Recaps

The East Pole Island Lord sent Lin Yuan and Lilia beneath the Abyssal Sea to reveal the truth of the world. Lin Yuan discovered a living Star Sea below it and recognized three distant planets as the moons he had seen from the sea’s surface.

• The East Pole Island Lord enclosed the Phantom Lin Yuan in light and sent it away, while he and the Moge Golem discussed Lin Yuan’s resistance to pollution and the urgency of the final game.
• Steward Liu told Wuwei and Chi Yu that they were not ready to learn the truth of the world and remarked that few stars could be seen above the Endless Sea.
• The East Pole Island Lord’s light carried Lin Yuan and Lilia through the sea layers and past the spatial distortions at the bottom of the Abyssal Sea.
• Lin Yuan and Lilia entered the Star Sea, where Lin Yuan saw planets with life and traces of civilizations, while Lilia mistook the place for the sky.
• Lin Yuan spotted three enormous planets in the distance and recognized them as the three moons he had seen from the sea’s surface and during Nether River summons.

Lin Yuan traveled through space beneath the Abyssal Sea, passed the three moons housing the Nether River, and returned safely to the Endless Sea. He reflected on the world’s structure and prepared to visit a nearby island to learn what had happened during his absence.

• Lin Yuan recognized that the Star Sea was genuine space and realized the three moons contained the Nether River and summoned him for the Nether River Monarch's Certification.
• The light carried Lin Yuan past the moons and through temporal mist before bringing him down onto the Endless Sea as a phantom wooden sailing ship.
• Lin Yuan confirmed through his system panel that he had returned to the game area and concluded that the world was a Klein Bottle warped by spatial distortion.
• Lin Yuan wondered whether the temporal mist formed a one-way passage and reconsidered his past journey into the East Pole Sea and the strange seawater after Paradise collapsed.
• Lin Yuan decided to approach a nearby island and ask for news, wondering how everyone had fared during the nearly year-long absence.

After returning to the game, Lin Yuan learned that players across the Endless Sea were focused on instances and sought news at a Sea Service Island in the Trumpet Sea. He read recent newspapers to catch up on events and asked the bartender about the repeatedly mentioned Final Instance Tournament.

• Lin Yuan found that his friends were all inside instances and steered the Phantom Lin Yuan to a nearby island to ask about the current situation.
• Lin Yuan discovered the island was a mobile Sea Service Island built from ships near a newly opened medium-sized instance.
• Lin Yuan bought a drink and learned from the bartender that players had become the Endless Sea’s most active force by pursuing instances.
• Lin Yuan asked for recent newspapers from the Press Club and read about player competition, eleven Supernovas, and the lack of recent major Crawler activity.
• Lin Yuan asked the bartender what the Final Instance Tournament mentioned in the papers was.

Lin Yuan learned that a competitive Final Instance Tournament was expected to appear in an inner ring region after the Free Growth Stage, and decided to leave the Trumpet Sea and visit the Consortium. After hearing the bartender mention a beauty named Rose in the Avengers Fleet, Lin Yuan reacted with surprise.

• The bartender explained that the research institute expected a super Instance called the Final Instance to appear when the Free Growth Stage ended, drawing top Players into a tournament.
• Lin Yuan read about the Endless Sea’s regions and concluded that he should head to an inner ring region before the tournament appeared.
• Lin Yuan decided to sell his East Pole Sea gains at the Consortium and try to buy an A-rank Transcendent Core.
• Patrons argued over which team would win a nearby race Instance, and the bartender described the Avengers Fleet’s four near-Seed-level Players and its famous beauty.
• The bartender said the woman was named Rose, and Lin Yuan froze and asked him to repeat her name.

Lin Yuan learned that Rose and the Avengers Fleet faced a difficult instance battle, then went to the underwater Silver Artisan Academy to see if his Academy Controller could let him join. The controller detected Silver Three Artisan Academy and offered to connect.

• Lin Yuan recognized Rock Bear, Crazy Tiger, and Howling Wolf as old allies and learned the Avengers Fleet was outnumbered by three allied Seed Ship Crews.
• The bartender said the underwater instance would last another three or four days and that the Avengers Fleet sought a treasure tied to advancement.
• After learning the instance was an Artisan Academy, Lin Yuan decided to go there and help Rose and the others if possible.
• Curious drinkers followed Lin Yuan in a diving-modified ship and watched him approach the instance entrance aboard the Phantom Lin Yuan.
• Lin Yuan activated the Bronze Thirteen Academy Controller, which detected Silver Three Artisan Academy and asked whether to connect.

Lin Yuan entered Silver Three Artisan Academy and began sweeping through it after the controller ran out of energy. Meanwhile, Rose, Rock Bear, Crazy Tiger, and Howling Wolf hid from Three Zero Three’s Players, who had attacked them with lethal intent.

• Lin Yuan used the Bronze Thirteen Academy controller to open Silver Three Artisan Academy’s gates and entered the Instance.
• Lin Yuan cleared the puppets at the entrance, but the controller ran out of energy while marking Players on the campus map.
• Lin Yuan set aside the search for energy and decided to sweep through the Academy to find the other Players.
• Rose returned to the Avengers Fleet’s hiding place in the gymnasium basement and warned Rock Bear, Crazy Tiger, and Howling Wolf that Three Zero Three was searching for them.
• Rose and the others discussed how Three Zero Three had pursued them to the Trumpet Sea after they defeated one of its Seed-level Players, and had now tried to kill them.

The Avengers Fleet fled deeper into the underground labyrinth as 303’s Seed-level Players tracked them down. Witch Doctor, Shadow King, and Axe Demon cornered them, while repeated earthquakes above hinted that something major was happening outside.

• Rose led the injured Crazy Tiger, Rock Bear, and Howling Wolf deeper into the labyrinth to escape 303’s detection.
• Another earthquake shook the labyrinth, and Rock Bear recalled meeting Rose at the Artisan Academy, where they had also met Lilia and Zero God.
• Witch Doctor, Shadow King, Axe Demon, and their subordinates found the Avengers Fleet and mocked their faith in Zero God.
• Axe Demon revealed that the other Players in the Instance had already gone ahead, and Witch Doctor ordered Shadow King to investigate the increasingly powerful earthquakes.

Lin Yuan arrived in time to save Rose and the Avengers Fleet from Witch Doctor, Shadow King, and Axe Demon. He effortlessly defeated the three attackers, and Witch Doctor realized Lin Yuan was the king of One One Four Paradise.

• Witch Doctor ordered Shadow King and Axe Demon to kill Rose and the others, while the Avengers Fleet prepared to fight despite expecting to lose.
• Lin Yuan cut a passage through the walls with a sword of light and rushed into the room, where Rose and the others recognized him as Zero God.
• Axe Demon struck Lin Yuan from behind, but Lin Yuan endured the blow and confronted the three players for killing others.
• Witch Doctor, Shadow King, and Axe Demon attacked together, but Lin Yuan's sword of light cut through all their attacks.
• Witch Doctor tried to escape under cover of black mist, but Lin Yuan sliced through the mist and beheaded all three attackers.
• As he died, Witch Doctor understood that Lin Yuan was the king of One One Four Paradise.

Lin Yuan and his companions defeated Three Zero Three’s leaders and learned that the Paradise’s Seed-level Players had secretly joined the Diving Club, an organization tied to the Crawlers. Lin Yuan realized the Club’s members had changed in the Endless Sea and could no longer be easily detected, leaving the human camp vulnerable to hidden threats.

• Lin Yuan confirmed that Witch Doctor and his two companions were dead, then helped Rose and the others capture the remaining members of Three Zero Three.
• Lin Yuan recounted how he escaped Paradise and reached the group with the help of the controller and Bai Ling.
• Howling Wolf reported that the three Seed-level Players from Three Zero Three belonged to the Diving Club, despite refusing to join the major organizations.
• Howling Wolf explained that Three Zero Three’s leaders had launched a killing spree because investigations were closing in on their Paradise.
• Lin Yuan said neither his ability nor Lilia’s senses detected Crawlers among the Diving Club members, suggesting they had changed after entering the Endless Sea.

Lin Yuan learned that the Diving Club was searching the Silver Academy’s hidden labyrinths, and he agreed to explore them while pushing to clear the instance quickly. After casually killing a hidden boss and leaving its loot behind, he clarified that although he was not S-rank, he had never said he could not defeat one.

• Lin Yuan said he would alert Research Institute 3154 and the major organizations about the Diving Club after they escaped, then urged the group to clear the instance quickly.
• Howling Wolf explained that the Diving Club was searching the Artisan Academy labyrinths for something, though the hidden bosses guarding them were not required to clear the instance.
• Lin Yuan suspected they might be seeking the Divine Artisan Core, but agreed to explore the hidden areas in case they wanted something else.
• Rock Bear asked about the hidden boss, and Lin Yuan revealed he had mistaken the puppet dressed as a PE teacher for a regular mob and killed it in passing.
• Lin Yuan left the boss’s valuable materials behind because he had no room, prompting Crazy Tiger to ask whether he had reached S-rank.
• Lin Yuan denied being S-rank but pointed out that he had not said he could not defeat one.

Lin Yuan and the Avengers Fleet swept through Silver Academy’s hidden areas, where he discovered that the Diving Club’s target had been replaced with a fake Divine Artisan Core. He left considering whether counterfeit relics could help upgrade his Energy Collector and planning to ask Moge about them.

• Lin Yuan easily defeated the hidden-area bosses across Silver Academy while Rose and the others explained that the instance was considered difficult and that the Consortium monopolized much of the high-rank potion supply.
• After clearing the Academy, Lin Yuan gathered two A-rank Transcendent Cores, including one from the boss beneath the classroom building.
• Lin Yuan found a Fake Divine Artisan Core at the center of the classroom building’s hidden labyrinth and realized Moge had planted it to deceive the Crawlers.
• Lin Yuan asked Little Black how relics could be forged, but Little Black could not explain Moge’s technique.
• Lin Yuan wondered whether fake relics could upgrade the Energy Collector and decided he could ask Moge about them when the East Pole Sea returned.

Lin Yuan and the Avengers Fleet emerged from the Silver Three Artisan Academy Instance after a swift, catastrophic run in which no other ships survived. He parted ways with Rose and the others, reached the prosperous Golden Sea, and wondered why Research Institute 3154 had not replied.

• The drinkers outside the Instance watched Lin Yuan's Phantom Lin Yuan and the Avengers Fleet's four ships emerge as the Instance sank, leaving no other ships behind.
• Lin Yuan and Rose parted ways after agreeing to meet at the Instance Tournament, and Lin Yuan set course for the Golden Sea.
• During the voyage, Lin Yuan received congratulations from his contacts, declined Wind-Ear's interview, and asked him not to publicize his return.
• Lin Yuan noted that Research Institute 3154 had not replied, though Wind-Ear had said Old Three was safe and had gone to the Institute's secret territory.
• Lin Yuan reached the Golden Sea and saw its busy shipping lanes, large service stations, malls, casinos, and markets.

Lin Yuan and Lilia arrived at prosperous Golden Island and headed to the Consortium's headquarters. Lin Yuan claimed VIP status to a local woman, who revealed she was a level-nine VIP and challenged him to name his own rank.

• Lin Yuan reached Golden Island after more than half a day of travel and marveled at its futuristic buildings and bustling streets.
• Lilia called the island an interesting toy because its residents were weak and depended on a few powerful people for protection, prompting Lin Yuan to reflect on humanity's vulnerability.
• Lin Yuan entered the Consortium's headquarters and rode the escalator past locals and Players who exchanged insults but avoided fighting under the island's strict laws.
• Lin Yuan and Lilia continued toward the VIP floors with a middle-aged woman who warned him that only VIPs could enter.
• Lin Yuan said he was a VIP, and the woman announced that she was a level-nine VIP, just one rank below VIC.

Lin Yuan visited the Consortium, where its manager welcomed him as a real VIP and brought him to a restricted negotiation room. The manager explained why he was leaving Instance exploration to focus on headquarters, and Lin Yuan prepared to discuss their business.

• Auntie Zhang explained the Consortium's VIP levels to Lin Yuan, who guessed he was a level-one VIP.
• The manager warmly greeted Lin Yuan as Zero God and escorted him to a restricted negotiation room, surprising Auntie Zhang.
• The manager told Lin Yuan that VIP rankings were for ordinary customers and that the Consortium's higher-ups already knew Lin Yuan's reputation and had arranged to meet him.
• The manager explained that he planned to focus on negotiations at headquarters rather than Instance exploration because he was better suited to office work.
• Lin Yuan accepted the manager's choice, and they arrived in a private room to begin discussing business.

Lin Yuan negotiated with the Consortium manager to trade his East Pole Sea loot for supplies that would strengthen him, while reserving four Relics for exchanges with other Relics. The Consortium valued his goods at eight million Shell Coins, which he chose to spend on supplies, and he was delighted by the abundance of cheap A-rank Transcendent Cores.

• Lin Yuan gave the manager a list of East Pole Sea loot, including Gem-Cured Meat and large quantities of Transcendent Equipment, and the manager assessed its value and quality.
• The manager was astonished to find four Relics on the list, and Lin Yuan said he would trade them only for other Relics, prioritizing quantity over quality.
• Lin Yuan kept the Fake Divine Artisan Core off the list to conceal it from the Crawlers and left behind goods he considered less useful on the Endless Sea.
• The manager estimated the listed goods, excluding the Relics, at eight million Shell Coins and said the Consortium was offering a favorable price to build a long-term relationship.
• Lin Yuan declined payment in Shell Coins and chose to exchange the value for supplies, then found a wide selection of inexpensive A-rank Transcendent Cores in the Consortium’s handbook.

Lin Yuan bought discarded and cheap A-rank Transcendent Cores, raising his energy reserves to 1000/1000 with an effortless upgrade. After considering other purchases, he noticed that the Consortium's A-rank potions cost much less than its A-rank Cores.

• Lin Yuan questioned why cheap A-rank Transcendent Cores were scarce, and the manager explained that their abilities made them difficult to use and unprofitable to hunt.
• The manager offered Lin Yuan over sixty discarded A-rank Cores for 10,000 Shell Coins each, and Lin Yuan bought them all.
• Lin Yuan refined the cores he had purchased, bringing his energy reserves to 1000/1000 and leaving him confident he could defeat a One-Star S-rank opponent like Red Anglerfish.
• Lin Yuan browsed the catalog, decided to save his relics for upgrading the Energy Collector, and passed on expensive equipment and Special Cannons.
• Lin Yuan noticed that A-rank potions were much cheaper on average than A-rank Transcendent Cores and asked the manager why.

Lin Yuan discovered that the Research Institute’s new technology had made A-rank potions dramatically cheaper and asked Research Institute 3154 about it. He learned that 3154 had developed the technology’s foundation and began explaining it by asking whether Lin Yuan knew about Abyssal Sea Fragments.

• Lin Yuan noticed that the Mountain-Melting Shield Potion cost far less than its Mountain-Melting Giant Tortoise core, and the manager explained that the Research Institute had reduced potion-making costs with a new technology.
• Research Institute 3154 replied to Lin Yuan and asked how he had escaped from Paradise; after hearing his account, 3154 said the mentor had largely anticipated it and wanted to meet him.
• Research Institute 3154 told Lin Yuan that the mentor was a Research Institute deputy director at the pinnacle of Authority Holders, but could not explain the later stages of the Authority path.
• Lin Yuan asked Research Institute 3154 about the cheap potions and whether the technology could provide Transcendent Cores cheaply.
• Research Institute 3154 revealed that the technology’s foundation came from them and asked Lin Yuan whether he knew about Abyssal Sea Fragments.

Lin Yuan learned that the Abyssal Sea Research Department was developing a way to convert Abyssal Sea fragment energy into Transcendent Cores, and arranged to work with the team applying the theory. After selling most of his East Pole Sea spoils, he traveled to the department, where its unexpected appearance surprised him.

• Research Institute 3154 explained that Abyssal Sea fragments were valuable for their concentrated energy and that his theory could allow it to be converted into transcendent power.
• Lin Yuan decided to seek a partnership with the Abyssal Sea Research Department, and Research Institute 3154 sent him the department’s address after contacting its project team.
• Lin Yuan sold most of his Transcendent Equipment and nearly half his Gem-Cured Meat, receiving 73 A-rank Transcendent Cores, 100 Steam Cores, 100 Mechanical Cores, and seven million Shell Coins.
• The manager said potential buyers had been found for Lin Yuan’s four relics, while Lin Yuan kept the incomplete treasure map for possible future investigation.
• Lin Yuan piloted the Phantom Lin Yuan toward the department and considered searching the offshore relic markets with his Treasure Collection Room after his visit.
• One day later, Lin Yuan arrived at the Abyssal Sea Research Department and remarked that it looked nothing like he had expected.

Lin Yuan visited the Abyssal Sea Research Department and agreed to sponsor its research in exchange for help converting Abyssal Sea fragments into Transcendent Cores. Mei Qian revealed that the department’s potion project was part of a Humanity Council pilot program, and Lin Yuan left with a promised conversion service within a month and a half.

• Lin Yuan arrived at the Abyssal Sea Research Department, a giant ship-shaped tower beside Peaceful Island, and met its head, Mei Qian.
• Mei Qian showed Lin Yuan the department’s facilities and explained that its projects lacked funding for upgraded equipment and further experiments.
• Mei Qian offered to prioritize Lin Yuan’s requests and convert Abyssal Sea fragments for him if he sponsored the department; Lin Yuan agreed to invest five million.
• Mei Qian promised to complete the conversion work within a month and a half and told Lin Yuan that the potion project was a Humanity Council pilot program intended to support the production of high-level human transcendents.

Lin Yuan learned that the Endless Sea might soon establish a Humanity Council, then confronted Prince’s subordinates when they tried to take researchers assigned to his project. He rejected their offer and threats, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Mei Qian told Lin Yuan that a Humanity Council was expected to be announced in a few months.
• A researcher reported that Prince’s subordinates had arrived seeking help upgrading Relics with Abyssal Sea Fragments, and Mei Qian received instructions to meet them.
• Prince’s butler asked Mei Qian to prioritize Prince’s research, but Mei Qian said the available researchers had already been assigned to Lin Yuan’s project making A-rank Transcendent Cores.
• The butler offered Lin Yuan five hundred thousand to give up his place, and Lin Yuan told him to leave if he had no money.
• The butler threatened Lin Yuan over Prince’s S-rank strength and upcoming Instance Tournament, but Lin Yuan repeated his demand that they leave.

Lin Yuan secured priority over Prince in deciding what to research first, then negotiated with Mei Qian to acquire the Abyssal Sea deep diving technology and its Blueprint. He learned the technology required a specialized level 9 ship, but planned to have Little Black study it.

• Lin Yuan refused to negotiate with the Butler's party, and they left by boat after Mei Qian backed his priority in the research arrangement.
• Mei Qian warned Lin Yuan that he had angered Prince, but Lin Yuan judged Prince's Relic mastery and combat strength limited.
• Lin Yuan finalized his cooperation with Mei Qian and asked whether the research building could dive into the Abyssal Sea.
• Mei Qian explained that the building was a ship designed solely for deep diving, so its technology could not be used on Lin Yuan's all-round ship type.
• Lin Yuan spent 100,000 Shell Coins to acquire the deep diving technology and Blueprint, then discovered the ship was level 9.

Lin Yuan learned that ships could be crucial to the Transcendent Path and confirmed his New World ship series had a level-ten hull. He discussed the threat of Prince’s backer and ways to obtain Abyssal Sea Deep Diving Modification Technology, then was warned after speculating about the Great Being.

• Mei Qian told Lin Yuan that ordinary ships capped at level nine, while a few powerful types could reach level ten, and warned that changing a ship type later could be costly.
• Lin Yuan confirmed with Little Black that his New World ship series had a level-ten hull, then left the Abyssal Sea Research Department aboard the Phantom Lin Yuan.
• Lin Yuan informed Research Institute 3154 about Elder Zhao’s connection to Prince, and Research Institute 3154 said the rivalry between Prince and Lin Yuan was unlikely to provoke the institute’s senior leaders.
• Research Institute 3154 suggested temporary Abyssal Sea access through Adventurer Group consumables or seeking permanent modification technology in the upcoming Instance Tournament prize pool.
• Lin Yuan speculated that the game might exist to oppose the Great Being, and Research Institute 3154 warned that his last four characters were blocked and that discussing the subject in the game was dangerous.

Lin Yuan decided to pursue first place in the Instance Tournament and planned to gather A-rank Cores and upgrade his Energy Collector. When Bai Ling spotted a nearby Instance and an unusual boatless Player, Lin Yuan went to investigate, where the stranger attacked him with a Demon Gate that Lin Yuan shattered.

• Lin Yuan learned from Research Institute 3154 that the Instance Tournament's limited prize pool favored high scorers, so he resolved to compete for first place and prepare by collecting A-rank Cores.
• Bai Ling spotted a small Instance eighty kilometers northeast and reported that a strange Player was waiting there without a boat.
• Lin Yuan arrived at the Instance and found a swaggering blond Player hovering over the sea, who checked the Endless Sea News before ordering Lin Yuan to leave.
• The blond Player summoned a Demon Gate to block the Phantom Lin Yuan, but Lin Yuan smashed the gate and the being behind it with one punch.
• Lin Yuan noticed that breaking the attack had cost fifty points of Transcendent Energy and wondered where the newly advanced S-rank Player had come from.

Lin Yuan confronted Yellow Hair over the Life Sect Instance and learned that he belonged to a group of veteran Players who had preserved their Player status by exploiting Instance mechanics. Research Institute 3154 confirmed the account and suggested that the Game System’s growing loopholes meant it was deteriorating and might be about to fail.

• Lin Yuan shattered Yellow Hair’s Demon Gate with a punch, and Yellow Hair surrendered before Lin Yuan could attack again.
• Yellow Hair told Lin Yuan he sought Healing Water from a Life Sect Island of Life Instance for his Boss and his group.
• Yellow Hair revealed that he and his companions were Players from the previous batch who had used Instance items, a sealing Formation, and an infiltration mission to prolong their survival.
• Lin Yuan asked Research Institute 3154 to verify Yellow Hair’s explanation, and the institute confirmed that veteran Players sometimes used such methods to survive until a later game.
• Research Institute 3154 told Lin Yuan that the system’s loopholes had developed as it deteriorated and might indicate that it was about to give out.

Lin Yuan learned that the system might be nearing collapse, then entered a small subjugation instance and rapidly cleared its creatures. After Bai Ling reported that Lilia had found something interesting, Lin Yuan went to investigate.

• Research Institute 3154 told Lin Yuan that the system might be close to failing, and Lin Yuan suspected he needed to complete his Main Quest before it collapsed.
• Lin Yuan checked the blond man's claims, let him leave, and refused to give him Healing Water.
• Lin Yuan entered the Life Island (Small) instance, summoned Bai Ling, Lilia, and Skeleton Sailors, and assigned them to find threats and supplies.
• Bai Ling guided Lin Yuan as he killed the island's dangerous creatures, including a hidden spider nest that was likely the Island King.
• Bai Ling told Lin Yuan that Lilia had found something interesting and urged him to come look.