Chapter Summaries

Zhang Yuanqing woke after a painful flare-up of his mysterious brain condition and spent the morning at his grandparents’ home with his aunt, Jiang Yu'er. A package from Lei Yibing arrived, containing a strange black card and a letter calling it a gift he believed Zhang Yuanqing could control.

• Zhang Yuanqing suffered a severe headache, took several blue pills, and worried that his medicine was becoming less effective.
• Zhang Yuanqing ate breakfast with his grandmother and aunt Jiang Yu'er, who planned to bring him along to sabotage her blind date.
• Zhang Yuanqing’s grandmother stopped him from leaving, so he messaged Jiang Yu'er that she would have to go on the date alone.
• Zhang Yuanqing received an unexpected package addressed from Hangzhou and opened it in his room.
• Zhang Yuanqing found a warm, metal-like black card and a letter from Lei Yibing presenting it as a gift he believed Zhang Yuanqing could handle.

After learning that Lei Yibing had vanished under strange circumstances, Zhang Yuanqing suspected the black card Lei had mailed him was connected to the disappearance. He decided to contact his cousin, but investigators from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau arrived at his home first.

• Zhang Yuanqing read Lei Yibing’s letter and received no reply when he asked about the black card, so he called Lei’s father.
• Lei Yibing’s father told Zhang Yuanqing that Lei had disappeared from his dorm three nights earlier without appearing on surveillance footage or being noticed by his roommates.
• Zhang Yuanqing realized Lei had gone missing around the time he mailed the package, then discovered that the black card had vanished from his pocket.
• Zhang Yuanqing triggered his old affliction to replay his memories, endured a painful surge of images, and became convinced the strange card was connected to Lei’s disappearance.
• Zhang Yuanqing considered why Lei had sent the card to him instead of the local police and decided to contact his cousin.
• Investigators from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau arrived and asked Zhang Yuanqing to come to the door.

Zhang Yuanqing hid the evidence of Lei Yibing’s letter and told investigators that the package he received had been empty. After the investigators left, Guan Ya revealed that she had found the hidden letter, which likely accompanied a Role Card, and Li Dongze ordered the team to return the next day.

• Zhang Yuanqing deleted his messages with Lei Yibing, hid Lei Yibing’s letter, and let investigators from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau question him.
• Zhang Yuanqing claimed the package was empty, while the investigators searched his room and checked his phone and computer.
• Li Dongze warned Zhang Yuanqing that he might be the next to disappear if he withheld information, then left with Guan Ya and their colleague.
• Zhang Yuanqing told his grandmother about Lei Yibing’s disappearance and went to sleep, asking her to inform his grandfather.
• Guan Ya told Li Dongze she had found Lei Yibing’s hidden letter, which probably came with a Role Card, and Li Dongze decided they would return the next day.

Zhang Yuanqing discovered that the Black Card had become a mark on his forehead and activated a mysterious role card. After naming himself Yuanshi Tianzun, he was transported into the S-rank Sheling Tunnel Spirit Realm with a three-hour survival quest.

• Zhang Yuanqing woke at home, ate dinner with his grandparents and Jiang Yu'er, and failed to reach his cousin by phone.
• Zhang Yuanqing noticed the Black Moon mark on his forehead and realized the missing Black Card had entered his body.
• The mark's progress reached 100%, and Zhang Yuanqing received a role card identifying him as a Level 0 Night Wanderer.
• Zhang Yuanqing registered the name Yuanshi Tianzun and was warned that the Spirit Realm would open.
• Zhang Yuanqing entered the S-rank, solo death-type Sheling Tunnel Spirit Realm, where his quests were to survive three hours and explore the map.
• Zhang Yuanqing found himself inside a dim, old tunnel after hearing that a survivor had warned people not to enter the temple.

Zhang Yuanqing escaped the haunted tunnel and entered an abandoned temple on Three Paths Mountain, where he discovered a centuries-old shrine and a worker’s skeleton. As the temple statues watched him beside a mysteriously burning candle, he realized the danger of the Spirit Realm might be real.

• Zhang Yuanqing saw miner-like figures in the tunnel and their shadows following him, then fled into the wilderness as the tunnel lights went dark.
• Zhang Yuanqing found an abandoned ancient temple and entered it despite the warning not to go inside.
• Zhang Yuanqing heard footsteps pursuing him across the courtyard and rushed into the main hall, where the footsteps stopped.
• Zhang Yuanqing read that the temple honored the Lady of Three Paths Mountain, a deity from the early Ming dynasty.
• Zhang Yuanqing found a worker’s skeleton beneath the offering table and wondered whether the construction crew from the ghost story had died there.
• Zhang Yuanqing noticed that a candle had remained lit in the centuries-old temple as the statues stared down at him.

Zhang Yuanqing investigated the Mountain God Temple’s corpses and records, uncovering a history of disciples disappearing and a warning not to trust the Temple Keeper. After finding a Zombie Suppressing Talisman and a diary, he saw a corpse-like figure clinging to his back in the bronze mirror.

• Zhang Yuanqing examined a worker’s skeleton and read papers describing the temple disciples’ disappearances and the master’s promise to reveal a great secret.
• Zhang Yuanqing left the main hall, explored the rear courtyard, and heard a mournful voice calling for help near several battered skeletons.
• Zhang Yuanqing searched the disciples’ living quarters and found a worker’s corpse with a cracked shoulder bone, a Zombie Suppressing Talisman, a bronze mirror, and a diary.
• Zhang Yuanqing read that a missing Senior Brother returned as a heartless corpse and warned the diarist, “Don’t trust Master.”
• Zhang Yuanqing looked into the bronze mirror and saw a pale, corpse-like figure clinging to his back.

Zhang Yuanqing survived the Shoulder-Perching Wraith by reaching the main hall, which he deduced was a safe haven, and completed his first quest before returning to the human world. He unlocked his Inventory and called the slick-haired man from the Public Security Bureau, hoping to learn more about the Spirit Realm.

• Zhang Yuanqing used a Zombie Suppressing Talisman against the wraith on his shoulder, but it failed, while ghostly footsteps and red dancing shoes appeared outside.
• As the wraith drained his yang energy, Zhang Yuanqing inferred that the main hall offered protection and crawled back inside, where the wraith's effects vanished.
• The system marked his three-hour survival quest complete, awarded him the Zombie Suppressing Talisman and 15% experience, and unlocked his Inventory.
• Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room in the human world and confirmed that he was still level zero and had not become a Night Wanderer.
• Zhang Yuanqing decided to contact the slick-haired man rather than his cousin and called the number on the man's business card.

After escaping the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yuanqing contacted Li Dongze and agreed to join the government’s Spirit Realm organization. The next morning, Li Dongze picked him up to complete his hiring paperwork and begin explaining the Spirit Realm.

• Zhang Yuanqing told Li Dongze about Lei Yibing’s card and his own experience in the Spirit Realm, then agreed to join the government organization.
• Li Dongze arranged to pick Zhang Yuanqing up at eight the next morning, and Zhang Yuanqing went to sleep after the call.
• At breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing learned from his grandmother that a worker found after the Sheling Tunnel disappearance had vanished again.
• Li Dongze picked Zhang Yuanqing up in a black van, introduced himself as a Level 3 Scout with the Five Elements Alliance, and began explaining the Spirit Realm.

Li Dongze explained the Spirit Realm, its missions, Moral Value system, and the Five Elements Alliance to Zhang Yuanqing. The chapter ended with Li Dongze asking Zhang Yuanqing to reveal his profession.

• Li Dongze told Zhang Yuanqing that Role Cards granted professions through trial missions and that Spirit Realm Walkers grew stronger by completing dangerous dungeons.
• Li Dongze confirmed that officials believed Lei Yibing had died in the Spirit Realm after being missing for four days.
• Li Dongze warned Zhang Yuanqing that falling below sixty Moral Value triggered a citywide mission to eliminate him, and explained how good deeds could restore points.
• Li Dongze introduced the Five Elements Alliance and its five factions, then described their professions and criticized the factions besides the White Tiger Corps.
• Li Dongze praised Night Wanderers as powerful but rare, then asked Zhang Yuanqing what profession he had received.

Zhang Yuanqing joined Li Dongze’s team as a Night Wanderer and learned about the danger posed by Evil Professions. His first trial Spirit Realm, Sheling Tunnel, was revealed to be an unknown, deadly dungeon that no one had ever cleared.

• Li Dongze learned that Zhang Yuanqing was a Night Wanderer and rushed to recruit him, offering him a monthly salary of twenty thousand.
• Li Dongze brought Zhang Yuanqing to the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau, where Guan Ya helped him complete his onboarding and explained the organization’s rules and team structure.
• Guan Ya and Wang Tai reacted with excitement when they discovered Zhang Yuanqing was a Night Wanderer.
• Guan Ya found Sheling Tunnel listed as Zhang Yuanqing’s trial mission and reacted with alarm.
• Wang Tai showed Zhang Yuanqing a guide summary explaining that Sheling Tunnel’s difficulty and requirements were unknown, and that no one had ever cleared it.

After Zhang Yuanqing learned that his trial Spirit Realm was the notorious Sheling Tunnel, Li Dongze sought help from the Taiyi Sect while Zhang returned home and discovered two people had recently vanished there. Elder Sun confirmed the tunnel was effectively an impossible, altered S-rank trial, but agreed to share the archives; the story left Zhang facing a deadly mission with little hope of rescue.

• Guan Ya told Li Dongze that Zhang Yuanqing's trial Spirit Realm was the Sheling Tunnel, and Li warned Zhang that its solo mission had never been cleared.
• Li Dongze asked Centurion Fu to seek Sheling Tunnel records from the Taiyi Sect, while Guan Ya and Wang Tai discussed the difficulty of helping Zhang with scarce items.
• Zhang Yuanqing returned home and learned from Chen Yuanjun that two people had disappeared in the Sheling Tunnel after entering it.
• Elder Sun agreed to share the Taiyi Sect's Sheling Tunnel files but advised Fu Qingyang to abandon Zhang because the mission had become even more dangerous.
• Elder Sun told the middle-aged man that the Sect Master would soon summon the Night Wanderers to Capital City for an important announcement.

Zhang Yuanqing spent his remaining hours at home before reading a report on Sheling Tunnel that confirmed the Mountain God Temple's dangers. He learned that the second quest involved exploring the temple, but the report ended without revealing its secrets.

• Zhang Yuanqing played a horror game with his aunt, Jiang Yu'er, and later ate dinner after his grandmother scolded them.
• Zhang Yuanqing checked his inventory and attributes, then reflected on whether the Spirit Realm followed rules he could learn.
• Guan Ya called to tell Zhang Yuanqing that Li Dongze had sent detailed information about Sheling Tunnel to his email.
• Zhang Yuanqing read that the main hall's candle warded off evil but erased fear, while the banyan tree and Red Dancing Shoes posed deadly threats.
• Zhang Yuanqing learned the previous Night Wanderer had failed to uncover the temple's secrets, and suspected he had died during the second quest.

Zhang Yuanqing analyzed the dangers of the Mountain God Temple and learned from Guan Ya about rule-based items and bringing medicine into the Spirit Realm. The next morning, after officials discussed his dangerous trial mission, he entered the Spirit Realm again and found himself back in the temple.

• Zhang Yuanqing realized his accelerated memory might help him survive the Red Dancing Shoes, but worried that he could not bring medicine into the Spirit Realm.
• Guan Ya explained that rule-based items required their patterns to be understood and that medicine could be brought in only after it had been taken.
• Li Dongze learned that Zhang Yuanqing's trial mission was Sheling Tunnel, and the district captains reacted with alarm because no rookie had cleared it in decades.
• Fu Qingyang told the group that the White Tiger Corps would not abandon Zhang Yuanqing, regardless of his worth.
• Zhang Yuanqing put five blue pills in his mouth and entered the Spirit Realm, where he appeared in the Mountain God Temple's main hall.

Zhang Yuanqing explored the East Courtyard, narrowly avoiding a ghost that emerged from an old well and searching the temple’s outbuildings for clues. He found two mummified bodies with bite marks, then heard a knock from the next room.

• Zhang Yuanqing took the Bronze Mirror and entered the East Courtyard, where he spotted a dangerous banyan tree and an old well.
• When a voice called his name, Zhang Yuanqing used the mirror to see a featureless woman climbing out of the well and fled without turning around.
• Zhang Yuanqing explored a kitchen and storage rooms, finding no immediate danger and taking a cleaver and wooden stick.
• Zhang Yuanqing examined two mummified corpses in an armory and found holes in their necks that looked like bite marks.
• Zhang Yuanqing heard a thunk from the next room and cautiously listened for what had made it.

Zhang Yuanqing escaped a powerful zombie and, with his arms poisoned, risked dancing with the Red Dancing Shoes to subdue them. He earned their favor for only half an hour and acquired the shoes, whose information revealed their dangerous tracking and wearing abilities.

• Zhang Yuanqing spotted a zombie rising from a coffin and recognized it as the Senior Brother from the notes, but its attack was interrupted when he used the Yellow Paper Talisman to drive it back.
• The zombie wounded Zhang Yuanqing with poisoned claws, and he retreated to the main hall until the Shoulder-Perching Wraith left him.
• Zhang Yuanqing decided to try subduing the Red Dancing Shoes, but they appeared between him and the main hall and challenged him to dance.
• Zhang Yuanqing memorized the shoes' rapid dance and copied their steps slowly, earning their favor despite his poor performance.
• Zhang Yuanqing found the Red Dancing Shoes in his Inventory and learned they would favor him for only half an hour, while their abilities included relentless pursuit and enhanced movement.

Zhang Yuanqing used the Red Dancing Shoes and Zombie Suppressing Talisman to defeat the zombie, then found the Demon Subduing Pestle and realized the main hall was the unexplored area. Inserting the pestle into the Lady of Three Paths Mountain statue revealed a hidden underground chamber.

• Zhang Yuanqing returned to the East Courtyard wearing the Red Dancing Shoes and dodged the zombie’s attacks before kicking it down and sealing it with the Zombie Suppressing Talisman.
• Zhang Yuanqing identified the Brass Pestle as the Demon Subduing Pestle, a weapon that could purify and suppress spirits.
• Zhang Yuanqing searched the dry well for the female ghost but found nothing, then returned to the main hall as the corpse poison worsened.
• Zhang Yuanqing realized the main hall was the unexplored place and put the Demon Subduing Pestle into the Lady of Three Paths Mountain statue’s empty hand.
• The statue’s pedestal cracked and collapsed, revealing a pitch-black underground chamber.

Zhang Yuanqing entered the cavern beneath the Mountain God Temple and discovered the Banyan Tree Spirit guarding a stone coffin. He saw through the spirit’s deception and concluded that the Temple Keeper, not the Lady of Three Paths Mountain, was behind the temple’s deaths.

• Zhang Yuanqing used the Demon Subduing Pestle to gain golden sight, purge the corpse poison, and see through the darkness.
• Zhang Yuanqing found a massive tree covered in trapped faces and heard the Banyan Tree Spirit claim the Lady of Three Paths Mountain had caused the temple’s decline.
• The Banyan Tree Spirit urged Zhang Yuanqing to open the coffin and pierce the woman inside with the pestle, but Zhang Yuanqing suspected it was lying.
• Zhang Yuanqing reasoned that the Temple Keeper had sought immortality and become the real enemy, fitting the clues that warned him not to trust the master.
• Zhang Yuanqing deduced that the Banyan Tree Spirit had attacked him through illusions and thrust the Demon Subduing Pestle into the roots crawling along the passage.

Zhang Yuanqing defeated the Banyan Tree Spirit, cleared the S-Rank Trial, and became a Night Wanderer. Before returning to the human world, he found a Spirit Crystal in a coffin, consumed it, and saw the woman inside awaken just as the trial ended.

• Zhang Yuanqing used the Demon Subduing Pestle to burn the Banyan Tree Spirit and the souls trapped inside it.
• The Spirit Realm announced that Zhang Yuanqing had cleared the S-Rank Trial, unlocked his Role Card, and become a level-one Night Wanderer.
• Zhang Yuanqing examined his new skills and attributes, then opened the stone coffin and found a well-preserved woman resembling Lady of Three Paths Mountain.
• Zhang Yuanqing removed and consumed a Spirit Crystal from the woman's mouth, gaining 22% experience and improving his Night Roaming skill.
• As Zhang Yuanqing's countdown ended, the woman sat up and smiled at him before the scene shattered and he returned to the human world.

After escaping the Mountain God Temple trial, Zhang Yuanqing tested his new abilities and called Guan Ya to report his success. His first clear of the S-rank Sheling Tunnel drew excitement from the authorities, who summoned him to the office.

• Zhang Yuanqing tested his invisibility, strength, and healing, then worried that Lady of Three Paths Mountain might come after him because he possessed the Demon Subduing Pestle.
• Zhang Yuanqing ate dinner with his aunt and grandmother, then charged his phone and called Guan Ya back.
• Li Dongze and Guan Ya worried that Zhang Yuanqing had died in the trial while Wang Tai said his chances of clearing it were nearly zero.
• Zhang Yuanqing told Guan Ya that he had cleared the trial and escaped the Mountain God Temple, stunning Guan Ya, Li Dongze, and Wang Tai.
• Li Dongze told Zhang Yuanqing to come to the office immediately, and Wang Tai called him a freak while Li Dongze insisted he was a genius.

Li Dongze reported Zhang Yuanqing’s successful clear of Sheling Tunnel, prompting Fu Qingyang to promise rewards and use the walkthrough to negotiate with the Taiyi Sect. Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the police station, where Li Dongze praised him and asked whether he had found anything unusual in the Mountain God Temple.

• Li Dongze told Fu Qingyang that Zhang Yuanqing had cleared Sheling Tunnel, and Fu Qingyang ordered him to secure a walkthrough and reward the new recruit.
• Fu Qingyang advised Li Dongze to make Zhang Yuanqing a full-time employee and give him a raise, while warning him to guard against poaching within the Five Elements Alliance.
• Li Dongze announced the clear in the management group, and Fu Qingyang confirmed it publicly and promised to negotiate for Night Wanderer positions with the Taiyi Sect.
• Yuan Ting reacted with disbelief and resentment, then decided to report the clear to the Taiyi Sect.
• Zhang Yuanqing met Guan Ya at the police station and followed her to Li Dongze’s office.
• Li Dongze praised Zhang Yuanqing and asked whether he had found anything unusual in the Mountain God Temple.