Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu’s group reached Riegel Base, where their disciplined formation and strength made the resident Card Adepts wary. After renting a residential section, Chen Mu and Bagnell explored the base and learned about its traders and the different ranks of Card Adepts who lived there.

• Chen Mu’s group intimidated the watching Card Adepts after Chen Mu revealed his ruthless side and the team’s combatants showed their coordination.
• Jeeves recommended that Bagnell rent a residential section, and the group completed the arrangements for rooms for eight hundred people.
• Bagnell asked who had rebuilt Riegel Base, and Jeeves said the Hughes Trading Company had built it ten years earlier.
• Chen Mu, Bagnell, and their companions toured the trading area while the rest of the group rested under Wei'a’s watch.
• Jeeves explained that the base housed about three thousand permanent Card Adepts and that the strongest hunters returned least often.

Chen Mu and his companions visited the Hughes Trading Company to find raw materials and high-quality Card Machinery. The company’s manager, Miss Xiao, welcomed them and began assessing the group’s unusual discipline and impressive presence.

• Jeeves explained that local traders exchanged goods mainly for Energy Cards, and Chen Mu said they wanted raw materials while Bagnell asked to see only high-quality Card Machinery.
• Jeeves led the group to the Hughes Trading Company’s heavily guarded upper level, where the Card Adept surnamed Dai sensed a faint Perception fluctuation and suspected an expert was among them.
• The Card Adept surnamed Dai and his guards formally welcomed Chen Mu’s group into the company.
• Miss Xiao greeted the visitors, and Xi Ping introduced Chen Mu as their boss.
• Miss Xiao praised Lu Xiaoru’s beauty and studied the group, concluding that they had an extraordinary background.

Chen Mu and his companions negotiated with Miss Xiao at the Hughes Trading Company, where she recognized him as a Card Crafter and tried to secure a card-making deal. Chen Mu declined because the group planned to leave in two days, and Bagnell ended the meeting by asking Miss Xiao whether she knew Mark Hughes.

• Chen Mu selected high-grade and unidentified materials while Bagnell and Heta chose military-standard card machinery.
• Xi Ping negotiated a low price for the materials and machinery, and Miss Xiao asked Chen Mu to explain the unidentified materials.
• Miss Xiao guessed that Chen Mu was an Advanced Card Maker and proposed buying a batch of four-star cards, offering payment in Odi or other goods.
• Miss Xiao revealed that the trading company had disposed of a tail following the group, but Chen Mu declined her proposed deal because they would leave after two days.
• Bagnell asked Miss Xiao whether she knew Mark Hughes.

Chen Mu and his companions met Xiao Liqian at Riegel Base, where Bagnell learned she was the niece of his old friend Hughes. Xiao Liqian offered to introduce them to the powerful Card Adept Xiao Bo, and Chen Mu began preparing to craft a card that might persuade him to join them.

• Bagnell recognized Xiao Liqian as Hughes's niece, learned Hughes had died five years earlier, and asked Chen Mu to help her.
• Xiao Liqian explained that her uncle had built Riegel Base and offered to introduce the group to Xiao Bo when he returned.
• Captain Dai described Xiao Bo's precise control of amorphous energy, high Perception sensitivity, and auxiliary card abilities.
• Xiao Liqian agreed to part with Xiao Bo despite relying on him, and Chen Mu promised to remember her kindness.
• Chen Mu entered the Card-Making Room with Ru Qiu and, after reflecting on his recent energy-model insights, felt a strong urge to craft cards.

Su Liu Cherou treated Captain Dai’s old injury, drawing a queue of jungle card adepts that Bagnell and Xi Ping managed by demanding valuable materials as payment. Meanwhile, Chen Mu began crafting a card from rare materials, with Ru Qiu assisting, and the chapter ended as she monitored the reactions in the molten faceted crystal.

• Su Liu Cherou cured Captain Dai’s lingering ailment, and his perception and strength rapidly improved.
• Bagnell arranged a treatment room for Su Liu Cherou, while Xi Ping appraised payments from a queue of jungle card adepts.
• Chen Mu planned a card using his rare materials and supplies he had purchased from Xiao Liqian, then made Ru Qiu memorize the crafting procedures.
• Chen Mu began the crafting process with Ru Qiu’s help, using a large piece of faceted crystal as a melting agent.

Chen Mu successfully crafted and named the powerful [Wheel] card after completing a demanding process with Ru Qiu. Meanwhile, Bagnell and Xi Ping collected valuable gear from Jungle Card Adepts, and Bagnell watched the mysterious Xiao Bo return to the base.

• Chen Mu treated the Snow Maple blank card while Ru Qiu prepared the reagent, and he combined the materials to create the card’s amber structural pattern.
• Chen Mu completed the card with a final stroke, and its breathing glow confirmed that the craft had succeeded.
• After resting, Chen Mu inscribed “023 • [Wheel]-C” on the card, naming the first Digital Series Card with a specific name.
• Bagnell and Xi Ping finished collecting valuable items from the Jungle Card Adepts and considered increasing Su Liu Cherou’s compensation.
• Xiao Bo returned to the base through the gathered adepts, and Bagnell watched him closely as he headed for the escalator.

Chen Mu tested [Wheel]'s unusual perception effects before a white-haired man attacked him outside. Trapped in an electrified net, Chen Mu activated a structure from [Wheel] that produced an unexpectedly tiny amber ring, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Chen Mu explored [Wheel]'s energy structure and discovered that its petal arrangements let him perceive the outside world with extraordinary clarity, though his sensitivity could not control its finest details.
• Chen Mu left with Ru Qiu and encountered a white-haired man whose perception sensitivity surpassed his own.
• Chen Mu sent Ru Qiu inside, then charged the stranger but dodged a net of sharp energy threads and an electrified rope.
• The white-haired man spread a large electrical net around Chen Mu, trapping him as Ru Qiu tried to contact Bagnell.
• Chen Mu used [Wheel] to form a circular chain of energy discs, but the card produced only a fist-sized amber ring of light instead of a protective shield.

Chen Mu survived the electric net when the amber ring absorbed it, then unleashed his fury on the white-haired man, who was revealed to be Xiao Bo. The chapter ended with Chen Mu chasing Xiao Bo through the base while the assembled Card Adepts watched in disbelief.

• Chen Mu's perception broke through at the brink of death, and the amber ring absorbed the electric net before he switched to the Tail-Shedding Shuttle.
• Enraged by the white-haired man's attack, Chen Mu fired Tail-Shedding Shuttles and charged after him.
• Bagnell assembled the base's squads and sent the first, third, and fifth squads toward the Seventh Floor.
• Chen Mu chased Xiao Bo through the air, using his speed and unpredictable fighting style while Xiao Bo fled.
• The crowd watched the pursuit in astonishment as Xiao Liqian asked what was happening.

Chen Mu beat Xiao Bo into submission, then offered him the Wheel as a reason to join the team. Xiao Bo demonstrated the card’s extraordinary abilities, and Chen Mu prepared to leave for Tiandongli District with a powerful new ally.

• Chen Mu chased Xiao Bo until their Energy Cards ran out, then beat him with his fists until Xiao Bo surrendered and agreed to follow him.
• Chen Mu summoned Su Liu Cherou to heal Xiao Bo, then asked him to consider joining the group as they prepared to leave in a few days.
• Xiao Bo examined the Wheel and demonstrated how it formed an amber light ring and mist around him.
• At Chen Mu’s direction, Xi Ruiyi fired Silver Threads at the ring, which absorbed them and released a powerful beam that destroyed a chair.
• Xiao Bo activated the Wheel’s gravity ability, increasing the weight everyone felt, and Chen Mu realized the card suited him exceptionally well.

Xi Ping negotiated Xiao Bo into a twenty-five-year service contract in exchange for the powerful [Wheel] card. The chapter ended with Wei'a defeating Xiao Bo in seconds after Xiao Bo challenged him.

• Xiao Bo offered to serve Chen Mu in exchange for keeping the [Wheel], but Xi Ping bargained on Chen Mu’s behalf.
• Xi Ping secured Xiao Bo’s signature on a certified contract requiring twenty-five years of service and placing him under Bagnell’s authority.
• Xiao Bo challenged Wei'a, eager to prove himself with the new card.
• Wei'a swiftly knocked Xiao Bo unconscious with a single punch, despite Chen Mu’s order not to kill him.

Xiao Liqian stayed behind to run the Hughes Trading Company, while Bagnell and the others continued their journey to Tiandongli District. After three months, they reached Botillman Town and entered its dazzling, crowded cityscape.

• Xiao Liqian refused to abandon the Hughes Trading Company, and Bagnell gave her five cards to recruit experts.
• Xiao Liqian noticed the serial numbers on the cards and realized they belonged to the sought-after numbered set.
• Bagnell and Xi Ping discussed keeping Xiao Bo under control as the group traveled onward.
• After three months on the road, Chen Mu and the group presented their passes at the Tiandongli District checkpoint and entered while wealthy onlookers were turned away.
• The group reached Botillman Town and marveled at its enormous crowds of Card Adepts, flower gardens, towering buildings, shuttlecraft, and glowing pedestrian zone.

Chen Mu's group traveled north into Tiandongli District's ice-and-snow region, where Brenton introduced them to its thriving settlements and specialized Card Adept society. When Brenton detected approaching Xi Birds by their scent, the group formed defensive positions as the flock appeared in the sky.

• Chen Mu chose the ice-and-snow region because Frostmoon Cold Isle had less control there and he could sell Federation Comprehensive Academy cards more safely.
• Brenton explained that Tiandongli District had widespread Card Adept training, contribution-based resident benefits, and specialized careers such as perceptive olfaction.
• Brenton described the ice cities and Underwater Community while guiding the group north.
• Brenton detected Xi Birds by sensing their scent molecules and warned everyone to run.
• Bagnell's forces formed a defensive ring around the noncombatants and shuttlecraft as the Xi Birds flew toward them.

Chen Mu’s group fought off a flock of Xi Birds after Lu Xiaoru’s infrasound disrupted their attack, but one Card Adept died and another was severely injured. The group survived and gained valuable materials, while Chen Mu reflected on how much worse the battle could have been without Lu Xiaoru.

• Brenton and the others spotted a flock of Xi Birds diving toward them, and Bagnell ordered Lu Xiaoru to act.
• Lu Xiaoru unleashed High-Frequency Infrasound, throwing the Xi Birds into disarray and giving the group an opening to attack.
• The Card Adepts battered the flock with Energy Shuttles and other attacks, but one Xi Bird broke through and killed a Card Adept before Chen Mu shattered its shield.
• Chen Mu destroyed another Xi Bird with Tail-Shedding Shuttles, while Xiao Bo bound and dismembered the last attacker with Entangling Strands.
• The group confirmed that all the Xi Birds were dead, and Bagnell examined their valuable beaks, claws, and wings.
• Chen Mu mourned the dead Card Adept and realized that Lu Xiaoru’s infrasound had prevented even greater losses.

After a deadly encounter with energy-using Xi Birds, Chen Mu learned they had appeared far outside their usual habitat and led his group to prepare for further danger. He told Mobley of the Snowflake Card Adept Corps that his team had killed the flock, and Mobley’s men were stunned when they reached the battlefield and saw the corpses.

• Chen Mu asked Brenton about beasts that could use energy and learned that many powerful species could, including Snow Bears and Spotted Moon Foxes.
• Brenton said Xi Birds normally lived high in the mountains, so Chen Mu and Bagnell grew suspicious of their appearance and quietly heightened the group's vigilance.
• Xiao Bo detected an approaching group of fast-moving Card Adepts, and Mobley introduced himself as commander of the Snowflake Card Adept Corps.
• Chen Mu told Mobley that his group had killed the Xi Birds and left their hides at the battle site.
• Mobley led his corps to the site, where the Xi Bird corpses left them gasping in surprise.

Chen Mu’s group reached Oak Tree Town at the edge of the Snow Region to buy supplies and decide where to go next. A breaking report that someone had emerged from isolated Luoyou City left Chen Mu and Bagnell stunned.

• Mobley examined the Xi Bird corpses, recognized the strength of the group that had killed them, and resolved to build a good relationship with them if they met again.
• Chen Mu’s group arrived in Oak Tree Town, bought warm clothing and Shuttlecraft, and rested while Brenton helped them prepare for the Snow Region.
• Xi Ping told Chen Mu he had found the local Black Market, and Chen Mu agreed to let him dispose of the case of Federation Comprehensive Academy Illusion Cards.
• Chen Mu and Bagnell discussed where to go, noting that their uncertain destination would make it harder for the Federation Comprehensive Academy to track them.
• A Viewing Illusion Card reported that someone had emerged from Luoyou City, which Tang Hanpei had cut off from the outside world three months earlier.

Wang Ze and Jing revealed that Tang Hanpei had sent Qiao Yuan and Mi Xiaqing’s ashes to Zhongda Academy, intensifying the conflict between Zhongda Academy and the Federation Comprehensive Academy. Fearing Tang Hanpei would use their group to draw Zhongda Academy against them, Chen Mu led his people to the remote Skal Region to lie low.

• Wang Ze and Jing told a reporter that their wooden boxes held Qiao Yuan and Mi Xiaqing’s ashes, entrusted to them by Tang Hanpei for delivery to Zhongda Academy.
• Wang Ze realized Tang Hanpei’s public gesture would deepen the feud between Zhongda Academy and the Federation Comprehensive Academy, and suspected it was part of a larger plan.
• After Xiao Bo questioned whether Tang Hanpei could have killed both men alone, Chen Mu and Bagnell suspected he had used the Starfish Fortress.
• Bagnell warned Chen Mu that Tang Hanpei might use Zhongda Academy to force their group into his camp, so Chen Mu decided they had to leave immediately.
• Chen Mu’s group avoided large cities and traveled for twenty-five days before reaching the remote, war-torn Skal Region.

Chen Mu’s group discovered a vast swarm of Snow Silk Worms in the valley they hoped to use as a defensive camp. After poison failed to overcome the worms’ icy energy constructs, Chen Mu unleashed the [Folded Swallow Wave Card], and the group retreated as poisonous smoke filled the valley.

• Chen Mu chose the valley as a camp, but Xiao Bo discovered it was crawling with Snow Silk Worms, and Brenton sensed a high concentration of metallic compounds inside.
• Su Liu Cherou prepared poison for Chen Mu, who threw it into the swarm and killed many worms before the others froze the poisonous smoke into crystals.
• Chen Mu led Xiao Bo, Lu Xiaoru, and Heta above the valley and bombarded the worms with the [Folded Swallow Wave Card], setting off a barrage of explosions and burying many beneath a collapsing cliff.
• Bagnell ordered everyone out when the explosions’ heat turned the frozen poison back into gas, and the group watched pale green poisonous air drift from the valley entrance.

After discovering purple glimmer ore in the valley, Chen Mu focused on developing a safer perception training method while Bu Erna designed the group's new base. The chapter ended with Jiang Liang volunteering to test Chen Mu's unproven method, buried in a snow pit under Chen Mu's supervision.

• The group returned to the valley, where Brenton identified the exposed purple rock as valuable purple glimmer ore, and Bagnell argued that they should keep it.
• Bu Erna scanned the valley and spent three days designing the base while the Card Adepts trained their perception in the snow.
• After studying Jiang Liang's B-Standard Perception Training Method, Chen Mu developed a less dangerous Simplified Extreme Training Method but worried about its untested risks.
• Chen Mu asked Jiang Liang to test the new method, and Jiang Liang firmly agreed.
• Bu Erna's construction machinery formed buildings from a warm liquid that hardened into repairable ice walls.
• Chen Mu placed Jiang Liang in a snow-filled pit, covered him with snow, and sat nearby with his eyes closed.

Chen Mu tested a snow-burial method for training Perception and confirmed that Jiang Liang’s Perception recovered, while recognizing the need for strict time limits and medical care. As the group rested in Bu Erna’s new ice houses, Xiao Bo spotted a spy, and the Kawashita Alliance began planning to investigate the newcomers in Snow Silk Worm Valley.

• Chen Mu monitored Jiang Liang beneath the snow and pulled him out when the test ended; Jiang Liang reported that his Perception had recovered.
• Chen Mu brought Jiang Liang to Su Liu Cherou for treatment and resolved to address training time limits and frostbite risks.
• Chen Mu and the others toured Bu Erna’s colorful ice houses and rested inside them.
• Xiao Bo noticed that someone was spying on the group, silencing the room.
• Wenzuofu learned that several hundred newcomers had settled in Snow Silk Worm Valley and ordered Yisong to send someone to assess their strength.

Postwar devastation in Luoyou City turned the Federation Comprehensive Academy into a target of public outrage, while conflicts and political alliances reshaped the Federation. At Star Academy, Qingqing learned that Chen Mu had created The Legend of the Mecha Master and heard that the academy had uncovered evidence about his past, but the chapter ended before the next discovery was revealed.

• Card Adept reporters found Luoyou City reduced to ruins and corpses, with fewer than ten thousand survivors, and the Federation condemned the Federation Comprehensive Academy.
• Pafuchake questioned Tang Hanpei, who admitted he had not obtained the Central Continent Group's technology, and the academy stripped him of his positions and confined him.
• Zhongda Academy pursued cooperation with Hundred Abyss Prefecture as attacks and fighting intensified, while Di Bo took command of the Federation Comprehensive Academy's forces and stabilized the front.
• Star Academy's principal and Yu Long showed Qingqing evidence that Chen Mu created The Legend of the Mecha Master and Lei Zi wrote its script.
• Yu Long told Qingqing that Chen Mu had been a street child and made a living producing One-Star Energy Cards, then began to reveal a discovery from the card shop's account books.