Chapter Summaries

The Standing Directors voted three to two in favor of Qin Siyang’s paper, but Xiao Zhigang interrupted the announcement and invoked absent director Zhong Dingming’s proxy vote. The hearing’s final outcome remained uncertain as Zhong’s authorization video began.

• Jerry Warren and Gu Weihong voted in favor of Qin Siyang, tying the vote at two to two.
• Chu Zhongxiong cast the deciding vote in favor, giving Qin Siyang’s paper three votes to two.
• Qin Siyang applauded and celebrated the hearing’s apparent fairness while the other attendees watched in confusion.
• Xiao Zhigang stopped Qian Wendao from announcing the result and said he was exercising a Standing Director’s authority to vote.
• Xiao Zhigang played a video in which Zhong Dingming authorized him to cast Zhong’s vote under Article 10 of the committee’s regulations.

Xiao Zhigang used Zhong Dingming’s authorization to cast a decisive vote against publishing Qin Siyang’s paper, leaving the decision to the full Paper Review Committee. Just as the members prepared to reject it, standing director Zhu Haifeng arrived unexpectedly.

• Qin Siyang accused Xiao Zhigang of fabricating or coercing Zhong Dingming’s video, but Zhong did not answer Li Tianming’s call.
• Xiao Zhigang pledged to resign and face prosecution if Zhong had authorized him under threat, then cast Zhong’s vote against publishing Qin Siyang’s paper.
• Jiang Hao ruled that the tied standing-director vote required the full Paper Review Committee to vote, and Qin Siyang feared the members would reject his paper.
• Zhu Haifeng arrived at the hearing, surprising Qin Siyang and the other attendees, and said he would make a few remarks before leaving.

Zhu Haifeng cast the decisive vote approving Qin Siyang's papers, though Qin Siyang could not understand why he had helped. After the meeting, two hidden figures revealed Zhu Haifeng had voted in exchange for a fresh Sandworm Scale and discussed why 001 and 007 were watching Qin Siyang.

• Zhu Haifeng arrived during the Standing Directors' vote and voted in favor of Qin Siyang's papers, challenging Guo Jiuxiao over the lack of a proper Hearing.
• Zhu Haifeng left without explaining his vote, and Qian Wendao announced that the four-to-three result approved Qin Siyang's papers for publication.
• Qin Siyang asked Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang whether they had persuaded Zhu Haifeng, but neither knew why Zhu had supported him.
• Qin Siyang hurried back toward Southern Glory while the other professors stayed behind to discuss their academic fields.
• Two hidden figures discussed Zhu Haifeng's vote: 001 had promised him a fresh Sandworm Scale, and Zhu asked why 001 and 007 were watching Qin Siyang.

After handing Yamamoto Taro’s corpse to Chu Zhongxiong, Qin Siyang returned from his trip and learned more about Zhao Longju’s research background. On the journey back to Southern Glory, Qin Siyang’s success at the Thesis Hearing dominated the forum, while Hu Chan grew furious that his own trending speech was buried beneath the attention.

• Qin Siyang handed Yamamoto Taro’s corpse to Chu Zhongxiong, then shared dinner with Zhao Longju and learned that Zhao had once studied computer science.
• Li Tianming and the others woke Qin Siyang and prepared to return to Southern Glory in the Capsule Pod, where the professors discussed Divine Regurgitation Fluid while Qin felt ignored.
• Qin Siyang checked the [Sequence Education] forum and found that posts about his successful Thesis Hearing and Zhu Haifeng’s supporting vote had taken over.
• Hu Chan saw that his trending posts about his speech at Nine Dragons College had been buried beneath posts about Qin Siyang and angrily complained to Yu Ziying.

Qin Siyang’s Thesis Hearing victory made him the focus of the Safe Zone, while he stayed at Nanrong University and tried to figure out how to strengthen his [Origin Sequence]. After eating more God Remains, he discovered that [Feast Kingdom] had gained one meter of range, leaving him unimpressed by the tiny improvement.

• News spread that Qin Siyang had won support from four of the seven Standing Directors, prompting speculation that he could shift the Safe Zone’s balance of power.
• A rumor claimed Jiao Zhijie and Hong Liang had tried to kill Qin Siyang and died by his hand, but people dismissed it as impossible.
• Zhao Longfei invited Qin Siyang to visit Zhao Fengjun and help with a Zhao Family matter, but Qin Siyang refused, suspecting he was being used as a shield.
• Qin Siyang questioned why eating over a thousand kilograms of God Remains had barely improved his abilities and decided against trying a Sequence Potion.
• After eating another chunk of God Remains, Qin Siyang felt stronger and noticed that [Feast Kingdom]’s teleportation range had increased from 100 to 101 meters.

Qin Siyang tested whether rare God materials could improve him faster, then consumed all his stored Medium God remains and gained modest skill and physical improvements. He turned to the Gods’ disc carapaces, but discovered that neither his God-Hunting Dagger nor his Heaven-Splitting Halberd could damage one.

• Qin Siyang swallowed pieces of titan reed and confirmed they improved his strength and skills, but decided the rare material was not worth the cost.
• Qin Siyang consumed more than a hundred thousand kilograms of Medium God remains, improving his skills by roughly three percent and his physical strength by roughly thirty percent.
• Qin Siyang examined the disc carapaces he had saved for the Administration Bureau and decided to test whether his God Eater ability could digest them.
• Qin Siyang failed to cut a Wushan Armored Wolf’s disc carapace, snapped his God-Hunting Dagger against it, and found that his Heaven-Splitting Halberd could not damage it either.

Qin Siyang tested how the Black Mountain Armored Wolf's disc carapace enhanced his skills, then followed Safe Zone news about rising freshman talent and attacks on Rong Xin. He ended by challenging anyone who accused Rong Xin of throwing fights or cheating to face him in an unarmored match.

• Qin Siyang swallowed part of the Black Mountain Armored Wolf's disc carapace and found it enhanced his skills more than consuming the whole wolf had.
• Qin Siyang decided Hu Chan could research the disc carapace, though he planned to keep him under close supervision.
• Qin Siyang read forum reports about corruption, religious violence, and incoming freshmen Gu Yunpeng and Zhao Sifang narrowly defeating Rong Xin.
• Qin Siyang saw that Rong Xin was being accused of throwing fights or cheating after repeated losses to freshmen.
• Qin Siyang paid to pin a post challenging anyone who doubted Rong Xin to fight him in an unarmored match.

Rong Xin reflected on the limits of ambition in the apocalypse, while Shi Tao questioned whether he could rise above others himself. Qin Siyang shared a home-cooked meal with Wen Shu, who asked how he had advanced so quickly, and he insisted his success came mainly from his own strength.

• Rong Xin told Shi Tao that ordinary people had little chance of rising in the apocalypse and that even talented students might not survive to the end.
• Shi Tao reconsidered his own confidence after comparing his struggles with Qin Siyang's recent success.
• Wen Shu cooked a generous dinner for Qin Siyang and Xu Lanzhi, then Xu Lanzhi excused herself and left them alone together.
• Wen Shu asked Qin Siyang about the forum posts discussing his Thesis Hearing, and he said he had passed by luck while showing pride in his achievement.
• Qin Siyang claimed his strength outweighed his luck and was the main reason for his rapid progress.

Wen Shu and Qin Siyang discussed Gu Yunxuan's move into a student dorm before Sally Warren arrived to see Qin Siyang. Sally renewed her pursuit, but Qin Siyang rejected her, and Wen Shu left with the meal after he returned.

• Qin Siyang and Wen Shu discussed Gu Yunxuan moving into Nine Dragons College's student dorm to make friends.
• Wen Shu sent Qin Siyang outside to meet Sally Warren, who had just arrived at the Guesthouse.
• Qin Siyang took Sally to the gym, where she thanked him for her uncle Jerry's support at his Thesis Hearing and asked how he would thank her.
• Qin Siyang told Sally that they were not right for each other, and Sally accused him of choosing Wen Shu before leaving.
• Qin Siyang returned to find Wen Shu taking the food to eat with Grandmother, and he agreed to call the front desk if he was still hungry.

As the new semester approached, Qin Siyang grew miserable over Wen Shu’s polite distance and found no way to vent his frustration. On Nanrong University’s opening day, he refused to speak at the freshman ceremony and planned to arrive just before it began.

• Wen Shu kept ordering meals for Qin Siyang but declined a job Gu Yunxuan offered and continued seeking work so she could pay him rent.
• Qin Siyang learned that Sally had never troubled Wen Shu and felt guilty for suspecting her, while his research success and share of Zhang Yingrui’s estate did little to improve his mood.
• With no plans to hunt gods and no opponents available to fight, Qin Siyang spent the days before the semester brooding in his room.
• Lin Yaman asked Qin Siyang to give a speech at the opening ceremony, but he refused, confirming Zhao Longfei’s prediction.
• On the first day of the semester, Qin Siyang stayed in bed and decided to stroll to the Grand Auditorium at 9:50 for the ten o’clock ceremony.

Qin Siyang attended Nanrong University's opening ceremony, where he reunited with Chu Baxing, Hu Chan, Gu Yunpeng, and Zhao Sifang in the second row. The ceremony began with Principal Zhao Longfei's speech and freshman representative Fu Wanli's address.

• Qin Siyang arrived after the auditorium had filled and took a seat beside Chu Baxing, Hu Chan, Gu Yunpeng, and Zhao Sifang.
• Qin Siyang teased his friends about why they were sitting in the second row, and they explained how they had arrived late or chosen to sit there.
• Lin Yaman opened the ceremony and introduced Principal Zhao Longfei, who welcomed the freshmen and denied a rumor about sharing pants with Qin Siyang.
• Qin Siyang and his friends discussed why none of them had agreed to represent the freshmen, while Zhao Sifang learned that Fu Wanli ranked sixth in God-Hunting Points.
• Lin Yaman introduced Fu Wanli to give the freshman representative's speech.

At Nanrong University’s opening ceremony, Qin Siyang watched Fu Wanli deliver a fabricated sob story and learned about the school’s unusual rules and points-based privileges. After the ceremony, Zhao Sifang invited Qin to lunch at the cafeteria, and several other top freshmen followed them.

• Fu Wanli gave an emotional speech about an invented family hardship, leaving Qin Siyang puzzled about what he hoped to gain.
• Furensa and Duan Chongfang spoke after Fu Wanli, while Qin Siyang briefly slept through Duan’s speech.
• Qin Siyang learned that students could leave the Safe Zone, had to check in every ten days, and could watch recorded classes instead of attending.
• Qin Siyang learned that Nanrong University awarded privileges according to points and received a light gray student badge.
• Zhao Sifang invited Qin Siyang to the cafeteria, and Gu Yunpeng, Chu Baxing, and Hu Chan joined them.

Qin Siyang and his companions learned how Nanrong University's point hierarchy controlled cafeteria lines and seating, and Qin Siyang struggled with the limits of his privilege. Just as they prepared to surrender their table again, Chu Baxing recognized the student demanding it as Fu Wanli, whose badge had unexpectedly turned blue.

• A long-haired student explained that blue Points Badges let higher-ranked students cut in line, and Qin Siyang realized his own badge had briefly turned blue after the student left.
• Qin Siyang considered using his privilege to avoid the hierarchy but decided against challenging the university's rules.
• Higher-ranked students made Qin Siyang and his companions give up their uneaten table, so they ate lukewarm food in a corner.
• Chu Baxing vowed to keep eating in the cafeteria until he no longer had to give up his seat, but another student soon demanded their table.
• Chu Baxing stopped Qin Siyang from moving and pointed out that the student asking for their table was Fu Wanli, whose badge had turned blue.

Fu Wanli demanded that the group surrender their cafeteria table because he believed his freshman ranking gave him authority over them. When they revealed they were the top five freshmen by points, he refused to believe them and challenged Qin Siyang and Gu Yunpeng to the Combat Arena.

• Fu Wanli introduced himself as the sixth-ranked freshman and ordered the group to give up their seats.
• The group ignored Fu Wanli's threats, and Chu Baxing mocked him until he angrily demanded a fight in the Combat Arena.
• Qin Siyang and the others considered who should face Fu Wanli, but Zhao Sifang, Gu Yunpeng, Hu Chan, and Chu Baxing each declined for their own reasons.
• Qin Siyang told Fu Wanli that the five of them ranked above him, but Fu Wanli dismissed the claim and challenged Qin Siyang and Gu Yunpeng.
• Fu Wanli insulted Gu Yunpeng as a pretty boy, and Qin Siyang reconsidered whether he wanted to hurt him.

Qin Siyang recognized that Fu Wanli had borrowed a badge to bluff the freshmen and invited him to eat with the top five. When Fu Wanli discovered that they were all Phantom Assassins, he eagerly asked for advice, leaving Qin Siyang and the others unable to escape the conversation.

• Qin Siyang told Fu Wanli he would spare him and explained that his blue badge belonged to someone else.
• Fu Wanli checked his phone, confirmed the identities of Qin Siyang and the other top freshmen, apologized, and asked to join their table.
• Fu Wanli admitted he had borrowed an upperclassman's badge to show off, and Qin Siyang teased Hu Chan by encouraging Fu Wanli to call him Third Brother Hu.
• Fu Wanli learned that Qin Siyang and the others were Phantom Assassins and excitedly declared the Sequence the best in the world.
• Fu Wanli asked how they survived the weakness after using [Desperate Strike], prompting the others to try to leave.
• When Fu Wanli followed them, Qin Siyang and the others returned to their half-finished meals and continued eating.

Qin Siyang gave Fu Wanli absurd advice about hunting gods, then used a lie detector to uncover Fu Wanli’s real reason for earning points: he lived to show off. Fu Wanli admitted he had even invented a poor-boy story for his speech, and Hu Chan remarked that there was something to his motto.

• Qin Siyang told Fu Wanli to kill every god he could, then hide in a hole until he recovered.
• Qin Siyang questioned Fu Wanli about why he wanted points and used a Bird-Shaped Lie Detector to expose his answers as lies.
• Fu Wanli confessed that he earned points to show off and declared that showing off made him happy.
• Fu Wanli explained that he had fabricated a story about his impoverished family to impress freshmen and attract attention.
• Hu Chan told Fu Wanli that there was something to his declaration, “I live to show off.”

At lunch, Qin Siyang explained to Hu Chan that the Pure-Brightness Bracelet was an established Tier-Four artifact, then revealed Hu Chan’s research talent had impressed him. The chapter left Fu Wanli heading off to challenge Rong Xin, convinced he could follow the freshmen’s example.

• Chu Baxing paid Qin Siyang their bet with a Pure-Brightness Bracelet, which Hu Chan recognized as the artifact he believed he had invented.
• Qin Siyang told Hu Chan the bracelet’s technology and name already existed, and encouraged him to keep learning rather than lose heart.
• Gu Yunpeng, Zhao Sifang, and Chu Baxing offered Hu Chan research opportunities, while Hu Chan revealed that Qin Siyang was exceptionally skilled at research.
• Fu Wanli announced that he would challenge Rong Xin, believing the other freshmen had established a Nanrong tradition and that their example proved he could win.
• Fu Wanli left the cafeteria to find Rong Xin, and Chu Baxing predicted Rong Xin would beat him badly.

Rong Xin defeated Fu Wanli, while Qin Siyang and his companions discussed the fight and a news report about it. A second report revealed that professors Hong Liang and Jiao Zhijie and their families had disappeared, and Qin Siyang concluded that the Zhao Family had likely dealt with them after their attack on the Zhao Family Clubhouse.

• Rong Xin defeated Fu Wanli 30-0, and Fu Wanli decided to hunt gods and earn enough to move into the Guesthouse with Qin Siyang and the others.
• Qin Siyang and his companions read the Southern Glory News Department’s report praising the five freshmen who had beaten Rong Xin as prodigies.
• The group saw a report that Hong Liang, Jiao Zhijie, and their families were missing in District 134.
• Qin Siyang suspected the Zhao Family had made an example of Hong Liang and Jiao Zhijie after their attack on the Zhao Family Clubhouse.
• Zhao Sifang lamented how harsh people had become, and Qin Siyang said people should consider the risks to their families before acting.

Qin Siyang learned how Nanrong University's course selection system worked and discovered that Li Tianming wanted him to enroll in a small-group elective about the Path of the Believer. The chapter ended with Qin Siyang considering how to use his privileges to handle his courses.

• Zhao Sifang gave Qin Siyang, Gu Yunpeng, Hu Chan, and Chu Baxing documents explaining course selection and the available electives.
• Zhao Sifang explained that students ranked by a weighted sum of research points and god-hunting points chose courses in order, with small-group electives reserved for top students.
• Qin Siyang learned that the two small-group electives were about the Path of the Believer and privately doubted that Li Tianming was qualified to teach his course.
• Li Tianming texted Qin Siyang asking him to bring friends and enroll in his course, and Qin Siyang deleted the message while pretending to be eager to take it.
• After Qin Siyang learned that students needed twenty elective credits and had to pass course exams, he smiled and said he could use his privileges.

During Nanrong University's course selection, Qin Siyang used his special admission privileges to try to select enough overlapping electives to earn all twenty credits in one semester. Principal Zhao Longfei objected, but Qin Siyang pointed out that the course instructors had agreed.

• Qin Siyang entered the computer lab first and began selecting courses, while Chu Baxing, Hu Chan, Gu Yunpeng, Zhao Sifang, and Fu Wanli followed.
• Sally Warren arrived and sat behind Qin Siyang, drawing attention from the other freshmen.
• Qin Siyang selected numerous electives, including several whose class times overlapped, shocking Zhao Sifang and the others.
• Zhao Longfei confronted Qin Siyang and realized he planned to use his privileges to bypass the course limit and earn twenty elective credits in one semester.
• Zhao Longfei refused to approve the plan as an abuse of Nanrong's rules, and Qin Siyang replied that the teachers had agreed.