Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “The Sewer’s Exit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping remains trapped in a mysterious sewer after activating the new ability. Although he can easily use the ability itself, he cannot understand how to escape. The sewer appears endlessly long, indestructible, and identical in every direction.
• After spending an entire day and night inside, Zhang Ping becomes increasingly anxious about events in his original world. He worries that the Beast-Taming Zhu Family may attack Mingzhu City or that Prince Yue may take advantage of his absence to kill Situ Shibai.
• He considers whether the sewer could function as an eternal prison for enemies, but realizes he must leave and return to his original location.
• Just as he prepares to abandon the sewer, Zhang Ping realizes that he has been searching for an exit rather than creating one. By pressing against the ceiling, he generates an exit himself.
• He emerges from the sewer through a manhole at the edge of a volcanic crater, recognizing it as the place where he previously encountered Su Qingbo. He is uncertain whether he has returned to his original world or reached a parallel one, but decides to fly toward Mingzhu City to find out.
• In Mingzhu City’s Gui Tower, Zhang Shouzhong, Zhao Yanlong, and Zhao Yanhu train their abilities while Cheng Xuejie cares for the depressed Little Sairon.
• Rumors of Zhang Ping’s death have spread throughout the city because a headless corpse was found. Although no official confirmation has been made, most residents believe he died defending Mingzhu City. His reputation as the “Giant God” remains intact, and the city treats him as a fallen hero.
• Little Sairon overhears the rumors and becomes deeply distressed. Cheng Xuejie tries to reassure him that Zhang Ping is still alive, but Little Sairon remains despondent—until he suddenly senses or notices someone arriving at the door.
• Meanwhile, in the Beast-Taming Zhu Family, Zhu Chengmian broods over his father’s refusal to surrender the family-head position. He believes he has already secured power by killing Zhang Ping and resents Zhu Taihao for resisting him.
• Zhu Chengmian keeps his son Zhu Jiuyang’s severed head on a table and claims he will spare him if he completes an important task. His unsettling smile frightens Zhu Jiuyang, who recalls that Zhu Chengmian smiled similarly before killing several of his other sons.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping: Demonstrates patience, strategic thinking, and self-reflection. His breakthrough comes when he recognizes that the solution depends on his own power rather than on discovering a preexisting exit. His urgency also reveals his strong sense of responsibility toward Mingzhu City and his allies.
• Little Sairon: Shows intense emotional dependence on Zhang Ping. The rumors of Zhang Ping’s death leave him devastated, but his sudden reaction at the door suggests he may possess a special connection or sensitivity to Zhang Ping’s return.
• Cheng Xuejie: Acts as a compassionate protector, attempting to comfort Little Sairon and defend Zhang Ping’s reputation.
• Zhu Chengmian: Becomes increasingly ruthless and paranoid. His fixation on becoming family head and his willingness to manipulate or threaten his own son reveal his cruelty and hunger for power.
• Zhu Jiuyang: Is reduced to a helpless, terrified captive. His fear of his father’s smile emphasizes Zhu Chengmian’s history of familial betrayal and murder.
• Zhang Ping’s allies: Continue training despite his presumed death, suggesting that they are preparing for future danger while struggling with uncertainty.

Significant Themes

• Solutions hidden in perspective: Zhang Ping escapes only after realizing that he has misunderstood the problem. The sewer’s exit is not something to find but something he must create.
• Isolation and uncertainty: The endless sewer reflects Zhang Ping’s fear of being cut off from his world and unable to protect those important to him.
• Heroism and public memory: Even without official confirmation, Mingzhu City regards Zhang Ping as a hero who may have died protecting them. The chapter explores how communities honor those who sacrifice themselves.
• Power and corruption: Zhu Chengmian’s ambition has transformed him into a violent tyrant who treats family members as disposable tools.
• Hope amid presumed loss: While the city mourns Zhang Ping, Little Sairon’s reaction hints that Zhang Ping may have returned, contrasting public despair with private hope.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping internally weighs his responsibilities to Mingzhu City, Situ Shibai, and his allies while attempting to escape the sewer.
• Cheng Xuejie comforts Little Sairon and rejects the rumors of Zhang Ping’s death, showing her loyalty and concern.
• The Awakened of Mingzhu City collectively defend Zhang Ping’s honor, viewing insults against him as an affront to anyone who risks their life for the city.
• Zhu Chengmian psychologically torments Zhu Jiuyang, promising rewards while threatening to leave him permanently dismembered. Their exchange exposes the fear and brutality within the Zhu family.
• The chapter ends with Little Sairon reacting expectantly to the door, strongly suggesting that Zhang Ping’s return is imminent.

Chapter Summary: “Infinite Possibilities”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping wakes up safely at home in Mingzhu City after escaping from a parallel world through the Mysterious Sewer. He is astonished that the ability can apparently transport him between worlds.
• Because the public believes he is dead, Zhang Ping decides to keep his survival secret. He realizes that remaining hidden will protect him from enemies such as the Beast-Taming Zhu Family.
• He returns to Gui Tower and explains to his companions how he entered the Dark Land and was transported to a parallel world.
• Zhang Ping reveals that the parallel-world versions of many of his friends were killed by the Heavenly Fox, including the counterparts of Zhang Shouzhong, Cheng Xuejie, and others. Their deaths apparently led to the destruction of Mingzhu City and the deaths of countless civilians.
• The group debates whether they have a responsibility to save people in other worlds. Zhao Yanlong argues that people in parallel worlds are still real people with their own lives and emotions, and that those with great power have a duty to help them.
• Zhang Ping demonstrates the Mysterious Sewer by summoning a manhole cover, but admits that he does not yet understand or control the ability well enough to guarantee where it will lead.
• The group agrees that, once the ability is mastered, they should attempt to rescue other parallel worlds.
• Zhang Ping also plans to return to the previous parallel world to rescue Su Jingyao’s spirit form and Broom Dragon, and to deliver the Beast-Taming Zhu Family’s Coordinate Pointer to Situ Shibai.
• He develops a broader strategy: by visiting different parallel worlds, he may gather information about different Zhu Family bases while simultaneously saving those worlds.
• After discussing the risks, the group decides that some members will remain at Gui Tower while Zhang Ping tests the Mysterious Sewer. Zhang Shouzhong, Zhao Yanlong, and Zhao Yanhu are chosen to accompany him because of their scouting and survival abilities.
• Cheng Xuejie is disappointed that she cannot join them but ultimately accepts Zhang Ping’s reasoning. Zhang Ping prepares food and water for a journey lasting up to half a month.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes more cautious and strategic. His experience in the parallel world teaches him the value of secrecy, and he begins thinking beyond personal survival toward large-scale rescue and intelligence-gathering.
• Cheng Xuejie reacts emotionally to learning that her parallel counterpart died. Her concern for Zhang Ping remains strong, shown by her frustration at being left behind and her practical question about whether he has enough food.
• Zhang Shouzhong initially treats the situation lightly but becomes troubled when he realizes that parallel worlds contain real people facing genuine suffering. He also understands that Zhang Ping’s apparent death will redirect the Zhu Family’s attention toward the Cleanup Team.
• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu reaffirm their loyalty to Zhang Ping and embrace the idea that powerful people have a responsibility to protect others. Their enthusiasm motivates them to volunteer for the dangerous mission.
• The group as a whole shifts from viewing parallel worlds as distant possibilities to recognizing them as places filled with lives worth saving.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and morality: The chapter asks whether people are obligated to help inhabitants of alternate worlds. The characters conclude that differing origins do not make those lives less valuable.
• The consequences of power: Zhang Ping’s expanding abilities bring greater opportunities but also greater obligations and dangers.
• Secrecy and strategy: Zhang Ping’s decision to remain “dead” reflects the importance of concealment in a world filled with political and supernatural threats.
• Infinite possibilities and interconnected worlds: Parallel worlds create both danger and opportunity, allowing the characters to encounter alternate versions of themselves and uncover information unavailable in their own world.
• Sacrifice and teamwork: The characters accept personal risk and divide responsibilities so that some can undertake the mission while others protect Gui Tower.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping shares his experience with the Gui Team, prompting shock, grief, and moral debate.
• Cheng Xuejie expresses sympathy for her dead counterpart and later argues—unsuccessfully—to accompany Zhang Ping.
• Zhang Shouzhong questions whether the parallel worlds’ tragedies concern them, while Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu insist that those worlds deserve protection.
• Liu Sishan provides the practical insight that Zhang Ping’s presumed death will make the Zhu Family target the stronger Cleanup Team instead of Gui Tower.
• Zhang Ping explains his team-selection criteria to Cheng Xuejie, emphasizing scouting, survival, and the uncertainty of the experiment.
• The chapter ends with Zhang Ping preparing to lead Zhang Shouzhong, Zhao Yanlong, and Zhao Yanhu into another potentially inaccessible parallel world.

Chapter Summary: “Extraterrestrial Stone Tablet”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping creates a manhole leading to the Mysterious Sewer and enters with Zhang Shouzhong, Zhao Yanhu, and Zhao Yanlong.
• The group travels through the foul, confusing sewer. Zhang Ping is unsure whether it is the same sewer he previously explored because there are no familiar landmarks or discarded household objects.
• After about two hours, Zhang Ping opens a passage above them and discovers that the sewer leads to the Dark Land—the world ruled by the King of Nether Mist.
• The group emerges near a familiar city intersection and enters an abandoned café to investigate the area.
• The café is covered in dust and contains a bizarre corpse fused with the ceiling. Although much of its flesh remains, the corpse is completely dead and has not decayed normally.
• Zhang Shouzhong uses his technology to confirm that the corpse shows no signs of life. He also translates the unfamiliar writing in the café’s magazines, identifying it as an ancient script related to the writing used in Mingzhu City.
• Zhang Ping notices that the corpse appears to be clutching a note. Using Psychokinesis, he tries to retrieve it and discovers that the corpse’s body has become physically fused with the ceiling.
• After breaking apart the surrounding structure, Zhang Shouzhong reconstructs what happened: the person apparently fell or spiraled from a great height, crashed headfirst into the building, and became entangled with it as they descended.
• The note contains a major warning: “Do not study the Extraterrestrial Stone Tablet. It will destroy the world.”

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping remains cautious but curious. His discovery that the Mysterious Sewer connects to the Dark Land broadens his understanding of the sewer’s unpredictable nature and deepens his interest in investigating the abandoned city.
• Zhang Shouzhong demonstrates his practical intelligence and technological abilities by creating air filters and platforms, analyzing the corpse, interpreting ancient writing, and deducing the manner of death.
• Zhao Yanlong acts protectively and methodically, releasing venomous insects to patrol the area and warn the group of any living creatures.
• Zhao Yanhu provides comic relief through his disgust at the sewage and his nervous speculation about whether the corpse might still be alive.
• The group becomes more coordinated as they explore an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environment, relying on each member’s specialized abilities.

Significant Themes

• Mystery and the unknown: The sewer has no fixed or understandable route, eventually connecting to a completely different world. Its unpredictable nature reinforces its supernatural mystery.
• Forbidden knowledge: The warning about the Extraterrestrial Stone Tablet introduces the danger of investigating things beyond human understanding.
• The aftermath of catastrophe: The abandoned city, scattered bones, undisturbed dust, and grotesquely preserved corpse suggest a past disaster or mass extinction.
• Scientific curiosity versus danger: The characters investigate the corpse and its message despite the warning that knowledge about the stone tablet could destroy the world.
• Connection between worlds: The sewer’s link to the Dark Land suggests that seemingly separate realms may be connected through hidden or ancient structures.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Shouzhong repeatedly helps the others by producing masks and platforms, while Zhao Yanhu and Zhao Yanlong react to the sewer’s filth and hazards.
• Zhao Yanhu’s comments about the sewage irritate both Zhang Shouzhong and Zhao Yanlong, creating brief humor amid the dangerous exploration.
• Zhang Ping leads the group and directs Zhang Shouzhong’s attention to the corpse and the note.
• Zhang Shouzhong’s interpretation of the corpse’s final moments gives the group a clearer understanding of the mysterious death.
• The chapter ends with the group confronted by a cryptic warning about the Extraterrestrial Stone Tablet, setting up a larger mystery and potential future danger.

Chapter Summary: “Secret Collector”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Shouzhong initially doubts that the extraterrestrial stone tablet could destroy the world, arguing that even the death of all life would not destroy the planet itself.
• Zhang Ping shows him his ability attributes, revealing World Destroyer, which shocks Zhang Shouzhong and makes him reconsider the danger of the stone tablet.
• Fearing that the parallel world may have been destroyed through research on the tablet, Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong decide to avoid further involvement and retreat through Zhang Ping’s Mysterious Sewer.
• The sewer proves spatially abnormal. Zhang Shouzhong’s nanobots, which he left behind as markers, travel an impossible distance and return from contradictory directions. Attempts to break through the sewer walls fail, confirming that its internal space cannot be understood through normal geometry.
• While traveling, Zhao Yanhu tells the story of Zhou Cheng, an Awakened from Holy Ancestor Village whose ability, Secret Collector, could record every secret he encountered. The ability could neither be appraised nor detected.
• After Zhou Cheng died, a massive flower grew from his grave and publicly revealed all the secrets he had collected, making the ability both disturbing and unintentionally humorous.
• The group then discusses Holy Ancestor Village’s status in the parallel world. Zhang Ping realizes it may be the only major faction left unharmed after the Beast-Taming Zhu Family, the Heavenly Fox, and Mingzhu City were weakened or destroyed.
• Zhao Yanhu explains that Holy Ancestor Village has an Escape Faction, formed because of an old prophecy predicting that an Awakened would eventually gain the power to destroy the world. The faction focuses on finding a way to flee the world before its destruction.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes more cautious after learning about World Destroyer and the extraterrestrial tablet. Although powerful, he recognizes that some phenomena—especially the Mysterious Sewer and the tablet—are beyond his understanding.
• Zhang Shouzhong gains a stronger appreciation of the danger surrounding them. His normally analytical behavior gives way to open fear, and he quickly supports leaving the area.
• Zhao Yanhu contributes local knowledge and comic relief through his story about Zhou Cheng and Secret Collector.
• Zhao Yanlong clarifies the scholarly understanding of Secret Collector and helps explain that Awakened abilities often possess hidden secondary effects.
• Zhang Ping also begins reconsidering Holy Ancestor Village as a possible future threat, since it has remained intact while other powers have been devastated.

Significant Themes

• The limits of human understanding: The stone tablet, the Mysterious Sewer, and Secret Collector all represent powers that defy ordinary logic and scientific analysis.
• Fear of apocalyptic power: The revelation of World Destroyer and the prophecy about a world-destroying Awakened create tension over whether catastrophe is inevitable.
• The unpredictability of abilities: Awakened powers may have concealed functions or activate in unexpected ways, sometimes even after death.
• Secrets and knowledge as danger: Secret Collector shows that information itself can become destructive, particularly when hidden truths are exposed indiscriminately.
• Survival versus responsibility: Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong choose to avoid interfering, while Holy Ancestor Village’s Escape Faction seeks survival through escape rather than confronting the world’s possible destruction.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Shouzhong reacts with alarm when Zhang Ping reveals World Destroyer, shifting their discussion from skepticism to shared caution.
• Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong investigate the sewer’s spatial inconsistencies together, with Zhang Ping relying on his superior destructive power and Zhang Shouzhong testing the environment through nanobots.
• Zhao Yanhu and Zhao Yanlong exchange jokes about Zhou Cheng before explaining the unsettling nature of Secret Collector to Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong.
• Zhang Ping humorously notes that Secret Collector would be disastrous for him because his Wind Whisperer already lets him learn many secrets.
• The group’s discussion of Holy Ancestor Village shifts from casual curiosity to strategic concern when Zhang Ping realizes the village may be the strongest surviving faction.

Chapter Summary: “Spirit Projection”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Shouzhong suggests that Zhang Ping may be the person from a prophecy destined to destroy the world. Zhang Ping vehemently denies this, insisting that his love of life makes such an outcome impossible. Zhang Shouzhong counters that destroying the world might not be evil if Zhang Ping could save humanity by relocating it elsewhere.
• At the top of the sewer, Zhang Ping discovers a completely black wooden house. Though structurally ordinary, the house contains a disturbing photograph of a little girl and is covered in a foul, petroleum-like black liquid.
• Sensing danger, Zhang Ping decides not to enter. However, when he attempts to close the manhole cover, a powerful black hand grabs it from above.
• Zhang Ping attacks with laser beams and severs the hand, but the rest of the creature disappears. The hand is made entirely of black, soft material and possesses surprising strength.
• At Zhang Shouzhong’s urging, Zhang Ping consumes one of the hand’s fingers. He soon becomes nauseated and suffers strange mental and physical disturbances.
• His newly acquired ability, Spirit Projection, allows him to separate a transparent spirit body from his physical body and roam through the universe.
• Zhang Ping initially struggles to control the ability, even accidentally twisting his head completely around. After adjusting, he realizes that his thoughts and memories have become clearer and more organized.
• He concludes that the black hand was itself a spirit body, or at least had once been one.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping: Continues to reject the idea that he will destroy the world, emphasizing his compassion and attachment to life. After gaining Spirit Projection, he experiences a major improvement in mental clarity, separating his own consciousness from the memories of the original Zhang Ping and gaining a firmer sense of identity.
• Zhang Shouzhong: Remains blunt, curious, and somewhat reckless. He teases Zhang Ping about the prophecy and casually encourages him to eat the mysterious hand, though he later becomes genuinely concerned when Zhang Ping suffers dangerous side effects.

Significant Themes

• Prophecy versus personal choice: Zhang Ping questions whether possessing world-destroying power means he is destined to use it.
• Morality and consequences: The discussion raises the possibility that destroying one world might be justified to save its inhabitants.
• Identity and consciousness: Spirit Projection enables Zhang Ping to distinguish between his own thoughts and inherited memories, suggesting that physical and spiritual separation can clarify the self.
• Curiosity versus caution: Zhang Ping tries to avoid unnecessary danger, but Zhang Shouzhong’s curiosity leads them to experiment with the severed hand.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Shouzhong repeatedly provokes Zhang Ping about the prophecy, while Zhang Ping attempts to dismiss the subject.
• Zhang Shouzhong urges Zhang Ping to consume the black hand, treating it as a possible source of new power.
• After Zhang Ping becomes unstable, Zhang Shouzhong’s teasing shifts into concern.
• Their contrasting personalities—Zhang Ping’s caution and moral anxiety versus Zhang Shouzhong’s directness and curiosity—drive the chapter’s main discovery.

Chapter Summary: “Outside the Sewer”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping realizes that the black arm inside him is no longer an ordinary spirit body. His Sanctified World should have detected and suppressed it, but instead it registers only as a strange form of spiritual energy.
• He concludes that the arm may once have been a spirit body but has transformed into something connected to the world itself. He decides not to investigate further for now.
• Zhang Ping’s immense Mental Strength and the influence of his Spirit Body Projection ability cause a powerful spirit body to form inside him while he is still alive. His body initially reacts with headaches, nausea, and severe discomfort, but he quickly adapts.
• To recover, Zhang Ping activates Dragon Slumber for two hours. His body becomes encased in a golden shell, resembling an egg.
• While his physical body sleeps, Zhang Ping’s spirit body awakens and leaves the shell. Unlike ordinary spirits, it cannot be detected or interact with the physical world. He is effectively intangible and invisible, passing through people and solid objects.
• Zhang Ping tests his new state and discovers that he can pass through the sewer walls. Outside the sewer, he sees countless similar sewer passages floating through an indistinct void.
• He realizes the sewer system may be endless, with no visible beginning or end. This also explains why Zhang Shouzhong previously misjudged the direction of Fat Energy.
• Although Zhang Ping is tempted to explore the surrounding void, he decides it would be too dangerous until he becomes stronger.
• After two hours, his spirit body returns to his physical body. The golden shell dissolves into energy, and Zhang Ping emerges feeling healthier and more mentally balanced than before.
• Noticing that they have traveled a significant distance, Zhang Ping decides to create a direct exit to the surface. He opens a newly created manhole cover and sees an unidentified foot outside.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes more accustomed to having a spirit body within him and gains a new understanding of his abilities. His spirit body is shown to be exceptionally unusual: powerful, completely intangible, undetectable, and capable of moving through solid matter.
• He also becomes more cautious. Despite his curiosity about the endless sewer network, he recognizes the danger of exploring an incomprehensible space without sufficient strength.
• Zhang Ping discovers that his physical body and spirit body function almost like two coordinated processing systems. This gives him greater emotional and mental stability, allowing him to make decisions with less interference from physical impulses.
• Zhang Shouzhong continues to act as a reliable companion and caretaker. He worries about Zhang Ping’s condition but trusts his explanation and helps transport the group while Zhang Ping sleeps.
• Zhao Yanhu and the others are shocked when Zhang Ping’s body turns into a golden egg, but they follow Zhang Shouzhong’s lead and avoid disturbing him.

Significant Themes

• The boundary between life, death, and spiritual existence: Zhang Ping possesses a spirit body despite still being alive, blurring the normal distinction between physical and spiritual beings.
• Transformation and adaptation: His body initially rejects the spirit body, but his extraordinary physical resilience allows him to adapt quickly.
• The unknown and the limits of reality: The endless sewer network challenges ordinary ideas of space, structure, and causality. Its infinite nature seems more incomprehensible than conventional world-destroying power.
• Curiosity versus caution: Zhang Ping is fascinated by what lies beyond the sewer, but ultimately chooses survival and future preparation over reckless exploration.
• Duality and balance: The coexistence of Zhang Ping’s physical body and spirit body creates a “dual-core” form of consciousness, suggesting increased stability and power.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping reassures the concerned Zhang Shouzhong that he is fine, though he speaks irritably because of his discomfort.
• Zhang Shouzhong explains Zhang Ping’s transformation to Zhao Yanhu and protects his resting body by ordering everyone not to interfere.
• Zhang Ping experiments by attempting to touch Zhang Shouzhong, but his hand passes through him without being noticed, demonstrating the separation between his spirit body and the physical world.
• After recovering, Zhang Ping informs Zhang Shouzhong that he feels better and directs him to stop the boat so they can investigate the surface.
• The chapter ends with Zhang Ping opening an exit and unexpectedly encountering someone—or something—standing outside.

Chapter Summary: “Water Tiger”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping emerges through a sewer manhole and accidentally sees Zhu Hongfang bathing. He immediately retreats and replaces the cover.
• Zhu Hongfang notices the intrusion but does not panic. Realizing how vulnerable bathing makes her, she later decides to bathe only with two capable companions nearby for protection.
• Zhang Ping disguises the incident by claiming a dangerous Mutated Beast—a “Water Tiger”—is outside. His companions, especially Zhao Yanhu, take the statement literally and wonder whether the beast could be tamed.
• The group continues traveling through the sewers on a floating boat. After roughly half an hour, they reach an unfamiliar but beautiful natural environment with mountains, vegetation, and clean air.
• Zhang Ping recognizes that they have returned to their original world and bets Zhang Shouzhong over whether they are in the original or parallel world. Zhang Ping wins partly because he has already sensed the presence of Sisi and the others.
• Zhang Shouzhong gives Zhang Ping a self-replicating nanobot as the wager’s prize. It can gather materials from nature, reproduce itself, and eventually become a durable nano-suit powered by Zhang Ping’s energy.
• Zhang Ping uses his Reset Eyes to mark the nanobot, ensuring it will never wear out or be lost.
• Exhausted by their time in the sewers, the group decides to rest and returns to Mingzhu City and Gui Tower by evening.
• They report their entire expedition to Liu Sishan and Cheng Xuejie, including the Dark Land and the Extraterrestrial Stone Tablet that may threaten the world. Zhao Yanhu also reveals Zhang Ping’s encounter with the supposed “Water Tiger,” forcing Zhang Ping to awkwardly explain that he merely investigated a possible threat.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping remains calm, quick-thinking, and shamelessly deceptive when necessary. He hides his embarrassing encounter with Zhu Hongfang while also recognizing the value of Zhang Shouzhong’s nanotechnology.
• Zhu Hongfang demonstrates composure and practical judgment. Rather than panic after discovering the spy, she adapts by arranging for combat-capable companions to protect her during future baths.
• Zhang Shouzhong reveals major progress in understanding nanobots and rewards Zhang Ping with advanced technology despite technically losing the bet. His inventive and generous nature becomes clear.
• Zhao Yanhu remains enthusiastic about powerful beasts and eager to prove whether his blood can tame them, though he completely misunderstands Zhang Ping’s “Water Tiger” excuse.
• The group as a whole shows signs of fatigue after the sewer expedition and chooses recovery before pursuing further dangers.

Significant Themes

• Humor amid danger: The serious expedition and world-threatening discoveries are contrasted with Zhang Ping’s absurd misunderstanding involving the “Water Tiger.”
• Adaptability and survival: Zhu Hongfang’s response to being observed shows how people in this dangerous world must constantly adjust their habits to avoid assassination or attack.
• Trust and deception: Zhang Ping lies to protect his dignity, while his companions generally accept his explanation because they trust his judgment.
• Technological advancement: Zhang Shouzhong’s self-replicating nanobot represents the group’s growing ability to combine supernatural powers with science.
• Rest and recovery: Even powerful characters recognize the physical and psychological toll of prolonged hardship.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping and Zhu Hongfang have a brief, indirect confrontation: she realizes he was watching, while he retreats and disguises the incident as a monster encounter.
• Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong engage in a playful wager, with Zhang Ping exploiting his superior sensing ability to win. Zhang Shouzhong still gives him the nanobot as a gift.
• Zhao Yanhu’s literal interpretation of the Water Tiger story creates comic tension and nearly exposes Zhang Ping’s lie.
• Liu Sishan and Cheng Xuejie question the returning group about the expedition, while Zhang Ping attempts to minimize the embarrassing bathing incident.

Chapter Summary: “Fortune-Bringing Boy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Sishan and Cheng Xuejie suspect that Zhang Ping’s story about the Water Tiger is false because of his unusual attitude and suspicious tone. They privately speculate that the creature may not exist, though Zhang Ping is mainly embarrassed about the real reason he omitted details.
• After bathing and eating at Gui Tower, the group returns home. The next day, everyone gathers again to prepare for another trip into the Sewer.
• Zhang Ping complains that Zhang Shouzhong’s nanobots are reproducing too slowly, delaying the creation of his new clothes. Zhang Shouzhong explains that Mingzhu City contains very few free-floating materials because Awakened people have absorbed most of them.
• Cheng Xuejie urges Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong to stop lounging around and prepare to leave. Their joking conversation becomes vulgar when Zhang Ping reveals that the masks made by Zhang Shouzhong are produced from his own fat.
• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu return with supplies for the Sewer, including protective masks, toilet paper, cleaning liquid, and a large bubble-like shelter that can create an illusion of beautiful scenery while they eat.
• Zhang Ping is shocked to learn that the brothers spent five million Pearl City Coins. They explain that they earned the money by selling snake venom, poisonous insects, and a valuable fighting insect to wealthy collectors.
• After everyone assembles, Zhang Ping opens a manhole leading to the Sewer. Zhao Yanhu insists that they first pour in the Toilet-Cleaning Liquid, claiming it can purify waste and eliminate odors. The group waits to see whether the product will work in the seemingly endless Sewer.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping: Remains playful, shameless, and resourceful, though he is embarrassed by the possibility that the women may understand the truth behind the Water Tiger. He also acts as the group’s practical leader, organizing their departure and keeping Zhao Yanhu’s enthusiasm under control.
• Zhang Shouzhong: Continues developing useful technology through his nanobots, though his products are mocked because of their unconventional source material. He responds to the teasing with irritation but remains part of the group’s comic dynamic.
• Cheng Xuejie: Takes on a domestic and responsible role, cleaning Gui Tower and pushing everyone to get moving. She is blunt and easily disgusted by the others’ crude jokes, while also showing envy toward the brothers’ ability to earn money.
• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu: Demonstrate surprising financial independence and creativity. Their poisonous creatures provide them with a lucrative business, and Zhao Yanhu in particular is enthusiastic about every new item he buys, even when his inventions and explanations are embarrassing.
• Liu Sishan: Along with Cheng Xuejie, shows sharp intuition by recognizing that Zhang Ping is hiding something about the Water Tiger.

Significant Themes

• Humor through embarrassment and vulgarity: Much of the chapter’s comedy comes from bodily functions, crude inventions, and Zhang Ping’s concealed knowledge of the Water Tiger.
• Improvisation in a supernatural society: Ordinary products and abilities are adapted to solve unusual problems, such as using Awakened powers to create toilet-cleaning liquid or selling poisonous creatures for profit.
• Resource scarcity and the consequences of abilities: Mingzhu City’s abundance of Awakened people has depleted natural materials, making even nanobot replication difficult.
• Group camaraderie: Despite constant teasing and disgust, the characters cooperate, share resources, and rely on one another.
• Luck and unconventional wealth: Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu’s fortune comes from exploiting rare creatures and niche interests, reinforcing the chapter’s idea that bizarre abilities can become valuable opportunities.

Character Interactions

• Liu Sishan and Cheng Xuejie quietly analyze Zhang Ping’s suspicious behavior.
• Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong banter over nanobots, masks, and bodily humor, while Cheng Xuejie reacts with disgust.
• Cheng Xuejie jokes that Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong are alike and claims she and Liu Sishan have figured out the truth about the Water Tiger.
• Zhao Yanhu eagerly presents the group with his purchases, especially the bubble shelter, but accidentally crashes into the ceiling while demonstrating it.
• Zhang Ping praises Zhao Yanhu after realizing he may have hurt his feelings by dismissing the supplies.
• The group ultimately works together to prepare the Sewer expedition, with Zhao Yanhu insisting on testing the Toilet-Cleaning Liquid before they enter.

Chapter Summary: “The Clean Sewer”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Yanhu uses fifteen cans of expensive Toilet-Cleaning Liquid in Zhang Ping’s supernatural sewer.
• The liquid transforms the previously filthy, foul-smelling sewer into a spotless, brightly lit passage filled with clear water.
• Zhang Ping tests multiple sections of the sewer and confirms that the cleaning effect works throughout the seemingly endless space, not merely in one location.
• The group re-enters the sewer in a floating boat, now far more comfortable and optimistic than during their earlier journey.
• Zhao Yanhu adds Blackfin Tuna Roe to the purified water after receiving it as a bonus from the cleaning-liquid merchant.
• The group discusses whether the sewer could become an ecological channel, though they recognize the fish may lack food and that returning to this exact area could be difficult.
• During their journey, Zhao Yanhu explains that Mingzhu City contains many specialized industries created through Awakened abilities, including ecological-garden services, pet beautifiers, and secretive Dream Makers.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes more impressed by the possibilities of his sewer ability, recognizing that it is effectively infinite and can be altered by unusual products.
• Zhao Yanhu is vindicated for insisting on buying the cleaning liquid and proudly demonstrates his practical judgment.
• Zhao Yanlong admits that he was wrong to oppose the purchase, showing humility and trust in his brother’s decision.
• Zhang Shouzhong remains humorous and enthusiastic, praising the unknown cleaning specialists and proposing that the sewer be developed into an ecosystem.
• Cheng Xuejie briefly participates in confirming the cleaning liquid’s success before parting from the group.

Significant Themes

• The surprising potential of ordinary products: A mundane commercial item has an extraordinary effect when applied to a supernatural environment.
• Specialization and hidden expertise: The chapter emphasizes that every profession has value, particularly in a society where Awakened powers support highly unusual industries.
• Adaptation and innovation: The group immediately begins imagining new uses for the transformed sewer, including fish cultivation and ecological development.
• Class division and hidden economies: Mingzhu City contains exclusive services for wealthy clients that ordinary people barely know exist.
• Ethical unease beneath luxury: The Dream Maker profession reveals how Awakened abilities can serve wealthy clients in disturbing or exploitative ways.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping questions Zhao Yanhu about the cleaning product and its effects, while Zhao Yanhu proudly explains his purchase and the tuna roe gift.
• Zhao Yanhu teases Zhao Yanlong about having been wrong; Zhao Yanlong responds by openly acknowledging Zhao Yanhu’s good judgment.
• Zhang Shouzhong contributes the idea of turning the sewer into an ecological habitat, sparking further discussion.
• The group’s relaxed conversation while traveling strengthens their camaraderie and reveals their growing curiosity about Mingzhu City’s unusual professions.

Chapter Summary: Sun Jingfan

Key Plot Points and Events

• After spending another day eating and talking in the sewers, Zhang Ping and the others open a manhole and unexpectedly enter a giant man’s home.
• The man is Sun Jingfan, a more than three-and-a-half-meter-tall, enormously strong Awakened whose ability is Fat Armor.
• Sun Jingfan is mentally impaired because of a childhood fever that went untreated. He has been living alone since his mother supposedly left to buy groceries and never returned.
• Zhang Shouzhong explains that, in their original world, Sun Jingfan’s mother was killed and impersonated by the Heavenly Fox. Sun Jingfan recognized the deception, attacked the monster, and pursued it until other Awakened mistakenly surrounded and killed him.
• Zhang Ping realizes that the food Sun Jingfan has been eating is likely something his “mother” prepared before her disappearance—an unpleasant, foul-smelling mush. He gives Sun Jingfan a roasted mutated-goat leg instead, earning his immediate trust and gratitude.
• The group introduces themselves and jokingly describes themselves as a Cleanup Team that cleans filthy things from sewers. Sun Jingfan takes the explanation literally and admires how clean their sewer is.
• Zhang Ping worries that Sun Jingfan cannot survive alone and suggests bringing him to their side of the parallel world. Zhang Shouzhong initially objects because Sun Jingfan has no combat experience, but agrees that someone could care for him at Gui Tower or elsewhere.
• They conclude that Sun Jingfan’s enormous strength and durability could make him useful for heavy labor, especially transporting huge stones or bricks, allowing him to contribute despite his limited intelligence.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping shows compassion toward Sun Jingfan and quickly recognizes that he is vulnerable. Rather than treating him as a burden, Zhang Ping considers how to give him safety, food, and a meaningful place among others.
• Zhang Shouzhong demonstrates his knowledge of Awakened individuals and handles Sun Jingfan carefully, avoiding language that might provoke him. Though practical and initially unwilling to take responsibility for Sun Jingfan, he becomes open to helping him.
• Sun Jingfan is introduced as childlike, innocent, and socially unaware, but also immensely powerful. His dependence on his mother and willingness to eat disgusting food reveal his helplessness, while his excitement over roasted meat shows how deprived he has been.
• Zhao Yanhu and Zhao Yanlong add humor through their argument over who was “above” or “below” the other while climbing out of the sewer.
• Sun Jingfan’s tragic fate in the original world adds emotional depth to his parallel-world counterpart and suggests that this version may be given a chance to survive.

Significant Themes

• Compassion toward the vulnerable: The chapter emphasizes that strength does not eliminate the need for care. Sun Jingfan is physically formidable but unable to protect or provide for himself.
• Identity and parallel worlds: Sun Jingfan’s alternate-world existence contrasts with his tragic original fate, raising questions about whether people with the same identity can be given different outcomes.
• Misunderstanding and innocence: Sun Jingfan interprets the group’s jokes literally, creating humor while highlighting his limited understanding of the world.
• The value of noncombat abilities: Although Sun Jingfan lacks battle skill, his strength and durability make him valuable through labor and practical contributions.
• Humanity amid catastrophe: Zhang Ping’s decision to feed and protect Sun Jingfan shows that kindness and community remain important even in a dangerous, chaotic world.

Character Interactions

• Sun Jingfan initially confronts Zhang Ping as an intruder, but Zhang Ping’s friendly explanation and gift of food quickly transform the encounter into a trusting relationship.
• Zhang Shouzhong identifies Sun Jingfan and explains his background, while also correcting Zhang Ping’s understanding of Sun Jingfan’s intelligence.
• Zhang Shouzhong and Sun Jingfan exchange playful insults about their size and weight, though Shouzhong carefully avoids truly offensive remarks.
• The group uses the “sewer-cleaning” identity to explain their presence, and Zhang Shouzhong enthusiastically supports Zhang Ping’s improvised story.
• Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong debate Sun Jingfan’s future, balancing practical concerns about his combat weakness with the moral need to prevent him from being abandoned.

Chapter Summary: “Winning People Over with Reason”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong decide to take Sun Jingfan with them unless someone in the current world is willing to care for him.
• They debate how to tell Sun Jingfan that his mother has died. Zhang Ping insists on telling him the truth and, if necessary, showing him the devastated remains of Mingzhu City.
• Sun Jingfan reacts violently to the news, smashing through a wall and rushing out to search for his mother. He discovers that the neighborhood has been emptied and largely consumed by the Heavenly Fox.
• After several hours, Sun Jingfan returns heartbroken and accepts that his mother was killed by the Heavenly Fox.
• Zhang Ping prepares a large meal to comfort him. Sun Jingfan declares that he wants revenge against every fox.
• Rather than dismissing Sun Jingfan’s grief, Zhang Ping challenges him to fight in an arena. He promises to let Sun Jingfan hunt foxes if he can injure him.
• Sun Jingfan charges blindly, misses Zhang Ping, and flies out of the arena, destroying another arena and damaging the surrounding area. Zhang Ping allows the match to continue, treating it as an outlet for Sun Jingfan’s anger rather than a genuine contest.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping shows practical judgment and emotional awareness. He believes the truth must be confronted, but he also understands that Sun Jingfan’s grief cannot be solved through moral lectures.
• Zhang Shouzhong reveals his compassion and discomfort with causing further pain to a child. He is especially troubled by the suffering of families left behind by death.
• Sun Jingfan moves from confusion and denial to grief, then to anger and a desire for revenge. His enormous physical strength and passive defenses become more apparent, but he lacks combat experience and control.
• Zhao Yanhu and Zhao Yanlong support Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong in comforting Sun Jingfan and observing the situation.
• Zhang Ping recognizes that Sun Jingfan’s physical death in the original world resulted less from weakness than from refusing to fight back while others gradually wore him down.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus protection: The adults debate whether shielding Sun Jingfan from the truth would be kinder, but ultimately decide that he must confront reality.
• Grief and revenge: Sun Jingfan’s desire to kill foxes reflects the way grief can turn into indiscriminate hatred.
• Empathy through restraint: Zhang Ping avoids preaching about forgiveness because he has not experienced Sun Jingfan’s loss. Instead, he gives him space to express his pain.
• Strength without experience: Sun Jingfan possesses extraordinary durability and power, but his lack of training makes him reckless and ineffective.
• Healing through action: The arena fight is designed less to determine a winner than to give Sun Jingfan a safe way to release his anger.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong argue over how to explain Sun Jingfan’s mother’s death, highlighting their different approaches to responsibility and compassion.
• Zhang Shouzhong and the others comfort Sun Jingfan after he confirms his mother’s death.
• Sun Jingfan asks Zhang Ping to help him take revenge, and Zhang Ping responds by offering him a challenge instead of a lecture.
• During the arena match, Sun Jingfan attacks with complete seriousness, while Zhang Ping deliberately avoids harming him and treats the fight as emotional therapy.

Chapter Summary: “Su Jingyao’s Proposal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping agrees to spar with Sun Jingfan and invites him to attack with full strength.
• Instead of dodging, Zhang Ping uses psychokinesis to anchor himself and stops Sun Jingfan’s charge with one hand. Sun Jingfan is badly hurt but impressed by Zhang Ping’s strength and refuses to continue fighting.
• After returning to Sun Jingfan’s home, Zhang Ping persuades him to leave with the group. Sun Jingfan agrees because there is no longer any reason to protect his empty home and he dislikes the strange food he has been eating.
• The group helps Sun Jingfan pack and moves into Gui Tower.
• The next morning, Su Jingyao meets Zhang Ping and explains that Mingzhu City is in a precarious state. The surviving Cleanup Team members lack powerful leadership, while the city’s veteran powerhouses refuse to recognize Su Jingyao and Manny’s authority.
• Su Jingyao asks Zhang Ping to meet and “persuade” these powerful figures to support the Cleanup Team’s arrangements.
• Zhang Ping questions what he would gain from intervening, since he has no interest in participating in an internal political struggle.
• Su Jingyao offers him leadership of Mingzhu City, suggesting that his ability to travel between worlds would make him the ideal ruler.
• Zhang Ping immediately refuses, stating that managing a city would be too troublesome and would restrict his freedom.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates overwhelming physical and defensive power, easily halting Sun Jingfan’s charge. He also shows patience and compassion by taking responsibility for Sun Jingfan and arranging for someone to care for him.
• Zhang Ping’s priorities become clearer: he is willing to fight threats such as the Heavenly Fox or the Beast-Taming Zhu Family, but he refuses to involve himself in political disputes that offer him no personal benefit. His independence and dislike of authority remain central to his personality.
• Sun Jingfan shows that, despite his simple-minded behavior, he is capable of caution and self-preservation. After experiencing Zhang Ping’s strength, he wisely chooses not to continue sparring. He also accepts the need to leave his home and join the group.
• Su Jingyao becomes increasingly pragmatic and ambitious. She recognizes that Mingzhu City needs a figure with overwhelming strength and sees Zhang Ping as a possible solution. Her feelings toward him also deepen despite knowing he is not exactly the Zhang Ping she originally knew.

Significant Themes

• Power and political legitimacy: Without Situ Shibai, the Cleanup Team lacks the authority to command respect. The chapter suggests that in Mingzhu City, influence ultimately depends on strength.
• Freedom versus responsibility: Zhang Ping rejects leadership because governing a city would impose obligations and limits on his freedom.
• Identity and emotional attachment: Su Jingyao understands that this Zhang Ping differs from the one in her memories, yet she remains emotionally attached to him and is willing to accept the differences.
• Protection and belonging: Sun Jingfan’s decision to leave his home reflects the loss of his former life, while Zhang Ping’s intervention offers him safety and a new place within the group.
• Practical self-interest: Zhang Ping evaluates Su Jingyao’s request based on what it offers him, emphasizing his reluctance to sacrifice his time and freedom for conflicts he considers irrelevant.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping and Sun Jingfan’s sparring establishes both Zhang Ping’s superior strength and his willingness to encourage Sun Jingfan rather than humiliate him.
• Zhang Ping persuades Sun Jingfan to leave home by offering practical support and a better living situation.
• Su Jingyao approaches Zhang Ping directly and asks him to use his strength and reputation to stabilize Mingzhu City.
• Their conversation reveals a contrast between Su Jingyao’s political concerns and Zhang Ping’s desire for independence. Su Jingyao attempts to bind him to the city through leadership, but Zhang Ping firmly rejects the proposal.

Chapter Summary: “A Bold Idea”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Jingyao tries to persuade Zhang Ping to help the weakened Mingzhu City and its Cleanup Team. When he refuses to accept a simple exchange, she offers herself as a bargaining chip.
• Zhang Ping firmly rejects this, warning that although he can help temporarily, he cannot guarantee lifelong protection. He also explains that relying on overwhelming force would eventually create backlash.
• Zhang Shouzhong proposes testing whether Zhang Ping’s Mysterious Sewer continues to exist after the ability is canceled.
  • An insect placed inside remains alive and unharmed after the sewer disappears and is recreated.
  • Zhang Shouzhong then enters the sewer himself, leaving behind an imitation made from Fat Energy. After the ability is canceled and restored, he safely returns, proving the sewer can function as a persistent space between activations.
• Using this discovery, Zhang Shouzhong proposes creating a Myriad Worlds Cleanup Team. The organization would recruit capable people from multiple parallel worlds, fight the Heavenly Foxes and Beast-Taming Zhu Families threatening their cities, and establish branches to govern and gather resources.
• Su Jingyao supports the plan and reveals that the Zhang Shouzhong of her world is still alive, though only a trainee member. The alternate Zhang Shouzhong reacts with amused arrogance, eager to meet and outshine his counterpart.
• Zhang Shouzhong suggests using the Mysterious Sewer as the organization’s headquarters, potentially transforming it into a self-sufficient ecological settlement capable of supporting residents for centuries.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates compassion, restraint, and practicality. Unlike the version Su Jingyao knew, he is not driven by ambition or a desire for power. He refuses to exploit Su Jingyao’s feelings and recognizes the limitations and consequences of force.
• Su Jingyao becomes increasingly drawn to this version of Zhang Ping, recognizing that his humility and open-mindedness make him more appealing than the ambitious Zhang Ping she previously knew. Her concern remains focused on preserving Mingzhu City and the Cleanup Team.
• Zhang Shouzhong emerges as an inventive strategist. He turns the limitations of Zhang Ping’s ability into an opportunity for interdimensional organization-building. His pride and competitiveness also appear when he learns that his counterpart is still only a trainee.

Significant Themes

• Power versus responsibility: Zhang Ping understands that strength alone cannot permanently solve political and social problems.
• Compassion across worlds: The characters acknowledge that alternate realities contain real people whose lives deserve protection, even if they are not from their own world.
• Identity and alternate selves: The chapter contrasts different versions of the same people, showing how circumstances shape ambition, survival, and personality.
• Institution-building over individual heroism: Rather than relying on Zhang Ping alone, Zhang Shouzhong proposes a lasting organization capable of protecting multiple worlds.
• Resourcefulness and adaptation: The Mysterious Sewer evolves from a simple ability into a potential headquarters, refuge, and bridge between parallel worlds.

Character Interactions

• Su Jingyao and Zhang Ping’s negotiation reveals her desperation and his moral boundaries; his refusal to accept her as payment deepens her admiration for him.
• Zhang Shouzhong interrupts their conversation with a practical experiment, shifting the discussion from personal assistance to a larger strategic plan.
• Zhang Ping initially worries about Zhang Shouzhong’s safety but ultimately listens to and accepts his proposal.
• Su Jingyao enthusiastically endorses the Myriad Worlds Cleanup Team, while Zhang Shouzhong’s reaction to his surviving counterpart adds humor and highlights his vanity.

Chapter Summary: “Agree”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Shouzhong proposes establishing an organization spanning the parallel worlds connected by Zhang Ping’s Sewer ability. Members would remain stationed in the Sewer and could be dispatched to take control of major cities when necessary.
• Zhang Ping initially regards the plan as troublesome because it would create many responsibilities, but he ultimately agrees after realizing the organization could protect ordinary people and prevent disorder across countless worlds.
• Su Jingyao volunteers to manage the organization and suggests consuming another Contract Gem to bind herself to Zhang Ping’s authority. Although Zhang Ping worries because she has already consumed one in this world, he agrees to let her try.
• The group decides to classify the worlds: the original world becomes World Zero, the current world World Zero-One, and the previously visited strange world World Zero-Two.
• Zhang Ping leaves the organizational planning to Zhang Shouzhong and Su Jingyao, saying he will deal with anyone who opposes the organization. They acknowledge that the Sewer’s destinations remain unpredictable, though its ability may evolve.
• A preliminary structure is discussed in which every member must consume one of Zhang Ping’s Contract Gems. This is intended to prevent betrayal, since a traitor could endanger countless worlds.
• The organization’s name and rules will be decided later through a formal meeting. The proposed name, Myriad Worlds Cleanup Team, is rejected because it could be confused with Captain Situ Shibai’s Cleanup Team in other worlds.
• Zhang Ping informs Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu about the plan. Zhao Yanhu eagerly asks to join, while Zhao Yanlong also applies out of loyalty and admiration.
• The still-unofficial organization now has five members, or six if Su Jingyao’s dual nature is counted separately.
• Su Jingyao reports that the main opposition in Mingzhu City comes from Wu Ruoyu, head of Blazing Sun Martial Hall and a powerful Top-Tier Awakened. The merchant alliances are outwardly diplomatic but secretly resistant. Beast King Fist Hall has not responded because it suffered heavy losses and its leader, Feng Laixian, disappeared.
• Zhang Ping decides to meet Wu Ruoyu.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Zhang Ping shows that, despite disliking authority and administration, he is deeply concerned about protecting ordinary people. He accepts leadership because he sees the organization as a practical way to reduce suffering across many worlds.
• Su Jingyao demonstrates political ambition, loyalty, and confidence by volunteering to manage the organization and proposing to consume another Contract Gem. She is also protective of Zhang Ping’s status as the organization’s unquestioned leader.
• Zhang Shouzhong acts as the main strategist, organizing the worlds and helping design the institution’s structure. He privately jokes that becoming a founder may make him a “double agent” against the Cleanup Team.
• Zhao Yanhu reacts with immediate enthusiasm, eager to gain belonging and participate in Zhang Ping’s larger mission.
• Zhao Yanlong is more restrained but shares Zhao Yanhu’s loyalty. He interprets Zhang Ping’s plan as proof that great power must be matched by great responsibility.
• Zhang Ping, Su Jingyao, and Zhang Shouzhong cooperate closely, balancing Zhang Ping’s power, Su Jingyao’s organizational and political insight, and Zhang Shouzhong’s planning.
• Zhang Ping’s next interaction will be with Wu Ruoyu, signaling the beginning of efforts to bring Mingzhu City’s influential factions under the new organization’s control.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and leadership: Zhang Ping does not seek power, but accepts it because his abilities give him the means to protect others.
• Order versus chaos: The proposed organization aims to prevent power struggles and stabilize cities across parallel worlds.
• Loyalty and control: Contract Gems provide absolute security against betrayal, highlighting the tension between trust and enforced obedience.
• Institution-building: The chapter shifts from individual battles to the creation of a large-scale political and administrative structure.
• Power across worlds: The organization’s cross-dimensional reach gives it a major advantage and establishes Zhang Ping as a figure potentially above all local authorities.
• Identity and legitimacy: The debate over the organization’s name reflects concerns about political recognition, avoiding conflict, and ensuring that Zhang Ping receives proper authority and credit.

Chapter Summary: “Wu Ruoyu”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping and his companions identify Wu Ruoyu, head of the Blazing Sun Martial Hall, as a likely ally of Li Aoxue and decide to meet him.
• At the martial hall, Wu Ruoyu secretly confers with Guan Hongying, who represents Li Aoxue. Wu urges Li Aoxue to seize Mingzhu City while it is leaderless, but Guan explains that Li is deliberately avoiding a direct confrontation with Zhu Taihao.
• Guan reveals that Zhu Taihao, devastated by the death of his heir Zhu Chengmian, has become unstable and is aggressively suppressing dissent within the Beast-Taming Zhu Family. He intends to create a major conspiracy to strengthen the reputation of Zhu Chengmian’s son, Zhu Chongba.
• Li Aoxue fears that taking control of Mingzhu City would make her Zhu Taihao’s immediate target. She therefore chooses to preserve her strength rather than risk fighting him.
• Guan encounters Zhang Ping’s group as they arrive to speak with Wu Ruoyu. Zhang realizes that her presence confirms Wu’s connection to Li Aoxue.
• Wu unexpectedly receives Su Jingyao’s group warmly. Unlike their previous meeting, he now openly supports their effort to prevent further conflict in Mingzhu City.
• Wu explains that the merchant associations are the main obstacle. Their leaders are motivated primarily by profit and may seek control of the city for financial gain.
• He agrees to support Su Jingyao if the group can first win the backing of the merchant associations, while advising them to negotiate separately with the other martial halls.

Character Developments

• Wu Ruoyu shows growing dissatisfaction with Li Aoxue’s cautious and self-interested strategy. He believes she is wasting an important opportunity and allowing Mingzhu City to fall into chaos.
• Despite his connection to Li Aoxue, Wu demonstrates genuine concern for ordinary people. His martial hall is filled with students from poor families who hope to improve their lives, and he fears they would suffer most from another civil war.
• Guan Hongying acts as Li Aoxue’s messenger and explains the political reasoning behind her restraint. She remains composed and observant, even becoming curious about Su Jingyao’s group.
• Su Jingyao is confused by Wu’s dramatic change in attitude but cautiously presses him for an explanation.
• Zhang Ping remains perceptive and suspicious. He recognizes Guan’s appearance as evidence of Wu’s alliance with Li Aoxue and decides that he may need to pressure Wu more forcefully if necessary.
• Li Aoxue is portrayed as ambitious but overly cautious, unwilling to spend her own resources even when circumstances favor expansion.
• Zhu Taihao emerges as a dangerous, grief-stricken figure whose desperation and political maneuvering threaten all factions in Mingzhu City.

Significant Themes

• Political opportunism versus responsibility: Li Aoxue prioritizes preserving her strength, while Wu is increasingly troubled by the human cost of political inaction.
• The burden of leadership: Whoever takes control of Mingzhu City will inherit Zhu Taihao’s hostility and the city’s instability.
• Profit and corruption: The merchant associations may claim to serve the city, but their desire for power and wealth threatens to deepen the conflict.
• Protection of ordinary people: Wu’s concern for his students reveals that political decisions affect common citizens most severely.
• Disillusionment with one’s allies: Wu begins questioning whether supporting Li Aoxue was the right choice, believing her ambition lacks the vision and courage needed to protect Mingzhu City.

Character Interactions

• Wu and Guan argue indirectly over Li Aoxue’s refusal to act, with Wu criticizing her hesitation and Guan defending her strategy.
• Guan and Zhang exchange a brief but meaningful glance, allowing Zhang to confirm Wu’s connection to Li Aoxue.
• Wu and Su Jingyao have a markedly different interaction from their previous meeting: instead of rejecting her proposal, Wu offers conditional support.
• Wu’s explanation about his students helps Su Jingyao and Zhang understand that his change of heart is motivated not merely by politics, but by concern for the people under his protection.

Chapter Summary: “One Punch”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving Blazing Sun Martial Hall, Zhang Ping and his companions suspect Wu Ruoyu is only pretending to agree to their demand. They decide to visit every martial hall in Mingzhu City and return later to test Wu’s sincerity.
• At Qilin Martial Hall, Nangong Qilin and his disciple Wu Tian also give the same conditional response: they will agree as long as all the other martial halls agree.
• After visiting every hall, the group realizes that all the masters are avoiding responsibility by making identical promises. Zhang Ping decides to treat their responses as agreement and plans to challenge the halls directly.
• The next day, the group begins challenging the martial halls, starting with Chain Blade Hall.
• Chain Blade Hall’s master, Zhao Wu, accepts the challenge and enters the arena with his Mandarin Duck Twin Blades. Zhang Ping refuses weapons and chooses to fight barehanded.
• Zhao Wu attacks at high speed, but Zhang Ping’s punch lands first, crushing Zhao Wu’s face and knocking him unconscious in a single blow.
• Zhang Ping then declares that he will now control Mingzhu City and asks whether anyone dares object. The assembled martial artists remain silent, intimidated by his overwhelming strength.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes more assertive and pragmatic. Rather than continuing to negotiate with evasive martial hall masters, he chooses direct challenges to force them into submission.
• Su Jingyao supports Zhang Ping’s strategy, showing trust in his judgment and willingness to follow his lead.
• Zhang Shouzhong remains enthusiastic and openly supports using strength to resolve the deadlock.
• Wu Ruoyu remains suspiciously ambiguous. His apparent agreement influences the group’s actions, but his true intentions are still uncertain.
• Nangong Qilin and the other hall masters reveal their reluctance to take responsibility, repeatedly placing their decisions on the condition that everyone else agrees.
• Zhao Wu, despite being a powerful Top-Tier Awakened with deadly blades and blood-based abilities, is completely overpowered by Zhang Ping and defeated instantly.

Significant Themes

• Strength as authority: The chapter reinforces the idea that power determines leadership in this martial world. Zhang Ping’s victory gives his claim to authority more weight than any negotiation could.
• Avoidance and collective responsibility: The martial hall masters avoid making independent decisions by hiding behind a group consensus, creating the illusion that everyone agrees while no one truly commits.
• Action over words: Zhang Ping concludes that verbal promises are meaningless and uses direct challenges to expose the halls’ actual positions.
• Overwhelming power and intimidation: The contrast between Zhao Wu’s fearsome reputation and his instant defeat demonstrates the vast gap between Zhang Ping and the established martial artists of Mingzhu City.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping, Su Jingyao, and Zhang Shouzhong discuss whether Wu Ruoyu is deceiving them and agree to test the other halls first.
• Su Jingyao formally negotiates with Nangong Qilin, who responds cautiously and conditionally.
• Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong decide that the martial halls’ evasiveness justifies challenging them.
• At Chain Blade Hall, Zhang Ping taunts the situation lightly while the hall’s students and master react with surprise and indignation.
• Zhao Wu challenges Zhang Ping with confidence, but Zhang Ping’s single punch decisively reverses the power dynamic.
• After the fight, Zhang Ping confronts the entire hall collectively, and their silence effectively signals submission.

Chapter Summary: “Assassination”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Wu challenges Zhang Ping using his blood-manipulating ability, which transforms spilled blood into blades. However, Zhang Ping’s superior speed allows him to defeat Zhao before the ability can be used effectively.
• Zhang Ping and his companions continue challenging martial arts schools throughout Mingzhu City, knocking out numerous masters. Some opponents prove strong enough to force Zhang Ping to use his Nether Mist ability.
• During lunch, Zhang Shouzhong warns Zhang Ping that the defeated schools and the Merchant Alliance may resort to assassination rather than fair combat.
• As Zhang Ping travels to the next school, assassins repeatedly attack him:
  • A man in white strikes from the glare of the sun, but Zhang Ping senses the attack, kills him, and destroys the wall concealing him.
  • An elderly woman attacks from the roadside but is impaled by Nether Mist.
  • An assassin hiding naked inside a wall attempts to ambush Zhang Ping but is killed by Nether Mist needles.
• The accumulating corpses frighten other waiting assassins, causing many to hesitate.
• An assassin eventually attacks with invisible sound waves and appears to blow Zhang Ping’s head apart. When another assassin approaches his body, Zhang Ping’s blood kills the attacker, and Zhang Ping regenerates his head, revealing that he can survive even apparently fatal injuries.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes increasingly ruthless. Although he dislikes killing, he decides that assassins who willingly attempt murder must be prepared to die themselves. His repeated victories demonstrate his alertness, adaptability, and overwhelming survivability.
• Zhao Wu is shown to possess a dangerous and flexible ability, but his reliance on landing a hit makes him vulnerable to faster opponents.
• Zhang Shouzhong acts as a cautious adviser, warning Zhang Ping about underhanded attacks and reacting with shock when Zhang Ping survives decapitation.
• The assassins’ confidence collapses as they witness Zhang Ping effortlessly eliminate their colleagues.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus deception: The chapter contrasts formal martial arts challenges with assassination tactics, showing that power in Mingzhu City often involves cunning as well as direct combat.
• The consequences of violence: Zhang Ping accepts that those who choose to kill may themselves be killed, marking a shift toward harsher and more pragmatic behavior.
• Fear and reputation: Zhang Ping’s growing reputation becomes a weapon in itself, causing assassins to hesitate before attacking.
• Human resilience and regeneration: His ability to survive the destruction of his head emphasizes how difficult he is to kill and adds an element of dark humor to the violence.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping defeats Zhao Wu while speaking casually about continuing their challenges, reinforcing his confidence and dominance.
• Zhang Shouzhong questions Zhang Ping’s harsh treatment of the martial arts schools, while Zhang Ping justifies it as retaliation for their earlier mistreatment.
• Zhang Shouzhong warns Zhang Ping about assassination attempts, but Zhang Ping dismisses the danger with confidence.
• After Zhang Ping survives the sound-wave attack, Zhang Shouzhong reacts in horror, while Zhang Ping responds jokingly, treating his apparent death as little more than an unusually severe headache.

Chapter Summary: Dark Sun

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping narrowly survives an assassination attempt in which an ability causes his head to explode. Because he possesses both a physical brain and a developed soul, destroying only one is insufficient to kill him; either component can regenerate the other.
• His Reset Eye provides an additional safeguard by allowing him to restore a previously recorded version of his head or soul. He had secretly created a reset point in the sewers.
• After surviving the attack, Zhang Ping visits the remaining martial arts schools in Mingzhu City. Their masters either surrender immediately under his overwhelming strength or submit after being defeated in combat.
• Zhang Ping’s campaign effectively brings most of Mingzhu City’s martial arts factions under his control. Since he never uses Giant Form, the masters give him the hostile nickname “Dark Sun,” suggesting that he brought a dark day upon them.
• Back at Gui Tower, Zhang Ping, Zhang Shouzhong, and Su Jingyao discuss their progress. Only nine martial arts schools remain, and Zhang expects to complete the mission the following morning.
• That night, a group of nine Awakened assassins infiltrates Gui Tower using various abilities. They appear to kill Zhang Ping by stabbing and burning his body.
• The “Zhang Ping” they kill is actually a decoy corpse repaired and controlled through his King-Blood Body ability. The real Zhang Ping remains nearby, concealed by Nether Mist and Nightwalker.
• The assassins fail to detect him. Zhang secretly joins them as they retreat, intending to discover their hideout. The group eventually reaches a tavern—though ten people enter instead of nine, and none of the assassins realizes Zhang has followed them.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping: Demonstrates the terrifying resilience of his dual body-and-soul existence, as well as his strategic use of Reset Eye, King Blood, Nether Mist, and Nightwalker. He shifts from openly dominating Mingzhu City’s martial arts masters to using deception and infiltration against the assassins.
• Zhang Shouzhong: Shows genuine concern for Zhang Ping, admitting that seeing Zhang’s head explode frightened him because Zhang’s death would also prevent him from returning to his own world. He recognizes the importance of establishing their organization in this world.
• Su Jingyao: Continues to act as a practical member of the group, tracking the number of martial arts schools remaining and supporting the operation.
• Mingzhu City’s martial arts masters: Their confidence collapses in the face of Zhang Ping’s strength. Most abandon resistance, revealing how strongly the city’s power structure is governed by strength and self-preservation.
• The assassins: Though skilled and resourceful, they underestimate Zhang Ping and mistake his decoy for his true body.

Significant Themes

• Power determines authority: Mingzhu City’s rules restrain the weak, while powerful Awakened are effectively judged only by those stronger than themselves. Zhang Ping earns the right to command by proving overwhelming superiority.
• Survival through adaptation: Zhang Ping’s ability to survive depends not only on raw strength but also on layered defenses, backup plans, regeneration, and deception.
• Fear and submission: The martial arts masters surrender because resistance becomes irrational once Zhang Ping establishes his dominance.
• Appearance versus reality: The assassins believe they have killed Zhang Ping, but the apparent victory is an illusion. The chapter repeatedly emphasizes that what seems visible cannot necessarily be trusted.
• The beginning of an organization: Zhang Ping and Zhang Shouzhong view control of Mingzhu City as the foundation for building their new organization, contrasting it with World Zero, where Situ Shibai’s authority makes recruitment more difficult.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping confronts the martial arts school masters, warning them to honor their submission while using humor and intimidation to reinforce his authority.
• Zhang Shouzhong jokes and complains about exhaustion, while Zhang Ping dismisses his fatigue and reassures him that he is difficult to kill.
• Zhang Ping consults Su Jingyao about the remaining schools and confirms that the city will soon be under their control.
• During the nighttime ambush, Zhang Ping manipulates the assassins’ perceptions, allowing them to believe they have killed him and then silently joining their retreat.

Chapter Summary: “Assassination”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping recognizes Hongfang Tavern as the business owned by Zhuge Hongfang, one of Mingzhu City’s Four Great Beauties and an intelligence broker.
• He follows nine assassins into the tavern while using Nightwalker to remain concealed.
• The assassins falsely claim to have killed Zhang Ping and burned his body. The tavern staff explain that the bounty will only be paid after the assassination is verified.
• Zhang Ping reveals himself after ordering a drink, catching the waiter’s attention when ten drinks are counted despite only nine assassins entering.
• He begins slaughtering the assassins, killing those who attack and those attempting to flee.
• Zhang uses his nether mist to form blades and overwhelm the tavern’s confined space. He also identifies and kills the assassin responsible for blowing up his head earlier that day, first observing the assassin’s ultrasonic ability before eliminating him.
• After the battle, all the assassins in the tavern are dead, most killed by precise strikes through the forehead.
• Zhang proceeds deeper into the tavern to confront Zhuge Hongfang.
• Zhuge Hongfang, aware of Zhang’s reputation after his earlier massacre of assassins and martial artists, escapes through a secret passage with several capable maids.
• Her escape is blocked by a masked man wearing a strange eye pendant. She recognizes him as Wuming.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates increased confidence, tactical awareness, and ruthlessness. He carefully appraises the assassins, distinguishes between threats, and deliberately allows one dangerous attacker to reveal his ability before killing him.
• Despite his brutal methods, Zhang retains a personal moral code: he prefers to grant deserving enemies quick deaths rather than torture them.
• Zhang’s reputation continues to grow. Following the failed assassination attempt, many Awakened now call him the “God of Slaughter.”
• Zhuge Hongfang is shown to be cautious and prepared. She has anticipated danger, created a secret escape route, and immediately attempts to flee rather than fight Zhang directly.
• Wuming is introduced as a significant and apparently intimidating figure, capable of intercepting Zhuge Hongfang’s escape.

Significant Themes

• Retribution and cleansing: Zhang views his actions as a form of “cleanup,” believing that the assassins and criminals in the tavern are filth that must be removed.
• Violence with limits: Although Zhang kills efficiently and without hesitation, he avoids unnecessary cruelty and sees swift death as preferable to torture.
• Reputation and legend: Zhang’s public image has rapidly transformed after his earlier battles, making him both feared and revered.
• Preparation and survival: Zhuge Hongfang’s secret passage and Zhang’s careful assessment of abilities emphasize the importance of planning in a dangerous city.
• Hidden identities and intelligence: The tavern functions as an assassination and information hub, while Zhang’s concealed presence and Wuming’s masked appearance reinforce the chapter’s atmosphere of secrecy.

Character Interactions

• Zhang interacts indirectly with Qian Su and the assassins, allowing them to believe he is dead before confronting them.
• His encounter with the assassin who previously attacked him becomes a calculated test: Zhang waits for the assassin to use his ultrasonic beam, confirms his identity and ability, then kills him.
• Zhang’s pursuit of Zhuge Hongfang shifts the chapter from revenge against the assassins to a direct confrontation with the tavern’s owner and intelligence broker.
• The chapter ends with Zhuge Hongfang facing Wuming, whose sudden appearance suggests a new conflict and possibly a deeper connection to the events surrounding Zhang’s assassination.

Chapter Summary: Wuming

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Hongfang realizes that Zhu Taihao is still trying to eliminate her. With Zhu Chengmian dead and Zhu Taihao focused on making Zhu Chongba the next family head, Zhu Hongfang’s influence within the Zhu Family has become a threat.
• The assassin Wuming, formerly the third-ranked assassin in Mingzhu City and now effectively its most prominent active assassin, attacks Zhu Hongfang in a secret passage.
• Zhang Ping intervenes, declaring that Zhu Hongfang is now his “spoils.” He uses his Nether Mist to block Wuming’s repeated attacks.
• Wuming activates Thunderous Resonance, using lightning to amplify his speed and attack power. He attempts to strike Zhang Ping at close range, but Zhang Ping blocks the attack, seizes his dagger, and wounds him with the sharp strands of Nether Mist.
• Realizing he cannot defeat Zhang Ping directly, Wuming tries to retreat. Zhang Ping pursues him with a massive surge of Nether Mist, ultimately impaling Wuming from every direction and killing him.
• Afterward, Zhang Ping confronts Zhu Hongfang about the Hongfang Tavern’s activities. He acknowledges that operating an intelligence business is not inherently wrong, but accuses her of being involved in more than merely selling information.
• Zhu Hongfang asks to change clothes after losing control of herself in fear during the attack. Zhang Ping permits it but warns that other assassins—possibly even more dangerous ones—may still be waiting for her.
• Frightened by the possibility of further attacks from Zhu Taihao, Zhu Hongfang decides that staying near Zhang Ping may be her safest option.
• Zhang Ping uses Appraisal and discovers that Zhu Hongfang’s supposed name is false and that her current appearance has been deliberately altered.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates overwhelming combat ability and complete confidence. He treats Wuming’s assassination attempt almost casually, turning the assassin’s dagger into a joke about using it as a fruit knife.
• Zhang also reveals a more calculating side: he is not simply rescuing Zhu Hongfang, but intends to investigate and control her because of her tavern’s hidden activities.
• Zhu Hongfang shifts from a powerful, defiant faction leader to a frightened and vulnerable survivor. The attack forces her to acknowledge how exposed she is after Zhu Chengmian’s death.
• Her dependence on Zhang Ping begins to grow, as she concludes that remaining beside him may be the only way to survive Zhu Taihao’s continued retaliation.
• Wuming is portrayed as a highly skilled and experienced assassin, but his confidence collapses once he realizes that Zhang Ping’s Nether Mist completely counters his techniques. His inability to speak or negotiate emphasizes his identity as a cold, professional killer.

Significant Themes

• Power and political succession: Zhu Taihao’s campaign against Zhu Hongfang reflects the ruthless struggle for control of the Zhu Family after Zhu Chengmian’s death.
• Survival through dependence: Zhu Hongfang’s former independence is undermined by the assassination attempt, compelling her to seek protection from Zhang Ping.
• Hidden identities and deception: Zhu Hongfang’s false name and disguised appearance suggest deeper secrets about her past and true identity.
• The limits of reputation: Wuming’s status as one of Mingzhu City’s foremost assassins proves meaningless against Zhang Ping’s superior power.
• Moral ambiguity: Zhang Ping criticizes Zhu Hongfang’s covert activities while simultaneously asserting control over her, showing that he is neither a straightforward hero nor purely selfless protector.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping and Wuming: Their encounter is a direct clash between an elite assassin’s precision and Zhang Ping’s versatile Nether Mist. Wuming attacks silently and repeatedly, while Zhang Ping responds with confidence, mockery, and overwhelming force.
• Zhang Ping and Zhu Hongfang: Zhang saves her but immediately treats her as a person under his authority rather than a helpless victim. He questions her business, warns her against escape, and exposes that he knows she is hiding information.
• Zhu Hongfang and Zhu Taihao: Though Zhu Taihao never appears directly, his conflict with Zhu Hongfang drives the chapter. His political ambitions and willingness to employ assassins place her life in constant danger.
• Zhu Hongfang and her maids: After collapsing under Wuming’s attack, she depends on her maids to help her stand, highlighting her temporary helplessness and the collapse of her usual composure.