Recaps

Xu Zhi registered to fight Chun Ming, a second-year student, while Meng Chuanling and the student council spread word of the match to attract bets. The betting pools grew enormous, and Meng Chuanling eagerly wondered who had placed the huge wagers.

• Meng Chuanling asked Xu Zhi to confirm she was certain she could win, and Xu Zhi reassured her.
• Xu Zhi considered her strength and concluded she could easily defeat a second-year student.
• Xu Zhi registered to challenge Chun Ming from Second-Year Class Three, with their match set for Arena B16 in ten minutes.
• A student council member publicized the match on the academy forum, and students placed bets heavily on Chun Ming's side.
• A gambler placed one hundred thousand credits on Chun Ming, pushing the odds beyond twenty and forcing the student council to add funds to Xu Zhi's pool.
• Meng Chuanling saw the huge wager and called the bettor a sucker, hoping to meet them.

Xu Zhi entered the arena to face Chun Ming, a second-year fighter whose flame ability and gun made him a dangerous opponent. As Chun Ming fired three shots at her, Xu Zhi used Cursed Speech to freeze the bullets in midair.

• Xu Zhi read forum discussions about Chun Ming's [Blade] attribute, corrosive flames, and special gun.
• Xu Zhi entered the arena and faced Chun Ming as spectators expected her to be overwhelmed by his flames.
• Chun Ming drew his gun and fired three bullets at Xu Zhi's vital points.
• Xu Zhi said, "Stop," and her Cursed Speech froze the three bullets in midair.

Xu Zhi tested the limits of her Cursed Speech against Chun Ming, stopping his bullets, extinguishing his flames, and making him surrender. Chun Ming’s defeat stunned the arena as Xu Zhi became the first first-year to defeat an upperclassman.

• Xu Zhi stopped Chun Ming’s bullets in midair and realized her ability had also prevented him from firing more.
• Chun Ming rushed Xu Zhi and ignited his body, but she dodged his attacks with ease.
• Xu Zhi touched Chun Ming’s flames, then said “Extinguish,” putting out the fire on her fingertip and his body.
• Chun Ming failed to reignite his flames and attacked again, but Xu Zhi dodged and ordered him to surrender.
• Chun Ming surrendered, and the crowd erupted at his defeat by a first-year.

After defeating Chun Ming, Xu Zhi collected her betting winnings and spent them on a handgun and supernatural cores. She advanced to the [Immortal] stage, returned from the Great Dream, and regained [Authority].

• Xu Zhi’s victory over Chun Ming shocked the spectators, drew attention from student teams, and earned her the reputation of a monster.
• Meng Chuanling transferred Xu Zhi 120,000 points in winnings, which Xu Zhi used to buy a handgun and [Lamp] and [Moth] cores.
• Xu Zhi returned to her dormitory and consumed [Lamp] cores while Little One stood guard, advancing to level seven Proficient.
• Xu Zhi entered a vibrant forest she recognized as the true land of Mansus, walked through it without encountering danger, and returned to her bedroom.
• Xu Zhi found that she had reached the [Immortal] stage and that [Authority] had returned to her supernatural circuit.

After reaching the [Immortal] stage, Xu Zhi recovered much of her strength and examined her [Authority] ability. She began taking in a [Moth] Attribute Core to build a new circuit, and the relatively mild clash with [Lamp] gave her hope that it might work.

• Xu Zhi's hidden injuries began healing after her level rose, and her physical strength and speed increased dramatically.
• Xu Zhi tested her renewed strength and realized her body still had untapped potential, though her old injuries had not fully healed.
• Xu Zhi examined [Authority] and recognized that it could connect and control things, including fragmented rules, though she lacked the level and energy to reach true rules.
• Xu Zhi took out a low-level [Moth] Attribute Core and swallowed it to begin constructing a [Moth] circuit.
• The [Moth] energy caused Xu Zhi pain as it clashed with [Lamp], but [Lamp] resisted only where the energies overlapped and its circuit remained stable.

Xu Zhi tried to construct a [Moth] attribute circuit beside her existing [Lamp] circuit but found that the [Lamp] circuit scattered her attempts. As her [Moth] energy dwindled and her body convulsed, she began shaping the new circuit to match [Lamp] instead.

• Xu Zhi used [Authority] to guide [Moth] energy into the space behind her [Lamp] circuit and found that a remembered circuit shape formed only an empty pattern.
• Xu Zhi withdrew [Authority], and the [Lamp] circuit scattered the weak [Moth] energy.
• Xu Zhi swallowed a high-level [Moth] Attribute Core and endured the pain as she tried to build the circuit without [Authority].
• Xu Zhi failed repeatedly as the [Lamp] circuit disrupted each section she formed, while her remaining [Moth] energy ran low and her body began convulsing.
• Xu Zhi abandoned her remembered design and began constructing the [Moth] circuit in the shape of the nearby [Lamp] circuit.

Xu Zhi successfully constructed a Moth attribute circuit by copying her Lamp circuit, an unprecedented feat that caused powerful beings to sense a fluctuation in the world’s rules. The circuit remained concealed behind Lamp, and Xu Zhi decided she needed more resources and a Lost Land slot.

• Xu Zhi traced a new circuit core, and the Lamp circuit gradually stopped rejecting it.
• Xu Zhi completed the Moth core, swallowed a Moth Attribute Core to satisfy its hunger, and found the new circuit drawing in gray energy without causing her pain.
• Powerful beings detected a fluctuation in the rules, while a prophet awakened without seeing any omen and chose to remain awake.
• Xu Zhi discovered that the Moth circuit was hidden behind Lamp and that it had no extraordinary abilities yet.
• Xu Zhi concluded that she needed more resources and decided to obtain a Lost Land slot.

After building the [Moth] circuit, Xu Zhi gained a major boost to her extraordinary abilities and revived the Little Aberration by feeding its seed her blood. She realized that the Little Aberration would need resources unavailable in the real world and considered seeking them in the Lost Land or the Lower District when the mist arrived.

• Xu Zhi completed the [Moth] circuit and gained another increase in mental strength, extraordinary energy capacity, physical fitness, and affinity.
• Xu Zhi fed blood to the seed in the flowerpot until a tiny black twig sprouted and the Little Aberration awakened.
• The Little Aberration expressed frantic urgency, and Xu Zhi decided to carry it with her to keep it from causing trouble.
• Xu Zhi realized the real world had no [Cup] Attribute Cores or blood food for the Little Aberration to grow stronger.
• Xu Zhi identified the Lost Land and the Lower District during the coming mist as possible sources of resources.

Xu Zhi raised her [Moth] mastery and found that the [Eye of Secrets] was healing the damage to her eyes, then used it to make her first [Hybrid Bullet]. She received notice that she had qualified for the Lost Land selection, which would begin in two days.

• Xu Zhi told Qi Yanxin that she had brought her to the upper district so she could live a better life, and Qi Yanxin said she was already happy.
• Xu Zhi spent her two-day break absorbing [Moth]-attribute energy and cores, raising [Moth] to Level Three Mastery.
• Xu Zhi realized that the awakened [Eye of Secrets] was gradually healing the backlash damage in her eyes.
• Xu Zhi used the [Eye of Secrets] to make her first [Hybrid Bullet] from [Lamp] and [Moth] attributes.
• Xu Zhi received a message saying she had qualified for the Lost Land selection and had to report to Building A-05 in two days.

Xu Zhi discovered that an unknown visitor had silently left a fresh heart on her bedside table, raising fears that her past ties had caught up with her. She fed it to Little Aberration, which grew stronger, but remained uncertain who had left the gift or why.

• Xu Zhi woke to find a sealed jar containing a beating heart on her bedside table.
• Xu Zhi used Eye of Secrets and Authority to inspect the heart and her room, but found no trace of the visitor or anything suspicious in the gift.
• Xu Zhi considered whether the visitor was from Cup and whether they knew about her and Little Aberration, but could not determine their identity or purpose.
• Xu Zhi poured the heart into Little Aberration's flowerpot, and it devoured the heart and grew nearly five centimeters, sprouting two offshoots.
• Xu Zhi wondered if the heart was a warning and realized that the karma she had tried to avoid might finally be catching up with her.

Xu Zhi fed the Little Aberration the glass jar left with the first heart, then searched the dormitory and found no clues about who had delivered the food. After practicing how to conceal [Moth] with [Authority], she sensed a shadow descend into her room and leave another beating heart, which she decided to feed to the Little Aberration as well.

• Xu Zhi ordered the Little Aberration to eat the glass jar, and its body became sturdier without its level rising.
• Xu Zhi searched the dormitory, found nothing suspicious, and saw that Qi Yanxin was an ordinary person whose highest affinity was [Heart].
• Xu Zhi spent nearly forty hours practicing how to conceal [Moth] with [Authority] while using the [Eye of Secrets].
• Another beating heart appeared on Xu Zhi's nightstand, and she sensed that a shadow had descended into the room.
• Xu Zhi suspected the unknown visitor wanted the Little Aberration to grow and decided to feed it the new heart.

Xu Zhi prepared to leave her dormitory for the Lost Land selection while students debated who might earn the special slots and discussed the expanded league format. The chapter ended with the forum’s confidence that the Light Institute student union president would lead its team to a stronger result.

• Xu Zhi bought a backpack for carrying her flowerpot and told Qi Yanxin not to enter her room while she was away.
• Students debated which competitors might receive the ten special Lost Land selection slots, including the student union twins, Mingwu, and Lingyuan.
• The forum discussed the league’s expanded preliminaries, its direct-entry and seeded slots, and Lotus City’s allocations.
• Students described the league’s lethal matches and the Life Reversion Ritual being prepared by Tiyet and other Named Ones.
• Forum users agreed that the Light Institute student union president would lead the official team if she passed the Lost Land selection and returned alive.

Xu Zhi arrived at the Lost Land selection as the only first-year among the participants, shocking her classmates and the upper-year students gathered there. She greeted the forty-nine seniors and asked them to take care of her.

• Xu Zhi's classmates learned from their teacher that she had gone to participate in the Lost Land selection.
• Xu Zhi arrived at Building A with five minutes to spare and was guided to the selection site.
• The forty-nine participants recognized Xu Zhi as an unfamiliar newcomer, and one of them exclaimed that she was a first-year.
• Xu Zhi smiled at the upper-year participants, greeted them, and asked them to take care of her.

Xu Zhi attended the selection for the Lost Land and league teams, where the student council president Chu Xiao Yue stood out among the upperclassmen. Testing revealed Xu Zhi had already reached the early-stage Immortal rank, leaving the dean of students surprised and raising the possibility that Xu Zhi could earn a main-team spot if her combat ability matched her rank.

• Xu Zhi recognized the calm, snow-haired student council president Chu Xiao Yue among the selection participants.
• The dean of students explained that participants would take precise tests and then compete in changing two-versus-two arena battles for five main-team and two substitute positions.
• Xu Zhi used her Eye of Secrets to assess the other participants as testing began.
• Xu Zhi's rank test showed she had reached the early-stage Immortal stage, and the dean of students asked how she had advanced so quickly.
• Xu Zhi said she had spent her points on cores, and the dean advised her to consolidate her strength through arena battles.
• The dean of students considered that Xu Zhi might make the main team or serve as a surprise contender, depending on her combat performance.

Xu Zhi excelled in the inner academy’s physical fitness test despite still being injured, surprising the dean of instruction with her second-place overall score. She then continued testing her abilities and arranged for Little One to be tested separately.

• The dean of instruction watched Xu Zhi tackle the ten-minute physical fitness test under eight times normal gravity and a barrage of obstacles.
• Xu Zhi ranked first in endurance and resilience, placed near the top in several other categories, and finished second overall behind Chu Xiao Yue.
• The dean of instruction realized Xu Zhi had surpassed the two-year goal set for her in just two months and suspected she could soon overtake Chu Xiao Yue.
• Xu Zhi asked whether Little One needed testing, and the dean of instruction said Transcendent creatures had a separate testing ground.
• Xu Zhi completed more tests and passed off [Eye of Secrets] as a [Lamp]-attribute ability without revealing [Spirit Vessel] or [Authority].

Xu Zhi’s tests revealed that her abilities made her a powerful fighter, support, and potential commander, though she concealed [Authority] and [Spirit Vessel]. After the academy assigned her a live combat test, she entered the preparation room and met a teammate who asked about her extraordinary ability.

• Xu Zhi concluded that [Authority] let her connect to and control everything, and used it to conceal the true nature of [Eye of Secrets] and [Moth].
• The dean reviewed Xu Zhi’s test results and considered making her the commander of a team built around Xiao Yue’s strength.
• The dean announced that live combat tests would begin, with only thirty minutes of rest between rounds.
• Xu Zhi was assigned to Test Room Number 7 and entered the preparation room with her temporary teammate.
• Xu Zhi’s teammate doubted that a new student could match the upper-year competitors, then asked her to explain her extraordinary ability so they could coordinate.

Xu Zhi used [Eye of Secrets] to gain command authority over her Blade-attribute teammate before facing two opponents, a Heart and a Forge. She broke their shared ability and empowered her teammate, who landed a marked backstab on Forge, while Xu Zhi continued testing her abilities.

• Xu Zhi identified the senior’s abilities and persuaded him to follow her commands by revealing what [Eye of Secrets] could do.
• Xu Zhi and the senior entered the testing room and discovered their opponents were a Heart user and a Forge user.
• Xu Zhi recognized that Heart had linked herself to Forge with Shared, which reduced damage and provided recovery.
• Xu Zhi ordered her teammate to attack Forge and strengthened him so he could pierce Forge’s defenses.
• Xu Zhi said “Break” and severed Shared, allowing the Blade senior to strike Forge from behind and apply his mark.

Xu Zhi used Cursed Speech to immobilize two opponents and secure victory in her first test, surprising the analysts with her control over opponents of the same rank. She entered the second test alongside the [Mind]-attribute senior she had just defeated, leaving her wondering whether the pairing was meant to test her combat ability.

• Xu Zhi commanded two opponents to stop moving, letting her [Blade]-attribute teammate land two attacks and win the match.
• The [Forge]-attribute opponent protested that he had not had a chance to fight, while the [Blade]-attribute senior praised Xu Zhi's performance and asked to tell others about it.
• Analysts reviewed Xu Zhi's battle and debated how much energy her Cursed Speech had used to suppress two opponents of the same rank.
• Xu Zhi replenished her energy during the break and welcomed the prospect of stronger opponents learning about her ability.
• Xu Zhi entered the second test with the [Mind]-attribute senior from her previous match as her teammate and wondered if the pairing would test her combat ability.

Xu Zhi and her [Heart] attribute teammate faced a carefully matched opposing team, whose abilities countered healing and disrupted movement. Xu Zhi won through a brutal close-quarters fight, revealing a frighteningly aggressive side before the match ended and leaving her opponent stunned that she was [Lamp].

• Xu Zhi entered the test with a [Heart] attribute senior and told her they would take the fight one step at a time.
• The opposing [Heart] senior used [Synchronization] to copy her self-inflicted throat injury onto Xu Zhi, while the [Opening] teammate disrupted Xu Zhi's movements with [Frame Extraction].
• Xu Zhi let the short-haired senior stab her arm, then crushed the senior's wrist and knocked her blade away.
• Xu Zhi endured repeated wounds and fought the senior until fatigue and fear slowed her, then knocked her down and pummeled her until the victory prompt appeared.
• Xu Zhi regained her voice, apologized for forgetting she could speak, and left the defeated senior wondering whether the school had misidentified Xu Zhi as [Lamp].

Xu Zhi won five selection matches, including a bloody fight against a short-haired senior, while the analysts decided not to push her further after recognizing her strength. By dawn, the undefeated freshman had all but secured a slot in the Lost Land.

• After the referee declared Xu Zhi’s team the winner, Xu Zhi healed her wounds and politely checked on the short-haired senior, who grew wary of her.
• Xu Zhi washed up, changed, and returned to the gathering point eager for another challenging opponent.
• The analysts concluded Xu Zhi had not shown her full strength, but the dean of students chose not to arrange a match against Chu Xiao Yue because it risked serious injuries and would yield little useful information.
• Xu Zhi completed three more tests against less intensely tailored opponents and found the matches disappointing rather than difficult.
• By dawn, Xu Zhi had finished five tests undefeated, and the other candidates accepted that she deserved a Lost Land slot.

The Light Institute announced its seven Lost Land slots and named Xu Zhi as a substitute for the upcoming league, intending to conceal her strength as a hidden trump card. The inner institute students agreed to keep the test results secret, but the roster was displayed publicly in the outer institute.

• The dean of students announced Chu Xiao Yue, Tong Zhou, Qiu Hou, Shu Yushan, Su Ran, Ji Muge, and Xu Zhi as the seven selected students.
• The dean named Ji Muge and Xu Zhi as substitutes, with Xu Zhi's placement intended to keep other academies from recognizing her ability.
• The inner institute students supported the plan and joked about other academies underestimating Xu Zhi.
• The dean ordered the students to keep everything about the test secret until the league ended.
• The outer institute students saw the publicly displayed roster, including first-year Xu Zhi.

After discovering Qi Yanxin’s extraordinary affinity was dangerously low, Xu Zhi warned her to stay out of her room. During training in Building A, the selected students learned that the vanished [Cup] had resurfaced in Minjiang, which was now under alert and investigation.

• Xu Zhi returned to her dormitory, found no new blood food, and worried about whoever had been leaving it in her room.
• Xu Zhi noticed Qi Yanxin’s dominant extraordinary attribute had shifted to [Forge] and learned she had briefly spoken with the school store owner.
• Xu Zhi tested Qi Yanxin’s sensitivity by holding her wrist and watched her [Forge] energy quickly change to [Lamp].
• Xu Zhi ordered Qi Yanxin not to enter her room, fearing contact with the blood food and the corrupting influence of [Cup].
• After two days of rest, Xu Zhi attended special instruction in Building A, where the instructor announced that the cultists in Minjiang were the long-vanished [Cup].
• Troops from several cities had been stationed in Minjiang to investigate the suspected revival of the cult.

Xu Zhi learned that the Cup had resurfaced and studied its believers, hierarchy, and threat to the upcoming Intercollegiate League. The lesson also revealed that Transcendents pursued ascension through the ranks of Named Ones and Proxies, and that the Cup’s Pope must already exist.

• Xu Zhi heard that Lotus City had dispatched an investigation corps and suspected that the events in Minjiang were part of a conspiracy.
• The teacher explained that the Cup could corrupt Transcendents, whose completed transformation was irreversible, and that its believers fed on flesh and blood.
• The teacher described the Cup’s ranks, from Fanatics and Absolvers to Messengers and the limited number of Archbishops.
• The teacher explained that each attribute had one Proxy who wielded a god’s Authority, and Xu Zhi began to see the path toward ascension more clearly.
• The teacher warned that the Cup’s Pope already existed now that the Cup had entered the public eye.

Xu Zhi trained with the Lotus City Light Institute’s league team, improving her abilities while learning about the Lost Land and the competition. Ji Muge assessed the team’s personalities and lineup as they prepared to represent Lotus City.

• The teacher warned the team about Cup’s preparations, explained the league’s political stakes, and outlined safety precautions for the Lost Land.
• Xu Zhi trained with her teammates and learned about extraordinary abilities, while the school promised credits for match victories and league placements.
• Xu Zhi’s [Moth] advanced to Level Five, Proficient, and her physical fitness and mental strength improved slightly.
• Xu Zhi acted gentle and honest around the team, leading most teammates to underestimate her while Ji Muge remained wary of her.
• Ji Muge assessed the seven-person lineup, identifying Chu Xiao Yue as captain and the team’s strongest member and herself as the only true substitute.

Xu Zhi and her teammates traveled through a teleportation circuit to the sealed border of the Lost Land. After completing inspections and collecting their medium, Xu Zhi realized the border was a massive wall with several gates, and the group was about to enter.

• Xu Zhi brought the Little Aberration in a flowerpot as she joined her teammates at Building A, where Xi Min prepared to lead them to the Lost Land.
• Xi Min warned the group about the teleportation circuit and instructed them to follow the teachers and avoid unnecessary questions after arriving.
• The group activated the circuit and endured a brief, painful teleportation; Ji Muge accidentally grabbed Xu Zhi, who later warned her not to do it again.
• Xi Min led the students through identity checks, inspections, and indoor rail cars as they made their way toward the Lost Land entrance.
• Xu Zhi realized the border was a massive structure enclosing the boundary like a city wall, with several gates serving as entrances.