Chapter Summaries

Xu Zhi and her classmates entered the Lost Land for a five-day training trip, where the mist accelerated their extraordinary energy and tempted them with a blissful, weightless feeling. Chu Xiao Yue snapped the group out of it, and they realized the Lost Land's influence had begun even at its outskirts.

• Xu Zhi and the students passed through the gates into the cold, mist-covered Lost Land after completing the final procedures.
• The dean of instruction reviewed the dangers and survival rules, then took the other teacher into the mist and left the students to make their own plans for five days.
• Xu Zhi noticed her extraordinary energy and circuits growing unusually active, and recognized that the Lost Land's pleasant, weightless sensation was affecting her.
• Xu Zhi saw that several teammates were also dazed, while Chu Xiao Yue remained alert and struck her sword to rouse them with the chill of [Winter].
• Chu Xiao Yue warned the group not to become enamored with the Lost Land's illusion, and the students realized they had already felt its temptation at the outskirts.

Chu Xiao Yue led Xu Zhi and the other students into the Lost Land, warning them about its dangerous Temptation and the creatures that could draw threats to them. As they crossed from barren ground into a lush grassland, Xu Zhi realized the true Lost Land was rich with transcendent energy and perilous life.

• Chu Xiao Yue explained how the Lost Land’s Temptation could make them feel weightless and urged them to use pain to snap out of it or call the teachers for help.
• Xu Zhi used [Spirit Vessel] to record their entry point while the Little Aberration in her arms began absorbing the Lost Land’s [Cup]-attribute energy.
• Chu Xiao Yue led the group through barren ground and Withered Wood, where they encountered black crows that would summon danger if anyone harmed them.
• Tong Zhou joked about the crows pooping on them, prompting Ji Muge to grin and Su Ran to recoil at the thought.
• The group passed from the crow-filled woods into greener terrain, where Xu Zhi noticed the rich transcendent energy and twitching vines, recalling Director Xi’s warning that nothing in the Lost Land was harmless.

Xu Zhi and her teammates entered a vine-covered stretch of the Lost Land, where she resisted its Temptation and discovered her other Familiars were inside it. When the vines attacked, Xu Zhi located their hidden source and directed the team toward it.

• Xu Zhi drew her saber as the team advanced cautiously through the vines, while she felt the Lost Land's Temptation and resisted it.
• Xu Zhi used Lamp's extraordinary circuits to confirm that her other Familiars were inside the Lost Land, then stopped when pain struck her palm.
• Shu Yushan killed a small snake that lunged at Xu Zhi, and the surrounding vines immediately surged toward him.
• Shu Yushan fought off the vines as the others rushed to support him, while Xu Zhi used [Eye of Secrets] to search for their true body.
• Xu Zhi pinpointed the ambusher northeast of them, 340 meters away, and her teammates charged in that direction.

The team killed a territorial vine in the Lost Land, but Xu Zhi spotted traces of its extraordinary energy clinging to them even after its blood was cleaned away. They continued deeper after a brief rest, and Chu Xiao Yue called for them to camp as night approached.

• Xu Zhi used her [Eye of Secrets] to help the team locate the vine's true body, and Shu Yushan led the attack that killed it.
• Qiu Hou accused Shu Yushan of splashing him with the vine's green blood in revenge for dodging its attack.
• Xu Zhi noticed traces of the vine's extraordinary energy on the team, and Chu Xiao Yue suggested it might have cooperated with another creature.
• The team rested briefly and pressed deeper into the Lost Land, fighting off several more attackers as the five active teammates grew tired.
• Chu Xiao Yue chose a place among the towering trees for the team to rest for the night.

Tong Zhou and his companions resisted the Lost Land’s Temptation as they traveled deeper, then settled in the forest beneath a bright full moon. When Qiu Hou vanished during the night, Chu Xiao Yue led the team to track and rescue him.

• Tong Zhou realized that resisting the Lost Land’s Temptation had strengthened his mental power, but Qiu Hou struck him when he began to succumb to its pull.
• Chu Xiao Yue decided the team would continue deeper into the Lost Land and urged everyone to remember who they were and why they had come.
• Xu Zhi checked the trees with [Eye of Secrets] before the team rested, and she noticed the forest briefly fall silent when the full moon reached its peak.
• Xu Zhi discovered that Qiu Hou had disappeared and found the aura of vines inside the tree where he had rested.
• Su Ran used her ability to locate Qiu Hou, and Chu Xiao Yue ordered the team to move out and rescue him.

Xu Zhi and her teammates found Qiu Hou trapped underground by trees connected to a powerful sleeping creature. They began fighting the roots to reach him, but Qiu Hou’s condition left them unsure how to free him.

• Su Ran led the team deeper into the Dark Forest, where Xu Zhi used the Eye of Secrets to spot Cup energy in the trees and bones buried underground.
• Xu Zhi discovered that Qiu Hou was alive but wrapped in roots, and warned the team that the trees served a dangerous creature sleeping beneath them.
• Xu Zhi told the team to rescue Qiu Hou quickly and avoid waking the underground creature, while secretly marking the location with a Spirit Vessel mark.
• Tong Zhou dug toward Qiu Hou as the roots attacked, and Xu Zhi, Chu Xiao Yue, and the others defended him.
• Tong Zhou found Qiu Hou, but his condition made the team question how they could get him out.

Xu Zhi led the group in rescuing Qiu Hou from the roots and guiding him to safety, then helped Su Ran heal him. She secretly erased the lingering [Cup] energy from Qiu Hou, leaving the others unaware they had encountered the [Cup].

• Xu Zhi assigned Chu Xiao Yue to sever the tendrils attached to Qiu Hou and Ji Muge to lure out the roots inside him with her blood.
• Shu Yushan carried Qiu Hou as Chu Xiao Yue, Tong Zhou, and Xu Zhi helped the group flee the pursuing roots.
• After reaching safety, Xu Zhi had Ji Muge draw the remaining tendrils out of Qiu Hou while Chu Xiao Yue and Tong Zhou destroyed them.
• Su Ran found that lingering Transcendent energy was preventing her from healing Qiu Hou, so Xu Zhi used her [Lamp] ability to remove it.
• Su Ran healed Qiu Hou, while Xu Zhi concealed that the energy had come from the [Cup] and had erased all traces of it.

After rescuing Qiu Hou from a sleeping [Cup] and helping him recover, Xu Zhi’s team continued training in a different direction, growing more coordinated through days of dangerous battles. They turned back after defeating another powerful creature, having reached the limits of what they could safely challenge.

• Su Ran healed Qiu Hou’s external injuries, and Qiu Hou woke after daylight, describing how an unseen force had restrained him, drained his energy, and consumed his flesh.
• Shu Yushan questioned why the force had targeted Qiu Hou but not attacked the rescuers, and Xu Zhi concluded that its suppression came from the sleeping [Cup].
• After Qiu Hou rested for two hours, Xu Zhi led the team in a new direction, where they faced frequent attacks from extraordinary creatures.
• Over several days of fighting, Xu Zhi’s teammates grew closer and more coordinated, relying on her [Eye of Secrets] and following her battle commands.
• Xu Zhi called for the team to begin their return after they defeated a third-stage Longevity creature, having determined that fourth-stage Longevity opponents were their limit.

Xu Zhi led her exhausted team out of the Lost Land while fighting an overwhelming urge to stay, a force that seemed to target only her. After crossing the exit, the compulsion vanished, but she was left wondering what had been calling to her and still wanted to explore the depths.

• Xu Zhi decided the team had to turn back because they were exhausted and the Lost Land’s pull was making her reluctant to leave.
• Xu Zhi slapped her dazed teammates awake and led them along the return route.
• As they left, the Lost Land’s Temptation intensified for Xu Zhi alone, repeatedly urging her to stay.
• Shu Yushan brought Xu Zhi back to awareness near the entrance, and Xu Zhi continued resisting the call until the team passed through the gate.
• Xu Zhi collapsed just outside the gate, then realized the Temptation had vanished, though she still wanted to return and discover what had targeted her.

After returning from the Lost Land, Xu Zhi woke from a thirty-hour sleep fully recovered and unexpectedly advanced to Longevity Rank One. She secured a spatial ring from the principal by agreeing to register with the Light Institute, then checked on the approaching league preliminaries and the growing Minjiang cult scandal.

• Xu Zhi slept for thirty hours after treatment, woke with her body and mental power restored, and discovered that her [Lamp] had advanced to Longevity Rank One.
• Shu Yushan and Su Ran told Xu Zhi that her 24,000-point share was justified by her support and strategic contributions during the Lost Land trip.
• Xu Zhi asked the principal to let her keep the spatial ring, and he offered it to her in exchange for registering with the Light Institute's internal ranks after graduation; she agreed.
• Xu Zhi checked the forum and saw that the league preliminaries were set to begin in two days while reports linked Minjiang to dangerous cult research involving [Cup].

After the Minjiang incident drew worldwide attention to the [Cup] attribute, Xu Zhi considered the turmoil and began preparing with her team for the league. The seeded team started intensive training ahead of the tournament, while students and fans discussed the coming matches.

• Xu Zhi suspected that someone had engineered the Minjiang incident and wondered whether [Cup] was among the instigators.
• The teacher reviewed the team's progress after their Lost Land trip and explained the league's individual matches, team battles, and tournament stages.
• The teacher stressed that the team's performance in 5v5 battles would be crucial and said coaches would review notable preliminary matches with them.
• The teacher scheduled a serious practice match against Lotus City Academy's seeded team for about a week later and distributed two months of training schedules.
• The seven league participants began training while other students anticipated watching matches and argued online about teams, players, and merchandise.

The league began with an opening ceremony that introduced its fairness pledge, rewards, and prize pool. Inner academy students discussed their team’s chances and hoped its starting lineup could surpass the academy’s past record, while treating first-year Xu Zhi as a newcomer gaining experience.

• The league committee’s opening ceremony presented the Oath Circuit and the league’s promise of impartial competition.
• The ceremony showed past league highlights and performances, then announced the prize pool, rewards, and Lost Land opportunity for the top four teams.
• Inner academy students discussed strong opponents, including Heaven-Answering City, Crosslight, and Norwich.
• The students recalled that former president Chu Xiao Yue had missed the previous league and speculated that she might lead this year’s team.
• The students cited Senior Shu Yushan’s confidence in the team, but expected Xu Zhi to participate mainly for experience.

The release of the competition rosters drew attention to Xu Zhi as the only first-year on a seeded team, prompting speculation about her background and abilities. During a review of preliminary matches, Xi Min introduced another first-year competitor from Dingchan, but Xu Zhi dismissed his Level Six Comprehension as trash.

• The official roster revealed Xu Zhi as a first-year substitute on the Lotus City Light Institute team, making her the subject of widespread online discussion.
• Tong Zhou teased Xu Zhi about her rising follower count, and Xu Zhi wondered why so many people were paying attention to her.
• Xi Min showed the students footage of a Dingchan team featuring a first-year competitor who was not a substitute.
• Xi Min explained that the competitor had Level Six Comprehension and a Winter attribute, and that his team's coordination had helped them defeat their opponents.
• Xu Zhi called Level Six Comprehension trash, while Xi Min praised the team's teamwork and careful control of supernatural energy.

Xi Min introduced a formidable pure-color team from Deer Isle, whose five [Forge] members were suspected of being backed by Gods Heavy Industries. As Xu Zhi prepared to leave Lotus City for [Freedom City], she noticed Qi Yanxin’s anxiety about their separation and offered to reply to her messages.

• Xi Min showed the students footage of Deer Isle’s five-[Forge] team overpowering its opponents and said the team was suspected to have Gods Heavy Industries behind it.
• Shu Yushan and the other students questioned why such a strong team was competing in the qualifiers, but Xi Min said its participation was legal and it could advance from the group stage.
• Xu Zhi and the other main members spent the following days training and reviewing match footage as Xu Zhi gained social media followers.
• Xu Zhi told Qi Yanxin that she would leave Lotus City for [Freedom City] to compete, and Qi Yanxin became anxious about being separated from her.
• Xu Zhi told Qi Yanxin she could message her and promised to reply whenever she saw the messages.

Xu Zhi trained for the upcoming league, investigated the mysterious blood food left in her room, and learned that Council Academy was hiding a powerful player behind a support-heavy lineup. After reviewing practice matches and watching the qualifiers conclude, she prepared to leave Lotus City for Freedom City as the group stage began.

• Xu Zhi sensed an unseen presence near her, found another jar of blood food, and fed it to Little Aberration.
• Xi Min learned Council Academy had fielded two substitutes and three support players in their practice match, so Xu Zhi and Chu Xiao Yue sat out.
• Xu Zhi and her teammates practiced against other seeded teams, winning eight of ten matches and building confidence in arena battles.
• The qualifiers ended with four thousand teams advancing, including a remote-city team that spectators considered a dark horse.
• Xu Zhi noticed no blood food had appeared on the day of departure, browsed discussion of the group stage, and left Lotus City with Tong Zhou and her team for Freedom City.

Lotus City Light Institute arrived in Freedom City as one of the League’s top seeded teams, drawing attention from streamers and fans. Xi Min outlined the team’s arrangements and told Xu Zhi that the organizers had specifically requested her as a commentator for a first-year match.

• Early-Bird Trainee livestreamed the arrival of Lotus City Light Institute at the competitors’ hotel, where viewers recognized the team as a perennial League favorite.
• The team members, including Xu Zhi, went to their private area while Xi Min explained their training arrangements and cautioned them against making careless comments to the media.
• Xi Min asked whether the students wanted to explore Freedom City, but the girls showed little interest.
• Xi Min told Xu Zhi that the organizers had invited two team members to commentate on a first-year match and insisted that Xu Zhi be one of them.

Xu Zhi agreed to provide commentary on a first-year match in exchange for a share of the livestream revenue, while her team watched group-stage matches and discussed their battle decisions. Before Xu Zhi left to commentate, Xi Min warned her not to insult the competitors.

• Xi Min arranged for Xu Zhi to comment on the first-year match with Shu Yushan accompanying her, and Xu Zhi accepted the offer.
• Xi Min assigned the team to maintain their condition and watch group-stage matches, then they gathered to analyze battles together.
• The team teased Xu Zhi about her sharp remarks, while the analysts praised her battle awareness and discussed her risky strategies.
• The seeded teams arrived at the hotel, and Xu Zhi noticed that she had gained more fans.
• Before Xu Zhi went to commentate, Xi Min told her not to call competitors trash, small fry, or useless idiots with no hands and no brains.

Xu Zhi commentated on a highly anticipated league group-stage match alongside Shu Yushan and Xiao Xiao. When asked to address fellow first-year contestant Qiu Jing, she wished him success, drawing criticism from viewers who took her words as condescending.

• Xu Zhi and Shu Yushan arrived at the broadcast room and joined host Xiao Xiao to commentate on the match.
• Xiao Xiao introduced Xu Zhi and Shu Yushan, while viewers focused their barrage comments on Xu Zhi and debated her reputation.
• Xiao Xiao introduced Flowing Plain City College as a seasoned team expected to use its standard 221 lineup.
• Xiao Xiao introduced Team Dingchan as a league newcomer that reached the group stage, highlighting first-year starter Qiu Jing.
• Asked what she wanted to say to Qiu Jing, Xu Zhi said she did not understand the group stage and wished him success.
• Viewers interpreted Xu Zhi's wish as sarcastic and condescending.

Xu Zhi’s blunt “I don’t know” answer during the broadcast drew attention, while Dingchan used its 1v1 matches to wear down Flowing Plain City’s fighters and save strength for the team battle. The chapter ended with Xu Zhi dismissing Dingchan’s surrender strategy as knowing their place.

• Xu Zhi said she did not believe the claim that “little sister” was only a lovely wish, then answered “I don’t know” when asked to analyze the matchup.
• The broadcast commentators described the Heart-versus-Forge matchup, and Xu Zhi’s answer became a trending topic as her teammates recognized she was simply unwilling to explain.
• Flowing Plain City’s Forge contestant injured Dingchan’s Heart contestant, who eventually surrendered after wearing down his stamina and abilities.
• Dingchan’s Blade contestant defeated the weakened Forge contestant, after which Dingchan’s remaining fighters quickly surrendered to preserve their strength for the team battle.
• Xu Zhi commented that Dingchan knew its place, prompting another surge of comments.

Xu Zhi commentated on the tournament’s 5v5 match, bluntly criticizing Liuping’s cautious tactics and poor execution as Dingchan pressed its attack. The battle continued with Dingchan targeting Liuping’s healer, while Xu Zhi left viewers anticipating more sharp commentary.

• Xu Zhi’s blunt remark about Dingchan’s strategy nearly unsettled Xiao Xiao, and Shu Yushan explained that Xu Zhi usually spoke even more harshly.
• Xiao Xiao encouraged Xu Zhi to comment more, and Xu Zhi agreed before the 5v5 battle began.
• Xu Zhi noted that Dingchan was playing aggressively to compensate for lower Transcendent levels and energy reserves.
• Dingchan’s [Winter] attribute player attacked Liuping’s healer from behind while Qiu Jing used an ice double to evade enemy attacks.
• Xu Zhi judged Qiu Jing’s choice to target the healer as conservative and said a direct attack on Liuping’s backline support could have been more effective.
• As Dingchan’s field ability disrupted Liuping’s defense and Qiu Jing pressured the retreating healer, Xu Zhi began calling Liuping’s team battle execution a pile of crap before stopping herself.