Chapter Summaries

As the Mushroom Forest spread across the island, Zhang Ming learned from the Old White Turtle that the creatures at the island’s center were about to settle their contest, leaving the turtles with no choice but to flee. Stone Mama showed him a fragment of the Flame-Horned People’s history, ending with a young exile receiving the Source of the World, while Zhang Ming was left wondering whether its removal had caused Black Tortoise’s failed breakthrough.

• Zhang Ming saw the Mushroom Forest spreading across the island and learned from the Old White Turtle that the turtles needed to flee rather than gather more offerings.
• Stone Mama led Zhang Ming to the altar and used Spirit Language to reveal a memory of the Flame-Horned People preparing to send one-tenth of their young adults away before Black Tortoise’s perilous breakthrough.
• A Flame-Horned father warned his son that unity had a price and urged him to keep a low profile after leaving their homeland.
• The father obtained a piece of the Source of the World from a withered sapling and gave it to his son, saying it would protect his ship and help him survive the journey.
• After the vision ended, Zhang Ming suspected the missing Source of the World might have caused Black Tortoise’s breakthrough to fail, but Stone Mama could not explain what happened next.

Zhang Ming watched visions of the Flamehorn Civilization’s leaders repeatedly stealing pieces of the Source of the World as Black Tortoise faced a perilous breakthrough. The thefts destroyed trust among the rulers, and the chapter ended with the civilization collapsing into panic and a rumor that Black Tortoise would sacrifice its people.

• A Flame-Horned Grand Elder defended stealing a piece of the Source of the World, claiming it would protect his son, while the ruler ordered him imprisoned.
• The Flamehorn leaders debated Black Tortoise’s thirty percent chance of breaking through and forbade further evacuations, though ten percent of the population had already fled.
• The court discovered that another piece of the Source of the World had vanished, and Zhang Ming wondered whether the emperor had taken it.
• More pieces disappeared, driving the Flamehorn leadership into mutual suspicion as Black Tortoise’s odds of breaking through declined.
• Devoted Flame-Horned leaders killed themselves in despair, while ordinary people celebrated the anticipated breakthrough and a rumor spread that Black Tortoise planned to eat them.

Zhang Ming explained that the Flamehorn Race's leaders spread rumors about Black Tortoise to justify fleeing after losing faith in their plan to save their civilization. The story then revealed Black Tortoise's bond with the Flamehorn ancestors and followed the dying Great Sage as he tried to buy time for the people to escape.

• Zhang Ming told Stone Mama that the Flamehorn leaders had spread rumors about Black Tortoise to stir chaos and make their escape seem necessary.
• Stone Mama grieved over Zhang Ming's explanation, and Zhang Ming asked it to recount the rest of the story.
• The Great Sage recalled how the Flamehorn ancestors had found the wounded Black Tortoise and made it their new world using their faith and the Source of the World.
• The Great Sage learned that the Source of the World had been stolen and the ruling class had fled while rumors drove the Flame-Horned People into a panic.
• The dying Great Sage explained that Black Tortoise could sever only its corpse, then planned to balance its good and evil corpses to give more people time to escape.
• The Great Sage sent his students to flee with his treasures, though some stayed behind as the Flame-Horned People split into factions.

After learning that the Flame-Horned People’s sacrifices had kept the Black Tortoise’s good corpse alive against its evil corpse, Zhang Ming suspected Stone Mama was tied to the Black Tortoise and questioned the choices that doomed the Flame-Horned People. Old White Turtle said the good corpse could hold out for three days, leaving Zhang Ming time to break through before they had to flee.

• The Great Sage apologized to the Black Tortoise for his descendants, then leaped at the enormous structure and left a splash of blood on its wall.
• Zhang Ming concluded that the two monsters at the island’s center were the Black Tortoise’s good and evil corpses, and Old White Turtle indicated the good corpse had about three days left.
• Zhang Ming asked if Stone Mama was the Black Tortoise, but it repeated his earlier words naming it Stone Mama, leading him to suspect it was one of the Black Tortoise’s remnants.
• Zhang Ming questioned why the Flame-Horned People had accepted a gamble with only a thirty-percent chance of success, and Stone Mama reacted with shock to his suggestion that the Black Tortoise could have misled them.
• Zhang Ming argued that sending ten percent of the Flame-Horned People away as a backup weakened their resolve and sowed conflict, then asked how those chosen had been selected.

After learning Stone Mama’s plan to use Spirit Language to frighten the monsters at the island’s center, Zhang Ming rallied the turtles and went out to sea to break through the human limit. He pushed his Physique past 200, drawing the attention of a distant primeval threat, and defiantly continued toward the Flame-Horned People’s orthodox breakthrough method.

• Zhang Ming explained why the Flame-Horned People’s escape plan made their collapse inevitable and credited Black Tortoise’s will with preserving the island’s balance.
• Stone Mama proposed recreating Black Tortoise’s failed Heavenly God breakthrough with Spirit Language to scare the two monsters at the island’s center.
• Zhang Ming rejected bringing down real Heavenly Punishment but agreed to try Stone Mama’s plan, then enlisted Old White Turtle and its kin for a battle to save their species.
• Zhang Ming called for Gaia’s Consciousness at the beach, then rode Scarface Turtle far from the island to attempt his breakthrough.
• Zhang Ming activated Strength Burst and converted over two thousand Lifespan points into Physique, exceeding the 200-point limit as a distant presence threatened him.

Zhang Ming broke through his [Physique], [Perception], and [Mind] bottlenecks, drawing the island's monster’s hostility as Gaia’s warmth reached him. On Earth, officials discussed the Human Breathing Technique and prepared for the coming transformation of Pangaea.

• Zhang Ming sensed his soul, broke through his [Physique] bottleneck, and raised [Physique] to 585 before hitting another limit.
• Zhang Ming merged and strengthened "Strength Burst," then chose "Toxin Resistance" and "Lightning Control" to break through his [Perception] and [Mind] bottlenecks.
• The island’s central being issued a silent threat against Zhang Ming, while Gaia’s warmth settled over him; Zhang Ming vowed to build ships and defeat the monster.
• Li Xianfeng reported to leaders that trials showed most participants could learn the Human Breathing Technique and described the value of the Acupuncture Guidance Technique.
• The leaders discussed how the Human Breathing Technique had restored public hope and how mutated-creature flesh could accelerate cultivation.

After the Gaia mirage reappeared over Mount Everest with a message about the Human Limit and a high-intensity battle, Zhang Ming faced the white-fuzz monster that had eaten the plane’s corpses. He brought the turtle group ashore and prepared to attack, leaving the fight poised to begin.

• Li Xianfeng and the elder saw the mirage return over Mount Everest, where it revealed the words “Human Limit” and a warning of a battle from the Mysterious Zone.
• After Zhang Ming broke through three Human Limit thresholds, the white-fuzz monster emerged on the island’s beach and charged into the sea.
• Zhang Ming and the Turtle Group fled toward shore while he recovered and used successive turtles to keep the monster chasing them.
• Zhang Ming sensed the monster’s spores near the beach, but his incorporated Toxin Resistance neutralized the toxins he inhaled.
• The monster slammed into several Giant Turtles, knocking them back and covering them with white fuzz.
• Zhang Ming reached the beach, warned the turtles not to fight up close, and hurled his Ice Spear at the monster.

Zhang Ming and the Old White Turtle worked together to wound the poisonous white-haired monster, but Stone Mama suddenly called it small fry. On Earth, officials watched the battle as Professor Peter told Li Xianfeng about an Ice Crystal Tree on Mount Everest that might embody the Gaia Consciousness.

• Zhang Ming threw the Ice Spear into the monster, then dodged its venom as it poisoned a Giant Turtle and forced it to turn to stone.
• The Old White Turtle used Telekinesis to retrieve the spear, and Zhang Ming repeatedly attacked the monster from the trees while warning the turtles to keep their distance.
• As the injured monster slowed, Stone Mama bellowed that it was nothing but small fry, interrupting Zhang Ming's next throw.
• Officials in the Himalayan region watched Zhang Ming's battle and discussed his strength, the dangers of the Mysterious Zone, and the need to manage public opinion.
• Professor Peter told Li Xianfeng that climbers had found a regenerating Ice Crystal Tree on Mount Everest, which they believed represented the Gaia Consciousness.
• Li Xianfeng and the leaders agreed to help protect the tree and arrange scientific expeditions with Peter's group.

Zhang Ming fought through the expanding Spore Forest to reach the enormous building and toss Stone Mama beside the withered world-source tree. He escaped a mental attack, then heard a proclamation announcing Black Tortoise’s final bid to attain godhood.

• Old White Turtle and the giant turtles held off the White-Haired Monsters while Zhang Ming carried Stone Mama toward the island’s center.
• Zhang Ming resisted the Spore Forest’s mind-bending influence and fought through fungal colonies and reanimated Flame-Horned corpses to reach the building.
• Inside the hall, Zhang Ming spotted the withered little tree, but an unseen force plunged him into darkness and immobilized him.
• Zhang Ming broke free of the mental attack with violet lightning, tossed Stone Mama near the tree, and retreated from the building.
• Zhang Ming heard a Spirit Language proclamation stating that Northern Extremity, Black Tortoise, sought to attain the heavenly god realm as its long life ended.

Zhang Ming witnessed Stone Mama’s historical reenactment of Black Tortoise’s ancient attempt to become a world, as the continent rose and then fell under a vast heavenly force. After escaping the resulting tsunami with the sea turtles, he found himself trapped in the flooded Sea Turtle Cave until Old White Turtle revealed a giant air-filled seashell.

• Zhang Ming fled across the rising Black Tortoise Continent while Stone Mama’s Spirit Language showed him the Flamehorn Race’s ancient catastrophe.
• Zhang Ming realized Stone Mama was using Black Tortoise’s recovered power to provoke the world’s retaliation, while the evil corpse bore the greatest pressure.
• Zhang Ming led the surviving sea turtles to the Sea Turtle Cave as a purple-black cocoon grew across the sky and the continent plunged back into the ocean.
• The returning seawater flooded the cave, and Zhang Ming begged Old White Turtle to save him from drowning.
• Old White Turtle dug up a gigantic seashell containing its own air-filled space, giving Zhang Ming refuge from the flood.

Zhang Ming took shelter inside the Seashell as a surging tide swept through the Mysterious Zone, then wondered about the strange events and whether Stone Mama had survived. On Earth, researchers watched the mirage vanish and concluded that Zhang Ming likely survived, while the Ice Crystal Tree on Mount Everest remained gone.

• Zhang Ming scrambled into the Seashell to escape the surging tide and reflected on the Mysterious Zone, Stone Mama, and humanity's vulnerability.
• The mirage vanished from the Supernatural Research Division's screens just after an enormous dead turtle rose from the ocean floor and a dark vortex appeared.
• Academician Ge and the researchers questioned what had happened to Zhang Ming and whether Earth could withstand supernatural forces like those they had witnessed.
• Professor Peter Greer denied that the Americans had destroyed the Ice Crystal Tree and said it had disappeared without reforming, possibly because Gaia Consciousness had been damaged.
• Li Xianfeng judged that Zhang Ming probably survived by sheltering in a limestone cave with large turtles and called for the experts to assess the footage and safety risks.

Zhang Ming studied the Seashell and tested how merging abilities made them innate, then spent a week investigating whether the Human Breathing Technique allowed abilities to be swapped. He emerged to find the Black Tortoise Continent calm, ate a poisonous fish with the turtles, and gained the Venom Gland ability.

• Humanity’s leaders banned most exploration of the Mysterious Zone, now called the Demon God's Sea, to avoid attracting unknown Demon Gods.
• Zhang Ming tested the Seashell’s controls and reviewed his attributes, concluding that merged abilities became innate and had greater potential than acquired abilities.
• Zhang Ming tested and compared several abilities, but kept Strength Burst, Toxin Resistance, and Lightning Control as his three innate abilities.
• Zhang Ming spent a week practicing the Human Breathing Technique to investigate whether its users could freely remove and replace abilities, but learned nothing.
• As the flooding receded, Zhang Ming left the Seashell, ate a poisonous fish with Little White Turtle and the other turtles, and gained the Venom Gland ability.

After the battle, Zhang Ming found the island devastated and mourned the sea turtles that had died protecting it. He checked the canyon and discovered Stone Mama was alive after all, though it only revived when he teased it with a story about his first-love girlfriend.

• Zhang Ming returned to shore, saw that two sea turtle boulders had cracked, and helped the surviving turtles mourn their fallen companions.
• Zhang Ming found his Radio safe in a suitcase but discovered that the seawater had swept away his pinup posters.
• Zhang Ming traveled to the canyon and found the spores withered, the monsters dead, and the Flame-Horned People’s colossal building still standing.
• Zhang Ming entered the hall and found Stone Mama unresponsive, then picked up the Little Black Stone and carried it outside.
• Zhang Ming mentioned his breakup with his first-love girlfriend, causing Stone Mama to wake and demand the story before Zhang Ming hurled it away.

After learning that the Black Tortoise's evil corpse had fled and was unlikely to return, Zhang Ming explored the ancient Flame-Horned People's building and found preserved historical documents. He then gathered the sea turtles on the beach to discuss their species' survival.

• Zhang Ming learned from Stone Mama that the Black Tortoise's evil corpse had escaped the world and was unlikely to return.
• Zhang Ming considered whether the sea turtles could defend their island, while Stone Mama said their survival depended on their own strength.
• Zhang Ming failed to obtain the Source of the World from the illusory sapling, and Stone Mama mocked him by repeating his old boast.
• Zhang Ming found silk-like books in the Flame-Horned People's ritual building and recognized them as valuable historical documents.
• Zhang Ming carried Stone Mama to the beach and called a meeting with the sea turtles about their species' survival.

Zhang Ming urged the Black Tortoise Race to become stronger and rely on itself after its ancestor’s protection faded, then saw the turtles act on his advice by capturing a dangerous predator. A radio report about the Gaia Consciousness and worsening global crises left him considering the limits of humanity’s prospects and the possibility of finding new land and food.

• Zhang Ming warned Old White Turtle and the other turtles that they could not defend their island indefinitely without their ancestor’s protection, and urged them to train and rely on themselves.
• Zhang Ming returned to camp, tended to his supplies, and wondered whether Stone Mama would leave the island with him when he built a ship.
• Old White Turtle and several giant turtles brought Zhang Ming a captured Harbor Zone predator, and Zhang Ming shared the fish with them and treated an injured turtle.
• A radio broadcast reported that an Ice Crystal Tree had appeared on Mount Everest and described the Gaia Consciousness as a calculating force meant to help the world survive coming disasters.
• Stone Mama explained that Black Tortoise had tried and failed to merge with the Flame-Horned World's world will, while Stone Mama could only use the world tree’s power to raise the continent.
• The Radio reported safety concerns about the Human Breathing Technique and increasing wars, and Li Xianfeng wondered whether supernatural crops or another world could ease shortages of food and living space.

Zhang Ming began studying shipbuilding so he could build a vessel and leave the island, while also training his powers and learning the Flame-Horned People's writing. After solving a difficult shipbuilding problem, he told Stone Mama about his first love and reaffirmed that he would build his own ship rather than depend on a rescue team.

• Zhang Ming dissected the large fish, kept its tempting supernatural pearl, and used its skin as potential sail material.
• The Radio began broadcasting a three-day course on building wooden sailing ships, and Zhang Ming eagerly took notes.
• Zhang Ming spent his days training his powers, preparing tools and measurements for shipbuilding, and studying Flame-Horned writing and ancient documents.
• After struggling with a math problem for three days, Zhang Ming solved it and told Stone Mama how repeated breakups had changed his outlook on relationships.
• Zhang Ming compared his former girlfriend's repeated breakups to the rescue team's promises and decided to build his own ship, then headed toward the ocean.

Zhang Ming helped the sea turtles defeat and eat a giant octopus, discovered an expensive memory-library ability, and taught the turtles about treating wounds and raising their young. A long-awaited Drifting Bottle returned with densely written letters, leaving him shaken by memories of the human world.

• The sea turtles used Zhang Ming’s attrition strategy to kill a giant octopus, and Old White Turtle reflected on how much stronger the group had grown.
• Zhang Ming ate the octopus, gained three attribute points, and discovered that its memory-library ability cost 90 points to activate.
• Zhang Ming treated the injured turtles with wood ash bandages and explained plans for brewing alcohol and feeding young turtles.
• Zhang Ming spotted the long-awaited Drifting Bottle, finished treating a turtle, and hurried to retrieve it.
• Zhang Ming opened the Drifting Bottle and found plastic bags and densely written sheets of stationery, stirring memories of the human world.

Zhang Ming received seeds and letters through the Drifting Bottle, learning that Lu Tuyu had found his family and that they were safe in Tiepan City. His sister’s letter confirmed that his family missed him and urged him to hold on until the national rescue team reached him.

• Wang Fumin sent Zhang Ming crop seeds, scallion seeds, and yeast, while describing worsening conflict and changing conditions in his world.
• Lu Tuyu wrote that Zhang Ming’s parents had moved and might be living in Tiepan City under government protection.
• Lu Tuyu found Zhang Ming’s sister at her new school, asked her to write a letter, and visited the family to confirm they were safe.
• Zhang Ming read his sister’s letter, in which she said the family missed him and urged him to wait for the national rescue team.

After reading a secret question from Wang Fumin about his [Lone Star of Calamity] ability, Zhang Ming sought records that might explain whether superpowers affected fate. He found no answer, but learned about strange objects and confirmed the origins and value of his Ice Spear.

• Zhang Ming read his sister’s old letter about her school life and upcoming college entrance exams, then found Wang Fumin’s hidden question about [Lone Star of Calamity].
• Zhang Ming wondered whether abilities could change a person’s fate and decided to consult the Flame-Horned People’s records before replying to Wang Fumin.
• Zhang Ming went to Mysterious Valley with seeds, prepared them in mineral-water bottles, and asked Little White and the other turtles to guard them.
• Zhang Ming and Stone Mama studied the Flame-Horned People’s records in the grand hall, where he learned that natural strange objects were rare and that acquired ones required careful nurturing.
• Zhang Ming read Gong Zhizi’s Collected Studies of Metals and Stones and learned how conflicting attributes could weaken or erase a strange object’s supernatural properties.

Zhang Ming used his memory library to preserve the knowledge he learned from Stone Mama, then studied the Flame-Horned People’s Sage’s teachings while looking for insight relevant to Wang Fumin. The chapter left him considering what made someone a Pioneer.

• Zhang Ming recorded Gong Zhizi’s studies in his memory library and reflected on the ability’s uses and limitations.
• Zhang Ming asked Stone Mama whether a creature that lost most of its memories remained itself, confusing Stone Mama with the question.
• Zhang Ming listened to the Flame-Horned People’s Great Sage urge his people to unite and judged that unity depended on institutions and living conditions, not exhortations alone.
• The Great Sage explained that the Flame-Horned People’s progress rested on Pioneers, who needed a powerful innate fate core, selfless dedication, and a drive to pursue research.