Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Fu Xiuyi checks Xu Yuan’s progress in Diamond Invulnerability and warns him that the ancient Heaven’s First Sword is notoriously difficult to master. She leaves to monitor the war, which she suspects is not going as it should, and tells Xu Yuan to keep training from a jade slip.
• Xu Yuan receives a Luofu token and learns that he must attend an enrollment ceremony for those who passed the Single-Move Challenge. Fu Xiuyi assures him that the region is relatively safe after she cleared its threats.
• At Jiang Island, Xu Yuan departs after Yang Xiaobing invites him to stay at the Immortal Guesthouse, since his residential compound was destroyed. Jiang Xueyao watches him leave; her elders tease her about her apparent interest in him.
• At the hotel, Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing discuss the attack and resolve to grow stronger. She asks to cultivate in his quiet room because her parents make too much noise at home.
• Lu Qingxuan calls to congratulate Xu Yuan on Luofu’s public announcement about him. Wartime martial law means there are no criminal cases for him to work, and he is disappointed to lose a chance to earn money. He realizes his remaining funds are limited.
• Tang Yunyu appears at the window, sees Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing together in the hotel room, and jumps to a suggestive conclusion. They deny it in unison.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan accepts the urgency of training and the danger of the war, while also worrying about money after losing his home. His thoughts about Yang Xiaobing’s difficult circumstances prompt him to reconsider his criticism of her parents, given his own father’s shortcomings.
• Fu Xiuyi acts as a protective mentor: she gives Xu Yuan practical guidance, a token, and reassurance, but prioritizes her wartime responsibilities.
• Yang Xiaobing is shaken by the destruction and determined to improve. Her invitation to cultivate with Xu Yuan reflects both her need for a quiet environment and their growing closeness.
• Jiang Xueyao regrets Xu Yuan’s departure, while her elders read her reaction as romantic interest; she denies it and retreats.
• Lu Qingxuan keeps Xu Yuan informed about his growing public profile and the lack of wartime work.
• Tang Yunyu’s sudden appearance creates a comic misunderstanding.

Significant themes

• War and insecurity: The attack has displaced Xu Yuan and threatens everyone’s safety; even the war’s true nature remains uncertain.
• Strength and self-reliance: Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing recognize that survival depends on becoming stronger.
• Mentorship and duty: Fu Xiuyi supports Xu Yuan but must put the wider conflict first.
• Displacement and limited resources: The destroyed compound leaves Xu Yuan without a home and with dwindling funds.
• Affection and misinterpretation: Jiang Xueyao’s unspoken feelings and Tang Yunyu’s mistaken assumption add romantic and comedic tension.

Key events

• Tang Yunyu teaches Xu Yuan how to use the token his master gave him. It functions like a phone, contains three months’ pay—3,000 Spirit Stones—and links his student records and royal White List status.
• Xu Yuan’s monthly assignments are basic: practice swordsmanship, build his foundations, attend classes, and do his homework. Tang explains that he still has much to learn before facing battlefield duties.
• Tang says she will take Xu Yuan and the other Special Admission examinees to Luofu after the test results are announced. She also asks to livestream a farewell as she heads to the battlefield; Xu Yuan agrees.
• After Tang leaves, Xu Yuan slips out and enters the Underworld’s Fragment World through the Netherworld Passage Art. He finds a piece of flint identified as the Fire Seed—a remnant of Feng Qie, a phoenix of the Demon Race.
• Xu Yuan fuses the Fire Seed with his Combat Gear, Blind Eye. The fusion turns the baseball and bat to stone, apparently making them unusable, but awakens the minds of the two phoenix sisters trapped within.
• The sisters explain that Blind Eye could not contain their power. To complete the fusion and restore it, Xu Yuan must temper it with the blood and fire of a dying Flood Dragon—a nearly impossible event.
• Xu Yuan realizes that Jingdian, a Flood Dragon he already knows, may be on the verge of death. He activates “Competition, unfold,” entering a burning city engulfed in black flames.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan is pleased to learn he is being paid to attend school, but his confidence falters when the fusion disables his prized Combat Gear. He quickly turns the setback into an opportunity by connecting the sisters’ condition to Jingdian.
• Tang Yunyu acts as Xu Yuan’s practical guide to student life and his duties. Their easy rapport is evident as she recruits him for a livestream and he readily agrees.
• The phoenix sisters shift from mysterious remnants to conscious allies. They thank Xu Yuan for giving them a vessel, though their power makes the vessel difficult to use.

Significant themes

• Growth through preparation: Xu Yuan’s immediate duties are study and foundational training, not combat.
• Risk and unforeseen consequences: A powerful fusion produces results Xu Yuan did not expect.
• Turning setbacks into opportunities: What seems like the loss of Blind Eye may provide a way to act on an existing connection to Jingdian.
• Interdependence: The phoenix sisters need a vessel to persist, while Xu Yuan needs their power—and now their guidance—to restore his gear.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan enters the cursed Extinction-Level Training Match, where he finds the Flood Dragon Jingdian’s corpse being targeted by Qi Canghai and the All Things Unity Society.
• Using the Dragon Blood and Dragon Flame, Xu Yuan awakens and greatly upgrades his Combat Gear, Blind Eye. It gains thirty-two blood-draining balls, a bat with stronger destructive power and expanded ability to absorb negative effects, and an unrestricted growth potential. A future “Demon” transformation could trigger a major evolution.
• Xu Yuan invites Jingdian to leave with him. Back in the human world, Jingdian’s spirit is lodged in the Baseball, while the twin Phoenix spirits inhabit the gear. Their squabbling produces the special Imago “Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix,” which will activate once they regain their strength.
• On his way back to the hotel, Xu Yuan is ambushed in an alley by five supposedly drunk strangers. He fights them off long enough to recognize them as members of the All Things Unity Society. They identify him as a boy of the Tong Lineage and introduce their leader, Blood Demon Feng Lingding.

Character development and interactions

• Xu Yuan grows more confident after Blind Eye’s upgrade, but recognizes that the Dragon and Phoenix spirits are currently too powerful for him to control.
• Jingdian is proud, combative, and eager for revenge against the All Things Unity Society, yet agrees to accompany Xu Yuan. The Phoenix sisters are initially hostile toward him, kicking him into the Baseball, but promise not to cause Xu Yuan trouble.
• Xu Yuan manages the volatile spirits with dry humor and firm warnings, showing both his growing authority and his practical concern for keeping his gear—and himself—safe.
• The ambushers’ discussion reveals that Xu Yuan’s lineage and political connections have made him a target: he is favored by the Crown Prince and listed favorably by the emperor.

Significant themes

• Power and growth: Blind Eye’s new abilities mark a major leap, while its ultimate potential remains tied to the spirits’ recovery and further evolution.
• Unstable alliances: Xu Yuan relies on the Phoenixes and Jingdian, but their pride and rivalry make cooperation fragile.
• Threats closing in: The ambush shows that Xu Yuan’s rising status and lineage draw dangerous enemies, setting up a confrontation with the Demon Lineage.

Plot points and events

• Xu Yuan rejects his appointment as leader of the Tong Lineage, wanting nothing to do with the struggling All Things Unity Society. When the Blood Demon threatens to sacrifice him in a contest between lineage leaders, Xu Yuan prepares to retaliate—but senses a powerful, apparently non-hostile observer and holds back his true abilities.
• The Emperor’s shadow arrives and kills the Blood Demon and four companions with a single punch. He explains that he has already dismantled most of the Society’s core forces. Xu Yuan learns where the remaining members are hiding and, angered that they targeted him, decides to strike back.
• At the Society’s basement hideout, Xu Yuan declares his intent to kill its leaders. He kills an attacking cultivator by using Heaven-Stealing to move the man’s sword into his own head. The Old Woman, Elder Dai, impales Xu Yuan with a spear, but his Diamond Invulnerability lets him survive. He defeats her with Gaze Upon and his Ninefold Nether Shadow Sword.
• Xu Yuan claims the abandoned base, giving the remaining cultivators the choice to leave or resist; they all flee. Sword Demon Bai Yuanze arrives and confirms Elder Dai had orchestrated multiple attacks on Xu Yuan. Recognizing that Xu Yuan acted in self-defense, Bai Yuanze offers him a path back into the Society and promises to protect him.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan moves from dismissing the Society to taking direct action against it. He remains confident and controlled, but chooses not to reveal his full power when he senses a stronger presence. He also insists that others may leave peacefully, showing that his retaliation has limits.
• The Emperor is revealed to be fighting at the front while using a shadow to patrol the south. He admires Xu Yuan’s courage and, rather than stopping him, gives him the location of the hideout.
• Bai Yuanze proves pragmatic and fair: although he represents the Society, he acknowledges its wrongdoing and tries to bring Xu Yuan back under his protection.
• Elder Dai is exposed as the instigator behind several attempts on Xu Yuan’s life.

Significant themes

• Self-defense and retaliation: Xu Yuan regards his actions as justified because the Society repeatedly tried to kill him.
• Power and mistaken appearances: His apparent status as a weak Qi Refining student conceals abilities capable of defeating much stronger opponents.
• Institutional corruption and accountability: The Society’s internal power struggles and attacks undermine its authority, while Bai Yuanze recognizes that its own rules leave Xu Yuan blameless.
• Choice and restraint: Xu Yuan claims the hideout but allows its occupants to leave, and he avoids showing his greatest power when he senses an observer.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan rejects the Blood Demon’s threats, then thanks the Emperor for intervening and asks about the Society’s remaining base. The Emperor gives him its location and watches him leave with approval.
• Xu Yuan confronts Elder Dai and her followers, defeating those who attack him and driving the survivors away.
• Bai Yuanze examines the aftermath, acknowledges Xu Yuan’s innocence, and offers him a chance to return to the Society with a guarantee of protection.

Key plot points

• Xu Yuan is about to kill Bai Yuanze, but an uncanny vision appears behind him. A beautiful woman shows Xu Yuan her own preserved skin, sealed in an underground chamber, and identifies him as uniquely able to perceive her Remnant Soul.
• The woman briefly takes over Bai Yuanze’s face and urges Xu Yuan to join the All Things Unity Society and find her in the Ninefold Nether. Xu Yuan accepts Bai Yuanze’s invitation, intending to investigate the society while pursuing his own plans.
• Bai Yuanze gives Xu Yuan a Formation Disc and leaves to support other leaders. Xu Yuan then meets Crown Prince Lu Qingxuan, who advises him to attend the society’s meeting, infiltrate its ranks, and gather information rather than launch an immediate attack.
• Lu gives Xu Yuan a single-use Teleportation Ring as an emergency escape. Xu Yuan agrees to the assignment, while privately considering how to make the most of his new position.
• After asking Lu for help finding shelter because the Demon Race destroyed his apartment building, Xu Yuan learns Jiang Xueyao has already arranged accommodation. He replenishes his strength by eating an enormous amount of food.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains pragmatic and self-interested: he accepts the society’s invitation and Lu’s mission, but weighs both for their potential benefits. His unusual “Gaze” also reveals a mysterious connection to the woman’s Remnant Soul.
• Bai Yuanze shows sincere commitment to holding the All Things Unity Society together, making him more than a simple enemy. He welcomes Xu Yuan as a recruit and trusts him with the Formation Disc.
• Lu Qingxuan acts cautiously and strategically, prioritizing intelligence-gathering over a direct assault. He trusts Xu Yuan enough to give him an escape tool and promises to take responsibility for the plan.
• Xu Yuan and Lu tease and challenge one another, but their exchange reflects mutual trust. Lu also chides Xu Yuan about his cultivation, while Xu Yuan jokes about needing help as a displaced minor.
• The mysterious woman’s brief possession of Bai Yuanze creates a disturbing, unexplained connection between her and the All Things Unity Society.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and divided loyalties: Xu Yuan becomes an apparent recruit while secretly serving Lu’s investigative plan.
• Knowledge before action: Lu argues that the society’s links to Border City and Ghost Entities, and its ultimate purpose, remain unknown.
• Mystery and supernatural perception: Xu Yuan’s Gaze lets him see a vision and hear a call unavailable to others, suggesting a larger role in events surrounding the Ninefold Nether.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points

• Yang Xiaobing tells Xu Yuan she has reached the Sixth Qi Refining Layer. Their playful sparring turns Xu Yuan’s envy into renewed determination to cultivate.
• Xu Yuan secretly uses his Formation Disc to attend an All Things Unity Society meeting in a dark cave. Bai Yuanze announces that members may receive Ghost-Body Hides, which let them carry Combat Gear and remain invisible to ordinary people.
• The announcement deepens Xu Yuan’s suspicion that the Society is connected to the Dark Kingdom, human skins used in battle, and the Ghost-Body Hide he acquired after the Special Admission Test. He sees the Society as his best route to uncovering the truth.
• Bai Yuanze introduces Xu Yuan as the new head of the Tong Lineage. When acting Blood Demon Zhang Mingli mocks his rank, Xu Yuan uses Heaven-Stealing to make Zhang vanish into a lethal ice tree far away. The others mistake the power for a deadly Netherworld Passage technique and stop challenging him.
• Bai Yuanze reveals that several Society members who attacked Xu Yuan—including Xia Yin, the Scorpion Demon Envoy, Feng Lingding, and Elder Dai—are dead. He urges members not to turn on one another.
• Xu Yuan requests an enormous, powerful, attractive, modern Ghost-Body Hide with very specific qualities. He hopes that a hide made with technology from the future will give him an advantage in the Selection Competition.
• The Society assigns Xu Yuan to build ties with the Imperial Family and investigate its secrets, promising support. He accepts, then asks about President Qi’s work with dragon hide. Bai Yuanze says he will explain after Xu Yuan completes the assignment.
• Back at the hotel, Xu Yuan returns to sleep. The next morning, government officials arrange lodging for him and the Yang family. At school, his fame from the Border City Battle draws classmates’ attention, while he uses a free period to cultivate and approaches a breakthrough.
• Jiang Xueyao visits him on the school roof and reveals that her father disappeared during teleportation. She must lead the South of the Yangtze against the Demon Race, so she may have to leave school.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan becomes more focused on cultivation after Yang Xiaobing’s progress, and more strategically engaged with the All Things Unity Society. He uses intimidation and his hidden ability to secure respect, while accepting a dangerous intelligence-gathering mission for the potential benefits.
• Yang Xiaobing demonstrates rapid cultivation progress and shares a warm, teasing relationship with Xu Yuan; she is still cultivating when he returns.
• Bai Yuanze positions Xu Yuan as a leader and entrusts him with a risky task, but withholds the full explanation of President Qi’s plans.
• Jiang Xueyao shifts from arranging practical help for Xu Yuan and the Yang family to confronting a major responsibility: leading the regional response after her father’s disappearance.
• Xu Yuan’s classmates treat him as a celebrity after the battle livestream, limiting his chance to talk with Zhao Afei.

Significant themes

• Truth and uncertainty: Xu Yuan links the Society, ghost skins, the Dark Kingdom, and dragon-hide preparations, but still cannot tell what is real—especially after realizing Jingdian may have been skinned despite Xu Yuan’s apparent rescue.
• Power, secrecy, and appearances: Xu Yuan conceals the nature of Heaven-Stealing, while others misinterpret it; his planned Ghost-Body Hide is also a deliberate attempt to exploit appearances and technology.
• Rising responsibility amid war: Xu Yuan accepts an intelligence mission, while Jiang Xueyao gives up ordinary school life to lead the fight against the Demon Race.
• Youth interrupted: School, cultivation, and playful companionship continue, but celebrity, war, and family loss are steadily intruding.

Plot points and events

• On the rooftop, Xu Yuan asks Jiang Xueyao why she attends high school despite her aristocratic upbringing. She explains that her family wanted her to experience school life, though she rarely attends—and admits she challenged him because she admired his reaction speed.
• Jiang apologizes for stabbing him during their earlier encounter. Xu accepts the apology without resentment.
• Jiang asks about Xu’s relationship with the Commandery Princess. Xu explains that he escorted her through the Zhou Tian Instrument, received his swordsmanship from her, and once unknowingly treated the emperor to beautifying-fruit milk tea. Jiang concludes their association is official and that Xu already has the emperor’s attention.
• Jiang privately warns Xu that his master, Fu Xiuyi, may support Lu Yiyi if the Crown Prince dies or the court falls into disorder. Xu recognizes how dangerous this intelligence is and realizes Jiang trusts him deeply.
• Xu shares his own vague but troubling prediction: a major upheaval may come within months, so people south of the Yangtze should avoid drawing attention. Jiang takes his warning seriously.
• Elsewhere, Jiang tells Yang Xiaobing that Xu’s connection to the Commandery Princess is simply the emperor’s arrangement. Yang is relieved, then asks Jiang what kind of boy she likes. Jiang says her Lineage will choose her marriage and she does not consider romance.
• Xu enters the Nine Nether Prefecture selection, set in the Underworld’s past. The trial requires him to reach the first layer and study mystic arts under a Greater Ghost; successful rounds grant brief returns to the real world.
• He arrives on a bone-covered plain beside a wary female ghost who has defeated a skeleton and earned a first-layer pass. They descend underground and are randomly transported to a fragment of the first layer.
• Xu falls from the sky toward the ground, while the female ghost uses her wings to fly. He saves himself with a Demon Ghost Parachute bought from the Divine Temple.
• They discover a vast horde of Qi-Refining hungry ghosts. The female ghost proposes fighting through them and finding an underground passage. Xu produces his Ghostfire Gatling Gun and opens fire.

Character development and interactions

• Xu’s calm acceptance of Jiang’s apology shows his maturity and lack of bitterness. He also trusts her enough to share his warning about coming upheaval.
• Jiang reveals both personal interest in Xu and growing trust in him: she apologizes, probes his ties to the Commandery Princess, and risks sharing politically dangerous intelligence.
• Yang Xiaobing’s relief suggests romantic jealousy or anxiety about Xu’s closeness to the Commandery Princess. Jiang gently teases her but maintains that romance is not part of her own plans.
• In the Underworld trial, Xu’s resourcefulness contrasts with his limited knowledge of the terrain. He and the female ghost begin as wary strangers but must cooperate to survive.

Significant themes

• Trust and dangerous knowledge: Jiang’s confidential warning binds her and Xu more closely, while highlighting the risks of political secrets.
• Foreshadowing and uncertainty: Xu’s vision of a coming dynastic change looms over the characters, though neither knows what will trigger it.
• Adaptability and survival: Xu improvises with a purchased parachute and weapon when the trial’s dangers exceed his expectations.
• Personal bonds amid political constraints: Attraction and concern surface, but aristocratic duty, imperial politics, and family expectations shape what characters can admit or pursue.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan and a female ghost fight their way through a swarm of hungry ghosts with a Gatling gun. The ghosts become statue-like when defeated and cannot be absorbed by Ghost Devour because they are condemned to endless torment in Hungry Ghost Hell.
• They escape through an underground passage to Station 937, where the female ghost reunites with her group and explains that their technology comes from Ninefold Nether Bonecraft.
• Xu Yuan adopts the alias Zang Ai because he cannot reveal his real name. The group’s red-haired member takes the name Zang You in exchange, but is immediately killed by a Skeleton seeking revenge for his brother.
• When the Skeleton attacks Xu Yuan, Xu Yuan destroys its bone blade with his Baseball Bat, shrugs off its punch thanks to Diamond Invulnerability, and smashes it. Ghost Devour raises him to the Seventh Qi Refining Layer; his Bat consumes the Skeleton’s Finger Bone as a snack.
• The group, led by Zang Ling, asks Xu Yuan to become their leader. He initially declines, then agrees to hear what they know about the first level.
• Xu Yuan learns that the level has 188,000 ghosts but only 88,000 Waist Tokens. At night, Foundation Establishment ghosts from the second level prey on those without tokens; even token-holders can be challenged and lose their protection.
• Zang Ling explains that completing the level’s training can earn the fundamental Ninefold Nether Mystic Arts, which can immobilize enemies. Xu Yuan recognizes the technique as the one used by the Witch attached to Lu Yiyi.
• Zang Ling’s group takes Xu Yuan by White Bone Train to its base: a vast bone factory where they collect remains from the dead. Xu Yuan realizes they are effectively cleaners. Just as he questions whether this helps his mission to find a cultivation site and a teacher, he senses something amiss inside the factory.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan stays cautious about revealing his identity, but pragmatically accepts the group’s help after learning they can provide information. He is increasingly comfortable in the Nether Prefecture, which feels like a place where he can recover.
• Zang Ling proves capable and protective, handling threats herself and treating Xu Yuan as a respected leader. She shares crucial information about the level’s dangers and training.
• The group’s members quickly adopt Xu Yuan as their boss after he defeats the Skeleton, though their admiration is mixed with fear of the nightly predators.
• The Skeleton’s attack forces Xu Yuan to demonstrate his strength and reveals the destructive power of his Bat and the resilience of his evolved ability.

Significant themes

• Survival and predation: Life on the first level is governed by “eat or be eaten,” with scarce Waist Tokens offering only fragile protection.
• Cooperation amid danger: Xu Yuan benefits from joining a group, while Zang Ling’s followers gain a powerful protector.
• Identity and belonging: Xu Yuan’s borrowed name and the group’s playful renaming create an improvised sense of kinship.
• The cost of death and labor: Even after death, ghosts face punishment, predation, or the grim work of clearing the remains of others.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan senses a powerful creature beneath Ninefold Nether: a many-legged Immortal Species he previously encountered in Border City. She climbs toward him, recognizes his presence, and demands release.
• Rather than risk disrupting the selection tournament—his route to the Dark Crown—Xu Yuan avoids a direct fight. He uses Deep Dive to shift the Factory and himself into a parallel dimension, hiding them from the creature.
• The creature cannot find him. It vents its frustration by absorbing the Ghost Entities in an underground city, then vows that they will fight when Xu Yuan emerges.
• Inside the hidden Factory, Xu Yuan finds a headless armored Ghost Entity holding a statue-like Combat Gear. It has captured Zang Ling and the Funeral Love Family and intends to eat them.
• Xu Yuan tries to warn it off, but the ghost claims the Factory as its territory. Xu Yuan kills it with his Baseball Bat, whose attack splits into thirty-two strikes. Ghost Devour lets him draw the ghost’s Survival Skill, upgrading his existing Advanced Flattery to Ultra-Advanced Flattery.
• Xu Yuan collects the ghost’s Combat Gear as potential payment for instruction in the Ninefold Nether Arts. He also notices a Waist Token has shattered, reinforcing that the supply of these tokens is shrinking.
• He learns that Deep Dive also counteracts the creature’s unique Whisper ability, making it gradually forget Xu Yuan and the Factory. Xu Yuan then uses a Historical Side Quest, which reveals that everything in this parallel world—including the Immortal Species—has died, and invites him to search for its remains.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan is cautious and practical: he refuses a premature battle with the Immortal Species but acts decisively when the Factory and its occupants are threatened. He shows concern for his tournament plans, while also exploiting each encounter for skills and valuable Combat Gear.
• The Immortal Species is revealed as a dangerous, imprisoned creature with immense perception and destructive power. Frustrated by Xu Yuan’s escape, she turns on nearby ghosts and becomes fixated on a future confrontation.
• The headless Ghost Entity is territorial and predatory, dismissing the captured ghosts as food. It underestimates Xu Yuan and is swiftly killed.
• Zang Ling and the Funeral Love Family are captured and left hanging in the Factory; they appeal to Xu Yuan to rescue them. Their predicament forces him into a fight he had initially hoped to avoid.

Significant themes

• Caution versus confrontation: Xu Yuan avoids unnecessary danger but fights when those in his care are at risk.
• Predation and survival: The underground world is governed by ruthless competition, with Ghost Entities consuming one another and powerful beings dominating weaker ones.
• Adaptability and resourcefulness: Xu Yuan turns defensive abilities into strategic advantages, using Deep Dive to evade detection and combat, and Ghost Devour to gain new skills.
• Scarcity and opportunity: The dwindling Waist Tokens and the value of Combat Gear emphasize the harsh economy of the setting, while Xu Yuan seeks to convert danger into resources.

Plot points and events

• After a monster wipes out the Ghost Entities on the Underground World’s First Layer, Xu Yuan learns from Zang Ling’s group that this happens every few decades. The surviving Funeral Love Family celebrates its sudden control of the area.
• Xu Yuan tells the group to search for treasure before the lower layers investigate, then leaves them to look for information about the vanished female ghost. He returns to the First Layer, starts an abandoned train, and follows its tracks to a platform crowded with Ghost Entities.
• A mob of Blood Sin Spirits attacks him. Xu Yuan kills them with his Destruction-infused baseball bat, surviving a spear through the chest thanks to Diamond Invulnerability. Their memories reveal that the First Layer is locked in constant, directionless fighting, with no meaningful cultivation.
• Seeing an opportunity to grow stronger, Xu Yuan decides to fight and devour Ghost Entities. But the local ghosts, frightened by his strength, enlist a Foundation Establishment Pale Ghost to kill him.
• When Xu Yuan’s Waist Token prevents the Pale Ghost from attacking directly, the Pale Ghost accepts a larger payment and plans to have others force Xu Yuan to surrender it. Xu Yuan overwhelms him with the frightening illusion of a vast flesh-and-blood mountain, then beats him to death with his bat and uses Ghost Devour to absorb his energy.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts from investigating the female ghost to exploiting the First Layer’s chaos as a chance to become stronger. He remains pragmatic and confident, relying on his durability and combat strength, but also uses intimidation and deception to defeat a stronger opponent.
• Zang Ling trusts Xu Yuan’s leadership, organizes the Funeral Love Family’s treasure search, and leaves him to pursue his own business.
• The Funeral Love Family sees Xu Yuan as its strongest protector and follows his orders.
• The Blood Sin Spirits embody the First Layer’s violent survival culture. Their attack fails, and their memories help Xu Yuan understand the world.
• The Pale Ghost is a mercenary powerbroker who prioritizes payment over fairness. He underestimates Xu Yuan and is killed after trying to arrange his defeat.

Significant themes

• A world trapped in violence: Ghosts fight endlessly without knowing how to progress, mistaking survival and predation for purpose.
• Power and exploitation: The Pale Ghost profits from the weak by offering to kill powerful local threats, while the ghosts fund his intervention to protect themselves.
• Adaptation and opportunity: Xu Yuan turns a chaotic, dangerous environment into a path for rapid growth, aided by his unusual defenses and abilities.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Afei receives an unexpected cultivation opportunity. A representative of Chen Haonan visits him at school and gives him a teleportation formation disc. Each day, Zhao will travel to a private chamber for cultivation guidance, with pills and techniques provided. The representative emphasizes that Haonan praised him twice and expects him to prove worthy of it.
• Xu Yuan kills Pale Ghost—but discovers the victory was incomplete. After absorbing Pale Ghost’s aura, Xu Yuan gains the Ghost-Race survival skill Buried Bones, which lets its user scatter into apparently dead remains. Suspecting something is wrong with the corpse, he smashes its skull and discovers Pale Ghost contained a second soul. The second soul’s memories reveal how it repeatedly survived selection and bought protection on the second level. Xu Yuan gains little from the soul’s death, but learns not to underestimate any ghost.
• Xu Yuan seeks information and transportation. In the Hungry Ghost Hell, he encounters an armed delivery group whose leader is a centaur-like Ghost Entity. They explain that they carry people and goods across the enormous first level. Xu Yuan hopes they can direct him to a place to learn Ghost-Race skills.
• A dangerous pursuer remains nearby. Xu Yuan hears the distant whisper of the long-legged woman, an Immortal Species searching for him. He worries she could disrupt his selection trial and wants to make progress before she reaches him.
• The chapter ends on a lead. The courier leader explains that mastering foundational Ghost-Race skills is the route to the second level and higher status, but such advancement is difficult to obtain. When Xu Yuan asks whether there is any other way, the leader offers him an object and says that if he is willing to risk death, he can try it.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Afei moves from bewilderment to cautious excitement about the chance to cultivate under an exceptionally powerful teacher. He asks whether Xu Yuan knows and whether the new instructor is better than his family’s tutors.
• Xu Yuan shows both resourcefulness and caution: he investigates Pale Ghost’s remains instead of trusting appearances, learns from its hidden second soul, and tries to negotiate rather than fight the courier group.
• The courier leader initially challenges Xu Yuan, but changes tone after hearing his blunt rule that anyone who attacks him first will not survive. The leader then explains the local delivery trade and the dangers of advancement.
• Chen Haonan’s praise indirectly sets Zhao Afei’s new training in motion, while Xu Yuan remains unaware of the arrangement for now.

Significant themes

• Survival and deception: Pale Ghost’s second soul and Buried Bones show how appearances can conceal backup plans and unusual defenses.
• Power comes at a cost: Advancement in the Ghost Race is difficult, and the alternative offered to Xu Yuan apparently carries a serious risk of death.
• Reputation as protection: Xu Yuan’s reputation for killing those who attack first helps deter the courier group from confronting him.
• Opportunity and expectation: Zhao Afei is given valuable resources, but the gift comes with an implicit demand that he live up to Haonan’s confidence.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan receives an Emblem that summons the first-level guardians. He crushes it, triggering a challenge intended to test whether he can earn the right to learn the Ninefold Nether’s Arts.
• Eighteen Skeleton guardians attack him. Xu Yuan has Jingzhe, the Flood Dragon Spirit—appearing as an eyeball—fight alongside him, and they destroy the Skeletons. Their memories confirm they serve the All Things Unity Society, which treats first-level Ghosts as prey for those above.
• By devouring the fallen Ghosts, Xu Yuan reaches the peak of seventh-level Qi Refining. He delays breaking through to refine his Spiritual Power, strengthening the Ghosts and Gods summoned by his scripture. His servants can now assess stolen items and let him choose between two options.
• Conversion materials improve his Baseball Bat’s abilities: its Destruction trait grows stronger, and it can produce twice as many Bloodsucking spheres.
• A powerful masked man offers to teach Xu Yuan the Mystic Arts if he fights his way to the end of the first level. Xu Yuan suspects this is a trap and buys a map, which warns that the route crosses acid-filled White Bone Mountains that Qi Refining Ghosts cannot survive.
• Before Xu Yuan can set out, the pursuing Immortal Species catches him. She takes Ghost form and proposes that they merge, claiming their Dual Life Souls might then escape their ultimate Fate. Her Gaze-type power draws Xu Yuan into visions within her eyes.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan is resourceful and increasingly powerful, but remains cautious: he questions the masked man’s motives, uses the shop to seek an advantage, and avoids a premature breakthrough.
• Jingzhe eagerly fights at Xu Yuan’s side, awakening a Flame Spirit ability. Xu Yuan also shares the gathered conversion materials rather than favoring one companion.
• The masked man treats Xu Yuan as a naïve newcomer, trades guidance for Combat Gear, and sends him toward a route that may be deliberately fatal.
• The Immortal Species shifts from pursuing Xu Yuan to making an unexpected offer of union. Xu Yuan resists her attempt to disrupt his “game,” but her overwhelming gaze leaves him vulnerable.

Significant themes

• Predation and hierarchy: The Ninefold Nether is governed by brutal rules, with weaker Ghosts serving as food for stronger beings.
• Power and strategy: Xu Yuan’s growth comes not only from combat, but also from restraint, resource management, companions, and using the game-like shop.
• Trust and manipulation: Both the masked man’s directions and the Immortal Species’ proposal raise questions about hidden motives.
• Identity and fate: The proposed merging of two souls suggests that individual identity, shared existence, and the possibility of escaping destiny will become central concerns.

Key plot points

• Xu Yuan confronts the mysterious woman about “Final Fate.” She warns that a comet-like being will return, awaken its master, and consume everyone in the world—including Immortal Species and short-lived races. The master is itself one of their kind, currently dormant after devouring a Three Realms and countless Immortal Species.
• Xu Yuan questions the warning, suspects the woman is preparing something, and decides not to use the brand on his hand to summon the comet. Instead, he escapes with his self-created, third-stage Whisper ability, Heaven-Stealing, overcoming her Gaze.
• At the first floor’s bone wall, Xu Yuan waits for the masked figure, who arrives and explains the Nine Nether Prefecture’s nine floors: a feeding ground; four floors containing era-destroying calamities; a resting floor; a floor that improves professions and skills; a kingdom from a bygone era; and, finally, a realm of reincarnation and secrets.
• Xu Yuan asks to learn the Ninefold Nether Arts. He discovers that Ghost Entities must choose between two foundational techniques: Ghost Shadow Strike, which gathers slain ghosts as suppressive phantoms, and Ninefold Nether Bonecraft, which uses dead ghosts to build structures.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains wary and strategic. He pressures the woman for information, challenges her threat, then escapes rather than trusting her or rushing to use the mysterious brand. He also conceals his true nature by claiming memory loss.
• The woman shifts from confusion to explanation, revealing the approaching catastrophe and urging them to merge. Her mixture of mockery, fear, and apparent urgency leaves her motives uncertain.
• The masked figure acts like a reluctant but knowledgeable mentor, explaining the Prefecture and offering Xu Yuan a choice of arts. Xu Yuan questions him closely, especially about the upper floors and the ancient kingdom.

Significant themes

• Inevitable catastrophe: The comet’s return threatens every form of life, making survival a shared, looming concern.
• Trust and secrecy: Xu Yuan and the woman withhold information and test each other’s motives; the masked figure’s knowledge is useful but limited.
• Identity and memory: Xu Yuan’s claimed memory loss hides his Immortal Species identity and raises questions about what he has truly forgotten.
• Choice and self-definition: Xu Yuan must choose a skill path, weighing combat strength against his personal fascination with Bonecraft.
  The chapter ends with Xu Yuan torn between the practical Ghost Shadow Strike and the creative, deeply appealing Ninefold Nether Bonecraft.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan asks the masked Greater Ghost how to strengthen the two Ninefold Nether arts. He learns that sacrificing gains from Ghost Devour to an art increases its power.
• Xu Yuan chooses Ninefold Nether Bonecraft, the creation art, over the more popular combat technique, Ghost Shadow Strike. The masked figure teaches it to him and explains that the two arts are incompatible, so a ghost can cultivate only one.
• The lesson completes Xu Yuan’s task. His token permits him to advance to the second level of the Nine Nether Prefecture, and a notice says he may return to ten years later. The next selection round is due in seven hours.
• Before leaving, Xu Yuan warns the masked figure about supposedly deadly mist in the White Bone Mountains, then uses Bonecraft to build him a small bone house called the “White House.”
• After Xu Yuan disappears, the masked figure reveals he is actually a badly wounded Foundation Establishment zombie pretending to be a powerful teacher. He had intended to lure Xu Yuan to his death, but Xu Yuan avoided the trap and instead treated him kindly. The zombie settles into the house and puzzles over Xu Yuan’s inscription, “Make Ninefold Nether Great Again!”
• Xu Yuan has not truly left the area: using Heaven-Stealing, he returns to the corpse collectors’ factory, then enters a private parallel world he opened with Deep Dive. There, the Funeral Love Family greet him amid treasure they cannot take into the main world.
• Xu Yuan draws a picture of a strange, many-legged woman and tells the ghosts it is a monster whose corpse they need to find.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan proves both curious and considerate. He chooses Bonecraft out of a genuine interest in making things, asks questions diligently, and repays his teacher’s instruction with a house. He also remains focused on solving an unanswered mystery rather than ending his selection early.
• The masked figure shifts from an apparently confident instructor to a frightened, vulnerable survivor. His careful teaching was partly meant to keep Xu Yuan from discovering his weakness; he is relieved that Xu Yuan leaves without harming him.
• The Funeral Love Family, especially Zang Ling, show loyalty and excitement at Xu Yuan’s return. They have gathered wealth and comforts in their isolated world.

Significant themes

• Creation versus combat: Xu Yuan’s choice of Bonecraft sets him apart from the usual preference for fighting power.
• Kindness and mistaken impressions: Xu Yuan’s respectful gratitude changes the outcome for a would-be predator, who is moved by the kindness he did not expect.
• Resourcefulness and secrecy: Xu Yuan uses his abilities to evade danger, complete his objective, and return to a hidden parallel world.
• The limits of possession: The parallel world offers abundance and pleasure, but its treasures cannot be carried into the main world.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and the masked figure share a careful, respectful teacher-student exchange, with Xu Yuan learning through questions and the figure patiently explaining the art.
• Xu Yuan’s warning about the mountains prompts the figure to reconsider where he will send future trainees, while Xu Yuan’s gift of a house turns their farewell into an unexpectedly warm encounter.
• Xu Yuan reunites with the Funeral Love Family, who welcome him enthusiastically. He then presents them with the unsettling creature drawing and directs their attention toward finding its corpse.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan sends the Ghost Entities to search the bottom of Ten-Thousand-Fathom Cliff for the corpse of a dead Immortal Species, which may explain why Ghost Entities are dying and powerful Second Tier beings no longer descend.
• To avoid a long descent, he uses a bone plate—an artifact he made himself—to transport the ghosts instantly. They split into teams to search the caves while Xu Yuan waits and cultivates.
• A ghost reports an unsettling cave. Inside, Xu Yuan hears a captivating melody carrying the power of an Immortal Species. He resists its influence and uses his abilities to steal something from the source.
• A revelation identifies the melody as the dead creature’s “Final Whisper,” which could capture a passing Immortal Species and use its body to return to life. Its power has weakened over immense time, and Xu Yuan’s unique Whisper ability allows him to withstand it.
• Xu Yuan is offered a choice: retain his existing Second Tier Dimension ability, Abyss Veil, or pursue a potentially unique Dimension ability. He chooses the riskier path.
• He finds the dried, suspended corpse and spends two saved Historical Side Quests to deepen his insight. The challenge requires him to witness at least two more kinds of abilities within one minute. Xu Yuan leaves the Parallel World, seeking a way to meet that demand.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows growing confidence and strategic ingenuity: he recruits the ghosts, disguises his homemade transport as a mysterious artifact, and uses their numbers to search efficiently.
• His ambition to develop powers uniquely his outweighs the cost of spending two valuable Historical Side Quests. He is also unsettled by the corpse’s ability to survive death, though he instinctively regards the creature as a fellow Immortal Species.
• The Ghost Entities trust and admire Xu Yuan, calling him their leader and crediting him with saving them. They cooperate readily and report the danger rather than investigating it further themselves.

Significant themes

• Power and individuality: Abilities unique to their user are presented as superior, motivating Xu Yuan’s risky attempt to make his Dimension branch his own.
• Death and persistence: The corpse is dead but retains enough power to potentially possess another Immortal Species and return.
• Cunning and adaptation: Xu Yuan turns limited resources, his resistance to the melody, and the ghosts’ numbers to his advantage.
• The contrast in perception: Xu Yuan experiences fear as a human, yet also responds with the contemptuous instinct of an Immortal Species.

Key plot points and events

• Ghostly authorities in the White House hear that Xu Yuan practiced Ninefold Nether Bonecraft, refused to surrender a vice general’s Waist Token, and killed eighteen Skeleton Household Guards. Several groups arrive separately to question the masked attendant and scrutinize Xu Yuan’s slogan, “Make Ninefold Nether great again!”
• Their reactions differ: some want to punish him, others see a promising newcomer, and one group orders an investigation into his background. Another sends someone to the Second Layer to verify who he is.
• Meanwhile, Xu Yuan reveals his Immortal Species aura in a valley, hoping to attract powerful beings before a countdown expires. He needs to witness two new abilities to gain insight for creating a Dimension power.
• A seven- or eight-foot-tall Female Ghost arrives, intent on devouring him and using him as a source of nourishment and abilities. She controls him through a “Whisper”: her voice replaces a target’s sense of self and compels obedience.
• Xu Yuan’s runes and insight deepen his understanding of her ability, but she swallows him before he can observe another power. A Silver Long Hook then pierces and restrains her.
• The Overseer’s crimson tentacles appear, trapping both the woman and the Hook. Xu Yuan watches the confrontation and realizes the Hook traverses higher dimensions and parallel worlds, while the Overseer occupies them all—effectively acting as the universe and controlling every dimension below the seventh.
• The experience triggers an overwhelming revelation. Blood-red messages confirm: “You saw it” and “You had an epiphany.”

Character developments

• Xu Yuan remains cool under threat and deliberately uses danger to gain knowledge. He begins to understand the Female Ghost’s power and makes a major breakthrough in his thinking about dimensions.
• The Female Ghost is revealed as a predatory, controlling being whose voice can override another’s will, though she can be restrained by the Silver Hook.
• The Silver Hook and the Overseer demonstrate extraordinary, complementary powers: the Hook navigates dimensions in search of escape, while the Overseer’s reach encompasses all parallel worlds.
• The masked attendant is left baffled by the succession of influential visitors drawn to Xu Yuan.

Significant themes

• Knowledge through danger: Xu Yuan risks death to witness unfamiliar abilities and learn from them.
• Selfhood and control: The Female Ghost’s Whisper raises the unsettling idea that identity and obedience can be imposed by an outside voice.
• Power and dimensional scale: The Hook’s movement through parallel worlds contrasts with the Overseer’s near-total dominion over reality.
• Reputation and interpretation: Xu Yuan’s actions and slogan provoke sharply different judgments from the Ghost Entities.

Character interactions

• The Ghost Entities repeatedly question the masked man and debate what Xu Yuan’s behavior says about him.
• Xu Yuan refuses the Female Ghost’s demand, and she threatens to absorb him; her Whisper then immobilizes him.
• The Silver Hook intervenes against the Female Ghost, while the Overseer’s tentacles ensnare both. Xu Yuan observes their struggle and uses it to reach his breakthrough.

Key plot points

• Xu Yuan must watch the battle for ten seconds to reshape his Dimension System. As the silver hook’s wielder and the woman prepare to attack the Overseer, Xu Yuan realizes the woman is being controlled by a Whisper embedded in the powerhouse’s words.
• With only a second to act, Xu Yuan uses Gaze Upon, Heaven-Stealing, and Deep Dive. He makes the woman hesitate, sends her away, and hides her attack. The Overseer breaks free and tells Xu Yuan to take cover.
• Xu Yuan escapes to his Parallel World. The wounded powerhouse soon tries to break in, but the Overseer’s tentacles seize it and drag it away.
• The Overseer arrives in human form with the woman. The powerhouse’s Rune has vanished from Xu Yuan’s hand; the Overseer says the enemy survived with only half its body and can no longer track Xu Yuan. The Overseer’s own Rune still works.
• Recognizing Xu Yuan’s contribution and talent, the Overseer assigns him a task tied to the ancient rules of the Nine Nether Prefecture: reach the third level and choose the official post that was erased from the twelve. He stresses that Xu Yuan must preserve history’s original course.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts from frightened observer to decisive participant. He identifies the Whisper controlling the woman, intervenes at the crucial moment, then wisely retreats rather than risk being caught in the battle’s aftermath. He accepts the Overseer’s assignment.
• The Overseer defeats the immediate threat and rewards Xu Yuan, while remaining focused on maintaining the proper course of history.
• The woman hesitates under the Whisper’s influence and is cast away by Xu Yuan. Afterward, she apologizes through Voice Transmission and returns to the second level, where her true body is. Xu Yuan realizes her earlier offer to become one with him was a deception; her pride contributed to her defeat.
• The powerhouse beyond the heavens is badly wounded and driven into hiding, though not fully killed. Its attempt to reach Xu Yuan’s Parallel World fails.

Significant themes

• Perception and agency: Recognizing the hidden Whisper lets Xu Yuan understand that the woman’s actions are not entirely her own.
• Cunning over strength: Xu Yuan cannot overpower the great beings, but precise timing and the use of his abilities change the battle’s outcome.
• Survival and restraint: He escapes rather than remain in the crossfire.
• Fate and history: The Overseer’s new task makes preserving the established course of history an explicit priority.

Key plot points and events

• After the Overseer grants Xu Yuan a fourth Nameplate imprint, “Identity,” he is cleared to proceed to the Second Layer; his mission begins once he reaches the Third.
• A mysterious woman, revealed to be an Immortal Species in disguise, warns Xu Yuan that everything will eventually be destroyed and promises to meet him on the Second Layer. Xu Yuan recognizes her words as an attempt to undermine his will and resolves to stay wary.
• Before returning to the Mortal Realm, Xu Yuan brings the Funeral Love Family into the Parallel World he created and offers to teach them Ninefold Nether Bonecraft, intending to protect and make use of them.
• Back in the future Mortal Realm, Xu Yuan has only three hours to invent a Dimension System ability. A call from Zhao Afei about newly arranged special training inspires Xu Yuan to think of the Universe as the ultimate patron.
• Xu Yuan forms himself into a fish and appeals to the Universe. The Universe answers, briefly turning him into a fish and granting him the Second Tier ability Righteous to the Point of Evil. The ability invokes the Universe’s judgment, but Xu Yuan is currently too weak to use it safely; attempting to do so risks bodily collapse.
• Xu Yuan takes pills to recover and sets his next goal: reach Foundation Establishment before facing the woman again.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan becomes more cautious and perceptive, seeing through the woman’s efforts to weaken his resolve. Despite doubts about whether his actions matter, he chooses to keep fighting.
• He takes responsibility for the Funeral Love Family, offering them shelter and training rather than leaving them in the dangerous First Layer.
• Xu Yuan’s ingenuity produces a powerful new ability, but its limits make clear that he must grow stronger before he can rely on it.
• Zhao Afei accepts the opportunity for special training and commits to working toward the same university as Xu Yuan and his friends.

Significant themes

• Resistance to despair: Xu Yuan rejects the woman’s fatalistic claim that everything is doomed, interpreting it as manipulation rather than truth.
• Power and its cost: The new ability is immense in principle but unusable without sufficient strength and Life Force.
• Protection and responsibility: Xu Yuan turns his own created world into a refuge and training ground for others.
• The absurd beside the serious: A cosmic appeal takes the form of a fish pose, undercutting the gravity of the ability’s power while highlighting the story’s playful tone.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and the woman trade veiled threats; she claims he cannot defeat her, while he vows he may do so eventually.
• The Overseer verifies Xu Yuan’s credentials and directs him toward the next stages of his mission.
• Xu Yuan thanks Zang Ling and the Funeral Love Family, then offers them a place in his Parallel World and instruction in a new Art.
• Xu Yuan reassures Zhao Afei about the special training, confirms its legitimacy with Lu Qingxuan, and encourages Zhao to pursue his goal.

Plot points and events

• At the hospital, Xu Yuan learns that his mother is recovering. Lu Yiyi warns him not to upset her while she remains fragile, so he calmly tells Zhao Shulan that his exam went well.
• Lu Yiyi gives Xu Yuan End of the World, a unique giant sword forged from instructions found in the Imperial Treasury.
• She reveals that Lu Chenzhou is dead and says Emperor Lu is fighting alone at the front. Crown Prince Lu Qingxuan is managing state affairs and leading the purge of the All Things Unity Society; he has assigned Lu Yiyi to oversee the investigation.
• Lu Yiyi plans to master Night Rain Swordsmanship and uncover the secrets her father left in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, fearing that the Demon and Ghost races may act soon.
• Xu Yuan decides to remove the Witch, a parasitic soul hidden inside Lu Yiyi. Using Ghost powers, the Nine Nether Prefecture waist token, and his World-Breaking Halberd, he summons the Witch.
• While distracting her with insults about Lu Yiyi, Xu Yuan activates Open Theft, which draws the Witch’s soul out of Lu Yiyi. He then uses Heaven-Stealing to cast the Witch into a dark, cosmic void, where an unseen entity consumes her and her consciousness disappears.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan is more confident after witnessing Immortal Species fight and developing his Dimension ability, Universe Petition. He uses deception and newly understood powers to eliminate the danger inside Lu Yiyi.
• Lu Yiyi remains devoted to Xu Yuan and trusts him even when his request to “steal” everything she has sounds suspicious. She is also taking on greater responsibility and pursuing answers about her father’s legacy.
• Zhao Shulan is improving but still needs rest and emotional stability.
• The Witch is revealed as an important, calculating presence who still needs Lu Yiyi’s body for a future event, but she is caught off guard and destroyed.

Significant themes

• Protection through secrecy and deception: Xu Yuan conceals his real plan from Lu Yiyi to protect her from the Witch.
• Trust and intimacy: Lu Yiyi’s unquestioning willingness to give Xu Yuan what he asks for contrasts with the danger he secretly confronts.
• Escalating supernatural stakes: The references to Immortal Species, Dimensions, and the approaching Demon and Ghost races suggest a much larger conflict ahead.
• Power and vulnerability: The Witch considers herself powerful, yet is helpless against forces she cannot perceive.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan gently reassures his mother while Lu Yiyi helps him protect her recovery.
• Lu Yiyi and Xu Yuan discuss the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the war, and her investigation.
• Xu Yuan manipulates the Witch’s assumptions about his status and Lu Yiyi’s supposed shortcomings, then attacks before she can react.
• Lu Yiyi is confused by Xu Yuan’s transformation and does not realize that he has drawn the Witch out of her body.

Key plot points

• On the hospital rooftop, Xu Yuan convinces Lu Yiyi that he drove away a sinister influence affecting her. Though his ghost stories are invented, his concern is genuine, and Yiyi trusts him; she also feels noticeably better after the presence leaves.
• Lu Qingxuan arrives and discusses the All Things Unity Society. He gives Xu Yuan a document detailing frontline forces, confident the information is safe because the Demon Race has already been routed and plans will soon change.
• Xu Yuan trades his Teleportation Ring for a Signal Arrow that can summon widespread help. It reassures him as he continues investigating the Society, despite his preference for a quiet student life.
• Lu Yiyi reports that her team has catalogued Border City’s monsters but found an unexplained kind: “human skins.” Xu Yuan knows something about their origins from Jiang Xueyao, but keeps quiet, suspecting powerful clans have withheld knowledge from the Imperial Family.
• Xu Yuan agrees to explore Border City with Yiyi the following day, intending to find a natural opportunity to reveal what he knows. The others remind him that his formal registration at Luofu is an important milestone, so the expedition can wait.
• Alone, Xu Yuan tests two enormous End of the World swords with Night Rain Swordsmanship. They break into swarms of smaller swords and assemble into an incomplete Rune, revealing that the weapons conceal a deeper secret.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains wary and self-protective, but increasingly feels responsible for protecting the Empire’s stability. He also discovers a potentially significant new property of his swords.
• Lu Yiyi trusts Xu Yuan and recovers from the influence he removed. She contributes intelligence from Border City and plans to investigate with him.
• Lu Qingxuan supports Xu Yuan’s undercover work with military intelligence and a powerful emergency signal, while teasing him about his lack of understanding of formal enrollment.
• The three share a practical, trusting relationship: Yiyi and Qingxuan coordinate investigations with Xu Yuan, while he carefully manages what he tells them.

Significant themes

• Hidden truths and lost knowledge: The human skins’ origins are known to some ancient clans but apparently not to the Imperial Family.
• Trust and concealment: Xu Yuan protects Yiyi while hiding sensitive information he believes could expose the Empire’s vulnerability.
• Duty versus personal desires: He wants an ordinary student life but feels compelled to keep investigating to preserve stability.
• Secrets beneath appearances: The sword test suggests that even familiar weapons may hold an undiscovered purpose.