Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Dimensional Manipator”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Aiou searches for a way to survive the devastating energy released by Copy Aiou’s blood-red greatsword. He discovers the Dimensional Manipulator evolution, which would transform Snocks from a black hole into a transcendent being capable of manipulating dimensions, reducing or ascending them.
• Concerned that Snocks might become too powerful and betray him, Aiou demands a promise of loyalty. Snocks initially resists, but after weighing freedom against power, chooses the evolution.
• Snocks evolves successfully, gaining the ability not only to devour matter and energy but also to reconstruct anything they have absorbed. This includes restoring destroyed worlds, reversing time, recreating objects from their original essence, and even reviving the dead.
• Snocks releases Zhong Shushu and the others, restores the worlds affected by the battle, and reconstructs Central Court, including everyone who died there.
• Aiou returns Central Court to the True-Self Perfect One, who invites him to participate in an upcoming “game.” Aiou declines, recognizing that what seems like entertainment to the True-Self Perfect One could become a deadly conflict for him.
• While waiting for Zhong Shushu and the others, Aiou uses Snocks’s new powers to revive the destroyed Wonder Spirits, including Little Book, Yitian Sword, Desk Extraordinary, and others.
• Yitian Sword and the other Wonder Spirits emotionally reunite with Aiou. When Yitian Sword asks to evolve as well, Aiou refuses for now and plans to send them to Wonderling Academies so they can mature and understand their goals.
• Wuwupa and Zhong Qing return on the Miaomiao Flying Broom. Zhong Qing is relieved to see everyone alive, while a mysterious golden gate begins forming behind Aiou.

Character Developments

• Aiou demonstrates caution and responsibility. Although he recognizes the enormous benefits of Snocks’s evolution, he worries about giving them power that could threaten his control or break the Sealing.
• Snocks undergoes a major change in attitude. Their former arrogance has weakened after repeated defeats, and they choose power over freedom because they now understand that power is ultimately what they desire. Despite their continued sharp-tongued manner, they honor Aiou’s request and cooperate with him.
• Yucali remains distrustful of Snocks and questions Aiou’s decision to empower them, acting as a voice of caution.
• The True-Self Perfect One remains enigmatic and vastly powerful. His casual invitation to a “game” highlights the immense difference between his perspective and Aiou’s.
• Aiou’s Wonder Spirits reveal their childlike attachment to him. Their fear and emotional reunion contrast with the cold scale of the preceding battle. Yitian Sword’s desire to evolve shows both insecurity and a wish to become stronger.
• Aiou takes on a more parental role toward the Wonder Spirits, protecting them from impulsive choices and planning their education.

Significant Themes

• Power versus freedom: Snocks consciously sacrifices freedom for greater strength, revealing that their desire for power is deeper than their desire for independence.
• Trust and betrayal: Aiou’s hesitation shows that immense power cannot be given without conditions, while Snocks’s promise becomes a test of their changing relationship.
• Restoration and second chances: Snocks’s new ability reverses death and destruction, allowing worlds, objects, and people to return to their original states.
• Responsibility in using power: Aiou does not simply grant the Wonder Spirits stronger abilities; he insists they first gain wisdom and self-understanding.
• Perspective and scale: The True-Self Perfect One’s “game” emphasizes that events viewed as entertainment by supreme beings may be matters of life and death to less powerful characters.
• Family and belonging: The emotional reunion between Aiou and the Wonder Spirits, along with their bickering, reinforces their close familial bond.

Important Character Interactions

• Aiou and Snocks: Their negotiation over the Dimensional Manipulator evolution establishes a fragile alliance based on power, promises, and mutual dependence.
• Aiou and Yucali: Yucali questions whether Snocks should be trusted, while Aiou accepts the risk because survival requires it.
• Aiou and the True-Self Perfect One: Aiou returns Central Court and refuses the invitation to join the coming game, showing his caution and awareness of their unequal positions.
• Aiou and the Wonder Spirits: The revived spirits cling to Aiou and cry over their fear. He comforts them, stops their argument, and decides to send them to school rather than allow them to evolve recklessly.
• Wuwupa and Zhong Qing: Their return provides an emotional confirmation that the survivors have been restored. Zhong Qing’s relief is interrupted by the appearance of the mysterious golden gate, which sets up the next development.

Chapter Summary — “Infinite Pass”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Six months later, Aiou studies in Eternal Kingdom’s physical library, appreciating its openness toward knowledge. He has been researching clues about a place once called Three-Foot Light.
• Wuwupa reports that Three-Foot Light still exists under the name Hidden Spirit Alley, but finding its entrance requires luck and further investigation on Gold-Digging Road.
• Aiou agrees to travel there with Wuwupa. Before leaving, Wuwupa teasingly asks for a kiss as payment for her help; Aiou unexpectedly complies, embarrassing her.
• Gold-Digging Road is introduced as a vast, multilayered commercial district where merchants sell unusual items, including planets, curses, secret medicines, and magical creatures.
• Aiou encounters a dangerous Mind Ape being sold by the Taoist Nine Perils. He places a deposit for an Intent Horse, unaware at first that Nine Perils is notorious for harming others. Wuwupa warns him to be cautious.
• A wizard named Donald attempts to buy part of Aiou’s soul. Wuwupa pulls Aiou away and uses spatial movement to escape him.
• Their surroundings suddenly become unnaturally quiet, revealing that someone has invited them into a separate location. Aiou accepts the invitation and leads Wuwupa to a cottage.
• Aiou transforms into his identity as Hawkins, while Wuwupa takes on the appearance of the future Sa. Inside, they reunite with a group of powerful figures, including True-Self Perfect One, Jeff, and Zhang Sen.
• Zhang Sen reveals that he has obtained three tickets to Infinite Amusement Park, a cosmic attraction created by Transcendent Ones and other supreme beings. The winners of its competition will receive an Infinite Pass, granting free entry into other universes.
• Because each universe receives only three tickets, the assembled figures must select representatives. Their descendants or followers will compete in a contest a century later, without receiving special powers from their parents.
• Hawkins learns that players from Infinite City may also participate and that winners may transfer their passes, though each pass remains bound to its first recipient until the amusement park opens again.
• The chapter ends with Hawkins considering whom he should choose to compete.

Character Developments

• Aiou/Hawkins: Aiou has become more knowledgeable and comfortable within Eternal Kingdom. He displays increased confidence and initiative, investigates the mystery of Hidden Spirit Alley, and readily embraces his Hawkins identity when summoned to the gathering. His interest in the Infinite Pass is practical rather than personal, since its greatest value lies in the authority recognized by powerful beings.
• Wuwupa/Sa: Wuwupa continues acting as Aiou’s companion and protector. She flirts with him but becomes embarrassed when he responds sincerely. She demonstrates strong familiarity with Eternal Kingdom’s dangerous figures and quickly protects Aiou from Donald.
• Zhang Sen: Zhang Sen emerges as the organizer of the Infinite Amusement Park opportunity. He has successfully secured the tickets and establishes the rules for distributing them.
• True-Self Perfect One: He is shown participating in the gathering despite having no children or faction to represent him, creating a humorous dilemma when the competition’s rules are explained.
• Nine Perils and Donald: Both are presented as potentially dangerous figures who operate within Eternal Kingdom’s laws but may be untrustworthy or harmful outside them.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and discovery: Aiou’s library research leads him toward the mystery of Hidden Spirit Alley, emphasizing the importance of learning and investigation.
• Law versus lawlessness: Eternal Kingdom provides a controlled environment where even dangerous villains obey the rules. Outside it, transactions and alliances become much more perilous.
• Identity and transformation: Aiou and Wuwupa shifting into Hawkins and Sa highlights the importance of alternate identities and the hidden relationships between powerful beings.
• Power and access: The Infinite Pass is physically insignificant but possesses enormous value because of the authority granted to it by the strongest beings across universes.
• Competition and inheritance: The contest is structured around descendants, students, or representatives, showing how powerful figures seek influence through those they train rather than through direct intervention.
• Social and cosmic intrigue: The casual gathering—filled with games, teasing, and conversation—contrasts with the immense stakes of the decisions being made.

Character Interactions

• Aiou and Wuwupa share playful romantic tension, with Wuwupa teasing him and Aiou responding more directly than she expects.
• Wuwupa warns Aiou about Nine Perils and Donald, establishing her as both knowledgeable and protective.
• Aiou and Wuwupa are drawn into Hawkins and Sa’s circle, where they interact with powerful figures in a relaxed social setting.
• Zhang Sen explains the Infinite Pass competition, while Hawkins repeatedly questions its rules, clarifying its duration, transferability, and eligibility requirements.
• True-Self Perfect One’s lack of children or followers produces comic friction when Zhang Sen tells him to find someone to represent him.
• The chapter closes on Hawkins’s unresolved decision about whom to select for the upcoming competition.

Summary: “Each Their Own Goal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Di Shikun is eating roasted meat in the Central Court when the True-Self Perfect One approaches and proposes that he join a powerful competition.
• Di Shikun refuses to listen until they fight. Despite Di Shikun’s immense strength and relentless attacks, the True-Self Perfect One defeats him effortlessly with simple finger flicks, repeatedly destroying his limbs and even his head.
• Di Shikun continually revives and attacks again, driven by an overwhelming desire to become stronger. Their battle devastates the island, but Di Shikun cannot even injure his opponent.
• Once Di Shikun is too exhausted to move, the True-Self Perfect One temporarily restores his strength and explains that the competition contains exceptionally powerful participants. He promises that Di Shikun may kill anyone he can defeat.
• Di Shikun agrees to participate, hoping to learn how to surpass his current limits. The True-Self Perfect One immediately begins his “special training” by throwing him into a sea of stars filled with countless monstrous creatures, ordering him to survive and grow stronger.
• Meanwhile, the Yellow Sect remains obscure despite Zhang Shixiong’s dangerous participation in the earlier competition. Disappointed that his efforts brought no fame or new disciples, Zhang continues performing mundane chores at the sect.
• The Yellow Emperor, founder of the Yellow Sect and a Transcendent One, appears disguised as a hanging ghost to test Zhang Shixiong and Xiao Shimei. Both are terrified and initially lose their composure.
• Revealing his true identity and intention to compete for a place in the upcoming contest, the Yellow Emperor attempts to recruit or test them. He throws Xiao Shimei high into the air and challenges Zhang to defeat him before she falls.
• Zhang attacks with the Sixfold Imperial Blade, using his hand as a substitute for a weapon, but the Yellow Emperor easily dodges and slaps him aside. The Yellow Emperor catches Xiao Shimei safely, demonstrating the vast gap between them.

Character Developments

• Di Shikun: His fighting spirit intensifies despite repeated, humiliating defeats. Rather than becoming discouraged, he becomes more determined to improve and willingly accepts brutal training. His goal is to reach the True-Self Perfect One’s level and prove himself in the competition.
• True-Self Perfect One: He is established as overwhelmingly powerful, confident, and playful. He manipulates Di Shikun into accepting the competition, then provides him with extreme survival training.
• Zhang Shixiong: Initially insecure and frustrated by his lack of recognition, he nevertheless demonstrates courage when Xiao Shimei is threatened. He regains his composure after being frightened and attempts to protect her despite knowing he is outmatched.
• Xiao Shimei: She is easily frightened by the Yellow Emperor’s ghostly appearance but remains connected to Zhang as his junior sister. Her vulnerability becomes the basis of the Yellow Emperor’s test.
• Yellow Emperor: He is mischievous, intimidating, and cruelly playful. By provoking Zhang through Xiao Shimei’s danger, he tests whether the younger disciples possess the determination and ability needed for the competition.

Significant Themes

• Strength and personal ambition: Both Di Shikun and Zhang Shixiong are driven by distinct goals—Di Shikun seeks greater power, while Zhang seeks recognition and protection of his sect.
• Persistence despite overwhelming defeat: Di Shikun’s repeated attacks show that determination can survive even when victory seems impossible.
• The gap between realms of power: The effortless victories of the True-Self Perfect One and Yellow Emperor emphasize how insignificant ordinary measures of strength are before truly transcendent beings.
• Testing through adversity: The powerful characters force others into dangerous situations to reveal their potential, courage, and willingness to act.
• Different goals within the same competition: The title reflects how each character approaches the contest for personal reasons: Di Shikun wants to grow stronger and kill powerful opponents, while the Yellow Emperor seeks suitable candidates and advancement for himself or his sect.

Character Interactions

• Di Shikun and the True-Self Perfect One interact through a one-sided but revealing battle, followed by negotiations and forced training.
• Zhang Shixiong and Xiao Shimei share a comic but loyal senior-junior relationship; despite their panic, Zhang immediately tries to defend her.
• The Yellow Emperor manipulates both disciples, using fear and Xiao Shimei’s apparent danger to provoke Zhang into revealing his true resolve.
• The chapter contrasts the True-Self Perfect One’s mentorship of Di Shikun with the Yellow Emperor’s sadistic testing of the Yellow Sect disciples.

Chapter Summary: “The Cruelest Tournament”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hawkins, seeking a fair way to choose Infinite City’s strongest and most suitable fighters, creates the First Martial Arts Tournament rather than selecting participants directly.
• Mother generates a vast battle world within Eternal Space, filled with constantly changing landscapes where contestants can fight without restriction.
• The tournament’s rules make it exceptionally harsh:
  • Registration is permanent until defeat.
  • Only one victor can remain.
  • The winner receives all the experience of defeated players.
  • Defeated players’ levels reset to zero.
  • Players are divided into level-based divisions, advancing as they grow stronger.
  • Matches are fought to the death and last for ninety-nine years.
• The tournament announcement reaches players across Infinite City, immediately attracting ambitious, desperate, and curious competitors.
• Feng Wu studies the rules, develops strategies, considers the importance of combat experience, pets, weapons, and items, and plans to livestream the matches for profit.
• After leaving the Grand Library, Feng Wu encounters a black dog fleeing from a mischievous young boy. Their chase ends when a woman grabs the boy’s ear after overhearing his crude promise to “raise” the dog’s wife.

Character Developments

• Hawkins reveals his desire to create a massive, unpredictable contest that tests more than raw strength. His interest lies in seeing how wisdom, luck, adaptability, and combat ability determine the outcome.
• Malankovsky, once a Fate Gambler, has become emotionally exhausted after thousands of years of life and power. He is preparing to commit suicide, but the tournament rekindles his excitement and gives him a reason to live. He registers immediately, eager to gamble everything.
• Zhang Yusen, the new King of Thieves, embraces the tournament because it matches his extreme greed and ambition. He views the competition as a chance to become the undisputed strongest player and willingly risks death.
• Pei Jin, a loyal supporter of Hawkins, registers without hesitation. He trusts Hawkins completely and welcomes the opportunity to face powerful opponents, believing that even losing his experience would not permanently cripple him.
• Feng Wu approaches the tournament analytically. He recognizes that levels alone will not determine victory and begins planning around experience, knowledge, equipment, pets, and media opportunities.
• The black dog is characterized as cowardly and pacifistic, desperately trying to escape participation, while the young boy is portrayed as cruel, energetic, and mischievous.

Significant Themes

• Risk and ambition: The tournament appeals to people willing to stake everything for power, glory, or excitement.
• The value of experience over strength: Since level divisions and automatic advancement reduce the importance of starting level, actual combat ability, knowledge, strategy, and adaptability become crucial.
• Despair and renewed purpose: Malankovsky’s suicidal emptiness contrasts with the sudden purpose the tournament gives him.
• Cruel entertainment: Hawkins deliberately designs the competition to be both brutally dangerous and spectacular for spectators.
• Greed and sacrifice: Zhang Yusen embodies the willingness to risk everything in pursuit of absolute supremacy.
• Loyalty and trust: Pei Jin’s decision to join reflects his unconditional faith in Hawkins.
• Life in Infinite City as spectacle: The tournament is not only a battle but also a major public event, with tickets, spectators, and livestreaming opportunities.

Important Character Interactions

• Hawkins indirectly influences countless players through the tournament announcement, drawing in Malankovsky, Zhang Yusen, Pei Jin, and Feng Wu for different reasons.
• Feng Wu encounters the black dog and young boy but does not intervene, remaining focused on tournament preparations.
• The black dog identifies Feng Wu as an alternate version of a character connected to the boy’s fictional origins, suggesting a self-aware or meta-fictional relationship.
• The boy chases and threatens the dog, but a woman abruptly restrains him after hearing his inappropriate remark, ending the scene with comic embarrassment.

Chapter Summary: “The Match Begins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Infinite City erupts with excitement after the First Martial Arts Tournament begins. Players return from various worlds, spectators buy tickets, vendors prepare food, and casinos organize betting pools.
• Because the contestants and matchups are kept secret, speculation intensifies. Many famous players announce their participation, while more cautious experts wait to assess the tournament’s rules and dangers.
• Zhong Hu, a talented third-generation player and Mobius Academy graduate, enters the tournament. He is known for his Asura Fist Emperor class and close-combat strength.
• His first opponent is Ma Wuke, a recent Mobius Academy graduate and skilled spear fighter who is rumored to be Martin’s son.
• Zhong Hu immediately attempts his trademark tactic: seizing Ma Wuke’s spear with his protected, chain-equipped fist blades.
• Ma Wuke abandons the spear temporarily and counters with Ascending Dragon Spear, using qi dragons to injure Zhong Hu’s hand and threaten his throat. Zhong Hu survives by manifesting his Asura form—three heads and six arms.
• Zhong Hu then uses Earthquake Wave, causing flames and explosions to erupt from the ground. Ma Wuke avoids the attack through precise movement and exceptional spear technique.
• The battle becomes a contest between Zhong Hu’s overwhelming physical power and relentless close-range assault and Ma Wuke’s refined, defensive spearwork.
• By the end of the chapter, Zhong Hu has forced Ma Wuke into continuous retreat. Ma Wuke is struggling to defend himself and cannot effectively counterattack without creating distance, which Zhong Hu refuses to allow.

Character Developments

• Zhong Hu is established as a confident, honorable, and highly aggressive fighter. Although he recognizes Ma Wuke’s skill, he embraces the challenge and relies on explosive strength, speed, and pressure-based attacks.
• His Asura Fist Emperor abilities are revealed in greater detail: he can grow three heads and six arms, greatly enhance his physique, generate intense heat, and fight with overwhelming close-combat power.
• Ma Wuke is shown to be calm, disciplined, and highly trained. His spear technique is exceptionally precise, and he possesses hidden abilities that allow him to fight even after losing physical control of his weapon.
• Ma Wuke demonstrates tactical flexibility by releasing his spear rather than being trapped by Zhong Hu’s weapon-grabbing strategy. However, his inferior strength and inability to escape Zhong Hu’s pursuit place him at a disadvantage.
• Zhong Hu’s internal assessment suggests that both fighters are talented but still lack the vast reserves of experience and trump cards possessed by the strongest veteran players.

Significant Themes

• Fair competition and uncertainty: The tournament’s secrecy creates suspense, while players trust that Hawkins’s event will not be rigged.
• Combat as strategy rather than simple strength: Zhong Hu’s physical dominance clashes with Ma Wuke’s technical precision, showing that different fighting styles possess their own forms of wisdom.
• Preparation and training: Ma Wuke’s mastery reflects years of disciplined practice, while Zhong Hu’s success comes from mastering his class and developing a dangerous, unconventional tactic.
• Pressure and momentum: Once Zhong Hu closes the distance, Ma Wuke’s options sharply diminish. The chapter emphasizes how controlling range can determine the course of a battle.
• The next generation of players: Both fighters come from the newer generation connected to Mobius Academy and influential player families, suggesting that the tournament will showcase rising talents.

Character Interactions

• Zhong Hu and Ma Wuke begin with mutual respect, agreeing to fight without resentment and even promising to share a drink afterward.
• Their friendly exchange contrasts with the ferocity of the battle, as each immediately uses potentially lethal techniques against the other.
• Zhong Hu praises Ma Wuke’s skill and recognizes the danger of his spearwork. Ma Wuke, in turn, acknowledges how frightening Zhong Hu’s weapon-seizing tactic is.
• Spectators analyze the fight and speculate about Ma Wuke’s connection to Martin, while also debating whether major figures such as Martin or Ai Miye have entered the tournament.

Chapter Summary: “Fireworks”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhong Hu and Ma Wuke continue their brutal tournament battle. Zhong initially uses relentless, explosive attacks to exhaust Ma Wuke’s qi.
• Ma Wuke reveals that he cultivates the Three Hundred Sixty Yang Cauldron Technique, giving him exceptionally deep qi reserves and rapid recovery. He expects Zhong’s stamina to fail first.
• Zhong Hu admits he had been holding back roughly thirty percent of his strength. He unleashes the Asura Fist, attacking with six arms simultaneously.
• The fight becomes a prolonged contest of endurance. Their Blood Shields shatter, their bodies are torn by qi backlash, and the surrounding grassland is destroyed by their movements.
• Spectators debate the likely winner. Anna explains that Zhong Hu’s Asura Fist Emperor class possesses the Blood of the Asura trait, which increases his explosive strength as his injuries worsen.
• Hawkins reveals that he organized the tournament because he needs a powerful player to represent him in a potentially extraordinary opportunity, explaining the tournament’s brutal stakes.
• Ma Wuke continues relying on precise spear techniques and defensive skill, while Zhong Hu endures severe injuries and prepares his final attack.
• Both fighters unleash their ultimate abilities. Ma Wuke attacks with a massive qi dragon, but Zhong Hu enters the Blood of the Asura state, destroys the attack, and launches all six fists at Ma Wuke.
• Ma Wuke is blasted into the sky. At an altitude of one thousand meters, his body explodes in a shower of black blood, leaving only his spear falling back to the ground—apparently marking Zhong Hu as the victor.

2. Character Developments

• Ma Wuke demonstrates strong preparation, confidence, and technical mastery. His cultivation technique gives him unusual endurance, but he underestimates how long Zhong Hu can sustain his assault.
• Zhong Hu reveals greater reserves of stamina and determination than expected. Once he realizes Ma Wuke’s strategy, he abandons restraint and fights with total commitment.
• Zhong Hu’s class ability changes the balance of the fight: his worsening injuries become a source of greater explosive power rather than an ordinary weakness.
• Anna displays extensive knowledge of player classes and correctly identifies Zhong Hu’s hidden advantage.
• Hawkins remains calm and enigmatic, refusing to predict the outcome and revealing that the tournament serves a larger purpose.
• Qiao Si and Mark offer contrasting evaluations of Ma Wuke’s combat style, emphasizing his lack of close-quarters experience and limited physical strength.

3. Significant Themes

• Endurance versus explosive power: Ma Wuke relies on stamina, recovery, and defensive technique, while Zhong Hu depends on overwhelming bursts of strength.
• Injury as strength: Through Blood of the Asura, Zhong Hu’s proximity to death increases rather than diminishes his power.
• Strategy and hidden trump cards: Both fighters conceal abilities and reserve strength until they understand the other’s capabilities.
• Willpower and survival: Once qi and defenses are nearly exhausted, the battle becomes a test of who can endure the most pain and continue fighting.
• The cost of ambition: The tournament carries the risk of losing one’s progress and having to level from the beginning, yet Hawkins’s promised opportunity is valuable enough to justify that danger.

4. Character Interactions

• Zhong Hu taunts Ma Wuke about his dwindling qi, prompting Ma Wuke to reveal his cultivation technique and intended strategy.
• Ma Wuke and Zhong Hu openly acknowledge the battle’s central gamble: Ma Wuke must survive until Zhong’s stamina fails, while Zhong must kill him before his own strength runs out.
• In the stands, Mani predicts Ma Wuke because of his connection to Hawkins, while Anna and Mark judge that Zhong Hu will win.
• Anna explains Zhong Hu’s class trait to the others, changing their understanding of the fight.
• Qiao Si suggests Ma Wuke should abandon his spear and fight at close range, but Mark points out that Ma Wuke lacks the strength to do so.
• Before their final exchange, Ma Wuke respectfully challenges Zhong Hu, declaring that he will have no regrets regardless of the result.

Chapter Summary: “Advanced Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ma Wuke is defeated by Martin in the first round of the First Martial Arts Tournament. He admits that fear caused him to lose despite having a chance to win.
• Martin encourages him to overcome his weakness rather than indulge in self-pity, then sends him away from the Grand Plaza.
• Over the following week, the tournament dominates Infinite City’s media. Players gain fame and fan clubs, while the consequences of losing become clear: defeated contestants lose their levels and must rebuild from zero, sometimes facing old enemies or relying on purchased experience.
• The weekend begins the first-round matches between S-rank players, bringing the tournament’s strongest combatants into direct conflict.
• Zhou Sen is matched against Maupassant, captain of the Rainy Day Team, in a volcanic battlefield that initially benefits neither fighter.
• The battle escalates from sword and staff techniques into massive supernatural abilities. Zhou Sen uses his Withered Wood Demon Body, Root of Withered Wood, and eventually summons the World Dragon.
• Rain unexpectedly begins falling after their attacks disturb the volcanoes and clouds. This strengthens Maupassant’s water-based abilities but also provides the water necessary for Zhou Sen to awaken the World Dragon.
• Maupassant adapts by forming the Spiral Sea King Spear from rainwater. He and the World Dragon collide in a devastating attack that disperses the clouds and illuminates the battlefield, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Ma Wuke confronts the limits of his abilities and recognizes that fear, rather than lack of potential, caused his defeat. His self-awareness gives him a possible path toward genuine growth.
• Martin is portrayed as both a powerful victor and a blunt mentor. Rather than humiliating Ma Wuke, he pushes him to improve.
• Zhou Sen reveals the extreme sacrifices behind his strength: he spent a thousand years among Withered Wood Demons, eventually defeating their king and becoming the new one. He is confident, strategic, and eager to display the power he painstakingly developed.
• Maupassant demonstrates flexibility and tactical intelligence. Though the dry volcanic environment weakens him, he quickly exploits the rain and changes his fighting style when Zhou Sen summons the World Dragon.

Significant Themes

• Defeat as a catalyst for growth: Martin emphasizes that recognizing one’s weakness is valuable only if it leads to action.
• The cost of power: Zhou Sen’s abilities are founded on centuries of endurance, isolation, and sacrifice, while the tournament’s penalties show that strength can also be lost instantly.
• Adaptation and balance: Both combatants repeatedly turn battlefield changes to their advantage. The rain appears to favor Maupassant, yet it also removes the World Dragon’s limitation.
• Fairness amid unequal conditions: Zhou Sen and Maupassant agree that neither has an ideal environment, making the match a form of impartial competition.
• Hidden limitations and tactical planning: Powerful abilities often depend on specific conditions, such as the World Dragon requiring water from the current world.

Character Interactions

• Martin consoles and challenges Ma Wuke after defeating him, urging him to overcome fear.
• Zhou Sen and Maupassant begin their match with mutual recognition and respect, agreeing to fight without resentment.
• Their conversation reveals their strategies: Maupassant recognizes the strength of Zhou Sen’s Withered Wood Demon Body, while Zhou Sen explains the sacrifices behind it.
• Once the rain begins, both immediately reassess the situation. Zhou Sen warns that the rain may awaken the World Dragon, while Maupassant acknowledges the creature’s danger and shifts to a more destructive but less precise attack.
• The chapter ends with their strongest abilities colliding: Maupassant’s Spiral Sea King Spear strikes the World Dragon as it rises from the earth.

Chapter Summary: “Ultimate Moves Clash”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Maupassant and Zhou Sen’s opening clash—Maupassant’s Spiral Sea King Spear against Zhou Sen’s World Dragon—devastates the battlefield. Volcanoes collapse, magma erupts, and the terrain is transformed, but neither fighter is injured.
• Both recognize the other’s strength. Maupassant’s water manipulation gives water enough hardness to rival metal, while Zhou Sen realizes that Maupassant’s spiritual power and control may exceed his own.
• Zhou Sen attempts to change the unfavorable, volcanic environment by releasing Fire Demon Tree seeds into the magma. Maupassant tries to destroy them with water needles, but Zhou Sen uses the distraction to activate Natural Dragon, merging with the World Dragon.
• In Natural Dragon form, Zhou Sen becomes a half-human, half-dragon entity capable of directly manipulating natural forces, compensating for the Plant Druid’s weakness in barren environments.
• The two unleash a series of massive ultimate techniques, including hurricanes, tidal slashes, meteor showers, astral winds, and rain-based attacks. Their half-hour exchange reshapes the land into lakes of magma.
• Exhausted but impressed, they agree to stop testing each other and begin their true deciding battle.
• Maupassant transforms into Water Spirit, merging his body with the surrounding water. Zhou Sen grows branch-and-leaf wings and prepares for close combat.
• Their fight shifts from large-scale attacks to extremely concentrated hand-to-hand combat. They exchange thousands of attacks without allowing power to escape, making the battle harder for spectators to perceive.
• Maupassant’s water body allows him to transform his limbs into serpents, fists, and other forms, making his attacks unpredictable and difficult to permanently damage.
• Zhou Sen counters with compressed Astral Wind and One-Line Netherwind, freezing portions of Maupassant’s water body before destroying them. However, his aim is not yet to kill Maupassant, suggesting he is pursuing another strategy.

Character Developments

• Zhou Sen: Demonstrates greater adaptability and strategic thinking. He identifies the battlefield as a disadvantage, uses Fire Demon Tree seeds as bait, and evolves into Natural Dragon form to access broader natural powers. His combat style shifts from large-scale destruction to precise, concentrated attacks.
• Maupassant: Reveals exceptional spiritual power, control over water, and adaptability. His Water Spirit form makes him extremely difficult to harm, since ordinary attacks cannot truly destroy his water-based body. He also displays confidence and composure throughout the battle.
• Zhong Hu: Provides insight from the spectator stands, recognizing that the opening attacks were largely tests and correctly identifying the secret behind Maupassant’s near-invulnerability.
• Other spectators: Become increasingly invested in the fight, even using enhancement potions to observe the increasingly subtle close-quarters battle.

Significant Themes

• Adaptability versus specialization: Zhou Sen’s Plant Druid abilities are powerful in suitable environments but limited in barren terrain; Natural Dragon form allows him to overcome this weakness. Maupassant’s water-based abilities similarly allow endless transformations.
• Strategy beneath spectacle: The enormous attacks are not merely displays of strength. Zhou Sen uses the environment and distractions tactically, while both fighters conceal their true methods until the decisive phase.
• Control and concentration: The later exchange emphasizes precise power control. Rather than releasing destructive energy outward, both combatants compress their strength into individual blows.
• Resilience and transformation: Both fighters repeatedly change forms and techniques to survive, reflecting the chapter’s focus on evolution under pressure.
• The limits of destruction: Despite the battlefield’s devastation, neither fighter is seriously harmed, showing that destroying the environment is far easier than overcoming a true powerhouse.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Sen and Maupassant openly acknowledge each other’s strength and maintain a competitive but respectful attitude.
• They trade light verbal provocations over who is following whose rhythm, then mutually agree to stop warming up and determine the victor.
• Their combat becomes a direct contest of transformation and counter-transformation: Maupassant’s Water Spirit against Zhou Sen’s Natural Dragon.
• Zhong Hu’s observations frame the battle for the audience, especially his realization that Maupassant must be attacked by first neutralizing or destroying his water-based body.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Sen realizes that merely restraining Maupassant is inefficient. Although Maupassant is still confined, his attacks are steadily damaging Zhou Sen’s Blood Shield while Maupassant remains unharmed.
• Maupassant unveils the Tidal Blade, a blade technique whose power increases with every consecutive slash. Its stages can progress from Raging Waves Slash to Tsunami Slash, Star-Extinguishing Slash, Lesser Momentum Slash, and finally the theoretically limitless Grand Momentum Slash.
• Zhou Sen confronts each attack directly with wind blades instead of relying on evasive or ambush tactics. Maupassant’s momentum continues building, making every slash more dangerous.
• Spectators and observers conclude that Zhou Sen is being overwhelmed. After half an hour, Maupassant finally cuts Zhou Sen in two, apparently killing him.
• However, Maupassant does not gain Zhou Sen’s experience, revealing that the “corpse” is not the real body. Fresh branches grow from it and expand into a vast forest covering even the magma lake.
• Zhou Sen reveals his Withered Wood Rejuvenation Domain, a Life Domain formed by transforming himself into countless plants. Ordinary attacks only make the forest stronger, allowing it to regenerate and expand.
• Maupassant repeatedly attacks the forest, but every slash is absorbed or countered by new growth. The Tidal Blade’s accumulated momentum is effectively reset when the forest forces him to stop.
• Zhou Sen begins launching his own counterattack through tree spikes, falling logs, and other plant-based assaults.
• Realizing that ordinary slashes are ineffective, Maupassant attempts a new technique called Fire in Water, surrounding his blade with an unusual blue flame.

Character Developments

• Zhou Sen demonstrates strategic patience but also recognizes the danger of defending indefinitely. He shifts from passive restriction to direct confrontation and later uses his hidden plant-based survival technique to reverse the battle.
• Maupassant reveals a highly advanced blade intent and shows remarkable growth, progressing from a fighter once considered weaker than the elites to someone capable of threatening them. His confidence is tested when his Tidal Blade fails against Zhou Sen’s regenerative domain.
• Hawkins acts as the most knowledgeable observer, accurately explaining both the Grand Momentum Slash and the nature of Zhou Sen’s domain. His calm analysis emphasizes the immense gap between ordinary fighters and the two combatants.
• Anna, Ai Miye, Qiao Si, Long Er, and Zhong Hu serve as observers who gradually realize the battle is more complex than it first appears. Anna correctly identifies that avoiding the Tidal Blade indefinitely would not solve the problem, while Qiao Si notices that Maupassant has not received Zhou Sen’s experience.

Significant Themes

• Momentum versus adaptability: Maupassant’s technique grows through uninterrupted accumulation, while Zhou Sen counters with regeneration, transformation, and changing tactics.
• Limits of power: The Grand Momentum Slash is theoretically limitless, but Maupassant himself has finite strength and cannot truly wield infinity.
• Defense and counterattack: The chapter shows that endless defense is dangerous, but also that the correct defensive technique can turn an opponent’s offense against them.
• Hidden strength and misdirection: Zhou Sen’s apparent death is revealed as a calculated survival technique, demonstrating that visible defeat may conceal a deeper strategy.
• Growth through struggle: Maupassant’s rapidly advancing abilities place him near the level of established powerhouses, highlighting the progression of elite fighters.

Character Interactions

• Long Er asks Zhong Hu to interpret the strange exchange, and Zhong Hu admits that even he cannot fully understand the techniques.
• Ai Miye praises Maupassant’s terrifying blade intent, while Anna and Hawkins debate the best way to counter it.
• Hawkins explains to Anna and Qiao Si that the Grand Momentum Slash could destroy Zhou Sen’s domain, but only if used before the domain absorbs too much power.
• Anna initially believes Maupassant may have won, but Qiao Si notices the absence of experience gain and exposes the apparent victory as false.
• Maupassant and Zhou Sen’s direct interaction evolves from a battle of endurance into a contest between accumulated blade momentum and Zhou Sen’s ever-expanding forest domain.

Chapter Summary: “Victory or Defeat”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Maupassant reveals his hidden trump card: blue flames created by reversing the extremes of water, demonstrating that his water-controlling abilities conceal a powerful fire-based technique.
• He launches several devastating attacks, including the Yin-Pole Flame Force Slash and Heavenly Force Flame-Rain Slash, incinerating Zhou Sen’s wooden defenses and nearly overwhelming the battlefield.
• Zhou Sen counters with his Withered Wood Rejuvenation Domain, using roots, trees, and expanding forests to restrict Maupassant’s movements rather than kill him directly.
• Zhou Sen transforms the entire arena into a forest and uses Heaven and Earth Reversal to trap Maupassant within a massive, constantly attacking domain.
• While Maupassant focuses on defending against the forest, Zhou Sen secretly prepares the World Dragon, which has been absorbing power beneath the battlefield.
• The World Dragon finally erupts from the earth, piercing Maupassant’s flaming barrier and killing him. Maupassant realizes too late that Zhou Sen had stolen the battle’s true “grand momentum.”
• Maupassant’s death grants Zhou Sen golden experience, ending the match and confirming Zhou Sen as the victor.

Character Developments

• Maupassant demonstrates remarkable hidden strength and versatility, revealing that his mastery of water includes the ability to generate devastating flames. However, his confidence in his own trump card causes him to misjudge Zhou Sen’s strategy.
• Zhou Sen proves that his greatest strength lies in endurance, deception, battlefield control, and long-term preparation. His forest domain is revealed to be a distraction designed to conceal the World Dragon’s growth.
• Hawkins is portrayed as an analytical observer who views combat as an information war. He understands that knowledge of an opponent’s abilities can determine victory and takes an interest in Zhou Sen’s unusual World Dragon.
• The spectators and commentators gain new insight into high-level combat, especially the importance of artistic conception, domains, hidden abilities, and momentum.

Significant Themes

• Victory through strategy rather than raw power: Maupassant possesses spectacular offensive strength, but Zhou Sen wins by controlling the pace and structure of the battle.
• Hidden trump cards and deception: Both fighters conceal their strongest techniques, but Zhou Sen’s deception is deeper because he disguises the World Dragon’s movements beneath an apparently obvious forest assault.
• Endurance versus decisive offense: Maupassant seeks to end the fight quickly, while Zhou Sen thrives in prolonged combat and uses time to build an overwhelming advantage.
• The importance of momentum: The battle’s decisive factor is not merely destructive force but who truly controls the overall momentum. Maupassant believes he does, yet Zhou Sen has already seized it.
• Information as power: The post-match discussion emphasizes that understanding an opponent’s abilities can be as important as strength itself.

Character Interactions

• Maupassant and Zhou Sen exchange respectful but confident remarks during the fight, each acknowledging the other’s abilities while refusing to concede defeat.
• Maupassant recognizes the strength of Zhou Sen’s domain, but fails to realize that it is primarily a smokescreen.
• After the battle, Mani, Hawkins, Ai Miye, and Anna discuss the result. Hawkins admits he did not predict the outcome, while Anna and Qiao Si praise Zhou Sen’s unexpected final maneuver.
• Forum users debate the battle, criticizing or supporting analyses of Maupassant’s mistakes and Zhou Sen’s strategy. Hawkins silently monitors the discussion and mutes an overly bold user seeking information about the World Dragon.
• Hawkins concludes that Maupassant’s defeat was understandable: he was exhausted, trapped inside the forest, and unable to detect the World Dragon’s hidden advance.

After losing her first tournament match, Xina learned that defeated players could earn extra skill points by leveling again, and hurried out to test the discovery. On the way, she met Aiou and a small Mani, whose questions and intervention left her facing two apparent lunatics.

• Xina relived her humiliating surrender and worried that her classmates would mock her.
• After reading Maupassant's forum post, Xina learned that players who had lost could receive extra skill points by leveling up again.
• Xina rushed out to test the benefit, collided with Aiou, and briefly fell in love with his gentle appearance.
• Aiou recognized Xina as the contestant who surrendered and asked whether she had been terrified and wet herself.
• A small Mani kicked Aiou in the face for harassing Xina and urged her to punch frivolous men.

Chapter Summary: “Werewolf”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xina tries to escape Aiou and Mani after realizing Aiou is a dangerous eccentric, but the two follow her to Highwind Basin.
• Highwind Basin is a nearby fragment world where low-level monsters make it a popular training ground. Xina intends to level up and investigate information from the player Forum.
• Xina encounters Werewolf, the intimidating opponent who previously defeated her. She is so frightened that she faints after running into him.
• Aiou catches up and questions Werewolf, initially mocking his appearance and smell. Werewolf explains that he killed Xina previously in battle but did not intend to frighten her unconscious.
• Werewolf refuses to leave until Xina wakes, demonstrating a sense of responsibility and distrust toward Aiou.
• While waiting, Aiou learns about Werewolf’s past: he was raised among wolves, could not speak until age ten, and only later discovered that he was human after being sent to Mobius Academy.
• Werewolf identifies more strongly with wolves than humans and chose “Werewolf” as his name.
• Aiou suspects Werewolf is connected to Fang Yuan and the powerful Great Emperor Beifeng, but Werewolf denies knowing Fang Yuan and leaves.
• Xina wakes, learns that Aiou did nothing to her, and is deeply ashamed of having fainted.
• Rather than abandoning combat, Xina decides to confront Werewolf again and overcome her fear.

Character Developments

• Xina: Initially cowardly and desperate to avoid trouble, Xina is humiliated by her fear of Werewolf. However, the setback ultimately strengthens her resolve. She chooses to face her fear instead of giving up on becoming a powerful combat player.
• Aiou: Remains mischievous, intrusive, and provocative, constantly teasing Xina and Werewolf. Despite his strange behavior, he shows curiosity, social awareness, and a willingness to help others.
• Mani: Acts as Aiou’s watchdog, suspicious of his intentions and protective of Xina. Her bluntness and obsession with food provide comic relief.
• Werewolf: Appears intimidating and socially withdrawn, but proves considerate and responsible by waiting for Xina to awaken. His wolf-raised background explains his poor communication skills, isolation, and unusual identity.

Significant Themes

• Confronting fear: Xina’s humiliation becomes motivation to improve rather than a reason to quit.
• Identity and belonging: Werewolf struggles between his wolf upbringing and human nature, choosing a name that reflects his belief that he was “a wolf first, and a human afterward.”
• Social isolation: Werewolf’s upbringing makes it difficult for him to communicate or work with others, raising questions about whether he can function as part of a team.
• Chaos and survival: Infinite City is portrayed as a bizarre, dangerous place where avoiding strange people is often essential to survival.
• Appearances versus reality: Werewolf looks frightening but behaves responsibly, while Aiou’s handsome appearance hides his eccentric and unsettling personality.

Character Interactions

• Aiou repeatedly teases Xina, while Mani follows him to prevent him from exploiting her.
• Xina reacts fearfully to Werewolf, whereas Werewolf treats her fainting with concern and waits for her recovery.
• Aiou questions Werewolf about his background and tries to draw him into conversation, but Werewolf remains guarded and eventually leaves.
• After waking, Xina learns from Mani what happened and responds by resolving to seek Werewolf out and defeat the fear he represents.

Chapter Summary: “Highwind Basin”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Aiou, Xina, and Mani arrive at Highwind Basin, a region considered a vast plain by its extremely tiny native flower-fairy inhabitants, the Liuliu. The fairies and players have jointly built Highwind City, a largely wooden, plant-based settlement.
• Outside the city, the group crosses grasslands infested with Rocktooth Rats. The rats reproduce rapidly, burrow everywhere, and are not worth hunting because their meat is poisonous and disgusting.
• Xina decides to postpone confronting the Werewolf and instead strengthen herself by hunting Salt Lions. These wolf-sized creatures have salt teeth, live around salt deposits, and range from Level 5 to Level 20.
• Xina hunts Salt Lions continuously throughout the day, demonstrating exceptional skill even after her level was reset to zero. By sunset, she reaches Level 10, confirming that the information she found on the Forum was accurate.
• Aiou and Mani become bored with Xina’s relentless grinding. When Aiou leaves to find the Werewolf, Xina follows despite Mani’s teasing warning that she is being insufficiently “reserved.”
• In a forest, they find the Level 60 Werewolf battling a Level 80–90 Hou Beast, a massive four-armed monster and the forest’s apex predator.
• Xina identifies the Hou Beast’s weakness as its lower back and waist, where its multiple arms place strain on its body. Aiou shouts the advice to the Werewolf, who adjusts his strategy.
• Using his smaller size, movement prediction, and careful evasion, the Werewolf repeatedly attacks the Hou Beast’s lower back. After a prolonged battle, he defeats the much stronger creature.

Character Developments

• Xina: Reveals herself to be highly talented and disciplined. Despite having lost her levels, she retains remarkable combat ability and rapidly returns to Level 10 through efficient hunting. Her initial fear of the Werewolf remains, but curiosity and determination overcome it.
• Aiou: Appears eccentric, easily bored, and deliberately provocative. He spends the day following Xina without understanding why, then teases her by withholding the Werewolf’s location. Nevertheless, he contributes crucially by relaying Xina’s tactical advice during the Hou Beast fight.
• Mani: Acts as a teasing but perceptive companion. She mocks Aiou’s fixation on Xina and criticizes Xina for following him, adding comic relief to the group’s interactions.
• The Werewolf: Is established as an exceptionally bold and capable fighter. Although significantly weaker than the Hou Beast in level and physical attributes, he compensates with patience, precision, prediction, and flawless evasive movement. His victory demonstrates his growth and potential.

Significant Themes

• Skill versus raw power: The Werewolf defeats a monster twenty or more levels above him through strategy and technique rather than strength.
• Adaptation and evolution: The Salt Lions’ behavior has changed over generations because players repeatedly hunted them, illustrating how creatures adapt to human interference.
• Persistence and disciplined improvement: Xina’s repetitive hunting reflects her determination to rebuild her strength and verify information for herself.
• Human impact on nature: The players alter the ecosystem, from reshaping Salt Lion hunting patterns to controlling populations and leaving the landscape riddled with Rocktooth Rat burrows.
• Fear and courage: Xina manages her fear by preparing herself, while the Werewolf confronts a threat he previously would have avoided.

Character Interactions

• Aiou and Mani tease Xina throughout the day, while Xina attempts to ignore their remarks.
• Aiou’s decision to seek out the Werewolf draws Xina into following him, despite Mani’s playful objections.
• Xina analyzes the Hou Beast battle and identifies its vulnerability; Aiou immediately communicates her advice to the Werewolf.
• The Werewolf briefly notices the group but remains focused on his hunt, showing his serious and battle-centered personality.

Chapter Summary: “Haifeili”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After defeating the Hou Beast, the Werewolf prepares to leave. Xina stops him and declares that she will not lose to him again. His indifferent “Oh” leaves her embarrassed and deflated.
• Aiou teases Xina after the Werewolf departs, while Mani warns him that his joke nearly goes too far. Aiou and Mani then leave together.
• Over the following month, the tournament continues across numerous arenas. Strong players gain large fan followings, while contestants whose levels were reset struggle to recover; some fall into despair.
• On the next weekend, Aiou and Mani return to the grand plaza. They encounter Xina, who has hurried back from a muddy leveling area specifically to attend the Werewolf’s upcoming match.
• Aiou deduces that Xina returned to Infinite City to watch the Werewolf, using the mud on her footprints, the location of her likely leveling area, travel times, and the tournament schedule as evidence. Mani remains skeptical, though she agrees to attend the match after Aiou buys her snacks.
• At the arena, Xina’s seat is directly in front of Aiou and Mani. The Werewolf’s opponent is revealed to be Haifeili, a small, young-looking girl who has already won one match.
• Haifeili possesses the rare Fate Assassin class, one of several Fate Series classes associated with unusual talents, luck, and dangerous psychological risks.
• The match begins with the Werewolf charging Haifeili. She transforms into a Phantom and vanishes. He cannot locate her by sight or scent.
• Haifeili then creates an enormous forest of trees and attacks from concealment with a sniper rifle. The Werewolf narrowly avoids a bullet, though it grazes his temple.
• Aiou explains that Haifeili’s class is not restricted to daggers and that she has apparently used small, controllable nuclear weapons before. The discussion highlights how expensive and dangerous such weapons are for low-level players.

Character Developments

• Xina: Becomes more determined to surpass the Werewolf, openly declaring her intention to defeat him. Her return from a leveling zone shows that she is increasingly invested in following his progress, though she remains embarrassed when others notice.
• The Werewolf: Continues to display overwhelming combat ability and emotional detachment. Even when Haifeili surprises him with a sniper attack, he reacts quickly and calmly.
• Aiou: Acts as a comic observer and self-proclaimed detective. He accurately infers Xina’s motives but presents his reasoning in an exaggerated, teasing manner.
• Mani: Remains practical, blunt, and protective of social boundaries. She criticizes Aiou’s teasing and refuses to gamble, especially when money is involved. She also enjoys using Aiou’s willingness to buy her food.
• Haifeili: Is introduced as a mysterious and highly dangerous Fate Assassin. Despite her small appearance, she is already an accomplished tournament contestant and uses unconventional long-range tactics.

Significant Themes

• Determination and rivalry: Xina’s vow reflects her desire to grow stronger and overcome a previous defeat.
• Hidden affection and embarrassment: Xina’s special trip to watch the Werewolf suggests growing interest, while her discomfort when Aiou points it out reveals her reluctance to acknowledge it.
• Appearances versus ability: Haifeili looks young and fragile but possesses exceptional combat skill and destructive resources.
• Unpredictability and fate: The Fate Series classes embody unusual talents, luck, and instability, making their users difficult to predict.
• Competition and recovery: The tournament illustrates both the excitement of advancement and the despair of players forced to rebuild after losing their levels.
• Resource inequality: Powerful weapons such as controllable nuclear bombs are available to some players but remain prohibitively expensive and difficult for ordinary contestants to obtain.

Character Interactions

• Xina confronts the Werewolf directly, while he responds with detached indifference.
• Aiou teases Xina about the encounter and later tries to kiss her, but Mani stops him by stomping him into the ground.
• Aiou and Mani debate whether Xina returned specifically to see the Werewolf, with Aiou conducting an elaborate deduction and Mani challenging his assumptions.
• At the arena, Aiou continues teasing Xina about watching the Werewolf, while Mani provides a more straightforward explanation.
• During the match, Xina watches the Werewolf closely and reacts with surprise to Haifeili’s abilities; Aiou explains the opponent’s class and weapons while adding his usual exaggerated commentary.

Chapter Summary: “Pay-to-Win VS Free-to-Play”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xina recognizes that Haifeili is effectively a “pay-to-win” player, since her wealth gives her access to powerful equipment and rare items. However, Xina also acknowledges that money alone is not enough; Haifeili’s careful preparation and tactical intelligence are equally important.
• The battle between Haifeili, the Fate Assassin, and the Werewolf begins as an evenly matched contest. Haifeili has overwhelming long-range firepower, while the Werewolf possesses superior close-combat ability, reflexes, and adaptability.
• Haifeili avoids close combat from the start, using special equipment and movement tactics to keep several kilometers away. She studies the Werewolf’s previous battles and carefully calculates how he is likely to react.
• Using her skill Fate’s Gunflower, Haifeili fires highly accurate shots. The Werewolf evades most of them, but one bullet grazes his arm and inflicts a frost effect that begins invading his body.
• The Werewolf deduces that Haifeili is positioned in the trees and attempts to close the distance by moving across the branches. Haifeili switches to smaller, harder-to-detect bullets coated with a toxin that increases stamina consumption.
• During a dangerous leap between trees, the Werewolf uses a dead giant brown bear as an improvised shield. The bullet pierces the bear but misses him, astonishing both the spectators and Haifeili.
• As the Werewolf grows increasingly exhausted, Haifeili begins deploying Phantom attacks—holographic projections of bullets, axes, swords, and other weapons. These false attacks confuse him while she secretly establishes a larger holographic formation throughout the forest.
• The Werewolf realizes that the projections are part of a trap and locates one of the machines generating them. When he approaches, the device explodes, engulfing him in flames.
• He survives the blast and dispels the flames with a burst of energy, but Haifeili immediately launches bullets from dozens of directions. Only one is real, leaving the Werewolf with almost no safe way to evade the attack.

Character Developments

• The Werewolf: Demonstrates extraordinary reflexes, observation, improvisation, and combat instincts. He successfully reads Haifeili’s firing patterns and repeatedly avoids lethal shots, but his constant movement and defensive reactions consume enormous stamina. His unfamiliarity with holographic technology becomes a serious weakness.
• Haifeili: Establishes herself as much more than a wealthy player. She is disciplined, analytical, and highly trained, having studied the Werewolf and practiced sniper combat for nearly nine years. She avoids relying solely on expensive equipment, combining it with strategic planning, misdirection, and psychological pressure.
• Xina: Shows greater self-awareness by comparing her own likely tactics with the Werewolf’s. She recognizes that her earlier defeat by him resulted not from inferior strength, but from weaker willpower.
• The spectators: Their reactions emphasize the unpredictability of the match, particularly when the Werewolf uses the bear as a shield and when Haifeili’s holographic trap begins overwhelming him.

Significant Themes

• Pay-to-win versus genuine ability: Haifeili’s wealth gives her powerful advantages, but the chapter stresses that equipment cannot replace skill, preparation, or tactical judgment.
• Strength versus willpower: Xina’s reflection suggests that victory depends not only on physical power but also on mental resilience and the ability to remain composed under pressure.
• Adaptation and improvisation: The Werewolf survives through quick thinking, using unexpected resources and reading his opponent’s methods.
• Technology and perception: Haifeili’s holographic weapons blur the line between reality and illusion, showing how advanced technology can undermine even exceptional instincts.
• Range versus close combat: The battle highlights the contrasting strengths of a long-range assassin and a close-range fighter, with each trying to force the fight into favorable conditions.

Character Interactions

• Haifeili versus the Werewolf: Their confrontation is a battle of calculation against instinct. Haifeili controls distance and the battlefield through sniping, toxins, repositioning, and holographic deception, while the Werewolf relies on reflexes, deduction, and physical adaptability.
• Xina and the Werewolf: Xina’s memories of their previous battle provide insight into his mental strength and help frame the current fight.
• Haifeili and the spectators: Her tactics repeatedly surprise the audience, especially her use of holographic projections and calculated attacks.
• The Werewolf and the battlefield: He turns environmental elements—trees, branches, and the dead bear—into tools for survival, but Haifeili gradually transforms the entire forest into a deadly trap.

Chapter Summary: “Battleship Destroyer”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Werewolf is trapped in Haifeili’s extensive holographic illusion matrix and bombarded by sniper bullets that are difficult to distinguish from fake attacks. The bullets possess armor-piercing and poison effects.
• One bullet pierces his shoulder, and the poison begins draining his stamina. Unable to detect Haifeili’s location because she leaves no scent, he is forced to endure repeated attacks.
• The Werewolf activates his Berserk Werewolf transformation, greatly increasing his speed and power. He rapidly closes in on Haifeili, nearly catching her.
• Haifeili survives by using Shadow Self, a hidden shadow duplicate that swaps her position and creates an illusion, causing the Werewolf’s attack to miss.
• The Werewolf activates Moon Howl, turning the arena into night. The darkness strengthens him and restores some stamina and injuries, partially counteracting the poison.
• Haifeili recognizes the danger of close combat and deploys fifteen remote-controlled sniper rifles. She then equips her heavily enhanced Divine Artifact weapon, the Battleship Destroyer, whose single bullets possess immense destructive power.
• The Werewolf senses danger from all directions but cannot determine Haifeili’s true location. A barrage wounds him, and a Battleship Destroyer round destroys his left leg.
• Despite his severe injuries, he retreats behind a boulder, bandages himself, and attempts to continue the fight by moving through the trees with his hands.
• Before he can escape or counterattack, another bullet strikes his head and kills him, ending the battle.

Character Developments

• The Werewolf demonstrates impressive speed, resilience, tactical awareness, and refusal to surrender. However, the battle exposes serious weaknesses in his concealment, tracking, and ability to fight opponents who remain hidden.
• He learns that relying too heavily on Scent Radar has left him vulnerable when facing technology and illusions that conceal scent and position.
• Haifeili is shown to be far more than a wealthy player relying on expensive equipment. She possesses excellent combat instincts, fast reactions, strong evasive skills, and experience with dangerous battles.
• Haifeili adapts quickly after nearly being caught, changing weapons and tactics rather than continuing to rely on a single sniper rifle.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus wealth and technology: The spectators repeatedly note that the Werewolf is powerful, but Haifeili’s overwhelming investment in enhanced equipment gives her an enormous advantage.
• Adaptation and preparation: Both fighters adjust their strategies, but Haifeili’s arsenal and tactical preparation ultimately prove superior.
• Revealing weaknesses through combat: The Werewolf recognizes flaws he had never noticed before, particularly his poor concealment and tracking abilities.
• Perseverance despite impossible odds: Even after losing a leg and suffering heavy injuries, the Werewolf continues fighting, embodying determination and refusal to give up.
• Appearances and deception: Holograms, illusions, fake bullets, and Shadow Self make it difficult to distinguish reality from falsehood.

Character Interactions

• The Werewolf and Haifeili engage in a tense battle of pursuit and evasion. He relies on speed and close-range attacks, while she maintains distance, hides herself, and uses illusions and automated weapons.
• Haifeili’s near-capture by the Werewolf forces her to acknowledge his danger and respond with greater caution.
• Spectators, including Xina and Aiou, discuss the fight. Aiou correctly predicts that the Werewolf still has a trump card, while Xina realizes how much stronger and more experienced Haifeili is.
• The spectators sympathize with the Werewolf, viewing his defeat as an example of genuine combat strength being overwhelmed by Haifeili’s superior resources.

Chapter Summary: “The Deliveryman”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Haifeili defeats Werewolf in the martial arts tournament, ending his run after the second match. Her victory seems inevitable, as Werewolf is unable to escape her carefully constructed strategy.
• Xina watches Werewolf’s defeat and becomes disheartened. She had viewed him as someone far ahead of her, but his loss makes her realize that even those she considers exceptional can be ordinary among Infinite City’s many geniuses.
• After the tournament, Xina and Werewolf encounter each other in the plaza. Both feel embarrassed because of Xina’s earlier declaration of admiration, and they awkwardly part without speaking.
• Aiou and Mani spend their evening at an open-air bar, where they meet Tang Yihu, the head of One Tiger Hall. Tang Yihu is a powerful escort and deliveryman who has won three tournament matches and boasts that he will win ten.
• Aiou suspects someone close to Tang Yihu manipulated him into entering the tournament, possibly risking the future of One Tiger Hall if his level is reset. However, Aiou quickly dismisses the matter.
• For several days, Aiou and Mani investigate unusual flying ants living near a bakery. The ants have mutated from eating magically enhanced bread and may have a hidden nest in Infinite City’s sewers.
• They repeatedly encounter a shy, bespectacled girl who feeds the ants pieces of bread. When Aiou approaches her, she flees, making him suspect that she may be raising the ants or hiding some larger secret.
• Unable to track the ants or find the girl again, Aiou and Mani eventually decide to take a break. When Aiou notices that Tang Yihu has another tournament match, they buy tickets and snacks to watch him compete.

Character Developments

• Xina experiences a crisis of confidence. Seeing Werewolf eliminated forces her to question whether she is truly talented or merely average compared with the geniuses around her.
• Werewolf is humbled by his defeat and feels awkward around Xina. His earlier inability to respond confidently to her feelings now seems fortunate, since boasting would have made their encounter even more embarrassing.
• Aiou remains impulsive, curious, and easily distracted. He shifts quickly from tournament gossip to investigating magical ants, but his instincts lead him to suspect that the girl and the ants are connected.
• Mani continues to act as Aiou’s skeptical partner, teasing him about his motives while becoming increasingly excited by the possibility of uncovering a major secret.
• Tang Yihu is presented as a successful but boastful deliveryman and leader. His tournament participation suggests that his confidence—or someone else’s influence—may have pushed him into taking an unnecessary risk.
• The bespectacled girl is introduced as secretive and cautious. Her efforts to feed the ants and immediate flight from Aiou suggest that she may be involved in something important.

Significant Themes

• The limits of talent: Xina and Werewolf both confront the realization that they may not be extraordinary in a world filled with powerful individuals.
• Humility and failure: Werewolf’s defeat and Tang Yihu’s overconfidence contrast the consequences of recognizing—or ignoring—one’s limitations.
• Curiosity and hidden mysteries: The mutated ants and the mysterious girl introduce a new investigation, suggesting that ordinary-looking details in Infinite City may conceal larger secrets.
• Comedy and absurdity: The chapter balances emotional reflection with humorous scenes, such as Aiou and Mani drinking childish beverages in a rough bar and obsessively studying magical ants.
• Unexpected connections: Tournament events, delivery work, the sewer system, magical food, and the girl’s behavior all hint that seemingly unrelated parts of Infinite City may be connected.

Character Interactions

• Xina and Werewolf share an awkward, silent encounter after his defeat, each embarrassed by their previous relationship and circumstances.
• Aiou and Mani banter constantly, accusing each other of ulterior motives while cooperating closely.
• Tang Yihu and the bar’s patrons interact through loud boasting and praise, establishing his status and personality.
• Aiou confronts the mysterious girl, but she avoids him before he can question her.
• Aiou persuades Mani to investigate the girl and later convinces her to attend Tang Yihu’s match, reinforcing their playful but cooperative partnership.

Chapter Summary: “Courier vs. Insect-Controlling Girl”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Aiou and Mani watch a tournament match between the powerful courier Tang Yihu and the mysterious, insect-controlling girl Chunchun.
• Tang Yihu begins cautiously, testing Chunchun with several throwing knives. She catches and returns them with comparable speed and strength, revealing that she is far more capable than her small stature suggests.
• Tang Yihu draws his level-90 Tiger-Familiar Blade, a weapon capable of recording slain beings and summoning their souls as controllable tiger familiars.
• Chunchun avoids his powerful opening attack by transforming into a shadow, then counters with Insect Trap Lamp, releasing a mass of flying ants. She later summons a massive beetle from a bottle of golden liquid, forcing Tang Yihu to retreat.
• Tang Yihu realizes that Chunchun’s attacks are carried out mostly by insects and summoned creatures, allowing her to conserve stamina while he expends energy fighting them.
• He releases the blade’s Ghost Tiger, summoning numerous human and animal souls to protect him and eliminate the ants’ numerical advantage.
• When Tang Yihu charges her, Chunchun transforms into countless butterflies and vanishes. Unable to locate her, he attempts to destroy the entire arena with Ferocious Tiger Descends the Mountain, Heaven-Reaching Crouch.
• The arena is devastated, but Chunchun remains hidden. Tang Yihu correctly deduces that she is still alive and waiting for an opportunity.
• To force her out, he begins charging his Warm Wine Slash, warning that its power will continue increasing the longer she hides.
• Chunchun responds with bee stingers, then reveals herself and unleashes March of the Hundred Insects. Spatial cracks open behind her, releasing a vast swarm of venomous insects.
• The insects fire countless red beams that destroy Tang Yihu’s ghostly defenses and blast him into the air, leaving him covered in bleeding wounds.

Character Developments

• Tang Yihu is shown to be powerful, experienced, and tactically adaptable. Rather than recklessly pursuing Chunchun, he analyzes her abilities, identifies the weakness of her insect-based strategy, and uses psychological pressure to force her to reveal herself.
• His Tiger-Familiar Blade demonstrates both offensive power and versatility, allowing him to summon spirits and coordinate them mentally.
• Chunchun appears calm, elusive, and highly resourceful. She relies on stealth, transformations, summoned insects, and spatial abilities instead of direct combat.
• Her small frame is misleading; she matches Tang Yihu physically and possesses a wide range of dangerous insect-based techniques.
• Chunchun’s ability to preserve her own stamina while making insects fight on her behalf gives her a major strategic advantage.

Significant Themes

• Power versus strategy: Raw strength alone is insufficient; both fighters rely on observation, timing, and tactical planning.
• Deception and hidden abilities: Chunchun repeatedly changes form or disappears, forcing Tang Yihu to infer the nature of her powers.
• Stamina and resource management: Tang Yihu recognizes that Chunchun is conserving energy while he bears the cost of fighting her summoned creatures.
• Adaptation under pressure: Both contestants quickly adjust when their initial attacks fail, turning the match into a battle of counters and endurance.
• Appearance versus reality: Chunchun’s small stature and unusual name cause spectators to underestimate her, but she proves to be a formidable opponent.

Character Interactions

• Aiou and Mani provide humorous commentary from the audience, initially mocking Chunchun’s name and appearance.
• Tang Yihu and Chunchun interact almost entirely through combat, with each testing and countering the other’s abilities.
• Tang Yihu attempts to provoke Chunchun into revealing herself by openly explaining his Warm Wine Slash.
• Chunchun answers his challenge with an overwhelming insect assault, ending the chapter with Tang Yihu seriously injured but not yet defeated.

Chapter Summary: “Chunchun’s Secret”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Black Tiger returns just in time to protect the injured Tang Yihu after Chunchun’s surprise attack shatters his Blood Shield. Tang narrowly avoids defeat and is healed by surviving tiger ghosts.
• Tang and Black Tiger coordinate a pincer attack, but Chunchun counters by releasing a colossal centipede from a golden bottle. The enormous creature crashes down, forcing Tang to use Five-Tiger Gate-Breaking Saber to sever it.
• Tang leaps onto the centipede and attacks Chunchun with a series of increasingly powerful saber techniques, including Thousand-Character Slash, Prostrate Tiger Slash, and Tiger Sovereign Slash.
• Chunchun appears to be cut in half, but Tang discovers that she transferred the damage to another insect. Her apparent body and injuries are part of an elaborate deception involving sacrificial insects.
• Tang continues pressing his attack, while Chunchun retreats and uses insects to block his saber strikes. When he unleashes Immortal King Subduing Tiger Slash, he realizes the Chunchun he has been pursuing is only a decoy.
• Tang investigates her unusual disappearances and identifies the secret behind her ability: Chunchun can shrink herself to an almost microscopic size. She was never teleporting; she was simply becoming too small to see or target.
• To counter her, Tang summons his ultimate form, Great Black Tiger God, descend! Black Tiger merges with him, covering his body in tiger hide and greatly amplifying his killing intent and power.
• Tang releases a massive wave of black aura that covers the battlefield. Although Chunchun shrinks even further, the aura exerts greater pressure at smaller scales and rapidly destroys her Blood Shield, revealing that Tang has successfully countered her secret.

Character Developments

• Tang Yihu demonstrates his cautious, analytical fighting style. Rather than relying only on brute strength, he observes inconsistencies in Chunchun’s behavior and gradually deduces the mechanism behind her ability.
• His history as a martial artist is emphasized: he evolved from Cat Fist and Tiger Fist into the Fierce Tiger Saber, combining animal imitation with his own unique techniques.
• Tang also reveals his strongest transformation, merging with Black Tiger and reaching a terrifying state that seems partly human and partly beast.
• Chunchun is shown to be far more deceptive than a straightforward insect controller. Her ability to transfer damage and shrink herself makes her extremely difficult to kill and explains why she initially appeared nearly invincible.
• However, once Tang understands her trick, her advantage begins to collapse. Her confidence is shaken when shrinking further actually increases the pressure on her.

Significant Themes

• Deception versus perception: Chunchun’s strength lies in misleading opponents through decoys, damage transfer, and apparent disappearances. Tang wins the advantage by questioning what he sees.
• Adaptation and strategic combat: The battle emphasizes that high-level fighters possess layered abilities and can overcome targeted counters by adapting quickly.
• Hidden strength and misjudgment: Tang initially appears pressured, but he has preserved much of his energy and kept his trump cards hidden. Chunchun’s unknown reputation also suggests that appearances can conceal considerable power.
• Evolution through mastery: Tang’s development from Cat Fist to Tiger Fist and eventually the Fierce Tiger Saber reflects his ability to refine borrowed animal traits into a personal martial path.
• Size and power: Chunchun’s microscopic form makes her difficult to attack, but the chapter reverses the expected logic by showing that becoming smaller can also make her more vulnerable to Tang’s aura.

Character Interactions

• Tang and Black Tiger operate with perfect coordination, with Black Tiger shielding and supporting Tang while Tang launches the main attacks.
• Tang directly confronts Chunchun’s deceptive tactics, forcing her to evade rather than retaliate and eventually exposing her hidden ability.
• The spectators, including Li Bingwen, Aiou, and Mani, analyze the fight from the sidelines. Aiou recognizes that Tang has maintained a stable position throughout the battle, while Mani prematurely predicts Chunchun’s defeat.
• By the end, Tang has uncovered Chunchun’s secret and transformed the fight from a pursuit of an apparently vanishing enemy into a direct struggle against her true weakness.

Summary: “Seeking a Shop”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Yihu battles Chunchun in the arena and uses his powerful Black Tiger Shattering Light Slash, damaging her mask and forcing her to reveal her defensive trump card.
• A strange venomous creature wrapped around Chunchun awakens numerous red eyes. Identified later as the Evil God Insect, it distorts space and neutralizes Tang Yihu’s attacks.
• Tang Yihu unleashes his strongest technique, transforming into a massive White Tiger and delivering an unavoidable slash. However, the Evil God Insect folds the attack through space, causing it to return to Tang Yihu.
• Tang Yihu is killed by his own attack, while Chunchun survives and wins the match. She gains a large amount of experience and rapidly levels up.
• Li Bingwen, who secretly bet on Tang Yihu’s defeat, remains behind with a satisfied, sinister smile. When questioned by Aiou and Mani, he pretends that he simply won the lottery.
• Players on the Forum analyze the battle and explain that the Evil God Insect can absorb negative emotions, create numerous “Evil God’s Eyes,” and manipulate space. Chunchun’s class remains uncertain, since her abilities may come from the insect rather than from her directly.
• A week later, Aiou and Mani hear about Infinite City’s legendary dessert shops and decide to search for the unnamed shop ranked number one.
• While searching through the city’s quiet alleys, they become distracted by a chicken-shaped sign and eventually locate the Little Chicken Shop.

Character Developments

• Tang Yihu demonstrates confidence and overwhelming offensive power but suffers because he underestimates an unfamiliar opponent and fails to recognize the Evil God Insect’s abilities.
• Chunchun reveals herself as a much more dangerous fighter than expected. Her fear of exposing her face suggests a hidden secret, while her reliance on the Evil God Insect gives her a mysterious and unconventional combat style.
• Li Bingwen shows a vindictive and opportunistic side. Tang Yihu’s defeat clearly pleases him, and his successful bet provides him with personal satisfaction.
• Aiou and Mani continue their playful, food-loving relationship. Their curiosity and appetite lead them away from the battle’s aftermath and into a new search for rare food.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge versus raw strength: Tang Yihu’s superior power is defeated because he does not understand his opponent’s abilities.
• The danger of hidden trump cards: Chunchun’s victory depends on the previously unknown Evil God Insect and its spatial manipulation.
• Uncertainty and speculation: Even after the match, players cannot determine Chunchun’s true class, emphasizing how little is known about powerful individuals in Infinite City.
• Competition and spectacle: The battle becomes a major topic of discussion because its outcome is inexplicable to spectators.
• Food as exploration and community: The later section shifts from combat to the city’s hidden culinary culture, portraying Infinite City as a place filled with eccentric shops and retired players pursuing personal interests.

Character Interactions

• Tang Yihu and Chunchun clash in a tense battle centered on his relentless attacks and her desperate defense of her mask.
• Li Bingwen interacts with Aiou and Mani after the fight, attempting to conceal his malicious amusement and gambling success.
• Aiou and Mani discuss the Forum’s theories about Chunchun and then work together to find the city’s best dessert shop.
• Their search leads them through the quiet alleys to the Little Chicken Shop, setting up the next stage of their exploration.