Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Outside Mingzhu City, Liu Sishan puts Zhang Ping through a combat exercise, attacking him with water-based techniques while holding back.
• Zhang struggles to approach her, repeatedly getting knocked away. When Liu escalates to Water Whips, he is forced to concentrate fully and gradually learns to anticipate their angles and timing.
• He eventually exhausts his Fire Element energy and collapses. Liu praises his reactions and ability control, noting that his main weakness is a lack of ranged attacks.
• Liu explains that her water ability lets her build energy by drinking water, helping her advance unusually quickly; she became an Intermediate Awakened in one year.
• They head toward Salt Mountain Valley, where low-level Mutated Beasts offer Zhang practical combat experience. After reaching a camp, Zhang rests and discovers he can consume flames he creates himself.
• Zhang realizes this may reveal the Fire Eater’s deeper purpose: he can turn stored energy into fire, then consume that fire to restore stamina. Liu sees how this could let him train continuously, so she orders him to exercise. Zhang enthusiastically begins thousands of push-ups and frog jumps beside the campfire.

Character developments

• Zhang Ping proves more capable than his beginner status suggests. Under pressure, he sharpens his focus and anticipates attacks, while also developing a new understanding of his ability.
• Liu Sishan acts as a demanding but perceptive mentor. She pushes Zhang hard, recognizes his strengths and weaknesses, and quickly identifies how he can use his ability to improve his physical conditioning.

Significant themes

• Growth through pressure and practice: Zhang’s awareness and combat responses improve during the exercise.
• Understanding one’s abilities: An Awakened person’s power may have uses beyond their initial assumptions.
• Discipline and resourcefulness: Zhang can convert fire into sustained training, while Liu’s own advancement reflects how consistent ability use can drive growth.

Character interactions

• Liu’s blunt, sometimes teasing encouragement contrasts with Zhang’s joking bravado and eagerness to impress her.
• Their training relationship is direct and practical: Liu tests Zhang’s limits, gives candid feedback, and turns his discovery into an immediate workout.

Chapter Summary: “Awakened Have Limits Too”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping follows Liu Sishan through a dangerous field of Hydrochloric Acid Grass in Salt Mountain Valley. The plants have corrosive fruit, razor-sharp leaves, and painful poisonous sap.
• Liu Sishan assigns Zhang Ping to fight a Level 9 Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit. Zhang realizes the rabbit’s corrosive attacks and the surrounding grass make approaching it difficult.
• By testing his fire, Zhang discovers that Hydrochloric Acid Grass softens when exposed to flames. He uses Fire Eater to protect his body and advance through the field.
• The rabbit fires corrosive liquid at him, which his flames evaporate, but the attack damages his dagger. When he attacks, the rabbit curls up and releases corrosive sap, destroying the blade. Zhang attempts to fight barehanded, but the rabbit dodges and escapes.
• Liu Sishan tells Zhang to pursue it. She freezes and crushes the grass as she walks, leading him out of the field toward the deeper part of the valley.
• Zhang hears numerous creatures through Wind Whisperer and learns that the Salt Frost Tree is about to bear fruit. Its Salt Frost Fruit can increase the potential of Awakened and Mutated Beasts, causing many creatures to gather and fight for it.
• Zhang initially refuses to participate, believing he is too weak and can become powerful naturally over time.
• Liu reveals that her organization already knows about his Appraisal Technique and has studied his ability development. She suggests the Salt Frost Fruit might trigger another ability in him.
• She warns him that Awakened abilities and physical strength decline with age, using an Awakened with Supernatural Adaptation as an example. The man eventually died while attempting one final dangerous breakthrough.
• Realizing that future potential is not guaranteed, Zhang changes his mind and agrees to proceed. Liu reveals that she once nearly died in Salt Mountain Valley as a weaker Investigation Team member, then follows him into the danger.

Character Development

• Zhang Ping: Demonstrates resourcefulness by identifying fire as the weakness of Hydrochloric Acid Grass and using his abilities creatively. However, he is initially cautious and overly reliant on the belief that he can grow stronger later. Liu’s warning forces him to reconsider his passive approach and accept the need to seize opportunities in the present.
• Liu Sishan: Acts as a calm and experienced mentor. She carefully tests Zhang, understands the risks of the valley, and knows more about his abilities than he realized. Her personal history shows that she has also faced life-threatening challenges.
• Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit: Though dangerous and well-adapted to its environment, it behaves like a normal rabbit when threatened, choosing to flee rather than fight unnecessarily.

Significant Themes

• Potential versus present strength: Having great potential does not guarantee that someone will successfully transform it into power.
• The limits of Awakened abilities: Supernatural powers are not limitless; age and physical decline can weaken even extraordinary individuals.
• Seizing opportunities: Waiting indefinitely for future growth may cause someone to miss crucial chances to improve.
• Adaptation and creativity: Zhang survives by recognizing environmental weaknesses and applying Fire Eater in unconventional ways.
• Knowledge and vulnerability: Zhang learns that keeping his abilities secret does not mean others cannot discover or evaluate them.

Character Interactions

• Liu challenges Zhang by assigning him the rabbit as an opponent, forcing him to think independently rather than relying on direct strength.
• Zhang repeatedly consults Liu when uncertain, while she responds with brief instructions and controlled guidance.
• Their discussion about the Salt Frost Fruit becomes a turning point: Liu confronts Zhang’s belief that he can safely grow stronger later, and Zhang ultimately accepts her reasoning.
• Liu’s revelation that she nearly died in the valley adds mutual understanding and strengthens their partnership as they move forward together.

Summary of “Feels Like a Lifetime Ago”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan arrive at Salt Frost Tree Valley, where a massive Salt Frost Tree grows in the center of a battlefield. Its roughly twenty fruits have attracted countless Mutated Beasts and several groups of human Awakened.
• Liu Sishan reveals that she never actually stole a Salt Frost Fruit before, despite previously implying that she had. She plans to steal a fruit while Zhang Ping deals with the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit threatening them.
• Zhang discovers that the “rabbit” is actually the leader of an entire nest. Liu explains that the rabbits live near the tree because they feed on Salt Frost Grass, and that they launch suicidal attacks when the fruits ripen to control their rapidly growing population.
• Multiple factions begin their assaults. Human Awakened use coordinated abilities such as a Rainbow Staircase and rope formations to reach the tree, while White Giant Apes, a White Giant Serpent, and the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbits tear through the battlefield.
• Zhang attacks the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader but severely underestimates it. The leader shatters his weapon, throws him aside, and nearly kills him with corrosive water. Zhang suffers possible broken arms, internal injuries, and coughing blood before taking shelter behind a rock.
• While recovering, Zhang observes Liu fighting effectively through the chaos. Her defensive water spheres shift between boiling water, pure water, and ice, demonstrating her considerable strength and adaptability.
• A Firebird attempts to reach the Salt Frost Tree but is brought down by the White Giant Serpent’s frost mist and a White Giant Ape. Zhang risks entering the edge of the battlefield to retrieve its corpse, hoping to obtain valuable feathers.
• During the approach, Zhang narrowly avoids falling debris, discovers a mysterious black bead inside a severed giant pig’s head, and is unable to identify it with repeated uses of Appraisal.
• Lightning destroys much of the Firebird’s body and burns most of its feathers, but Zhang still retrieves what remains. His escape is extremely dangerous; stray attacks and debris injure his back, and salt enters the wound.
• Back in cover, Zhang examines the damaged, frost-covered feathers and repeatedly tries—and fails—to appraise the black bead. Its resistance to Appraisal makes him suspect that it may be a rare or powerful treasure.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping learns a painful lesson about overconfidence. He recognizes that he treated the rabbit leader as easy prey and failed to respect its strength, leading to serious injuries.
• His survival instincts and courage are emphasized. Despite being wounded, he remains alert, adapts quickly, and deliberately risks himself to recover the Firebird.
• Zhang’s interest in valuable materials and equipment remains strong, particularly his desire to obtain Firebird feathers for stamina-related equipment. This motivates his reckless battlefield excursion.
• Liu Sishan demonstrates her superior combat ability and tactical knowledge. She understands the ecology of the rabbits and the timing of their attack, while her water-based defenses allow her to withstand assaults from numerous Mutated Beasts.
• Their partnership is practical but trusting: Liu assigns Zhang the rabbit leader while she pursues the fruit, and both rely on the other to fulfill their role.

Significant Themes

• The danger of underestimating opponents: Zhang’s injuries result directly from assuming the rabbit leader would be easy to defeat.
• Survival at the edge of death: The battlefield is portrayed as a “meat grinder,” and even retrieving a corpse requires extraordinary caution and luck.
• Competition and opportunism: Humans and beasts alike exploit the Salt Frost Tree’s fruit, waiting for the right moment to strike rather than fighting honorably.
• Growth through hardship: Zhang reflects that nothing tempers a person more than repeatedly crossing the boundary between life and death.
• Mystery and hidden value: The black bead cannot be appraised, suggesting that its true nature may be more significant than its ordinary appearance implies.

Character Interactions

• Liu corrects Zhang’s mistaken assumption that she once successfully stole a fruit, revealing her earlier statement was deliberately vague.
• She explains the rabbits’ behavior and gives Zhang the dangerous task of killing their leader.
• Zhang watches Liu fight through the battlefield and recognizes that her greatest strength may be defense rather than offense.
• Zhang’s confrontation with the rabbit leader becomes an important personal lesson, forcing him to reconsider his confidence and combat judgment.
• His decision to recover the Firebird is driven by his own goals rather than the main battle, showing both his independence and willingness to take risks for potential rewards.

Chapter Summary: “That Felt Good”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping finally succeeds in appraising the black pearl, identifying it as a Lone Testicle Orb—a rare treasure formed from a Nethermist Black Goat’s bodily organ and inhabited by a Nether Mist Spirit.
• The appraisal reveals the orb’s origin through a vision: a Nethermist Black Goat attacks a Mutated Wild Boar with black-mist horns but is ultimately bitten, paralyzed, and seemingly consumed. The boar is then killed by an unseen shockwave.
• Although disgusted by the orb, Zhang Ping decides to swallow it, reasoning that his weakness leaves him little room to be selective.
• The orb causes severe abdominal pain and briefly produces the sound of a strange scream. Black mist then begins emerging from Zhang Ping’s body.
• His updated attributes show dramatic improvement:
  • Lifespan increases from 89 to 99.
  • Level rises from 3 to 9.
  • Strategic Appraisal evolves into Collector’s Edition Appraisal Technique.
  • Nightwalker evolves into Nethermist Nightwalker.
  • He gains the new abilities Other-Eater and Nethermist Body.
• Zhang Ping discovers that Nether Mist can be used offensively and defensively: cutting objects, blocking attacks, reducing his presence, and even repositioning his body.
• He watches the ongoing struggle around the Salt Frost Tree. Liu Sishan, the White Ape, several axe-wielding men, and numerous Mutated Beasts are all competing to reach the Salt Frost Fruits.
• Unable to assist Liu Sishan directly, Zhang Ping hopes she remains safe.
• Hungry, he tests his new power on the nearby Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader. A small amount of Nether Mist penetrates its defenses and kills it instantly.
• Zhang Ping prepares and roasts the rabbit, seasoning it with salt from the battlefield. The smell of cooked meat begins drifting toward the others.

2. Character Development

• Zhang Ping overcomes his disgust and fear, choosing practical survival and strength over hesitation. His decision to consume the orb reflects his growing determination to escape the helplessness that defined much of his past.
• His power increases enormously, making him substantially more capable despite remaining a Novice Awakened.
• The new Nethermist abilities give him his first genuine offensive power, while also expanding his stealth, mobility, and defensive options.
• His memories of his former life—being unable to oppose the Heavenly Foxes, witnessing Su Jingyao’s death, and living under the control of stronger figures—reignite his hatred and desire for revenge.
• Despite his power-up, Zhang Ping remains cautious and realistic. He recognizes that he is still too weak to intervene in the battle around Liu Sishan.
• His resourcefulness and experimental nature are emphasized as he immediately tests Nether Mist and considers using the rabbit to investigate Other-Eater.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and helplessness: Zhang Ping’s painful memories show how deeply he resents being unable to control his own fate. His new abilities represent a step toward reclaiming agency.
• The cost of strength: Gaining power requires him to overcome disgust, endure severe pain, and risk unknown consequences.
• Potential versus mastery: The chapter stresses that potential alone is meaningless unless converted into practical strength.
• Adaptation and survival: Zhang Ping treats even bizarre or disgusting resources as possible tools, reflecting the harsh logic of his world.
• Revenge and emotional scars: His thoughts about Su Jingyao and the Heavenly Foxes reveal that his pursuit of strength is driven not only by survival but also by unresolved anger.
• The value of abilities: The Lone Testicle Orb is portrayed as extraordinarily valuable because it can grant power instantly, unlike martial techniques or weapons, which require years of training.

4. Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping has no direct conversation with the others in this section, but his actions are closely connected to them:
  • He worries about Liu Sishan as she advances toward the Salt Frost Tree.
  • He observes the White Ape and the axe-wielding men competing for access to the fruit.
  • His continued restraint shows that he does not yet believe he can safely help Liu Sishan.
• Zhang Ping’s interaction with the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader is brief but significant: he kills it effortlessly with Nether Mist, demonstrating the ability’s effectiveness against a dangerous opponent.
• The chapter ends with the aroma of Zhang Ping’s roasted rabbit spreading toward the battlefield, likely setting up an encounter or reaction from the nearby fighters and beasts.

Chapter Summary: “The Other-Eater’s Effect”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping roasts and eats a Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit near a battlefield filled with Mutated Beasts. The battlefield’s overwhelming stench masks the rabbit’s aroma, but the scent is detected by Corpse-Eating Hounds, whose noses are exceptionally sensitive.
• Two hounds approach Zhang Ping, while a third secretly burrows underground to ambush him. Zhang Ping kills all three using his Nethermist Flying Knife, which can change direction midair, and his flame ability.
• Zhang Ping begins harvesting materials from the hounds when Liu Sishan returns. She immediately inspects him and questions whether he encountered a Nethermist Mutated Beast.
• Zhang Ping explains that he ate the meat of a strange black goat earlier. Liu Sishan reveals that Nethermist Mutated Beasts can parasitize living creatures and effectively cause brain death. The goat was likely controlled by one of these entities, meaning Zhang Ping nearly became parasitized.
• Zhang Ping suspects that his Other-Eater ability may have digested the Nethermist Mutated Beast and protected him. However, he recognizes that this theory must be tested cautiously.
• Liu Sishan warns him that Appraisal cannot reveal every danger and that objects granting supernatural abilities may carry hidden risks. She emphasizes that there is no “free” way to gain abilities, explaining why genuine multi-ability Awakened are so rare.
• Liu Sishan explains the real reason the Mutated Beasts are fighting: after absorbing enough blood, the Salt Frost Tree produces a Blood Salt Fruit. This fruit can trigger further evolution in Mutated Beasts, though it is deadly to humans.
• Back at camp, Liu Sishan gives Zhang Ping a Salt Frost Fruit and water. Zhang Ping struggles with the fruit’s extreme saltiness, then realizes the water was created by Liu Sishan’s Pure Water ability. She jokingly reveals that she has control over the water inside his stomach, but the connection unexpectedly breaks.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates improved combat instincts and creativity. He uses his controllable Nethermist Flying Knife, flame barrier, and knowledge of Corpse-Eating Hound behavior to survive multiple attacks.
• His confidence in the Other-Eater ability grows, but he also begins to understand its potentially dangerous and mysterious nature. He starts considering whether it can digest supernatural parasites or grant him additional abilities.
• Zhang Ping remains reckless and curious, willing to eat unfamiliar supernatural creatures despite the risks. However, Liu Sishan’s warning forces him to reconsider how safely he can use his powers.
• Liu Sishan displays strong concern for Zhang Ping’s safety. Her initial anger comes from fear that he nearly died, and she takes on a protective, instructive role by explaining the dangers of Nethermist creatures and ability-granting items.
• Liu Sishan also reveals more of her knowledge about supernatural treasures, Mutated Beast evolution, and the limits of Appraisal.

Significant Themes

• The danger of unknown power: Supernatural abilities and strange objects may offer benefits while concealing fatal consequences.
• Limits of knowledge: Appraisal provides useful information but cannot reveal everything, making caution essential.
• Evolution and natural selection: The battlefield is driven by the Mutated Beasts’ struggle to obtain the Blood Salt Fruit and evolve further.
• Trust and protection: Liu Sishan’s harsh reprimand reflects her concern for Zhang Ping, while Zhang Ping’s willingness to listen shows a developing trust between them.
• Risk versus curiosity: Zhang Ping’s Other-Eater ability rewards dangerous behavior, creating tension between his desire to experiment and the need for survival.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping fights the Corpse-Eating Hounds alone, applying information Liu Sishan had previously taught him.
• Liu Sishan confronts and physically restrains Zhang Ping while investigating whether he has been parasitized, then angrily lectures him for eating unknown meat.
• Their argument becomes an important exchange of knowledge: Liu Sishan explains Nethermist Mutated Beasts, the limits of Appraisal, and the risks of acquiring external powers.
• Later, Liu Sishan gives Zhang Ping the Salt Frost Fruit and water, combining practical assistance with playful teasing by secretly controlling the water in his stomach. Her control unexpectedly fails, hinting that Zhang Ping’s Other-Eater or Nethermist-related abilities may be changing.

Chapter Summary: “King Bloodline”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping unexpectedly transforms completely into liquid Pure Water Form, alarming Liu Sishan.
• Despite losing his normal body structure, he remains conscious and gradually learns to reshape himself into a humanoid water form.
• His appraisal reveals a new talent, Pure Water Body, which allows him to become pure water, absorb moisture to heal injuries, and apparently repel impurities.
• Zhang Ping successfully reverts to human form after connecting the new ability to his existing Nethermist Body and the effects of Other-Eater.
• His injuries have fully healed, and he realizes that his abilities and combat potential have increased dramatically. He believes he can now challenge High-Level Awakened opponents and High-Tier Mutated Beasts.
• The next morning, Liu Sishan takes him to an isolated valley to test his new powers.
• Zhang Ping’s Pure Water Form absorbs or withstands her water-based attacks, though ice, boiling water, fire, lightning, and physical attacks can still harm him. His regeneration also has limits.
• When Zhang Ping attacks, his Nethermist Flying Knife instantly pierces Liu Sishan’s water shield and stops inches from her forehead, demonstrating that his offensive power has also advanced greatly.
• Liu Sishan explains that Nethermist Mutated Beasts may descend from King-level Mutated Beasts and possess traces of King Bloodline, allowing their abilities to inflict damage beyond their apparent rank.
• Zhang Ping begins worrying about the implications for Prince Yue, the Moon King, and whether Mingzhu City can survive the coming threats.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping gains greater control over his transformed body and discovers that Pure Water Form can heal injuries and cleanse impurities. His confidence rises as his abilities become increasingly versatile, but the mention of King Bloodline causes him to fear the larger dangers facing the city.
• Liu Sishan shifts from shock and concern to practical experimentation. She recognizes that Zhang Ping’s growth is extraordinary and feels envy toward his Pure Water Body, while still taking responsibility for helping him master it.
• Liu Sishan also demonstrates her caution and expertise by testing both Zhang Ping’s defenses and attack strength, though she is genuinely startled by how easily his Nethermist Flying Knife bypasses her protection.

Significant Themes

• Rapid growth and hidden potential: Zhang Ping’s power develops at an astonishing rate, reinforcing the mystery and danger surrounding his Infinite Tier ability.
• Power and its cost: Liu Sishan recalls Situ Shibai’s warning that powerful abilities reflect deep desires but require prices that may only become apparent later.
• Adaptation and self-mastery: Zhang Ping must learn to control a body that no longer follows ordinary human biology, emphasizing that gaining power also requires discipline and understanding.
• Countering abilities and limitations: Pure Water Form appears nearly invulnerable against ordinary water attacks but remains vulnerable to certain elements and overwhelming damage.
• Inherited power and looming danger: The possibility that Nethermist creatures possess King Bloodline expands the world’s mythology and suggests that King-level beings may pose an existential threat.

Character Interactions

• Liu Sishan initially investigates Zhang Ping’s liquid body by poking it, leading to an awkward but humorous exchange when he informs her that she touched his “stomach.”
• She worries that Zhang Ping may be trapped in his transformed state and insists on helping him recover.
• After he returns to human form, she turns away while he dresses, maintaining an awkward but considerate dynamic.
• During the training test, Liu Sishan attacks Zhang Ping with water, ice, and boiling water, while Zhang Ping experiments with enduring and recovering from the damage.
• Zhang Ping then tests his Nethermist Flying Knife against her defenses, startling her with its speed and penetration power.
• Their playful cooperation is balanced by Liu Sishan’s concern that Zhang Ping’s rapid improvement has made her original training plans obsolete.

Chapter Summary: “Reaper’s Mask”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan spend the day testing Zhang’s newly acquired Nethermist Body and Pure Water Body.
• The Nethermist Body absorbs fear from targets within ten meters and converts it into Nether Mist. The mist can be shaped into weapons and has strong offensive power, though attacks consume it—especially against energy-based or exceptionally hard targets.
• Zhang discovers that the intensity of a person’s fear determines how much Nether Mist he can obtain. He also learns that Liu Sishan is afraid of insects.
• The Pure Water Body allows Zhang to transform into water, making him resistant to most physical attacks. However, transformation takes about a second, recovery depends on humidity, and hot or dry environments can rapidly drain him. Losing too much water may leave him physically smaller after reverting to human form.
• Zhang experiments with reshaping his water body and realizes he can alter his physical appearance, effectively giving himself a form of “cosmetic surgery.” He also develops Chainsaw Form, a powerful but highly energy-consuming technique inspired by Liu Sishan’s Water Whip.
• Liu assesses Zhang’s combat strength as roughly half that of a High-Level Awakened. His Nether Mist gives him unusually high damage potential, but his low level, limited stamina, weak Mental Strength, lack of experience, and vulnerability to fire and lightning remain serious weaknesses.
• That evening, Zhang hears salt haulers discussing the mysterious deaths and disappearances occurring in the city. Victims have apparently been reduced to sheets of human skin, while authorities suppress information about the incidents.
• Zhang subtly encourages the workers’ fear by adding alarming details to the rumors. He absorbs their heightened fear, expanding his Nether Mist from bracelet-size to belt-size.
• Inspired by the amount of fear he harvests, Zhang considers telling ghost stories or disguising himself as a ghost to generate more Nether Mist.
• He forms a terrifying black skull mask from the Nether Mist. A salt hauler sees it, screams, and faints—then faints again after waking and seeing Zhang’s face.
• After viewing the skull’s reflection in water, Zhang realizes how frightening the mask truly is and concludes that it could function as psychological warfare, weakening enemies before battle.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping gains a clearer understanding of his abilities and their limitations. He becomes more inventive, combining his powers creatively rather than relying on straightforward attacks.
• He shows a growing willingness to exploit fear, manipulating the salt haulers’ emotions to strengthen the Nether Mist.
• Zhang remains inexperienced and somewhat reckless, but he is increasingly resourceful and begins thinking strategically about intimidation and battlefield control.
• Liu Sishan acts as Zhang’s evaluator and combat mentor, providing a realistic assessment of his current strength and warning him indirectly about his weaknesses.

Significant Themes

• Power and limitations: Zhang’s abilities are formidable but constrained by range, stamina, environmental conditions, and preparation time.
• Fear as a weapon: Fear is both a literal resource for Zhang and a psychological tool capable of weakening opponents.
• Experimentation and adaptation: Zhang develops new techniques by testing his abilities and borrowing ideas from Liu Sishan.
• Appearance and identity: The Pure Water Body allows Zhang to reshape himself, while the skull mask turns his appearance into a weapon of terror.
• Rumor and mass panic: Unverified stories about the city’s grisly disappearances intensify collective fear, demonstrating how uncertainty can magnify supernatural threats.

Character Interactions

• Zhang and Liu work cooperatively throughout the ability tests, with Liu offering practical feedback and combat analysis.
• Zhang notices Liu’s fear of insects, adding a humorous contrast to the otherwise serious testing.
• Zhang interacts with the salt haulers at the campfire, pretending to possess inside knowledge about the disappearances and deliberately fueling their anxiety.
• His accidental confrontation with the salt hauler wearing the skull-mask demonstrates the mask’s extreme psychological impact and gives Zhang the idea of using it as a combat-support tool.

Chapter summary

At dawn, Liu Sishan returns from Mingzhu City with bad news: Prince Yue has been hunting for food, killing more than two hundred people. Jin Bo challenged him but was badly injured, and two teammates died. Liu tells Zhang Ping that his training must end so they can return to the city.
Before they leave, Liu tests Zhang’s ability to gain new constitutions by having him swallow assorted materials, including poisoned metal. Zhang becomes ill, but discovers that shifting into Pure Water Form removes the poison—and that this form also lets him sense heat and reshape himself into animal forms, though he cannot yet fly as a bird. He gains no new abilities from the materials.
Liu passes on advice from her captain, Situ Shibai: someone with many abilities should focus training on one or two, since proficiency depends on practice. Zhang weighs his options and decides to prioritize Nethermist Body and Pure Water Body, leaving his other abilities as supplementary or impractical to train for now. He imagines developing Nether Mist into a fearsome combat style and Pure Water into a versatile shape-changing power, with the two potentially complementing each other.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Ping is energetic after reaching Level 9, but recognizes that he still has much to learn about his abilities. The poisoning test teaches him a new use for Pure Water Form, and hands-on experimentation sparks further discoveries. He takes Situ Shibai’s training advice seriously and commits to a focused plan.
• Liu Sishan acts as Zhang’s mentor and training partner, bringing materials to test his powers and candidly guiding his development. Her teasing over the poisoned iron highlights her playful side, while her concern about the team’s losses underscores the danger awaiting them.
• Zhang and Liu show trust and familiarity: he relies on her judgment, while she works to help him build on his strengths. Her practical advice prompts his decision to focus rather than chase every possible ability.

Significant themes

• Mastery over mere accumulation: Having many powers is less valuable than understanding and practicing a select few.
• Learning through experimentation: Zhang discovers unexpected functions by testing his abilities, including purification, heat perception, and transformation.
• Adaptation and strategic preparation: Zhang considers both the weaknesses and possible combinations of his powers as he prepares for future threats.
• The cost of survival: The report of Prince Yue’s attacks and the team’s casualties casts a grim shadow over Zhang’s relatively lighthearted training.

Key plot points and events

• Cleanup Team captain Situ Shibai suspects that the three Investigation Team squads still in Mingzhu City may be hiding something. Their apparent lack of concern during the Heavenly Fox invasion seems especially suspicious, so he orders Chen Ming to investigate the Shen and Xu Teams and look into the injured captain of the Hai Team.
• Situ considers whether the invasion was caused by human collaborators, perhaps remnants of the Zhu Family. He decides to meet Zhang Ping, whom Liu Sishan has praised, and uses his abilities to travel into the city.
• Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan return to Mingzhu City. While Qiu Qiang and Liu Tiefeng are frozen in place, Zhang Ping meets Situ, whose presence he recognizes from overheard Cleanup Team conversations. Situ blocks Zhang’s Appraisal Technique and reveals that he can also read minds.
• Situ explains that Zhang is Mingzhu City’s first Infinite-Tier Ability User in two centuries. He asks Zhang to let him test whether his own ability can copy an Infinite-Tier ability, promising two gifts and answers to Zhang’s questions. He assures Zhang that the process is harmless and that refusal is allowed.
• Situ offers the Fear War Scythe and the Golden Treasury Bracelet as gifts. Zhang appraises them and sees visions revealing that both—and the previously encountered Assassination Ring—were created through the deaths and suffering of people. Though tempted by their power, he is disturbed by their origins.

Character developments

• Situ Shibai emerges as perceptive, powerful, and candid. He is investigating possible internal betrayal while also approaching Zhang with a mix of curiosity, diplomacy, and testing.
• Zhang Ping remains guarded and strategic around Situ, suppressing his thoughts to avoid mind-reading. His attraction to powerful equipment is checked by his moral revulsion at how it was made.
• Liu Sishan is temporarily left in charge of defending the city while Zhang is free to return. Her growing closeness to him has not yet become complete trust.

Significant themes

• Suspicion and responsibility: The failure to detect the Heavenly Foxes raises questions about negligence, conspiracy, and whether the disaster was truly caused by beasts.
• Power and its price: The gifts promise immense practical value, but their creation involved human suffering, forcing Zhang to weigh strength against conscience.
• Trust and guarded knowledge: Situ and Zhang test each other through direct questions, concealed thoughts, and abilities that expose or protect private information.

Character interactions

• Situ orders Chen Ming to investigate the surviving Investigation Team squads, then personally seeks out Zhang.
• Zhang and Situ cautiously probe one another: Zhang tests Situ with appraisal and careful questions, while Situ reveals his ability to block appraisal and read thoughts.
• Situ offers Zhang a chance to cooperate in testing ability-copying, with valuable equipment and answers as compensation; Zhang’s reaction to the equipment’s history complicates the offer.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Ping accepts Situ Shibai’s offer of the Fear War Scythe and the Golden Treasury in exchange for allowing him to attempt copying Zhang Ping’s ability. Situ’s touch does not work: Zhang’s Infinite Tier ability, nor any abilities derived from it, can be copied.
• Situ transfers ownership of the scythe to Zhang, who stores it in the treasury. He explains that equipment was once made through human sacrifice in Zhu City, though reforms later restricted the practice to condemned prisoners.
• Situ recounts Zhu City’s brutal past under the Beast-Taming Zhu Family: ordinary people were enslaved, children indoctrinated, the elderly fed to Mutated Beasts, and Awakened people controlled or used as equipment materials. The family was eventually overthrown, but its surviving loyalists and descendants remained hidden.
• Zhang asks why Situ has not personally defeated Prince Yue. Situ reveals that Mingzhu City has strong defenses, including the Sun-Moon Pearl, which should weaken invading King-level Mutated Beasts. Its failure to activate suggests betrayal by someone who knows how to control it.
• Situ explains that he cannot act rashly while the city’s leadership, the Pearl’s status, and the Heavenly Foxes’ plans remain unclear. Zhang recognizes Situ’s importance as the city’s last major deterrent and resolves to investigate Prince Yue instead.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang weighs the temptation of powerful equipment against the unknown risks of Situ’s experiment, then accepts the deal after judging the reward worth it. His anger at the Heavenly Foxes is tempered by a growing understanding of the city’s strategic dangers.
• Situ shows respect for Zhang’s choice and ultimately gives him the promised equipment and information. Though disappointed that he cannot copy Zhang’s ability, he remains focused on protecting Zhang from traps and helping him understand Mingzhu City.
• Their quiet tea-drinking and frank conversation establish mutual trust: Zhang asks increasingly difficult questions, while Situ shares painful history and the limits on his own actions.
• Zhang’s ability to see through the Heavenly Foxes’ disguises makes him uniquely suited to investigate Prince Yue and potentially uncover clues about Moon King.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Situ’s strength is less useful than his need to preserve himself as a deterrent amid uncertainty.
• Historical injustice and its legacy: The Zhu Family’s oppression ended, but its loyalists and hidden descendants continue to threaten the city.
• Trust, risk, and responsibility: Zhang accepts uncertainty for a valuable opportunity, while Situ refuses reckless action that could doom Mingzhu City.
• Uncertainty and hidden enemies: The failed defenses, missing answers, and suspected traitor turn the crisis into a struggle for information as much as a fight against the Heavenly Foxes.

Plot and events

• Zhang Ping splits his time between learning ore sorting at Iron Soul, training in boxing, and secretly patrolling Mingzhu City at night. He is searching for remnants of the Beast-Taming Zhu Family, whom he suspects are using the Cleanup Team’s blind spots to prepare something.
• While patrolling, he finds three men in copper circlets carrying green lanterns near a mansion. Appraisal Technique cannot identify them, so he alerts Liu Sishan. The Cleanup Team’s surveillance detects neither the men nor Zhang Ping.
• The men place Dragon-Sealing Stones around the mansion. Zhang Ping deduces that the stones break the mansion’s barrier, and Appraisal reveals they are made through a gruesome process involving tortured Awakened and blood.
• The intruders enter the Chen family residence and search for Chen Juntaing, granddaughter of the powerful Chen Xueli. When Liu Sishan learns the situation is suspicious and rushes toward the city, the men are warned and decide to hurry.
• They find and abduct Chen Juntaing, then flee west. Zhang Ping follows and discovers through Appraisal that she is an Intermediate Awakened with the rare abilities Saint Mother’s Blood and Saint Mother’s Halo. He suspects her bloodline may have power beyond its apparent rank, but does not yet understand the kidnappers’ plan.

Character developments

• Zhang Ping remains vigilant and resourceful, using disguise, stealth, and careful observation rather than rushing into action. Learning how the Dragon-Sealing Stones are made deepens his hatred of the Zhu Family and gives him a new goal: preventing its return.
• Liu Sishan responds quickly to Zhang Ping’s warning, checks surveillance, recognizes that something is wrong, and heads toward the mansion after telling him not to act rashly.
• Chen Juntaing is introduced as a young Awakened whose unusual bloodline and exceptional potential make her valuable to the kidnappers.
• The vermilion-eyed leader shows caution under pressure, setting a short deadline for the search and ordering the group to withdraw once they locate their target.

Themes and interactions

• Cruelty behind power: The Dragon-Sealing Stones’ bloody manufacture reveals the brutality behind special equipment and strengthens Zhang Ping’s resolve to oppose the Zhu Family.
• Surveillance and hidden threats: The kidnappers’ ability to evade the Cleanup Team—and even escape Zhang Ping’s notice—shows how vulnerable the city is to concealed schemes.
• Potential versus power: Zhang Ping questions whether Chen Juntaing’s abilities are stronger than her current rank suggests, hinting that her lineage may hold greater significance.
• Caution, cooperation, and pursuit: Zhang Ping shares information with Liu Sishan while maintaining surveillance; the kidnappers act quickly once warned, and Zhang Ping pursues them after they abduct Chen Juntaing.

Chapter Summary: “Triple Kill”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping realizes he misjudged Chen Juntaing’s “Saint Mother” ability because of assumptions carried over from his previous life. He suspects her power is far more significant in this world.
• Three hostile Awakened abduct Chen Juntaing. After being discovered, Zhang Ping attacks to rescue her.
• He kills Huang San instantly with the Fear War Scythe, then pursues the remaining captors.
• Huang Wu uses Psychokinetic Force to create a “Minor Meteor Belt,” bombarding Zhang Ping with floating rocks. Zhang’s Pure Water Body allows the stones to pass harmlessly through him.
• Zhang kills Huang Wu by launching a Nethermist Flying Knife through the rocks and into his forehead. Huang Wu’s fear is absorbed, greatly strengthening Zhang’s Nether Mist and revealing that he can now perceive fear as a purple aura.
• Zhang begins using Nether Mist to float and accelerate, allowing him to catch up with the crimson-eyed leader carrying Chen Juntaing.
• A masked archer ambushes Zhang, destroying his head with an arrow. Zhang reforms through his water-based body, but the archer attacks again with an electrically charged arrow.
• Liu Sishan arrives and deflects the attack with a Water Whip. Zhang directs her toward the fleeing captor and Chen Juntaing while staying behind to fight the masked man.
• The masked man uses Appraisal Technique to exploit Zhang’s lack of combat experience and vulnerability to elemental attacks. He tricks Zhang with an arrow fired into the sky, then stabs and electrocutes him.
• Zhang survives by transforming into black liquid. He counterattacks with Nether Mist spikes, exploiting the masked man’s overconfidence.
• After a prolonged battle, Zhang overwhelms the archer with dozens of flying knives, eventually striking his knee and incapacitating him. Zhang remains cautious and continues attacking even after the man falls.

Character Development

• Zhang Ping: Becomes more decisive and ruthless, immediately choosing to kill the abductors rather than risk Chen Juntaing’s capture. His mastery of Nether Mist develops rapidly: he absorbs fear, sees fear as visible energy, forms a cloak-like aura, floats through the air, and survives severe physical and electrical attacks. He also learns an important lesson about combat awareness after being outmaneuvered by the masked archer.
• Chen Juntaing: Remains in danger and is carried away by the crimson-eyed captor, but her unusual “Saint Mother” ability is increasingly implied to be highly valuable or powerful.
• Huang San and Huang Wu: Both are killed by Zhang. Huang Wu’s death is especially significant because defeating a High-Level Psychokinetic Awakened demonstrates Zhang’s growing strength.
• The crimson-eyed man: Becomes increasingly frightened after receiving confirmation that both subordinates are dead. He considers abandoning Chen Juntaing, suggesting that self-preservation outweighs loyalty.
• The masked archer: Initially appears dominant because of his combat experience, Appraisal Technique, and specialized equipment. However, his assumptions about Zhang’s age and apparent defeat lead him to underestimate Zhang and lose the battle.
• Liu Sishan: Acts quickly and cooperatively, redirecting herself toward rescuing Chen Juntaing once Zhang gives her the enemy’s location.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation and learning: Zhang’s survival depends on rapidly adjusting to new abilities and learning from mistakes.
• Overconfidence and underestimation: The masked man’s belief that a sixteen-year-old rookie cannot be dangerous causes him to miscalculate, while Zhang’s earlier inexperience nearly gets him killed.
• Fear as power: Fear is both a weapon and a resource. Zhang’s Reaper-like appearance induces terror, and the fear of dying strengthens his Nether Mist.
• Experience versus potential: The masked man possesses superior combat experience, but Zhang’s unusual abilities, resilience, and creativity allow him to overcome that advantage.
• Moral transformation: Zhang’s willingness to kill without hesitation shows how the dangerous world is hardening him and pushing him away from ordinary teenage behavior.

Character Interactions

• Zhang confronts Huang San and Huang Wu during his pursuit of Chen Juntaing, killing both despite their attempts to delay him.
• The crimson-eyed captor communicates with Huang Wu and becomes aware of his subordinate’s death, intensifying his fear of Zhang.
• Liu Sishan intervenes to protect Zhang, but follows his instruction to pursue the captor and rescue Chen Juntaing.
• Zhang and the masked archer engage in a battle of tactics: the archer exploits Zhang’s inexperience, while Zhang survives the ambush, turns the lesson against him, and ultimately defeats him.

Chapter Summary: “Guilt”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping survives the masked man’s electrical attack, realizing that the dagger’s heat—not the Electric Eel Snake Venom—caused most of his injuries.
• After restoring his Pure Water Body with water from the Golden Treasury, Zhang cautiously tests whether the masked man is dead by attacking him from a distance with Nethermist Flying Knives.
• The masked man reveals that he is still alive and attempts to manipulate Zhang into approaching him. When Zhang refuses and attacks again, the man activates a ring.
• The ring summons a devastating lightning strike that kills the masked man, destroys part of the street, and damages nearby buildings. Zhang protects himself with Nether Mist but barely escapes.
• The lightning alerts Prince Yue, the Heavenly Fox, who spreads countless crimson-eyed tails throughout Mingzhu City to search for the intruders.
• The Cleanup Team realizes that the Heavenly Fox has become active. Manny teleports Liu Sishan away from the battlefield, allowing Zhang to hide in the city’s flooded drainage channels in his Pure Water Body.
• The crimson-eyed man tries to flee while carrying the unconscious Chen Juntaing, but Prince Yue intercepts him. Prince Yue deduces that the man and another woman were fighting over Chen Juntaing.
• When the crimson-eyed man refuses to explain himself, Prince Yue kills him instantly and orders his subordinate Moon Shadow to consume the corpse.
• Chen Juntaing awakens and innocently compliments Prince Yue, whom she mistakes for a beautiful older sister. Her presence causes Prince Yue and Moon Shadow to lose their resolve to kill her.
• Prince Yue ultimately decides to take Chen Juntaing back to the City Lord’s Manor rather than harm her.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes even more cautious after nearly dying. He gains a deeper understanding of how resilient and dangerous Awakened individuals are, and he demonstrates clever use of his Pure Water Body, Nether Mist, and the drainage system to evade pursuit.
• The masked man is revealed to be extremely resilient and willing to use a final, destructive trump card. Even after being fatally wounded, he remains defiant and chooses death through the ring’s lightning attack rather than capture.
• Prince Yue displays his terrifying power and analytical ability, quickly interpreting the lightning attack and tracking the conflict. However, his reaction to Chen Juntaing exposes an unexpected moral hesitation and emotional vulnerability.
• Liu Sishan and the Cleanup Team show coordinated judgment, prioritizing Liu’s survival once the Heavenly Fox becomes active.
• Moon Shadow appears loyal and ruthless, but he cannot bring himself to kill Chen Juntaing, suggesting that her innocence affects even powerful or monstrous beings.
• Chen Juntaing remains innocent and unaware of the danger surrounding her. Her simple trust and friendliness unconsciously disarm Prince Yue and Moon Shadow.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus recklessness: Zhang’s refusal to approach the masked man saves him from the ring’s trap, contrasting with the danger of underestimating an opponent.
• The extraordinary nature of the Awakened: The masked man’s survival emphasizes that Awakened beings possess strength and vitality far beyond ordinary humans.
• Guilt and moral conflict: Prince Yue is torn between violence and compassion. His inability to kill Chen Juntaing reveals guilt and a conscience beneath his cruel exterior.
• Innocence as a source of power: Chen Juntaing’s purity and trust influence even Prince Yue and Moon Shadow, disrupting their intentions without her realizing it.
• Predation and control: The chapter repeatedly portrays stronger characters hunting, capturing, or consuming weaker ones, while Chen Juntaing becomes the object of competing forces.
• Environmental and tactical combat: The lightning attack demonstrates how abilities can alter surroundings and interfere with an enemy’s senses rather than simply targeting them directly.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping and the masked man: Their exchange is defined by suspicion and psychological maneuvering. The masked man insults Zhang as a coward, while Zhang refuses to be baited.
• Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan/Cleanup Team: Zhang warns Liu to retreat when Prince Yue begins searching the city. Manny responds by forcibly teleporting Liu to safety.
• Prince Yue and the crimson-eyed man: Prince Yue interrogates him about the conflict over Chen Juntaing, but kills him when he refuses to cooperate.
• Prince Yue and Moon Shadow: Prince Yue orders Moon Shadow to consume the corpse and later commands him to kill Chen Juntaing. Both commands reveal that neither is truly capable of harming her.
• Prince Yue and Chen Juntaing: Her innocent awakening and affectionate misunderstanding cause Prince Yue to abandon his immediate intention of killing her, leaving him conflicted and unsettled.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping overhears part of a conversation between Prince Yue and Moon Shadow, confirming his suspicion that Chen Juntaing’s ability—and particularly the power connected to Saint Mother’s Blood—may transcend ordinary Levels.
• After the previous battle, Zhang Ping returns to the alley to loot the corpses. The masked attacker’s equipment was destroyed by lightning, but Zhang retrieves a copper head ring, a green lantern, and another ring from the Psychokinetic Force user.
• A red-haired Awakened attempts to claim one of the corpses. Zhang intimidates him by transforming into a terrifying, scythe-wielding form. Although he appears ready to kill the man, Zhang instead absorbs his fear and leaves him alive but traumatized.
• Zhang quietly returns to Iron Soul through the city’s water channels, avoiding witnesses with the help of the Assassination Ring and Nethermist Nightwalker.
• The next day, Prince Yue deploys five eye-covered tails across Mingzhu City, effectively monitoring the city and weakening the usefulness of the Illusory Light Curtain. Without the barrier’s protection, the Cleanup Team will be unable to openly repel Mutated Beasts.
• Zhang is forced to remain at Iron Soul and forge weapons rather than act freely.
• At the City Lord’s Manor, Prince Yue keeps Chen Juntaing under observation. Her strange charm ability has influenced several Heavenly Foxes, making them instinctively obey or assist her. Prince Yue cannot bring himself to imprison or oppose her.
• Chen reveals that her father died when she was young and that she was raised in isolation by her grandfather. She wants to enjoy her newly gained freedom and refuses to return home.
• In a hidden spiritual space, Huang Zeming—revealing his connection to the Beast-Taming Zhu Family and Sun Clan—reports that Zhang Ping exposed Zhu Zejun’s operation. He claims he knows Zhang’s identity and intends to eliminate him.
• Huang also confirms that Chen Juntaing is alive but being held in the City Lord’s Manor. His allies stress that she must be extracted because she is essential to their plan against Situ Shibai.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes increasingly calculating and resourceful. He prioritizes gathering equipment, uses intimidation strategically, and demonstrates greater control over his frightening powers without unnecessarily killing.
• Prince Yue is shown to be powerful but frustrated and vulnerable to Chen Juntaing’s ability. His hostility toward her has faded into helplessness, and he is compelled to accommodate her behavior.
• Chen Juntaing remains innocent, carefree, and socially inexperienced, but her unexplained charm continues to affect powerful Heavenly Foxes. Her tragic, isolated upbringing helps explain her desire for freedom.
• Huang Zeming emerges as an active enemy agent who knows Zhang Ping’s identity and is preparing to move against him.
• The unnamed red-haired Awakened and nearby observers are deeply frightened by Zhang’s transformation, reinforcing his growing reputation as a dangerous and possibly nonhuman figure.

Significant Themes

• Power and control: Prince Yue’s surveillance restricts Zhang’s movements, while Chen Juntaing’s charm undermines Prince Yue’s authority over his own followers.
• Fear as a weapon: Zhang uses terror not only to defeat opponents but also to absorb fear as energy, turning psychological intimidation into a literal source of power.
• Hidden identities and conspiracies: Zhang’s secret role, Huang Zeming’s infiltration, and the covert alliance involving the Zhu Family and Sun Clan deepen the political conflict.
• Freedom versus confinement: Chen’s eagerness to escape her grandfather’s control contrasts with Prince Yue’s attempt to contain her, while the city itself becomes increasingly restricted under surveillance.
• Imminent danger: The failure of the Illusory Light Curtain leaves Mingzhu City exposed to Mutated Beasts and raises the stakes of the factions’ competing plans.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping and the red-haired Awakened: A confrontation ends with Zhang terrifying and sparing the man after absorbing his fear.
• Prince Yue and Chen Juntaing: Their awkward tea scene highlights Chen’s carefree dominance over the situation and Prince Yue’s inability to resist her influence.
• Huang Zeming and the hidden faction: Huang reports Zhang’s interference and Chen’s capture, while the faction orders him to rescue Chen because she is central to their plot against Situ Shibai.

Chapter Summary: “The Open Side and the Hidden Side”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In a restroom, Zhang Ping appraises the Nightingale Lantern, learning that it was made from Corpse-Eating Hound bones and Carrion Nightingale ghostfire. By infusing it with Nether Mist, he evolves it into a Wraith Lantern.
• The Wraith Lantern conceals its owner’s aura, scent, presence, and information, blocking most detection and Appraisal abilities below King-Level. Zhang Ping realizes that, combined with his other stealth abilities, it could make him nearly impossible to detect at night.
• Zhang Ping appraises a bronze ring and discovers it is the Crown of Sin, which makes its wearer immune to mental abilities such as Purity and Purification. The appraisal reveals a horrifying scene in which an old man tortures and kills young girls. The memory strengthens Zhang Ping’s resolve to oppose the Zhu Family and the Heavenly Fox.
• He then appraises a ring taken from the psychokinetic man. The Forceful Thought Ring amplifies the wearer’s Mental Strength, but its creation involved countless people draining their power into a young girl before her soul was sealed inside the ring’s gemstone. Zhang Ping becomes troubled by the possibility that souls and reincarnation exist.
• At Cleanup Team headquarters, Situ Shibai demotes the injured Jin Bo after the previous battle caused the deaths of two team members. Liu Sishan is appointed temporary leader of the Combat Group.
• The team discusses the attack and abduction connected to Chen Xueli. They learn that the abducted girl is likely Chen Xueli’s granddaughter, though her origins are suspicious: she was brought back as an infant by Chen Xueli’s deceased son, who had no known wife.
• Situ Shibai authorizes Liu Sishan to investigate Zhang Ping personally, giving her one piece of equipment for herself and another as a reward for Zhang Ping. He also promises to cover her movements.
• At the City Lord’s Manor, Zhu Zeming secretly bribes a Heavenly Fox with a Moonfang Wolf tooth and persuades it to kill someone he dislikes. The fox agrees to act despite orders forbidding the Heavenly Foxes from leaving the city.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes more cautious and resourceful, adding the Wraith Lantern to his growing collection of stealth tools. The appraisals also deepen his anger toward those who exploit and murder innocents, reinforcing his determination to act against the Zhu Family and the Heavenly Fox.
• His views on death become more complicated after witnessing a soul being sealed into a gemstone. He begins considering reincarnation and hopes that the dead may not be truly lost.
• Jin Bo accepts punishment for his leadership failures and the deaths of his subordinates, showing guilt and emotional exhaustion.
• Liu Sishan reluctantly accepts command of the Combat Group, demonstrating her steadiness and sense of responsibility.
• Situ Shibai proves both decisive and politically perceptive. He disciplines Jin Bo, supports Liu Sishan, and subtly encourages her to contact Zhang Ping while protecting her from opposition.
• Zhu Zeming reveals a manipulative and malicious side by using the Heavenly Fox to eliminate a personal enemy.
• The Heavenly Fox is shown to possess intelligence, self-interest, and a desire to increase its might rather than merely act as a beast.

Significant Themes

• The open side and the hidden side: Objects, people, and events possess concealed histories that are revealed through Zhang Ping’s Appraisal. Their outward usefulness often masks disturbing origins.
• Power built on suffering: Both the Crown of Sin and Forceful Thought Ring were created through cruelty, suggesting that powerful abilities and artifacts may depend on exploitation.
• Justice and responsibility: Zhang Ping’s desire to protect others contrasts with the failures of people like Jin Bo and the calculated cruelty of Zhu Zeming.
• Death, souls, and reincarnation: The apparent existence of souls raises questions about what happens after death and gives Zhang Ping hope that the dead may continue in another form.
• Trust and hidden conspiracies: The suspicious origins of Chen Xueli’s granddaughter and the possibility that the abductors sought her for a specific reason deepen the mystery surrounding the city’s factions.
• The limits of power: Even powerful abilities such as the Illusory Light Curtain have weaknesses, and every faction seeks ways to counter or exploit others.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping internally responds to the traumatic visions from the appraisals, especially the suffering of the girls and the soul trapped in the gemstone.
• Qiu Qiang interrupts Zhang Ping while he is examining the artifacts, forcing him to leave the restroom.
• Situ Shibai confronts Jin Bo about his failures, appoints Liu Sishan, and guides the team’s investigation.
• Liu Sishan recounts the previous night’s events and becomes the intended link between the Cleanup Team and Zhang Ping.
• Chen Ming questions the investigation and initially objects to Liu Sishan entering the dangerous city, but accepts Situ Shibai’s protection plan.
• Huang An provides crucial information about Chen Xueli’s mysterious granddaughter.
• Zhu Zeming bargains with the Heavenly Fox, offering it a Moonfang Wolf tooth in exchange for murdering his chosen target, setting up a new threat for the next events.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Beast King Fist Hall, Bai De introduces the students to Phoenix Claw Form, a powerful technique requiring a special secret medicine. The medicine is costly despite being cheap to produce, highlighting the hall’s exploitation of its students.
• Bai De demonstrates Phoenix Claw Form, explaining that it can pierce skulls and, at mastery, tear through rocks and steel.
• The students practice sparring. Wang Jieming struggles because he has not yet mastered Giant Crocodile Form, while Zhang Ping offers to help him later.
• After class, Zhang Ping asks about Wang Jieming’s missing mother, whom Wang suspects was eaten or replaced by the Heavenly Fox. Wang reveals that she has been absent for several days and asks to accompany Zhang Ping on his dangerous activities so he can seek revenge.
• Zhang tests Wang Jieming’s combat ability. Although Wang is only Level 5, his mastery of Pearl Three Fists and rapid learning allow him to fight Zhang on nearly equal technical terms.
• Zhang ultimately outlasts Wang due to his superior Level, stamina, and recovery. He advises Wang to train harder rather than accompany him against the Heavenly Fox.
• Zhang explains that Wang is a balanced-type Awakened with strength, stamina, and speed as his primary attributes, while Zhang claims his own are stamina and Mental Strength—though his physical abilities have been greatly enhanced through relentless training.
• After separating from Wang, Zhang avoids surveillance, equips the Assassination Ring and Wraith Lantern, covers himself in Nether Mist, and transforms into a Grim Reaper-like figure.
• The chapter ends with Zhang setting out on another secret mission.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping appears increasingly cautious and strategic. Though he sympathizes with Wang, he recognizes that involving him in conflicts with the Heavenly Fox and the Beast-Taming Zhu Family would likely get him killed.
• Zhang’s strength and endurance are emphasized. His higher Level, six-star potential, rapid recovery, and intense training make him far more capable than his stated attributes suggest.
• Wang Jieming is shown to be slow to learn but exceptionally adaptable once he masters a technique. His combat instincts and technical skill are impressive, but his low Level and limited endurance leave him vulnerable.
• Wang’s grief and desire for revenge over his missing mother motivate him to become stronger and follow Zhang.
• Bai De remains an authoritative instructor, teaching advanced techniques while casually supervising the students’ practice.

Significant Themes

• Training and talent: Wang’s slow learning contrasts with his rapid improvement through repetition, while Zhang’s extraordinary progress comes from both high potential and relentless effort.
• Strength versus readiness: Technical skill alone is insufficient; Level, endurance, recovery, and battle experience also determine survival.
• Protective restraint: Zhang refuses to bring Wang into a dangerous conflict, showing that friendship sometimes requires keeping someone away from immediate danger.
• Exploitation and inequality: The secret medicine’s inflated price reflects the Beast King Fist Hall’s profiteering.
• Hidden identities and surveillance: Zhang’s transformation into a Grim Reaper-like persona reinforces his secretive activities and the dangerous political environment surrounding Mingzhu City.

Character Interactions

• Bai De instructs the class and demonstrates Phoenix Claw Form while Zhang distributes the medicine.
• Zhang reassures Wang and offers to teach him Giant Crocodile Form.
• Wang asks to join Zhang’s activities, revealing his desire for revenge. Zhang challenges him to a fight to assess his strength.
• The sparring match demonstrates mutual respect: Wang’s technique impresses Zhang, while Zhang’s endurance reveals the gap between them.
• Zhang encourages Wang to continue training, promising that he may eventually surprise everyone, before the two part ways.
• Afterward, Zhang secretly prepares for his next mission, concealing his identity from the surveillance around the city.

Chapter Summary: “This Strike”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zeng Xiaofan, a notorious serial predator known as “Short-Legged Teddy,” infiltrates the Su Family residence at night intending to assault the family’s young lady.
• Upon entering, he is overwhelmed by an unseen barrier or supernatural force that induces intense fear. He soon encounters Zhang Ping, appearing as a terrifying Reaper wielding the Fear War Scythe.
• Through his abilities, Zhang Ping reveals Zeng’s history: he has abused hundreds of women and murdered sixty-five victims to conceal his crimes.
• Zhang attacks Zeng repeatedly, declaring each strike to be in memory of one of his victims or those who tried to bring him to justice.
• Rather than killing Zeng immediately, Zhang gives him a chance to survive if he can crawl out through the Su Family’s gate.
• Zeng reaches the gate but cannot open its high bolt because his legs have been severely mutilated. Zhang explains that the gate, made from exceptionally hard Mutated Iron Pear wood, represents Su Cheng’s determination to protect his family.
• After Zeng realizes he has failed, Zhang executes him despite Zeng’s protests that only the City Lord has the authority to judge him.
• Zhang briefly reflects on the meaninglessness of killing, then remembers to loot Zeng’s equipment. He removes the Peach Blossom Mask and leaves the corpse for the Su Family to discover.

2. Character Developments

• Zeng Xiaofan: His confidence and predatory arrogance collapse into terror and desperation. Although he has harmed countless people, he remains selfish and focused only on survival, showing no genuine remorse. His belief that his status or a formal trial might save him is exposed as meaningless.
• Zhang Ping: He demonstrates controlled fury rather than impulsive rage. His punishment is deliberate and symbolic, honoring the victims and the brave people who opposed Zeng. He acts as an avenger outside the formal justice system, though he also retains a practical, slightly irreverent side by looting the corpse afterward.
• Su Cheng and the Su Family: They do not appear directly, but the family’s preparations—especially the reinforced gate—symbolize their determination to protect themselves. Zhang’s intervention prevents the planned assault on the young lady.

3. Significant Themes

• Vengeance versus institutional justice: Zhang rejects the idea that Zeng must be left to the City Lord, believing the killer deserves immediate punishment for crimes that formal authorities may not adequately address.
• Memory and honoring the dead: Each attack is dedicated to a particular victim or hero, ensuring that their suffering is remembered rather than reduced to anonymous violence.
• Predators facing helplessness: Zeng, who once terrorized defenseless victims, is forced into the same state of fear and physical helplessness.
• False hope and deserved punishment: Zhang’s offer of escape gives Zeng hope only for him to discover that survival is impossible, making the punishment psychologically as well as physically cruel.
• Protection and resolve: The Su Family’s gate represents Su Cheng’s efforts to safeguard his family, while Zhang’s intervention reinforces the idea that protection may come from unexpected allies.

4. Character Interactions

• Zeng Xiaofan and Zhang Ping: Their encounter is entirely one-sided. Zeng is terrified and unable to resist, while Zhang interrogates and punishes him without allowing him to plead or negotiate.
• Zhang Ping and Zeng’s victims: Though they never meet directly, Zhang acts as the victims’ representative, naming and commemorating their suffering through each strike.
• Zhang Ping and the Su Family: Zhang protects the Su Family indirectly and expects them to handle the corpse in return. His actions prevent an attack while also using the residence as the setting for Zeng’s final punishment.

Chapter Summary: “Slaying”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping leaves the Su Family after killing Zeng Xiaofan, carving Zeng’s identity and crimes into the ground as a warning. Though convinced Zeng deserved death, Zhang Ping feels troubled and reflects on the burden of killing.
• Meanwhile, Heavenly Fox interrogates Liu Tiefeng, demanding Zhang Ping’s whereabouts. When Liu pretends to be insane and refuses to answer, Heavenly Fox tears off one of his arms and prepares to torture him further.
• Liu Sishan intervenes with her Pure Water ability, rescuing Liu Tiefeng and forcing Heavenly Fox to retreat. She treats Liu Tiefeng with a Healing Potion.
• After regaining consciousness, Liu Tiefeng’s first concern is Zhang Ping’s safety, showing that he knowingly endured torture to protect him.
• Zhang Ping returns to avenge Liu Tiefeng. He attacks Heavenly Fox with the Wraith Lantern and Fear War Scythe, but Prince Yue intervenes and launches a relentless assault through his many tails.
• Zhang Ping struggles to defend himself with Nether Mist while Prince Yue’s attacks rapidly drain it. Situ Shibai then creates an opening by disrupting Prince Yue’s tails.
• Zhang Ping seizes the opportunity, kills Heavenly Fox with two strikes, and immediately escapes from Prince Yue by transforming into Pure Water and fleeing through a canal.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping: Becomes more resolute and emotionally mature. He accepts that some enemies must die but continues to question the morality and consequences of killing. His guilt and gratitude toward Liu Tiefeng motivate him to risk confronting powerful enemies.
• Liu Tiefeng: Demonstrates courage and loyalty by refusing to reveal Zhang Ping’s location despite severe torture. Even after being rescued, his first thought is Zhang Ping’s safety.
• Liu Sishan: Acts decisively and compassionately, interrupting the interrogation, rescuing Liu Tiefeng, and treating his injuries.
• Heavenly Fox: Is revealed to be cruel, powerful, and willing to torture an elderly man, but becomes fearful when Prince Yue’s attention turns against it. Its confidence collapses further after Zhang Ping unexpectedly withstands Prince Yue’s attacks.
• Prince Yue: Displays overwhelming strength and authority. His displeasure causes Heavenly Fox to retreat, while his attacks nearly overwhelm Zhang Ping. He recognizes Zhang Ping as a serious threat.
• Situ Shibai: Provides crucial assistance at the decisive moment, giving Zhang Ping the one opening needed to kill Heavenly Fox.

Significant Themes

• The moral burden of killing: Zhang Ping believes Zeng Xiaofan deserved death, yet killing still leaves him disturbed. The chapter presents execution as necessary at times but never emotionally simple.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Liu Tiefeng’s refusal to betray Zhang Ping, even under torture, emphasizes the strength of trust and personal bonds.
• Justice and revenge: Zhang Ping’s attack on Heavenly Fox is both retaliation for Liu Tiefeng’s injuries and an attempt to eliminate a continuing threat.
• Power and vulnerability: Even powerful characters can be forced to retreat or rely on allies. Zhang Ping survives Prince Yue’s overwhelming attacks only through strategy, assistance, and his defensive abilities.
• Determination under pressure: Zhang Ping remains focused despite fear and exhaustion, using timing and tactical judgment rather than brute strength alone.

Important Character Interactions

• Heavenly Fox and Liu Tiefeng: A brutal interrogation contrasts Heavenly Fox’s cruelty with Liu Tiefeng’s stubborn loyalty.
• Liu Sishan and Liu Tiefeng: She protects and heals him, while he warns her to eliminate the attacker before Zhang Ping is endangered.
• Zhang Ping and Heavenly Fox: Their confrontation shifts from Heavenly Fox’s confidence to desperation as Zhang Ping survives and ultimately kills it.
• Zhang Ping and Prince Yue: Prince Yue’s attacks test Zhang Ping’s defensive limits and force him to rely on Nether Mist, strategy, and escape techniques.
• Zhang Ping and Situ Shibai: Situ Shibai’s intervention creates the decisive opening, allowing Zhang Ping to deliver the killing blow before fleeing Prince Yue.

Plot points and events

• After seeing the Heavenly Fox’s corpse, Prince Yue destroys Iron Soul with his tails. Zhang Ping escapes Mingzhu City through a canal, resolved to return and kill Prince Yue, though he recognizes the vast gap between their strength.
• Zhang Ping reunites with Liu Sishan and the injured Liu Tiefeng in a Cleanup Team safe house. He explains that fox Mutated Beasts have taken control of Mingzhu City and that the city remains dangerous.
• Liu Sishan gives Zhang Ping Golden Blood as a reward for the information he provided. He drinks it and awakens a new ability: Pure Blood Body.
• Zhang discovers that Pure Blood Body lets him sense living beings and merge with someone to heal injuries, including scars. He realizes he can use it to treat Liu Tiefeng and tells Liu Sishan he would like to talk with her afterward.

Character developments

• Zhang Ping accepts that his identity has been exposed and that he cannot safely return to Mingzhu City for now. His guilt over Liu Tiefeng’s injury eases when Liu Tiefeng tells him he did nothing wrong. His new ability gives him a way to help others, and he becomes aware of the scars Liu Sishan hides.
• Liu Tiefeng bears the loss of his arm with stoicism, reassuring Zhang Ping and putting the wider struggle against the foxes ahead of his own injury.
• Liu Sishan remains composed and practical, but her reaction to Zhang’s offer to treat her scars reveals pain beneath her reserve.

Character interactions

• Liu Tiefeng comforts Zhang Ping and urges him to focus on the danger facing Mingzhu City rather than blame himself.
• Zhang thanks Liu Sishan for saving Liu Tiefeng; she explains that Zhang’s identity has been exposed and advises him to wait for the Cleanup Team captain’s instructions.
• After Zhang reveals Pure Blood Body’s healing power, Liu Sishan asks him to treat Liu Tiefeng first. She then agrees to speak with him, though her sorrow suggests the conversation may be difficult.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: Liu Tiefeng accepts severe injury in service of protecting others and opposing the foxes.
• Care and responsibility: Zhang’s gratitude and determination to heal Liu Tiefeng show how strongly he feels responsible for those close to him.
• Hidden pain and trust: Zhang’s new ability exposes Liu Sishan’s concealed scars, opening the possibility of a more personal conversation.
• Power and vulnerability: Zhang’s resolve to face Prince Yue contrasts with his awareness that he is vastly outmatched.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Ping explains to himself that Liu Sishan’s facial scar is her choice to keep; he will not pressure her to remove it. He trusts and respects her as a capable comrade, though he has no romantic interest in her.
• Back at the safe house, Zhang uses his Pure Blood ability to heal Liu Tiefeng’s hidden injuries and regrow his severed arm and hand. The process costs Zhang a great deal of blood, but Liu’s new arm is fully restored.
• Zhang’s healing reveals that Liu’s injury had shortened his expected lifespan by seven years. Zhang is deeply troubled by this and commits to restoring him.
• Liu Tiefeng learns that Zhang can gain many different abilities and concludes that he is an Infinite-Tier Ability User—a rarity unseen in Mingzhu City for over two centuries. He warns Zhang to conceal this fact, since even such a powerful Awakened can have dangerous enemies.
• At Vast Sea Academy, Chen Xueli remains on guard after his granddaughter Chen Juntaing disappeared. With no news of her, he orders the academy to evacuate Mingzhu City through a secret passage. The chapter ends as a disciple questions the decision and the immense risks of leaving.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Ping demonstrates both the extraordinary potential of his abilities and his compassion: he spends his own blood to heal Liu Tiefeng. He remains considerate of Liu Sishan’s autonomy and sees her as a trusted ally rather than a romantic prospect.
• Liu Sishan helps care for Liu Tiefeng but remains cautious and guarded. Her loyalty is to Mingzhu City, and she does not fully trust even people she respects.
• Liu Tiefeng shifts from viewing Zhang as a young man under his care to recognizing him as a vital asset—and possible future protector—of Mingzhu City. He responds with excitement but also gives Zhang practical advice about staying safe.
• Chen Xueli is anxious and protective after his granddaughter’s disappearance. His decision to evacuate reflects the seriousness of the danger, while his disciple’s resistance highlights the uncertainty facing the academy.

Significant themes

• Respect for personal choice: Zhang refuses to impose his opinion about Liu Sishan’s scar.
• Sacrifice and care: Zhang uses his own blood to restore Liu Tiefeng, showing how power can serve others at personal cost.
• Power and responsibility: Zhang’s Infinite-Tier status makes him extraordinarily valuable, but also a target; secrecy becomes essential.
• Loyalty and trust: Liu Sishan’s devotion to the city coexists with deep mistrust, while the academy’s members show strong communal loyalty.
• Uncertainty and survival: The academy’s dangerous evacuation underscores the costs of protecting people when familiar ground is no longer safe.