Chapter Summaries

Chapter summary

• During a storm, Wu Yu sees a huge Bronze Tower suspended above the clouds. No one else appears to notice it, leaving him unsure whether it is real.
• He visits the secretive Black Crow organization and pays for Ascension Technologies’ new External Heavenly Spiritual Root chip and a Mobius T2 Life Headband. Another customer, a boy who has sold his own spiritual root, argues with Black Crow over the reduced supply of [Nine Dragons’ Might] he receives.
• When Wu Yu returns home, a machete-wielding stranger in beastskin ambushes him. Wu Yu survives by slamming the door into the attacker, then kills him in a desperate, repeated assault.
• The corpse glows red, disintegrates, and leaves behind a “Bronze Token.” A voice announces Wu Yu’s qualification and begins a countdown; the token then carries him to the tower.
• Stranded high above the clouds, Wu Yu enters the tower. A stone chair rapidly heals his exhaustion, injuries, and anemia. A mysterious status panel identifies his talent as [Nameless Chaos] and lists the Bronze Token in his inventory.

Character developments and interactions

Wu Yu begins as a physically frail, cautious young man, but reacts decisively when his life is threatened. His lack of immediate remorse after killing the attacker surprises him, though he focuses on the practical danger of dealing with the body. He also shows resourcefulness as he pieces together the connection between the corpse, the token, and the tower.
At Black Crow, Wu Yu’s transaction is brisk and impersonal. The masked seller interacts dismissively with the boy who traded away his spiritual root, exposing the organization’s hard-nosed attitude and the boy’s desperation. At home, Wu Yu’s only direct interaction with the mysterious attacker is a violent struggle for survival.

Significant themes

• Survival and adaptation: Wu Yu must act quickly in a dangerous, unfamiliar world.
• Exploitation and inequality: People trade precious abilities for drugs, while powerful organizations control access to them.
• The extraordinary hidden within the ordinary: A modern city coexists with unseen phenomena, mysterious powers, and the supernatural tower.
• A sudden transformation: The tower’s healing chair and status panel suggest that Wu Yu’s life—and perhaps his physical limitations—may be changing.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu discovers that his personal status panel includes [Nameless Chaos], a talent that cannot be used until he enters the Great Ruins. He also confirms that he can summon items from his inventory and examines his Bronze Token.
• Other people begin arriving in the Bronze Tower. Like Wu Yu, each says they were pulled away after killing or surviving an attack by a mysterious man in animal skins. The group grows to nine people, filling every seat.
• Inspector Liu Zheng identifies himself and takes charge, reassuring the group that their actions were self-defense and promising that the Inspection Bureau will try to rescue them. Several people also discover they received Bronze Tokens.
• The group compares their talents. Yu Tiezhu finds he has [Nine Oxen’s Strength] and demonstrates it by lifting the heavy chef. The nine-year-old Bai Xiaotian has [Accelerated Learning]; others report talents suited to cooking or practical work. Wu Yu keeps his unusual talent private.
• A countdown announces that the group is about to arrive in the Great Ruins. When it ends, they appear on an unfamiliar plain, far from anything Wu Yu recognizes.
• Wu Yu’s talent activates. [Nameless Chaos] offers seven possible starting scenarios, ranging from a disguised martial artist or soldier to an immortal cultivator, monster, or Sin Immortal. Some choices provide powerful equipment and abilities, while others carry serious risks. The chapter ends before Wu Yu chooses.

Character developments

• Wu Yu remains cautious and observant, withholding information about his talent. He realizes it is unusually powerful or unpredictable, and that its activation gives him a choice unavailable to the others.
• Yu Tiezhu shifts from fear and guilt over accidentally killing his attacker to relief when Liu explains self-defense law. His new strength excites him because it could help pay for his daughter’s medical care and education.
• Liu Zheng establishes himself as a calm, reassuring leader, though his confidence rests on the hope that the Inspection Bureau can intervene.
• Bai Xiaotian is unusually excited and unfazed by the crisis, treating the experience like a game and openly sharing his talent.
• The blue-haired young man acts cocky and flirts with Chen Lingling, but his trembling legs reveal that he is frightened.
• Chen Lingling is visibly anxious and withdrawn; the chef, shop owner, and other arrivals are likewise unsettled by the situation.

Significant themes

• The game-like supernatural system: hidden personal panels, talents, tokens, and a tiered world make the crisis resemble a game, though the group does not know its rules.
• Uncertainty and survival: the characters are displaced into an unfamiliar world with little reliable information and must decide whom to trust.
• Unequal power and opportunity: talents vary widely in quality and usefulness, while Wu Yu’s talent offers exceptional but unpredictable choices.
• Ordinary lives disrupted: the newcomers’ concerns about work, family, school, and safety contrast with the fantastical setting.

Character interactions

• Liu reassures the group, explains the apparent self-defense circumstances, and guides less technologically familiar members through opening their panels.
• Yu Tiezhu’s confession prompts Liu to clarify that he committed no crime; his demonstration of strength then draws the group into discussing talents.
• Bai Xiaotian enthusiastically shares his ability, while Wu Yu stays guarded when the blue-haired man asks about his own.
• The group’s varied reactions—fear, curiosity, skepticism, and excitement—highlight their different personalities as they face the same strange ordeal.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu and the others arrive in the Great Ruins and receive six possible starting identities, each with different talents, equipment, and abilities.
• Wu Yu compares the choices. He is drawn to the Cultivator option, which offers a purple talent and useful cultivation items, but the final option—Sin Immortal—has a mysterious red talent and an ominous curse.
• The group discovers that their Bronze Tokens have updated. They are in the Newcomer Secret Realm, a cooperative area with reduced difficulty, increased rewards, and three extra evacuation points.
• A detailed map reveals five evacuation points, named locations such as Evil Tiger Stronghold and Redfang Village, and a countdown to Fogfall. The mist will eventually cover much of the map, creating a time limit for reaching safety.
• While the others discuss the realm and its dangers, Wu Yu decides to gamble on the Sin Immortal identity.
• His selection grants him the red talent Mountain-Sea Sigil and the innate Bi Fang Sigil, along with spirit wine, exquisite food, and a mysterious book. Its curse, Heavenly Lawbreaker, leaves him without a spirit root and subjects him to tribulations and calamities.

Character developments

• Wu Yu moves from cautious evaluation to bold risk-taking. Though he has long hoped to cultivate, he chooses the more powerful but dangerous Sin Immortal path.
• The Fat Chef is the first to notice the Bronze Token’s new information.
• Inspector Liu helps direct the group’s attention to the map and evacuation points.
• The rest of the group begins shifting from bewilderment toward cautious optimism as they learn the realm’s rules.

Significant themes

• Risk versus security: Wu Yu weighs a reliable cultivation path against a potentially stronger, cursed identity.
• Power and its price: The red talent comes with a severe curse, suggesting extraordinary potential may demand suffering.
• Cooperation and survival: The secret realm is explicitly cooperative, and the group must use shared information to escape.
• A ticking deadline: Fogfall turns exploration into a race against time.

Character interactions

• The group shares observations about the Bronze Token, map, mist, and possible evacuation routes.
• Their discussion reveals differing interpretations of the realm—some see it as a game, others as another world—and establishes the need for caution.
• Wu Yu keeps his choice private while the group confers, ultimately taking a personal gamble amid their collective planning.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu’s selection panel reveals he has chosen Sin Immortal, a red-quality identity associated with a curse. He concludes that the curse—apparently a lack of a spirit root—may be manageable in the modern cultivation era, where External Spirit Roots are readily available.
• He checks his starting supplies and discovers that his innate sigil is the Bi Fang Sigil, which he suspects may connect to ancient mythology and the Classic of Mountains and Seas. He senses the sigil within his mind and finds it instinctive to control.
• The group decides to travel along the road toward an evacuation point, hoping to leave the Newcomer Secret Realm within a day. Inspector Liu takes charge.
• Boss Jin offers Wu Yu a large fee to protect her. He declines; Yu Tiezhu appears to accept her offer instead.
• Inspector Liu approaches Wu Yu, but a mix-up over names and identities leads to awkward misunderstandings. Another man, Liu Yu, interprets Wu Yu’s refusal of money and authority as evidence that he is hiding his identity and mocks him.
• As the group walks, Wu Yu tests his sigil by inscribing it onto a small stone. The stone’s description confirms it has been imprinted with the Bi Fang Sigil.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu moves from uncertainty to cautious confidence after learning he has a red talent. He stays reserved around the others, declines paid protection work, and begins experimenting with his new ability.
• Boss Jin shows resourcefulness and a willingness to spend heavily for security, though she does not press Wu Yu after his refusal.
• Inspector Liu presents himself as a reassuring leader and promises to protect the group.
• Liu Yu misreads Wu Yu’s guardedness as deliberate concealment and trades sharp, teasing remarks with him.
• Yu Tiezhu seems to accept Boss Jin’s protection contract, while the other travelers rely on Inspector Liu and his pistol.

Significant themes

• Power and reassurance: Wu Yu’s discovery of a rare talent eases his fear of the unknown.
• Myth and modernity: Ancient divine abilities may coexist with mass-produced cultivation technology.
• Identity and mistrust: The group’s uncertain circumstances make names and motives easy to misinterpret.
• Testing power through practice: Wu Yu’s first experiment suggests his new ability can be applied to ordinary objects.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu examines his new red [Bi Fang Sigil] talent and realizes it can turn pebbles into explosives that he can detonate mentally. Its exact power remains unknown, so he avoids testing it on the journey.
• The group crosses the wasteland and reaches the mountain forest after three exhausting hours. Inspector Liu identifies five extraction points on the map and chooses the supposedly safest one at the end of the main road.
• During the group’s rest, Wu Yu reveals that making sigils increasingly drains him: each pebble takes longer to inscribe, and he feels weak after producing seven. He suspects the sigil consumes vitality or spiritual energy.
• Wu Yu tests a carved Exquisite Food bun and finds that it rapidly restores his strength and floods him with energy. He concludes that its restorative effect can replenish what sigil-making costs.
• When the group prepares to move again, the fat chef screams after going off alone. He returns bloodied and missing an arm, pursued by the same machete-wielding men in beastskin clothing they encountered before. Inspector Liu fires, killing the nearest attacker with a shot to the head.

Character developments

• Wu Yu learns practical limits and uses for his new abilities: sigil-making is costly, but restorative food can counteract the fatigue. He quietly adds another explosive pebble while remaining cautious around the other travelers.
• Inspector Liu reinforces his role as the group’s decisive leader, choosing a route and responding immediately to the ambush with his pistol.
• Yu Tiezhu remains talkative and boastful, often praising his strength and his chef daughter, while showing concern for Wu Yu.
• The fat chef shifts from complaining about the hike to becoming the first visible victim of the attackers.

Significant themes

• Power has a cost: Wu Yu’s new ability is promising, but using it drains his body.
• Preparation and resourcefulness: Food, tools, and careful planning may determine survival as much as combat strength.
• False safety: The group chooses the route they believe is safest, yet danger finds them anyway.
• The uncanny alongside the ordinary: Familiar concerns—fatigue, food, and family—unfold amid supernatural talents and a violent, mysterious world.

Character interactions

• Wu Yu politely answers Yu Tiezhu’s concern, then listens to his lengthy stories while concealing how useful his bun is.
• Inspector Liu reassures the group and organizes their rest and onward travel.
• Blue Hair jokes about the fat chef’s disappearance, but the joke is cut short when the wounded chef returns with pursuers.
• As the attackers appear, the group panics; Inspector Liu takes immediate action, while Wu Yu keeps behind the others.

Plot points and events

• Inspector Liu’s Tiangong-055 psionic pistol makes short work of the first group of Beastskin-clad attackers. The survivors celebrate the advantage modern weapons give them, while Fat Chef remains unconscious and no one can offer healing.
• The attackers’ bodies dissolve into light, leaving cards: beast meat, unpleasant meat, and two green-quality Vitality Pills. Liu takes responsibility for holding the loot to divide later, and the others readily agree.
• A much larger force—at least a hundred armed men, including archers—emerges from the forest. Liu and the others flee, abandoning Fat Chef; the pursuing bandits spread out to surround them.
• Wu Yu escapes into the forest rather than toward the wasteland. Once only a few pursuers catch up, he throws a pebble bearing the Bi Fang Sigil. It explodes with enough force to leave a crater and kill them.
• Reassured by the sigil’s power, Wu Yu continues fighting the pursuers, collecting the cards their remains leave behind. He wonders whether the attackers belong to the Evil Tiger Stronghold and why a newcomer realm contains so many enemies.

Character developments and interactions

• Inspector Liu proves an effective, decisive leader in the initial skirmish, but the larger threat prompts him to flee. He tries to organize the group and hold the loot for later distribution.
• Wu Yu stays observant and tactical: he chooses terrain that helps him escape, tests the Bi Fang Sigil against pursuers, and remains cautious about archers and possible stronger enemies. The successful blast restores his confidence without making him reckless.
• Blue Hair shifts from boasting about modern firepower to eyeing the Vitality Pill greedily, then quickly agrees that Liu should keep it.
• Middle-Aged Woman and Yu Tiezhu abandon the injured Fat Chef to follow Liu. Their choice underscores how panic breaks the group’s earlier sense of solidarity.

Significant themes

• Power and preparedness: Liu’s pistol and Wu Yu’s explosive sigil give ordinary people ways to survive dangerous encounters.
• Fear versus composure: The group panics when faced with overwhelming numbers, while Wu Yu manages risk through planning and measured confidence.
• Scarcity and self-interest: The rare Vitality Pills provoke quiet greed, and the flight from the attackers reveals how quickly concern for others can give way to self-preservation.
• Uncertainty and danger: The bandits’ numbers and the possibility of expert archers suggest that the realm is far more threatening than expected.

Key plot points and events

• After escaping the pursuers, Wu Yu reviews the items dropped by the men he killed and notes that Vitality Pills are rare but potentially valuable. He studies the map, considers the fog deadline and extraction points, and recognizes that the realm combines exploration and combat with the risk of permanent death.
• Wu Yu reflects on the Bi Fang Sigil’s capabilities: he can silently place it within ten meters, on almost any visible surface—including a person—and stack multiple sigils. He suspects its power and range will grow if he later gains spiritual energy and Divine Sense.
• Feeling increasingly confident in his ability to fight and recover, Wu Yu considers gathering more materials and exploring Redfang Village before the fog arrives. A distant explosion interrupts his plans.
• From a vantage point, Wu Yu watches Liu Zheng battle the Beastskin-clad men using a Psionic Pistol, drone, shells, and a shield belt. The loud weapons attract more enemies, while archers use coordinated tactics.
• A powerful, two-meter-tall leader with a Tiger-head Broadsword enters after his men have worn down Liu Zheng’s equipment. Liu Zheng’s attacks barely injure him; the leader shatters Liu Zheng’s shield, and an archer wounds his thigh. Liu Zheng then uses his drone to launch a close-range shell that blasts the leader away.

Character developments

• Wu Yu grows more strategic and ambitious, seeing the realm as a race to gather resources and reach extraction. Watching the intelligent enemy tactics, however, tempers his confidence and reminds him to stay cautious.
• Liu Zheng demonstrates formidable resources and combat skill, but his reliance on noisy, energy-consuming equipment leaves him vulnerable once enemies wear him down.
• The Beastskin men are revealed to be intelligent and coordinated rather than simple monsters; their leader deliberately waits until Liu Zheng is depleted before attacking.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Wu Yu’s sigil seems versatile, but its current use is constrained by his mortal status; Liu Zheng’s advanced weapons are powerful yet exhaustible.
• Caution versus ambition: The promise of valuable loot tempts Wu Yu to take greater risks, while the battle demonstrates the danger of underestimating opponents.
• Survival and competition: The realm’s fog, limited extraction points, and absence of respawning make time and resource management matters of life and death.
• Adaptation and strategy: Both combatants and enemies exploit their tools and circumstances, showing that intelligence matters as much as strength.

Character interactions

• Wu Yu observes Liu Zheng’s fight from a distance rather than intervening, learning from both Liu Zheng’s equipment and the enemies’ tactics.
• The Beastskin fighters coordinate their attacks, using archers to exploit openings while their leader presses Liu Zheng at close range.
• Liu Zheng responds to the leader’s attack with a last-ditch drone strike, ending the excerpt with the leader badly blasted but not confirmed dead.

Plot points and events

• Liu Zheng survives the battle with the Beastskin-clad fighters: he blocks arrows with a Psionic Shield, removes an arrow from his leg, uses a healing injection, and escapes into the woods. The wounded leader sends most of his men after him, keeping only two guards.
• Wu Yu concludes that the leader is likely a low-tier Transcendent Martial Artist. He also judges Liu Zheng to be calculating and self-interested, and decides not to trust him.
• Seeing the leader vulnerable and poorly guarded, Wu Yu attacks with a rune-imbued stone. The explosion kills the two attendants, but the leader survives and charges Wu Yu. A second Divine Bird Rune blast kills him.
• The leader’s drops include a Vitality Pill, silver, and a Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber Technique Card, which grants beginner-level skill. Wu Yu stores the unfamiliar card rather than risk using it immediately. He also collects two Vitality Pills from ordinary fighters, but leaves the many other drops behind to avoid danger.
• At dusk, Wu Yu reaches Redfang Village and spots Liu Yu inside. When villagers challenge him, he identifies himself as no bandit; they reply that they recognized he was not dressed like a member of Evil Tiger Stronghold.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu shows patience, tactical thinking, and caution: he exploits the leader’s isolation, uses cover effectively, and resists the temptation to collect loot that could expose him. He remains wary of both Liu Zheng and the village.
• Liu Zheng is resourceful and well-equipped, but his abandonment of Fat Chef reinforces Wu Yu’s view that Liu prioritizes his own interests over loyalty.
• The burly leader is tough and fierce, enduring severe injuries, but his anger drives him into Wu Yu’s trap.
• Wu Yu and the villagers meet on guarded terms. The villagers are alert and armed, but their use of Federation Common Language offers a possible opening for communication.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism and self-interest: Survival often takes precedence over appearances or loyalty.
• Caution versus reward: Wu Yu chooses safety over gathering valuable-looking battlefield loot.
• Power and technology: Transcendent abilities, healing injections, and Technique Cards show how much advanced resources shape combat and opportunity.
• Trust and uncertainty: Wu Yu must judge Liu Zheng and Redfang Village without knowing their true intentions.

Key events

• Wu Yu reaches Redfang Village after claiming that the Evil Tiger Stronghold attacked his group. The villagers let him in after he repeats their test phrase, an insult aimed at the Mountain Lord.
• He learns that two outsiders were recently caught stealing. Wu Yu suspects one is Bai Xiaotian, who may mistake the village for a game world and search houses for treasure.
• Wu Yu gives a tael of silver to Old Wu, a gate guard, and uses the friendly exchange to learn about the region.
• Old Wu explains that the Evil Tiger Stronghold’s bandits became “tiger wraiths” through a rite serving a fearsome Mountain Lord. The wraiths wear ritual clothes, offer blood, and supply humans for the creature to eat.
• Redfang Village has resisted the stronghold: its guards killed the wraiths in a past attack, and its village chief badly wounded the Mountain Lord. Its fate remains uncertain.
• Inside the village, Wu Yu spots Liu Yu. Liu Yu smiles mysteriously, then withdraws without speaking; Wu Yu decides to keep his distance and be ready to attack if necessary.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu is observant and pragmatic: he invents a cover story, studies local customs, and pays Old Wu to gain information. He recognizes the danger of both the Mountain Lord and the enigmatic Liu Yu.
• Old Wu is friendly and talkative, though his solemn insistence that guests need not pay contrasts humorously with his quick acceptance of the silver. He gives Wu Yu a useful account of the local threat.
• Redfang’s guards are wary of outsiders because of recent thefts, but they admit Wu Yu once he passes their test. Captain Lu warns him to respect village property.
• Liu Yu’s unexplained, evasive behavior deepens the uncertainty surrounding his motives. Bai Xiaotian is absent, but Wu Yu suspects he caused the theft incident.

Significant themes

• Trust and suspicion: Outsiders are welcomed but watched, while Wu Yu treats new acquaintances—and especially Liu Yu—with caution.
• Survival through information: Wu Yu uses conversation and a small bribe to understand the village’s customs and dangers.
• Corruption and monstrous power: The Mountain Lord transforms ordinary bandits into predatory servants through ritual obligations.
• Culture clash: Wu Yu’s wealth and the villagers’ poverty create an absurd contrast when a rich outsider is suspected of stealing from the poor.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu reaches Redfang Village and finds Bai Xiaotian, Yu Tiezhu, the blue-haired young man, and Chen Lingling there too.
• The innkeeper refuses to give Bai, Yu, and the blue-haired young man free lodging. Yu Tiezhu persuades him to accept their help hauling goods in exchange for food and a place to sleep.
• Wu Yu learns that only six people escaped to the village. Liu Zheng drew off most of the pursuers, while Yu Tiezhu helped the others flee. The Middle-Aged Woman was killed by an arrow after falling behind.
• The blue-haired young man reveals that he and Bai Xiaotian were caught trying to steal silver. He blames the young man, boasts about his gang connections, and shows little concern for the dead woman.
• Wu Yu quietly places a [Bi Fang Sigil] on the blue-haired young man but does not activate it.
• Wu Yu pays the innkeeper silver for a private room, clean clothes, a bath, and food. After resting, he decides to use the “Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber” Technique Card and activates it.

Character developments

• Wu Yu remains observant and pragmatic. He assesses the others’ secrets, uses wealth to secure comfort, and chooses to claim the Technique Card’s power rather than wait.
• Yu Tiezhu continues to act responsibly, helping others escape and arranging a way for the group to stay at the inn. He feels guilty about being unable to save the Middle-Aged Woman.
• Bai Xiaotian is exposed as having taken part in the failed theft, though he insists the blue-haired young man prompted him.
• The blue-haired young man appears to be a low-level River City gang enforcer. His boasting and callousness make Wu Yu distrust him.
• Chen Lingling arrives safely and independently pays for her room and meals with silver-bearing cosplay props.

Significant themes

• Survival and moral choices: The escape costs lives, and characters respond to that loss with very different degrees of compassion.
• Pragmatism and resources: Silver buys comfort and safety, while useful skills and labor can secure necessities when money is scarce.
• Power and opportunity: Wu Yu weighs the value of different items and decides to use the Technique Card, betting on immediate power.

Character interactions

• Yu Tiezhu greets Wu Yu and advises him to rest overnight, noting that Transcendent Martial Artists are present in the village.
• Wu Yu questions Bai Xiaotian about the attempted theft; Bai blames the blue-haired young man, who responds with angry boasts about his gang.
• The blue-haired young man tries to impress Chen Lingling, but she politely declines his offer of food.
• Wu Yu’s quiet placement of the sigil signals an unspoken threat toward the young man, while Wu’s payment changes the innkeeper’s attitude immediately.

Key events

• Bathing in a special tub, Wu Yu experiences a flood of memories from the white-quality Technique Card and learns the beginner-level Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber. The technique includes a saber method capable of up to eight forceful, mind-shaking slashes and a vitality-consuming roar.
• He finds his body has become muscular and well-trained without injuries or calluses. Impressed, he wonders how powerful higher-quality items might be and suspects his skill may rival that of a bandit underling.
• Checking his status panel, Wu Yu sees no attribute points or proficiency scores, only his new technique and inventory. He decides that years of practice would be less useful than modern technology and enhancement injections.
• Curious about the green-quality Vitality Pill, he swallows one. It triggers intense heat, sweating, and a surge of energy, prompting him to exercise. He realizes, however, that he cannot digest even one pill quickly.
• Wu Yu pays the inn attendant, Xiao Zheng, for local information. Xiao Zheng confirms that Redfang Village’s chief is a transcendent martial artist who can also use magic and secretly trades in transcendent items.
• Wu Yu learns that the Mountain Lord lives in Lostway Cave. Outside martial artists have tried to kill it and died, though they wounded it; the village chief is too cautious to pursue it.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu grows more confident in the mysterious items’ power, but remains cautious about using them somewhere unsafe. His curiosity and practical instincts lead him to test the Vitality Pill and buy information from Xiao Zheng.
• Xiao Zheng, initially serving Wu Yu’s meal and removing the tub, becomes a helpful source of local knowledge after Wu Yu pays him. Their exchange is polite and transactional.
• Wu Yu also reflects on the risks of modern enhancement injections, jokingly worrying that they might leave users with oversized muscles and “pointy” heads.

Significant themes

• Power and transformation: Items can grant skills and physical changes beyond ordinary learning.
• Tradition versus technology: Wu Yu weighs martial training against the rapid, potent effects of modern injections.
• Caution and opportunity: He recognizes the value of the treasure-filled world but knows that powerful items and local threats demand care.
• Hidden knowledge and commerce: Information and transcendent goods circulate through selective, often secretive networks.

• Wu Yu weighs his future: With 97 taels left, he considers visiting the Village Chief to buy useful items. Though he has a path toward academy credentials, corporate work, and a comfortable life, he resents being trapped beneath the wealthy and wants to use his new opportunity to rise further. Before sleeping, he prudently places Bi Fang–inscribed stones around his room as protection.
• He visits the training grounds: At dawn, Wu Yu asks an inn worker for directions. Captain Lu stops him, assuming he wants to watch martial arts, but lets him pass after the Village Chief calls for him. Chen Lingling watches Wu Yu leave from an upstairs window, curious about his plans.
• The Village Chief sizes him up: In the Chief’s small, cluttered house, the old man explains that he has observed the newcomers. He praises Wu Yu for treating villagers fairly, unlike those who are arrogant, exploitative, or selfish—then adds that Wu Yu’s money is another reason he welcomes him. Wu Yu admits he has come to shop.
• A failed sales pitch: The Chief presents more than twenty supposedly powerful items at tempting prices, but Wu Yu’s panels reveal they are all low-quality junk disguised with grand names. Wu Yu calls them out and produces a genuine Vitality Pill. The Chief laughs off the mistake, puts the goods away, and brings out a second selection of only four items; their contents are not yet revealed.
  Character developments and interactions: Wu Yu shows ambition, caution, and growing confidence in his ability to judge opportunities. The Village Chief proves observant and commercially shrewd, while Captain Lu follows the Chief’s authority despite his initial hostility. Wu Yu and the Chief establish a blunt, transactional rapport built on mutual recognition of money and expertise.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts ambition with settling for a constrained life, and highlights the value of discernment in a world full of deception. It also emphasizes that respectful treatment of ordinary people distinguishes Wu Yu from many other newcomers.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu examines four new items offered by the village chief: green-quality pills that restore spiritual and vital energy, a blue-quality hidden-weapon technique called Heaven-and-Earth Toss, and a blue-quality Lifeless Evil Pill that provokes violent, irrational desires.
• He buys all four for 90 taels of silver, despite suspecting he has paid more than necessary.
• In exchange for information—and aided by the village chief’s eagerness to profit—Wu Yu learns that the city’s forces failed to defeat the Mountain Lord of the Evil Tiger Stronghold. The wounded Mountain Lord is hiding in Lostway Cave, and the village chief expects another attack force in about a month.
• The village chief privately suspects Wu Yu’s group may have killed many of the stronghold’s Tiger Wraiths. He concludes Wu Yu is probably not from the Demon God Cult, since the Lifeless Evil Pill did not affect him, and sees potential benefit in treating him as a powerful family’s representative.
• Back at the inn, Wu Yu activates the technique book. Its contents enter his mind, giving him the equivalent of six months of intensive training in an instant.

Character developments

• Wu Yu remains composed and cautious while bargaining, gathering intelligence without revealing his true abilities. Once alone, he recognizes the village chief’s scheming and resolves to treat the information carefully.
• Wu Yu’s use of Heaven-and-Earth Toss immediately improves his physique, speed, agility, coordination, and finger dexterity.

Character interactions

• The village chief enthusiastically sells the items, then shares information after receiving Wu Yu’s silver. Their exchange is mutually useful, though both are guarded.
• Captain Lu questions why the chief told an outsider so much. The chief explains his suspicions and reasons that the deal is worthwhile regardless of Wu Yu’s true identity.
• Wu Yu politely tells the chief he may persuade his family to deal with the Mountain Lord, leaving the village with a possible source of help.

Significant themes

• Information and trust: Knowledge is traded alongside goods, but neither Wu Yu nor the village chief fully trusts the other.
• Power and opportunity: The blue-quality technique represents a major upgrade, while the village’s hope of outside help reflects its vulnerability to stronger forces.
• Unequal systems: Wu Yu’s ability to absorb a manual instantly contrasts with locals’ expectation of months of training.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu tests his improved strength and flexibility after learning the Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber and Heaven-and-Earth Toss. His health and physical condition have improved dramatically.
• He experiments with throwing pebbles and discovers that his accuracy is nearly instinctive, making the technique useful against opponents who might otherwise evade his Bi Fang Sigil attacks.
• Wu Yu activates the Heaven-Earth State by visualizing a copper coin. The state sharpens his focus, lets him sense and control a projectile, and enables it to turn corners. A pebble loops through the room and smashes through a table.
• He realizes the state drains vitality and cannot be used carelessly, especially alongside the vitality cost of inscribing the Bi Fang Sigil. Prolonged use could leave him physically weakened and unready to fight.
• A crowd gathers downstairs around Liu Zheng, who has apparently survived the bandits pursuing him. Wu Yu inscribes a pebble with the Bi Fang Sigil and then goes downstairs.
• Liu Zheng promises to lead the group out once he finishes his business. Wu Yu greets Liu Yu, who remarks on his convincing appearance as an ancient martial artist. Liu Yu privately wonders what Wu Yu has accomplished in the village—and leaves the inn in a hurry.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu grows more confident in his combat abilities but also shows better judgment, recognizing the risks of relying too heavily on his new technique. He continues to conceal what he knows and what he can do.
• Liu Yu is suspicious of Wu Yu’s progress and wonders whether he has managed to meet the Village Chief, despite Liu Yu’s own failed attempts. Their brief exchange is cordial on the surface but guarded underneath.
• Liu Zheng presents himself as a capable, authoritative protector, reassuring the group and earning their gratitude.
• Yu Tiezhu, Chen Lingling, Bai Xiaotian, and the others gather around Liu Zheng and express support; one person’s boast about knowing the village is quickly undercut by a reminder that he was recently captured.

Significant themes

• Power balanced by cost: Wu Yu’s new abilities are potent, but they consume vitality and can undermine his ability to fight.
• Experimentation and adaptation: He combines unfamiliar martial techniques with his own practical approach, treating the Heaven-Earth State as a tactical tool rather than a sacred last resort.
• Secrecy and suspicion: Wu Yu’s unexplained progress draws Liu Yu’s attention, while Wu Yu continues to hide the full extent of his capabilities.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu arrives as Inspector Liu Zheng discusses protecting the Federation’s citizens and warns that fog will soon reach the area, though Redfang Village lies beyond its range. A drone overhead appears to be recording the village.
• Liu Zheng asks Wu Yu whether he has seen Boss Jin. Wu Yu reports that Jin fled toward the Wasteland during their escape, leaving Liu concerned for his safety.
• Wu Yu proposes a deal: he shares what he has learned about the Evil Tiger Stronghold, Lostway Cave, and the village chief in exchange for protective psionic equipment.
• Liu Zheng recognizes the value of Wu Yu’s information and gives him a battered Diamond Badge, a psionic device with roughly half its charge remaining. He warns Wu Yu against risking his life to hunt monsters and bandits for rewards.
• After Liu leaves, Wu Yu reveals inwardly that ordinary bandits are not his intended targets. A strange young woman in a Japanese school uniform, with mismatched eyes, appears at his door.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu shows initiative and pragmatism, turning information he gathered into a negotiation for equipment. He is careful not to reveal all his intentions and remains determined despite Liu’s warning.
• Liu Zheng shifts from treating Wu Yu casually to taking him seriously once he hears the information. Though cautious and protective, he honors the deal by giving Wu Yu the badge.
• Brother Kun and the others watch Liu and Wu Yu go upstairs, confused and somewhat resentful that Wu Yu gets private attention.
• Liu and Wu Yu’s exchange is frank and lightly humorous, with Wu Yu flattering Liu and Liu teasing him for becoming formal when asking for help.

Significant themes

• Information as currency: Wu Yu uses his head start and local knowledge to obtain valuable equipment.
• Survival and risk: Liu urges caution, while Wu Yu quietly pursues a more ambitious goal.
• A world blending systems: The chapter highlights a setting where cultivation, magical artifacts, and modern psionic technology coexist.

Plot points and events

• The day after reaching Redfang Village, Wu Yu is visited by Chen Lingling, a sixteen-year-old girl whose immaculate clothes and different-colored eyes make him suspicious.
• Chen warns him that Chen Kun’s talent subtly influences people’s subconscious. She says it has affected Liu Zheng, Yu Tiezhu, Bai Xiaotian, and others, steering them into reckless or foolish actions. Chen claims she, Liu Yu, and Wu Yu are the only ones unaffected.
• Liu Zheng plans to leave for the extraction point within six hours. Chen asks Wu Yu to team up with her to kill bandits and collect cards, but he refuses, wary of her and preferring to act alone.
• After she leaves, Wu Yu reviews past events and suspects Chen Kun’s influence explains why people revealed their talents so readily. He resolves to trust no one and prepares to depart.
• An hour later, Wu Yu leaves the village. Old Wu, previously indifferent, greets him warmly, apparently because Wu Yu has paid him.
• In the forest, Wu Yu ambushes and kills three bandits with a pebble and a Bi Fang Sigil. He collects four cards, discarding the unpleasant meat and keeping two Vitality Pills and a Silver Tael.
• Wu Yu continues toward the Evil Tiger Stronghold, conserving the Diamond Badge’s limited battery and watching for archers. He notices the Fogfall countdown has reached thirteen seconds.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu remains cautious and self-reliant. Chen’s warning increases his distrust of the other Tower entrants, and he refuses her partnership despite the potential rewards.
• Chen Lingling presents herself as charming and helpful, but her unusual appearance and reluctance to explain herself leave Wu Yu unsure of her motives.
• Chen Kun emerges as a hidden threat whose talent can covertly alter people’s behavior.
• Old Wu treats Wu Yu more deferentially after receiving money, underscoring the transactional nature of their acquaintance.
• Chen and Wu Yu have a polite but tense exchange: she offers information and cooperation, while he accepts the warning but rejects her proposal.

Significant themes

• Trust and hidden motives: Even apparently straightforward companions may conceal abilities or intentions.
• Influence and agency: Chen Kun’s power raises doubts about whether others’ choices are truly their own.
• Caution and resource management: Wu Yu relies on preparation, stealth, and careful use of limited equipment.
• Survival and opportunism: Bandit encounters yield useful supplies, while village relationships appear shaped by practical benefit.

Ending

The approaching Fogfall creates immediate danger just as Wu Yu presses deeper into the forest.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu watches the fog engulf the mountains, confirming that it is dangerous and confined to the Tower Climbers’ territory. Though he could leave with Liu Zheng’s group, he chooses to stay and pursue greater rewards.
• He reaches Evil Tiger Stronghold and observes its defenses. The stronghold is less crowded than expected—likely because Liu Zheng has already killed many bandits—and there are no obvious hidden sentries.
• Wu Yu suspects the bandits’ lack of vulnerable residents means they have been used as sacrifices in the Mountain Lord Rite, which can turn them into “tiger wraiths.”
• To test the guards and dull their vigilance, he releases small animals and throws ordinary pebbles into the forest, prompting several false alarms. The bandits eventually dismiss further noises as wildlife.
• Wu Yu sneaks close to the gate, then attacks from beyond the guards’ ten-meter danger range with five pebbles inscribed with [Bi Fang Sigil]. The stones explode at the entrance, setting the watchtower ablaze and killing the archers; the other stones veer toward separate targets.

Character developments

• Wu Yu remains cautious despite his excitement: he weighs the safer option of leaving against the opportunity for greater gains, then plans and tests the attack rather than rushing in.
• His growing skill with [Heaven-Earth State] and “Heaven-and-Earth Toss,” along with the stamina provided by “Exquisite Food,” lets him move quickly, capture bait animals, and land precise, curving throws.

Character interactions

• Wu Yu avoids joining Liu Zheng and his companions, accepting that he will have to proceed without their protection.
• He manipulates the bandits’ expectations by repeatedly triggering false alarms with animals and stones. Their dismissive reactions create an opening for his real attack.

Significant themes

• Risk versus reward: Wu Yu chooses a dangerous solo assault over the safer evacuation.
• Caution and preparation: Observation, reconnaissance, and misdirection shape his approach to the stronghold.
• A lethal, game-like world: The fog, sacrificial rites, and rewards make the realm both perilous and strategically exploitable.
• Dehumanization through ritual: The apparent absence of vulnerable residents suggests the bandits’ supernatural power may come at the cost of human sacrifice.

Plot points and events

• Wu Yu’s enchanted pebbles detonate at Evil Tiger Stronghold’s entrance, destroying its arrow towers and killing the guards there.
• He cautiously checks the wreckage and collects the loot, including vitality pills, silver, and a shortbow. He stores the bow because he has no arrows or archery skill.
• When more bandits approach, a trapped pebble explodes among them. Wu Yu finishes off the survivors with a rock while using [Heaven-Earth State], then gathers their cards.
• He finds a fine dagger and discovers he can throw it and summon it back, making it a useful hidden weapon. He inscribes it with the [Bi Fang Sigil], but realizes that activating the sigil would make it explode.
• After searching the guards’ huts, Wu Yu finds a glowing bronze chest. He learns that opening it requires an uninterrupted five-minute countdown. Inside are several cards, including a blue Three-Treasure Vitality Pill, a green technique card, and a purple spiritual herb.

Character development and interactions

• Wu Yu remains wary and methodical, waiting to confirm the bandits are dead and checking the huts before approaching the chest.
• His excitement over the dagger shows his growing confidence in adapting his abilities and equipment. He experiments with it, jokingly calling it a “knockoff flying sword.”
• The bandits are caught off guard by Wu Yu’s traps; their brief approach ends in an ambush rather than a direct confrontation. No meaningful conversations occur.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness and experimentation: Wu Yu turns enchanted stones and a seemingly unsuitable dagger into effective weapons.
• Caution and survival: He avoids rushing into danger, using traps and careful reconnaissance.
• Game-like worldbuilding: Cards, weapon enchantments, and the timed treasure chest reinforce the chapter’s system-like setting.
• Escalating rewards: The bronze chest offers rarer items, hinting that greater risks may bring more valuable discoveries.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu draws ten cards from the defeated Mountain Lord: four Vitality Pills, four Three-Treasure Vitality Pills, the Mountain Lord Ghost Servant Art, and a rare purple Mountain Lord Thunder Herb.
• The herb crackles with lightning and is valuable enough that Wu Yu decides to conceal it in his Inventory. He realizes the Inventory preserves objects exactly as they were stored, effectively stopping time.
• He rejects the Ghost Servant Art because mastering it would turn him into a tiger wraith enslaved to the Mountain Lord. He stores the pills and the technique for later.
• After surveying the Evil Tiger Stronghold, Wu Yu identifies its warehouse and kitchen, training grounds and living quarters, and the Chief’s residence. He judges a direct assault too dangerous: the bandits have archers, powerful martial artists, and a formidable Chief.
• Instead, he plans to use the Lifeless Evil Pill to poison the bandits’ provisions.
• While scouting the kitchen and warehouse, Wu Yu discovers the remains of the middle-aged woman he had encountered, including her head among bloody bones. Horrified and enraged, he concludes that the tiger wraiths are no longer human.
• He sneaks into the warehouse, finds that only three wine jars contain wine, and decides the water should be poisoned as well. He takes out the pill, preparing to act.

Character development

• Wu Yu shows growing caution and strategic judgment: rather than charge into a stronghold where he could be overwhelmed, he studies its layout and chooses sabotage.
• His agility and confidence have improved through Heaven-and-Earth Toss, which he uses to infiltrate the warehouse undetected.
• The discovery of the woman’s remains sharpens his anger toward the tiger wraiths, though he deliberately suppresses his immediate reaction and stays focused.

Significant themes

• Power and its costs: The Ghost Servant Art offers strength but at the price of enslavement and transformation.
• Survival through strategy: Wu Yu relies on scouting, stealth, and poisoning rather than brute force.
• Dehumanization and horror: The tiger wraiths’ treatment of their victims reinforces Wu Yu’s view that they have abandoned their humanity.
• Scarcity and hidden value: The rare spirit herb is precious in a world where such materials cannot be readily bought, making secrecy essential.

Character interactions

• Wu Yu has no direct conversation with other characters in this chapter. His interactions with the tiger wraiths are indirect: he observes their daily routines, avoids detection, and prepares to poison their food and drink.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Yu poisons the bandits’ wine, water, and food with seven Lifeless Evil Pills, using extra doses to reduce the chance of failure. He adds a few drops of high-grade spirit wine to the wine jar to make it more tempting.
• While waiting to see whether the poison works, Wu Yu hears movement outside the kitchen and discovers a hidden passage behind a sliding boulder.
• The passage reveals Liu Yu, carrying a strange oil lamp. Liu Yu proposes teaming up to clear out the stronghold, but becomes wary of Wu Yu’s enthusiastic response and runs off.
• The poison takes effect: bandits in the stronghold’s residential area lose their reason, with some fighting, some standing vacant, and others behaving grotesquely.
• Wu Yu enters the area, finds even the doctor incapacitated, and begins killing the helpless bandits. He uses his short blade on those unable to move and throws it at those who are difficult to hit.
• He notices the dead bandits do not dissolve or drop Cards, and infers that only a Tower Climber can kill them for those effects.

Character developments and interactions

• Wu Yu demonstrates patience and tactical planning, adjusting his trap with food and enticing spirit wine. He is cautious when encountering Liu Yu, but ruthless once the bandits are incapacitated; his initial discomfort at killing fades as he continues.
• Liu Yu recognizes Wu Yu, suggests cooperation, then retreats after sensing something suspicious in Wu Yu’s response. His abilities and motives remain unclear.
• Wu Yu and Liu Yu briefly negotiate an alliance, but distrust prevents it from forming.

Significant themes

• Cunning over direct force: Wu Yu relies on concealment, poison, and timing to weaken a fortified enemy.
• Pragmatism and moral compromise: He treats incapacitated bandits as targets and grows more efficient as he kills.
• Uncertainty and suspicion: Liu Yu’s unexplained behavior and the hidden passage hint at secrets within the stronghold.
• Rules and consequences: Wu Yu’s observation about kills, disappearance, and Cards reveals that the world’s mechanics shape how he approaches combat.