Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Fan celebrates gaining 20,000 Emotion Points, bringing his total to 50,000 and moving him closer to redeeming the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Lin Qianqian leaves breakfast for him, explaining that she bought too much. Zhou Fan is initially suspicious, wary of her cooking, but eats it once she confirms it came from the cafeteria.
• At the Training Ground, Xia Qingran is absent, so Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian train on their own. Both move up to ninefold gravity.
• Lin Qianqian keeps training for an hour and a half despite being exhausted, partly because she is determined not to fall behind Zhou Fan. He responds to her effort by continuing as well, and they spend the day training under the heavier gravity.
• Xia Qingran returns in the evening with weapons for both of them: a white pearl for Lin Qianqian and a long halberd for Zhou Fan. The chapter ends before they test them.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan is pleased by his growing Emotion Point total and shows concern for Lin Qianqian, advising her not to overexert herself. He also reveals that he had delayed advancing to ninefold gravity so as not to discourage her.
• Lin Qianqian is increasingly driven by Zhou Fan’s progress. After seeing his fight with Dongfang Yue, she feels pressured to improve and pushes herself hard to avoid being surpassed.
• Xia Qingran briefly leaves the students to train independently, then returns with weapons she has chosen for them.

Significant themes

• Rivalry as motivation: Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian spur each other to work harder, even without openly acknowledging their competition.
• Perseverance and its limits: Their determination helps them advance, but Lin Qianqian’s exhaustion highlights the risk of pushing too far.
• Care beneath teasing and pride: Zhou Fan’s warning and his earlier restraint suggest consideration for Lin Qianqian, while her competitiveness makes it difficult for her to accept help or ease up.

Character interactions

• Lin Qianqian disguises her gesture of repaying Zhou Fan with an excuse about having bought too much breakfast; he jokes warily about her cooking.
• At the Training Ground, each watches the other’s progress and silently uses it as a challenge to keep going.
• Zhou Fan advises Lin Qianqian to pace herself, but her exhaustion leaves her unable to respond.
• Xia Qingran presents each of them with a different weapon, setting up their next stage of training.

Plot and key events

• Xia Qingran gives Lin Qianqian a Sea Jade Pearl, which can be controlled with spiritual energy and helps its user cultivate and control that energy.
• She gives Zhou Fan Star Shatter, a fire-aligned halberd forged from volcanic ore. It can grow to a hundred meters and is intended for both Zhou’s normal use and his Susanoo’s use. Its strength scales with the wielder.
• Xia warns that prolonged use can increase aggression. Zhou feels the weapon’s battle lust but embraces it, believing his confidence and willpower will let him master the effect.
• Xia also gives Zhou a basic halberd skill book. When he learns she counted the halberd toward his promised ten-million bonus, he protests and asks for cash instead. Xia refuses, and his awkward reaction to her stern look ends the bargaining.
• Xia tells both students to begin physical conditioning and weapon training the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian is initially puzzled by a pearl as a weapon, but quickly recognizes its value as a cultivation aid and thanks Xia.
• Zhou Fan is excited by the halberd’s size-changing ability, though he discovers he cannot wield it when enlarged. He is also tempted by its aggressive, empowering influence, treating it as a source of resolve rather than a danger.
• Xia Qingran shows that her gifts are carefully chosen to complement each student’s abilities, and expresses confidence in Zhou’s capacity to control the halberd. Her practical generosity contrasts with Zhou’s preference for cash, producing a lighthearted disagreement.

Significant themes

• Tools matched to individual strengths: Qianqian’s pearl supports precise energy control, while Zhou’s halberd complements his physical power and fire affinity.
• Power and its costs: Star Shatter offers tremendous strength but carries the risk of fostering aggression.
• Confidence and self-mastery: Zhou believes discipline and determination can turn the halberd’s dangerous influence into an advantage.

Key events

• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian train for three days in the Gravity Training Room, developing their physical abilities and learning to use their new treasures.
• Lin Qianqian uses the Sea Jade Pearl to refine her spiritual energy, making it feel lighter and easier to control—an improvement that could strengthen her demanding Divine Paper Art.
• Zhou Fan quickly masters the Basic Halberd Technique with his Sharingan and trains with the Star Shatter Halberd. The weapon fuels a dangerous battle frenzy and strains his body, but his strong will resists the urge to fight, while his Hashirama Cells rapidly heal his torn muscles.
• Zhou Fan invites Lin Qianqian to share the Azure Bathtub for cultivation. She refuses, still embarrassed by their previous bath, and he uses it alone.
• The next day, Xia Qingran suspends their training and assigns them a mission for the Evening Bell organization.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian’s already exceptional spiritual-energy control begins to improve further through the Sea Jade Pearl.
• Zhou Fan shows both rapid learning and self-control: he masters the halberd technique quickly and manages its battle-inducing effect, though he remains oblivious to why Lin Qianqian is upset.
• Lin’s embarrassment and wariness shape a comic exchange with Zhou Fan, whose practical explanations only make matters worse.
• Xia Qingran asserts her authority as the organization’s leader. Zhou Fan teases her for seeming unserious, prompting her to threaten a playful spanking before he finally asks about the mission.

Significant themes

• Power and its costs: The halberd grants formidable strength but risks overwhelming its wielder and damaging the body.
• Discipline and control: Both trainees work to refine their abilities; Zhou Fan must also keep his weapon’s frenzy in check.
• Comedic misunderstandings and contrasting perspectives: Zhou Fan treats the bath as a cultivation opportunity, while Lin remembers it as an embarrassing near-disaster.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Qingran introduces “humanity’s forbidden zones”: dangerous areas where large numbers of powerful Mutant Beasts gather. The Superpower General Bureau classifies them by threat level—Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Hell—and has reduced their number through organized hunts.
• Xia reveals that Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian’s next training mission is to clear a Beginner Forbidden Zone. Although Beginner zones contain weaker beasts than higher-level zones, they remain dangerous.
• Zhou objects that the pair should have a larger team, but Xia says their organization has only three members and insists the mission will be valuable training. As their leader, she makes the decision final.
• The following morning, Xia uses a Space Stone to open a portal to a random Beginner Forbidden Zone. She tells them they must clear at least one zone before they can return, and warns them to stay together. Zhou and Lin enter.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan jokes with Xia and protests the dangerous assignment, but ultimately accepts it. He recognizes that Xia’s demanding training has already improved his physical ability.
• Lin Qianqian demonstrates her knowledge by explaining the forbidden-zone system. She also silently reacts to Zhou’s joking claim that his exam success was earned entirely through hard work.
• Xia Qingran shows her confidence in the pair and her tough, uncompromising approach to leadership: she believes danger will strengthen them and makes the mission mandatory.

Significant themes

• Growth through danger: Risky environments are presented as a route to greater strength.
• Authority and discipline: Zhou and Lin have little choice but to follow their leader’s training plan.
• Knowledge versus bravado: Lin provides the facts while Zhou uses humor to cover his uncertainty.

Character interactions

• Xia teases Zhou about his ignorance of forbidden zones, and he responds by joking that he was only playing along.
• Lin’s explanation earns Xia’s praise, while Zhou’s boast about his exam performance prompts Lin’s pointed, silent reaction.
• Zhou tries to negotiate for an easier mission or more teammates, but Xia refuses. She ends the discussion with an affectionate gesture that fails to reassure either trainee.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian enter the misty Illusory Forest, a Beginner Forbidden Zone, and immediately sense that it is more unsettling than an ordinary mutant-beast forest.
• Waves of mostly third-tier mutant beasts ambush them. The pair quickly defeat each group, but more keep arriving.
• Zhou Fan tests the Star Shatter Halberd in real combat, combining it with Fire Release to make his attacks even more destructive. His “Army Breaker” move tears through a group of beasts.
• Lin Qianqian uses her paper abilities defensively and offensively: her Paper-Style Guard blocks attacks, while paper wraps and constricts the beasts before transforming into explosive tags.
• At the Superpower General Bureau, staff notice two unregistered entrants in the forest. Captain Sand Scorpion is alarmed to learn they are first-year students rated only second tier, five stars.
• Sand Scorpion contacts Xinghai University director Luo Luodong. Luo is initially unaware they entered, but recognizes the students and allows them to proceed, noting that they are under Xia Qingran’s supervision. He concludes that their ability is exceptional even by the school’s standards.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan is eager rather than intimidated by the danger. He demonstrates the Star Shatter Halberd’s effectiveness and shows growing combat skill by combining it with fire techniques.
• Lin Qianqian remains composed and elegant under pressure, displaying precise control over paper-based defenses and attacks.
• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian fight as a capable team, each using a contrasting style: Zhou Fan charges directly through enemies, while Lin Qianqian controls and eliminates them with measured precision.
• Sand Scorpion responds cautiously to the apparent risk, while Luo Luodong trusts the students’ abilities once he learns who they are. Their conversation highlights how unusual the pair’s mission is.

Significant themes

• Training through danger: The forbidden zone offers intense practical combat, but entry comes with real risk and no guarantee of rescue.
• Exceptional ability and confidence: Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian’s performance challenges expectations for first-year students.
• Contrasting strengths and teamwork: Their very different fighting methods complement one another.
• Institutional limits and responsibility: The Bureau monitors forbidden zones but leaves the consequences of authorized independent training largely to schools and entrants.

Key plot points and events

• Sand Scorpion confirms that Xinghai University authorized Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian to enter the Illusory Forest. Despite doubts that two first-years can survive its dangers, staff continue monitoring them.
• The forest is especially hazardous because many mutant beasts use genjutsu. Since genjutsu is difficult to counter and can overwhelm ordinary defenses through sheer numbers, strong resistance is essential.
• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian fight continuously for over an hour, killing nearly two hundred beasts near the forest’s entrance. Lin uses Paper Transformation and explosive-paper techniques; Zhou relies on his halberd, fire techniques, and close-combat skills.
• Once the fighting stops, they send clones to harvest the beasts’ crystal cores, rest, and continue deeper into the forest.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan shows impressive endurance and combat prowess, fighting instinctively and confidently against the horde. His wood clones make collecting the spoils effortless.
• Lin Qianqian demonstrates how much her training has strengthened her. Despite being second tier, she defeats powerful beasts with her paper abilities and hopes to surpass Zhou Fan.
• Both characters remain composed after an overwhelming battle and are eager to press onward.

Significant themes

• Preparation and growth: Their harsh training enables them to endure sustained combat.
• Teamwork and competition: They fight side by side while privately comparing their results.
• The danger of the unknown: The opening battle is only near the entrance, hinting that deeper areas will bring stronger threats—especially genjutsu.
• Power and efficiency: Their specialized abilities and use of clones let them overcome enemies and gather resources effectively.

Character interactions

• Sand Scorpion and a staff member discuss whether the freshmen can survive, with Sand Scorpion insisting they must be monitored.
• Zhou and Lin cooperate in battle and afterward delegate crystal-core collection to their respective clones.
• Lin compares her tally of 95 kills with Zhou’s 99, treating their near-equal performance as evidence that she is catching up.

Key plot points and events

• At the Superpower General Bureau, staff report that Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian have killed 194 Mutant Beasts in about an hour. Sand Scorpion is astonished and orders the Bureau to keep monitoring them, briefly wondering whether they might clear the Illusory Forest.
• The Bureau approves an entry request from the Bai Family, the Imperial Capital family renowned for Genjutsu.
• Bai Tianyue and Bai Yu, two young Bai Family members, enter the forest with Bai Shan, an elder assigned to protect them. They find a large field of recently killed Mutant Beasts. Bai Shan confirms the bodies are real, their Crystal Cores have been taken, and another group passed through not long ago.
• Elsewhere, Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian sense that something is wrong. Two strange, human-faced Mutant Beasts appear and cast a Genjutsu that distorts their surroundings. Zhou Fan activates his Sharingan and immediately breaks the illusion.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian are established as exceptionally capable hunters, having killed nearly 200 beasts in a short time. Both also notice the forest’s unnatural atmosphere.
• Bai Tianyue is confident in his family’s Genjutsu expertise, while Bai Yu is more cautious and alert to danger.
• Bai Shan acts as the experienced, analytical protector, quickly identifying that the corpses are genuine and recently killed.
• Sand Scorpion shifts from relaxed disbelief to close attention as the freshmen’s performance challenges his expectations.

Significant themes

• Power and limits: Forbidden-zone restrictions prevent stronger Espers from simply overpowering the dangers within.
• Confidence versus caution: Bai Tianyue’s bravado contrasts with Bai Yu’s vigilance.
• Perception and illusion: The forest’s Genjutsu makes reality difficult to trust, while Zhou Fan’s Sharingan gives him a direct counter.
• Unexpected potential: The freshmen’s extraordinary progress raises the possibility of an unprecedented achievement.

Character interactions

• Bureau staff inform Sand Scorpion of Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian’s kill count, prompting him to monitor them.
• Bai Yu warns Bai Tianyue to stay alert; Bai Shan backs her caution with practical assessment of the scene.
• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian compare their unease before the monsters attack, and Zhou Fan responds to the threat by dispelling its illusion.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan uses his Sharingan to escape a Human-Faced Monster’s Genjutsu and kills it with the Star Shatter Halberd.
• Lin Qianqian is also caught in Genjutsu, but her Paper-Style Guard attacks the second monster and frees her. She has learned to resist Genjutsu through repeated exposure to Zhou Fan’s powerful illusions.
• As they travel deeper into the Illusory Forest, they encounter more Genjutsu-capable beasts. Zhou Fan breaks their illusions with the Sharingan; Lin Qianqian’s automatic defense kills the casters, though repeatedly taking mental damage could be dangerous.
• They meet three newcomers—a middle-aged man, a young man, and a girl—after the group has knocked several beasts aside. Bai Tianyue recognizes Zhou Fan and challenges him over Zhou’s earlier fight with Bai’s close friend, Dongfang Yue.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan demonstrates how effectively the Sharingan counters Genjutsu and remains confident in combat.
• Lin Qianqian shows growing resilience and an unexpectedly effective, if risky, way to handle illusions. She keeps her past experience with Zhou Fan’s Genjutsu to herself.
• Bai Tianyue introduces himself as a member of the Bai family, one of the Imperial Capital’s Four Great Families. He treats Dongfang Yue as a brother and intends to restore his honor by testing Zhou Fan.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and resilience: Lin Qianqian’s repeated exposure has made her more resistant, while both heroes find ways to overcome a new enemy type.
• Power and risk: Their methods work, but Lin’s defense comes at the cost of mental damage.
• Rivalry and honor: Bai Tianyue’s loyalty to Dongfang Yue turns Zhou Fan’s past victory into a personal challenge.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Yu steps in to fight Zhou Fan, eager to test the person who defeated Dongfang Yue. Her brother, Bai Tianyue, reluctantly lets her take over.
• Bai Yu uses the Bai Family’s signature Genjutsu, trapping Zhou Fan in an illusion where he is bound to a tree. She explains that injuries in the illusion feel real and can traumatize the mind.
• Zhou Fan reveals his Sharingan and reverses the Genjutsu, trapping Bai Yu in her own illusion. He then subjects her to an intense, seemingly endless assault within his Genjutsu space.
• While the battle lasts only seconds in the real world, observers assume Zhou Fan has lost. Instead, Bai Yu collapses, exhausted and defeated, while Zhou Fan remains unharmed.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan displays confidence and mastery of the Sharingan, revealing that he can overpower even a Genjutsu specialist. He remains composed throughout the confrontation.
• Bai Yu, initially seductive and self-assured, is shocked to find her own technique turned against her. Her defeat exposes the limits of her confidence.
• Bai Tianyue expects his sister to win and regrets not fighting Zhou Fan himself, but is stunned by the outcome.
• Lin Qianqian trusts Zhou Fan’s strength and correctly doubts that Bai Yu could defeat him so easily.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence and reversal: Bai Yu’s certainty of victory makes her vulnerable to Zhou Fan’s counterattack.
• Specialization versus superior power: Bai Yu’s Genjutsu skill is formidable, but Zhou Fan’s Sharingan gives him decisive control.
• Appearance versus reality: The duel appears motionless to onlookers, and its brief real-world duration conceals the painful struggle within the illusion.

Character interactions

• Bai Yu taunts and threatens Zhou Fan, while he dismisses the fight as a waste of time and warns her not to assume victory.
• Bai Tianyue praises his sister’s abilities and expects Zhou Fan to lose.
• Lin Qianqian quietly maintains faith in Zhou Fan.
• After defeating Bai Yu, Zhou Fan acknowledges her talent but emphasizes that she was outmatched by his Sharingan.

Plot points and events

• Bai Yu is decisively defeated by Zhou Fan in a genjutsu contest. She had broken his illusion immediately, but Zhou Fan’s genjutsu overwhelmed her, leaving her unable to escape.
• Bai Shan, a powerful Bai Family elder, challenges Zhou Fan to defend his family’s reputation. He traps Zhou Fan in the inherited S-Rank genjutsu Ten Thousand Snakes Inferno, but Zhou Fan activates his Mangekyō Sharingan and turns the illusion against him with Sharingan.
• While the two men duel mentally, Bai Tianyue prevents Lin Qianqian from intervening and traps her in Nightmare Land. Though she appears immobilized, her paper techniques continue attacking on their own. Explosive Tags knock Bai Tianyue down, and Lin then uses a Paper Dragon to leave him barely conscious.
• Bai Shan eventually breaks free by stabbing his own palm, using pain to escape Zhou Fan’s illusion.

Character developments

• Zhou Fan demonstrates that his genjutsu and Mangekyō Sharingan can overpower even an experienced fourth-tier fighter. He remains composed and openly confident.
• Bai Yu is shaken and resentful after suffering her first major defeat to a peer.
• Bai Shan proves formidable and ruthless, but his experience is not enough to overcome Zhou Fan’s unusual abilities.
• Lin Qianqian acts protectively toward her teammate and shows resourcefulness: even while seemingly caught in genjutsu, she can still direct her paper attacks. Her hatred of genjutsu is made clear.
• Bai Tianyue underestimates Lin and is punished for it.

Character interactions

• Zhou Fan taunts the Bai Family’s reputation, prompting Bai Shan to challenge him.
• Lin tries to help Zhou Fan, but Bai Tianyue blocks her and attacks her instead.
• The paired clashes reveal a contrast: Zhou Fan defeats Bai Shan through superior genjutsu, while Lin overcomes Bai Tianyue through independent paper-based attacks and decisive force.

Significant themes

• Perception and mental power: Genjutsu battles turn control of reality into a contest of endurance and will.
• Arrogance and misjudgment: Bai Tianyue’s confidence leads him to underestimate Lin.
• Loyalty and teamwork: Lin risks herself to protect Zhou Fan, even as the Bai Family tries to exploit their connection.
• Adaptation and resilience: Lin fights while apparently trapped, and Bai Shan escapes only through deliberate self-injury.

Plot points and events

• Bai Shan escapes after Zhou Fan breaks his powerful Genjutsu, the Ten Thousand Snakes Purgatory. He blinds Zhou Fan with a smoke bomb and flees with Bai Yu and the others.
• Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian resume clearing the Illusory Forest, a forbidden zone where mutant beasts rely on Genjutsu.
• After fighting their way through the forest, they reach its final area and confront the Third Tier, Five Stars Beast King: the Human-Faced Demon Spider.
• Zhou Fan attacks with his Star Shatter Halberd, then uses Susanoo to knock the spider back. When Susanoo wields the halberd, it grows from two to ten meters and gains enormous power, pinning and piercing the Beast King.
• The victory is interrupted when cracks open in the ground and more Human-Faced Demon Spiders begin crawling out of underground caves.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Shan is shaken and humiliated by losing a Genjutsu battle to Zhou Fan, despite being a senior Bai Family elder. Bai Yu is equally stunned by Zhou Fan’s strength.
• Lin Qianqian asks how powerful Zhou Fan’s Genjutsu is, privately wondering whether she could resist it. His strength unsettles her and renews her determination to improve, so she rushes ahead to hunt beasts with six Paper-Style Clones.
• Zhou Fan dismisses the fleeing Bai Family and focuses on clearing the forbidden zone. He is surprised by how powerful the halberd becomes when wielded by Susanoo.
• Lin Qianqian supports Zhou Fan during the Beast King fight, while Zhou Fan takes the lead in attacking the spider.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Zhou Fan’s victory over Bai Shan challenges the Bai Family’s reputation for Genjutsu mastery.
• Rivalry and self-improvement: Lin Qianqian’s anxiety about Zhou Fan’s growing strength motivates her to train and compete harder.
• Escalating danger and discovery: The apparent Beast King victory turns into a new threat, suggesting the final battle is not yet over.

Plot points and events

• Six Third Tier, Five-Star Human-Faced Demon Spiders emerge from underground caves, revealing that the Forbidden Zone contains multiple Beast Kings.
• Zhou Fan is trapped by webs and attacked with corrosive venom, but burns through the assault and fights the spiders with his Susanoo.
• Lin Qianqian faces the other three spiders. Her paper techniques and Explosive Tags let her withstand their webs and venom and kill two by exploiting their close-range attacks with [Paper Transformation].
• The last spider traps her in sticky webbing that prevents her from transforming, then poisons her with mist. Zhou Fan kills it just before it can finish her, having already defeated the other three.
• With every mutant beast dead, Zhou Fan checks on Lin Qianqian. Still weakened by the poison, she cannot stand. Since time is running short, he carries her back—choosing a bridal carry when she objects to a piggyback ride.

Character development

• Lin Qianqian proves resourceful and composed, using her defensive paper abilities creatively to turn the spiders’ attacks into opportunities. Her vulnerability to poison, however, leaves her dependent on Zhou Fan.
• Zhou Fan demonstrates strength and tactical awareness, recognizing how the spiders’ lack of genjutsu makes them unexpectedly dangerous. He also acts protectively toward Lin Qianqian.

Significant themes

• Adaptability and deception: The spiders’ unexpected tactics punish assumptions formed by earlier enemies.
• Strength and vulnerability: Lin Qianqian can defeat powerful foes through ingenuity, but her defenses have limits.
• Trust and care: Zhou Fan’s timely rescue and practical decision to carry her underscore their growing closeness.

Character interactions

• Lin Qianqian and Zhou Fan fight separate groups of spiders before he comes to her aid.
• Afterward, he checks whether she is poisoned and offers to carry her. She resists being carried on his back, prompting him to scoop her up in his arms.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Fan carries the poisoned, exhausted Lin Qianqian out of the Illusory Forest in a princess carry. Though she protests at first, she eventually accepts it and feels secure in his protection.
• The two tease and argue about Lin Qianqian’s weight and Zhou Fan’s strength. To prove himself, Zhou Fan runs several kilometers while carrying her without getting winded.
• The Superpower General Bureau learns that Forbidden Zone No. 91, the Illusory Forest, has been cleared. The surveillance operator confirms that Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian—two freshmen—were responsible.
• The Bai Family’s prodigies return without clearing the zone. They explain that Zhou Fan defeated them and that his genjutsu was powerful enough to overcome even Bai Shan’s technique, Ten Thousand Snakes Purgatory.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian is vulnerable and embarrassed to be carried, but gradually relaxes and recognizes the comfort of Zhou Fan’s protection. She also shows her usual sharpness by turning his comment about her weight into a challenge to his strength.
• Zhou Fan demonstrates exceptional stamina and confidence, while maintaining a teasing, blunt rapport with Lin Qianqian.
• Bai Yu and Bai Tianyue admit defeat to Zhou Fan. Bai Shan confirms that Zhou Fan’s genjutsu surpasses his own.
• Bai Xiao, initially expecting his family to have cleared the zone, becomes angry at their failure and then shocked by Zhou Fan’s abilities.
• Sand Scorpion is astonished that two freshmen cleared the Illusory Forest and takes note of their names.

Significant themes

• Trust and vulnerability: Lin Qianqian’s weakness makes Zhou Fan’s protection especially meaningful.
• Talent beyond expectations: Zhou Fan and Lin Qianqian outperform expectations, defeating the established Bai Family competitors and clearing the forbidden zone.
• Pride and reputation: The Bai Family’s failure wounds its pride, while Zhou Fan’s victory raises questions about who he is and how powerful he may be.

• The Bai Family investigates Zhou Fan: After Bai Yu, Bai Tianyue, and Bai Shan lose to Zhou Fan in the Illusory Forest, Bai Shan reports that Zhou’s Genjutsu is far beyond his own. Bai Xiao doubts this proves Zhou’s natural ability and suspects Zhou may possess a treasure that enhances it. Since Zhou is connected to Xia Qingran’s organization, Evening Bell, Bai Xiao orders an investigation.
• The Forbidden Zone run ends: Zhou Fan returns carrying the poisoned Lin Qianqian. Xia Qingran initially misreads the venom covering Lin as evidence of a romantic encounter, then takes her away to treat her. Lin’s paralysis is temporary, and she recovers quickly with an antidote.
• The pair report their success: During Xia’s debrief, she is astonished to learn Zhou and Lin cleared the Illusory Forest, the most difficult beginner Forbidden Zone. Both describe it as manageable, though Lin notes that Genjutsu-heavy enemies challenged her more than Zhou.
• Zhou recounts the Bai Family encounter: He explains that the Bai group provoked them, with Bai Tianyue claiming friendship with Dongfang Xuan and seeking revenge. Zhou says they fought and competed in Genjutsu, and the Bai members lost and fled. Xia is impressed that Zhou defeated Bai Shan, even with the elder’s cultivation suppressed.
• A break and a possible breakthrough: Xia rewards Zhou with a lollipop and gives both trainees the next day off. Back in his room, Zhou absorbs the Crystal Cores he collected, hoping to advance to Third Tier, 1 Star.
  Character developments and interactions: Zhou remains confident and understated about victories that astonish others. Lin is recovering and openly acknowledges her weaker Genjutsu ability. Xia’s teasing, eccentric manner contrasts with her practical role as mentor. Bai Xiao’s suspicion signals that Zhou’s growing reputation may draw the powerful family’s attention.
  Themes: Exceptional talent versus established tradition; underestimating opponents; the gap between others’ perceptions of Zhou and his own casual view of his strength; and the uncertainty surrounding the source of his abilities.

Key plot points and events

• After killing roughly 100–200 Mutant Beasts and sharing their Crystal Cores with Lin Qianqian, Zhou Fan absorbs his share and advances to Third Tier, 1 Star.
• A burst of strong reactions from unknown observers earns him enough Emotion Points to reach 62,348. He remains focused on saving 100,000 points for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
• The system opens a limited-time shop. Zhou Fan spends 20,000 points on Tsukuyomi and the Uchiha Flame Formation, gaining a powerful new genjutsu and a barrier technique. He resists buying anything else.
• The next morning, Zhou Fan sleeps in on the rest day. Lin Qianqian, who has also reached Third Tier, 1 Star, goes to train instead, hoping to surpass him before their next comparison in half a month.
• Lin asks senior Xia Qingran how to improve. After learning Lin is desperate to beat someone—correctly guessing it is Zhou Fan—Xia offers to teach her a technique: Sexy Jutsu.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Fan becomes stronger but continues prioritizing his long-term Sharingan goal, even while tempted by the shop’s discounts. His playful, irreverent attitude remains apparent.
• Lin Qianqian is ambitious and intensely competitive. Despite her rapid progress and strong paper-based abilities, she measures herself against Zhou Fan and refuses to rest.
• Xia Qingran admires Lin’s diligence but favors a more relaxed approach to training. She advises Lin to build a solid foundation, then unexpectedly offers her Sexy Jutsu as a shortcut or “good” lesson.

Significant themes

• Ambition and rivalry: Lin’s determination to overtake Zhou Fan drives her training.
• Discipline versus temptation: Zhou Fan resists spending all his Emotion Points, while Lin rejects the rest day to pursue strength.
• Rapid growth and its limits: Xia cautions that improving quickly is not always beneficial without a strong foundation.
• Humor and surprise: The chapter contrasts serious cultivation goals with Zhou Fan’s comic spending analogy and Xia’s unconventional training suggestion.

Key plot points and events

• Xia Qingran offers Lin Qianqian a superpower book called Sexy Jutsu, explaining it as an alluring energy that distracts human opponents and creates openings. Lin rejects it, especially at the thought of using it on Zhou Fan.
• Xia then gives Lin a more suitable technique: Object-Sealing Seal, which can store living or nonliving things inside an inanimate container. Its difficulty depends on the target’s size and strength, as well as the user’s cultivation and spiritual energy.
• Lin learns the seal in an hour and tests it successfully on small objects and insects, including sealing them inside her paper sheets.
• She realizes she can also seal spiritual energy inside the paper. This lets the sheets hold two or three times more energy than ordinary infusion, making them much more powerful. She then wonders whether she could seal an opponent’s superpower attacks the same way.

Character developments

• Lin Qianqian remains uncomfortable with seductive tactics and firmly refuses to use them, but proves inventive and quick to master practical techniques. She immediately looks for ways to combine sealing with her paper-based abilities.
• Xia Qingran is playful and teasing when promoting Sexy Jutsu, but does provide Lin with a useful, better-matched skill. She leaves Lin to practice so she can enjoy her day off.

Significant themes

• Practicality over raw strength: A technique that does not directly boost combat ability can still be valuable in battle.
• Experimentation and ingenuity: Lin discovers new applications by testing how the seal interacts with her paper sheets and spiritual energy.
• Personal boundaries: Lin’s refusal to use Sexy Jutsu shows that she will not adopt a tactic that makes her uncomfortable, even if it might be effective.

Character interactions

• Xia tries to persuade Lin that Sexy Jutsu is a legitimate combat technique and gives her outfit advice, while Lin rejects both the skill and the suggestion that she might use it on Zhou Fan.
• Lin redirects the conversation toward serious training. Xia supplies the sealing technique, answers her needs, and then departs, leaving Lin to explore it independently.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Qianqian tests whether her Sealing Jutsu can capture moving superpower attacks. Using a Paper-Style Clone to launch paper at her, she practices tracking, intercepting, and sealing each projectile.
• After repeated failures, she masters the technique and realizes she may be able to seal other people’s attacks—not just spiritual energy.
• She plans to use the skill against Zhou Fan, especially to counter his fire and water abilities, and possibly even his massive Wood Release or Susanoo. She recognizes, however, that sealing alone may not be enough and begins thinking of other ways to use the talismans.
• Meanwhile, Zhou Fan sleeps late on his day off and meets Zhao Qiu for lunch. Zhao complains about a cafeteria worker’s suspiciously shaky portions, then they compare training: Zhou describes Xia Qingran’s punishing sessions, while Zhao’s regular training is much easier.
• Zhao shares deliberately absurd, literal reinterpretations of old sayings, amusing Zhou despite his concern that Zhao is spending too much time online.

Character developments

• Lin Qianqian shows persistence and exceptional spiritual-energy control, turning a speculative idea into a reliable technique. Her focus remains on finding a way to defeat Zhou Fan, but she is also realistic about the limits of her plan.
• Zhou Fan is relaxed and food-loving on his day off. His casual attitude contrasts with Lin’s intense preparation.
• Zhao Qiu is friendly and envious of Zhou’s training arrangements, but jokes about how unpleasant that training sounds. His odd internet humor adds a comic dimension.

Significant themes

• Experimentation and perseverance: Lin succeeds through repeated practice and precise control.
• Preparation and adaptation: She studies Zhou’s strengths and looks beyond a single countermeasure.
• Contrasting lifestyles: Lin trains with serious purpose, while Zhou and Zhao’s lunch conversation provides a light, ordinary interlude.
• Humor: The cafeteria exchange and Zhao’s nonsensical explanations provide comic relief.

Character interactions

• Lin works with her clone as a training partner, then mentally frames her breakthrough as a possible counter to Zhou.
• Zhou and Zhao share lunch and talk about their different training routines; Zhao envies Zhou’s opportunities, while Zhou warns him that the training is brutal.
• Their conversation ends with Zhou teasingly advising Zhao to spend less time reading online.

Plot and character developments

• Zhou Fan spends the day out with Zhao Qiu, whose supposedly helpful forum bookmarks turn out to include crude guides about winning over women. The two part as good friends, and Zhou Fan returns home.
• Lin Qianqian is eating takeout and watching television. She tells Zhou Fan she stayed in, concealing that she spent the day secretly training in the villa’s Training Room.
• Lin’s goal is to overtake Zhou Fan in their next comparison. She has mastered the basics of a new Sealing Jutsu and combined it with her Divine Paper Technique, and she believes her S-Rank ability will make her stronger in the long run.
• Lin notices the Sexy Jutsu book Xia Qingran gave her. Though she considers the ability undignified, she reads some of it and briefly imagines using it on Zhou Fan—then rejects the idea, insisting she wants to beat him fairly.
• While watching a campus romance drama, Lin sees the female lead carried down a mountain by the male lead. It reminds her that Zhou Fan once carried her after she was injured, and that they now live together. She quickly insists their relationship is nothing like the couple’s.

Interactions and themes

Zhou Fan tries to make casual conversation, but Lin’s curt replies leave him unsure why she is sometimes angry with him. Their awkward closeness contrasts with her private competitiveness and his wish to get along. The chapter’s key themes are hidden effort, rivalry disguised as ordinary cohabitation, self-imposed rules about fair competition, and the possibility of romantic parallels that Lin refuses to acknowledge.

Plot points and events

• The morning after their previous activities, Lin Qianqian tests a new use for her sealed spiritual-energy paper. Wrapping it around her arm dramatically amplifies her strike, shattering a large rock.
• She decides to call the body-enhancing paper Strength Tags. Along with Sealing Tags, they are the two major techniques she has recently developed, and she plans to use them to defeat Zhou Fan in their next match.
• Meanwhile, Zhou Fan and Zhao Qiu spend Sunday visiting a crowded underground fighting arena in Xinghai City. They watch several matches, including one won by a fighter using a particularly underhanded attack.
• Inspired by the crowd’s excitement, Zhou Fan wonders whether competing himself could earn him many emotion points.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qianqian turns a weakness—her comparatively poor physical abilities—into a potential advantage. She is excited by the possibility that Strength Tags could let her match or surpass physically stronger fighters, including Zhou Fan.
• Zhou Fan values leisure and sees weekends as a time to enjoy himself, though he respects the role of hard work. He readily follows Zhao Qiu’s suggestion, and the arena’s atmosphere sparks his interest in fighting for a new purpose.
• Zhao Qiu takes the lead in arranging their outing and shares his disappointment when the fighter he favored loses.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity and adaptation: Lin Qianqian combines her existing abilities in a novel way to compensate for a physical disadvantage.
• Rest and balance: Zhou Fan argues that work and training should leave room for recreation.
• Competition and spectacle: The arena’s intense battles and cheering crowd show how combat can provide both excitement and opportunity.
• Ambition and motivation: Lin hopes to prove herself against Zhou Fan, while Zhou considers turning public competition into a source of emotion points.

Plot points and events

• Excited by the crowd at an Esper fight venue, Zhou Fan sees an opportunity to earn Emotion Points by competing. Zhao Qiu is eager to join too, confident he can surrender if a fight goes badly.
• They register for the masked matches, where contestants pay an entry fee that becomes part of the winner’s wager; the organizers take a 10% commission and also run audience betting.
• Zhao Qiu registers as an eighteen-year-old with Gigantification and tests at level two, four stars. Zhou Fan claims to have a fire-type power and tests at level three, one star, surprising the staff because of his age and apparent rapid advancement.
• The fighters choose masks and aliases to conceal their identities. Zhao Qiu picks a toad mask and calls himself “Frog Emperor.” Zhou makes a custom white mask with three tomoe and registers as “Wang Wenwang.”
• Zhao Qiu insists on fighting that day, eager to prove himself.

Character development

• Zhou Fan is opportunistic and curious: he joins partly to earn Emotion Points, disguises his abilities behind a casual “fire type” label, and designs a distinctive mask. His impressive test result draws attention and suspicion.
• Zhao Qiu is boastful, playful, and undeterred by the risk of losing. His willingness to surrender quickly shows that his confidence is tempered by pragmatism.

Character interactions

• Zhou teases Zhao about getting beaten up, while Zhao jokes that masking up protects him from embarrassment.
• The pair trade playful insults over their mask choices: Zhao praises his “Frog Emperor” look, while Zhou dismisses it and calls his own design “a man’s confidence.”
• The registration staff question Zhou’s unexpectedly high rank but ultimately allow him to compete.

Significant themes

• Competition and spectacle: The cheering crowd inspires others to enter the ring themselves.
• Anonymity and identity: Masks and stage names let fighters compete without exposing who they are.
• Risk and profit: Contestants gamble their entry fees, while the organizers earn commission and profit from betting regardless of the outcome.
• Ambition and self-presentation: Both friends use the event to show off, though Zhou’s concealed identity and Zhao’s flamboyant persona differ sharply.