Chapter Summaries

Xia Liang used a chain of mirrored Explosion attacks to exhaust Butterfly Bush’s defenses, then escaped with Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily using Tether. The three fled through a ceiling mirror as Butterfly Bush struggled to respond.

• Butterfly Bush anticipated Xia Liang’s mirrored Explosion and deployed barriers, but realized the apparent attack was a double-layered feint.
• Butterfly Bush redirected her defense toward a mirror behind her, only for the Explosion to emerge backward and travel toward another hidden mirror.
• Xia Liang cast Tether on herself, Mountain Lily, and Tiger Lily while preparing another Explosion, leaving Butterfly Bush with little mana to defend.
• Xia Liang and her teammates leaped backward and were pulled through a mirror set into the corridor ceiling.

Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan took over a half-solved maze puzzle after using another squad’s traps to blast open a passage, then worked together to connect a green path across the grid. As they neared completion, Lin Xiaolu told Mint about Larkspur and the battle against Black Ash Dawn, and Mint began to share news about her own city.

• Lin Xiaolu’s squad identified and detonated the traps in the passage, causing the squad that laid them to be ejected for violating the rules.
• Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan found the previous squad’s partly solved puzzle and divided up the work of creating a green path between its devices.
• While the trio continued solving the puzzle, Lin Xiaolu recounted the attack on Fangting City and praised Larkspur, with Mint and Bai Jingxuan listening and responding.
• Mint said she wanted to meet Larkspur, and Lin Xiaolu insisted that she would not get the chance.
• Lin Xiaolu asked Mint to describe her home city, and Mint smiled and prepared to tell them about it.

Mint told Lin Xiaolu about Yuewang City’s history, its mountain-built residential district, and how its Magical Girls used the city’s layout to respond quickly to danger. As Bai Jingxuan finished connecting the puzzle’s tiles, Mint ended their conversation and turned her attention to the activated device.

• Mint explained that Wuheng Mountain had sheltered ancient refugees from Aberrant Beasts because its Ghost-Driving Stone disrupted their senses, and the settlement later grew into Yuewang City.
• Mint told Lin Xiaolu that the Ghost-Driving Stone had been mined out for barrier materials, leaving Wuheng Mountain hollowed out and incorporated into the city.
• Mint described the homes and bridges inside the mountain, the Magical Girl dormitories above them, and her dramatic leaps from the mountaintop to emergencies below.
• Mint urged Lin Xiaolu to promote her Magical Girl identity online, while Lin Xiaolu reflected on the attention Cornflower received in Fangting City.
• Bai Jingxuan announced that the green tiles connected the devices, and Mint ended the conversation to inspect the activated puzzle.

Team 277 solved three maze puzzles and found secret passages while continuing to explore alone. After Larkspur helped Tudingui and Foxtail Grass grow more comfortable with each other, the three sensed an unfamiliar fluctuation of magic nearby.

• Team 277 solved three puzzles, earning points and secret passages that helped them avoid other teams and travel through the maze.
• After the third puzzle opened a passage into a barren, ominous area, Tudingui led the team inside with Foxtail Grass guarding the rear and Larkspur between them.
• Larkspur thanked Tudingui for protecting her and apologized for having misjudged her as arrogant and unapproachable.
• Foxtail Grass told Tudingui about her younger brother, and the two shared stories while Larkspur kept the conversation moving.
• As Team 277 explored deeper into the maze, Larkspur noticed a strange fluctuation of magic, and Tudingui and Foxtail Grass also began searching for its source.

Team 277 investigated an empty hollow at the center of the maze, where Larkspur discovered that the apparent echoes were being imitated by a hidden creature. The dead tree revealed itself as a gigantic stick insect-like aberrant beast standing before them.

• Team 277 entered a vast, empty hollow while following unusual magical fluctuations.
• Tudingui called out to hear the hollow's echo, and Larkspur tried it too.
• Larkspur sensed a strange magical fluctuation while probing the hollow with her magic.
• Larkspur realized the clear echoes could not occur naturally in the soft, sound-absorbing earth and concluded something was imitating them.
• The dead tree unfolded nearly ten enormous branches and revealed itself as an aberrant beast facing Team 277.

Tudingui recognized the maze as a simulated Aberrant Beast's Nest and used her Magic Armament to strengthen Team 277 before confronting the Pupa alone. She withstood its attacks and repeatedly empowered herself, leaving the battle poised for her final assault.

• Tudingui reasoned that defeating the Aberrant Beast would reveal the maze's exit and transformed her wand into the banner-shaped Magic Armament Banner Emblem.
• Tudingui imprinted emblems on Larkspur and Foxtail Grass, boosting their physical, mental, and magical abilities, then flew to face the Aberrant Beast.
• The Aberrant Beast used camouflage and adapted its body to Tudingui's magic, but she broke both of its legs with her banner spear.
• Tudingui blocked the creature's magical bombardment with a Bastion Art spell that she cast in just a few breaths.
• Tudingui struck her banner against the ground repeatedly, concentrating the emblems' power on herself until she shone like the sun and ordered the Aberrant Beast to disappear.

Xia Liang’s team struggled through its first puzzle while falling behind other teams, and Mountain Lily proposed an impractical plan to find the exit first. A casual suggestion led Xia Liang to discover that her Diversion Mirror could alter the labyrinth wall, leaving her wondering if she had found a way to score highly.

• Xia Liang’s team finally found a magic-power Rubik’s Cube puzzle, but its position in the wall forced her to run between its two exposed sides to solve it.
• Xia Liang told Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily that their slow progress made a strong assessment result unlikely, while Mountain Lily suggested searching for and guarding the exit.
• Tiger Lily pointed out that Mountain Lily could not know where the exit would appear and that blocking other examinees could lead to dangerous fights.
• Mountain Lily asked why Xia Liang did not teleport the wall, prompting Xia Liang to wonder whether her Diversion Mirror could affect the spell formula sustaining the labyrinth.
• Xia Liang tested the mirror on the wall, transformed part of it into sparse shrub branches, and watched the wall regenerate without any warning or penalty.

The viewing stands followed the leading teams and their varied strategies as the maze assessment neared its decisive stage. Purple Diamond and the other spectators were startled when an obscure team punched through a maze wall and sprinted toward the outside.

• Purple Diamond grew bored as the projections showed leading teams traveling through the maze, including Team 277 and the closely trailing Team 604.
• The spectators watched Team 1334’s Butterfly Bush attack other teams to collect their puzzle rewards and attract viewer support.
• Other teams pursued their own strategies, from controlling Maze Nodes to mapping the maze or waiting near the exit.
• Purple Diamond noticed Emerald and Pigeon Blood react to a sudden development in the projection.
• A magical girl in a Hibiscus Purple soft cap opened a hole in the maze wall and led her team through it toward the outside.

A blonde Claw Mark member tested Silver Gallery’s security by trying to enter with an invitation but no Certification Card, then reported the strict screening to Ink Lotus and another girl. The group discussed whether the heightened security meant they had been exposed, and a masked middle-aged man spoke to them.

• A blonde girl tried to enter Silver Gallery to watch the examination but was turned away because she lacked her Certification Card and could not pass the security checks.
• The girl left Silver Gallery, changed her appearance in an alley, and met the others in a private room at a nearby café.
• She told the group that Silver Gallery’s security was strict and that someone had followed her, though she escaped by using mana decoys.
• The girl beside Ink Lotus speculated that Sister Cat’s old flame had betrayed them, while the blonde girl suggested the Royal Court might simply have strengthened security for the ceremony.
• A masked middle-aged man spoke from within the room, drawing the attention of the three Claw Mark members, including Ink Lotus.

Black Cat, Golden Snake, and Brown Pelican met with Bee of Black Ash Dawn to coordinate their operation involving the Beast Source and the Queen Year examination. Black Cat warned Bee not to endanger ordinary people or children, and Bee said Black Ash Dawn did not intend to destroy the examination because their Beast Children were taking part.

• Bee explained that Golden Snake's test had confirmed the Kingdom's security was tight, and said Black Cat's warning to Cornflower was understandable.
• Brown Pelican questioned whether Cornflower could tolerate Claw Mark's operation, while Golden Snake argued that Cornflower's exile made her similar to them.
• Black Cat said Claw Mark would cooperate with Bee but demanded that he not disrupt their leader's plans.
• Black Cat warned Bee not to attack ordinary people or children, or he would turn the whole Magic Kingdom against them.
• Bee said Black Ash Dawn prioritized efficiency and had never planned to destroy the examination because their Beast Children were participating.

Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan followed a hidden passage toward a Maze Node and discovered that another team had fought over it. The victor approached them as a swarm of bats, then revealed herself and addressed Mint as her sister.

• Lin Xiaolu bumped into Mint when Mint suddenly stopped, then asked what was wrong.
• Bai Jingxuan sensed chaotic magical power fluctuations ahead, and Mint confirmed that another team was fighting near the Maze Node.
• Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan debated whether to continue toward the node or retreat, but Bai Jingxuan sensed one side’s magical power vanish and the remaining presence approach them.
• A swarm of bats rushed through the passage and gathered into a black-and-red magical girl.
• The magical girl examined Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, then greeted Mint as her dear sister.

Arrowroot confronted Mint, Lin Xiaolu, and Bai Jingxuan at a Maze Node, revealing that she had eliminated other examinees and intended to claim the node. After provoking Bai Jingxuan and warning that she found her unusually tempting prey, Arrowroot proposed that they help fight the Aberrant Beast and split the points evenly.

• Mint greeted Arrowroot cautiously and asked whether she had caused the earlier commotion.
• Arrowroot admitted that she had eliminated the examinees who tried to block her, saying she could plunder as long as she kept her identity hidden.
• Arrowroot said the Maze Node already belonged to her and revealed that she had approached to confirm the group's identities.
• Arrowroot focused on Bai Jingxuan, called her aura mouthwatering, and prompted Lin Xiaolu to shield her.
• Mint asked what Arrowroot intended to do, and Arrowroot proposed that they help fight the Aberrant Beast in exchange for an even split of the points.

Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan saw the oversized Aberrant Beast and nearly a hundred smaller beasts guarding the Maze Node. Arrowroot charged in alone to fight the giant, while Mint warned the others that Arrowroot’s strength was on another level.

• Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan observed the enormous Pupa and the flesh sacs containing nearly a hundred small Aberrant Beasts at the Maze Node.
• Arrowroot asked whether Lin Xiaolu or Bai Jingxuan could use large-scale attacks, but neither revealed such an ability.
• Arrowroot declared that she could handle the node herself, then rushed off to fight the giant Aberrant Beast.
• Lin Xiaolu objected to Arrowroot charging in alone, but Arrowroot had already engaged the beast.
• Mint explained that she and Arrowroot were longtime rivals and warned Lin Xiaolu to be careful of Arrowroot’s exceptional strength.
• Mint urged Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan to move in and clear the node for points.

Xia Liang’s team pushed through the maze walls using her Magic Armament, but her magic power ran low and forced them to rest while other teams gathered nearby. By eavesdropping on them with a speaking-tube device, Xia Liang learned that another team had predicted the maze exit’s location and sold the information.

• Xia Liang used her Magic Armament to break down the maze walls and lead Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily through dozens of them until her magic power ran dry.
• When Tiger Lily sensed an approaching team, Xia Liang ordered the group to move and hide rather than risk contact.
• The three noticed several teams passing through the area and speculated that they were gathering near a node, but Xia Liang chose to avoid them and continue their plan.
• Xia Liang used two linked Magic Armament mirrors to eavesdrop on passing teams and gradually pieced together their shared information.
• Xia Liang told Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily that another team had figured out where the maze exit might be and sold that information.

Team 277 secured first place in maze reward points as Tudingui handled the fighting and Larkspur contributed little. While chatting with Tudingui and Foxtail Grass, Larkspur worried that the Queen might recognize her false identity through the livestream.

• Team 277 conquered a second node after Tudingui fought the Aberrant Beasts, and the other team yielded half the reward.
• Tudingui and Larkspur solved two more puzzles, bringing Team 277's total to five puzzle rewards and two node rewards and securing first place in maze points.
• Tudingui repeatedly patted Larkspur's head, while Larkspur worried that the livestream would expose her to Emerald, the Green Faction, or the Queen.
• Larkspur asked Tudingui about playing with her younger sister, and Tudingui shared details of her life while avoiding mention of Blue Star.
• Foxtail Grass drew Larkspur into conversations about anime, leaving Larkspur to juggle both teammates' attention.

Lin Xiaolu and her teammates cleared the Maze Node after Arrowroot drained the giant Aberrant Beast from within, but Mint, Arrowroot, and Bai Jingxuan nearly came to blows afterward. With the exam still underway, Lin Xiaolu was left trying to mediate the escalating conflict.

• Arrowroot invaded the Aberrant Beasts as bats and black mist, weakening them and driving the giant beast into a rampage while Lin Xiaolu and the others held back its smaller kin.
• Arrowroot told Lin Xiaolu to keep the smaller Aberrant Beasts away from the giant, then drained it and defeated it in exactly three minutes.
• Lin Xiaolu and the others swept away the remaining Aberrant Beasts and completed the node.
• Mint's remark about Arrowroot's appetite sparked an argument when Arrowroot challenged Mint's ranking of her below Cotton Tree.
• Bai Jingxuan silently sided with Mint, and Arrowroot welcomed the prospect of a fight, leaving Lin Xiaolu to consider how Larkspur would mediate.

Lin Xiaolu tried to mediate a brewing fight between Mint, Bai Jingxuan, and Arrowroot, but her initial appeal to reason failed. She stopped the clash by angrily challenging Arrowroot to settle their rivalry in a later assessment event, and Arrowroot accepted.

• Lin Xiaolu stepped between the groups and urged Arrowroot, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan not to jeopardize their assessment scores by fighting.
• Mint refused to back down from Arrowroot, while Arrowroot insisted Bai Jingxuan could not leave and hinted that she and Mint both knew something about her.
• When Arrowroot transformed and prepared to attack, Lin Xiaolu interrupted the fight and scolded Mint and Bai Jingxuan for risking their scores.
• Lin Xiaolu cursed out Arrowroot and proposed that they fight in a later event instead of during the assessment.
• Arrowroot accepted Lin Xiaolu's challenge and said she would remember her.

Xia Liang investigated a rumored maze exit and tried to trade information for a survey map. She offered details about the fourth-place candidate’s abilities, and the surveying squad showed interest in negotiating.

• After learning that only one maze node remained, Xia Liang hurried to investigate a rumored exit location.
• Xia Liang posed as a buyer of exit information and learned that one squad had surveyed much of the maze and traded possible exit locations and a map for puzzle-solving rights.
• Xia Liang realized that the surveying squad might share her ability to pass through walls and decided she needed to see their map.
• When the squad refused to show it for free, Xia Liang offered information about the fourth-place candidate’s abilities in exchange for a deal.
• The squad’s leader responded with interest and asked Xia Liang to tell her more.

As other teams followed Team 277, Larkspur encouraged Foxtail Grass and Tudingui to treat their attention as motivation. Tudingui began sensing the maze more seriously, but an announcement changed the assessment and revealed that Team 582 had already taken first place.

• Foxtail Grass asked why other teams were following Team 277, and Larkspur guessed they expected the team to find the exit or were gathering intelligence for a larger group.
• Foxtail Grass worried the followers would criticize them if they failed to find the exit, but Larkspur said they should let the teams follow and focus on doing their best.
• Larkspur told Foxtail Grass to turn pressure into motivation, and Tudingui said the other teams' confidence made her want to try harder.
• Tudingui pressed her palm to the wall and used more strength to sense the paths around them.
• The chief examiner announced that the maze exit would open in 60 seconds despite uncleared Maze Nodes, and that Team 582 had already exited first, with Miss Little Brocade earning special recognition.

After the assessment exit opened and first place was claimed, Lin Xiaolu questioned Mint and Bai Jingxuan about their hostility toward Arrowroot. Bai Jingxuan suspected both Arrowroot and Mint carried an aura more like Aberrant Beasts than Claw Mark, leaving Lin Xiaolu suspicious of a possible connection among the three.

• The chief examiner announced that first place had already been claimed, forcing squads across the maze to reconsider their plans and rush through their battles.
• Lin Xiaolu asked Mint and Bai Jingxuan why they had acted so strangely toward Arrowroot.
• Mint refused to explain while they were in the maze, and Bai Jingxuan whispered that Arrowroot and Mint both felt like Aberrant Beasts to her.
• Lin Xiaolu believed Bai Jingxuan and wondered whether Arrowroot, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan shared a connection she did not know about.
• Mint offered to answer Lin Xiaolu's questions over a meal after they left the maze, on the condition that Lin Xiaolu paid.