Chapter Summaries

Lu Bai took Lu Ziyi and Lu Qingyan to meet Pu Xueli, but a large protest had gathered outside the Administrative Building. Pu Xueli explained that Can Society regularly organized such approved demonstrations, and the group continued toward his home.

• Lu Bai waited for Lu Ziyi to change, then took her and Lu Qingyan to the shelter's central district.
• Lu Qingyan admired the wealthy residents' villas, and Lu Bai told him that hard work would only leave him too tired to enjoy one.
• Lu Ziyi noticed a large crowd gathered at Clock Tower Square, where protesters voiced demands for change and dignity.
• Pu Xueli met Lu Bai and his siblings near the square and explained that Can Society often organized protests to stir public dissatisfaction.
• Pu Xueli said the gatherings were registered and approved, then invited Lu Bai and his siblings to continue to his home.

Lu Bai visited Pu Xueli’s home while a protest grew at Clock Tower Square. Can Society members provoked a riot that overwhelmed security personnel and surged toward the Administrative Building, prompting the armed forces to mobilize.

• Pu Xueli brought Lu Bai, Lu Ziyi, and Lu Qingyan to his home, where Lu Bai learned that even a Formal Deathmatch Participant might only receive the right to use a house.
• As the protest continued to grow, a committee official ordered the city to consider stopping it and recalled armed forces personnel on leave.
• Can Society members provoked clashes between protesters and security officers, and a protester fired a homemade sawed-off shotgun.
• The crowd broke through the security line, looted and smashed property, and surged toward the Administrative Building while hundreds of silent protesters remained seated.
• At the armed forces’ northeastern base, a bald commander ordered personnel on leave recalled and sent forces to suppress the riot, while a staff officer warned that casualties could mount.

The Shelter City Management Committee deployed overwhelming force to suppress the riot, while Lu Bai and his companions were caught up in violence at Pu Xueli’s home. After drones massacred rioters at Clock Tower Square, Ding Zhongmin prepared to continue his operation and dismissed the drones as a temporary threat.

• The Committee mobilized troops, aircraft, drones, and armed Deathmatch Participants to respond to the riot.
• At dinner, Xiang Jingqiu offered Lu Qingyan and Ziyi fireworks, but armed teenage rioters arrived at Pu Xueli’s home and shot at him.
• Pu Xueli caught the bullet in his palm, crushed it, and frightened the boys with his anger and imposing presence.
• Drones attacked the rioters at Clock Tower Square, killing many of them in a sudden barrage.
• Ding Zhongmin watched the massacre with the red-haired bartender and said they would wait for other branches to spread the footage before continuing.
• Ding Zhongmin dismissed the drones as junk and anticipated becoming a branch president after the operation.

City Direct Military forces crushed the protest at the Administrative Building, while Li Shan confronted Can Society members Ding Zhongmin and a red-haired bartender. At a bar, Vice President Zheng learned that Black Hand had infiltrated the military base.

• Drone strikes killed the Can Society followers who stayed seated, and exoskeleton troops advanced to arrest rioters and contain the unrest.
• Ding Zhongmin and the red-haired bartender watched from the central garden before Li Shan introduced himself as Third Seat of the City Direct Military Sixth Team and attacked them.
• Li Shan cut the bartender in half, while Ding Zhongmin evaded the attack and used a Pottery Jar ability before Li Shan struck back with golden light.
• Vice President Zheng learned Ding Zhongmin had missed his scheduled signal and decided not to send help.
• Kang Meirou reported that Black Hand had infiltrated the military base.

After footage of drones massacring protesters appeared on television, Principal Pu and Lu Bai went to Clock Tower Square, where the drones turned on the Security Personnel and Exoskeleton Armor troops. Principal Pu called the attack a rebellion and a war.

• Principal Pu knocked out the teenagers who had caused trouble at his home, sent them outside, and told Lu Bai and the others not to worry about the protests.
• A television feed showed drones massacring civilians at Clock Tower Square, and Principal Pu left for the City Council with Lu Bai following him.
• Security Personnel rounded up surviving protesters and loaded them onto buses while leaving body bags across the square.
• When a squad officer ordered a handcuffed teenager executed, the drones took off and attacked the ground troops with tactical nuclear missiles.
• Lu Bai and Principal Pu reached the square and watched the explosions; Principal Pu called the attack a rebellion and a war.

Lu Bai and Pu Xueli watched the drone attack devastate Clock Tower Square before City Council aircraft disabled many of the drones. Li Shan arrived with captured Can Society member Ding Zhongmin, whose cryptic threat hinted at a larger plan, while the shelter’s surveillance system detected a controllable chain-reaction missile launching from a military base.

• Tactical nuclear bombs reduced Clock Tower Square to rubble, and Lu Bai speculated that Can Society was behind the attack.
• City Council aircraft scattered interference bombs that disabled many drones, though the attack’s larger purpose remained unclear.
• Li Shan arrived with the captured Ding Zhongmin and offered Lu Bai a place in City Direct Military.
• Ding Zhongmin called on Lu Bai to save him, then threatened that the others would soon have no chance to cry.
• The holographic dome’s AI detected a controllable chain-reaction missile launching from a military base to the southeast.

A missile called 'Gonggong' threatened the Heavy Element Reactor and the entire No. 9 Shelter, forcing officials to weigh a catastrophic interception against letting it strike. Lu Bai flew into its path and used [Uchiha Rebound] to reflect it, leaving the result unknown.

• Security Defense Department officers learned that 'Gonggong' was targeting the Heavy Element Reactor and prepared an interception plan that would kill tens of millions.
• Li Shan and Pu Xueli watched 'Gonggong' approach as Ding Zhongmin mocked them, while Lu Bai asked whether Li Shan would trade his life to stop the missile.
• Lu Bai used [Wind Riding] to rise into 'Gonggong's' path, deciding he would handle the missile himself.
• As the defense department prepared to order the interception, officers saw Lu Bai appear in the missile's path on the live feed.
• Lu Bai activated [Uchiha Rebound] and declared, "Uchiha Rebound," as 'Gonggong' hurtled toward him.

Lu Bai stopped the controlled chain-reaction missile Gonggong from reaching Livability City, saving millions and revealing that he was the ranked fighter Clever Mephisto. The Security Defense Department sought to recruit him, while Can Society's failed operation left Vice President Zheng determined to treat Mephisto as a serious threat.

• Lu Bai used [Uchiha Rebound] to make Gonggong vanish, then returned to the ground as Li Shan and Pu Xueli reacted to his abilities.
• Lu Bai confirmed to Li Shan that he was Clever Mephisto, and Pu Xueli praised his strength.
• The Security Defense Department realized the disaster had been averted, and the defense minister ordered Lu Bai's file brought to him so he could recruit him.
• Vice President Zheng and Kang Meirou discussed Can Society's failed operation, and Zheng blamed Lu Bai for ruining their plans.
• Kang Meirou urged Zheng to raise Mephisto's threat assessment, and Zheng agreed to take him seriously.

After the New Birth Festival, Lu Bai accepted the City Council’s rewards and official positions, then entered the sixth round of Deathmatch Showdown despite Pu Xueli’s warnings. The round began with Lu Bai ranked last and choosing an ability from the first-round pool.

• The City Council intensified its crackdown on Can Society and rewarded Lu Bai with a new home and a deputy squad leader position in the City Martial Force.
• Lu Bai accepted the City Council’s offers and decided he needed to return to Deathmatch Showdown to gain more power.
• Pu Xueli urged Lu Bai to delay entering the arena and consider his younger siblings, but Lu Bai said he was confident and would explain why later.
• Lu Bai waited for the countdown, drank orange juice, and was transported into the sixth round of Deathmatch Showdown.
• The Deathmatch System identified Lu Bai as Clever Mephisto, ranked him 200th out of 200, and opened the first-round Ability Pool.

Lu Bai chose Talent King before realizing he had entered a Qingwang Sect entrance examination in a cultivation world. He passed the first round by secretly restoring Steel Body, and Senior Brother Chang announced that the next round would test innate constitution.

• Lu Bai selected Talent King from his Gold Ability Pool and discovered he had appeared among youths gathered for a sect entrance examination.
• Senior Brother Chang introduced himself as the Qingwang Sect disciple overseeing the examination and explained that candidates had to remain standing until an incense stick burned out.
• The hovering disciples summoned the Qingwang Cauldron, whose crushing pressure forced many candidates to collapse.
• Lu Bai secretly restored Steel Body and pretended to struggle until the incense burned out, passing the first round.
• Senior Brother Chang congratulated the survivors and announced that the second round would test their innate constitution.

At Qingwang Sect’s entrance examination, Lu Bai watched other candidates’ spirit-root tests and spoke with Shi Qingyu, who revealed an Earth-grade Ice Spiritual Root. When Lu Bai touched the testing boulder, it released a dazzling white beam that transformed the sky, leaving Senior Brother Chang and the other disciples stunned.

• Ye Bufan tested as having a Fire Spiritual Root with upper Profound Grade aptitude.
• Lu Bai learned that spirit-root aptitude depended on purity, and watched the candidates receive mostly ordinary results.
• Lu Bai spoke with Shi Yu, who claimed not to know whether she had a spirit root.
• Shi Yu tested as having an Ice Spiritual Root with Earth-grade aptitude, and Senior Brother Chang asked her to stay beside him.
• Lu Bai touched the boulder, unleashing a brilliant white pillar filled with Dao Patterns that changed the heavens and shocked the Qingwang Sect disciples.

Lu Bai’s extraordinary aptitude caused the Qingwang Sect’s elders to fight over taking him as a disciple, until Sect Master Yuxu Zi won and accepted him. Lu Bai began cultivating on the sect’s main peak, where his doubled talent promised astonishing progress.

• The Dao Seeking Stone’s dramatic reaction revealed Lu Bai’s aptitude, drawing the Qingwang Sect’s elders to the square.
• The elders argued over who would take Lu Bai as a disciple, then fought above the clouds after Sect Master Yuxu Zi proposed taking him himself.
• Senior Brother Chang suspended the remaining admission tests while the prospective disciples watched Lu Bai.
• Yuxu Zi introduced himself as the Qingwang Sect’s Sect Master and asked Lu Bai to become his disciple; Lu Bai agreed.
• Lu Bai began cultivating in a bamboo grove on the main peak, and his doubled talent gave him an exceptionally rapid cultivation speed.

Lu Bai cultivated at an astonishing speed under Yuxu Zi’s guidance, reaching Foundation Establishment and advancing further in a short time. Meanwhile, Sang Wen arrived at Qingwang Sect seeking cultivation, where Shi Qingyu challenged his confidence in his aptitude.

• Lu Bai sensed spiritual energy and reached Qi Refining Layer One before Yuxu Zi had taught him how to cultivate.
• Yuxu Zi purified Lu Bai’s worldly aura and began teaching him to gather Innate Qi.
• Lu Bai rapidly advanced through Qi Refining and broke through to Foundation Establishment as Dao Patterns circled him.
• Sang Wen reached the road to Qingwang Sect after traveling for a week and decided the sect was a suitable place to gain supernatural powers.
• A farmer warned Sang Wen that Qingwang Sect’s recruitment period had ended, but Sang Wen insisted no sect would reject his aptitude.
• Shi Qingyu overheard Sang Wen’s boast and mocked him, saying even a remarkably talented person had not been so full of himself.

Sang Wen persuaded Shi Qingyu to bring him to Qingwang Sect, hoping to gain access to its powers, but he recognized Lu Bai as a fellow deathmatcher and feared for his life. Lu Bai ignored Sang Wen after his disciples drove him aside and asked whether the elder leading the Dao Commencement Assembly had arrived.

• Sang Wen convinced Shi Qingyu to take him to Qingwang Sect so she could test his claim of being an extraordinary Immortal Seedling.
• Shi Qingyu brought Sang Wen to the sect gate, where the guards greeted her and she realized she did not know his name.
• Lu Bai crossed the plaza, drawing the admiration of Shi Qingyu, the guards, and the disciples following him.
• Sang Wen recognized Lu Bai's deathmatcher title, panicked, and decided he could not safely run away.
• Lu Bai asked why Sang Wen was blocking the way, and his disciples berated Sang Wen until he shuffled aside.
• Lu Bai turned toward Hidden Blade Peak and asked whether the elder leading the Dao Commencement Assembly had arrived.

Lu Bai traveled with Elder Wang and the Qingwang Sect disciples to the Dao Commencement Assembly at Purple Cloud Villa, while Shi Qingyu discovered that Sang Wen had fallen apart into pieces. The sect leaders and disciples gathered at the host grounds, where Lu Bai began looking for deathmatch participants.

• Elder Wang arrived on a giant White Crane and carried Lu Bai and the Qingwang Sect disciples toward the assembly.
• After the crane departed, Sang Wen fell apart into bloodless pieces, frightening Shi Qingyu and the gatekeeper.
• Lu Bai ignored a point notification and reflected on how Yuxu Zi had sent him to the assembly to slow his rapid cultivation and give him a break.
• The Qingwang Sect group reached Purple Cloud Villa, where many sects arrived with elders and disciples.
• As the sect leaders exchanged greetings and the disciples mingled, Lu Bai stood aside searching for deathmatch participants.

Lu Bai led the Qingwang Sect disciples around Purple Cloud Villa after Elder Wang left to visit the gambling hall. At a restaurant, a group from the Yuhuo Cult provoked the Qingwang Sect, and another young cultivator publicly challenged their arrogance.

• Elder Wang handed Lu Bai a voice transmission talisman, told him to guide the Qingwang Sect disciples, and left for the gambling hall.
• Lu Bai led the disciples through Ziyun City and took them to a restaurant to eat.
• A muscular young man in crimson robes led Yuhuo Cult disciples into the restaurant and challenged the Qingwang Sect, asking whether Changfeng had stayed away out of fear.
• Fatty Feng stood up to protest, but the Yuhuo Cult leader ignored him and insulted the Qingwang Sect.
• A young man on the second floor condemned the Yuhuo Cult for acting as though it were a holy land.

Lu Bai intervened in a tavern dispute at the Dao Commencement Assembly, where Xi Ao Yan clashed with a drunken Jiange youth. After killing a Yuhuo Cult disciple who provoked him, Lu Bai revealed his overwhelming power and defeated Xi Ao Yan.

• Xi Ao Yan revealed his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation and attacked the drunken youth with a Flame Fist.
• The youth used chopsticks and sword intent to break Xi Ao Yan’s attack, revealing that he too was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
• As Lu Bai led the Qingwang Sect disciples away, a dark-skinned Yuhuo Cult disciple taunted them, and Lu Bai killed him with a single slap.
• Xi Ao Yan abandoned his fight with the youth and attacked Lu Bai, who revealed his spiritual power and struck Xi Ao Yan down with a giant handprint.

Lu Bai defeated Xi Ao Yan at a tavern and drew attention to Qingwang Sect before settling in Ziyun City for the Dao Commencement Assembly. As rival geniuses stirred up the city, Lu Bai ignored repeated provocations until drums and purple clouds announced that the assembly was beginning.

• Lu Bai struck Xi Ao Yan down with a single blow, and the Yuhuo Cult disciples fled with their wounded companion.
• The Drinking Youth of Jiange praised Lu Bai and said he looked forward to seeing him at the Dao Commencement Assembly.
• Lu Bai led the Qingwang Sect disciples to their Purple Cloud Villa lodgings, while news of his strength spread through Ziyun City.
• A Taishi Sect True Inheritance disciple fought a Jiange Sword Wielding Disciple, and the Holy Son of Golden Scale Holy Land challenged the Young Academy Master of Fongong Academy.
• Lu Bai killed two groups who came to provoke him, then stopped responding to challengers and waited for the assembly.
• At dawn, enormous drums boomed across Ziyun City as purple clouds pointed toward the central plaza and the Dao Commencement Assembly began.

Lu Bai led the Qingwang Sect disciples to the Dao Commencement Assembly, where the sects gathered before Purple Cloud Villa transported the contestants to Purple Cloud Mountain. After arriving alone in a random location, Lu Bai prepared to test his theory that victory at the assembly could increase his fortune.

• Lu Bai led the Qingwang Sect disciples through Ziyun City to the assembly, where sect leaders traded pointed remarks and young cultivators watched him with interest.
• Purple Cloud Villa activated its formation and transported more than a thousand disciples to random locations across Purple Cloud Mountain.
• Lu Bai recovered from the teleportation, climbed a tree to survey his surroundings, and recognized that the first test was a battle royale.
• Lu Bai reflected that defeating rivals might transfer their fortune and create opportunities, then decided to test his theory.

Lu Bai intervened when Golden Scale Holy Land disciples attacked Fongong Academy cultivators, killing all three with one strike before continuing toward Purple Cloud Mountain’s highest peak. The Golden Scale Saint Son learned what happened and set out to make Lu Bai suffer.

• Lu Bai heard a Fongong Academy junior sister call for help and saw three Golden Scale Holy Land disciples overpowering five women.
• The Golden Scale Holy Land leader offered Lu Bai a reward to leave, but Lu Bai turned back and killed all three disciples with a huge spiritual-energy palm.
• The Fongong Academy women realized Lu Bai had saved them, but he had already flown away.
• At the event platform, the Golden Scale Holy Land elder confronted Elder Wang, who defended Lu Bai, while the Fongong Academy elder silently showed her gratitude.
• The Golden Scale Saint Son received a message about Lu Bai killing his disciples and declared that he would make Lu Bai despair.