Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Oscar absorbs his third Soul Ring and becomes a level 31 Soul Elder. His new skill lets him fly for one minute at the speed of a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
• Tang San also reaches level 30 after fighting Meng Yiran. The group spends two days searching for suitable Soul Beasts for him and An Chen.
• A Titan Giant Ape ambushes the group and carries off Xiao Wu. Zhao Wuji tries to hold it back, but the beast easily repels everyone’s attacks. Tang San pursues it using one of Oscar’s flying sausages; the others follow.
• The group finds Tang San absorbing a purple Soul Ring from a giant spider. An Chen realizes he has missed the chance to obtain the External Soul Bone hidden within it. Tang San endures a dangerous absorption, while Xiao Wu unexpectedly returns unharmed. She says she found and killed a suitable Millennium Soul Beast and also reached level 30.
• The search for An Chen’s Shadow Attribute Soul Beast fails, so the group returns to the academy. After a short rest, Flender says he will personally take An Chen hunting the next day.
• Flender introduces Yu Xiaogang, or Grandmaster, as Tang San’s teacher. Grandmaster appears to know An Chen’s private thoughts and teases him about something still missing: a silver-rimmed monocle.
• An Chen flees, but an identical version of him remains behind wearing the monocle. The chapter ends as the other An Chen, Grandmaster, and Flender look toward him mockingly, and he keeps running.

Character developments and interactions

• Oscar gains a powerful mobility skill, which helps Tang San and the group pursue the Titan Giant Ape.
• Tang San becomes more determined when Xiao Wu is taken and risks chasing the giant ape. His Soul Ring absorption is perilous, but he survives and awakens.
• Xiao Wu returns safely, reassures the group, and reveals that she has independently obtained her third Soul Ring.
• Zhao Wuji takes responsibility during the attack and later prioritizes protecting Tang San while he absorbs his ring.
• An Chen stays composed during the earlier events because he knows the likely outcome, but his interest in Tang San’s potential Soul Bone is disappointed. He is wary of Flender and panics when Grandmaster exposes the strange double wearing a monocle.

Significant themes

• Power and danger: Even the group’s combined attacks are ineffective against the Titan Giant Ape, underscoring the gap between their abilities and those of powerful Soul Beasts.
• Loyalty and risk: Tang San’s desperate pursuit of Xiao Wu highlights their close bond.
• Hidden knowledge and uncertainty: An Chen’s foreknowledge gives him an advantage, but events involving Grandmaster and the monocled double are beyond his control.
• Comic suspense: An Chen’s anxious thoughts and abrupt flight turn the chapter’s final revelation into a humorous cliffhanger.

Plot points and events

• After fleeing Shrek, An Chen collapses from exhaustion in the woods and wakes the next morning. He finds a road to Xuanshui City, a small but busy trading hub, where he rests for a day.
• He reviews the disturbing events at Shrek: Flender and Grandmaster seemed changed, an abnormal mass emerged from Li Yusong, and Flender claimed to have seen another version of An Chen. An Chen suspects Flender may be able to extract abnormalities and alter people’s perceptions.
• An Chen uses the system’s divination ability to check whether Flender and Yu Xiaogang are pursuing him. The result is no, though he remains wary.
• With his soul power at level 30 but no third soul ring, An Chen decides to seek a Shadow-attribute soul beast. His quest also promises a Hermit potion formula and materials.
• Before continuing, he looks for Whale Glue, which he hopes might strengthen his body and help him absorb a higher-age soul ring. After searching pharmacies and listening in taverns, he learns from a sailor that it is sold at Sanchao Post, a seaside settlement with a stranded whale.
• The sailor calls Sanchao Post “unearthly” and “abnormal” but falls asleep before explaining. An Chen sets out for the coast.

Character development and interactions

• An Chen recovers from the escape but remains anxious and suspicious. He carefully weighs his options, avoids returning to places that could endanger others, and relies on caution, investigation, and divination rather than confronting his pursuers.
• Flender and Yu Xiaogang remain an unresolved threat: they have not followed An Chen, but their apparent transformations and possible powers leave him uncertain about what happened.
• An Chen interacts briefly with Xuanshui’s locals, mostly by listening to conversations. A drunken sailor provides the lead to Sanchao Post but also hints that the destination may be dangerous.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and distorted perception: An Chen cannot tell what was real at Shrek or whether his own perceptions have been altered.
• Survival through caution and information: He avoids risky destinations, checks for pursuit, and gathers local rumors before choosing his next move.
• Pursuit of power and preparation: The third soul ring and Whale Glue represent his effort to strengthen himself before facing future dangers.
• The uncanny spreading outward: Reports of ordinary villagers behaving violently, along with the sailor’s warnings about Sanchao Post, suggest that the abnormal events at Shrek may be part of a wider mystery.

Summary of “Simple Folk Customs”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three days after leaving Xuanshui City, An Chen arrives at Sanchao Post, a lively coastal town known for its sailors, merchants, dried seafood, and especially whale glue.
• Disguised as a moderately equipped mercenary working for a noble, An Chen enters the town using the cover story that he has been sent to purchase whale glue for a lord in Tiangdou City.
• He checks into the three-story Sanchao Inn and asks for a quiet room. The inn attendant, impressed by his gold coin and mercenary appearance, tells him that Director Mokai controls the town’s whale-glue trade.
• The attendant explains that Mokai rose mysteriously from an ordinary newcomer to the unofficial ruler of Sanchao Post. Though generally generous and respected, Mokai is known to have a bad temper.
• An Chen spends the evening observing the town’s noisy, crude nightlife before going to bed.
• During the night, a woman staying at the inn screams and insists on leaving because the town is haunted. She claims she dreamed—or experienced—an encounter with a man whose hands transformed into sea-rattan-like tentacles that licked her.
• The attendant dismisses the incident as a nightmare and tries to calm her, but her hysterical reaction and certainty that the event was real introduce a disturbing supernatural or monstrous element.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Demonstrates careful preparation and adaptability by changing his clothes, carrying believable weapons, and adopting a mercenary identity suited to his mission. He remains observant and composed while assessing the town, its inhabitants, and potential dangers. His enhanced hearing becomes a minor inconvenience during the inn’s noisy night, but it also allows him to detect the mysterious disturbance immediately.
• The inn attendant: Quickly becomes deferential after seeing An Chen’s wealth and attempts to be helpful by providing information about Mokai. He is familiar with local power structures but appears uneasy when discussing Mokai’s temperament and the nighttime incident.
• Director Mokai: Does not appear directly, but is established as an influential and mysterious figure who dominates Sanchao Post’s whale-glue trade and commands even the respect of government officials.
• The female guest: Her sudden terror and insistence that her experience was real make her the first apparent victim or witness to the town’s hidden danger.

Significant Themes

• Disguise and deception: An Chen’s false identity and fabricated mission emphasize the importance of blending into unfamiliar environments.
• Appearance versus reality: Sanchao Post initially seems like an ordinary, boisterous port town, but hints of corruption, hidden power, and supernatural danger lie beneath its everyday activity.
• Local “simplicity” as disorder: The title is ironic; the town’s supposedly honest and uncomplicated folk customs are represented by aggressive bargaining, public drinking, vulgarity, and sudden violence.
• The unknown and supernatural intrusion: The woman’s account of tentacles and her conviction that it was not a dream shift the atmosphere from comic realism to horror and mystery.
• Power and influence: Mokai’s unexplained rise and control over the local economy suggest that Sanchao Post is governed more by informal authority than by official institutions.

Character Interactions

• An Chen bargains indirectly with the town by presenting himself as a noble’s mercenary agent.
• He questions the inn attendant about whale glue, its quality, and Mokai’s whereabouts, prompting the attendant to reveal local rumors.
• The attendant treats An Chen with increasing respect because of his apparent wealth and offers to arrange a meeting with Mokai.
• At night, the frightened woman argues with the attendant, rejecting his explanation that she merely had a nightmare. Their exchange exposes her panic and the inn’s first unsettling incident.
• An Chen remains an observer rather than directly intervening, using his hearing and judgment to gather information about the strange event.

Plot points and events

• An Chen hears townspeople gossiping about a woman who screamed about tentacles on the inn’s third floor, then fled before dawn. The town’s recent oddities deepen his suspicion.
• He visits Mokai, manager of Sanchao Post, posing as a mercenary interested in buying Whale Rubber. Mokai offers a fist-sized piece of three-thousand-year-old Whale Rubber for 30,000 Gold Soul Coins and says it will take a few days to prepare. He also gives An Chen a small jar as a gift.
• While visiting, An Chen notices a purplish-red mark on Mokai’s wrist that seems to move. Mokai claims it came from poisonous coral and caused a beneficial Martial Soul mutation. An Chen accepts the explanation outwardly but remains suspicious.
• At the beach, An Chen finds the woman from the inn hiding among the rocks. She is terrified and disheveled, insisting that a man’s vines or tentacles wrapped around her and tried to make her “become his tree.” She says she felt compelled to agree and can no longer tell what was real. An Chen stops questioning her when her distress intensifies.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen remains observant and cautious, using Spirit Vision and spiritual sense to assess Mokai and the residence. A brief, unexplained prickling sensation unsettles him, though he dismisses it at the time.
• Mokai shifts from wary to warmly accommodating once An Chen mentions buying Whale Rubber. His businesslike charm—and the strange mark he conceals—leave An Chen doubtful of his story.
• The frightened woman’s account suggests she may have been manipulated or transformed, but her confused, unstable state makes the truth uncertain. An Chen approaches gently and chooses not to press her.

Significant themes

• Deception and suspicion: Mokai’s polished explanation and friendly salesmanship contrast with the living-looking mark on his wrist.
• Manipulation and loss of agency: The woman recalls feeling disgust and comfort at once, then agreeing to something she now fears.
• Uncertain reality: Her inability to distinguish what was real from what was false leaves the supernatural threat unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Late Night Visit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the seaside, the unidentified woman abruptly stops trembling and undergoes a grotesque transformation. Her skin cracks into bark, her hair becomes branch-like and dark green, and branches containing intestines and other organs burst from her body.
• The transformed woman emits the same bark-rubbing sound previously associated with Li Yusong. An Chen hears the words, “I want to have a baby with you,” followed by unintelligible whispers from what sounds like many voices.
• The woman-tree suddenly explodes, scattering branches, leaves, flesh, and internal organs across the beach. An Chen flees before the arriving townspeople and Spirit Masters can question him.
• Back at the inn, An Chen hears residents speculate that Spirit Masters fought a mutated plant-type soul beast. He wonders whether Flender’s intervention caused Li Yusong’s earlier transformation to end differently.
• An Chen examines the century-old whale glue he obtained and notices a purplish-red aura mixed into its normal yellow spiritual glow. The strange aura resembles the markings previously seen on Mokai’s hands, convincing him that the whale glue may be contaminated or connected to Mokai.
• That night, An Chen secretly enters Mokai’s courtyard. Finding Mokai absent, he searches the wing rooms and discovers large quantities of whale glue, all containing the same suspicious purplish-red aura.
• He also finds two storage soul tools filled with candles, essential oils, powders, and other objects resembling materials for ritual magic. An Chen takes both containers for further investigation.
• As he searches deeper into the storage area, An Chen hears breathing or movement that seems to come from several people, suggesting that someone—or something—is hidden nearby.

Character Developments

• An Chen becomes increasingly cautious and investigative. He avoids attracting attention after the seaside explosion, reasons through the system’s lack of warning, and uses spirit vision to identify the abnormal aura in the whale glue.
• His suspicion of Mokai deepens considerably. The similar aura, the large stockpile of whale glue, and the ritual materials suggest Mokai may be involved in the disturbing transformations or occult activity.
• An Chen also begins questioning the limits of his understanding. Since Mokai appears to possess knowledge of ritual magic despite not having access to An Chen’s system, An Chen considers whether the connection is coincidence or evidence of a larger hidden force.
• Mokai remains absent and mysterious, becoming more threatening through the evidence An Chen uncovers rather than through direct interaction.
• The transformed woman reinforces the apparent connection between the seaside incident and the earlier case involving Li Yusong.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and mutation: Human bodies, plants, and spiritual energy merge into grotesque forms, suggesting a contaminating force that alters both living beings and materials.
• Hidden occult knowledge: The ritual supplies imply that supernatural practices are not unique to An Chen and may be part of a broader secret tradition.
• Investigation and uncertainty: An Chen gathers clues but lacks definitive answers, forcing him to rely on observation, deduction, and cautious infiltration.
• Isolation and secrecy: The quiet nighttime streets, Mokai’s empty residence, and hidden storage rooms create an atmosphere of concealed danger.
• The limits of control: The seaside woman’s transformation and explosion show how quickly abnormal events can escalate beyond anyone’s ability to contain them.

Character Interactions

• An Chen briefly attempts to persuade the transformed woman to leave the seaside, but retreats once her condition worsens.
• The woman—or the entity within her—communicates through disturbing bark-like sounds, addressing an implied male figure with a desire to have a child and then producing an incomprehensible chorus of voices.
• An Chen has no direct interaction with Mokai in the chapter, but his intrusion into Mokai’s courtyard and seizure of the ritual materials marks a significant covert confrontation.
• The townspeople and Spirit Hall personnel react indirectly to An Chen’s actions by investigating the explosion, while An Chen deliberately avoids them and remains an unseen observer.

Plot points and events

• An Chen explores the hidden room beneath Mokai’s courtyard, using Spirit Vision to spot roughly five humanoid auras behind a wall. Unable to find a way through, he returns to the courtyard.
• Mokai appears from behind a banyan tree and reveals that he knows An Chen entered his residence and took something from a box. They trade evasive remarks about the item and the whale glue.
• Mokai admits his mission is to sacrifice An Chen to a being “Above the Starry Sea.” His body splits open, releasing fleshy purple-red vines: a mutated Martial Soul. Four soul rings appear, marking him as a Level 40 Soul Ancestor.
• An Chen uses his iron pot and Black Fog to escape, but Mokai’s powerful vines strike him and drive him into a wall.
• The vines spread through the fog and exude a sweet fragrance that distorts An Chen’s perceptions and awakens compulsive thoughts. A system warning snaps him out of the influence just as the vines are about to capture him.
• An Chen detonates the mark on Mokai’s arm, briefly disrupting the vines, and uses the opening to flee toward the wall. Mokai retaliates with his Third Soul Ring, bathing An Chen in dim red light that intensifies the strange sensations and scent.

Character developments

• An Chen remains resourceful and outwardly composed despite fear and confusion. He uses his abilities creatively, but the vines’ alluring influence threatens to overcome his judgment.
• Mokai shifts from a seemingly ordinary director into a monstrous, openly hostile enemy. His interest in An Chen is tied to a supernatural being he serves.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden motives: Mokai’s pleasant demeanor concealed a predatory mission, while An Chen disguises what he knows.
• Corruption of perception and will: The vines’ fragrance makes danger seem inviting and interferes with An Chen’s thoughts.
• Survival through quick thinking: An Chen’s fog, iron pot, system warning, and mark-detonation each buy him a chance to escape.
• Growing supernatural threat: The mysterious being and the unexplained figures in the secret room suggest a larger danger beyond this confrontation.

Character interactions

• An Chen and Mokai exchange guarded, teasing accusations before Mokai reveals his intention to sacrifice him.
• Their encounter turns into a fight: Mokai attacks with his vines and soul abilities, while An Chen counters with fog and detonates the mark on Mokai’s arm to create an escape opportunity.

Key plot points

• Mokai’s intoxicating fragrance and vines overwhelm An Chen, leaving him unable to move or use Soul Skills. As he nearly gives in to exhaustion, anger—stirred by a cool sensation from his ring—restores his resolve.
• With his Soul Power blocked, An Chen tries to use Listen, but the System Barrier prevents it. He deactivates the barrier and listens again, unleashing a torrent of maddening voices that nearly destroys his mind.
• Just before Mokai’s vines engulf him, An Chen says “Ignite.” The effect magnifies Mokai’s emotions, especially fear, causing him to collapse with his eyes destroyed and his body failing. An Chen survives and watches him die.
• Realizing the active barrier may also have prevented his Ritual Magic from working, An Chen gathers the ritual materials and prepares to summon a spirit from Mokai’s corpse to uncover the truth behind Mokai’s actions.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen moves from near surrender to determined resistance, using anger to regain his will. He takes a dangerous gamble with Listen and then turns the encounter in his favor with Ignite. Afterward, he remains alert to the risks of the system and starts investigating Mokai’s motives.
• Mokai reveals that his confidence in his control over An Chen has limits: even he is affected by his own ability, and he pauses when An Chen’s behavior becomes inexplicable. His final collapse leaves his intentions unanswered.
• Their interaction shifts from Mokai hunting An Chen as a sacrifice to An Chen surviving and observing Mokai’s death, addressing him as “Director Mo” before deciding to question his corpse.

Significant themes

• Willpower and resistance: An Chen’s anger breaks through the seductive pull of surrender.
• Power’s dangers and limits: The System Barrier protects against some forces but also obstructs An Chen’s abilities; using Listen exposes him to mental peril.
• Curiosity amid survival: Even after escaping immediate danger, An Chen seeks answers about Mokai’s mark, mutated Martial Soul, intended sacrifice, and the entity behind it.

Chapter Summary: “Dark Undercurrents”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mokai secretly enters a hidden chamber using a Jade Pendant and performs his daily prayer before an altar containing a strange candle and a liquor-scented Gold Soul Coin.
• His prayer finally produces a supernatural response: incomprehensible whispers, a vision of a bizarre tree bearing flowers, fruits, objects, and two human heads, and the command, “Find him.”
• The ritual kills Mokai. His corpse is found grotesquely mutilated, with branches piercing his eyes and Sea Rattan packed into his mouth.
• An Chen awakens from the resulting spirit communion in severe distress. He experiences a vision or influence connected to a mysterious tree and feels a seed of greed, lust, and other desires growing within him. The Babble in his ears intensifies his agitation.
• An Chen searches Mokai’s belongings and discovers the Jade Pendant is a Storage Soul Tool containing Gold Soul Coins, Whale Glue, and a valuable lump of Three-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. He transfers the items into his own Ring.
• He returns to the warehouse, salvaging the contaminated Whale Glue because he now believes it may be purified through a ritual previously thought to be ineffective.
• Using Mokai’s Jade Pendant, An Chen opens the hidden passage and investigates the other rooms. He discovers a horrifying Human Tree, two to three meters tall, with human-like branches and several faces embedded in its trunk.
• In another ritual room, he finds a second altar and takes the unusually bright Gold Soul Coin bearing the scent of Sanchao Post liquor.
• After finding no further abnormalities, An Chen burns Mokai’s corpse and returns to the inn.
• Elsewhere, a black-robed man senses the disturbance from a hillside and declares that he has finally found what he was seeking, thanking a mysterious “kind Mother.”
• The following morning, An Chen learns from the inn’s patrons that Director Mo’s residence burned down. Rumors also claim that an Evil Soul Master fought Hall Master Cang of Spirit Hall and fled toward the sea.

Character Developments

• Mokai is revealed to be a devoted participant in a dangerous supernatural ritual. His desperation or loyalty leads him to commune with an unknown entity, ultimately resulting in his death.
• An Chen demonstrates increasing caution and resourcefulness. Rather than fleeing immediately, he searches the site, claims useful materials, studies Mokai’s methods, and investigates the hidden rooms.
• An Chen is also shown to be vulnerable to the influence behind the Babble and the tree. The strange “seed” of desire in his heart suggests that the encounter has begun affecting him psychologically or spiritually.
• The black-robed man emerges as another major player, apparently tracking the same supernatural phenomenon or entity connected to Mokai and An Chen.

Significant Themes

• Corruption beneath ordinary life: The residence and Director Mo’s respectable public image conceal rituals, human experimentation, and monstrous transformations.
• Forbidden knowledge and dangerous curiosity: Mokai’s prayer and An Chen’s investigation both reveal that supernatural knowledge carries deadly consequences.
• Hidden manipulation: The command to “Find him,” the mysterious Mother, the Babble, and the recurring tree imagery suggest that unseen forces are guiding or controlling events.
• Desire and spiritual contamination: An Chen’s involuntary feelings of greed and lust imply that contact with the entity can infect the mind as well as the body.
• Decay and transformation: The Human Tree, Mokai’s corpse, the corrupted Whale Glue, and the burned residence all reinforce the chapter’s imagery of unnatural growth, rot, and destruction.

Character Interactions

• Mokai interacts directly with the unknown supernatural presence through prayer, receiving whispers, visions, and a command.
• An Chen interacts primarily with Mokai’s remains and possessions, using the Jade Pendant to retrace Mokai’s movements and uncover his secrets.
• An Chen encounters the Human Tree but does not engage with it, choosing instead to inspect it cautiously and withdraw.
• The black-robed man appears to respond to the same events from a distance, implying a connection to the hidden force or to An Chen’s actions.
• The inn patrons provide conflicting rumors about Director Mo’s fate and report the confrontation between the Evil Soul Master and Hall Master Cang, expanding the incident beyond An Chen’s immediate perspective.

Key plot points and events

• An Chen reviews the aftermath of the fight with Mokai and realizes that Mokai’s worshipped entity may have been searching for him. He suspects it wanted something connected to his mysterious system.
• He links Mokai’s tentacle-like Sea Rattan Martial Soul to the visions and deaths of women who saw a man and tentacles in their dreams. He also concludes that contaminated Whale Glue was intended to reach Heaven Dou’s royalty and nobility, potentially endangering the continent.
• An Chen decides to leave the area, purify and refine the Whale Glue elsewhere, and pursue the Shadow-attribute Third Soul Ring needed to advance. The system’s concealment function fails, leaving him exposed to the distracting Babble.
• As An Chen prepares to depart, a powerful storm erupts over the sea. He hides in a pit and watches events from a distance.
• Cang Lan, a newly promoted Soul Emperor and Spirit Hall branch master, has been fighting a mysterious black-robed intruder since discovering him searching the burning Sanchao Post. Cang Lan unleashes his sixth Soul Skill, Eye of the Storm, but the intruder becomes mist and passes through the storm to appear behind him.
• The intruder’s shriek is cut short when her chest suddenly caves in and she spews black blood. Cang Lan loses consciousness, and the storm fades.

Character developments

• An Chen grows more wary and analytical, connecting Mokai’s activities, the dream visions, and the contaminated Whale Glue. He remains focused on strengthening himself, though the system’s failure to conceal the Babble troubles him.
• Cang Lan is shown as determined and protective: he risks a prolonged fight rather than let a suspicious stranger endanger nearby civilians. His powers are formidable, but they do not protect him from the intruder’s uncanny abilities.
• The black-robed elder is revealed as a strange, dangerous figure who serves a being she calls “Mother.” Despite presenting herself as peaceful and claiming no hostile intent, she uses disturbing supernatural techniques and is suddenly struck down by an unknown force.

Significant themes

• Hidden corruption and cosmic influence: The Whale Glue and the entity worshipped by Mokai suggest that a threat is spreading beyond the immediate conflict.
• Power versus the inexplicable: Cang Lan’s higher rank and powerful storm cannot stop the elder’s mist-like transformation, highlighting the limits of conventional strength.
• Suspicion and uncertainty: An Chen’s theories raise questions about the system, Mokai’s motives, and the broader danger, while the elder’s sudden injury introduces another unknown force.

Character interactions

• An Chen reflects on Mokai and the victims connected to him, trying to reconstruct the links between their experiences.
• Cang Lan confronts the elder, rejects her assurances because of her status as an Evil Soul Master, and fights to protect the civilians.
• The elder dismisses Cang Lan’s attack as futile before slipping through his storm and striking from behind; her assault—and abrupt collapse—leaves the cause of the outcome unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Black Card”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen observes a strange storm over the sea abruptly halt and dissipate, accompanied by multicolored lights from Spirit Hall personnel. He suspects the disturbance may have been artificially caused and possibly connected to an Evil Soul Master.
• Spirit Hall members Wang Hao and Fu Lei find An Chen hiding nearby. Fu Lei immediately suspects him of being an accomplice and orders his arrest, while Wang Hao argues that An Chen is too young to be involved.
• Fu Lei attempts to extort An Chen by demanding to inspect his Storage Soul Tool. An Chen deliberately—or conveniently—drops a black card identifying him as possessing an exclusive supplementary card for a Spirit Hall elder.
• Recognizing the card’s significance, Fu Lei becomes terrified and apologizes respectfully. He assumes An Chen is an elder’s disciple or someone of similarly high status and allows him to leave. Wang Hao is surprised but does not challenge the situation.
• After escaping into the forest, An Chen reflects on whether he should have killed the Spirit Hall group to eliminate future problems. He rejects the violent impulse, recognizing that his mental disorder and the “Babble” are worsening, and refocuses on obtaining his Third Soul Ring.
• An Chen later completes a dangerous cultivation breakthrough. After purifying and absorbing Whale Glue through a ritual to The Fool, he hunts and kills a five-thousand-year-old Shadow Two-Headed Wolf.
• Despite the usual limit for a Third Soul Ring being roughly 1,760 years, An Chen successfully absorbs the wolf’s five-thousand-year Soul Ring because the Whale Glue strengthened his body. He endures the wolf’s violent spiritual resistance and forms a purple Soul Ring.
• With the new ring, An Chen now possesses three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—and remarks that his new Soul Skill is unusual.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Demonstrates cleverness and composure by using the Black Card to escape Spirit Hall scrutiny. His increasingly dangerous mental condition becomes more apparent when he briefly considers killing the Spirit Hall members, then consciously rejects that impulse. His physical strength and endurance also advance significantly through Whale Glue absorption and the creation of an unusually powerful Third Soul Ring.
• Fu Lei: Reveals himself to be arrogant, suspicious, and willing to abuse authority for personal gain. However, he becomes extremely submissive once he sees the Black Card, exposing his fear of powerful connections and his tendency to judge people according to status.
• Wang Hao: Acts as the more reasonable and fair-minded Spirit Hall member. He questions Fu Lei’s unfounded accusation and later recognizes the Black Card’s authority without causing further conflict.
• An Chen’s mental state: The Babble continues to affect him, producing violent and contradictory thoughts. Nevertheless, his repeated efforts to control these impulses suggest that his moral identity has not yet been completely overtaken.

Significant Themes

• Power and social status: The Black Card instantly changes An Chen’s treatment, showing that authority and connections matter more than evidence or justice within Spirit Hall.
• Deception and survival: An Chen survives through quick thinking rather than open confrontation, concealing his true abilities and manipulating others’ assumptions.
• Moral restraint versus violence: His impulse to kill potential threats conflicts with his belief that he is “not that kind of person,” emphasizing his struggle to retain control over his darker instincts.
• Strength gained through risk: An Chen’s advancement requires dangerous methods, including absorbing purified Whale Glue and a Soul Ring far beyond the normal limit.
• Mental corruption and perseverance: The Babble and the wolf’s spiritual remnant represent internal threats, but An Chen’s growing willpower allows him to withstand them.

Character Interactions

• An Chen and Fu Lei: Their encounter begins with Fu Lei treating An Chen as a suspect and attempting to intimidate him. The Black Card reverses the power dynamic, forcing Fu Lei to apologize and beg for An Chen’s forgiveness.
• An Chen and Wang Hao: Wang Hao initially defends An Chen from Fu Lei’s unjustified suspicion, though he remains passive once Fu Lei takes control. He later learns that An Chen possesses influential Spirit Hall backing.
• An Chen and his inner self: The most important conflict is internal. He debates whether eliminating the Spirit Hall group would be safer, ultimately choosing restraint and focusing on cultivation instead.

Key plot points and events

• An Chen harvests the double-headed wolf’s durable black scales, planning to have them made into inner armor.
• In Dongxing City, he collects his Spirit Hall subsidy and sends Elder Chen a letter asking for help with recurring mental distress. He blames the problem on supposed attacks by evil soul masters, concealing its true cause.
• On the road, An Chen finds three soul masters slaughtering travelers and preparing to torment and refine a group of captive women. He kills all three with his purple third soul ring, which turns their shadows into grasping, consuming forces.
• He frees the women, who thank him before leaving. The attackers have little of value on them.
• Back in the city, An Chen receives Elder Chen’s reply and a parcel. The letter identifies Youxiang Grass as a remedy for mental and psychological trauma, but notes that its source, Xiangshi Valley, has gone silent and Spirit Hall investigators have disappeared there.

Character developments

• An Chen remains practical and guarded: he salvages useful materials, hides the real source of his mental trouble, and acts decisively when he encounters the captives. His calm reaction after killing the bandits underscores how controlled—and formidable—he has become.
• Elder Chen shows concern and support by sharing what he knows and sending a stalk of the rare medicinal grass.

Significant themes

• Concealment and trust: An Chen disguises his unusual mental problem to seek help without revealing its implausible cause.
• Justice and protection: He intervenes against predatory soul masters and releases their victims.
• A looming mystery: Xiangshi Valley’s disappearance and the vanishing investigators suggest a larger danger behind the search for Youxiang Grass.
• Practicality in a dangerous world: Salvaging equipment and seeking remedies are treated as necessary parts of survival.

Character interactions

• An Chen’s exchange with the bandits quickly turns hostile; they underestimate him, while one senses his unusual aura, and the surviving men flee before he kills them.
• He offers the rescued women a brief warning and sends them on their way.
• In the Spirit Hall, Deacon Zhao hands An Chen the expected reply and parcel; Elder Chen’s letter provides both a possible treatment and a troubling lead.

Plot points and events

• An Chen receives Youxiang Grass from Elder Chen and consumes it. Its energy begins healing his damaged, irritable Spirituality, though he concludes he will need more plants.
• He decides to visit Xiang Stone Valley to find more Youxiang Grass and counter the harm caused by the Babble. Before leaving, he uses his fully digested Sequence 8 potion to advance.
• An Chen brews and drinks the Hermit Potion. The transformation intensifies the Babble and causes severe pain and disorientation, but leaves him calm and emotionally detached.
• He reaches Sequence 7: Hermit. His Divination and Clown Warning abilities each increase, and he gains shadow-related powers.
• He tests these abilities: he can vanish into shadows and reappear elsewhere, shape shadow matter into weapons, and curse targets with a shadow-made dagger.
• His Third Soul Skill, Shadow Tomb, has changed as well. It can now connect to the shadow world and drag targets into it, though it may fail against opponents with much greater Soul Power.
• Confident in his new abilities, An Chen packs to leave for Xiang Stone Valley the next morning.

Character development

• An Chen remains practical and opportunistic, using Youxiang Grass to address his Spirituality and treating the Hermit potion’s effects as a chance to expand his power.
• His new emotional distance makes him harder to unsettle; even the Babble no longer disrupts his excitement.
• He is increasingly confident—perhaps overconfident—as he imagines using Shadow Tomb to turn dangerous shadow creatures against his enemies.

Themes

• Power and risk: Advancement brings pain and exposure to greater danger, but also a dramatic increase in capability.
• Adaptation and ingenuity: An Chen combines his potion abilities with his Soul Skill, finding a tactical use for powers that could otherwise endanger their user.
• The cost of transformation: His new calm and resistance to the Babble come with a sense of detachment from the world.
• Ambition tempered by limits: Despite his confidence, Shadow Tomb still has a clear weakness against much stronger foes.

Character interactions

• An Chen and Elder Chen: Elder Chen’s letter provides the Youxiang Grass and instructions for using it; An Chen follows the advice.
• An Chen and the Babble: The Babble grows more intense during his advancement, but afterward seems muted and less able to affect him.
• An Chen and the system: The system supplies the Hermit potion materials, registers his advancement, and reveals his next mission: absorb a fourth, shadow-attribute Soul Ring to obtain the Rose Bishop potion.

Chapter Summary: “Xiangshi Town”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen arrives in Xiangshi Town after a week of travel from Dongxing City, seeking information about the mysterious Xiangshi Valley.
• A tavern owner explains that the valley once supplied Youxiang Grass across the continent, but production stopped six years earlier. Since then, adventurers and Soul Masters have gathered in the town to search for the valuable herb.
• The owner warns An Chen that Spirit Hall has established a checkpoint around the valley and that many people who entered before the checkpoint was built never returned.
• An Chen travels to the valley entrance, passing through a town crowded with mercenaries, Soul Masters, Spirit Hall personnel, and Heaven Dou soldiers.
• He sees a heavily fortified checkpoint surrounded by watchtowers, military camps, stone barricades, and thick white fog. Entry is officially forbidden.
• A convoy from the Star Luo Empire’s Silvien Family arrives, hoping to enter the valley and collect Youxiang Grass. The family reportedly needs the herb to treat an elder’s long-standing spiritual injury.
• The Silvien representative argues with a Black-Robed Cardinal from Spirit Hall, claiming the family possesses an old Pontiff Token granted by former Supreme Pontiff Qian Xunji. The token grants the Silvien Family hereditary permission to enter Xiangshi Valley.
• The cardinal reveals that Xiangshi Valley underwent a catastrophic change six years ago. Spirit Hall sent multiple teams inside, but dozens of people were killed or disappeared.
• Despite the warning, the Silvien Family insists on entering. Spirit Hall reluctantly permits them to proceed after verifying the token.
• An Chen realizes Elder Chen’s token probably cannot grant him entry. Seeing the Silvien convoy, he begins considering how he might use their expedition to gain access.

Character Developments

• An Chen is shown to be cautious, observant, and resourceful. He gathers information before acting and carefully studies the valley’s defenses and the people attempting to enter.
• His newly forged inner armor, made from the scales of a Millennium Soul Beast, demonstrates his growing strength and preparedness. Although effective, it makes a noticeable rustling sound.
• An Chen’s curiosity about Xiangshi Valley develops into a concrete plan after he recognizes that direct entry may be impossible.
• The tavern owner provides local background and warns An Chen about the dangers of the valley.
• The Black-Robed Cardinal appears authoritative but ultimately has to yield when confronted with the former Supreme Pontiff’s token.
• The Silvien Family representative is determined and confrontational, willing to challenge Spirit Hall to secure access to the valley.

Significant Themes

• Danger versus opportunity: The valuable Youxiang Grass draws people into a valley known to be deadly.
• Mystery and hidden disaster: The six-year stoppage in production and the dense fog suggest that Xiangshi Valley has undergone a major supernatural or environmental transformation.
• Authority and privilege: The conflict between Spirit Hall and the Silvien Family highlights tensions between institutional control and hereditary rights granted by past rulers.
• Resource-driven desperation: The Silvien Family’s willingness to risk death reflects how important Youxiang Grass is for treating severe spiritual injuries.
• Cunning and adaptation: An Chen cannot rely on official permission, so he begins looking for an indirect way into the valley.

Character Interactions

• An Chen questions the tavern owner, who explains the valley’s history and cautions him against entering.
• At the checkpoint, the Silvien Family representative confronts the Black-Robed Cardinal over Spirit Hall’s prohibition.
• The Cardinal initially refuses entry but changes his attitude after seeing the Pontiff Token.
• The Silvien Family invokes its historic agreement with Qian Xunji, while Spirit Hall emphasizes the deadly changes within the valley.
• An Chen observes the entire exchange from nearby and begins considering how to follow the Silvien convoy into Xiangshi Valley.

Chapter Summary: “Cannon Fodder”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Silvien Family arrives at the Fog checkpoint and establishes a camp.
• Captain Tie Ge leads the family’s operations and sends an eight-person scouting squad, led by Bade, into the Fog to investigate the area.
• An Chen observes the group while secretly planning to follow them into the dangerous region.
• An Chen accidentally bumps into a cold, white-clothed young man wearing an ancient bronze token engraved with a mysterious creature.
• Shortly after the first squad enters the Fog, several screams are heard, and communication with the scouts is lost, indicating that they have likely been attacked or killed.
• The Silvien Family’s leader orders a second scouting squad to investigate. He then decides to recruit outsiders as expendable “cannon fodder” for the main expedition.
• Recruits are promised one stalk of Youxiang Grass, additional rewards for contributions, or 1,000 Gold Soul Coins if they obtain nothing.
• More than forty Soul Masters sign up and are divided into three groups according to Soul Power level.
• An Chen joins the highest-level group, consisting of four Soul Masters above level thirty.
• The chapter ends with An Chen identifying the white-clothed young man’s token as representing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, revealing his likely connection to a powerful lineage or faction.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Demonstrates sharp observation, caution, and strategic thinking. Rather than infiltrating the Silvien Family secretly, he adapts to the situation and joins their recruitment openly. He remains wary of being used as expendable manpower and deliberately registers at the back of the group.
• Captain Tie Ge: Appears competent and cautious, sending scouts into the Fog, but becomes uneasy when ordered to recruit civilians as cannon fodder. Despite his reservations, he obeys his superior.
• The Silvien Family leader: Revealed as pragmatic, ruthless, and willing to sacrifice outsiders to achieve his goals. He treats the recruited Soul Masters as disposable tools.
• The white-clothed young man: Introduced as proud, cold, and self-assured. His bronze token bearing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon suggests an important identity and powerful background.

Significant Themes

• Exploitation and moral corruption: The Silvien Family disguises the use of expendable people as a fair recruitment opportunity by offering rewards.
• Survival and pragmatism: An Chen continually adjusts his plans to survive and benefit from dangerous circumstances.
• Power and hierarchy: Soul Masters are divided by strength, while the Silvien Family uses its status and resources to control weaker outsiders.
• Foreshadowing and hidden identities: The mysterious token hints that the white-clothed youth belongs to, or is connected with, the prestigious Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan.
• Greed versus danger: Despite the obvious threat within the Fog, many Soul Masters accept the risk because of the promise of Youxiang Grass or financial compensation.

Character Interactions

• An Chen observes Tie Ge’s commands and secretly listens to the Silvien Family’s plans.
• He apologizes after bumping into the white-clothed young man, but the young man dismisses him coldly.
• An Chen converses with a nearby Soul Master, correctly predicting that the Silvien Family will recruit outsiders after the scouting teams fail.
• The crowd eagerly competes for recruitment once the rewards are announced, showing how desperation and greed override fear.
• An Chen and the white-clothed young man ultimately end up in the same highest-level group, setting up a potentially significant future relationship.

Plot points and events

• An Chen joins a group of soul masters hired for an expedition into a dangerous, fog-covered valley. He meets three companions: the outgoing Thorn, cautious and disciplined Hawk, and taciturn Yu Tianyao, a member of the powerful Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
• Captain Tie Ge assigns the group to three defensive layers, placing the first layer at the most dangerous outer perimeter. Complaints fade when a Silvien Family representative promises escalating payments: three thousand gold soul coins for joining, with additional sums for the middle and outer layers.
• The group spends the day waiting. An Chen chats with Thorn and Hawk, learning about their lives and Martial Souls. Thorn is a wandering soul master considering settling down as a teacher; Hawk travels to grow stronger and wields a short spear enhanced by his unusual, immaterial Spear Soul. Yu Tianyao stays mostly silent.
• The next day, people collect the promised money—many bringing relatives or directing payments to loved ones. Their farewells make clear that some see the expedition as a way to provide for family, even at the cost of their lives.
• As the expedition sets out, An Chen interprets the eager volunteers’ willingness to take the most dangerous positions as an opportunity. He coldly decides to let them test the dangers in the fog for him.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen maintains a friendly exterior while privately judging others and calculating how to protect himself. The farewells stir an uneasy mix of absurdity and cynicism rather than sympathy; by the end, he is prepared to use the outer-layer volunteers as scouts.
• Thorn is sociable and thrill-seeking, quickly befriending An Chen. His plan to accept a teaching position suggests he may be ready to leave his wandering life behind.
• Hawk initially seems aloof but becomes more talkative as the group warms up. His cultivation-focused nature and fastidious habits contrast with Thorn’s easygoing manner.
• Yu Tianyao remains reserved, offering little beyond his name and family affiliation, which draws the others’ curiosity.
• Thorn’s teasing of An Chen’s Iron Pot Martial Soul prompts curiosity from Hawk and Yu Tianyao; An Chen privately counters Thorn’s mockery by noting Thorn’s own Wild Dog Martial Soul.

Significant themes

• Money versus life: The expedition’s escalating payments turn mortal danger into a transaction, attracting people willing to risk death for their families’ security.
• Self-preservation and exploitation: An Chen’s response reveals a pragmatic, increasingly ruthless outlook: he intends to benefit from others’ willingness to take risks.
• Different paths through hardship: Thorn seeks purpose and eventual stability, Hawk pursues strength, and others accept danger as a means of supporting loved ones.

Plot and events

• Tie Ge leads the expedition into the Fog, organizing the group in layered ranks and ordering everyone to hold the ropes so they do not become separated.
• Inside the Fog, visibility, intuition, and An Chen’s Spirit Vision are all weakened. The outside world’s noise disappears, and communication within the group becomes unreliable: Tie Ge’s orders initially go unheard, and Thorn’s moving mouth produces no sound.
• A cry for help breaks through the silence. The voice seems to belong to Bade, a scout who died the previous day, and calls to Tie Ge from different directions. The Fog then imitates Tie Ge’s words and draws closer.
• Bade’s corpse appears, followed by other dead scouts. Their pale bodies and gray-white eyes reveal they are no longer alive.
• One Soul Master becomes entranced by the corpses’ repeated words and starts walking toward them. His companions pull him back, briefly restoring his awareness.
• Then many Soul Masters in the outer ring drop their ropes and walk into the Fog, repeating, “We’re already dead.” Tie Ge’s Soul King pressure fails to stop them as they approach the group’s protective barrier.

Character developments

• An Chen stays observant and recognizes that the Fog is affecting the group’s senses. He alerts Hawk when he realizes Thorn cannot hear him.
• Tie Ge remains authoritative and composed, responding to danger by tightening discipline and ordering the group to activate their Martial Souls. His confidence is tested when his power cannot stop the entranced Soul Masters.
• Hawk takes An Chen’s warning seriously and tests it by calling to Thorn.
• Thorn is initially unaware that communication has failed, but becomes alarmed when the voices return.
• Tie Ge’s squad members provide support: one creates a protective Dark Turtle Phantom, while another strengthens it with her Tri-Color Jade Wheel.

Themes

• The unreliability of perception: The Fog dulls vision, intuition, and hearing, leaving the group unsure what is real or whether others can hear them.
• Manipulation and psychological horror: The Fog imitates familiar voices and exploits grief and fear to lure people away.
• Discipline versus helplessness: The ropes, commands, and defensive formation offer some control, but the threat can bypass ordinary authority and even Soul King pressure.
• The dead intruding on the living: The corpses and their repeated phrases turn the expedition’s earlier losses into an immediate danger.

Character interactions

• Tie Ge directs the team and relies on his squad to shield and strengthen the group.
• An Chen and Hawk cooperate to identify the communication problem and try to reach Thorn.
• Tie Ge’s squad members recognize Bade’s appearance, but Tie Ge insists the figure is dead.
• Team members pull an entranced Soul Master away from the corpses, briefly breaking the Fog’s hold.
• Tie Ge’s orders and aura fail to stop the outer-ring Soul Masters, leaving the group on the brink of losing its formation.

Plot points and events

• As Tie Ge’s group pushes through the Fog, some Soul Masters succumb to its influence: their eyes turn gray-white, they claim others are dead, and they try to drag them into the crowd.
• Tie Ge has the group tighten formation, then uses his Steel Giant Wolf’s abilities to locate a weaker route and lead a breakout. The Fog appears to suppress hearing, leaving An Chen and others unable to hear Tie Ge’s instructions.
• The team escapes the immediate encirclement, but only the innermost group and three members of the second layer remain. They tie themselves together and press on.
• They find undecayed corpses bearing black wounds and claw marks. When one wounded survivor says something is calling him back, Tie Ge orders the infected limb removed. Before they can act, the man becomes lost to the Fog and is beheaded; white smoke rises from his body and disappears into the mist.
• The group flees as more corpses speak unsettlingly, then encounters a calm, ordinary-looking old man in an apothecary’s gray robe.

Character developments and interactions

• Tie Ge stays decisive and practical, using his powers to guide the escape and responding ruthlessly to signs of infection. He kills the transformed Soul Master and urges the group onward.
• An Chen remains observant and contributes a key explanation: the Fog may interfere with hearing. He and his companions follow Tie Ge but do not join the fighting.
• Thorn is startled when the wounded man speaks to him and later lashes out at a corpse in fear.
• The group’s discipline and trust are tested as they respond to the Fog’s attacks, Tie Ge’s orders, and the wounded man’s deterioration.

Significant themes

• The Fog distorts perception and communication, weakening coordination and blurring the boundary between the living and the dead.
• Survival demands difficult, even brutal choices; hesitation can be fatal.
• The undecayed bodies and recurring black wounds suggest a persistent, mysterious corruption.
• The apothecary’s sudden appearance introduces a new uncertainty: whether this seemingly normal stranger is a source of help or another danger.

Plot points and events

• An Chen and the others encounter an old man in the fog, identified by one team member as Edmond, the former leader of Xiang Stone Valley. When Tie Ge asks about the valley’s disappearance six years earlier and the strange fog, Edmond avoids answering.
• Edmond leads the group through the fog to the valley entrance, where they find a vast field of valuable Youxiang Grass. He invites them to stay overnight and harvest it the next day, claiming it requires special techniques.
• The visitors pass villagers working the fields. An Chen and Thorn notice that their movements seem unnaturally similar, as though they follow the same mechanical pattern. Yu Tianyao and Tie Ge also appear alert to the oddity.
• After checking the wooden houses, Tie Ge’s team agrees to stay. Tie Ge warns everyone not to go off alone before dark. An Chen and Thorn share a room and discuss what they noticed.
• The chapter ends when someone knocks repeatedly at their door, but no one answers from outside.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen uses Spirit Vision to scrutinize Edmond, senses something unusual, and quietly studies the villagers. He is observant but chooses to keep his suspicions discreet.
• Thorn reveals that his experience among many people helped him detect the villagers’ synchronized movements. He and An Chen communicate their suspicions privately.
• Yu Tianyao independently seems to recognize that something is wrong, while Tie Ge responds cautiously, checking the lodgings and instructing the group to stay together.
• Edmond presents himself as hospitable and reassuring, but evades questions about the valley and hints that the fog—or something within it—may be difficult to control.
• Hawk appears not to have noticed the villagers’ abnormal behavior, prompting An Chen to plan to warn him.

Significant themes

• Unease beneath hospitality: Edmond’s warm welcome contrasts with his evasiveness and the valley’s strange details.
• Observation and suspicion: The characters’ attentiveness—especially An Chen’s—builds tension as they search for signs of danger.
• The uncanny: The villagers’ nearly identical movements, the mysterious fog, and the unexplained nighttime warning suggest that Xiang Stone Valley is not what it seems.

Key plot points and events

• An Chen and Thorn suspect Xiangshi Valley’s villagers are behaving strangely. An Chen warns Hawk not to eat the food brought by villagers, and Thorn gives him food from his Storage Soul Tool instead.
• The group agrees to stay cautious. An Chen notices villagers watching him from outside, though his Spirit Vision reveals no obvious abnormality and causes him an unexpected headache.
• An Chen uses his shadow-merging ability to scout the village alone at night. Before leaving, he tells Thorn to seek help from Hawk, Yu Tianyao, and then Tie Ge if he does not return.
• A strange sound associated with the valley accompanies his investigation. Several houses stand open but are completely dark; in one, An Chen sees a villager facing a wall, motionless and seemingly not breathing.
• In the western farmland, An Chen finds tools rearranged into a symbol pointing toward the village center. He suffers a sudden, intense pain between his brows, then spots Edmond nearby.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen shows growing caution and initiative, sharing his suspicions with Hawk and taking the risk of investigating alone. He also demonstrates how effectively he can travel through shadows, while admitting the ability has limits.
• Thorn is supportive and alert, offering to accompany An Chen and agreeing to the plan for raising the alarm if he fails to return.
• Hawk initially trusts the villagers’ hospitality, but becomes concerned after hearing An Chen’s observations.
• Yu Tianyao has already recognized the danger and discreetly signaled this to the others.
• Edmond’s appearance at the farmland introduces a new, unexplained presence in An Chen’s investigation.

Significant themes

• Hospitality concealing danger: The villagers appear welcoming, yet their watchful behavior and nighttime actions suggest something is wrong.
• Caution and trust: The companions must weigh ordinary explanations against mounting evidence and decide when to act.
• Uncanny mystery: The silent villagers, altered tools, strange sound, and An Chen’s sudden pain build suspense without yet revealing the cause.

Key plot points and events

• At night, An Chen secretly observes Edmond standing in the village’s darkest center before disappearing into the darkness. Edmond seems aware An Chen is nearby but makes no move against him.
• The next morning, Edmond leads the group to harvest Youxiang Grass. An Chen learns that Yu Tianyao also saw Edmond watching their Wooden House for about half an hour the previous night.
• An Chen and Yu refuse to sell their extra Youxiang Grass. Edmond then asks An Chen to speak with him privately, prompting concern from the others.
• Edmond reveals that Xiangshi Valley’s villagers died six years ago during a strange event. He alone survived after hearing “Dream Murmur,” which gave him knowledge and abilities from an entity called Inextinguishable Ravings.
• The Fog is a “Sea of Consciousness” in which the villagers have gained a kind of immortality, but it instinctively consumes consciousness. Edmond has kept it contained with his power, at the cost of being unable to leave the valley.
• Edmond believes the entity’s purpose is to find someone and that spreading the Fog across the continent was one means of doing so, though he does not know whom it seeks.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen remains wary and observant, hiding his nighttime excursion from Yu Tianyao. When Edmond’s revelation triggers painful babbling in his mind, he presses on with questions about the Fog and its origins.
• Edmond shifts from an unsettling, watchful presence to a reluctant source of information. He describes his “blessing” as a burden and his continued stay as necessary containment.
• Yu Tianyao reveals he saw Edmond watching the group’s house, but does not press An Chen after suspecting he went out. He keeps his own reasons for seeking Youxiang Grass private.
• Thorn supports An Chen, warning him to be careful and reminding him that the group will help if needed.

Significant themes

• Blessing versus curse: Edmond’s extraordinary power came at the cost of isolation and lifelong responsibility.
• Knowledge and madness: Contact with the otherworldly entity brings dangerous knowledge and physical distress.
• Containment and sacrifice: Edmond restrains a threat to the continent by remaining trapped in the valley.
• Uncertain motives: The entity’s search for an unknown person suggests a larger purpose behind the Fog and the village’s catastrophe.