Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Zhou Fan’s rapid climb through the Tower of Trials draws a crowd. He reaches floor 24 in just 25 minutes, prompting disbelief from students across all years.
• Floor 24 pits him against seven fourth-tier, five-star Demon Tigers—more than the previous floor’s three. Zhou Fan uses Wood Release: World of Flowering Trees to bind and drain them, then weakens them with poisonous pollen. He clears the floor in five minutes.
• Zhou Fan enters floor 25, the highest anyone has reached at Xinghai University. Instead of a beast, he finds a stern man surrounded by an eerie aura: the Nightmare Lord.
• The Nightmare Lord explains that he is a clone left to guard the floor. He knows nothing about his real body and challenges Zhou Fan to defeat him to proceed.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan remains calm and confident despite the escalating challenges, quickly recognizing why Lin Qianqian failed floor 24. He is surprised to meet the Nightmare Lord again but is ready to face him.
• Lin Qianqian, whose record ended on floor 24, feels nervous for Zhou Fan, then becomes unsettled when he clears the floor she could not. Her disappointment is tempered by curiosity about whether he can beat floor 25.
• Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei join the spectators. Zhao Qiu treats Zhou Fan’s extraordinary progress as unsurprising because he knows how strong his friend is.
• The Nightmare Lord recalls Zhou Fan from their prior encounter in a Nightmare Illusion Realm. Zhou Fan remembers him as a powerful Genjutsu expert who had become trapped in his own inner demons, but this floor guardian has no knowledge of the original’s circumstances.

Significant themes

• Strength and comparison: Zhou Fan’s success surpasses Lin Qianqian’s record, prompting both admiration and personal frustration.
• Public spectacle and reputation: The crowd’s skepticism turns into excitement as Zhou Fan’s progress makes history.
• Mystery and identity: The Nightmare Lord’s appearance links the tower to Zhou Fan’s earlier encounter and raises questions about the missing original and the nature of the clone.

Plot and events

• The Nightmare Lord, once one of Xia Country’s strongest fighters and its greatest genjutsu specialist, challenges Zhou Fan to prove his ability to resist genjutsu.
• The Nightmare Lord traps Zhou Fan in a nightmare filled with darkness and vengeful spirits. Zhou remains calm and counters with Genjutsu: Mirror Heaven and Earth, reflecting the spirits onto his opponent.
• The Nightmare Lord dispels the reflection and launches an even stronger genjutsu. Zhou answers by awakening his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, overwhelming the Nightmare Eye and trapping the Nightmare Lord in a brutal blood-red illusion.
• Defeated, the Nightmare Lord accepts Zhou’s victory and reveals he is only a clone; his original body has disappeared. He passes Zhou to the next stage.
• Zhou clears the twenty-fifth floor of the Tower of Trials, surpassing the university record and drawing an excited crowd, including teachers.
• On the twenty-sixth floor, Zhou summons Shukaku and Matatabi to help him fight two fifth-tier mutant beasts.

Character development

• Zhou Fan demonstrates composure, ingenuity, and exceptional genjutsu resistance. He escalates from reflecting an illusion to using the Mangekyō Sharingan when his opponent’s power demands it.
• The Nightmare Lord shifts from confidence to surprise and then respectful acceptance. Though regretful that he is only a clone, he hopes his original self may someday face Zhou.

Themes

• Growth through challenge: confronting a powerful genjutsu opponent reveals whether Zhou’s defenses are truly sufficient.
• Generational change and respect: the legendary Nightmare Lord acknowledges that a younger fighter has surpassed him.
• Limits of knowledge and identity: even the clone does not know where its original body is.
• Public achievement: Zhou’s record-breaking feat inspires awe while highlighting the gap between him and the university’s teachers.

Character interactions

• The Nightmare Lord begins as Zhou’s stern instructor and opponent, testing his readiness against genjutsu; their battle ends with mutual respect.
• Spectators and teachers react with astonishment as Zhou clears the twenty-fifth floor.
• On the next floor, Zhou works alongside his summoned tailed beasts, Shukaku and Matatabi, to take on two powerful enemies.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan clears Floors 26–29 without much trouble, then reaches Floor 30, where he faces a horde of more than a hundred mutant beasts spanning multiple tiers.
• He treats the horde as a worthy challenge and uses Sage Mode to create 30 wood clones, each wielding a Susanoo. His real body and two tailed beasts take on the five strongest beasts while the clones battle the rest.
• After an exhausting fight, Zhou Fan defeats the entire horde and becomes the first person to clear all 30 floors of Xinghai University’s Tower of Trials.
• Outside the tower, students and staff watch in awe. The tower publicly announces his historic achievement, and the crowd celebrates him.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan’s confidence and appetite for difficult fights are on display: the larger and stronger the opposition, the more excited he becomes. Though he wins, the battle leaves him drained.
• Principal Xi Yan and teacher Luo Luodong discuss their own limits. Luo admits he reached Floor 25 but could not defeat its challenge; Xi urges the teachers to improve their resistance to genjutsu.
• Luo recalls how Lord Hei Meng once helped him overcome his inner demons, then reflects sadly that Hei Meng ultimately could not overcome his own.

Significant themes

• Achievement and legacy: Zhou Fan’s feat sets a new university record and inspires those who witness it.
• Strength through challenge: The final floor tests raw combat ability, while Floor 25’s genjutsu challenge tests mental resilience.
• Different kinds of trials: Xi Yan observes that helping others is easier than confronting one’s own struggles, and that people face their personal trials differently.

Character interactions

• Xi Yan teases Luo about failing Floor 25, while also using the challenge to press the teachers to train harder. Luo responds seriously and asks why Hei Meng left a genjutsu clone behind.
• Xi Yan explains that Hei Meng intended the clone to help train students, a purpose it fulfilled by defeating many challengers.
• After Zhou Fan emerges, his friend Zhao Qiu is the first to praise him; the crowd quickly joins in, showering Zhou Fan with admiration.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan successfully clears all 30 floors of Xinghai University’s Tower of Trials, setting a new university record and earning over 7,000 emotion points from the public announcement.
• Teacher Fang Ping presents him with a reward from the principal: a Secret Realm treasure map. It can open an entrance when infused with spiritual energy, but Zhou Fan must first reach fourth tier, one star; he is currently third tier, five stars.
• After the spectators disperse, several girls approach Zhou Fan to praise him and seek his attention. He happily exchanges WeChat contacts with them.
• Lin Qianqian watches the scene and grows uncomfortable, though she insists to herself that she does not care. Memories of her recent intimate moments with Zhou Fan—including their first kiss—make her feelings harder to dismiss.
• Zhao Qiu hints that Lin Qianqian is jealous. When Zhou Fan approaches and boasts about clearing the tower, Lin Qianqian responds coolly and leaves, telling him to celebrate with the girls.
• Zhou Fan fails to recognize her jealousy. Zhao Qiu tries to explain, but Zhou Fan rejects the idea, leaving Zhao Qiu exasperated.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan revels in his achievement and newfound popularity, but remains oblivious to Lin Qianqian’s feelings. He treats her cool response as puzzling rather than emotional.
• Lin Qianqian shows signs of jealousy and possessiveness, despite denying that Zhou Fan’s attention to other girls matters to her. Their recent intimacy appears to be changing how she sees him.
• Zhao Qiu acts as the perceptive observer, teasing Zhou Fan and trying to make him understand Lin Qianqian’s reaction.
• Duan Fei offers comic contrast, declaring his devotion to Lord Jashin and dismissing romantic interest.
• Fang Ping congratulates Zhou Fan and explains the conditions attached to his reward.

Significant themes

• Recognition and showing off: Zhou Fan enjoys the public acclaim as much as the practical reward it brings.
• Unacknowledged romantic feelings: Lin Qianqian’s jealousy conflicts with her insistence that she is indifferent, while Zhou Fan remains oblivious.
• Comic misunderstanding: Zhao Qiu sees the emotional subtext clearly, but Zhou Fan misreads Lin Qianqian’s mood, prolonging the tension.

Plot points and events

• After the Tower of Trials incident, Zhou Fan becomes a campus celebrity. He enjoys the attention but is unsettled when the cafeteria server shows affection and tries to set him up with her sixteen-year-old daughter; he turns her down because she is underage.
• Xi Yan and Luo Luodong arrive at the villa, prompting Zhou Fan to assume a mission is coming. Luo explains that Espers infiltrated the country via the South Sea coastline and killed eleven guards, draining their blood.
• The infiltrators are believed to be vampires from Meixing Country. Their motive is unknown, but Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian may be targets because they helped kill Osborn, a vampire and team leader, during the battle on Lanya Island.
• Xi Yan explains that foreign Espers have infiltrated the country before for intelligence gathering, assassination, and efforts to inflame public divisions. The Esper Bureau handles such threats.
• Despite Xi Yan’s earlier claim that he has no mission for them, Luo assigns Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian to go to Ashen City, where vampire spies have been detected.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan’s growing fame brings both flattering attention and awkward complications. He is confident on campus grounds, trusting Xi Yan to protect them if vampires appear.
• Lin Qianqian responds thoughtfully to the threat, questioning why the vampires would take such risks without a specific target.
• Xi Yan reassures the students but deflects responsibility for the mission assignment, joking that the school is giving them an early lesson in deception. Zhou banters with him, calling him a “rotten old geezer.”
• Luo Luodong stays focused on the intelligence and mission, while Xi Yan and Zhou’s teasing provides comic relief.

Significant themes

• Espionage and hidden threats: Foreign Espers may operate secretly across the country, pursuing many goals beyond direct combat.
• Revenge and loyalty: The vampires’ code of avenging every grudge makes Osborn’s death a plausible motive for retaliation.
• Duty and responsibility: The students are drawn into a wider security effort even though the Esper Bureau normally handles such cases.
• Fame and its burdens: Zhou’s popularity is gratifying but also creates uncomfortable situations.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan is assigned a mission in Ashen City: infiltrate the lawless city, locate the school’s intelligence agents, and use their information to track down Vampire spies.
• Ashen City lies outside the Esper Bureau’s jurisdiction. Once a normal city, it was taken over by wanted criminals after they killed its lord. Repeated attempts to retake it failed, and the Bureau now mostly tolerates its factions as long as they remain there.
• Luo Luodong warns the team to conceal their identities, avoid unnecessary fights, and recognize that force may be necessary to deter attacks.
• Principal Xi Yan offers the team his name as protection, but Luo reveals that this failed spectacularly for a student the previous year. Xi Yan awkwardly concedes that Zhou Fan probably will not need to use it.
• Zhou Fan asks to bring Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei. Xi Yan approves, and Zhou explains that working together will help their organization coordinate and grow.
• Zhao Qiu eagerly anticipates a fight, while Duan Fei hopes to recruit people into worshipping Lord Jashin. The team boards a flying beast and departs.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan approaches the dangerous assignment pragmatically and takes responsibility for including his teammates.
• Zhao Qiu is newly eager for combat after gaining strength from grasping Life Shackles.
• Duan Fei is excited by the prospect of finding potential converts to his faith.
• Xi Yan is shown to have a fearsome past in Ashen City, though his reputation there may be unreliable.
• Luo Luodong gives practical guidance and punctures Xi Yan’s confidence with an embarrassing anecdote.
• The group shares a mix of mission-focused caution and comic banter, especially over the question of whether Ashen City has any decent people.

Significant themes

• Survival and power: Ashen City’s culture rewards ruthlessness, making restraint potentially dangerous.
• Trust and secrecy: The team must hide its affiliations and be wary of nearly everyone.
• Teamwork and growth: Zhou Fan brings his companions so they can coordinate, gain experience, and earn rewards together.
• Order versus lawlessness: The Esper Bureau’s limited influence shows the cost and difficulty of enforcing order in hostile territory.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan and his companions—Zhao Qiu, Duan Fei, and Lin Qianqian—travel by Gale Eagle to Ashen City to investigate a Vampire spy. They land outside the city to avoid drawing attention.
• Zhou gives each companion a Flying Thunder God Kunai, explaining that its mark lets him teleport to them in an emergency. Lin initially refuses, but accepts after he jokes that he might need her help.
• For extra security, Zhou hides another marked Kunai nearby as an escape point.
• The group enters Ashen City, where they encounter a bleak, disorderly environment and residents who watch newcomers like potential prey.
• They witness several people kill a man openly in the street. Locals barely react, confirming that violence and lawlessness are routine there.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan is cautious and pragmatic: he plans for emergencies and prioritizes escape routes, while using humor to persuade Lin to accept the Kunai.
• Lin Qianqian is proud and dislikes being treated as someone who needs protection, though Zhou’s suggestion that he might need her help appeals to her.
• Zhao Qiu is outspoken and uneasy with Ashen City’s threatening atmosphere.
• Duan Fei is strangely delighted by the city’s grim, violent character, which he associates with his devotion to Lord Jashin.

Significant themes

• Danger and preparedness: Zhou’s marked Kunai and backup escape point show the group preparing for threats before they arise.
• Lawlessness and predation: Ashen City welcomes newcomers, but its residents treat them as vulnerable targets; public murder is met with indifference.
• Pride, trust, and humor: Zhou’s teasing tactic overcomes Lin’s resistance, revealing both her pride and their close rapport.

Character interactions

• Zhou equips the group with emergency teleportation marks, and Lin’s acceptance becomes a playful moment that leaves Zhao and Duan bemused.
• Zhao and Duan trade insults over Duan’s enthusiasm for the city and his faith in Lord Jashin; Zhou cuts off their argument before it attracts attention.
• The group reacts differently to Ashen City: Lin is repelled, Duan is enthusiastic, Zhao is uncomfortable, and Zhou stays focused on their mission and safety.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan and his companions arrive in Ashen City, a lawless place where the strong prey on the weak. They plan to meet intelligence contacts from Xinghai University and the Esper Bureau.
• Baldy Three, a local thug who targets newcomers, demands “protection money.” Zhou Fan offers him one yuan, provoking him and exposing the demand as simple extortion.
• Baldy Three spots Lin Qianqian and, instead of taking money, tries to claim her for himself. He ignores her rejection and attempts to grab her.
• Lin Qianqian evades him with paper scraps, then detonates a paper talisman attached to his crotch, severely injuring him. Baldy Three orders his gang to kill the group.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan stays calm and sarcastic at first, but becomes angry when Baldy Three threatens Lin Qianqian. His reaction hints at protectiveness and personal concern for her.
• Duan Fei is delighted by Ashen City’s violent disorder and recognizes Baldy Three’s “protection fee” as the same kind of extortion he once practiced.
• Lin Qianqian shows both composure and sharp wit: she insults Baldy Three, dodges his attack, and decisively uses her explosive paper magic to stop him.
• Baldy Three is introduced as a predatory bully. His confidence collapses into pain and rage after Lin Qianqian’s counterattack.

Character interactions

• The group’s joking, blunt exchanges undercut Baldy Three’s attempt to intimidate them.
• Baldy Three escalates from extortion to sexual coercion after noticing Lin Qianqian; she refuses him, and Zhou Fan’s irritation grows.
• Lin Qianqian’s attack shocks Zhou Fan, Zhao Qiu, Duan Fei, and the surrounding onlookers, who react with comic horror to Baldy Three’s injury.

Significant themes

• Ashen City represents a society without effective law, where power determines safety and freedom.
• The scene contrasts the gang’s predatory entitlement with the newcomers’ refusal to submit.
• Humor and exaggerated physical comedy soften the brutal setting, while Lin Qianqian’s self-defense turns the would-be victim into the decisive force in the confrontation.

Plot points and events

• Bald Third and his crew attack Zhou Fan’s group, but Lin Qianqian defeats more than a dozen third-tier Espers with her Paper Blizzard. The gang escapes using smoke bombs.
• The fight warns other Ashen City residents not to target the group, reinforcing that visible strength earns respect and safety.
• Zhou Fan’s team visits an equipment shop and uses a coded exchange to contact an informant. The shopkeeper provides a note saying the Vampire spies may be connected to the Thunderclap Society.
• The team decides to search for the Society, splitting into teams to cover more ground. Their task is only to gather information and avoid provoking a fight.
• Lin objects to partnering with Zhou Fan, claiming she can work alone. Zhou Fan, offended, chooses to go alone too, leaving Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei as a pair.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian demonstrates overwhelming power and a ruthless edge, defeating the attackers single-handedly. She is confident and insists she does not need a partner.
• Zhou Fan remains practical about the gang’s escape and the need for caution, but takes Lin’s remark personally. His declaration that he refuses to be a “simp” turns the planned two-team search into a three-way split.
• Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei readily accept being paired. Zhao Qiu is especially pleased that Zhou Fan and Lin will not be split up, but Lin’s objection changes the arrangement.
• The shopkeeper communicates covertly while behaving as though the exchange is ordinary, underscoring the risks and subtlety of operating in Ashen City.

Significant themes

• Strength and reputation: In Ashen City, people prey on those who seem weak but back down when confronted with power.
• Caution and deception: The team uses coded language, and the shopkeeper avoids conspicuous secrecy; their mission requires gathering intelligence without alerting their targets.
• Pride and independence: Zhou Fan’s and Lin’s insistence on working alone reflects their pride, complicating an otherwise sensible team plan.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan’s team and two others split up to gather intelligence in Ashen City. An unseen watcher reports their movements to Lord Raymond, who plans a coming attack in revenge for Xinghai University’s past actions.
• Zhou Fan secretly uses his Sharingan Genjutsu to question people traveling alone. After several fruitless attempts, he learns the Thunderclap Society is a recently formed group with little public standing.
• At an intelligence shop called All-Knowing, Zhou Fan pays to become a member and obtains more useful details: the Society is led by Chen Ting, an unscrupulous fourth-tier, five-star Lightning Esper, and has been active near an abandoned factory in the North District.
• In the West District, Lin Qianqian uses paper butterflies to eavesdrop on conversations. She learns that the Society is trying to take over the same factory and recruit people to clear out the mutant beasts inside. She heads to the North District.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan is cautious and resourceful: he avoids using Genjutsu on the information-shop owner, judging that the risk is not worth it, but uses money to secure intelligence instead.
• Lin Qianqian demonstrates a discreet, efficient way of gathering information through her paper butterflies.
• Zhou Fan has brief, one-sided encounters with strangers he interrogates; most know nothing, while the shop owner makes access to sensitive information conditional on membership.
• The watcher’s report connects the students’ investigation to a larger threat: Lord Raymond is preparing to target them.

Significant themes

• Information and strategy: The students use different methods to uncover the Society’s plans.
• Deception and hidden danger: The team is being watched, and their investigation unfolds under the threat of retaliation.
• Power and corruption: The Society’s leader is described as ruthless, while its recruitment practices involve broken promises and exploitative pay.

Key plot points

• Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei search the North District for the Thunderclap Society, but Duan Fei keeps trying to recruit strangers to worship Jashin instead of asking useful questions.
• A group-chat update from Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian reveals that the Society is based in an abandoned factory and is recruiting a Purge Squad to clear out mutant beasts.
• Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei locate the factory and send its location to the others. The group tries to join the squad as a way to infiltrate the Society, but recruitment has already closed.
• Ma Lin, a Society captain, offers Lin Qianqian a well-paid position as the president’s female secretary. She refuses, recognizing his suspicious intentions.
• After the group discusses using Lin as a “honey trap,” Zhou Fan gets an idea and transforms himself into a beautiful young woman.

Character developments and interactions

• Duan Fei remains cheerfully focused on Jashin, frustrating Zhao Qiu and undermining their information-gathering effort.
• Zhao Qiu acts as the practical one, keeping Duan Fei on task and helping locate the factory.
• Zhou Fan is resourceful and willing to exploit an opportunity for the mission, even suggesting a honey trap. His transformation offers a new infiltration plan.
• Lin Qianqian firmly rejects Ma Lin’s offer and the idea of using her appearance to gain access, showing clear boundaries and distrust of his motives.
• The group works together through their chat and plans an open infiltration, but Ma Lin’s offer and Zhou Fan’s transformation shift their approach.

Significant themes

• Survival and mistrust: In Ashen City, sympathy is ineffective, and showing vulnerability can invite exploitation.
• Deception and infiltration: The group seeks a legitimate way into the Society, then considers disguises and manipulation when that fails.
• Agency and exploitation: Lin refuses to be treated as a tool for the president’s desires, while Zhou Fan volunteers himself for the role through transformation.
• Comic contrast: Duan Fei’s Jashin preaching clashes with the group’s serious mission, providing humor amid the danger.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan uses a Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a strikingly beautiful woman and infiltrate the Thunderclap Society as a prospective secretary. Zhao Qiu jokes about his new appearance; Zhou tells him to stop.
• At the entrance, Ma Lin—who had earlier been interested in Lin Qianqian—eagerly offers to take Zhou Fan straight to the president, bypassing any interview.
• Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei wait outside, ready to help if trouble starts. Lin Qianqian separately slips into the base by transforming herself into sheets of paper and drifting inside.
• Zhou follows Ma Lin through the abandoned factory, observing the layout, members, and their positions. Ma Lin tells him the secretary job entails looking after the president.
• In the office, Zhou meets Chen Ting, the Thunderclap Society’s president. Chen reveals that the secretary position is a pretext for pursuing attractive women, then lunges at Zhou.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan remains focused on the mission, using his disguise to gain entry and quietly gathering intelligence. He is uncomfortable with men’s advances despite his convincing appearance, and he keeps up his act to avoid arousing suspicion.
• Lin Qianqian refuses to use a honey trap but shows concern for Zhou’s safety, finding another way to enter the base and support him.
• Zhao Qiu teases Zhou about his appearance and waits outside with Duan Fei, though their role in the infiltration becomes limited.
• Ma Lin is immediately captivated by Zhou’s disguise and escorts him inside, unaware of his true identity.
• Chen Ting initially acts welcoming, but his predatory intentions become clear when he lunges at Zhou.

Significant themes

• Disguise and deception: Zhou’s transformation lets the group infiltrate the Society, while the supposed secretary role conceals Chen Ting’s real motive.
• Loyalty and mission priorities: Lin Qianqian’s concern for Zhou overrides her usual irritation with him.
• Sexualized power and vulnerability: Zhou’s disguise exposes him to unwanted advances, turning the infiltration into a personal danger as well as an intelligence-gathering mission.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan infiltrates the Thunderclap Society by posing as a woman and plays on President Chen Ting’s greed and desire, inventing a tragic family story.
• While feigning admiration, Zhou Fan draws out information: Chen Ting says the Society has a powerful ally that may help it defeat Ashen City’s dominant Wolf Gang. He nearly reveals who the ally is, then becomes suspicious.
• Chen Ting tries to assault Zhou Fan. Zhou Fan’s Transformation Technique expires, revealing that he is a man and exposing his deception.
• Enraged, Chen Ting reveals himself as a fourth-tier, five-star fighter and attacks with his Thunderstorm Fist.
• Zhou Fan evades the first strike, then blocks the next with the Uchiha Gunbai. The fan absorbs Chen Ting’s lightning, and Zhou Fan counters with Uchiha Reflection.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan shows his skill at disguise, deception, and information gathering. His main concern is learning the identity of the Society’s ally, whom he suspects may be connected to the Vampire spies.
• Chen Ting is exposed as predatory, boastful, and careless with sensitive information. His lust and vanity make him easy to manipulate; once unmasked, his embarrassment turns to rage.
• Their exchange shifts from Zhou Fan’s carefully staged flirtation and false vulnerability to an open confrontation, with Chen Ting attempting to overpower him and Zhou Fan responding with a weapon that turns Chen Ting’s lightning against him.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Zhou Fan’s disguise and fabricated family story conceal his true identity and purpose.
• Manipulation and exploitation: Both characters initially treat intimacy as transactional, but Zhou Fan uses Chen Ting’s assumptions to gain intelligence.
• Power and overconfidence: Chen Ting’s confidence in his strength and his organization leaves him vulnerable to Zhou Fan’s tactics—and potentially to his own attack being reflected back at him.

Plot and events

• Zhou Fan reveals the Uchiha Gunbai’s ability to absorb attacks and reflect them back at their original strength. It first sends Chen Ting’s probing punch through a door, then absorbs his lightning and returns it as Wind Release.
• Chen Ting activates his Lightning Armor and attacks at high speed, but Zhou Fan’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan lets him read and dodge his moves. Zhou Fan repeatedly humiliates him, inviting him to keep attacking.
• The Thunderclap Society members, led by Ma Lin, arrive after hearing the fight. Chen Ting tells them that the “girl” Ma Lin brought him is actually Zhou Fan, a man in disguise.
• Ma Lin’s men attack with several elemental techniques. Zhou Fan reflects each attack back with the Gunbai.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan remains calm and playful, confidently testing his new weapon while using his Sharingan and combat skills to control the fight.
• Chen Ting shifts from anger and confidence to shock and frustration as his attacks prove ineffective. His wounded pride is intensified by discovering he was fooled by Zhou Fan’s disguise.
• Ma Lin is bewildered by Zhou Fan’s appearance and identity, then obeys Chen Ting’s order to attack.

Themes

• Reversal and adaptability: The Gunbai turns opponents’ strength against them, and Zhou Fan even converts lightning into its opposing element, Wind Release.
• Pride and humiliation: Chen Ting’s rage is driven as much by being deceived and mocked as by the threat Zhou Fan poses.
• Power through composure: Zhou Fan’s calm, measured fighting contrasts with Chen Ting’s increasingly emotional aggression.

Character interactions

• Zhou Fan taunts Chen Ting and treats the fight as an opportunity to test his weapon; Chen Ting responds with escalating attacks and threats.
• Chen Ting angrily confronts Ma Lin over bringing him a man disguised as his ideal woman, then orders Ma Lin and the others to take Zhou Fan down.
• Ma Lin’s group attacks Zhou Fan, who turns their techniques back on them.

Plot points

• Zhou Fan overwhelms the Thunderclap Society’s third-tier Espers by reflecting their nonphysical attacks with the Uchiha Gunbai.
• Society president Chen Ting challenges him with a rapid lightning-punch barrage and a devastating Thunderclap Bomb. Zhou Fan’s first-stage Susanoo survives, though one of its bones breaks.
• Chen Ting increases his power, but Zhou Fan upgrades Susanoo to its second stage. It withstands Chen’s strongest punch, captures him, and Zhou Fan subdues him with Sharingan Genjutsu.
• Under questioning, Chen Ting admits the Thunderclap Society is allied with the Vampires. He says the Vampire spies have always contacted him, but he does not know their location.
• Before he can explain how to summon them, a blood arrow kills him. His body bursts into more blood projectiles, which fail to pierce Susanoo. A group of Vampires then appears.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan reveals the scale of his abilities: he can reflect energy-based attacks, withstand powerful physical blows with Susanoo, and control Chen Ting through Genjutsu. His apparent playfulness conceals a strategic purpose—extracting information.
• Chen Ting proves formidable, combining lightning power with physical strength, but his confidence gives way to shock when Zhou Fan’s Susanoo survives his attacks. Captured and hypnotized, he begins to divulge the alliance before the Vampires silence him.
• Ma Lin cheers Chen Ting on, convinced his signature move will kill Zhou Fan.
• The clash shifts from a direct fight between Zhou Fan and the Society to an impending confrontation with the Vampire spies, who intervene to protect their secrecy.

Significant themes

• Strength and limits: Chen Ting is powerful, but Zhou Fan’s layered defenses and abilities ultimately outmatch him.
• Tactics over brute force: Zhou Fan uses combat as a means to gather intelligence rather than simply defeat opponents.
• Secrecy and betrayal: The Society’s alliance with the Vampires is exposed, but the spies’ sudden attack shows how fiercely that secret is guarded.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan encounters five vampire spies in the abandoned factory: Iris, a fifth-tier captain, and four fourth-tier fighters. They surround him, and Iris accuses him of helping kill their comrades on Lanya Island, especially Osborn.
• Iris reveals she is the captain of Meixing Country’s Sixth Squad and that Osborn led the Seventh Squad. She threatens to kill Zhou Fan in revenge.
• Calm and confident, Zhou Fan asks for time to get backup, then uses the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away.
• Outside the factory, Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei are passing the time with a card game while waiting for trouble. Zhou Fan appears beside them, startling them.
• Zhou Fan says he will take them inside for a “sports meet”—a joking description of the coming fight—and teleports them with him. He learns that Lin Qianqian has already entered separately by turning herself into paper slips to investigate.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan remains composed in the face of overwhelming odds, treating the vampires’ appearance as a welcome opportunity to find the spies. He relies on preparation and his teleportation technique to bring in support.
• Iris is established as a capable, vengeful leader whose personal bond with Osborn motivates her attack.
• Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei are shown as relaxed and playful while on standby, though Zhao Qiu’s questions reveal genuine concern for Zhou Fan.
• Lin Qianqian acts independently, using her ability to investigate the factory without waiting for the others.

Significant themes

• Revenge and loyalty: Iris’s desire to avenge Osborn drives the confrontation.
• Confidence and preparation: Zhou Fan stays unshaken because he has resources and a plan.
• Teamwork and contrasting temperaments: The group’s members contribute in different ways—Zhou Fan’s combat strategy, Lin’s stealth, and the others’ support—while their banter keeps the mood light.

Character interactions

• Iris and Zhou Fan exchange threats and questions, with Iris demanding vengeance and Zhou Fan responding with sarcasm and composure.
• Zhao Qiu worries that Zhou Fan may have been exposed or endangered, while Zhou Fan teases the pair for playing cards.
• Zhou Fan recruits Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei for the impending fight and discovers that Lin Qianqian has already gone ahead to investigate.

Key plot points and events

• Iris realizes Zhou Fan escaped, but he suddenly returns using a Flying Thunder God Mark, bringing Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei with him.
• Iris mocks the newcomers as weak and recognizes their scents from Lanya Island, accusing them of helping kill Osborn. She explains that vampires can track people by even faint traces of blood or spiritual energy.
• Zhao Qiu jokes that vampires would make excellent police dogs, provoking Iris into attacking him.
• Duan Fei shields Zhao Qiu from Iris’s lethal strike, taking her hand through the heart. Holding on even as Iris tries to free herself, he gives Zhao Qiu an opening.
• Zhao Qiu releases three Life Shackles, surging from third tier 2-star to fourth tier 1-star, and enlarges his hand to deliver a powerful punch. Duan Fei keeps Iris restrained even after she cuts off his head.
• The blow badly injures Iris. She assumes Zhao Qiu traded Duan Fei’s life for the attack, but Zhao Qiu restores Duan Fei’s head, revealing that he can recover from the injury.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan returns rather than abandoning his allies, using his mark to bring reinforcements.
• Duan Fei shows fierce loyalty and fearlessness, willingly risking his life to protect Zhao Qiu. His reckless insults also establish his explosive temperament.
• Zhao Qiu moves from alarm at the vampires’ strength to decisive action, demonstrating both wit and the ability to unlock extraordinary power under pressure. His apparent healing ability is revealed at the end.
• Iris begins confident and contemptuous, but her strength is challenged when the allies exploit her vulnerability and teamwork.
• The exchange between Iris and the newcomers escalates from mockery and banter into a coordinated fight: Duan Fei restrains Iris while Zhao Qiu attacks.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Duan Fei takes a fatal blow for Zhao Qiu and continues holding Iris even after being decapitated.
• Limits can be surpassed: Zhao Qiu’s Life Shackles let him temporarily exceed his usual strength.
• Teamwork and tactical openings: The weaker pair overcome Iris’s advantage by combining restraint and a concentrated strike.
• Strength is not invulnerability: Iris’s higher rank does not protect her from a direct, undefended hit.

Plot and key events

• Iris is stunned when Duan Fei survives having his head severed simply by reattaching it. She suspects he has a rare, low-cost form of rebirth and becomes interested in how he does it.
• Zhou Fan sends Duan Fei and Zhao Qiu to fight Iris, despite her being far stronger. He frames the fight as a chance for them to test their training and improve by facing a formidable opponent.
• Duan Fei embraces the challenge, treating Iris as a sinner deserving punishment from Lord Jashin. Zhao Qiu overcomes his hesitation and joins him.
• Iris attacks them and orders her four remaining vampires to take on Zhou Fan. She expects the two fights to end in her group’s victory.
• Zhou Fan faces the four vampires alone. They coordinate close- and long-range attacks, but he uses his Sharingan to read their moves, dodges the first assault, and blocks the archer’s blood arrows with his Gunbai. He then redirects their force with Uchiha Reflection, blasting the dual-blade vampire away.

Character developments and interactions

• Duan Fei reveals extraordinary resilience, recovering from a fatal injury without apparent cost. His zeal for combat and devotion to Jashin remain undiminished.
• Zhao Qiu initially recognizes the danger posed by Iris’s strength, but Zhou Fan’s confidence persuades him to commit to the fight.
• Zhou Fan acts as a demanding mentor, deliberately pushing his allies toward life-threatening challenges. He remains composed when surrounded and begins dismantling the enemy squad’s coordinated assault.
• Iris shifts from shock and curiosity about Duan Fei to anger at Zhou Fan’s apparent contempt, then takes charge of the battle.
• The four vampires demonstrate teamwork by combining martial arts, weapons, archery, and earth-based attacks against Zhou Fan.

Significant themes

• Growth through danger: Zhou Fan argues that facing stronger opponents is the quickest way to improve.
• Resilience and the cost of power: Duan Fei’s unexplained recovery challenges the assumption that extraordinary abilities must carry a visible price.
• Teamwork versus individual skill: The vampires’ balanced squad formation contrasts with Zhou Fan’s ability to counter coordinated attacks through perception and technique.
• Faith and judgment: Duan Fei interprets combat through his belief in Jashin, seeing enemies as sinners who must be punished.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan effortlessly counters a coordinated attack from four experienced Vampire Espers. Impressed by their teamwork, he invites them to continue fighting while remaining on the defensive.
• Zhao Qiu and Duan Fei take on Iris, a fifth-tier, one-star Vampire. Zhao’s powered-up punches barely affect her Blood Shield, while Iris’s blood threads cut Duan Fei—but his wounds heal almost instantly.
• Intrigued by Duan Fei’s seemingly cost-free regeneration, Iris decides to drink his blood in hopes of gaining the same ability. She traps Zhao in a Blood Dragon and drains Duan Fei, who bites her back but quickly grows weak.
• Zhao unlocks his fourth shackle, sharply boosting his strength and breaking free of the Blood Dragon. Iris throws Duan Fei toward him, forcing Zhao to catch his weakened ally.
• Iris turns on Zhao and evades his attacks. Just as she prepares to finish him with blood bullets, she suddenly spits out black blood. Zhao exploits the opening with his “Tiger Heaven Crash.”

Character developments

• Zhou Fan displays overwhelming composure and precision, neutralizing experienced opponents without needing to attack aggressively.
• Zhao Qiu shows determination and loyalty, unlocking another shackle when Duan Fei is in danger and continuing to fight despite the power gap.
• Duan Fei remains reckless and fearless even while being cut apart. His regenerative ability is extraordinary, though Iris’s blood-draining leaves him temporarily weakened.
• Iris is confident and predatory, but her fascination with Duan Fei’s regeneration makes her expose herself to risk.

Character interactions

• Zhou Fan respects the Vampires’ teamwork but taunts them into continuing the fight.
• Zhao and Duan coordinate their assault on Iris; when Duan is drained, Zhao rushes to help and catches him.
• Duan bites Iris while she feeds on him, creating an awkwardly intimate-looking struggle that is actually a contest of blood-draining.
• Iris mocks Zhao as she attacks, while he answers with insults and renewed aggression.

Significant themes

• Teamwork versus individual superiority: the four Vampires’ coordination is impressive, but Zhou Fan’s skill easily overcomes it; Zhao and Duan likewise rely on fighting together against Iris.
• Power and its limits: Zhao’s successive shackle unlocks raise his strength, but he still struggles against a higher-tier opponent.
• Endurance and vulnerability: Duan’s regeneration lets him withstand severe injuries, yet draining his blood can still incapacitate him.
• Ambition and risk: Iris’s desire to acquire Duan’s ability distracts her from the danger posed by her opponents.

• Plot: Zhao Qiu catches Iris off guard with a powerful new tiger-shaped air blast, badly damaging her. Duan Fei explains that his blood is cursed: because Iris drank it without permission, it disrupted her spiritual energy and left her vulnerable. Iris survives by using Blood Source Rebirth, but the ability costs her a tier of strength. She then attacks Duan Fei, only to suffer matching wounds whenever he is injured. Realizing his power transfers his injuries to her, she decides to stop attacking—but Duan Fei reveals that he can hurt himself to harm her anyway.
• Character developments: Zhao Qiu demonstrates a new technique combining Gigantification and spiritual energy. Duan Fei’s apparent vulnerability gives way to a disturbing new tactic: his injuries can be reflected onto his opponent, and he is willing to wound himself to exploit it. Iris shifts from confident predator to wary analyst as she tries to understand the curse and counter the ability.
• Character interactions: Duan Fei taunts Iris over drinking his blood and invokes his devotion to Lord Jashin. Iris focuses her anger on him, attacking repeatedly, while Zhao Qiu keeps his distance after noticing Duan Fei’s blood ritual. Iris’s attacks injure Duan Fei but also inflict identical wounds on her.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes the danger of underestimating an opponent, the costs of survival and power, and the way violence can rebound on its perpetrator. Duan Fei’s self-sacrificial approach turns Iris’s aggression against her.