and composure.
• Fu Qian and Yuan Fang advised Wen Li to control her abilities and warned her about their potential costs.
• Wen Li demonstrated her self-created technique, the Beautiful Girl's Kaleidoscope, leaving Fu Qian impressed.
• Fu Qian invited Wen Li to transfer to the Academy of Revelation, and Ni Huayuan stood up in protest.
• Fu Qian showed Wen Li a glittering earring and invited her to sense it with her ability.

Fu Qian tried to recruit Wen Li with a sinister earring modeled on one she knew, but she refused his offer and left the meeting. The Spirit Ash Institute's representatives stayed silent as she made her choice.

• Fu Qian presented Wen Li with a flesh-forged earring resembling the one her father had given her and offered it as a gift if she joined the Apocalypse.
• Wen Li pretended to be captivated by the earring, while Yuan Fang vouched for Professor Fu and invited her to take it.
• Wen Li looked to Ni Huayuan for help, but he remained silent, leaving Fu Qian confident that his ploy would work.
• Wen Li refused the earring and said she had learned a lot at the Spirit Ash Institute.
• After Fu Qian questioned whether she wanted to reach higher ranks, Wen Li stood, politely said farewell, and left.

Professor Fu encouraged Wen Li to make full use of Spirit Ash's research resources, then left with Ji Liushuang to investigate the hand axe Angui had located. The axe was still with the Ji Clan, and its history connected it to Ji Xue's mysterious disappearance from home.

• Professor Fu's staged rejection of Wen Li reassured her that she could rely on the Spirit Ash Institute's resources to study Liliana's divine trait.
• After Yuan Fang left, Ji Liushuang told Professor Fu that Angui had found a lead on the hand axe.
• Ji Liushuang said Angui believed the axe was still with the Ji Clan and had asked whether she wanted to speak with her mother first.
• Ji Liushuang explained that Ji Xue had once been fond of the axe, cut herself on it, and run away from home the next day.

Ji Liushuang asked Fu Qian whether she should speak with her mother about the strange item, and he advised her to obtain it and study it rather than avoid the issue. After she decided to send Jia Keke to retrieve it, Fu Qian questioned her about the academy’s Snow Trees and considered their connection to the miracle beneath the Institute of Curses.

• Ji Liushuang asked Fu Qian whether she needed to talk to her mother, and he told her the item was likely no longer in her mother’s possession.
• Ji Liushuang explained that Angui said the item had been put away and forbidden, and Fu Qian encouraged her to retrieve it to reassure Angui.
• Ji Liushuang decided to contact her family and send Jia Keke to collect the item in person.
• Fu Qian asked Ji Liushuang about the Snow Trees, and she explained that only the academy’s trees changed color when it snowed.
• Ji Liushuang prepared to return to the academy, and she reminded Fu Qian to change his clothes because his left arm was bare.