Chapter Summaries

Lin Yuan's white-light dragon devoured Sea Cannon's dragon and absorbed its Dragon Qi, then killed Sea Cannon when he tried to flee. Lin Yuan discovered that Explore the Sea had gained biological activity and a trace of Dragon Qi, and he hoped Sea Cannon's loot would reveal more about its evolution.

• Lin Yuan's white-light dragon devoured Sea Cannon's white-light dragon and absorbed its golden aura, which Lin Yuan suspected was a more complete form of evolution.
• Sea Cannon tried to teleport away, but Lin Yuan's dragon struck him, killing him in the sea.
• Lin Yuan realized that using Explore the Sea had drained all his energy, though he believed its direct hit could threaten even stronger experts.
• Lin Yuan inspected Explore the Sea and found it had gained faint biological activity and one wisp of Dragon Qi, which might help it evolve beyond its current limits.
• Never Skunked fished Sea Cannon's corpse onto the deck, and Lin Yuan hoped it would provide information about Dragon Qi.

Lin Yuan searched Sea Cannon’s corpse and underwater base, finding a damaged Explore the Sea, the Eternal Compass, and a map and forged ancient text about Dragon Qi. He concluded the Crawlers had tried to lure Sea Cannon to the Life Sect’s Main Cathedral and planned to investigate the Secret Realm Ancient Land in the Fourth Stage, after gaining Authority Holder-level strength.

• Lin Yuan searched Sea Cannon’s corpse and recovered a damaged Explore the Sea and the Eternal Compass.
• Lin Yuan and Bai Ling searched the surrounding sea and found Sea Cannon’s underwater base.
• Lin Yuan discovered a planetary map marking the Secret Realm Ancient Land beneath the Life Sect’s Main Cathedral, along with an ancient-looking book about advancing Explore the Sea.
• Lin Yuan recognized the book as a forgery because its Dragon Qi instructions seemed wrong and its contents did not match its worn appearance.
• Lin Yuan suspected the Crawlers had forged the book and map to send Sea Cannon to investigate the Main Cathedral.
• Lin Yuan stored the map and book, left the base, and decided to return to the Secret Realm in the Fourth Stage after reaching Authority Holder-level combat strength.

Lin Yuan rushed to Golden Island after Little Black completed the Level Six Ship Hull blueprints and arranged sales of his spoils to fund the upgrade. Three days after modifications began, his New World series ship hull reached Level Six.

• Little Black completed the Level Six Ship Hull blueprints, and Lin Yuan raced to Golden Island to obtain the required materials.
• The manager told Lin Yuan that the President remained at an emergency meeting in the Central Sea region with humanity's other Authority Holder-level combatants.
• Lin Yuan offered Sea Cannon's damaged Explore the Sea, the Eternal Compass, nearly a hundred tons of Spring of Life, and other spoils for sale.
• Lin Yuan prioritized purchasing upgrade materials, requested junk relics and Abyssal Sea Fragments as payment for later sales, and asked the manager to watch for Dragon Qi.
• The manager secured all required materials in less than a day, and Lin Yuan began the modifications in a deserted spot with Lilia, Bai Ling, and Never Skunked standing watch.
• Little Black completed the modifications three days later, and Lin Yuan felt the increased power of his Level Six Ship Hull.

Lin Yuan assessed the enormous gains from upgrading his ship to a Level Six Volcano hull, especially its increased durability and the new Fury of Molten Fire ability. He concluded that he could challenge anyone below an Authority Holder under extreme conditions, but still needed to strengthen his energy reserves and help Little Black advance its artisan skills.

• Lin Yuan examined the Level Six Volcano hull's 100 million durability and its upgraded Fury of Molten Fire ability.
• Lin Yuan realized Fury of Molten Fire could grant unlimited energy for ten seconds, letting his A-rank energy suppress most opponents' authority powers.
• Lin Yuan considered the ability's limits, estimating that its energy output could kill even a nine-star S-rank opponent but would not reach Authority Holder-level power.
• Lin Yuan noted that using Fury of Molten Fire would leave his equipment energy-depleted for 24 hours, so he needed to increase his A-rank energy reserves.
• Lin Yuan considered the difficulty of future hull upgrades and identified Little Black's artisan skills as the main bottleneck.

Lin Yuan learned that all the Crawlers' apostles had fought Humanity's Authority Holders in the Central Sea, then went to meet the badly wounded president at Consortium headquarters. The president began to answer Lin Yuan's question about the battle's casualties.

• The manager told Lin Yuan that all the Crawlers' apostles had appeared in the Central Sea and fought the Human Federation's Authority Holders, and that the president urgently wanted to see him.
• Lin Yuan hurried to Golden Island aboard the upgraded Phantom Lin Yuan, then went alone to Consortium headquarters.
• The manager led Lin Yuan through hidden corridors to a secret room where the president was waiting.
• Lin Yuan saw that the president had lost an arm and an eye and was covered in wounds emitting black vapor from the Crawlers' corrosion.
• Lin Yuan asked whether the Central Sea battle had caused heavy casualties, and the president's expression turned serious.

The President explained that humanity had technically won the Central Sea battle, but the Crawlers still had the advantage in Authority Holder-level strength and had not been stopped from pursuing their goal. The chapter ended with him revealing that the Crawlers were plotting to destroy the game.

• The President told Lin Yuan that humans lost several dozen Deputy Authority Holders while the Crawlers lost more than a dozen genuine Apostles, making the battle a narrow victory for humanity.
• The President explained that humans and Crawlers each held around five hundred places on the Authority Ranking, but most of the weakest-ranked experts were human Deputy Authority Holders and small-island Island Lords.
• The President told Lin Yuan that humanity held the advantage among Lords of the Crown, but they were usually outside the Endless Sea, while the Crawlers had the advantage in high-level combat strength there.
• Lin Yuan wondered whether the mysterious being who sent him to the East Pole Sea had been one of humanity's Lords of the Crown, and considered whether they were fighting the Great Being.
• The President said the humans had failed to completely thwart the Crawlers' intentions in the Central Sea battle and revealed that the Crawlers were plotting to destroy the game.

Lin Yuan learned that the Crawlers aimed to stop the game's main storyline by taking control of the Central Sea, while also secretly attempting to hack the Game System. The President recruited Lin Yuan to support the coming Central Sea Battlefield, and Lin Yuan agreed to provide his Spring of Life in exchange for military merit.

• The President clarified that the Crawlers wanted to block access to the Island of Beginning and End and halt the game's main quest, not destroy the Game System.
• Lin Yuan told the President that Elder Zhao had helped the Crawlers hack the system's core, and the President reported the information to the senior councilors.
• The President said the Federation would open the Central Sea Battlefield and summon S-rank powerhouses to drive back the Crawlers and protect the main storyline.
• The President asked Lin Yuan to contribute his Spring of Life as battlefield supplies, offering military merit in exchange.
• Lin Yuan agreed to provide all his Spring of Life, hoping to trade the military merit for valuable supplies such as Abyssal Sea Fragments.

Lin Yuan agreed to donate his Life Spring Water to support the coming Central Sea Battlefield, then decided to join the fighting to gain strength and secure more influence. When the Federation declared wartime measures and opened the Military Merit Ranking, Lin Yuan appeared at the top with one million points.

• Lin Yuan left the President after agreeing to donate his Life Spring Water, and the manager apologized for revealing the stock figures.
• Lin Yuan reflected that the Federation had limited ability to prioritize his needs and decided to use the Central Sea Battlefield to grow stronger.
• A day later, the Federation announced the battlefield’s opening and issued wartime decrees, while allowing Players to volunteer.
• Lin Yuan read that the Central Sea was fragmented by hidden Space Channels and that its primordial islands had already been stripped of anything valuable.
• The Federation opened a real-time Military Merit Ranking visible to all Faction members, and Lin Yuan’s one million points placed him far above everyone else.

Lin Yuan arrived at the Central Sea Battlefield entrance to register, where management center director Wang Jian tested his strength and warned him that the Crawlers had placed him on their Hunt List. Lin Yuan learned that the Crawlers considered him an easy target and asked Wang Jian for details about the list.

• Lin Yuan exchanged one hundred tons of Spring of Life for one million military merit points and set out for the Central Sea.
• Lin Yuan reached the Federation’s Central Sea port and was escorted to meet management center director Wang Jian.
• Wang Jian challenged Lin Yuan to a contest of strength, but Lin Yuan overpowered him.
• Wang Jian explained that he had hoped to dissuade Lin Yuan from joining the battle because the Crawlers had put him on their Hunt List as an easy target.
• Lin Yuan thanked Wang Jian for the warning and asked about the Crawlers’ Hunt List.

Lin Yuan read the Crawlers’ Hunt List and learned that Wang Jian was a Triple S-rank powerhouse with the potential to become a Lord of the Crown. The list’s top entry surprised Lin Yuan: Research Institute 3154.

• Wang Jian gave Lin Yuan a booklet detailing the 100 human S-rank powerhouses the Crawlers most wanted dead.
• Lin Yuan found his own name ranked just past ninetieth, with notes about his abilities and a warning not to underestimate him.
• Lin Yuan discovered Wang Jian ranked seventh as a Triple S-rank powerhouse, and considered how mastering three top-level authorities might help him become a Lord of the Crown.
• Wang Jian explained that Crawler High Priests were at most equivalent to Double S-rank, and said neither they nor the Federation’s Multi-S-rank powerhouses were likely to enter the unstable Central Sea battlefield soon.
• Lin Yuan read the names above Wang Jian’s and found that the Hunt List’s first entry was the familiar Research Institute 3154.

Lin Yuan learned that Research Institute 3154 was the Crawlers’ top Hunt List target, then prepared to enter the Central Sea Battlefield and exchanged his military merits for Abyssal Sea Fragments. He sailed into the spatially distorted battlefield alone aboard the Phantom Lin Yuan, using the Lookout Platform to navigate.

• Lin Yuan discovered that Research Institute 3154 was number one on the Hunt List and worried about Old Three’s unexplained situation.
• Wang Jian gave Lin Yuan a badge that tracked his battles and pointed toward Base Island, and Lin Yuan arranged to exchange all his military merits for Abyssal Sea Fragments.
• Wang Jian told Lin Yuan about the Base Island Lord, who had moved his island from the Cang'er Sea because of the war.
• Lin Yuan entered the Central Sea Battlefield aboard the Phantom Lin Yuan and found that its distorted space and scattered islands made it difficult to navigate and locate the Crawlers.
• Lin Yuan traveled alone because the Lookout Platform could guide the Phantom Lin Yuan through the spatial distortions.

Lin Yuan used Bai Ling’s Lookout Platform to hunt Crawler Priests in the contested waters, then followed two ships toward an unknown destination. When a Human Federation ship was overwhelmed by the Crawlers, Lin Yuan intervened and killed both Priests with one shot from Explore the Sea.

• Bai Ling discovered that the Lookout Platform revealed spatial distortions and movement, allowing Lin Yuan to navigate the battlefield and spot isolated Crawler scouts.
• Over three days, Lin Yuan killed five Crawler Priests and collected their relics, which his Energy Collector could use despite their being exclusive to Crawlers.
• Lin Yuan followed a sixth Crawler ship after noticing it was traveling toward a definite destination, and Bai Ling reported that a second Crawler ship had joined it.
• Bai Ling spotted a Human Federation ship arriving from the Crawlers’ destination and fighting the two Crawler Priests, so Lin Yuan hurried to help.
• Lin Yuan approached underwater and killed both Crawler Priests with a single shot from Explore the Sea, rescuing the Human Federation ship from their attack.

Lin Yuan rescued a Federation ship from two Crawler Priests and questioned its unusual crew. He learned they were Ancient Era Remnants from Panlong Stockade, leaving him wondering how they had survived and why the Federation had never found them.

• Lin Yuan killed two Crawler Priests with Explore the Sea, then landed aboard the Phantom Lin Yuan after Never Skunked secured their relics.
• Lin Yuan called out to the rescued ship, whose crew seemed frightened and unfamiliar with his name.
• Bai Ling told Lin Yuan that everyone aboard the ship except the unconscious Six-Star S-rank man was no stronger than A-rank.
• A woman invited Lin Yuan aboard, where he noticed that the crew wore primitive clothing and did not seem to be Federation residents.
• The woman said her people came from Panlong Stockade, whose ancestors had fled Minglong City and later survived disaster on Panlong Mountain.
• The woman explained that Lord Hongyan had called them Ancient Era Remnants before bone-crossed attackers forced them to flee, and Lin Yuan wondered how they had survived and escaped the Federation's notice.

Lin Yuan learned that Hongyan had been ordered to find Panlong Island and escort its Ancient Era Remnants to the Federation. With a Crawler pursuit force approaching, Lin Yuan stayed behind to cover Hongyan's retreat while the damaged ship carried the remnants toward the relief force.

• A woman told Lin Yuan that Panlong Mountain had suddenly appeared surrounded by sea, and Hongyan had found the remnants soon afterward.
• Hongyan woke and thanked Lin Yuan, explaining that he had already fought Crawlers and two Crawler Priests before Lin Yuan intervened.
• Hongyan revealed that he was a Federation soldier on a secret mission to find Panlong Island and bring its people back, but Crawlers had intercepted his report.
• Lin Yuan warned Hongyan that more than ten Crawler ships were pursuing them and would catch the damaged ship before it reached the relief force.
• Lin Yuan told Hongyan to take the remnants ahead while he stayed behind to cover their retreat, and Hongyan accepted.

Lin Yuan used a calculated ambush to kill nine Four-Star Crawler Priests and upgrade his Energy Collector while holding off the pursuers. With three Five-Star Priests still facing him, he prepared to endure their attacks as his energy recovered.

• Hongyan led the survivors toward Base Island while Lin Yuan and his Phantom Lin Yuan stayed behind to meet the pursuers.
• Thirteen Crawler ships arrived, and their gaunt Priest ordered an attack after mistaking Lin Yuan for a weakened Four- or Five-Star opponent.
• Lin Yuan killed the nine charging Four-Star Priests with his Holy Hall Light Blade and collected their relics.
• Lin Yuan used the relics to upgrade the Energy Collector to level seven, increasing his A-rank Energy recovery rate.
• Lin Yuan faced the three remaining Five-Star Priests and resolved to withstand their attacks while his energy recovered.

Lin Yuan and Never Skunked defeated the three Five-Star Priests and the Six-Star Emaciated Priest without using Fury of Molten Fire. With the battle over, Lin Yuan decided to investigate the newly appeared Ancient Era Ruins on Panlong Island.

• The three Five-Star Priests attacked Lin Yuan under the Emaciated Priest’s orders, but his armor and recovery kept him standing despite their barrage.
• When the Six-Star Emaciated Priest prepared to join the fight, Lin Yuan summoned Never Skunked, who emerged from the sea and restrained him with tentacles.
• Never Skunked held the Emaciated Priest at bay for an hour, aided by the health and recovery shared through Lin Yuan’s Blood Pact.
• Lin Yuan killed the Emaciated Priest with a dragon of white light, and Never Skunked confirmed that he had survived the fight.
• Lin Yuan wondered whether Never Skunked’s mutation could have given him an ability to suppress Crawlers, then chose to investigate the Ancient Era Ruins on Panlong Island.

Lin Yuan followed a strange ocean current through a temporal distortion into the Star Sea and discovered that Panlong Island was actually Panlong Star, a mountain-like fragment of the Ancient World. After landing, his Explore the Sea reacted strongly to the mountain, and Lin Yuan suspected it sensed Dragon Qi.

• Lin Yuan sent the Phantom Lin Yuan to the current Hongyan had described, and Bai Ling revealed that it flowed vertically into the Star Sea.
• Lin Yuan entered the current, realized its time jumps allowed the ship to cross vast distances quickly, and wondered whether the Authority Holders had planned around its dangers.
• The Phantom Lin Yuan emerged into the Star Sea, where the crew admired the view and Lin Yuan wondered about the source of the Star Sea's Pollution.
• Lin Yuan saw Panlong Star, a mountain-shaped fragment of the Ancient World, and landed there with the crew.
• Explore the Sea stirred when Lin Yuan touched the mountain, leading him to suspect it sensed Dragon Qi.

Lin Yuan searched Panlong Mountain for the Dragon Qi detected by Explore the Sea, fighting powerful beasts and collecting treasures without finding the source. Back at the ruined village, he recalled the inhabitants’ references to a Dragon God and turned his attention to the ancestral hall.

• Lin Yuan used the villagers’ account to divide Panlong Mountain into areas and chose to search the forbidden, uninhabited areas first.
• Lin Yuan and his party fought numerous high-rank ferocious beasts, including three S-rank Five-Star beasts, while exploring the mountain.
• Lin Yuan collected valuable heavenly materials and earthly treasures, keeping some and feeding others to Lilia, but found no sign of Dragon Qi.
• Lin Yuan concluded that a special treasure likely attracted the beasts, yet worried that the Crawlers might return if he lingered.
• Lin Yuan recalled the villagers’ story about offering sacrifices to the Dragon God and looked toward the enormous ancestral hall built against the mountainside.

Lin Yuan followed Explore the Sea's growing response into a cavern beneath the ancestral hall, where a tiny golden dragon attacked the cannon's newly awakened white dragon. He activated Fury of Molten Fire and began overwhelming the golden dragon with repeated blasts of energy, though the battle had not yet ended.

• Lin Yuan sensed Explore the Sea stirring more strongly near the ancestral hall's rear wall and dug through it into Panlong Mountain.
• Lin Yuan dug for hours until he broke into a cavern, where Explore the Sea sensed a living presence deeper inside.
• A tiny golden dragon rushed from the passage and fought the white dragon that Explore the Sea summoned automatically.
• Lin Yuan activated Fury of Molten Fire, gained limitless energy, and struck the golden dragon with repeated bursts of energy.

Lin Yuan’s Explore the Sea devoured the little golden dragon and gained greater power, awareness, and the ability to act on his commands, though Lin Yuan’s energy was depleted. He led his crew deeper into the limestone cave and found an enormous ancient dragon corpse at the heart of Panlong Mountain.

• Lin Yuan used Fury of Molten Fire to bombard the little golden dragon while Explore the Sea’s white dragon devoured it, evolving into a pale golden dragon.
• Lin Yuan learned that Explore the Sea could now communicate with him, fight according to his commands, and be summoned without an initial energy charge, but its spent energy still needed replenishing.
• Lin Yuan explained the changes to Bai Ling, Never Skunked, and Lilia, then considered how Fury of Molten Fire had changed his appearance.
• Lin Yuan led his crew farther through the limestone cave, which opened into a vast cavern at the heart of Panlong Mountain.
• Lin Yuan and his crew discovered an enormous golden-scaled dragon corpse coiled in the cavern.