Chapter Summaries

Lin Qianqian fought off She Wan’s attempt to possess her and continued toward the Evacuation Point with her teammates. Meanwhile, Zhou Fan and his teammates overcame several challengers and reached the Evacuation Point.

• Lin Qianqian blasted She Wan’s summoned snakes with Explosive Tags and broke free of his Snake Devouring Space using her Paper Style purification.
• Lin Qianqian overwhelmed She Wan with paper attacks, forcing him to retreat and escape as a small white snake.
• Lin Qianqian checked that her teammates were safe and led them toward the Evacuation Point.
• Zhou Fan, Mo Li, and Zhao Hao encountered teams on the way, defeating those who attacked them and passing teams that recognized Zhou Fan.
• Zhou Fan and his teammates reached the Evacuation Point.

At the Evacuation Point, Zhou Fan submitted his scrolls and accepted Gu Ning’s challenge to fight. Zhou Fan defeated Gu Ning with the Seventh Gate’s Daytime Tiger, while the other candidates watched.

• Zhou Fan and his companions reached the Evacuation Point, where Zhou Fan submitted their scrolls and passed the assessment.
• Gu Ning approached Zhou Fan and insisted on fighting him, and Zhou Fan reluctantly agreed.
• Gu Ning attacked with flame-enhanced Taijutsu, but Zhou Fan defended with Susanoo Armor and struck him beneath the ribs.
• Gu Ning unleashed a barrage of flaming fists, and Zhou Fan countered with the Sixth Gate’s Morning Peacock.
• Gu Ning fired his Heaven-Burning Fist, but Zhou Fan opened the Seventh Gate and defeated him with the Daytime Tiger.

Zhou Fan defeated Gu Ning, who accepted the loss and vowed to surpass him, while Zhao Qiu nearly challenged Gu Yu before learning how strong she was. At the Evacuation Point, Zhou Fan noticed traces of She Wan’s spiritual energy on Lin Qianqian and asked whether she had encountered him.

• Zhou Fan defeated Gu Ning, and Gu Yu tried to challenge him before Gu Ning stopped her and promised to beat Zhou Fan someday.
• Zhao Qiu stepped in to defend Zhou Fan and challenged Gu Yu, but the fight never happened; Mo Li told Zhao Qiu that Gu Yu was a Fourth Tier, Two Stars S-Rank genius.
• Zhao Qiu handed in his two scrolls, then met Lin Qianqian at the Evacuation Point as she arrived with two teammates.
• Zhou Fan leaned close to Lin Qianqian, noticed She Wan’s spiritual energy on her, and asked whether she had run into him.

Zhou Fan’s team completed the second round early, while the remaining teams continued competing until the exam ended on the third day. Lin Ya announced that the one hundred surviving teams had qualified for the final round, a free-for-all hunting match in which candidates would earn points by eliminating others.

• Zhou Fan warned Lin Qianqian to beware of She Wan, but she said he posed no threat to her.
• Zhou Fan told his team to rest before the third round, which would begin after the remaining teams finished the second round.
• Lin Ya, Yan Feng, and Hai Wencang discussed whether candidates should rely on teamwork or individual strength.
• The second round ended with one hundred teams, or three hundred candidates, qualifying; the rest were eliminated.
• Lin Ya explained that the final round would place all three hundred candidates in a Secret Realm, where each elimination earned one point.

The final round of the National Competition was about to begin as all 300 contestants prepared for a massive free-for-all in a Secret Realm. The Four Great Families arrived at the packed venue, bringing their patriarchs and leading young prodigies to watch the contest.

• Lin Ya explained that defeating contestants from the top ten would earn bonus points, and that eliminating an ordinary contestant earned one point.
• Two days later, the final round drew a full venue and a large online audience eager to watch the competition.
• Zhou Fan's fans joined the livestreams and predicted that he would win the championship.
• Ye Liufeng and Ye Chen arrived with the Ye Family and greeted Lin Ya and the four principals.
• Dongfang Bai and Dongfang Yue arrived with the Eastern Family, followed by Bai Xiao and Bai Yu of the Bai Family.
• Xia Chuan and Xia Qingran arrived with the Xia Family, completing the Four Great Families' arrival.

The Four Great Families watched as Zhou Fan entered the National Competition’s final round, the Hunting Match, drawing the interest of rivals and allies alike. The contestants began the battle in a forest Secret Realm, where they had to eliminate opponents for points until only one remained.

• Xia Qingran sent Zhou Fan a message wishing him luck, and he replied with confidence.
• Dongfang Bai urged Dongfang Yue to reclaim his dignity, while Bai Yu vowed to repay Zhou Fan for humiliating her.
• Ye Liufeng recognized Zhou Fan’s potential, and Ye Chen declared that Zhou Fan would take first place.
• Lin Ya explained the Hunting Match rules: contestants could be eliminated by their wristbands or surrender, and points came from eliminating opponents.
• The 300 contestants entered the forest Secret Realm, where Zhou Fan arrived alone and learned that the match would continue until only one person remained.

During the third-round assessment, Zhou Fan hunted down fleeing candidates and gained ten points before twenty students led by Liu Xing ambushed him. Zhou Fan answered by creating twenty Wood Clones, entering Sage Mode, and asking whether they should use Susanoo.

• Zhou Fan used his perception to find two battling candidates, defeated them with fire techniques, and earned two points when their wristbands teleported them away.
• Zhou Fan chased down more candidates, reached ten points, and noted that 209 people remained while his emotion points continued to rise.
• A group of twenty candidates surrounded Zhou Fan, and their leader, Liu Xing of Heavenfire College, revealed they planned to defeat him for points and fame.
• Zhou Fan created twenty Wood Clones and activated Sage Mode with all of them, then asked the group whether the clones should use Susanoo.

Zhou Fan wiped out a group of twenty opponents with twenty Susanoo, widening his lead in the assessment as spectators and family leaders reacted to his strength. Elsewhere, Lin Qianqian teamed up with Zhao Qiu, and the pair encountered Gu Ning and Gu Yu from Heavenfire College.

• Zhou Fan summoned twenty Wood Clones with Susanoo and eliminated Liu Xing and the other nineteen opponents, earning twenty points and reaching thirty total.
• More than ten thousand spectators erupted in astonishment, while Ye Liufeng, Ye Chen, Xia Chuan, and Xia Qingran watched Zhou Fan's performance.
• Zhou Fan resumed hunting as the number of people remaining in the Secret Realm fell to 150.
• Lin Qianqian recognized Zhao Qiu when he emerged from hiding, and the two agreed to cooperate rather than fight each other.
• Lin Qianqian and Zhao Qiu spotted Gu Ning and Gu Yu approaching and realized they were in trouble.

Gu Ning and Gu Yu attacked Lin Qianqian and Zhao Qiu to gain their points, but Lin Qianqian overwhelmed Gu Ning with her paper techniques while Gu Yu gained the upper hand against Zhao Qiu. Zhao Qiu opened his Third Metabolism Lock as their fight continued.

• Gu Ning and Gu Yu recognized Lin Qianqian and Zhao Qiu and decided to attack them for their high point values.
• Lin Qianqian blocked Gu Ning’s Flame Fist with Paper-Style Guard and countered with a torrent of paper shards that overwhelmed his flames.
• Lin Qianqian blasted apart Gu Ning’s Flame Dragon with explosive Paper Butterflies and kept him at a distance.
• Gu Yu struck Zhao Qiu repeatedly with her flaming whip, leaving him wounded as he struggled to dodge.
• Zhao Qiu opened the Third Metabolism Lock and prepared to fight Gu Yu at full strength.

Zhao Qiu defeated Gu Yu in their assessment fight after unlocking two Life Shackles and overcoming her fire techniques. Gu Yu was teleported out, and Zhao Qiu turned to watch Lin Qianqian battle Gu Ning.

• Zhao Qiu opened the Third Metabolism Lock and pressed his attack, but Gu Yu used her whip and a fire tornado to keep him at a distance.
• Zhao Qiu opened the Fourth Internal Organ Lock, caught Gu Yu's whip, and pulled her out of the tornado.
• Gu Yu unleashed Fire Cloud · Phoenix, but Zhao Qiu's Tiger Heaven Crash tore through it and defeated her.
• Gu Yu's Protective Wristband teleported her out of the assessment, and Zhao Qiu looked over at Lin Qianqian and Gu Ning's battle.

Lin Qianqian defeated Gu Ning with her Mutually Multiplying Paper Bomb Technique, leaving Heavenfire College with no contestants in the assessment. As the field narrowed to ten, Zhou Fan remained in first place and identified the contestants who could still threaten his lead.

• Lin Qianqian overwhelmed Gu Ning with a stream of Explosive Tags, triggering his Guardian Wristband and winning the match.
• Gu Ning returned to the square as spectators discussed his defeat and praised Lin Qianqian; Yan Feng looked grim after Heavenfire College was eliminated.
• Lin Qianqian gained 15 points and immediately set out to find another target, while Zhao Qiu chose to coast after earning enough points to reach the top twenty.
• As contestants were eliminated, Zhou Fan steamrolled his opponents and kept increasing his lead in the standings.
• When only ten contestants remained, Zhou Fan saw that Xixi had 50 points, Nangong Chen had 40, and Pan Haining had 39, and he decided to seek more points before they could catch up.

Zhou Fan hunted for the remaining contestants to secure his lead and defeated Nangong Chen in a fierce battle. Pan Haining then arrived to challenge Zhou Fan, leaving him facing two of the other high-ranking contestants.

• Zhou Fan encountered Nangong Chen, Xuan Kun University's top freshman, and accepted his challenge.
• Zhou Fan used his Sharingan to counter Nangong Chen's Taijutsu and matched his Crushing Fist with Rasengan attacks.
• Zhou Fan activated Peerless and used the Star Shatter Halberd to overwhelm Nangong Chen and knock him into a boulder.
• Pan Haining interrupted Zhou Fan as he moved to finish Nangong Chen, then challenged him to a fight.
• Zhou Fan agreed to fight Pan Haining, pleased to have encountered the third- and fourth-place contestants together.

Zhou Fan defeated Pan Haining and then challenged him and Nangong Chen to attack together, overwhelming both with twenty Susanoos. Their Guardian Wristbands teleported them out, leaving Zhou Fan widely recognized as the strongest freshman in the competition.

• Pan Haining attacked Zhou Fan with water techniques, but Zhou Fan countered with all five elemental releases and left him battered.
• Zhou Fan invited Pan Haining and Nangong Chen to fight him together, and they agreed.
• Nangong Chen and Pan Haining attacked simultaneously, but Zhou Fan created twenty Wood Clones that each unleashed Susanoo.
• Nangong Chen and Pan Haining destroyed only four Susanoos before Zhou Fan overwhelmed them and their Guardian Wristbands teleported them out.
• The spectators erupted in praise for Zhou Fan and wondered how much strength he had yet to reveal.

After eliminating Nangong Chen and Pan Haining, Zhou Fan secured first place in the assessment, and only he and Lin Qianqian remained in the Secret Realm. Lin Qianqian declined to fight and conceded, ending the assessment with Zhou Fan as champion.

• Zhou Fan stopped searching for opponents after securing an unbeatable lead, while Lin Qianqian eliminated the other remaining contestants.
• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian met as the last two contestants and discussed their victories over the other top competitors.
• Zhou Fan challenged Lin Qianqian to fight, but she refused because she wanted to preserve her confidence for their comparison in less than a month.
• Lin Qianqian conceded and teleported out, ending the assessment with Zhou Fan as the last contestant standing and champion.
• The spectators regretted that Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian had not fought.

Zhou Fan won the National Competition, and Lin Ya announced that the top one hundred contestants qualified to enter the Void Rift in three days. After the competition ended, reporters crowded around Zhou Fan for interviews, and he said none of his opponents had pressured him.

• Zhou Fan reunited with Zhao Qiu, who said he had finished eleventh in the third round.
• Lin Ya announced the final rankings, with Zhou Fan in first place and Lin Qianqian in second.
• Lin Ya said the top one hundred contestants would receive rewards and qualify to enter the Void Rift when it opened in three days.
• Lin Ya declared the National Competition officially concluded, and Zhou Fan was surrounded by reporters seeking interviews.
• Zhou Fan told the reporters that none of Nangong Chen, Pan Haining, or Gu Ning had put pressure on him because he had beaten them all.

After winning the National Competition, Zhou Fan received his champion rewards and heard Principal Xi Yan’s warning about the unknown dangers inside the upcoming Void Rift. He invited Lin Qianqian to explore the Imperial Capital, and Zhao Qiu deliberately stayed behind so the two could go alone.

• Zhou Fan told reporters that Nangong Chen and the others were simply people he had beaten, and challenged a reporter who questioned whether luck had helped him win.
• Xi Yan gave Zhou Fan five Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones and the S-Rank Superpower Book Destruction Meteors, while Lin Qianqian received three Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones and an S-Rank Superpower Book.
• Xi Yan warned Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian that every Void Rift was different and told them to stay cautious, work together, and prioritize their safety.
• Zhou Fan invited Lin Qianqian to explore the Imperial Capital and called Zhao Qiu to join them.
• Zhao Qiu pretended to have a stomachache so Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian could go alone, while asking them to bring back roast duck.

Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian explored the Imperial Capital’s busy shopping streets, sampling snacks and browsing trinkets. Lin Qianqian left a porcelain figurine stall after its owner mistook them for a couple, though she had liked one of the figurines.

• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian visited a crowded food street and tried a variety of local snacks.
• Zhou Fan noticed Lin Qianqian was interested in the plaza’s trinket stalls and suggested they browse them.
• Lin Qianqian admired and gently touched several porcelain figurines at a stall.
• The stall owner offered Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian a matching couple set, assuming they were together.
• Lin Qianqian denied that they were a couple and left without buying the figurine she liked.
• Zhou Fan asked why Lin Qianqian had not bought the figurine, but she insisted she no longer liked it.

Zhou Fan returned to Lin Qianqian with the porcelain dolls and crescent earrings she had admired, then helped her put on the earrings. Lin Qianqian was moved by his thoughtfulness, while she remained determined to surpass him in the upcoming Void Rift.

• Lin Qianqian stopped shopping after a vendor suggested that she and Zhou Fan were a good match, then returned to the hotel alone.
• Lin Qianqian resolved to use the upcoming Void Rift as her chance to surpass Zhou Fan.
• Zhou Fan brought Lin Qianqian every design of the porcelain dolls she had admired and the pale blue crescent earrings she had liked.
• Lin Qianqian agreed to let Zhou Fan put on the earrings, and they shared a quiet, close moment.
• Lin Qianqian admired the dolls and earrings after Zhou Fan left, and notifications recorded her special emotion increasing.

Lin Qianqian arranged Zhou Fan’s porcelain doll gifts and resolved to defeat him in their next contest. Zhou Fan used his emotion points to acquire powerful Wood Release techniques and drew several additional ninjutsu, leaving Dust Release as the prize he still wanted most.

• Lin Qianqian displayed the porcelain dolls Zhou Fan had given her and vowed to defeat him in their next contest.
• Zhou Fan saw special-emotion notifications from Lin Qianqian and learned he had accumulated 452,309 emotion points.
• Zhou Fan spent 150,000 points to acquire Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands and Sage Art: Gate of the Great God.
• Zhou Fan spent 100,000 points on ten prize draws, receiving several rewards, including Reaper Death Seal and advanced ninjutsu packs.
• Zhou Fan opened the packs and acquired Water Release: Steam Imp and Secret Technique: Dustless Bewildering Cover, then decided not to spend his remaining points on more draws.

With the Void Rift set to open the next day, Qin Lin asked Zhou Fan to protect Xia Qingran inside, explaining that the trip was important to her unstable ice spirit body. After Qin Lin left, Xia Qingran visited Zhou Fan’s room and guided his hand to her cheek, asking him to feel whether she was cold.

• Zhou Fan met Qin Lin, Xia Qingran’s mother, at the hotel and talked with her in the café.
• Qin Lin asked Zhou Fan to look after Xia Qingran in the Void Rift because her ice spirit body was involved in the trip’s importance.
• Qin Lin offered Zhou Fan access to an inheritance Secret Realm after their return, but he said he needed no reward for helping Xia Qingran.
• Xia Qingran arrived at Zhou Fan’s room shortly after Qin Lin left and sat on his bed.
• Xia Qingran took Zhou Fan’s hand and pressed it to her cheek, asking him to feel whether she was cold.