Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Wang Jiang admits he is badly weakened and asks Headquarters to use his reward to suppress his supernatural condition. Gao Ming takes him and the unconscious Lin Shan away.
• Yang Jian faces Fan Ming, a veteran Ghost Handler whose Ghost Closed Eyes power strips everyone nearby of their senses. Fan Ming activates it, but collapses without attacking; Yang Jian reveals only that he has defeated him, leaving the cause unclear to the spectators.
• Li Jun confirms Fan Ming is alive but deeply unconscious. Because the swift, one-sided defeat produces no useful data for Headquarters’ revival experiment, Li tells Yang Jian to make the later fights more substantial, as long as he does not kill anyone.
• Yang Jian then defeats five more opponents in rapid succession, using his Ghost Hand and Headless Ghost Shadow to incapacitate or maim them while keeping them alive. After six victories, the remaining Ghost Handlers all surrender.
• Li Jun calls off Yang Jian, claiming Headquarters has collected enough data. Yang Jian challenges the decision as unfair and asks whether Headquarters simply cannot accept losing.
• Zhao Jianguo, Lin Cheng, Liu San, and others arrive. Liu San remarks on Yang Jian’s youth and compares it to Lin Cheng’s.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Jian appears composed and confident throughout. He warns opponents before fighting, follows the no-killing rule, but uses overwhelming force once Headquarters asks for more substantial exchanges. He openly confronts Li Jun when the matches are stopped.
• Li Jun shifts from issuing warnings to trying to manage Yang Jian’s unexpectedly decisive victories. His frustration grows as the fights provide little useful experimental data and disrupt Headquarters’ plan.
• Fan Ming is introduced as an experienced, overconfident opponent. His confidence collapses into unconsciousness almost instantly.
• The other Ghost Handlers move from mockery and confidence to fear, then surrender rather than face Yang Jian.
• Zhao Jianguo, Lin Cheng, and Liu San enter at the end, suggesting a new phase in the gathering; Liu San immediately takes an interest in Yang Jian.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Yang Jian’s performance overturns others’ assumptions that he is merely a novice.
• Control versus autonomy: Headquarters tries to shape the fights for its own research, while Yang Jian resists being dismissed once he has won.
• The cost of supernatural power: The event is designed to provoke paranormal revival, but Yang Jian’s unusual methods undermine the experiment.
• Fear and survival: Once Yang Jian’s strength becomes clear, the other contestants choose surrender over risking injury.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Shiming and He Tianxiong secretly enter the Paranormal Forum Tower to seize something, believing Lin Cheng is away in Dajing City and will remain occupied for several days. Fang uses his ghost domain to disable the tower’s surveillance.
• On the sealed fourth floor, Ning Rongrong emerges from the Golden House transformed: her hair has become unnaturally long and blood-red, and the Sheepskin Paper is gone. Her memories appear to be reassembling, and she now carries a powerful supernatural presence.
• Ning contacts Yu Tianheng, saying she has succeeded and asking him to bring Zhu Zhuqing and Liu Erlong to the tower.
• When Ning reaches the lobby, she encounters Fang and He. Fang prepares to attack, but Ning calmly offers to help them find what they want—and promises to make Fang the world’s most powerful Ghost Handler.

Character developments

• Ning Rongrong appears to have controlled a new supernatural entity and improved her mental state. Her smile reassures her family, though her vacant eyes, blood-red hair, and composed manner suggest she has also changed profoundly.
• Fang Shiming is confident in his plan and believes a powerful ally in Dajing City has secured his access. His confidence falters when Ning’s presence penetrates his ghost domain.
• He Tianxiong remains anxious about provoking Lin Cheng and doubts the reliability of their intelligence.

Significant themes

• Power and supernatural transformation: Ning’s recovery seems tied to controlling a dangerous entity, but the process has visibly altered her.
• Risk, trust, and manipulation: Fang relies on intelligence and an unseen ally, while Ning tries to redirect the intruders with an offer of power.
• Appearance versus inner state: Ning’s smile comforts her family, yet her eerie transformation leaves the true cost of her success uncertain.

Character interactions

• Fang reassures He that Lin Cheng is absent and that their plan is safe, though He continues to question the risks.
• Ning’s smile brings relief to Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong, who interpret it as proof that she is recovering.
• Ning speaks with Yu Tianheng by communicator, then confronts Fang and He. Rather than resisting them, she offers cooperation and makes Fang a tempting promise.

Key plot points and events

• Ning Rongrong tells Fang Shiming that the ghost she controls can foresee the future, making her potentially far more dangerous than an ordinary powerful Ghost Handler.
• She leads Fang Shiming and He Tianxiong to the empty twentieth floor, where she gives Fang a gold briefcase containing the second-stage Starvation Ghost.
• Ning says Lin Cheng deliberately left the ghost for her to pass on: obtaining it is part of his plan. She warns the men not to take anything else, since that would provoke the Paranormal Forum into a deadly confrontation.
• Fang accepts the ghost and orders He Tianxiong to abandon the idea of looting the Forum’s supplies. Fang privately sees a political advantage in letting Ning take responsibility for the encounter.
• Before they leave, Ning warns them not to look at the painting in the lobby, explaining that she previously drew their attention away from it. They obey and exit the building.
• Outside, they discover three figures waiting in the shadows.

Character developments

• Ning Rongrong presents herself as an apparent defector, but admits Lin Cheng expected her betrayal. She nevertheless insists that handing Fang the ghost will take her out of his game.
• Fang Shiming remains wary of Ning and Lin Cheng, but chooses caution over confrontation. He secures his objective while looking for ways to protect the Circle of Friends politically.
• He Tianxiong shows greed and poor judgment by suggesting they steal more supernatural items, but Fang shuts him down.

Significant themes

• Fate, foresight, and manipulation: Ning’s claimed ability to predict the future heightens the danger, while Lin Cheng’s plan appears to anticipate even betrayal.
• Control and agency: Ning claims she can escape the “game,” yet her actions may still serve Lin Cheng’s design.
• Restraint and consequences: The characters must resist taking more than they came for, since one wrong move could trigger a supernatural conflict.
• Trust and political maneuvering: Fang accepts help from a suspicious intermediary because it offers both a strategic gain and plausible deniability.

Character interactions

• Ning calmly unsettles Fang and He Tianxiong by revealing that Lin Cheng knew she would betray him.
• Fang and Ning exchange wary assessments: she frames him as essential to breaking Lin Cheng’s plan, while Fang questions whether she is merely another pawn.
• He Tianxiong’s attempt to exploit the situation is rebuked by Ning and overruled by Fang.
• Ning’s final warning unites the three in caution as they leave the building—only for the figures outside to create a new threat.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Tianheng arrives after Ning Rongrong summons him, and finds her transformed, accompanied by Fang Shiming and He Tianxiong. Both sides initially suspect an ambush.
• Yu Tianheng accuses Ning Rongrong of betraying Lin Cheng and the Forum. She argues that the Forum treats them as expendable pawns and that Soul Masters need an independent power base to survive.
• Ning Rongrong proposes forming a faction for Soul Masters from the Douluo Continent. She reveals her corrupted Nine-Level Ghost Tower, demonstrating that Soul Masters possess abilities outside the established Ghost Handler system.
• She offers Fang Shiming her foresight to help him control his supernatural entity and avoid fatal dangers, in exchange for his protection and support. Fang accepts, seeing the alliance as useful and preferring not to remain under another person’s control.
• Ning Rongrong forces Yu Tianheng to choose between reporting them to the Forum or joining them. He destroys his communicator and commits to her faction.
• Observers in the Douluo world react: Ning Fengzhi praises the plan’s potential to create a safe haven; Yu Xiaogang claims it supports his theory of unity and urges others to join; Bibi Dong remains uneasy, while Qian Daoliu advises waiting to see what happens.

Character developments and interactions

• Ning Rongrong emerges as a decisive, strategic leader. She uses both persuasion and pressure, building alliances through shared interests rather than trust.
• Yu Tianheng moves from suspicion and hesitation to commitment, choosing collective independence over loyalty to the Forum.
• Fang Shiming accepts Ning Rongrong’s offer pragmatically, motivated by ambition and resentment at being used as someone else’s weapon. He Tianxiong remains cautious and questions whether Ning Rongrong can be trusted.
• Ning Rongrong’s companions, Zhu Zhuqing and Liu Erlong, help embody the group’s shared desire to survive and build a future of their own.
• Ning Fengzhi, Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong, and Qian Daoliu interpret the plan differently, revealing its wider political significance and unresolved risks.

Significant themes

• Self-determination versus exploitation: Ning Rongrong rejects dependence on powerful factions that may discard them.
• Pragmatic alliance: In a dangerous world, shared interests and mutual benefit matter more than trust.
• Unity and institution-building: The proposed faction aims to give displaced Soul Masters security and establish a new order.
• Ambition and uncertainty: Ning Rongrong’s plan is compelling, but its success—and the consequences of breaking with the Forum—remain unknown.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Tianheng points out that joining Ning Rongrong’s alliance will not free him from the Ghost Cabinet’s cursed transactions or their deadly countdowns.
• Ning Rongrong orders Fang Shiming to use his Ghost Scissors to sever the curse’s supernatural connection. Fang complies, and the Ghost Cabinet in Dachang City violently reacts before going still.
• The group establishes an initial alliance. Ning Rongrong adopts the name Red Ning, and the others travel with Fang Shiming’s Circle of Friends.
• In private, Red Ning warns Fang Shiming that the Circle of Friends will eventually be destroyed. She urges him to abandon it and build power in the Northwest. As proof of her value, she promises to help him control the Starvation Ghost he has just obtained. Fang is skeptical but considers the possibility.
• At Headquarters, Lin Cheng reveals that he deliberately arranged for Ning Rongrong and Yu Tianheng’s earpieces to be destroyed, allowing them to leave undetected.
• Yang Jian ends the training-ground test by using his Ghost Eye to teleport into the corridor. Headquarters staff are shocked to learn of his ghost domain and the number of supernatural entities he controls.

Character developments and interactions

• Red Ning demonstrates extensive supernatural knowledge and strategic foresight, earning Fang Shiming’s attention while concealing her full motives. Her new name may also serve as a precaution against supernatural tracking.
• Fang Shiming shifts from suspicion toward cautious cooperation. His attachment to the Circle of Friends conflicts with his desire for greater power, though he admits he might sacrifice his organization if necessary.
• Yu Tianheng, Liu Erlong, and Zhu Zhuqing accept Red Ning’s leadership, despite Yu’s concern that their alliance cannot resolve his curse.
• Lin Cheng shows that he has orchestrated the escape and expects it to produce a desired outcome.
• Yang Jian’s abilities are further exposed: Li Jun is stunned by his ghost domain, while Zhao Jianguo clarifies that Yang Jian controls four ghosts.

Significant themes

• Trust and manipulation: Alliances form amid suspicion, hidden plans, and carefully managed information.
• Power versus loyalty: Fang Shiming weighs abandoning the people and organization he built in exchange for strength and survival.
• Knowledge as leverage: Red Ning’s apparent foresight gives her influence over powerful figures.
• The escalating nature of supernatural power: Yang Jian’s abilities challenge Headquarters’ assumptions about what he can do.

Plot points and events

• Yang Jian’s combat assessment ends after he reveals the power of four ghosts. The veteran Ghost Handlers are stunned, and Li Jun calls off the matches, recognizing that the contest is no longer meaningful.
• Yang Jian insists Headquarters honor its rule of granting a reward for each win. After six victories, he asks for six Substitute Death Dolls. Li Jun says Headquarters can provide only one because the dolls are scarce.
• Zhao Jianguo offers a compromise: one doll and permission to choose two other supernatural items from the warehouse. Yang Jian accepts, mindful of his future relationship with Headquarters.
• Before leaving to collect his rewards, Yang Jian gives Lin Cheng a Golden Bag containing the ghost taken from Gao Zhiqiang, whom Yang Jian killed during the assessment.
• Zhao Jianguo reveals that Gao was a senior member of the Circle of Friends and had used the Liar Ghost’s power to pass Headquarters’ screening. Lin Cheng dismisses the threat of retaliation and dares the Circle’s leader, Fang Shiming, to confront him in Dachang City.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Jian demonstrates overwhelming strength and composure, then asserts his right to the promised rewards. He is willing to negotiate rather than needlessly antagonize Headquarters.
• Li Jun shifts from stern authority to visible embarrassment when Headquarters cannot meet Yang Jian’s request.
• Zhao Jianguo acts as mediator, bargaining to settle the reward dispute and warning Yang Jian about the Circle of Friends.
• Lin Cheng supports Yang Jian’s choices but takes a much more confrontational stance toward any threat from the Circle. Yang Jian looks to him for reassurance before deciding how far to press Headquarters.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Yang Jian’s revealed abilities instantly overturn the hierarchy of the assessment.
• Scarcity and institutional weakness: Headquarters’ promises exceed its available resources, forcing officials to bargain.
• Loyalty and protection: Lin Cheng signals that Yang Jian and his allies need not fear outside retaliation.
• Defiance and accountability: Lin Cheng refuses to let the Circle of Friends—or Headquarters—dictate how they respond to Gao’s death.

Plot points and events

• Zhao Jianguo tries to explain that he was only offering a reminder from Headquarters, but Lin Cheng firmly backs Yang Jian and reminds him that he belongs to the Paranormal Forum.
• Yang Jian goes with Zhao Jianguo to the warehouse holding supernatural items.
• Liu San jokes that Lin Cheng’s loyalty makes him want to join the Forum. Lin Cheng immediately welcomes him, catching Liu San off guard.
• Headquarters announces a match between Hu Liena and Jiang Shangbai. Lin Cheng suspects Jiang Shangbai’s appearance may be intended either to restore confidence in Headquarters after Yang Jian’s brutal victories or to avenge Gao Zhiqiang’s death by targeting the Forum’s side.
• Wang Xiaoming learns that Fang Shiming has found his own solution to revival and no longer needs Headquarters. Wang concludes that the Circle of Friends can no longer be trusted.
• Wang’s laboratory holds novice Ghost Handlers whom Headquarters had supposedly saved from revival. They have instead been mutilated and imprisoned for experiments. Wang explains that, in theory, they cannot become ghosts.
• Wang tells Wei Jing that Headquarters needs its own Ghost Handlers. He plans to use the Soul Master Ghost Douluo’s body as an opportunity for Wei Jing to take control of it.
• Wei Jing agrees despite the danger. Wang plans to speak with Lin Cheng, whose cooperation is necessary, and believes he can persuade him despite their past conflicts and Wang Xiaoqiang’s death.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Cheng openly protects Yang Jian and demonstrates the Forum’s loyalty to its members. His blunt offer to recruit Liu San reveals his confidence and willingness to challenge Headquarters’ influence.
• Yang Jian accepts Lin Cheng’s backing and proceeds to obtain supernatural items.
• Jiang Shangbai is presented as a powerful, politically important figure: a dual-ghost Handler backed by the Circle of Friends and considered a potential Headquarters captain.
• Hu Liena notices Lin Cheng’s attention is fixed on Jiang Shangbai rather than her and feels jealous.
• Wang Xiaoming shifts from manipulating alliances to pursuing a plan under Headquarters’ own control. His calm, clinical treatment of the prisoners underscores his willingness to sacrifice others.
• Wei Jing remains loyal to Headquarters and accepts a potentially fatal experiment, though he questions whether Lin Cheng will cooperate.

Significant themes

• Factional loyalty and power: Lin Cheng’s protection of Yang Jian contrasts with Headquarters’ and the Circle of Friends’ political maneuvering.
• Exploitation in the name of survival: Headquarters deceived and abused vulnerable Ghost Handlers to serve its research.
• Trust and self-reliance: Fang Shiming’s defection convinces Wang that Headquarters must develop its own supernatural forces.
• Moral sacrifice and cold calculation: Wei Jing volunteers for danger, while Wang treats human lives—including his own brother’s death—as matters subordinate to the larger plan.

Key events

• Lin Cheng lifts the Sky Screen’s concealment, making himself visible to the Douluo Continent. Viewers speculate about his identity, while Yu Xiaogang confidently—but inaccurately—interprets his pajamas and relaxed posture as signs of insecurity.
• In the underground arena, Hu Liena faces Jiang Shangbai, who intends to restore the Circle of Friends’ reputation after Yang Jian’s earlier attack on Gao Zhiqiang.
• Hu Liena strikes first with her corrupted Soul Skill, Bewitchment, inflicting severe mental pain on Jiang Shangbai.
• Jiang Shangbai responds with his ghost domain and Ghost Stomp, which forces Hu Liena to her knees. The White Veil protects her temporarily, but its power is also corroding her face.
• Hu Liena risks a desperate counterattack. Her phantom fox injures Jiang Shangbai and destabilizes the two ghosts within him, but the attack also awakens the supernatural threat inside her veil.
• Before either fighter loses control, Li Jun intervenes with ghost fire and ends the confrontation. Jiang Shangbai withdraws, and Hu Liena survives, though she is left collapsed and badly endangered.

Character developments and interactions

• Hu Liena fights with urgency rather than testing her opponent, showing courage and determination. As she suffers, however, she grows bitter toward Lin Cheng, believing he could have saved her but chose to watch.
• Jiang Shangbai begins with contemptuous confidence, but Hu Liena’s attacks shock him and threaten his control over his ghosts. He leaves once Li Jun stops the fight.
• Lin Cheng remains a detached observer, deliberately revealing himself to the world and privately mocking Yu Xiaogang’s analysis.
• Li Jun acts as a pragmatic mediator, stopping the battle before it escalates into an uncontrollable clash between powerful groups.
• The fight is shaped by the contrast between Hu Liena’s reckless commitment and Jiang Shangbai’s calculated attempt to assert his faction’s strength.

Significant themes

• Power and its cost: Using supernatural abilities can both harm an opponent and hasten the user’s own ruin.
• Agency and abandonment: Hu Liena’s dangerous sacrifice is sharpened by her sense that Lin Cheng could intervene but does not.
• Public image versus reality: The Sky Screen invites speculation about Lin Cheng, while Yu Xiaogang’s confident reading proves how easily appearances can be misinterpreted.
• Escalation and restraint: Li Jun’s intervention recognizes that the duel’s purpose has been served and that continuing could trigger a wider conflict.

Plot points and events

• At Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong watches Hu Liena suffer severe facial damage through the Sky Screen. She regrets having her join the Paranormal Forum, believing Headquarters would have protected her more readily.
• In Headquarters’ underground vault, Zhao Jianguo tells Yang Jian that Lin Cheng recommended him as a candidate for Headquarters’ captain plan. Yang Jian remains open to the offer, partly because of the resources it could provide.
• Yang Jian chooses the dangerous Ghost Cards, despite Zhao Jianguo’s warnings that past draws have caused a supernatural outbreak, instant death, or brief protection. Yang Jian intends the item for Zhang Wei, whose control over luck makes him unusually suited to its risks.
• Yang Jian also takes the Shroud, which can hide a living person from most supernaturals or suppress ghosts, but gradually lowers the wearer’s body temperature.
• Back at the Training Arena, Hu Liena passes Lin Cheng, hoping for some acknowledgment. His apparent indifference fuels her resentment—until she realizes the White Veil is distorting her emotions and replacing her human feelings with a ghost’s obsession.
• Chen Yi informs Lin Cheng that Professor Wang Xiaoming is waiting in the laboratory to speak with him privately. Lin Cheng suspects Wang has finally reached a decision.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Jian shows caution and opportunism: he accepts the possibility of joining Headquarters for its benefits, while selecting hazardous items with a specific use in mind.
• Zhao Jianguo tries to build rapport with Yang Jian and responsibly warns him about the items’ dangers, but ultimately respects his choices.
• Hu Liena moves from hurt and resentment toward self-awareness, recognizing that her supernatural influence is warping her thoughts. Her suffering also deepens Bibi Dong’s regret and concern.
• Lin Cheng remains detached from Hu Liena but continues to attract attention from powerful figures; Wang Xiaoming’s request signals an important upcoming conversation.
• Zhang Wei does not appear, but Yang Jian’s choice of the Ghost Cards reflects his confidence in Zhang Wei’s ability to manipulate luck.

Significant themes

• The cost of supernatural power: Ghosts threaten not only the body but also a person’s emotions and identity.
• Risk and calculated advantage: Dangerous tools may be worthwhile when matched to someone uniquely capable of handling them.
• Institutional protection versus personal detachment: Bibi Dong contrasts Headquarters’ willingness to intervene with Lin Cheng’s apparent indifference.
• Trust and self-preservation: Yang Jian pursues resources without committing to Headquarters, while Hu Liena learns that even her own feelings may no longer be trustworthy.

Plot points

• Lin Cheng meets Wang Xiaoming in a sealed, gold-lined conference room at Headquarters. He recognizes it as a trap designed to contain him, but stays calm and sits down.
• Wang reveals that he deliberately kept Lin Cheng in Dajing City through the accelerated rookie training and the “Captain Plan.”
• He asks Lin Cheng to use his time-resetting Fierce Supernatural to help create a Ghost Handler capable of suppressing all paranormal revivals.
• Wang’s proposed method is to place the Ghost Messenger—an entity that can suppress and fatally attack other ghosts—inside a Titled Douluo’s powerful body, then replace the body’s original consciousness with someone trustworthy.
• Lin Cheng dismisses the plan as reckless, but recognizes its logic and shows more interest once Wang explains the Ghost Messenger’s abilities.
• The chapter reveals that Lin Cheng is already pursuing a similar experiment. He has locked Zhang Lei, who carries the gluttonous ghost, in a gold room with Zhao Kaiming’s Wish-Granter Ghost. Zhang Lei’s wish to keep the gluttonous ghost fed creates an endless supernatural struggle. Lin Cheng hopes the Wish-Granter Ghost will eventually weaken and become controllable.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Cheng remains composed despite realizing he may be trapped. His suspicion and sharp deductions expose Wang’s true motives. Though he mocks the proposal, his lack of surprise shows he is already attempting a comparable plan himself.
• Wang Xiaoming is blunt and calculating, openly admitting that the chamber was built for Lin Cheng. He reveals his ambition to create an exceptionally powerful, controllable Ghost Handler.
• Their conversation is a contest of intelligence: Wang tests Lin Cheng’s reaction, while Lin Cheng questions the plan’s feasibility and forces Wang to explain his real objective.
• Zhang Lei is not present, but the revelation of Lin Cheng’s experiment shows the dangerous role he has been made to play. His dependence on continual feeding makes him both a potential weapon and a serious threat.

Significant themes

• Control versus containment: Both men seek to harness dangerous supernatural forces, but their methods involve isolating people and manipulating ghostly rules.
• Power at a human cost: Creating a seemingly unbeatable Ghost Handler requires sacrificing autonomy, safety, or even a person’s original consciousness.
• Rational ambition and reckless experimentation: Wang’s grand plan and Lin Cheng’s existing scheme show how far their strategic thinking extends—and how easily it can cross ethical boundaries.
• Mutual suspicion: Even while discussing cooperation, both men treat the other as a possible threat.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Cheng has theorized that combining the Wish-Granter Ghost with the Glutton Ghost could change the cost of making wishes: Zhang Lei might need to devour a Fierce Supernatural, which could then become another piece of the Wish-Granter Ghost.
• Wang Xiaoming proposes a dangerous plan to create a powerful Ghost Handler by releasing the Ghost Messenger, using Lin Cheng’s Ghost Fish to force it back into its coffin, and triggering a paranormal fusion with a Titled Douluo. A music box’s death curse would erase any consciousness left in the body, allowing Wang to transfer his own consciousness into it.
• Lin Cheng questions why he should help, suspecting Wang has trapped him in the Golden House to coerce him. Wang denies wanting to force him and offers three terms: unrestricted access to Headquarters’ resources for the Paranormal Forum, information about Fang Shiming’s plans against the Forum, and a way to resolve the paranormal instability inside Lin Cheng.
• The mention of Fang Shiming sharpens Lin Cheng’s interest. He privately reviews a recording of Ning Rongrong, whom he suspects may be connected to recent defections and Fang Shiming’s plans.
• Wang argues that Lin Cheng is close to an evil ghost revival and is seeking a way to survive. Lin Cheng admits he is looking for a chance to survive, but says most of Wang’s deductions are wrong. He considers the Ghost Messenger plan useful—yet says he must deal with another problem first.

Character developments

• Lin Cheng remains calculating and confident, weighing Wang’s offer while concealing what he knows and privately investigating the Forum’s situation. He acknowledges his need for a survival plan but does not confirm Wang’s theory about his imminent revival.
• Wang Xiaoming reveals both the ambition and safeguards behind his plan. He has studied Lin Cheng closely and believes Lin’s need for survival gives him leverage, though he mistakes Lin’s reaction for confirmation.

Character interactions

• Lin Cheng challenges Wang’s plan as dangerous and questions whether the Golden House is meant to trap him. Wang responds calmly, framing the proposal as a bargain rather than coercion.
• Wang’s offer shifts their negotiation: Lin Cheng dismisses the resource deal but becomes attentive when Fang Shiming and the Paranormal Forum are mentioned.
• Wang attempts to persuade Lin by interpreting Lin’s power and accumulated favors as evidence of an impending supernatural collapse; Lin quietly corrects the impression without revealing his full circumstances.

Significant themes

• Risk and control: Containing or combining supernatural forces demands extreme safeguards, yet can still threaten catastrophe.
• Bargaining and leverage: Both men approach cooperation strategically, weighing personal gain against future danger.
• Knowledge and misinterpretation: Wang’s careful deductions are largely wrong, while Lin’s secret access to information gives him an advantage.
• Survival and ambition: The plan promises power and a possible remedy for Lin, but its deeper appeal lies in how it might serve his future designs.

Plot points and events

• Lin Cheng learns through a playback that Fang Shiming and He Tianxiong brazenly infiltrated the Paranormal Forum’s headquarters in Dachang City. He sees the attack as a direct provocation and suspects the Circle of Friends paid Fang Shiming to do it, possibly in retaliation for the Cockroach Club’s destruction.
• Wang Xiaoming admits he had used Fang Shiming against Lin Cheng, but insists the plan changed: the sealed Golden House was meant to protect Lin Cheng from Fang Shiming, who may soon control another vengeful ghost.
• Wang warns that the Ghost Messenger Plan is underway, Ghost Douluo has used the Music Box, and its certain-death curse is expected in two days. He wants Lin Cheng to stay put because he is essential to the plan.
• Lin Cheng rejects Wang’s attempt to protect him. He orders the Forum to suspend all current missions and issue its highest-level S-rank mission: destroy the Circle of Friends.
• Liu Xiaoyu, though on leave, immediately accepts the order. Ye Zhen abandons his video game, rallies Dahai City’s Ghost Handlers, and prepares to deploy to Dajing City. A Wu doubts the wisdom of the operation.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Cheng shifts from controlled anger to decisive retaliation, making clear that the Forum will not tolerate attacks on its people.
• Wang Xiaoming reveals his involvement in the Fang Shiming scheme and argues that strategic necessity must take priority over Lin Cheng’s safety. His usual composure cracks when Lin Cheng declares war.
• Liu Xiaoyu responds to the emergency with professionalism and loyalty, immediately moving from relaxed time off to duty.
• Ye Zhen is thrilled by the chance to fight the Circle of Friends and quickly mobilizes his branch, while A Wu remains cautious and skeptical.
• Lin Cheng and Wang clash over whether Lin should be shielded for the Ghost Messenger Plan or allowed to act against the Circle of Friends.

Significant themes

• Retaliation and deterrence: Lin Cheng treats the infiltration as a line that cannot be crossed without consequences.
• Duty versus individual safety: Wang prioritizes a plan he believes is vital to humanity; Lin refuses to be managed in the name of that plan.
• Loyalty and readiness: The Forum’s members respond swiftly to Lin’s command, even when it interrupts their personal lives.
• Escalating conflict: The Circle of Friends’ actions trigger a major confrontation just as the Ghost Messenger Plan and its looming curse create additional danger.

Plot points

• Ye Zhen mobilizes Paranormal Forum forces for an S-rank mission personally assigned by Lin Cheng. A Wu immediately orders the Forum’s attack helicopters launched, even if Headquarters’ air-traffic control tries to stop them.
• In Dachang City, Zhang Wei finishes stopping a robber before joining Yan Li and Feng Quan aboard a helicopter bound for Dajing City.
• Feng Quan explains that the powerful supernatural entity he controls is making him forget his identity; if he forgets himself entirely, it will revive. On Ye Zhen’s advice, he wears a conspicuous cape printed with his name so people will say it and help him remember who he is.
• In Peaceful Ancient Town, He Yin’er receives the mission and tells her grandfather, He Liansheng, that Ye Zhen seems angry. She declines his offer to send extra help, choosing to fulfill her own duty as a Forum member.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhen is impatient and eager for action, but stresses that the mission’s urgency—not a desire to stir up trouble—drives him.
• A Wu shifts from caution to immediate, ruthless resolve once he learns Lin Cheng personally issued the order. He coordinates the launch and commands his team.
• Feng Quan is struggling to preserve his identity, but Ye Zhen’s practical advice gives him a temporary safeguard. Zhang Wei initially mistakes the cape for a fashion choice, then understands and praises Ye Zhen’s ingenuity.
• Zhang Wei remains boastful and comic while helping uphold the law; his casual kindness helps bring Feng Quan out of his daze.
• He Yin’er shows independence and loyalty by refusing to rely on her grandfather, while recognizing that sending him would alter the nature of the favor owed to Ye Zhen. He Liansheng respects her judgment and lets her go.

Themes

• Duty and loyalty: Characters from different places leave their own affairs to answer the mission.
• Identity and memory: Feng Quan’s name-bearing cape is a simple, human reminder holding back a dangerous supernatural force.
• Reciprocity and independence: He Yin’er wants to repay a debt through her own service rather than let her grandfather settle it for her.
• Urgency and escalating conflict: The Forum’s rapid mobilization—and the claim that Ye Zhen is angry—signals that the mission in Dajing City is serious.

Plot points

• Zhou Deng is pursued relentlessly by a Peddler, a powerful Fierce Supernatural carrying a rack of strange objects. His Ghost Tides can barely slow it down.
• The previous day, Zhou tried to trade with the Peddler. When it demanded a ghost as payment, his Thief Ghost prompted him to steal one from the Peddler’s rack instead. Before the exchange could be completed, the Peddler began hunting him under what seems to be a triggered killing rule.
• After fleeing for a day and night, Zhou learns from Liu Xiaoyu that the Forum is assembling to attack the Circle of Friends. She directs him to head for Dajing City, where Lin Cheng is.
• Zhou refuses to trouble Lin with his predicament and asks Liu to pass on an apology if he dies before reaching the city.
• Ye Zhen declines to join the operation, saying he will act only if someone personally asks him for help.
• Lin Cheng receives updates on the gathering forces and the Circle of Friends operation. Wang Xiaoming notices that Lin’s call works despite the Golden House’s communications isolation, but Lin does not explain how.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Deng regrets his impulsive theft and faces the consequences with exhausted resolve. Though frightened, he chooses to keep moving toward Dajing City and not burden Lin.
• Liu Xiaoyu coordinates the Forum’s response and warns Zhou to be careful, while relaying the team’s status to Lin.
• Ye Zhen remains aloof and unwilling to follow orders unless personally called upon.
• Lin Cheng stays composed and mysterious, revealing nothing about how he bypassed the Golden House’s isolation.
• Wang Xiaoming is curious about Lin’s unexplained communication ability but accepts the outcome without pressing him, prioritizing the Ghost Messenger plan.

Significant themes

• Consequences of recklessness: Zhou’s attempt to exploit a supernatural transaction turns into a deadly pursuit.
• Loyalty and self-sacrifice: Zhou refuses to distract Lin, even while believing he may die.
• Power and mystery: The Peddler’s strength—and Lin’s ability to communicate through isolation—underscore how much remains unknown about the supernatural world.
• Conflicting priorities: The Forum prepares to attack the Circle of Friends, while Wang Xiaoming remains focused on ensuring the Ghost Messenger plan succeeds.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Cheng reveals that destroying the Circle of Friends was not only retaliation against Fang Shiming, but also a way to clear the path for Red Ning to build her Soul Master empire. He believes her new identity and choices show that her will has grown beyond what the Sheepskin Paper predicted.
• As two cars carrying Red Ning and Fang Shiming leave Dachang City, Red Ning spots a Paranormal Forum helicopter and realizes the Forum is moving against the Circle of Friends. Fang Shiming orders the group’s core members to prepare for war and hints he may pull Headquarters into the conflict if necessary.
• Red Ning leaves Fang Shiming’s group with Yu Tianheng, Zhu Zhuqing, and Liu Erlong, warning Fang Shiming that controlling the Starvation Ghost will be dangerous. Suspicious of her intentions, Fang Shiming refuses to trust her plan and directs his car toward Daxin City, where he has a contingency.
• At Headquarters in Dajing City, Yang Jian watches a training arena where exhausted rookie Ghost Handlers are repeatedly rescued by Li Jun, then carried away by staff. The pattern troubles him, especially since none of the rescued trainees return. As he investigates, Liu Xiaoyu contacts him, and his Ghost Eye opens to scan the arena.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Cheng is revealed as a calculating strategist who has been shaping events to strengthen Red Ning’s position.
• Red Ning acts independently and decisively, no longer treating Fang Shiming as an authority. Her departure underscores her growing autonomy and ambition.
• Fang Shiming remains pragmatic and distrustful. He prepares for conflict but refuses to stake his life on Red Ning’s prediction, preferring a backup plan.
• Yang Jian grows suspicious of Headquarters’ training operation and the unexplained removal of the trainees. Li Jun’s repeated interventions make him central to that mystery.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Lin Cheng’s campaign aims to weaken entrenched interests so Red Ning can command Fang Shiming and pursue her own empire.
• Trust versus self-preservation: Red Ning and Fang Shiming cooperate, but each acts independently; Fang Shiming’s distrust reflects his belief that survival depends on his own choices.
• Hidden agendas: Lin Cheng’s strategic motives, Fang Shiming’s contingency, and Headquarters’ suspicious training procedures all suggest that characters and institutions are concealing their true intentions.

• Plot: Yang Jian learns from Liu Xiaoyu that Headquarters has ordered an attack on the Paranormal Forum. Suspecting that Wang Xiaoming lured Lin Cheng to Dajing City as part of a Headquarters–Circle of Friends plot, Yang decides to strike first by targeting the Circle’s key representative, Jiang Shangbai. He asks Li Jun where Jiang is, pretending he wants to smooth things over after killing Gao Zhiqiang. Li directs him to a lounge, where Jiang is recovering from Hu Liena’s disruption of the supernatural forces within him. Yang uses his power to make Jiang fall asleep and transports him to a misty, blood-stinking village, where Jiang discovers his powers are gone and a huge black dog is approaching. Back in the lounge, Yang prepares to kill Jiang with his Ghost Hand—but someone interrupts with a command to stop.
• Character developments: Yang’s suspicion and paranoia sharpen into decisive preemptive violence; he no longer waits to learn whether Headquarters is truly his enemy. Li Jun notices that Yang’s supposedly conciliatory behavior is out of character and follows him, suggesting his instincts may expose the attack. Jiang, usually dangerous because of the two supernatural entities inside him, is reduced to helpless terror once they disappear.
• Interactions: Yang carefully misleads Li Jun to get Jiang’s location. Li provides it but grows uneasy and trails him. Yang and Jiang barely exchange words before Yang attacks; Jiang’s threats turn to panic in the strange village.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes mistrust, political maneuvering, and the danger of acting on uncertain information. It also contrasts supernatural power with vulnerability: stripped of his abilities, Jiang becomes prey, while Yang’s readiness to kill shows how quickly fear and suspicion can turn conflict into escalation.

Plot points and events

• Li Jun interrupts Yang Jian as he is about to kill the sleeping Jiang Shangbai, separating them with green ghost fire and accusing Yang of violating Headquarters’ rules.
• Yang withdraws, warning that Jiang will die soon regardless. Liu San, Li Leping, and Wang Chalin arrive; Li Jun urges them to restrain Yang, but Li and Wang refuse to risk fighting him.
• Liu San challenges Yang to prove his strength. Yang recognizes that the Liu San addressing him is a paper duplicate, then activates his fourth-layer ghost domain and transports the fight to the empty field.
• Liu San appears there with three paper copies. Yang quickly destroys two. Li Jun and the others arrive, and Yang again warns them not to interfere in the feud between the Paranormal Forum and the Circle of Friends.

Character developments

• Yang Jian is more powerful and confident after controlling the Ghost Bone, which lets him bear four Ghost Eyes. He remains focused on his conflict with the Circle of Friends and openly threatens the captains who might oppose him.
• Li Jun tries to uphold order and protect Jiang, but recognizes the danger Yang poses. He ultimately enters the ghost domain to confront the situation.
• Liu San is eager to test Yang, relying on paper duplicates and dismissing the idea that controlling more ghosts guarantees strength.
• Li Leping and Wang Chalin choose not to risk their lives for the Circle of Friends.

Themes

• Power and intimidation: Yang’s expanding abilities let him dominate the confrontation and dictate where it happens.
• Loyalty versus duty: Headquarters’ captains must decide whether to enforce order or stay out of a private feud.
• Escalating conflict: The dispute between the Paranormal Forum and the Circle of Friends threatens to draw in Headquarters and its captains.

Character interactions

• Yang and Li Jun clash over whether Headquarters should intervene in the feud.
• Li Jun asks the other captains to help restrain Yang, but Li Leping and Wang Chalin remain passive.
• Liu San provokes Yang into a direct contest; Yang answers by exposing the duplicate and moving the fight outside.
• Yang finishes by warning Li Jun and the other captains that further interference could make them his enemies too.

Plot points and events

• Yang Jian confronts Li Jun and the three Headquarters captains—Li Leping, Wang Chalin, and Liu San—after they interfere in his dispute with the Circle of Friends. He warns them that he will kill them if they intervene again.
• Li Jun says Yang’s four-layer ghost domain is stronger than Headquarters expected, but argues that four captains can defeat him together. He reveals that Lin Cheng has been lured into a specially built Golden House beneath Headquarters, apparently removing the Forum’s strongest defender from the confrontation.
• Convinced Lin Cheng cannot intervene, the three captains join Li Jun. Their combined supernatural powers begin breaking through Yang Jian’s ghost domain.
• Yang realizes Headquarters and the Circle of Friends may have arranged a trap. He contacts Lin Cheng, who calmly tells him to proceed because “it’s almost time.”
• As Yang prepares to use the Ghost Card and Shroud in a desperate fight, a newcomer bursts through the red domain in a brilliant yellow one. The cloaked man, wearing an enormous bamboo hat, announces: “You think the Paranormal Forum has no one to fight back?!”

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Jian remains defiant, but recognizes that fighting four elite opponents at once may overwhelm even his powerful ghost domain. He shifts from warning them to preparing for a potentially all-out battle.
• Li Jun takes command of the confrontation, persuading the others that Lin Cheng’s absence makes retaliation safe.
• Wang Chalin reluctantly steps forward to support Headquarters, while Li Leping and Liu San quietly ready their abilities. Liu San is especially frustrated by the destruction of his paper doubles.
• Lin Cheng remains calm and cryptic over the communication channel, suggesting that he knows more about the timing or situation than Yang does.
• The four captains move from hesitation to cooperation against Yang; their coordinated assault is interrupted by the unidentified Forum supporter.

Significant themes

• Power and numbers: Yang Jian’s individual strength is formidable, but four elite Ghost Handlers working together threaten to overpower him.
• Betrayal and political maneuvering: The apparent trap involving Lin Cheng suggests that Headquarters and the Circle of Friends are coordinating behind the scenes.
• Loyalty and resistance: The newcomer’s entrance signals that the Paranormal Forum will not leave Yang to face its enemies alone.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Zhen joins Yang Jian’s confrontation with four captains, boasting that Yang is too young to handle the situation alone. Zhang Wei arrives next, armed with two golden Desert Eagles, followed by Feng Quan, whose white Ghost Domain and deathly gravestone counter Li Leping’s black ghost smoke.
• The standoff is interrupted by news that unauthorized helicopters bearing the Paranormal Forum’s insignia are forcing their way into Dajing City’s airspace.
• Hu Liena, Yan, and Huang Ziya watch the Ghost Domains clash from the training-base building, realizing how far beyond their abilities top-tier Ghost Handlers are.
• Across the Douluo Continent, observers watch the confrontation. Bibi Dong recognizes that Headquarters has powerful figures beyond Yang Jian, while Yu Xiaogang concedes that unity and numbers cannot overcome an overwhelming power gap.
• The Paranormal Forum launches an assault on the Circle of Friends headquarters. Liu Xiaoyu sends the target coordinates to the operatives; Ghost Handlers jump or rappel from helicopters into the city.
• Yan Li advances toward the target, leaving bloody footprints. He Yin’er refuses to join the battle between Yang Jian and Ye Zhen, instead focusing on Boss Lin’s assignment and preparing several powerful Republican-era paranormal objects.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Zhen arrives as Yang Jian’s self-assured ally, publicly treating him like a younger subordinate.
• Zhang Wei presents himself as fearless and eager to protect others, while Feng Quan adds a grim, imposing presence to the allied force.
• Huang Ziya, Hu Liena, and Yan respond with awe and fear, recognizing their own inexperience.
• Bibi Dong revises her understanding of the world’s power structure; Yu Xiaogang likewise abandons his earlier confidence in numbers and organization.
• He Yin’er shows caution and discipline by avoiding a fight beyond her level and prioritizing her assigned mission. Liu Xiaoyu takes an active command role despite being new to operations.

Significant themes

• The vast gap between novices and elite Ghost Handlers.
• The limits of strength in numbers when confronted by overwhelming individual power.
• Different forms of courage: bold confrontation, disciplined restraint, and carrying out one’s duty amid danger.
• The escalation from a local supernatural standoff to a coordinated citywide attack.

Plot points and events

• Red Ning ends her temporary alliance with Fang Shiming, judging him too ambitious and uncontrollable. She says she gave him the Starvation Ghost so he would draw the attention of the Paranormal Forum and Headquarters, buying her time to act.
• Red Ning sends Yu Tianheng, Zhu Zhuqing, and Liu Erlong to hide in Dajiang City while she heads alone toward Dajing City. Using the Nine-Level Ghost Tower and mutated supernatural power, she flies without Soul Rings or other tools.
• Across the Douluo Continent, observers are shocked by her unnatural flight. Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu recognize that her power has been transformed by supernatural forces.
• At Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang condemns Red Ning’s plan to build a Soul Master empire and urges the others to seek protection from the Paranormal Forum or Headquarters instead.
• In Dajing City, Yang Jian and others face a dangerous standoff at the training base, where overlapping ghost domains fill the grounds. Ye Zhen and Zhang Wei boast about their “presence,” while Yang Jian notices an imposing man carrying a gravestone whose aura pushes back the red ghost domain.

Character developments and interactions

• Red Ning shows herself to be strategic and determined to build an independent force for Soul Masters, though her methods and altered nature make her increasingly unsettling. She gives Yu Tianheng clear orders, and he accepts them despite his reservations.
• Yu Xiaogang reverses his earlier position, now dismissing Red Ning’s ambitions and advising Shrek’s group to align with established powers. Dai Mubai and the others are unconvinced by his sudden certainty.
• Tang San reacts with resentment to Ning Rongrong’s terrifying new abilities.
• Ye Zhen and Zhang Wei bond through exaggerated mutual praise, providing comic bravado amid the danger. Yang Jian remains unimpressed and focused on the threat.
• Yang Jian’s attention shifts to the gravestone-bearing newcomer, whom he recognizes as a potentially formidable figure.

Significant themes

• Power and transformation: Supernatural forces grant extraordinary abilities but visibly erode the boundary between human and monster.
• Survival and allegiance: Characters must choose between independent ambition and the protection of powerful organizations.
• Uncertainty and hypocrisy: Yu Xiaogang’s changed advice highlights how quickly convictions shift under pressure.
• Tension balanced by humor: Ye Zhen and Zhang Wei’s grandstanding contrasts with the lethal setting.