Chapter Summaries

Qian Wendao became the meeting host with the United Government’s support, while he, Li Tianming, and Qin Siyang prepared the online meeting. Qin Siyang later spoke with Wen Shu about her studies and housing, but she had never heard of the Vine Heart.

• Mayor Chen told Qian Wendao that he had been appointed bureau chief and said Olof was being transferred, easing pressure to pursue the missing God Remains case.
• Qian Wendao, Li Tianming, and Qin Siyang discussed borrowing a State Government conference room and preparing for the meeting, with more than three hundred participants signed up.
• Qin Siyang gave Qian Wendao and Li Tianming twenty bottles of Sequence Potion each, and they continued organizing the meeting.
• Qin Siyang visited Wen Shu in the Library and discussed her Gaokao plans and his efforts to find her housing.
• Qin Siyang told Wen Shu he had obtained a Vine Heart, but she had never heard of it.

Qin Siyang, Li Tianming, and Qian Wendao held a video conference with the Safe Zone’s leading universities and research institutes to present the Vine Heart and discuss recruiting Li Tianming. Qian Wendao’s account of Qin Siyang’s hunting record astonished the attendees, especially when he revealed that Qin had earned all 6,114 points at one Safe Zone exit.

• Jonathan brought Qin Siyang, Li Tianming, and Qian Wendao to the State Government the night before the meeting, and the three prepared early.
• Li Tianming admitted screened attendees to the video conference while Qian Wendao organized the participants and moderated.
• Qian Wendao opened the meeting, explained that attendees could discuss Qin Siyang’s Vine Heart and recruit Li Tianming, and introduced Qin’s record.
• Qian Wendao said Qin Siyang had earned 6,114 god-hunting points, prompting dozens of attendees to raise questions.
• Eastern Revival University asked where Qin had hunted gods, and Qian Wendao identified Safe Zone Exit No. 38324 in the 14121 Region.

At Qin Siyang’s special admission presentation, Qian Wendao’s account of his achievements drew top universities’ attention, while Li Tianming’s planned return to teaching sparked a rush of questions. The meeting continued with institutions expressing interest in both men.

• Qian Wendao explained that Qin Siyang had earned over six thousand God-Hunting Points in one week, visited Nanrong University for an academic exchange, and later obtained a Vine Heart at Safe Zone Exit No. 207.
• Qian Wendao introduced Li Tianming and announced that he intended to teach at whichever university accepted Qin Siyang through special admission, prompting many attendees to raise questions.
• Eastern Revival University asked Li Tianming about the murder case and his decision to join Qin Siyang’s chosen university, and Li said he had been cleared and wanted to continue their friendship.
• A representative from the Human Prosperity Research Institute told Li Tianming that the institute offered special admission for research talent and invited him to consider it.
• Qian Wendao called on Central Revival University to ask the next question.

At a conference, Li Tianming said he could not speak for his former research assistants and expected to rebuild his team himself. Five former colleagues then publicly offered to conduct research under him, leaving Li Tianming visibly moved and the conference stunned.

• A representative from Central Revival University asked whether Li Tianming was seeking work for his former team as well as himself, and Li said he had not contacted his former colleagues in two years.
• Li Tianming explained that his former assistants had become professors and that he could not speak for them or assume they wanted to work with him.
• Wu Yu, a professor at Western Glory University, announced that he was willing to conduct research under Li Tianming.
• Chang Tianxiang, Chang Tianxiong, Lu Daoxing, and Hao Liang each announced that they were willing to conduct research under Li Tianming.
• Li Tianming recognized the five familiar faces and struggled to contain his emotion as the conference fell silent in surprise.

Li Tianming’s former colleagues offered to continue researching with him, moving him deeply and drawing a frenzy of interest from institutions seeking his team. As the meeting ended, Qin Siyang realized his recruitment negotiations had been overshadowed, but chose to let Li Tianming enjoy the moment.

• Wu Yu, Chang Tianxiang, Chang Tianxiong, Lu Daoxing, and Hao Liang announced that they wanted to continue their research with Li Tianming, prompting institutions to compete for the team.
• Li Tianming thanked the five professors and agreed to discuss details after the meeting.
• Zhang Kuang joined the meeting and said that he, too, would continue researching with Li Tianming.
• Li Tianming and his colleagues shared an emotional reunion while the other attendees scrambled to recruit them.
• Qin Siyang realized that everyone had forgotten he was hosting the meeting, but decided to let Li Tianming have his moment.

After the meeting ended early, Qin Siyang and the others celebrated while Jonathan revealed he hoped his son Edward would join Li Tianming’s research team. Qin and Li planned to resume hunting gods after a day’s rest, as the United Government Ministry of Education received dozens of petitions.

• Qian Wendao ended the meeting early, and the attendees applauded before leaving to prepare for battle.
• Jonathan, Chen Zhongming, and Qian Wendao praised Qian’s meeting, then Jonathan hosted a celebratory banquet.
• Jonathan asked Qin Siyang to look after his son Edward and help him join Li Tianming’s research team.
• Li Tianming fielded calls from universities seeking to discuss special admission, while Qin Siyang waited for the process to begin.
• On the ride home, Qin Siyang persuaded Li Tianming to resume hunting gods the day after tomorrow, and the three men went their separate ways.
• As Qian Wendao, Li Tianming, and Qin Siyang rested, the United Government Ministry of Education received dozens of petitions.

Education Minister Xiao Zhigang rejected the universities’ joint petition to begin special admission early after learning he had been excluded from Li Tianming’s meeting. Zhao Longfei decided Nanrong University would begin special admission anyway.

• A staff member told Xiao Zhigang that universities and research institutes wanted to start special admission early because Li Tianming had promised to join whichever institution admitted Qin Siyang.
• Xiao Zhigang learned that Li Tianming had excluded him from the meeting and ordered the Education Department to deny the joint petition.
• The Education Department sent the universities a one-line rejection.
• At Nanrong University, Harrison and Zhao Longfei concluded Xiao Zhigang’s resentment over the meeting likely motivated his refusal.
• Zhao Longfei ordered Nanrong University to announce the start of special admission immediately.

Zhao Longfei condemned the United Government’s unfair treatment of universities and decided Nanrong University would withdraw from the special admission program unless the Education Department agreed to hold admissions early. Western Glory, Eastern Glory, and Zhongrong Universities followed his lead and sent their own messages to the department.

• Zhao Longfei argued that universities were underfunded while government research institutes received generous support, and Harrison explained that researchers at the institutes lacked incentives to pursue their own technology.
• Zhao Longfei criticized Furensa’s lack of experimental research and announced he would act after the universities’ group remained silent following the Education Department’s rejection.
• Zhao Longfei instructed Lin Yaman to tell the Education Department and other universities that Nanrong University would withdraw from special admission unless admissions were held early; the trustees present raised no objections.
• Western Glory University copied Zhao Longfei’s message to the Education Department and the group, and Eastern Glory University did the same.
• The principal of Zhongrong University agreed to send the message and asked his secretary to email Secretary-General Gu about the university’s hardships.

Education Minister Xiao Zhigang agreed to move special admission forward after Secretary-General Gu Weiyang intervened, despite his anger at universities seeking the Vine Heart. As admissions began, Qin Siyang prepared to negotiate with universities, research institutes, and other organizations, determined to prove his value.

• Xiao Zhigang ordered Li Wang to remove principals who had opposed the Education Department's role in allocating the Vine Heart.
• Secretary-General Gu Weiyang called Xiao Zhigang, who promised not to obstruct the universities and agreed to start special admission early.
• Li Wang posted a notice announcing that High School Sequence Ability User Special Admission would begin the next day.
• At midnight, vehicles from universities across the regions headed for the 14121 Region, while organizations called Qin Siyang to arrange meetings.
• Qin Siyang told Li Tianming and Qian Wendao that the Vine Heart and the professors had prompted the early admissions, and vowed to prove that he was the most valuable part of the deal.

Qin Siyang learned how Special Admission privileges worked and dismissed most of the options before deciding that exam exemptions suited him. While sharing a farewell meal with Wang Defa, he heard a suggestion that gave him a more ambitious privilege to seek.

• Li Tianming explained that Special Admission students could negotiate privileges such as laboratory access, priority hunting missions, reduced God-Hunting Point requirements, and exam exemptions.
• Qin Siyang dismissed most privileges as unnecessary but decided that exemption from final exams would save time for hunting and research.
• Qin Siyang spent his last Sunday of leisure playing games at Wang Defa's internet cafe.
• Qin Siyang gave Wang Defa, A You, and A Zhong silver coins before discussing what privilege Wang Defa would want.
• Wang Defa said he wanted the privilege of granting privileges, and Qin Siyang became intrigued by the idea.

Wang Defa’s childhood wish for a Seven-Colored Flower gave Qin Siyang an idea about negotiating special admission privileges. The next morning, Qin Siyang met representatives from the Benevolence Virtue Research Institute, while Li Tianming explained that Qin Siyang was paying for his new secretary.

• Wang Defa told Qin Siyang how he had once wished for a Seven-Colored Flower and would have used its petals to grant wishes for himself, A You, and A Zhong.
• Qin Siyang said Wang Defa’s story had inspired him and promised to reward him if the special admission negotiations went well.
• After dinner, Qin Siyang showered at Wang Defa’s warehouse and slept there before heading to school the next morning.
• Qin Siyang met Dean Liu of the Benevolence Virtue Research Institute and two representatives in Li Tianming’s office, then went with them to the conference room.
• Li Tianming told Qin Siyang that Feng He had replaced his female secretary with Secretary Yang after catching the woman touching Li Tianming’s thigh.
• Qin Siyang learned that he was paying Secretary Yang’s wages because Li Tianming was negotiating Qin Siyang’s special admission terms, and reluctantly accepted the expense.

Qin Siyang and Li Tianming negotiated with the Benevolence Virtue and Human Prosperity Research Institutes, using their offers to improve their university prospects. Qin Siyang rejected the institutes’ terms over their lack of guaranteed privileges and unclear rights to the Vine Heart.

• Li Tianming and Qin Siyang met with Liu Yufei and Gu Weihong, deans of the two research institutes.
• Liu Yufei offered Qin Siyang tuition, a monthly gold coin, and Sequence Potions, while promising Li Tianming and his team generous allowances, salaries, and potions.
• Gu Weihong matched the institutes’ financial terms and offered Qin Siyang a tier-two God-Hunting Artifact and Li Tianming’s colleagues tier-three artifacts.
• Qin Siyang questioned the lack of explicit privileges and the institutes’ proposed control over the Vine Heart.
• Liu Yufei and Gu Weihong said United Government rules prevented them from granting privileges, so Qin Siyang became even less willing to join an institute.

Qin Siyang rejected the Human Prosperity and Benevolence Virtue Research Institutes’ offers, then arranged for the other universities and institutes to negotiate together two days later. While their representatives waited near Safe Zone Exit No. 38324, they decided to hunt gods and began sizing one another up.

• Qin Siyang politely declined Gu Weihong and Liu Yufei’s special-admission terms but exchanged contact information and accepted their institute brochures.
• Gu Weihong and Liu Yufei discussed Qin Siyang’s refusal, and Gu Weihong decided not to warn the other institutes that Qin Siyang and Li Tianming would reject them too.
• Qin Siyang arranged to hold one joint negotiation at the Administration Bureau’s meeting room two days later, while Li Tianming directed the representatives to stay at A You Inn.
• Wang Deyou and Wang Dezhong panicked about hosting and cooking for the visiting dignitaries, so they called Wang Defa, who closed the Internet Cafe and came to help.
• The visiting presidents and deans gathered at Safe Zone Exit No. 38324 and, after Yan Mohui proposed a hunting contest, pretended they had no interest in competing.

The university principals and deans competed to hunt gods outside Safe Zone Exit No. 38324, leaving local hunters with nothing to catch and prompting a protest. Qin Siyang moved his special-admission meeting to that afternoon and found the visiting officials dusty, embarrassed, and with disappointing hunting scores.

• Xu Wenju hurried off to hunt gods, and Zhao Longfei and the other principals and deans raced after him to compete for God-Hunting Points.
• The officials cleared out the gods near Safe Zone Exit No. 38324, and local god hunters returned to the Safe Zone to protest at the Administration Bureau.
• Qian called Qin Siyang and asked him to move the special-admission meeting up because the hunters’ protest disrupted the area.
• Qin Siyang asked Li Tianming to notify everyone that the meeting would take place that afternoon.
• Qin Siyang and Li Tianming met the principals and research institute deans, who arrived bedraggled and avoided Qin Siyang’s gaze after earning far fewer points than they had expected.

Qin Siyang confronted the visiting education leaders for wrecking the local God-Hunting Teams’ livelihood, then opened negotiations over Special Admission. Chu Zhongxiong made a lavish offer from the Heavenly Prosperity Research Institute to recruit Qin Siyang and Li Tianming’s team, and most research institute deans withdrew, leaving Chu Zhongxiong and Wang Bozhong.

• Qin Siyang scolded the visiting principals and deans for hunting without verifying their Disc Carapace and damaging the local God-Hunting Teams’ livelihood.
• Qin Siyang began Special Admission negotiations and invited Chu Zhongxiong to present the Heavenly Prosperity Research Institute’s offer first.
• Chu Zhongxiong offered Qin Siyang waived tuition, a monthly stipend, and a scholarship of one hundred and fifty Sequence Potions, while offering Li Tianming, Zhang Kuang, and the other professors generous allowances and salaries.
• The other research institute deans withdrew after hearing Chu Zhongxiong’s offer, while Qin Siyang exchanged contact information with them.
• Chu Zhongxiong and Wang Bozhong were the only research institute deans left at the venue.

The Earthly Prosperity Research Institute tried to recruit Li Tianming and Qin Siyang with God-Hunting Artifacts and research privileges, while Wang Bozhong warned that the Safe Zone’s factions could turn against one another as the threat from gods diminished. Qin Siyang learned that special-admission privileges would leave him exposed to political pressure without anyone powerful to protect him.

• Wang Bozhong offered Professor Li and Professor Zhang Tier-Five God-Hunting Artifacts, other professors Tier-Four artifacts, and Qin Siyang a Tier-Three artifact, despite offering lower pay and allowances than the Heavenly Prosperity Research Institute.
• Wang Bozhong warned that the Safe Zone’s factions might clash once people could hunt Large Gods and the external threat weakened, and he urged Professor Li to secure weapons.
• Qin Siyang considered the Safe Zone’s political complexity and resolved to understand the world before lying low and growing stronger.
• Wang Bozhong offered to let Li Tianming use his own research results under approval from Minister Dmitri, and Qin Siyang asked for the same privilege as a special-admission student.
• Wang Bozhong told Qin Siyang that no one would protect him if Xiao Zhigang challenged him, unlike Li Tianming, whose troubles Dmitri would handle.

Universities and research institutes competed to recruit Li Tianming’s team, with Western Glory University and Eastern Glory University presenting strong offers. Zhao Longfei was left to give Nanrong University’s offer after admitting that the others had all offered better terms.

• Qin Siyang thanked the departing university principals after Wang Bozhong explained the research institutes’ terms.
• Yan Mohui offered Qin Siyang and Li Tianming’s team tuition waivers, research support, and terms matching the Earthly Prosperity Research Institute’s offer.
• The Five Revivals universities left after Western Glory University’s offer set terms they could not afford to match.
• Liu Yingrong offered funding and research collaboration at Eastern Glory University, while Han Shuo apologized to Li Tianming and promoted Zhongrong University’s research resources.
• Zhao Longfei admitted that the other institutions had offered better terms than Nanrong University.

Qin Siyang laid out how he would divide the Vine Heart and made clear he could refuse special admission to keep it for himself. Li Tianming backed Qin Siyang’s right to choose an institution, leaving the principals to reconsider their offers and Zhao Longfei hopeful.

• Zhao Longfei defended his standing by pointing out that he had the second-highest God-Hunting score, while Liu Yingrong accused him and Han Shuo of taking the Ghost Turtle she had found.
• Qin Siyang asked about Liu Yingrong’s three hundred and thirty-eight points, and the principals fell silent because it was her exact God-Hunting Point total.
• Zhao Longfei argued that Qin Siyang and Li Tianming should state their requirements before the principals chose an institution.
• Qin Siyang said he would divide the Vine Heart into four portions for his admitting institution, Li Tianming’s team, other institutions, and himself.
• Qin Siyang said he could refuse special admission and use the entire Vine Heart himself, while Li Tianming affirmed that he would follow Qin Siyang’s choice.
• The principals realized Qin Siyang and Li Tianming were equal partners, and Zhao Longfei saw a chance for his institution.

During the second round of special admission negotiations, Qin Siyang demanded privileges beyond the offers from the Four Glories Principals, including the right to create privileges for himself. Zhao Longfei revealed that only Nanrong University could negotiate over such a demand, leaving Qin Siyang with an unexpected opportunity.

• Qin Siyang explained that his demands concerned only his own admission and that the universities needed to offer better privileges than he could earn through God-Hunting Points.
• Qin Siyang presented the Vine Heart and requested multiple privileges, including attending classes without exams being used to withhold his credits.
• Qin Siyang asked for the privilege to create as many privileges as he needed, prompting the Principals to object that it would amount to joining the Board of Trustees.
• Qin Siyang clarified that he expected the Principals to counteroffer, but Yan Mohui, Liu Yingrong, and Han Shuo remained hesitant.
• Zhao Longfei said the other Principals could not negotiate over the demand and claimed Nanrong University was the only university that could.

Zhao Longfei explained why the three major universities would not grant Qin Siyang the freedom to define his own privileges and negotiated terms for him to attend Nanrong University. Qin Siyang accepted the proposed limits, while privately planning to find loopholes in them.

• Zhao Longfei described the factions and hierarchies at Western Glory University, Eastern Glory University, and Zhongrong University, arguing that their principals would not grant Qin Siyang's request.
• Zhao Longfei said Nanrong University could offer the privilege because he controlled administrative decisions, and Qin Siyang agreed to negotiate with him.
• Zhao Longfei limited Qin Siyang to defining one privilege per month and required him to remain first in his year in both God-Hunting Points and Research Points.
• Zhao Longfei prohibited privileges that broke the law, violated public decency, or harmed university faculty and staff; Qin Siyang agreed despite losing the chance to pressure Li Tianming.
• Qin Siyang privately resolved to study the rules and exploit their loopholes.