Chapter Summaries

The Wanderer Wizard explained to Zheng Qing how a reporter had turned every attempt by Jiuyou Academy to accommodate her into fresh criticism, illustrating that people determined to find fault would condemn someone simply for existing. Zheng Qing still wanted to curb the rumors about himself, so the Wanderer Wizard offered to redirect public attention through Wander Bar for a fee.

• The Wanderer Wizard told Zheng Qing how a reporter repeatedly published attacks on Jiuyou Academy, no matter how its staff treated her.
• Zheng Qing realized the reporter was targeting Jiuyou Academy, and the Wanderer Wizard explained that determined critics would find fault with anything they did.
• The Wanderer Wizard advised Zheng Qing to let the rumors fade by doing nothing, but Zheng Qing insisted on following the You Zui Hunting Team's decision to curb them.
• The Wanderer Wizard offered to redirect public attention toward other scandals and questions through Wander Bar, charging ten jade coins if Zheng Qing let it sell the team's loot.

Zheng Qing rushed to Dr. Duzem's home after losing time bargaining with the Wanderer Wizard, worried that he had kept Jiang Yu waiting. Meanwhile, Liu Feifei confronted Nicholas about skipping study sessions, then arranged to help him prepare for his exams.

• Zheng Qing left Wander Bar after four, regretted spending ten jade coins to suppress school rumors, and hurried toward Dr. Duzem's home, already more than half an hour late to meet Jiang Yu.
• Liu Feifei spotted Zheng Qing running past the Coffee Shop and demanded to know why Nicholas had stopped studying with her.
• Nicholas explained that he had taken part-time work to support his sick younger sister and save for New Year gifts.
• Liu Feifei agreed to tutor Nicholas from nine to eleven thirty each night, and he accepted.
• Liu Feifei and Nicholas looked out for Zheng Qing, but he had already disappeared into the crowd.

Zheng Qing visited Dr. Duzem and found him discussing a risky targeted transformation with Jiang Yu, who insisted on proceeding. Jiang Yu congratulated Zheng Qing on winning the Freshman Competition with a gift that turned out to be an eerie revolver.

• Zheng Qing slipped through the Institute of Abnormal Life’s partly open gate and entered Dr. Duzem’s study with a box of sleeping sprites.
• Jiang Yu and Dr. Duzem discussed the high risks of targeted transformation, and Jiang Yu firmly insisted it was her request.
• Jiang Yu gave Zheng Qing a Congratulatory Gift for taking first place in the Freshman Competition.
• Zheng Qing opened the gift and found a congratulatory card and an ancient-looking revolver with a faint eerie aura.

Zheng Qing examined a Colt Python talisman gun and learned about its history, operation, and high ammunition costs. Jiang Yu gave him the manual for making its talisman bullets, suggesting the gun could suit his skills as a talisman maker.

• Dr. Duzem and Jiang Yu discussed the Colt Python and explained that it was a rare talisman gun used by Talisman Masters.
• Zheng Qing described how he had used a slingshot to launch delayed-trigger talismans, and Jiang Yu and Dr. Duzem praised his innovation.
• Dr. Duzem explained the history of talisman guns, prompting Zheng Qing to realize that his slingshot technique was not novel and to feel relieved he had not applied for a patent.
• Jiang Yu explained that talisman guns were costly because each shot used three Standard Talismans, and Dr. Duzem called them toys for aristocratic gentlemen.
• Jiang Yu gave Zheng Qing Colt’s manual for making talisman bullets and suggested he could make the ammunition himself.

Zheng Qing gave Jiang Yu his Transformation Spell notes after realizing she was interested in learning the spells. Jiang Yu revealed that she planned to use them to catch the murderer who killed Xiao Bai.

• Zheng Qing received a talisman gun from Jiang Yu and asked Dr. Duzem whether he needed permission to use it.
• After leaving the Institute of Abnormal Life, Zheng Qing thanked Jiang Yu for the gift and asked if she planned to practice Transformation Spells.
• Zheng Qing explained that professors had prescribed Transformation Spells to help reduce the Information Perturbation causing his headaches.
• Jiang Yu asked Zheng Qing for his Transformation Spell notes, and he handed them over.
• Jiang Yu said she wanted to learn Transformation Spells so she could seek justice for Xiao Bai and catch the murderer herself.

Zheng Qing learned that Jiang Yu planned to transform into a kitten and use herself as bait to catch the killer who murdered her kitten, but she refused to abandon the plan. At the class meeting, Zheng Qing also reported that the Wanderer Wizard had agreed to help and that he had sold the hunting competition spoils for the team.

• The university closed the case of the murdered kitten by blaming a kappa, while Jiang Yu continued investigating and mourning the kitten she had secretly fed.
• Jiang Yu told Zheng Qing she had been practicing Transformation Spells so she could turn into a kitten and lure the killer back to Linzhong Lake.
• Zheng Qing warned Jiang Yu that the plan was dangerous, but she said Li Meng and Zheng Qing's hunting team would help her and refused to tell the professors.
• Zheng Qing and Jiang Yu ate dinner before heading to the Class Astronomy 08-1 meeting, where they parted at the classroom door.
• Zheng Qing told Xiao Xiao that the Wanderer Wizard had agreed to help in exchange for the hunting competition spoils, and said the proceeds would remain shared team funds.

Zheng Qing and his teammates debated how to spend the You Zui Hunting Team’s 110 jade coins, considering a celebration, uniforms, equipment, training, and a shop in Beta Town. Their discussion ended when Old Yao arrived and the Stick Figure ordered them back to their seats.

• Zheng Qing told his teammates that the team had received 110 jade coins after the Wanderer Wizards deducted a public relations fee.
• Fatty Xin suggested spending some of the money on a gathering, while Zhang Jixin proposed uniforms, a team banner, badges, and better training.
• Xiao Xiao asked Zheng Qing for his opinion because he had earned most of the money.
• Zheng Qing suggested renting a shop in Beta Town to sell the team’s products and provide a place for them to meet.
• Fatty Xin and Zhang Jixin teased Zheng Qing about getting the shop idea from Jiang Yu, and Zheng Qing tried to avoid their questions.
• The Stick Figure announced that Old Yao had arrived and ordered everyone back to their seats.

At the Sunday regular meeting, Zheng Qing discussed his Heart Sutra and rune-bullet patent with Xiao Xiao while Old Yao praised the Freshman Competition hunters. The meeting was interrupted when a maid arrived asking for Zheng Qing, who hurried out of the classroom.

• Old Yao announced the midterm results and praised the hunters who had participated in the Freshman Competition.
• Fatty Xin tried to silently question Zheng Qing about what he had done with Jiang Yu, but Zheng Qing ignored him and recited the Heart Sutra.
• Zheng Qing asked Xiao Xiao about visiting Atlas to seek Shi Yuan's advice and fulfill his vow to offer incense to the Gods and Buddhas.
• Zheng Qing challenged Xiao Xiao for urging him to patent rune bullets, and Xiao Xiao explained that the innovative runes and structure could be patented.
• A young witch in a black maid dress interrupted the meeting and asked Old Yao whether Zheng Qing was present.
• Old Yao waved Zheng Qing out, and Zheng Qing packed his things and hurried from the classroom.

Zheng Qing met Doctor Chen Ang, a former director who had escaped two-dimensional space and now existed as a projection. Su Shijun explained that Doctor Chen wanted to discuss transcendence with Zheng Qing and experiment on his shadow, leaving Zheng Qing alarmed.

• Zheng Qing saw Su Shijun speaking with an illusory figure outside the 2D Laboratory and learned the figure was Doctor Chen Ang.
• Su Shijun and Doctor Chen argued over the laboratory’s name, his disassembled soul, and the ban keeping him away from laboratories.
• Su Shijun told Doctor Chen that she would provide experimental data but would not let him take Zheng Qing away.
• Su Shijun explained that Doctor Chen wanted to compare notes with Zheng Qing, whose shadow had escaped two-dimensional space, and hoped to cut off part of the shadow for experiments.
• Zheng Qing grew pale at the thought of becoming one of Doctor Chen’s experimental subjects.

Zheng Qing insisted that he knew nothing about the experiment or the shadow that had escaped, and Su Shijun agreed that he could only help with questionnaires and data for DYDX-S-NO.1. After Doctor Chen left, Zheng Qing followed Su Shijun into the Experimental Building and made his way back to her laboratory.

• Zheng Qing told Doctor Chen that his current shadow was not the one that had escaped and that he did not know where the escaped shadow had gone.
• Su Shijun said Zheng Qing could help with questionnaires and provide some experimental data, but nothing more, and Doctor Chen left.
• Su Shijun entered the Experimental Building, and Zheng Qing followed her after deciding not to leave.
• The budgerigar at reception stopped Zheng Qing until he filled out a visitor form, then warned him about the foxes and his shadow.
• Zheng Qing reached Su Shijun's laboratory and found it restored to its former condition, with researchers working inside.

Su Shijun summoned Zheng Qing to ask about his escaped shadow, but she first forgot he was in her office while she worked through documents. She revealed that his shadow had used Forbidden Curses to destroy more than a thousand 2D Worlds and forcibly transcend, leaving Zheng Qing stunned.

• Su Shijun offered Zheng Qing tea, then forgot he was waiting in her office while she worked.
• Su Shijun remembered Zheng Qing and asked whether he knew why she had summoned him.
• Zheng Qing guessed that Su Shijun wanted him to bring Poseidon to Qingqiu Mansion, and she told him to bring Poseidon next week.
• Su Shijun said she had also called Zheng Qing to ask about his shadow, then questioned whether he had learned Forbidden Curses.
• Su Shijun explained that Zheng Qing's shadow had used Forbidden Curses to destroy over a thousand 2D Worlds and forcibly transcend.
• Zheng Qing was left dumbfounded by Su Shijun's explanation.

Su Shijun told Zheng Qing that his escaped shadow had used a Forbidden Curse to destroy over a thousand 2D Worlds, though Zheng Qing insisted he knew nothing about it. She gave him a gift for his hunting team's first-place finish in the Freshman Competition and said it was for Poseidon's sake.

• Zheng Qing rejected Su Shijun's claim that his shadow had used a Forbidden Curse, arguing that neither he nor the school would allow him to wield one.
• Su Shijun explained that the incomplete 2D Worlds could not produce Forbidden Curses and said the school’s Forbidden Curse Management Office had taken the Big Black Cat away.
• Su Shijun revealed that the council wanted her to question Zheng Qing and showed him Truth Serum, a whip, and a Straw Man, but assured him she would not use them.
• Su Shijun gave Zheng Qing a long red wooden box as a gift because his hunting team had won the Freshman Competition, clarifying that it was for Poseidon's sake.

Su Shijun gave Zheng Qing a rune gun and a protective talisman for Poseidon, then warned him that Professor Monteria might exploit his bloodline for research. Zheng Qing left worried about the dangers beyond the school's protection.

• Zheng Qing opened Su Shijun's gift and found a Remington M870 rune gun with ammunition and an instruction booklet.
• Su Shijun told Zheng Qing the gun would help him on the hunting grounds and gave him a protective talisman for Poseidon.
• Zheng Qing asked Su Shijun about Professor Monteria, whom Dean Yao had suggested he consult about his bloodline and right eye.
• Su Shijun explained that Monteria was an expert in bloodline research but might secretly experiment on Zheng Qing.
• Su Shijun warned Zheng Qing that the wider magical world was cruel and urged him to face its dangers.

On the final day of the Academy Cup hunting competition, Zheng Qing avoided questions about his visits to Su Shijun and arrived at the closing ceremony. He learned that the professors had blamed the recent Jiuyou–Alpha brawl on an unidentified troublemaker, but the punishment had not yet been revealed.

• Zheng Qing studied talisman-bullet crafting in Book Mountain Hall to avoid curious questions about Su Shijun.
• Zheng Qing went to Hunting Ground No. 1 for the Academy Cup closing ceremony and joined the You Zui Hunting Team.
• Fatty Xin told the team that the Professor Joint Conference had ruled the brawl unrelated to the academies and suspected an unknown wizard or creature had caused it.
• Zheng Qing asked how the two academies had been punished for trading Evil Curses.

Zheng Qing and his friends discussed the likely punishments for the brawl between Jiuyou and Alpha, then realized their hunting-meet betting tickets would pay out. Xiao Xiao had correctly predicted the results in several categories and stood to win nearly forty Jade Coins as Old Yao approached the podium.

• Fatty Xin predicted that the school would give both sides light punishments and impose fines for damaging campus property.
• Zhang Jixin reminded the group that the bookmaker had called in their bets, and Zheng Qing recalled betting on his team and himself.
• Xiao Xiao listed his bets on Judgement Hunting Team and its members, revealing that he had wagered five Gold Beans across the categories.
• Zhang Jixin calculated that Xiao Xiao’s accurate picks would earn him more than four hundred Gold Beans, nearly forty Jade Coins.
• Xiao Xiao denied using divination and warned the others that Old Yao was coming out, so the group turned toward the podium and fell silent.

The Academy Cup hunters assembled for the closing ceremony, where Old Yao praised First University and its traditions. Zheng Qing and Xiao Xiao noticed that Old Yao was the only serving dean present, then Xiao Xiao spotted Su Shijun waving toward him.

• The hunting teams paraded before the rostrum with captured demons, while students cheered for the hunters and visiting Su Shijun.
• Old Yao quieted the crowd and spoke about First University's mission and the Academy Cup.
• Xiao Xiao pointed out that Old Yao was the only serving dean at the ceremony and speculated that the school was making a hidden matter public.
• Zheng Qing asked what the matter was, and Xiao Xiao admitted he did not know before noticing Su Shijun waving at him.

At the Academy Cup ceremony, Zheng Qing watched Su Shijun wave toward the Jiuyou stands and then felt uneasy as the captive demons grew restless. The demons broke their restraints and stared hungrily at the stands before Old Yao’s spell forced them down, leaving the danger unresolved.

• Old Yao praised the Judgement Hunting Team and presented the Academy Cup while students in the stands noticed Su Shijun waving toward them.
• Zheng Qing watched Su Shijun through his telescope and denied knowing her well when Fatty Xin teased him.
• Xiao Xiao suggested Zheng Qing’s unease might come from his sensitivity to demonic energy as the group discussed the captive demons.
• A cool breeze swept across the hunting grounds, and several demons grew larger, broke their restraints, and roared.
• Zheng Qing collapsed into his seat as the demons fixed their gazes on the stands, and Old Yao’s Huitui spell forced the wizards and demons back down.

On the Lower Yuan Festival, Zheng Qing stayed in the dormitory and worried about the fiends’ fixation on him, while a conversation with his roommates revealed how Dylan and Lan Que were coping after the Freshman Competition. A paper crane flew in through the window, interrupting the somber discussion.

• Zheng Qing recalled the fiends’ greedy attention at the School Hunting Meet and considered Old Yao’s suggestion that Professor Monteria examine him, but the festival holiday kept him from acting immediately.
• Fatty Xin and Xiao Xiao warned Zheng Qing that students had to remain in their dorms during the Lower Yuan Festival and that teaching assistants would inspect them.
• Zheng Qing asked after Dylan, and Fatty Xin said Dylan was eating, drinking, and sleeping in the hospital despite the difficulties of his bloodline.
• Fatty Xin admitted he had lost his Blue Giant state during the hunt because he had failed to find inner peace.
• Xiao Xiao explained that Lan Que was relentlessly tempering his sword after his Sword Heart faltered when he retreated from the Wolf King.
• A paper crane flew through the window as the dormitory conversation grew increasingly heavy.

Zheng Qing received a message from Ilena inviting him to meet for their lesson and hurried out of the dormitory to see her. His roommates teased him about his feelings for Ilena and Jiang Yu, leaving him uncertain about where those relationships would lead.

• A Blue-black Paper Crane delivered Ilena's message to Zheng Qing: they would meet at the same time and place.
• Zheng Qing saw that it was 1:35 and rushed to prepare for their planned two o'clock meeting at Book Mountain Hall.
• Zheng Qing told his roommates to say he had been summoned by the 2D Wave Laboratory if anyone inspected the dormitory.
• Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin teased Zheng Qing about Ilena and Jiang Yu, and he insisted that his outings with Jiang Yu had not been dates.
• Zheng Qing checked his Gray Cloth Bag and fled the dormitory, still unsure about his feelings for both witches.

Zheng Qing followed a revived paper crane through the empty campus to meet Ilena, who had been waiting near a hidden passage to Alpha Castle. His Temporary Pass opened the passage’s stone door, and he explained that the School Labor Committee would likely reclaim it during Saturday’s night patrol.

• Zheng Qing used an Invisibility Talisman to avoid the Student Union Patrol Team and went to the closed Book Mountain Hall to meet Ilena.
• Zheng Qing revived the paper crane with a tap, and it led him through the campus to Ilena.
• Ilena explained that she had wanted to go to Alpha Castle but could not open the hidden stone door.
• Zheng Qing used his Temporary Pass to make the Door-ring Beast open the door and explained where the pass came from.