Chapter Summaries

Xu Zhi reunited Little One and Doggie with Shen Jinwen, then headed to the school cafeteria to investigate it. There, she discovered that seeing what was inside caused an ordinary man to rapidly turn into one of the lunatics, while she and her Familiars remained unaffected.

• Doggie brought the exhausted Shen Jinwen to Little One, and the Familiars defeated the remaining pursuers and collected three red cores.
• Little One leveled up to level 16 while it and Doggie recovered from their injuries; Shen Jinwen postponed claiming her promised reward until the next day.
• Xu Zhi traveled by wheelchair to the affiliated middle school with Little One and Doggie, where she found a wary middle-aged man searching for a survivor base.
• Xu Zhi entered the cafeteria, and the man followed her inside despite her warning that there was no survivor base.
• The man saw what was inside the cafeteria and began rapidly developing black threads in his eyes, while Xu Zhi confirmed that her own eyes were unaffected.

Xu Zhi investigated the cafeteria ritual and learned that the symbols belonged to Scarlet Cup’s Fanatics, then destroyed them with her Familiars. She returned home with nearly eighty books and went to sleep planning to create a Spirit Vessel the next morning.

• Xu Zhi used Little One to stop a fleeing man, watched him turn into a madman in the cafeteria, and had Little One kill him.
• Xu Zhi found △ symbols carved into the severed limbs and asked the Narrator about them.
• The Narrator identified the symbols as part of a broken ancient ritual used by Scarlet Cup’s Fanatics and warned Xu Zhi that what it summoned was beyond her strength.
• Xu Zhi ordered Little One and Doggie to destroy the marked limbs, then left the cafeteria with them.
• Xu Zhi broke into a bookstore and brought nearly eighty books home with her Familiars.
• Xu Zhi went to sleep intending to invest a core and create a Spirit Vessel the next morning, despite having mostly [Cup] Crystal Cores.

Xu Zhi entered a Spirit Vessel generated from four [Cup] Attribute Cores and explored a fog-covered area of Cloud City. After finding a living person, she heard them ask if she wanted to join their group.

• Xu Zhi read about the [Cup] attribute and used four of its cores to create a Spirit Vessel with Bloodlust Lv2 and Craving Lv3.
• Xu Zhi arrived in a foggy alley and suppressed the restlessness she suspected came from [Cup].
• Xu Zhi explored the area, searching for Black Fruit, and encountered a living person who had been watching her.
• The stranger asked if Xu Zhi was alone and wanted to join them, then a middle-aged man apologized for the question and spoke with her from a distance.

Xu Zhi met Yan Songlin and his daughter, Yan Rui, and learned about their nearby settlement and the Transcendent who could identify threats. After revealing that she was an avatar with limited duration, Xu Zhi arranged to seek them out again, leaving the pair curious and wary about her sudden appearance.

• Yan Songlin introduced himself and Yan Rui, then invited Xu Zhi to join their settlement of nearly thirty survivors.
• Xu Zhi questioned how the settlement kept its people safe, and Yan Songlin explained that a Transcendent there could determine whether people were safe.
• Xu Zhi learned the settlement was about half an hour away and disclosed that she was a temporary avatar created by her supernatural ability.
• Yan Songlin told Xu Zhi that they were in Nanshan Villa District, near Nanshan Subway Station, Chongming Primary School, and Ganming Golf Course.
• Xu Zhi gave her surname and asked to visit the settlement next time so she could meet the Transcendent, while Yan Songlin and Yan Rui wondered how she had appeared from the fog.

After Xu Zhi naturally left her Spirit Vessel, Doggie found four rare black fruits, and she ate one, nearly losing herself to a strange moth-and-flame delusion before Doggie’s barking brought her back. When she checked the console, she discovered that the game was upgrading and would take two hours.

• Xu Zhi hid in an empty house until her Spirit Vessel’s time ran out, then watched it crumble into ash as her consciousness returned to her real body.
• Doggie found a black shrub bearing four fruits, which Xu Zhi collected after the shrub crumbled away.
• Xu Zhi recalled Little One and Doggie, then ate one black fruit while the two familiars stayed beside her.
• The fruit made Xu Zhi feel as though she were burning and convinced her she was a moth, until Doggie’s barking helped her regain her sense of self.
• Xu Zhi picked up the console and saw a notice that the game was upgrading and would take two hours.

Xu Zhi discussed supernatural abilities and core consumption with Shen Jinwen, learning how Shen Jinwen had awakened her Winter-aligned ability, Sharpness. Shen Jinwen revealed that her supernatural energy was increasing again and that her ability might soon upgrade, leaving Xu Zhi wondering why her own energy did not grow the same way.

• Xu Zhi visited Shen Jinwen, who was worried that the backup power had run out and they would soon be without electricity, gas, or water.
• Xu Zhi explained that consuming a core could cause an attribute-related illusion and advised Shen Jinwen to have someone watch over her; Xu Zhi also asked whether she wanted to leave, and Shen Jinwen said she did not.
• Xu Zhi asked how Shen Jinwen had obtained her supernatural ability, and Shen Jinwen described awakening after a dream of drifting as a snowflake about a week after the city was sealed off.
• Shen Jinwen explained that her passive Winter ability, Sharpness, made the blades she used slightly sharper and tougher.
• Shen Jinwen told Xu Zhi that her supernatural energy had begun increasing again and that her ability might upgrade within days, prompting Xu Zhi to wonder why her own energy did not steadily increase.

Xu Zhi agreed to become companions with Shen Jinwen, then learned that the Game Console had finished updating and began wondering why it seemed so responsive to her. She fed Black Fruits to Doggie and Little One, still uncertain about her relationship with the game.

• Xu Zhi asked Shen Jinwen about Nanshan Villa District and agreed to share a way to contact each other, silently forming a Companion Agreement.
• Xu Zhi returned home and saw that the Game Console's update had completed.
• Xu Zhi read that Idle Mode had been improved, Familiar level-ups would provide greater benefits, and a suggestion box had been added.
• Xu Zhi wondered whether the Game Console's helpful behavior and its upgrade after she ate the Black Fruit were connected, but rejected the idea that it was her supernatural ability.
• Xu Zhi fed Black Fruits to Doggie and Little One and planned to test their Evolution Points and draw Familiar traits.
• Xu Zhi questioned why she gained no obvious benefit from the fruits and wondered what her relationship with the Game Console was.

Xu Zhi saw her Familiars grow stronger after eating Black Fruit and discovered that her own mind and body had improved as they leveled up. She drew Alertness from Doggie and learned that Familiars had no sex and could grow in the direction she wished.

• Xu Zhi noticed her ability to understand and reason through difficult material had improved.
• Doggie woke and gained two levels after digesting the Black Fruit, while Xu Zhi checked its new stats and let it rest beside her.
• Little One woke after eating a fruit and also gained two levels, leaving it at level 18.
• Xu Zhi felt stronger and healthier as her Familiars leveled up, then decided to wait before using her remaining trait draws.
• Xu Zhi drew Alertness Lv3 from Doggie and gained the ability to notice subtle changes around her.
• Xu Zhi asked whether Doggie was male or female, and the Narrator explained that Familiars had no sex and would grow in the direction she wished.

Xu Zhi sent Little One south to hunt until it reached level 20, unlocking its Metamorphosis Phase and new game features. The chapter left her considering Supernatural Items while the game withheld her promised trait draws behind a flood of notifications.

• Xu Zhi sent Little One south to gather the last thousand Evolution Points it needed to reach level 20.
• Xu Zhi observed Little One hunting and noticed that Mutated Animals had formed a new food chain while humans seemed slower to adapt.
• Xu Zhi raised Little One to level 20, increasing its attributes and granting it the Evolution trait.
• The Narrator unlocked a third Familiar slot and explained that Familiars in the Metamorphosis Phase needed more supernatural energy to complete their evolution.
• The game unlocked Spirit Vessels and Supernatural Item forging, and Xu Zhi considered making a light bulb that would never go out.

After drawing the Evolution trait, Xu Zhi tested whether Little One could leave Cloud City and discovered that an impenetrable fog trapped the city’s residents inside. With escape impossible, she accepted that she would have to confront the city’s dangers and turned to choosing a third familiar.

• Xu Zhi drew Sharpness Lv5 and Evolution Lv1, learning that Evolution could only be raised by her and would not disappear if Little One died.
• Xu Zhi planned to investigate Cloud City’s boundary, gather more cores, cultivate familiars, exchange information with other Transcendents, and eventually approach Midnight and the city center’s secrets.
• Xu Zhi sent Little One toward the city’s edge and found that thick fog swallowed its vision before it could reach the boundary.
• Little One wandered through the fog without finding an exit, then regained its vision after turning back toward Cloud City.
• Xu Zhi concluded that the city was completely isolated and decided to seek other Transcendents’ help before choosing her third familiar.

Xu Zhi chose and named a Gyrfalcon familiar, Xiao Zhen, then used it to explore the city and locate a survivor gathering point in the Nanshan Villa District. She planned to stockpile cores for a week before deciding how to use the Spirit Vessel.

• Xu Zhi selected the level-ten Gyrfalcon, named it Xiao Zhen, and examined its attributes.
• Xu Zhi sent Xiao Zhen into the sky, but it sensed an untouchable danger above the black mist and could not ascend farther.
• Xu Zhi directed Xiao Zhen to survey the Nanshan Villa District, where it spotted two men and a woman dragging a mutated animal's corpse into a guarded garden villa.
• Xu Zhi identified the villa as a gathering point, likely where the father and daughter were staying, then ordered her familiars to hunt and return home before midnight.
• Xu Zhi decided to save cores for a week before choosing whether to map locations around Cloud City or explore the outside world with the Spirit Vessel.

Xu Zhi settled into a routine of sending her Familiars out while she built up her [Moth] affinity and saved Attribute Cores. She decided to use [Heart], [Cup], and [Moth] cores for an experiment with the Spirit Vessel.

• Xiao Zhen returned to Xu Zhi, and she welcomed the Gyrfalcon alongside Doggie and Little One.
• Xu Zhi counted eleven Attribute Cores the Familiars had gathered and swallowed three [Moth] cores the next morning.
• Xu Zhi sent Xiao Zhen out daily to search for Black Fruit while she read and used most of her [Moth] cores, gradually extending the time she could keep the Eye of Secrets active.
• Xu Zhi saved eighteen Attribute Cores for emergencies and a possible Spirit Vessel experiment, while worrying that she could not find new types of cores.
• Xu Zhi chose [Heart] and [Cup] as the experiment's foundation, added a [Moth] core, and decided to try combining the three Attributes.

Xu Zhi entered a Spirit Vessel with a blend of [Moth], [Heart], and [Cup] Attributes and found herself in a bustling city, where she met several supernaturals. After learning that she could register with the Federation, she agreed to go with them.

• Xu Zhi used eight cores to create a forty-minute Spirit Vessel and found that [Moth] and [Heart] seemed to lessen the agitation from [Cup].
• Xu Zhi entered an empty office building marked with a warning sign and encountered a man and a girl named Orange behind a supernatural barrier.
• Xu Zhi admitted she was a supernatural, and Orange and the man wondered whether she was registered.
• A young man emerged from a room carrying a moving suitcase, then asked Xu Zhi about registration too.
• Xu Zhi explained that she lived somewhere cut off from information, so the young man invited her to go register and Orange described the Federation benefits.

Xu Zhi learned how the Federation handled new superhumans, including their attributes and their differences from older superhumans. She arrived at the Special Events Processing Department for registration and an attribute test, knowing she had little time left before she disappeared.

• Orange explained that the Federation evacuated the area after a mutant species appeared and invited Xu Zhi to consider joining her official organization.
• Orange told Xu Zhi that new superhumans had attributes, which local departments determined through attribute-detecting superhumans and verification procedures.
• Xu Zhi learned that new superhumans began weaker than old ones but had greater growth potential.
• The delinquent drove Xu Zhi and the others to the Special Events Processing Department, where Orange offered to take her to registration while the others dealt with the trembling box.

Xu Zhi visited the Special Investigations Office with Meng Cheng to have her attribute tested and read the Transcendent handbook while waiting. The handbook listed eight attributes but offered vague descriptions, leaving Xu Zhi especially curious about what [Lamp] meant.

• Xu Zhi learned that Meng Cheng and Meng Yang were siblings and that the Special Investigations Office had many ordinary staff and few Transcendents.
• A staff member gave Xu Zhi a handbook and told her to wait about ten minutes for her test.
• Xu Zhi read that the handbook described most attributes imprecisely and warned people to report Transcendents with the [Cup] attribute.
• Xu Zhi considered how [Opening] might relate to opening things and guessed that [Forge] was the censored attribute tied to crafting Transcendent items.
• Xu Zhi wondered whether the [Lamp] attribute could bring light to the darkness over Cloud City.

Xu Zhi learned that the Federation was urgently seeking a way into Cloud City and suspected it wanted something valuable there. During an attribute assessment, she deliberately acted suspiciously and let her Spirit Vessel vanish, leaving the Federation investigators startled.

• Xu Zhi read that the Federation was recruiting powerful Transcendents to rescue people trapped in Cloud City, and she concluded that it must be seeking a valuable prize there.
• Xu Zhi entered an office for an attribute assessment while Orange waited outside, and the examiner could not identify her strongest attribute affinity.
• The examiner called in an injured woman, who sensed that Xu Zhi’s attributes seemed mixed together and asked what was going on.
• Xu Zhi asked whether the woman had fought Aberrations, then admitted she knew about her situation and heightened the room’s tension.
• Xu Zhi collapsed and her Spirit Vessel crumbled into ash, leaving the woman and examiner shocked while Orange wondered why the assessment was taking so long.

Xu Zhi recorded the location where her Spirit Vessel had appeared and used the game’s suggestion box to unlock a feature that let her create Spirit Vessels with new appearances. With her retainers growing stronger and Little One entering the deep mountains, the chapter ended as a troop of monkeys surrendered by offering it Cores.

• Xu Zhi spent all ten of her remaining Cores to record the office building’s location.
• Xu Zhi suggested that Spirit Vessels be able to change their appearance, and the game added a feature allowing her to create a new-looking Spirit Vessel for one Core.
• Xu Zhi tested the suggestion box and learned that it would not grant extra retainer slots or increase strength without her retainers improving.
• Xu Zhi reviewed her retainers’ levels and sent Little One into the deep mountains to explore for Cores.
• A troop of monkeys noticed Little One and its leader threw more than a dozen Cores toward it as the monkeys trembled in apparent surrender.

Xu Zhi discovered that forest animals traded mutated cores to powerful predators and decided to send her familiars hunting there together. After growing closer to Doggie, she examined two new attributes, [Forge] and [Opening], and realized the handbook’s explanations were incomplete.

• Xu Zhi had Little One intimidate forest prey and found that some animals handed over their cores, bringing her total gains from the trip to thirty-two.
• Xu Zhi concluded that strong forest animals had already established a system for claiming cores and warned that some might be stronger than Little One.
• Xu Zhi ordered Little One, Xiao Zhen, and Doggie to hunt together in the forest and flee if they faced danger they could not overcome.
• Xu Zhi comforted Doggie with a head rub and felt that her bond with her familiars had grown closer.
• Xu Zhi discovered the [Forge] attribute, associated with transformation, destruction, technology, and strength.
• Xu Zhi examined [Opening] and realized that the handbook’s understanding of extraordinary attributes was too superficial.

Xu Zhi watched her Familiars fight a powerful mutated bear and discovered its core held a higher-level power called Source. After learning that the struggle for the Great Dream’s far shore was an elimination contest, she accepted the challenge with confidence.

• Xu Zhi sent her three Familiars into Cloud City's mountains, where they encountered an enormous mutated bear.
• Little One, Doggie, and the Gyrfalcon fought together for nearly half an hour and killed the bear, though all three were injured.
• Xiao Zhen and Doggie reached level 15, and Little One retrieved the bear's unusually large, brilliant [Blade] core.
• Narrator explained that the bear's core contained Source, a power tied to transcendent creatures' pursuit of the Great Dream's far shore.
• Xu Zhi realized the competition eliminated the weak and declared that she was ready to face it.

Xu Zhi learned that consuming source power of other attributes could increase her affinity, then watched Doggie and Xiao Zhen evolve after leveling up. As she prepared to visit Shen Jinwen, she spotted four cautious figures moving through the fog outside.

• Xu Zhi asked the Narrator about consuming cores with other attributes and learned that doing so could increase her affinity while causing attribute conflicts.
• Doggie and Xiao Zhen finished leveling up, with Doggie becoming a silver-white wolf and Xiao Zhen becoming a Gyrfalcon.
• Xu Zhi discovered that Xiao Zhen had gained the extraordinary ability Instant Death, though its activation rate was less than one in ten thousand and it could only be used twice before exhausting its energy.
• Xu Zhi considered asking Shen Jinwen for martial arts guidance and set out to visit her.
• Xu Zhi spotted four cautious figures moving through the fog and realized her eyesight had improved.