Chapter Summaries

Plot and events

• After the Chinese delegation enters Osaka’s West Guardian Pavilion, Mochizuki Chiharu asks Mu Nujiao about the vines she used earlier. She recognizes that Mu’s unusual Plant Seed lets her vines drain the life force from other plants.
• Mu dismisses Chiharu’s compliment with the cutting remark, “Your Plant Seed is just too weak.” Zhou Sining backs Mu up, rebukes Chiharu, and then walks away with Mu.
• The group tours the pavilion, learning that its Lower and Middle levels contain maze-like corridors and many public facilities, while the Upper Pavilion is restricted to Osaka’s senior officials and mages.
• From the cliffside windows, they see that a split drawbridge connects the West Pavilion to the forbidden East Pavilion. Chiharu warns that powerful restrictions guard it. Jiang Yu tests the warning by throwing a stone toward the East Pavilion; a massive curtain of pale lightning destroys it.
• Angry at the visitors for triggering the defenses, Chiharu and the Blond Man leave, telling the group to wait for the banquet.
• The Chinese mages trade threats and insults about the upcoming friendly sparring. Guan Yu belittles the Substitutes, Zhao Manyan takes offense, and Zhou Sining leaves with Mu instead of joining the quarrel.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Nujiao shows confidence in her Plant Seed and remains coolly dismissive toward Chiharu, despite the latter’s grudging admiration.
• Mochizuki Chiharu recognizes the power of Mu’s magic but remains hostile and resentful, especially after Mu and Zhou’s remarks.
• Zhou Sining openly defends Mu and shows his closeness to her by holding her hand and inviting her to the library.
• Mo Fan stays amused by the Japanese hosts’ warnings and eagerly anticipates facing Chiharu in the sparring.
• Guan Yu and Zhao Manyan escalate their rivalry through insults; Mo Fan briefly offers to help Zhao, then backs out when Zhao takes him seriously.
• Jiang Yu’s curiosity prompts the group to witness the East Pavilion’s formidable defenses firsthand.

Significant themes

• Power and pride: The exchange over Plant Seeds turns a technical comparison into a personal contest of status.
• Secrecy and danger: The East Pavilion’s restrictions emphasize that the hosts control access to powerful, potentially deadly places.
• Rivalry and loyalty: The visiting team’s internal feuds contrast with the support Zhou shows Mu and Mo Fan shows Zhao Manyan.

Plot points and events

• At a tense banquet welcoming the Chinese National Team, Mochizuki Chiharu, Okamoto Takashi, and other Japanese students remain angry over the Chinese group’s earlier behavior.
• A disagreement between Japanese teacher Fujikata Nobuko and the Chinese team escalates after Jiang Shaoxu pushes back against criticism of their relaxed attitude.
• The groups agree to settle matters with a one-on-one match: five fighters per side, with the first team to win three bouts taking the victory. Okamoto volunteers, and Guan Yu immediately chooses him as an opponent.
• At the Arena, Captain Ai Jiangtu selects only three Chinese fighters—Guan Yu, Mo Fan, and Jiang Shaoxu—arguing that three wins are enough. His defiance further irritates the Japanese side.
• Guan Yu enters the Arena and challenges Okamoto Takashi, beginning the first bout.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Sining stays out of the competition, joking about the tensions and privately planning an evening with Mu Nujiao. He enjoys the prospect of watching a fight more than participating.
• Mu Nujiao teases Zhou for his enthusiasm and calmly fills him in on the argument he missed.
• Guan Yu shows confidence and picks Okamoto, both to settle a personal grudge and because he judges Mochizuki Chiharu’s Plant magic a poor matchup for his speed-focused style.
• Ai Jiangtu demonstrates a blunt, strategically minded leadership style by choosing fewer fighters than requested.
• Okamoto eagerly accepts the challenge, while the wider groups’ mutual resentment turns formal hospitality into open competition.

Significant themes

• National pride and rivalry: The banquet’s strained politeness gives way to a direct contest between the teams.
• Confidence and provocation: Taunts and displays of bravado shape the confrontation before the first spell is cast.
• Strategy beneath swagger: Guan Yu considers matchups before choosing an opponent, and Ai Jiangtu makes a calculated decision about how many fighters to field.

Key plot points and events

• Guan Yu and Japan’s Okamoto Takashi face off in a fast-paced duel between two Wind mages with similar speed-focused styles. Guan Yu lands a wound but is caught in Takashi’s Wind Disk trap; the instructor ends the match and declares Guan Yu the winner.
• After both contestants receive treatment, Mo Fan challenges Mochizuki Chiharu, whom he openly dislikes. Chiharu accepts despite Fujikata Nobuko’s hesitation. To prevent the Chinese team from appearing to gang up on Japan, Nobuko requires them to name a second opponent; Ai Jiangtu volunteers.
• As Mo Fan and Chiharu head to the platform, Mu Nujiao asks Zhou Sining who will win. Zhou predicts Mo Fan would lose if they fought seriously, citing Chiharu’s exceptional power and control.

Character developments and interactions

• Guan Yu wins but is frustrated that his risky attack did not decisively defeat Takashi. Mo Fan mocks him, then confidently takes the next match.
• Mu Nujiao watches Guan Yu and Takashi for insights into Wind cultivation, while Jiang Yu emphasizes the value of facing a similar opponent.
• Mo Fan and Mochizuki Chiharu have clear mutual hostility: he provokes her with an insulting challenge, and she accepts, determined to teach him a lesson. Mochizuki Meiken tries to restrain her, but yields.
• Zhou Sining is notably wary of Chiharu’s strength, disagreeing with the others’ confidence in Mo Fan.

Significant themes

• Learning through competition: Similar opponents can reveal new techniques and help mages refine their own cultivation.
• Pride and national rivalry: The teams’ boasts and concern over public humiliation shape their choices.
• Confidence versus accurate judgment: Mo Fan assumes he can dominate Chiharu, while Zhou recognizes that her abilities may be far beyond what the others expect.

Key plot points

• Mochizuki Chiharu overwhelms Mo Fan with extraordinary plant magic, blocking his Thunder Whip and trapping him inside a rapidly growing Plant Cocoon.
• The onlookers realize Chiharu is far stronger than an ordinary Intermediate Mage. Mu Nujiao suspects she broke through to the Advanced level some time ago and can cast advanced magic with ease.
• Several Chinese teammates assume Mo Fan has lost, and Guan Yu criticizes him—until Mo Fan’s voice erupts from the cocoon.
• Mo Fan reveals he used the cocoon’s cover to prepare advanced-level fire magic. With Little Flame Fairy’s help, he burns through the plants and unleashes Heavenly Flame Funeral, filling the arena with a vast Sea of Fire.
• The chapter ends with the team shocked to learn Mo Fan is an Advanced Mage who can cast advanced-level magic.

Character developments and interactions

• Mo Fan shifts from appearing trapped and defeated to demonstrating a powerful new level of strength. His patience inside the cocoon shows tactical thinking as well as confidence.
• Mochizuki Chiharu is established as a formidable opponent whose plant control dominates the fight—though Mo Fan’s counterattack means the outcome remains unresolved.
• Little Flame Fairy joins Mo Fan’s assault, combining her calamity flame with his rose flame to overcome the plants.
• Mu Nujiao recognizes Chiharu’s exceptional skill through her own expertise in plant magic.
• Zhou Sining remains confident that Mo Fan has not truly lost, while Guan Yu prematurely writes him off. Mo Fan’s return silences the doubters and astonishes the team.

Significant themes

• Appearances can mislead: Mo Fan’s apparent defeat conceals a plan, while Chiharu’s reserve-team status masks her extraordinary strength.
• Rivalry and national pride: The battle forces the Chinese team to reassess Japan’s strength and wonder how powerful Japan’s main National Team must be.
• Hidden growth and capability: Mo Fan’s revelation shows that the team’s assumptions about his level—and the scarcity of Advanced Mages—are out of date.

Key plot points and events

• Mo Fan’s boosted Advanced Fire spell, Heavenly Flame Funeral: Flame Rain, forces Mochizuki Chiharu to the Arena’s edge and drives her to use Advanced Water Magic.
• Chiharu then turns the fight around with Ghost Wood Hand, trapping Mo Fan in a pit where her Plant Magic gives her overwhelming control.
• Team captain Ai Jiangtu realizes Chiharu is far too powerful to be a National Pavilion student. The Japanese reveal that she is a combat instructor—and, as Fujikata Nobuko explains, an instructor for both the National Pavilion and National Teams.
• Mo Fan escapes by merging with Little Flame Fairy, unleashing the Heavenly Tribulation Flame to burn through the ghost wood and charge at Chiharu. His attack pushes her to the boundary before her Water Curtain Sky fully forms.
• Chiharu concedes, then immediately tells Mo Fan to focus: the flames around him show that he has reached the threshold of a Flame Domain. Zhou Sining explains that, although a Soul Seed makes forming a domain easier, powerful will and concentration can draw surrounding elements together.

Character developments and interactions

• Mo Fan refuses to give up despite being trapped, and his resolve and bond with Little Flame Fairy enable a dramatic counterattack. His power also appears to be developing in a new direction.
• Mochizuki Chiharu is revealed to be an experienced teacher rather than an ordinary student. Though she initially dominates Mo Fan, she concedes when he reaches her boundary—and shifts from opponent to instructor by guiding his breakthrough.
• Ai Jiangtu recognizes the mismatch and challenges the Japanese representatives about Chiharu’s identity.
• Zhao Manyan and the Chinese students first defend Mo Fan, then realize the Japanese had tried to explain who Chiharu was and Mo Fan had interrupted them. Their reactions shift from outrage to embarrassment and disbelief.
• Mu Ningxue watches Mo Fan’s reckless behavior with growing exasperation.

Significant themes

• Determination and breakthrough: Mo Fan’s refusal to submit turns a losing fight into a chance to reach a rare magical milestone.
• Mentorship amid rivalry: Chiharu’s competitive victory gives way to professional concern for Mo Fan’s development.
• Miscommunication and accountability: Mo Fan’s insistence on choosing Chiharu without hearing the explanation helps create the unfair-looking matchup.
• Power beyond conventional advantages: The discussion of domains suggests that exceptional will and focus may compensate for lacking a Soul Seed.

Plot points and events

• After training under Mochizuki Chiharu, Mo Fan briefly touches the threshold of a Fire Domain. Without a Soul Seed and sufficient mental strength, he cannot sustain it, but the achievement leaves him pleased.
• Mo Fan asks Mu Ningxue about her domain and tries to turn the conversation into a private heart-to-heart. She says her domain was innate and offers no further insight; she suggests he ask Zhou Sining instead.
• Jiang Shaoxu faces Japanese mage Koike Shoko. Using repeated Mind Shocks, she prevents Koike from casting and forces her to concede. Jiang then rebukes the Japanese pavilion defenders for looking down on China’s National Team.
• China wins all three matches. Mo Fan’s victory over instructor Mochizuki Chiharu especially impresses the West Guardian Pavilion, while Zhou Sining impatiently wants the team to leave.
• Later, Zhou Sining and Mu Nujiao share an intimate night. Just as they settle down to sleep, alarms and warning lights erupt across the pavilion, sending guards rushing to the watchtowers.

Character developments and interactions

• Mo Fan is delighted by his first glimpse of domain-level magic, though the moment also shows the limits of his current mental strength. His teasing approach to Mu Ningxue is brushed off.
• Mu Ningxue remains reserved and self-possessed, briefly pointing Mo Fan toward Zhou Sining rather than engaging with his questions.
• Jiang Shaoxu confidently demonstrates the decisive advantage of her Mind Element and uses her victory to defend China’s team against the Japanese side’s earlier taunts.
• Zhou Sining is impatient during the matches but later shares a private, affectionate moment with Mu Nujiao. The alarm abruptly interrupts their rest.
• Mu Nujiao appears emotionally overwhelmed during their intimate encounter and, after the alarms begin, reaches for her phone when sleep becomes impossible.

Significant themes

• Power and recognition: China’s victories, especially Mo Fan’s defeat of a senior instructor, challenge the Japanese pavilion’s assumptions about the National Team.
• The limits of achievement: Mo Fan reaches a new magical threshold but cannot yet turn it into a usable domain.
• Confidence and rivalry: Jiang Shaoxu’s win turns a personal grudge into a pointed response to national-level condescension.
• Sudden disruption: The pavilion’s alarms abruptly replace private rest with an unexplained emergency.

Key plot points and events

• A red alarm from the Twin Guardian Pavilion wakes the National Team. Zhou Sining sends Mo Fan to investigate, while the others gather in the corridor.
• The alarm soon stops. Zhou believes it was triggered by Baxia, the ancient turtle now following Zhao Manyan.
• Back in their room, Zhou and Mu Nujiao discuss the National Team’s first resource allocation, which will follow the Tokyo Sea Battlefield. Teams earn more resources by performing well at training sites.
• Mu Nujiao explains that reserve members receive no resources. After each allocation, active-team places may change if National Pavilion members reach the Advanced Level and replace weaker competitors.
• Zhou identifies himself, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Ningxue as reserves. Mu Ningxue is especially vulnerable because the Mu Clan has withdrawn much of its support.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou is irritable after the alarm disrupts his private time with Mu Nujiao, but reassures her that there is no danger. Their teasing and affectionate exchange resumes once the alarm ends.
• Mo Fan notices Zhou’s scratches and privately misreads them, while Zhou snaps at him to investigate the noise.
• Mu Nujiao takes on the practical role of explaining the team’s resource and elimination system. Zhou is initially dismissive, but follows her explanation and understands its implications.
• Zhou is confident his own place is secure; Zhao Manyan likely has strong family backing. Mu Ningxue, by contrast, has little institutional support and faces likely elimination.

Significant themes

• Competition and advancement: Training performance determines access to resources and can decide who stays on the team.
• Wealth and patronage: Reaching the Advanced Level often requires costly support, making family investment crucial.
• Unequal opportunity: Mu Ningxue’s skill may not be enough to overcome her lack of backing and reserve status.
• Intimacy amid pressure: The couple’s playful closeness contrasts with the looming uncertainty over the team’s future.

Key plot points and events

• Mu Nujiao admits she admires Mu Ningxue’s strength and dedication. Zhou Sining agrees but avoids discussing her, given his troubled history with the Mu Clan and the Black Vatican. Mu Nujiao apologizes; he reassures her, and they turn their attention to the team’s early departure for Tokyo.
• The National Team travels to Tokyo by subway and bus because its members lack valid documents. Their instructor, Mochizuki Chiharu, joins them, claiming she has an appointment there, though her constant attention to Mo Fan makes the explanation seem doubtful.
• Ai Jiangtu warns the team about resource subsidies and the possibility that someone will be cut after their Sea Battle City training. In Tokyo, Mo Fan leaves with Chiharu to deal with a troublesome bead; the remaining thirteen head directly to the battlefield.
• The team sees Tokyo’s massive coastal defenses: a crescent-shaped city divided into Inner and Outer sections by the Tokyo Shield, which holds back both waves and sea demons. Zhou Sining welcomes the abundance of beasts but worries that fighting in water will disadvantage him.
• Before the team can register, a huge stone pillar suddenly flies toward Ai Jiangtu and Nan Jue. Ai Jiangtu and Zhou Sining jointly use Mind Control to halt it in midair. A nearby man in orange is astonished by their Space Element power.
• As the team tries to understand what happened, Jiang Yu spots something horrifying farther down the street, setting up the next confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Sining and Mu Nujiao show greater trust and tenderness: he recognizes her sensitivity and reassures her that he is not as fragile as she fears.
• Mu Nujiao respects Mu Ningxue as a fellow hardworking cultivator, despite their rivalry.
• Mo Fan and Mochizuki Chiharu leave together, with Chiharu’s true reason for accompanying the group left ambiguous.
• Ai Jiangtu and Zhou Sining respond in tandem to the crisis, demonstrating their powerful mental abilities and teamwork.
• The team’s banter continues: Jiang Shaoxu threatens Zu Jiming after he calls her “lady,” and the group jokes about their captain’s composure after the pillar is stopped.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and mutual respect: Mu Nujiao can compete with Mu Ningxue while still recognizing her ability and dedication.
• Trust and solidarity: Zhou Sining supports Mu Nujiao, and the two Mind Control users protect their teammates together.
• Preparation under pressure: The team faces both the prospect of elimination and the dangers of an unfamiliar battlefield.
• The contrast between city and danger: Tokyo’s modern, fortified setting is threatened by sea demons—and now by an unexplained attack within the city itself.

Key plot points and events

• The National Team arrives in East Sea City and learns that the fortress city regularly faces Sea Monster attacks, even within its streets.
• Two Commander Level Blue Valley Fierce Beasts appear in Block Nineteen. Authorities order civilians to evacuate and combat personnel to respond.
• Ai Jiangtu considers confronting the beasts, but Zhao Manyan objects: most of the team are only Intermediate Level. The team stays back to observe.
• The beasts rampage through the street, mostly damaging buildings. One tears a five-story stone building from the ground and throws it at the team.
• Zhou Sining and Ai Jiangtu use Mind Control to slow the building, giving the others time to raise defensive spells. Their combined barrier and rock wall break the building apart and protect the group.
• The beasts spot the team and charge. Ai Jiangtu orders everyone to flee, but confusion over which way to go briefly scatters them. Most turn right and regroup as one beast rapidly closes in.

Character developments

• Ai Jiangtu shows his military experience and instinct to protect the group, but recognizes that his personal strength is not enough to justify risking the team.
• Zhao Manyan voices the team’s practical concern about facing enemies far above most members’ level.
• Zhou Sining is eager for a fight, motivated by the Life Points he could earn from killing Commander Level creatures.
• Jiang Shaoxu uses her sensitivity as a Mind Mage to detect the beasts’ hostility and warn the group.
• The team demonstrates courage and coordination, though the chaotic escape reveals their difficulty acting together under sudden pressure.

Significant themes

• Danger in a militarized city: East Sea City treats monster attacks as a routine part of life, with buildings designed partly to distract or obstruct beasts.
• Leadership and responsibility: Ai Jiangtu must balance his confidence with the need to protect less powerful teammates.
• Strength through teamwork: The team survives the thrown building by combining mental control and defensive magic.
• Risk versus reward: Zhou Sining sees opportunity in the beasts, while the others focus on the serious danger they pose.

Character interactions

• Ai Jiangtu and Zhao Manyan disagree over whether the team should engage the beasts; Ai ultimately accepts the safer course.
• Zhou Sining and Ai work together to slow the building, while the rest of the team cast defensive spells.
• Jiang Shaoxu’s warning prompts Ai to order a retreat, but multiple members shouting directions causes momentary confusion before the group mostly follows the same route.

Plot points and events

• The Blue Valley Fierce Beast catches up with Jiang Shaoxu as the team flees. Zu Jiming abandons her, but Zhou Sining and Mu Nujiao stop to help.
• Zhou uses his spare Divine Footwork magic equipment to teleport to Jiang’s side. He halts the beast’s stabbing leg with magic while Mu Nujiao lifts Jiang into the air and dodges its attacks.
• When the beast nearly strikes Mu and Jiang, Zhou unleashes Gangsha: Fierce Fist: Flame Dragon. The enormous White Flame dragon carries the Commander Level creature skyward, then explodes, killing it.
• Ai Jiangtu arrives just after the fight. Zhou teases him for being late, while Ai is once again astonished by Zhou’s power.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Sining risks his valuable, energy-intensive movement equipment to rescue a classmate, then fights eagerly and decisively. His overwhelming strength impresses Ai Jiangtu yet again.
• Mu Nujiao shows quick judgment and courage, prioritizing Jiang Shaoxu’s safety even while evading the beast. She remains serious and protective.
• Jiang Shaoxu is shaken but grateful after the rescue. Once safe, she flirts with Mu Nujiao, who replies that she is already taken.
• Zu Jiming reveals his self-preserving nature by leaving Jiang behind. The contrast highlights Zhou and Mu’s willingness to help.

Significant themes

• Courage and loyalty: Zhou and Mu risk themselves for a teammate, unlike Zu Jiming.
• Power and awe: Zhou’s spectacular attack makes the danger—and his extraordinary strength—unmistakable.
• Relief and humor after danger: Jiang’s flirtatious remark breaks the tension and reinforces her playful, forward nature.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Shaoxu is outpaced by the Commander Level Blue Valley Fierce Beast while the rest of the team flees. Zu Jiming abandons her, but Nan Jue notices she has fallen behind.
• Zhou Sining and Mu Nujiao turn back to rescue her. Zhou uses a second pair of Divine Footwork boots to reach her instantly, while Mu uses wind magic to lift and shield her from the beast’s attacks.
• When the beast is about to strike Mu and Jiang, Zhou unleashes Gangsha: Fierce Fist: Flame Dragon. His White Flame dragon overwhelms the creature, carries it into the sky, and detonates, killing it with one devastating attack.
• Ai Jiangtu arrives just after the battle. Zhou teases him for being late, and Ai is once again awed by Zhou’s power.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Sining shows both courage and formidable strength: he risks his stored magic equipment to save a classmate, then decisively kills a Commander Level beast. His eagerness for a fight is also clear.
• Mu Nujiao acts quickly and protectively, risking herself to get Jiang out of danger. Afterward, she sets her down safely and checks that she is all right.
• Jiang Shaoxu goes from panicked and abandoned to safely rescued. Still shaken, she thanks Mu—but immediately flirts with her, leaving Mu to regret having ever felt jealous of her.
• Ai Jiangtu arrives too late to help and remains stunned by Zhou’s overwhelming attack.
• Zu Jiming is characterized as selfish: he runs for his own safety rather than helping Jiang.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and responsibility: Zhou and Mu turn back for a teammate while others flee.
• Power and awe: Zhou’s one-punch victory demonstrates the vast difference between his strength and that of a typical mage.
• Humor amid danger: Jiang’s flirtation after the rescue and Zhou’s remark to Ai provide comic relief after a life-threatening battle.

Key plot points and events

• After witnessing Zhou Sining kill the first Commander Level Blue Valley Fierce Beast with a single Flame Dragon attack, the team is stunned by the scale and speed of his power.
• A second Blue Valley Fierce Beast charges at the group. Zhou steps forward to face it, despite Zhao Manyan jokingly ordering him to handle the threat.
• Zhou’s Soul Fire radiates such intense pressure that Zu Jiming struggles to form his Earth Wave spell. Ai Jiangtu explains that Zhou’s strength and destructive aura can disrupt weaker mages’ concentration.
• Zhou unleashes Gangsha: Fierce Fist: Flame Dragon. The attack destroys a building thrown by the beast and strikes the creature, which is weakened away from seawater. Zhou then finishes it with Earth Fiend.
• Zhou gains 2,689 Life Points, bringing his total to 5,267—enough to purchase a worthwhile Innate Talent. He returns in high spirits, pleased by both the reward and his teammates’ amazement.

Character developments

• Zhou Sining demonstrates that his power is far beyond what his peers expected. Though he complains about being treated like a Summoned Beast, he takes responsibility for protecting the group and is confident in his abilities.
• The team shifts from skepticism and occasional mockery to open disbelief and respect, recognizing that Zhou’s magic can defeat Commander Level beasts.
• Zu Jiming experiences firsthand how Zhou’s presence can hinder a less powerful mage.
• Ai Jiangtu serves as the voice of explanation, putting Zhou’s overwhelming aura and Soul Fire into context.

Significant themes

• Power and expectation: Zhou’s feats overturn the group’s assumptions about what Intermediate Magic can achieve.
• Strength’s social effect: His aura does not merely damage enemies; it also intimidates and suppresses nearby allies.
• Confidence and responsibility: Zhou’s pride and irritation coexist with his readiness to shield the group.
• Reward for risk: Defeating powerful enemies brings Zhou a substantial gain, reinforcing the value of confronting stronger foes.

Character interactions

• Jiang Shaoxu and the others react with astonishment, while Jiang Yu and Zhao Manyan voice their disbelief.
• Zhao Manyan’s casual command prompts Zhou’s irritated retort, but Zhou still takes the lead.
• Zhou checks that his teammates have moved to safety before attacking.
• The team watches the battle from a distance, then remains stunned as Zhou returns, visibly enjoying their reaction.

Key plot points and events

• After Zhou Sining defeats a Commander-level Blue Valley Fierce Beast with one strike, Jiang Shaoxu is astonished by his strength.
• Jiang Shaoxu discovers that Mu Nujiao reached the Advanced Level about six months earlier and can cast Wind Wings. Mu explains that her progress was helped by intensive cultivation, a Spirit-level artifact, and family-provided Spirit Seeds; she has also advanced her Plant Element and awakened a third element.
• Mu and Jiang catch up with the team. Zhou Sining jokingly gets jealous of Jiang’s closeness with Mu, while Mu teases him about awkwardly trying to pair Jiang with their former classmate Mu Bai.
• The team meets Lai Baoheng, the local mage administrator, who reveals that their mentors arranged for the fourteen-person group to enter East Sea City as undocumented workers.
• Their mission is to earn enough points to reach Four-Star Unit as quickly as possible. Lai warns that this could take years and that the team may not survive even one high tide.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Shaoxu is impressed by Zhou’s power and surprised—and envious—of Mu’s rapid advancement. Her playful, presumptuous friendship with Mu is clear when she asks to be carried off the roof.
• Mu Nujiao shows new confidence in her strength and lightly enjoys teasing Jiang, but remains modest about how she achieved her progress.
• Zhou Sining is protective and possessive of Mu, playfully shooing Jiang away. He also tries to set Jiang up with Mu Bai, though the others find his matchmaking tactless.
• Ai Jiangtu focuses on the practical implications of the assignment and asks how the unit’s rank is earned.
• Lai Baoheng is presented as sleazy and condescending, treating the young mages as expendable labor.

Significant themes

• Unequal progress and ambition: Mu’s advancement highlights how resources, connections, and opportunity can accelerate a mage’s growth.
• Camaraderie and romantic teasing: The group’s banter shows their closeness, while also exposing differing ideas about boundaries and matchmaking.
• Exploitation and danger: The mentors’ arrangement turns a training mission into precarious, unofficial labor, emphasizing the gap between the team’s expectations and the harsh realities of their assignment.

Plot points and events

• The National Team learns that they have effectively been sold as unregistered labor to a Japanese lord and assigned to District Twenty of East Sea City.
• Ai Jiangtu warns that a major high tide is coming. The team discusses the city’s profit-driven system: mages risk their lives killing sea monsters, while officials and district chiefs take the rewards. The team receives no direct pay, so earning points toward a higher team rating becomes their main incentive.
• Nan Jue explains that defeating stronger or more numerous monsters earns more points; Zhou Sining’s earlier kills would already have advanced them toward Two-Star status. Zhao Manyan jokes about using Zhou to gain points, and Zhou silences him with a small display of white flame.
• On the day of the tide, the team spreads out across tall buildings for a better position. Mu Nujiao impresses the others by using Wind Tracks to carry Jiang Shaoxu upward; Zhou Sining, Li Kaifeng, and Ai Jiangtu use their own abilities to reach rooftops.
• A towering tsunami—about two hundred meters high and carrying an army of sea monsters—strikes East Sea City. The wave smashes through the city walls, destroys buildings, and floods the lower floors. The chapter ends as the team faces the full force of the “Cataclysmic Water Roar.”

Character developments and interactions

• Ai Jiangtu takes charge, organizing preparations and warning the team about the danger of fighting in flooded terrain.
• Nan Jue provides practical information about the city, team ratings, and the scale of the approaching tide.
• Zhao Manyan turns the team’s situation into a cynical discussion of profit and tries to recruit Zhou Sining for easy points, but backs down when Zhou threatens him with flame.
• Zhou Sining is protective of Mu Nujiao, rents a room beside hers, and later shows his strength by leaping onto a building.
• Mu Nujiao demonstrates exceptional Wind Element control by carrying Jiang Shaoxu up a building.
• Mu Ningxue takes Nan Rongni to another rooftop; Guan Yu follows her, and Zhao Manyan eventually joins them, thinking he should watch out for her.
• Mo Fan is absent, having left with a Japanese woman, and the team does not know when he will return.

Significant themes

• Exploitation and profit: The city’s system turns dangerous monster hunting into a source of wealth for authorities, while the mages doing the work bear the risks.
• Teamwork and self-reliance: The group must coordinate their positions and rely on their individual abilities to survive.
• Nature’s overwhelming power: The tsunami makes the city—and the team’s preparations—seem insignificant, abruptly shifting the story from banter and planning to catastrophe.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• A massive tide crashes into East Sea City before the Sea Monsters’ main assault, destroying most of the sixteen blocks nearest the coast. Floodwater, rubble, and spray leave the mages with less room to move and limited visibility.
• Amid the chaos, the group hears what sounds like a baby crying. Nan Rongni rushes to rescue it, and Zhou Sining follows to protect her.
• The “baby” is actually a White Crying Demon hiding in a sleeping bag. It attacks Nan Rongni, but Zhou Sining blocks the strike with a shield and kills the creature using Mind Control.
• Once Nan Rongni is back with the group, Ai Jiangtu warns them that the Sea Demon Legion has arrived. A vast number of green, amphibious monsters surface in the floodwater.

Character developments and interactions

• Nan Rongni acts compassionately but impulsively, risking her safety to save what she believes is a baby. After the attack, she admits her mistake and thanks Zhou Sining.
• Zhou Sining reluctantly leaves the group to watch over Nan Rongni. He rescues her, then kills the White Crying Demon with formidable control magic; his stern manner contrasts with his concern for her safety.
• Mu Nujiao assigns Zhou Sining to protect Nan Rongni, prioritizing the team’s healer despite his complaints. His private jealousy adds a touch of humor to the tense scene.
• Jiang Yu recognizes the disguised monster and warns Nan Rongni, while Ai Jiangtu remains focused on the larger threat and spots the approaching legion.
• The group’s members are forced to adapt to dangerous conditions and to one another’s roles as the battlefield becomes more chaotic.

Significant themes

• Compassion versus caution: Nan Rongni’s instinct to help is admirable, but the apparent victim is a lethal trap.
• Teamwork and responsibility: Members must protect one another, especially when the group is split and vulnerable.
• The danger of a changing battlefield: The tide itself is destructive, and poor visibility makes even seemingly simple rescues perilous.
• Escalation of threat: The White Crying Demon is only a prelude to the much larger Sea Demon Legion.

Plot points and events

• Serrated Green Demons leap from the water and seize the rooftops and ledges the mages had hoped to use as footholds, surrounding several teams.
• Jiang Yu identifies the creatures’ main danger: the paralyzing spines on their heads. They are fast and vicious in close combat but have no poison or obvious special weaknesses.
• Nan Jue senses at least thirty-seven nearby and coordinates the response. Ai Jiangtu assigns her to command and watch for other threats, while the rest of the squad attacks; Zhou Sining remains in reserve.
• The mages fight the demons across nearby buildings. Jiang Yu’s Contract Beast, the Ink-Colored Cat Demon, swiftly wounds two. Zu Jiming kills two more with rapidly acting poisonous bees.
• Nan Jue uses an explosive sound attack to kill one demon and injure another, then warns Mu Ningxue and Guan Yu that they have been separated by the rising water and surrounded by enemies.
• Guan Yu dispatches the three demons blocking him and prepares to go help Mu Ningxue, who faces nearly ten.

Character development

• Ai Jiangtu takes charge decisively, dividing the group’s roles and keeping support and reserve forces in place.
• Nan Jue demonstrates her value as both a combatant and battlefield coordinator, using her hearing to track enemies and relay warnings.
• Jiang Yu reveals the speed and elegance of his previously unseen Contract Beast, while remaining focused on the fight.
• Zu Jiming proves more capable than Jiang Yu expected: his poison works exceptionally quickly, despite Jiang Yu’s doubts about his abilities and elemental background.
• Guan Yu displays confidence and precision, using speed and planning to overcome several opponents at once.
• Mu Ningxue is left isolated and outnumbered, setting up an urgent need for assistance.

Significant themes

• Teamwork under pressure: The mages rely on coordinated commands, communication, and specialized abilities to respond to a spreading attack.
• Preparation and adaptability: Knowing an enemy’s traits helps the team act effectively, but the creatures’ numbers and the rising water continually disrupt their plans.
• Individual strengths within a group: Summoning, poison, sound, and wind each provide different advantages in battle.

Character interactions

• Ai Jiangtu gives Nan Jue command and assigns Zhao Manyan and Nan Rongni to protect her; he also keeps Zhou Sining in reserve.
• Jiang Yu and Zu Jiming briefly discuss Jiang Yu’s Contract Beast. Zu praises it, while Jiang Yu brushes off the conversation and urges him to fight.
• Nan Jue communicates enemy counts to Mu Ningxue and Guan Yu, prompting Guan Yu to clear his path so he can assist her.

Key plot points and events

• Guan Yu rescues Mu Ningxue, who has already used her Ice Domain and chains to kill or disable many Serrated Green Demons. Together they dispatch the remaining nearby monsters, but more emerge from the rising water.
• Nan Jue warns that the flood will keep bringing Demon Beasts and that another, unidentified Sea Monster may be approaching.
• Jiang Shaoxu, Mu Nujiao, and Li Kaifeng are overwhelmed by another group of Serrated Green Demons. Their team is short on direct attackers, and Jiang Shaoxu is nearly out of Magic Energy.
• As twenty-seven more demons surround them, Mu Nujiao unleashes a powerful Wind Domain. She traps the creatures inside with a wind barrier, then rains down Wind Blades, killing them all.
• The graphic aftermath sickens Jiang Shaoxu and unsettles Li Kaifeng. With the water rising rapidly, Mu Nujiao leads them toward the others to regroup.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Ningxue proves capable of defending herself, holding off a large group before Guan Yu arrives; the two fight effectively together.
• Mu Nujiao reveals exceptional power and composure under pressure, shifting from a control role to a devastating attacker. She also takes charge afterward, helping the shaken Jiang Shaoxu and checking that Li Kaifeng can keep up.
• Jiang Shaoxu is strained by dwindling Magic Energy and the gruesome sight of the slaughter, but has been supporting the team with her Mind Element.
• Li Kaifeng loses his earlier confidence when surrounded, yet regains his composure and follows Mu Nujiao.
• The team’s need to regroup reflects their dependence on one another as the threat grows.

Significant themes

• Escalating danger: The rising flood continuously brings new enemies and threatens to cut off escape routes.
• Teamwork and role flexibility: Mages must adapt when their usual combat roles leave the group short of firepower.
• Power under pressure: Mu Nujiao’s decisive attack demonstrates how crisis can reveal unexpected strength.
• The cost of survival: Even necessary victories can be brutal and psychologically unsettling.

Plot points and events

• The twelve mages regroup on rooftops as the sea rises and increasingly powerful Serrated Green Demons swarm them. The second wave is larger and includes oddly colored demons that may have poison or special abilities.
• Zhou Sining kills a purple demon with a powerful Level Five Flame Burst, demonstrating that the water and sea mist cannot blunt his fire magic. The team debates using Advanced Magic, but a wide-area spell risks destroying their dwindling rooftop refuge.
• Mo Fan arrives with Mochizuki Chiharu, blasting demons away and easing the pressure. His return lets the group continue fighting without immediately resorting to a destructive area spell.
• Zhou Sining attacks the endless horde with repeated Flame Bursts and Fierce Fists. He is thrilled by the battle because killing Warrior-level demons earns him Life Points and another Innate Talent.
• Mu Nujiao reveals that Zhou Sining is still recovering from his return to life: a diamond-shaped gap remains in his soul.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Sining appears remarkably relaxed and powerful under pressure, but his excitement about the fighting reflects his unusual Life Point system. His continued soul injury adds a serious note to his apparent recovery.
• Mo Fan returns at a crucial moment and immediately focuses on Mu Ningxue, teasing and fussing over her. He shoves Guan Yu aside, prompting hostility between them; Mo Fan calls Guan Yu a hypocrite, while Mu Tingying chastises both men for squabbling during a crisis.
• Guan Yu is wounded and less effective in the flooded terrain, and his jealousy of Mo Fan surfaces.
• Nan Jue assesses the growing threat and urges the group to escalate. Ai Jiangtu and Zhou Sining weigh their Advanced Magic options, while Jiang Yu warns that Flame Rain could destroy the buildings they need to stand on.
• Mu Nujiao remains concerned about Zhou Sining’s incomplete recovery and quietly explains his condition to Jiang Shaoxu. The others’ reactions range from admiration for Zhou Sining’s prowess to bafflement at his enthusiasm.

Significant themes

• Survival under mounting pressure: the rising water, dwindling footholds, and seemingly endless waves force the team to balance powerful attacks against the risk of losing their shelter.
• Recovery and lingering trauma: Zhou Sining’s return from death has not fully restored his soul.
• Duty versus personal conflict: Mo Fan and Guan Yu’s rivalry briefly intrudes on the battle, but the immediate danger demands cooperation.
• Different responses to danger: while most of the team is strained and fearful, Zhou Sining treats the fight as an opportunity—an unsettling contrast to the others’ desperation.

Key plot points and events

• The chapter opens with Zhou Sining’s diamond-shaped soul gap having shrunk to two fingers’ width. Though he appears unaffected, an incomplete soul could threaten his lifespan, cultivation, talent, and future.
• During the Sea Monster tide, Zhou Sining fights enthusiastically, killing nearly a hundred Serrated Green Demons. He eventually moderates his use of Intermediate Magic, mindful of his condition.
• Mo Fan notices that none of the monsters Zhou Sining kills release souls, puzzling him because he had hoped to collect them.
• The tide ends without casualties among the National Team. East Sea City’s drainage and cleanup crews quickly restore the streets and clear the remains.
• The team learns they must remain in the city for a month and face at least six tides to reach Four-Star status. Their kills earn them four million each, while Zhou Sining says his tide-related rewards have brought him thirty thousand Life Points.
• Mu Nujiao gives Zhou Sining his share and confronts him about repeatedly casting Intermediate Magic despite his soul injury. He insists he is fine and says President Han Ji will examine him on Elimination Day.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Sining remains carefree and eager to fight, but shows some restraint once he remembers his damaged soul. He is more excited by the Life Points he has earned than by his cash reward.
• Mu Nujiao is worried about Zhou Sining but expresses it sternly, calling him someone who needs to be kept in line. Their exchange suggests familiarity and concern beneath her irritation.
• Mo Fan is curious about the absence of souls from Zhou Sining’s kills and is disappointed that he cannot collect them.
• Jiang Shaoxu reacts with curiosity to Zhou Sining’s soul damage, while Ai Jiangtu and Nan Jue focus on rest, replenishing Magic Energy, and the team’s longer-term requirements.
• The team functions smoothly throughout the battle and aftermath, with Nan Jue monitoring and directing the group.

Significant themes

• The fragility of the soul: Zhou Sining’s injury may have consequences despite his apparent normality, making his repeated spellcasting a serious risk.
• Risk, ambition, and restraint: He enjoys fighting and earning rewards but must balance that drive against his health.
• Unequal access to resources: The team’s sponsors can provide substantial support, whereas Mo Fan, Zhou Sining, and Mu Ningxue have fewer dependable resources and need the rewards more.
• The cost and routine of conflict: The tide brings both heroism and devastation, while the city’s efficient cleanup quickly turns destruction into another stage of the team’s work.

Plot points and events

• After making promises to Mu Nujiao, Zhou Sining is forgiven for his recent risky use of magic. He explains that President Han Ji will examine him on the team’s “elimination day.”
• Mu Nujiao playfully teases Zhou Sining, then reveals that her period has arrived early. He warms her with magic, and they settle into a quiet, affectionate conversation.
• They discuss the next high tide, due in four days, and decide not to visit East Sea City’s Demon-Beast and cultivation market. Instead, Mu Nujiao catches Zhou Sining up on their teammates.
• After several more high tides, the team’s strength increases as members advance to the Advanced Level. They earn Four-Star district-team status and prepare to leave Japan.
• On elimination day, the fourteen team members meet with their mentors, joined unexpectedly by Pang Lai, chief of the Imperial Capital’s Court Mages, and Han Ji, president of the Ancient Capital’s Bell Tower Magic Association.
• Feng Li reviews the team and announces that Mu Ningxue is the only member who has not reached the Advanced Level. She is to return home, while a new teammate will arrive in Tokyo the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Sining and Mu Nujiao grow closer through affectionate teasing and care. He worries about her comfort and enjoys the peaceful time they share.
• Mu Nujiao is relaxed about missing the meeting and gives Zhou Sining an update on the team.
• Jiang Yu is visibly excited to see his teacher, Pang Lai.
• Feng Li remains strict and rule-bound, even as the team’s progress is recognized.
• Mu Ningxue’s removal feels especially harsh: Zhou Sining’s presence changed events that might otherwise have let her distinguish herself, but the team’s standards still count against her.

Significant themes

• Intimacy amid danger: The couple’s quiet domestic moment contrasts with the team’s high-stakes battles and demanding schedule.
• Rules versus individual circumstances: Feng Li applies the advancement requirement uniformly, despite Mu Ningxue’s altered opportunities and the team’s otherwise strong performance.
• Growth and transition: The team’s rising strength earns them a higher rank, but success also brings a major roster change as they prepare to leave Japan.