Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Breath-Concealing Gem”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the last moment, Zhang Ping opens a Gem Gate directly in the Firebird’s path. The enormous beast flies through the gate and is teleported away from the group.
• Zhang Ping emerges carrying the injured or unconscious Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu, much to everyone’s relief. The group, who had believed they were about to die, celebrates their survival.
• Zhang explains that the Gem Gate is two-way, meaning the Firebird has been transported into Base 08 and may soon escape. The group therefore resumes fleeing toward the Changsha River.
• Zhang reveals that he located them through the Wind Whisperer, which allowed him to hear their conversation. Although he appeared confident, he admits internally that he had been terrified of losing his companions.
• An explosion and earthquake signal that the Firebird is breaking free. As the group runs, Zhang creates a Golden Finger Gem, hoping to enhance his next ability.
• The resulting Breath-Concealing Gem is unexpectedly amplified: instead of hiding only Zhang’s aura, it conceals the auras of every living creature within ten meters of him for thirty minutes.
• Once the group enters the aura-blocking field, the Firebird abruptly stops pursuing them. When Lu Han steps outside the barrier, the Firebird begins moving again, confirming that it is tracking their auras.
• The group concludes that someone is controlling or directing the Firebird, possibly the Zhu Family, whose ancient identity as the Sun Clan is connected to the Sun Godbird.
• Rather than abandoning anyone, the group decides to continue together toward the Trial Grounds.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates ingenuity and courage by using the Gem Gate tactically rather than confronting the Firebird directly. He also reveals a more vulnerable side, admitting that the thought of losing his companions frightened him deeply.
• Liu Sishan openly shows her emotional attachment to Zhang Ping by checking that he is alive, even crying with relief. Their playful exchange reinforces their growing intimacy.
• Bai De, Cheng Xuejie, Zhang Shouzhong, and the others experience intense fear and relief, highlighting how close the group came to death and how strongly they rely on one another.
• Feng Laixian remains an important source of battlefield awareness, detecting the Firebird’s movements and helping interpret the threat.
• Zhang Shouzhong emphasizes the group’s unity by insisting they bring the Zhao brothers along and refuse to abandon anyone.
• Situ Shibai contributes crucial historical knowledge by identifying the likely connection between the Firebird and the Zhu Family.

Significant Themes

• Resourcefulness over brute strength: Zhang survives by exploiting the Gem Gate’s mechanics and later uses the Breath-Concealing Gem to counter the Firebird’s tracking method.
• Fear of loss and emotional attachment: Zhang’s actions are driven not merely by heroism but by his terror of losing people he values.
• Team loyalty and solidarity: The group refuses to sacrifice the injured Zhao brothers or separate from Zhang Ping, choosing to face the danger together.
• Hidden enemies and strategic uncertainty: The Firebird is revealed to be part of a larger attack, suggesting that an unknown faction is targeting the group.
• Relief amid danger: Humor and emotional reactions after the rescue briefly relieve the tension before the threat returns.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping jokes with Bai De after the rescue, while Bai De responds with an affectionate embrace and relieved laughter.
• Liu Sishan anxiously examines Zhang Ping, and their teasing exchange suggests romantic chemistry.
• Zhang Ping explains his rescue method and the Gem Gate’s properties to the group.
• Zhang Shouzhong questions Zhang Ping’s decisions but ultimately supports him, carrying the Zhao brothers and urging everyone toward safety.
• The group cooperatively tests the Breath-Concealing Gem through Lu Han, confirming that the Firebird is tracking their aura.
• Feng Laixian, Bai De, Liu Sishan, and Situ Shibai debate the identity of the enemy, while Cheng Xuejie supports the decision to proceed together to the Trial Grounds.

Key plot points

• To protect the ancient ruins from the Sun Godbird, the group changes course for the Investigation Team’s Training Grounds. Situ Shibai explains that the ruins conceal anyone who enters, but warns that an enemy ambush may be waiting outside.
• Zhang Ping has only thirty minutes of concealment left, so the group must reach the grounds quickly. Their route also crosses the back of Mountain Ancestor, a king-level Mutated Beast. Morning glories will keep it from attacking because it dislikes their smell.
• As the rain stops, Zhang worries that he cannot replenish blood as efficiently without sunlight. Making King’s Gems costs blood, so he must carefully balance gem-making with recovery.
• He discovers that Bomb Gems become individually more powerful when they touch. He also creates a Hole-Opening Gem, which can bore a three-meter-wide passage through up to a hundred meters of nonliving material, and saves a Golden Finger Gem for later use.

Character developments

• Zhang Ping remains resourceful, testing his abilities and managing his limited reserves even while under pressure.
• Feng Laixian reveals that he knows of Mountain Ancestor from an old friend, prompting Situ Shibai to confirm the creature’s location and weakness.
• Zhao Yanhu recognizes that Zhang Ping is unusually considerate compared with Cheng Xuejie and Zhang Shouzhong, who treat him harshly as a prisoner.

Significant themes

• Preparation and survival: The group must anticipate both the Sun Godbird and a possible human ambush, while also finding a way past Mountain Ancestor.
• Limits and trade-offs: Zhang Ping’s powers are useful but costly; blood loss, recovery time, and the weather constrain how much he can do.
• Unexpected practicality: Even a powerful beast can be avoided by exploiting a simple preference, while Zhang Ping’s varied gems offer creative solutions to obstacles.

Character interactions

• Situ Shibai reassures the group about the ruins, warns of a possible ambush, and leaves Zhang curious about why morning glories matter.
• Feng Laixian supplies the explanation, and Zhang accepts the beast’s food preference as reasonable.
• Cheng Xuejie and Zhang Shouzhong threaten and belittle Zhao Yanhu; Zhao contrasts their behavior with Zhang Ping’s.
• Liu Sishan asks Zhang about his gem-making ability as he continues producing new gems.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Ping creates and tests a Floating Cannon Gem, which rises into the sky, targets an enemy through his gaze, and fires a powerful Light Cannon once before disappearing.
• A frightened Thunderclap Savage Bull charges toward the group. Zhang Ping destroys it with the cannon in a single shot. Feng Laixian explains that the blast could kill most Top-Tier Awakened if it hit directly.
• Zhang Ping recognizes the gem as a potent but limited-use weapon, useful as a backup rather than a reliable force unless he can make many of them.
• The group searches for morning glories, scarce after the Sun Godbird’s rampage. While working, Zhang Ping overhears a conversation and realizes Situ Shibai was right: an Investigation Team is waiting to ambush them.
• The chapter reveals that the ambush is led by Zhu Yanbing, a Zhu Family agent who infiltrated the Investigation Team, took command of the Gui Team, and replaced its members with family loyalists.
• Zhu Yanbing’s team has waited nearly two days for Zhang Ping. He warns them that Zhang may be concealing more abilities than he has revealed, but several teammates dismiss the danger because Zhang is only an Intermediate Awakened.
• The team’s confidence rests partly on its three Top-Tier Awakened members and their powerful special equipment. Zhu Sanchi, one of them, believes Feng Laixian is the real threat.

Character developments

• Zhang Ping gains a powerful new ranged attack and learns its strengths and limitation. His ability to overhear the conspirators also makes him aware of the impending ambush.
• Feng Laixian assesses the cannon’s lethality and clarifies that his own durability comes chiefly from regeneration, not physical defense.
• Zhu Yanbing is revealed as a patient, entrenched conspirator who has spent years turning his team into a Zhu Family asset. He takes Zhang Ping seriously despite his subordinates’ doubts.
• Zhu Sanchi is introduced as a heavily equipped Top-Tier Awakened whose confidence may cause him to underestimate Zhang Ping.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and underestimation: Zhang Ping’s unusual abilities make his apparent rank a poor measure of his danger.
• Preparation versus limited resources: The Floating Cannon Gem can deliver devastating force, but its one-use nature restricts its battlefield value.
• Infiltration and institutional corruption: The Zhu Family’s capture of the Gui Team shows how a trusted public institution can be turned against the city.
• Overconfidence as a threat: The ambushers’ certainty contrasts with Zhu Yanbing’s caution.

Character interactions

• Bai De alerts Zhang Ping to the approaching beast; Zhang uses the cannon while the group watches, and Feng Laixian and Zhang Shouzhong evaluate its power.
• The Zhu Family team questions Zhu Yanbing about the target and listens to his warning, but Zhu Sanchi and the others respond with laughter and confidence.
• Zhang Ping’s overhearing of the ambush creates an impending confrontation between his group and the compromised Gui Team.

Chapter Summary: “A Careless Remark”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping and his companions learn that members of the Zhu Family are ambushing the only entrance to the Training Grounds.
• The enemy force includes at least two Top-Tier Awakened, giving the Zhu Family a clear advantage in high-level combat power.
• Feng Laixian estimates that, during the day, he can fight more than two Top-Tier Awakened because of his exceptional strength.
• Zhang Ping claims he can probably handle one Top-Tier Awakened himself. His confidence comes from possessing five Super-Tier Abilities, including the Nethermist Body and abilities connected to the character “King.”
• Bai De doubts Zhang Ping’s ability to challenge someone of a higher tier, but Zhang Ping explains that most Top-Tier Awakened lack Feng Laixian’s extraordinary vitality and can still be killed by attacks on their vital points.
• Liu Sishan proposes determining the exact number of enemies: they will attack directly if there are fewer than three Top-Tier Awakened, but attempt to bypass the ambush if there are more.
• Since the Training Grounds have only one entrance, Liu Sishan suggests that Zhang Ping use his mysterious “door” ability to find another route.
• While joking that “the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility,” Zhang Ping unintentionally inspires the Zhao brothers.
• Zhao Yanhu and Zhao Yanlong, previously treated as expendable tools, realize that Zhang Ping genuinely values their lives because he risked himself to save them.
• The brothers suddenly swear loyalty to Zhang Ping, prostrating themselves before him and declaring that they will follow him for life, leaving Zhang Shouzhong and the others shocked.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping: Demonstrates growing confidence in his abilities and his willingness to shoulder responsibility for the group. Although his remark is casual, his actions have made him a moral leader in the eyes of others.
• Liu Sishan: Acts as the group’s practical strategist, weighing the enemy’s numbers and proposing different plans based on the level of danger.
• Feng Laixian: Shows immense confidence in his own combat ability and reinforces the group’s belief that the situation may still be manageable.
• Bai De: Remains cautious and skeptical of Zhang Ping’s ability to overcome differences in rank, though he appreciates Zhang Ping’s words and even considers adopting them as a family motto.
• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu: Experience a major shift in loyalty and self-worth. Having once viewed themselves as disposable instruments, they now choose to follow Zhang Ping because he treats them as valuable individuals.
• Zhang Shouzhong and the others: Are bewildered by the brothers’ sudden behavior and do not immediately understand the emotional impact Zhang Ping’s earlier actions had on them.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and power: The phrase “the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility” becomes the chapter’s central idea. Zhang Ping may say it carelessly, but his actions embody it.
• Recognition of human worth: The Zhao brothers have been valued only for their usefulness. Zhang Ping’s willingness to risk his life for them convinces them that their lives matter.
• Loyalty earned through action: The brothers’ devotion does not arise from rank or authority, but from Zhang Ping’s concrete act of saving them.
• Strength versus strategy: The group cannot rely solely on combat power; they must assess enemy numbers, exploit differences in ability, and potentially use Zhang Ping’s unique power to avoid a direct confrontation.
• Unexpected influence: A casual remark can profoundly affect people when it reflects behavior they have already witnessed.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Sishan and Zhang Ping discuss whether to confront or evade the Zhu Family’s ambush.
• Feng Laixian reassures the group that he can handle multiple Top-Tier Awakened under daylight conditions.
• Bai De challenges Zhang Ping’s confidence, prompting Zhang Ping to explain the difference between fighting humans and fighting Mutated Beasts.
• Liu Sishan relies on Zhang Ping’s door ability as a possible solution to the blocked entrance.
• Bai De praises Zhang Ping’s remark, while the Zhao brothers interpret it as an explanation for why Zhang Ping saved them.
• The Zhao brothers publicly pledge themselves to Zhang Ping, transforming their relationship from expendable subordinates or outsiders into devoted followers.

Plot points and events

• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu come to see Zhang Ping’s rescue of them as an expression of conviction: he values their lives as fellow human beings, rather than treating them as disposable tools. They decide they would rather follow him than return to the Sanctuary.
• Zhang Ping is caught off guard when they kneel and pledge themselves to him. Their enthusiasm stems from his offhand use of the saying, “The greater one’s ability, the greater one’s responsibility”—a principle he admits he does not particularly believe in.
• Unsure how to judge the brothers’ past killings of people from other villages, Zhang Ping offers them Contract Gems, warning them that the choice is irreversible. Both swallow and digest the gems, becoming his summoned beasts.
• After healing their injuries, Zhang Ping tells them not to treat themselves as special subordinates: they are free to leave, but welcome as ordinary team members. He then asks them to scout ahead for enemies and Top-Tier Awakened, cautioning them to stay safe.
• The team watches the brothers leave and jokes about why they are so devoted to Zhang Ping, briefly teasing him over supposed mind control and romantic interest.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu shift from seeing Zhang Ping as an odd do-gooder to trusting and admiring him. Their willingness to swallow the Contract Gems demonstrates the seriousness of their commitment.
• Zhang Ping accepts their offer but preserves their autonomy, refusing to treat them as mere servants. He remains uneasy about being idealized and about making judgments on their past.
• The team is surprised by the brothers’ devotion and speculates that they may regard Zhang Ping as a god. Zhang Ping jokes that, if he had mind control, he would choose someone else; the others playfully misread this as a confession of attraction, then distance themselves from Zhang Shouzhong after his awkward remark about the brothers being twins.

Significant themes

• Conviction and leadership: A seemingly casual statement can inspire others to follow a person they believe embodies it.
• Human dignity and responsibility: Zhang Ping’s rescue matters because he treats the brothers as people whose lives have value.
• Consent and autonomy: Though the brothers become summoned beasts, Zhang Ping stresses that they are free to choose whether to stay and rejects special treatment.
• Moral uncertainty: The chapter leaves unresolved whether the brothers’ past victims were truly innocent, highlighting the difficulty of judging violence between settlements.

Chapter Summary: “Nine Against Nine”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Sun Godbird’s rampage has devastated the forest, forcing surviving animals and Mutated Beasts toward the outskirts.
• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu travel through the damaged forest, gathering animals as part of their first mission for Zhang Ping. Their exchange highlights Yanhu’s playful nature and Yanlong’s more serious personality.
• The Investigation Team, led by Zhu Yanbing, establishes an ambush at the only route into the training grounds. Zhu Yanzhi uses a contracted hamster to scout the area.
• When the hamster observes Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu, Zhu Sanchi kills the scouting bird accompanying them with a golden spear, revealing that the Investigation Team has detected their presence.
• Zhao Yanhu uses the surrounding animals—especially snakes—to determine the Investigation Team’s exact composition: nine members, including three Top-Tier Awakened and six High-Level Awakened.
• After the hamster is bitten by a snake, Zhu Yanzhi transforms it into a giant white bear, showing the dangerous nature of his ability and his anger toward the “savages.”
• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu avoid direct combat and return to Zhang Ping with the intelligence they gathered.
• Zhang Ping realizes his group is numerically disadvantaged among the High-Level Awakened: his side initially has five against the enemy’s six. Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu volunteer to join the battle, bringing the number of High-Level fighters to seven.
• With the Breath-Concealing Gem’s effect about to expire, Zhang Ping orders the group to attack quickly and break through the checkpoint into the training grounds.

Character Developments

• Zhao Yanlong is shown as responsible, cautious, and focused on completing his mission. He restrains his brother’s joking and correctly chooses reconnaissance over an unwinnable battle.
• Zhao Yanhu is playful, talkative, and eager to prove himself. Despite his joking attitude, he demonstrates valuable intelligence-gathering abilities through the animals and willingly steps forward to fight for Zhang Ping.
• Zhu Yanbing acts as a careful and strategic commander. Rather than pursue the two scouts blindly, he maintains his defensive position and recognizes the possibility that they are deliberately gathering information.
• Zhu Sanchi is confident and aggressive, openly attacking the enemy’s bird and enjoying the opportunity to provoke them.
• Cao Fang provides a more skeptical and sarcastic perspective, questioning Zhu Sanchi’s reckless decision to reveal their position.
• Zhu Yanzhi is deeply attached to his contracted hamster. When it is injured, his anger reveals a more emotional and vindictive side, leading him to transform it into a powerful bear.
• Zhang Ping displays leadership by assessing the numerical disadvantage and assigning opponents, while Liu Sishan reinforces the team’s confidence and discipline by insisting that seven fighters should defeat six.

Significant Themes

• Reconnaissance versus direct confrontation: Both sides prioritize gathering information before committing to battle, showing that strategy and knowledge are as important as individual strength.
• Numbers and battlefield advantage: The chapter emphasizes how even a single extra combatant can create a snowball effect, making numerical balance a major concern.
• Loyalty and duty: Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu volunteer to fight for Zhang Ping, demonstrating their willingness to repay his trust and support.
• Civilization and cultural diversity: The discussion of Opera Village and the varied customs of villages outside Mingzhu City highlights the diversity of human society and the characters’ differing backgrounds.
• Human-animal cooperation: Animals serve as scouts, weapons, and transformed combatants, reflecting the importance of contracts and abilities involving beasts.
• Confidence versus caution: Zhu Sanchi’s aggression contrasts with Zhu Yanbing’s restraint, while Zhang Ping must combine confidence with careful tactical planning.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Yanhu teases Zhao Yanlong about his formal oath, while Yanlong responds impatiently, reinforcing their humorous but familiar sibling relationship.
• Zhu Sanchi and Cao Fang argue over whether attacking the scouting bird was wise, revealing contrasting personalities within the Investigation Team.
• Zhu Yanbing and his teammates debate whether the two scouts are frightened, gathering intelligence, or working for Zhang Ping; this establishes the team’s cautious approach.
• Zhang Ping consults Liu Sishan about the team’s ability to overcome the numerical disadvantage. Liu Sishan responds firmly, challenging the Cleanup Team to prove its competence.
• Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu publicly pledge themselves to Zhang Ping’s battle plan, changing the matchup from an apparent disadvantage to seven High-Level fighters against six.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Ping’s group advances toward the Training Grounds, preparing for an ambush. Zhang Ping creates more gems and gives Explosive Gems to his allies; he can selectively grant others permission to use the King’s Gem.
• A transforming hamster attacks Bai De, briefly becoming a huge white bear before disappearing. Bai warns the group not to meet its strength head-on.
• The team spots the enormous Mountain Ancestor—a giant toad—but stays focused on the approaching fight.
• Feng Laixian blasts an enemy lookout from his hiding place. Zhang Ping then kills the exposed Awakened with a Floating Cannon Gem.
• Zhu Sanchi answers with a powerful Light Spear aimed at Zhang Ping, but Zhang blocks it with a golden Lotus Shield.
• Zhu Yanbing’s Gui Team attacks. Their member Cao Fang turns the ground into a steel Life-and-Death Arena, trapping both factions until one side is wiped out. The two groups take positions, poised to fight.

Character developments

• Zhang Ping shows strategic preparation and decisive leadership: despite disliking violence, he prioritizes protecting his allies and accepts that killing may be necessary.
• Bai De demonstrates quick reactions and warns the others about the hamster-bear’s strength.
• Zhu Sanchi is surprised that his full-powered attack cannot overcome Zhang Ping, while Zhu Yanbing becomes more determined to eliminate him before he grows stronger.
• Cao Fang reveals a dangerous ability that can force both teams into a fight to the death.

Significant themes

• Protection versus mercy: Zhang Ping’s reluctance to kill is outweighed by his resolve to keep his companions safe.
• Fear of rising power: The Zhu Family sees Zhang Ping’s potential as an existential threat because he may become another Infinite-Tier Ability User.
• Escalation and entrapment: The ambush becomes an open, unavoidable battle once the arena seals both sides in.

Character interactions

• Zhang Ping equips Zhang Shouzhong and others with gems, sharing power on his own terms.
• Bai De’s clash with the hamster-bear alerts the group to the danger nearby.
• Feng Laixian and Zhang Ping coordinate to expose and eliminate a lookout.
• Zhu Sanchi attacks Zhang Ping, whose shield withstands the strike; Zhu Yanbing then rallies his team and leads the charge.
• At the chapter’s close, Zhang Ping and Zhu Yanbing face each other across the arena as battle becomes inevitable.

Chapter Summary: “Focus Fire”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Ping uses Appraisal Technique to inspect the three strongest members of the Beast-Taming Zhu Family:
  • Zhu Yanbing, a Level 36 Top-Tier Awakened whose Monster Evil Embryo grants tentacles, an aggressive evil aura, and a powerful Evil God transformation.
  • Zhu Sanchi, a Level 35 Top-Tier Awakened who fights with a Light Spear, explosive light, illusions, and rotational attacks.
  • Zhu Rina, a Level 37 fire-element user capable of compressing energy, increasing flame temperature, and creating a miniature sun by sacrificing her lifespan.
• Zhang realizes that Zhu Yanbing is the most dangerous opponent, while Zhu Sanchi and Zhu Rina are comparatively better suited for Feng Laixian to fight.
• He quickly appraises the remaining enemies and organizes his side’s battle assignments. Extra allies are designated to support whichever fights can be resolved fastest.
• The Zhu Family does not follow the expected one-on-one arrangement. Instead, Zhu Yanbing, Zhu Sanchi, Zhu Rina, and another High-Level Awakened immediately focus their attacks on Zhang Ping.
• Zhu Yanbing attacks with his black saber, Zhu Sanchi thrusts a Light Spear at Zhang Ping, and Zhu Rina launches a miniature sun at him from above.
• Zhang survives the combined assault by hiding within the Nether Mist and activating several Petal Shield Gems that Situ Shibai had advised him to prepare.
• The explosion severely injures Zhu Yanbing and Zhu Sanchi as well. Zhang emerges from the mist and begins healing himself with purified water.
• Zhu Sanchi, shocked that Zhang survived the attack, calls him a “monster” before collapsing.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates caution and strategic awareness despite initially feeling intimidated by Zhu Yanbing’s overwhelming abilities. His Appraisal Technique allows him to identify threats and rapidly develop a battle plan.
• He also shows that he has learned from Situ Shibai’s advice. Rather than relying solely on his own strength, he prepares defensive measures in advance, allowing him to survive the Zhu Family’s ambush.
• Zhu Yanbing is revealed to be ruthless and tactically focused. He abandons conventional dueling etiquette and prioritizes killing Zhang Ping above all else.
• Zhu Sanchi and Zhu Rina display strong cooperation with Yanbing, willingly combining their attacks even at the risk of injuring their own allies.
• Feng Laixian accepts responsibility for engaging Zhu Sanchi and Zhu Rina, but the Zhu Family’s sudden focus-fire strategy forces the battle into chaos.
• Situ Shibai’s foresight proves valuable, as his warning enables Zhang Ping to prepare for the Zhu Family’s attack.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus overwhelming force: The Zhu Family relies on superior numbers, powerful abilities, and a coordinated ambush, but Zhang Ping’s prior preparation prevents their attack from succeeding.
• Experience and strategy: Zhang recognizes the value of battlefield experience and careful observation. The chapter emphasizes that survival depends not only on strength but also on anticipating an enemy’s tactics.
• Unfair and ruthless combat: The Zhu Family rejects balanced individual battles and concentrates all available power on Zhang Ping, highlighting their determination and willingness to disregard conventional rules.
• Hidden power and deception: Zhang’s Nether Mist, Reaper’s Mask, Appraisal Technique, and concealed defensive gems allow him to mislead enemies and survive attacks they believe are decisive.
• The danger of transformation: Zhu Yanbing’s Monster Evil Embryo suggests that his power comes at the cost of altered instincts and increasing aggression, foreshadowing a potentially more monstrous form.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping consults with Feng Laixian and assigns her Zhu Sanchi and Zhu Rina.
• He orders Zhao Yanhu and Zhao Yanlong to follow his commands and directs the others according to the enemy’s abilities.
• Zhu Yanbing openly announces the beginning of the battle and immediately targets Zhang Ping.
• Zhu Sanchi and Zhu Rina coordinate with Yanbing in a simultaneous assault, showing the Zhu Family’s unified focus.
• Feng Laixian attempts to advance through the blast but is forced back by the shockwave.
• After surviving, Zhang taunts or reassures the others from within the Nether Mist, while Zhu Sanchi reacts with disbelief before losing consciousness.

Summary of “Three Thousand Resentful Spirits”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Sanchi is revealed to be an Awakened with high offensive power but weak defenses. He survived Zhu Rina’s earlier attack only because he wore armor supplied by his family.
• Zhu Yanbing suddenly recovers from his injuries. His eyes turn black, blood vessels spread across his body, and his wounds regenerate, revealing his extraordinary healing ability.
• Zhu Yanbing attacks Zhang Ping with elongated tentacles, but Zhang Ping’s true body is hidden inside his Grim Reaper-like Nether Mist form as pure water. The tentacles pass through the illusion, allowing Zhang Ping to sever them and counterattack with the Fear War Scythe.
• Zhu Rina interferes by restraining the scythe with her flaming whip, giving Zhu Yanbing time to recover. Feng Laixian then orders everyone to engage their assigned opponents.
• Zhang Ping and Zhu Yanbing clash directly. Although Zhang Ping’s Nether Mist can wield the scythe, Zhu Yanbing’s physical strength is greater, forcing Zhang Ping backward.
• Zhu Yanbing activates a dangerous family trump card: he swallows the Evil Grudge Eye, causing purple evil energy to form armor around him and an eye to appear on his chest. This begins his Monster Awakening and prepares him for a later Evil God Transformation.
• Before Zhu Yanbing can complete the transformation, Feng Laixian intervenes. He throws Zhu Yanbing aside and attacks him with a fire dragon made from Great Sun True Fire.
• Feng Laixian has already defeated Zhu Rina, who lies gravely wounded or possibly dead. His abilities strongly counter her fire-based powers, allowing him to enter the Great Sun Red Emperor Form rapidly.
• Zhu Yanbing fires purple beams from the eyes on his tentacles, but Feng Laixian charges through them. Feng’s yang-based flames overwhelm Zhu Yanbing’s evil aura and interrupt his transformation.
• Zhu Yanbing’s chest-eye fires a red beam that pierces and knocks Feng Laixian back. However, the Evil Grudge Eye begins to emerge uncontrollably from Zhu Yanbing’s body.
• Zhu Yanbing realizes he must complete Evil God Transformation quickly. The Evil Grudge Eye contains countless resentful undead spirits and cannot be controlled until he reaches that state, leaving him in severe danger.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates the versatility of his Nether Mist, using it defensively to conceal his true body and offensively to control weapons and sever tentacles. Despite appearing unharmed, he is secretly injured.
• Zhu Yanbing is shown to possess powerful regeneration, immense physical strength, and multiple monstrous abilities. His desperation leads him to use the dangerous Evil Grudge Eye, even though it may overwhelm him.
• Feng Laixian emerges as a decisive counterforce. His Great Sun True Fire is especially effective against evil and yin-based abilities, allowing him to defeat Zhu Rina and disrupt Zhu Yanbing’s transformation.
• Zhu Rina suffers a major defeat after Feng Laixian exploits the natural incompatibility between her powers and his own.
• Zhu Sanchi is characterized as offensively powerful but physically vulnerable, surviving only through protective equipment.

Significant Themes

• Power versus survivability: Even powerful Awakened can be defeated if their defenses or compatibility with an opponent’s abilities are weak.
• Elemental and conceptual countering: Feng Laixian’s yang-aligned Great Sun True Fire naturally suppresses Zhu Yanbing’s yin-based evil aura and Zhu Rina’s abilities.
• The danger of uncontrolled power: The Evil Grudge Eye grants tremendous energy but contains countless resentful spirits and threatens to overwhelm its user.
• Hidden strength and deception: Zhang Ping’s apparent invulnerability is partly an illusion, as he conceals his injuries within the Nether Mist.
• Transformation and sacrifice: Zhu Yanbing risks losing control and undergoing a monstrous transformation in order to survive and defeat Zhang Ping.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping vs. Zhu Yanbing: Their battle centers on Zhang Ping’s deceptive, mist-based defense and Zhu Yanbing’s overwhelming physical strength and regeneration.
• Zhu Rina and Zhang Ping: Zhu Rina briefly assists Zhu Yanbing by restraining Zhang Ping’s scythe, preventing Zhang Ping from finishing him.
• Feng Laixian and Zhu Rina: Feng decisively defeats Zhu Rina because his Great Sun True Fire is a natural counter to her powers.
• Feng Laixian and Zhu Yanbing: Feng interrupts Zhu Yanbing’s transformation and nearly destroys his evil armor, forcing Zhu Yanbing into a desperate struggle to regain control of the Evil Grudge Eye.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhu Yanbing’s chest eye begins violently struggling against him, its demonic power disrupting his attempts to awaken the Monster Evil Embryo. His body mutates, growing countless tiny limbs.
• Feng Laixian recovers from his chest wound and attacks Zhu Yanbing with Great Sun True Fire and repeated blasts of Chaos Breath. Although Zhu Yanbing’s flesh is torn apart, the demonic eye remains unharmed.
• Zhang Ping observes that the Cleanup Team has gained an overwhelming advantage. Their injuries are mostly healed, while the Zhu Family’s strongest fighters have been defeated or neutralized.
• Zhu Yanbing suddenly loses control and transforms into a grotesque mass covered in eyes, mouths, hands, and feet. The sight horrifies both sides.
• His allies realize that the captain has gone berserk. Cao Fang is unable to cancel her own ability because the battle has not ended, while Zhu Yanzhi desperately tries to remind Zhu Yanbing that they are allies.
• Zhu Yanbing’s numerous eyes kill Zhu Yanzhi and another Awakened with devastating beams, attacking friend and foe indiscriminately.
• Feng Laixian intervenes, enduring the smaller eye-beams and repeatedly attacking Zhu Yanbing. He uses his Ape King Form and “Heaven-Descending Great Sage” to split Zhu Yanbing’s body in half.
• Zhu Yanbing survives and mutates further, forming a massive, scorpion-like body. His limbs expand, his upper and lower halves reconnect with black blood vessels, and the Evil Grudge Eye emerges from his chest.
• Zhang Ping senses a connection with the eye and uses Appraisal Technique. He witnesses a horrifying vision from the past: the Zhu Family herding thousands of Zhu City residents—including children, mothers, and the elderly—into a pit while the people believe the Resistance Army may soon save them.
• The excerpt ends as the Zhu Family seals the civilians underground, with the trapped crowd beginning to realize they are being used for some terrible purpose.

2. Character Developments

• Zhu Yanbing: Completely loses control of his demonic power, abandoning his human form and becoming a monstrous embodiment of resentment. His transformation makes him a threat even to his own allies.
• Feng Laixian: Demonstrates overwhelming strength, resilience, and combat skill. He remains composed and aggressively takes responsibility for containing Zhu Yanbing, even after suffering repeated injuries.
• Zhang Ping: Shows tactical awareness by assessing the battlefield rather than rushing into combat. His Appraisal Technique reveals the Evil Grudge Eye’s connection to the Zhu Family’s past atrocities.
• Zhu Yanzhi: Shifts from combatant to terrified victim. Despite identifying Zhu Yanbing as his captain and ally, he is killed without recognition.
• Cao Fang: Realizes that her own ability has trapped her in the conflict: she cannot undo it until one side is completely eliminated. Her confidence gives way to fear and self-preservation.
• Cleanup Team: Their superior preparation and coordination are vindicated as they dominate the battle against the Zhu Family’s forces.

3. Significant Themes

• The danger of uncontrolled power: Zhu Yanbing’s attempt to use demonic abilities results in a loss of identity and indiscriminate violence.
• The corruption of family and loyalty: Zhu Yanbing kills his own subordinate, showing that loyalty cannot survive the Zhu Family’s monstrous practices.
• The consequences of cruelty: The Evil Grudge Eye appears tied to the mass suffering inflicted on Zhu City’s civilians, suggesting that the Zhu Family’s atrocities have created or empowered it.
• Human exploitation: The vision reveals innocent civilians being treated as sacrificial material by those in power.
• Appearance versus humanity: Zhu Yanbing’s disgusting physical transformation reflects the moral horror behind the Zhu Family’s “crooked demonic arts.”
• Strategic preparation and teamwork: The Cleanup Team’s victory demonstrates the value of training, coordination, and defensive abilities against a powerful but overconfident enemy.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Laixian repeatedly attacks and restrains Zhu Yanbing while Zhang Ping observes and evaluates the fight.
• Zhang Shouzhong and Zhao Yanlong overpower Zhu Yanzhi, while Cheng Xuejie, Lu Han, and Liu Sishan eliminate or threaten the remaining enemy Awakened.
• Zhu Yanzhi attempts to appeal to Zhu Yanbing’s loyalty, but Zhu Yanbing’s transformed eyes kill him instantly.
• Feng Laixian protects the battlefield from further slaughter by directly challenging Zhu Yanbing, leading to a brutal exchange in which both fighters survive severe attacks.
• Zhang Ping’s interaction with the Evil Grudge Eye occurs through Appraisal Technique, connecting the present battle to the Zhu Family’s past massacre of civilians.

Summary of “Sanctified World”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Zhu Family subjects a group of ordinary civilians to a horrific sacrificial ritual. Trapped in a pit, the victims are repeatedly exposed to a Mutated Beast egg that randomly kills them over many days, driving the survivors into despair and instability.
• Once the egg is removed, the Zhu Family floods the pit with bloody water containing supernatural blood threads. The victims are torn apart as they struggle to stay afloat, and their corpses and blood are compressed into a vortex.
• A crystal is dropped into the pit and absorbs the blood and bodies. The egg is returned, hatches into a monstrous scorpion-like Mutated Beast, and swallows the crystal. The crystal then becomes an eye on its forehead.
• This creates the Evil Grudge Eye, an organ containing the transformed souls of countless innocent victims. Their endless hatred and suffering provide the eye with seemingly inexhaustible evil power.
• The ritual is intended to strengthen Zhu Yanbing during his Evil God Transformation, potentially giving him enough energy to overwhelm even Feng Laixian.
• Horrified by the ritual, Zhang Ping transforms into his King-Blood Body and confronts Zhu Yanbing. He asks Feng Laixian to leave the battle to him.
• Zhang Ping enters Zhu Yanbing’s body and discovers that the victims’ souls have lost their identities and consciousness. They now function only through an imposed mission of hatred, revenge, and slaughter.
• Realizing that he cannot restore the souls or release them through compassion, Zhang Ping severs Zhu Yanbing’s connection to the Evil Grudge Eye with Nether Mist blades, then kills him.
• After picking up the Evil Grudge Eye, Zhang Ping gains a new ability: the Purifying Realm Gem, which creates a “Sanctified World” within a gemstone on his forehead. It can absorb and nurture spirits, with its nature influenced by Zhang Ping’s heart.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping is deeply affected by the civilians’ suffering, recognizing the despair because of his own past experiences. His compassion remains strong, but he accepts that pity alone cannot save the corrupted spirits.
• His understanding of spiritual beings grows: he realizes the victims are no longer true individuals but distorted entities trapped in an endless cycle of pain.
• Zhang Ping demonstrates increased control and precision, quickly analyzing Zhu Yanbing’s body and severing the Evil Grudge Eye’s connection before killing him.
• Zhu Yanbing is transformed into a monstrous scorpion-like figure and ultimately loses control of himself to the resentful spirits contained within the Evil Grudge Eye.
• Feng Laixian remains present during the confrontation but allows Zhang Ping to take responsibility for defeating Zhu Yanbing.

Significant Themes

• Cruelty and exploitation: The Zhu Family treats innocent people as disposable ingredients in a ritual, exposing the extreme brutality of their pursuit of power.
• Loss of identity: The victims’ souls are stripped of their individuality and reduced to mechanisms of hatred, raising questions about whether they can still be considered the people they once were.
• Suffering as power: The Evil Grudge Eye is created from accumulated pain, resentment, and death, emphasizing how cruelty can be converted into supernatural strength.
• Compassion versus mercy: Zhang Ping sympathizes with the spirits but recognizes that he cannot save them through communication. His final mercy is to end Zhu Yanbing and disrupt the mechanism exploiting their suffering.
• The influence of the heart: The Purifying Realm Gem suggests that Zhang Ping’s inner nature will determine the kind of spirits and world he creates, linking power directly to morality and character.

Character Interactions

• The trapped civilians interact mainly through shared panic and desperate cooperation, repeatedly attempting—and failing—to destroy the egg.
• The Zhu Family never directly engages with the victims, treating them as anonymous ritual materials and revealing their indifference through their actions.
• Zhang Ping briefly confronts the resentful spirits inside Zhu Yanbing, attempting to communicate with them despite their lack of self-awareness.
• Zhang Ping tells Feng Laixian to leave Zhu Yanbing to him, asserting control over the battle.
• In the final confrontation, Zhang Ping uses his understanding of Zhu Yanbing’s connection to the Evil Grudge Eye to defeat and kill him.

Chapter Summary: “The Righteous Have Many Allies”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After forming the Purifying Realm Gem, Zhang Ping discovers that his eight-star potential has been completely consumed.
• The Evil Grudge Eye releases thousands of undead spirits, whose suffering causes him intense pain when one strikes the gem on his forehead.
• Zhang Ping realizes that the gem can purify the undead by absorbing them into the Sanctified World. However, he must personally endure and filter their accumulated resentment and agony.
• Despite the danger, Zhang Ping decides to save them, declaring that he will bear their pain rather than allow them to remain trapped in torment.
• The undead enter the gem one after another. Each transfer forces Zhang Ping to experience the spirit’s repeated deaths and suffering—pain accumulated over more than two centuries.
• Zhang becomes increasingly exhausted, eventually collapsing and losing the ability to scream, while the others watch helplessly.
• At the brink of his endurance, Zhang receives a vision or memory of Su Jingyao encouraging him to hold on.
• Su Jingyao’s blue spirit-form arrives and channels energy into him. The spirits Zhang has already purified also emerge from the Sanctified World and lend him their strength.
• Encouraged and protected by those he saved, Zhang continues purifying the remaining undead.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping demonstrates extraordinary compassion and self-sacrifice. Rather than destroy the undead, he willingly becomes a vessel for their suffering, even when the pain nearly breaks him.
• His understanding of righteousness changes from an ideal into direct action: he accepts personal torment to give helpless victims a chance at peace.
• Su Jingyao shows continued concern for Zhang despite her altered spiritual state. Her arrival proves that she remains connected to him and is willing to risk herself to help him.
• Feng Laixian initially prepares to use his Great Sun True Fire to destroy the undead, but respects Zhang’s command and refrains from intervening.
• Liu Sishan, Zhang Shouzhong, and the others are deeply worried but choose to trust Zhang’s judgment.
• The purified undead develop agency and gratitude, voluntarily returning to support the person who saved them.

Significant Themes

• Compassion through suffering: Zhang Ping’s power requires him to experience the pain of others, emphasizing that true salvation may demand personal sacrifice.
• Redemption and rebirth: The undead are not merely monsters; they are victims trapped in cycles of torture. The Sanctified World offers them freedom and a new existence.
• Trust and solidarity: Zhang asks his companions not to interfere, and they honor that request despite their fear. Their trust becomes essential to his success.
• The righteous are not alone: Zhang’s willingness to help others creates allies in unexpected ways. Those he saves ultimately help save him.
• Breaking cycles of hatred: By absorbing and purifying resentment instead of responding with violence, Zhang transforms accumulated evil into peace.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang and Feng Laixian: Feng tries to protect Zhang by preparing to burn the undead, but Zhang insists that they must not be attacked.
• Zhang and the undead: Zhang consciously accepts their pain and guides them toward rebirth, while the undead instinctively seek his help.
• Zhang and his companions: He asks them to trust him, and they anxiously watch without disrupting the purification.
• Zhang and Su Jingyao: Su Jingyao arrives at Zhang’s lowest point, encouraging and empowering him.
• Zhang and the purified spirits: The relationship becomes reciprocal; after Zhang saves them, they return to comfort, strengthen, and protect him.

Chapter Summary: “Charge into the Training Grounds”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The remaining black undead spirits are purified by Zhang Ping’s Purifying Realm Gem, transforming into peaceful white spirits and entering the Sanctified World to recover.
• Zhang Ping awakens and is overjoyed to see Su Jingyao’s spirit. Although he cannot physically embrace her, she comforts him before returning to the Sanctified World with the other spirits.
• The spirits’ gratitude and transformation lift Zhang Ping’s mood. Liu Sishan is also emotionally moved, realizing she can continue seeking revenge without allowing hatred to consume her.
• With the spiritual crisis over, Zhang Shouzhong and the others confront Cao Fang’s remaining Awakened allies. Zhang Ping offers them a chance to surrender, but Cao Fang refuses, believing there is no hope.
• Zhang Ping discovers that the arena traps everyone inside and blocks outside detection, explaining why the Sun Godbird could not find them earlier. Because the arena will not disappear unless Cao Fang and the others die, Feng Laixian executes them with Great Sun True Fire.
• Feng Laixian also kills the mortally wounded Zhu Sanchi, causing the arena to collapse. This immediately allows the Sun Godbird to sense Zhang Ping and the others.
• The group races toward the Training Grounds, passing the site of the earlier ambush and encountering the Mountain Ancestor, whose enormous body nearly blocks the gateway.
• Cheng Xuejie notices morning glories, which are needed to pass through the gateway. Feng Laixian retrieves them while the others continue running.
• The Sun Godbird erupts from the earth and rapidly closes in. Feng Laixian pushes Zhang Ping, Bai De, Liu Sishan, Zhang Shouzhong, and the others through the narrow entrance one by one.
• Feng Laixian remains outside until everyone else has entered. As the Sun Godbird approaches within fifty meters, he is still ten meters from safety, leaving the chapter on a tense cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping: Recovers from the phantom pain caused by purifying the spirits and becomes more cheerful after seeing their peaceful transformation. He demonstrates compassion by offering Cao Fang’s group a chance to surrender, but accepts that they must die to escape the arena.
• Su Jingyao: Appears as a grateful and affectionate spirit, reassuring Zhang Ping before returning to the Sanctified World.
• Liu Sishan: Is deeply affected by Zhang Ping’s actions. She resolves to pursue revenge without continuing to torment herself emotionally.
• Feng Laixian: Acts decisively and ruthlessly when necessary, executing the enemy and taking responsibility for getting the group into the Training Grounds. His final sacrifice-like stand places him in extreme danger.
• Cao Fang: Completely loses hope because of the arena’s conditions and refuses surrender, choosing death instead.
• The purified spirits: Change from suffering, resentful beings into peaceful and grateful entities, showing the success of Zhang Ping’s power and compassion.

Significant Themes

• Redemption and purification: The transformation of the black spirits represents the release of hatred and suffering through compassion.
• Healing from trauma: Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan both begin moving beyond pain—Zhang Ping through the spirits’ gratitude and Liu Sishan by reconsidering how she pursues revenge.
• Mercy versus necessity: Zhang Ping offers surrender, but the arena’s rules make death unavoidable, forcing the characters to choose between compassion and survival.
• Sacrifice and teamwork: The group relies on Feng Laixian’s strength and willingness to endanger himself so the others can escape.
• Hope amid despair: Even though Cao Fang sees no hope, Zhang Ping’s actions and the spirits’ peaceful transformation suggest that suffering can be overcome.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping attempts to embrace Su Jingyao, but their physical separation emphasizes her spiritual state. She responds tenderly by tapping his forehead and smiling.
• Liu Sishan and Zhang Ping share an unspoken emotional connection as his compassion changes her perspective on revenge.
• Zhang Ping urges Cao Fang and the remaining Awakened to surrender, while Liu Sishan reinforces his warning.
• Feng Laixian makes the final decision to execute the enemies and later personally pushes each ally through the Training Grounds’ entrance.
• The chapter ends with Feng Laixian separated from the others and facing the approaching Sun Godbird alone.

Chapter Summary: “Guardian Spirit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Laixian remains outside the Training Grounds as the Sun Godbird approaches, accepting that he may die so the others—and the “seeds of hope” for Mingzhu City—can survive.
• Just as Feng prepares to face death, the Mountain Ancestor unexpectedly attacks. Its moss-covered tongue pierces and swallows the immensely powerful Sun Godbird in one bite.
• Zhang Ping rescues Feng after Situ Shibai warns that the morning glory Feng carries has withered. The flower had protected Feng from the Mountain Ancestor, though its destruction leaves him vulnerable outside.
• The group learns that the Training Grounds’ outer area is safe from the extreme heat but contains little besides trees. Situ Shibai directs them to a nearby stone cabin where they can rest before entering the deeper Training Grounds.
• Lu Han and Bai De volunteer to scout the surrounding area. Zhang Ping gives them Bomb Gems, allowing him to sense danger if they are forced to use them.
• While resting, Zhang Ping examines Su Jingyao through his Appraisal Technique and discovers that she has become a Lesser Guardian Spirit.
• Her Spirit Guard ability explains that she had previously warned Zhang Ping through a dream when Prince Yue was searching the rooms. Zhang Ping realizes the dream was not coincidence but Su Jingyao’s attempt to protect him.
• Motivated by this discovery, Zhang Ping resolves to strengthen Su Jingyao and eventually seek a way to resurrect her. He then begins meditating with a Contract Gem to recover his Mental Strength.

Character Developments

• Feng Laixian demonstrates courage and self-sacrifice, willingly remaining outside so the others can reach safety. His acceptance of possible death reinforces his devotion to Mingzhu City.
• Zhang Ping becomes increasingly protective and emotionally attached to Su Jingyao. Learning that she has secretly protected him gives him new determination and a personal goal beyond merely surviving.
• Su Jingyao is revealed to retain a protective will despite losing most of her former potential after becoming a spirit. Her abilities show that she can sense danger and aid Zhang Ping indirectly.
• Situ Shibai remains calm and knowledgeable, guiding the group through the crisis and explaining the function of the morning glories and the Training Grounds.
• Bai De and Lu Han show initiative and responsibility by volunteering to investigate the area, while Liu Sishan supports their caution.
• Zhang Ping’s repeated hardships have strengthened his mental resilience, allowing him to enter deep meditation and recover quickly.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and hope: Feng’s willingness to die symbolizes the older generation protecting the younger generation, whom he views as the future guardians of Mingzhu City.
• Unexpected power and humility: The Mountain Ancestor’s effortless destruction of the Sun Godbird overturns the group’s understanding of strength and danger.
• Protection and loyalty: Su Jingyao’s Guardian Spirit abilities represent devotion that persists even after death or transformation.
• Renewal and resurrection: Zhang Ping’s determination to cultivate Su Jingyao hints at the possibility of restoring what was lost and gives him renewed purpose.
• Preparation before advancement: The group’s decision to rest, scout, and gather information emphasizes caution before entering the more dangerous parts of the Training Grounds.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping urges Feng Laixian to enter the Training Grounds, but Feng initially refuses, choosing to face the Sun Godbird.
• Situ Shibai intervenes with timely instructions, enabling Zhang Ping to rescue Feng safely.
• Feng and Zhang Ping briefly discuss the danger of the withered morning glory after returning inside.
• The group reacts with shock to the Mountain Ancestor swallowing the Sun Godbird, while Situ Shibai explains that the morning glories had been planted as a protective measure.
• Liu Sishan, Bai De, and Lu Han coordinate the security of the cabin, with Bai De and Lu Han taking responsibility for scouting.
• Zhang Ping silently connects with Su Jingyao in the Sanctified World, interpreting her peaceful presence and past warning as proof of her continued care for him.

Key plot points and events

• After an uneventful night, Zhang Ping and the others exercise and share breakfast at the cabin.
• Bai De reports that the landscape beyond the woods appears differently to different people: he saw a marsh, while Lu Han saw a desert.
• Situ Shibai explains that the Training Grounds are part of the Ancient Ruins’ outer perimeter, where space is distorted into eight real Special Scenarios: Snake-Insect Rainforest, Venomous Marsh, Flame Scorpion Desert, Wolfpack Snowfield, Monster Island, Lost Plains, Corpse Plateau, and Heaven-Piercing Divine Peak.
• The scenarios form a “combination lock.” To reach the ruins’ entrance, the group must pass through the first seven in order, then climb Heaven-Piercing Divine Peak. Since people may see different scenarios, they can enter one by holding the hand of someone who sees it; alone, they must wait for the landscape to change.
• Only an Infinite-Tier Ability User can enter the ruins, so the team’s task is to get Zhang Ping to the entrance and save Mingzhu City.
• Situ Shibai reveals that time spent inside a scenario does not seem to pass outside: in one test, he spent half an hour inside while his companion observed no time passing.
• At the edge of the woods, the group sees that the landscape differs among them; Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu see a plain.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Ping is disciplined and recovered from the night’s meditation, doing roughly fifteen hundred handstand push-ups before breakfast.
• Zhao Yanlong, Zhao Yanhu, and Bai De join his workout, establishing a cooperative, energetic mood before the journey.
• Bai De shares his patrol findings and questions how the scenarios work; Zhang Ping asks practical questions about reaching the peak and navigating the changing landscapes.
• Situ Shibai acts as the group’s guide, explaining the ruins’ rules while leaving some uncertainty about the nature of time.
• The team’s urgency becomes clear when Lu Han reminds everyone that delays could cost lives in Mingzhu City.

Significant themes

• Preparation and teamwork: The group trains together and relies on one another to navigate the scenarios.
• Uncertainty and distorted reality: The Training Grounds’ shifting, personal landscapes challenge ordinary assumptions about space and time.
• Duty and urgency: The mission is not merely exploration; the group is racing to reach the ruins and protect people in danger.

Plot and events

• Liu Sishan identifies the next trial area as the Rainforest. The group enters together and discovers that sunlight in the canopy forms their mission: hunt a Mourning Crone Bird—a creature none of them recognizes.
• Zhang Ping and Lu Han fly up to survey the forest, but its vast, dense canopy offers no useful landmarks, making navigation difficult.
• Cheng Xuejie suddenly becomes ill. Zhang Ping detects and treats poisoning caused by tiny spores; Liu Sishan and Zhang Shouzhong have also been affected. Zhang Shouzhong produces gas masks to protect the group.
• Zhao Yanhu attracts the local snakes with his blood and communicates with them. They cannot identify the target bird, but they can point toward areas where birds are more plentiful.
• With no better lead, Zhang Ping decides the group should follow the snakes into the forest and search as they go.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Ping is decisive and practical, organizing the search, treating Cheng Xuejie, and choosing to press onward despite the dangers.
• Liu Sishan demonstrates sound judgment and takes the lead into the Rainforest; the others trust her over Zhang Shouzhong during a lighthearted disagreement about identifying the forest.
• Zhang Shouzhong is teased as unreliable, but he contributes by making masks once the spore threat is discovered.
• Zhao Yanhu’s ability to attract and communicate with snakes becomes a valuable scouting tool. His playful exchange with Zhang Shouzhong also shows his confidence with the creatures.
• The group cooperates, shares information, and adapts to an unfamiliar environment.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and trust: The group relies on different members’ strengths to navigate and survive.
• Adaptation to danger: They respond quickly to an invisible environmental threat rather than letting it halt the mission.
• Uncertainty and initiative: With little knowledge of the target and no clear route, they choose action over waiting.
• Nature’s beauty and hostility: The Rainforest is visually striking but disorienting, poisonous, and filled with dangerous wildlife.

Key plot points and events

• The Cleanup Team continues through the humid rainforest in search of a Mourning Crone Bird, with Zhang Ping carrying the energetic Little Sairon.
• Cheng Xuejie tries to befriend Little Sairon with candy, but Zhang Ping explains that the treats Little Sairon likes are Contract Gems. He also warns her against using Absolute Command to force affection.
• Zhang Ping explains that Absolute Command cannot grant abilities or knowledge a target does not already possess.
• Lu Han kills several ordinary birds to feed the snakes, but none is the target they seek. The group worries briefly that they might fail the test; Liu Sishan and Cheng Xuejie insist they should pass it without backing down.
• The team finds a large red tree and an unusually long red feather nearby. The snakes identify it as belonging to a creature called “Cuiyi,” though they cannot explain what that is. The team marks the area so they can return.
• After the group leaves, a half-human, half-bird creature emerges from a crack in the red tree and studies their tracks.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Ping is protective of Little Sairon and careful not to let him wander, while also treating him as a being whose will should not be overridden.
• Cheng Xuejie is fond of Little Sairon and wants to win his trust, though she initially considers command as a shortcut.
• Zhang Shouzhong questions the limits of Absolute Command; Zhang Ping answers with a practical analogy, clarifying both its power and its constraints.
• Liu Sishan takes a cautious, disciplined approach, urging the team to avoid unnecessary risks and keep moving.
• Cheng Xuejie pushes back against the idea of giving up, affirming the Cleanup Team’s confidence in its own ability.
• Zhao Yanhu consults the snakes, while Lu Han’s hunting and feeding of them reflects the team’s routine cooperation with the creatures.

Significant themes

• Consent and trust: Zhang Ping rejects controlling someone’s feelings, presenting genuine affection as something earned rather than commanded.
• Limits of power: Absolute Command can compel action but cannot supply missing knowledge or abilities.
• Team identity and rivalry: The Cleanup Team is determined to prove itself in the Investigation Team’s training grounds despite the organizations’ mutual contempt.
• Curiosity and danger: The mysterious feather and hidden creature suggest the team has encountered something beyond the birds they have been hunting.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• At the Zhu family base, Zhu Zeming visits Zhu Jiuyang and finds the room filled with blood and human “specimens.” Zhu Jiuyang reveals that Zhu Yuanlong failed to kill Zhang Ping and promises to send two specimens, Number Nine and Number Ten, after him.
• Zhu Jiuyang’s ability, Evil Game, lets him win but removes one of his virtuous qualities whenever he loses. Having recently lost honesty, he no longer cares about Zhu Zeming’s request and decides to pursue an Oceanfolk specimen for himself.
• Zhu Jiuyang uses his advanced skill, Jester Coin, to give A-Jiu and A-Shi a mission: kill Zhang Ping. The coins compel their bearers to complete their missions before they can leave the game.
• Meanwhile, Zhang Ping’s group rests in the rainforest. While the others recover, Feng Laixian and Bai De hunt for food, and Giant Serpent A-Da helps guard the camp.
• Cheng Xuejie spots a small spirit emerging around Zhang Ping and is frightened. Zhang Ping explains that the spirit belongs in the Sanctified World. The spirit and Little Sairon become curious about each other and play together.
• A larger, female spirit arrives, gently takes the child spirit back, and bows to Zhang Ping before returning to the Sanctified World with it.

Character developments

• Zhu Jiuyang is shown as cruel and increasingly stripped of his virtues by his ability. Losing honesty has made him more self-serving; he now treats people as specimens and uses A-Jiu and A-Shi as weapons.
• Zhu Zeming is intimidated by Zhu Jiuyang and retreats quickly, though he still hopes Zhu Jiuyang will fulfil his request.
• Zhang Ping remains calm and considerate. He reassures Cheng Xuejie, gently corrects her misunderstanding about Little Sairon, and explains the spirits’ situation.
• Cheng Xuejie is affectionate toward Little Sairon but initially afraid of the child spirit. Her reaction highlights that she is still adjusting to the supernatural world.
• The spirits’ former pain has been cleansed, allowing them to live anew, while their childlike innocence and maternal bond remain.

Significant themes

• Power eroding morality: Zhu Jiuyang’s ability turns each loss into the forfeiture of a virtue, illustrating how power and repeated moral loss can leave someone increasingly inhuman.
• Coercion and exploitation: Zhu Jiuyang uses the Jester Coins to force A-Jiu and A-Shi into a deadly mission.
• Healing and renewal: The spirits have moved beyond their past suffering and been given new lives.
• Innocence and compassion: The playful bond between the child spirit and Little Sairon, and the mother spirit’s care, provide a gentle contrast to Zhu Jiuyang’s violence.

Character interactions

• Zhu Zeming approaches Zhu Jiuyang with anger but becomes fearful after seeing the gruesome room; Zhu Jiuyang dismisses him and sets his own plans in motion.
• Zhu Jiuyang places Jester Coins into A-Jiu and A-Shi, binding them to the mission to kill Zhang Ping.
• At camp, Cheng Xuejie admires Little Sairon, panics at the child spirit, then watches as the spirit and Little Sairon cautiously play together.
• Zhang Ping mediates between Cheng Xuejie and the spirit, while the mother spirit’s gentle return of her child closes the scene.

Chapter Summary: “Zhuyuan Village”

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Ping comforts Little Sairon after another spirit takes a newly arrived child back to the Sanctified World. He explains that spirits can move freely between worlds and grow stronger there while developing abilities suited to their nature.
• The group prepares a meal from a hunted tiger. Little Sairon quickly forgets his sadness when he smells the roasting meat.
• Zhang Ping and Bai De detect someone watching the camp. Zhang catches the fleeing intruder and brings her back, where he reassures her and offers food.
• The girl, Zhu Zhu, reveals that she escaped from nearby Zhuyuan Village, whose residents live in treehouses among ancient trees.
• Zhu Zhu says her cousin brought home a beautiful woman whose daily songs captivated the villagers, leaving them too entranced to work or hunt. After being knocked unconscious, Zhu Zhu awoke to find the villagers weakened and discovered the woman had a second, hideous face.
• Recognizing the creature from village folklore as the Mourning Crone Bird, Zhu Zhu escaped. The creature uses its song to control people and drain their vitality. Zhang Ping’s group learns that their target has already taken over much of the village.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Ping shows a gentle, protective side while soothing Little Sairon and later speaking carefully to the frightened Zhu Zhu. He restrains her without harming her and earns her trust by offering food.
• Cheng Xuejie’s affection for Little Sairon recalls the white puppy she loved as a child, which became a Mutated Beast and was taken away by her father. She tries to get closer to Sairon, but he shyly hides with Zhang Ping.
• Bai De and Zhang Ping work smoothly together: they notice the intruder, exchange signals, and agree that Zhang should pursue her.
• Zhu Zhu gradually opens up to Zhang Ping and the group, sharing her village’s crisis once she feels safer.

Significant themes

• Freedom and care: Zhang Ping has power over the Sanctified World but refuses to make it a prison, emphasizing protection without unnecessary control.
• Compassion and trust: Gentle treatment and food help a frightened, starving child speak honestly.
• The danger of enchantment and exploitation: The Mourning Crone Bird disguises predation as beauty and song, draining people while they become absorbed in its spell.
• Loss and attachment: Cheng Xuejie’s memories of her puppy echo her fondness for Little Sairon and her sympathy for vulnerable beings.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After lunch, Zhang Ping and the others travel to Zhuyuan Village to hunt the Mourning Crone Bird.
• Zhu Zhu reveals that warriors have appeared whenever the bird has shown up throughout the village’s history. Zhang Ping suspects the relationship may be reversed—that the bird might appear because warriors are sent to hunt it.
• Situ Shibai confirms that the scenario has a fixed mission. He previously entered the same scenario to hunt the bird, though Zhuyuan Village did not yet exist.
• The group reaches Zhuyuan Village, a settlement built among interconnected treehouses.
• Lu Han flies to investigate the suspected treehouse, but the Mourning Crone Bird attacks him with a powerful mental scream.
• Zhang Ping, protected by his extraordinary mental resilience, subdues the bird and rescues Lu Han.
• The rest of the group suffers varying degrees of mental aftereffects, while Zhu Zhu remains unconscious.
• Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan search the village and discover numerous corpses, mostly men, but no children and no obvious survivors.
• They realize that at least half of the villagers are missing. They speculate that the missing people may have fled after detecting the bird, though Liu Sishan doubts they survived.
• After returning, Zhang Ping uses Appraisal Technique on the captured bird and unexpectedly discovers that the supposedly female Mourning Crone Bird is actually male.

Character Developments

• Zhang Ping becomes increasingly suspicious of the scenario’s deeper purpose and questions the accepted legend surrounding the bird. His mental defenses are revealed to be extraordinarily powerful, likely making him immune to attacks below the King level.
• Lu Han demonstrates his protectiveness toward Zhang Ping by insisting on investigating first. Though badly affected by the bird’s mental attack, he survives and recognizes the nature of the ability.
• Liu Sishan remains calm and observant, helping Zhang Ping search the village and noticing the strange absence of women and children.
• Zhu Zhu is shown to be unusually perceptive, having sensed the bird’s presence like the missing villagers may have done, but she is left unconscious after the attack.
• Situ Shibai provides background about the fixed missions and his earlier experience in the scenario, though he cannot explain how the village came to exist.
• The group as a whole learns that the Mourning Crone Bird’s “scream” is a mental attack whose effects vary according to each person’s Mental Strength.

Significant Themes

• Questioning accepted narratives: Zhang Ping doubts the traditional belief that the bird’s appearance causes warriors to arrive, suggesting the opposite may be true.
• Hidden mechanisms and manipulation: The fixed nature of the mission raises the possibility that the scenario—or an unseen force—is deliberately creating circumstances to test the participants.
• Loss and uncertainty: The village’s corpses and missing inhabitants create a mystery about what happened to the population.
• Strength beyond appearances: Zhang Ping’s casual humor conceals overwhelming mental resilience, allowing him to defeat an enemy that incapacitates everyone else.
• The unreliability of appearances: The bird’s apparent identity is contradicted by Appraisal Technique, revealing that it is male and hinting that other assumptions may also be false.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Ping repeatedly questions Situ Shibai about the scenario’s history and missions.
• Lu Han and Zhang Ping argue indirectly over who should investigate first, with Lu Han prioritizing Zhang Ping’s safety.
• Zhang Ping checks on the injured group and jokes about his “thick skin” when Lu Han asks why his mental defenses are so strong.
• Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan work together to search the village and debate the fate of the missing inhabitants.
• The chapter ends with Zhang Ping’s unexpected discovery that the Mourning Crone Bird is male, adding another mystery to the village and the scenario.