Chapter Summaries

Xu Zhi woke after feeding blood to the Little Aberration and demonstrated to Qi Yanxin that she could move herself into her wheelchair. As Qi Yanxin encouraged her to call her “Sister” and cared for her over breakfast, Xu Zhi realized she was already planning for a future they would share.

• Xu Zhi woke to find Qi Yanxin preparing breakfast and sorting mechanical parts she had brought home from the factory.
• Xu Zhi called Qi Yanxin “Sister Yanxin” and insisted on moving herself from bed to wheelchair without help.
• Qi Yanxin praised Xu Zhi’s effort, then asked her to call her “Sister”; Xu Zhi reluctantly agreed.
• Xu Zhi ate the frugal breakfast, while Qi Yanxin promised to buy better food after the foggy days passed.
• Xu Zhi considered earning money once she recovered and realized she was thinking about how the two of them could live better together.

During the Season of Despair and Helplessness, Xu Zhi stayed inside with Qi Yanxin while her supernatural circuits recovered and the mist began to worsen Qi Yanxin’s anxiety. As Xu Zhi’s medicine ran low and Qi Yanxin worried they could not reach the clinic, Xu Zhi regained another of her former abilities.

• The broadcast announced that the Mist Season was the Season of Despair and Helplessness, and Qi Yanxin explained how fear could grow into despair.
• Xu Zhi avoided the mist, took her medicine, carefully absorbed supernatural energy, and secretly fed a little blood to the Little Aberration.
• Xu Zhi observed her pale golden circuits as they strengthened, and her muddled thoughts and head pain gradually eased.
• Qi Yanxin began waking anxiously at night and zoning out during the day, while Xu Zhi called her back and became her emotional anchor.
• After six days of mist, Qi Yanxin worried that Xu Zhi would run out of medicine before they could visit the closed clinic.
• Xu Zhi’s circuits became more complete and unlocked an ability she had possessed before, and she turned to the worried Qi Yanxin without testing it.

Xu Zhi told Qi Yanxin that her supernatural abilities had recovered, reassuring her that she would heal even without medicine and promising to take her along if she ever left. After returning to her room, Xu Zhi began investigating how her supernatural ability Spirit Vessel had changed.

• Xu Zhi used a trace of Lamp-attribute energy to reassure Qi Yanxin and revealed that her supernatural abilities had recovered.
• Qi Yanxin feared Xu Zhi would leave her, so Xu Zhi promised to do her best to take her along if she ever had to go.
• Xu Zhi explained that her recovery came from her abilities returning, but Qi Yanxin insisted she keep taking medicine and worried about what work might suit her.
• Xu Zhi returned to her room to rest and study Spirit Vessel, learning that it now required her own supernatural energy to record locations and create same-attribute clones.

After the mist cleared, Xu Zhi discovered that the streets of the lower district were covered in blood and body parts from a brutal massacre. She suspected an extraordinary being with Cup attributes was responsible, but had not found proof by the chapter’s end.

• Xu Zhi created a record point at her location and waited for her extraordinary energy to recover.
• On the ninth day, the mist dispersed, and the lower district’s residents found streets stained with blood and scattered human remains.
• Qi Yanxin tried to keep Xu Zhi from seeing the carnage, but Xu Zhi insisted and went to the doorway.
• Xu Zhi examined the scene and sensed that the massacre resembled something done by a madman with Cup attributes.

Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin found severed limbs and too little blood on their street, while the neighbors’ footprints trampled over the scene. At the clinic, Xu Zhi revealed that her superhuman abilities had recovered, and Zhuang Xu’s test suggested that the force behind her earlier injury had been concealed as a secret.

• Xu Zhi examined the severed limbs and blood, then watched scavengers muddy the street as they left for work.
• Qi Yanxin took Xu Zhi to the clinic, where Zhuang Xu was opening late because something had come up.
• Xu Zhi told Zhuang Xu that her superhuman abilities had recovered and agreed to let him test her blood.
• Zhuang Xu’s reagent showed no reaction to Xu Zhi’s blood, though it reacted to his own.
• Zhuang Xu concluded that the force that had harmed Xu Zhi was either impossibly without superhuman ability or had been concealed as a secret.

Xu Zhi underwent further tests at Zhuang Xu’s clinic, where the doctor was puzzled by how quickly her injuries were healing. Zhuang Xu and the others learned that the army had arrived in the slums to investigate a brutal series of murders, leaving Xu Zhi to suspect the case was tied to the army’s search for something.

• Xu Zhi questioned the quality of Zhuang Xu’s reagents, and he admitted that better tests were unavailable in the lower levels.
• Xu Zhi completed a thorough examination, and Zhuang Xu was surprised by her rapid recovery.
• Zhuang Xu’s friend rushed into the clinic and announced that the army had arrived earlier than expected.
• The friend reported that soldiers had surrounded the slums and were searching for a killer while questioning residents.
• The friend described how a suspected supernatural being had murdered and dismembered scavengers during the seasonal fog, and Zhuang Xu wondered whether the case was connected to the army’s other business.

Zhuang Xu gave Xu Zhi medicine for her severe internal injuries and warned the sisters to return home before the military search implicated them. When soldiers stopped Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin for questioning, Xu Zhi claimed the medicine belonged to her and revealed that she was Lamp-aligned.

• Zhuang Xu prepared Xu Zhi's medicine and instructed her to take the doses as prescribed.
• Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin headed home, and Qi Yanxin admitted she was frightened of the military.
• Soldiers stopped the sisters near the slums and took them to a temporary tent for questioning.
• The officer found medicine for Gifted users among the sisters' belongings and asked which of them was Gifted.
• Xu Zhi claimed the medicine was hers and said she was Lamp-aligned, surprising the officer.

A female officer tested Xu Zhi and confirmed her rare [Lamp] attribute, then questioned her identity, awakening, and injuries. Xu Zhi’s amnesia and discovery in a garbage dump prompted the officer to order surveillance footage retrieved, leaving Xu Zhi uncertain about what it might reveal.

• The officer tested Xu Zhi with a reagent that turned pale gold, confirming her [Lamp] attribute.
• The officer sent the other scavengers out and asked Xu Zhi when she had awakened and whether she had registered an identity; Xu Zhi said she had no registration and could not remember awakening.
• The adjutant questioned Xu Zhi’s memory, and Qi Yanxin explained that she had found Xu Zhi in a garbage dump a few days earlier.
• The officer asked Qi Yanxin for the time and location where she found Xu Zhi, then ordered the adjutant to retrieve the dump’s surveillance footage.
• The officer questioned Xu Zhi about her injuries and clinic visit, then tested her knowledge with questions; Xu Zhi’s genuine ignorance convinced her that Xu Zhi had lost her memory.

Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin were placed under military supervision after the officer found suspicious gaps in the surveillance footage and ordered them to move into a tent. When the military announced that they had found the murderer, Xu Zhi asked to see him and a guard agreed to take her there.

• The officer reviewed Doctor Zhuang's evidence and learned that Xu Zhi's injuries were too severe to have been self-inflicted.
• The adjutant reported that a magnetic field had disrupted part of the surveillance footage, and the officer ordered Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin to move under military supervision.
• Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin packed their few belongings and moved into a military tent while investigators examined the crime scene.
• After nightfall, Xu Zhi heard that the military had found the murderer and asked the guard to take her to see him.
• The guard waited for his superior's instructions, then agreed to escort Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi watched a military assault on a suspected serial killer in the Rat’s Den and recognized the black-and-red blade he wielded as her knife. The operation exposed the killer as a monstrous, corrupted figure, leaving the soldiers and their observers stunned.

• Xu Zhi entered the command tent and watched soldiers raid a location near the Rat’s Den.
• The killer’s black-and-red blade pierced a soldier’s protective uniform and drained his blood.
• Xu Zhi recognized the blade as her knife and deduced that it had corrupted the killer as he murdered factory workers.
• The soldiers threw a flare into the dark house, revealing the hairless, gaunt killer with black eyes and the blade in his hand.

An assault team subdued a seemingly unstoppable murderer by destroying the black knife that empowered him, then recovered the weapon. Military officials reviewed the footage and debated the knife’s origin and attribute without considering the vanished taboo [Cup].

• The assault team attacked the murderer, but his unnatural movements and resilience let him evade bullets and endure severe injuries.
• A [Forge]-aligned Transcendent bound the black blade with an orange chain, then used an incantation to blast it from the murderer’s wrist.
• The murderer fell motionless, and the team confirmed he was alive before safely wrapping and recovering the blade.
• Military officials watched the team return and questioned how such a powerful Transcendent item had appeared in the lower levels.
• The officials debated whether the knife belonged to Heart, [Forge], or Blade, while none mentioned [Cup].

Xu Zhi watched the military interrogate the murderer who had found her saber, while officers discovered his bloodlust and altered personality did not match the usual influence of a Transcendent item. The female officer ordered a private test of his attributes, and Xu Zhi realized the discovery of a [Cup] believer would end her peaceful life with Qi Yanxin and have wider consequences.

• The military brought the dying murderer and the strange saber to camp, where a Transcendent with the [Opening] attribute compelled him to answer questions.
• The murderer said he had picked up the blade by the roadside, and Xu Zhi connected this to her theory that she and her Familiars had been scattered across the real world.
• The murderer described his desire to kill and drink blood, especially during the Mist Season, while retaining clear memories and showing no usual attachment to the blade.
• The officers recognized that the blade had changed the murderer's personality in an unusual way, and the female officer ordered him taken away for a private Transcendent attribute test.
• Xu Zhi realized the test would reveal a believer of the [Cup] attribute and bring her peaceful time with Qi Yanxin to an end.

After an extraordinary being with the [Cup] attribute was discovered, Chi Qiusheng ordered everyone in the area to undergo attribute tests and kept Xu Zhi and her sister under guard. Xu Zhi considered how the incident might help her reach the upper levels, while the competition offered little to watch.

• After her attribute test took far longer than expected, Chi Qiusheng ordered a full screening and the arrest of anyone suspicious.
• Chi Qiusheng told Xu Zhi that she and her sister had to remain in the tent and answer questions honestly when asked.
• Xu Zhi learned Chi Qiusheng's name and reasoned that the discovery of a [Cup] follower would trigger a wide investigation.
• Xu Zhi returned to Qi Yanxin, confirmed that the murderer had been caught, and considered how the disruption might help her reach the upper levels.
• Xu Zhi watched the competition briefly and regretted doing so.

Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin watched an enormous craft bearing the city’s golden lotus arrive from the upper levels, signaling that the authorities were taking the [Cup] crisis seriously. Qi Yanxin was found to have almost no chance of awakening, while Xu Zhi was summoned for an examination by a new doctor, whom she suspected came from the upper levels.

• Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin spent a noisy night in the army camp, with Xu Zhi trying to rest despite the commotion.
• A massive black aircraft arrived above the camp and deployed smaller craft and fighter jets.
• Qi Yanxin explained that the golden lotus on the craft was a symbol associated with the upper levels.
• A soldier and a doctor tested Qi Yanxin and found that her Winter affinity was too weak for her to likely awaken.
• The soldier told Xu Zhi that a new doctor wanted to examine her, and Xu Zhi suspected the doctor was from the upper levels.

Representatives from the Light Institute, Star-Setting Consortium, Gods Heavy Industries, and Heavenly Heart Society arrived to investigate the dead killer and the discovery of traces of the Cup. When the Council delayed its arrival despite sending Upper House members, the representatives decided to proceed without waiting.

• The upper-level representatives learned that the killer had died after officers used extreme measures to question him, and the Star-Setting Consortium's young man berated the officer responsible.
• The Light Institute representative stopped the argument and said Xiao Yue of the Heavenly Heart Society could make the dead speak.
• The representatives discussed the Council's slow response and the danger of other cities learning that traces of the Cup had appeared in their city.
• The Light Institute representative received a message that the Council's people would arrive an hour late and would come from the Upper House.
• The Star-Setting Consortium's young man agreed with the others to investigate immediately rather than wait for the Council.

Xu Zhi underwent a comprehensive examination aboard the aircraft, where a doctor warned that Zhuang Xu’s medicine had drained her life force and diminished her supernatural potential. The doctor said the damage could still be remedied, leaving Xu Zhi waiting to hear how.

• A soldier took Xu Zhi to a treatment room aboard the aircraft and handed her over to a middle-aged doctor.
• The doctor reviewed Xu Zhi’s records and said Zhuang Xu’s medicine had serious side effects, which Xu Zhi said she had accepted to stay alive.
• Xu Zhi underwent a forty-minute examination using advanced medical equipment.
• The doctor explained that although Xu Zhi’s external injuries were improving, the medicine had weakened her body and drained her supernatural potential.
• The doctor reassured Xu Zhi that the damage was not beyond remedy.

Xu Zhi let the doctor examine her injuries and accepted an offer of free glasses and medicine in exchange for research on her extraordinary ability. She realized the agreement tied her to the doctor’s faction, but decided to wait and see how other factions approached her.

• The doctor told Xu Zhi that treating her depleted vitality required rare ingredients from the upper levels, then hinted that there might be a way to get her treatment despite her questionable identity.
• The doctor discussed Xu Zhi’s rare gray eyes and warned that her severe eye injuries could eventually lead to blindness.
• Xu Zhi pretended she could not afford the glasses and medicine, and the doctor offered them for free if Xu Zhi agreed to let her study her extraordinary ability.
• Xu Zhi accepted the offer and agreed that the arrangement would remain in place even if she later reached the upper levels.
• The doctor said she would have glasses made with circuits to protect Xu Zhi’s eyes, while Xu Zhi considered herself only tentatively allied with the doctor’s faction.

Xu Zhi received medicine and custom glasses from an upper-district doctor, then returned to Qi Yanxin and spent the night absorbing [Lamp]-attribute energy. At dawn, she broke through, sensed her Familiars again, and ordered Little One to reach her discreetly.

• The doctor gave Xu Zhi five days of medicine and custom glasses that restored her clear vision, though the glasses seemed to have no other effect.
• Xu Zhi returned to the tent, where Qi Yanxin worried about the free glasses and felt she could no longer help Xu Zhi; Xu Zhi relaxed more around her than around anyone else.
• Xu Zhi stayed awake absorbing [Lamp]-attribute energy until she broke through at dawn and sensed the locations and conditions of her Familiars.
• Xu Zhi discovered she could spend extraordinary energy to learn about and command her reconnected Familiars, then ordered Little One to come to her quickly without drawing attention.

After her breakthrough, Xu Zhi examined her changed abilities and discovered that the scar left by Midnight warned her when she tried to sense her distant Familiars. Little One reached the army camp and reunited with her, hiding as a bracelet before Qi Yanxin returned.

• Xu Zhi found that Cursed Speech had not leveled up and Little Aberration remained weak, though its life force had stabilized.
• When Xu Zhi tried to sense her three distant Familiars, Midnight's scar flared with pain, suggesting their location was connected to Midnight.
• Xu Zhi confirmed that the distant Familiars were stable and seemed to have improved, then noticed her control and self-healing had strengthened after her breakthrough.
• Little One entered the camp underground as a tiny snake and climbed onto Xu Zhi, nuzzling her cheek.
• Xu Zhi warned Little One that Qi Yanxin would soon return, and Little One curled around her finger and became a black jade bracelet beneath her sleeve.

Xu Zhi met a Star-Setting Consortium representative who offered her a twenty-year contract with substantial pay, resources, and support in exchange for becoming one of its transcendents. She accepted a Wing City badge as a gift, but the chapter left her reacting to the proposed contract.

• Xu Zhi concealed Little One’s traces from Qi Yanxin, who checked on her and opened the tent curtains.
• A representative wearing the Star-Setting Consortium’s golden scales brought Xu Zhi to a tent displaying city badges.
• Xu Zhi recognized a familiar falcon badge and accepted it as a meeting gift from the representative.
• The representative offered Xu Zhi a twenty-year contract, promising a salary, advancement materials, guidance, schooling, and other support.