Chapter Summaries

Lin Taichu defeated Levi by exploiting his weakness and demanded that the arena investigate Levi’s previous killings. After learning that Levi had been protected by a vice manager, Lin Taichu relied on Aron to ask King to pressure the organizers.

• Lin Taichu evaded Levi’s heavy axe attacks and struck his side when Levi’s arm paused.
• Lin Taichu kicked a stone beneath Levi’s feet, then subdued him with a Short Blade at his neck.
• The host declared Lin Taichu the winner, and the crowd demanded an investigation into Levi’s past matches.
• Lin Taichu released Levi after the host promised to report the matter to the organizers, and Levi threatened him before leaving.
• Karen revealed that Levi’s relative, the arena’s vice manager, had protected him from punishment.
• Aron offered to ask King to pressure the organizers into investigating Levi.

After the King and arena mages pressured the organizers, an investigation confirmed that Levi had deliberately killed his opponents, and he was banned from the arena. Blaming Lin Taichu for his downfall, Levi hired three thugs to ambush him, while Lin Taichu sensed danger and prepared his home.

• Aron told the King about Levi's killings and Lin Taichu's demand for an investigation, and the King ordered the arena organizers to investigate within three days.
• Alicia gathered arena mages to petition the organizers, whose investigation confirmed Levi had deliberately killed opponents and that the vice manager had covered it up.
• The organizers revoked Levi's eligibility, banned him from the arena for life, and dismissed the vice manager.
• Furious and blaming Lin Taichu for his disgrace, Levi hired Bone Spike, Brute Force, and Shadow to ambush Lin Taichu before his match against Locke.
• Lin Taichu studied Locke's fighting style, sensed that someone might be watching him, and set up jars and furniture to warn him of intruders.

Lin Taichu foiled a nighttime ambush led by Levi and subdued the attackers. He bound Levi and the three assassins, intending to take them to the King for judgment.

• Lin Taichu waited awake for an attack and wounded Shadow when four intruders entered his room.
• Lin Taichu dodged Bone Spike’s poisoned spikes, captured Brute Force, knocked out Shadow, and subdued Bone Spike.
• Lin Taichu confronted Levi, who admitted he had arranged the ambush out of resentment over his disqualification and ruined reputation.
• Lin Taichu disarmed and defeated Levi, then offered to take him to the King or leave him and the assassins in the slums.
• Levi chose to face the King, and Lin Taichu bound all four attackers as the night neared the fourth watch.

Lin Taichu had Levi and the three assassins arrested after their failed ambush, then prepared for his match against Locke. The chapter ended as Locke opened the arena fight with a powerful meteor-hammer strike that Lin Taichu narrowly dodged.

• Lin Taichu escorted Levi and the three assassins to the king, who ordered them imprisoned and tried under Atlantis's laws.
• Lin Taichu returned home near dawn, and Alicia brought him food and checked that he was safe.
• Lin Taichu prepared his equipment for the afternoon match, and Aron gave him a deep-sea soft-iron wristguard to protect against blunt attacks.
• Lin Taichu entered the arena to face Locke, the Steel Armor Merfolk who had won five matches in a row.
• Locke swung his meteor hammer at Lin Taichu, who dodged as it smashed a crater into the arena floor.

Lin Taichu defeated Locke in the beast arena by dodging his attacks, exploiting his poor endurance, and knocking away his meteor hammer. The next morning, Lin Taichu learned that all three opponents listed for his next match had withdrawn.

• Lin Taichu evaded Locke's meteor hammer and iron-chain attacks, then struck Locke's back with inner energy.
• Lin Taichu waited until Locke grew exhausted, blocked the meteor hammer, and knocked it from his hands.
• Lin Taichu stabbed Locke in the chest and won the match, ending Locke's five-match winning streak.
• Alicia, Aron, and Karen celebrated Lin Taichu's victory with him, and the group went to Atlantis's food street to eat.
• A beast arena staff member told Lin Taichu that his three next opponents had withdrawn.

After several Beast Arena opponents forfeited, Lin Taichu worried that his stamina and inner strength had reached their limits and asked Aron how to improve. Aron revealed a dangerous Deep Sea Spring Eye guarded by a powerful turtle, and Lin Taichu set out to find it, promising to retreat if he could not handle the guardian.

• Lin Taichu learned that his opponents had forfeited because his earlier victories had frightened them, then reviewed his fights and recognized that his stamina and inner strength were nearly exhausted.
• Lin Taichu asked Aron for a way to break through his limits, and Aron described dangerous combat training and secluded cultivation as possible methods.
• Aron told Lin Taichu about the Deep Sea Spring Eye, whose pure energy could strengthen him, and warned that the powerful Deep Sea Spirit Turtle guarded it.
• Lin Taichu asked for the spring eye’s location despite Aron’s warning, and Aron gave him a map after making him promise to retreat if he could not defeat the guardian.

Lin Taichu reached the Deep Sea Spring Eye, where the Spirit Turtle allowed him to cultivate and taught him how to overcome his bottleneck. He began tempering his body with the spring’s energy while integrating his arena combat experience into his cultivation.

• Lin Taichu traveled to the deep-sea trench and found the Deep Sea Spring Eye, guarded by a giant Spirit Turtle.
• The Spirit Turtle recognized Lin Taichu’s deeds in Atlantis and allowed him to use the spring.
• Lin Taichu explained that his stamina and internal energy had reached their limits, and the Spirit Turtle advised him to temper his body and draw on lessons from real combat rather than copy merfolk cultivation.
• The Spirit Turtle instructed Lin Taichu to let the spring’s energy seep into his body and keep his deep-sea soft-iron wristguards on to strengthen them.
• Lin Taichu entered the spring and combined its energy with memories of fighting Cliff, Levi, and Locke, gradually making his internal energy flow more smoothly and powerfully.

Lin Taichu broke through his bottleneck at the Deep Sea Spring Eye with the spirit turtle’s guidance and returned to Atlantis stronger. After preparing for his upcoming matches against Kam, Leo, and Barton, he arrived at the arena with Aron, Alicia, and Karen.

• Lin Taichu absorbed the spring’s energy, broke through his bottleneck, and gained a protective barrier from his bracer.
• Lin Taichu left the spirit turtle undisturbed and returned to Atlantis, still wondering why it had helped him.
• Alicia, Karen, and Aron welcomed Lin Taichu, and Aron gave him a revised match list naming Kam, Leo, and Barton as his opponents.
• Lin Taichu told Aron, Alicia, and Karen about the spirit turtle and prepared for the matches by training and studying his opponents’ fighting styles.
• Lin Taichu went to the arena with Aron, Alicia, and Karen, where many spectators had gathered.

Lin Taichu’s scheduled opponents were replaced with Ollie’s deadly Sea-Splitting Beast, and Lin Taichu entered the arena to fight it. He dodged its first attacks, but his Short Blade could not pierce its scales, leaving the match unresolved.

• The arena supervisor told Lin Taichu that Kam, Leo, and Barton had been replaced, and Ollie revealed he had arranged for his Sea-Splitting Beast to fight him.
• Ollie claimed the King had approved the match, while Aron warned Lin Taichu that the beast was dangerous and Lin Taichu chose to face it.
• The host announced the Sea-Splitting Beast to the crowd, and the colossal creature entered the arena as spectators worried for Lin Taichu.
• The Sea-Splitting Beast charged, but Lin Taichu dodged its bite and slashed its scales without breaking them.
• Lin Taichu avoided the beast’s tail as it smashed and cracked the arena floor, while Alicia and Aron watched anxiously.

Lin Taichu discovered the Sea-Splitting Beast’s weaknesses and defeated it in the arena. After Ollie left in anger, Alicia, Aron, and Karen congratulated Lin Taichu, and the arena manager approached him.

• The Sea-Splitting Beast attacked Lin Taichu with poison, but he spotted its brief pause after each spray and stabbed its left eye.
• Lin Taichu noticed weak scales near the beast’s injured eye and on its belly, then baited it into exposing its abdomen and stabbed the wound.
• Lin Taichu blocked the beast’s tail with his bracer’s blue barrier and stabbed its belly wound again before killing it by piercing its right eye.
• The host declared Lin Taichu the winner as the stands cheered, while Ollie left in anger.
• Alicia, Aron, and Karen congratulated Lin Taichu, and the arena manager came over to praise him.

Lin Taichu recovered from his arena match and went to the Atlantis market with Alicia, where Ollie confronted them with more than a dozen armed Guards. Lin Taichu began fighting them, but recognized that their strength and numbers could put him at a disadvantage if the battle continued.

• Lin Taichu warned the supervisor not to let anyone interfere with his matches again, then returned home with Aron, Alicia, and Karen.
• Aron cautioned Lin Taichu that Ollie might seek revenge, and the group agreed he should stay alert.
• Alicia invited Lin Taichu to visit the Atlantis market, and the two explored its stalls the next morning.
• Alicia stopped to look at a shell necklace, but Ollie arrived with more than a dozen Guards and accused Lin Taichu of killing his Sea-Splitting Beast.
• Ollie shoved Alicia aside and ordered his Guards to attack Lin Taichu, who knocked down two before realizing the group could overwhelm him if the fight dragged on.

Lin Taichu fought off Ollie's Guards in the marketplace but was injured before Aron arrived with Royal Palace guards and drove Ollie away. Aron and Alicia took Lin Taichu to Aron's residence for treatment, where they warned him that Ollie would likely attack again.

• Lin Taichu fought the Guards surrounding him, but his depleted energy left him with a deep gash on his leg and cuts on his back.
• Ollie demanded that Lin Taichu kneel and apologize, but Aron arrived with Royal Palace guards and condemned Ollie's attack.
• Ollie withdrew with his Guards after Aron and the Royal Palace guards confronted him.
• Aron and Alicia helped Lin Taichu leave the marketplace and treated his wounds at Aron's residence.
• Aron offered to have guards accompany Lin Taichu when he went out, and Lin Taichu agreed.

Lin Taichu prepared for his match against Gabriel while Aron vowed to guard against Ollie’s interference. Gabriel revealed Ollie had threatened his family to force him to fight, and Aron set off to ask the King to punish Ollie.

• Lin Taichu studied Gabriel’s archery skills and trained with Guards at Aron’s residence to dodge and block arrows.
• Gabriel visited Lin Taichu and explained that Ollie had threatened his wife and infant child unless Gabriel defeated him.
• Lin Taichu agreed to fight Gabriel with all his strength and told him he blamed Ollie, not him.
• After hearing Gabriel’s story from Lin Taichu, Aron angrily decided to go to the Royal Palace and appeal to the King.

Lin Taichu conceded his match against Gabriel to protect Gabriel’s family from Ollie’s threats and disrupt Ollie’s plan to humiliate him. Gabriel won, and he hurried to check on his family while Lin Taichu stood ready to face any retaliation.

• Lin Taichu stopped Aron from confronting Ollie, explaining that they lacked evidence and Ollie might target Gabriel’s family.
• At the arena, Gabriel hesitated to attack Lin Taichu, then fired arrows that Lin Taichu repeatedly dodged.
• Ollie sent someone backstage to threaten Gabriel’s family again as Gabriel drew the poisoned arrow Ollie had ordered him to use.
• Lin Taichu dodged the poisoned arrow and conceded the match, declaring Gabriel the winner.
• Lin Taichu told Gabriel he had conceded to protect his family and frustrate Ollie’s plan, and Gabriel hurried away to check on them.

After conceding to protect Gabriel’s family from Ollie’s threats, Lin Taichu prepared for the brutal losers’ bracket and his first match against Marcus. He met Marcus at the beast arena the next morning, and the two exchanged challenges before their fight.

• Lin Taichu conceded his match to prevent Ollie from using Gabriel’s family as leverage, and Ollie confronted him backstage about disrupting his plans.
• Aron and Lin Taichu studied the losers’ bracket list and identified Marcus, a powerful dual-axe fighter, as Lin Taichu’s first opponent.
• Gabriel visited Lin Taichu to thank him and brought food from his wife, confirming that Ollie had left his family alone.
• Aron told Lin Taichu that Marcus had not contacted Ollie and was unlikely to be threatened or persuaded by him, so Lin Taichu could fight fairly.
• Lin Taichu arrived at the beast arena with Aron and Alicia, met Marcus, and accepted his challenge to prove himself in the match.

Lin Taichu defeated Marcus in the losers' bracket by exploiting openings in his twin-axe attacks. After recovering, he learned that his next opponent would be the agile spear fighter Karen and received records of Karen's previous matches.

• Marcus attacked Lin Taichu with his twin axes, and Lin Taichu dodged while waiting for an opening.
• Lin Taichu stabbed Marcus at the waist, then used a sudden change of direction to unbalance him and win the match.
• Marcus accepted his defeat, and the host declared Lin Taichu the winner who remained in the losers' bracket.
• Alicia gave Lin Taichu dry rations as Aron told him his next opponent would be Karen, a spear fighter who wore down opponents at mid-range.
• An arena logistics worker gave Lin Taichu a notebook recording Karen's moves and attack habits.

Lin Taichu struggled to find a weapon suited to his human build before his upcoming match against Karen. After a failed search around Atlantis, the King summoned him and revealed he knew about the problem, leaving Lin Taichu waiting to hear what the King would propose.

• After his match with Marcus, Lin Taichu realized his Short Blade was too short and unreliable for facing arena fighters, especially Karen and his spear.
• Aron took Lin Taichu to Atlantis’s weapon workshop, but the workshop master said its merfolk-sized weapons and heavy materials were unsuitable for humans.
• Aron, Lin Taichu, and Alicia searched for a workable weapon, but the options they found proved inadequate against Karen’s reach.
• Lin Taichu remembered that his wristguard’s blue barrier could defend against attacks and wished for a weapon that could both attack and protect him.
• Aron told Lin Taichu that the King wanted to see him; at the Royal Palace, the King asked whether he had been searching for a suitable weapon.

Lin Taichu traveled with the King to Atlantis’s undersea temple to test whether he could wield Poseidon’s Trident. He reached the great hall and began approaching the weapon, but the chapter ended before he could touch it.

• The King told Lin Taichu that Poseidon’s Trident might be wieldable by someone from a race outside Atlantis, and Lin Taichu agreed to try.
• Lin Taichu told Alicia about the trident, rested for the day, and left with Aron the next morning to meet the King.
• The King led Lin Taichu, Aron, and two royal guards by warship to the undersea temple and opened its energy barrier with a golden token.
• Lin Taichu entered the temple alone and crossed the antechamber despite the trident’s growing force.
• Lin Taichu saw Poseidon’s Trident embedded in a stone platform and struggled toward it under the weapon’s immense pressure.

Lin Taichu pulled Poseidon's Trident from the temple and discovered that it could restore his internal energy and control seawater, though its full power remained locked. After days of training with it, he arrived at the arena to face Karen.

• Lin Taichu resisted the force around the trident, took it from the stone platform, and felt it restore and strengthen his internal energy.
• On the warship, Lin Taichu used the trident to part the seawater, create water arrows, and control the water around him; the King explained that it had not yet accepted him as its master.
• The King warned Lin Taichu to keep the trident’s abilities secret, and Alicia found she could barely lift it and could not make it affect the seawater.
• Lin Taichu studied Karen’s match records and practiced with the trident for several days, improving at close-range attacks and seawater manipulation.
• Lin Taichu arrived at the packed arena for his match against Karen, as spectators wondered whether he could win after conceding their previous match.

Lin Taichu defeated Karen with the trident and advanced to the losers' bracket final, where he would face the powerful broadsword user Reno. After studying Reno's weaknesses, Lin Taichu began practicing defenses against his sweeping attacks.

• Lin Taichu used his trident to disarm Karen, knock him down, and force him to concede.
• The host announced that Lin Taichu had advanced to the losers' bracket final and was one win away from the top four.
• A staff member told Lin Taichu that his next opponent was Reno, a heavily armored broadsword user ranked fourth.
• Ollie warned Lin Taichu that Reno was stronger than Karen, but Lin Taichu mocked him until he left backstage.
• Lin Taichu studied Reno's attack patterns and armor weaknesses at Aron's residence, then practiced blocking simulated broadsword sweeps with seawater shields.