Chapter Summaries

An explosion devastated the shopping street, and Qingxiao shielded Shoko from flying debris, taking an injury to his back. After Shoko healed him, Qingxiao carried her toward safety before rushing to help Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.

• Explosions destroyed shops along the shopping street, leaving Qingxiao and Shoko surrounded by smoke and wreckage.
• A concrete chunk flew toward them, and Qingxiao pulled Shoko behind him and took the impact on his back.
• Shoko used Reverse Cursed Technique to heal Qingxiao while he reassured her that he was glad she was safe.
• Qingxiao decided the explosion had likely targeted Satoru and said he needed to reach Satoru and Geto.
• Qingxiao scooped up Shoko and sped through the ruined streets toward a safe area.

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were caught in a planned underground explosion that injured Satoru Gojo and knocked Suguru Geto unconscious. As the attacker threatened Satoru Gojo, Qingxiao arrived at the ruined street.

• Satoru Gojo detected the hidden Curse User and told Suguru Geto he had chosen not to warn Qingxiao because he thought the threat was minor.
• The Curse User triggered an underground explosion; Satoru Gojo was injured, and Suguru Geto was severely hurt and lost consciousness.
• The short Curse User revealed that his Earth Manipulation had let him plant explosives without Cursed Energy fluctuations beneath the neighborhood.
• While the Curse User boasted and threatened him, Satoru Gojo quietly circulated his Cursed Energy to heal his injuries.
• The tall Curse User noticed Qingxiao rushing through the smoke and warned his companion.

Qingxiao arrived to help the injured Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, then faced the curse users Kamo Xiansheng and Wengu Che. Gojo returned to fight beside him, and the two sides prepared to clash in the ruins.

• Qingxiao joined Satoru Gojo, who stood injured guard over the unconscious Suguru Geto, and Gojo identified the two attackers as Kamo Xiansheng and Wengu Che.
• Qingxiao told Gojo to take Geto to Shoko for treatment, then tried to buy off the attackers by offering double their bounty.
• Kamo Xiansheng and Wengu Che rejected Qingxiao's offer and charged him, with Kamo firing Piercing Blood.
• Gojo returned in time to block Piercing Blood with Limitless and stood beside Qingxiao.
• Qingxiao agreed to fight Kamo while Gojo took Wengu, and both attackers grew furious at their dismissive remarks.

Wengu Che burrowed toward the unconscious Suguru Geto to take him hostage, so Satoru Gojo went to intercept him while Kamo Xiansheng stayed behind to fight Qingxiao. Qingxiao used debris to interrupt Kamo Xiansheng’s Piercing Blood charge and wear down his finite blood supply, leaving Kamo Xiansheng to charge in for close combat.

• Wengu Che used Earth Manipulation to burrow toward Suguru Geto and planned to force Satoru Gojo to surrender by taking him hostage.
• Satoru Gojo located Wengu Che with his Six Eyes and teleported to intercept him, while Kamo Xiansheng stayed to face Qingxiao.
• Kamo Xiansheng began charging Piercing Blood-Convergence, but Qingxiao hurled rebar at him and forced him to fire a weak shot before the charge was complete.
• Qingxiao dodged Kamo Xiansheng’s attacks and repeatedly threw Cursed Energy-coated rebar, disrupting his charges and draining his blood reserves.
• Kamo Xiansheng realized the ranged battle would cost him and charged toward Qingxiao, deciding to use blood armor for close combat.

Qingxiao and Kamo Xiansheng exchanged close-range attacks after Kamo activated Blood Armor and Flowing Red Scale. Qingxiao’s Heavenly Motion-enhanced body endured Kamo’s Blood Blade, but the fight remained dangerous as he considered whether to wait out the boost.

• Kamo Xiansheng charged into close combat, and Qingxiao dodged his punch before striking his abdomen, only for Blood Armor to block the blow.
• Kamo Xiansheng activated Flowing Red Scale and formed a Blood Blade, greatly increasing his speed and strength.
• Kamo Xiansheng rushed Qingxiao and attacked with a horizontal slash followed by an upward sweep.
• Qingxiao blocked the Blood Blade with his forearm, suffering a cut while his cursed energy absorbed most of the force.
• Qingxiao assessed Kamo Xiansheng’s enhanced attacks and considered kiting him until Flowing Red Scale wore off.

Qingxiao and Kamo Xiansheng remained locked in a brutal close-quarters fight as Kamo Xiansheng spent his remaining blood to keep attacking. Shoko and Suguru Geto arrived, and Geto’s ambush created an opening that Qingxiao immediately noticed.

• Kamo Xiansheng pushed Flowing Red Scale to its limit and launched a reckless assault, while Qingxiao met his attacks head-on.
• As the fight continued, Qingxiao adapted to Kamo Xiansheng’s rhythm and sensed he was nearing the threshold for a Black Flash.
• Kamo Xiansheng realized his blood was running out and that his desperate attacks had not turned the fight in his favor.
• Shoko arrived supporting the weakened Suguru Geto, who summoned a small bird-shaped Cursed Spirit to attack Kamo Xiansheng.
• Kamo Xiansheng blocked the ambush with a Thin Blood Layer, exposing a gap in his Blood Armor, and Qingxiao spotted the opening.

Qingxiao killed Kamo Xiansheng with a Black Flash but mistook his disintegration for a Blood Escape. After Shoko Ieiri began treating Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo arrived with the defeated Wengu Che.

• Qingxiao struck Kamo Xiansheng with a Black Flash, turning him into a mist of blood and leaving only bloodstains and Cursed Residue.
• Qingxiao thought Kamo Xiansheng had escaped with a Blood Escape Technique, but Shoko Ieiri explained that the Kamo Clan had no such technique.
• Qingxiao realized he had killed Kamo Xiansheng and tried to play off his mistake as a joke.
• Shoko Ieiri explained that Suguru Geto had insisted on coming to the fight despite his injuries, then began treating him.
• Satoru Gojo appeared carrying the unconscious Wengu Che, whom he had defeated after a difficult fight.

Qingxiao proposed killing Wengu Che without cursed energy so his resentment might create a cursed spirit for Suguru Geto to absorb. After Qingxiao killed Wengu Che with rebar, no spirit appeared at first, but a strange buzzing began as the group waited among the ruins.

• After Suguru Geto recovered enough to move, Satoru Gojo asked whether to kill the unconscious Wengu Che or hand him over to the higher-ups.
• Qingxiao proposed killing Wengu Che physically, then exorcising the cursed spirit he expected to emerge and having Suguru Geto absorb it.
• Suguru Geto called Patrol Officer Satō to arrange a Curtain around the ruins, while Shoko Ieiri left to meet Satō and brief him.
• Qingxiao asked how many Grade 1 Cursed Spirits Suguru Geto had, then smashed Wengu Che's skull with a piece of rebar.
• When no cursed spirit appeared after several minutes, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto wondered whether Qingxiao's plan had failed.
• As the group remained on guard, a loud buzzing suddenly began.

After Wengu Che died, his resentment transformed him into a powerful mole cursed spirit, which Satoru Gojo badly wounded before Qingxiao finished it off. Suguru Geto absorbed the spirit and, despite the nausea, recovered beside his friends in the quiet ruins.

• Wengu Che's corpse transformed into a powerful mole cursed spirit with Earth Manipulation.
• Satoru Gojo attacked the mole cursed spirit with Blue, tearing it from the ground and critically wounding it.
• Qingxiao rushed in and killed the weakened cursed spirit with a punch, prompting Satoru Gojo to complain that Qingxiao had stolen his kill.
• Suguru Geto turned the cursed spirit into a Cursed Spirit Orb and swallowed it, then endured a wave of nausea.
• Qingxiao and Satoru Gojo supported Suguru Geto as he rested and recovered.

After the mission at the ruins, Qingxiao and Suguru Geto were summoned by the higher-ups, who wanted to use rising sorcerers to balance Satoru Gojo’s power. Qingxiao accepted a promotion and two cursed tools while concealing that he had no intention of becoming their pawn.

• Qingxiao, Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo, and Shoko returned to Jujutsu High after the exhausting battle at the ruins.
• An Assistant Supervisor summoned Qingxiao and Suguru Geto to the Council Estate, while Satoru Gojo and Shoko were left outside.
• Satoru Gojo criticized the higher-ups for excluding him, and Shoko suggested they had summoned Qingxiao and Geto because they had stood out on the mission.
• The higher-ups praised Qingxiao and Geto, then explained that they wanted more powerful sorcerers to stabilize Jujutsu Society and counterbalance Satoru Gojo.
• The higher-ups promoted Qingxiao to Semi-Grade 1 and offered him two cursed tools from the Cursed Tool Repository.
• Qingxiao thanked the higher-ups politely while privately deciding to accept the rewards without helping them control Satoru Gojo.

Qingxiao left the council meeting with a Semi-Grade 1 promotion and permission to choose two cursed tools, while refusing to commit to the higher-ups’ plans. Suguru Geto went in to meet them next as Qingxiao headed for the ritual storehouse, leaving Gojo and Shoko waiting so they could go eat.

• The higher-ups agreed to grant Qingxiao a promotion and access to the ritual storehouse, while privately deciding they would control him or prevent him from becoming another threat like Satoru Gojo.
• Qingxiao told Satoru Gojo and Shoko that he had accepted the benefits but avoided taking the higher-ups’ side, and they approved of his choice.
• Suguru Geto said they could accept the resources while quietly growing stronger, then went into the residence to meet the higher-ups.
• An assistant supervisor escorted Qingxiao toward the ritual storehouse so he could select cursed tools, while Gojo and Shoko waited for him before heading to the cafeteria.

Qingxiao searched Jujutsu High’s Cursed Tool Repository for a tool suited to his immense physical strength and found a ring that could add imaginary mass to objects. He chose it to overcome the training bottleneck caused by Heavenly Motion.

• Qingxiao followed the Assistant Supervisor into the Cursed Tool Repository and began browsing its cursed tools.
• Qingxiao squeezed a Grade 2 short blade hard enough to crack it with his physical strength alone.
• Qingxiao rejected conventional weapons because they were unsuitable for fighting with his strength.
• Qingxiao learned that a ring made by Yuki Tsukumo and Tao Gang could add imaginary mass to objects without cursed energy.
• Qingxiao chose the ring despite the Assistant Supervisor warning that it had limited use in combat.

Qingxiao chose two Cursed Tools from the repository, including a lighter he planned to give Shoko for her birthday, then reunited with his friends. After Suguru Geto finished choosing his own tools, the four headed toward the cafeteria together.

• Qingxiao selected the Black Hole Ring, which could add limitless Imaginary Mass to objects without Cursed Energy.
• Qingxiao chose a dark silver lighter that concealed Cursed Energy fluctuations as his second Cursed Tool, intending it as Shoko's birthday present.
• Qingxiao met Suguru Geto outside the repository, and Suguru went inside to choose his own Cursed Tools.
• Qingxiao showed Satoru Gojo and Shoko the Black Hole Ring, and Shoko recognized its similarity to Yuki Tsukumo's Star Rage technique.
• Qingxiao kept the lighter's identity secret from Satoru Gojo and Shoko, then Suguru Geto returned with his selections.
• Qingxiao, Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo, and Shoko walked together toward the cafeteria.

After declining Gojo and Geto’s invitation to play a game, Qingxiao trained late into the night with his new black hole ring and found a way to improve his physical strength. As he prepared to rest, he noticed an eerie orange glimmer outside his window.

• Gojo invited Qingxiao and Geto to play a game, but Qingxiao chose to train with his new Cursed Tool.
• Geto agreed to game with Gojo and arranged to practice hand-to-hand combat with Qingxiao the next morning.
• Qingxiao spent several hours using the black hole ring to increase the weight of his training and push himself to exhaustion.
• Qingxiao returned to his room, showered, and changed before noticing a flickering orange glimmer near the rooftop terrace.

Qingxiao followed a suspicious red glow to the rooftop and found Shoko Ieiri smoking alone. He reassured her that he did not judge her, and the two shared a quiet moment together.

• Qingxiao noticed a red glow and cautiously climbed to the rooftop to investigate.
• Qingxiao found Shoko Ieiri smoking by the railing and startled her.
• Shoko asked whether Qingxiao was surprised that she smoked, and he told her he was not.
• Qingxiao said he was surprised she had been hiding alone with her troubles, and Shoko asked whether he smoked too.
• Qingxiao said he did not smoke, and Shoko remarked that endorphins relieved stress better than nicotine.

Shoko Ieiri confided to Qingxiao that she was exhausted and afraid because fighting cursed spirits and healing the injured never seemed to end the suffering. Qingxiao comforted her, and she felt less alone as the conversation ended.

• Qingxiao asked Shoko why she was smoking alone, and she admitted she was tired and scared.
• Shoko explained that missions saved people only temporarily, while cursed spirits and tragedies continued, and that her medical skills could not change Jujutsu Society.
• Qingxiao shared that he had once felt powerless against the endless cursed spirits and disasters.
• Qingxiao told Shoko that saving even one more person mattered and that she could lean on him instead of always acting like a dependable doctor.
• Shoko's worries eased as she accepted Qingxiao's comfort, while he privately admitted his original reasons for fighting had been selfish.

Qingxiao and Shoko shared a relaxed late-night conversation on the Jujutsu High rooftop, setting aside their worries about the future. They ended the night enjoying each other’s company in a rare moment of peace.

• Shoko asked Qingxiao how he stayed so clear-headed, and he said he focused on protecting the people around him rather than worrying about what he could not change.
• Shoko said having Qingxiao and their companions by her side helped her endure difficult days.
• Qingxiao showed Shoko the Black Hole Ring he had obtained at the Cursed Tool Repository and explained that he had trained late into the night.
• Shoko revealed she had spent about an hour smoking on the rooftop, and Qingxiao expressed concern about how many cigarettes she had smoked.
• Qingxiao and Shoko chatted about daily life at Jujutsu High, their friends, and the uncertain future until their worries eased.

After recovering fully overnight, Qingxiao invited Suguru Geto to train in hand-to-hand combat, and Satoru Gojo eagerly joined them. At the Training Ground, Qingxiao asked Geto to spar without Cursed Energy so he could assess his fundamentals, and Geto launched the first attack.

• Qingxiao woke refreshed, realizing Heavenly Motion had restored his strength after the previous night's intense training.
• Qingxiao ate breakfast, then went to Suguru Geto's room and invited him to practice hand-to-hand combat.
• Satoru Gojo overheard them, woke up, and insisted on joining so he could spar with Qingxiao.
• At the Outdoor Training Ground, Qingxiao asked Geto to fight without Cursed Energy so he could identify Geto's weaknesses and help him improve.
• Suguru Geto took a combat stance and charged at Qingxiao.

Qingxiao sparred with Suguru Geto and then defeated Satoru Gojo in a hand-to-hand match, while helping Gojo save face afterward. The three stayed at the Training Ground, where Qingxiao and Geto continued training and Gojo slacked off.

• Qingxiao sparred with Suguru Geto, praised his technique, and offered to help him improve his explosive power.
• Satoru Gojo challenged Qingxiao to a hand-to-hand fight without Cursed Energy, and Qingxiao agreed to go all out.
• Qingxiao outmaneuvered Gojo throughout the spar and ended it after catching his wrist and stopping his final attack.
• Qingxiao reassured Gojo by joking that he should not challenge someone who made a living from hand-to-hand combat, and Gojo quickly regained his confidence.
• Qingxiao and Suguru Geto practiced seriously at the Training Ground while Gojo mostly lounged and interrupted them.

During a lesson on Barrier Techniques, Qingxiao failed repeatedly to form even a basic Curtain, unlike Satoru Gojo, Shoko, and Suguru Geto. Worried that poor barrier skills would block his path to Domain Expansion, he decided to pursue an Open Domain instead and committed to studying a path suited to him.

• Masamichi Yaga taught the students Barrier Technique theory and demonstrated a basic Curtain at the Outdoor Training Ground.
• Satoru Gojo, Shoko, and Suguru Geto each formed a barrier successfully, while Qingxiao failed after several attempts.
• Satoru Gojo teased Qingxiao, and Shoko and Suguru Geto tried to reassure him and offer help.
• Qingxiao worried that his weakness with barriers would prevent him from using Domain Expansion, then recalled that Open Domains did not require a closed barrier.
• Qingxiao resolved to study Open Domains, while Masamichi Yaga encouraged him to follow a path suited to his talents.
• Qingxiao left with his companions, deciding to develop his body and brute strength while training to create an Open Domain of his own.