Chapter Summaries

After returning home from his mission, Chen Shouyi rested and discovered that his Status Panel now displayed Faith Value, which let him temporarily accelerate his thoughts through the Book of Knowledge. He tested the ability, but it consumed all his Faith Value almost immediately.

• Chen Shouyi returned home, reassured his parents that his mission had been easy, and learned that Xingyue was away training in the other world.
• Chen Shouyi took Shell Girl home, comforted her after her painful journey, and helped her bathe before going to sleep.
• After waking the next morning, Chen Shouyi saw Faith Value listed on his Status Panel and learned that it measured power from his believers' prayers.
• Chen Shouyi spent his Faith Value to borrow the Book of Knowledge's abilities, briefly experiencing greatly accelerated thought.
• Chen Shouyi checked the Status Panel and found that his Faith Value had all been consumed.

Chen Shouyi explored the Book of Knowledge’s transformed space, shaved his head, and took a day off in the safety zone. He reunited with Song Tingting, who told him she had entered Jiangnan University and passed the Martial Apprentice assessment.

• Chen Shouyi realized he had spent all his Faith Value and resolved to save it for a crisis.
• Chen Shouyi inspected the enlarged World Tree and more realistic space in the Book of Knowledge.
• Chen Shouyi shaved his grown-out hair and went out to relax in the safety zone.
• Chen Shouyi ran into Song Tingting and learned that she and her family had moved into the safety zone.
• Song Tingting introduced Wang Xiaojuan, then told Chen Shouyi she was attending Jiangnan University and had passed the Martial Apprentice assessment.

Great Xia Nation sent a bomber formation to Southeast Asia to use a nuclear strike against the God of Order and open a second front. The bomb struck a city where barbarians and humans lived together, swallowing a praying barbarian and the plaza in brilliant light.

• A bomber formation took off from a military base in the capital, carrying a nuclear weapon toward Southeast Asia to draw the God of Order's attention away from Donghai Province.
• The crew spotted a drifting Type 053C guided-missile destroyer and marked its position for a report if they returned safely.
• The aircraft reached the target city, where a barbarian and a Southeast Asian human guide walked past humans praying beneath a Divine Statue.
• A shrill whistle sounded overhead, and the barbarian looked up to see a black object plunging toward the plaza.
• The nuclear blast engulfed the barbarian and the plaza in brilliant light.

Song Tingting gushed over Chen Shouyi while he calculated how quickly his Faith Value could accumulate and decided to test his superhuman state in the memory virtual world. The test ended when the state faded after he caught a bullet, leaving him exhilarated but dissatisfied with how briefly it lasted.

• Song Tingting defended Chen Shouyi and confessed she wanted to touch his bald head, while Wang Xiaojuan sighed at her infatuation.
• Chen Shouyi checked his Status Panel, saw his Faith Value had reached 0.05, and estimated how much his believers could provide.
• Chen Shouyi entered the memory virtual world to test his superhuman state while Shell Girl stayed behind reading an illustrated book.
• Chen Shouyi leaped through the villa district, experienced the world slowing around him, and caught a bullet between his fingers.
• The superhuman state faded, and Chen Shouyi took several bullets without injury before complaining that the experience had been too short.

Chen Shouyi met with Qin Liuyuan, who had become a Quasi-Martial Master after finding divine blood in Donghai Province. They discussed the unexpectedly easy military campaign and the absent Barbarian God, while Chen Shouyi felt reassured by his growing strength and Faith Value.

• Chen Shouyi returned home and found Qin Liuyuan waiting to take him out for drinks.
• Qin Liuyuan revealed that he had obtained divine blood from a demigod’s corpse in Donghai Province and used it to become a Quasi-Martial Master.
• Qin Liuyuan told Chen Shouyi that the military had reclaimed much of Donghai Province with little resistance, though the Barbarian God had not appeared.
• After Qin Liuyuan left, Chen Shouyi checked his Status Panel and saw that his attributes and Faith Value had increased.

The provincial governor decided not to withhold the capital’s invitation for Chen Shouyi to receive a reward for killing a demigod, and assigned Zhang Miaomiao and Zhao Ding to accompany him. After training through the winter, Chen learned the group would leave for the capital that night.

• The provincial governor decided Chen Shouyi must go to the capital and chose Zhang Miaomiao to accompany him and guard against poaching.
• Chen Shouyi trained in the freezing desert, ate hot meat soup, and pulled Shell Girl out of the sleet when she tried to eat it.
• Chen Shouyi returned home and met Zhang Miaomiao and Zhao Ding, who had come to accompany him to the capital.
• Zhang Miaomiao told Chen Shouyi that a formal letter summoned him to claim a reward for killing a demigod.
• Chen Shouyi asked when they would leave, and Zhang Miaomiao said they would take the ten o’clock train that night.

Chen Shouyi left home for a government trip to the capital, accompanied by Bai Xiaoling, Zhang Miaomiao, and Zhao Ding. After boarding a train, he settled into his private compartment with Shell Girl, who marveled at the enormous moving train.

• Chen Shouyi left his parents and rode with Bai Xiaoling, Zhang Miaomiao, and Zhao Ding to the train station in a luxury sedan.
• Zhang Miaomiao interviewed Chen Shouyi about killing a demigod, and he described waiting in hiding before cutting off her head with one sword strike.
• The group boarded an old steam locomotive after it arrived late, with Chen Shouyi assigned a private sleeper compartment.
• Chen Shouyi let Shell Girl out of his briefcase, made her honey, and explained that they were traveling on a train.

Chen Shouyi traveled to the capital after killing a demigod, while Bai Xiaoling proudly told fellow passengers about his strength. After arriving, he met officials who arranged his Martial Master certification and a commendation ceremony, and he asked directly when he could collect his reward.

• Zhang Miaomiao asked Bai Xiaoling whether Chen Shouyi usually avoided socializing, and Bai Xiaoling explained that he spent his days training.
• Bai Xiaoling told fellow passengers that Chen Shouyi was a Martial Master who had killed a demigod, shocking a Great Martial Artist in their carriage.
• Chen Shouyi intimidated the Great Martial Artist with a glance, then endured Shell Girl's endless questions as the train passed war-scarred towns and ruins.
• After two nights and a day of travel, Chen Shouyi, Bai Xiaoling, and Zhang Miaomiao arrived in the capital and met Sun Jianhua and Qian Feiyan.
• Zhang Miaomiao insisted Chen Shouyi should rest at the hotel, and Chen Shouyi asked Sun Jianhua when he could collect his reward.
• Sun Jianhua said the commendation ceremony would take place in two days and suggested Chen Shouyi complete his national Martial Master certification the next day; Chen Shouyi agreed to go to the hotel first.

Chen Shouyi arrived in the capital and settled into a luxurious guesthouse, where he relaxed and checked his growing strength. After Shell Girl complained about leaving the train, he set out to buy her more clothes, disguising his purpose as shopping for a Barbie doll.

• Chen Shouyi and Sun Jianhua rode through the quiet, heavily guarded capital before Sun Jianhua took Chen Shouyi to a luxurious guesthouse near the Martial Arts General Bureau.
• Chen Shouyi checked his Status Panel and found his strength had reached 17.3 points, then let Shell Girl out of his briefcase.
• Shell Girl cried because the train ride had ended, and Chen Shouyi promised she could ride again in three days.
• Zhang Miaomiao invited Chen Shouyi to go shopping, but he declined before remembering that Shell Girl needed new clothes.
• Chen Shouyi left the guesthouse with Shell Girl hidden in his briefcase and asked an attendant where to buy a Barbie doll.
• The attendant offered to have a doll brought to Chen Shouyi, but he insisted on going out himself and left with directions.

Wang Lie and other martial masters gathered at the Martial Arts General Bureau to inspect Chen Shouyi, whose demigod-slaying feat they doubted. Chen Shouyi read news of a successful integrated circuit breakthrough, while the chapter left his examination still ahead.

• Wang Lie argued with his wife over their daughter's martial arts training before leaving home.
• Wang Lie arrived at the martial master examination center and joined other masters who had come to assess Chen Shouyi.
• Chen Shouyi woke to find Shell Girl still sorting the hundreds of outfits he had bought for her.
• Chen Shouyi read that the Capital Electronics Research Institute had developed its first integrated circuit and anticipated humanity's return to the Information Age.

Chen Shouyi took his Martial Artist examination before a crowd of skeptical Martial Artists, intending to prove his strength without using Supergod mode. His strength test impressed the observers, and his astonishing speed shattered their assumptions as the examination continued.

• Chen Shouyi arrived at the Martial Arts General Bureau with Sun Jianhua, Bai Xiaoling, and Zhang Miaomiao, learning that many Martial Artists had come to watch his examination.
• Zhu Xueqing and Lu Shouhu greeted Chen Shouyi at the examination site, where the gathered Martial Artists watched him enter the hall.
• Chen Shouyi completed the strength test by bench-pressing two tons with perfect form, leaving the observers silent.
• Chen Shouyi ran 300 meters in 2.1 seconds, shocking the crowd by exceeding the accepted limit for human running speed.

Chen Shouyi passed the martial artist assessment after excelling at the reaction-speed test but failing the archery events, which left him embarrassed despite his near-peak strength. His companions comforted him, while the watching martial artists grew resentful of the attention he received from women.

• Chen Shouyi blocked most of the rubber bullets in the reaction-speed test, letting only twenty-five through and earning praise from the spectators.
• Chen Shouyi scored just twenty-eight rings on the stationary archery test, and the Martial Arts Notary announced that he had failed the event.
• Bai Xiaoling defended Chen Shouyi after Wang Lie and Old Hu mocked his archery, prompting the two martial artists to retreat awkwardly.
• Chen Shouyi hit only 32.5 percent of the moving targets, but the examiners let him continue and declared that he had passed overall.
• Zhang Miaomiao, Bai Xiaoling, and Zhu Xueqing comforted Chen Shouyi, while the other martial artists watched with jealousy and resentment.

Chen Shouyi attended a national commendation ceremony for killing a demigod and received a medal and fifty merit points. He began reviewing the supplies available for exchange, eager to decide what to claim.

• Chen Shouyi received his nationally certified Martial Master certificate and learned from Sun Jianhua that Wang Lie was one of the capital’s four top Martial Masters.
• Chen Shouyi prepared for the ceremony, then traveled alone to the Great Hall of the People the next morning.
• Luo Jingwen and Zhu Xueqing greeted Chen Shouyi at the awards hall, and the host praised martial artists’ resistance to the other world.
• Chen Shouyi received a red certificate and medal from an elderly official, who praised him and advised him to practice his archery.
• A staff member told Chen Shouyi that his demigod kill and the God Corpse earned him fifty merit points, then gave him a list of supplies available for exchange.

Chen Shouyi reviewed the government’s merit-point exchange list and spent his 50 points on Divine Marrow. He arranged to receive his delayed mission reward as well and asked the employee to find unusually stretchy underwear.

• Chen Shouyi found that the Divine Marrow, Divine Blood, warrior swords, and other treasures on the exchange list cost more merit points than he could afford.
• Chen Shouyi asked whether the government would buy back his sword, but the employee explained that weapons could only be sold through appraisal for money, not merit points.
• Chen Shouyi chose one vial of Divine Marrow of Lesser Divine Power and two vials of Divine Marrow of Weak Divine Power.
• The employee confirmed that Chen Shouyi’s delayed Donghai Province reward, another vial of Weak Divine Power Divine Marrow, would be delivered that night.
• Chen Shouyi asked the employee to find underwear with elastic that could stretch several times its length without breaking.

After receiving the God Slayer Medal, Chen Shouyi showed Luo Jingwen and Zhu Xueqing that he could wield Sword Qi while maintaining unified mind and spirit, then explained his improved Entering Tranquility to Refine the Self. Luo Jingwen and Zhu Xueqing left eager to practice, while Chen Shouyi hoped martial masters might learn the method and help strengthen humanity.

• Zhu Xueqing admired Chen Shouyi's God Slayer Medal and told Luo Jingwen about his poor archery assessment.
• At dinner, Chen Shouyi floated the dishes while explaining how he could remain calm and focused as he spoke.
• At Luo Jingwen's request, Chen Shouyi used Sword Qi to cut a floating wine bottle without spilling its wine.
• Chen Shouyi described his improved Entering Tranquility to Refine the Self and explained that mastering it depended heavily on talent.
• Luo Jingwen asked for Chen Shouyi's address so he could seek guidance, and he and Zhu Xueqing hurried off to practice.

Chen Shouyi received his God Slaying Medal and declined a Jingcheng Municipal Government invitation before the authorities delivered four bottles of Divine Marrow. After drinking them, he reached peak martial artist status and wondered at his newfound power.

• Chen Shouyi examined his God Slaying Medal and certificate, then declined the Jingcheng Municipal Government invitation Zhang Miaomiao brought him.
• Zhang Miaomiao removed a grain of rice from Chen Shouyi’s shirt, leaving him embarrassed by his wandering thoughts.
• Chen Shouyi received four bottles of Divine Marrow escorted by soldiers and drank all of them in the bathroom.
• Chen Shouyi’s Intelligence rose to 17.1, bringing his Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Intelligence close to the limits of a martial artist.
• Chen Shouyi felt stronger than ever as he watched the street from his window and reflected that he was only eighteen.

Chen Shouyi caught Shell Girl secretly drinking Divine Marrow and gave her the leftover drops diluted with water. The drink made Little Dot feel exceptionally clever, though her counting convinced Chen Shouyi she was still as silly as ever; he then began practicing the Thirty-Six Forms of Hardening.

• Chen Shouyi found Shell Girl drinking from a glass bottle in the bathroom, and she fled before hiding in his bed.
• Shell Girl bit Chen Shouyi’s finger when he teased her, then threatened to bite him again if he bullied her or kept good food from her.
• Chen Shouyi collected the residue from several bottles, diluted it with warm water, and let Shell Girl drink it from her spoon.
• Shell Girl claimed the Divine Marrow had made her smart and answered Chen Shouyi’s arithmetic questions with absurd counts of elephants.
• Chen Shouyi decided Shell Girl was still silly, changed into comfortable shorts, and began practicing the Thirty-Six Forms of Hardening.

Chen Shouyi dealt with Shell Girl’s restless excitement, answered Luo Jingwen’s questions about entering tranquility, and received a stretchable artificial silk sample for new underwear. The government agreed to make him a hundred pairs, while Luo Jingwen left eager to keep practicing.

• Shell Girl woke Chen Shouyi early by reading aloud, then followed him to the bathroom and admired her sharp teeth.
• Luo Jingwen visited Chen Shouyi to ask about his method of entering tranquility, but admitted he had made no progress despite years of martial arts training.
• Chen Shouyi claimed he had practiced for five years and reached Marrow Refining, prompting Luo Jingwen to rush off and practice again.
• A government employee brought Chen Shouyi a sample of stretchable Artificial Silk, which Chen Shouyi tested and found suitable for Giant Transformation.
• Chen Shouyi asked the government to provide a hundred pairs of underwear made from the material, and the employee agreed.

Chen Shouyi left the capital by train and, during the night, helped protect passengers when Otherworld birds attacked in a mountainous region. The train escaped the danger, and the alarm was lifted after it left the mountains.

• Chen Shouyi boarded a train with Shell Girl and his companions, carrying a newspaper article about his achievements.
• Chen Shouyi woke to the sound of breaking glass and discovered Otherworld birds attacking the train.
• A middle-aged martial artist killed a bird that had wounded a passenger, and train officers organized the passengers and registered the fighters.
• Chen Shouyi revealed that he was a Martial Master, reassuring the train officer and the people in his carriage.
• Zhang Miaomiao, Bai Xiaoling, and Zhao Ding joined Chen Shouyi, and he killed another bird that entered their carriage.
• The train left the mountainous region half an hour later, and the alarm was lifted.

Chen Shouyi returned home to Hedong, where his family learned that he had become a Martial Artist, and Chen Xingyue grew angry that he had hidden it from her. He then focused on improving his archery in the Otherworld, making quick progress before breaking his bicycle on the way home and abandoning it at a repair shop.

• Zhao Shuping welcomed Chen Shouyi back to Hedong and offered provincial rewards, so Chen Shouyi asked for divine materials and settled for demigod supplies for his family.
• Chen Shouyi reunited with his parents and Chen Xingyue, who questioned the news that he was the Great Xia Nation's strongest Martial Artist; he denied the claim but admitted he had become a Martial Artist.
• Chen Xingyue realized Chen Shouyi had concealed his advancement from her and tried to speak with him, but he left early the next morning to practice archery.
• In the freezing Otherworld, Chen Shouyi practiced archery for the day and improved his skill from Proficient: 11 to Proficient: 13.
• Chen Shouyi broke his bicycle while riding home, and after a repairman said it would take until the next day to fix, he told the man to keep it.