Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hao woke in a Coral Shell Room on the deep-sea floor and explored the game’s survival systems while learning that a Deep-Sea Ghost lurked outside his door. He discovered that he alone might be receiving hidden game hints, and the chapter ended as he opened the Synthesis House.

• Xiao Hao checked his personal information and learned that his room was poorly protected, he had no guardian, and his strength was weak.
• Xiao Hao read the forum and learned that players were trapped underwater and that the Space Slots held their starting supplies.
• Xiao Hao found one bottle of water and two pieces of bread, then stopped before opening the door when a hidden hint warned him that a Deep-Sea Ghost was outside.
• Xiao Hao tested the forum and saw that other players denied receiving hints, then mocked No. 666 with a false clue and drew complaints from Boss Six’s followers.
• Xiao Hao waited inside, examined the Trading exchange, and opened the Synthesis House.

Xiao Hao discovered that his Coral Shell Room and Exploration Bubble consumed limited magic power, then ventured out to collect a treasure chest and Shadow Seahorse Eggs. He barely made it back as the Deep-Sea Ghost caught up, but its claws pierced his pajamas and tore into his back.

• Xiao Hao found the room’s magic-power meter and learned from forum posts that the Exploration Bubble also drained power.
• Xiao Hao followed the comments outside, collected a coral treasure chest, and returned to the Coral Shell Room.
• Xiao Hao went back out and collected eight Shadow Seahorse Eggs despite struggling to find them in the dark.
• Xiao Hao learned the Deep-Sea Ghost would reach him within thirty seconds and sprinted toward his room.
• Xiao Hao rushed through the doorway, but the ghost’s claws pierced the water barrier, caught his pajamas, and gouged his back.

Xiao Hao survived the Deep-Sea Ghost’s attack, treated his wounds, and learned that soul poison was steadily reducing his maximum stamina. After using dancing to attract viewers and extract hints from their comments, he discovered that his Shadow Seahorse Egg needed blood to bind to him and prepared to hatch it.

• Xiao Hao shut the door on the Deep-Sea Ghost, then watched it press against the Coral Shell Room’s window before it disappeared.
• Xiao Hao opened his chest, used a Blood Potion to heal his bleeding back, and realized the ghost’s soul poison was lowering his maximum stamina.
• Xiao Hao traded bread for iron ingots, synthesized a Coral Spear, and danced to attract viewers who could provide useful comments.
• Xiao Hao learned from the viewers that soul-replenishing grass grew where Deep-Sea Ghosts roamed and that his Shadow Seahorse Egg might be his best chance to survive.
• Xiao Hao used his bloody pajamas and the viewers’ comments to figure out that blood could bind the Shadow Seahorse Egg to its host.

Xiao Hao discovered the Shadow Seahorses’ powerful skills and learned that they could not be replaced once bound. He went outside to fight a Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp, but it attacked him from farther away than expected, leaving him facing its charging maw without summoning his guardians.

• Xiao Hao examined his eight juvenile Shadow Seahorses and learned their skills drained enemies’ health, ignored defense, and grew stronger when stacked.
• Xiao Hao learned from the viewer comments that guardians had limited binding slots and that powerful monsters had far more health than their displayed 100 HP suggested.
• Xiao Hao discovered he had gained the Shadow Seahorses’ skills, transformed into shadow, and collapsed from exhaustion after using the ability.
• Xiao Hao left the Coral Shell Room and approached the nearby Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp while keeping his flashlight on.
• The Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp lunged at Xiao Hao from seven or eight meters away, before he could summon his guardians.

Xiao Hao and his Shadow Seahorses killed a Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp, which he chose not to bind, and he collected its meat and Spirit Pearls. Back in the Coral Shell Room, he upgraded the room and the seahorses before opening the game panel in his new bathroom.

• Xiao Hao used Shadow Transformation to evade the Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp, then directed the Shadow Seahorses to weaken it with Darkness Domain and bind it with darkness.
• Xiao Hao stabbed the shrimp with his Coral Spear, but it survived and charged at him until the Shadow Seahorses exposed themselves and burrowed their tails into its wounds, killing it.
• Xiao Hao declined the game's offer to bind the Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp, collected its meat and 400 Spirit Pearls, and learned from the comments that the meat was edible.
• Xiao Hao returned to the Coral Shell Room, raised his level and the room's level to three, and upgraded the Shadow Seahorses to level two with his Spirit Pearls.
• The Coral Shell Room gained more space and a bathroom, and Xiao Hao opened the game panel after entering it.

Xiao Hao enjoyed a private bathroom break and a peaceful night before setting out to gather soul-replenishing grass. With his grown Shadow Seahorses beside him, he confronted the Human-Faced Thornfish, whose fairy-tale plea for a prince’s kiss turned into a fight.

• Xiao Hao thanked the viewers from other worlds for their kindness and slept peacefully.
• Xiao Hao left his room the next morning and discovered his Shadow Seahorses had grown out of their juvenile stage.
• With help from the viewers, Xiao Hao found treasure chests, collected cotton, and crafted a black outfit before heading toward the Human-Faced Thornfish.
• Xiao Hao approached the crying monster in a pit and heard it ask him to break its curse with a prince’s kiss.
• Xiao Hao politely refused and said he could end its suffering, so the Shadow Seahorses unleashed Darkness Domain.
• Xiao Hao thrust his iron spear at the shrieking Human-Faced Thornfish, but it revealed fangs and clamped down on the spear tip.

Xiao Hao killed the Human-Faced Thornfish, gained 500 Spirit Pearls, and upgraded his Coral Shell Room and seahorses before the Deep-Sea Ghost approached. He hid in a seabed trench, but the ghost found him.

• Xiao Hao restrained the Human-Faced Thornfish with his Darkness Domain and killed her after dodging her powerful water cannon with Shadow Transformation.
• Xiao Hao earned 500 Spirit Pearls, declined to bind the Human-Faced Thornfish, and used 600 Spirit Pearls to upgrade his Coral Shell Room and seahorses to level 4.
• Viewers warned Xiao Hao that the Deep-Sea Ghost had spotted him, so he switched off his light and hid in a trench farther from the Coral Shell Room.
• The Deep-Sea Ghost searched overhead, then stopped and told Xiao Hao, "Found you..."

Xiao Hao escaped a ghost by hiding underground, then returned to the Coral Shell Room, traded a Blood Potion to save Number 666, and learned a Peacock Mantis Shrimp had appeared nearby. He set out to find the monster, hoping it could help him survive the ghost.

• Xiao Hao stayed hidden beneath the earth until the ghost left, then dug his way out and returned to the Coral Shell Room to rest.
• Xiao Hao synthesized a Water Purifier, showered with purified water, and searched the forum for soul-replenishing grass, but found none.
• Number 666 begged the forum for a Blood Potion to treat a severe leg injury, and Xiao Hao traded one for Number 666's snacks.
• Xiao Hao saw forum posts reporting a Peacock Mantis Shrimp about a thousand meters away and immediately set out to find it.

Xiao Hao used the Shadow Seahorses and Darkness Erosion to defeat the Peacock Mantis Shrimp and bond with it. With his first Battle General, he was better prepared to face the Deep-Sea Ghost.

• Xiao Hao followed the viewers’ directions and found the enormous Peacock Mantis Shrimp, then hid while his Shadow Seahorses drew it into the Darkness Domain.
• Xiao Hao kept the seahorses alive by guiding them beneath the shrimp and onto its shell, but its attacks left several critically injured.
• Xiao Hao realized the seahorses could lure the shrimp into striking and tangling its own antennae, then coordinated them to disrupt its attacks and drain its health.
• The Peacock Mantis Shrimp severed its tangled antennae to escape, but Xiao Hao pursued it with the ring of darkness until it collapsed.
• Xiao Hao completed the bond with the defeated shrimp, gaining his first Battle General.

Xiao Hao returned to the Coral Shell Room after defeating the Peacock Mantis Shrimp and chose its Undying Body skill, which transformed his physique. He accidentally exposed himself in a bathrobe during his livestream, then went to bed with the crisis and his search for Soul-Replenishing Grass still ahead.

• Xiao Hao learned that the Peacock Mantis Shrimp was a level-ten boss and spent its 550 Spirit Pearls upgrading the Coral Shell Room, his seahorses, and the mantis shrimp.
• Xiao Hao rode the Peacock Mantis Shrimp back, followed seabed landmarks to find his way, and checked the forum before realizing he had not chosen its Battle General skill.
• Xiao Hao selected Undying Body, and a powerful surge of heat spread through his body as the skill enhanced his physical capabilities.
• Xiao Hao discovered his upgraded base had a bathroom and kitchen, then saw that Undying Body had given him a muscular physique.
• Xiao Hao realized viewers had watched him shower and walk out wearing only a bathrobe, then said good night and went to bed.

Xiao Hao used a decoy to draw the Deep-Sea Ghost away while he gathered Soul-Replenishing Grass, then barely escaped its pursuit by learning to float during Shadow Transformation. He reached the Coral Shell Room safely, where its boundary burned the Ghost back, leaving the two enemies determined to kill each other.

• Xiao Hao raised the Peacock Mantis Shrimp to level 5, then used it and Shadow Transformation to lure the Deep-Sea Ghost away from the Coral Shell Room.
• While the Ghost chased the decoy, Xiao Hao gathered all the Soul-Replenishing Grass from a Corpse Mountain and restored his maximum stamina.
• The Deep-Sea Ghost detected Xiao Hao and pursued him, forcing him to flee toward the Coral Shell Room as it repeatedly adjusted its route to track him.
• Xiao Hao realized that floating made Shadow Transformation faster, used it to reach the Coral Shell Room, and crashed into its coral wall.
• The Deep-Sea Ghost tried to cross the room's boundary, but its arms ignited and it retreated, while Xiao Hao vowed to kill it someday.

After escaping the Deep-Sea Ghost, Xiao Hao traded Soul-Replenishing Grass for equipment, a defensive card, and another player’s binding promise while testing gear taken from the Ghost’s lair. The beginner protection period was about to end, leaving him expecting the Deep-Sea Ghost to attack his Coral Shell Room again.

• Xiao Hao reviewed his escape and realized he had not known that Soul-Replenishing Grass left a detectable soul aura.
• Xiao Hao offered Blood Potions and Soul-Replenishing Grass on the forum in exchange for useful treasures.
• Xiao Hao tested the Shadow Mask and Retry Gloves, then copied Jade Armor to protect himself at the cost of stamina.
• Xiao Hao traded Soul-Replenishing Grass for Bouncing Martin Boots, a Slowdown Card, and another player’s promise to obey one command.
• Xiao Hao rejected requests for charity and saw a notice that the three-day protection period would soon end and monsters could attack the Coral Shell Room.

Xiao Hao faced the Deep-Sea Ghost as she attacked his Coral Shell Room, and discovered he could use her cards to interrupt her strongest attacks. He turned to the live comments for a way to survive her steady assault after realizing his cards would eventually run out.

• Xiao Hao woke to find the Deep-Sea Ghost attacking the Coral Shell Room’s window and draining its magic with repeated strikes.
• Xiao Hao checked his cards and used the Calm Card to interrupt the Ghost’s enormous energy-claw ultimate.
• Xiao Hao realized the Calm Card’s timed effect could be exploited to interrupt repeated ultimates, and considered exploiting the Shield Card to preserve the room’s magic.
• The Ghost escalated to giant Reaper’s Scythes, but Xiao Hao used the Calm Card to stop her attack again.
• The Ghost attacked faster, then slowed her pace after recognizing Xiao Hao was using her cards against her.
• Xiao Hao realized steady damage would exhaust his cards and looked to the live comments for a solution.

Xiao Hao provoked a female ghost scratching at his Coral Shell Room while conserving his cards and Spirit Pearls. After upgrading the nearly ruined room to level 6 and restoring its magic, he finally drove the ghost away, but had no Spirit Pearls left.

• Xiao Hao taunted the female ghost with bathroom advice, and its attacks hurt it when he used a Rebound Card.
• Xiao Hao waited instead of trusting the ghost's apparent collapse, then provoked it by claiming he had posted a recording on the player forums.
• The ghost ignored Xiao Hao and kept scratching the Coral Shell Room, while he decided not to summon his Shadow Seahorse.
• After more than an hour of damage, Xiao Hao upgraded the room to level 6, restoring it and its magic.
• The ghost left after Xiao Hao revealed he had not been short on Spirit Pearls, and his game interface showed zero Spirit Pearls.

Xiao Hao endured another five-hour attack from the Deep-Sea Ghost while using his Coral Shell Room, Shadow Seahorses, and taunts to wear it down. He tricked the ghost into believing he still had Spirit Pearls, making it retreat, but he knew he would need to prepare seriously for its return.

• Xiao Hao returned to the Coral Shell Room at seven as the Deep-Sea Ghost resumed attacking, and he learned that its dark energy grew stronger at night.
• Xiao Hao used his Shadow Seahorses in shifts to erode the ghost's health while sharing survival tips and delaying his room upgrades to conserve resources.
• After five hours, the exhausted Deep-Sea Ghost stopped scratching, and Xiao Hao pretended he had no Spirit Pearls while hinting that the room was nearly out of mana.
• Xiao Hao urged the ghost to scratch again and gestured toward the game panel, convincing it that he could upgrade the room at any moment.
• The Deep-Sea Ghost retreated rather than risk being tricked again, and Xiao Hao recognized that his empty fort stratagem had worked.

Xiao Hao used the mantis shrimp and eight Shadow Seahorses to fight the Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp swarm, surviving after the monsters targeted him. The swarm was wiped out, and the exhausted Xiao Hao was carried across the dark seabed by the mantis shrimp.

• Xiao Hao chose to hunt the Prehistoric Spiny Shrimp and used the mantis shrimp to draw them in while the Shadow Seahorses prepared their Darkness Domain.
• The mantis shrimp slaughtered the first shrimp and unleashed its ultimate on the swarm, but the surviving monsters focused their attacks on Xiao Hao.
• Xiao Hao climbed onto the mantis shrimp's back, used Jade Armor, and relied on the seahorses to guard him as the swarm pressed in.
• Xiao Hao and the seahorses moved beneath the mantis shrimp during its attacks while the Darkness Domain drained the spiny shrimp's vitality.
• The remaining spiny shrimp died or fled, and the exhausted Xiao Hao was carried away on the mantis shrimp's back as the seahorses guarded him.

After the Deep-Sea Ghost ambushed him, Xiao Hao escaped by deactivating his Exploration Bubble and splitting his shadow into decoys. He regrouped near the Coral Shell Room, where the Ghost waited, and vowed to avenge the Shadow Seahorse it had killed.

• Xiao Hao recovered from exhaustion, upgraded the Coral Shell Room, and discovered that the Deep-Sea Ghost had killed one of his seahorses.
• The Ghost pursued Xiao Hao as he fled in shadow form, while his Exploration Bubble made him easy to track.
• With escape impossible, Xiao Hao deactivated the Exploration Bubble and found that the deep-sea pressure could not harm his shadow.
• Xiao Hao split into eight shadows, and the Ghost chased one toward the Coral Shell Room until it dissipated, revealing it had picked a decoy.
• The enraged Ghost went to the Coral Shell Room and decided to keep watch, while Xiao Hao re-formed in a concealed spot nearby.
• After recovering from the escape, Xiao Hao swore to avenge the dead Shadow Seahorse.

Xiao Hao exploited the Primordial Snailfish’s weakness to pressure loss and killed it by moving its pieces into the Exploration Bubble, earning Spirit Pearls and upgrading his creatures. He then let the Deep-Sea Ghost keep attacking the Coral Shell Room while he prepared a plan to kill it.

• Xiao Hao baited the Ghost away from the Coral Shell Room several times, then hunted wild monsters while it focused on scratching the window.
• Xiao Hao traveled to the Primordial Snailfish and found that his seahorses could not overcome its rapid regeneration and the mantis shrimp’s physical attacks could not harm it.
• The chat explained that the Primordial Snailfish melted when removed from deep-sea pressure, so Xiao Hao had the mantis shrimp move its body into the Exploration Bubble until it died.
• Xiao Hao gained 550 Spirit Pearls, upgraded his seahorses to level 8, and saved enough to upgrade the Coral Shell Room to level 9.
• Xiao Hao spent the remaining hours farming monsters and replenishing the room’s mana, using Slowdown Cards to make the Ghost think he was near defeat.
• Xiao Hao formed a plan to turn the tables and kill the Ghost.

Xiao Hao hunted three Golden Copepods while using Spirit Pearls to keep the Coral Shell Room repaired, then outlasted Ghost’s attempt to destroy it. Ghost realized Xiao Hao had tricked it into wasting its strength before nightfall, and Xiao Hao began the first phase of his counterattack.

• Xiao Hao used new Spirit Pearls to replenish the Coral Shell Room’s magic instead of spending them to level up.
• Xiao Hao’s Mantis Shrimp fought three Golden Copepods, killed one, and helped him capture the other two for 450 Spirit Pearls.
• Ghost tried to smash the Coral Shell Room, but its attack vanished and Xiao Hao restored the room before it could strike.
• Ghost realized Xiao Hao had lured it into scratching the room all day and leaving itself battered before nightfall, then fled in fury.
• Xiao Hao recognized that the first phase of his counterattack had succeeded and went to rest before dealing with Ghost over the next few days.

Xiao Hao hunted the Human-Faced Thornfish swarm to gather Spirit Pearls, relying on his seahorses and mantis shrimp to fight while he stayed hidden. He used the mantis shrimp’s powerful attacks to funnel the thornfish into the Darkness Domain, wiped out the swarm, and emerged from the fading darkness.

• Xiao Hao chose the Human-Faced Thornfish swarm as his next target and sent his seahorses and mantis shrimp to attack while he hid in a cave.
• The mantis shrimp killed thornfish with its blade strikes, then used Sea Fan Peacock Tail to flatten the seabed and expose Xiao Hao to the swarm’s water cannons.
• Xiao Hao escaped the incoming blasts with Shadow Transformation and had the seahorses assassinate thornfish while their Darkness Domain eroded the swarm’s vitality.
• Xiao Hao directed the mantis shrimp to sweep the area around the Darkness Domain, leaving a safe zone that drew the thornfish inside.
• The seahorses’ Darkness Erosion killed the trapped thornfish one after another, and Xiao Hao wiped out the entire swarm.
• The Darkness Domain faded, and Xiao Hao materialized from the Aurora Shadow as the Exploration Bubble took shape.