Recaps

Dongguan left Kabu Village and entered Revered Light City, where he planned to rent a courtyard and settle in for a while. Yana stayed behind determined to improve her blade techniques so she could eventually go to Cave City.

• Dongguan said goodbye to Yana and Dake, declining to take Yana as his disciple because he knew he would eventually leave the secret realm.
• Dake suggested that Yana go to Cave City earlier than planned, and she agreed to work toward mastering the second layer of her family's blade techniques.
• Dongguan traveled to Revered Light City and learned that the city reserved its true authority for Universe Level cultivators and Domain Lords.
• Dongguan exchanged a planetary-level crystal core for entry, then hired an errand boy to show him the city's courtyard residences.
• Dongguan chose to rent a thousand-core courtyard residence for five years so he could cultivate and explore the caves.

Dongguan explored Revered Light City, learned about the Underground Cavern, and finally entered it for the first time. There, Gewo discovered Dongguan’s inexperience and offered to guide him, hoping to benefit from his potential.

• Dongguan learned about Revered Light City from Aier, visited the Library and Street of Treasures, and prepared for his first trip into the Underground Cavern.
• Dongguan registered as Guan, paid 100 cores for a replacement Underground Cavern Token, and approached the cavern entrance.
• Gewo met Dongguan at the entrance and pulled him through the cavern’s boundary into a plaza where falling was not required.
• Gewo laughed after realizing Dongguan had never entered the cavern before, then explained that he was at Profound Level and offered to show Dongguan the ropes.
• Gewo said he saw promise in Dongguan and hoped Dongguan would repay his investment after becoming stronger, and Dongguan accepted his help.

Dongguan explored the Underground Cavern with Gewo, learned about Dark Beasts and the Light God Temple, and concealed his true strength and intentions. After killing a swarm of Dark Beasts, he grew suspicious that something was wrong with the continent or Gewo’s understanding of genius.

• Gewo explained that the Underground Cavern connected to the Dark Beasts’ world and warned Dongguan against raising Dark Beasts or absorbing their crystal cores.
• Gewo planned to train Dongguan against progressively stronger Dark Beasts, while Dongguan decided to conceal his domain and reveal only enough strength to defeat a Star Level Nine opponent.
• Gewo learned Dongguan had the light attribute and assumed an enemy was preventing him from joining the Light God Temple; Dongguan let the explanation stand and continued into the cavern with him.
• Gewo and Dongguan killed a swarm of Planetary Level insect-like Dark Beasts, and Gewo collected their crystal cores while explaining the value of an Insect Mother’s core to the Light God Temple.
• As they ventured deeper, Dongguan questioned why comprehending a domain at Star Level counted as peerless genius and suspected that something was wrong with the secret realm or Gewo’s understanding.

Dongguan and Gewo defeated an Insect Mother in the Underground Cavern, and Dongguan discovered that Gewo was far less capable against soul attacks than his cultivation suggested. Gewo explained the cavern’s dangers and the continent’s beliefs about the Light Lords and Dark Lord, leaving Dongguan suspicious and determined to gather crystal cores before pursuing a way out of the secret realm.

• Gewo and Dongguan uncovered an enormous hollow filled with insect Dark Beasts and found an Insect Mother guarded by a swarm.
• Dongguan swept aside the insects and killed the Insect Mother with his Lightforged Blade, while Gewo struggled against its soul attack.
• Gewo explained that he was unharmed but inexperienced with soul attacks, and Dongguan asked him for information about the Underground Cavern.
• Gewo described the cavern’s depth ranges and the six common categories of Dark Beasts, prompting Dongguan to compare them to the Primal Universe’s races.
• Gewo praised the Light Lords and described the Dark Lord, while Dongguan grew suspicious of their supposed power and resolved to gather crystal cores before seeking a way out.

After more than a year hunting in the Underground Cavern, Dongguan grasped a trace of the light law and learned he had passed a Life-and-Death Selection, while planning to escape the Secret Realm. On Earth, Luo Feng briefed the world about the universe, Zhang Gui worried about Dongguan, and a ship approached Earth as Zhang Gui broke through to Star Level.

• Dongguan killed a metal-and-darkness Composite Dark Beast, then met Aido, who revealed that Dongguan had passed the Life-and-Death Selection and gave him a token to attend the Light God Temple.
• Aido identified himself as Gewo's father and City Lord of Revered Light City, and Dongguan realized a Domain Lord had entered the Underground Cavern despite the stated restrictions.
• Luo Feng held a Global Summit, shared what he had learned in space, and presented his plan to provide Purple Light Dew to the world.
• Hong and Thunder God showed Luo Feng and Zhang Gui the items Dongguan had entrusted to them, while Luo Feng told Zhang Gui he had been unable to contact Dongguan.
• Zhang Yu decided to travel into space to register accounts and citizenship, and Zhang Gui broke through to Star Level First Rank as both a Psychic and a warrior.
• A spaceship emerged from a wormhole a little over two light-years from Earth.

After leaving the Underground Cavern, Dongguan received a Life-and-Death Token and decided to enter the selection at the Light God Temple. He began its first test, a monster-fighting trial, while other participants waited to see his score.

• Dongguan emerged from the Underground Cavern with a Life-and-Death Token and learned that the preliminary finals were a month away.
• Dongguan found another man occupying his rented house, ordered him to resolve the lease dispute with Meng Luo, and left for the Light God Temple.
• Dongguan presented his token at the temple and learned that only the top 6,400 test takers would advance.
• Dongguan put on the helmet, entered a simulated wasteland, and started killing increasingly numerous and powerful monsters to raise his score.
• Gu Luo and the other waiting participants discussed Dongguan's early start and watched for his result.

Dongguan rose to 176th place in the Life-and-Death Selection before emerging from the virtual trial, while five Cave City geniuses began their own tests. The bishop judged Dongguan a likely contender for the top few hundred but said he still had to prove himself in the Preliminary Finals.

• Dongguan’s points and ranking climbed as he killed dark beasts, eventually reaching 7,192nd place and then entering the top 6,400.
• Meng Jin, Pietri, Shahua, Lunia, and Gu Luo abandoned their plan to wait and entered the selection after seeing Dongguan’s rapid progress.
• The bishop told City Lord Aido and Gewo that Dongguan’s domain and blade techniques could place him among the top 500 or even top 200, though the top ten remained unlikely.
• Dongguan reached 187th place and charged the fifth-order Insect Mother, but fell before reaching her and finished ranked 176th.
• Dongguan emerged from the virtual world and left the tower, while the bishop declined to meet him until after the Preliminary Finals.

Meng Luo learned that the renter he had wronged was Dongguan, a powerful Life-and-Death Selection contestant, and the Meng family offered access to its treasured books as an apology. Dongguan accepted and continued gathering information at the Library, preparing to finish reading before the Preliminary Finals.

• Meng Luo discovered that Aier had arranged to rent Dongguan's courtyard twice, and the Meng patriarch ordered him to compensate both tenants and pay for the trouble himself.
• Meng Jin recognized Dongguan's appearance and revealed that Dongguan ranked 176, had scored tens of millions, and would be targeted in the Five-Person Decisive Battle.
• Gewo told Dongguan that his Life-and-Death Token let him read freely at the Library, and Dongguan rapidly searched its books for information about the continent, the Light Capital, and the Void Battlefield.
• The Meng patriarch arrived with Meng Luo and Meng Jin and offered Dongguan access to the Meng family's books, including treasured collections, as an apology.
• Dongguan accepted the offer and asked the Meng patriarch to identify which books counted as new additions missing from the Meng family's collection.