Chapter Summaries

Xu Le and Gu Beichen pursued Ai Li’s group while Xu Le discovered that fate was interfering with his Guyinduo Card divination. Meanwhile, Luo Na infiltrated the Bright Soap Factory, defeated Warlock Luo, and encountered Yan Luo; the chapter ended as Gu Beichen and Zhou Di launched attacks on Ai Li.

• Xu Le repeatedly drew [White Card - Coin] and realized that fate could interfere with Guyinduo Card divination and affect Red Moon Warlocks.
• As the cars neared the Red-Light District, Zhang Pei, Gu Qi, Chang Yu, Nuo Yi, and Zhou Di debated whether to join Gu Beichen’s attack, while Nuo Yi seduced Zhou Di.
• Luo Na bypassed the Bright Soap Factory’s guards with a Spell Formula, entered the Furnace Hall, and defeated Warlock Luo with Heart Energy Explosion.
• Luo Na found the Furnace core and sensed a Guyinduo Oddity’s aura, but Yan Luo struck before she could activate her protection spell.
• Gu Beichen attacked Ai Li’s car with Flame Explosion, and Zhou Di used [Red Card - Heart] to hurt Ai Li before Gu Beichen followed up with Flame Line.

Zhou Di manipulated the mission to sacrifice Chang Yu and forge a new path to advancement, while Xu Le and the Zion Law Enforcers fought the Red Moon Warlocks. After Zhou Di’s betrayal left his companions surrounded, he escaped with Nuo Yi, convinced the failed mission had revealed the nature of Fate and his path forward.

• Ai Li’s sudden heart pain prevented her from dodging Gu Beichen’s Flame Line, and their fight drew the others’ attention.
• Gu Qi noticed that the nightclub crowd’s Heart Energy and behavior were unnatural, admitted the divination was wrong, and persuaded Zhang Pei and Chang Yu to withdraw.
• From a rooftop, Zhou Di summoned an angel and used the [White Card-Four-Leaf Clover] to direct an arrow at the disguised Law Enforcers, triggering their attack on Zhang Pei, Chang Yu, and Gu Qi.
• Wang Shu blocked the Warlocks’ escape with grenade-laden branches, while Xu Le and Ai Li joined the Law Enforcers in fighting them; Chang Yu drank a potion and transformed into Demon Form.
• Zhou Di left the rooftop after signaling Xu Le, and he explained to Nuo Yi that he had planned to sacrifice Chang Yu to escape the Red Moon Warlocks’ limits and pursue advancement.
• Zhou Di told Nuo Yi that the mission had revealed what Fate was and what it favored, and he proposed meeting Wang Xi to see what further surprises awaited them.

Xu Le and the Zion Enforcers defeated Chang Yu, Zhang Pei, and Gu Qi, but Gu Qi’s final card and Xu Le’s sense of fate led him to call on Lord Night Fiend for help. The chapter left Xu Le approaching the floating [Black Card-Jewel] under Night Fiend’s protection, while Yan Luo waited at the Bright Soap Factory with the injured Luo Na.

• Chang Yu used the Touch of Rot to kill Enforcers and himself after Xu Le and Ai Li wounded him, and he warned Ai Li about the risk of being betrayed.
• Xia Libo and Wang Shu defeated Zhang Pei, with Xia Libo capturing him as he tried to escape through a Spatial Gate.
• The Enforcers killed Gu Qi after Xu Le ordered them to fire, and Gu Qi’s [Black Card-Jewel] floated into the air.
• Xu Le sensed Black Sword’s influence in Gu Qi’s card, called on Lord Night Fiend, and gained the clarity to approach it.
• Yan Luo broke Luo Na’s arms and legs, hung her on the Bright Soap Factory wall, and waited for Xu Le to return.

Xu Le killed Luo Na’s apparent body and marked her mental world with the Soul Tree, but Luo Na revived elsewhere and returned to Wang Xi’s group. As Wang Xi offered to request Red Moon Holy Temple support, Luo Na realized the mission had concealed another purpose.

• Xu Le questioned Luo Na, recognized that she relied on [Black Sheep Girl]’s reverse ability, marked her mental world with the Soul Tree, and shot her dead.
• Xu Le told Li Wen that the Bright Soap Factory needed stronger protection, and Li Wen agreed to station Secretary Liu there while saying Wang Xi was difficult to target.
• The real Luo Na woke at an inn, checked herself for Xu Le’s mark, disguised her appearance, and waited for Gu Beichen.
• Gu Beichen admitted that Zhang Pei had been captured and Gu Qi and Chang Yu had been killed, then returned with Luo Na to Wang Xi’s courtyard.
• Wang Xi offered the group compensation and Red Moon Holy Temple support, and Luo Na realized the mission had served another purpose.

After learning the Furnace Project was running out of money and political support, Xu Le promised Li Wen results and secured two hundred jin of Moonstone for the Furnace’s startup. He returned to the factory and began the final step with Yan Luo, extending and grasping the Guyinduo Branch of Reality.

• Wang Xi agreed to reimburse Gu Beichen, Zhou Di, Nuo Yi, and Luo Na for resources they had spent, while Gu Beichen provoked Nuo Yi and Luo Na challenged Zhou Di.
• Xu Le concluded that the attackers and factory thieves shared a goal connected to Li Wen, then delivered the surviving warlock Zhang Pei to Secretary Liu.
• Li Wen told Xu Le that he had exhausted the Zion Progressives’ resources and needed tangible Furnace results to reassure the Council before the next Black Tide.
• Xu Le promised to produce results within days and persuaded Li Wen to provide two hundred jin of Moonstone for the Furnace’s initial startup.
• Secretary Liu delivered the Moonstone to the Bright Soap Factory, and after Ai Li left, Xu Le summoned Yan Luo and grasped the Guyinduo Branch of Reality.

Xu Le successfully planted a Guyinduo Tree at the Furnace’s core, and he and Xia Libo prepared to test it by luring Oddities through Gate 3-1. The first Malformed-Type Oddity entered the Furnace and was drained by golden lightning, though the researchers were unsure whether the result matched their plans.

• Xu Le separated the Guyinduo Branch of Reality, nourished it with Spirit Energy, and planted it in the Moonstone, which the growing tree absorbed as it expanded through the Furnace core.
• Xu Le tested the Guyinduo Tree on a Living Corpse, then emerged with a blue energy block made from it and confirmed the Furnace core was complete.
• Xu Le and Xia Libo received Li Wen’s approval to open Gate 3-1 and lure Oddities toward the Bright Soap Factory for a Furnace test.
• That night, Xu Le hung a fear fruit on the Guyinduo Tree, drawing wandering Oddities through the open gate and into the Furnace’s Guidance Tunnel.
• A Malformed-Type Oddity entered the Furnace, where golden lightning drained its life and energy, leaving the watching researchers puzzled by the unexpected process.

Xia Libo and the researchers watched the Furnace destroy Oddities up to Level 3, while Xu Le gathered the resulting energy into new Bright Brand Soap. Xu Le presented the product and the Furnace Plan to three Zion councilors, then declared that he wanted to run for councilor.

• Xia Libo and the researchers saw the Furnace consume Level 1 and Level 2 Oddities, then kill a Level 3 Red Mushroom Demon Fang at the core door.
• Xu Le gathered blue energy around the Guyinduo Tree as the Furnace processed the Oddities, producing nine energy bars overnight.
• The Zion Progressives gave the Gate 3 Guards red envelopes, and Xu Le showed Xia Libo the new oval-shaped Bright Brand energy block.
• Xu Le brought the energy blocks to Li Wen, who introduced him to councilors Moen, Aqi, and Gude and asked him to explain the Furnace Plan.
• Moen unwrapped a bar, felt its powerful energy, and reacted with shock; Xu Le then announced that he wanted to run for councilor.

Xu Le revealed that he could mass-produce energy from Guyinduo Oddities and won Moen and Gude’s support for his bid to become a Zion councilor. As preparations began to publicize the invention and investigate the Bright Soap Factory, Aqi aligned herself with Wang Xi’s plan to use the Children of Guyinduo to change Zion’s balance of power.

• Xu Le showed Moen, Aqi, and Gude the Radiance Soap and said his team could make nine bars in one night from Guyinduo Oddities.
• Xu Le declared that he wanted to become a councilor, and Moen and Gude pledged their support after Aqi refused to back him.
• Xu Le named the invention the Guyinduo Technology Core, and Moen proposed using it to power Zion’s equipment during the coming Black Tide before announcing its role in the battle.
• Li Wen explained that he supported young innovators such as Xu Le by securing resources for them, while Moen planned to test the energy core and announce Xu Le’s candidacy on May twentieth.
• Zhou Di gathered Guyinduo-affiliated fighters to investigate the Bright Soap Factory, and Luo Na followed them; Wang Qing warned Gu Beichen that one of the fighters was a strange, nonhuman being.
• Aqi met with Wang Xi and agreed that Zion needed the Children of Guyinduo’s power, while Wang Xi promised that reports about the Bright Soap Factory and action against Aqi’s opponents would follow by morning.

Wang Xi's team attacked the Bright Soap Factory to destroy the Furnace and kill Xu Le, while Xu Le's people prepared to defend it. The Furnace activated on its own and began consuming the intruders, leaving Yan Luo wondering why the resulting motes of light were yellow.

• Gu Beichen warned Xu Le about Wang Xi's approaching team and told him that Luo Na was among the pursuers, asking him to go easy on her.
• Xu Le ordered the factory's defenses prepared, while Wang Shu armed himself and Ai Li readied for a fight.
• Scarface divided the attackers into three teams, and the assailants breached the factory grounds with explosives and gunfire.
• Ai Li fought the Xenomorph Dwarf, defeated her, and dragged her toward the Furnace, saying she would be turned into soap.
• The Furnace activated as Wang Shu watched the attackers approach, pulling Level 2 warriors into its guide ring and burning them into yellow motes of light.
• Wang Shu threw a grenade at the remaining attackers, while Yan Luo wondered why the motes were yellow.

Wang Shu and Xia Libo defended the Bright Soap Factory as Xu Le and Golden Toad fought the attackers on its roof. Xu Le’s forces badly wounded Zhou Di’s summoned spirit turtle, leaving Zhou Di and Nuo Yi surrounded as Zhou Di called for the hidden force to reveal itself.

• Wang Shu burned and froze a shadow Oddity until it escaped, then learned from Ai Li that the main enemy force was elsewhere.
• Xia Libo intercepted Scarface and his Guyinduo Offspring team, declaring that they would die before he attacked.
• Nuo Yi struck Xu Le with lightning, but Xu Le survived, copied her Thunder Sword, and fought her alongside White Cicada, Black Cicada, and Golden Toad.
• Toad swallowed Zhou Di, but Zhou Di escaped through a decoy; Xu Le and Toad then set the rooftop ablaze with Shrimp Oil and lightning.
• Xu Le summoned Living Corpses, including shotgun-wielding ones, while he and Toad used a Golden Thunder-coated Water Cannon to shatter Baishou’s shell.
• With Baishou gravely wounded and the attackers surrounded, Zhou Di shouted for the hidden force to appear before it lost its chance to discover what was really at the factory.

Luo Na, Zhou Di, and Nuo Yi attacked Xu Le at the Bright Soap Factory, but Xu Le turned the battle around and revealed that Zhou Di’s Fate ritual had a deadly consequence. The chapter ended with black flames consuming Zhou Di as Xu Le identified the countless threads he had sent into him as his Fated Death.

• Luo Na ambushed Xu Le, but his coordinated attacks with Toad and the Witch Cicadas forced her to defend herself while Zhou Di and Nuo Yi prepared their own moves.
• Jade Swan fought Toad, while Luo Na trapped the Witch Cicadas and joined Nuo Yi in overpowering Xu Le.
• Luo Na pinned Xu Le with Fate Spikes, but Xu Le feigned defeat, stabbed her, and tore away her false face.
• Zhou Di invoked the Curse of Fate, causing the Red Moon to draw Threads of Fate from himself, Xu Le, Nuo Yi, and Luo Na.
• Countless Threads of Fate erupted from Xu Le and entered Zhou Di, where black flames ignited; Xu Le called them his Fated Death.

Xu Le defeated Zhou Di, absorbed his Guyinduo Power and Fated Death, and advanced to LV3-Pretender after revealing his angel form. He then captured Luo Na and destroyed Jade Swan with an enhanced lightning attack, while Wang Shu discovered that an unknown figure had killed the escaping Viscous Oddity.

• Zhou Di became a Level 4 Black Sword Familiar and killed Nuo Yi before attacking Xu Le, who let himself be pierced and burned while waiting for his chance.
• Xu Le immobilized Zhou Di by absorbing his Guyinduo Power and Fated Death, then revealed his angel form and advanced to LV3-Pretender.
• Xu Le shot Luo Na in the legs and trapped her, while Toad held Jade Swan in place for Xu Le’s enhanced golden lightning attack to destroy it.
• Ai Li and Xia Libo joined Xu Le and Toad after the battle, and the group noticed that Wang Shu was missing.
• Wang Shu saw an unknown fireball kill the escaping Viscous Oddity near the Bright Soap Factory and decided to report it to Xu Le.
• Yan Luo arranged six bars of yellow soap into a pyramid and considered treating Xu Le with more respect after learning he had reached Level 3.

After reaching Level 3, Xu Le discovered that his overflowing Guyinduo energy was contaminating those around him and asked Yan Luo how to control it. He began discussing ways to manage the pollution, then showed Luo Na the Guyinduo Soul Tree and energy cores, while using her concern for Gu Beichen to pressure her into trading secrets.

• Xu Le hosted a bonfire feast at the Bright Soap Factory, and Ding Ke recognized Toad and joined the gathering.
• Xu Le felt energy escaping his body, and Ding Ke identified it as Guyinduo pollution caused by his newly expanded energy capacity.
• Yan Luo explained that Xu Le could control the pollution by circulating his energy internally or consuming it continuously, and Xu Le considered adapting his electromagnetic cannon into a sustained ability.
• Xu Le brought Luo Na to the Furnace Core, where she recognized the Guyinduo Soul Tree and mistook his energy cores for forbidden human transmutation.
• Xu Le refused to reveal how he made the cores and threatened to spread false information about Luo Na to Gu Beichen, prompting her to hesitate.

Xu Le questioned Luo Na about the Guyinduo Fate Cards, then learned that a powerful Zion expert had watched the fight without intervening. Gu Beichen volunteered to become the Red Moon Holy Temple’s new spy, while Madam Aqi was summoned to witness a new miracle at the No. 5 Testing Area.

• Wang Shu and Gu Beichen discussed Gu Beichen’s feelings about the Red Moon Holy Temple and toasted their friendship.
• Xu Le questioned Luo Na about the Red Moon Holy Temple’s spies and Guyinduo Fate Cards, then told her that the Furnace extracted pure energy from Guyinduo Oddities.
• Luo Na left Gu Beichen a pure yellow crystal before Xu Le confirmed that she was dead.
• Xu Le explained to Wang Shu that Zion’s top experts viewed both sides in the conflict as dangerous, and exposed Gu Beichen’s claim that he was drunk as an act.
• Gu Beichen declared that he would replace Luo Na as the Red Moon Holy Temple’s spy, then protested when Xu Le and Wang Shu ignored his speech to discuss dinner.
• Madam Aqi found no news about Wang Xi’s people in the newspaper and was summoned by Lord Moen to the No. 5 Testing Area to witness a new miracle for Zion.

Madam Aqi arrived at the Council testing grounds to witness Moen’s promised miracle and found Xu Le alive, while Ai Li and Wang Shu killed and burned two guards outside. Moen presented the Guyinduo Technology Cores to Zion’s Councilors as a renewable energy source that could replace Moonstone, then prepared to demonstrate it with a weapon.

• Aqi accepted Moen’s invitation and went to the testing grounds, where her bodyguards joined Ai Li and Wang Shu at the entrance.
• After two guards mocked Ai Li, she killed one and Wang Shu killed the other; they poured Lamp Oil over the bodies and burned them while nearby guards pretended not to notice.
• Aqi entered the testing grounds, found Xu Le alive, and exchanged polite insults with him as they walked toward the gathering.
• Xu Le joined the Councilors, while Moen explained that a new renewable energy source could replace Moonstone and power devices that had previously been impractical.
• Moen fitted a Guyinduo Technology Core onto a hand cannon and raised it to demonstrate its power.

Xu Le demonstrated the Guyinduo Technology Core’s power to Zion’s councilors, winning approval to run for councilor. Moen then killed Madam Aqi, and Li Wen explained that Moen had acted as a dying man to give Xu Le an answer, leaving Xu Le to wonder what would happen if Moen survived.

• Old Moen tested a handheld energy weapon, then Xu Le and Xia Libo demonstrated the Guyinduo Technology Core’s power aboard Xia Libo’s airship, destroying a tank, a defensive wall, and a nearby building.
• Moen argued that Xu Le’s invention qualified him to run for councilor, and Li Mingqi, Zuo Yi, Ai Li, and other councilors approved his candidacy despite Madam Aqi’s objections.
• After the other councilors left, Moen shot Madam Aqi dead in front of Xu Le and Xia Libo.
• Li Wen explained that councilors could not kill one another, but the others had tacitly accepted Moen’s act because he was near death; Xu Le then asked what would happen if Moen did not die of old age.

Xu Le attended Moen’s banquet after learning that Moen had exhausted his options to prolong his life, and he discussed his path toward becoming a councilor with Ai Li. There he encountered Wang Qing, Wang Xi’s younger brother, and invited him to the Bright Soap Factory to meet Xiong Nuo'an.

• Li Wen told Xu Le that Moen had already acquired much of Zion’s Longevity Fruit supply but still faced limits and enemies who wanted him dead.
• Xu Le, Ai Li, Wang Shu, and Xia Libo arrived at Moen’s estate, where Xu Le saw Moen’s castle-like home and collection of portraits of women he had slept with.
• Xu Le and Ai Li talked about his progress toward becoming a councilor, while Ai Li privately wondered whether she was fulfilling her role as his girlfriend.
• Xu Le recognized Wang Qing, who was watching Ai Li, and joined him in discussing her appearance and military uniform.
• Xu Le introduced Ai Li as his girlfriend, revealed that he was the Xu Le who developed the Guyinduo Technology Core, and invited Wang Qing to the Bright Soap Factory to meet Xiong Nuo'an.

Xu Le discussed Zion’s energy policy and his growing influence with Moen and Li Wen after a banquet, while hoping to go home with Ai Li. The chapter ended with Ai Li pointing out that Xu Le’s proposal for free basic energy could earn him considerable public prestige.

• Wang Qing praised Ai Li to Xu Le before leaving, and Ai Li asked Xu Le whether he thought she was gorgeous.
• Ai Li promised Xu Le that he could touch her legs when they got home, but Moen kept him at the estate to discuss his new status and the temptations that would come with it.
• Moen asked Xu Le for his views on allocating energy from the Guyinduo Technology Core, and Xu Le proposed free basic energy for eligible Zion citizens alongside tiered consumption.
• Moen and Li Wen warned that Xu Le’s free-energy proposal could have dangerous political effects, then discussed converting Moonstone Weapons to Guyinduo technology before the Black Tide.
• After the meeting, Ai Li told Xu Le she had overheard his proposal and asked whether he realized it could win him public prestige.

Xu Le explained to Ai Li that he wanted public support to overcome the divided power of Zion’s council system, then helped oversee the opening of two city gates. As the Furnace destroyed a wave of Oddities, Xu Le studied the Boundary-Crossing Gate and created a portal inside the Furnace Core.

• Xu Le told Ai Li that Zion’s fair council system divided power among allies, neutrals, and enemies, and Ai Li recognized that he wanted public support and prestige to rise above them.
• Xu Le and Ai Li shared an intimate moment in the car before returning to the Bright Soap Factory, where Xia Libo sent Xu Le back to his post.
• Soldiers opened city gates 3-1 and 3-2, drawing Oddities into the underground passage, where the Furnace, Golden Thunder, Red Sha, and Black Flame destroyed them.
• A Level 3 Deathly Silent Walker reached the Furnace, but the Black Flame bound it and the combined powers broke it down.
• Xu Le studied Warlock Luo’s Boundary-Crossing Gate technique and used Demon Eye-Ordinary Disguise to create a gate inside the Furnace Core.

Xu Le used the Boundary-Crossing Gate to visit Ai Li, and the two spent the night together. The next day he discovered Ai Li had gained a Guyinduo Mark, then went to the Zion Progressives Building, where a woman deliberately collided with him and fell.

• Xu Le opened a Spatial Gate and went to Ai Li's room, where she accidentally punched him as he emerged.
• Xu Le and Ai Li spent the night together, and he left the next morning through another Boundary-Crossing Gate.
• Ai Li found a tree-shaped Guyinduo Mark on her back, and Xu Le told her it gave her the Key to Sha and asked her to learn its energy.
• Xu Le returned to the Furnace Core chamber, where Yan Luo showed him twenty-two blocks of soap produced by the Furnace.
• Xu Le and Wang Shu went to the Zion Progressives Building, where a woman collided with Xu Le and fell; Xu Le accused her of trying to scam him.