Chapter Summaries

Chen Shouyi had Guan Miao separate divine blood into plasma and blood cells, then discovered that drinking the plasma greatly increased his attributes. He shared the remaining doses with Shell Girl and drank the rest of the divine blood himself.

• Chen Shouyi brought divine blood to Guan Miao's laboratory, where she separated it into plasma and blood cells and tested small doses on mice.
• Chen Shouyi took the processed plasma home, drank three tubes, and gained points in Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Intelligence.
• Chen Shouyi heard Shell Girl in his briefcase, gave her the last drops in a test tube, and watched her become briefly dazed before asking for more.
• Chen Shouyi gave Shell Girl the remaining plasma and some divine blood, then drank the rest of the divine blood himself.

After drinking divine blood, Shell Girl became dangerously overheated, then recovered with a brief multicolored force that repelled Chen Shouyi’s touch. Chen Shouyi took her outside to practice adjusting to his increased strength, and Shell Girl said she seemed stronger and could fly and jump more easily.

• Chen Shouyi noticed Shell Girl sprawled red and motionless after she drank the remaining divine blood, and he feared she had overdosed.
• Chen Shouyi considered using his sword to let some of Shell Girl’s blood, but stopped when she mumbled that she wanted more to drink.
• Multicolored glimmers surrounded Shell Girl and pushed Chen Shouyi’s finger away before her color returned and she woke up unharmed.
• Chen Shouyi locked away the divine blood and took Shell Girl outside to practice, then misjudged his strength and fell face-first after jumping from the window.
• Chen Shouyi asked Shell Girl about new abilities, and she said flying felt easier and she seemed stronger and able to jump higher.

Chen Xingyue killed one of two burglars while protecting her family, and Chen Shouyi reassured her that she had acted in self-defense. The police took the dead burglar and his accomplice away, leaving the surviving thief stunned to learn Chen Shouyi was a Great Martial Artist.

• Long and Biaozi prepared to rob another home after previously murdering a family and stealing a necklace.
• Chen Shouyi returned home before dawn and found his family safe, with one burglar dead and the other tied up.
• Mother Chen explained that Chen Xingyue had killed one burglar while defending the family, and Chen Shouyi reassured them.
• The surviving burglar threatened Chen Shouyi, who ignored him and went to call the police.
• The deputy head and officers collected the body and arrested the burglar, then treated Chen Shouyi with deference as a Great Martial Artist.

After the police took away the dead thief and his accomplice, Chen Shouyi reassured his family and gave his parents and Chen Xingyue divine blood. The family prepared to try it carefully, but Chen Shouyi told them to drink it in their rooms because it could make them lose control.

• Chen Shouyi reassured his parents that the police could not easily act against him as long as he obeyed the law.
• Chen Shouyi returned to his bedroom and comforted Shell Girl, who had been frightened by the police outside.
• The next morning, Chen Shouyi gave one tube of divine blood each to Chen Dawei, Mother Chen, and Chen Xingyue, warning them to take only small amounts.
• Chen Xingyue poured drops of divine blood into cups for herself and her parents, then Chen Shouyi told them to drink in their rooms because it could cause euphoria and loss of control.

As the steam age worsened Hedong City’s pollution and instability, Chen Shouyi learned that the authorities were preparing a fortified safe zone for an approaching war. Bai Xiaoling delivered the deed to his new villa and told him his family would move there in seven days.

• Chen Shouyi saw a new order requiring retired servicemen under forty-five to report to the Hedong Military Region by March 1.
• At a barbershop, Chen Shouyi overheard customers discuss Yunshan Mountain being sealed off and rumors about the Otherworld Creatures.
• Chen Shouyi returned home and found Bai Xiaoling delivering New Year gifts to his family.
• Bai Xiaoling gave Chen Shouyi the deed and keys to Villa No. 24 in the safe zone.
• Bai Xiaoling told Chen Shouyi that a steam truck would take his family to the safe zone at noon in seven days.

Chen Shouyi encountered a servant of the God of Courage in a deserted grove and fought him after the barbarian promised his god would descend on Earth. The barbarian escaped, leaving Chen Shouyi gravely injured.

• Chen Shouyi spotted a hidden figure in the grove after Shell Girl warned him of a bad giant.
• The barbarian revealed himself as a servant of the God of Courage and said his god would soon descend to save the world.
• Chen Shouyi attacked the barbarian, who used Giant's Strength and fought with overwhelming power.
• Chen Shouyi wounded the barbarian with his Long Sword, but the barbarian kicked him hard in the chest.
• The barbarian fled into the darkness, and Chen Shouyi spat blood and stood gravely injured.

After recovering from the High Priest’s near-fatal kick, Chen Shouyi followed the wounded barbarian’s blood trail to an abandoned office building. He killed Barber with a swift sword strike, while the High Priest’s fate remained uncertain.

• Chen Shouyi reset his broken ribs and treated his wounds, then recovered rapidly through Natural Healing.
• Chen Shouyi took Shell Girl with him and followed the High Priest’s blood trail to an abandoned office building.
• The High Priest healed his wound with Divine Techniques and herbs, warned Barber not to underestimate the world, and sensed an enemy approaching.
• Chen Shouyi entered the building and attacked Barber, who tried to defend himself with an office desk.
• Chen Shouyi drove his sword into Barber’s forehead, inflicting a catastrophic wound.

Chen Shouyi tracked down and killed the invisible High Priest, then discovered his sword aura could destroy the priest’s spirit. He suspected the other barbarian’s spirit had escaped and realized that death was no longer necessarily the end in the changing world.

• Chen Shouyi used Shell Girl’s keen senses to find the invisible barbarian hiding in a tree.
• The wounded High Priest emerged and attacked, but Chen Shouyi severed his arm and beheaded him in their final clash.
• A glowing spirit rose from the High Priest’s corpse and prayed for the God of Courage to draw it to the Divine Kingdom.
• Chen Shouyi struck the spirit with his sword, shattering it, and concluded that his sword aura of will could destroy spirits.
• Chen Shouyi returned to the office building and found no spirit from the other barbarian, leading him to suspect it had escaped because he had not formed his sword aura.

After recovering from his battle, Chen Shouyi shared his discovery with the Hedong City government as signs of war intensified. He tested Chen Xingyue’s fighting ability during the bleak Spring Festival, then left Hedong City with his family aboard a steam truck.

• Chen Shouyi returned home with Shell Girl, cleaned off the blood, and passed his discovery to the government through Bai Xiaoling the next day.
• As retired soldiers were mobilized and the Spring Festival passed under a tense atmosphere, Chen Shouyi’s family discussed the possibility of war.
• Chen Xingyue asked Chen Shouyi to test whether she was strong enough to become a martial artist, and he sparred with her and assessed her progress.
• Several days later, Chen Shouyi’s family and Bai Xiaoling boarded a steam truck to leave, where Chen Shouyi ran into Qin Liuyuan and his family.

Chen Shouyi and his family moved into a villa in Hedong City’s safe zone, where the new settlement gradually became busier. As life settled into a calm routine, neighbors and officials began visiting Chen Shouyi.

• Qin Liuyuan told his sons that Chen Shouyi was likely the strongest person in Hedong City and urged them to treat him respectfully.
• Chen Shouyi’s family arrived at Villa 24 and explored their spacious new home.
• Chen Shouyi released Shell Girl in his bedroom, then removed an intimate painting after she pointed out the couple kissing.
• The safe zone filled with residents, government departments, and research institutes as Steam Trucks continued to travel in and out.
• Chen Shouyi trained daily while Qin Liuyuan, his sons, and nearby neighbors visited him.

Chen Shouyi stocked up on clothes and Barbie dolls as the safety zone’s shops reopened, while the Divine Kingdom of Dabono, God of Courage, suffered a devastating meteor strike amid a crisis threatening his divine rank. Dabono saved his petitioners from the blast and resolved to act as his kingdom settled into ruins.

• Chen Shouyi bought eight boxes of Barbie dolls for Shell Girl and a large supply of clothes and shoes for himself.
• The chapter described how petitioners were formed from the souls of dead believers and sustained the power of a god.
• Dabono sensed a meteor approaching his Divine Kingdom while nearly ten million petitioners prayed outside his palace.
• The meteor struck the forest, devastated the Divine Kingdom, and sent a shock wave toward the petitioners.
• Dabono softened the shock wave with his power to protect his petitioners, then picked up his battle-ax and resolved to act.

Chen Shouyi trained his Will by confronting the memory of a god’s terrifying presence, but the strain knocked him unconscious. Shell Girl struggled to cover him with a blanket and then returned to trying on clothes.

• After his training, Chen Shouyi checked his attributes and noted that his physical progress had slowed while his Perception and Will had improved.
• Shell Girl tried on outfit after outfit and asked Chen Shouyi to judge how pretty she looked.
• Chen Shouyi entered Gray Mist Space and revisited a memory of witnessing a God War, pushing his consciousness toward the cloud giant to train his Will.
• The god’s pressure overwhelmed Chen Shouyi, forcing him out of the Memory Space and into a deep sleep.
• Shell Girl dragged a blanket over Chen Shouyi, complained that he made things difficult for her, and resumed sorting through clothes.

A column of barbarians crossed the Great Prairie with giant Brute Force Beasts, while Chen Shouyi woke refreshed and practiced his swordsmanship. The distant sound of massed cannon fire jolted him to the window, but the darkness hid its source.

• A barbarian boy struggled to keep a Brute Force Beast from wandering off, then watched it eat Spiny Sour Grass.
• A priest used Beast Taming Technique to lead the Brute Force Beast back to the column and warned the boy to be more careful.
• Chen Shouyi woke at four-thirty and found that his Will had increased by 0.1.
• Chen Shouyi practiced his sword art, accidentally cut a walnut coat rack in half, and caught the falling piece.
• Chen Shouyi heard an escalating barrage of cannon fire, rushed to the window, and saw only darkness outside.

Chen Shouyi sensed that a crisis had begun as artillery fire shook Hedong City. On Yunshan Mountain, a barbarian army was devastated by a modern bombardment, and Xiao Saiqi mourned Uncle Sirid as the priest urged survivors to rally behind the God of Courage.

• Chen Shouyi watched artillery fire continue through the early morning and grew uneasy as officials hurried through the safe zone.
• A reconnaissance airship spotted the barbarian army emerging from a passage, and Hedong City's forces bombarded it with shells and rockets.
• Xiao Saiqi obeyed a priest's order to return to camp and assemble after being told the God of Courage had descended.
• Xiao Saiqi found Uncle Sirid gravely wounded, and Sirid warned him to stay sharp before dying.
• Xiao Saiqi cried out in anguish over Sirid's death.

God of Courage Dabono entered the modern world, where the backlash stripped away nearly all his divine power, but he still overwhelmed the city’s defenses as he advanced. After news spread that Cheng'an District had fallen, Chen Shouyi saw airships and troops mobilize around the safety zone.

• Dabono arrived in the modern world and lost nearly all his divine power, leaving him weakened and cut off from his believers.
• Dabono dodged antiaircraft fire, landed on a rooftop, and destroyed the gun with his ax.
• Dabono raced through the city, cleaving a Steam Tank in two and causing a building to collapse.
• News spread that Cheng'an District had fallen and its soldiers had been wiped out, driving the safety zone into panic.
• Chen Shouyi saw two steam-powered airships fly north, and the military redeployed troops and artillery to establish defenses around the safety zone.

Chen Shouyi attended a meeting for martial artists in Hedong City's safe zone, where officials tried to reassure them as the city prepared for an invasion. He left believing the enemy included a force comparable to a Barbarian God.

• Chen Shouyi reassured his worried mother that the safe zone was secure, though rumors and arriving refugees had frightened the residents.
• A city government employee summoned Chen Shouyi to a meeting for the safe zone's martial artists, and Song Jieying learned he was one of the city's three Chief Advisors.
• Chen Shouyi greeted Qin Liuyuan and Chief Advisor Cui Ziwen before the meeting began.
• The meeting offered little beyond reassurance and an effort to stabilize morale.
• Chen Shouyi asked Qin Liuyuan whether the invading barbarians had a Barbarian God, and Qin said they must have a comparable force to justify the military buildup.

Xue Songjie and the residents of his neighborhood were captured by a group of savages and forced into a march as slaves. A distant sniper attack killed several savages and scattered the rest, leaving the captives behind as two snipers relocated.

• Xue Songjie decided to flee Cheng'an District, but stopped when he saw several dozen savages enter his neighborhood.
• The savages killed residents who had tried to escape, executed the elderly, and drove more than a thousand people away as slaves.
• Sai Qi marched with the captives, carrying loot and a head on his spear as he admired the humans' abundant food and possessions.
• Distant gunfire killed six savages, causing the rest to panic and scatter while Xue Songjie and the captives watched.
• Two snipers packed their weapons and moved to a new position.

Chen Shouyi sought a way to use the remaining divine blood to increase his strength, but Guan Miao explained that the disrupted power grid could not be restored for years. The chapter left him with no immediate scientific solution as Hedong City faced the threat of a barbarian god.

• Chen Shouyi reflected on the terrifying power of the being suspected to be a barbarian god and the danger it posed to him.
• Chen Shouyi bought a portrait from a refugee girl, then discarded it and caught a pebble thrown by Song Jieying when she surprised him from behind.
• Song Jieying invited Chen Shouyi to her home, but he declined and continued to the relocated Jiangnan University campus.
• Chen Shouyi asked Professor Guan Miao whether researchers could extract solid matter from the remaining divine blood, and she said they needed functioning equipment.
• Guan Miao explained that high-voltage electricity could overcome the otherworldly force field, but restoring usable power across the grid would take at least several years.

Chen Shouyi used his accumulated energy to optimize his archery and tested the improved technique on a nighttime hunt with Shell Girl. After killing dozens of small animals and using up all his arrows, he agreed to take Shell Girl hunting again the next night.

• Chen Shouyi decided to spend energy optimizing his archery rather than the Thirty-Six Body Tempering Forms.
• Chen Shouyi left the new urban district with his bow and brought Shell Girl to a hill outside town.
• Chen Shouyi tested his optimized archery by shooting a tree, a mouse, and a sparrow with exceptional speed and accuracy.
• Chen Shouyi and Shell Girl hunted through the night, killing more than thirty mice, over fifty birds, and two pheasants while using every arrow.
• Shell Girl eagerly asked to hunt again the next night, and Chen Shouyi agreed before carrying her back toward the industrial district.

As Dabono's forces dwindled under repeated ambushes, he decided to attack the city's resistance and its war machines directly. Meanwhile, Chen Shouyi bought a large stock of arrows and armor-piercing arrows, then rode home.

• A barbarian whipped a fat human slave to death after catching him resting while clearing rocks at the foot of Yunshan Mountain.
• Dabono destroyed an office building in anger over ambushes that had reduced his expeditionary army from nearly sixty thousand believers to fewer than three thousand.
• Dabono resolved to crush the nation's resistance and seize control of its king, then launched himself toward the distant war machines.
• Chen Shouyi noticed that arrow prices had risen and bought five hundred ordinary arrows and twenty Armor-piercing Arrows.
• Chen Shouyi paid for the arrows, took his quiver, and rode his bicycle home.