Chapter Summaries

Asuna learned that SAO would become a Death Game and that another world's Kayaba Akihiko wanted her to stop it before thousands died. She began watching her Memory Copy while Su Yunqing and the group debated whether Yao Lao would accept Xiao Yan as his disciple.

• Su Yunqing warned Asuna that SAO was a Death Game and that Sugou Nobuyuki would imprison her after it ended.
• Heathcliff identified himself as Kayaba Akihiko and asked Asuna to stop her world's Kayaba from trapping ten thousand people, offering half his Points in return.
• Asuna recognized Heathcliff as another world's Kayaba, agreed to consider preventing the deaths, and opened her Sword Art Online Memory Copy.
• Su Yunqing discussed Yao Lao's unknown condition and wondered whether he would still take Xiao Yan as his disciple if he could resurrect himself and repay Xiao Yan another way.
• Umaru and Tony argued that Yao Lao would accept Xiao Yan except under unusual circumstances, and Su Yunqing suggested the possibility of a Soul Hall Xiao Yan.

Su Yunqing and the Chat Group discussed Yao Lao’s silence and the possibility of alternate versions of Xiao Yan before welcoming the newcomer Genius Among the Lonely. The newcomer revealed himself as Hachiman Hikigaya, and the group argued over whether he or Kazuma Sato counted as ordinary people.

• Su Yunqing described a fanfic in which Xiao Yan joined the Soul Hall, while Xiao Yan and Tony Stark reasoned that the living Yao Lao’s world had followed a different path.
• Su Yunqing waited for Yao Lao to respond, then asked Genius Among the Lonely to share his identity and world.
• Genius Among the Lonely wondered whether his world was a story and whether he was a supporting character; Su Yunqing suggested he might be the protagonist.
• Hachiman Hikigaya insisted he was too ordinary to be a protagonist, and Su Yunqing cited Kazuma Sato’s absurd death as proof that ordinary people could lead stories.
• Kazuma Sato protested Su Yunqing’s account of his life, while Hachiman and other group members rejected Kazuma’s claim that his behavior was ordinary.

The Chat Group learned that the newcomer was Hachiman Hikigaya, and Su Yunqing recognized him as the “Great Teacher” from a completely ordinary world. As she recited his famous lines, Hachiman grew embarrassed while Umaru Doma accurately analyzed his ideas about youth and failure.

• Kazuma Sato challenged the group’s claims about being ordinary and pressed Hachiman Hikigaya to give his name.
• Hachiman introduced himself, and Su Yunqing recognized him as the protagonist known as the Great Teacher.
• Su Yunqing recited Hachiman’s views on youth, prompting him to protest that his newest writing had already appeared in the Memory Copy.
• Tony and Umaru Doma discussed the meaning of Hachiman’s words, and Umaru concluded that failure was also part of youth.
• Umaru and Kasumigaoka Utaha guessed that Hachiman came from an ordinary Daily Life World and had little presence at school.
• Su Yunqing shared more of Hachiman’s quotes about kindness, expectations, and relationships, leaving him embarrassed by his reputation as a losing dog.

Hachiman Hikigaya refused to watch his Memory Copy, but Su Yunqing uploaded it anyway, and the group watched his future unfold. After seeing his painful past and the feelings of Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita, Hachiman said he could not trust his interpretation of a kind girl's affection and might only recognize true love after it was too late.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka questioned Hachiman Hikigaya about whether he had confessed to a girl in middle school, and he lied that he had not.
• Su Yunqing told Hachiman that he would eventually join a club, meet Yukino Yukinoshita, and fall in love with her, but Hachiman declined to watch his Memory Copy.
• Su Yunqing uploaded the Memory Copy anyway, and Utaha Kasumigaoka and Kazuma Sato watched Hachiman's future and reacted to his lonely childhood and his relationships with Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama.
• Kazuma Sato lamented that Hachiman had rejected Yui Yuigahama, praising her persistence and deep affection for him.
• Hachiman said that gentle girls were kind to everyone, and that he might mistake their kindness for special affection before realizing his true feelings too late.

Su Yunqing and Kazuma Sato discussed why Yui Yuigahama and Hachiman Hikigaya were unlikely to become a couple, while explaining how Hachiman and Yukino Yukinoshita grew to rely on each other and pursue a genuine relationship. Hachiman realized Yukino was likely his future girlfriend, and Su Yunqing reminded him that joining the Chat Group had already changed his future.

• Su Yunqing argued that Hachiman might have fallen for Yui if she had confessed before he met Yukino, but Kazuma Sato said Yui could not bring herself to approach him so directly.
• Kazuma Sato concluded that Yui and Hachiman were incompatible, while Su Yunqing described how Hachiman and Yukino's mutual reliance helped both of them grow.
• Su Yunqing said Yukino's dependence on Hachiman and his awkward confession on the overpass were central to their relationship and pursuit of what was genuine.
• Umaru Doma and Su Yunqing joked about Yukino's future behavior around Hachiman, and Hachiman blushed as he realized she was likely his future girlfriend.
• Su Yunqing reminded Hachiman that the Chat Group had changed his future and that his choices could shape his world's development.

The Chat Group discussed how Hachiman Hikigaya’s power could affect his ordinary world, concluding that he would eventually need to help loved ones and develop lifespan-extending technology. Hachiman then learned that Kazuma Sato had gone to another world and become a hero, but Kazuma clarified that the goddess he brought along was not a normal, useful goddess.

• Kazuma Sato suggested Hachiman Hikigaya could hide his power and avoid changing his world.
• Su Yunqing argued Hachiman would eventually extend the lives of Yukino Yukinoshita, Komachi, and others, while Utaha Kasumigaoka proposed developing lifespan-extending technology for everyone.
• Kazuma Sato said the idea made him want to develop technology in his own world, but Su Yunqing told him to go to the Otherworld because it needed him to save it.
• Hachiman Hikigaya questioned how Kazuma Sato could be a hero, and Kazuma claimed he had relied on his own strength without bringing a cheat or divine artifact.
• Kazuma Sato revealed that he had brought the goddess responsible for reincarnation, and Hachiman Hikigaya challenged his claim that he had carried the team.
• Kazuma Sato explained that the goddess was Wisdom and differed from normal goddesses.

Hachiman doubted Kazuma’s claims about the goddess Wisdom, while Asuna confronted Kayaba Akihiko over the deaths caused by SAO and learned he still believed his actions were justified. Su Yunqing and Utaha advised Asuna not to give Kayaba the other world’s version of himself, leaving Kayaba frustrated as Asuna considered his value to her own world.

• Hachiman pretended to believe Kazuma and was urged to watch Kazuma’s Memory Copy to learn about his life in the Otherworld.
• Asuna watched Kayaba Akihiko’s Memory Copy and challenged him over trapping ten thousand players in SAO and causing four thousand deaths.
• Kayaba said he had never believed his actions were wrong and asked Asuna to open access to her world so he could resolve the matter himself.
• Su Yunqing told Asuna that arguing with Kayaba was pointless and that the Chat Group’s members should not judge or interfere in one another’s worlds.
• Utaha advised Asuna to keep Kayaba’s counterpart, use his talent to make games or advance technology, and not hand him over to the Chat Group’s Kayaba.
• Kayaba objected to Utaha’s advice, but she argued that his counterpart was more valuable to Asuna than to him.

Kayaba Akihiko offered Asuna half of all the Points he had earned in exchange for the other version of himself, and Asuna asked Su Yunqing for advice. The group was shocked to learn Kayaba had accumulated over 700,000 Points, while Ai Haibara and Detective Conan argued over APTX4869; the chapter ended with members explaining that 350,000 Points was a substantial sum for people from ordinary worlds.

• Kayaba Akihiko offered Asuna 357,353 Points in exchange for the other-world version of himself, arguing that Asuna could not safely trust him.
• Asuna asked Su Yunqing to help her decide, and Kayaba confirmed that he could give her 357,353 Points.
• Su Yunqing and the other members were shocked when Kayaba revealed he had accumulated 714,706 Points in total.
• Ai Haibara and Detective Conan argued about whether improving APTX4869 could make it a valuable youth-restoring drug.
• Asuna asked whether 350,000 Points was a lot, and Detective Conan explained that it was a significant amount for members from ordinary worlds.

Asuna rejected cooperation with the Kayaba Akihiko from her world and chose to pursue Points through virtual games instead. Shendu recounted his defeat by Saitama, whose final punch destroyed him and erased his immortality in the Virtual Battle Arena.

• Kasumigaoka Utaha explained that five trips using Travel Talismans had taken her only to civilizations too primitive to yield recyclable items, making Asuna's plan to find valuable worlds risky.
• Death God Elementary Student advised Asuna that she could keep earning Points through virtual games without Kayaba Akihiko, and that the 350,000 Points were the safer choice.
• Flash Asuna opened access to her world, asked Heathcliff to remove the Kayaba Akihiko from her world and everything he had left in SAO, and refused to trust him.
• Shendu said his battle with Saitama had been a satisfying head-on fight, but Saitama adapted to the Emperor Flame and grew strong enough to defeat him.
• Ordinary Group Owner judged that Saitama had grown far stronger than Shendu, while Shendu described Saitama's final punch as destroying the world around him and erasing his immortality.

After Saitama praised his battle with Shendu, the Chat Group discussed power levels and the possibility of reaching extraordinary strength through Points. In the Battle Through the Heavens world, Xiao Yan accepted Yao Lao as his teacher, but their reunion was interrupted by Han Feng, whose reincarnated soul reflected on the betrayal and the future he had once thrown away.

• Saitama called his fight with Shendu exhilarating and said no monster he had met had been stronger, while Boros worried that he was falling further behind the Chat Group's strongest members.
• Su Yunqing explained power classifications to Asuna, and Umaru Doma described how rare planet-, star-system-, and universe-destroying powers were.
• Su Yunqing told Asuna that Points and Transmigrator Missions could help her reach greater strength, and Asuna smiled as she considered the freedom she had gained.
• In the Battle Through the Heavens world, Xiao Yan thanked Yao Lao for accepting him as a disciple after his broken engagement, and Yao Lao responded warmly to Xiao Yan's resolve.
• Han Feng appeared before Xiao Yan and Yao Lao, prompting Yao Lao to accuse his former disciple of betrayal.
• The reincarnated Han Feng greeted Yao Lao and reflected that he had once possessed a promising future, while questioning why Yao Lao had withheld Fen Jue from him.

Han Feng revealed that he had come to kill Xiao Yan, the Child of Luck, and take his place, explaining that memories of Xiao Yan’s future had shown him the path to becoming the Flame Emperor. Yao Lao refused to let him harm Xiao Yan, and their confrontation began with Han Feng’s Exotic Flame overpowering Yao Lao’s Bone Chilling Flame.

• Han Feng apologized to Yao Lao and said he had come for Xiao Yan, whom he identified as the Child of Luck he intended to replace.
• Han Feng described a dream of Xiao Yan’s future rise to Dou Emperor and explained that he wanted to seize Xiao Yan’s opportunities before killing him.
• Xiao Yan recognized Han Feng as a reborn threat and asked Yao Lao whether he could defeat him.
• Yao Lao asked Han Feng to leave and end their relationship, but Han Feng silently refused.
• Han Feng attacked Xiao Yan with an Exotic Flame, and Yao Lao intervened with the Bone Chilling Flame.
• Han Feng’s Fire Dragon suppressed Yao Lao’s flames as Yao Lao vowed to protect Xiao Yan.

Han Feng attacked Xiao Yan and Yao Lao, but a mysterious figure resembling an older Xiao Yan appeared to save him. In the Chat Group, Yao Lao explained that Han Feng had arrived, leaving the members puzzled about why the group had not issued a Rescue Mission.

• Yao Lao shielded Xiao Yan from Han Feng’s flames, then weakened as his remaining spiritual power dwindled.
• Han Feng told Xiao Yan he intended to kill him before he could grow into the Flame Emperor, and launched another attack.
• A black-robed man with a black ruler and a multicolored flame mark appeared before Xiao Yan, making Han Feng recognize him as Xiao Yan.
• In the Chat Group, Yao Lao said he had already lived in Xiao Yan’s ring for years and that Han Feng had appeared before him.
• The group discussed whether Han Feng was a Transmigrator and why no Rescue Mission had been issued, while Su Yunqing argued that Yao Lao and Xiao Yan still had ways to escape.

The Chat Group discussed why the transmigrator Han Feng had come to kill Xiao Yan despite seeming to have a hidden advantage, then Xiao Yan volunteered to confront him. Han Feng faced the Flame Emperor Xiao Yan, realized how badly he had misjudged the situation, and resigned himself to being killed.

• Tony argued that Han Feng must have some hidden advantage because he had dared to target Xiao Yan despite knowing about Xun Er and Elder Ling.
• Su Yunqing and Ying Zinian debated whether Han Feng intended to kill Yao Lao, and Su Yunqing invited the group to go uncover his resources.
• Marquis Voban suggested Xiao Yan was best suited to deal with Han Feng, and Xiao Yan asked Su Yunqing to open passage to his world.
• Xiao Yan used a Travel Talisman and appeared before Han Feng just as Han Feng's flames were about to strike Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan.
• Han Feng recognized the Emperor Flame Mark on the arriving Xiao Yan, panicked at the possibility that Xiao Yan had surpassed the known power scale, and tried to claim he had only meant to test him.
• Xiao Yan asked Han Feng what he thought, and Han Feng gave up and told him to kill him.

Xiao Yan killed Han Feng, resurrected Yao Lao in a powerful new body, and entrusted the Xiao Yan of that world to his teacher’s guidance. After the future Xiao Yan disappeared, Xun Er rushed to find Brother Xiao Yan, while the Chat Group teased him for preaching hardships despite his own unusually easy rise to power.

• Xiao Yan killed Han Feng instantly with a wisp of flame, astonishing the Xiao Yan of this world and Yao Lao.
• Xiao Yan used Yao Clan Dou Emperor blood and rare materials to create a new body for Yao Lao, then merged Yao Lao’s soul into it.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao to guide the Xiao Yan of this world while allowing him to face his own trials unless his life was in danger.
• The Xiao Yan of this world objected to being made to suffer, and the future Xiao Yan told him that everyone was the protagonist of their own life before disappearing.
• Xun Er felt Xiao Yan’s departure and ran toward the back mountain, while the Chat Group mocked the future Xiao Yan’s advice about hardship.
• Back in his own world, Xiao Yan admitted that he had faced little hardship after joining the Chat Group and joked that the other Xiao Yan should train himself to the brink of death.

The Group Owner explained that the other Xiao Yan had advanced rapidly through Chat Group advantages and had faced little hardship, then warned Xiao Yan to avoid future romantic regrets. Xiao Yan sparred with Utaha Kasumigaoka over her romantic advice and whether she was a losing heroine, while Su Yunqing clarified the alternate premise of Love Metronome.

• Yao Lao questioned Su Yunqing’s claim that the other Xiao Yan had not suffered, and Su Yunqing described how Chat Group rewards had helped him rise to Dou Emperor.
• Su Yunqing warned Xiao Yan about his future Asura Field with Nalan Yanran, Xun Er, Little Fairy Doctor, Yun Yun, Medusa, and Ya Fei, and Xiao Yan promised to respect their choices.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka advised Xiao Yan to be assertive in love, but Xiao Yan called her a losing heroine because Su Yan had chosen Kato Megumi over her.
• Xiao Yan criticized Love Metronome as an unrealistic romance, and Utaha Kasumigaoka defended her novel and asked why he had read it.
• Su Yunqing explained that Love Metronome followed an alternate timeline where Aki Tomoya became Utaha Kasumigaoka’s editor, and said Utaha was not a losing heroine in that story.

Su Yunqing revealed that Han Shanshan sacrificed herself to save Yao Lao and that Medicine Emperor erased Yao Lao’s memories of her death. Yao Lao learned that a trace of Han Shanshan remained in the Bone Chilling Flame, leaving him and Xiao Yan considering whether she could be revived.

• Tony said Kato Megumi had not truly lost to Kasumigaoka Utaha because she had not competed in the original story.
• Su Yunqing told Yao Lao that Fairy Qing, Xuan Yi, Hu Jiujiu, and Han Shanshan had all been devoted to him.
• Yao Lao was shocked to learn that Han Shanshan sacrificed herself to save him at the Ice Plain of Fallen Gods and asked Medicine Emperor to erase his memories.
• Su Yunqing explained that Han Shanshan left a wisp of her mark in the Bone Chilling Flame and could potentially be revived.
• Su Yunqing reflected on her hatred of regrets and the hope that the Chat Group could help its members avoid them.
• Xiao Yan learned why Han Shanshan disappeared and wondered whether he could revive her with only a wisp of her mark.

Xiao Yan explained that the Dou Qi Continent had shifted its hopes for a Dou Emperor from him to Yao Lao after Yao Lao joined the Chat Group, and he planned to seek Bai Xuan’s help resurrecting Mistress. As Shendu and Morgana entered the Virtual Battle Arena, the chapter ended with officials discovering that rising Spirit Energy was changing people across the world, including their talents and Superpowers.

• Xiao Yan told Yao Lao that he would hasten what Yao Lao was meant to learn after becoming a Dou Emperor so Mistress could reunite with him sooner.
• Su Yunqing questioned Xiao Yan about killing Han Feng so quickly, and Xiao Yan explained that the Dou Qi Continent’s World Consciousness no longer cared whether he or Han Feng became a Dou Emperor after Yao Lao joined the Chat Group.
• Shendu opened the Virtual Battle Arena and challenged Morgana, who entered to fight him as Chat Group members debated their chances.
• At the Imperial Capital General Spirit Energy Bureau, Liu Suifeng heard Elder Wang report that increasing Spirit Energy was changing people’s bodies, talents, potential, and Superpowers throughout the world.

Liu Suifeng and Elder Wang discussed the worldwide rise in the potential of humans and Mutant Creatures, which they believed was connected to Bai Xuan. Elder Wang asked Liu Suifeng to have Huo Yu find out why Bai Xuan caused it, and the chapter ended with the two considering whether to introduce a ranked system for measuring Esper strength.

• Elder Wang showed Liu Suifeng research indicating that human potential and Superpower levels had risen, with the greatest improvement among ordinary people.
• Elder Wang explained that Mutant Creatures had experienced a comparable increase, and Liu Suifeng agreed that Bai Xuan was likely responsible.
• Liu Suifeng reflected that Bai Xuan had become a deity beyond humanity's understanding, though his actions had not harmed human development.
• Elder Wang asked Liu Suifeng to have Huo Yu ask Bai Xuan why he had increased the potential of life on Earth, and Liu Suifeng agreed to pass along the request.
• Liu Suifeng asked Elder Wang about classifying Esper strength from ranks one through nine, and Elder Wang advised testing the idea as a way to compare strength rather than defining a cultivation system.

Liu Suifeng learned that Qin Tian, Xuan Zhen, and Zhang Daolong were about to face Thunder Tribulations as storms gathered over the Imperial Capital, Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Wudang. Zhang Daolong and Xuan Zhen began facing their tribulations, and Xuan Zhen concluded that the lightning was a test.

• Elder Wang explained to Liu Suifeng why Espers lacked a true cultivation system and argued that ranks and Spiritual Power values could not fully measure strength.
• Liu Suifeng received word that Qin Tian, Xuan Zhen, and Zhang Daolong sensed an impending Tribulation Transcendence as magnetic fields shifted around their locations.
• Dark clouds and lightning gathered over the Imperial Capital, Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Wudang Mountain, while Qin Tian wondered why he was facing a tribulation.
• Zhang Daolong summoned the True Martial Sword and entered the lightning at Wudang Mountain to face the Thunder Tribulation.
• Xuan Zhen reassured his master and fellow disciples before remaining alone on Dragon Tiger Mountain as a lightning pillar struck his dao aura barrier.
• Xuan Zhen found that the tribulation’s force was within his ability to endure and concluded that it was likely a test.

Xuan Zhen struggled against a devastating Thunder Tribulation and realized that talent and effort alone could not guarantee immortality. At Wudang, Zhang Daolong endured his own trial until the True Martial Sword awakened and provoked the thunderclouds into growing far more dangerous.

• Xuan Zhen wielded the Qingping Sword to split the lightning, but the intensifying Thunder Tribulation exhausted and wounded him.
• Xuan Zhen reflected that becoming an immortal required more than talent, effort, and Fortune, then tried to find enough strength to continue.
• The enormous Tripod before Dragon Tiger Mountain's main hall began trembling faintly as Xuan Zhen fought for survival.
• Zhang Daolong recovered from his Thunder Tribulation and wondered why the heavens were testing him and other cultivators.
• The True Martial Sword erupted with light and plunged a pillar of radiance into the thunderclouds, which expanded and darkened until Zhang Daolong feared the real trial had begun.