Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Dull and Helpless”

Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran takes a brief break outside Sandrew’s Mage Tower after repeatedly devouring the rapidly developing Embryo’s souls. He reflects on his limitations as a necromancer and on the abilities that allow him to survive in the Wasteland.
• He recognizes that his true advantage is not elemental talent but his surgical knowledge, combined with potions, Transformation Spells, and witchcraft. However, he admits that integrating surgery with this world’s magic—especially when dealing with Magic Organs and Demon biology—is still beyond him.
• Sandrew summons him back to continue absorbing the Embryo’s soul. The Embryo’s soul develops so quickly that their communication method repeatedly fails, requiring Li Ziran to devour it and allow Sandrew to reconnect with it.
• Li Ziran concludes that the Embryo is probably an extremely rare Upper Demon. The developing fetus has already formed major organs and may mature within a year, raising questions about how Demon anatomy differs from that of humans and other races.
• The little Demon House Li Ziran previously consumed did not produce a new soul, disproving his hope that devouring Demons could easily strengthen his Spirit World.
• While Sandrew continues researching the Embryo and complex necromantic formations, Li Ziran practices summoning a Corpse Witch using a Frog corpse.
• After repeatedly failing at the delicate process of connecting ninety-six formation points and drawing the central symbol, Li Ziran steadily improves through persistence. Eventually, he can complete the connections in one attempt, though the final formation remains difficult.
• After three days, Sandrew finally completes a simulation of the formation using a miniature Bone Dragon. He advises Li Ziran to adjust the frequency of his Necrotic Force and challenges him to bring the corpse to life.

Character Development

• Li Ziran: Becomes more self-aware about his weaknesses in elemental perception and necromancy. Rather than despairing, he identifies surgery and his ability to combine it with magic as his unique strength. His persistence and professionalism are emphasized as he continues practicing despite repeated failures and tolerates Sandrew’s demands as an “investment.”
• Sandrew: Remains intensely curious and obsessive about research, showing little concern for time, compensation, or Li Ziran’s exhaustion. His breakthrough in simulating the Corpse Witch formation demonstrates his exceptional necromantic ability, while his willingness to give Li Ziran technical advice shows that he is not entirely neglectful.
• The Embryo: Is revealed to be highly abnormal, likely an Upper Demon with an unusually powerful and rapidly developing soul. Its intelligence and ability to sustain communication with Sandrew distinguish it from ordinary Demons.

Significant Themes

• Persistence versus talent: Li Ziran lacks exceptional necromantic gifts, but disciplined practice allows him to make steady progress.
• Finding one’s unique strength: Survival depends not on eliminating every weakness but on developing specialized abilities. Li Ziran’s surgery-based knowledge is his main advantage.
• The pursuit of knowledge: Sandrew’s relentless research contrasts with Li Ziran’s practical concerns, portraying scholarship as both admirable and frighteningly obsessive.
• Limits of understanding: Li Ziran encounters unfamiliar Demon biology and formations far beyond his current expertise, emphasizing how little even a skilled practitioner may understand about the world.
• Exploitation and investment: Li Ziran is effectively treated as Sandrew’s assistant without compensation, yet he accepts the burden because proximity to Sandrew’s research may benefit him later.

Character Interactions

• Sandrew repeatedly calls Li Ziran back to absorb the Embryo’s soul, treating him almost like a servant while remaining absorbed in his research.
• Li Ziran supports Sandrew despite his frustration, believing the old necromancer’s breakthrough may eventually benefit him.
• Sandrew studies and communicates with the Embryo through necromantic knowledge games, while Li Ziran provides the soul-related assistance that makes this communication possible.
• At the end of the chapter, Sandrew offers Li Ziran a crucial technical correction—adjusting the frequency of his Necrotic Force—and leaves him to attempt the final step of animating the corpse.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sandrew teaches Li Ziran how to complete the threading stage of a Corpse Witch Formation. He explains that the threads function like meridians, transporting Necrotic Force through the corpse and requiring even, stable construction.
• Li Ziran successfully completes the formation’s Oracle Bone Script for the first time, causing the corpse to twitch and absorb energy. Although the script is badly formed, this proves he has the potential to become a genuine Necromancer.
• Sandrew repeatedly erases Li Ziran’s work and makes him start over, emphasizing that the Bone Script is not merely something to copy. Each stroke must serve a structural and energetic purpose.
• After 328 failed attempts, extensive demonstrations, and several days of exhausting practice, Li Ziran finally creates a functional Corpse Witch Formation.
• With Sandrew’s guidance, Li Ziran learns to control the Corpse Witch’s joints through the formation’s energy points. He quickly progresses from moving individual limbs to making the Corpse Witch walk.
• Sandrew reveals that Li Ziran’s training took five days, during which he sacrificed his own rest and health to teach him. He gives Li Ziran a template containing three Bone Script chains for further study.
• Sandrew sends Li Ziran home on a Bone Bird, warning him not to return for two days because he must study the formation and receive important guests. He also tells Li Ziran to remain near Anfuni, hinting at possible danger.
• Upon arriving home, Li Ziran is confronted by an enraged Anfuni, who demands to know where he has been. The Frog also angrily croaks at him.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran progresses from theoretical knowledge to actually summoning and controlling a Corpse Witch. His success gives him confidence and confirms his identity as a true Necromancer.
• He also demonstrates persistence and humility, enduring exhaustion, repeated failures, and harsh criticism rather than giving up.
• Li Ziran begins to understand that formations require careful planning, structure, and control—not merely the mechanical completion of symbols.
• Sandrew shifts from his usual harsh and explosive manner into a patient, deeply committed mentor. He carefully demonstrates every technique and personally replenishes Li Ziran’s spiritual power with skulls.
• Sandrew’s exhaustion reveals the extent of his dedication, though he disguises concern and affection behind insults and impatience.
• Anfuni is established as protective, intimidating, and angry at Li Ziran’s unexplained absence. Her reaction also suggests a close or important relationship between them.

Significant Themes

• Mastery through perseverance: Li Ziran’s success comes only after hundreds of failures and days of relentless practice.
• The importance of precision and discipline: Sandrew teaches that every line, curve, and point has a practical function within the formation.
• Mentorship and sacrifice: Sandrew’s strict instruction masks genuine investment in Li Ziran’s growth; he sacrifices five days of his own time and energy to train him.
• Theory becoming reality: Li Ziran’s transition from understanding Necromancy intellectually to controlling a living Corpse Witch marks a major step in his development.
• Hidden danger and foreshadowing: Sandrew’s warning to stay near Anfuni and the arrival of “distinguished guests” imply that new threats or conflicts are approaching.

Character Interactions

• Sandrew repeatedly interrupts and corrects Li Ziran, demanding that he understand the formation’s structure rather than imitate it blindly.
• Li Ziran responds respectfully to Sandrew’s criticism and becomes increasingly grateful for his guidance.
• Sandrew supports Li Ziran when exhaustion nearly causes him to collapse, then sends him home while pretending the matter is merely an inconvenience.
• Before Li Ziran can process his achievement, Anfuni angrily confronts him for disappearing, while the Frog adds its own apparent complaint, ending the chapter on a humorous but tense note.

Chapter Summary: “Surgery! Surgery at Once!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran is suddenly confronted by Anfuni, who angrily reminds him that he has delayed her promised sex-reassignment surgery.
• Realizing he has neglected the matter while focusing on summoning the Corpse Witch and working for Sandrew, Li Ziran immediately orders that the operation begin.
• He asks Anfuni to test the Forest Wyvern milk and other special milks supplied by the Elves. Using tadpoles as test subjects, he observes that most samples rapidly accelerate growth, while Butterfly Race and Golden-Thread Winged Race milk show little immediate effect.
• Anfuni reveals that she has brought a rare Golden Silk Birdfolk girl as the source of the reproductive organs needed for the surgery. She wants to use the girl’s uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and related tissues, combined with a Butterfly Girl’s external body.
• Li Ziran recognizes the Birdfolk girl’s enormous value because her race possesses rare blessing-related abilities and is nearly extinct. Despite the girl’s fear, Anfuni intends to use her organs.
• Li Ziran explains that the procedure will be far more complicated than a simple uterus transplant. He must remove Anfuni’s existing sex-specific organs, implant the new reproductive system, reconstruct nerves and blood vessels, and reshape internal tissues so that the organs function properly.
• He begins preparations by giving Anfuni a Revival Potion and instructing her to apply it to the surgical area.
• Because Anfuni is an influential Elven priestess accompanied by the powerful Archmage Jon, Li Ziran decides the operation must be conducted discreetly. He dismisses the Rainbow-tail Girl, creates two Corpse Witches to serve as assistants, and orders the basement to be thoroughly cleaned and all surgical materials prepared.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran is shown as distracted and opportunistic. He forgot Anfuni’s surgery because Sandrew’s work and the Corpse Witch project were more profitable and important to him. However, once reminded, he becomes highly focused and methodical, revealing both his medical expertise and his desire to clear away distractions so he can pursue Sandrew’s favor and eventually request the Soul Transfer spell.
• Anfuni remains intimidating, demanding, and impatient, but she is also highly calculating. Her choice of a Golden Silk Birdfolk donor demonstrates that she wants the highest-quality organs available, not ordinary replacements. Her trust in Li Ziran’s skills is evident despite her anger at his delay.
• The Golden Silk Birdfolk girl is introduced as a rare and valuable captive. She is young, frightened, and unaware that her reproductive organs are about to be removed, emphasizing her helplessness.
• The Corpse Witches begin shifting from experimental creations to practical surgical assistants, marking Li Ziran’s effort to professionalize and expand his medical work.

Significant Themes

• Exploitation and commodification of bodies: The characters treat living beings and their organs as valuable materials, especially the rare Birdfolk girl, whose body is assessed primarily for its magical and biological usefulness.
• Ambition and self-interest: Li Ziran prioritizes projects that advance his power or improve his relationship with Sandrew, while Anfuni seeks the best possible body for her transformation.
• Transformation and identity: The surgery raises questions about changing the body to match one’s desired sex, while also presenting transformation as a technical and invasive reconstruction.
• Secrecy and reputation: Because Anfuni is politically and socially important, Li Ziran stresses confidentiality and careful control of the surgical team.
• Science mixed with magic: The operation combines anatomy, nerve and blood-vessel reconstruction, magical potions, rare creature organs, and experimental biological testing.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and Anfuni begin with tension: Anfuni confronts him over the delay, while he tries to calm her with an immediate promise to operate.
• Their conversation reveals differing priorities: Anfuni demands premium materials, while Li Ziran initially tries to justify using an ordinary Elf uterus before accepting her superior Birdfolk specimen.
• Li Ziran treats Anfuni as both a difficult client and a profitable obligation, while Anfuni pressures him as though she expects unquestionable professional service.
• Li Ziran gives Anfuni direct surgical instructions, creating a brisk, almost comedic contrast between her imposing identity as a Witch Doctor and her role as a patient preparing herself for surgery.
• He commands the Rainbow-tail Girl and the newly created Corpse Witches, establishing a strict hierarchy and demonstrating his intention to control every aspect of the operation.

Chapter Summary: Clumsy Corpse Witch Assistants

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran continues experimenting with Corpse Witch transformations without Sandrew’s guidance, creating two Medusa-type Corpse Witches as surgical assistants.
• Although he successfully inscribes the necessary formations, controlling the Corpse Witches proves extremely difficult. They move erratically, knock over equipment, drop tools, and generally create more danger than assistance.
• He spends the day practicing their control by having them attempt to catch frogs. They fail completely, but the practice helps them become slightly more coordinated.
• Li Ziran examines frogs exposed to different kinds of milk. Most develop unusual physical mutations:
  • Forest Wyvern milk causes bronze-green coloration.
  • Treefolk milk produces leaves.
  • Stonefolk milk creates stone patches.
  • Butterfly milk produces almost no useful growth.
• Since Giant and Mountain Giant milk are unavailable, Li Ziran chooses Forest Wyvern milk for Anfuni, judging its side effects relatively harmless.
• Anfuni’s body rapidly develops under the milk’s effects, reaching the equivalent of a four-year-old human body in only a few hours.
• Despite her increasing fear of the incompetent Corpse Witches, Anfuni agrees to the operation because the procedure must remain secret. Li Ziran transforms her into a frog, anesthetizes her, and begins surgery.
• The surgery involves removing male organs and restructuring the urinary system. The Corpse Witches are clumsy but gradually become useful for holding intestines, stabilizing the incision, and managing basic tasks.
• Li Ziran also brings out a Golden Silk Birdfolk captive for experimentation. When the Corpse Witches fail to use Transformation magic on her, Li Ziran transforms her into a frog himself and begins examining her female anatomy.
• The Birdfolk’s internal structure is far more complicated than Anfuni’s, leaving Li Ziran uncertain about how to proceed. However, one Corpse Witch unexpectedly begins holding the intestines in place, showing the first sign of genuine improvement.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran grows more confident and ambitious in his experimentation, attempting to train an entire team of Corpse Witch assistants. However, he also recognizes the limits of his current control and the dangers of relying on them.
• Anfuni shifts from curiosity and cooperation to intense fear as she witnesses the Corpse Witches’ incompetence. Nevertheless, she suppresses her objections because she understands the need for secrecy and trusts Li Ziran enough to undergo the operation.
• The Corpse Witches remain mindless and awkward, but repeated practice gradually improves their ability to perform simple surgical support tasks. Their progress suggests they may eventually become a functional medical team.
• The Golden Silk Birdfolk is portrayed as frightened and helpless, emphasizing the ruthless, experimental nature of Li Ziran’s work.

Significant Themes

• Experimentation and scientific ambition: Li Ziran treats transformation and surgery as problems to be solved through trial, observation, and repeated practice.
• The dangers of uncontrolled innovation: His experiments produce useful results but also severe complications, accidents, and ethical hazards.
• Trust versus fear: Anfuni’s terror conflicts with her dependence on Li Ziran and her willingness to proceed for the sake of secrecy.
• Learning through failure: The Corpse Witches fail repeatedly, yet gradual practice allows them to improve.
• Dehumanization and moral detachment: Li Ziran approaches living bodies as surgical subjects, while the Corpse Witches’ lack of consciousness makes them convenient but unsettling tools.
• Transformation and identity: The chapter continues exploring bodily change, biological development, and the reshaping of bodies through magic and surgery.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran repeatedly reassures the frightened Anfuni, dismissing her terror as ordinary preoperative anxiety while continuing with the procedure.
• Anfuni questions Li Ziran’s choice of Corpse Witch assistants and suggests replacing them with the more reliable Rainbow-tail Girls, but he insists on secrecy.
• Li Ziran commands the Corpse Witches throughout the operation, gradually discovering that they are better suited to simple supporting tasks than delicate procedures.
• The Corpse Witches interact with the Golden Silk Birdfolk in a cold, mechanical manner, anesthetizing and restraining her without hesitation.
• By the end of the chapter, one Corpse Witch independently performs a useful surgical action, hinting that Li Ziran’s training may eventually succeed.

Chapter Summary: “Now She Could Pee Once”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Corpse Witch unexpectedly reacts to Li Ziran’s thoughts, suggesting that his efforts to develop its intelligence and cooperation are beginning to work. However, he recognizes that true organ transplantation will require further development, including Soul Replacement.
• Li Ziran carefully removes the Golden-Silk Girl’s reproductive organs, including the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, ureters, and related tissues.
• While handling the ovary, he discovers that it is a Magic Organ containing a Blessing Art. Its golden energy reduces the curse affecting his body, restores vitality to his left arm, and gives him an unusually clear and peaceful sensation.
• Driven by curiosity, Li Ziran cuts open the ovary to study its internal structure. He finds complex mucosal patterns and three-dimensional “organ writing” arranged like a tangled pyramid. He realizes that this writing is likely the core mechanism of the Blessing Art.
• He then examines the Golden-Silk Girl’s heart and discovers that it is an even more powerful Blessing Organ. The heart nearly completely suppresses his curse, and Li Ziran briefly considers taking it for himself.
• Despite his intense greed, Li Ziran refuses to steal the heart because the Golden-Silk Girl belongs to a client. He decides that violating his professional principles would damage the reputation and faith on which his business depends.
• Li Ziran begins transplanting the Blessing uterus and related organs into the unconscious Anfuni. He modifies her internal anatomy, connects the urethra and blood vessels, and establishes circulation to the transplanted organs.
• The transplanted organ triggers powerful magical reactions in Anfuni’s body. Golden pillars of magic appear, move toward a central point, and begin forming the early signs of Elemental Recombination, despite Anfuni’s young age and lack of exposure to Eternal Light.
• The Blessing Art dramatically assists the surgery. It automatically helps connect nerves, accelerates healing, and seems to encourage Anfuni’s body to evolve rather than merely recover.
• The operation, expected to last all night, is completed in roughly two hours. Li Ziran closes Anfuni’s abdomen and restores her outward appearance.
• After waking, Anfuni experiences considerable pain but is conscious. Li Ziran asks her to test whether she can urinate, using the result as a practical confirmation that the sex-reassignment surgery and urinary reconstruction were successful.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran becomes increasingly knowledgeable about Magic Organs and Blessing Arts. His surgical abilities and understanding of organ writing continue to expand.
• He also confronts his own greed. The Golden-Silk Girl’s heart is almost irresistible because of its compatibility with his body and curse, yet he chooses professional ethics over personal gain.
• Li Ziran’s identity as both surgeon and businessman becomes clearer: he is ruthless when dealing with his own interests but insists on honoring contracts and protecting his reputation when handling a client’s property.
• His ambition grows as he realizes that Blessing Organs could transform his ability to perform dangerous dissections and possibly help him overcome his curse.
• Anfuni undergoes an unprecedented transformation. The transplanted organs not only change her physical body but also appear to accelerate her magical development and initiate Elemental Recombination.
• The Corpse Witch shows the first signs of independent cooperation, hinting that it may eventually become capable of assisting with complex surgery.

Significant Themes

• Temptation versus morality: Li Ziran desperately wants the Golden-Silk Girl’s heart but restrains himself because taking it would betray his client.
• Professional ethics and reputation: The chapter emphasizes that Li Ziran’s principles are not purely altruistic; his business, credibility, and personal faith depend on maintaining them.
• Surgery as magical advancement: Organ transplantation is not merely medical reconstruction. Magic Organs can alter growth, healing, magical circulation, and even evolution.
• Knowledge through dissection: Li Ziran’s curiosity leads him to uncover a new form of three-dimensional organ writing, suggesting that biological structures may function as magical texts.
• Transformation and identity: Anfuni’s body is fundamentally changed, while the final urination test provides a direct and almost mundane confirmation of a profound physical transformation.
• Power and desire: Blessing Organs represent immense power, making them both valuable discoveries and sources of dangerous greed.

Character Interactions

• The Corpse Witch responds to Li Ziran’s intentions without being directly commanded, showing an emerging mental connection between them.
• Li Ziran treats the unconscious Anfuni as both a patient and a valuable experimental subject, carefully balancing medical precision with curiosity about her unique Elven physiology.
• His interaction with the Golden-Silk Girl is largely surgical, but his thoughts reveal a conflict between viewing her organs as specimens, client property, and potential resources for himself.
• After the operation, Li Ziran adopts a reassuring but practical bedside manner with Anfuni. He checks her recovery and asks her to test her reconstructed urinary system, linking her bodily transformation to the success of the procedure.

Chapter Summary: “Soul Grafting Magic Array”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Anfuni awakens after Li Ziran successfully implants female reproductive organs into her young Elf body. She realizes that she now possesses a uterus and ovaries, confirming the operation’s success.
• Embarrassed by her need to test the new organs, Anfuni orders Li Ziran to turn around. She changes into his oversized wizard’s robe before regaining her usual composure.
• Anfuni sincerely thanks Li Ziran for restoring part of her former womanhood. Li Ziran dismisses the operation as a minor procedure, though he is unsettled by her emotional vulnerability.
• Anfuni offers Li Ziran a generous reward: a complete set of powerful internal organs, including a Blessed Liver from a Golden-Silk Birdfolk. These organs could potentially help him advance to the level of an Advanced Mage or even a Magister.
• Li Ziran refuses the organs and instead asks Anfuni to teach him Soul Transfer magic. His goal is to move his soul into a Corpse Witch, allowing him to avoid the limitations and dangers of directly controlling undead bodies.
• Anfuni reveals that Soul Transfer is relatively simple in principle: two equal magic arrays must be constructed and connected by a passage.
• She transmits the spell to Li Ziran through an inheritance-like magical process. He enters a dark mental space containing two translucent, soul-like bodies.
• The magic demonstration shows one array forming through 108 points of light, while the other develops a dark, collapsing character. The two arrays connect through a cyan beam, causing one soul to vanish and a pale cyan human silhouette to appear—illustrating the transfer of a soul between vessels.

Character Developments

• Anfuni: Her successful transformation restores an important part of her identity as a woman. Her initial shyness and gratitude reveal a vulnerable side beneath her normally forceful priestess demeanor. She also demonstrates generosity and genuine appreciation toward Li Ziran, even encouraging him to demand greater compensation.
• Li Ziran: He proves pragmatic and disciplined by rejecting extremely valuable organs in favor of Soul Transfer magic, which better suits his long-term plans. He remains emotionally detached from Anfuni’s current childlike body but respects her boundaries and recognizes the strategic value of her knowledge.
• Their relationship: The exchange deepens their trust. Anfuni is willing to share a rare magical secret, while Li Ziran shows that he values independence and future capability over immediate material gain.

Significant Themes

• Identity and the body: Anfuni’s restored reproductive organs reconnect her physical form with her mature female soul, emphasizing the difference between bodily appearance and personal identity.
• Power versus independence: Li Ziran chooses a spell that will let him control his own fate rather than accepting ready-made organs that would grant immediate strength.
• Trust and reciprocity: Anfuni’s reward reflects her gratitude, while Li Ziran’s careful request avoids exploiting her generosity. Their cooperation is built on mutual respect.
• Magic as transformation: The chapter presents magic not merely as combat or healing, but as a means of reconstructing bodies, transferring souls, and redefining existence.

Character Interactions

• Anfuni’s embarrassment clashes humorously with Li Ziran’s clinical attitude toward the operation, creating tension between her mature emotions and childlike body.
• Her teasing suggestion that he might want something improper highlights their familiarity, while Li Ziran’s discomfort shows his emotional distance.
• Anfuni attempts to persuade him to accept the valuable organs, but Li Ziran firmly insists on Soul Transfer magic.
• Rather than being offended, Anfuni admires his choice and teaches him the spell, suggesting that she respects his ambition and cleverness.

Chapter Summary: “Corpse Witch + Soul = Future”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran completes the inherited Soul Transfer formation linking his own body to the Corpse Witch. The formation consists of two wheel-like structures joined by a thin strand of light.
• Using Sandrew’s guidance, he precisely arranges the formation with spiritual power. After several failed attempts, he discovers that the final word must be formed through mental vibration.
• The formation tears apart and condenses his spiritual power, creating a passage between his soul and the Corpse Witch.
• Li Ziran successfully transfers his soul into the Corpse Witch’s body. He discovers that he can control its undead body and sense Necrotic Force flowing through it.
• Initially afraid that he might be trapped in the Corpse Witch, he confirms that he can freely return to his original body through the soul connection.
• He repeatedly shifts between both bodies, delighted by his newfound freedom and the possibility of using the Corpse Witch to perform surgery on himself and implant Magic Organs.
• Li Ziran eventually realizes that he has remained motionless for two or three days. Xiao Wei helps him after his weakened body collapses.
• He learns that Anfuni has recovered from surgery and is speaking with Chief Jili. When he sees her, he is shocked to find that the Forest Wyvern’s milk has accelerated her growth from a small child into someone physically resembling a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old.
• Anfuni immediately asks Li Ziran to judge her appearance and then begins requesting extensive cosmetic modifications. She assumes Split Bugs have already prepared the flesh and skin needed for her transformation, but Li Ziran realizes he has not prepared them.

Character Development

• Li Ziran: Achieves a major breakthrough by mastering Soul Transfer. His confidence and ambition increase dramatically, as he now sees a personal path toward becoming a powerful mage despite lacking natural talent. He becomes excited and almost childlike while experimenting with his two bodies, though he remains practical enough to worry about returning to his original body and caring for Anfuni.
• Anfuni: Undergoes an extreme physical transformation due to the Forest Wyvern’s milk. Although she now appears much older and more mature, her insecurity and vanity remain unchanged. She becomes eager to redesign her appearance and compares herself to the beautiful Butterfly Girl.
• Xiao Wei: Continues caring for Li Ziran and managing the Frogs while he is unconscious or immobilized.
• Chief Jili: Appears to have become friendly with Anfuni and enthusiastically praises her beauty, likely exaggerating to flatter her.
• Sandrew: Though absent from the immediate events, his earlier instruction proves essential to Li Ziran’s success in controlling two formations simultaneously.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and self-determination: Li Ziran’s Soul Transfer gives him a way to overcome his physical limitations and choose his own route to power.
• Identity and embodiment: The chapter explores the relationship between soul and body. Li Ziran discovers that his consciousness can inhabit multiple physical forms without losing his sense of self.
• Ambition and hope: His success renews his belief that he can rise above the ordinary inhabitants of the Wasteland and become a powerful mage.
• Freedom versus vulnerability: Soul Transfer grants Li Ziran extraordinary freedom, but it also creates anxiety about losing access to his original body.
• Appearance and insecurity: Anfuni’s obsession with beauty contrasts with Li Ziran’s focus on magical advancement, while both characters seek to remake themselves in different ways.
• Comic contrast: The grand metaphysical achievement of Soul Transfer is followed by mundane and humorous concerns about cosmetic surgery, Frogs, and Anfuni’s demands.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran relies on Sandrew’s previous guidance to complete the Soul Transfer formation.
• Xiao Wei discovers Li Ziran after his body collapses and helps him recover.
• Anfuni has developed a friendly relationship with Chief Jili, despite initially disliking the Rainbow-tail Clan.
• Anfuni teases Li Ziran for lying about her beauty and complains that he does not flatter her properly.
• She then treats him as her future cosmetic surgeon, giving detailed instructions about altering her body and skin. Her assumption that he has prepared the necessary Split Bugs creates the chapter’s closing complication.

Chapter Summary: “First Magic Organ Transplant”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran uses Split Bugs—special insects capable of duplicating flesh—to create replacement facial skin for Anfuni.
• With the help of two Corpse Witches, he performs Anfuni’s seventh cosmetic surgery, reshaping her cheeks, chin, nose, eyes, and brow line before attaching the new skin and reconnecting its nerves.
• The operation succeeds, transforming Anfuni’s appearance so that she resembles Butterfly Girl’s younger twin. She is left sleeping while her wounds heal.
• Li Ziran then begins the chapter’s major procedure: transplanting Golden-Silk Girl’s Blessed Heart into his own body.
• Both Li Ziran and Golden-Silk Girl are opened up and kept alive temporarily with Root Vessels. Li Ziran’s nervousness causes several surgical errors, including accidentally severing nerves and mishandling Golden-Silk Girl’s operation.
• Golden-Silk Girl suffers severe nerve damage and massive blood loss. Li Ziran removes her heart before she dies and abandons the attempt to preserve her life.
• He successfully implants the radiant Blessed Heart into his own body. After a tense wait, the heart begins beating and circulating golden-red blood, proving the transplant has worked.
• Reconnecting the heart’s nerves proves extremely difficult. Li Ziran repeatedly connects them incorrectly, forcing him to restart seventeen times and extending the procedure from several hours into an entire afternoon.
• The wounds are finally stitched and treated with Sacred and Revival Potions. Li Ziran is transformed back from frog form into a human body, while the new heart’s power begins circulating through him.
• The chapter ends as the Corpse Witches urgently prepare an antidote for the anesthetic, implying that Li Ziran is about to awaken and experience the effects of his new Magic Organ.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Demonstrates increasing mastery over the Corpse Witches and complex surgery, but also reveals intense fear and vulnerability when operating on himself. His determination overcomes repeated mistakes, and he successfully gains his first Magic Organ.
• Anfuni: Undergoes a dramatic physical transformation through repeated cosmetic surgeries. Her new face is modeled after Butterfly Girl and is expected to satisfy her when she wakes.
• Golden-Silk Girl: Sacrifices her Blessed Heart to Li Ziran. The operation severely damages her body, and Li Ziran is unable to preserve her life after becoming distracted by his own surgery.
• Corpse Witches: Act as extensions of Li Ziran’s consciousness and surgical hands. Their increasing coordination and eerie enthusiasm show how closely they share his will and emotions.

Significant Themes

• Scientific ambition and risk: The transplant represents a major breakthrough, but its success comes through dangerous experimentation, mistakes, and possible death.
• The cost of power: Li Ziran gains a powerful Blessed Heart only after sacrificing Golden-Silk Girl and accepting the consequences of failed surgery.
• Control and limitation: Although Li Ziran can control multiple Corpse Witches, dividing his attention reduces precision and leads to fatal errors.
• Transformation and identity: Anfuni’s face and Li Ziran’s internal organs are both deliberately redesigned, emphasizing the characters’ ability—and willingness—to reshape their bodies.
• Fear versus determination: Li Ziran is terrified that failure will permanently kill him, yet continues because he sees the operation as an unavoidable step toward his goals.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran works directly through the two Corpse Witches, coordinating their movements during both Anfuni’s cosmetic surgery and his own heart transplant.
• The Corpse Witches display shared reactions with Li Ziran, including excitement, nervousness, self-reproach, and satisfaction after successful procedures.
• Anfuni’s appearance is intentionally modeled after Butterfly Girl, linking the two characters visually.
• Golden-Silk Girl’s Blessed Heart becomes the central object of Li Ziran’s ambition, but the transplant also creates a tragic conflict between his survival and her life.

Chapter Summary: “Blessing Purification Heart Organ”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran awakens during transport after successfully undergoing a heart transplant using the Golden-Silk Girl’s Blessing Heart.
• The heart immediately begins purifying his body:
  • His chronic abdominal pain disappears.
  • His damaged arm becomes more flexible.
  • Curse residue in his abdomen starts dissolving.
  • Impurities are expelled from his body as a foul-smelling sludge.
• He discovers that the heart possesses not only purification abilities but also a powerful blessing effect that improves physical vitality and refines organs.
• By concentrating his mental power, Li Ziran purifies and strengthens the transplanted heart itself, reducing its impurities and increasing its vitality.
• He tests the ability on the sleeping Anfuni, successfully refining her organs as well.
• After returning to Sandrew, Li Ziran resumes work on the developing Demon Embryo inside Butterfly Girl.
• He evaluates Butterfly Girl’s magically enhanced organs but concludes that High Elf organs are not ideal for his long-term plans. He wants to obtain superior organs, especially Magister-level organs and humanity’s unique Magic Glands.
• Seeking to perfect the Embryo’s development, Li Ziran uses the Blessing Heart’s power through a scalpel to purify the Embryo inside Butterfly Girl’s uterus.
• The Embryo reacts with apparent joy, but its eagerness nearly causes it to pull the scalpel into the womb, frightening Li Ziran.
• Impressed and solemn, Sandrew asks Li Ziran whether he wants to step onto “a bigger stage,” hinting at a major opportunity or new direction.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran gains confidence in the potential of organ transplantation after experiencing the Blessing Heart’s purification, healing, and body-enhancing effects firsthand.
• He realizes that special organs can provide passive, extraordinary abilities and sees transplantation as a major path for advancement.
• His ambition grows: rather than settling for High Elf organs, he begins planning to acquire superior organs from Magisters, humans, and other exceptional races.
• Li Ziran also shows increasing perfectionism and responsibility toward his creations, choosing to purify the Embryo even though it is already developing normally.
• Anfuni benefits from Li Ziran’s new power, though she awakens at an awkward moment and begins noticing changes to her body.
• Sandrew appears healthier and more energetic after communicating with the Embryo. His attitude shifts from casual cooperation to serious interest in Li Ziran’s future potential.
• The Demon Embryo displays unusual awareness and emotion, laughing and eagerly responding to Li Ziran’s purification.

Significant Themes

• Organ transplantation as a path to power: Unique organs are portrayed as treasures capable of granting specialized abilities and transforming a person’s physical potential.
• Purification and refinement: The Blessing Heart does more than remove curses; it expels impurities, strengthens organs, and improves vitality.
• Ambition and perfectionism: Li Ziran refuses to remain satisfied with merely adequate results and continually seeks stronger organs and more perfect creations.
• The value of innate racial traits: Different species possess unique organs, each suited to particular powers or elemental functions. Humanity’s Magic Glands may be especially valuable.
• Creation and responsibility: Li Ziran views the Demon Embryo as his masterpiece and feels compelled to improve it, even when intervention risks undoing months of work.
• Foreshadowing of a larger world: Sandrew’s final question suggests that Li Ziran’s abilities may soon draw him into a broader and more dangerous stage.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Ziran briefly examines and refines Anfuni while she sleeps, demonstrating his new abilities.
• He and Sandrew cooperate in nurturing and inspecting the Demon Embryo.
• Sandrew initially panics when Li Ziran places a scalpel against Butterfly Girl’s abdomen, fearing another dangerous operation.
• Li Ziran reassures the situation through controlled purification rather than surgery, while the Embryo reacts enthusiastically.
• After witnessing the power and precision of Li Ziran’s new ability, Sandrew treats him with unusual seriousness and invites him toward a potentially greater opportunity.

Chapter Summary:

Prepartum Anxiety

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sandrew appears increasingly strange and attentive toward Li Ziran after the Demon Embryo’s purification. He begins personally guiding Li Ziran in Corpse Witch control and repeatedly hints that Li Ziran is important, though he still refuses to formally accept him as a disciple.
• Over two months, Li Ziran’s necromantic abilities improve dramatically. His control over Corpse Witches surpasses that of many talented Necromancers.
• Sandrew teaches Li Ziran about chains, combinations of Oracle Bone Scripts that manipulate and reassemble Undead elements to create magic. The three Corpse Witch chains Li Ziran learns are:
  • Necrotic Siphon, which absorbs corpse energy;
  • Netherfire Bolt, an Undead-enhanced projectile;
  • Corpse Explosion, which detonates a damaged Corpse Witch.
• Sandrew declares that Li Ziran has become a qualified Necromancer and praises his talent for cultivating Demons. Their farewell-like interaction makes Li Ziran suspicious, especially because Sandrew has recently behaved as if anxious or overly sentimental.
• Li Ziran admits that his own research remains incomplete. He has not yet discovered how to properly fuse the Magic Organs inside Butterfly Girl into a unified system capable of producing unique elemental powers, as Jon’s body does.
• Anfuni continues to be physically enhanced by Li Ziran. He gives her a musk-deer scent, transparent Goblin-made wings, and additional bones in her legs. She becomes increasingly beautiful and proudly shows off her modifications to the multi-tailed women.
• Strange tremors repeatedly shake Blackwind Pass. Sandrew claims to be researching Bone Dragons, but Li Ziran suspects the disturbances are connected to the approaching birth of the Demon Embryo.
• Powerful figures and creatures begin gathering around the Undead Nest. Bone Knights and Skeletons patrol the area, corpse ants guard Corpse Mountain, and mysterious mental fields repeatedly disrupt Li Ziran’s connection to his Corpse Witches.
• As the Demon’s delivery approaches, Li Ziran continues training in necromancy, transformation, curses, and the Devouring Curse.
• On the day the Demon is about to give birth, Golden-Haired Rhine arrives on a Golden-Feathered Humpback Eagle and respectfully asks Li Ziran to accompany him to Sandrew. Li Ziran realizes that Rhine is an Orc and concludes that Sandrew has been secretly allied with the Orcs, contradicting his previous claims.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Develops rapidly as a Necromancer and becomes more perceptive about Sandrew’s hidden motives. Despite receiving the recognition he once desired, he remains uneasy and distrustful. His ambition also expands as he continues experimenting with unprecedented forms of magical biology and body modification.
• Sandrew: Shifts from a harsh, eccentric mentor into a strangely caring and generous teacher. He praises Li Ziran, teaches him advanced principles, and appears to be preparing for an important event or separation. His secret connection to the Orcs becomes increasingly apparent.
• Anfuni: Transforms into an admired, highly modified artificial beauty. She is proud, confident, and socially comfortable, enthusiastically displaying the changes Li Ziran has made to her body.
• Golden-Haired Rhine: Once arrogant, Rhine now treats Li Ziran with deep respect, suggesting that Li Ziran’s status or accomplishments have risen considerably.
• The Demon Embryo: Though not yet born, it is portrayed as exceptionally talented and central to the growing tension around Blackwind Pass.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus true ability: The strength of an Undead depends less on its apparent form than on the chains it possesses. Even a Skeleton may rival a Great Dragon if equipped with powerful chains.
• Experimentation and creation: Li Ziran treats bodies, organs, and magical creatures as systems to be improved, reflecting his drive to create new life and magical possibilities.
• Mentorship and hidden agendas: Sandrew’s lessons and praise seem sincere, but his secrecy makes his mentorship difficult to separate from manipulation.
• Transformation and perfection: Anfuni’s modifications and the Demon Embryo’s development show Li Ziran’s pursuit of engineered perfection.
• Impending birth and suspense: The Demon’s approaching delivery causes supernatural disturbances and attracts powerful beings, suggesting that its birth may alter the balance of power.
• Trust and deception: Li Ziran increasingly questions Sandrew’s honesty, especially after discovering his alliance with the Orcs.

Important Character Interactions

• Sandrew patiently teaches Li Ziran about chains and Corpse Witch magic, ultimately recognizing him as a qualified Necromancer.
• Li Ziran repeatedly attempts to become Sandrew’s disciple, but Sandrew refuses while continuing to mentor him.
• Anfuni entertains the multi-tailed women by proudly displaying her magical and bodily enhancements, while they admire both her appearance and Li Ziran’s abilities.
• Li Ziran observes the increasing military alert around Blackwind Pass and connects it to the Demon’s imminent birth.
• Rhine arrives as Sandrew’s representative, but his respectful behavior and Orcish identity expose a hidden relationship between Sandrew and the Orcs, leaving Li Ziran feeling betrayed.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran is invited by Sandrew to travel to the Grasslands and deliver Butterfly Girl’s baby. Golden-Haired Rhine arrives with a massive, luxurious Humpback Eagle, revealing that Sandrew’s gathering likely includes powerful Orcs or even Orc royalty.
• Li Ziran realizes that the Minotaurs who previously accompanied Butterfly Girl were meant to protect her, and that Sandrew had concealed the true extent of her backing and importance.
• Anfuni unexpectedly forces her way onto the Humpback Eagle. Her Copper-Yellow Frog overpowers the eagle by swallowing its Thunder Element attack and pinning it down with its immense weight.
• During the journey, Anfuni reveals that the “minor Demon” situation is far more serious than Li Ziran believed. A Dark Council councilor has personally become involved, and multiple factions have been monitoring him.
• Anfuni demonstrates that surveillance mosquitoes have been observing Li Ziran’s activities, including his work controlling the Corpse Witch. Li Ziran initially reacts with surprise but ultimately accepts the surveillance as understandable, even thanking Anfuni for exposing it.
• Li Ziran suspects Sandrew’s monitoring may have been part of a test to judge his trustworthiness and potentially determine whether Sandrew will accept him as a disciple.
• Anfuni explains that she is not accompanying Li Ziran solely to protect him. She intends to negotiate for a share of the resources or benefits connected to the Demon. She and Li Ziran agree to pursue separate interests during the visit.
• With Rhine’s reluctant approval, the Humpback Eagle finally departs, flying slowly because it remains intimidated by Anfuni’s frog.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran becomes more perceptive about the political and supernatural forces surrounding Butterfly Girl. He recognizes that Sandrew has not been fully honest, but remains calm and pragmatic rather than panicking.
• He demonstrates strong self-awareness and confidence in the value of his Embryo-cultivation ability. He believes that, because others need his skills, he is unlikely to be harmed despite the dangerous situation.
• Li Ziran also shows moral confidence: he reflects that he has cultivated the Embryo honestly and has not exploited it for improper personal gain.
• Anfuni reveals a shrewder, more opportunistic side. Though she acts protective and teasing toward Li Ziran, her main motivation is gaining cultivation resources from the Demon-related situation.
• Anfuni rejects the image of a naive, gentle woman and proves that she understands the larger political stakes involving the Dark Council.
• Golden-Haired Rhine remains respectful but is visibly intimidated by Anfuni and her frog. His fear forces him to accept her presence without protest.
• Sandrew becomes more mysterious. His surveillance of Li Ziran suggests caution, testing, and a desire to control the situation while possibly evaluating Li Ziran as a potential disciple.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and political intrigue: What appears to be a simple medical errand is connected to Demons, the Dark Council, Orc powers, and competing factions.
• Surveillance and trust: Li Ziran has been watched without his knowledge, raising questions about privacy and manipulation. However, he responds pragmatically, suggesting that trust in this world is always conditional.
• Pragmatism over innocence: Both Li Ziran and Anfuni understand that everyone involved is pursuing their own interests. Even apparent protection may conceal a bargain or ulterior motive.
• Power hierarchy: The Humpback Eagle seems formidable, but Anfuni’s frog effortlessly suppresses it, reinforcing the enormous gap between ordinary powerful beings and Title Magister-level figures.
• Mutual benefit and leverage: Li Ziran’s value comes from his unique ability to cultivate the Embryo, while Anfuni’s value comes from her overwhelming strength. Their survival depends on the leverage each possesses.

Character Interactions

• Rhine respectfully escorts Li Ziran but is forced to tolerate Anfuni after seeing the frog overpower the Humpback Eagle.
• Anfuni teases Li Ziran, mocks his assumption that she is protecting him, and calls him a “little fool,” while still choosing to accompany him.
• Li Ziran and Anfuni discuss the Demon crisis, Sandrew’s surveillance, and their separate objectives. Their conversation shows familiarity, mutual trust, and a balance of teasing and strategic caution.
• Li Ziran’s calm response to being monitored contrasts with Anfuni’s more calculating attitude.
• The Humpback Eagle’s fear of Anfuni’s frog adds comic relief and emphasizes the difference in their strength.

Chapter Summary: Bone Dragon’s Nest

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• As dusk falls, Li Ziran travels aboard the Humpback Eagle with Rhine Lion and Anfuni. Instead of stopping at Sandrew’s Mage Tower, they fly deep into the immense Corpse Mountain.
• They enter a hidden Derivative World centered around a gigantic Blood Pool. The realm is filled with crimson mosquitoes and blood-red Blood Dolphins, which hunt among the blood-filled waters.
• Anfuni reveals that the Blood Pool was cultivated by the Dark Council, suggesting that Sandrew may be connected to the organization. Li Ziran realizes the Wasteland is an ideal environment for Necromancers.
• As the Humpback Eagle ascends, Li Ziran experiences overwhelming spiritual pressure from an unseen, immensely powerful being. His Spirit World contracts, and he struggles to endure the force.
• Anfuni distracts him through conversation, explaining that she detected the Demon aura left behind by Li Ziran’s fused souls. She warns that the Justice Alliance or Evil Inquisition might identify him as a Demon-affiliated target.
• She mentions that rare purification magic may be able to remove the aura, and Li Ziran realizes the Golden Silk Birdfolk may be capable of helping him.
• The travelers leave the Blood Pool and enter a silent Void Expanse. There, Li Ziran sees the colossal Bone Dragon, whose body is comparable to a mountain range.
• Sandrew welcomes him to “Bone Dragon’s Nest.” The Bone Dragon awakates, draws the Humpback Eagle into its mouth, and freezes Li Ziran in crimson-white Cold Energy before closing its jaws.

2. Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Becomes increasingly cautious and self-aware. Although curious about the Dark Council and Sandrew’s identity, he decides not to investigate further and focuses on delivering the Demon Embryo. He also learns that his use of demonic powers has left behind a detectable aura, creating a potentially dangerous vulnerability.
• Anfuni: Displays both her knowledge and concern for Li Ziran. She explains her ability as an Elf and priestess to sense Demons, deliberately distracts him from the spiritual pressure, and hints that she may have prepared the current situation specifically for him.
• Rhine Lion: Acts as a restrained escort who follows orders without explaining their destination, emphasizing that the journey is being controlled by Sandrew’s instructions.
• Sandrew: Remains physically absent for most of the chapter but exerts strong influence over events. His connection to the Dark Council becomes more likely, and his final welcome reveals that Li Ziran has been brought directly to the Bone Dragon’s lair.

3. Significant Themes

• Powerlessness before overwhelming forces: Li Ziran, despite his growing abilities, is rendered helpless by the spiritual pressure of the Bone Dragon and cannot even control his own body.
• Hidden identities and consequences: Li Ziran’s demon aura exposes the dangers of his past soul-devouring or soul-fusing abilities, suggesting that power gained through questionable means may bring lasting consequences.
• The unknown beneath appearances: The golden Humpback Eagle, the Blood Pool, Sandrew’s affiliations, and the enormous Corpse Mountain all conceal much greater realities than Li Ziran initially understands.
• Trust and survival: Li Ziran chooses to trust Sandrew and follow orders, while Anfuni’s assistance shows that survival depends on cooperation—even when motives remain uncertain.
• Death as an ecosystem: The Corpse Mountain, Blood Pool, mosquitoes, Blood Dolphins, and Bone Dragon portray the Wasteland as a complete world built around death, predation, and necromantic cultivation.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Ziran questions Rhine about their destination, but Rhine refuses to reveal more than that he is following orders.
• Anfuni comments on the Blood Pool and the conflict between the Dark Council and the Light Mages, exposing the broader political and ideological struggle surrounding Necromancers.
• When Li Ziran suffers under the Bone Dragon’s spiritual pressure, Anfuni teases him about her appearance and encourages him to talk, successfully distracting him.
• Their conversation reveals Anfuni’s knowledge of Li Ziran’s demonic aura and raises his concern that she may have arranged or anticipated his current predicament.
• Sandrew’s final declaration transforms the journey from a mysterious escort mission into a direct arrival at the Bone Dragon’s Nest, ending the chapter with Li Ziran trapped inside the dragon.

Chapter Summary: “Gathering of Titans”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sandrew secretly convenes a dangerous meeting of powerful figures connected to the Dark Council and other factions. The meeting is risky because the Justice Alliance and Inquisition are actively suppressing the Council, and a suspected mole has already led to the destruction of one of its members.
• Sandrew justifies the gathering by emphasizing the importance of the business at hand, particularly because the mysterious Shadow Elder is expected to attend. The presence of the pregnant Butterfly Girl at the center of the meeting appears to be especially significant.
• During the meeting, an unknown girl’s voice and a Copper-Yellow Frog suddenly cause alarm, suggesting that an unexpected intruder or hidden participant may be present.
• Meanwhile, Li Ziran is thrown through the Bone Dragon and eventually lands inside an unknown area within its body. He discovers that Anfuni, the Golden-Haired Rhine, and the Humpback Eagle are no longer with him.
• Li Ziran enters a strange white chamber filled with screens showing scenes from his recent life. The recordings reveal that Sandrew and other powerful beings have been secretly monitoring him for roughly three months, especially since he first devoured an Embryo’s soul.
• The surveillance also shows that the observers are interested in Anfuni and her abilities, though footage involving her is deliberately blurred or incomplete.
• A spatial magic formation appears, creating a Teleportation Gate through which Anfuni calls Li Ziran. He uses it to reach the actual meeting room.
• Li Ziran arrives in a chamber containing twelve seats and encounters an extraordinary gathering of influential beings: several Necromancer Archmages, powerful Grassland figures, a Dark Elf, a Vampire, a Space Grasshopper, and finally a massive Ogre.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran becomes increasingly aware of how closely he has been watched and manipulated by forces far above his apparent level. His initial fear gives way to suspicion and curiosity as he realizes the surveillance began after his interaction with the Embryo.
• Li Ziran also displays growing confidence and analytical ability. Rather than panicking inside the Bone Dragon, he reconstructs what happened, identifies his likely location, and recognizes the importance of the monitoring chamber.
• His fascination with the Space Grasshopper reveals a personal ambition: Li Ziran is eager to understand and potentially befriend beings connected to spatial magic.
• Sandrew is shown to be far more politically connected and secretive than previously apparent. His collaboration with Grassland Orcs and other powerful races suggests that he is organizing something on a large scale.
• Anfuni remains mysterious and powerful. Her involvement in the meeting, her connection to the Butterfly Girl, and the efforts to conceal her actions imply that her abilities are central to the gathering.
• The other figures are introduced as major powers, including Gegwu, Polo Bart, a golden-maned Lion, a Dark Elf, a Vampire, and the Space Grasshopper. Their presence establishes the meeting as a gathering of elites rather than ordinary necromancers.

Significant Themes

• Surveillance and manipulation: Li Ziran discovers that his actions have been recorded and studied, emphasizing his lack of control over how powerful factions perceive and use him.
• Hidden alliances and political danger: The Dark Council is under attack from the Justice Alliance and Inquisition, while Sandrew appears to be forming alliances across racial and political boundaries.
• Power and scale: Li Ziran is repeatedly confronted with beings vastly stronger and more influential than himself, reinforcing the enormous hierarchy of the world.
• Curiosity versus fear: Although Li Ziran recognizes the danger surrounding him, his intellectual curiosity—especially regarding the Bone Dragon and Space Grasshopper—continually pushes him forward.
• The value of unusual abilities: Li Ziran begins to understand that his Embryo-related powers and Anfuni’s abilities may have attracted the attention of major factions, making them both valuable and vulnerable.
• Gathering of opposing races: Necromancers, Orc-associated figures, Dark Elves, Vampires, and other supernatural beings share the same meeting space, suggesting that common interests may temporarily overcome racial divisions.

Character Interactions

• Sandrew argues with other council members over the danger and cost of assembling during a period of intense Inquisition surveillance.
• The mention of the Shadow Elder immediately commands respect and changes the mood of the meeting.
• Li Ziran’s separation from Anfuni creates tension, but Anfuni later summons him through the Teleportation Gate.
• Anfuni sits beside the Eternal Giant Frog, indicating a close alliance or shared importance.
• Gegwu greets Li Ziran warmly, while Polo Bart is introduced as another powerful Necromancer Archmage.
• Li Ziran recognizes the golden-maned Lion as evidence of Sandrew’s cooperation with the Grassland Orcs.
• The Dark Elf reacts seductively to Li Ziran, contrasting with the threatening presence of the Lion and the guarded atmosphere of the meeting.
• Li Ziran is both wary of and fascinated by the Space Grasshopper, whose spatial abilities may have created the teleportation system.
• The chapter ends with the dramatic arrival of a giant Ogre, expanding the gathering even further and leaving the true purpose of the assembly unresolved.

Chapter Summary: Natural Birth or Cesarean?

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with an explanation of Ogres: a warrior race created after the First Continental War, possessing immense physical strength but extremely low innate intelligence. Their unique “Wisdom Stomach” and second brain allow them to gain intelligence by devouring humanoids, especially humans.
• A terrifying adult Ogre named Tutulu joins a secret meeting. Its grotesque eating habits emphasize both the race’s brutality and its unusual biology.
• Li Ziran observes that the gathering includes ten powerful figures, each represented by a seat of authority, with two seats still vacant. A mysterious Shadowfolk arrives, and everyone immediately shows it great respect.
• The Shadowfolk reveals that the meeting belongs to the Shadow Society, a secret organization connected to the Dark Council. It approves Anfuni’s membership and introduces Li Ziran’s nomination by Sandrew.
• A Vampire objects, arguing that Li Ziran is too weak and only barely qualifies as a Grand Witch Doctor. Sandrew responds by ordering Li Ziran to demonstrate his abilities.
• Li Ziran begins an extraordinary procedure to deliver a fully developed embryo from the Butterfly Girl. Two Medusa Corpse Witches perform the surgery, using potions to protect against infection and the embryo’s dangerous curse.
• The embryo’s power becomes evident when its movements generate soul-cutting ripples identified as the Demon’s Severing Profound Art.
• With the embryo ready to be delivered, Li Ziran asks the Shadow Elder whether it should be born naturally or through cesarean section, ending the chapter on a tense and absurd cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran is revealed to possess advanced medical, magical, and biological knowledge. Though initially shocked by the Shadow Society’s nomination process, he quickly recognizes the opportunity and decides to prove his worth.
• Sandrew demonstrates strong confidence in Li Ziran, deliberately using the embryo procedure as evidence of his value to the organization. He also commands considerable authority over the Ogre and the other members.
• Anfuni gains official recognition as a member of the Shadow Society and is permitted to inherit everything in Jon’s Shadow Space. Her connection to Jon is confirmed, despite her soul being different from his.
• Tutulu, the Ogre, is established as powerful but crude and grotesque. Despite its frightening appearance, it is willing to obey Sandrew and the Shadow Elder.
• The Shadowfolk Elder is shown to be the highest-ranking figure in the meeting. It controls the proceedings, grants approval to members, and commands immediate obedience.
• The Vampire acts as Li Ziran’s main critic, emphasizing the gap between Li Ziran’s current strength and the elite standards of the Shadow Society.
• The Corpse Witches display specialized surgical skill and immunity to the embryo’s curse, allowing them to perform the dangerous operation.

Significant Themes

• Power versus qualification: Li Ziran’s membership is challenged because of his relatively low cultivation, forcing him to prove that ability and potential can outweigh rank.
• Knowledge as power: Li Ziran’s understanding of Ogre anatomy and magical surgery gives him value beyond his direct combat strength.
• Monstrous biology and morality: The Ogres’ dependence on consuming humans contrasts their warrior nature with their horrifying means of gaining intelligence.
• Hidden organizations and opportunity: The Shadow Society represents a larger world of power that Li Ziran had not previously understood. His nomination marks a major step toward a broader stage.
• Life, birth, and unnatural creation: The surgical delivery of a magically dangerous embryo blurs the boundary between medicine, magic, and monstrosity.
• Hierarchy and authority: The meeting’s seating arrangement, spiritual inspections, and strict obedience reveal a rigid structure in which status determines respect.

Character Interactions

• Sandrew restrains Tutulu’s inappropriate behavior and later uses Li Ziran’s procedure to answer the Vampire’s criticism.
• The Shadowfolk Elder formally addresses Anfuni, acknowledges Jon’s legacy, and grants her access to Jon’s inheritance.
• The assembled members inspect Li Ziran through spiritual perception, treating him like an applicant being evaluated for admission.
• The Vampire openly rejects Li Ziran’s nomination, while Sandrew and several others quietly support or anticipate his demonstration.
• The Corpse Witches work under Li Ziran’s direction to expose and prepare the embryo, while the Ogre and Shadow Elder react with astonishment to its dangerous power.
• Li Ziran ultimately turns to the Shadow Elder for a decision about the embryo’s birth, placing the next move—and the chapter’s cliffhanger—in the elder’s hands.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran asks Shadow Elder whether the demon fetus should be delivered naturally or by cesarean section. He explains that natural birth may better support the fetus’s respiratory and elemental development, while cesarean delivery could leave residue in the respiratory tract and affect brain development.
• Shadow Elder surprisingly accepts Li Ziran’s advice and orders a natural delivery, earning Li Ziran favor while making the vampires and other observers wary of his growing influence.
• Li Ziran prepares the unconscious Butterfly Girl for delivery using Corpse Witches, Volcanic Potion, Revival Potion, and external pressure on her abdomen.
• When a Corpse Witch reaches into the uterus, the demon fetus attacks. It drains Li Ziran’s spiritual power, threatens his soul, and severs the Corpse Witch’s arm. The first delivery attempt fails.
• Forced to try again, Li Ziran uses the Snake Transformation Spell and Devouring Curse to weaken the fetus and suppress its resistance. He discovers that the fetus is attempting to restore its original demonic form rather than remain transformed into a snake.
• Li Ziran grasps the fetus and pulls it from the uterus. The fetus retaliates with powerful Wind Blades and soul-based attacks, but Shadow Elder intervenes and shields everyone.
• The fetus successfully emerges as a hybrid creature: a demon’s head attached to a snake-like body, later developing bat wings. It speaks, asks whether the group guided it into the world, and unleashes the Grudge Arcana.
• Sandrew effortlessly captures the newborn with an invisible force and proudly presents it as the Upper Demon he has nurtured.

2. Character Developments

• Li Ziran demonstrates practical medical knowledge, courage, and adaptability. Though inexperienced, he remains focused under pressure and risks his soul to complete the delivery.
• He becomes more politically aware, recognizing that pleasing Shadow Elder could secure his position within the Shadow Society. His decision to abandon cesarean delivery despite its simplicity shows his willingness to follow powerful figures’ expectations.
• Shadow Elder reveals an unusual interest in Li Ziran and treats him with unexpected patience. His intervention also confirms his immense power and authority.
• Sandrew shows strong confidence in Li Ziran and explains the fetus’s dangerous condition to Shadow Elder. He is clearly proud of the newborn and regards it as his disciple.
• The demon fetus is established as intelligent, aggressive, and exceptionally powerful. It can resist transformation, attack souls, manipulate Wind Blades, and use Demonic Arcana immediately after birth.
• The observers, especially the vampires and ogre, become increasingly cautious as the fetus displays its strength and Li Ziran gains attention from the chapter’s major powers.

3. Significant Themes

• Ambition and political survival: Li Ziran understands that success depends not only on skill but also on satisfying powerful figures and navigating factional politics.
• Birth and unnatural creation: The fetus’s delivery combines medical procedure, witchcraft, corpse manipulation, and demonic transformation, blurring the boundaries between life, death, and artificial creation.
• Power and control: Both Li Ziran and the fetus struggle to control one another, while Shadow Elder and Sandrew demonstrate overwhelming authority by suppressing dangerous forces with ease.
• Risk versus necessity: Li Ziran repeatedly places himself in danger because failure could cost him his alliances, reputation, or life.
• Transformation and identity: The fetus resists the Snake Transformation Spell and instinctively seeks its true demonic form, suggesting that innate identity is stronger than imposed alteration.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Ziran respectfully but directly advises Shadow Elder, creating an unexpectedly favorable impression.
• Shadow Elder’s approval causes the surrounding vampires to view Li Ziran as a potential political rival.
• Li Ziran works with the Corpse Witches to deliver the fetus, using his mental connection to guide the procedure.
• The fetus attacks Li Ziran and the Corpse Witches, turning the delivery into a dangerous magical confrontation.
• Shadow Elder protects the gathered figures from the fetus’s Wind Blades, reprimanding Li Ziran’s actions but accepting Sandrew’s explanation.
• Sandrew ultimately claims control of the newborn, calling it his “little disciple” and displaying it before the assembled observers as a powerful Upper Demon.

Chapter Summary: “Sandrew, Show Us What You’ve Got”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sandrew reveals that the infant demon he has cultivated is an Upper Demon, an extremely rare being ranked just below a Demon Monarch.
• He identifies the demon’s Title as Dark Mandala, shocking everyone because this name belongs to one of the legendary demon overlords from the Second Red Soil Continent War.
• The chapter explains Dark Mandala’s historical significance. During the Undying Sovereign’s thirteen-year invasion, Dark Mandala created the forbidden spell Mandala Silent Withering, which once annihilated 121 Archmages of the Alliance Army.
• The Vampire asks Sandrew to demonstrate the infant’s abilities. Sandrew constructs intricate three-dimensional characters from Undead energy.
• These characters produce Wind Blades and gradually form a magical flower resembling a mandala, apparently reproducing part of the inheritance of Mandala Silent Withering.
• Sandrew stops before completing the spell and claims that this is all he has learned. Li Ziran realizes Sandrew is concealing the fact that he cannot fully control the inheritance.
• The Shadow Elder acknowledges Sandrew’s achievement but points out that merely forming the mandala is insufficient—the true power lies in making it wither silently. He implies that Sandrew’s demonstration does not qualify Li Ziran for entry into the Dark Council.
• A young girl’s voice suddenly interrupts. The infant demon itself reacts to the Shadow Elder’s criticism, pokes the center of the array, and activates the spell.
• A petal of Undead energy dissolves into sinister symbols and forms a chain that attacks the souls of everyone present.
• The Shadow Elder loses part of his shadow, while the entire group’s Spirit Worlds are significantly damaged. Li Ziran loses one of his Spirit Crystals, proving that the infant possesses terrifying and still-uncontrolled power.

Character Developments

• Sandrew demonstrates his exceptional mastery of Undead magic and reveals that he possesses part of Dark Mandala’s inheritance. However, his nervousness and incomplete spell suggest that he has not truly mastered Mandala Silent Withering.
• Li Ziran becomes increasingly impressed by Sandrew’s technical skill, especially the extraordinary precision of his magic-array construction. He also recognizes Sandrew’s deception and remains observant of the hidden limitations of the demonstration.
• The Vampire shifts from suspicion and fear to intense curiosity, recognizing the enormous value of Dark Mandala’s inheritance.
• The Shadow Elder remains cautious and analytical. He praises Sandrew’s accomplishment but judges it by a high standard, emphasizing that the crucial aspect of the spell is its soul-destroying withering effect.
• The infant Dark Mandala displays intelligence, pride, and a childish but dangerous temperament. It reacts protectively when Sandrew’s ability is criticized and effortlessly completes the most destructive part of the spell.

Significant Themes

• The value and danger of inherited power: Dark Mandala’s ancient inheritance is treated as a treasure capable of changing the balance of power, but its incomplete mastery makes it unstable and dangerous.
• Appearance versus true ability: Sandrew’s demonstration appears incomplete, yet the infant possesses far greater power than anyone expected. The chapter repeatedly contrasts what is shown publicly with what remains hidden.
• The legacy of war: The Second Red Soil Continent War is remembered not only as a catastrophe but also as a period of extraordinary magical advancement, showing how destruction can produce powerful discoveries.
• Power beyond control: The infant’s playful behavior contrasts sharply with the devastating effect of its magic. Its childish innocence makes its soul-destroying abilities even more frightening.
• Qualification and judgment: The Shadow Elder’s criticism shows that status and talent alone are insufficient; true recognition depends on mastery and practical power.

Character Interactions

• The Ogre openly questions Sandrew about the demon’s identity, while the Vampire carefully presses him to reveal its abilities.
• Sandrew deliberately performs for the assembled powerhouses, seemingly hoping to impress them and strengthen Li Ziran’s position.
• Li Ziran silently evaluates Sandrew’s techniques and detects that he is withholding information.
• The Shadow Elder challenges Sandrew’s claim by stating that the mandala is only an incomplete imitation of the legendary spell.
• The infant demon directly contradicts the Elder’s criticism, triggering the spell and attacking everyone’s souls, transforming the demonstration into a terrifying display of genuine power.

Chapter Summary: “This Is Why I Recommended Li Ziran”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The demon infant unexpectedly attacks Shadow Elder with undead-energy petals, provoking his overwhelming killing intent.
• Shadow Elder brutally punishes her: shadowy hands restrain her, tear out her tongue, and begin ripping apart her body. Although Sandrew intervenes to save her, Shadow Elder injures him effortlessly before finally stopping short of killing the infant.
• The Vampire and Dark Elf use the incident to criticize Sandrew’s demon-cultivation project, arguing that Upper Demons are too dangerous and uncontrollable—especially with the Justice Alliance and Inquisition watching the Shadow Society.
• Sandrew counters by revealing the true value of Li Ziran’s work. The Corpse Witch cuts open a Butterfly Girl, exposing not one Magic Organ but twenty-three, each producing a different kind of magical power.
• The Butterfly Girl’s organs include common elements such as fire, water, earth, wind, light, and darkness, as well as rare powers like ash, magnetism, and poison. They function together without conflict and were developed in only four months.
• Sandrew publicly introduces Li Ziran as a Witch Doctor skilled in Organology. He explains that Li created the Butterfly Girl’s organs and can identify, transplant, and combine organs perfectly—an ability essential to cultivating demons.
• Sandrew suggests that Li’s skills could allow the Shadow Society to obtain powerful organs from demons, potentially including organs belonging to legendary Demon Overlords.
• Shadow Elder realizes Li Ziran’s enormous value but also understands that the other members may kill and dissect him if he refuses to accept him into the Society. He therefore decides to retain Li under the Society’s protection, while secretly considering how to exploit his abilities.
• The chapter ends with Shadow Elder posing Li a cryptic question: “How can one bring the greatest calamity upon humanity?”

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Becomes far more important in the eyes of the Shadow Society. Initially frightened by Shadow Elder’s cruelty, he is revealed to be the creator of the Butterfly Girl’s extraordinary Magic Organs and a crucial figure in future demon cultivation.
• Shadow Elder: His terrifying strength and ruthless judgment are emphasized. Despite his coldness, he shows strategic restraint, recognizing that killing or abandoning Li would allow the others to seize him. His interest shifts from simple evaluation to protecting and controlling Li for greater long-term gains.
• Sandrew: Demonstrates loyalty to the demon infant and confidence in Li’s abilities. He risks opposing Shadow Elder to save his creation, then cleverly redirects the meeting by revealing the Butterfly Girl’s true value.
• The demon infant: Her innocent, uncontrollable behavior leads to severe punishment. Her connection to the Demon Overlord Mandala Withering is implied when Shadow Elder notices that part of her soul has been silently dissolved.
• The Vampire and Dark Elf: Both reveal themselves as political rivals seeking to undermine Sandrew and possibly claim control of Li Ziran or acquire valuable demon-related resources.
• The Corpse Witch: Acts as Sandrew’s instrument by surgically opening the Butterfly Girl and revealing the experimental results.

Significant Themes

• Power and fear: Shadow Elder’s violence establishes a hierarchy in which even valuable beings can be punished or destroyed if they violate his authority.
• Scientific advancement versus danger: Demon cultivation and organ transplantation promise immense power but carry severe risks, particularly because Upper Demons may be uncontrollable.
• Political rivalry and resource exploitation: The Shadow Society is portrayed as a predatory organization where members compete for rare talents and resources, often eliminating promising newcomers to seize their gains.
• Hidden potential and revelation: Li’s abilities initially appear obscure, but the Butterfly Girl’s organs reveal a revolutionary breakthrough that changes everyone’s assessment of him.
• The ethics of experimentation: The dissection and modification of living beings are treated as tools for advancement, raising questions about the cost of power and the value placed on individual life.
• Humanity’s vulnerability: The possibility of harvesting organs from legendary demons suggests that humanity could gain unprecedented power—or unleash an even greater catastrophe.

Important Character Interactions

• Shadow Elder and the demon infant: His brutal punishment establishes his dominance and highlights the danger of provoking him.
• Sandrew and Shadow Elder: Sandrew challenges Shadow Elder to save the infant, but Shadow Elder’s effortless retaliation reminds him of the vast difference in their strength.
• Sandrew, the Vampire, and the Dark Elf: Sandrew defends demon cultivation while the other two attempt to discredit it for political and competitive reasons.
• Sandrew and Li Ziran: Sandrew publicly places Li at the center of the Society’s future, presenting him as the indispensable creator behind the experiment.
• Shadow Elder and Li Ziran: Shadow Elder silently weighs whether Li should be protected, controlled, or exploited, ultimately ending the chapter by testing him with a mysterious question.

Chapter Summary: “Welcome to the Shadow Society”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shadow Elder asks the candidates how they could throw humanity into chaos. Li Ziran initially struggles, realizing the question is likely a test of both character and imagination.
• Inspired by the demon girl’s existence, Li Ziran suggests sending her—an infant-like remnant of a Demon Overlord—to the Human Race. Shadow Elder recognizes that this could cause enormous turmoil among both humans and demons, possibly even provoking a third demon invasion.
• Impressed by Li Ziran’s unconventional thinking, Shadow Elder immediately grants him a Shadow Seal, making him a full member of the Shadow Society instead of requiring the usual nomination, probation, and three-year associate-member period.
• The Shadow Seal enters Li Ziran’s Spirit World as a black crescent moon. It absorbs and transforms his Spirit Crystals, greatly increasing their concentration and creating a hazy defensive boundary around his Spirit World.
• The other members are stunned by Li Ziran’s instant promotion, since only a few people in the Society’s history have received full membership immediately.
• Shadow Elder formally welcomes Li Ziran, orders him to establish a base and hold his first Shadow Society meeting within a year, and assigns Sandrew responsibility for guiding him.
• After Shadow Elder leaves, the members crowd around Li Ziran, offering trades and assistance. Sandrew stops them and explains that Li Ziran does not yet understand the Society well enough to make deals.
• Li Ziran questions why such a powerful organization would recruit someone as weak as a minor Witch Doctor. Sandrew explains that the Shadow Society values potential, unique abilities, creativity, and imagination more than current combat strength.
• Sandrew introduces the requirements for a member’s base: it must include a hidden meeting room with teleportation capabilities and twelve seats. Members must publicly present the businesses or resources they control, and competition within the Society can be harsh and deadly.
• The Spatial Mantis offers to help Li Ziran construct a teleportation array, using the special right every new member possesses: requesting assistance from each existing member once.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran demonstrates unusual creativity by proposing the demon girl as a means of destabilizing humanity. This proves that his value lies not in his current power but in his ideas and potential.
• He gains a new form of mental protection through the Shadow Seal, while also realizing that his understanding of the wider world and its hidden powers is severely limited.
• Li Ziran becomes more cautious and ambitious. Rather than asking about the members’ secrets, he begins considering what unique contribution he can offer—especially organ transplantation.
• Shadow Elder shows himself to be highly perceptive and willing to break tradition when he sees exceptional potential. He takes a personal interest in Li Ziran and expects him to develop quickly.
• Sandrew becomes Li Ziran’s official guide and protector within the Society. He is proud of Li Ziran but also stresses the importance of understanding the Society’s rules and dangers.
• The other members reveal that they too began with humble abilities, reinforcing the Society’s emphasis on growth rather than starting strength.
• The Vampire is visibly intimidated by Shadow Elder and anxious about being ordered to convene his own meeting, suggesting he may be struggling to maintain his position.

Significant Themes

• Imagination over strength: The Shadow Society values unconventional ideas and irreplaceable potential more than established magical power.
• Hidden power and limited perspective: Li Ziran realizes that the known hierarchy of Archmages and Title Magisters vastly underestimates the true strength concealed by the world’s major races and factions.
• Opportunity and danger: Instant full membership gives Li Ziran extraordinary advantages, but it also exposes him to demanding responsibilities and fierce internal competition.
• Survival through usefulness: Members must prove their value by revealing the resources or enterprises they control. The Society is cooperative on the surface but governed by ruthless competition.
• Transformation and protection: The Shadow Seal changes Li Ziran’s mental power and gives his Spirit World a protective structure, symbolizing his entrance into a more advanced and dangerous realm.
• Chaos as a tool: The demon girl represents how a single unusual existence can destabilize entire civilizations and alter the balance between races.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran’s question to Shadow Elder about sending the demon girl to humanity becomes the decisive moment leading to his admission.
• Shadow Elder welcomes Li Ziran personally, assigns Sandrew to guide him, and reminds the Vampire of his own neglected responsibilities.
• Sandrew prevents the other members from exploiting Li Ziran’s inexperience and explains the Society’s recruitment philosophy and organizational structure.
• Anfuni corrects Li Ziran’s misunderstanding about the scarcity of Elven Title Magisters, showing that every race conceals much of its true strength.
• The Spatial Mantis, Ogre, Dark Elf, and other members immediately approach Li Ziran with offers of trade and cooperation, demonstrating both friendliness and self-interest.
• The chapter ends with the Spatial Mantis offering practical assistance in constructing Li Ziran’s base, introducing the newcomer privilege that may help him establish himself in the Society.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran learns that new Shadow Society members may request free assistance from other members. He asks Spatial Mantis whether the help is limited to designing teleportation routes or includes broader spatial modifications. Spatial Mantis clarifies that he can assist with anything spatial within Li Ziran’s meeting room, while work beyond it requires payment.
• The Vampire offers to construct a Blood Pool and provide blood creatures, but Sandrew and Anfuni’s warnings cause Li Ziran to decline. The Vampire angrily reveals that the Society’s “free” assistance may come with hidden costs, claiming that other members exploited his resources under the guise of helping him.
• Li Ziran realizes the Shadow Society is not charitable but dangerous and politically complex. He becomes cautious about accepting favors, recognizing that “free” help may create obligations or reduce his standing in Shadow Elder’s eyes.
• The Ogre offers Li Ziran top-tier Demons and later promises to send him the remains of a Human town his tribe is attacking. Li Ziran rejects the first offer because he is focused on building his base.
• Spatial Mantis, the Ogre, the Dark Elf, and other members depart. The Dark Elf attempts to recruit Li Ziran to the Dungeon by offering him the position of a Dark Elf prince, but Anfuni intervenes and prevents the discussion from progressing.
• Gegwu advises Li Ziran to establish his base quickly and make a strong impression at the first meeting. Sandrew tells Li Ziran to visit his magic tower to learn how to use the Shadow Badge and to hear the Society’s history.
• Sandrew warns that the Demon cultivation business is a confidential partnership between himself, Li Ziran, and Rhine Duke. Li Ziran accepts this arrangement, understanding that successful businesses require experienced partners and shared interests.
• After everyone leaves, Li Ziran questions Anfuni about her membership in the Shadow Society despite being an Elf. She explains that the Society is independent of the Dark Council, although its leader belongs to that council.
• Anfuni reveals that becoming a full member immediately upon joining is extraordinarily rare. Only three people in the Society’s history—the three leaders, including the current Shadow Elder—received that status at once. Li Ziran finally understands why the others treated him with unusual respect.
• When Li Ziran considers leaving, Anfuni explains that there are only two ways out: either become powerful enough to no longer need the Society, or become Shadow Elder’s puppet, as the Vampire apparently has.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Becomes more cautious, politically aware, and business-minded. He shifts from being tempted by free resources to recognizing the hidden dangers of favors. He also begins to understand that his immediate full membership marks him as exceptionally valuable, though this realization creates genuine pressure.
• Anfuni: Acts protectively toward Li Ziran, interrupting the Vampire and Dark Elf when she believes they may exploit or recruit him. She serves as his main source of information about the Society and gives him a grim warning about its consequences.
• Sandrew: Continues to guide and support Li Ziran, but also demonstrates his authority by silencing the Vampire. He protects the secrecy of the Demon cultivation business and clearly wants to control who becomes involved.
• The Vampire: Shifts from friendly and opportunistic to bitter and resentful. His outburst exposes the Society’s exploitative internal practices and suggests that accepting “free” help may lead to manipulation.
• The Ogre: Appears outwardly generous but may also be seeking advantage from Li Ziran. His irritation after the Vampire’s interruption suggests tensions among the members.
• Spatial Mantis: Establishes clear boundaries between free assistance within the meeting room and paid services elsewhere, reflecting the Society’s transactional nature.
• Gegwu: Offers sincere, relatively benevolent guidance and reminds Li Ziran of the importance of his first formal meeting.
• Dark Elf: Attempts to lure Li Ziran into the Dungeon with a prestigious title, but her effort is blocked by Anfuni.

Significant Themes

• The hidden price of “free” assistance: The chapter emphasizes that generosity within the Shadow Society is likely a form of investment, manipulation, or debt.
• Power and hierarchy: Li Ziran’s rare full-member status places him near the top of the Society’s expectations, but it also makes him vulnerable to scrutiny and exploitation.
• Business and alliances: Li Ziran views relationships pragmatically, recognizing that shared profits and partnerships can build trust more effectively than personal loyalty alone.
• Secrecy and political danger: The Society operates independently from the Dark Council while still influencing it, making membership both prestigious and dangerous.
• Freedom versus control: Anfuni’s final warning presents the Society as an organization that is nearly impossible to leave. True freedom requires overwhelming power; otherwise, a member risks becoming a puppet.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran carefully negotiates with Spatial Mantis over the scope of his free assistance.
• Sandrew and Anfuni silently warn Li Ziran against accepting the Vampire’s Blood Pool offer.
• The Vampire openly accuses the others of exploiting him, provoking the Ogre and ultimately withdrawing after Sandrew intimidates him.
• Anfuni blocks the Dark Elf’s attempt to recruit Li Ziran, suggesting hostility or rivalry between the two women.
• Sandrew privately reinforces the confidential partnership involving Li Ziran and Rhine Duke.
• Anfuni explains Li Ziran’s exceptional status and, after he considers leaving, confronts him with the two possible paths out of the Shadow Society.

Chapter Summary: “Fell into a Huge Pit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran realizes that joining the Shadow Society may have been a carefully constructed trap. The organization’s power, Sandrew’s strength, and the Bone Dragon’s presence had dazzled him and encouraged his greed.
• Anfuni explains that the Shadow Society controls its members through the Shadow Crescent Moon placed in their Spirit Worlds. It strengthens their mental power but also links them to the organization and allows their value and resources to be monitored.
• Li Ziran discovers the Shadow Network, a mental communication and accounting system connected to the Shadow Crescent Moon.
• His personal account begins at 100 points, but he finds that only 73 remain. Sandrew, acting as his guide, has apparently taken 27 points from him.
• Anfuni explains that members are reviewed at 60 points, and anyone who falls below 50 may be eliminated by Shadow Elder. Members must therefore earn points through useful contributions such as Li Ziran’s organ-transplantation techniques and Demon cultivation.
• Before vanishing, Anfuni warns Li Ziran not to trust anyone—especially Sandrew—and suggests that Sandrew controls Li Ziran just as he controls the Demon infant girl.
• Sandrew sends Li Ziran a message explaining how to leave the Shadow Space. Li Ziran activates the formation and returns to Corpse Mountain, where he discovers he is standing atop Sandrew’s Magic Tower.
• Li Ziran explores the tower and sees twelve portraits representing powerful figures or races, including one resembling the Dark Mandala girl he cultivated. He suspects Sandrew has had a larger plan all along.
• Sandrew finally approaches him, pretending ignorance of Anfuni’s warnings and claiming that she left early because of other business.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Undergoes a major awakening. He recognizes that greed caused him to overlook the dangers of the Shadow Society and realizes he may be treated as a resource rather than an independent member. His fear of becoming a puppet deepens, but so does his determination to resist control and eventually surpass the organization.
• Anfuni: Acts as Li Ziran’s guide and warning figure. She reveals the Society’s exploitative structure and shows genuine concern for him, even regretting that she introduced him to the organization. Her sudden disappearance creates uncertainty about whether she left voluntarily or was forcibly removed.
• Sandrew: Appears increasingly manipulative and suspicious. His role as guide grants him the authority to take a large portion of Li Ziran’s wealth, and his possible control over the Demon infant and Li Ziran suggests hidden motives.
• Shadow Elder: Remains an intimidating, distant authority whose systems control membership, enforce value thresholds, and potentially eliminate those deemed insufficiently useful.

Significant Themes

• Greed and manipulation: Li Ziran’s desire for power and knowledge makes him vulnerable to the Shadow Society’s promises.
• Freedom versus control: The Shadow Crescent Moon offers real benefits but may also function as a mechanism of surveillance, dependence, and enslavement.
• Value as currency: Members are judged according to their usefulness, and assistance is treated as a transfer of organizational wealth.
• Awakening and self-awareness: Li Ziran recognizes his own flaws and begins moving from naïve ambition toward cautious resistance.
• Exploitation disguised as opportunity: The Shadow Society presents membership as an honor while binding members to hidden costs and obligations.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and Anfuni: Anfuni educates him about the Society’s point system and warns him against trusting Sandrew. Their final embrace suggests mutual concern and emotional attachment before she disappears.
• Li Ziran and Sandrew: Their relationship shifts from admiration and gratitude to suspicion. Sandrew’s friendly greeting at the end contrasts sharply with Anfuni’s warnings, leaving Li Ziran uncertain about whom to believe.
• Li Ziran and the Shadow Society: Li realizes that his talents make him valuable but also place him under greater pressure and scrutiny. His survival now depends on earning points while finding a way to preserve his independence.