Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Edmond reveals that Xiangshi Valley’s villagers died years ago, but their consciousnesses survived in the Gray Fog. He alone remains, suppressing the Fog and preventing it from spreading.
• Edmond asks An Chen to inherit his power and mission. An Chen refuses, doubting the plan’s reliability and saying he is not a hero who wants to save the world. Edmond accepts his choice.
• As Edmond heads toward the village center to suppress his failing power with the Xiang Stone, An Chen suffers a severe headache and receives Edmond’s warning: the power is becoming uncontrollable, so the others must stay away from both the village and the Fog.
• An Chen collapses and experiences a vision in the mist. The Fog responds to his thoughts, then presents a disturbing image of an upside-down man before the scene is swallowed by a vortex. An Chen feels himself turning into black liquid.
• He wakes to learn that parts of his hands and feet actually became black, sticky liquid before re-forming. His companions have retreated to a clearing outside the village, where the Fog now pulses and behaves violently.
• An Chen tells the group that the villagers’ consciousnesses form the Fog and that Edmond is a survivor, not their killer. He withholds the full explanation. A piece of the Fog then breaks away, carrying a figure toward the group.

Character developments and interactions

• Edmond appears as a weary but determined guardian, nearing the limit of his six-year struggle. His willingness to respect An Chen’s refusal underscores that the succession is voluntary.
• An Chen rejects the burden of protecting the continent, but his unusual spiritual strength and connection to the Fog become increasingly evident. His Babble worsens, and he undergoes a frightening physical transformation.
• Thorn, Hawk, Yu Tianyao, and the Tie Ge Squad protect An Chen and follow his warning to leave the village. Hawk and Yu Tianyao remain wary of him after his transformation, while Thorn is openly concerned and curious.
• An Chen tries to reassure the group and manages what they know, but keeps some details about Edmond and the Fog to himself.

Significant themes

• Power as blessing and curse: Edmond’s abilities give him a means to protect others but impose an exhausting spiritual struggle.
• Responsibility and free choice: An Chen refuses a mission that Edmond believes is vital, raising the question of whether extraordinary ability creates an obligation to save others.
• Identity and transformation: The Fog’s influence threatens to dissolve An Chen’s body and humanity, while leaving unclear what his unusual nature means.
• Survival and collective consciousness: The Fog is not merely a hazard; it contains the remnants of an entire community, acting according to an instinct Edmond has spent years restraining.

Key plot points and events

• A badly injured Edmond emerges from the fog, his body and face cracked with gray-white fissures and the Youxiang Grass on his staff mostly withered. He warns the others to leave, but Tie Ge’s squad and the others prepare to fight.
• Tie Ge attacks first. Edmond blocks and evades despite appearing weak, and Tie Ge hesitates after meeting Edmond’s calm, ordinary eye.
• Tie Ge coordinates a group assault: Baron protects the team with a Dark Turtle barrier, while Vera, Carter, Thorn, Hawk, and Yu Tianyao attack from different angles. Edmond anticipates their moves, dodges or deflects nearly every strike, though Yu Tianyao’s lightning worsens the cracks in his shoulder.
• Edmond releases a wave of gray-white ripples that disrupts the attackers’ movements and minds. He then draws in the surrounding fog to heal himself.
• Baron recognizes what Edmond is doing. Yu Tianyao calls down lightning, destroying the fog vortex and interrupting Edmond’s recovery.
• Edmond responds by driving his staff into the ground, unleashing an even stronger wave of ripples. The chapter ends as it spreads outward.

Character developments

• Edmond is revealed as severely damaged yet extraordinarily perceptive and skilled. He initially tries to warn the group away, but fights effectively and can recover by absorbing the fog.
• Tie Ge demonstrates leadership and tactical coordination, though his hesitation at Edmond’s gaze suggests he senses something more than a simple enemy.
• Yu Tianyao shows the power of his clan’s Dragon Transformation and lightning abilities, becoming crucial in stopping Edmond’s recovery.
• An Chen remains frightened and stays behind Thorn and Hawk rather than joining the fight.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus intent: Edmond looks monstrous and dangerous, yet his first words are a warning, and his gaze seems calm rather than hostile.
• Strength amid vulnerability: Despite his damaged state, Edmond’s control, awareness, and combat skill make him a formidable opponent.
• Teamwork and escalation: The group relies on coordinated attacks and support abilities, but Edmond’s area-wide power raises the stakes.

Character interactions

• Tie Ge’s squad and the others form a united front against Edmond, with Baron shielding them and the attackers attempting a coordinated pincer.
• Edmond’s warning is ignored, and the group’s aggression forces the confrontation.
• Edmond’s calm eye briefly unsettles Tie Ge; later, Baron’s observation prompts the team to interrupt Edmond’s healing.
• Yu Tianyao’s lightning interrupts Edmond’s recovery, prompting Edmond’s explosive counterattack.

Key events

• Edmond’s grayish-white mist overwhelms the fighters nearby: their Martial Souls vanish, and they collapse in pain. Baron’s Dark Turtle Phantom also breaks, leaving him unconscious.
• An Chen uses Black Fog to interrupt Edmond’s connection to the mist. Edmond’s body and mind appear divided between competing influences, while shadowy arms try to drag him into the Shadow World.
• A Big Black Pot strikes Edmond’s cane. Its black material corrupts the cane, which turns to liquid, but Edmond’s own mist and a renewed surge of shadow help him cast the corruption away.
• Edmond ultimately stops resisting the shadows, guided by his desire to protect others. An Chen emerges from the Black Fog and finds Edmond badly broken and sinking into shadow.
• Edmond asks An Chen to let him disperse the Fog. An Chen withdraws his Black Fog, allowing Edmond to draw in and eliminate the mist. Edmond then disappears into the Shadow World.
• An Chen finds Edmond’s intact cane and stores it in his Ring. With the Fog gone, the villagers of Xiangshi Valley crumble into dust. As reinforcements approach, An Chen collapses beside the unconscious survivors.

Character developments and interactions

• Edmond moves from a dangerous, unstable state—torn between personalities and forces—to a final, deliberate act of protection. He accepts his fate and gives his life to end the Fog.
• An Chen acts decisively to disrupt Edmond’s power and later gives him the chance to finish his task. Exhausted, he stays behind rather than meet the approaching forces on his feet.
• The others, including Yu Tianyao, Thorn, Tie Ge, Vera, Hawk, and Baron, are incapacitated by the mist and cannot intervene.
• Edmond and An Chen share a quiet farewell: Edmond finds “peace” and insists on doing one last thing for the continent; An Chen accepts his choice.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and protection: Edmond’s final choice is driven by his desire to protect others and the continent.
• Conflict within the self: Edmond’s fractured body and competing personalities embody his struggle between destructive forces and his protective purpose.
• Corruption and resistance: The cane’s transformation shows how corruption can compromise even powerful objects, while Edmond’s resolve lets him resist it.
• The cost of survival: The Fog is ended, but the valley’s villagers perish, and An Chen and the other survivors are left gravely weakened.

“Parting Ways” — Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen, Tie Ge, Thorn, and the others are found unconscious after the mysterious Fog suddenly disappears. One participant is discovered dead from a mental breakdown, while two young Soul Masters later die from severe mental injuries.
• Tie Ge explains that the group encountered Edmond, the former leader of Xiangshi Valley, inside the Fog. They then heard countless screams in their minds and lost consciousness. Edmond was gone when they awoke.
• An Chen and Thorn are taken to a Spirit Hall checkpoint and questioned separately. A Black-Robed Cardinal personally interrogates An Chen, using intense Soul Power pressure and psychological intimidation to test whether he knows how Edmond died or why the Fog vanished.
• Although the Cardinal suspects An Chen’s involvement, An Chen maintains his composure and convincingly claims ignorance. The Cardinal eventually lets him go.
• The group learns that the Youxiang Grass they recovered is enough to fulfill the Silvien Family’s request. Since the Fog has dispersed and the area is safe to enter again, the deaths are treated as settled, and the survivors are allowed to keep the remaining Youxiang Grass.
• In Xiangshi Town, the companions decide to separate:
  • Thorn plans to travel to the Star Luo Empire and teach at an academy.
  • Hawk intends to continue wandering and cultivating.
  • Yu Tianyao offers to buy An Chen’s Youxiang Grass, but An Chen refuses because he needs it for his own mental injuries. Thorn generously gives Yu Tianyao his entire supply instead.
  • Thorn departs for Nolan City, and Hawk has already left.
• An Chen prepares to part from Yu Tianyao as well, but Yu Tianyao stops him and directly accuses him of being responsible for defeating Edmond and causing the Fog to disappear.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Demonstrates strong self-control and deception under pressure. He successfully conceals his connection to Edmond’s death and the Fog’s disappearance, though the interrogation leaves him shaken. His mental injuries also make the Youxiang Grass personally valuable to him.
• Thorn: Remains blunt, irreverent, and fearless. He openly curses the Black-Robed Cardinal during questioning and shows generosity by giving Yu Tianyao all of his Youxiang Grass. He reveals a more settled future by choosing to become a teacher.
• Hawk: Appears more subdued and uncertain about his future. His decision to continue cultivating suggests a solitary path, and his farewell marks the end of the group’s shared journey.
• Yu Tianyao: Benefits from his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan status, which protects him from the Cardinal’s Soul Power intimidation. He remains observant and perceptive, ultimately seeing through An Chen’s story and confronting him.
• Tie Ge: Acts as a responsible captain, checking on the survivors and relaying the Silvien Family’s decision. He seems relieved that the crisis has ended.

Significant Themes

• Secrecy and suspicion: An Chen’s survival depends on hiding the truth, while the Spirit Hall’s investigation shows that powerful factions are constantly searching for hidden causes and motives.
• Composure under pressure: The interrogation emphasizes the importance of controlling one’s emotions and body language when facing an experienced opponent.
• Parting and changing paths: The companions separate after surviving a dangerous mission, each choosing a different future.
• Trust and generosity: Thorn’s gift of the Youxiang Grass contrasts with the suspicion surrounding An Chen and Yu Tianyao’s final confrontation.
• Consequences of power: The Fog’s disappearance resolves the immediate danger but leaves deaths, mental injuries, and unanswered questions behind.

Important Character Interactions

• The Black-Robed Cardinal probes An Chen with intimidation, but An Chen successfully resists revealing anything.
• An Chen, Hawk, and Thorn compare their interrogations, while Yu Tianyao explains that his clan status and token protected him from harsher treatment.
• Thorn and Hawk mock one another over their future plans, highlighting their familiar camaraderie.
• Yu Tianyao and Thorn discuss the Youxiang Grass; Thorn gives his supply away without asking for payment.
• The chapter ends with Yu Tianyao confronting An Chen, creating tension and suggesting that An Chen’s secret may no longer remain hidden.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Tianyao confronts An Chen about Edmond’s death, having seen An Chen enter the shadows before losing consciousness. An Chen denies involvement and credits Thorn, but Yu remains suspicious. He leaves after offering to meet An Chen near Sunset Forest if needed.
• A week later, An Chen returns to Dongxing City and reviews his System Panel. He is Level 33, has reached 62% digestion of the Hermit Potion, and has a mission to absorb a shadow-attribute fourth Soul Ring.
• An Chen concludes that a Hermit’s principles are to stay hidden, observe without interfering, and treat observation as an end in itself. He believes his conduct during the Xiangshi Valley incident—mostly watching events unfold and keeping his role concealed—explains his rapid progress.
• He uses Divination to learn the powers and drawbacks of the gray-white staff left by Edmond. It can spread Babble through mist, create an area that restores Spirituality, and inflict devastating mental damage by exposing a target to hidden knowledge. It also amplifies Babble, causes hallucinations with prolonged use, and temporarily costs the user some memories when its strongest ability is used.
• Testing the staff, An Chen hears sharper Babble and sees disturbing hallucinations, including a bone table and tentacles in place of his shoes. The hallucinations eventually fade. He names the weapon the Gray-White Staff and plans to travel while cultivating and digesting his Potion.

Character developments

• An Chen becomes more confident in his interpretation of the Hermit path and connects his restraint and secrecy to his growing Potion digestion. He also shows characteristic practicality and composure, accepting the staff’s dangerous side effects while resolving to use it cautiously.
• Yu Tianyao demonstrates perceptiveness and persistence: he suspects An Chen’s involvement in Edmond’s death, though he does not force a confession.

Significant themes

• Observation and restraint: An Chen’s Hermit philosophy values witnessing events without seeking to control them.
• Secrecy and hidden influence: An Chen conceals his role in Edmond’s death, while the staff’s powers revolve around concealed or overwhelming knowledge.
• Knowledge and madness: The staff grants powerful abilities at the cost of Babble, hallucinations, and temporary memory loss.
• Progress through experience: An Chen’s understanding of his Pathway grows from reflecting on past actions rather than simply pursuing power.

Character interactions

• Yu Tianyao questions An Chen about Edmond’s death; An Chen evades him with a denial and a change of subject.
• An Chen interacts with the system through its panel and Divination ability to investigate the staff.
• The chapter ends with An Chen thinking about Tang San’s impending trip to the Ice and Fire Yang Well and regretting the loss of his Immortal Herbs, blaming Flender.

Key plot points and events

• Six months after the Xiangshi Valley incident, An Chen has traveled across three provinces, gained three Soul Power levels, and brought his potion digestion to 99%.
• He has repeatedly witnessed wrongdoing and hardship—bandit attacks, a starving beggar, and cruelty in a village—but has stuck to observing rather than intervening. The remaining 1% of digestion proves difficult.
• Steward Liu, a Spirit Hall messenger, catches up with him and delivers a letter from Elder Chen. It urges An Chen to return to Spirit City for preparations for the approaching Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament. It also warns of widespread abnormalities, Soul Masters changing personality, and rising Evil Soul Master activity.
• An Chen reaches a small city, hoping to finish digesting the potion and then cultivate for the tournament, where he expects to face powerful competitors from Shrek and Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation.
• In a tavern, he witnesses a Soul Master use a bell-like Martial Soul to influence a man into signing away his family property under the false promise of helping his son obtain a Soul Ring.
• An Chen deliberately does not intervene. The choice completes the final 1% of digestion, deepening his mastery of the Hermit’s abilities. He leaves after drinking the cocktail called “Whispers of the Abyss.”

Character developments

• An Chen remains pragmatic and detached, treating ethically troubling situations as opportunities to follow his potion’s digestion principles. He is frustrated by his stalled progress but ultimately completes it through deliberate nonintervention. He is also increasingly focused on preparing for the tournament.
• Steward Liu shows loyalty and persistence in tracking An Chen down, though he is self-conscious about his baldness, which he attributes to his Martial Soul.
• Elder Chen comes across as a concerned mentor, balancing tournament expectations with warnings about the growing dangers across the continent.

Significant themes

• Observation versus intervention: An Chen’s repeated refusal to help raises the question of whether understanding people requires neutrality—or whether neutrality enables harm.
• Power and manipulation: The tavern scam demonstrates how Soul abilities can exploit vulnerable people and turn their hopes into leverage.
• Ambition and preparation: An Chen’s plans reflect his determination to compete with elite Soul Masters.
• Growing instability: Reports of behavioral changes and Evil Soul Master activity suggest a wider threat developing beyond An Chen’s immediate journey.

Character interactions

• An Chen reunites with Steward Liu, jokes about his hair, and receives Elder Chen’s letter.
• Elder Chen’s message indirectly reminds An Chen of his obligations and the dangers he may encounter.
• In the tavern, An Chen silently observes the scammer manipulate the older man, choosing not to disrupt the exchange because it serves his digestion progress.

Plot points and events

• After leaving Shrek, An Chen travels toward Spirit City, wary of the strange people and incidents he has encountered.
• In a town where he stops for tea, he notices a powerful-looking young man whose glowing eyes and exceptionally heavy footsteps suggest something abnormal. An Chen avoids staying at the same inn and leaves.
• Two days later, he hears that a nearby town suffered a bizarre disaster: roads were crushed several feet into the ground, an inn’s roof caved in, and everyone inside was fatally compressed. He suspects the young man may have caused it and is relieved he left.
• While studying his route, An Chen learns about Arles City, a celebrated center of art where Soul Masters use their Martial Souls to create works. Intrigued, he decides to visit on the way to Spirit City.
• Near the city, he meets an old man drawing a woman in the dirt. The portrait speaks and responds to them; the old man explains that his Martial Soul can create a companion to chat with. He directs An Chen to Arles City.
• An Chen reaches the city and is struck by its decorated walls and lifelike sculptures.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen grows more cautious after repeated encounters with unusual people, choosing to avoid potential danger. He also shows curiosity and openness when he hears that Martial Souls can be used creatively.
• The burly young man remains unidentified, but his unusual physical presence links him in An Chen’s mind to the town’s deadly destruction.
• The merchant proudly introduces Arles City and its artists, describing the city’s cultural importance and the Soul Masters who work there.
• The old artist casually treats his animated drawing as company and jokes that An Chen might be seeking an autograph. The portrait itself speaks to the old man and asks about An Chen.

Significant themes

• Power and danger: Unexplained abilities can cause devastating harm, prompting An Chen to prioritize caution.
• Creativity beyond combat: Martial Souls are presented not only as sources of power but also as tools for artistic expression.
• Curiosity and discovery: An Chen’s journey continually exposes him to unfamiliar people, abilities, and places.

Plot points and events

• An Chen enters Arles City, a lively place devoted to art, where music, singing, sculptures, and unusual artistic practices fill the streets.
• In the main square, he sees Grandmaster Dongxi attempting to recreate his grandfather Modili’s famous work, Wind Mark. Dongxi’s carving briefly forms visible lines in the air, but a gust of wind disperses them.
• An Chen learns that the city displays portraits of ten artists chosen every three years. One portrait is of Guan Yue—the old man An Chen previously met on the road. An Chen realizes that Guan Yue’s earlier remark about an autograph was no joke.
• After exploring the city’s creative Soul Martial Arts, An Chen stays at an inn. That night, he dreams of a vast, many-colored sea and a star-crowned giant, and wakes with strange concepts in his mind: “Visionary,” “Dark Angel,” Sequences 0 and 1, and wave-particle duality.
• Looking outside with Spirit Vision, An Chen sees a trembling spatial barrier, distorted Monsters attacking it, and a translucent humanoid fighting them. Sensing danger, he stops watching. His System divination reports that he is not currently in danger, though he remains unsettled and cannot sleep.
• The next morning, An Chen visits the city’s crowded art exhibition. He recognizes the subject of the first painting as the same humanoid soul he saw fighting the Monsters.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen is curious and observant, absorbing Arles City’s artistic culture while trying to make sense of its unfamiliar figures and customs.
• He becomes increasingly troubled by visions and unexplained knowledge, but responds cautiously: he withdraws from the supernatural confrontation and checks his safety through divination.
• A passerby explains Dongxi’s identity and failed attempt; another resident patiently describes the city’s artist portrait tradition. An Chen’s discovery of Guan Yue’s portrait reframes their earlier meeting.

Significant themes

• Art as a living force: Paintings, sculpture, music, and even Soul Martial Arts become expressive, almost lifelike forms of creation.
• The supernatural intruding on ordinary life: An Chen’s artistic tour is interrupted by a dream, strange concepts, and a battle beyond a spatial barrier.
• The unknown and the search for meaning: An Chen tries to connect the dream, the Monsters, the humanoid soul, and the exhibition portrait, but the chapter ends with the mystery unresolved.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen visits an art exhibition in disguise as an art dealer. While viewing The Watcher, a self-portrait by Kane Ye, he is startled by the lifelike painting and steps backward into a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. The stranger catches his arm before leaving.
• An Chen explores the exhibition and encounters remarkable supernatural artworks, including Modili Gou’s Wind Mark, a three-dimensional sculpture of flowing air, as well as sculptures that produce the sounds of waves and the heat of flames.
• He sees Dongxi, a celebrated young artist and Soul Master, being questioned about his repeated failures to replicate his grandfather’s works. Dongxi claims he will succeed after reaching Soul Power level forty, though bystanders mock him for making the same promise at lower levels.
• After returning to his hotel, An Chen discovers a strange black mark on his left arm: a broken ring containing a sideways eye and two drops of liquid. He suspects the gold-rimmed man caused it.
• The mark remains even after An Chen merges with the shadows. Using Spirit Vision, he discovers that the same symbol has appeared on his aura. Uncertain of its purpose, he decides to search the Soul Master Library for information.
• Elsewhere, a painting of An Chen mysteriously appears at the XXX Art Club, suggesting that someone has been observing or reproducing him through supernatural art. A portrait nearby briefly comes alive and looks toward the painting.
• Guan Yue communicates through a blank sheet of paper with Dongxi. He reveals that An Chen is an outsider Soul Master whose power resembles that of Kane Ye and other unusual artists, though it appears to come from a related but distinct source.
• Guan Yue orders Dongxi to watch An Chen, approach him if necessary, and determine why he has come to Arles City. Dongxi recognizes An Chen from the exhibition and agrees to investigate him at the next day’s exhibition.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Becomes more cautious and investigative. Although anomalies once caused him to flee immediately, he now chooses to investigate the mysterious mark because it resists his shadow abilities and may reveal a larger threat.
• Dongxi: Is portrayed as an ambitious but insecure artist who has repeatedly failed to reproduce his grandfather’s works. Despite public skepticism, he remains confident and is now assigned the important task of investigating An Chen.
• Guan Yue: Acts as an informed observer and strategist. He has identified An Chen as an unusual outsider and is closely monitoring the relationship between him, Kane Ye, and the other artists.
• Kane Ye and the unknown gold-rimmed man: Their roles remain mysterious, but both appear connected to the supernatural surveillance surrounding An Chen.

Significant Themes

• Art as a supernatural medium: Paintings and sculptures possess physical effects, observe people, communicate information, and may even create or reproduce living subjects.
• Surveillance and hidden identities: An Chen is disguised, yet his true appearance is captured in a painting. Multiple parties are watching him while he remains unaware of their intentions.
• The unknown nature of power: An Chen’s aura and the artists’ abilities seem related but not identical, suggesting a deeper origin or system of supernatural forces.
• Ambition versus ability: Dongxi’s confidence contrasts with his repeated failures, highlighting the pressure of artistic legacy and the gap between reputation and genuine mastery.
• Investigation replacing avoidance: An Chen’s response to danger shows his growing willingness to confront mysteries instead of simply escaping them.

Character Interactions

• The gold-rimmed man briefly steadies An Chen after he stumbles, seemingly giving him the mysterious mark in the process.
• Dongxi dismisses a reporter’s question and has her pushed away, while the surrounding crowd praises him despite quietly doubting his claims.
• Guan Yue communicates with Dongxi through a magically drawn portrait on paper, warning him about An Chen and instructing him to investigate.
• An Chen does not yet know that Dongxi and Guan Yue are monitoring him, creating tension for their likely encounter at the next exhibition.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen disguises himself with a fake beard and returns to the exhibition hall, hoping to find the mysterious person who helped him the previous day. He fails to locate him before the exhibition closes.
• As he prepares to ask Elder Chen for help investigating, Dongxi arrives in a carriage and invites An Chen inside under the pretense of selling him paintings and sculptures.
• An Chen adopts the identity of a traveling merchant, “Ashton An,” and speaks with Dongxi. Their conversation reveals that Dongxi is deliberately probing An Chen’s background and intentions.
• An Chen shows Dongxi a drawing of the mysterious mark on his arm, explaining that he has seen it repeated in various artworks. Dongxi confirms that the mark originated from the owner of XXX Club six years earlier and was later copied by other artists.
• After leaving Dongxi, An Chen visits a tavern to investigate XXX Club. The tavern owner says it is the city’s most prestigious and mysterious artist club, whose members are all master-level artists—even though many were reportedly unknown or impoverished before joining.
• An Chen also learns that Dongxi applied to join the club a year ago and was only recently accepted, suggesting the club has significant influence and strict or unusual standards.
• Meanwhile, Dongxi returns home, dismisses his attendants, and sketches Guan Yue. He reveals that he encountered An Chen but did not sense the same aura associated with “Kane,” implying that Dongxi is investigating An Chen’s identity or connection to another person.

Character Developments

• An Chen demonstrates caution, adaptability, and investigative skill. He uses his disguise and merchant persona to extract information while hiding his true motives.
• He becomes increasingly suspicious of XXX Club after learning that its mark appears throughout the art world and that its members undergo a remarkable transformation in status and ability.
• Dongxi appears arrogant and socially confident, but his behavior shows that he is observant and has a hidden agenda. His knowledge of the mark and his private conversation about Guan Yue suggest deeper involvement in the mystery.
• Dongxi’s status develops from merely being a noble artist and Grandmaster’s grandson to someone connected to the influential XXX Club.
• The tavern owner serves as an informal source of rumors, revealing the club’s enigmatic reputation and its extraordinary membership.

Significant Themes

• Identity and disguise: An Chen conceals himself as “Ashton An,” while Dongxi also appears to be hiding his true purposes behind a casual sales conversation.
• Mystery and investigation: The recurring artistic mark provides a new lead in An Chen’s search for answers.
• Power and transformation: XXX Club is associated with people rising from obscurity or poverty to master-level artistic status, suggesting hidden training, power, or manipulation.
• Appearance versus reality: The exhibition, Dongxi’s social persona, and the club’s public reputation all conceal deeper truths.
• Surveillance and uncertainty: Both An Chen and Dongxi investigate one another, creating a tense exchange in which neither reveals everything.

Character Interactions

• An Chen and Dongxi: Their carriage conversation is outwardly polite but internally distrustful. Dongxi questions An Chen’s origins, business, and plans, while An Chen subtly tests Dongxi with the mysterious mark.
• An Chen and the tavern owner: An Chen casually gathers rumors by posing as an artist seeking a club. The owner confirms XXX Club’s importance but admits that its owner’s identity is unknown.
• Dongxi and Guan Yue: Though Guan Yue is not physically present, Dongxi addresses him as “Senior Guan” while sketching him, indicating an established relationship and ongoing communication or investigation.
• An Chen and the unknown helper: An Chen continues searching for the person who aided him, but the chapter provides no direct reunion.

Chapter Summary: “Shadow Lurking”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen infiltrates the XXX Art Club’s villa at night by emerging from shadows and searches the office of Vice President Kane Ye.
• He believes the club is connected to the supernatural anomalies surrounding Kane, including Kane’s battle with a monster and the mysterious mark An Chen received after viewing Kane’s self-portrait.
• In Kane’s studio, An Chen discovers numerous portraits that seem to watch him from any angle. Most disturbingly, he finds a recently painted portrait of himself, depicted without his disguise—suggesting that someone knows his true appearance and has been observing him.
• An Chen investigates another neglected office belonging to the club’s unknown president. Behind a hidden bookshelf door, he finds a large magical scroll depicting locations in Arles City.
• The scroll changes scenes and produces realistic sounds from the depicted locations. When An Chen touches it, the painting attempts to pull him inside. After he escapes into the shadows, the people within the image stop moving and turn to stare at him.
• Two exhausted club members arrive and appear able to detect An Chen’s presence. He captures them using shadowy hands and interrogates them about the club’s mysterious symbol.
• The men explain that the symbol belongs to the president and appears in many of the president’s paintings. Club members also copy it into their own works, though they do not know its meaning.
• Rather than continue questioning them directly, An Chen prepares a Spirit Channeling ritual to examine their memories. He witnesses a scene in which someone paints a portrait of him and adds the same symbol to the painted figure’s arm, matching the mark on An Chen’s real body.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Becomes increasingly cautious and investigative. He connects the club to the supernatural mark and demonstrates growing mastery of his shadow abilities, using them for infiltration, escape, combat, and restraint. His discovery that the club has a portrait of his true appearance heightens his suspicion and sense of danger.
• Kane Ye: Though absent from the chapter, Kane’s role becomes more significant. His position as vice president and his self-portrait establish him as a link between the club and the supernatural events.
• The Club Members: The two men are portrayed as severely sleep-deprived and unnerved, suggesting that membership in the club or exposure to its activities may have harmful psychological or supernatural effects. They know the president’s symbol but remain ignorant of its true purpose.
• The Club President: Remains mysterious and seemingly nonexistent in official records, but is revealed to possess considerable artistic and supernatural influence.

Significant Themes

• Art as a supernatural medium: Paintings are not passive objects; they can watch, change, communicate, and potentially absorb people.
• Surveillance and hidden knowledge: The portraits’ gazes and the accurate painting of An Chen suggest that unseen forces are tracking him.
• Identity and representation: The portrait depicts An Chen’s real appearance despite his disguise, raising questions about whether the club can see through appearances.
• Mystery and concealed power: The president’s absence, secret room, unexplained symbol, and magical scroll point to a larger hidden system operating through the art club.
• Dangerous curiosity: An Chen’s investigation yields important clues but also exposes him to increasingly direct supernatural threats.

Character Interactions

• An Chen has no direct interaction with Kane, but Kane’s office, studio, and paintings guide the investigation.
• He encounters two club members, captures them with shadow hands, and questions them about the mysterious symbol and their president.
• Through the Spirit Channeling ritual, An Chen observes a memory or vision of the president—or another artist—painting his likeness and marking it with the same symbol branded onto his body, directly linking the club to his supernatural predicament.

Chapter Summary: “Painting Scroll”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen experiences a vision through Spirit Channeling, seeing a subordinate report to Kane Ye, vice president of the XXX Club. Kane believes An Chen may be the person they are hunting.
• Kane reveals that the club’s president received a revelation that their allies near the sea had encountered trouble, likely because of the target. He also claims to have placed a mark on An Chen, ensuring he cannot escape.
• Kane’s companion explains that An Chen was located through a prophetic painting depicting him entering Arles City.
• The art studio distorts, revealing a painted version of Arles City where two figures are fighting. The vision then expands beyond normal dimensions, showing dazzling spatial realms and a mysterious Veil concealing an ominous gaze.
• The gaze attacks An Chen’s spirituality. When he awakens, the two men in the studio have died, their bodies flattened into three-dimensional sheets of paper with hollow eyes.
• Realizing Kane is approaching, An Chen escapes through a second-story window. Kane watches him flee and confidently declares that he cannot escape. A portrait across the street secretly observes the entire incident.
• Elsewhere, Dongxi communicates with Guan Yue through a sheet of paper. They conclude that An Chen investigated the XXX Club because he may bear a mark similar to Dongxi’s. Since both An Chen and Guan Yue’s group are opposed to the club, they decide to seek cooperation.
• Guan Yue reassures Dongxi that he will help rescue Dongxi’s grandfather, Modili, who may be imprisoned alongside Adrian.
• The next day, An Chen disguises himself, leaves his temporary inn, buys clothes and tools, and gathers information while returning toward his hotel.
• He learns that the city is preparing for the once-every-three-years Top Ten Outstanding Artists Selection. He also discovers that Guan Yue, Modili, and another master were once known as the “Three Blades of Art.”
• An Chen surveils the XXX Club from a café. A woman’s image suddenly forms in his notebook, but an elderly man’s voice speaks through it, inviting him to meet at Yuelou Inn.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Becomes increasingly cautious and resourceful after learning that the XXX Club has marked him. Despite severe spiritual exhaustion and disturbing supernatural visions, he disguises himself, gathers supplies, and begins actively surveilling the club rather than confronting it directly.
• Kane Ye: Is established as a confident and dangerous antagonist. He uses prophetic paintings and supernatural marks to track targets, and his calm reaction to An Chen’s escape suggests that he believes his powers make flight impossible.
• Guan Yue: Acts as an experienced strategist and potential ally to An Chen. He understands the club’s methods and plans to approach An Chen indirectly to avoid frightening him.
• Dongxi: Shows loyalty and emotional vulnerability regarding his missing grandfather, Modili. He is willing to cooperate with An Chen if it may help defeat the club and rescue Modili.
• Modili and Adrian: Though absent, both are revealed to possibly be trapped or imprisoned together, raising the stakes for Dongxi and Guan Yue.

Significant Themes

• Surveillance and inescapable fate: Prophetic paintings, marks, portraits, and supernatural observation create the impression that characters are constantly being watched and tracked.
• The danger of forbidden knowledge: An Chen’s attempt to investigate the club exposes him to incomprehensible entities and damages his spirituality, suggesting that understanding the truth carries a severe cost.
• Art as supernatural power: Painting is not merely artistic expression; it can reveal the future, locate people, create dimensional scenes, communicate across distances, and potentially kill.
• Alliances against a common enemy: An Chen, Dongxi, and Guan Yue are separately investigating the XXX Club, creating the possibility of cooperation despite their lack of trust.
• Hidden dimensions and cosmic forces: The Red Moon, Great Tree, Veil, and other bizarre phenomena imply a much larger supernatural conflict beyond the immediate struggle with the club.

Character Interactions

• Kane questions and warns his subordinate while discussing An Chen’s identity, the prophetic painting, and the tracking mark.
• An Chen’s Spirit Channeling links him to the club’s conversation but also exposes him to the Veil’s terrifying gaze.
• Kane observes An Chen’s escape and taunts him, emphasizing their developing hunter-and-prey relationship.
• Guan Yue and Dongxi discuss An Chen’s investigation and plan to contact him. Guan Yue also comforts Dongxi by promising to rescue Modili and Adrian.
• An Chen secretly observes the club from a café before receiving an unexpected invitation through his notebook, setting up a likely meeting with Guan Yue’s group.

Key plot points and events

• An Chen follows Guan Yue’s coded invitation to Yuelou Inn and meets Guan Yue and Gou Dongxi in a private courtyard. On seeing Dongxi, An Chen initially fears he has been exposed and prepares to escape through his shadow, but Guan Yue reassures him.
• The two reveal that they know An Chen visited the XXX Club the previous night. Guan Yue used his Martial Soul, the Divine Brush, to create intelligent paintings that secretly observed the club.
• Dongxi explains that his grandfather, art Grandmaster Modili, vanished five years ago along with his friend Adrian. Modili left behind a notebook about investigating the club. Dongxi deliberately made himself look like a struggling artist so the club might recruit him, allowing him to investigate from within.
• Guan Yue recounts that Modili, Adrian, and he were once known as the “Three Blades of Art.” Through his paintings, Guan Yue learned that Arles City may contain a Painting World where two people have been fighting; one wielded a carving knife, which he suspects was Modili.
• An Chen shares that he found a moving scroll depicting Arles City and nearly got pulled into it. He also asks about the mysterious mark on his body. Guan Yue believes An Chen’s portrait was probably part of the club’s member-selection process, but the mark’s purpose remains unknown.
• An Chen agrees to cooperate with Guan Yue and Dongxi, hoping to uncover the mark’s danger and find Modili. Guan Yue suspects the club is a front for a hidden power. They plan to use the crowds at the Outstanding Artist selection parade the next afternoon as an opportunity to act.

Character developments

• An Chen moves from suspicion and self-protection toward cautious cooperation. He shares what he learned and recognizes that investigating with allies is safer than acting alone.
• Dongxi is revealed to have risked joining the club in order to find his missing grandfather, rather than simply pursuing membership for its own sake.
• Guan Yue emerges as a determined investigator and a loyal friend of the missing artists, using his unusual Martial Soul to gather intelligence.

Significant themes

• Trust and cooperation: An Chen must decide whether to rely on people he barely knows; shared information gives the group a stronger chance of solving the mystery.
• Art as power and danger: Paintings can observe, move, and potentially draw people into another world.
• Loyalty and loss: Dongxi’s investigation and Guan Yue’s search are driven by devotion to missing loved ones and friends.
• Hidden threats and uncertainty: The club may conceal a deeper force, while the mark on An Chen and the Painting World remain unresolved dangers.

Character interactions

• The innkeeper recognizes the secret code and directs An Chen to the courtyard, while the waiter’s confusion provides brief comic relief.
• An Chen and Dongxi exchange a polite but wary greeting; An Chen privately mistrusts him at first.
• Guan Yue calms An Chen, explains how he observed him, and lays out the group’s knowledge.
• Dongxi and Guan Yue disclose their motives and findings, prompting An Chen to reveal his own encounter with the scroll.
• The three reach a provisional alliance and begin planning their next move together.

Key plot points and events

• On the morning of the Top Ten Outstanding Artists Selection, An Chen meets Guan Yue in a secluded alley. Guan Yue gives him a lifelike paper portrait intended to serve as a stand-in, while Dongxi attends the event with the XXX Club.
• At Vanxi Square, An Chen briefly thinks the portrait has vanished, then discovers it is in his hand. It depicts him wearing a broken monocle, prompting him to wonder whether Flender or Yu Xiaogang is nearby.
• As the ceremony begins, An Chen uses Soul Power to merge into the shadows. A second, monocle-wearing An Chen emerges from the portrait and remains at the square while the real An Chen leaves.
• An Chen reunites with Guan Yue and Dongxi. Guan Yue chooses a direct assault on the XXX Club and reveals his strength: he is a Soul Douluo with eight Soul Rings and a brush Martial Soul. He blasts open the entrance and immobilizes the club members who confront them.
• The group searches the chairman’s office for the hidden room where An Chen previously found a painting—but the room is now empty.
• At the selection, the XXX Club’s chairman wins first place. The unveiled work, Arles, City of Art, portrays the whole city in vivid, constantly shifting scenes.

Character developments

• An Chen shows caution and ingenuity by arranging a stand-in and escaping through the shadows. The monocle on his double raises new questions about who may be watching or influencing events.
• Guan Yue proves far more formidable than his quiet manner suggests, openly using his Soul Douluo power to force entry into the club.
• Dongxi remains composed during the raid, apparently already aware of Guan Yue’s strength.
• Kane, the club’s vice chairman, publicly presents the winning painting and celebrates the mysterious chairman’s achievement.

Character interactions

• An Chen and Guan Yue coordinate the deception before the ceremony, then reunite with Dongxi to investigate the club.
• Guan Yue takes charge of the raid, while An Chen guides the group to the concealed room.
• The square’s officials and crowd focus on the XXX Club’s winning work, unaware that An Chen’s stand-in is present among them.

Significant themes

• Deception and doubles: An Chen’s portrait becomes a convincing substitute, while the hidden room’s sudden emptiness deepens the mystery.
• Art as power: Guan Yue’s brush is both an artistic tool and a weapon; the winning painting seems almost alive.
• Public spectacle versus secret action: A celebrated citywide ceremony unfolds alongside a covert break-in and an unexplained disappearance.

Chapter Summary: Painting World

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Kane’s election speech, a massive scroll expands across the sky, displaying a mirror-like image of the plaza. The citizens, tourists, and merchants are subtly affected, losing awareness of what is happening and believing they should simply go home or remain another day.
• The people inside the club experience the same distortion. Dongxi becomes convinced he should leave, while Guan Yue uses his Soul Power to resist the influence. An Chen’s Spirituality protects him and allows him to realize they have entered a separate dimension resembling his Shadow Space.
• An Chen and Guan Yue identify the dimension as the Painting World, likely created or controlled by Modili. Guan Yue marks Dongxi with ink so he will eventually regain consciousness, then creates an ink passage to reach the source of Modili’s aura.
• They emerge in the middle of a battle between Modili and Adrian, who is likely the president Kane mentioned. Modili possesses immense Soul Power and eight Soul Rings, while Adrian has no visible Soul Power but can create living images, creatures, and characters through painting.
• Adrian attacks An Chen and Guan Yue by creating two Man-Faced Demon Spiders. Guan Yue destroys them with his brush, revealing his considerable power.
• Guan Yue recognizes both Modili and Adrian, calling Adrian “Old Gou” and warning that Adrian’s mind appears corrupted and that his fighting style has changed.
• Modili and Guan Yue join forces against Adrian. Guan Yue orders An Chen to locate the Painting World’s entrance or anchor point, believed to be the mysterious painting An Chen encountered previously.
• Before An Chen can search, he is attacked by a painted Thunder Saint Tiger. He avoids its lightning arrows using his Shadow ability and traps it in the Black Fog from his Big Iron Pot.
• An Chen discovers that the tiger is not a real Soul Beast but a painted creation when its destroyed paws reveal multicolored paint instead of flesh. However, Adrian—or another unseen force—heals the tiger with drops of oil paint, indicating that the creatures in the Painting World can be repaired and restored.

Character Developments

• An Chen demonstrates stronger awareness and independence. His Spirituality allows him to resist the Painting World’s mental influence, recognize the dimensional distortion, and identify that the Thunder Saint Tiger is artificial. He also effectively combines his Shadow abilities with the Big Iron Pot and Black Fog in combat.
• Guan Yue reveals his deep familiarity with the Painting World and his connection to both Modili and Adrian. He acts decisively, protects An Chen, neutralizes Adrian’s summoned creatures, and takes command of the situation.
• Modili is established as a powerful Soul Master with eight Soul Rings and a versatile carving knife capable of changing form. He appears calm and cooperative toward Guan Yue, but the battle suggests he has been resisting Adrian for some time.
• Adrian is presented as an enigmatic and dangerous artist whose powers operate outside conventional Soul Power. His mind may have been corrupted, making him unpredictable. He can create, control, and repair painted creatures and fictional beings.
• Dongxi is temporarily incapacitated by the Painting World’s influence. Guan Yue leaves an ink mark on him to help restore his awareness, suggesting Dongxi may have a personal connection to Modili because of their physical resemblance.

Significant Themes

• Reality versus illusion: The Painting World perfectly imitates reality while concealing its existence from ordinary people, blurring the boundary between the real world and painted creation.
• Manipulation and loss of agency: Citizens and Dongxi are subtly compelled to behave according to the Painting World’s influence, showing how easily perception and free will can be controlled.
• Creation as power: Adrian’s paintings are not passive images; they become living, dangerous entities that can attack, heal, and potentially be recreated indefinitely.
• Corruption and identity: Adrian may no longer be himself, raising questions about whether his altered behavior is the result of possession, mental corruption, or transformation.
• Cooperation against a greater threat: Guan Yue and Modili set aside their complicated history to fight Adrian, while An Chen is entrusted with finding the dimension’s anchor.

Character Interactions

• An Chen and Guan Yue collaborate to understand and escape the Painting World, with Guan Yue taking the lead while relying on An Chen’s Spirituality and perception.
• Guan Yue reassures An Chen about Dongxi and uses ink to help him recover later.
• Guan Yue and Modili reunite during battle, sharing recognition and apparent history. Guan Yue’s complicated reaction suggests unresolved feelings or past conflict.
• Modili warns Guan Yue and An Chen that Adrian has changed and should not be underestimated.
• Guan Yue instructs An Chen to search for the Painting World’s entrance while he assists Modili, dividing their responsibilities.
• An Chen directly confronts Adrian’s painted creation, the Thunder Saint Tiger, using strategy rather than brute force. The tiger’s sudden healing demonstrates that Adrian remains capable of influencing the battlefield from a distance.

Plot points and events

• An Chen battles Kane Ye, the club’s vice president, inside the Painting World. Kane uses his painting-based Martial Soul to summon a Wind-Crest Falcon, while a Thunder Saint Tiger attacks An Chen.
• Kane disrupts An Chen’s shadow attack and drives him into hiding. An Chen counters by sending black, corrosive shadows after Kane’s summoned creatures, then uses a gray-white cane to overwhelm Kane with otherworldly murmurs.
• While Kane is incapacitated, An Chen takes his brooch, which serves as a Storage Soul Tool, and escapes into the shadows. Kane’s corrupted summons turn on him and tear him apart.
• An Chen searches the brooch but cannot find the painting he wants. Suspecting it may be with Adrian, he decides to find Guan Yue and the others.
• He finds Dongxi, who has regained his senses, and explains that they are in the Painting World. Guan Yue and Dongxi’s grandfather are fighting the club president, Adrian, who appears to have sealed the grandfather there and fought him for five years.
• A sharp blade cry from the sky interrupts their conversation.

Character developments and interactions

• An Chen shows tactical patience and resourcefulness, combining stealth, shadow abilities, and the cane’s mental attack to defeat Kane. Despite his victory, he remains focused on locating the missing painting and reconnecting with the others.
• Kane Ye initially controls the fight through his painted creatures, but underestimates An Chen and is ultimately killed by the creatures he summoned.
• Dongxi returns to his senses and seeks answers. An Chen explains the situation and guides him toward the others.
• An Chen and Kane trade taunts, with An Chen turning Kane’s boast about his abilities back on him. An Chen also acts as Dongxi’s guide and source of information.

Significant themes

• Control and betrayal: Kane’s summoned creatures become his undoing when An Chen’s corruption turns them against their master.
• Cunning over force: An Chen wins by exploiting Kane’s attention, choosing his moment, and using surprise rather than meeting the summoned beasts head-on.
• Uncertainty and pursuit: The missing painting leaves An Chen with a new lead—Adrian—and the chapter ends on an abrupt, ominous interruption.

Chapter Summary: “Freedom”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen and Dongxi rush toward a battle between Guan Yue, Modili, and Adrian. Adrian has manifested a massive painting scroll surrounded by eight multicolored Soul Rings.
• Dongxi explains that Modili can use his carving knife to preserve the Soul Power released after using Soul Skills, allowing him to replenish his strength. This explains how Modili remains powerful despite being imprisoned for five years.
• Adrian attacks Dongxi mentally, knocking him unconscious. An Chen, who resists the attack, carries Dongxi to safety before returning to the battlefield.
• Adrian activates the painting scroll, causing Arles City inside the Painting World to collapse. Modili realizes that Adrian intends to sacrifice all of the city’s residents, just as he previously sacrificed outsiders who were sent into the world.
• Adrian reveals that he wants Modili and Guan Yue to worship a mysterious higher existence. He believes they could become the most powerful artists on the continent and even surpass Spirit Hall.
• When they reject him, Adrian summons two genuine hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts—the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape—from the painting scroll to stall them while he completes his plan.
• The two Soul Beasts overwhelm the battlefield. Modili struggles against the Sky Azure Bull Python’s slowing effects and lightning, while Guan Yue uses ink-created beasts and a Painting Realm to contain the Titan Giant Ape.
• As Arles City’s residents are consumed, the sky turns blood-red and the power surrounding Adrian’s Blue Silver Emperor vines grows stronger. An Chen decides to infiltrate the area by entering the shadows.

Character Developments

• An Chen demonstrates strong spiritual resistance by recovering quickly from Adrian’s mental attack. He protects Dongxi and begins taking a more active role in confronting Adrian rather than merely observing the stronger fighters.
• Dongxi provides crucial information about Modili’s self-created Soul Skill but is quickly incapacitated, emphasizing the danger Adrian poses.
• Modili remains calm and resourceful despite years of imprisonment and depleted strength. His preserved Soul Points allow him to continue fighting, and his carving abilities counter the Soul Beast’s attacks.
• Guan Yue displays both physical endurance and creative combat skill, using his Divine Brush to produce Soul Beasts, ink attacks, and an entire landscape to restrain the Titan Giant Ape.
• Adrian is revealed as radically transformed from the former “Color Blade.” He is emotionless, manipulative, and willing to sacrifice an entire city in pursuit of power and what he calls freedom. His connection to an unknown entity has driven him toward fanaticism.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus corruption: Adrian claims that serving a mysterious existence will grant greater freedom and power, but his methods involve coercion, sacrifice, and domination. The chapter questions whether power gained through submission can truly be called freedom.
• The cost of ambition: Adrian’s desire to rise above Spirit Hall and reach a larger world leads him to sacrifice innocent lives and abandon his former identity.
• Art as creation and destruction: Painting, drawing, and carving are used both creatively and violently. The artists’ abilities can create landscapes and life-like creatures, but Adrian uses the same artistic power to destroy a city and summon deadly beasts.
• Resistance and loyalty: Guan Yue and Modili refuse Adrian’s offer despite the potential rewards, choosing their principles over power. An Chen’s decision to enter the shadows further reflects the growing resistance against Adrian.
• Sacrifice and exploitation: The residents of Arles City are treated as fuel for Adrian’s plan, highlighting the moral divide between those who protect life and those who view others as tools.

Character Interactions

• An Chen and Dongxi discuss the unusual nature of Modili’s stored Soul Power, strengthening An Chen’s respect for Modili’s ingenuity.
• Adrian’s mental attack on Dongxi establishes his hostility and shows that even casual attention from him can be dangerous.
• Guan Yue and Modili exchange familiar remarks about their abilities, revealing their long history and mutual understanding despite the pressure of battle.
• Adrian attempts to recruit both men by promising fame and supremacy, but Guan Yue challenges him over how far he has fallen from the person he once was.
• Guan Yue and Modili cooperate against the summoned Soul Beasts, combining ink, carving, spatial cracks, and Painting Realm techniques.
• With the others occupied, An Chen silently moves toward Adrian’s protected position, preparing to interfere with his ritual or uncover the source of his power.

Chapter Summary: “Outside the Painting”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Chen enters the Blue Silver Grass-covered area and finds Adrian waiting in a strange, dark space known as the Painting World.
• Adrian reveals that An Chen is an anomaly in Douluo Continent’s original “trajectory.” He claims An Chen is not native to this world and suggests that he, too, knows the story’s original plot.
• Using his seven-colored compound eye, Adrian shows An Chen a vision of space. Douluo Star has no Divine Realm nearby, while beyond a layer of Gray Fog lies a universe containing a planet resembling Earth, along with a disturbing Red Moon.
• The vision deeply unsettles An Chen and causes black fluid to leak from his eyes and ears. He regains control after realizing that the existence connected to him—the Fool or another higher power—may have deliberately hidden the truth.
• Adrian explains that he seeks freedom from the limitations of his world. He believes An Chen, as a variable outside the original trajectory, may be the only person capable of helping him escape.
• An Chen agrees to cooperate provisionally, but only after Adrian removes the mark placed on him.
• Adrian fulfills this request and also confirms that the sacrifice in Arles City has stopped. The city’s residents, as well as the injured Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, have been released.
• Adrian gives An Chen a blank painting that can be used to contact him if necessary.
• Modili and Guan Yue arrive, injured and prepared to fight. An Chen explains that Adrian has released everyone.
• Adrian bids farewell to them, hinting that the Painting World is itself only part of a much larger “painting,” before his body is erased from the scene. The group returns to Vanxi Square, where ordinary street life resumes.

Character Developments

• An Chen: Learns that his origins and transmigration may be connected to a larger cosmic mystery. Although shaken by the possibility that Earth truly exists outside Douluo Star, he quickly regains composure and acts pragmatically. He remains suspicious of Adrian but chooses cooperation when it benefits him and protects Arles City’s residents.
• Adrian: Reveals himself as an ambitious and knowledgeable figure who understands the original course of history. His primary motivation is freedom from the confines of his world, and he views An Chen as a unique opportunity to achieve it. He demonstrates both immense power and a willingness to negotiate.
• Modili and Guan Yue: Their injuries show that they have likely been fighting Adrian or struggling to contain the crisis. They remain wary of him even after the sacrifice is halted.
• The Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape: Though badly wounded, they survive and are released from the Painting World.

Significant Themes

• Reality and illusion: The chapter questions whether the vision of Earth is genuine, suggesting that worlds, histories, and even reality may exist within layers of paintings or constructed trajectories.
• Transmigration and identity: An Chen confronts the possibility that his journey from Earth was intentional and connected to the Gray Fog, the Fool, or another higher existence.
• Freedom versus limitation: Adrian’s desire to escape his world’s boundaries drives the entire negotiation. The chapter presents freedom as something powerful enough to justify dangerous alliances.
• Trust and uncertainty: An Chen does not fully believe Adrian, especially after learning that another entity may have been searching for him. Their alliance is therefore conditional and based on mutual advantage.
• The insignificance of familiar worlds: Adrian’s vision of a vast universe changes the scale through which both characters view Douluo Continent, making it seem small and confined.

Character Interactions

• Adrian interrogates An Chen about his origins and identifies him as a “variable.”
• An Chen challenges Adrian’s claims and questions why Kane said Adrian’s worshiped entity was searching for him.
• An Chen negotiates for the removal of his mark and the safety of Arles City’s population.
• Adrian accepts the terms, removes the mark, ends the sacrifice, releases the captives, and provides An Chen with a means of contact.
• Modili and Guan Yue confront the aftermath suspiciously, while An Chen serves as the mediator who confirms that Adrian has withdrawn.
• Adrian’s final remarks to the three men suggest that their current world is only one layer of a much greater reality.

Key plot points and events

• After leaving the square, An Chen meets Modili and Guan Yue in a courtyard. Modili is free after five years of imprisonment; he bears no lasting hatred for the City Lord, who was an old friend. An Chen says he secured Modili’s release as part of a deal, but keeps the rest of its terms private.
• An Chen stays in the city for three more days as his cultivation bottleneck loosens, reaching level thirty-six before setting out for Spirit City.
• On the road, he continues puzzling over the Monocle Man’s motives and identity, while worrying about powerful figures such as Adrian.
• An Chen encounters Black Wind Stronghold bandits demanding toll money. When a one-eyed archer attacks him, An Chen turns the arrows back with shadow creatures. He then uses the shadows beneath the bandits to seize and drag the entire group—including their leader—away.
• Two weeks later, An Chen arrives at the imposing gates of Spirit City.

Character developments

• An Chen shows growing power and confidence: he defeats a large bandit group with little effort. At the same time, unresolved questions about the Monocle Man and the threat posed by stronger opponents weigh on him.
• Modili appears forgiving and reflective despite his long imprisonment, valuing his decades-old friendship with the City Lord.
• Guan Yue remains blunt and familiar with Modili, teasing him over making tea despite his injured hand.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: The bandits rely on force to control travelers, but An Chen’s greater power abruptly reverses the situation.
• Loyalty, friendship, and forgiveness: Modili’s response to his imprisonment highlights the durability of old bonds.
• Mystery and uncertainty: An Chen’s unanswered questions about the Monocle Man and Adrian keep danger in the background.
• The growing reach of shadow powers: An Chen’s ability to manipulate shadows is presented as an increasingly formidable weapon.

Character interactions

• An Chen keeps the details of his bargain with the City Lord private, while Modili accepts his release without resentment.
• Modili and Guan Yue exchange affectionate, long-standing jabs over tea.
• The travelers watch An Chen defeat the bandits but hesitate to approach him afterward, intimidated by his impatience.
• An Chen ignores their attempted thanks and continues toward Spirit City.

Key plot points and events

• An Chen enters Spirit City, where a Soul Power check at the gate confirms that only Soul Masters are admitted. The city feels unusually quiet and orderly compared with Arles City.
• While exploring, he is confronted in a teahouse by the monocle-wearing man who previously frightened him. The man reveals that he has been following An Chen and has temporarily “parasitized” him, allowing him to control An Chen’s body, suppress his voice, and apparently hear his thoughts.
• The man says Bibi Dong is currently unable to protect herself, then gives An Chen several Jade Boxes as compensation for following him. An Chen regains control after the man leaves.
• An Chen inspects the boxes and finds they contain powerful Immortal Herbs from the original story, including Aromatic Silk Beauty, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and Infernal Delicate Apricot. He is excited by the prospect of becoming much stronger, though the man’s warning that he will keep watching him leaves him uneasy.
• An Chen continues to Spirit Hall Advanced Soul Master Academy, presents Elder Chen’s Black Card, and is escorted through the campus to Elder Chen’s courtyard. Elder Chen greets him warmly, and An Chen addresses him respectfully as his teacher.

Character developments

• An Chen remains wary after his earlier pursuit, but his fear gives way to excitement when he receives the rare herbs. He also shows caution by remembering the man’s threat and proceeds to the academy rather than immediately acting on the herbs.
• The monocle-wearing man reveals formidable, unsettling abilities and a playful, intrusive manner. He both threatens An Chen’s autonomy and offers valuable gifts, leaving his motives ambiguous.
• Elder Chen appears welcoming and familiar with An Chen, suggesting an established teacher-student relationship.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: An Chen’s inability to control his body shows how exposed even a capable character can be against a stronger opponent.
• Trust and manipulation: The man frames the herbs as compensation, but his surveillance and control make the gift feel coercive.
• Opportunity amid danger: The Immortal Herbs promise rapid growth, yet come from a potentially dangerous source.
• Security and uncertainty: Spirit City seems safe at first, but the man’s claim that Bibi Dong cannot protect herself undermines that sense of safety.

Character interactions

• An Chen is briefly checked by Spirit City’s gate guards, then later presents his credentials to academy staff and is escorted inside.
• The monocle-wearing man dominates the teahouse encounter, controlling An Chen’s movements and speech while probing his thoughts and offering the herbs.
• At the academy, An Chen behaves respectfully toward Elder Chen, who greets him with friendly familiarity.