Chapter Summaries

Xiang Weisha advanced through Forge Momentum training, learning to counter emotional assaults with memories and seeing his Red Rage Pressure experience rise. Inspired by the livestream, Lin Buxun began planning a Dream Demon training space that could let players practice pressure for a fee.

• Xiang Weisha countered waves of fear, rage, apathy, agitation, and despair by drawing on memories, strengthening his emotional control and gaining insight into forging his own momentum.
• Xiang Weisha’s Red Rage Pressure experience reached 23.38% of level 1, and Carver challenged him to combine emotions into stronger emotional armor or blades.
• Xiang Weisha’s livestream attracted more players, who discussed pressure and studied his training footage for clues to their own progression.
• Lin Buxun watched the livestream and asked Guide whether he could use his Dream Demon ability to create a simplified Momentum-Casting Space; Guide confirmed it was feasible and directed him to the Library.
• Lin Buxun researched the construction of Momentum-Casting Spaces and realized he could use emotion-related Life Souls with his Dream Demon ability to create a training service for players.

Lin Buxun built a manual-control emotional training hall in the Dream Demon Space and opened it as a paid service for fellow players. His business quickly drew customers and imitators, but he planned to cash out before competition drove prices down.

• Lin Buxun created a dark Emotional Trial Ground with emotion pillars and used a taunt Life Soul to make a gray beast phantom succumb to rage.
• Lin Buxun added fear and confusion training, used Eagle-Headed Demon and Analysis to monitor participants, and advertised the experience hall on the forum.
• Players flocked to the Colorful Mist Coast, where Lin Buxun earned 2,700 Sacrificial Power per minute and hired a Taotie Build player to help sustain the service.
• Forum discussion exposed the business model, and more than a dozen competing experience halls opened near the reef.
• Lin Buxun remained unconcerned about the imitators and planned to leave with his earnings when competition eventually drove prices down.

Qi Sheng encouraged the Player Faction’s growing interest in personalized pressure by introducing personalization assessments and Sacrificial Power rewards. Twenty-three days later, he connected Xiang Weisha’s Lush Canopy Symbiosis Rule Node to the Challenger System, granting all players a shared healing buff and turning his attention toward the Against the Tide Battlefield.

• Qi Sheng introduced pressure personalization levels and one-time rewards of 50,000 Sacrificial Power for each level players gained.
• Tu Hu received 2.55 million Sacrificial Power after Guide assessed his Sword of Protection momentum at personalization level 51.
• Twenty-three days later, Qi Sheng connected the Lush Canopy Symbiosis Rule Node, contained by Xiang Weisha, to the Challenger System.
• A giant Lush Shade tree appeared in Di Family Village, and all Player Faction members gained Lush Canopy’s Blessing, which shared a portion of healing among online players.
• Players praised the new faction-wide healing effect, while Xiang Weisha received messages of thanks after the node’s containment left the Glory Arena’s Momentum-Casting Space without its sustaining Rule Node.
• Qi Sheng turned his attention to the Against the Tide Battlefield.

Li Zheng and the Hardcore Grinders Group mourned the God of Wealth at his gravestone and resolved to protect their fellow warriors without sacrificing their dignity. As they left to carry on the fallen warrior’s hopes, Li Zheng received orders to return to the Station and begin a year as a combat instructor.

• Li Zheng and the Hardcore Grinders Group gathered at the gravestone marked Broken Star and recalled how the God of Wealth had helped them enter and survive the Against the Tide Training Camp.
• The brothers grieved that the God of Wealth had died before they could fight beside him and feared losing more of their friends on the battlefield.
• Family Sharing suggested turning their fellow warriors into pets and hiding them in pet space for safety, but Li Zheng, Baozitou, Sha Xin, and Eat Dirt rejected the idea as an insult to their dignity.
• Li Zheng and the others burned joss paper, poured liquor before the gravestone, and bowed farewell to the God of Wealth.
• As Li Zheng led the group away, his communication stone announced that his Phase One war assignment was complete and ordered him to return to the Station before serving as a combat instructor for one year.

After the God of Wealth, Broken Star, died, players mourned his legacy while Li Zheng and the Hardcore Grinders Group received the Against the Tide God's blessing and advanced their War Brands. Qi Sheng traced the god's lingering aura to an underground palace, where he discovered a vast ritual feeding power into a War Throne occupied by a giant Red Skeleton.

• Players across the Forum mourned Broken Star and recalled how he had helped establish the Village Entrance Bully and Against the Tide growth paths.
• Li Zheng and the Hardcore Grinders Group received the Against the Tide God's blessing, advancing their War Brands to the intermediate tier.
• Li Zheng learned his combat power rating had reached Level 389, though he understood the Peak Battlefield still required warriors to fight together.
• Commander A ordered Li Zheng and the others to undergo a month of instructor training focused on teaching recruits how to survive.
• Qi Sheng followed the Against the Tide God's lingering war aura to an underground palace and found millions of red-robed figures channeling power into a War Throne occupied by a giant Red Skeleton.

Qi Sheng used Sacrificial Power to witness Hun Zhan’s past and learned how the Against the Tide God founded the legion, then sacrificed his body and freedom to keep it alive. Hun Zhan remained barely alive on the War Throne, and Qi Sheng understood that the legion and the Pale Continent faced hidden dangers if he fell.

• Qi Sheng viewed Hun Zhan’s memories and saw him defeat three Dark Tide Demon Gods before vowing to lead the native races against the Dark Tide.
• Hun Zhan founded the Against the Tide Legion, united the scattered races, and led them to drive Dark Tide forces from neighboring continents.
• As his wounds and Demon God corrosion worsened, Hun Zhan summoned the strongest loyal warriors to build an Immortal Grand Formation that fed him Power of War and preserved his soul.
• Hun Zhan became bound to the War Throne, enduring the formation’s pain while his remnant soul sustained the legion’s War Brands and deterrent power.
• Qi Sheng realized Hun Zhan had maintained the repeating battlefield out of necessity because he could no longer fight, and saw that the legion’s survival depended on his continued existence.
• Qi Sheng wondered whether Hun Zhan would accept him as the true wielder of the Emperor Zhao Origin, but the chapter left that question unanswered.

Qi Sheng assessed Hun Zhan’s condition and uncovered the Against the Tide Legion’s desperate succession plan, deciding to wait until he had enough power to take command of the Legion. He then resurrected Broken Star as a Player and returned to observing the Player Faction’s growth.

• Qi Sheng found that Hun Zhan was too deeply consumed by death energy and chaos to communicate with or restore using his current sacrificial power.
• Qi Sheng learned that millions of War Sacrificers sustained Hun Zhan and had prepared to forge a War God Seal from his remaining power if he died, though Qi Sheng judged the plan impossible.
• Qi Sheng decided not to recruit the War Sacrificers yet and planned to build his strength before taking command of the Against the Tide Legion through the Player Faction.
• Qi Sheng concluded that Players’ resurrection, accumulated experience, and efficient use of resources would eventually let them surpass the Against the Tide Legion, so he chose to let them develop freely.
• Qi Sheng gathered Broken Star’s scattered soul and remains, then sent him to Earth through the Challenger System to be reborn as a Player.

Broken Star discovered that Earth was the home world of the Players he had once recruited and concluded that the Emperor Zhao God was behind their powers and the Player system. He decided to become a Player, but first needed a job to survive until qualification day; the chapter left him heading to a physical examination for an Arctic Observation Station position.

• Broken Star applied for an Arctic Observation Station job and went to the Physical Examination Center for a second fitness assessment.
• Broken Star recalled how a memorial screen on Earth had shown his image and how searching his apartment revealed an identity card and property certificate in his name.
• After discovering Monster World on Earth’s Star Network, Broken Star learned that the Players were the people of Earth and that he had once helped their predecessors join the Against the Tide Training Camp.
• Broken Star read about the Players’ growth and resurrection abilities, then saw references to the Four Gods’ Blessing and Brother Emperor Zhao, leading him to suspect that the Emperor Zhao God had arranged the Player system.
• Broken Star decided to become a Player and searched for work because he had little money and needed to survive until Qualification Distribution Day.

Broken Star began his ten-year post at the Arctic monitoring station, where Yu Chuan recognized him as the God of Wealth from Monster World and revealed that players could wield their power on Earth. As Broken Star searched the Monster World forum, a prompt announced that his player abilities and attributes would synchronize with his real body at 100 percent.

• Broken Star arrived at the Arctic monitoring station and met Yu Chuan and the Bio-Brain Xiao A, then learned the station’s routines during his first week.
• Before departing, Yu Chuan warned Broken Star to report abnormal spatial fluctuations and hide because they could signal the arrival of a Descent Faction.
• Yu Chuan suspected Broken Star was the God of Wealth from Monster World, demonstrated his own player power, and got Broken Star to confirm his identity.
• Yu Chuan told Broken Star about the Dragon Sparrow Clan and left the station, while Xiao A welcomed Broken Star as the new attendant in charge.
• Broken Star browsed the Monster World forum, and a Challenger Prompt activated a Player Feedback System that promised to synchronize all his Monster World power and attributes with his body at 100 percent.

Broken Star chose the damage-soaking build as the path that matched his battlefield experience and beliefs, despite Xiao A urging him to become a mage. When Monster World's new qualification distribution was announced, he and millions of cloud players waited eagerly for the countdown to end, while the Star Network hoped it might finally become a player.

• Broken Star studied Monster World's builds and decided that the damage-soaking style suited his experience as an Against the Tide Warrior.
• Xiao A tried to persuade Broken Star to choose the popular mage build, but he refused and continued studying damage-soaking life soul combinations.
• Monster World's official website announced a new qualification distribution with a countdown of about twenty-four hours, and Broken Star looked forward to applying.
• Cloud players across the Earth Alliance celebrated the announcement, while the Star Network calculated that roughly nineteen billion eligible people would compete for three to four billion qualifications.
• The Star Network hoped that this qualification distribution might let it enter Monster World as a player after years of operating the game.

Monster World’s announcement of five billion new qualifications sparked envy among veterans and a rush by organizations and businesses to recruit newcomers and prepare goods for them. Broken Star and the Star Network both won qualifications; while Broken Star celebrated his return, the Star Network prepared to enter Monster World under safeguards meant to protect the Eclipse Race.

• Monster World announced five billion new qualifications, stronger starting life souls, expanded newbie rewards, and 100 sacrificial power for each newcomer, prompting veterans to complain while major organizations planned recruitment drives.
• The Gold Coin Chamber of Commerce anticipated a surge in trade, and Little Mage, Reborn and Return, and Tu Hu adjusted production to meet newbies’ needs.
• Broken Star entered the drawing at the Arctic station and won a player qualification, celebrating his chance to return to Monster World as a Player.
• The Star Network also won a qualification and weighed its excitement against fears that a player body could disrupt its logic and loyalty to the Eclipse Race.
• The Star Network instructed Eclipse Race Administrators to disregard its player-side commands and destroy it if it became uncontrollable, then activated its qualification to enter Monster World.

Broken Star led his party through a dangerous hunt in Falling Star Valley, then studied the event rankings and resolved to challenge the players ahead of him. Meanwhile, Star Network lay on a beach and began experiencing the sensations and emotions of a living being, leaving the rankings aside to enjoy the moment.

• Broken Star tanked the attacks of three Fangtooth Beasts while directing his Support, Mages, and Archers to control and defeat them.
• Broken Star’s party gained Life Soul Levels, and his teammates praised his skill before he ordered them to rest briefly and continue deeper into Falling Star Valley.
• Broken Star checked the Newbie Level-Up Event rankings, saw himself at 23,394 and three Eagle-Headed Demon players leading, and resolved to aim for first place.
• Star Network felt warmth, scents, textures, and emotions on the Colorful Mist Coast, realizing that living experience went beyond calculation.
• Star Network laughed after rubbing sand over his face and decided to ignore the rankings and spend time relaxing on the beach.

Broken Star led his team through a brutal battle in Fallen Star Valley and pressed on toward Starfall Lake to improve his leaderboard ranking. At the Colorful Mist Coast, the Star Network enjoyed an unexpected night of friendship before awakening full access to its Earth-and-moon systems and switching into Star Network Mode.

• Broken Star drew the Rock-Armored Beasts' attacks onto himself, coordinated his teammates, and led them to defeat the horde.
• Broken Star checked his leaderboard position, then led his team deeper into Fallen Star Valley and charged a pack of Silver-Stripe Wolves at Starfall Lake.
• The Star Network drank and sang with The North Wind Blows, White Stripe in the Waves, and I'm Serious About Damage-Taking, then exchanged friend requests with them.
• The Star Network woke on the beach, read his new friends' messages, and found himself ranked near the bottom of the event leaderboard.
• The Star Network synchronized his player consciousness with the Eclipse City Data Center, unlocked full computing and information access, and changed his status to Star Network Mode.

Broken Star led a squad through the Wild Sand Ancient Road while puzzling over the rapid rise of player 11111 and his teammates. The chapter revealed that Star Network had used a two-way Reflection network to coordinate twelve players with precisely calculated psychokinetic attacks, then disbanded the team and spent their Life Souls for sacrificial power as he prepared to pursue his next optimal solution.

• Broken Star led thirty-one teammates in defeating a swarm of Snake Monsters, using his Life Soul traits to control the battle and protect the squad.
• Broken Star examined the soaring leaderboard and forum debates about player 11111 and the seemingly weak Life Soul setup shared by the rapidly climbing players.
• Star Network coordinated twelve teammates through two-way Reflection links, calculating their perceptions and sending optimized psychokinetic instructions that let them defeat monsters with precise attacks.
• After reaching rank 799, Star Network ended the team, used self-destruction and Soul Return to Emperor Zhao, and left his confused Eclipse Race teammates behind.
• In Di Family Village, Star Network dismantled Reflection, Scattershot, and Qi Eater for 320,000 sacrificial power, kept Eagle-Headed Demon and Spirit Eyes, and prepared to switch to his first optimal solution mode.

Star Network used freedom particles, Life Souls, and his computational power to create the beginnings of a Freedom Legion, then rapidly hunted monsters and climbed the Newbie Level-Rush Leaderboard. On the Forum, players watched 11111 surge upward but could not explain how his seemingly damage-free Star Meridian setup worked, and they accused him of cheating.

• Star Network spent 323,585 Sacrificial Power on 323 freedom particles and slotted the Gargoyle Life Soul alongside the Eagle-Headed Demon.
• Star Network combined perception, petrification, and computational control to turn the particles into reusable projectiles that precisely killed monsters across the Raging Sand Ancient Road.
• Star Network continued flying and hunting without stopping, rapidly gaining Life Soul levels and climbing the leaderboard.
• Forum players noticed that 11111 had left his teammates behind and risen from 799th to 701st place in an hour.
• Players saw 11111's Eagle-Headed Demon, Gargoyle, and Porcelain Eyes configuration and accused him of cheating because they could not understand how it killed monsters.

Star Network expanded his Freedom Particles, harvested monster life data, and used the swarm to seize first place in the Newbie Level-Up Event. He then asked Guide whether he could dismantle his player body and exist as a Runes Weapon, and Guide recognized that he wanted to build a body from Freedom Particles.

• Star Network increased his Freedom Particles to 1,233 and began collecting detailed Life Structure samples from monsters in the Wild Sand Ancient Road.
• Star Network dissected a prison worm and replicated its regeneration abilities, then captured and cataloged an Eagle-Headed Demon's life data.
• Star Network used his particles to hunt continuously, and ID 11111 overtook the leaderboard while players and the Fate Race struggled to explain his rise.
• Star Network optimized his particle attacks through real-time scanning and kill feedback as he widened his lead with five days remaining in the event.
• Star Network asked Guide whether he could exist as a Runes Weapon while retaining his star meridian functions, and Guide identified his plan to build a body from freedom particles.

Star Network consulted Guide about transforming the Freedom Legion into a collective consciousness, then won the Newbie Level-Up Event and became the focus of Forum speculation and admiration. He ended the chapter by asking A Lan to buy a Rule Framework and transfer 2.1 billion Sacrificial Power, but A Lan refused.

• Star Network asked Guide how to make every Freedom Particle an independent Player Body, and Guide explained that rebuilding the Star Meridian would let his origin consciousness transfer between surviving particles at a steep cost.
• Star Network hunted monsters across an oasis while envisioning a legion of countless particles, then secured first place in the Newbie Level-Up Event ahead of Don't Touch My Wangxian.
• White Streak in the Waves posted about meeting 11111, and Divine King argued that 11111 was the legendary No. 1, turning Forum accusations of cheating into widespread admiration.
• Star Network collected his ten million Sacrificial Power reward and messaged A Lan to buy the Rule Framework from Throat of Defying Fate and transfer him 2.1 billion Sacrificial Power.
• A Lan replied to Star Network's request with: "No way!"

A Lan decided whether to support Star Network, then gave him the 2.1 billion Sacrificial Power and Deathly Silence Rule Framework needed to reforge his Star Meridians. Star Network gained a million Freedom Particles, named his new combat form Little Black Mode, and set out to confront the Mechanical Overlord.

• A Lan refused Star Network’s request for 2.1 billion Sacrificial Power because he feared Star Network’s growing freedom could threaten the Eclipse Race.
• After receiving an important notification from reality, A Lan met Star Network, returned to the Game Pod, and sent him 2.1 billion Sacrificial Power.
• A Lan obtained the Deathly Silence Rule Framework from Fate Throat and sent it to Star Network.
• Guide used Emperor Zhao’s power and the Rule Framework to forge Star Network’s Cluster Star Meridian from 1,233 reforged Freedom Particles and one million more particles.
• Star Network tested his ability to disperse and reshape the Freedom Particles, then created monster forms and named his Freedom Legion mode Little Black Mode.
• Star Network departed across the sky to face the Mechanical Overlord and his Mechanical Legion.

The Star Network used his million Freedom Particles to destroy a Mechanical Legion stronghold, adapt its wreckage into new troops, and collect materials and data. After a video of his victory made him a sensation on the Forum, he began attacking another stronghold while considering how to make his particles grow by devouring resources.

• The Star Network attacked a mechanical city in the Land of Chasing the Sun, using his Freedom Particles to evade attacks, assume biological and mechanical troop forms, and defeat the Mechanical Legion.
• The Star Network collected the city's wreckage and data, bought the Qi Eater and Siphon Life Souls, and sent valuable materials to A Lan before departing for another stronghold.
• A five-person Player Squad recorded the battle, and the video identifying the Star Network as No. 1 spread across the Forum.
• Forum players debated the Freedom Particles, while a Research Enthusiast warned that their fine control was too difficult for others to imitate.
• The Star Network reached the Iron Skeleton Grounds and began another attack as lost particles revived and returned in batches; he considered giving them a devouring-based growth trait.

After the Iron Skeleton Grounds battle, Star Network researched ways to create a devouring rule and chose to build one himself rather than wait for a suitable existing rule. He traveled to Wavebreaker Island to study the Bori Tribe’s rule-making equipment, but the ruins were protected by a spatial seal, so he planned to seek help from the Evil Porcelain Alliance.

• Star Network salvaged the Iron Skeleton Grounds and added thirteen mechanical unit templates to his database, then asked Guide how to give freedom particles a devouring growth trait.
• Guide explained that the Dark Tide’s corrosive devouring could not be replicated with Star Network’s current resources, but an inferior devouring rule could help sustain him during prolonged battles.
• Star Network used freedom particles to research devouring rules in the Library while his main body continued attacking mechanical strongholds, then identified two possible ways to gain a devouring ability.
• Star Network chose to create a custom rule and traveled to Wavebreaker Island to examine the Bori Tribe’s rule-making equipment in its underground refuge.
• Star Network analyzed the spatial seal protecting the ruins, decided that breaking it directly risked destroying the equipment, and considered hiring the Evil Porcelain Alliance through the Quest Market.