Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• The Flesh Monument condemns Xu Yuan for choosing symbiosis with the Paper Strip and Shrine, then traps him in a Gaze: a recreation of the plane crash that killed him in his former life.
• The Paper Strip explains that only a Whisper can counter a Gaze. Xu Yuan’s ability briefly strengthens, allowing him to drag the Monument into his own Art, where they face the crash together as humans.
• Xu Yuan returns to the original battleground when the Monument breaks free. He uses the Hook lodged in his chest—and the threat that he can summon its owner—to make the Monument hesitate. It then expends power undoing the Hook’s influence, leaving itself weakened.
• The Monument reveals that it is actually an Ancient Flesh-and-Blood God-Demon, controlled by one of the corpse’s new consciousnesses. It intends to devour the weakened “last god” and reclaim the power it believes belongs to it.
• Xu Yuan spots a clue in the ritual’s image of a headless body and crowned skull, and guesses that the figure may be Louis XVI, calling out to test the idea.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan remains defiant despite severe injuries, using humor, bluffing, and quick observation to survive. He turns the Hook from a danger into leverage and looks for clues even when vastly outmatched.
• The Paper Strip and Shrine act as loyal, urgent allies, explaining the Gaze and helping Xu Yuan push his ability to its limit.
• The Flesh Monument shifts from taunting confidence to caution when Xu Yuan threatens to summon the Hook’s owner. Its true identity and ambition are finally exposed.

Significant themes

• Defiance against seemingly fixed fate: Xu Yuan challenges the certainty of his death and exploits the enemy’s fear of the unknown.
• Survival through ingenuity: Bluffing, observation, and unconventional use of powers compensate for Xu Yuan’s lack of strength.
• Identity and division: The corpse’s separate parts have produced distinct consciousnesses, each choosing a different relationship to the world.
• Power and fear: Even an ancient monster can be checked by uncertainty about a greater force.

Character interactions

• The Monument repeatedly belittles Xu Yuan, while Xu Yuan answers its threats with jokes and provocation.
• Xu Yuan relies on the Paper Strip and Shrine for information and tactical support, questioning them about the corpse and the Hook.
• Xu Yuan’s final call to “Louis XVI” is a direct attempt to identify the mysterious figure and possibly turn the enemy’s ritual against it.

Plot points and events

• The Flesh Monument attacks Xu Yuan, exploiting his poor mobility. It swallows him, but he emerges unharmed after using the Hook—whose power the monster fears—to make it back off.
• Xu Yuan persuades the monster to let him test the Hook, then deliberately lets it immobilize him. His real aim is to steal from the Hook itself: using his “Honor Among Thieves” ability, he takes a strange, eye-covered blade resembling grass.
• With the Paper Strip and Shrine’s help, Xu Yuan activates Account Hijacking. He takes control of the Flesh Monument, orders it to open its chest-mouth, and makes it hold the Hook. The Hook pierces the monster’s upper jaw, and both the monster and the stolen blade are pulled away by an unknown force.
• Xu Yuan returns to the Competition, where the system confirms his victory at Ancient God Tier. His rewards include entry into the Complete Unknown System, power that may restore his ability, and a Blank Historical Branch.
• Back in Hard Mode, Xu Yuan finds the Shrine reduced to rubble and the Paper Strip still active but exhausted. The Paper Strip is trying to merge the Shrine with the Shop to keep it from dying.

Character development

• Xu Yuan survives through ingenuity rather than strength. He acknowledges his weaknesses—especially his lack of mobility—but turns the enemy’s confidence and his own theft ability into an opening.
• The Flesh Monument’s arrogance proves costly: it recognizes Xu Yuan’s scheme too late and is ultimately forced to act against its own interests.
• The Paper Strip and Shrine expend themselves to help Xu Yuan win, demonstrating their loyalty and the serious cost of their support.

Significant themes

• Cunning over force: Xu Yuan cannot match the monster physically, so he wins by exploiting its fear of the Hook and using a carefully timed ability.
• Trust, deception, and risk: Xu Yuan pretends to cooperate while concealing his plan; the monster, in turn, tries to deceive him.
• Sacrifice and survival: Victory comes at the cost of the Shrine’s strength and leaves Xu Yuan and his allies exhausted.
• Limits and growth: Xu Yuan recognizes that his poor movement is a real vulnerability and that survival will require further training.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and the Flesh Monument trade threats and arguments, each trying to read and outmaneuver the other. Xu Yuan manipulates the monster into allowing the Hook test, while it briefly immobilizes him to stop his apparent plan.
• The Paper Strip and Shrine warn Xu Yuan that he is being deceived, then join him in activating Account Hijacking when he reveals his true move.
• After the battle, Xu Yuan credits the Hook, while the Paper Strip insists that his own idea and their combined effort made the victory possible.

Key plot points and events

• After winning the corpse-witnessing battle, Xu Yuan learns that the Shrine and the Paper Strip are two parts of the same being. The victory unlocked three systems of power: Gaze (disrupts an enemy’s sanity), Whisper (creates or alters history), and Dimension (hides secrets beyond perception). Learning the Dimension skill Deep Dive would normally require 180,000 divine blessings.
• Xu Yuan returns home and worries that the monster may have harmed someone, but finds no evidence. While he considers how to gain more followers, the blood-red hook appears. Its owner thanks him for providing the nourishment that revived it after 9,000 years.
• The hook rejects reliance on faith and incense as undignified. Its recognition, combined with Xu Yuan’s earlier blood-oath recognition, makes him an Immortal Species. He can now learn and master things by “devouring,” gaining Life Force from food. A bun gives him one point; Deep Dive requires 99.
• Xu Yuan livestreams himself cooking and eating. The unusual, relatable spectacle attracts enough followers to push his total beyond 180,000, meeting the divine-blessing threshold as well. He reaches 10 Life Force, leaving 89 to go.
• With the monster matter settled and the Special Admission Test approaching, Xu Yuan decides to revisit the secrets of the Border City Battle from ten years earlier. He needs the information to face Lu Chenzhou in the Single-Move Challenge.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts from relying on follower-based blessings to exploiting his new devouring ability, while cleverly pursuing both resources. His casual confidence and willingness to livestream an ordinary meal contrast with the world’s lofty cultivator image.
• The Paper Strip explains the newly unlocked systems and is startled by the hook’s arrival. It acts as Xu Yuan’s guide and companion.
• The hook’s owner, an ancient Immortal Species, is grateful to Xu Yuan but insists that he preserve the dignity of their kind. It marks Xu Yuan and asks him to provide food or other nourishment in the future.
• Zhai Qingya, Xu Yuan’s manager, is baffled by his cooking stream’s success and reminds him about the next morning’s interview.

Significant themes

• Power through unexpected means: Xu Yuan gains strength both through followers and through the mundane act of eating.
• Image versus authenticity: His ordinary cooking stream succeeds partly because it breaks the polished, aloof image expected of great cultivators.
• Secrets and hidden knowledge: The Dimension system, Xu Yuan’s concealed cultivation, and the unresolved history of Border City all underscore the value and danger of what remains unknown.

Plot points and events

• Before entering the Border City Battle, Xu Yuan visits the phantom temple and awakens the Dimension System skill Deep Dive. It lets him hide a secret in the Abyss Dimension, but he cannot conceal the strange rune on his hand because it is protected by a powerful barrier.
• Xu Yuan and the Paper Strip conclude that the entity behind the rune is cultivating him so it can eventually consume him. Xu Yuan remains undeterred: now an Immortal Species, he believes he can grow strong enough to turn the tables. He uses Deep Dive to disguise his cultivation, making it appear lower than it is.
• At the Grand Array control center, Xu Yuan finds humans cooperating with Ghost Entities. His new Immortal Species instincts make the situation feel deeply wrong, especially given the humans’ role in the destruction of the city.
• He pauses the Competition and inspects the people present. Spotting strange objects in one man’s bag, he suspects the group are the array masters who betrayed humanity. By pausing and resuming the match at the moment of attack, he kills the bearded man and then another suspect.
• Their disguises vanish upon death, revealing that both were demons—a wolf and a tiger. Xu Yuan realizes that a faction of the Demon Race helped sabotage Border City’s defenses, suggesting a long-running conspiracy against humanity.
• Unable to investigate farther in Hard Mode, Xu Yuan enters Nightmare Tier directly, seeking answers beyond the mode’s limits.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan becomes more cautious and calculating after learning that the rune’s owner may be grooming him as prey. He treats his new powers as a chance to resist, and uses the Competition’s pause-and-resume mechanics strategically.
• The Paper Strip is alarmed by the prospect of Xu Yuan being eaten and urges him to find a plan. Xu Yuan reassures it, though its fear remains.
• Xu Yuan’s changed perspective as an Immortal Species makes him feel detached from ordinary humans and sensitive to hidden dangers. His exchanges with the control-center staff expose how uneasy he is about their allegiance.
• The disguised demons’ deaths turn Xu Yuan’s suspicions into evidence, deepening his distrust of the factions involved.

Significant themes

• Hunter and prey: The rune’s creator may be raising Xu Yuan as food, but Xu Yuan believes the balance of power could change.
• Deception and hidden identity: Deep Dive, the demons’ human disguises, and the concealed rune all emphasize secrets and uncertain appearances.
• Competing loyalties and betrayal: Humans, Ghost Entities, and demons may be cooperating, raising questions about who is truly aligned with humanity.
• Power through knowledge: Xu Yuan relies on observation, inference, and experimentation—not just strength—to uncover the conspiracy and prepare for greater challenges.

Key plot points and events

• Back in Nightmare Mode, Xu Yuan returns to the Magic Array’s control center, but a squad of elite Ghost Soldiers blocks his way.
• The Ghost commander challenges Xu Yuan’s right to enter by invoking a military-merit impeachment. Xu Yuan uses Deep Dive to seal away his waist token, interrupting the challenge.
• The squad ejects him, then two soldiers secretly pursue him and demand his token. Xu Yuan fights back with his White Bone Baseball Bat, whose flying eyeball automatically seeks out enemies. He kills both soldiers and gains their finger bones and the skill Flattery, which upgrades to Advanced Flattery.
• Xu Yuan fuses the finger bones into his bat, strengthening it and helping it absorb some of the Curses attached to him. He then spends two Ghost Path Combat Experience points to improve Baseball Skill, gaining much greater mastery of the weapon and its spirit energies.
• The Ghost commander returns to confront Xu Yuan. During the clash, Xu Yuan’s servants secretly steal the commander’s pelvic bone. Xu Yuan fuses it into the bat, making it tougher and more eager for further combat.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan becomes more confident in Deep Dive, recognizing that its ability to remove or disrupt objects could be useful even outside a repeatable training match.
• He shows growing tactical skill with his Combat Gear and makes pragmatic choices about spending limited experience points.
• His White Bone Baseball Bat continues to develop through consuming bones, while Xu Yuan treats its bizarre behavior with amused curiosity.
• The Ghost commander shifts from dismissive authority to anger and suspicion as Xu Yuan resists and apparently steals his bone.

Significant themes

• Improvisation and resourcefulness: Xu Yuan turns obstacles, enemies, and even their remains into advantages.
• Power and unfair systems: The Ghost commander tries to use rank and military merit to displace Xu Yuan, who counters through an unusual ability rather than formal procedure.
• Progress through conflict: Combat yields skills, currency, experience, and upgrades.
• Dark comedy: The story frames grotesque events—especially the bone theft and the bat’s appetite—with irreverent humor.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and the Ghost commander begin with a tense exchange over Xu Yuan’s mission and eligibility; the commander’s authority turns into hostility when Xu Yuan avoids the impeachment.
• Two Ghost Soldiers attempt to rob Xu Yuan, but he defeats them and absorbs their skills and bones.
• Xu Yuan’s Divine and Ghost Servants work together to steal the commander’s pelvic bone, while Xu Yuan denies involvement and the commander accuses him of foul play.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan discovers that the Ghost Entity’s combat gear, the Blind Eye, can absorb his Metal Spiritual Power and gain the Sharpness Attribute. While the Competition is paused, he strikes it with his bat; the empowered baseball punches through the Ghost Entity and leaves it in pieces.
• Xu Yuan enters Extinction Mode while the Ghost Entity is still barely alive. Its power rises to Foundation Establishment, but Xu Yuan keeps his distance and attacks with a sword and C4 bombs. When it counters with a Bone Spear, he uses Deep Dive to make the weapon disappear, then bombards the pit.
• A covert-plunder effect causes a supply drop meant for the Ghost Entity to land near Xu Yuan instead. He takes its skeletal materials and feeds them, along with his bat and baseball, to the Blind Eye. The gear grows stronger: each swing will now launch two baseballs from different directions.
• Xu Yuan witnesses the Flood Dragon Jingzhe crash into the city and unleash a catastrophic blood-rain attack, destroying much of it. Alarmed by the power of whatever Jingzhe was fighting, he switches back to Hard Mode. The weakened Ghost Entity dies before Xu Yuan can use Ghost Devour.
• After learning that Extinction Mode rewards require staying for a full hour—and that fighting, noise, or being seen by a Ghost Entity can trigger a major attack—Xu Yuan starts another round. He returns to the house where he and Paper Strip hid, finds the city dark and largely deserted, and infers that its destruction has already occurred. He decides to investigate.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan becomes more inventive and confident, testing ways to combine his abilities, combat gear, and the Competition’s rules. He remains cautious around vastly stronger enemies, but his curiosity and hunger for rewards repeatedly draw him toward danger.
• The Ghost Entity shifts from boasting to panic as Xu Yuan’s attacks destroy its weapons and seize its expected supply drop. It continues fighting despite being nearly dead, but ultimately dies when Xu Yuan changes modes.
• Jingzhe, the wounded Flood Dragon, reveals immense power by sacrificing itself to devastate the city. Its final attack makes Xu Yuan wonder about the strength of its unseen enemy.
• Xu Yuan and the Ghost Entity exchange taunts over the stolen supply materials, while an unseen flying voice reprimands the Ghost Entities for slacking off.

Significant themes

• Exploiting systems and rules: Xu Yuan turns pauses, mode changes, and reward mechanics into tactical advantages, though those same mechanics carry serious risks.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a nearly defeated enemy can remain dangerous, while Jingzhe’s destructive strength points to threats far beyond Xu Yuan’s level.
• Growth through adaptation: Xu Yuan’s gear improves through experimentation and scavenged materials, reinforcing his resourceful approach to survival.
• Curiosity versus caution: Xu Yuan recognizes the danger of Extinction Mode, yet repeatedly chooses to investigate and pursue its rewards.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yuan escapes his room and encounters a Skeleton Ghost, but a hidden attack using Ghost Devour kills the ghost instead of him. His glowing Waist Token may have protected him, and he realizes the city’s powerful entity intends to consume everyone.
• He returns to his safe competition space to rest. Pills dramatically raise his Life Force, which he uses to advance Deep Dive to its second tier. The ability can now hide people or secrets in an unseen abyssal dimension, but it still cannot seal the powerful Rune on his hand.
• Though tempted to keep cultivating and transform into a ghost for more gains, Xu Yuan recognizes that exhaustion and fear are making him reckless. He chooses to rest before the next day’s Special Admission Test.
• The next morning, he cannot reach Lu Yiyi, Tang Yunyu, or his master, so he cannot discuss Lu Chenzhou with them.
• An unknown sender from the All Things Unity Society tells Xu Yuan that he has “won” and that, in ten days, he will become leader of the Tong division. Xu Yuan is bewildered, since he believes he did nothing.
• Zhai Qingya arrives with a production crew to film Xu Yuan before he leaves for Luofu. He explains that Xu Yuan’s footage will be valuable once he becomes famous.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan gains Life Force and improves Deep Dive, but discovers the limits of both his body and his new ability. He shows growing self-awareness by deciding that rest and patience are wiser than pushing himself past exhaustion.
• Zhai Qingya acts as Xu Yuan’s manager and promoter, confidently arranging a publicity shoot and thinking ahead to his future fame.
• Xu Yuan’s absent contacts—Lu Yiyi, Tang Yunyu, and his master—frustrate him by being unreachable when he needs them.

Significant themes

• Power has limits: Xu Yuan’s rapid growth does not make his body invulnerable, and even an advanced skill cannot overcome the Rune’s strength.
• Patience versus ambition: Xu Yuan learns to resist reckless overexertion and recover before his next challenge.
• Predation and nourishment: The chapter links the monsters’ desire to consume others with Xu Yuan’s discovery that high-quality food and medicine fuel his growth.
• Fame and public image: Zhai Qingya treats Xu Yuan’s present-day appearance as a future artifact for admirers, turning his rise into a media event.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and the Skeleton Ghost briefly confront one another before the hidden attacker kills the ghost.
• The Paper Strip advises Xu Yuan to rest and explains why his Deep Dive cannot seal the Rune; Xu Yuan accepts its counsel.
• Xu Yuan tries—and fails—to contact several women and his master, prompting his exasperated complaint that none of them can be relied upon.
• Zhai Qingya and the crew take charge of Xu Yuan’s morning, preparing him for a promotional filming session he had not expected.

Plot

• Xu Yuan is prepared by Heavenly Palace Arts Company for a promotional interview ahead of the joint Nine Luminaries–Luofu Special Admission Test. His first answers are bluntly violent, so producer Zhai Qingya coaches him to sound humble and likable. Xu Yuan eventually delivers polished responses about learning from stronger students, though he still privately intends to fight them.
• After filming, Luofu teacher Lin Weiliang announces that the test has already begun. Xu Yuan’s first task is to reach a village below Heavenly Cloud Mountain—1,427 kilometers away—before midnight. The earlier he arrives, the greater his advantage.
• Concerned that travel delays or an unexpected emergency could leave him stranded without Spiritual Power, Xu Yuan weighs his options. A teleportation formation is too expensive, and the only flight departs too late.
• Yang Xiaobing arrives on a White Crane and offers him a ride. She is retaking the test after failing to meet Nine Luminaries’ cutoff, and Lin has given her another chance. They set off together, planning to use Crane Talismans and Xu Yuan’s company car for the journey.
• In the monitoring room, the proctors watch the pair’s affectionate banter. Teacher Zhu leaves, prompting colleagues to joke that witnessing their romance has damaged his Dao heart.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shifts between his aggressive, straightforward instincts and the public persona the company wants him to present. He accepts the coaching because he sees winning fans as useful, while remaining determined to challenge the other candidates. Faced with the test’s first practical obstacle, he thinks strategically rather than rushing ahead.
• Yang Xiaobing is resourceful and supportive, bringing her White Crane and Crane Talismans to help them travel. Her playful exchanges with Xu Yuan reveal their closeness: after he rejects one milk tea, he drinks from the cup she has already used, embarrassing her.
• Zhai Qingya acts as Xu Yuan’s media coach, teaching him how to frame his ambition in audience-friendly language.
• The proctors provide comic commentary on Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing’s chemistry, especially through their teasing about Teacher Zhu.

Significant themes

• Presentation versus reality: Xu Yuan’s courteous interview answers conceal his genuine appetite for combat.
• Practical problem-solving: The test’s sudden, rule-free travel challenge pushes candidates beyond ordinary exam preparation and rewards adaptability.
• Ambition and public image: Xu Yuan recognizes that popularity may benefit him, but his real determination is to prove himself through action.
• Romance and comic contrast: The couple’s warm, teasing intimacy contrasts with the test’s urgent stakes and the proctors’ dry humor.

Key plot points and events

• While riding with Yang Xiaobing, Xu Yuan uses the Shop and spends Gold Coins on a cute, storage-capable crossbody bag and a fine-grade item called the Traitor’s Head. The head can be exchanged with either the All Things Unity Society or the Ruin Gate for a reward.
• He gives Yang Xiaobing the bag as a belated birthday present, joking that it is for her birthday after next. She likes it, though she questions how he could afford it; he explains that his livestreams earn him substantial money.
• Their relaxed drive during the Special Admission Test irritates the watching examiners, who decide the test is too easy. They teleport Talisman Soldiers onto the road to create a new obstacle.
• Instead of stopping to fight, Xu Yuan uses Metal Spirit Threads and his Qiong Iron Sword to swing himself and Yang Xiaobing through the trees, bypassing the soldiers and quickly returning to the highway.
• His clever maneuver earns him a fine-grade Spotlight. An examiner praises his ingenuity but teases him for flirting and likens his sword technique to Spider-Man’s web-slinging.
• The Spotlight lets Xu Yuan upgrade his Blind Eye combat gear. His baseballs gain a tracking, explosive effect equivalent to a hand grenade, and he eagerly anticipates testing them.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan shows generosity toward Yang Xiaobing and ingenuity under pressure. He remains playful and confident, treating the exam as both a challenge and an opportunity to improve his equipment.
• Yang Xiaobing is touched by the present and trusts Xu Yuan enough to cling to his back during his risky escape. Their familiar teasing suggests growing closeness.
• The examiners shift from passive observers to active challengers, raising the difficulty when Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing seem too comfortable.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity over raw power: Xu Yuan’s creative use of his sword and spiritual threads lets him overcome a threat without a direct fight.
• Competition and adaptation: The examiners alter the test in response to the students’ performance, while Xu Yuan turns success into a practical equipment upgrade.
• Care expressed through teasing: Xu Yuan’s gift and playful banter reveal affection beneath their joking exchanges.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing trade jokes about the bag, his earnings, and whether she should call him “Big Brother Xu Yuan”; her embarrassment and pinching keep the exchange light and affectionate.
• The examiners discuss the students’ performance and unanimously agree to make the test harder.
• An anonymous examiner offers a humorous critique of Xu Yuan’s behavior while acknowledging his unusual, effective tactics.

Plot points and events

• Xu Yuan drives the Flowing Cloud Supercar at high speed with Yang Xiaobing, then relies on her White Crane to cross the mountains and reach the village below Heavenly Cloud Mountain early in the afternoon.
• A Formation Disc explains the accommodation rules: first come, first served, with each contestant allowed one challenge to take someone else’s lodging. A blizzard and severe cold are expected that night; anyone brought near death will be treated but disqualified.
• Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing explore the ruined village and meet Zhang Pengcheng, who is taking Luofu’s admission test despite already having a place at Nine Luminaries. He hopes the challenge will help him improve and expects to spar with Xu Yuan again.
• Xu Yuan discovers Zhang is sharing a large cabin with other contestants. Several recognize Xu Yuan for making the Flying Sword Art public: Tong Ni asks for a photo, while Zhao Changzhi requests an autograph and offers them a spare room.
• The pair continue searching and find Jiang Xueyao playing the guzheng in a large courtyard house. She has already secured it. The three settle in by the fire and talk.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan channels his excitement about combat into focusing on the test, but his growing public profile surprises him. He is prepared for a confrontation with Zhao Changzhi, only to find that the imposing young man is a fan.
• Yang Xiaobing admires Xu Yuan’s skill and teases him about his new female fans. She also embraces Jiang Xueyao enthusiastically.
• Zhang Pengcheng’s friendly rivalry with Xu Yuan continues: he sees Xu Yuan as a motivating training partner and welcomes another chance to spar.
• Jiang Xueyao explains that she chose Luofu because it seems like a better fit after hearing Yang Xiaobing’s account of the previous test. Her practical answer about arriving by Flying Boat—her family has a driver—provides a comic contrast to Xu Yuan’s assumptions.

Significant themes

• Competition and camaraderie: The lodging rules create rivalry, but contestants also show generosity and mutual respect.
• Sharing knowledge and influence: Xu Yuan’s decision to teach the Flying Sword Art publicly has made him admired by other students.
• Choosing one’s own path: Jiang Xueyao’s decision to pursue Luofu despite already qualifying for Nine Luminaries reflects a desire to find the academy that suits her best.
• Humor amid danger: The coming blizzard and harsh test conditions are serious, yet the chapter’s fan encounters and Xu Yuan’s awkward reactions keep the tone light.

Plot points and events

• As a blizzard closes in, Xu Yuan catches a box that falls from a hidden roof compartment. Jiang Xueyao explains that the empire has supplied selected students with resources ahead of a contest against the Demon Race, whose young fighters are exceptionally powerful.
• The box contains Golden Light Palm for Xu Yuan, Flowing Water Body for Yang Xiaobing, and a breakthrough pill for Jiang Xueyao. Xu and Yang study their techniques while Jiang cultivates and advances to the Sixth Qi Refining Layer.
• Xu practices the palm technique’s first move, Golden Light Seal. Yang demonstrates her new movement technique, while Jiang’s breakthrough makes her the strongest of the three.
• The storm becomes a dangerous White-Hair Gale, reducing visibility to nearly nothing and making even a short trip outside perilous. Xu manages to bring in firewood, and the group warms their shelter.
• Jiang reminds Xu that he owes her ten sparring matches. He tries to avoid fighting before the upcoming contest, and she postpones the matches—but clearly intends to collect later.
• Three unexpected visitors arrive: the Longxi Three Heroes, who learned Xu’s Swallow’s Departure move from his video and bring a rare Spirit Lamb dish as thanks. Yang identifies it as a nourishing recipe that restores Spiritual Power and improves cold resistance; she confirms the ingredients are safe.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows quick reflexes, resourcefulness, and caution in the storm. He begins learning a powerful metal-element technique, but is wary of both the contest and Jiang’s promised sparring.
• Jiang Xueyao explains the stakes of the Demon Race challenge, breaks through to a higher cultivation level, and remains eager to fight Xu. Her serious combativeness is softened by the group’s easy teasing.
• Yang Xiaobing eagerly masters and demonstrates Flowing Water Body, assesses the visitors’ offering, and contributes practical care to the group.
• The Longxi Three Heroes express gratitude to Xu for teaching them indirectly through his recorded technique and make a difficult journey to deliver a valuable gift.
• The three companions share a cooperative, teasing dynamic: they divide the resources, train together, protect their shelter, and welcome the visitors rather than treating them as challengers.

Significant themes

• Preparation and teamwork: The students share resources and skills as they prepare for a dangerous contest.
• The harshness of nature: The blizzard is a threat in its own right, emphasizing the vulnerability of young cultivators.
• Rivalry balanced by camaraderie: The coming human–demon competition and Jiang’s sparring challenge create tension, while humor and generosity sustain the group.
• Gratitude and reciprocity: The Longxi Three Heroes repay Xu’s help with a costly, carefully prepared gift.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Xiaobing invites Xu Yuan, Jiang Xueyao, and the Longxi Three Heroes to stay for dinner, preparing a special Spirit Lamb meal before the next day’s test. Everyone agrees, also demonstrating trust in her cooking.
• A talisman arrives with Lu Chenzhou’s mocking voice. He insults Jiang Xueyao by implying she has illicit lovers. Xu Yuan’s Immortal Species ability activates, revealing a new, confusing historical branch involving the Epoch Remnants Zuo Lingjing and Song Qingyu; it hints that Song’s death will begin a larger event requiring more side quests.
• Jiang Xueyao refuses to let Lu Chenzhou hide behind anonymity. She challenges him to identify himself, then sharply rebukes him. Lu threatens her before the talisman burns away.
• Xu Yuan posts in the group chat, inviting Upper Nine Luminaries students to challenge him. When some users joke that he is Jiang Xueyao’s illicit lover, Jiang storms out.
• One offender, “Lost,” posts an elaborate apology. Jiang returns and claims she merely sparred with him, but a video shows she tied him upside down in a snowy tree and struck him with her sword. The group chat falls silent, and others beg Xu Yuan to spare them.
• Xu Yuan tries to calm Jiang, but when she reaches for her sword, he launches into extravagant flattery and apologizes on behalf of the situation. Her anger fades, and she returns to her tea.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan shows protective anger toward Lu Chenzhou, curiosity about the unexpected historical-branch revelation, and a comic talent for quick thinking—especially when flattery becomes necessary to avert danger.
• Jiang Xueyao remains composed when publicly insulted, then reveals a fierce, vengeful side toward people who repeat the “illicit lover” joke. Xu Yuan’s apology and praise eventually soften her.
• Yang Xiaobing is established as a capable Spirit Botanist whose cooking and ingredient knowledge make her a generous host.
• The Longxi Three Heroes back Xu Yuan and Jiang Xueyao, but become increasingly wary of Jiang’s temper and impressed by Xu Yuan’s survival instincts.
• Lu Chenzhou emerges as a hostile, taunting figure who targets Jiang’s reputation while concealing his identity.

Significant themes

• Reputation and public insult: Lu’s accusation strikes at Jiang’s family honor, making the insult more than a casual joke.
• Power and perspective: Xu Yuan’s ability makes him feel vastly superior to Lu, rendering the man’s provocation almost beneath notice.
• Loyalty and protection: Xu Yuan and the three brothers defend Jiang, while Xu Yuan accepts responsibility when her anger flares.
• Comedy and social consequences: A group-chat joke escalates into a brutal “sparring” lesson, and fear quickly replaces teasing.
• Unfolding destiny: The new historical branch signals a larger plot involving Zuo Lingjing, Song Qingyu, and future side quests.

Character interactions

• The three brothers openly support Jiang against Lu’s insults, while Jiang turns Lu’s anonymous attack back on him by demanding his name.
• Xu Yuan and Jiang work as allies, though their banter and the group’s jokes blur the line between friendship and romance.
• Jiang punishes the group-chat offender; Xu Yuan then tries to redirect further challenges toward himself.
• When Jiang’s sword threatens to turn on Xu Yuan, his apology and flattering praise restore her good humor.

Key plot points and events

• After a freezing day on the road, Xu Yuan, Yang Xiaobing, Jiang Xueyao, and the Longxi Three Heroes share a hot meal. The Three Heroes leave when they hear someone is trying to seize their house; Xu, Yang, and Jiang stay to finish cooking.
• While preparing dinner, Xu asks why Jiang changed her mind about attending the Nine Luminaries Academy. She explains that an influential man there is pursuing a marriage alliance with her family, and she wants to avoid him because he likes killing women.
• A powerful, fast creature howls nearby, apparently noticing the protective seeds around their house and turning toward the village instead. Xu organizes the group: Yang finishes cooking, Jiang keeps watch, and he prepares supplies. He also maintains a spiritual link to Jiang so he can monitor and support her.
• Zhang Pengcheng arrives in partial clothing, reporting that a Demon Beast smashed a house and injured someone before fleeing. As another house collapses, Xu sends his flying sword aloft as a beacon, hoping to gather scattered examinees and improve their chances of surviving together.
• A woman appears to be trapped in the snow and asks for help. Xu recognizes that she is lying because she is standing on a rock he remembers. She transforms into a huge, white, Wind-powered wolf and charges. Zhang engages it, while Xu spots a second creature sneaking toward the house.
• Xu rushes back and intercepts the second attacker before it can reach Yang and Jiang. His sword’s eight successive bursts of Sword Qi make the creature halt rather than risk the strike.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows practical leadership, sharp observation, and tactical caution. He prepares supplies, coordinates his companions, summons help, and detects the wolf’s deception. His concern for Yang and Jiang becomes clear when he realizes the house is the real target.
• Jiang Xueyao reveals the pressure she faces from her family’s marriage expectations, but asserts her independence. She feels especially relaxed with Xu and Yang, and readily takes up guard duty.
• Yang Xiaobing remains energetic and capable, cooking with Pill Flame and protecting the house with plant-based defenses. Her sympathy for Jiang shows their growing closeness.
• Zhang Pengcheng arrives after fighting the beast, wounded in pride rather than defeated, and immediately helps confront the wolf. Xu jokes about his inadequate clothing and lends him pants, adding humor amid the danger.
• Xu, Yang, and Jiang fall back into the smooth teamwork they shared during their earlier battle. Xu and Zhang also cooperate, though Zhang is initially puzzled by Xu’s dramatic beacon plan.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and collective survival: Xu believes the scattered examinees are vulnerable alone and tries to bring them together.
• Caution and observation: Xu’s attention to terrain exposes the wolf’s disguise and helps him anticipate its true plan.
• Personal agency versus family expectations: Jiang’s refusal to accept a politically useful marriage highlights her determination to choose her own future.
• Danger beneath apparent safety: The meal and relaxed conversation are interrupted by a coordinated attack, revealing that the storm and test environment are far more perilous than expected.

Key plot points and events

• Demon Beasts surround the village and attack the scattered examinees, apparently trying to pick them off individually. Xu Yuan holds the house while Jiang Xueyao prepares a formation.
• Xu Yuan uses his Flying Sword and hidden Thought Thread tripwires to drive off a boar demon. His newly awakened Immortal Species instinct detects a concealed attacker, whose brief strike he blocks.
• Zhang Pengcheng and Tong Ni join Xu Yuan. The three launch their swords as signals, drawing surviving examinees to the house and forming a defensive group.
• Jiang Xueyao completes the Thunderlight Battle Prison Sword Formation. Its lightning repels attacking demons, while defeated examinees are teleported home.
• When the demons begin raising a mountain to crush the formation and shelter, Xu Yuan organizes a coordinated counterattack: examinees launch Flying Swords in rotating volleys, and his Spirit Light Threads retrieve their weapons for repeated strikes.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan demonstrates resourcefulness and leadership, shifting from defending himself to rallying and coordinating the examinees. His Immortal Species “Gaze” ability gives him a new instinct for hostile attention.
• Jiang Xueyao proves her skill in Swordsmanship and Formation Arts by building a powerful lightning-based defense under pressure.
• Zhang Pengcheng and Tong Ni support Xu Yuan’s defense and help signal for reinforcements. Tong Ni’s admiration for Xu Yuan also helps her recognize his sword as a beacon.
• The examinees move from scattered survivors to a disciplined fighting force, trusting Xu Yuan’s sword technique and taking orders from him.

Significant themes

• Cooperation against overwhelming danger: Gathering together and coordinating attacks improves the examinees’ chances of survival.
• Leadership and trust: Xu Yuan becomes the group’s organizer, while others willingly follow his decisions.
• Adaptation and ingenuity: The humans combine formations, lightning, Flying Swords, and weapon retrieval to counter the demons’ numbers and tactics.
• Survival under pressure: The test’s “Long Night Solo” challenge emphasizes endurance as much as individual strength.

Key plot points and events

• The Human examinees withstand the Demon Race’s attacks by taking turns striking with flying swords, but the demons adapt by raising thick stone barriers and preparing a mountain-moving assault.
• Xu Yuan slips behind the barriers under cover of the snowstorm, sweeps away the stones, and triggers swords he had hidden in the snow. Jiang Xueyao pulls him back to safety with a Spirit Light Thread.
• The surprise attack throws the demons into disarray. Xu Yuan has also planted C4 on the backsides of the demons moving the barriers; a referee eliminates them, leaving the remaining demons vulnerable to the humans’ renewed sword volley.
• With their position secured, the humans realize scattered examinees are still in danger. Jiang Xueyao volunteers to rescue them, equipping eight Spirit Treasure-grade items before setting out. She assigns Tong Ni to remain and guard the position.
• An unnatural earthquake begins shifting the terrain and disrupting Jiang Xueyao’s formation. Xu Yuan disappears, apparently pursuing the demons responsible, while Jiang Xueyao and the others prepare to defend their position.
• In the Imperial Palace, the emperor watches the test and praises the humans’ tactics. Demon envoys warn that their young wolf king is about to hunt the human commander. The emperor sees Xu Yuan heading alone into the storm and silently urges him to survive.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan proves resourceful and daring, combining stealth, traps, and coordination to turn the battle around. He volunteers to rescue the scattered examinees, but Jiang Xueyao stops him; after the earthquake, he independently pursues its likely cause.
• Jiang Xueyao takes charge of the rescue effort and demonstrates both confidence and formidable resources. She teases Xu Yuan for doubting her, and he immediately praises her as a hero. Their exchange hints at growing rapport.
• Tong Ni, Zhang Pengcheng, and Yang Xiaobing accept defensive roles: Tong Ni stays to guard, Zhang takes the front, and Yang scatters seeds into the darkness to prepare for danger.
• The emperor shifts from anxiety about the humans’ disadvantage to pride in their tactical success, while the envoys remain confident in the Demon Race’s coming hunt.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity over brute strength: The humans overcome the demons through timing, teamwork, and unconventional tactics.
• Leadership and responsibility: Xu Yuan and Jiang Xueyao each take initiative, while the group divides tasks to protect others.
• Courage amid uncertainty: The storm, shifting terrain, and threat of a powerful wolf king make every rescue and pursuit perilous.
• Rivalry and confidence: The contest extends beyond the battlefield, as the emperor and Demon Race envoys trade pointed remarks about which side holds the advantage.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Nightmare-tier event “Lone Walk in the Dark” begins. Xu Yuan senses that the Demon Race’s leader is watching him and confronts Fengya, a Wolf Demon and Crown Prince of the Wolf Clan.
• Fengya boasts that the test is meant to intimidate the human examinees. Xu Yuan answers with jokes about peace, then reveals he has already set an ambush: a sword hidden in the snow wounds Fengya.
• Fengya tries to exploit Xu Yuan’s apparent retreat, but Xu Yuan counters with a succession of swords. When Fengya attempts to escape, Xu Yuan uses Night Rain to pull him—and the swords lodged in him—back.
• Fengya claims he is leaving to recover, then invokes his royal status and calls their fight a friendly exchange. Xu Yuan senses danger and blocks Fengya’s sudden release of his sealed power.
• Fengya’s wounds heal as his demonic aura surges. He mocks the human comrades who supposedly abandoned Xu Yuan in the storm. Xu Yuan spots lightning from Jiang Xueyao’s Thunderlight Battle Prison Sword Formation, realizing it marks their route.
• Xu Yuan taunts Fengya for pretending to be weak when he has failed to hurt him. Fengya attacks recklessly, but hidden flying swords disrupt his strike. Xu Yuan wounds him with his sword and Golden Light Palm.
• Fengya summons five Wolf Demons to overwhelm Xu Yuan by numbers. Xu Yuan reveals that the golden Spirit Light Thread is a trail he laid for his allies. Human examinees emerge from the storm, led by Jiang Xueyao, who accepts Fengya’s own argument for strength in numbers.

Character developments

• Xu Yuan demonstrates cunning, composure, and confidence. He prepares traps, adapts quickly, conceals additional weapons, and uses Fengya’s arrogance to draw him into a disadvantageous position. His playful “peace-loving” persona contrasts with his determined resolve to defeat Fengya.
• Fengya shifts from taunting confidence to frustration and alarm. His boasts about battlefield tactics and his attempt to overwhelm Xu Yuan reveal his reliance on intimidation and numerical superiority.
• Jiang Xueyao shows leadership and support: she uses her formation’s lightning to signal Xu Yuan and leads the human reinforcements to him.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Both fighters use deception—Fengya disguises his strength, while Xu Yuan hides weapons and leaves a trail.
• Preparation and teamwork: Xu Yuan’s traps help him survive, but his allies’ arrival turns the tide against the Wolf Demons.
• Arrogance and adaptability: Fengya underestimates Xu Yuan and becomes vulnerable to his tactics; Xu Yuan survives by reading and countering each change in strategy.
• The meaning of strength: Fengya argues that numbers decide a battlefield, and the chapter ends with the human side ready to meet that challenge on equal terms.

Character interactions

• Xu Yuan and Fengya trade taunts throughout the fight, with Xu Yuan repeatedly using humor and provocation to unsettle him.
• Fengya tries to intimidate Xu Yuan by threatening his village and later disparaging the human race and its comradeship.
• Xu Yuan refuses to be isolated: he recognizes Jiang Xueyao’s signal and uses his trail to guide the other examinees to his position.
• Jiang Xueyao’s arrival transforms Xu Yuan’s solitary confrontation into a group fight, turning Fengya’s “many against few” strategy back on him.

Plot points and events

• After the Human examinees defeat the six Wolf Demons by overwhelming them, Xu Yuan quietly claims a rare pair of gloves Fengya dropped. He equips them, raising his Agility, and earns an examiner’s approval for his tactics.
• Using the reward, Xu Yuan upgrades his “Blind Eye” combat gear: its swings now launch four penetrating, explosive balls from different directions.
• The group returns to their courtyard, celebrates with food and cards, and assumes the night’s challenges are over. The emperor instead orders the official First Round to begin.
• Examiner Lu Chenzhou announces that the examinees must reach a distant mountain summit before sunrise while enduring a blizzard, repeated Demon Beast attacks, and his supposedly random Ninth Layer Qi Refining Mystic Arts. Giving up, being “killed,” or falling means elimination; flight is forbidden.
• Lu’s opening attack destroys the courtyard defenses and injures Jiang Xueyao, shattering her Formation Disc. Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing stay with her rather than immediately setting out.
• Jiang reveals that Lu is the violent man who wants to marry her. Xu also suspects Lu deliberately targeted her and recalls Lu’s earlier threat against him.
• Jiang urges Xu and Yang to go on without her. Yang refuses and carries Jiang; Xu joins them, keeping watch. He jokes that they could support him instead of his attending university, prompting both women to reject the idea.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains a pragmatic, irreverent battlefield leader. He favors winning over appearances, makes use of Fengya’s dropped gear, and protects his companions despite his private plans to expose Lu’s past misconduct.
• Jiang Xueyao shows resolve despite her injury, initially encouraging the others not to sacrifice their futures for her. Her history with Lu makes his role as examiner personally threatening.
• Yang Xiaobing demonstrates loyalty and defiance by carrying Jiang rather than abandoning her, even if doing so jeopardizes her own exam.
• Lu Chenzhou emerges as a powerful, antagonistic examiner whose “random” attack appears suspiciously targeted. His authority puts Xu and Jiang at a disadvantage.
• Xu, Jiang, and Yang close ranks: Jiang urges them onward, Yang refuses to leave her, and Xu accompanies them.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism over appearances: Xu rejects “honorable” one-on-one combat in favor of an effective group attack.
• Loyalty and solidarity: Yang and Xu prioritize Jiang’s safety over their own chances of passing.
• Power and unfairness: Lu’s authority allows him to impose a dangerous test and may enable personal retaliation.
• Humor amid danger: Xu’s jokes and the group’s earlier celebration contrast with the sudden, life-threatening test.

Key plot points and events

• Referee Lu Chenzhou continues targeting Xu Yuan’s group with hostile spells, including another collapsing-ground attack and a fireball, while claiming these attacks are part of the examination.
• Tang Yunyu warns Xu Yuan that Mo Daosheng has instructed the referee to target him, and advises him to withdraw if necessary. Xu Yuan refuses, seeing the public test as a chance to improve his skills and equipment.
• A mysterious voice—likely the Sacred Sovereign—admits that the Human Race lost a wager with the Demon Race and promises compensation for every attack: help during the coming Border City Battle.
• Xu Yuan begins recording the attacks by making a glowing number above his head. It rises from 2 to 3, making the referee’s conduct visible to the many powerful observers watching the test.
• As the group climbs a remote cliff to avoid the other examinees, Black Demon Apes attack. Xu Yuan uses invisible, metal-infused Spirit Light Threads to knock them down and then uses more threads to evade Lu Chenzhou’s fireball.
• His inventive sword-control technique earns an examiner’s praise and lights another lamp, allowing him to upgrade his equipment. His baseball now produces eight piercing, explosive balls from different angles, though it has reached its upgrade limit.
• Xu Yuan’s “Covert Plunder” ability generates another strange historical branch involving Zuo Lingjing and Song Qingyu’s personal ring, but it requires more supporting side quests.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows stubborn confidence and ingenuity. He refuses to retreat, protects his companions, turns his aerial control of Spirit Light Threads into a climbing and evasion technique, and uses the numbered marker both to document Lu Chenzhou’s attacks and, privately, to ensure the emperor keeps count for later compensation.
• Yang Xiaobing carries the injured Jiang Xueyao, supplies Xu Yuan with a magically enlarged grass stalk for his marker, and encourages him to find a way around the referee’s interference. She is skeptical of his plan but continues to cooperate.
• Jiang Xueyao feels guilty about slowing the others, but Xu Yuan and Yang keep supporting her. She quickly understands the strategic value of making the attacks visible to the observers and praises Xu Yuan’s cleverness.
• Lu Chenzhou remains aloof and openly warns examinees that he will continue using mystic arts, while covertly—or under cover of his official role—targeting the group.
• Tang Yunyu provides a warning and an escape option. The mysterious sovereign offers compensation, while examiners and other powerful figures observe the events.

Significant themes

• Abuse of authority and accountability: Xu Yuan counters an unfair examiner by making each attack publicly countable.
• Cleverness under pressure: Improvisation, teamwork, and creative use of abilities let the group keep climbing despite the odds.
• Public scrutiny and political maneuvering: The examination is also a spectacle watched by influential figures, and events may affect the coming conflict with the Demon Race.
• Power, reward, and uncertain consequences: Xu Yuan gains tangible upgrades and a promise of future help, while his strange historical branches hint at a larger, unpredictable system at work.

Plot and events

• During the snowy cliff-climbing exam, Lu Chenzhou repeatedly attacks Xu Yuan, Jiang Xueyao, and Yang Xiaobing. Xu Yuan saves both women from a fireball, then reveals he has tracked how often Lu has attacked each group.
• Xu Yuan’s mysterious “Paper Strip” activates after another attack, creating a historical side story about Zuo Lingjing, a maidservant who sneaks into a hall and discovers records suggesting that someone removed an object classified as “remains.” Xu Yuan suspects she may be in danger and hopes further events will reveal more.
• Lu appears to restrain himself from attacking Xu Yuan directly, apparently wary of the consequences, and leaves to harass other examinees.
• As the trio climbs, Xu Yuan experiments with Metal Spirit and his Spirit Light Threads. He uses a sharpened stone to knock a hidden Monster off the cliff, improving his control to sixteen threads.
• When Yang Xiaobing reaches her limit, Xu Yuan carries both women to a hollow in the cliff and carves out a larger shelter. Jiang Xueyao blocks the wind with a Screen, lights a brazier, and keeps watch while the others recover.
• A Ghost Entity approaches the cave. Seeing Jiang protect them with a Formation Disc triggers Xu Yuan’s sealed memories: in the Previous Era, his master explained that Formation Discs could attack ghosts even when humans could not see them. Xu Yuan uses his sword to destroy the entity, then asks Jiang about her injured leg.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan remains resourceful and observant, balancing concern for Zuo Lingjing with practical survival. His experimentation advances his Spirit Light Thread control, while the Ghost Entity awakens important memories of his past.
• Jiang Xueyao contributes steadily despite her injured legs: she spots shelter, rejects unnecessary help, and protects the group with her Formation Disc and Screen. She openly praises Xu Yuan’s courage.
• Yang Xiaobing carries Jiang during the climb until exhaustion forces a rest. She supports Xu Yuan’s ingenuity and joins Jiang in praising him, briefly letting go while climbing to give him a thumbs-up.
• Lu Chenzhou taunts and attacks the group but seems to struggle with the urge to kill Xu Yuan. He holds back because of the scrutiny and potential consequences, then targets other students instead.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity and earned progress: Xu Yuan turns limited tools and Spiritual Power into practical defenses and climbing aids.
• Loyalty and cooperation: The three share burdens, create shelter, and protect one another.
• Hidden knowledge and memory: The Paper Strip’s developing side story and Xu Yuan’s awakened memories connect present dangers to secrets from the past.
• Power under restraint: Lu’s attacks show his menace, while his hesitation hints at rules or political pressures limiting him.

Key plot points

• Jiang Xueyao has recovered enough to continue climbing, though she still cannot walk unaided. Xu Yuan suggests using her Formation Disc to create a protective array rather than slowing down to watch for Demon Beasts.
• Jiang sets up the Thunderfire Demon-Slaying Array, which automatically strikes nonhuman enemies that approach within twenty meters. Protected, the three climb quickly.
• Lu Chenzhou flies over and warns them that a new challenge is coming. Xu Yuan counts the conspicuous flyby as another attack, bringing his tally against Lu to five.
• Near the summit, the group finds Demon Race examinees crowding the steps. Xu Yuan blames Lu for drawing them toward the route and marks a sixth obstruction. This accusation unexpectedly triggers Xu Yuan’s “Covert Plunder” blessing: he learns that a palace maid, Zuo Lingjing, has escaped Lu’s household and is heading to North River to seek his protection.
• A Demon Race examinee named Huang Li offers to let Xu Yuan and Yang Xiaobing pass if they leave the injured Jiang behind. Jiang tries to withdraw from the exam rather than endanger her companions, but Xu stops her. He refuses to abandon her, whispers a plan to Yang, and calls on the exam’s monitoring teachers for help.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yuan shows tactical initiative and loyalty. He protects his companions, confronts Lu’s interference, refuses to let Jiang sacrifice herself, and turns to the exam authorities rather than surrendering her.
• Jiang Xueyao contributes by establishing the defensive array, then tries to withdraw when the group is threatened. Her decision reflects her concern for her friends, while Xu’s refusal shows that he sees her as a companion, not a burden.
• Yang Xiaobing carries Jiang up the cliff and angrily condemns Huang Li’s demand, supporting Xu’s stand.
• Lu Chenzhou denies responsibility for the Demon Race crowd and warns the group of the new challenge. Xu’s accusations eventually activate the blessing that reveals Zuo Lingjing’s escape.
• Huang Li presents his demand as a chance for the others to proceed, but his interest in Jiang makes the offer coercive and dangerous.

Significant themes

• Loyalty over self-preservation: Xu and Yang refuse to trade Jiang’s safety for a better chance of passing.
• Cunning and exploitation: Xu turns Lu’s apparent interference into an unexpected benefit through his blessing, while the exam’s challenges create opportunities for manipulation.
• Honor and coercion: Jiang’s willingness to withdraw contrasts with Huang Li’s attempt to isolate her and compromise her dignity.
• Unintended consequences: Xu’s “successful” plunder saves Zuo Lingjing from her fate, but also unexpectedly assigns her to him as a maid—an outcome he privately finds absurd.