Chapter Summaries

Lin Hai and Peter joined Blade in a vampire nightclub, where Lin tested his Life Force and discovered that the Dragon God's Power made it exceptionally deadly to vampires. They returned with a live specimen and rescued hematologist Karen Jenson, who proposed developing a vampire-killing drug.

• Blade, Lin Hai, and Peter raided a vampire nightclub, where Blade fought the vampires while Lin and Peter tested Lin’s abilities.
• Lin Hai used his full power to turn a vampire to ash, then found that pure Life Force caused less damage and that the Dragon God's Power gave it a potent effect against vampires.
• Lin Hai and Peter captured a final vampire and met Blade, who had rescued the bitten hematologist Karen Jenson.
• Whistler treated Karen with a specialized serum, and Lin Hai used Life Force to help her recover.
• Karen proposed adjusting the serum into a drug targeting vampires, and Whistler welcomed the idea and the live specimen for research.

Lin Hai and his allies rushed to stop Duncan Frost’s Blood God Ritual after Frost captured Blade and used his blood to awaken the Blood God. They defeated Frost and escaped the collapsing altar, but Blade warned that the fight against vampires was not over.

• Lin Hai and Peter bid farewell to Blade, while Frost kidnapped Dr. Whitham and learned that the Blood God Ritual required Blade’s special blood.
• Frost used Blade’s mother Vanessa to lure him into an ambush and captured him for the ritual.
• Karen developed a serum that coagulated vampire blood, and Gwen detected the ritual’s energy beneath Los Angeles.
• Lin Hai led the group to the underground altar, where they rescued Blade as Frost transformed through the Blood God Ritual.
• Blade lured Frost into the serum launcher array, and Lin Hai destroyed him with an emerald-green energy blast.
• Lin Hai and his allies escaped the collapsing altar at dawn and agreed to continue fighting vampires.

After the battle in Los Angeles, Lin Hai and his friends stopped in Missouri so Lin Hai could absorb more Life Energy from Ego’s flower bud, then returned to New York. They spent the rest of summer balancing training, work, heroics, and time together as senior year approached.

• Lin Hai, Peter, Gwen, and Harry bid farewell to Blade, Karen, and Whistler, then flew from Los Angeles toward New York with a stop in Missouri.
• Lin Hai absorbed Life Energy from the flower bud left by the Celestial Ego and assured his friends that the absorption had not disturbed Ego.
• The group returned to New York, where Lin Hai resumed tending medicinal plants and studying magic with Gwen at the New York Sanctum Sanctorum.
• Peter balanced schoolwork and experiments with nightly patrols as Spider-Man, while Uncle Ben supported him and helped keep his secret from Aunt May.
• Harry studied the Osborn Enterprises business under Norman, continued his scientific research, and sometimes helped Peter with problems as Nova.
• The four friends made Sundays their shared day of rest as they prepared to begin their senior year at Midtown School.

Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry discussed their college plans and agreed to place the California Institute of Technology at the top of their wish lists. Peter doubted his chances, but his friends reassured him, and the group left their final decision open as senior year approached.

• Harry, Lin Hai, Gwen, and Peter compared their strengths and discussed finding a university that suited all four of them.
• The group settled on the California Institute of Technology as their leading choice because it matched their academic interests and future plans.
• Peter worried that his résumé was too weak for Caltech, and Harry, Lin Hai, and Gwen reminded him of his technical achievements and potential.
• Harry pointed out that Peter had helped Professor Connors's Limb Regeneration Project make a key breakthrough.
• The four treated Caltech as an early intention rather than a final decision and agreed to keep their options open.

Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry pursued their semester goals through schoolwork and weekend training at Kamar-Taj. By autumn, Gwen could form a stable cluster of magical light, and Lin Hai had briefly opened a Portal, leaving all four encouraged to keep progressing.

• At lunch, Peter listed the group’s semester goals: he would strengthen his application, Harry would learn corporate management, Gwen would begin casting magic, and Lin Hai would try to learn Portal Magic before winter break.
• Lin Hai and Gwen adjusted their weekend schedules at Kamar-Taj to focus on spellcasting, where Gwen practiced forming a magical spark and Lin Hai trained with a Sling Ring.
• Gwen eventually formed a stable cluster of golden light in her palm, while Hamil reminded Lin Hai that Portal Magic required precise control and that his progress was already quick.
• Harry shared Osborn Group reports with Peter for a school paper, and the two worked together while Harry continued studying business regulations.
• At the clinic’s backyard, Gwen showed off her magical light, Harry described understanding a merger case, and Lin Hai revealed that he had opened a Portal for less than a second to the back of a bookshelf.

As autumn progressed, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry worked toward their goals through sorcery training and scientific research. Lin Hai could open Portals but still struggled to target them accurately, while Peter completed a research paper on a new Web Shooter Silk formula.

• Gwen struggled to form a stable protective barrier, and Lin Hai encouraged her to focus on the desire to protect.
• Lin Hai opened a Portal intended for the New York Sanctum Sanctorum but found a mountain region instead, prompting Master Hamil to tell him to improve his targeting.
• Peter asked Harry for non-confidential Oscorp research data to help develop a more stable Web Shooter Silk formula.
• Harry offered Peter access to his basement laboratory, where Peter synthesized the new Silk formula and tested its performance.
• Peter wrote a detailed research paper on the formula and fell asleep at his computer after saving it.

Harry took on greater responsibility at Osborn Group as Gwen and Lin Hai advanced their magic training and Peter finished his research. By the end of senior year’s first semester, Lin Hai had precisely opened a Portal to the Herbal Plant Shop, Gwen had passed her shield test, Peter had won the science fair, and Harry had secured approval for a recruitment plan he would oversee.

• Harry defended his opposition to a biotech investment and Norman assigned him to prepare alternative proposals.
• Gwen formed her first stable magic shield, while Lin Hai’s Portal magic became more reliable and Peter completed a draft of his thesis.
• Lin Hai opened a Portal directly to the Herbal Plant Shop, and Gwen blocked Master Hamil’s energy spheres with a strong shield.
• Peter won the Midtown High School science fair’s grand prize for his biomimetic adhesive paper, with Harry’s support acknowledged.
• Harry persuaded the Osborn Group board to approve his young technology talent recruitment plan, and Norman made him responsible for following up on it.

Lin Hai invited Peter, Gwen, and Harry to join him on a winter-break trip to Huaxia, and they eagerly began planning the journey. They hoped to visit Ta Lo, meet Lin Hai’s family, and return to New York through a Portal before school resumed.

• Peter, Gwen, and Harry shared that they had little planned for winter break, so Lin Hai invited them to come to Huaxia with him.
• Peter eagerly accepted, while Gwen considered visa requirements and Harry checked his schedule before agreeing to go.
• Gwen and Harry planned to arrange the group’s passports and visas through the Osborn Group’s international business services team.
• Lin Hai proposed visiting his home first and then Ta Lo Village, explaining how their connections might persuade its guardians to admit them.
• Lin Hai planned for the group to return to his home for an early New Year’s Eve dinner, explore the Sichuan-Shu Region, and travel back to New York through a Portal.

Lin Hai took Peter, Gwen, and Harry through a Portal to visit his family in Huaxia. After introducing them to his delighted parents, the group explored a local market, shared a Sichuan feast, and settled in for the night at Lin Hai’s home.

• Lin Hai demonstrated his improved Portal control to Chen Bing, then led Peter, Gwen, and Harry through it to a Huaxia alley.
• Lin Hai surprised his mother at home by arriving with Peter, Harry, and Gwen, and she warmly welcomed them inside.
• Lin Hai’s mother took the group to a local market, where Peter, Gwen, and Harry explored unfamiliar produce, foods, and ingredients.
• Lin Hai’s parents returned home and prepared a large Sichuan dinner, which the visitors enjoyed despite the spicy dishes.
• Lin Hai, Peter, Harry, and Gwen cleaned up together, then arranged for Gwen to sleep in the guest room and Peter and Harry to share Lin Hai’s room.

Lin Hai took Peter, Gwen, and Harry to a bustling morning market, then brought them toward Ta Lo after telling his parents they planned to visit a mountain farm stay. His Portal could not pierce the Mystic Realm’s defenses, so he used the Divine Dragon Heart to summon Ta Lo’s guardians and waited with his friends at the bamboo grove.

• Father and Mother Lin took Lin Hai, Peter, Gwen, and Harry to a morning market, where the three visitors sampled local breakfast foods and explored the stalls.
• Lin Hai told his parents the group wanted to visit the mountain farm stay he had seen during winter break, and they agreed to let them go.
• Lin Hai led Peter, Gwen, and Harry from the mountain market into the forest and tried to open a Portal to the Ta Lo Mystic Realm, but its defenses made the Portal unstable.
• Lin Hai guided his friends to a bamboo grove and used the Divine Dragon Heart to send a signal to Ta Lo’s guardians.
• Lin Hai and his friends waited outside the grove for the guardians to arrive.

Lin Hai brought Peter, Gwen, and Harry to Ta Lo, where Old Chen welcomed them and arranged Qilin Horses for their journey. As the group rode toward the hidden village, Gwen shared Lin Hai’s mount, leaving him flustered while Peter and Harry teased him.

• Lin Hai introduced Peter, Gwen, and Harry to Old Chen, who welcomed them as guests of Ta Lo.
• Old Chen explained that they lacked enough Qilin Horses for everyone, so Peter and Harry shared mounts with villagers.
• Gwen asked Lin Hai to ride with her, and Peter and Harry snickered at the pair.
• Lin Hai calmed a Qilin Horse with his Life Energy, then helped Gwen climb on behind him.
• Lin Hai led the group through the hidden passage toward Ta Lo Village while Gwen held on to him and Peter and Harry laughed.

Gwen, Peter, and Harry entered Ta Lo with Lin Hai and Old Chen, marveling at the hidden realm’s springlike scenery, magical creatures, and welcoming village. Old Chen brought them to the village meeting hall and invited them inside to rest and arrange accommodations.

• Gwen, Peter, Harry, and Lin Hai passed through the gateway and were stunned by Ta Lo’s mountains, lake, bamboo groves, and fields.
• Lin Hai showed them Firebirds, Nine-Tailed Foxes, and Qilin Horses, while Old Chen pointed out the playful Little Chaos.
• A Suanni rose from the lake, greeted Old Chen, and settled back down as Peter and Harry nervously watched.
• Old Chen and Lin Hai rode with their guests along the village road as villagers greeted them warmly.
• Old Chen welcomed the four young people at the meeting hall and offered them Ta Lo tea and accommodations.
• Lin Hai helped Gwen down from her horse, and Gwen, Peter, and Harry praised Ta Lo’s extraordinary beauty and environment.

Lin Hai brought Gwen, Peter, and Harry to meet Ta Lo’s guardian Azure Dragon, and reunited with the dragon at the lakeside altar. After sharing a brief flight and introducing his friends, Lin Hai watched Azure Dragon return to the lake, leaving the villagers cheering.

• Gwen asked to see Azure Dragon, and Lin Hai and Old Chen agreed to take her, Peter, and Harry to the lakeside altar.
• Ta Lo’s villagers gathered at the lake as Lin Hai stepped onto the altar and Azure Dragon emerged from the water.
• Azure Dragon affectionately nuzzled Lin Hai, who greeted it and touched its scales.
• Lin Hai rode Azure Dragon on a gentle flight over the lake and shared his experiences from the past year through their connection.
• Lin Hai introduced Gwen, Peter, and Harry to Azure Dragon, which greeted them and returned to the lake.
• The villagers cheered while Gwen, Peter, and Harry remained awestruck by the encounter.

After reuniting with the Azure Dragon, Lin Hai showed Gwen, Peter, and Harry around Ta Lo and explained how the village balanced tradition with modern technology. He led them toward the training ground, planning to make Peter and Harry pay for teasing him earlier.

• Old Chen arranged rooms for Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry in the village chief's guest pavilion.
• Lin Hai and his companions shared lunch with the villagers, and Gwen, Peter, and Harry enthusiastically sampled the Ta Lo dishes.
• Lin Hai suggested a walk through the village followed by exercise at the training ground, and the others agreed.
• Lin Hai explained that S.P.E.A.R. director Zheng Xian brought Ta Lo supplies, technology, and news from the outside world.
• Lin Hai led the group toward the training ground while Peter and Harry sensed that he intended to give them a punishing workout.

Lin Hai took Peter and Harry to Ta Lo’s training ground and used a sparring match to get revenge for their earlier laughter. He left them exhausted and blaming each other while Gwen and the villagers laughed.

• Lin Hai, Peter, Harry, and Gwen arrived at the training ground, where Gwen sat out and watched the others warm up.
• Lin Hai challenged Peter and Harry to their usual two-against-one match, then launched a relentless attack that caught them off guard.
• Peter and Harry realized Lin Hai was taking revenge for their laughter that morning and argued over who had started it.
• Lin Hai stopped once he had vented his resentment, and Peter and Harry collapsed while Gwen brought them water and towels.
• The villagers laughed at the sparring match, which ended with Lin Hai victorious and Peter and Harry exhausted.

After several fulfilling days in Ta Lo, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry said farewell to the villagers and the Azure Dragon and returned to Lin Hai’s home. They left Ta Lo eager to visit again, carrying its gifts and memories back to ordinary life.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry spent their days in Ta Lo feasting, training with the villagers, and exploring Ta Lo’s natural magic.
• On their sixth morning, Lin Hai and his friends packed the villagers’ gifts and Lin Hai said farewell to the Azure Dragon.
• Old Chen and the villagers escorted the four to the village entrance, where they mounted Qilin Horses and rode through the Bamboo Grove Maze.
• Outside the bamboo grove, Peter, Harry, and Gwen reflected on their time in Ta Lo, and Lin Hai promised they could return.
• The four took a taxi from the mountain market to Lin Hai’s home, where Lin Hai’s mother welcomed them and invited them to lunch.

After spending cozy days with Lin Hai's parents, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry toured Sichuan before winter break ended. They returned to New York exhausted, with only a day left before Midtown High School reopened, and went straight home to sleep.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry enjoyed home-cooked meals and local Sichuan food with Lin Hai's parents.
• Lin Hai secretly sent Ta Lo supplies through a Portal to Chen Bing at the Chen-Style Chinese Medicine Clinic.
• Lin Hai told his parents that the group would leave the next day to visit Mount Qingcheng, the panda research base, and the Leshan Giant Buddha.
• The four toured Sichuan's sights and sampled local dishes with the help of their driver.
• The group returned through the Portal to New York exhausted, said goodbye to Chen Bing, and headed home to sleep before school resumed.

After winter break, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry reunited at Midtown High and shared stories of their trip to Huaxia with Mary Jane, who said she would ask Peter to guide her if she visited. As the semester began, they set ambitious goals in magic, business, and science, hoping all four could attend the same university.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry reunited at school and reminisced about their winter trip to Huaxia.
• Mary Jane heard about their trip and said Peter could be her guide and translator if she visited Huaxia.
• Lin Hai planned to study the Mirror Dimension, while Gwen focused on building a broad foundation in basic magic.
• Harry began taking on real responsibilities at Osborn Enterprises to develop his business and management skills.
• Peter continued refining his Spider-Suit and Web Shooters while expanding his research achievements for college applications.
• The four friends committed to working toward attending the same dream university.

Tanner, a weak member of the Inheritor Family, secretly traveled to Earth to hunt its newly emerged Spider-Man and steal his Totem Power. He identified Peter as his target in New York, while Peter’s Spider-Sense had already warned him that danger had arrived.

• Tanner detected a fresh trace of Spider-Totem energy and decided to hide it from his family so he could claim it himself.
• Tanner used the Inheritor Family’s technique to slip past Earth’s magical defenses and arrive in Manhattan.
• Peter’s Spider-Sense gave him a sudden, intense warning in his laboratory, but he dismissed it as fatigue or equipment interference.
• Tanner bought a Daily Bugle and learned that Spider-Man had recently appeared in New York.
• Tanner began hunting Peter, unaware that Lin Hai and other allies stood behind Spider-Man.

Tanner, unaware of Peter’s close allies, devised a plan to neutralize Spider-Man’s abilities and ambushed him on a rainy night. Peter survived the targeted attack and forced Tanner to retreat, but realized his enemy knew how to counter him.

• Tanner misjudged Peter’s social circle and planned to destroy his Web Shooters and disrupt his Spider-Sense before striking.
• Tanner built high-frequency sound devices and ambushed Peter after Spider-Man stopped a group of bank robbers.
• Peter dodged Tanner’s initial attack but suffered claw wounds when Tanner’s device disrupted his Spider-Sense.
• Peter adapted to the cramped convenience store fight, using the surroundings and webs until he shocked Tanner with an Electric Web.
• Tanner tore free and escaped into the rain, while Peter examined his wounds and suspected he had been specifically targeted.