Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiawen realizes that Li Ziran has stolen or replicated the secret chain-based technique central to Christie’s, prompting him to unleash the full power of his Derivative Space.
• The Derivative Space generates overwhelming pressure, pinning nearby observers—including Golden Dragon—to the ground and trapping them in the conflict.
• Jiawen transforms the space into a massive soul-and-space domain. Eyeball-like structures fire spiritual power, creating layers of restraints and chains that prevent Li Ziran from escaping.
• Li Ziran repeatedly changes forms—first appearing as a beam of light, then a golden goat, and finally an emerald frog—to evade capture. However, Jiawen continuously compresses the domain and seals its exits.
• Golden Dragon recognizes Jiawen’s method as an advanced version of an old cultivation technique that merges a Derivative Space with the soul to create a continent-like domain. Although once popular, the method was generally considered a failure in the true Void Expanse.
• Kazilan observes the battle while secretly planning to seize both Li Ziran and the stolen chains for herself. She views the chains as more valuable than the Continental Core she previously lost.
• Jiawen’s spiritual nets finally trap Li Ziran’s physical shell. However, Li Ziran abandons the shell and transforms into a transparent soul body, slipping through the spiritual net and the Derivative Space’s barrier.
• This transformation shocks Kazilan because Li Ziran has reproduced Jiawen’s most treasured inheritance: the ability to evolve the soul, divide it into tentacles, and create the Void Network.
• Jiawen summons more than a thousand enormous soul hands to pursue and capture Li Ziran in the Void Expanse. Although Li Ziran struggles to escape, Jiawen’s familiarity with the technique allows him to counter it.
• Before Li Ziran can be dragged back into the Derivative Space, a tremendous impact devastates Christie’s auction hall and surrounding buildings. Many creatures are injured, Golden Dragon suffers a severe wound, and the Derivative Space itself appears damaged.
• Kazilan discovers that a massive brass-gold radiance is pressing down on the Derivative Space. The soul hands are forced to hold it back, and she recognizes the attacking force as Hippo Ancient City.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Demonstrates extraordinary adaptability and ingenuity. He uses multiple transformations and ultimately abandons his physical body to imitate Jiawen’s soul-based cultivation, revealing that he has grasped a secret even Kazilan has never mastered.
• Jiawen: Becomes ruthless and desperate to contain Li Ziran. His actions show that the chain technique is the foundation of Christie’s power and that he will risk destroying his own organization to prevent its secrets from spreading.
• Kazilan: Moves from opportunistic observer to deeply invested participant. She initially intends to capture Li Ziran for personal gain, but witnessing his mastery of Jiawen’s soul technique leaves her both astonished and envious.
• Golden Dragon: Shifts from confidence to terror. He recognizes the danger of Jiawen’s evolved Derivative Space and realizes that merely watching the conflict has placed him in mortal danger.
• Jiawen’s technique: Is revealed to be more than a spatial restraint; it represents a sophisticated soul-evolution method capable of creating a Void Network and possibly forming a continent-like domain.

Significant Themes

• Protection of secret knowledge: Jiawen’s violence is driven by the need to preserve Christie’s exclusive advantage. The chapter emphasizes how powerful techniques become both treasures and vulnerabilities when copied.
• Imitation versus ownership: Li Ziran’s ability to reproduce Jiawen’s inheritance challenges the idea that such techniques belong exclusively to their original creator.
• Power concealed beneath appearances: Li Ziran’s transformations and Kazilan’s flea-like true form show that identities and bodies are deceptive in the Void Expanse.
• Ambition and opportunism: Kazilan seeks to exploit the conflict for her own cultivation, even while recognizing the danger involved.
• Limits of cultivation doctrines: Golden Dragon’s recollection of failed Derivative Space users highlights the difference between impressive power within the Red Soil Continent and true survival in the Void Expanse.
• Escalation and collateral damage: The battle quickly grows beyond a duel between Jiawen and Li Ziran, devastating Christie’s headquarters and threatening every nearby creature.

Character Interactions

• Jiawen and Li Ziran: Their confrontation centers on theft and secrecy. Jiawen attempts to imprison Li Ziran, while Li Ziran uses the stolen or copied chain technique to escape.
• Kazilan and Li Ziran: Kazilan views Li Ziran as both a thief and a potential source of immense power. She plans to capture him, but becomes impressed when he reveals mastery of Jiawen’s soul form.
• Kazilan and Jiawen: Although nominally connected through Jiawen’s teachings, Kazilan secretly hopes to surpass or exploit him by obtaining the complete chain inheritance.
• Golden Dragon and Jiawen: Golden Dragon openly condemns Jiawen for bullying a junior, but his protest is ignored. His fear grows as he realizes Jiawen’s domain may crush everyone inside it.
• All observers and the battle: The surrounding creatures become unwilling victims of the conflict, pinned down, injured, and caught in the destruction of Christie’s auction hall.
  The chapter ends on a major cliffhanger:

Hippo Ancient City appears to be attacking or suppressing Jiawen’s Derivative Space, potentially changing the outcome of Li Ziran’s capture.

Chapter Summary: “Otherwise, Fight to the Death”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiawen attacks Li Ziran’s Hippo Ancient City using a transformed psychic chain technique and a massive, transparent fist condensed from countless souls.
• The fist strikes the city-state three times, shattering Hippo Ancient City into countless fragments and apparently defeating Li Ziran.
• Lina concludes that Li Ziran lost because he lacked sufficient control over his Void Chains, while Jiawen’s overwhelming soul power gave his chains devastating concentration.
• However, the broken city suddenly reassembles. Li Ziran’s soul has expanded severalfold, and the Ancient City transforms into a brass-colored “City of the Frog.”
• When Christie’s Derivative Space clashes with it, the transformed city creates a breach in the space and allows Li Ziran to escape. He emerges above the city and declares that he does not wish to fight Jiawen.
• Jiawen refuses to stop. He merges his Derivative Space into his body, becoming a colossal transparent giant comparable in size to Hippo Ancient City.
• The two engage in an escalating battle across the Void Expanse. Hippo Ancient City repeatedly changes forms—becoming a Giant Frog and later a blazing Goat City—while wielding elemental forces, light, soul webs, and the power of the Source Sea.
• Jiawen uses his immense soul networks to attack, restrain, envelop, and suppress the city. Both combatants endure severe attacks and rapidly recover, exchanging more than a hundred collisions.
• Kazilan and the other observers retreat from the battle, overwhelmed by its destructive force. Lina also withdraws, hoping to exploit the victor afterward by controlling Li Ziran and capturing Jiawen.
• Lina realizes that Li Ziran’s strength continues increasing because the Source Sea and the souls within Hippo Ancient City continually reinforce him. In a prolonged battle, Jiawen may eventually lose.
• Jiawen demands that Li Ziran abolish his Void Chains so they can end the conflict peacefully. Goni rejects the proposal, countering that Jiawen should also abandon his soul-expansion method—or even abolish his own Void Chains—to prevent either side’s secrets from spreading.
• The chapter ends with Jiawen staring at Goni in disbelief, astonished that Hippo Ancient City has protected the old man perfectly throughout the battle.

Character Developments

• Jiawen: Demonstrates terrifying combat power, immense soul reserves, and sophisticated control of Void Chains. Despite initially overwhelming Li Ziran, he becomes increasingly wary as the fight turns into a battle of endurance and outside observers threaten to intervene.
• Li Ziran: Experiences a dramatic transformation. Though initially defeated, his soul expands and fuses with Hippo Ancient City, allowing him to fight Jiawen on equal terms. His mastery of the city and the Source Sea improves rapidly during the battle.
• Lina: Shifts from observer to opportunistic strategist. She recognizes the limits of her own power in Jiawen’s Derivative Space and plans to control the victor after the two combatants weaken one another.
• Kazilan: Gains a deeper understanding of the power of the Source Sea and the fusion between souls, Void Chains, and Ancient Cities. Her admiration and shock at Li Ziran’s transformation reveal how extraordinary the battle is.
• Goni: Remains calm and protected inside Hippo Ancient City. He exposes Jiawen’s attempt at a compromise as self-serving and challenges him to surrender his own advantages as well.

Significant Themes

• Power through fusion and transformation: Li Ziran’s union with Hippo Ancient City radically elevates his strength, showing that power depends not only on individual talent but also on integration with greater structures.
• Endurance versus concentrated force: Jiawen possesses superior foundations and concentrated destructive strength, while Li Ziran draws on the Source Sea and the collective souls of the city for seemingly endless reinforcement.
• Mutual distrust and impossible compromise: Jiawen’s demand for disarmament is rejected because neither side is willing to sacrifice the techniques that ensure survival and dominance.
• Predatory opportunism: Lina and the other spectators wait for weakness, emphasizing that powerful beings must fight not only their immediate opponent but also potential third-party attackers.
• The mysterious nature of the Source Sea: Its interaction with Void Chains produces unprecedented transformations and suggests a broader, poorly understood source of power.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiawen and Li Ziran: Their battle moves from apparent one-sided victory to a near-even contest between two extraordinary powers. Jiawen seeks either victory or a negotiated disarmament, while Li Ziran continues resisting through the Ancient City.
• Jiawen and Goni: Goni verbally challenges Jiawen’s proposed truce, exposing the hypocrisy of asking Li Ziran to abandon his powers while Jiawen retains his own.
• Lina and the combatants: Lina remains outside the conflict, evaluating their strengths and waiting to seize the advantage once one is weakened.
• Kazilan and the battle: Kazilan serves as the principal witness to the clash, observing the unprecedented combat techniques and recognizing that Li Ziran’s transformation cannot be explained by ordinary evolution alone.

Chapter Summary: “Exhilarating as It Was, He Couldn't Afford the Cost”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Void Expanse watches the battle between Li Ziran and Jiawen, master of Christie’s, with many spectators mocking Jiawen and speculating about the potential rewards if either combatant dies.
• Jiawen becomes increasingly worried that Li Ziran has gained insight into the secrets of Christie’s Void Chains. He realizes that Li Ziran can challenge him largely because of the Source Sea, while Jiawen possesses an even greater Origin connected to the Red Soil Continent.
• Jiawen decides to retreat and merge with the Continental Core so he can perfect his Void Chains, but he attempts to disguise his withdrawal as a temporary pause for business.
• The two unleash a devastating collision between their continents. Their power briefly warps the Void Expanse itself, demonstrating combat strength approaching that of the legendary Red Soil Continent.
• The clash severely damages both sides:
  • Li Ziran’s Hippo Ancient City dims and appears wounded.
  • Jiawen’s physical body collapses, leaving him in a soul state.
  • Kazilan is badly injured by the residual power.
• The Ice Plains Great Dragon, transformed into a Bone Dragon, attempts to exploit their weakened condition. However, Li Ziran still has enough strength to protect himself and Goni.
• Li Ziran’s Soul Webs tear into the Bone Dragon, and the Hippo Ancient City’s crimson power nearly purifies its soul. The Bone Dragon is forced to flee.
• Jiawen then pretends the battle was merely a demonstration of the benefits of merging continental fragments. He claims he must resume Christie’s auction business and asks Li Ziran to postpone their fight.
• Li Ziran unexpectedly agrees, but privately reveals to Goni that his Source Sea has been greatly depleted. Although the battle was thrilling, he cannot afford to continue fighting at such a cost.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran demonstrates extraordinary strength, composure, and hidden reserves. He defeats the Bone Dragon’s attempted ambush but recognizes that his own power has been heavily drained.
• Jiawen is shown to be powerful but increasingly anxious and calculating. He fears Li Ziran’s understanding of Christie’s secrets and decides that merging with the Continental Core is necessary to regain the advantage.
• Goni remains openly mocking and perceptive. He correctly suspects that Jiawen’s apparent retreat will create future danger and worries about allowing him to escape.
• Lina gains a clearer understanding of the gulf between her own strength and that of the true peak experts. She also recognizes that Li Ziran protected Goni during the battle.
• Kazilan is seriously injured and becomes more wary of Li Ziran after witnessing his hidden trump cards.
• The Bone Dragon shifts from opportunistic aggressor to desperate survivor after discovering that Li Ziran and Jiawen still possess overwhelming power.

Significant Themes

• Power and cost: Ultimate strength comes with enormous expenditure. Li Ziran can fight Jiawen evenly, but the consumption of his Source Sea makes prolonged combat unsustainable.
• Hidden reserves and deception: Both major combatants conceal their true capabilities, while Jiawen uses politeness and business obligations to mask his retreat.
• The danger of mediocrity and shared knowledge: Jiawen fears that exposing Christie’s Void Chain secrets would destroy the organization’s competitive advantage.
• Opportunism in a brutal world: The spectators, Lina, and the Bone Dragon all consider profiting from the battle or attacking the survivors, treating a deadly confrontation as a chance to obtain treasures or Memory Fragments.
• The scale of supreme cultivation: The clash’s ability to warp the Void Expanse establishes the immense gap between ordinary powerhouses and beings approaching the level of the Red Soil Continent.

Character Interactions

• The Void Expanse’s spectators mock Jiawen and debate whether Li Ziran can defeat him.
• Jiawen and Li Ziran exchange threats and eventually battle directly, with their Void Chains and continental powers colliding.
• The Bone Dragon attacks the weakened combatants, but Li Ziran and Jiawen jointly repel it through Soul Webs and the Hippo Ancient City’s crimson energy.
• Jiawen attempts to frame his withdrawal as a reasonable business delay, and Li Ziran plays along.
• Goni warns Li Ziran that allowing Jiawen to leave will cause future trouble, prompting Li Ziran to reveal the hidden cost of their battle: his depleted Source Sea.

Chapter Summary: “Rewards: Six Elemental Chains”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran and Goni examine the aftermath of Li Ziran’s battle with Jiawen. The clash consumed more than half of the Source Sea beneath Hippo Ancient City, leaving it nearly transparent and rapidly depleting.
• Li Ziran explains that the Source is an extraordinary, universal substance capable of fusing with almost any Void Chain to create complex materials, including living organs. However, the more complicated the fusion, the greater the energy cost.
• Goni realizes that this Source could become the key to transcending the Void Expanse. Since it could sustain the creation of continents and living organisms, future beings might compete fiercely to obtain it. Jiawen’s idea of cultivating fusion continents therefore appears increasingly important.
• Hippo Ancient City is shown to have become partially transformed by the Source. Its bricks contain traces of bronze-like material, and the city emits a life-supporting light that can strengthen living beings. This suggests that Li Ziran has begun creating an independent continent rather than merely relying on the Red Soil Continent.
• Goni questions how the enormous Red Soil Continent can continue surviving despite supporting countless organisms. He and Li Ziran speculate that its Continental Core may draw materials from the Void Expanse and convert them into Source.
• Jiawen admits that he does not know the answer but agrees that the Continental Core likely contains an undiscovered survival mechanism. The characters also suspect that its true value may be far greater than most bidders realized.
• Li Ziran acknowledges that Hippo Ancient City’s Source cannot support the full development of his Void Chains. Even fusing only three galaxies nearly exhausted the Source Sea, while a Continental Core would contain vastly denser and more valuable Source.
• Goni transfers memories of six fundamental Void Chains to Li Ziran: light, darkness, soul, nature, space, and time. These memories immediately open four independent galaxies within Li Ziran’s Void Chains and greatly expand his abilities.
• Goni explains that these chains are basic elements of the Red Soil Continent and standard knowledge among Void Expanse beings. He regrets being unable to provide the Dragon Chains, which—alongside the Void Chains—are essential to forming a true continent.
• Li Ziran turns his attention to Kazilan and the Continental Core, realizing that his previous investment may be worth far more than expected. He intends to investigate or possibly control the Core and merge it with Hippo Ancient City.
• When Jiawen asks about his demands, Li Ziran makes an unexpected request: he wants the people who lent him Void Coins at Christie’s—Quentin and the Pandas trapped in Derivative Space—to be released and allowed to remain in Hippo Ancient City.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran gains a deeper understanding of Source, recognizing both its immense potential and its severe limitations. He becomes more ambitious, considering how to evolve Hippo Ancient City into a self-sustaining continent and how to exploit the Continental Core.
• He also grows stronger after receiving the six elemental chains, gaining access to powers associated with darkness, space, time, and other foundational forces.
• Goni demonstrates his continued loyalty and mentorship by giving Li Ziran the elemental-chain memories. He also decides to retire in Hippo Ancient City, placing responsibility for uncovering the Source’s origin on Li Ziran.
• Jiawen is revealed to have incomplete knowledge of the Continental Core’s true function. Although powerful and politically influential, he may have overlooked its most important secret.
• Lina is mentioned as having mastered the six chains at an extremely young age, but Goni believes her early exposure ultimately restricted her future potential.
• Quentin and the Pandas are unexpectedly placed at the center of Li Ziran’s negotiation, as Li chooses to use his new position to rescue them.

Significant Themes

• The cost of power: Source enables extraordinary creation, but even limited use rapidly exhausts it. Advancement requires balancing ambition against finite resources.
• Transcendence and evolution: The transformation of Hippo Ancient City suggests that survival in the Void Expanse depends on evolving from an individual or small shell into a self-sustaining continent.
• Hidden knowledge and discovery: The true function of the Continental Core remains unknown, emphasizing that the greatest breakthroughs come from uncovering principles even powerful civilizations have missed.
• Mentorship and inheritance: Goni passes foundational knowledge to Li Ziran, representing the transfer of experience and opportunity between generations.
• Loyalty and reciprocity: Despite his growing power, Li Ziran remembers those who helped him financially and uses his leverage to repay them.
• Political and economic power: The value of the Continental Core and Li Ziran’s request show that scientific discoveries, resources, and personal alliances are deeply connected to negotiation and influence.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and Goni discuss the dangers and possibilities of Source, with Goni challenging Li Ziran to uncover its origin.
• Goni and Jiawen debate whether the Red Soil Continent’s Core can manufacture Source from the Void Expanse.
• Goni rewards Li Ziran with the six elemental chains while explaining their importance and apologizing for being unable to provide the Dragon Chains.
• Li Ziran expresses sincere gratitude toward Goni, strengthening their teacher-student bond.
• Li Ziran then confronts Jiawen diplomatically, using their partnership to request the release of Quentin and the Pandas. His demand surprises both Jiawen and the imprisoned group, signaling that the negotiations are not yet over.

Chapter Summary: “Here, Here, Here!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran unexpectedly asks Jiawen to release certain ordinary living beings from Christie’s Derivative Space and allow them to enter Hippo Ancient City.
• Jiawen is suspicious but agrees to summon the first person: Quentin, a Panda who previously helped Li Ziran gather Void Coins.
• Quentin eagerly answers the call and is transported into the Void Expanse near Hippo Ancient City. Although terrified by the surrounding darkness, he is comforted by the city’s warm bronze radiance.
• Goni identifies Quentin as Li Ziran’s friend and urges Jiawen to release him so he can enter the city.
• Once released, Quentin is exposed to the intense power surrounding Hippo Ancient City. His body is burned, cracked, and reduced to ash while his soul is stripped of dark impurities.
• The horrifying process frightens the Darkglow Stonefolk, who had also been promised entry into the city. They hide rather than volunteer, believing Quentin is being killed.
• As Quentin’s weakened soul is drawn toward the city, it suddenly begins exploding and reforming. Each explosion dramatically increases its strength, and a new Panda body starts developing inside a sphere of bronze light.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran reveals that he values and remembers those who helped him, even seemingly insignificant figures such as Quentin. His request also suggests he has a larger, undisclosed plan.
• Jiawen becomes increasingly wary of Li Ziran and Goni. He initially thinks Quentin’s transfer will weaken Li Ziran’s potential support, but the unexpected transformation leaves him uncertain and cautious.
• Goni acts as Li Ziran’s representative and appears unusually pleased by Quentin’s suffering and transformation, reinforcing his unsettling, almost demonic presence.
• Quentin changes from a weak, opportunistic black-market lackey into the subject of a mysterious purification and reconstruction process. Though initially terrified, his soul demonstrates extraordinary resilience.
• The Darkglow Stonefolk lose confidence in their promised refuge after witnessing Quentin’s apparent destruction and retreat into hiding.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through suffering: Quentin’s body is destroyed, but the process appears to purge his impurities and rebuild him into something stronger.
• The danger of salvation: Hippo Ancient City is presented as a promised sanctuary, yet reaching it requires surviving an ordeal that looks like torture or death.
• Hidden motives and manipulation: Li Ziran’s seemingly generous request conceals a deeper purpose, while Goni’s cheerful encouragement makes the city’s “welcome” feel threatening.
• Loyalty and repayment: Li Ziran honors those who aided him in the past, suggesting that gratitude and remembered debts are important forms of power.
• Fear versus opportunity: The inhabitants must choose between the safety of the Derivative Space and the terrifying possibility of a better existence in Hippo Ancient City.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and Jiawen: Their polite exchange masks mutual suspicion. Jiawen tries to limit Li Ziran’s influence, while Li Ziran uses his promise to Quentin to pressure Jiawen into cooperation.
• Goni and Jiawen: Goni speaks to Jiawen with familiarity and authority, directing him to release Quentin and later summon the Stonefolk.
• Goni and Quentin: Goni identifies Quentin as an old acquaintance and encourages his transfer, though his amusement at Quentin’s torment makes the interaction deeply unsettling.
• Jiawen and Quentin: Jiawen summons and initially transports Quentin, but later watches in confusion as the process destroys and reconstructs him.
• The Stonefolk and the others: The Stonefolk had expected to follow Quentin into Hippo Ancient City, but Quentin’s apparent death causes them to withdraw in fear.

Chapter Summary: Super Panda

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the Void Expanse, Quentin is completely reconstructed after his apparent death. A heart, nerves, bones, flesh, skin, and distinctive black-and-white fur form around a powerful brass-colored energy.
• His soul expands dramatically—nearly a hundredfold—reaching the level of the Void Expanse’s supreme powerhouses. The transformation purifies and greatly enhances his natural Panda abilities.
• Lina realizes that Li Ziran has not merely revived Quentin but created a fundamentally superior “Super Panda.” She suspects Li may possess the ability to manufacture similarly enhanced creatures, perhaps even without limit.
• Jiawen identifies the source of Quentin’s soul growth as Christie’s Soul Replication Chain, which has been implanted into the Panda and altered by the brass energy. Although he considers this misuse of the Void Chains blasphemous, his outrage turns into intense greed as he tries to understand Li Ziran’s method.
• Kazilan notices Jiawen’s possessiveness and becomes increasingly regretful that she failed to seize Li Ziran earlier. She recognizes that Li’s fusion with the Hippo Ancient City has made him too powerful to control.
• Kazilan begins considering cooperation—or even pledging allegiance—with Li Ziran so that she might gain access to the secrets of the Void Chains. However, doing so would mean betraying Jiawen, her teacher, who has deliberately withheld the chains’ deepest techniques from her.
• Quentin returns to the gates of the Hippo Ancient City and reunites with his master, Goni. He demonstrates a new black-and-white power in his hand, resembling the ancestral abilities of the Panda Clan.
• Goni assigns Quentin the task of organizing the living beings who helped them and determining who wishes to settle in the Hippo Ancient City.
• Quentin calls out to Jiawen, prompting several hundred Darkglow Stonefolk to eagerly request entry into the city.

Character Developments

• Quentin: Reborn as an immensely powerful and purified Super Panda. He retains his gentle, somewhat naïve personality but now possesses extraordinary physical strength, soul power, and an unfamiliar ancestral ability.
• Li Ziran: His abilities are revealed to be far beyond ordinary standards. He can apparently reshape living beings, purify their essence, and enhance their racial abilities on an astonishing scale.
• Lina: Gains deeper respect and admiration for Li Ziran after recognizing the ancient purity of Quentin’s transformation. She accepts that he cannot be judged by conventional standards.
• Jiawen: Shifts from anger at Li’s use of Christie’s Soul Chains to intense curiosity and greed. He wants to uncover the principles behind Li’s reshaping power.
• Kazilan: Realizes she has lost the chance to control or possess Li Ziran. Her regret leads her to consider cooperation and even allegiance, despite the danger of betraying Jiawen.
• Goni: Remains Quentin’s supportive master and immediately gives him practical responsibilities after his rebirth, emphasizing the need to build the Hippo Ancient City’s population and future community.

Significant Themes

• Rebirth and transformation: Quentin’s death becomes the foundation for a far greater existence, suggesting that destruction can lead to transcendence.
• Purity and power: The chapter emphasizes that removing impurities from a being can unlock or magnify its deepest racial potential.
• The limits of human understanding: Li Ziran’s abilities have surpassed the established standards of the Void Expanse, leaving even powerful figures unable to assess his true limits.
• Greed and missed opportunities: Jiawen and Kazilan both react to Li’s growth with desire and regret, realizing they failed to recognize his value early enough.
• Loyalty versus ambition: Kazilan struggles between loyalty to her teacher and the possibility of gaining the knowledge and power Jiawen has withheld from her.
• Community and allegiance: The transformation of Quentin leads directly into plans for settling allies within the Hippo Ancient City, marking the beginning of a broader alliance or new power structure.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and Quentin: Though Li does not appear directly in the scene, his influence defines Quentin’s rebirth and transformation.
• Lina and Li Ziran: Lina’s evaluation of Quentin deepens her respect for Li and confirms her grandfather’s belief that he is extraordinary.
• Jiawen and Li Ziran: Jiawen views Li as both a blasphemer who misuses Soul Chains and a potential source of unimaginable power.
• Kazilan and Jiawen: Kazilan fears Jiawen’s possessiveness and considers betraying him, while Jiawen remains unaware of the full extent of her conflict.
• Quentin and Goni: Their reunion shows Quentin’s continued loyalty and Goni’s confidence in his reborn disciple.
• Quentin and the Darkglow Stonefolk: Quentin’s call prompts the Stonefolk to eagerly seek admission into the Hippo Ancient City, reinforcing the city’s growing appeal and influence.

Chapter Summary: “Magnificent Changes in the Chains”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran continues transforming beings within the Derivative Space. Their stone shells are destroyed and reduced to dust, while their souls are purified, expanded, and strengthened by the Brasslight.
• The transformed beings enter Hippo Ancient City as vastly more powerful individuals, some seemingly recovering ancestral bloodlines or ancient physical traits. So far, 272 beings have been accepted.
• The spectators become envious and regret refusing Quentin’s earlier request to invest Void Coins in Li Ziran. They realize that entering the city offers an extraordinary opportunity for evolution.
• Jiawen grows increasingly alarmed. Every being admitted to Hippo Ancient City absorbs Christie's Core Chains and gains access to the essence of Christie’s inheritance. He regards this as an unacceptable waste and intends to fuse with the Continental Core as soon as possible.
• Goni reveals that the Brasslight’s transformations consume the Source Sea, Hippo Ancient City’s irreplaceable foundation. Approximately one-third has already been used.
• Li Ziran estimates that the city can survive only three to five years under normal conditions, but the added consumption from the transformed beings reduces that period to roughly five months—assuming no major battle occurs.
• Goni warns that such peace is impossible because the continent is unstable and desperate forces will inevitably fight over Origin.
• Li Ziran studies the starry sky within his Void and discovers that each transformed living being generates a unique Void Chain when its shell is destroyed and its soul is reborn.
• These chains appear as distinctive galaxies—such as a dumbbell, a hammer, a banyan tree, or a spiked formation—and begin enriching and perfecting Li Ziran’s own Starry Sky Chains.
• Li Ziran concludes that every living being possesses an innate Void Chain. Though ordinary beings are normally too weak to manifest them, destruction and rebirth awaken these chains.
• Despite the enormous cost to Hippo Ancient City, Li Ziran decides the process is worthwhile. His ultimate goal is to seize the core of the Red Soil Continent, which he believes will provide enough energy to sustain his evolving chains.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Demonstrates increasing confidence in his understanding of the Void. He shifts from merely transforming beings to recognizing that their unique chains are essential to his own growth. He accepts the city’s short remaining lifespan because he values long-term evolution and the possibility of consuming the continent’s core.
• Jiawen: Becomes impatient, hostile, and desperate. Seeing Christie’s essence being absorbed by outsiders, he abandons patience and prepares to act directly by merging with the Continental Core.
• Goni: Acts as Li Ziran’s concerned adviser and intermediary. He understands the dangers of exhausting the Source Sea and emphasizes how catastrophic conflict in the Void Expanse will be.
• Quentin: Continues placating Jiawen while arranging for more beings to enter the city. His apparent reconciliation with Li Ziran allows the transformation process to continue.
• The transformed beings: Gain tremendous strength, purified souls, remolded bodies, and—in some cases—ancestral traits. Their success intensifies the envy and regret of those left behind.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through destruction: Physical destruction is presented not as an end but as the prerequisite for purification, rebirth, and greater power.
• The hidden potential of ordinary life: Every living being contains a unique Void Chain, suggesting that even seemingly insignificant creatures possess the foundations of extraordinary growth.
• Change versus preservation: Li Ziran embraces endless change and experimentation, while Jiawen seeks to preserve Christie’s inherited power and prevent it from being diluted.
• Short-term survival versus long-term advancement: The transformations consume Hippo Ancient City’s limited resources, but Li Ziran considers the resulting development more valuable than merely prolonging survival.
• Scarcity and envy: The spectators’ regret over missing the opportunity highlights how quickly people value what they previously distrusted when its benefits become undeniable.
• Order emerging from chaos: The unstable galaxies in Li Ziran’s starry sky represent violent, incomplete systems that may eventually develop into new perfected chains.

Character Interactions

• Quentin and Jiawen: Quentin repeatedly reassures and appeases Jiawen while continuing to send more beings out of the Derivative Space. Jiawen’s disgust toward Quentin grows as the number of transformed beings rises.
• Li Ziran and Goni: Goni questions whether sacrificing the Source Sea is worthwhile and warns that the city cannot avoid future conflict. Li Ziran acknowledges the danger but insists that the knowledge and chains gained from the process justify the cost.
• Li Ziran and the transformed beings: Although he appears to be granting them power, Li Ziran is also studying and absorbing the unique Void Chains awakened through their transformation.
• Jiawen and the surrounding observers: Jiawen’s mounting fury contrasts with the envy of the ordinary spectators and the cautious observation of other powerful figures waiting for Hippo Ancient City to weaken.
• Li Ziran and Jiawen: Their conflict becomes increasingly direct: Jiawen wants to reclaim and protect Christie’s essence, while Li Ziran treats it as a resource for creating a new and more expansive system of Void Chains.

Chapter Summary: “Continental Core”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran continues developing his Void Chains within the Void Expanse. He realizes that each new chain generates unique Gravity forces, and that the resulting chaos gradually pushes the entire structure toward a more complete equilibrium.
• He speculates that, with enough growth, the Void Chains might eventually surpass the six fundamental chains of the Red Soil Continent. However, his immediate progress is limited by his lack of Origin.
• Jin Potter successfully enters Hippo Ancient City while his soul undergoes a dramatic transformation. He enjoys the process loudly, attracting resentment from the surrounding beings.
• Jiawen takes control of the Continental Core exchange, disregarding Quentin’s plans to admit more refugees into Hippo Ancient City. He summons Gelong, the auctioneer who purchased a Continental Core, and orders him to claim it.
• Goni confronts Quentin, pointing out that most of the beings Quentin wants to save never truly intended to settle in Hippo Ancient City. Goni argues that adding more residents would consume Li Ziran’s limited Origin without providing meaningful benefit.
• Gelong and the Bone Dragon King begin merging with their respective Continental Cores. Gelong’s soul expands awkwardly, while the Bone Dragon King uses a more controlled, condensed method.
• Jiawen then attempts to seize another Continental Core himself. His soul tears open a terrifying fissure in the Void Expanse, creating access to the “true” Void Expanse.
• The resulting rupture destroys surrounding Derivative Spaces and kills countless living beings. Their souls are drawn into the fissure and annihilated, while their bodies drift lifelessly through the Void Expanse.
• Quentin realizes that Hippo Ancient City’s protection saved him and the others nearby. Goni explains that their current environment is only a relatively safe “swimming pool” compared with the genuine Void Expanse, where ordinary beings would be instantly destroyed.
• The chapter ends with Goni worrying about Li Ziran’s future. Even the initial stage of Li’s soul fusion has triggered the Absolute Void, suggesting that the completed fusion may possess terrifying power.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Gains a deeper understanding of the Void Chains and becomes more accepting of instability as a necessary part of growth. His main weakness remains his limited Origin, leaving him vulnerable in a serious battle.
• Jin Potter: Successfully advances into Hippo Ancient City and undergoes a major soul transformation. His ecstatic, careless reactions contrast sharply with the danger surrounding everyone else.
• Quentin: Reveals his idealistic desire to save and shelter as many beings as possible, but his judgment is criticized as immature and self-indulgent. He begins to recognize how little control he actually has.
• Goni: Becomes more pragmatic and protective of Li Ziran’s interests. He firmly restrains Quentin and exposes the flaws in Quentin’s plan, though he later feels some concern and resentment over the deaths caused by the rupture.
• Jiawen: Demonstrates overwhelming authority and power by taking control of the Continental Core process and forcibly tearing open the Absolute Void. His actions appear ruthless and self-interested.
• Gelong and the Bone Dragon King: Begin merging with Continental Cores, with the Bone Dragon King showing greater control and discipline than Gelong.

Significant Themes

• Order emerging from chaos: The Void Chains evolve through instability. Disorder is presented not as failure, but as a necessary stage before a stronger equilibrium can form.
• Limits and resource scarcity: Li Ziran’s lack of Origin places a strict limit on his power and forces difficult choices about who can be saved or admitted into Hippo Ancient City.
• Idealism versus responsibility: Quentin wants to rescue everyone, while Goni emphasizes that careless compassion can endanger the city and burden Li Ziran.
• The danger of transcendence: The Continental Cores and the true Void Expanse represent powers far beyond ordinary understanding. Even attempting to access them causes mass destruction.
• Ignorance and perspective: Quentin’s shock at the “real” Void Expanse highlights how limited the characters’ previous understanding of their world has been.
• Evolution through destruction: Advancement and creation are closely tied to upheaval, sacrifice, and annihilation.

Character Interactions

• Quentin and Goni: Quentin asks to admit more beings into Hippo Ancient City, but Goni rejects his request and accuses him of prioritizing personal wishes over Li Ziran’s needs. Their conflict reflects the tension between compassion and practical survival.
• Jiawen and Quentin: Jiawen ignores Quentin’s authority and directly summons the Continental Core holders, making it clear that Quentin cannot control the situation.
• Jiawen and Gelong/Bone Dragon King: Jiawen commands both to claim their Continental Cores, acting as the organizer and dominant force in the process.
• Quentin and Goni after the disaster: Quentin asks what happened, and Goni explains the nature of the true Void Expanse. Their exchange emphasizes Quentin’s inexperience and Goni’s superior knowledge.
• Goni and Li Ziran: Although Li does not directly participate in the conversations, Goni repeatedly frames his decisions around protecting Li’s Origin and ensuring that Li’s power can continue to develop.

Chapter Summary: “Mighty One”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cracks caused by the trembling Continental Core expose numerous hidden Derivative Spaces throughout the Void Expanse. Their protective shells rupture, releasing countless frozen corpses that drift through space like snow.
• One corpse collides with Hippo Ancient City, revealing a bronze protective barrier around the city. Quentin realizes the corpses could act like devastating bombs, prompting Gelong to warn him against reckless behavior.
• The Continental Core, shaped like a massive crystalline heart made of compressed black bubbles, begins splitting into four sections as Jiawen, the Frost Bone Dragon, Gelong, and Kazilan attempt to merge their souls with it.
• Jiawen occupies the largest central portion and appears to be using the others’ souls to divide and control the immense Core. The Frost Bone Dragon struggles to create a world of ice within it, while Gelong and Kazilan prove too weak to claim their portions effectively.
• Li Ziran begins questioning Jiawen’s true motives, particularly why he arranged an auction to obtain nearly a hundred million Void Coins. He suspects the money may be connected to a larger plan involving the Continental Core.
• Gelong suddenly unleashes a Forbidden Art, expanding his soul nearly a hundredfold. He overwhelms Kazilan, drives back the Frost Bone Dragon, and begins seizing Jiawen’s and the others’ portions of the Core.
• Goni identifies the technique as a defective Void Chain or Forbidden Art involving extreme self-stimulation. More importantly, he senses that Gelong’s soul contains or is empowered by a terrifying “Mighty One”—an existence tempered through life-and-death trials at the Void Frontier.
• Gelong reveals that his goal is to seize the Continental Heart and Christie’s portion of the Core. Jiawen realizes that Gelong may be possessed or controlled by a powerful frontier existence and directly challenges him about his identity.
• Gelong’s soul suddenly destabilizes and collapses inward, causing violent energy to erupt. A fissure strikes Hippo Ancient City, nearly destroying it despite Li Ziran’s defensive efforts. Blocking the attack consumes half of the city’s already-limited Source Sea.
• The chapter ends with Gelong—or the Mighty One within him—recognizing Li Ziran’s use of Void Power and questioning how many times the Void Expanse created from Void Coins can be used.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran becomes increasingly cautious and analytical. He recognizes that the conflict over the Continental Core is far beyond ordinary soul combat and realizes that even residual energy could destroy Hippo Ancient City.
• Jiawen is shown to be powerful but vulnerable. Although he controls the largest portion of the Core, he cannot resist Gelong’s condensed soul and begins suspecting that his former student is merely a vessel for a frontier entity.
• Gelong transforms from a seemingly weak participant into the chapter’s greatest threat. His Forbidden Art grants him overwhelming temporary strength, but his unstable soul suggests that the power comes at a severe cost—or from another being entirely.
• Kazilan is exposed as severely outmatched. Her attempt to use millions of flea forms to manipulate the Core fails, and she eventually surrenders most of her territory.
• The Frost Bone Dragon demonstrates strength comparable to Jiawen, but even it cannot withstand Gelong’s assault. Its soul and ice-created world are gradually dismantled.
• Goni serves as an informed observer, explaining the nature of Forbidden Arts, Void Chains, and Mighty Ones. His own awe and fear emphasize the scale of Gelong’s hidden power.
• Quentin learns the danger of acting impulsively after seeing how easily drifting corpses threaten the entire city.

Significant Themes

• Power beyond comprehension: The Continental Core and the Mighty One represent forces vastly exceeding the characters’ normal understanding or control.
• The danger of forbidden strength: Gelong’s sudden power comes through a technique that damages the user or invokes an external entity, showing that overwhelming power often carries terrifying consequences.
• Hidden identities and possession: Gelong may not truly be himself; the chapter raises the possibility that a powerful frontier being has descended into or taken control of him.
• Ambition and betrayal: Gelong turns against Jiawen, his teacher, attempting to seize the Core for himself. Their relationship shifts from cooperation to open conflict.
• The limits of preparation and technology: Even Li Ziran’s defenses and Hippo Ancient City’s bronze barrier barely survive a stray attack. The Void Coins and the artificial Void Expanse may provide great power, but their durability and number of uses remain uncertain.
• Exploration through mortal danger: Goni explains that the strongest beings were forged by repeatedly testing themselves at the Void Frontier, suggesting that true strength comes from surviving extreme peril.

Character Interactions

• Quentin and Gelong: Gelong warns Quentin not to act recklessly after a corpse nearly damages the city.
• Li Ziran and Goni: Li Ziran questions Goni about Forbidden Arts, Void Chains, Sacrifice, and the possibility of beings stronger than those currently in the Void Expanse. Goni identifies the presence of a Mighty One within Gelong.
• Li Ziran and Jiawen/Gelong’s conflict: Li Ziran observes the soul struggle and begins reevaluating Jiawen’s motives, while also preparing Hippo Ancient City to survive the battle’s collateral damage.
• Jiawen and Gelong: Their former teacher-student relationship collapses into confrontation. Gelong asks Jiawen to cooperate and surrender the Continental Heart and Christie’s portion, while Jiawen demands to know which frontier existence has taken over Gelong.
• Gelong and the other participants: Gelong overwhelms Kazilan, drives out the Frost Bone Dragon, and battles Jiawen directly for control of the Continental Core.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiawen confronts Gelong over control of the Continental Core, warning him that Christie’s wealth in Void Coins is sufficient to drive him away. Gelong refuses, boasting that he has never failed to obtain something he desires.
• Gelong and Jiawen’s clash transforms the Continental Core and surrounding Void Expanse into a region resembling Absolute Void. The resulting battle creates immense gravitational and elemental turbulence.
• Li Ziran orders Goni and the other survivors into Hippo Ancient City for protection. The city seals itself inside a sphere of golden bricks as the battle intensifies.
• Jiawen attacks with enormous quantities of Void Coins, while Gelong fights using a sword and techniques formed from Void rifts. Their collision produces deadly starlight fragments and black holes.
• The battle devastates the surrounding regions. Several continents are destroyed, the Sand Dragon is severely damaged, and the Wasteland Giant loses an arm. Even the strongest regional rulers are helpless compared with the two combatants.
• The Frost Bone Dragon King is caught in the conflict. His Bonefire is shattered and extinguished, indicating that his soul has been destroyed and that he has truly fallen.
• Kazilan survives by hiding behind Jiawen and abandoning most of the Continental Core she controlled. Li Ziran recognizes that her caution has saved her life.
• Jiawen and Gelong continue their evenly matched struggle until a green flame emerges from the fallen Bone Dragon King. The flame spreads through the Absolute Void and suppresses the battlefield.
• The flame is revealed to belong to Hunter Barto, an ancient and powerful Undead figure. Barto claims the fallen Bone Dragon’s remains and proposes dividing the continental fragments among himself, Gelong, and Jiawen.
• Kazilan appears ready to object, but Barto immediately threatens her, mockingly calling her “Little Flea.”

Character Developments

• Jiawen becomes increasingly confident after profiting from his auction. His wealth allows him to fight a powerhouse of the Void Expanse without immediately being overwhelmed, demonstrating the extraordinary power of accumulated Void Coins.
• Gelong reveals his arrogance and ambition. He refuses to retreat despite Jiawen’s warning and displays formidable Void-based abilities, suggesting that his true power is far greater than previously shown.
• Li Ziran acts responsibly as a protector. He recognizes the danger before others do, orders Goni into the city, and remains calm while observing the conflict. His reactions show that he has matured beyond his former novice status.
• Goni remains concerned for Li Ziran but accepts that Li can now handle himself. His warning about Absolute Void reflects his experience as a Void explorer.
• Kazilan proves herself cautious and opportunistic rather than reckless. By hiding behind Jiawen and abandoning her territory, she avoids the fate of the Bone Dragon King, though her survival leaves her vulnerable to Barto’s authority.
• The Frost Bone Dragon King suffers a complete defeat. The destruction of his Bonefire emphasizes the finality of his death, even for an Undead being normally capable of surviving indefinitely.
• Hunter Barto emerges as a terrifying senior Undead powerhouse. His arrival instantly changes the balance of power, and his mocking, predatory manner establishes him as both confident and ruthless.

Significant Themes

• Power versus wealth: Jiawen’s Void Coins function as a weapon powerful enough to rival a great Void Expanse expert, suggesting that immense wealth can substitute for cultivation or innate strength.
• The fragility of life and power: Even dominant figures such as the Bone Dragon King can be destroyed almost instantly when caught in a battle between superior beings.
• Survival through caution: Kazilan’s decision to hide rather than fight illustrates that retreat and opportunism can be more valuable than pride or territorial ambition.
• The scale of true power: The devastation caused by Jiawen and Gelong shows that the strongest combatants operate on a level where continents and ancient rulers are insignificant.
• Unstable alliances and opportunism: Barto does not simply avenge his fallen junior; he immediately seeks a share of the spoils, revealing that personal interests govern the relationships among these powerful beings.
• Appearance versus reality: The seeming creation of Absolute Void may not be genuine, as Goni warns. The chapter repeatedly suggests that what appears invincible or final may conceal deeper mechanisms and limitations.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiawen and Gelong: Their confrontation is a battle of confidence, wealth, and Void techniques. Jiawen threatens Gelong with financial power, while Gelong ridicules Jiawen’s lack of experience in the true Void Expanse.
• Li Ziran and Goni: Li takes command for the first time, prioritizing Goni’s safety. Goni reluctantly obeys but warns him not to trust appearances.
• Li Ziran and Kazilan: Li observes her survival strategy with a mixture of relief and sympathy, recognizing that her ambition has placed her in danger.
• Jiawen and Barto: Jiawen immediately becomes respectful once Barto appears, recognizing the senior Undead’s overwhelming strength.
• Gelong and Barto: Gelong recognizes Barto and refuses to be intimidated, addressing him as an old and notorious figure while demanding to know his true objective.
• Barto and Kazilan: Barto dismisses Kazilan as a “Little Flea” and threatens her the moment she appears likely to challenge his proposed division of the spoils.

Li Ziran watched Barto try to seize Kazilan’s Continental Core, while Jiawen and Gelong became embroiled in the fight. Jiawen ultimately apologized to Kazilan and told her to withdraw, leaving his effort to merge their cores in doubt.

• Barto attacked Kazilan to take her Continental Core, and Jiawen spent Void Coins to shield her.
• Jiawen fought Barto with special chains that erased the dragon’s flames, then used his Soul Continent to ram Barto.
• Gelong ambushed Barto from behind, prompting both Barto and Jiawen to watch him warily.
• Gelong urged Jiawen to settle matters quickly before more powerful beings from the Boundary arrived.
• Jiawen apologized to Kazilan and told her to withdraw, choosing to consider the danger to his plans and future.

Chapter Summary: “Shouldn’t You Ask This Shareholder for His Opinion?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kazilan begs Jiawen to protect her from being eliminated and offers him control over her Continental Core in exchange for enough resources to survive.
• Jiawen refuses, explaining that taking more resources would make him a target and risk his own Continental Core. He argues that the cores must be separated quickly because beings from the Boundary have already noticed them.
• Jiawen offers Kazilan a compromise: withdraw from the competition, and he will later perfect her Void Chains, potentially allowing her to control Christie’s Continental Core in the future.
• Kazilan refuses because she wants Origin, which she considers the most important resource in the coming competition. Her words reveal that she and Gelong have read Jiawen’s diary and learned the secrets of the Continental Core and complete Void Chains.
• Furious at the betrayal, Jiawen activates hidden restraints in Kazilan’s Void Chains. Her powers are destroyed, her soul is reduced to a tiny worm-like form, and she loses all ability to compete.
• Jiawen announces that Kazilan is withdrawing and proposes dividing her territory among himself, Barto, and Gelong. They agree, believing Kazilan can no longer resist.
• Just as Jiawen is about to cut the Continental Core apart—and seemingly destroy Kazilan—Li Ziran appears and stops his sword.
• Li reveals that he is a shareholder in Kazilan’s Continental Core, having contributed six million Void Coins toward its original auction. He argues that Jiawen cannot distribute the asset without consulting him.
• Jiawen denies Li’s claim and offers to settle the conflict between Hippo Ancient City and Christie’s instead, but Li mocks Christie’s lack of credibility.
• Barto attacks Li with Oil-Green Dragon Flame. Li withstands the attack, while a giant soul flea summoned through Kazilan’s power bites Barto and draws blood.
• Kazilan, revitalized by Li’s energy and the complete Void Chains he transmits to her, suddenly recovers. Her soul expands dramatically, surpassing even Jiawen’s strength, and she warns Barto not to underestimate her.

Character Developments

• Kazilan: Moves from desperate submission to renewed power. Her betrayal of Jiawen is exposed, and he destroys her Void Chains, but Li Ziran saves her and gives her the complete Void Chains she has always sought. Her transformation restores her confidence and makes her stronger than before.
• Jiawen: His gentle teacherly façade collapses when he learns that his disciples read his diary. His fury leads him to punish Kazilan severely and attempt to seize her territory, revealing his possessiveness and willingness to discard former students.
• Gelong: Admits that he also read Jiawen’s diary and openly justifies his actions. He manipulates the situation while enjoying the exposure of Jiawen’s secrets.
• Barto: Acts as an opportunistic outsider, relying on his association with the Bone Dragon and his strength to claim part of the Continental Core. Li’s attack demonstrates that Barto may be powerful but is not invulnerable.
• Li Ziran: Enters the conflict as an unexpected shareholder and protector. Rather than merely rescuing Kazilan, he empowers her by sharing the complete Void Chains and Origin energy, dramatically shifting the balance of power.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and broken trust: Jiawen’s students secretly read his diary and pursue knowledge he intentionally withheld, while Jiawen responds by ruthlessly stripping Kazilan of her power.
• Ownership and legitimacy: The conflict raises the question of who has the right to control the Continental Core—those with greater strength, those who originally possess it, or those who invested in it.
• Power versus credibility: Jiawen attempts to rely on force and authority, but Li challenges him through contracts, investment, and basic business credibility.
• Teacher-student relationships: Jiawen’s relationship with Kazilan is revealed to be conditional. His promises of protection and advancement disappear when she becomes inconvenient.
• Hidden knowledge and empowerment: The complete Void Chains represent forbidden knowledge and the foundation of true power. Possessing them allows Kazilan to escape Jiawen’s control and surpass him.

Character Interactions

• Kazilan and Jiawen: Their teacher-student bond collapses when Kazilan refuses to surrender Origin and Jiawen punishes her for reading his diary.
• Jiawen and Gelong: Gelong openly confronts Jiawen about concealing the secrets of the Void Chains, turning Jiawen’s own teachings against him.
• Jiawen, Barto, and Gelong: The three temporarily cooperate to divide Kazilan’s territory, though their alliance is based purely on mutual advantage.
• Li Ziran and Kazilan: Li rescues Kazilan, acknowledges her stake in the Continental Core, and gives her the complete Void Chains and Origin energy needed to recover.
• Li Ziran and Barto: Li challenges Barto’s claim to the Continental Core, leading to Barto’s attack and the revelation that Kazilan’s restored power can injure him.
• Li Ziran and Jiawen: Li undermines Jiawen’s authority by insisting that even a powerful controller must respect shareholders and agreements.

Chapter Summary: The Continental Core Is Yours to Decide

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kazilan’s transformation takes a dramatic turn when the fleas spread across the Continental Core, linking together into a vast soul-based network. Their combined power absorbs Jiawen’s attack and begins encroaching on him.
• Barto discovers that the fleas can injure even a pure-soul entity, making him wary of Kazilan’s rapidly expanding soul. Her strength increases thousands of times over, surpassing Jiawen’s.
• Jiawen realizes that Kazilan’s growth comes from Christie’s chain, which has been perfected and transformed through Li Ziran’s influence. He feels intense envy toward both Li Ziran and Kazilan, believing the chain and its power should have belonged to him.
• Although Barto and Gelong attempt to draw Jiawen into an alliance against Kazilan, Jiawen refuses to waste his strength fighting her. Instead, he publicly acknowledges Li Ziran and Kazilan’s ownership of the Continental Core and withdraws from the immediate conflict.
• Barto and Gelong reluctantly accept Jiawen’s apparent concession. Barto proposes dividing the Continental Core, while Gelong offers veiled threats and asks Li Ziran to leave them some room to survive after gaining power.
• Kazilan openly declares her loyalty to Li Ziran and calls him the master of the Continental Core. The four factions then settle into different areas of the core, preparing to merge with it before dividing it after one hour.
• Kazilan promises to accept the material portion of the core while allowing Li Ziran control over its Void Chains. Li Ziran, however, insists on claiming half because of the risks he has taken and because he suspects the core contains secrets more valuable than its physical material.
• Li Ziran reveals that his real interest is discovering how Origin is produced, not merely controlling the Red Soil Continent’s Void Chains.
• Kazilan admits that she cannot fully merge with the extremely resistant Continental Core. Li Ziran suspects that Jiawen also lacks a complete understanding of it and granted them an hour to buy time rather than out of generosity.
• Li Ziran concludes that he and Kazilan have an advantage because they form a true partnership, while Barto, Gelong, and Jiawen are each acting alone.

Character Developments

• Kazilan: Her soul power expands enormously, making her a serious threat even to Jiawen. Despite her fear during the earlier confrontation, she remains loyal to Li Ziran and willingly entrusts him with control of the core.
• Li Ziran: He becomes more strategically confident and recognizes that knowledge of Origin’s creation is more valuable than material control of the continent. He also understands his dependence on Kazilan and negotiates for an equal share rather than pretending to be selfless.
• Jiawen: His admiration and jealousy toward Li Ziran intensify. Though he wants the core and resents Kazilan’s power, he chooses strategic withdrawal, hoping to preserve his strength and perhaps cooperate with Li Ziran later.
• Barto: His caution increases after seeing the fleas harm a pure soul. He attempts to appear reasonable while positioning himself to claim part of the core.
• Gelong: He remains manipulative and threatening, disguising hostility behind politeness. His remarks make Li Ziran wary of a future betrayal.

Significant Themes

• Power through partnership: Li Ziran and Kazilan’s alliance gives them an advantage over stronger individuals who lack genuine cooperation.
• Knowledge versus material possession: Li Ziran values uncovering the origin of Origin over simply owning the Continental Core or its Void Chains.
• Jealousy and ambition: Jiawen’s envy reveals how power and talent can provoke resentment, especially when another person surpasses what he believed was his own achievement.
• Strategic deception: The apparent truce and planned division conceal competing motives. Jiawen’s concession, Barto’s reasonableness, and Gelong’s courtesy may all be tactical performances.
• Control and ownership: The chapter questions who truly “owns” the Continental Core—those who purchased it, those who can control it, or those who understand its deepest mysteries.

Character Interactions

• Jiawen, Barto, and Gelong briefly consider joining forces against Kazilan, but Jiawen refuses to become their weapon.
• Jiawen formally recognizes Li Ziran and Kazilan’s claim, prompting Barto and Gelong to accept a temporary division rather than risk a direct battle.
• Gelong uses indirect threats toward Li Ziran, while Kazilan counters by publicly affirming Li Ziran’s authority.
• In private, Kazilan reassures Li Ziran of her loyalty and offers him control of the core. Li Ziran responds by emphasizing the risks they share and demanding half of the gains.
• Their final discussion establishes the central strategic conflict: Li Ziran and Kazilan must cooperate closely to uncover the core’s secrets before the other three factions can exploit the temporary truce.

Chapter Summary: “Jiawen’s Diary”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran enters a massive Continental Core made of crystallized Origin. Although it contains immense energy, its hardened outer structure prevents him from extracting or using any of it.
• The others begin adapting to the Core in different ways:
  • Gelong causes a strange Tide-like vibration within it.
  • Jiawen makes the Core collapse inward while his soul power rapidly expands, forming the beginnings of a Soul Continent.
  • Barto uses his green bone-fire to create Dragon Marks, gradually transforming his Core into the shape of an ancient Great Dragon.
  • Kazilan cannot affect the Core at all and becomes increasingly anxious as the one-hour limit approaches.
• Realizing that he and Kazilan are falling behind, Li Ziran asks to see Jiawen’s diary. Kazilan reveals the fragmentary notes she once secretly read in Jiawen’s chamber.
• The diary identifies the Continental Core as the heart of Red Soil Continent and suggests that the Void Chains are hidden within it. It also repeatedly emphasizes the urgent need to gather an enormous amount of Void Coin.
• Li Ziran connects Jiawen’s desperate efforts to obtain over one hundred million Void Coin with the Continental Core, concluding that the coins were not merely for combat. Their inner Void energy could weaken or “melt” the Core, making its crystallized Origin accessible.
• He tests the theory by crushing a Void Coin. The resulting Void briefly thins a tiny area of the Core, confirming that the method works.
• However, Li Ziran immediately faces a new problem: he has no Void Coin to use.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran shifts from frustration and helplessness to insight. By carefully comparing Jiawen’s diary, the Core, and the behavior of Void Coin, he deduces the method needed to interact with the Core.
• Jiawen is revealed to have prepared extensively and to possess a cultivation method uniquely suited to the Core. His soul expands dramatically, suggesting he may be able to form an entire continent of souls.
• Gelong appears to have discovered a compatible method of resonance with the Core, though the exact nature of his progress remains unclear.
• Barto benefits from an apparent stroke of luck, as his Dragon Marks naturally resonate with the Core and begin transforming it.
• Kazilan becomes nervous and frustrated at being unable to use the Core. Her past decision to risk her fortune based on incomplete information also highlights her boldness and desperation.

Significant Themes

• Different paths to power: The same treasure benefits each character according to their unique nature—soul cultivation, Dragon Marks, Tide-like resonance, or Void energy.
• Knowledge and deduction: Li Ziran succeeds not through brute force but by interpreting incomplete records and connecting Jiawen’s financial desperation with the Core’s nature.
• Preparation versus improvisation: Jiawen and the others appear to have arrived with methods suited to the Core, while Li Ziran and Kazilan must improvise under severe time pressure.
• Hidden purposes and incomplete information: Jiawen’s diary contains only fragments, forcing Li Ziran to infer the true purpose of the Void Coin and the relationship between the Core and the Void Chains.
• Urgency and scarcity: The approaching deadline and lack of Void Coin create immediate tension, while the immense energy of the Core remains tantalizingly inaccessible.

Character Interactions

• Kazilan openly admits that she once infiltrated Jiawen’s chamber to study the diary, though she insists she only wanted to understand the Void Chains.
• Li Ziran dismisses the diary’s personal or trivial details and focuses on finding practical information that might help them survive.
• Kazilan shares the diary’s memories with Li Ziran despite her hesitation, hoping he can discover something she missed.
• Li Ziran asks Kazilan for a Void Coin and uses it to test his theory. The successful experiment proves his deduction but leaves him dependent on Kazilan—or someone else—for a much larger supply.

Chapter Summary: “Refining the Continental Core”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran realizes that Void Coins might neutralize or dilute the Continental Core, but he lacks enough of them to use that method.
• While Barto, Jiawen, and Gelong attempt to fuse with the Core in their own ways, Li devises an alternative: using Hippo Ancient City as a weapon to collide with the Core and break off usable fragments.
• The first collision creates a crack and releases a tiny residue of the Continental Core. Hippo Ancient City absorbs it, instantly restoring its depleted energy and strengthening its chains.
• Repeated collisions produce increasingly large cracks and fragments. The city begins burning with an overwhelming scarlet-white light.
• The absorbed energy causes Li’s six major chains—light, darkness, soul, nature, time, and space—to fuse into a stable nebula. This fusion generates immense vitality and destructive power, resembling the complete elemental nature of Red Soil Continent while hinting at the power of a possible “New World.”
• The light nourishes nearby beings, including Jiawen’s Soul Continent, Kazilan, and her Flea Tribe. However, they are not merely receiving its power; they are instinctively stealing and absorbing it.
• Li discovers that the new power consumes energy at an unsustainable rate. Hippo Ancient City’s Source Sea will be emptied in roughly half a minute unless it continually absorbs more Core residue.
• Starry Sky Chains also expand rapidly as nearby creatures’ convictions and fundamental Void Chains flow into the city, further increasing its energy demands.
• Li continues crashing the Ancient City into the Continental Core, eventually striking Barto’s fragment and tearing off a piece. The city’s power grows brighter and more excessive, suggesting it has become “addicted” to consuming the Core.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran shifts from frustrated experimentation to bold improvisation. Unable to neutralize the Core conventionally, he discovers that controlled collisions can refine it and supply his city with energy.
• His power advances dramatically when the six chains combine into Scarlet-White Light, giving Hippo Ancient City extraordinary vitality, destructive force, and the potential to transcend.
• Despite this achievement, Li remains practical and anxious. He recognizes that the power is temporary and dangerously inefficient, preventing him from celebrating fully.
• Kazilan becomes increasingly dependent on Li’s power. The light strengthens her and the Flea Tribe so greatly that she no longer needs the Continental Core to sustain herself.
• Barto changes from anger and confidence to shock and intimidation. He realizes that Li’s burning city possesses a level of power far beyond the dragon form he created.
• Jiawen becomes stunned and increasingly envious. His Soul Continent, which he believed was central to transcendence, is being nourished by Li’s city, making him question the value of his own chains.
• Gelong, initially quiet, is deeply affected by the light and briefly wonders whether it represents the birth of a New World.

Significant Themes

• Discovery through failure: Li cannot use the obvious solution—Void Coins—so he finds an unexpected method through experimentation and risk.
• Power and its cost: The Scarlet-White Light is overwhelmingly powerful, but its energy consumption is equally extreme. Greater strength creates an even greater burden of maintenance.
• Transcendence and evolution: The fusion of six chains creates something beyond the known powers of Red Soil Continent, suggesting a new stage of existence or a possible New World.
• Envy and shifting hierarchies: Those who initially looked down on Li are forced to recognize him as a dangerous rival, while Jiawen in particular becomes consumed by jealousy.
• Consumption and addiction: Hippo Ancient City begins absorbing Core fragments compulsively, turning Li’s successful breakthrough into a potentially uncontrollable process.
• Creation versus plunder: The light appears to nurture surrounding beings, but they are actually exploiting it by seizing every ray they can absorb.

Character Interactions

• Li and Kazilan: Kazilan anxiously asks whether they will fail, then celebrates their success. Li tempers her excitement by warning that the power may only be temporary.
• Li and Jiawen: Jiawen warns Li to stop interfering and focus on fusion. Li deceptively claims he is doing exactly that while continuing to ram the city into the Core.
• Li and Barto: Barto repeatedly reacts furiously to the collisions, especially when Li damages his forming dragon body and continental fragment. Yet the scarlet-white light leaves him frightened and awed.
• Li and Gelong: Gelong watches in disbelief as the light affects him emotionally and physically, making him briefly consider whether Li has created the foundation of a New World.
• The surrounding creatures and Li’s city: Instead of remaining passive observers, the nearby beings absorb the city’s radiance and convictions, unintentionally contributing to the expansion of Li’s Starry Sky Chains.

Li Ziran used Hippo Ancient City’s collision with the Void Expanse to study and refine his Starry Sky Chains, while Kazilan’s fleas grew rapidly in its light. After Li shared two new chains with her, Kazilan formed a protective Flea Continent and offered to handle their opponents when it was time to split up.

• Li Ziran realized the Void Chains could stimulate intelligence as Hippo Ancient City instinctively attacked and the boundary with the Red Soil Continent emerged.
• Gelong, Barto, and Jiawen accelerated their fusions, while Hippo Ancient City absorbed a fragment and flooded the Void Expanse with life-giving light.
• Kazilan’s flea population multiplied under Hippo Ancient City’s light, and she resolved to protect Li Ziran from the three men.
• Li Ziran formed a stable nebula from six Void Chains and sent Kazilan two additional chains to try.
• Kazilan weathered the chains’ initial destructive effects, then used them to create moonlit and blue fleas that formed protective tides and a Flea Continent.
• Kazilan told Li Ziran she would deal with the others when it was time to split up.

Li Ziran and the others fought to divide the Continental Core as their competing attacks and Kazilan’s fleas tore chunks from the surrounding continents. After they agreed to pull together and the last bonds snapped, all four fragments stopped moving, pinned in place by an unknown force.

• Jiawen withdrew his swamp-like Continental Core into the Soul Continent, and Kazilan’s fleas formed a continent that helped split the group apart.
• Kazilan’s fleas attacked Jiawen’s Soul Continent while Barto tore away another chunk, and the four struggled over the weakening Continental Core.
• As the central ribbons snapped, the four stopped pulling because none trusted the others to reveal their full strength.
• Jiawen proposed an agreement to use their full strength and retreat once the continent split, and Li Ziran urged Kazilan to accept.
• Kazilan and the others pulled together until every connecting bond snapped, but all four fragments abruptly stopped moving under an unknown force.

Chapter Summary: “Discovering a Supreme Treasure”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The four Continental Cores suddenly break free of their chains but remain mysteriously tangled together by an invisible substance within a rift.
• Jiawen admits he has never opened or encountered anything like this inside a Continental Core. The four mighty beings—Jiawen, Barto, Gelong, and Li Ziran—realize they are becoming increasingly fused with the cores and are vulnerable to powerful outsiders approaching the area.
• Gelong probes the rift with his soul, but lightning instantly destroys it. Jiawen, Barto, and Gelong attempt further investigations using Void energy, Undead energy, and soul power. Their energies vanish or are expelled as impurities, defying normal laws of energy conservation.
• Gelong’s probing reveals tiny pale-yellow particles mixed among the discarded material. Li Ziran senses that Hippo Ancient City is instinctively drawn toward them.
• Li Ziran theorizes that the rift may be a hidden organ of the Red Soil Continent—an organ capable of extracting energy directly from the Void Expanse and converting it into Origin. He concludes that the Continental Cores may only be the continent’s surface structures, while this rift could be its true source of power.
• Before the others understand the rift’s importance, Li Ziran uses Hippo Ancient City to seize a tiny expelled particle. The city absorbs it, releases an intense crimson-white glow, and then becomes completely dark and powerless.
• Li Ziran places the captured substance in the city’s empty Source Sea and tests it with a simple Void Chain. The substance merges with the chain and spreads across the city as pure Snow Element.
• This confirms Li Ziran’s theory: the pale-yellow particle is genuinely Origin, and the mysterious rift is connected to the production of this supreme energy.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran shifts from cautious investigator to determined discoverer. Despite the danger, he trusts his unconventional reasoning and acts before the others recognize the treasure’s value.
• Jiawen remains defensive and secretive, especially regarding the Continental Cores and their inner structure. His lack of knowledge limits his ability to guide the group.
• Gelong, normally calm and composed, becomes anxious as the situation worsens. His powerful soul probing is destructive but provides the first clue about the particles within the rift.
• Barto reacts angrily and impatiently, fearing that outside enemies will exploit their weakened state.
• Hippo Ancient City is shown to possess a powerful instinctive affinity for Origin, reacting to even a tiny fragment despite the substance lacking Origin’s usual characteristics.

Significant Themes

• Exploration beyond established knowledge: The discovery challenges the accepted laws of cultivation and energy conservation.
• Innovation versus tradition: Li Ziran’s willingness to entertain an “impossible” idea allows him to recognize the rift’s true nature.
• Danger concealed within opportunity: The rift initially appears to be a deadly trap, but may actually be the greatest treasure of the fallen Red Soil Continent.
• The origin of life and energy: The chapter expands the mystery of how the Red Soil Continent survives in the otherwise lifeless Void Expanse.
• Risk and ambition: Li Ziran deliberately empties Hippo Ancient City’s defenses to test the substance, showing his readiness to endanger everything for a breakthrough.

Character Interactions

• Barto confronts Jiawen, demanding an explanation for the Continental Cores’ abnormal behavior.
• Jiawen insists he has no prior knowledge, while Gelong urges everyone to find a solution quickly.
• Kazilan turns to Li Ziran for guidance, recognizing his unusual insight, but Li admits that cooperation and further understanding are necessary.
• The group’s distrust prevents unified action; Jiawen especially refuses to surrender control of the Continental Cores.
• Li Ziran ignores Barto’s angry warning and independently takes control of the situation, using Hippo Ancient City to capture the mysterious substance and prove its identity as Origin.

Chapter Summary: “Li Ziran: Can You Let Me Try?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the oily green souls are expelled, Barto vents his frustration by using Origin and his Dragon Marks to destroy much of the Void Expanse, including surviving Derivative Spaces.
• The group—Barto, Gelong, Jiawen, and Li Ziran—has already failed seven times to move the Continental Core. Their situation becomes urgent as the Boundary Wall and the terrifying beings beyond it begin approaching through a dense fog.
• Barto panics, warning that the entities beyond the Boundary Wall will consume them and may draw on even greater sacred power through the Sacrificial Art. Gelong insists that brute force will not solve the problem, while Jiawen has exhausted much of his supply of Void Coins.
• Li Ziran realizes that the Rift Zone may be a transformative mechanism capable of refining destructive Void energy into Origin. He suspects that a mysterious “Void Heart” inside the Red Soil Continent is responsible for its ability to generate elements.
• Seeing that the others have no solution, Li Ziran offers to try. He proposes sending Hippo Ancient City into the Rift Zone, since the city has survived forces that would destroy anything else and appears to be made of a material outside the Void Expanse’s normal rules.
• Jiawen accepts the plan, while Barto enthusiastically promises to become Li Ziran’s ally if it succeeds. Kazilan remains anxious because Li Ziran’s consciousness leaves the Continental Core, leaving her alone to guard the area.
• Li Ziran reshapes Hippo Ancient City into a gigantic Bronze Giant. He reconstructs functional equivalents of the Hellhound Tongue and Devouring Stomach, intending to use them as surgical tools to remove and transplant the Void Heart.
• His first attempts to approach the Continental Core fail because he cannot yet control the giant body’s immense strength. After adjusting, he creates a hook from the city’s bricks, anchors it in the gaps of the Continental Core, and stabilizes himself at the Rift Zone.
• Li Ziran discovers that the Rift Zone appears completely empty, but remains convinced that the Void Heart is hidden within it. He cautiously extends his hand to determine how the mysterious object will react to Hippo Ancient City’s material.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran demonstrates exceptional insight and initiative. Rather than surrendering to the group’s stalemate, he identifies Hippo Ancient City’s unique properties and applies his knowledge of organ transplantation to the Void Heart.
• He also shows adaptability: after initially mishandling the enormous Bronze Giant, he quickly adjusts his movements and regains the precision needed for the operation.
• Barto shifts from furious despair to desperate hope. Though still impulsive and distrustful, he becomes strongly supportive of Li Ziran’s plan once it offers a possible escape.
• Gelong remains cautious and practical. He recognizes the danger of the Boundary Wall and argues that reckless strength cannot overcome the problem.
• Jiawen, despite having spent millions of Void Coins, becomes receptive to Li Ziran’s proposal and gives him permission to attempt it.
• Kazilan grows increasingly worried about Li Ziran’s safety and his decision to take on the most dangerous task, revealing her concern and emotional attachment to him.

Significant Themes

• Ingenuity versus brute force: The group’s repeated failures show that raw strength cannot solve every problem. Li Ziran succeeds by applying specialized knowledge and creative thinking.
• Risk and hope: With the Boundary Wall approaching, attempting the unknown becomes safer than remaining passive. Li Ziran embraces a dangerous gamble because inaction guarantees defeat.
• Transformation and creation: The Rift Zone may convert destructive Void energy into Origin, suggesting that destruction and creation are part of the same larger process.
• Knowledge applied across worlds: Li Ziran uses concepts from surgery and organ transplantation to understand and manipulate cosmic structures, turning familiar expertise into a revolutionary strategy.
• Trust and alliance: His proposal forces the others to place their hopes in him, while Barto’s promise and Kazilan’s concern highlight the changing relationships around Li Ziran.

Character Interactions

• Barto repeatedly pressures Gelong and the others to act, but Gelong counters his panic with a demand for a genuine method.
• Li Ziran challenges Gelong’s pessimism by asking whether they should simply wait to be devoured by the beings beyond the Boundary Wall.
• Jiawen acts as the practical decision-maker, allowing Li Ziran to proceed when no one else has an alternative.
• Barto immediately offers his loyalty in exchange for success, while Li Ziran privately doubts the sincerity of the promise.
• Kazilan worries over Li Ziran’s safety and questions why he has taken responsibility for the operation after previously claiming there was no solution.
• As the chapter ends, the entire group watches anxiously while Li Ziran approaches the hidden Void Heart, making his next move the decisive turning point.

Chapter Summary: “Surgery Requires Silence”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran approaches the Rift Zone surrounding the Void Heart within Hippo Ancient City, despite feeling intense fear and pressure.
• He attempts to probe the Void Heart by extending a city-brick arm into it. The arm is instantly destroyed, its energy completely drained, and the bricks expelled.
• A second probe confirms that the Rift Zone can absorb and purify anything that enters it. Li Ziran realizes the Void Heart must have a boundary, but locating it will require careful, repeated testing.
• Barto notices the Boundary Wall approaching through the Void Frontier. The wall is contracting and devouring powerful beings trapped inside Derivative Spaces, creating an urgent threat.
• Barto disrupts Li Ziran’s investigation with an attack, nearly throwing him into the Void Expanse. Li Ziran explains that he has found a possible clue and asks for fifteen minutes to finish his work.
• With everyone temporarily silent, Li Ziran methodically maps the Rift Zone’s curved, three-dimensional boundary by repeatedly sacrificing probing arms.
• Although he nearly completes his mental model, the process is interrupted when Barto reminds him that the fifteen minutes have passed.
• Realizing he cannot finish alone, Li Ziran claims he has found a method and asks everyone to cooperate.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Moves from anxious uncertainty to intense concentration and determination. He accepts repeated failures and physical pain in order to map the Void Heart, demonstrating patience, courage, and scientific precision. His confidence remains incomplete, but he refuses to abandon the operation.
• Barto: Becomes increasingly alarmed as the Boundary Wall approaches. His impatience and fear make him interfere recklessly, though he is also aware of the danger facing everyone.
• Jiawen and the others: Initially tolerate Li Ziran’s investigation but grow increasingly anxious as time runs out. Their eventual silence gives him the conditions necessary to work.
• Gelong: Offers a serious warning about the Boundary Wall, emphasizing that Li Ziran could be trapped there permanently.
• Kazilan: Shows concern for Li Ziran and suggests alternative methods, including using his fleas to gnaw through the Rift Zone.

Significant Themes

• The necessity of silence and concentration: Li Ziran’s work can only succeed when the others stop interfering, making silence essential to the “surgery” of separating the Void Heart.
• Persistence against overwhelming forces: Repeated failures do not deter Li Ziran; progress comes through patience, precision, and continued experimentation.
• Time pressure versus careful procedure: The approaching Boundary Wall forces the characters to act quickly, but rushing the operation risks destroying their only chance of success.
• Fear of imprisonment and annihilation: The Boundary Wall represents a horrifying fate, devouring powerful beings while trapping or endlessly tormenting those it absorbs.
• Cooperation and trust: Li Ziran must convince the others to trust an uncertain plan, while the group must balance their desperation with the need to let him work.

Character Interactions

• Kazilan expresses concern after Li Ziran’s failed probe and proposes an alternate solution.
• Barto repeatedly challenges and interrupts Li Ziran, creating conflict between urgency and concentration.
• Li Ziran explains his developing theory to Barto and the others, asking for fifteen uninterrupted minutes.
• Gelong reinforces Barto’s warning but speaks more calmly, urging Li Ziran to be honest about his confidence.
• After the time limit expires, Li Ziran takes control of the situation by announcing that he has found a possible solution and needs everyone’s cooperation.