Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu’s Snow Shuttle was hijacked by powerful Card Adepts after they attacked the vessel, and the abductors flew it into the jungle. As the passengers feared what awaited them there, Chen Mu entered a strange state of calm while recovering his strength.

• Chen Mu learned that the Snow Shuttle had stopped because of Blazing-Eyed Ancestor Birds, then recognized that an enormous energy surge meant a greater danger was nearby.
• Several Card Adepts tried to flee, but streaks of light killed them; three armed hijackers entered the cabin and forced the passengers into silence.
• The hijackers took control of the Snow Shuttle, and Chen Mu realized he was too weak and had too little Perception to fight back.
• Chen Mu slipped into a tranquil state in which his breathing, heartbeat, and blood flow slowed as his body relaxed.
• The hijackers flew the Snow Shuttle deep into the jungle, where they and the terrified passengers braced for the wild beasts.

Snowwave Bats ambushed the Card Adepts who had hijacked the Snow Shuttle, killing five of them. After recovering much of his strength, Chen Mu prepared to escape, and the chapter ended as events shifted just after the leader ordered the group to move out.

• Snowwave Bats attacked the Card Adepts, piercing their Energy Shields and killing three in the first strike.
• The Card Adepts retaliated and killed most of the bats, but two survivors launched another charge and killed two more Card Adepts.
• Chen Mu recovered from his exhaustion, assessed the hijackers’ weakened state, and decided to escape into the Jungle.
• Chen Mu took an ambush position beside the cabin door as A Jiang entered the Snow Shuttle to watch the passengers.
• The leader ordered the group to move out, and the situation changed violently.

Chen Mu fought his way through a group of Card Adepts and escaped into the Jungle, leaving their leader shaken and determined to send word about him. Once he was sure no one was following, Chen Mu slowed down and considered how to find Wei'a without a map.

• Chen Mu killed A Jiang with a precise cut to the throat and dodged the leader's silver Energy Shuttles as he broke through the Card Adepts.
• Chen Mu used abrupt midair turns to evade the leader's attack, then disappeared into the Jungle while the Card Adepts stared after him.
• The leader examined A Jiang's fatal neck wound, admitted he could not identify Chen Mu, and ordered the others to report the encounter.
• Chen Mu sped through the snowy forest on the [Big Loach], then slowed down after confirming that no one was pursuing him.
• Chen Mu considered how to reunite with Wei'a and reach Zha'erqian City without a map, relying on other preparations he had made.

Mota pursued Chen Mu after A Xin detected him in the jungle, while Chen Mu warned Bagnell and fled. Meanwhile, Faya and Zhongda Academy threatened the Federation Comprehensive Academy, where a mysterious attacker appeared before the terrified directors.

• Mota met Ansa, learned about the Snowwave Bats and the expert aboard the Snow Shuttle, then set off with A Xin and his squad to hunt the expert.
• Chen Mu contacted Xi Ping and Bagnell with [Thousand Miles], then fled after sensing a concealed detection card and told Bagnell to have Wei'a wait in Zha'erqian.
• A Xin located Chen Mu, and Mota led more than thirty Card Adepts after him.
• Faya allied with Zhongda Academy to attack the Federation Comprehensive Academy, while the other academies refused to help.
• Pafuchake watched the academy's directors panic as one announced he would flee, then a tall figure appeared after the director was shot in the forehead.

Tang Hanpei seized control of the Federation Comprehensive Academy by securing the board’s approval to become Wartime President, backed by First Legion commander Wei Yueqing. He began consolidating power and mobilizing the academy’s forces as the chapter ended.

• Tang Hanpei had Card Adepts kill two board members who challenged him and leave the others under his control.
• Tang Hanpei presented a resolution appointing him Wartime President, with authority over all academy affairs during the war.
• Tang Hanpei revealed Wei Yueqing’s support for his appointment on a projected screen, prompting the board members to sign the resolution.
• Tang Hanpei stripped absent board members of their seats and ordered their assets confiscated.
• Tang Hanpei appointed Song Chengyan commander-in-chief at the front and offered the holdings of removed board members for distribution according to merit, stirring the remaining board members into excitement.

Chen Mu tried to lure the pursuing Card Adepts into a battle with the Jungle’s beasts, but the plan drew an overwhelming swarm that forced him to flee at terrifying speed. He raced straight toward the Card Adepts, whose preparations faltered when he suddenly burst through the leaves.

• Chen Mu realized the enemy’s probing fluctuations had exposed him and decided to draw beasts toward his pursuers.
• Chen Mu flew above the Jungle, provoking Xi Birds and attracting dozens of dangerous flying beasts, including five Thousand-Leaf Flying Midges.
• Chen Mu abandoned his plan to use the beasts against the Card Adepts and plunged toward the Jungle to escape the Xi Birds’ diving attacks.
• Chen Mu used the [Big Loach] card to change direction just above the canopy, causing seven or eight Xi Birds to crash while the rest of the swarm chased him.
• A Xin told Mota that Chen Mu was flying toward them, then warned the Card Adepts that he was approaching at extreme speed.
• Chen Mu burst through the leaves toward the Card Adepts, and A Xin reacted with panic.

Chen Mu witnessed Mota and his Card Adepts battle a swarm of powerful beasts in the Jungle. The fight left A Xin and other Card Adepts dead or badly wounded, while Mota continued attacking with his Energy Chain.

• Chen Mu changed course with Waveform High-Frequency Evasion and led a swarm of beasts toward Mota's group.
• Mota ordered the Card Adepts to fight, and they coordinated their attacks against the beasts.
• Mota charged into the swarm, using explosive attacks to scatter the beasts while Chen Mu watched.
• A Thousand-Leaf Flying Midge killed a Card Adept, and a Xi Bird killed another in a destructive collision with his Wrist Device.
• Snow Ant Bees stung A Xin, and Mota killed a nearby Thousand-Leaf Flying Midge before fighting on with his Energy Chain despite his wounds.

Chen Mu silently killed the Snow Ant Bees stalking him with a flexible energy blade whip while the Card Adepts fought nearby. He returned to the battlefield, unaware that A Xin had already died, and realized he still needed to ensure none of the Card Adepts escaped.

• Chen Mu spotted Snow Ant Bees approaching and climbed a tree to ambush them without attracting attention.
• Chen Mu used [Myriad Change] to form an energy blade whip and killed several Snow Ant Bees while evading their deadly stingers.
• Chen Mu lured the remaining bees into an ambush, redirected his whip around a corner, and killed them before they could summon companions.
• Hearing explosions from the battlefield, Chen Mu returned and decided no Card Adepts could be allowed to escape, unaware that A Xin was already dead.
• Chen Mu caught sight of the battlefield and was shocked.

Chen Mu emerged from hiding after Mota sacrificed himself to destroy the Thousand-Leaf Flying Midge, then looted the fallen Card Adepts and investigated why so many powerful beasts had gathered. He discovered a small hot spring emitting extraordinarily powerful energy fluctuations and approached it cautiously.

• Mota detonated his Energy Chain, destroying the Thousand-Leaf Flying Midge before collapsing from his wounds.
• Chen Mu emerged from hiding, searched the fallen Card Adepts, and collected their cards and belongings, including thirty unusual silver cards.
• Chen Mu left the battlefield and followed the beasts’ tracks back toward the place where he had lured them.
• Chen Mu found a small hot spring whose powerful energy fluctuations rivaled those from Mota’s Energy Chain detonation.
• Chen Mu detected no living creatures in the spring, approached its edge cautiously, and stared at the clear water.

Chen Mu found energy-rich blue crystals and energy-blocking black mud in a hot spring, then learned that the three-star card he took from Mota identified him as a powerful member of the notorious [Heavenly Pattern]. The group realized that [Heavenly Pattern]'s attack on Snow Shuttles might have a deeper motive.

• Chen Mu recovered five blue crystals from the spring, discovered that black mud concealed their energy fluctuations, and packed both materials to take away.
• A sinister card adept arrived at Mota's corpse with several dozen men after Chen Mu had left.
• Chen Mu met up with Bagnell and Xi Ping, recounted his battle, and asked Brenton to identify the silver cards he had taken.
• Brenton explained the Black Line Star Ranking and recognized Mota's card as a three-star insignia; Chen Mu's wrist device showed Mota ranked eighty-ninth and served as a captain in [Heavenly Pattern].
• Brenton described [Heavenly Pattern]'s powerful members, and Xi Ping questioned why such a prominent organization was robbing Snow Shuttles.

Bagnell and Xi Ping investigated Chen Mu’s missing Snow Shuttle and learned about the powerful figures and organizations surrounding [Heavenly Pattern]. Qingqing revealed her [Stimulant Solution] to Mobley, while Tang Hanpei rallied the Federation Comprehensive Academy for war and opened its legacies to all students before quietly disappearing.

• Bagnell and Xi Ping traced Chen Mu’s Snow Shuttle to the Great Salmon Passenger Company and researched [Heavenly Pattern] and the [Black Line Star Ranking].
• Qingqing told Mobley that her [Stimulant Solution] improved Card Adepts’ Perception but had limits and side effects, and Mobley promised to help with her future request.
• Tang Hanpei seized authority at the Federation Comprehensive Academy and appointed Song Chengyan commander-in-chief of its front lines.
• Tang Hanpei rallied students and teachers to defend the academy, stripped fleeing board members of their property, and won widespread support.
• Tang Hanpei opened the academy’s legacies to all students, drawing Card Adepts from across the Five Great Districts toward the Capital.
• Tang Hanpei quietly disappeared while the Federation Comprehensive Academy prepared to face Faya and Zhongda Academy.

After Mota’s squad was wiped out, Wen sent Baole and Jielamu to hunt Chen Mu. Hiding from his pursuers, Chen Mu examined the five-star [Snake Mirror] and [Golden Word Lock], discovering how their intricate mechanisms worked.

• Jin Yin learned that Mota and the third squad were dead, then sent subordinates to report to Wen or Yuchi Bai while he pursued the target toward Zha'erqian City.
• Yuchi Bai told Wen that beasts had killed the squad and that a shuttle-shaped energy construct had broken Mota’s neck.
• Wen speculated that the target might be a newcomer on the [Black Line Star Ranking] and ordered him erased.
• Baole requested permission to go after Chen Mu, and Jielamu offered to bring the second squad; Wen approved their deployment.
• Chen Mu hid and tested the five-star [Snake Mirror], learning how its energy waves detected Card Adepts through changes in their perception.
• Chen Mu examined Mota’s five-star [Golden Word Lock] and suspected that its underlying principle lay in the word “word.”

Chen Mu survived his first use of the [Golden Word Lock], discovered the [Snake Mirror]'s legacy, and stayed in the jungle to strengthen his tactics. Meanwhile, Bagnell and Xi Ping uncovered [Heavenly Pattern]'s apparent plot against Frostmoon Cold Isle, leaving them alarmed about the force manipulating events.

• Chen Mu used the word "Burst" to release the [Golden Word Lock]'s pressure and destroy a huge tree, then resolved to improve his combat abilities and seek the Golden-Spotted Soft Jelly Fungus.
• Chen Mu found the [Snake Mirror]'s legacy, learned that the card came from Desert Camp, and decided to remain in the jungle to study his cards and prepare for future battles.
• Wen ordered Yuchi Bai, Ansa, and Gan Lin to continue pursuing the mysterious expert while Jin Yin's squad found no trace of Chen Mu.
• Bagnell observed the Valley's training and learned from Xi Ping that the Snowflake Card Adept Corps had urgently ordered more than a hundred and fifty billion's worth of Purple Glimmer Extract, so they decided to slow production.
• Xi Ping told Bagnell that Xu Qianchen, the wife of Yan Pei of the Great Salmon Passenger Company, was the daughter of Xu Bolun, a powerful Frostmoon Cold Isle figure.
• Bagnell and Xi Ping concluded that [Heavenly Pattern] was deliberately targeting Frostmoon Cold Isle and wondered what backing Wen had to make such a move.

After fifteen days of studying [Snake Mirror] and the [Dual-Polarity Thunderball Card], Chen Mu left the jungle and discovered a large [Heavenly Pattern] force encircling his route. He approached the encirclement under cover of darkness and launched an attack, leaving Jin Yin narrowly dodging a streak of blue-green light.

• Chen Mu made a breakthrough in studying the [Dual-Polarity Thunderball Card] and decided to leave the jungle after the green mark on his arm darkened.
• Chen Mu used [Snake Mirror] to detect Jin Yin and discovered that three groups, nearly a hundred Card Adepts, had formed a semicircular encirclement.
• Chen Mu chose to break through the encirclement head-on and waited until night before moving toward its apex.
• Chen Mu deactivated [Snake Mirror] and silently approached, prompting Jin Yin to signal the other Card Adepts to prepare for an attack.
• A streak of blue-green light nearly struck Jin Yin, who dodged it at the last moment.

Chen Mu and Jin Yin fought at high speed, each struggling to outmaneuver the other as Jin Yin's Airflow Card control pushed him toward a breakthrough. When Jin Yin's companions approached, Chen Mu stopped moving, leaving Jin Yin eager to see what he would do next.

• Jin Yin used intricate evasive maneuvers to evade Chen Mu's relentless attacks, while Chen Mu combined Airflow Card techniques with Uncard Flow to keep pursuing him.
• Jin Yin renewed his determination to win and reached a new peak of speed and focus, prompting Chen Mu to unleash an explosive Uncard Flow attack.
• Chen Mu chose to kill Jin Yin rather than escape and attacked with an Energy Blade whip, but Jin Yin narrowly dodged it.
• Five Card Adepts hurried toward the fight after detecting Jin Yin's Airflow Card, making Chen Mu fear he would be surrounded.
• Chen Mu suddenly stopped, and Jin Yin, sensing that he was close to a breakthrough, eagerly waited for his next move.

Chen Mu trapped Jin Yin in [Chess Cage Thousand Cuts] as nearby Card Adepts closed in. Jin Yin broke through the lethal energy net at the cost of his life, leaving Chen Mu badly injured and staggering toward Zhaerqian.

• Chen Mu used the [Dual-Polarity Thunderball Card] to form a field of black and white energy beads that disrupted Jin Yin's perception.
• Jin Yin abandoned his Airflow Card and charged Chen Mu, while Chen Mu activated [Chess Cage Thousand Cuts] and drew the energy lines into a tightening net.
• Jin Yin used Waveform High-Frequency Evasion to dodge the lines, then shattered his Energy Shield to force the net open and continue his charge.
• Baole, Jielamu, and the other approaching Card Adepts felt the battle's immense energy and stopped rather than intervene.
• Jin Yin forced his way to Chen Mu before the energy net overwhelmed him, but died from more than a hundred wounds in the resulting explosion.
• Chen Mu coughed up blood, staggered toward Zhaerqian, and struggled against his near-total collapse.

Song Chengyan launched his long-planned counterattack against Zhongda Academy but collapsed from exhaustion just as Tang Hanpei challenged Zhongda Academy’s Academy Head to a duel. Meanwhile, Chen Mu, still pursued through the Jungle after his battle with Jin Yin, resolved to strike back at his hunters.

• Song Chengyan ordered the Seventh Division to hold Zhongda Academy’s left flank and six other divisions to assemble for Plan B.
• Song Chengyan collapsed, and Wei Lin cried out in alarm.
• Tang Hanpei entered Zhongda Academy alone and challenged its Academy Head to a duel.
• Chen Mu analyzed what he had learned from fighting Jin Yin and the limits of his [Dual-Polarity Thunderball Card].
• Chen Mu, still pursued by Card Adepts, decided to deal them a painful blow.

Qingqing asked Mobley to help find Chen Mu and learned that he commanded the Snow Silk Worm Card Adept Corps, but he had left and could not be contacted. Xi Ping and Bagnell grew suspicious that the Snowflake Card Adept Corps was investigating Chen Mu’s search for golden-spotted soft jelly fungus and planned to misdirect them.

• Mobley discussed his corps’ shortage of purple glimmer extract with Qingqing, who asked him to help find Chen Mu.
• Mobley recognized Chen Mu as the Snow Silk Worm Card Adept Corps commander and contacted Xi Ping after Chen Mu’s Communication Card failed to connect.
• Xi Ping told Mobley that Chen Mu had left to travel and could not be reached, so Qingqing agreed to wait for his return.
• After Mobley’s call, Xi Ping told Bagnell that Mobley had asked about Chen Mu and seemed to know he was a Card Crafter.
• Bagnell and Xi Ping suspected the Snowflake Card Adept Corps might connect their inquiry about golden-spotted soft jelly fungus to Chen Mu’s whereabouts.
• Xi Ping and Bagnell decided to distract the Snowflake Card Adept Corps by requesting investigations into other rare medicinal substances and announcing purchases of them.

Chen Mu abandoned his pursuit of Baole and Jielamu’s fleeing group and traveled through the wilderness to Zha'erqian City after a week of brutal battles. He arrived carrying valuable beast materials, drawing the greedy attention of a group of Card Adepts who moved to stop him.

• Baole persuaded Jielamu to flee rather than return to Wen, while Chen Mu watched the group collapse and chose not to pursue them.
• Chen Mu left the forest to reunite with Wei'a, then fought through seven waves of beasts during seven days of travel, including a dangerous snow ape.
• Chen Mu reached Zha'erqian City in torn clothes, carrying a bundle of trophies whose value he did not know.
• A group of Card Adepts recognized the Southern Snow Ape hide and Line-Horned Spotted Deer antler among Chen Mu’s trophies, and their leader ordered them to stop him.

A disheveled man returned to civilization, learned that Tang Hanpei had defeated Zhongda Academy’s head, and headed toward Dunyan City. Meanwhile, Chen Mu and Wei'a reached Zha'erqian City, where Qiqi Trading Company invited Chen Mu to negotiate over the materials he carried.

• The man searched ruined Luoyou City for Energy Cards and a map, then flew to Ameelda City.
• He saw a report that Tang Hanpei had defeated the current Academy Head of Zhongda Academy, and his uncontrolled perception overwhelmed the square before he left for Dunyan City.
• Chen Mu suspected a group that stopped him might be from Heavenly Pattern, but learned they wanted to buy the Southern Snow Ape pelts in his bundle.
• Chen Mu recognized Wei'a among the group and followed them to Qiqi Trading Company, where he suspected the company had another purpose beyond buying his materials.