Chapter Summaries

Professor Tian taught the Cleansing Charm and warned students to focus their thoughts when summoning Snail Maidens. Zheng Qing demonstrated the spell, and a Snail Maiden appeared and cleaned the clothes in a basin.

• Professor Tian explained the Cleansing Charm, its broad range, and the dangers of letting one's thoughts wander while summoning Snail Maidens.
• Professor Tian called on Zheng Qing to demonstrate the spell because he could use a talisman.
• Zheng Qing cast the Cleansing Charm and summoned a Snail Maiden from the spellbook.
• Zheng Qing met the Snail Maiden's gaze and pictured the basin and clothes for her.
• The Snail Maiden used her scarf to clean the grimy clothes in the basin.

Zheng Qing helped his classmates practice the Cleansing Charm in Life Skills Class, then learned that scholarship students had to attend the Academy Cup opening dance. He remained without a dance partner as Li Meng offered herself, only for Zheng Qing to suggest she take her plush bear instead.

• Professor Tian praised Zheng Qing for summoning and communicating with a Snail Girl Spirit, awarded him a credit, and assigned him to help the first-row students practice.
• Zheng Qing helped the students master the Cleansing Charm, but Li Meng continued to struggle with copying its formula.
• Li Meng asked Zheng Qing who his dance partner would be for Saturday's ball, and Jiang Yu told him scholarship students had to attend its opening dance.
• Liu Feifei said Nicholas would be her dance partner, while Zheng Qing noticed the Gypsy witch's seat was still empty.
• Li Meng offered to be Zheng Qing's dance partner, but he suggested her plush bear instead, prompting her to throw it at him.

Zheng Qing complained about being required to attend the Campus Cup ball and revealed that the summoned creature in his Merlin Medal was a Two-headed Minotaur. He remained reluctant to wear or use the medal as his classmates turned their attention to his hidden summon.

• Zheng Qing returned to class, found his clothes still unwashed, and resumed copying the Cleansing Charm while complaining that his classmates had not helped.
• Xing Fatty and Zhang Jixin teased Zheng Qing about Li Meng and the teddy bear she had beaten.
• Zheng Qing complained that he had only just learned publicly funded students had to attend Saturday night's ball and worried about missing rest before the Freshman Competition.
• Xiao Xiao warned Zheng Qing that skipping the ball could bring consequences, especially with the school's punishment over Hunting Ground No. 1 still pending.
• Zheng Qing refused to wear his Merlin Medal with his academy robe, and his classmates speculated about the creature it could summon.
• Zheng Qing ended the guessing by revealing that his Merlin Medal's summoned creature was a Two-headed Minotaur.

Zheng Qing explained the origins and abilities of his Two-headed Minotaur to the You Zui Hunting Team, who asked him to summon it during training. The team stayed too busy to see it, and the Academy Cup ball began before Zheng Qing had summoned it for them.

• Zheng Qing told his companions that the Two-headed Minotaur was a mutant cultivated in legitimate laboratories and explained that its summoning spell was inscribed on a medal.
• Zheng Qing described the Minotaur’s strength, totem pole, magic, and support auras while the fat man teased him about its appearance.
• Zhang Jixin and Xiao Xiao asked Zheng Qing to summon the creature during training so the team could inspect it before the Freshman Competition.
• Zheng Qing agreed to show the Two-headed Minotaur if they had time, but the You Zui Hunting Team stayed busy from Thursday to Saturday and never saw it before the Academy Cup ball began.

Zheng Qing arrived at the Academy Cup ball with Poseidon and got lost while chasing the lively little fox. As he heard guests discussing a mysterious first-year Jiu You Academy girl who had captivated the crowd, he tried to push closer for a look.

• The Student Union prepared a large outdoor ball venue with four academy entrances, enchanted decorations, and staff and healers on hand.
• Zheng Qing picked up Poseidon from the Pet Garden and brought the fox to the ball, though he was nervous about attending.
• Poseidon darted through the crowded venue, and Zheng Qing lost his way while trying to catch it instead of meeting Ilena beneath the mistletoe.
• Zheng Qing overheard guests praising an unknown first-year Jiu You Academy girl as the queen of the ball and squeezed through the crowd to see her.

At a school dance, Zheng Qing pushed through the crowd after hearing students praise a striking witch in purple. He recognized her as someone he already knew when she waved at him, leaving the onlookers convinced she had waved at them instead.

• Zheng Qing dodged a blue elf offering him a drink while keeping Poseidon from chasing Firefly Bugs.
• Zheng Qing followed nearby students' conversation into the crowd and heard them praise a witch's appearance and speculate about her family and possible suitors.
• Zheng Qing squeezed through the onlookers after the dance ended and saw the witch in purple acknowledging the crowd.
• The witch spotted Zheng Qing and waved excitedly, while the wizards around him mistakenly thought she was waving at them.

Zheng Qing met Jiang Yu at the crowded gathering, and the two left the crowd together with Poseidon. After chatting about Li Meng and the chilly weather, he headed toward Jiuyou’s archway while Jiang Yu kept the fox.

• Jiang Yu found Zheng Qing after dancing, and Poseidon leaped from his head into her arms.
• Zheng Qing suggested they leave the packed crowd, where onlookers were watching them closely.
• Jiang Yu told Zheng Qing that Li Meng had twisted her ankle and was at the healer’s tent with Li Neng.
• Zheng Qing lent Poseidon to Jiang Yu because the night was chilly and asked which way led to Jiuyou’s archway.
• Jiang Yu pointed Zheng Qing toward the archway and kept Poseidon, teasing him to return for the fox.

Ilena introduced Zheng Qing to her teammates for the Freshman Competition, including the runes expert Adam and the Nankai cousins, Nankai and Nanjian. After learning that Nanjian was deaf and exceptionally gifted at divination, Ilena suggested she demonstrate her ability and looked to Zheng Qing.

• Ilena brought Zheng Qing over to meet her Freshman Competition teammates while wearing the Bohemian Dress he had given her.
• Ilena introduced Adam Carlisle O'Brien as the team's Scouting Hunter, skilled in Ancient Runes and talismans, and Adam praised Zheng Qing's reputation.
• Ilena introduced Nankai and Nanjian as the team's Assistant Hunters, and Nankai joked with Zheng Qing about their limited experience of the wider Wizarding World.
• Nanjian explained that she was deaf while holding her Snow Ferret, and Nankai told Zheng Qing that Professor Yi had praised her divination.
• Ilena urged Nanjian to demonstrate her divination and looked around before fixing her gaze on Zheng Qing.

At the dance, Nanjian read Zheng Qing a cryptic message Professor Yi had given her and said she heard only deathly silence from him. Matthew returned with drinks, and while the hunters discussed wine, Ilena invited Zheng Qing to dance.

• The Gypsy witch asked Nanjian to divine something about Zheng Qing, and Nankai tried to discourage her.
• Nanjian read Professor Yi's four-line note and explained that she heard only deathly silence from Zheng Qing.
• Matthew Calen arrived with drinks and snacks, interrupting the tense conversation.
• Nankai, Matthew, and Adam O'Brien discussed Amber Light, Green Bee, and the wineglasses they were using.
• Ilena whispered to Zheng Qing that he could dance instead of listening to the conversation.

Zheng Qing danced with Ilena at the ball, where their conversation moved from his missed opening dance to music and philosophy. The dance ended with Zheng Qing mistakenly drinking from Ilena’s glass, and he went to fetch them Green Bee.

• Ilena teased Zheng Qing for missing the opening dance and told him to take more initiative.
• Zheng Qing and Ilena discussed a dissonant interval in the music, and his rambling remarks left Ilena looking sorrowful.
• A little elf offered to refill Ilena’s drink, and Ilena asked it to mix in fruit juice to ease its burden.
• Ilena caught Zheng Qing admiring her gown, and he tried to cover his embarrassment by talking about the stars.
• Zheng Qing drank from Ilena’s glass by mistake, and after the dance ended he offered to get them Green Bee.

Zheng Qing abandoned his hopes of making progress with Ilena at the ball, only to be pulled away by Zhang Jixin for training before the Freshman Competition. The team prepared to practice without Dylan, who was unlikely to compete, and Zheng Qing reluctantly accepted his captain’s duty.

• Zheng Qing brooded at the edge of the ball after failing to make a breakthrough with Ilena, and Fatty Xin teased him.
• Zhang Jixin asked about Zheng Qing’s patrol duty, and Zheng Qing explained that it had been moved to the previous night.
• Zhang Jixin gathered the You Zui hunters to review their battle formations and meet Zheng Qing’s Minotaur before the competition.
• Zheng Qing asked where Dylan was, and Zhang Jixin said Dylan had something to handle and probably could not compete.
• Xiao Xiao explained that the Lower Yuan Festival could cause half-bloods to show manic symptoms, while Zhang Jixin cut him off.
• Zhang Jixin told Zheng Qing he had already obtained Ilena’s permission to borrow his time, and Zheng Qing resigned himself to training.

Zheng Qing and the You Zui Hunter Team discussed their training and prepared for the upcoming hunting competition. They identified rival teams and realized they needed to account for the Lower Yuan Festival’s boost to pureblood creatures of the night.

• Zhang Jixin led Zheng Qing and the others to a grove by Linzhong Lakefront for training and said Matthew’s team would be training that night too.
• Zhang Jixin asked Zheng Qing what he had learned about Matthew’s team, and Zheng Qing reported that they had no reserve hunters.
• Zhang Jixin and Xiao Xiao warned that Matthew and Andrew Taylor’s teams were backed by the Blood Fellowship and that the competition was a preview of broader Academy Cup and Alpha conflicts.
• Zhang Jixin said Dunton’s team was not a serious threat, while the strongest freshmen from Starry Sky Academy had joined other teams and Atlas had declined.
• Fatty Xin pointed out that the Lower Yuan Festival would strengthen pureblood creatures of the night, and Zhang Jixin acknowledged that their simulations had overlooked its effects.

Zheng Qing summoned a Two-headed Minotaur with his Merlin Medal to demonstrate the creature to his teammates. The Minotaur emerged from the medal’s narrow passage and revealed that it could understand them, leaving Fatty Xin wary.

• Zhang Jixin asked Zheng Qing to summon the creature before training, while Lin Guo arranged Firefly Beetles for light.
• Zheng Qing used his Merlin Medal to summon the Minotaur, and Fatty Xin recalled a frightening bullfighting experience as the others waited nervously.
• The Minotaur squeezed its two heads and body through the medal’s narrow passage, prompting Zheng Qing to explain the summoning limitation.
• Fatty Xin joked about the Minotaur’s roars, and Xiao Xiao mocked his supposed interpretation of them.
• After Fatty Xin commented on the Minotaur’s appearance, one head roared at him and the other nodded at Xiao Xiao, showing that the Minotaur understood them.
• Fatty Xin put away his popcorn and moved behind Zheng Qing and Zhang Jixin.

Zheng Qing demonstrated his Two-headed Minotaur, Nose Ring and Ear Ring, to the hunters so they could assess its abilities for their tactics. The Minotaur showed off its fighting style and Totem Auras, while Lin Guo wandered beneath it to inspect its gear.

• Zheng Qing described the Minotaur’s dragonhide shorts and rune-engraved totem club to Fatty Xin, who refused to treat them as a school-paper story.
• Zheng Qing introduced the Minotaur as Nose Ring and Ear Ring, prompting Fatty Xin to mock its name before Zhang Jixin demanded a demonstration.
• Nose Ring and Ear Ring performed the Mighty Bull Demon Fist, impressing Lin Guo but leaving Zhang Jixin and Lan Que unconvinced.
• The Minotaur struck the ground with its totem club and released several auras, including a Calming Aura that Lan Que said was useful.
• Zheng Qing explained the Fervor Aura as Lin Guo moved beneath the Minotaur and began feeling its shorts, club, and hooves.

Zheng Qing demonstrated the Bull-headed Man’s healing, guardian, stealth, and weakening auras to Youzui’s hunters, who began considering how to adjust their battle formation. After the Bull-headed Man slammed down its totem pole, an enormous tremor and explosions sent red light surging into the sky beyond the walls.

• Zheng Qing explained the Healing Aura and Guardian Aura while Xiao Xiao analyzed the Guardian Aura’s protective effects.
• Zhang Jixin discovered that the Stealth Aura made others overlook him, and Zheng Qing explained how it concealed the Bull-headed Man’s presence.
• Zheng Qing described the Weakening Aura, and Zhang Jixin wrote down ideas for improving Youzui’s battle formation.
• Lin Guo returned from the Bull-headed Man, shaken by his encounter, and Zheng Qing reassured him that Nose Ring and Ear Ring were friendly.
• Nose Ring and Ear Ring slammed its totem pole into the ground, triggering violent shaking and explosions as red light surged into the sky beyond the walls.

After a red flash and rumbling shook the area near First University, You Zui Hunting Team speculated that a nearby laboratory had exploded and worried about the academy’s response. Zheng Qing dismissed the Two-headed Minotaur into his Merlin Medal, then collapsed from a sudden wave of dizziness.

• The You Zui Hunting Team watched the Silent Forest erupt into chaos after a red flash and rumbling near the academy.
• Fatty Xin joked that the Two-headed Minotaur had caused the disturbance, but Zheng Qing and the others concluded a nearby laboratory had probably exploded.
• Fatty Xin left to gather information for an extra edition as the team anticipated a curfew and worried Old Yao might restrict extracurricular activities.
• Zheng Qing put the drowsy Two-headed Minotaur away in his Merlin Medal and collapsed to his knees when a violent wave of dizziness struck him.

After Zheng Qing became dizzy and overwhelmed by fragmented memories, Xiao Xiao deduced that Zheng Qing's missing shadow had returned from the Dimensional Evolution Laboratory and brought back experiences from its 2D Worlds. Zheng Qing decided to put the mystery aside until after the Freshman Hunting Competition.

• Zheng Qing nearly collapsed and described his mind as a jumble of vivid, distorted memories.
• Zheng Qing's teammates considered taking him to the School Hospital, but Xiao Xiao interrupted with a theory about the accident.
• Xiao Xiao pointed out that Zheng Qing's shadow had returned beneath his feet.
• Zheng Qing and his teammates connected the shadow's return and his chaotic memories to the explosion at Su Shijun's Dimensional Evolution Laboratory.
• Zheng Qing decided not to let the incident interfere with the next day's Freshman Hunting Competition.

Zheng Qing questioned Xiao Xiao’s theory about the years his returned shadow had experienced, then struggled to recall whether those memories contained anything useful to the hunting team. Zhang Jixin gave him a sleeping potion before Zheng Qing could finish uttering “The departed return,” leaving the others to decide how to get him back to the dormitory.

• Xiao Xiao explained that time passed differently in higher- and lower-dimensional worlds, so Zheng Qing’s shadow could have experienced years while only ten days passed in their world.
• Zhang Jixin pressed Zheng Qing about whether his memories held useful hunting experience, spells, potions, or talismans, but Zheng Qing said the memories were too hazy to make out.
• Xiao Xiao took an extra-strength Sleeping Potion from Zhang Jixin’s pocket, and Zhang Jixin forced Zheng Qing to drink it.
• Zheng Qing briefly struggled and shouted, “The departed return,” before the potion made him fall asleep.
• Lin Guo asked what Zheng Qing had been trying to say, while Xiao Xiao and Zhang Jixin argued over how to carry him back to the dormitory.

A mysterious red light engulfed the Dimensional Evolution Research Institute, trapping a giant fox and researchers inside while rendering rescue attempts useless. As First University staff raised a barrier and argued over the crisis, Old Yao finally appeared at the scene.

• The building melted beneath the red light, and wizards outside saw a giant fox and researchers trapped within, unable to reach or communicate with them.
• A middle-aged School Labor Committee worker established a safety perimeter, found that the life detector could not read the scene, and ordered the Four Symbols Barrier constructed.
• The school worker told Alyosha to take the search-and-rescue dogs away and asked Zhang Yu where Dean Yao was.
• Thomas reported that the Guardian Formation had rated the danger S+, while Hilda Tang Alfonso and Zhang Yu discussed the risks of the institute's experiments and their security.
• Zhang Yu said Professor Yao was finding helpers, then Old Yao and several figures appeared near the teaching assistants.

Master Baoyangzi entered the Four Symbols Barrier to investigate the magic distorting the building, while Professor Yao organized the response outside. He reached the fox holding a ball of light as the researchers reacted in alarm, leaving Zhang Yu and Thomas unable to hear what was happening inside the red light.

• Old Yao and a white-haired wizard discussed the building’s apparent collapse, and the wizard said Professor Yao’s senses might have caused it.
• Master Baoyangzi punctured the Four Symbols Barrier with his cane and entered the accident site.
• Old Yao assigned Xiao An to monitor the Guardian Array, put Professor Charles in charge of the perimeter, and sent Zhang Yu and Thomas inside with him.
• The group saw the building slowly melting into a Chimera shape beneath the red light.
• Master Baoyangzi vanished into the red light to investigate while Old Yao stayed behind to cover him.
• Master Baoyangzi appeared before the fox holding a ball of light as the black-robed researchers pointed at him and spoke.