Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan surpasses 10,000 Emotion Points and debates spending them on a draw or saving for the Mangekyō Sharingan. After reaching 20,000 cumulative emotional responses, the system grants him a free draw.
• He uses it to obtain Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, a genjutsu that immobilizes a conscious target. He decides to save his Emotion Points for the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• The next day, Zhou Fan heads out to hunt Mutant Beasts and strengthen himself before the college entrance exam, aiming both to raise his level and acquire more abilities.
• At the city gate, Liu Kun confronts him for revenge over his earlier public defeat. Liu attacks with a fireball, but Zhou Fan’s larger fireball overwhelms it.
• Liu’s Water Type companions intervene to counter Zhou Fan’s Fire Type abilities. Zhou Fan answers with Majestic Destroyer Flame, whose scale forces the group to combine their water powers to block it.
• Steam fills the plaza, obscuring everyone’s vision. Zhou Fan attacks through the mist, knocks down Liu’s companions, and closes in on Liu. Using the Sharingan to read Liu’s attack, he dodges a Flame Fist and grabs Liu by the throat.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan shows patience by saving his points for the Mangekyō Sharingan, while continuing to pursue both experience and system rewards. His growing power and tactical confidence are evident in the fight.
• Liu Kun, now First Tier, three stars, remains consumed by wounded pride. Rather than challenge Zhou Fan alone, he brings Water Type allies and prioritizes restoring his reputation over fairness.
• Liu’s companions act as a coordinated counter to Zhou Fan’s fire, but are outmatched by the scale of his technique and his use of the steam as cover.

Significant themes

• Power through multiple paths: Zhou Fan develops through both leveling up and acquiring new techniques.
• Pride and revenge: Liu’s humiliation drives him to seek a rematch, even by unfair means.
• Raw strength versus counters: Water appears to counter fire, but Zhou Fan’s overwhelming power and adaptability overcome the elemental disadvantage.
• Resourcefulness: Zhou Fan turns the steam that obscures the battlefield into an opportunity to strike.

Character interactions

• Zhou Fan and Liu trade taunts before the fight, with Zhou mocking Liu’s attempt to regain dignity.
• Liu relies on his companions to counter Zhou Fan, while Zhou challenges the legitimacy of a group fight against one opponent.
• The companions coordinate a Water Formation Wall against Zhou Fan’s flames, but Zhou uses the resulting cover to attack. He ends the chapter holding Liu by the throat and taunting him: “You think you can dance, too?”

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan defeats Liu Kun using the Sharingan, trapping him in a terrifying Genjutsu until he is incapacitated. He then leaves Liu and the rest of his defeated lackeys behind.
• Zhou spends the day hunting Mutant Beasts outside the city, kills around a dozen, and returns home without livestreaming.
• The next morning, Principal Wang Daochuan appears outside Zhou’s door and gets punched when Zhou mistakes his wrinkled face for an intruder. After some banter, Wang takes him back to school.
• Wang meets with Zhou and Lin Qianqian and confirms that both have reached First Tier, four stars.
• He explains that the Esper Bureau has found a Chaos Secret Realm near Tianhai City. Such realms produce Mutant Beasts and may eventually spawn a Beast King, so the realm must be destroyed.
• The realm’s protective mechanism allows only Espers below the second tier to enter. Since the Bureau’s experienced personnel cannot get inside, Wang asks Zhou and Lin to help defeat the still-incubating Beast King.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan continues to grow stronger through hunting, but remains irreverent and impulsive. His surprise punch and teasing remarks make his exchange with Wang comically awkward.
• Wang Daochuan is authoritative and confident in Zhou and Lin, though his claim that the other students are unworthy of his personal teaching also reveals his arrogance.
• Lin Qianqian has reached the same level as Zhou. She is surprised by his progress and privately regards him as a worthy rival whose defeat would be more satisfying than an easy victory.
• Zhou and Lin respond differently to Wang’s mission: Lin appears composed, while Zhou immediately questions whether two First Tier Espers can realistically face a Beast King.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and mutual challenge: Lin sees Zhou as a meaningful benchmark, suggesting their competition may drive both to improve.
• Danger and responsibility: The Beast King threat turns the story toward a mission whose stakes extend beyond the characters themselves.
• Power constrained by circumstance: The realm’s entry restriction makes the Bureau’s strength irrelevant and forces it to rely on younger, lower-tier Espers.
• Humor amid danger: Zhou’s comic misreadings and banter contrast with the serious threat the secret realm poses.

Plot points and events

• Wang Daochuan explains that the Chaos Secret Realm only allows Espers below the second tier to enter. He chooses Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian because both are first-tier, four-star Espers; he considers older students who have not progressed beyond the first tier unlikely to be useful.
• Wang takes them out of Skysea City to a guarded camp near the secret realm.
• They meet Jiang Canghai, director of the Southern District Esper Bureau and a fifth-tier Esper. Jiang questions why Zhou Fan, with a C-rank power, was selected, but accepts Wang’s assurance that Zhou can handle the mission.
• The group examines the realm’s golden mist gate. The Beast King is still incubating, and the team must kill it before it matures. Second-tier-or-higher Espers cannot enter safely: forcing the barrier risks collapsing the realm and letting the Beast King escape.
• Lin asks about the threats within. Jiang says no mutant beast can be stronger than the Beast King, so none currently exceed the second tier.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan shows curiosity about the realm’s rules and asks why a powerful Esper cannot simply break through its restriction. Jiang explains the risk. Zhou also learns that his rapid cultivation impresses even a fifth-tier powerhouse.
• Lin Qianqian is eager to depart and later feels slighted when Zhou’s strength is compared with hers. She intends to prove her superiority inside the realm.
• Wang Daochuan trusts his students, especially Zhou, and confidently defends his choice to Jiang.
• Jiang Canghai initially doubts Zhou’s suitability because of his C-rank power, but revises his view after learning Zhou has reached first-tier, four-star.

Significant themes

• Power and perceived potential: Zhou’s C-rank ability prompts skepticism, yet his cultivation progress challenges assumptions about talent.
• Rules and consequences: Raw strength cannot solve every problem; breaking the realm’s barrier could cause catastrophe and undermine the mission.
• Competition and comparison: Lin’s resolve to outperform Zhou creates tension between the two students.
• Urgency and risk: The team must act while the Beast King is vulnerable, despite the dangerous creatures inside.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan asks Director Jiang Canghai for compensation for entering the dangerous Chaos Secret Realm. Jiang agrees to give each student an Essence Stone if they defeat the Beast King; the rare stones increase spiritual-energy capacity and are worth a fortune.
• Jiang gives Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian a tablet with a map and live tracking, and emphasizes that their safety matters more than killing the Beast King. Principal Wang Daochuan urges them to rely on each other.
• The pair enter the realm and find a scorching desert rather than the forest outside. The tablet’s navigation directs them toward the Beast King’s territory.
• Two First Tier, three-star Man-Killing Scorpions ambush them. Zhou Fan incinerates one with his fire ability, while Lin Qianqian slices the other apart with her Divine Paper Art.
• As they travel, more low-level mutant beasts attack. Both students handle them easily, but each fights independently rather than cooperating.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan is bold and practical, unafraid to negotiate with a powerful official. In combat, he shows notable proficiency with his fire-type ability.
• Lin Qianqian is confident in her S-Rank power and considers herself stronger than Zhou Fan. She intends to use the mission to demonstrate the difference between their abilities, though his performance catches her attention.
• Jiang Canghai is generous but protective, offering a valuable reward while prioritizing the students’ survival.
• Wang Daochuan tries to instill caution and teamwork, but his advice is not followed.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Lin Qianqian believes an S-Rank ability makes her the natural leader, while Zhou Fan’s competence hints that rank may not tell the whole story.
• Cooperation versus individualism: The adults stress teamwork, but both students prefer to fight alone.
• Safety and responsibility: Jiang’s warning establishes that protecting the students matters more than completing the mission.
• Effort and reward: Zhou Fan argues that dangerous work deserves compensation, and Jiang’s offer acknowledges the mission’s risks.

Character interactions

• Zhou Fan challenges Jiang Canghai over the lack of a reward; Jiang responds without anger and makes a generous offer.
• Wang Daochuan cautions Zhou Fan and later advises the pair to work together.
• Lin Qianqian silently dismisses the idea of following Zhou Fan’s lead, while observing his combat ability with growing interest.
• Zhou Fan warns Lin Qianqian about the realm’s danger; she gives only a cool acknowledgment.
• In battle, the two demonstrate complementary abilities, but their mutual confidence keeps them from forming a real partnership.

Plot points and events

• Outside the Chaos Secret Realm, Jiang Canghai and Wang Daochuan track Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian. Jiang considers recruiting them into the Esper Bureau if they succeed; Wang angrily objects, insisting they are his prized students and need to focus on their exams.
• Inside the realm, Zhou and Lin fight their way through repeated attacks from mutant beasts. Zhou conserves spiritual energy by relying mainly on Taijutsu, using his Sharingan to anticipate enemies; Lin dispatches foes with controlled paper weapons.
• They reach the Beast King’s territory: a vast fortress made of sand. Its gates open as they approach, and inside they find a large sand-covered egg radiating a powerful aura.
• Lin attacks the unhatched Beast King, but it autonomously raises sand barriers to block her. Zhou’s fire attacks are stopped too, revealing the creature’s powerful, rapid defenses.
• Lin proposes that they combine their strongest attacks. Their paper spears and fire technique break through the sand defense, crack the egg, and knock it across the plaza.
• The shell falls away, revealing a small, marked tanuki, which declares that it is free and threatens to crush them.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou shows tactical discipline by conserving energy and balancing Taijutsu with ninjutsu. His combat skill surprises Lin.
• Lin remains confident in her own abilities and privately sees Zhou’s varied training as a sign of lesser talent. Faced with the Beast King’s defenses, however, she sets aside that judgment and asks Zhou to cooperate.
• Their coordinated attack marks a practical shift toward teamwork, though the Beast King’s emergence leaves the fight unresolved.
• Jiang and Wang’s argument shows their rivalry and contrasting priorities: Jiang sees the students’ potential for Bureau service, while Wang is protective of their school prospects.

Significant themes

• Cooperation: The Beast King’s defenses prove too strong for either student’s solo attacks, making teamwork essential.
• Preparation and resourcefulness: Zhou’s energy conservation and the pair’s strategic use of their strongest attacks help them overcome the barrier.
• Pride and reassessment: Lin’s confidence is challenged by the need to rely on Zhou, while Zhou’s versatility demonstrates a strength she had underestimated.

Chapter Summary: “One-Tail: Shukaku!”

Key plot points and events

• Lin Qianqian and Zhou Fan discover that the creature hatched from the egg is Shukaku, a sandy-yellow, one-tailed Beast King. Though small and surprisingly cute, he radiates formidable energy and is already Second Tier, 1 star.
• Lin attacks first with paper-based techniques, but Shukaku easily counters with his tail, speed, and sand attacks. Zhou joins in with fire techniques, only for Shukaku’s powerful Wind Release to counter them.
• The two fighters realize that Shukaku is far stronger than they can handle together. Their mission requires defeating him to end the secret realm, but they are soon pushed onto the defensive.
• Lin and Zhou launch stronger combined attacks, but Shukaku blocks them with the Shield of Shukaku, then traps them in crushing sand and declares victory.
• Zhou distracts Shukaku by asking whether he is stronger than the Nine-Tails. When Shukaku turns toward him to boast, Zhou catches his gaze and casts a Sharingan genjutsu. The chapter ends as the technique takes effect.

Character developments

• Shukaku is introduced as an immature but dangerous Beast King: boastful, battle-loving, and eager to prove his superiority. His small size belies his strength, versatility, and confidence.
• Lin Qianqian begins the fight boldly, but grows serious as Shukaku overwhelms her. She persists with increasingly powerful paper techniques and is injured when his sand crushes her.
• Zhou Fan recognizes Shukaku’s resemblance to the tailed beast from Naruto and identifies his signature sand and Wind Release abilities. When brute force fails, he turns to a quick deception and his Sharingan.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus strength: Shukaku looks cute and harmless, yet is a formidable opponent.
• Overconfidence and vulnerability: Shukaku’s pride gives Zhou an opening when he is provoked into turning his attention away from the fight.
• Adaptation under pressure: Lin and Zhou escalate their attacks, then rely on strategy when they cannot overpower Shukaku directly.

Character interactions

• Shukaku taunts Lin and Zhou throughout the battle, treating their attacks as insignificant and celebrating combat.
• Lin and Zhou fight as partners, combining paper and fire techniques, though Shukaku’s defenses keep them on the back foot.
• Zhou deliberately appeals to Shukaku’s rivalry with the Nine-Tails, exploiting his boastfulness to land a genjutsu.

Chapter summary

• Zhou Fan defeats and tames Shukaku: As Shukaku pins Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian with sand, Zhou Fan uses his Sharingan to trap the One-Tail in genjutsu. With Shukaku immobilized, the sand releases them. Zhou Fan then spends 9,999 Emotion Points to establish a summoning contract, making Shukaku his obedient summon. He stores Shukaku away rather than killing him, noting that the Beast can grow stronger with experience and battle.
• Lin Qianqian is baffled—and irritated: She is injured but otherwise unharmed, and cannot understand how Zhou Fan subdued the Beast King without seeming to use a superpower. When she asks how he did it, Zhou Fan boasts that she lacks the aptitude to learn. Lin takes this as an insult, walks away angrily, and generates more Emotion Points for him. Zhou Fan remains puzzled by her reaction.
• The mission is confirmed successful: Outside the secret realm, Jiang Canghai and Wang Daochuan have been anxiously watching the map. Shukaku’s marker disappears, signaling the team’s success. Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian emerge with only minor injuries. Wang celebrates, reminds Jiang of their wager, and Jiang praises the students and prepares to give them the promised reward.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan shows that the Sharingan can counter a Tailed Beast, then uses the system to turn Shukaku from an enemy into a valuable ally. His casual, self-assured manner also causes friction with Lin.
• Lin Qianqian remains tough despite her wounds, but her pride as an S-rank user is stung by Zhou Fan’s dismissive comment. Their exchange is comic and antagonistic: she is offended, while he genuinely does not understand why.
• Wang Daochuan and Jiang Canghai move from anxious waiting to relief and celebration. Wang’s confidence in his students is vindicated, and he eagerly claims the wager.

Significant themes

• Strength through unusual abilities: Zhou Fan’s Sharingan and system contract overcome a direct power disadvantage.
• Alliance over destruction: Rather than kill Shukaku, Zhou Fan secures him as a partner who can develop further.
• Pride and misunderstanding: Lin’s anger highlights the tension between her high status and Zhou Fan’s provocative bluntness.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Canghai gives Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian their promised Essence Stones and advises them to wait until they reach First Tier, five stars, before using them for the greatest benefit.
• Zhou Fan explains that the Beast King they defeated had hatched as a Second Tier, one-star creature. Jiang Canghai and Principal Wang Daochuan are impressed that two First Tier, four-star espers managed to defeat it.
• On the drive back, Wang asks Zhou Fan whether something in the secret realm upset Lin Qianqian. Zhou Fan says he noticed no particular problem.
• At home, Lin Qianqian replays Zhou Fan’s performance against Shukaku and realizes, for the first time, that she feels threatened by his strength. Her system rewards this pressure with a temporary 50% cultivation-speed boost.
• The reward restores Lin’s confidence. She resolves to surpass Zhou Fan—and remains furious over his earlier remark that she was not capable of subduing Shukaku.
• Zhou Fan receives messages showing that Lin is generating resentment and anger points, but he cannot understand why she is upset. He decides it may be best to keep his distance.
• Reflecting on Shukaku, Zhou wonders whether other tailed beasts exist in this world and feels excited about what future encounters may bring.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian shifts from confidence in her natural superiority to genuine insecurity after witnessing Zhou Fan’s strength. Her system-provided boost quickly turns that insecurity into renewed ambition and rivalry.
• Zhou Fan remains largely unaware of Lin’s emotional reaction. He is pleased with his new summon, curious about the world’s possibilities, and puzzled by Lin’s hostility.
• Wang Daochuan shows concern for Lin and checks with Zhou Fan about her mood.
• Jiang Canghai recognizes the pair’s achievement and offers practical advice about using their rewards.
• Lin and Zhou’s rivalry intensifies, fueled by her wounded pride and his seemingly casual dismissal of her abilities.

Significant themes

• Competition and insecurity: Zhou Fan’s progress challenges Lin’s belief that she will always be ahead.
• Power and motivation: Lin’s system turns her anxiety into a concrete advantage, reinforcing her determination to stay superior.
• Miscommunication: Zhou does not realize how deeply his words and performance have affected Lin.
• A widening world: Shukaku’s existence suggests that the setting contains further mysteries and powerful creatures.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan takes Shukaku to the Intermediate Mutant Beast Forest so the summon can gain experience fighting stronger enemies.
• Staying on the forest’s outskirts, they defeat numerous beasts—including several second-tier, one-star opponents—with little difficulty. Zhou Fan turns back before reaching more dangerous depths, especially as Shukaku’s summoning time runs out.
• On returning to the beginner forest, Zhou Fan finds a five-person group of novice Espers surrounded by six mutant beasts.
• Their captain, Fang Rou, fights the strongest beast, an Explosive Tiger, but is caught by a coordinated feint and left in danger. Zhou Fan intervenes: his fire technique kills the weaker beasts, and he kills the Explosive Tiger with his blade.
• Fang Rou thanks him and asks his name. Zhou Fan declines to introduce himself, calling himself “just an Esper passing through,” and leaves.

Character development

• Zhou Fan shows confidence in combat but also sound judgment: he avoids pushing deeper into dangerous territory and uses Shukaku’s strength efficiently. He helps the novice team without seeking recognition or reward.
• Shukaku is eager for battle and proves overwhelmingly powerful against the forest’s weaker beasts.
• Fang Rou demonstrates leadership and composure under pressure, continuing to protect her team despite being outmatched. After Zhou Fan saves her, she is shaken but grateful.

Significant themes

• Risk and restraint: Hunting is a matter of life and death, so knowing when to retreat matters as much as strength.
• Teamwork and protection: Fang Rou tries to coordinate her team, while Zhou Fan’s timely intervention saves them from a disastrous encounter.
• Quiet heroism: Zhou Fan acts decisively to help strangers, then leaves without claiming credit.

Character interactions

• Zhou Fan directs Shukaku in battle, praises his performance, and rides with him while they hunt.
• Fang Rou coordinates her team and battles the Explosive Tiger, which deliberately targets her as the group’s strongest member.
• Zhou Fan rescues Fang Rou and her teammates. Fang Rou seeks his name, but he keeps his identity private and departs.

Key plot points and events

• After Zhou Fan helps a group of people, their gratitude gives him enough Emotion Points to earn the “Heartthrob” achievement. Its rewards include 15,000 points and a Water Release gift pack containing five techniques: Water Shockwave, Water Formation Wall, Water Dragon Bullet, Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, and Hidden Mist.
• With more than 30,000 points available, Zhou Fan chooses to unlock Hashirama Senju rather than Obito. He values Hashirama’s Wood Release for its balance of offense and defense, while seeing Kamui as more defensive.
• Unlocking Hashirama grants Zhou four Wood Release techniques, but stronger abilities—including Sage Mode, Wood Dragon, Wood Golem, and True Several Thousand Hands—still cost additional points. Zhou complains about the stingy rewards, then quickly retracts his criticism when the system threatens to reclaim them.
• Elsewhere, Lin Qianqian meets up with Li Mengyao for a hunting trip. Qianqian demonstrates her newly learned Paper Explosion Technique, using sheets of paper as explosive tags to defeat a group of mutant beasts.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan expands his arsenal with Water Release and Wood Release, showing strategic judgment in choosing Hashirama. His grumbling about the system also reveals his playful, self-interested side—and his caution when challenged.
• Lin Qianqian has gained a powerful new combat skill and is confident enough to test it in the field. She now has an effective alternative to relying solely on Dance of the Shikigami.
• Li Mengyao is eager to reunite with Qianqian and has trained up to first-tier three-star so they can hunt together.

Significant themes

• Power comes at a price: Unlocking a character does not grant all their abilities; stronger techniques require further investment.
• Strength depends on the wielder: Zhou recognizes that Hashirama’s Wood Release is exceptional because of Hashirama, not simply because it is Wood Release.
• Preparation and innovation: Lin’s Paper Explosion Technique is potent but consumes spiritual energy, so its effectiveness depends partly on preparing enough tags in advance.
• Friendship and gratitude: Emotional bonds—through gratitude for Zhou and companionship between Qianqian and Mengyao—drive the chapter’s rewards and interactions.

Character interactions

• The rescued group watches Zhou leave with gratitude, generating the points that trigger his achievement.
• Zhou negotiates with the system, first criticizing its rewards and then flattering it to avoid losing them.
• Mengyao warmly tells Qianqian how much she missed her; Qianqian responds with unusual openness and promises to help her level up.
• After seeing Qianqian’s attack, Mengyao reacts with amazement, while Qianqian explains how her new technique works and its limitation.

Plot points and events

• Lin Qianqian and Li Mengyao hunt in the Mutant Beast Forest. Qianqian easily defeats first-tier four- and five-star beasts, while Mengyao mostly watches.
• Encouraged by Mengyao’s praise, Qianqian continues training. She resolves to surpass Zhou Fan, whom she resents for dismissing her in the secret realm, and plans to defeat him at the system’s first comparison in five days.
• Elsewhere, Zhou Fan absorbs Crystal Cores and advances to first-tier five-star. His summoned beast, Shukaku, advances with him to second-tier two-star.
• Zhou Fan aims to become the Southern District’s top college entrance exam scorer, a goal that will require rapid growth. New abilities—including Wood and Water Release—have strengthened his confidence that he can beat Qianqian.
• The next day, Zhou Fan resumes livestreaming from the Mutant Beast Forest. Viewers welcome him back, ask how he survived his previous encounter with mutant beasts, and are shocked to see his new five-star rank.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian is powerful, disciplined, and proud of her S-rank talent, but her determination is also fueled by a personal grudge against Zhou Fan. She sees hard work as rewarding in itself.
• Li Mengyao admires Qianqian without jealousy and sees her friend’s strength as reassuring protection.
• Zhou Fan is ambitious and increasingly confident in his abilities, though he recognizes the college entrance exam will bring competition from across the district. He also uses livestreaming to earn emotion points.
• Qianqian and Zhou Fan do not meet in this chapter, but both regard the other as a potential rival and believe they can prevail.

Significant themes

• Talent and effort: Qianqian’s S-rank ability gives her an advantage, but she insists that sustained work is essential.
• Rivalry and ambition: Both leads set their sights on proving their superiority, with the upcoming comparison and exam looming.
• Progress through cultivation: Training, combat, and Crystal Cores drive rapid increases in strength.
• Public attention as a resource: Zhou Fan’s audience reactions translate into emotion points, making livestreaming part of his advancement strategy.

Plot points and events

• At Xinghai University, Xia Qingran notices Zhou Fan is streaming again and confirms he survived his recent encounter with mutant beasts.
• She’s surprised to see that he has advanced from First Tier, three-star to five-star in less than a week—fast enough to break the second-best recorded pace among newly awakened Espers.
• Zhou says he’s streaming simply to reassure viewers. When Xia Qingran repeatedly sends expensive gifts to persuade him to accept a hunting challenge, he agrees, joking that her “sincerity” has won him over.
• Zhou first proposes hunting twenty First Tier, three-star beasts, but Xia raises the difficulty to twenty First Tier, four-star beasts and offers ten more Carnivals if he succeeds. He accepts and promises to wash his hair while doing a handstand if he fails.
• New viewers doubt he can manage it. Zhou begins the hunt with a phone mount, quickly finds a four-star beast, and kills it with one slash. The viewers are shocked, while Xia watches eagerly to see what he can do next.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan is shown to be exceptionally fast-growing and combat-capable, but also opportunistic: he resists audience requests until Xia’s gifts persuade him. He then plays off his change of mind as loyalty to his fans.
• Xia Qingran shifts from relief at Zhou’s survival to fascination with his talent. She actively shapes the stream by setting a harder challenge and offering a reward.
• Viewers move from joking and cheering to skepticism about Zhou’s boast, then surprise after witnessing his first one-strike kill.

Significant themes

• Talent and ambition: Zhou’s rapid advancement marks him as an unusually promising Esper.
• Money and influence: Xia’s gifts change Zhou’s plans and attract a much larger audience.
• Performance and credibility: Zhou turns a challenge into entertainment, while viewers judge his claims against what they see.
• Power revealed through action: His decisive first kill begins to prove that the doubters may have underestimated him.

• Zhou Fan’s hunt: Deep in the Beginner Mutant Beast Forest, Zhou Fan easily defeats powerful first-tier beasts. He surprises his livestream audience by using both Fire and Water abilities, revealing that he has recently gained a second power type.
• Breaking his limits: After reaching his goal of twenty kills, Zhou keeps fighting to test himself and ultimately takes down thirty beasts, including ten first-tier five-stars. Exhausted, he judges thirty to be his current limit—though he notes that summoning Shukaku could likely let him kill more.
• The livestream’s success: Viewers are amazed by Zhou’s performance, and Xia Qingran, watching under the name “Call Me Your Majesty,” recognizes that his strength exceeds even the university’s celebrated geniuses. She keeps her promise by tipping him ten Carnivals. The increased traffic earns Zhou more than ten thousand emotion points, his best single-stream total.
• Zhou and Xia connect: After the broadcast, Xia asks for Zhou’s WeChat. Though he initially hesitates, he gives her his ID and learns her real identity: Xia Qingran. She asks whether he plans to take the Southern District college entrance exam; when he says he has no university in mind, she invites him to Xinghai University, where she studies.
  Character development and themes: Zhou demonstrates confidence, discipline, and a desire to improve through combat, while his newly revealed dual abilities make him an even more exceptional and unpredictable talent. Xia shifts from stunned spectator and generous donor to a more personal connection, actively recruiting Zhou to her university. The chapter emphasizes surpassing limits, the rarity and value of exceptional talent, and how livestream fame and online relationships can create real-world opportunities.

• Zhou Fan and Xia Qingran: Xia Qingran urges Zhou Fan to apply to Xinghai University and promises he will be admitted. Zhou agrees for now, though he has not committed to attending. He recognizes that she has helped his livestream succeed, but feels uneasy about her apparent romantic interest and the pressure that comes with it. He resolves to focus on leveling up before deciding where to study.
• Zhou Fan’s growing fame: His livestream challenge—killing thirty first-tier, four- or five-star mutant beasts in a row—brings in over 10,000 emotion points during the stream. Clips spread beyond the live audience, pushing his daily total past 20,000, his best haul yet.
• Lin Qianqian’s progress: While training in the wilderness, Lin masters the Paper Explosion Technique in one day, attributing her speed to her S-rank talent. She then watches a recording of Zhou’s challenge and acknowledges his improvement.
• The coming comparison: Lin has also killed thirty-five comparable mutant beasts in a row. Taking this as proof that she is stronger, she confidently expects to beat Zhou in their comparison the day after tomorrow, though she admits he is formidable.
  Character developments and interactions: Zhou is gaining both strength and popularity, but Xia Qingran’s support has become personally complicated. Lin’s confidence grows alongside her abilities; Zhou’s public feat motivates her to measure herself against him, even as she dismisses him as destined to lose.
  Themes: Rapid growth and ambition; competition as motivation; the rewards and risks of patronage; and the gap between public success and personal confidence.

Plot points and events

• After reviewing Zhou Fan’s recorded abilities, Lin Qianqian reflects that his mastery of both fire and water is surprising—but believes neither will overcome her.
• She absorbs more than thirty Mutant Beast Crystal Cores and breaks through to second tier, 1 star, only half a month after awakening.
• Her breakthrough unlocks Divine Paper Technique: Paper Transformation, which lets her turn into sheets of paper and evade all physical attacks while her spiritual energy lasts. It does not protect her from mental attacks such as Genjutsu.
• Zhou Fan wakes to find he has gained 5,000 Emotion Points overnight. Reaching 30,000 individual instances earns him a system achievement, “A Thousand Charms,” worth 15,000 additional points and a Wind Release gift pack.
• The pack grants him four techniques: Gale Palm, Wind Cutter, Vacuum Sphere, and Great Breakthrough.
• Zhou Fan absorbs the thirty Crystal Cores he collected the previous day and also advances to second tier, 1 star. He believes he could defeat a same-rank Esper within five exchanges.

Character developments

• Lin Qianqian becomes markedly more confident—bordering on arrogance. With her explosive offense and new physical immunity, she considers herself nearly unbeatable among peers and eagerly anticipates a chance to defeat Zhou Fan.
• Zhou Fan grows stronger and gains another set of techniques, bringing his abilities across fire, water, wood, wind, Genjutsu, and enhanced physical combat. He recognizes that his rapid progress depends heavily on the system’s advantages.

Significant themes

• Power and rapid advancement: Both characters reach the same new rank through absorbing Crystal Cores, while their growing arsenals widen their capabilities.
• Confidence versus overconfidence: Lin’s new defensive skill makes her sure of victory, setting up a potential clash with Zhou Fan’s unusual versatility.
• Strengths, weaknesses, and counters: Paper Transformation offers powerful protection against physical attacks but remains vulnerable to mental abilities; elemental powers also appear capable of countering paper.

Character interactions

• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian do not meet directly in this chapter. Their rivalry is framed through Lin’s assessment of his recorded abilities and her conviction that she will defeat him.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan heads out to train and unexpectedly meets Lin Qianqian at the city gates. They exchange a brief greeting, then leave in different directions.
• Lin tests Paper Transformation, a technique she has just learned. Physical attacks pass through her body as it becomes paper, which then reforms at a modest spiritual-energy cost. She combines this defense with Paper Explosion Technique, defeating several powerful mutant beasts.
• Convinced her S-Rank abilities make her nearly unbeatable, Lin looks ahead to a comparison with Zhou Fan the next day. She expects to win rewards and widen the gap between them.
• Zhou trains against a group of mutant beasts, using several elemental techniques and Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs. He then uses his Sharingan’s Genjutsu to disable the remaining attackers, deciding to focus his training on Genjutsu.

Character developments

• Lin Qianqian grows more confident after seeing how effective Paper Transformation is in combat. She believes she can overcome opponents at or above her tier, though she recognizes Genjutsu as a potential weakness.
• Zhou Fan remains confident that his “cheats” can overcome Lin’s S-Rank talent. He identifies Sharingan Genjutsu—not his array of other techniques—as his strongest tool and chooses to improve it.

Significant themes

• Talent versus unfair advantage: Lin’s S-Rank power and Zhou’s cheats set up their coming comparison.
• Confidence and rivalry: Both anticipate their future contest, though only Lin openly expects to pull ahead.
• Strength and counterplay: Lin’s defense appears formidable against physical attacks, but she acknowledges Genjutsu as a vulnerability; Zhou’s training choice underscores the value of exploiting an opponent’s weakness.
• Progress through practice: Both characters test and refine newly mastered or especially powerful abilities in real combat.

Character interactions

• Zhou and Lin share a polite but distant exchange at the city gates, reflecting their status as former mission comrades rather than close friends.
• Though they do not discuss their rivalry face-to-face, both frame their training around the upcoming comparison.

Key plot points

• Zhou Fan spends the day practicing his newly acquired Wind, Water, and Wood Release abilities, though he relies most on his Sharingan genjutsu. He kills dozens of Mutant Beasts, leaving the forest’s creatures too frightened to approach him, and returns to the city early.
• At the gate, he meets Lin Qianqian. They barely speak, and she watches him leave, thinking their first comparison the next day will end whatever connection they have.
• Lin spends the evening trying to calm herself before the midnight comparison. When the system confirms Zhou Fan is also Second Tier, 1 Star, it offers her the option to postpone. Certain she will win, she refuses.
• The comparison uses ten simulated battles. The results are decisive: Zhou Fan wins all ten, while Lin loses all ten.
• Convinced the system must have made a mistake, Lin insists she won. The system confirms the results are correct: she has lost.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan continues building practical combat proficiency and demonstrates how effectively he can use his abilities against Mutant Beasts.
• Lin’s confidence in her S-Rank Superpower masks her anxiety about the comparison. Even after learning Zhou Fan matches her cultivation level, she dismisses the possibility of defeat.
• Lin and Zhou Fan’s brief meeting is emotionally significant mainly to Lin: she treats the comparison as the end of their connection, while Zhou Fan gives no indication that he shares her preoccupation.
• Lin’s immediate denial of the result reveals how unprepared she is to accept that Zhou Fan has surpassed her.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence and misjudgment: Lin assumes her S-Rank power guarantees victory and refuses to postpone, only to be decisively defeated.
• Strength proven through results: The simulated battles overturn Lin’s assumptions, showing that cultivation rank and a prestigious ability do not alone determine who is stronger.
• Anticipation and reversal: The chapter builds suspense around Lin’s certainty, then punctures it with the unexpected 10–0 result.

Plot points and events

• Lin Qianqian refuses to believe the system’s result declaring Zhou Fan the winner of all ten simulated comparisons. She suspects the simulation is faulty and demands to fight him herself.
• In her first personal attempt, she begins preparing her Paper Explosion Technique, but Zhou Fan uses Body Flicker to close the distance and kills her with Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs in just ten seconds.
• Lin Qianqian decides she could have won by activating Paper Transformation immediately. In the second attempt, she does so—but Zhou Fan defeats her with Sharingan Genjutsu after a single glance, ending the fight in five seconds.
• After the system explains what happened, Lin Qianqian asks for more attempts but has used both of her allotted chances. The system confirms her first comparison has officially ended in failure and that her penalty is about to begin.

Character development

• Lin Qianqian’s confidence in her strength and status as a system-awakened “protagonist” gives way to shock, embarrassment, and disbelief as Zhou Fan repeatedly outmaneuvers her.
• Rather than accept the initial results, she blames the system and assumes she can overcome Zhou Fan by controlling her own combat choices. Her quick attempts to devise counters show determination, but also overconfidence.
• Zhou Fan is established as a fast, versatile fighter whose abilities include close-range attacks and Genjutsu.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence versus reality: Lin Qianqian’s belief in her own strength collapses when tested directly.
• Skill versus control: She dismisses the system as a mere bot, but its simulations prove more effective than her own decision-making.
• Adaptability and counters: Zhou Fan wins by exploiting the weaknesses in her approach—first striking before she can act, then using Genjutsu against Paper Transformation.

Character interactions

• Lin Qianqian repeatedly challenges the system’s judgment, while the system insists its results are accurate and warns that personally controlled combat may be less effective.
• In the simulated fights, Zhou Fan gives Lin Qianqian almost no opportunity to act: he defeats her with a rapid physical attack in the first and a Genjutsu-based counter in the second.
• The system’s dry, teasing comment that some people perform worse than bots underscores Lin Qianqian’s humiliation.

Plot points and events

• After losing her comparison with Zhou Fan, Lin Qianqian asks the system what punishment she must accept.
• The system offers three choices, all involving Zhou Fan: seek his cultivation guidance and give him a homemade treat; cook dinner for him in a maid outfit; or take him on a date to shop for stockings. She rejects the alternatives but eventually accepts the first.
• The punishment requires three consecutive days of cultivation sessions with Zhou Fan, each lasting at least 30 minutes, followed each evening by a homemade treat delivered with an affectionate look and specific lines.
• Completing it earns her a High-Grade Spirit Stone, which could significantly improve her cultivation. The system adds that Zhou Fan must rate the treat well enough for her to receive the reward.
• Since Lin Qianqian cannot cook, she searches for a cookie tutorial and tries making chocolate cookies. Her first batch is crumbly, full of eggshell, and badly burnt; the chapter ends as she continues making repeated attempts.

Character developments

• Lin Qianqian is proud and frustrated by her defeat, but resolves to accept the punishment and improve. Her competitive drive resurfaces when she vows not to lose the next comparison. Though confident in her abilities as an S-rank Esper, she discovers that baking is a far greater challenge than expected.
• Zhou Fan does not appear directly, but becomes the focus of the punishment and the judge whose opinion determines whether Lin Qianqian gets her reward.
• The system enforces the humiliating, flirtatious requirements and blocks Lin Qianqian’s attempt to exploit a loophole.

Significant themes

• Pride and resilience: Lin Qianqian struggles to accept defeat but chooses to persevere.
• Humor through contrast: Her high combat and cultivation status clashes comically with her inability to bake.
• Competition and reward: Even a loss offers a valuable reward, while victory promises something better.
• Forced intimacy: The punishment turns an ordinary training arrangement into a series of awkwardly affectionate gestures.

Character interactions

• Lin Qianqian argues with the system, questioning its loyalty and trying to negotiate a different punishment.
• The system insists that, because she lost to Zhou Fan, her punishment must involve him and makes the treat’s quality dependent on his assessment.
• Lin Qianqian prepares to train with Zhou Fan and make him treats, though her first baking attempts fail spectacularly.

Key plot points

• Lin Qianqian visits Zhou Fan in the evening, hesitating at his door. Zhou initially shuts the door after seeing her, then reopens it and invites her in.
• Zhou assumes she may need help—or money—and is surprised when she asks for cultivation advice.
• Lin offers a gift and insists Zhou is the right person to ask, despite her S-rank ability and his C-rank one. Zhou reluctantly agrees, while warning that he may not be able to help.
• In the yard, Lin says she feels she isn’t strong enough and asks to spar so Zhou can identify her weaknesses.
• Her stated reason is a pretext: after a system comparison ranked Zhou above her, she doubts the result and wants to test him herself. They agree to spar, but the fight has not yet begun by the chapter’s end.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian struggles with the embarrassment of seeking advice from someone she considers beneath her in rank, but pushes through because of the system’s mission—and her prideful desire to challenge Zhou.
• Zhou Fan is comically suspicious of Lin’s motives, misreads her wording as a romantic advance, and remains baffled by her request. He eventually agrees out of curiosity and willingness to help.
• Their exchange is marked by mutual uncertainty: Lin conceals her real motive behind a request for guidance, while Zhou tries to interpret her unusual behavior.

Significant themes

• Pride and insecurity: Lin’s confidence in her talent clashes with her unwillingness to accept the system’s judgment.
• Rank versus ability: Zhou’s lower-ranked power makes him an unlikely adviser, yet the system’s comparison suggests he may be stronger than Lin expects.
• Miscommunication and comic misunderstandings: Zhou repeatedly misinterprets Lin’s hesitant, carefully chosen words, adding humor to their encounter.