Chapter Summaries

Summary

Key plot points and events

• During the Fourth Group Mission, the protagonist examines three available missions and realizes all appear connected to the Beyond Mythology True Realm.
• Dream World offers a relatively safe mission: receive help from its friendly higher-dimensional being. Its reward—a self-chosen chaos spiritual root—seems unimpressive to the protagonist, who already possesses two primordial spiritual roots.
• Dark Fairy-Tale Great World requires restoring at least three corrupted fairy tales and rewards one powerful wish. The protagonist recognizes it as the very world where Xu Que is trapped, and learns that its corruption is part of a chess game between immensely powerful beings. Joining could expose the protagonist to forces far beyond their ability to handle.
• Invaded Fantasy Story Series requires saving three great person-grade stories. Its reward is a torn page from the mysterious Book of Stories, an artifact the protagonist suspects may be comparable in grade to a colorful talent. The mission’s SSS difficulty makes it especially dangerous.
• The protagonist concludes that the apparent variety of mission choices is no coincidence: every world is tied to the same greater realm, suggesting someone has deliberately set them up.

Character developments

• The protagonist becomes increasingly wary as each mission reveals a connection to powerful, hidden conflicts. Their initial interest in choosing the safe Dream World gives way to alarm when they realize even that world belongs to the same larger network.
• They recognize the limits of their own strength: even transforming into “Old Self” may no longer be enough to compete with rapidly advancing higher-dimensional beings.
• Xu Que’s predicament and the mysterious “big shot” become important considerations, though the protagonist hesitates to intervene in a dangerous conflict.

Significant themes

• No such thing as coincidence: seemingly unrelated missions may be pieces of a deliberate scheme.
• Stories as power and battlegrounds: story origins can be stolen, narratives manipulated, and entire mythology-grade worlds used as pieces in conflicts between supreme beings.
• The limits of power: the protagonist must weigh enticing rewards against the danger of confronting entities vastly beyond their level.
• Suspicion and manipulation: the chapter ends with the protagonist realizing that the mission selection itself may be an act of targeting.

Character interactions

• The protagonist recalls the Dream World being friendly and interested in the Simulated Clone’s story.
• Xu Que’s connection to the corrupted fairy-tale world makes that mission personally relevant, while also raising the risk of attracting its hidden masterminds.
• The protagonist considers appealing to a powerful ally but fears that doing so could provoke the beings behind the scheme.

Plot points and events

• Chen Fan realizes someone is deliberately targeting him—likely a Supreme Existence from the Beyond Mythology True Realm, powerful enough to wield a mythology-grade or beyond-grade story.
• Unable to rely on his lost talent, I Am the Chess Player, he consults Zero. Zero cannot identify the schemer but concludes that the enemy intends to meet him and that the plot cannot be avoided by choosing a different mission.
• Zero reassures Chen Fan that their Past Shadow and the powerful “big shot” can intervene if necessary.
• Chen Fan contacts Wu Yong to alert the big shot, who arrives and agrees to protect him. The big shot provides a Golden Finger-priority teleportation scroll that can return Chen Fan to the Supreme True Realm, and promises to teleport to him when the mission begins.
• Chen Fan considers the three group missions but rejects the SSS-rank Invaded Fantasy Story Series as too dangerous. He chooses Dark Fairy-Tale Great World, hoping its One Wish reward may help with future cultivation breakthroughs.
• The group announces that forced teleportation will take place in twenty-four hours.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan is anxious but pragmatic: he seeks expert advice, accepts that the threat is unavoidable, and chooses a mission based on risk and reward. He remains frustrated that schemes and mishaps keep interrupting his plans.
• Zero is calm and candid. Though unable to explain the conspiracy or provide a way around it, they offer a clear assessment and reassurance that intervention is possible.
• The big shot is dependable and protective, though surprised that Chen Fan has become a target again. They arrange a concrete escape and rescue plan.
• Chen Fan’s exchange with Zero and his appeal through Wu Yong show that he relies on powerful allies when his own means of predicting events are gone.

Significant themes

• Fate and inevitability: Chen Fan cannot escape the scheme simply by choosing another mission; he must face it.
• Power and preparedness: Even overwhelming danger can be met with contingency plans and trusted allies.
• Risk versus reward: Chen Fan avoids the highest-ranked mission and chooses a more measured path with a potentially valuable reward.
• Recurring misfortune: Chen Fan’s wish for peaceful cultivation is repeatedly disrupted by plots and unforeseen events.

Plot points and events

• After a day of waiting, the narrator’s Golden Talent: Listening has yielded no useful information. The narrator enters the oppressive, ruined Dark Fairy-Tale Great World through the Chat Group, where Xu Que is expecting them.
• Before the narrator can act, an unknown force pulls them beyond the world and gives them a vastly expanded view. They see the world’s familiar fairy tales—such as The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, and The Little Match Girl—corrupted into dark versions by an invading Outer God.
• Xu Que, dressed as a hunter and armed with a rifle seemingly capable of opposing the Outer God, has arrived with the other group members and a band of Dwarfs. He is confused when the narrator is nowhere to be seen.
• A mysterious, immensely powerful voice explains that an Outer God is a former story protagonist who has escaped the constraints of its original narrative. The narrator realizes the voice itself is the force that removed them from the world—and likely the mastermind behind the events.
• The narrator discovers that the Outer God is consuming the fairy-tale world’s story origins. The story Guardians, whose absence has weakened the world, are also visible.
• The mastermind claims it arranged everything simply to meet the narrator, then questions whether the narrator is really Chen Fan before dismissing the question.
• When the narrator tries to escape using the “big shot’s” high-priority Teleportation Scroll, it shatters. The narrator concludes the mastermind is an Otherworldly Demon with a similarly powerful Golden Finger ability and fears they are trapped.

Character developments and interactions

• The narrator shifts from anxious anticipation to shock and near-despair, recognizing that they and the Outer God may both be pieces in a larger scheme. They try to flee but find their escape blocked.
• Xu Que is initially excited to meet the narrator, but becomes puzzled when the narrator fails to appear.
• The mastermind reveals overwhelming power and speaks with unsettling certainty, treating the whole crisis as a means of meeting the narrator. Its doubts about the narrator’s identity deepen the mystery.
• The Outer God is presented less as a conventional monster than as a narrative being that has escaped its original story and is now consuming other stories.

Significant themes

• Stories as worlds and sources of power: The fairy tales are worlds with origins, protagonists, and Guardians; their corruption and consumption threaten their existence.
• Manipulation and loss of agency: The narrator realizes the apparent conflict is not a chess match between equals but a scheme controlled by a single, far more powerful being.
• Identity and reality: The mastermind’s question—whether the narrator is truly Chen Fan—casts uncertainty over the narrator’s identity.
• Powerlessness despite powerful tools: Even a high-priority teleportation ability proves useless against an opponent on a higher level.

Plot and key events

• A powerful, unseen being meets Chen Fan but is shocked by how weak he seems. His references to Chen Fan’s “story” lead Chen Fan to realize that the being is actually obsessed with meeting Story Chen Fan—the supreme manifestation of Chen Fan’s story—not the real Chen Fan.
• The being angrily insists that the two Chen Fans are not the same and that the real Chen Fan is unworthy of the title.
• The mist-shrouded “big shot” and Zero arrive to intervene, but the being overpowers Chen Fan and uses a fragment of the Book of Stories to transport him to a library.
• There, the being proposes a deadly “chess game”: Chen Fan must complete his Fourth Chat Group Mission by saving three fairy tales, taking on characters’ roles. The being claims he will not interfere, but if Chen Fan’s character dies—or the stories fail to excite him—Chen Fan will be killed.
• The being hopes Chen Fan’s actions will become an “interlude” in Story Chen Fan’s narrative and attract his attention. With no real choice, Chen Fan agrees to play and focus on completing the mission.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan stays wary and pragmatic, recognizing that he is powerless against the being and reluctantly accepting the forced challenge.
• The unseen being is revealed as a fanatical admirer of Story Chen Fan. His fixation shifts from disappointment in Chen Fan’s weakness to a desperate attempt to provoke the true Story Chen Fan into appearing.
• Zero and the big shot arrive as potential protectors, but their intervention does not prevent Chen Fan from being captured.
• The being speaks directly with Chen Fan, alternately belittling him, explaining his obsession, and imposing the game’s rules.

Significant themes

• Identity and representation: Chen Fan is distinguished from the idealized, supreme figure formed by his story.
• Powerlessness and coercion: Chen Fan is forced into a dangerous contest with little control over its terms.
• Stories as reality: Narratives, story roles, and even a torn book page function as forces that can shape or threaten reality.
• Fanaticism: The being’s admiration becomes an obsession willing to endanger or kill Chen Fan just to attract his idol’s attention.

Key plot points and events

• The narrator is forced into the dark fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” as a poor, ordinary tailor. Xu Que is also in the story, while the other three Chat Group members have been sent elsewhere.
• The tale’s familiar premise is already underway: an emperor known for vanity has announced a grand fashion display in three days. But this corrupted version promises an unpredictable twist, and the narrator has no cultivation to rely on.
• The narrator finds Xu Que in a forest cabin. Xu Que is delighted to reunite with “Chen Fan” and explains that he has resolved “Snow White” and “Black Swan” using his corruption-fighting hunting rifle.
• Xu Que serves as the palace’s appointed gunman, giving the narrator access to the palace. They enter as his assistant to investigate the story and find the source of its corruption.
• The palace visit raises questions: the ministers dress unusually plainly, while the emperor alone wears splendid clothes. The emperor appears composed and capable, not like the incompetent ruler the narrator expected.
• The two supposed swindler-tailors turn out to be ministers whom the emperor has appointed to make his clothes—despite their apparent lack of tailoring skill. The narrator leaves with Xu Que, still unsure what the emperor is planning.

Character developments

• The narrator remains cautious and investigative, prioritizing information and the corruption’s source over a rash attempt to attack the emperor.
• Xu Que is enthusiastic and openly admiring when reunited with the narrator. He has gained experience in dark fairy tales and has a powerful weapon, but is still surprised by the larger forces manipulating events.
• The emperor proves harder to judge than expected: he seems competent and courteous, even as his clothing rules and choice of tailors suggest hidden motives.

Significant themes

• The original story’s satire of vanity and blind conformity remains relevant, but corruption may have transformed its meaning.
• Appearances can mislead: the emperor does not match the narrator’s expectations, and the ministers’ role as tailors complicates the familiar tale.
• The chapter emphasizes powerlessness and manipulation: the narrator is trapped in a story with a short deadline, while unseen beings treat these worlds as pieces in a larger game.

Character interactions

• Xu Que greets the narrator with intense excitement and clings to his leg before hearing about the forces behind the story.
• The narrator briefs Xu Que on the larger schemes and recruits him to help investigate the palace.
• The emperor receives them politely, while the narrator observes the striking contrast between his finery and the ministers’ plain dress.
• The narrator notes the two minister-tailors but leaves without confronting them, choosing to continue gathering information.

Plot points and events

• Chen Fan and Xu Que visit the palace to see the emperor’s celebrated new clothes. The emperor appears naked, while the ministers praise his outfit. Chen Fan stops Xu Que from exposing the apparent truth, worried that the emperor would punish them.
• The next day, the emperor parades through the country in the same apparent nudity, and the crowd continues to praise him. Xu Que says his hunting rifle would have detected magic, suggesting the clothes are not an enchantment.
• Chen Fan realizes the story’s absurdities may reflect a child’s point of view. He concludes that the fine clothes are real, but the child sees them as nonexistent because he resents the adults around him.
• Chen Fan identifies the prince in the leading carriage as the child whose perspective shapes the tale. He orders Xu Que to shoot the prince, ending the dark fairy tale.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan shifts from cautious observer to decisive investigator. He first protects himself and Xu Que by flattering the emperor, then pieces together the story’s perspective and acts on his conclusion.
• Xu Que initially wants to speak plainly and later helps test Chen Fan’s theory by noting that his rifle would react to magic. He trusts Chen Fan’s judgment and follows his lead.
• The emperor and ministers appear ridiculous and vain through the child’s perspective, though Chen Fan suggests their apparent behavior and clothing may not reflect reality.
• Chen Fan and Xu Que share a practical, trusting partnership: Xu Que asks questions, and Chen Fan signals when he has reached a decisive conclusion.

Significant themes

• Perspective and unreliable appearances: What seems obviously true may be shaped by the observer’s beliefs and resentment.
• Truth and social pressure: People may repeat a falsehood—or remain silent—when speaking honestly risks punishment.
• Fairy tales and reality: The chapter reframes the familiar story as a distorted view of real events, with the child’s identity and perspective driving the “dark” version.

Plot points and events

• After Xu Que shoots the possessed prince in public, the hunting gun erases him from existence and rewrites reality: nobody notices the shooting, and the king’s previously naked appearance is corrected.
• Xu Que explains that the gun can eliminate sources of corruption—apparently threats linked to outer gods—and grants him a new identity after each kill. Each identity points toward another corrupted fairy tale and strengthens his physical abilities.
• The next story is “Cinderella.” Xu Que’s new role is a hunter living next door to Cinderella’s family. He and the narrator travel there by means of a teleporting magic circle, accompanied by the three surviving dwarfs.
• They learn the prince’s ball is that evening and watch Cinderella leave in a fine gown. The gun detects no magic, and the narrator sees no fairy, pumpkin carriage, or other familiar fairy-tale magic—only Cinderella fleeing and leaving behind a shoe.
• The next day, the prince searches ordinary households with the shoe. Cinderella’s aunt and stepsisters mutilate their feet to try to fit it, while Cinderella watches. Suspecting she may be involved in a plot, the narrator confronts her and orders Xu Que to shoot.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Que grows more confident in the hunting gun, revealing its powers and proudly showing off the physical enhancement it provides. He works closely with the narrator to investigate the next story.
• The narrator increasingly treats the fairy tales as dangerous, corrupted cases to be solved. Drawing on lessons from the previous story, they scrutinize events for hidden motives rather than trusting the familiar plot.
• Cinderella appears mistreated and beautiful, but her detached response to her relatives’ desperate attempt to fit the shoe raises suspicions about her role.
• The aunt and stepsisters are portrayed as consumed by ambition for wealth and status, to the point of self-harm.
• The narrator and Xu Que act as partners, observing Cinderella’s household and intervening before the prince arrives.

Significant themes

• Reality manipulation and erasure: The gun removes its victims so completely that the world adjusts as though they never existed.
• Corruption beneath familiar stories: The apparent absence of magic and Cinderella’s suspicious behavior suggest that the classic tale may be radically distorted.
• Ambition and social status: The relatives’ mutilation of their feet shows the destructive lengths people will go to for wealth and prestige.
• Suspicion and agency: Familiar fairy-tale roles cannot be taken at face value; Cinderella may be more than a passive victim.

Plot points and events

• The Cinderella tale ends when the narrator shoots Cinderella, causing her to vanish and the story’s corruption to dissipate. The narrator concludes that Cinderella invented the story of a fairy godmother and used her beauty and a staged escape to attract the prince. Their relationship was transactional: he wanted her beauty, and she wanted wealth and escape from her aunt’s household.
• Having completed two of the three dark fairy tales, the narrator and Xu Que move on to “The Little Mermaid.” Xu Que is now the prince, while the narrator and the three Dwarfs serve as his guards.
• The group learns that this kingdom is prosperous and well governed, and that its prince is admired. He has resisted marriage alliances, though the king has not pressured him.
• At the seaside, Xu Que’s Hunting Rifle detects magic. A sudden storm and enormous wave sweep him away, while the narrator and the Dwarfs are immobilized and cannot help.
• A mysterious figure brings Xu Que back to shore and disappears. Once Xu Que wakes, he says he saw someone rescue him. The narrator suspects the rescuer was the Mermaid Princess, but cautions against deciding who caused the incident. The rifle no longer detects magic, and the group returns to the palace.

Character developments and interactions

• The narrator remains pragmatic and skeptical: they quickly interpret Cinderella’s motives, prioritize completing the mission, and focus on protecting the Hunting Rifle rather than reacting emotionally to Xu Que’s danger.
• Xu Que takes on the prince’s role and becomes the apparent protagonist of the new tale. He is frightened when swept away, then relieved and grateful on waking, briefly hugging the narrator.
• The Mermaid Princess has not appeared directly, but is suspected of being the figure who rescued Xu Que—and possibly of orchestrating the incident.
• The narrator and Xu Que discuss the suspicious “accident.” Xu Que suspects the Mermaid Princess, while the narrator urges caution and checks whether the rifle still senses magic.

Significant themes

• Fairy-tale appearances conceal self-interest: Cinderella’s story is recast as a calculated pursuit of security and status.
• Suspicion and manipulation: Xu Que’s shipwreck-like rescue seems deliberately staged, but the responsible party and motive remain unclear.
• Pragmatism over sentiment: The narrator treats the stories as dangerous missions, valuing survival and the weapon needed to eliminate corruption.
• Role reversal and uncertainty: Xu Que’s new position as prince places him at the center of the familiar Little Mermaid plot, though this version may not follow the original story.

Key plot points and events

• The king announces that Xu Que is expected to marry a mermaid princess from a powerful foreign kingdom. He claims she fell in love with Xu Que at first sight and sent an envoy to request his hand.
• Chen Fan and Xu Que suspect magic is behind the sudden marriage proposal. Xu Que’s hunting gun detects unusually strong magic nearby, though neither of them appears affected by it.
• The king explains that contact with the Magic World could bring enormous opportunities. He also reveals he is terminally ill, and implies that the Mermaid Kingdom may be his only hope of a cure.
• This differs sharply from the original story: the prince was meant to become gravely ill, but now the king is sick, while the mermaid princess has turned her secret affection into a formal marriage proposal.
• After leaving the palace, Chen Fan and Xu Que consider whether magic caused the king’s illness. Xu Que may be immune to magic, as a wizard’s curse harmed others around him in an earlier story but not him.
• Chen Fan advises caution until they understand the source of the corruption. He promises to protect Xu Que if the situation becomes unavoidable.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Que is shocked and resentful at being pressured into marrying the mermaid princess; he would rather marry an ordinary human. He relies on Chen Fan for guidance and reassurance.
• Chen Fan investigates the inconsistencies with the original plot, suspects magical interference, and remains wary of blaming the princess without evidence. His resolve to protect Xu Que is underscored by his willingness to use force.
• The king appears solemn and initially presents the marriage as a diplomatic opportunity, but his terminal illness reveals the personal desperation behind his decision. Although he frames the marriage as an honor, it is effectively an order, not a negotiation.

Significant themes

• Magic disrupting fate: Events diverge dramatically from the established story, making the source and purpose of the changes uncertain.
• Power and coercion: The king’s desperation turns his son’s marriage into a political necessity, leaving Xu Que little choice.
• Ambition and desperation: The promise of magical aid—and the possibility of a cure—may lead the king to pursue increasingly grand forms of power.
• Loyalty and protection: Chen Fan prioritizes Xu Que’s safety while urging patience until the threat is clearer.

Plot points

• Prince Xu Que’s engagement to the Mermaid Princess arrives after repeated attempts to find her have failed, leaving the narrator to suspect she has been avoiding them.
• The Princess makes a spectacular entrance. She has legs but cannot speak, suggesting she traded her voice to a Wizard in exchange for them.
• The narrator suspects the Wizard is behind the story’s corruption, citing clues such as the staged shipwreck and the king’s illness.
• At the engagement ceremony, the narrator probes the Princess about the Wizard. She agrees to bring him another time, but the narrator predicts he will not appear.
• Once the guests have left, the narrator identifies the king as the Wizard who made the bargain with the Princess. Xu Que shoots him, and his rifle confirms that the king was the source of corruption.
• The narrator concludes that the Wizard’s magic may have created the Princess’s feelings for Xu Que—and that the pair cannot be together.

Character developments and interactions

• The narrator moves from uncertainty to solving the mystery, then acts decisively to end the Wizard’s influence. They also conceal their uncertainty about the Princess’s true feelings, hoping to spare Xu Que further attachment.
• Xu Que is captivated by the Princess and briefly embraces the idea of marrying her. He trusts the narrator enough to fire immediately, but is devastated by the possibility that her affection was magically manufactured.
• The Mermaid Princess appears beautiful and gentle, but remains silent after trading her voice for legs. She willingly communicates with the narrator in writing and agrees to help them meet the Wizard.
• The king/Wizard is revealed as the hidden antagonist, having apparently manipulated events through magic.

Significant themes

• Truth, lies, and uncertainty: The narrator uncovers the Wizard’s identity but cannot confirm whether the Princess’s feelings were genuine.
• Free will and manipulation: The possibility that magic shaped the romance raises doubts about whether the characters’ choices and emotions are their own.
• Trust and sacrifice: Xu Que’s instinctive obedience to the narrator contrasts with the painful cost of breaking his hoped-for bond with the Princess.

Key plot points and events

• The narrator pieces together the Wizard’s plan: after magic failed to affect Prince Xu Que, the Wizard likely targeted the King, intending to possess him and use his position to force the Mermaid Princess into a series of bargains—ultimately taking over her identity.
• The theory proves correct. The plan is thwarted, all three fairy tales are saved, and the narrator completes the mission.
• Back in the library made from the Book of Stories’ Remnant Pages, the narrator encounters the Supreme Existence again. It desperately calls for “Story Chen Fan” to come meet it, but nothing happens.
• When Chen Fan still does not appear, the Supreme Existence turns its anger toward the narrator. The narrator threatens to kill themself, hoping to force Chen Fan’s hand.
• The Supreme Existence panics at the prospect of losing its chance to meet Chen Fan, but begins attacking the narrator anyway—insisting the narrator must die by its hand.
• An unseen presence sighs, instantly dispelling the attack. The library transforms into a projection of the Immortal Realm, where a reflection of an extraordinary being appears.

Character developments and interactions

• The narrator demonstrates sharp deduction in uncovering the Wizard’s strategy, then shifts from frightened to defiant when threatened. They suspect Chen Fan has deliberately stayed hidden and may be letting the danger escalate.
• The Supreme Existence is revealed as intensely obsessive and emotionally volatile. Its desire to meet Chen Fan governs its actions: it spares the narrator because Chen Fan might otherwise never acknowledge it, yet still tries to kill them when frustrated.
• Story Chen Fan remains absent until the crisis reaches its height. The narrator believes he has been manipulating events or watching from the sidelines, though this is only the narrator’s suspicion.
• The mysterious being in the Immortal Realm intervenes with a mere sigh, revealing a vast power far beyond the library’s stories and the Supreme Existence.

Significant themes

• Stories and identity: The Wizard’s plot turns on possessing another person, while the library and the Immortal Realm are defined by stories themselves.
• Power and control: The Wizard tries to control events through possession and bargains; the Supreme Existence tries to force a meeting through violence.
• Manipulation and uncertainty: The narrator suspects Chen Fan of orchestrating events, leaving it unclear who is truly directing the crisis.
• Transcendence: The final revelation places the Immortal Realm beyond ordinary concepts, worlds, and narrative hierarchies, suggesting an existence whose stories are only a minor part of its nature.

Plot points and events

• The Simulator initially cuts off at a crucial moment because its authorization level is too low. Chen Fan wonders whether the missing information is unimportant or dangerous to know, but expects the Simulated Clone to survive because Story Chen Fan has already intervened.
• The simulation resumes once the clone has left the range of an unknown force. Back in the Supreme True Realm, the clone reunites with Zero and the mist-shrouded Big Shot.
• They explain that the mysterious entity’s Golden Finger fragment had exceptionally high priority, making it impossible for them to intervene. Zero’s borrowed attunement could not match the original talent’s strength.
• The group mission is declared complete. Chen Fan receives the mission’s wish reward and the largest contribution-based bonus: ten billion experience points. Xu Que earns a Top-Grade Innate Numinous Treasure; the other members receive no additional rewards.
• Chen Fan uses Eye of True Sight to examine the wish. It is a one-use vessel formed from a beyond-grade story, capable of resolving most of his current problems before dissipating.

Character developments

• Chen Fan remains cautious despite the mission’s success, recognizing that powerful Golden Finger abilities can override ordinary intervention.
• He gains a clearer understanding of why Past Li Ping was helpless in similar circumstances.
• Zero’s limits become apparent: borrowed attunement cannot equal the priority or rank of the original talent.
• Chen Fan’s 70% contribution confirms his central role in completing the mission; Xu Que contributed the remaining 30%.

Significant themes

• Power and priority: The rank and priority of Golden Fingers determine which forces can affect events.
• Limited knowledge: The Simulator’s restrictions withhold information, leaving Chen Fan uncertain about what comes next.
• Risk and reward: A difficult SSS-grade mission yields immense experience and a powerful, though single-use, wish.
• Borrowed versus original power: An imitation or borrowed connection can help, but cannot fully match the source.

Character interactions

• Chen Fan questions Zero about why it could not use his talent’s priority to counter the mysterious entity. Zero and the Big Shot explain the fragment’s power and the limits of borrowed attunement.
• After receiving the rewards, Chen Fan bids farewell to Zero and the Big Shot, then independently investigates the wish with Eye of True Sight.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Fan receives a beyond-grade reward: “Make a Wish,” an ability that can grant a wish whenever he faces difficulty. He considers saving it for the danger at 50,000 Qi Refining limit-breaking, but expects Lin Feng and another powerful ally to help him through the nearer tribulation.
• A group mission also rewards him with ten billion experience points. With his talent boosting gains, he uses them to reach 48,000 levels of Qi Refining limit-breaking, leaving him 2,000 levels short of the next tribulation.
• Chen Fan asks Wu Yong what happened after a Supreme Existence teleported Wu Yong and two other group members away. Wu Yong admits he cannot currently identify the being, but says he needs one of Chen Fan’s talents to unlock a tool capable of probing its origins.
• Chen Fan points out that he already gave Wu Yong the purple talent Late Bloomer. Wu Yong reveals he traded it away for a different tool, then argues that Chen Fan’s curiosity makes the request mutually beneficial.
• Suspecting Wu Yong is angling for a free talent, Chen Fan offers him the blue talent Ascension, which he no longer needs. Wu Yong immediately sends a combat-hire request, suggesting he was ready to collect it.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Fan gains substantial power and acquires a potentially valuable emergency ability, but chooses to hold it in reserve. He remains wary of Wu Yong’s motives while still accepting that Wu Yong may help uncover the Supreme Existence’s identity.
• Wu Yong is portrayed as a resourceful, transactional schemer. His talent-dependent tools hint at a larger Golden Finger ability, and he treats Chen Fan’s information-seeking as grounds to request payment.
• Their banter is playful but adversarial: Chen Fan calls Wu Yong a “freeloader,” while Wu Yong insists he has earned the talent. Chen Fan ultimately offers a less useful talent, and Wu Yong acts with suspicious eagerness.

Significant themes

• Power and preparedness: Chen Fan weighs an immediate reward against future threats and continues accumulating levels toward a major tribulation.
• Exchange and self-interest: Even cooperation is framed as a bargain, with Wu Yong converting Chen Fan’s curiosity into leverage.
• Hidden systems and escalating mysteries: The Supreme Existence’s unusually high-priority ability—and Wu Yong’s mysterious tools—suggest deeper mechanics behind Golden Fingers and the wider conflict.

The narrator gave Wu Yong the Blue Talent: Ascension so he could use the Investigation Machine to learn about the mastermind behind the Fourth Group Mission, but the device revealed only that it was a Book of Stories book spirit. Later, the narrator learned the being had originated in a widely believed derivative story that the shattered Book of Stories had made real, and that Story Chen Fan had allowed it.

• The narrator bestowed Blue Talent: Ascension on Wu Yong, who used it to activate the Investigation Machine without needing a sample.
• The Investigation Machine identified the target as a book spirit born from a derivative story, but could not reveal its powers or abilities.
• The narrator attacked Wu Yong over the meager results, failed to hurt him, and sent him away.
• In Year 77, the narrator refined fifteen Mid-Stage Nascent Soul True Lords and advanced their Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment limits.
• The narrator received eight-ring intelligence that the being had once been a protagonist in a widely circulated derivative story that the shattered Book of Stories had made real with Story Chen Fan's tacit approval.

Chen Fan learned from Wu Yong that every world in the Fifth Group Mission was a True Realm, and suspected Wang Hao was preventing the mission from starting to keep the Chat Group from interfering with his plans. He refused to trade a golden talent for the mission's start time, leaving the future uncertain.

• Chen Fan asked Xu Que about stories based on him, but Xu Que could not identify which one had become reality or explain Chen Fan's true future.
• At age 78, Chen Fan used Fate Demon Dice to seize and refine sixteen Mid-Stage Nascent Soul True Lords, raising his Qi Refining limit-breaking to 48,500 layers and his Foundation Establishment limit-breaking to 46,000 layers.
• Wu Yong repeatedly tried to sell Chen Fan tools and demanded a golden talent to confirm when the Fifth Group Mission would begin.
• Wu Yong said that all the Great Realms in the Fifth Group Mission were True Realms, which Chen Fan believed explained Wang Hao's efforts to stop it.
• Chen Fan refused to pay for the start time because it was not essential, might change, and he might not survive until the mission began.

At age 79, the narrator chose Xu Que as an investment target and invested the Space Great Dao in him. The return was the Primordial Chaos origin source [Domain Cosmos], whose power exceeded the narrator’s expectations.

• The narrator continued devouring mid-stage Nascent Soul True Lords and advanced his Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment limits, then decided to invest in Xu Que.
• Xu Que arrived through the “Didi Combat Hire” feature, and the narrator discovered he was a colorful investable target.
• The narrator invested the Space Great Dao in Xu Que and received the Primordial Chaos origin source [Domain Cosmos] as a hundred-millionfold return.
• The narrator used [Purple talent: Eye of True Sight] to learn that [Domain Cosmos] transcended rules and could reach or create any destination he envisioned.

You tested the abilities of the primordial chaos origin source [Domain Cosmos], which let you reach any place and draw power from primordial chaos fragments. After using it to create a world containing the [Time Great Dao], you began having your other selves refine that Dao and other Great Daos that chaos could not directly access.

• Xu Que thanked you for giving him the [Space Great Dao], and you restricted its power while teaching him spells and cultivation methods.
• You canceled the Didi Stand-In Fighter service and returned to your original world to test [Domain Cosmos].
• You used the origin source to reach a world formed from the [Time Great Dao], but found that [Dao Seizure] could not claim the unrefined Dao.
• You had an other self transform into "Old Self" and begin refining the [Time Great Dao], a process expected to take ten years.
• You tried to reach worlds containing other refined Great Daos, but learned they were inside true realms beyond chaos's influence.
• You assigned ordinary other selves to refine branch Great Daos while "Old Self" continued refining the [Time Great Dao].

You used Domain Cosmos to travel to a Primordial Chaos fragment that had become a top-tier Great Realm guarded by a Higher-Dimensional Existence. Suspecting that such beings remained in worlds to claim the fragments’ power, you protected yourself and prepared to confront the realm’s guardian.

• You used Domain Cosmos to travel to a Primordial Chaos fragment that turned out to be a vast Great Realm.
• You realized the realm was guarded by a powerful Higher-Dimensional Existence that had not originated there.
• You inferred that the guardian and other Higher-Dimensional Existences might be seeking the power of Primordial Chaos fragments, including the fragment behind Supreme Heaven.
• You wondered whether Wang Hao knew about the fragments and whether his Golden Finger could help him obtain their power.
• You shielded yourself with the Primordial Chaos Bell, paused the other self’s cultivation of the Time Great Dao, activated Purple Talent: Transform All Beings, and plunged into the world to face its guardian.

The protagonist entered the Eternal Life Realm and confronted the higher-dimensional existence who held the Gate of Eternal Life and claimed the realm’s Primordial Chaos Fragment. Unable to intimidate one another or risk a decisive fight, they left matters at a proposal to share the fragment.

• The protagonist learned that the Eternal Life Realm and its cultivation system originated from the Gate of Eternal Life, which the higher-dimensional existence possessed.
• The higher-dimensional existence noticed the protagonist and the Primordial Chaos Bell, then manifested its true form holding the Gate of Eternal Life.
• The protagonist said they had come for the world and asked whether the higher-dimensional existence knew about Primordial Chaos Fragments.
• The higher-dimensional existence claimed the realm’s fragment and argued that the protagonist could not defeat it outright, while the protagonist asserted that rules could not constrain them.
• The higher-dimensional existence proposed sharing possession of the Primordial Chaos Fragment to avoid a fight and establish a connection.

The narrator learned how the Eternal Life Great Heavenly Venerable claimed to obtain a Primordial Chaos Fragment’s power, then used Domain Cosmos to gain the qualification to refine one. Seeing the Eternal Life Realm’s true nature, the narrator discovered the venerable had concealed the fragment behind the Gate of Eternal Life and had never intended to share it.

• The narrator agreed to cooperate with the Eternal Life Great Heavenly Venerable and learned they had refined only five percent of the realm’s power through prolonged assimilation.
• The Eternal Life Great Heavenly Venerable explained that beings lacking primordial-chaos qualification could not easily refine or destroy a Primordial Chaos Fragment.
• The narrator used Dao Seizure to obtain the Eternal Life Great Dao from the Supreme Existence born from the Gate of Eternal Life’s artifact spirit.
• The narrator activated Domain Cosmos, temporarily became a being of primordial chaos, and gained the qualification to refine a fragment.
• The narrator perceived that the Eternal Life Realm was formed from power spilling out of a fragment and realized the Eternal Life Great Heavenly Venerable had deceived them.
• The narrator saw the Gate of Eternal Life in the venerable’s palm and understood that the true Primordial Chaos Fragment lay beyond the gate.