Chapter Summaries

Zheng Qing learned that he had accepted Su Shijun’s two-dimensional evolution experiment, and that his shadow had disappeared into one of the laboratory’s worlds. Unable to withdraw unless his shadow escaped, he reluctantly began choosing a talent or item for its projection.

• Zheng Qing accidentally accepted the experiment by clicking a deceptive computer ad, and Su Shijun congratulated him on joining the project.
• Zheng Qing noticed that his shadow had vanished and panicked as Su Shijun described the experiment’s protections and rewards.
• Su Shijun gave Zheng Qing a form of talents and magical items to choose for his shadow’s projection.
• Zheng Qing questioned whether the agreement was fraudulent and whether he could back out, but Su Shijun said he could withdraw only if his shadow escaped the two-dimensional worlds.
• Zheng Qing reluctantly took a quill and began selecting an option from the form.

Su Shijun explained how Zheng Qing’s projection would reincarnate through two-dimensional worlds to collect their essences, then told him how the former laboratory head, Doctor Chen, went mad after sending his soul into those worlds. The chapter left Zheng Qing learning that Doctor Chen’s experiment had proved the project’s approach and that the Under the Moon Council had pressured Su Shijun into taking over the laboratory.

• Zheng Qing asked Su Shijun what his projection would experience in the experiment.
• Su Shijun explained that projections entered fictional worlds as Reincarnators and gathered the essences found in their plots.
• Su Shijun said Doctor Chen had sent his soul into the two-dimensional worlds to observe their evolution, then went mad as nearly all the laboratory’s worlds collapsed.
• Su Shijun told Zheng Qing that Doctor Chen’s experiment proved the approach and that the Under the Moon Council had forced her to take over the laboratory.

Su Shijun brought Zheng Qing to the 2D Laboratory and began examining Poseidon while explaining the Wizard Alliance’s restrictions on dimensional experiments. Their visit was interrupted by a report that the Central Continent Team’s actions had badly disrupted the Marvel-295 Universe, and Su Shijun welcomed the resulting complications.

• Su Shijun told Zheng Qing that the Wizard Alliance restricted the Under the Moon Council from participating in Dimensional Fluctuation Experiments but welcomed its researchers in other Dimension Theory research.
• Su Shijun took Zheng Qing to her office, confined Poseidon in an alchemical instrument, and began a checkup.
• A 2D Laboratory researcher delivered a report that the previous 2D World Mission had gone well and some Reincarnator teams had earned S-rank or better settlements.
• The researcher explained that the Central Continent Team had killed Apocalypse and pierced a dimensional wall, disrupting the Marvel-295 Timeline and entangling other universes.
• Su Shijun said the disruption was what the laboratory had hoped to see.

Su Shijun explained the danger and possible fate of Zheng Qing’s missing shadow, then showed him advice about accepting it as part of himself. She assured Zheng Qing that Poseidon’s examination would not take long and hinted that she had summoned him for another conversation afterward.

• Su Shijun revealed that she would stay at school for the academic year and asked Zheng Qing to keep it secret.
• Su Shijun warned Zheng Qing to avoid prolonged sunlight and explained that his shadow might lose itself in a 2D World or break through and gain valuable insights.
• Su Shijun showed Zheng Qing passages advising him to accept his shadow as part of himself and recommended The Story of the Shadow by Hans Christian of Odense.
• Zheng Qing asked how long Poseidon would remain inside the glass cabinet, and Su Shijun said it would not interfere with lunch before their conversation afterward.

Su Shijun told Zheng Qing that he was Poseidon’s father, then explained that Poseidon was a Witch Fetus formed from the bloodline she discarded while advancing to Archwizard. Zheng Qing learned that Su Shijun had been the fox he sheltered and that the eagle attack had been staged, but he still wanted to understand why her divination had chosen him.

• Su Shijun used Calming Talismans and a spell to prepare Zheng Qing before telling him that he was Neptune’s father.
• Su Shijun explained that wizards could reproduce through traces such as blood, hair, or breath, leaving Zheng Qing shocked and confused.
• Su Shijun pointed out that the sleeping Poseidon in the glass cabinet was Neptune, and Zheng Qing recognized her as the three-tailed fox he had sheltered.
• Su Shijun explained that Poseidon was a Witch Fetus made from the bloodline she discarded while becoming an Archwizard, and said her divination had led her to Zheng Qing.
• Zheng Qing asked about the eagle that had attacked the fox, and Su Shijun revealed that Thomas had staged the incident at her request.

After a bewildering visit to Su Shijun’s laboratory, Zheng Qing wandered campus and slept through his classes, leaving his friends to search for him. He remembered Su Shijun’s secret arrangement at Qingqiu Mansion but concealed it from the others.

• Su Shijun assigned Su Man to Qingqiu Mansion and told Zheng Qing to discuss anything that came up with her.
• Zheng Qing wandered around campus all afternoon, skipped astronomy class, and missed a makeup lesson with Professor Yi.
• Poseidon helped the You Zui Hunting Team find Zheng Qing asleep by Linzhong Lakefront, where Fatty Xin and Xiao Xiao woke him.
• Zheng Qing remembered his visit to Su Shijun’s laboratory and found the note bearing the address 54 West District, Beta Town.
• Zheng Qing hid what had happened at the research institute and gave his friends a vague explanation for wandering all afternoon.
• Lin Guo and Zhang Jixin explained that they had searched for Zheng Qing and used the outing to practice the hunting team’s battle formation.

Zheng Qing’s friends pressed him for details about Su Shijun, but he hid the truth by complaining that she had tricked him into a dimensional evolution experiment. The moonlight revealed that his shadow was truly gone.

• Zheng Qing remembered that his hunting team was meant to begin nighttime training, but Fatty Xin insisted on interviewing him about Su Shijun first.
• Blue Sparrow took Lin Guo into the woods to learn the route while the others stayed behind with Zheng Qing.
• Fatty Xin, Xiao Xiao, Dylan, and Zhang Jixin questioned Zheng Qing about his unusual reluctance to discuss Su Shijun.
• Zheng Qing claimed Su Shijun had upset him by involving him in an experiment that stole his shadow.
• Zheng Qing stood in the moonlight, and no shadow appeared beneath his feet.

Zheng Qing’s friends learned that his shadow had been taken and warned that Su Shijun’s laboratory might have violated wizard law. Zheng Qing concealed the truth and steered the group toward training, hoping the matter would fade away.

• Fatty Xin and the other hunters reacted with alarm when Zheng Qing told them his shadow was missing.
• Xiao Xiao cited wizard law and argued that Su Shijun’s laboratory might have committed fraud and illegally collected experimental material.
• Zheng Qing stopped his friends from escalating the matter and said he would speak to Su Shijun himself.
• Dylan pointed out that it was time to train, and Zhang Jixin hurried the team along after Lin Guo reported they had been talking for thirty-five minutes.
• Zheng Qing followed his friends toward training, relieved by their company and privately hoping the shadow incident would blow over.

During the weekend of the eighth week, Zheng Qing struggled with the secret of his connection to Su Shijun while his friends pressed him about it. The dormitory conversation turned to the little elves’ health and possible role in the Freshman Hunting Competition before the group hurried out at one o’clock.

• Zheng Qing spent the remaining days of the week worrying that he was Poseidon’s father and Su Shijun’s husband, while his anger over Ilena joining Matthew’s hunting team faded.
• Fatty Xin told Zheng Qing that Ilena had joined Matthew because Zheng Qing had never invited her to his own hunting team.
• Xiao Xiao asked about the little elves’ health, and Zheng Qing said the Sand Hour Royal Jelly had stabilized them until the end of the semester.
• Xiao Xiao suggested the little elves could scout during the Freshman Hunting Competition, but Zheng Qing refused, and Fatty Xin backed him up.
• Fatty Xin again pressed Zheng Qing to explain his connection to Su Shijun, while Zheng Qing insisted he had only mentioned her in panic.
• Xiao Xiao pointed out that Zheng Qing did not know the truth behind his own words, then asked when they were leaving; Zheng Qing, Fatty Xin, and Dylan prepared to go immediately.

You Zui Hunting Team attended the final round-robin match to study other teams before the Freshman Competition. Zheng Qing spotted Qiong, the captain of Heart Q Team, as the match’s rumored star and Lei Zhe’s girlfriend.

• Zheng Qing, Xiao Xiao, Fatty Xin, and Dylan went to Hunting Ground No. 1 after deciding the match would help You Zui learn from more experienced teams.
• Zheng Qing explained that Doctor Xiao should record the teams’ techniques, while Fatty Xin and Dylan lamented missing earlier matches and chances to see pretty girls.
• Zheng Qing and Xiao Xiao discussed how wizards differed from the mages of Bading World stories, while Fatty Xin brought up Gandalf’s supposed staff skills.
• Fatty Xin pointed out that the teams had entered the field, and Zheng Qing used his telescope to find Heart Q Team.
• Zheng Qing identified Qiong as Heart Q Team’s captain and learned from the betting guide that she was called the Queen for her authority and forceful leadership.

The You Zui Hunting Team watched the Red Queen Hunting Team and learned about its leader, Qiong, a half-Blood Clan witch facing discrimination. The chapter left Qiong standing on an elk’s antlers and gazing toward the distant mountains.

• Qiong and the Red Queen Hunting Team encountered a mature elk in the hunting ground and considered using it as a mount.
• Zheng Qing watched the Red Queen Hunting Team through his Brass Telescope and asked Xiao Xiao for information about them.
• Xiao Xiao explained that Qiong’s team ranked first among teams of its batch and was a contender for a final tournament slot.
• Zhang Jixin and Lin Guo explained the importance of hunters’ codenames and the ban on cursing rival teams using their True Names.
• Dylan described how Qiong’s low-status Blood Clan lineage left her ostracized, and said he too was treated as a disgrace by aristocrats.
• Zheng Qing saw Qiong standing on the elk’s antlers and looking toward the distant mountains.

Zheng Qing’s team discussed rumors about Queen and Lei Zhe while analyzing the Queen of Hearts Hunting Team. In the hunting grounds, Queen ignored her aides’ cautious plan and led her team toward a powerful demonic aura source, leaving the others to catch up.

• Doctor discussed Queen’s abilities and the unconfirmed rumors linking her to Lei Zhe, while Fatty Xin teased Xiao Xiao about his confession to Mr. Sima.
• Lin Guo suggested Lei Zhe’s absence from the stands cast doubt on the rumor, and Lan Que stopped him from arguing with Fatty Xin.
• Xiao Xiao resumed analyzing Queen’s team as its hunters searched Hunting Ground No. 1 in a cautious spiral formation.
• Pointy Fork and Moon Face recommended attacking a moderate target, but Queen chose the stronger prey at Issue Number 3 and rode off on Four Unlike.
• Moon Face summoned Big Foot and Wormtail, while Pointy Fork revealed that an even stronger demonic aura lay farther south.

Zheng Qing and his friends watched Queen Qiong’s hunting team fight in the Hunting Phase and discussed how Siege Mode worked. The chapter left them weighing tactics for choosing and defeating demon hordes.

• Zheng Qing watched Queen Qiong cut through demons and wondered why she fought so brutally, while Fatty Xin and Xiao Xiao offered their explanations.
• Xiao Xiao explained that Siege Mode had Hunting, Siege, and Counter-Hunt phases, with victory often favoring teams that hunted quickly.
• Xiao Xiao described the tight timing of the Hunting Phase, and Zheng Qing questioned whether teams that hunted multiple weaker hordes could gain an advantage.
• Zhang Jixin outlined tactics for choosing a demon horde, killing its smaller demons, and targeting the Wild Demon King.

Xiao Xiao described the members and strengths of the Queen of Hearts Hunting Team while Zheng Qing, Fatty Xin, and Lin Guo listened from the stands. He left off just as Zheng Qing interrupted to ask a question.

• Fatty Xin complained that commentator Dunton was openly praising the Queen of Hearts Hunting Team, and Zheng Qing teased him for sounding jealous.
• Zheng Qing asked Xiao Xiao to explain Queen of Hearts’ hunters, and Xiao Xiao silenced the nearby Trumpet Flower before consulting his notes.
• Lin Guo joined Zheng Qing and Xiao Xiao after finding Lan Que and Dylan surrounded by female wizards.
• Xiao Xiao described assistant hunters Luke and Zhan Shichen, scouting hunter Peter Greenspan, and roaming hunter Arnie Black, including their skills and backgrounds.
• Zhang Jixin explained that Peter’s Niffler had uncovered his eldest brother’s hidden money, and Zheng Qing raised his hand to interrupt Xiao Xiao.

Zheng Qing and his companions learned how Harry Potter had been adapted for the Bading World before watching Queen of Hearts approach a powerful Ram Demon herd. The chapter ended as the herd launched a downhill charge and the commentator reacted in alarm.

• Dr. Xiao explained that Queen of Hearts’ hunters used the names Big Foot, Pointy Fork, Wormtail, and Moon Face, and described how Harry Potter had been altered for the Bading World.
• Lin Guo insisted that Harry Potter was documentary literature, while Zheng Qing recalled Thomas’s enthusiasm for demon hunting.
• Zhang Jixin urged the You Zui Hunting Team to turn on the Trumpet Flower as Queen of Hearts neared the Ram Demon herd.
• Dunton described the herd’s numbers, strengths, and charging tactics as Zheng Qing watched through his Brass Telescope.
• Queen of Hearts made first contact with the Ram Demon herd, which charged downhill with the Wild Demon King at its head.
• The commentator cried out in alarm as the Ram Demon herd’s charge surged toward Queen of Hearts.

Queen of Hearts' Queen charged a horde of sheep demons alone and swiftly killed them, including the Wild Demon King. Zheng Qing and his companions discussed her swordsmanship and learned that practical hunting mattered more than relying on spells.

• Queen sent her elk away, tied up her hair, drew her Katana, and charged the sheep demons head-on.
• Queen cut through the charging flock and killed the Wild Demon King, though Dunton noted that destroying its eye damaged the value of her trophies.
• The other members of Queen of Hearts arrived to find Queen seated on the dead Wild Demon King by the river.
• Zheng Qing asked Lan Que to explain Queen's swordsmanship, and Lan Que said she was fast.
• Xiao Xiao identified Queen's technique as the Slash Technique and told Zheng Qing that hunters should choose whatever method best killed their prey.

Queen of Hearts' hunting party finished collecting trophies after defeating a demon pack, but Zhan Shichen's divination warned that Queen Qiong would face danger from a real enemy who was not a demon. Queen Qiong chose to continue south, and Luke's party hurried after her to keep the zombie from Alpha Academy from gaining an advantage.

• Luke and the other hunters collected demon trophies, including eyeballs, after clearing out a pack of wild demons.
• Zhan Shichen divined from demon bones and warned that continuing south would put Queen Qiong in danger from their real enemy.
• Luke and Arnie Black identified the likely enemy as Alpha Academy's Jiang Jun and decided they should head north.
• Queen Qiong overheard their attempt to trick her into changing course and ordered the party to continue south.
• Luke handed out Divine Speed Talismans, and the party set off after Queen Qiong.

Queen of Hearts Hunting Team followed Qiong across the savanna and discovered that Clover Hunting Team had arrived before them. Luke realized that their supposed agreement to compete separately might not hold, leaving the two teams facing each other beside a group of Demon Monkeys.

• Zhan Shichen put away his compass as the nearby strength-9 demonic aura intensified, and Luke urged the team to keep up with Qiong.
• Queen of Hearts Hunting Team crossed the flats and hills and reached a savanna where Demon Monkeys confronted them from a Baobab Tree.
• Luke approached Qiong but stopped when her elk turned its rear toward him, then joined Arnie Black to see what the monkeys were watching.
• Luke spotted a white-robed wizard and four companions beside a boulder and recognized them as members of Clover Hunting Team.
• Luke and Zhan Shichen identified Clover Hunting Team as Queen of Hearts' true rivals in the tournament.

Zheng Qing and his companions watched the Clover Hunting Team and learned that its lead hunter, Jiang Jun, was a Zombie with little interest in hunting. Xiao Xiao suspected the teams’ participation reflected a conflict between Lei Zhe and Augustus, leaving the group wondering why that conflict was being displayed at the School Hunting Meet.

• Zheng Qing recognized Arthur Ness among Clover’s hunters, and Xiao Xiao identified Jiang Jun as captain alongside Arthur Ness, Sima Yi, Kitano Gen, and Nicholas Duning.
• Xiao Xiao explained that Red Heart Q had a slight hunting advantage, but Clover’s Jiang Jun was so threatening that many prey creatures fled before him.
• Dylan revealed that Jiang Jun was a Zombie, and Lin Guo recognized him as an Alpha Student Union representative.
• Zhang Jixin and Fatty Xin said organizations and their patrons controlled the teams, while Xiao Xiao questioned why Lei Zhe and Augustus were openly displaying their conflict at the School Hunting Meet.

Luke and his teammates assessed Clover Hunting Team’s hunters and struggled against the plants controlled by Nicholas Duning, an Ovad. They suspected Clover intended to rob them, while Zhan Shichen worried about the mysterious Sima Yi serving as Clover’s Right Assistant.

• Zhan Shichen explained that Nicholas Duning was an Ovad, a junior druid-order cleric studying at First University.
• Zhan Shichen questioned whether Sima Yi was connected to the Sima family, but Arnie Black believed he was only a distant relative.
• Nicholas Duning made the grass bind an elk and then entangle the hunters’ feet, prompting Arnie Black and Zhan Shichen to assess the limits of his control.
• Luke said Clover’s hunters were trying to rob them and walked toward his captain, while the witch stood beside the fallen elk and watched the Baobab Tree.