Chapter Summaries

Xia Xu fought Luo Hongyun while using the Superbrain Drug and Mechanical Centipede Spine to develop practical combat skills. He failed to knock Luo Hongyun down, but argued that his uncle had broken their strength rule by matching the spine's enhanced power.

• Xia Xu entered Brain Overclocking and challenged Luo Hongyun to spar under a rule that limited Luo Hongyun to Xia Xu's strength.
• Xia Xu used the Mechanical Centipede Spine to evade Luo Hongyun's throat grab and began countering his attacks with techniques chosen in real time.
• Luo Hongyun recognized that Xia Xu was analyzing the fight as it unfolded and traded moves with him as his combat skills rapidly improved.
• Xia Xu's final leg sweep failed against Luo Hongyun's solid stance, leaving Xia Xu in pain and unable to continue.
• Xia Xu claimed Luo Hongyun had used twice his strength because Xia Xu's power came from the Mechanical Centipede Spine, leaving Luo Hongyun speechless.

After sparring with Luo Hongyun, Xia Xu spent Sunday paying Meng Bochao’s father’s medical bills and trying unsuccessfully to sell his Flying Boat Studio shares. Hong Bo offered to arrange a meeting with his cousin, a finance and business administration doctorate who was returning from abroad, as Xia Xu looked for someone to manage Star Sea Venture Capital.

• Xia Xu argued that Luo Hongyun had matched the strength he used with the Mechanical Centipede Spine, claimed victory, and then accepted Luo Hongyun’s warning about real fights.
• Xia Xu instructed Meng Bochao and Yang Bowen to watch Griffin Jones and investigate the driver who had hit Meng Bochao’s father, then paid the father’s medical bills.
• Xia Xu met several prospective buyers to sell his Flying Boat Studio shares, but rejected their low offers and decided to seek a professional negotiator.
• Hong Bo told Xia Xu that his older cousin had doctorates in finance and business administration and was planning to return to China.
• Xia Xu asked Hong Bo to find out when his cousin would return and arrange a meeting about working for Star Sea Venture Capital.

On the morning of the final monthly mock exam, Xia Xu prepared to reveal his improved grades while teasing Tang Youxin about their teacher’s threat to call in parents. The chapter left them agreeing to a playful bet: if Xia Xu passed, Tang Youxin would kiss him.

• Star City No. 3 High School students rearranged their desks and prepared for a formally supervised mock exam.
• Xia Xu told Liu Xiulan he would do his best on the exam and hinted that his past grades had been deliberately low.
• Tang Youxin asked why Liu Xiulan might call in parents, and Xia Xu explained that the teacher blamed their relationship for Tang Youxin’s declining grades.
• Xia Xu pretended he might fail and said he would visit Tang Youxin’s parents, prompting her to agree to his bet that she would kiss him if he passed.
• Tang Youxin hurried back to her exam seat after Xia Xu pretended not to hear her agreement.

Xia Xu took his Chinese exam confidently and spent the break teasing Tang Youxin about her promise to kiss him if he passed. The chapter left Tang Youxin admitting what she had promised, while Xia Xu remained confident he could meet the score requirement.

• Ma Bing asked Xia Xu for advice on getting close to Tang Youxin in exchange for exam answers, but Xia Xu refused.
• Xia Xu finished the Chinese exam quickly, then slept while Ma Bing waited for answers from a top student.
• After the exam, Xia Xu declined Ma Bing's invitation and went to talk with Tang Youxin.
• Tang Youxin was delighted to hear that Xia Xu thought he had passed Chinese, and they joked about her promise to kiss him.
• Tang Youxin clarified that she would kiss Xia Xu if he scored at least a hundred in Chinese and passed his other subjects.

After his exams, Xia Xu checked on Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao, who had not yet found the driver who hit Meng Bochao’s father. Watching Griffin Jones study stocks with the Superbrain Drug, Xia Xu realized the altered plot might prevent Griffin from reproducing his original success and considered pursuing the research opportunities himself.

• Xia Xu finished his exams and teased Tang Youxin about whether he had scored over a hundred in Chinese.
• Xia Xu visited Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao, learned they had not found the hit-and-run driver, and told them not to delay investigating.
• Xia Xu saw Griffin Jones study stocks and dissolve an SB-13 pill in water while working at his laptop.
• Xia Xu checked Griffin Jones’s plot and noted that, without Meng Bochao’s support, Griffin’s stock-trading success and drug research were uncertain.
• Xia Xu decided he might gather talented researchers, including Catherine Aitchison, to pursue the opportunities Griffin was expected to encounter.

Xia Xu used the surveillance footage to identify the van that had hit Meng Bochao’s father, while letting Meng Bochao and Yang Bowen believe his calculations came from a mysterious intelligence source. Meng Bochao’s trust and affinity toward Xia Xu increased as he prepared to investigate the van’s owner.

• Xia Xu decided not to surrender the research data or let Meng Bochao keep helping Griffin Jones, then asked Meng Bochao to pull up surveillance footage from the accident day.
• Meng Bochao told Xia Xu that his father’s accident had happened around 4:40 p.m. and that he had already backed up nearby surveillance videos.
• Xia Xu reviewed the footage and identified a white van as the vehicle that had hit Meng Bochao’s father.
• Xia Xu claimed he had used mathematical calculations to identify the van, while Meng Bochao and Yang Bowen suspected he had another intelligence source.
• Xia Xu told Meng Bochao and Yang Bowen to investigate the van’s owner, and Meng Bochao’s affinity for him rose.

Xia Xu sent A Tuo with Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao to investigate the van, then learned that he had earned near-perfect scores on the school’s monthly exams. His classmates were left stunned as teachers announced his outstanding results.

• Xia Xu assigned A Tuo to help Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao investigate the van and warned Yang Bowen to treat the dog carefully.
• Xia Xu gave A Tuo instructions and went home alone.
• The next day, Liu Xiulan announced the class’s English exam results and revealed that Xia Xu had scored 150.
• Xia Xu also scored 149 in math and a perfect 300 on the comprehensive science exam, astonishing his classmates and teachers.

Xia Xu scored exceptionally well on his exams and persuaded Tang Youxin to honor their bet after she accused him of hiding his ability. After his Chinese score confirmed he had passed the terms, Tang Youxin gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran off, leaving Xia Xu wishing he had made the moment last longer.

• Ma Bing accused Xia Xu of copying answers, but Xia Xu pointed out that nobody at school had scored higher than him.
• Xia Xu reminded Tang Youxin of their bet, and she initially said his perfect scores made it unfair.
• Xia Xu explained that he had studied hard and persuaded Tang Youxin not to back out, though she insisted they wait for his Chinese score.
• Xia Xu received 142 in Chinese and showed the result to Tang Youxin.
• After they left school, Tang Youxin surprised Xia Xu with a kiss on the cheek and hurried away.

After Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao tracked the stolen van to a gang of car thieves, they called Xia Xu for help. Xia Xu instructed A Tuo to subdue the gang, leaving Yang Bowen unsure whether the dog could take on more than a dozen people.

• Meng Bochao told Xia Xu that the van's owner had reported it stolen, and Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao had traced it to a gang of car thieves.
• Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao realized they could not safely force the gang to reveal where they fenced stolen vehicles, so they asked Xia Xu for backup.
• Xia Xu asked Meng Bochao to put A Tuo on the phone, and A Tuo excitedly responded to Xia Xu's voice.
• Xia Xu instructed A Tuo to subdue the car thieves without killing or striking vital areas.
• Xia Xu told Yang Bowen to point out the thieves to A Tuo, and Yang Bowen questioned whether A Tuo could handle more than a dozen people.

Xia Xu had A Tuo subdue a gang of car thieves, while Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao watched in shock as the dog displayed extraordinary strength and combat skill. After A Tuo defeated the gang, Meng Bochao nervously praised him as Brother Dog, but A Tuo ignored him.

• Xia Xu told Yang Bowen to point out the car thieves to A Tuo, assuring him that A Tuo was no ordinary dog.
• Yang Bowen directed A Tuo to the auto repair shed, where a dozen car thieves mocked the approaching dog.
• A Tuo bit one thief, then dodged and overwhelmed the men with powerful leaps and swift attacks.
• Yang Bowen and Meng Bochao watched A Tuo subdue the gang and wondered whether supernatural creatures existed beyond Werewolves.
• Meng Bochao nervously greeted A Tuo as Brother Dog when he returned, but A Tuo gave him an aloof glance and ignored him.

Xia Xu received footage from Grant showing a bone-spiked man attacking people in America, and they discussed the growing number of extraordinary threats. Grant then contacted Xia Xu to demand payment for his investigation into Catherine Aitchison.

• Meng Bochao tried to ingratiate himself with A Tuo, amazed by the dog's strength and the company's extraordinary resources.
• Xia Xu left Meng Bochao's search for the hit-and-run driver to A Tuo and the professionals helping him.
• Grant sent Xia Xu a video of a man whose protruding bone spikes pierced people and blocked bullets before the footage ended.
• Xia Xu and Grant speculated about the attacker's origins, and Grant said the man had reportedly been killed by another Masked Freak.
• Grant reminded Xia Xu to stay safe, then demanded the overdue fee for investigating Catherine Aitchison.
• Xia Xu teased Grant about the unspecified price, and Grant quickly changed his tune when Xia Xu offered to send him money.

After Grant warned Xia Xu about another superpowered mutant, Xia Xu worried that Blue Ocean Star’s growing number of extraordinary incidents could spiral out of control. Luo Hongyun told him he had been asked to lead a new Special Action Team, and Xia Xu encouraged him to accept, then suggested Louise’s mother could care for her.

• Grant transferred fifty thousand to Xia Xu, who went home and continued combat training with Luo Hongyun.
• Xia Xu told Luo Hongyun he was unsettled by the growing number of strange threats and feared the world was changing rapidly.
• Luo Hongyun revealed that the authorities wanted him to return and lead a Special Action Team, though he hesitated because he had promised to teach and protect Xia Xu.
• Xia Xu encouraged Luo Hongyun to take the position, saying A Tuo could protect him and the team could help handle future threats.
• Luo Hongyun worried about leaving Louise, and Xia Xu said her mother would soon be able to take care of her.

Xia Xu used the Superbrain Drug to study advanced science and searched for a way to improve the drug. He recalled controlled-release tablet technology, which Blue Ocean Star lacked, and wondered if recreating it could control the Superbrain Drug’s side effects.

• Luo Hongyun reconsidered joining the government special department after Xia Xu urged him to consider the benefits of gaining influence and armed support.
• Xia Xu ended combat training with Luo Hongyun and went home to study while the Superbrain Drug was still active.
• After using his monthly exam results to confirm his grasp of high school science, Xia Xu decided to study university biology and medicinal chemistry.
• While reading about drug dosage forms, Xia Xu realized controlled-release tablet technology was missing from Blue Ocean Star.
• Xia Xu grew excited at the possibility that recreating controlled-release tablets could greatly reduce the Superbrain Drug’s side effects.

Xia Xu reasoned that controlled-release tablets could reduce the Superbrain Drug’s brain damage by keeping its effects steady, but he needed pharmaceutical experts to develop them. He began considering how to exploit the coming Superbrain storyline for research resources, business opportunities, and a core team for his company.

• Xia Xu concluded that controlled-release SB-13 could sustain low-level brain overclocking and reduce dangerous fluctuations, though it could not eliminate brain damage.
• Xia Xu recalled the structure of a controlled-release hypertension tablet but realized he would need pharmaceutical professionals to reproduce the technology.
• Xia Xu decided that Griffin Jones’s role in the Superbrain storyline seemed less important if controlled-release SB-13 could meet his needs.
• Xia Xu considered using the storyline to obtain pharmaceutical resources and financial gains, especially by anticipating Griffin Jones’s future business ventures.
• Xia Xu recognized that his immediate need was a strong company team and worried that Nine Suns Consulting Company might not have enough money to pay Meng Bochao’s bonus.
• Xia Xu wondered why Hong Bo had not yet introduced him to his doctoral-candidate cousin.

Xia Xu brought Olivia, Louise’s mother, to Luo Hongyun and learned that the Andra Group had kidnapped Louise as a test subject for its Transcendence Project. He suspected the project aimed to identify or reproduce exceptional inherited talents, leaving him with a clearer idea of why Louise had been targeted.

• Olivia arrived looking for Luo Hongyun, and Xia Xu recognized her as Louise’s mother and led her to Luo’s home.
• Xia Xu saw that Olivia had four-star combat and firearms talents and learned that she was known as Canary.
• Olivia’s fate revealed that a powerful American pharmaceutical group had selected Louise through her medical examination records for the Transcendence Project.
• Xia Xu connected the project to the Andra Group and reasoned that it had targeted Louise because of her five-star combat talent and inherited potential.
• Xia Xu considered that the Transcendence Project might be intended to improve or replicate exceptional talents.

Xia Xu reflected on the Andra Group’s plan to replicate human talents, then went to school, where students were gossiping about his exam results. He teased Tang Youxin for sneaking a look to see whether he had arrived, and she smugly insisted she had kept her promise.

• Xia Xu considered how replicating and combining talents could transform humanity, but decided the Andra Group was still an enemy because of its schemes and its interest in Louise.
• Meng Bochao brought A Tuo to meet Xia Xu outside Star City No. 3 High School, and A Tuo greeted Xia Xu enthusiastically while Meng Bochao complained about being overlooked.
• Xia Xu entered school and found students discussing his sudden rise to first place in the mock exams and rumors that he had deliberately hidden his ability.
• Xia Xu caught Tang Youxin peeking into the classroom to check whether he had arrived and teased her about being shy and about her sneak attack.
• Tang Youxin protested that she had kept her promise, while Xia Xu complained that he had not felt anything; she privately took satisfaction in seeing him disappointed.

Xia Xu explained A Tuo’s enhancement serum and checked on Griffin Jones’s progress while his efforts to hire a manager and raise funds stalled. He returned home to find Louise locked out again, and took her in while her parents were away.

• Xia Xu told Meng Bochao and Yang Bowen that A Tuo’s strength came from a wolf-specific biotechnology serum, and warned them that werewolves were engineered rather than supernatural.
• Xia Xu learned that Griffin Jones was making an overall profit from frequent stock trades but had no new plot information to report.
• Xia Xu spent the next week and a half training and studying, but failed to find a Three-Star manager or meet Hong Bo’s cousin, while his available funds dwindled.
• Xia Xu tried to negotiate with interested investment firms for more funding, but the meetings produced no quick agreement.
• Xia Xu found Louise outside her home after she forgot her key, and invited her inside to stay with him and A Tuo.

Xia Xu arranged to meet Hong Bo’s cousin, hoping her business and finance expertise could help manage Star Sea Venture Capital. Yang Bowen then reported that Griffin Jones was heading to the airport to meet a financially gifted woman, signaling that Griffin’s story had moved into a new stage.

• Xia Xu joined Luo Hongyun, Olivia, Louise, and the wolfdog for their morning workout.
• Hong Bo told Xia Xu that his cousin, who had doctorates in business administration and finance, would arrive around noon, and Xia Xu arranged to meet her.
• Xia Xu set aside his plans to visit the Consulting Company and job market and spent the morning playing Wulin Picture Scroll.
• Yang Bowen reported that Griffin Jones had left for the airport, and Xia Xu learned that Griffin had arranged to meet a talented woman he had encountered in private finance groups.
• Xia Xu concluded that Griffin’s stock-market rise had completed one phase of the Superbrain storyline and that its plot had begun advancing again.

Xia Xu suspected that the returning financial expert Griffin Jones planned to recruit was part of Superbrain’s original plot, and asked Hong Bo whether his cousin was pretty. Griffin prepared to meet the woman, taking a Genius Drug pill so he could impress her and recruit her for his investment company.

• Xia Xu reasoned that the financial expert’s ties to Star City likely connected her to Griffin Jones’s story.
• Xia Xu turned to Hong Bo and asked whether his cousin was pretty.
• Griffin Jones admired his new hairstyle before heading to the airport to meet the financial expert he hoped to recruit.
• Griffin took a scarce Genius Drug pill, convinced the expert would help him build wealth and eventually make more of the drug.

Griffin Jones met Chen Leyao at the airport and tried to recruit her to his new investment company, Celestial Investment. He planned to win her over by proving the Genius Drug’s power, but her phone rang before he could continue.

• Griffin Jones greeted Chen Leyao at the airport and impressed her with his fluent Xia Kingdom speech.
• Griffin invited Chen Leyao to join Celestial Investment, but she asked for details about the company and its actual funds.
• Griffin admitted he had just over a million in funds and claimed he could multiply it many times over within a month.
• Chen Leyao asked whether Griffin had been involved in Star Sea Venture Capital’s successful investment, and he said he could make even better investments himself.
• Griffin expected Chen Leyao to doubt him so he could later prove the Genius Drug’s power, but her phone rang before he could continue.