Chapter Summaries

Lu Mingfei received an interview invitation from Kassel College after his University of Chicago application was rejected, and he asked his online friends what to expect. He decided to attend the interview, but his aunt caught him playing StarCraft instead of researching the college.

• Lu Mingfei received a Kassel College interview invitation and a costly N96 phone, leaving his family unsure whether the offer was legitimate.
• Lu Mingfei asked his StarCraft group about Kassel College, and Scarlet Naga warned him that it was dangerous while Lao Tang advised him to attend the interview first.
• Scarlet Naga offered to ask a Kassel Executive Department operative in China about the interview, and Lu Mingfei agreed to prepare for it.
• Lu Mingfei started playing StarCraft instead of researching Kassel College, and his aunt caught and scolded him.
• Lu Mingfei apologized to Lao Tang for leaving the game, while Fenrir joked that his own sister encouraged him to play.

Amon joined Professor Guderian and the other interviewers on a mission to recruit Lu Mingfei, whose S-Class bloodline made him a priority for Kassel College. As their helicopter headed south, Guderian revealed that the Principal had ordered them to bring Lu Mingfei in by any means necessary.

• Amon agreed to help Naga get Lu Mingfei into Kassel College and learned that the college had already invited him to interview.
• Naga suggested the Chen Family might be connected to Odin, while Amon received instructions to meet Professor Guderian at Beijing Capital Airport.
• Nono returned to the Chen Family villa, found Laifu injured and partly bald, and took the dog upstairs after scolding Chen Moxin.
• Amon met Guderian, Ye Sheng, Jude Aki, and Nono at the airport, and they boarded a helicopter bound for Lu Mingfei's interview.
• Guderian told the interview team that recruiting Lu Mingfei was a direct order from the Principal and said they would tie him up if necessary.

Kassel’s agents debated how to persuade Lu Mingfei to join, then Nono investigated him and discovered his gaming skill far exceeded his profile. Lu Mingfei arrived for his Kassel interview, unnerved after watching other applicants fail its bizarre questions.

• Amon, Ye Sheng, Jude Aki, and Nono discussed ways to win Lu Mingfei’s consent, and Amon proposed using Nono to draw him toward Kassel.
• Amon used NOMA to identify Chen Wenwen as the girl Lu Mingfei liked, while the agents questioned his ordinary profile and NOMA reaffirmed his S-Class designation.
• After the helicopter landed, Nono added Lu Mingfei as a QQ friend, played StarCraft against him, and found his skill far beyond NOMA’s report.
• Nono followed Lu Mingfei and found him even more timid than expected, which stirred her wish to help him.
• Lu Mingfei prepared for his interview with Lao Tang’s help, saw Chen Wenwen and other classmates fail Kassel’s strange questions, and entered the conference hall for his turn.

Lu Mingfei endured Kassel College’s strange interview, where Amon used interrogation tactics and the examiners treated his doubts as signs of pioneering talent. His answer about aliens and the loneliness of light left Professor Guderian convinced he had found a remarkable student.

• Lu Mingfei met the interview panel, including Amon, Ye Sheng, Jude Aki, and a restrained, overexcited Professor Guderian.
• Amon questioned Lu Mingfei using police interrogation techniques, but Lu Mingfei challenged whether the panel was really conducting a university admissions interview.
• Amon praised Lu Mingfei’s willingness to question authority as a valuable pioneering quality, and Guderian broke free to applaud him.
• Jude Aki asked whether Lu Mingfei believed in aliens, and he explained that the vastness of the universe made it strange if Earth were the only place with life.
• Ye Sheng described Lu Mingfei’s answer as expressing loneliness, and Guderian called it a perfect response.

Lu Mingfei learned that Kassel College had arranged his interview and guaranteed his acceptance because of his parents’ connections. Rather than resent the privilege, he felt relief that his absent parents had still cared for him, and he agreed to join the college.

• Lu Mingfei gave unconventional answers about extraterrestrial life, superpowers, and materialism, while Guderian praised each one as brilliant.
• Lu Mingfei realized Guderian was covering for him, and Amon explained that the Principal had asked them to look after him because his parents were Kassel College alumni.
• Amon told Lu Mingfei that the interview was arranged for him, that he would receive the highest evaluation, and that other applicants were only there to fill out the numbers.
• Lu Mingfei reacted with joy to learning his parents had arranged his opportunity, feeling that their absence had not meant they had forgotten him.
• Amon offered Lu Mingfei admission and explained that the college would ensure he became an outstanding student and help Guderian earn tenure.
• Lu Mingfei worried he might disappoint Guderian, but Amon reassured him that the college would make sure he met the requirements.

Lu Mingfei hesitated to accept Kassel College’s offer because he feared leaving Chen Wenwen, whom he had secretly liked for three years. He still could not bring himself to confess, leaving his choice between Kassel and his unspoken crush unresolved.

• Lu Mingfei considered giving up Kassel College for Chen Wenwen, and Amon let him take time to decide while Guderian urged him to enroll.
• After Lu Mingfei left, the interviewers discussed his crush on Chen Wenwen and worried that it might keep him from joining the college.
• Chen Wenwen told Lu Mingfei that she had failed after spending her interview talking about UFOs, while he repeatedly stopped himself from confessing.
• At home, Lu Mingfei told Scarlet Naga and Lao Tang that he might not go to Kassel because he liked a girl, then admitted he had never confessed despite liking her for three years.

Daoist Priest Pingyangzi arrived at Shilan High School to speak at an assembly, where Amon recognized him as the Daoist Priest of the Hall of Truth. The students wondered what the True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy taught as Pingyangzi prepared to address them.

• Daoist Priest Pingyangzi passed through a high-speed rail station security check with an unusual blunt sword and said he had been invited to speak at a high school.
• Lu Mingfei watched Chen Wenwen from the auditorium while Su Xiaoqiang teased him, and Chen Wenwen and Zhao Menghua shared a shy glance.
• Amon and Nono watched the students from the second-floor seats, and Amon revealed that his Dragon Raja bloodline had awakened and that he was A-Rank.
• The Principal introduced Pingyangzi of the True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy, and Amon recognized him as the Daoist Priest of the Hall of Truth.
• Su Xiaoqiang, Lu Mingfei, Chen Wenwen, and Zhao Menghua speculated about the academy and its teachings as Pingyangzi took the stage.

At Shilan High School, Pingyangzi announced the state-approved True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy and amazed students by demonstrating extraordinary lightness skills. Afterward, he singled out Lu Mingfei and offered him a year of cultivation and a 200,000-yuan scholarship before formal admissions began, leaving Lu Mingfei and his classmates stunned.

• Nono told Amon that the Orthodox and the Bureau of Abnormal Investigation planned to establish the True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy.
• Pingyangzi announced the academy’s partnerships and said it would begin admissions the following year.
• Pingyangzi demonstrated his strength and balance by standing on a bamboo pole, leaping through the air, and landing on the second-floor corridor.
• Lu Mingfei and his classmates praised Pingyangzi’s skills as the students left the auditorium.
• Pingyangzi approached Lu Mingfei and offered him a year of cultivation and a 200,000-yuan scholarship, surprising everyone around him.

Pingyangzi invited Lu Mingfei to join True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy, prompting Lu Mingfei to question why both it and Kassel College wanted him. As Kassel tried to secure his enrollment, Pingyangzi revealed a living sword and said he was waiting to unravel the secrets of God's blood.

• Pingyangzi praised Lu Mingfei's hidden potential and invited him to True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy, while Zhao Menghua questioned his merits.
• Lu Mingfei asked whether Pingyangzi knew Kassel College, and Pingyangzi recognized He Xiaomeng and Nono as Kassel representatives before departing.
• Nono sensed a terrifying aura from Pingyangzi's wrapped sword, and Amon urged her to alert Professor Guderian about the possible recruitment effort.
• Guderian panicked at the prospect of losing Lu Mingfei, while Ye Sheng contacted Lu Mingfei's uncle and aunt, who began weighing Kassel College's offer.
• Pingyangzi unwrapped an ancient sword with an eye and writhing fingers, then told it to wait until he uncovered the secrets of God's blood.

Lu Mingfei resisted pressure from his family and Kassel College to accept an offer, then asked Scarlet Naga for advice about the competing academies. Their chat was cut short when Su Enxi arranged to sever Naga’s internet and mobile service, leaving her trying and failing to restore the connection.

• Amon watched as Professor Guderian offered Lu Mingfei free tuition and a generous scholarship, and Lu Mingfei’s uncle agreed to send him to Kassel College.
• Lu Mingfei refused to decide despite his uncle and aunt’s anger, while Amon urged them to respect his wishes and Chen Motong teased Lu Mingfei about his first love.
• Lu Mingfei asked Scarlet Naga online about True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy and told her about the Daoist Priest who had recruited him.
• Naga warned Lu Mingfei that the schools were dangerous, but her avatar went offline before he could ask more.
• Su Enxi had a worker cut Naga’s network cable and deactivate her SIM card, and Naga smashed her computer while trying to get back online.

Naga’s internet access was sabotaged to keep her from contacting Little White Rabbit, but she discovered Mai Sakatoku watching her and nearly caught her. The chapter ended with Macallan, a senior member of the Holy Palace Medical Association, meeting the Chen Family head and asking why he was so tense.

• Naga found that her phone could not connect and left home to get online at an Internet Cafe.
• Mai Sakatoku and Su Enxi arranged to block Naga’s accounts, but Naga discovered her passwords had been changed and smashed the computer.
• Naga sensed Mai Sakatoku watching her, pursued her to a shopping mall, and nearly found her.
• Lu Mingze concealed Mai Sakatoku’s bloodline and explained that Naga had used the Spirit Word: Bloodline Web.
• Macallan arrived at the Chen Technology Park laboratory building and met the Chen Family head, whose code name was Odysseus.

Macallan confronted the Chen Family patriarch about the Dragon attack on the experimental building and decided he might meet his sister, who he suspected was behind it. Meanwhile, Naga ran near Chen Technology Park as investigators probed her connection to the explosion, and Chen Motong told Lu Mingfei that Chen Wenwen did not like him.

• Macallan learned that a pureblood Dragon had attacked the Chen Family's experimental building and warned the patriarch to report future dangers immediately.
• Macallan suspected his sister had attacked the building to investigate him and considered meeting her away from the city.
• Naga jogged toward Chen Technology Park while an investigator questioned her and noted that Chen Moxin had transferred her one million yuan after the explosion.
• Lu Mingfei chatted online with Chen Motong, who had used NOMA to find his game ID and laughed at his joke about her cheating.
• Chen Motong told Lu Mingfei that Chen Wenwen did not like him, and he rejected the claim.

Lu Mingfei's hopes of winning Chen Wenwen collapsed when Zhao Menghua confessed to her, and Amon offered him a place at Kassel College. As Chen Motong escorted Lu Mingfei from the gathering, Amon attacked Zhao Menghua for humiliating him.

• At the Literature Club gathering, Lu Mingfei was made to form the lowercase "i" in a message as Zhao Menghua confessed to Chen Wenwen, who said she liked him too.
• Su Xiaoqiang fled the screening room in tears, and Lu Mingfei crouched in the darkness as the classmates celebrated Zhao Menghua and Chen Wenwen.
• Amon found Lu Mingfei, reminded him that Kassel College still wanted him, and invited him to leave with them.
• Chen Motong and her assistants dressed Lu Mingfei in a tailored suit and led him out while Amon presented Zhao Menghua and Chen Wenwen with wine as Lu Mingfei's blessing.
• Amon condemned Zhao Menghua for making a joke of Lu Mingfei, then punched him and repeatedly slammed his head against a seat's wooden armrest.

Amon brutally beat Zhao Menghua for humiliating Lu Mingfei, then forced him to apologize and let Lu Mingfei decide whether to forgive him. Amon drove Lu Mingfei and Chen Motong away in a Ferrari, but after running out of gas, they ended up stranded in an empty wasteland at dusk.

• Amon ignored Chen Wenwen's pleas and beat Zhao Menghua until he apologized to Lu Mingfei.
• Amon made Zhao Menghua kneel before Lu Mingfei, who forgave him, and Amon kicked Zhao aside.
• Lu Mingfei and Chen Motong left the cinema with Amon in a Ferrari, while Lu Mingfei felt overwhelmed by the evening's events.
• Chen Motong teased Lu Mingfei about his failed crush, and Amon drove the Ferrari toward the outskirts.
• Amon ran out of gas on a rough road, and the three got out in an empty wasteland as dusk fell.

After Amon intimidated Lu Mingfei with a replica pistol, Lu Mingfei accepted that Zhao Menghua’s beating was preferable to further violence. At the hospital, Zhao demanded revenge, while Chen Wenwen and Zhao’s father questioned whether the attackers could be held responsible and wondered why Kassel College’s interviewers had helped Lu Mingfei.

• Amon threatened to harm Zhao Menghua’s family if Lu Mingfei wanted revenge, then revealed that his pistol was a replica loaded with BB pellets.
• At the hospital, Zhao Menghua woke up furious and demanded that Chen Wenwen call the police and make Lu Mingfei pay.
• Chen Wenwen’s account made Zhao’s father realize that Lu Mingfei had not personally attacked Zhao or explicitly ordered the assault, making legal responsibility difficult to establish.
• Zhao’s father learned that the attackers were apparently interviewers from Kassel College and wondered why they had helped Lu Mingfei.

After Amon and Chen Motong helped Lu Mingfei reclaim his dignity, they invited him to join Kassel College and urged him to leave China the next morning. Lu Mingfei accepted, activating his S-rank enrollment and setting off on an unknown new path.

• Father Zhao decided to investigate Lu Mingfei and asked Director Liu to look into the assault on Zhao Menghua.
• Lu Mingfei thanked Amon and Chen Motong for standing up for him, and Chen Motong explained that Amon had prepared in case Lu Mingfei was rejected by Chen Wenwen.
• Amon formally invited Lu Mingfei to join Kassel College, and Chen Motong told him the Principal had ordered his recruitment.
• Lu Mingfei agreed to enroll, and NOMA activated his account and recorded him as an S-rank student.
• Amon and Professor Guderian arranged emergency procedures to resolve the local legal trouble and expedite Lu Mingfei's departure for the United States.
• On May 15, 2009, Lu Mingfei enrolled as Kassel College's S-Class freshman.

Lu Mingfei was detained after police suspected he had directed He Xiaomeng to attack Zhao Menghua, while his uncle tried to mediate and Amon secretly observed the investigation. Lu Mingfei was released after Kassel College’s connections intervened, and he reunited with Chen Motong and Amon outside the station.

• Police arrested Lu Mingfei and questioned him about his connection to He Xiaomeng’s attack on Zhao Menghua.
• Lu Gucheng met Zhao Menghua’s father to seek mediation, but Father Zhao demanded an explanation from Lu Mingfei’s parents.
• Amon used the Spirit Word “Ghost” to watch officers discuss their inability to find He Xiaomeng without being noticed.
• Su Enxi learned Lu Mingfei had been taken to the station and ordered her contacts to secure his release.
• Lu Mingfei stayed silent during questioning, then was released after officers received orders from above and confirmed he had no connection to the case.
• Chen Motong and Amon met Lu Mingfei outside the station, where Amon praised him for saying nothing during the interrogation.

Lu Mingfei and Amon arrived in Chicago to take Kassel College’s mysterious CC1000 Express, only to learn it was delayed for three days and meet the ragged Senior Finn. After Amon found them a place to stay, Finn hinted at a dangerous South American mission, while Lu Mingfei ended the night imagining a dark, ominous scene beneath a colossal moon.

• Lu Mingfei learned that Amon was also a new student, though Amon would graduate early for accelerated Executive Department training.
• Amon threatened to punish Zhao Menghua for calling the police, then reassured Lu Mingfei that he had been joking and led him toward the platform.
• Lu Mingfei discovered the CC1000 Express was delayed three days, and Amon lent him money after NOMA confirmed the schedule.
• Amon recognized the penniless Finn, lent him ten thousand dollars on the condition that he repay it within three months, and introduced him to Lu Mingfei.
• Amon, Lu Mingfei, and Finn checked into a hotel and ate together, where Finn said a dangerous creature in South America had retreated into its nest and remained beyond the Principal’s reach.
• That night, Lu Mingfei looked out at Chicago and imagined torch-bearing people running toward an enormous full moon.

Lu Mingfei experienced Spirit Vision and saw Lu Mingze before Amon explained that the vision might have been triggered by his approach to Kassel College. He boarded the CC1000 Express with Amon and Finn, learned about the war against dragons, and ended the chapter considering a future at China’s True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy.

• Lu Mingfei saw Lu Mingze floating outside his hotel window and, after the vision shattered, told Amon that he had seen a ghost.
• Amon identified the experience as Spirit Vision and said Lu Mingfei would understand more after boarding the train and completing freshman orientation.
• Amon, Finn, and Lu Mingfei boarded the CC1000 Express, where Finn began Lu Mingfei’s orientation and had him sign a confidentiality agreement.
• Finn explained that Kassel College trained students to fight dragons and that Lu Mingfei’s S-Class bloodline made him a potential weapon against Dragon Raja.
• Amon told Lu Mingfei about China’s newly established True Martial Demon-Slaying Academy, prompting Lu Mingfei to consider studying there after graduation and Finn to ask whether he could go too.

Finn explained Kassel College’s war against Dragon Kind and showed Lu Mingfei footage of a missile striking a Feathered Serpent, while Amon recalled hiding during that mission. When the train plunged into darkness, Lu Mingfei saw a vision of Nidhogg’s death and found Amon beside the fallen Dragon Emperor.

• Finn revealed a painting of Nidhogg and told Lu Mingfei that his S-Class bloodline could help him resist Dragon Might and fight powerful Dragon Kind.
• Finn warned Lu Mingfei that leaving Kassel would cost him his memories and access to information about his parents, then showed him footage of a missile attack on a Feathered Serpent.
• Amon said he had joined that mission as a new recruit but had hidden in a cellar because he was scared.
• A ghostly boy appeared after the train entered a tunnel, and Lu Mingfei saw a blood-red vision of people climbing over Nidhogg’s corpse on an iceberg.
• Lu Mingfei spotted Amon standing on Nidhogg’s skull, and Amon appeared beside him and identified the scene as the Dragon Emperor’s fall.