Chapter Summaries

After the instance ended, Lin Yuan learned that Bai Ling had spent her time deciphering the giant turtle’s messages and gained useful knowledge about Inspiration. He parted ways with Bai Ling and left with Lilia, while Bai Ling secretly divined that she would become Lin Yuan’s crew member and was relieved when he let her go.

• Lin Yuan considered what the manager had said about the Crawlers, the Sanctum, and the difficulty of finding information about the inheritance badge.
• Lin Yuan found Lilia waiting and discovered Bai Ling had stayed in the coffin for more than twenty hours, deciphering the giant turtle’s messages.
• Bai Ling told Lin Yuan the turtle had urged them to find the Captain’s Quarters and had shared knowledge about transcendent advancement, including valuable uses of Inspiration.
• Lin Yuan apologized for dragging Bai Ling through the instance, then said they could part ways; Bai Ling happily left after seeing him wave goodbye.
• Lin Yuan and Lilia headed out, while Bai Ling recalled her divination that she would become Lin Yuan’s crew member and concluded she had probably misread the result.

Lin Yuan took stock of the resources and equipment he had gained from the dungeon while sailing toward the next island. When the friend feature became available, he received requests from several familiar players and was surprised to see one from Wind-Ear.

• Lin Yuan and Lilia left the dungeon at the last moment and sailed toward the next island dungeon they could reach in time.
• Lin Yuan reviewed his supplies, noting that he had 400 units of rubber and only needed a Steam Core to build the Production Workshop.
• Lin Yuan checked his equipment, consumables, and relics, then planned to build the workshop, repair his cannon, and improve his combat power.
• The system unlocked the friend feature, and Research Institute 3154, the Manager, Dafu, Never Skunked, I Quit Farming, and White Lady sent Lin Yuan friend requests.
• Lin Yuan was surprised when Wind-Ear sent him a friend request.

Lin Yuan learned that Wind-Ear belonged to the Press Club, an organization that gathered and sold news, and worried about how much it could discover about him. After reading a report about a deadly instance and suspected Crawler involvement, he received a message from Research Institute 3154 proposing their trade.

• Lin Yuan accepted Wind-Ear's friend request and learned that the Press Club collected news, sold player information, and could bypass ordinary friend-limit restrictions.
• Wind-Ear said the Research Institute knew more about the Sanctum and the Crawlers, so Lin Yuan decided to ask 3154 instead of buying that information.
• Aboard his flying ship, Wind-Ear searched photographs to identify the ship belonging to Zero, while the photograph of Lilia on the coffin went unnoticed in a pile of creature pictures.
• Lin Yuan considered the Press Club's reach and worried that it might uncover his secrets, then read Wind-Ear's report that every player in an instance had died and that the Diving Club was suspected.
• Research Institute 3154 messaged Lin Yuan to arrange the trade for the Feather Pen and the Steam Core.

Lin Yuan traded a Steam Core to 3154 for an ornate Feather Pen, then offered him Jazz’s unusual bones and learned they came from powerful sea creatures. Their conversation revealed how Transcendent Cores affect creature strength and clarified the nature of the Crawlers and the Sanctum, leaving Lin Yuan better informed about the world’s factions and dangers.

• Lin Yuan traded a Steam Core to 3154 for an ornate Feather Pen, then showed him the bones Jazz had given him.
• 3154 identified the bones as valuable remains of Main Sea Overlords or Deep Sea Behemoths and explained why most creature parts were not transcendent materials.
• Lin Yuan told 3154 about the Rubber Man, and 3154 explained that its likely Transcendent Core would have been E-rank and that cores amplified creatures’ combat strength.
• 3154 warned Lin Yuan that Transcendent Cores were exceptionally valuable and advised treating the Explore the Sea blueprint as an ordinary cannon.
• 3154 explained that the Crawlers worship great beings, possess varied abilities, and should be eliminated when possible, though new players could not safely fight them.
• 3154 described the Sanctum as a loose collection of lineages united in opposition to the Crawlers, rather than a single organized force.

Lin Yuan questioned Research Institute 3154 about Sanctum legacies, relics, and becoming an Artisan, then completed the Production Workshop aboard the Lin Yuan. He began repairing a cannon and examined a level 3 Hull Upgrade Blueprint.

• 3154 explained Sanctum legacies, warned Lin Yuan about relics, and described how someone could become an Artisan.
• 3154 mistakenly concluded that Lin Yuan’s many “friends” were an exceptional group called Zero and decided to report on them.
• Lin Yuan decided to focus on finishing the Production Workshop before pursuing Jazz’s legacy.
• Lin Yuan used wood, steel, rubber, and a Steam Core to complete the Production Workshop aboard the Lin Yuan.
• Lin Yuan fed a damaged cannon into the workshop’s machine for repair and reviewed how its production proficiency affected item quality.
• Lin Yuan turned to the level 3 Hull Upgrade Blueprint he had received in the trade.

Lin Yuan upgraded the Lin Yuan to level 3, equipped a repaired cannon, and prepared to confront the dark shadow before it could become a greater threat. After luring it with the strange-smelling barrel, he faced it in the water and declared his intent to kill it.

• Lin Yuan used wood, steel, and cloth to upgrade the Lin Yuan to level 3, gaining more durability, an extra compartment, and an upgrade option for the Transcendent Core Compartment.
• Lin Yuan equipped the repaired cannon, raised his strength to 1,000, and produced ten cannonballs.
• After consulting 3154, Lin Yuan decided to hunt the dark shadow before it grew more dangerous or interfered with his plans involving the Crawlers.
• Lin Yuan prepared for the battle, while Lilia insisted on watching and Lin Yuan allowed her to come along.
• Lin Yuan entered the water and released the barrel, whose smell drew out the dark shadow and made its form clearer.
• Lin Yuan confronted the dark shadow and vowed to kill it.

Lin Yuan fought the Frost Sea Serpent and other dead sea behemoths after the shadow broke through the weakened barrier into Paradise. He faced a giant octopus controlling the corpse puppets and prepared to destroy them before confronting it directly.

• The bait barrel disintegrated, and a Frost Sea Serpent charged through the weakened barrier as Invisible Chains bound Lin Yuan.
• Lin Yuan blocked the serpent's charge, tore free of the chains, and wounded its head with the Holy Hall Light Blade before blasting it apart with his cannon.
• A giant shark and an electric eel attacked Lin Yuan, but his immunity to lightning let him evade them and destroy the shark with his cannon.
• Five more corpse puppets surrounded Lin Yuan as he spotted a huge, injured octopus below, watching him with its many eyes.
• Lin Yuan said he would destroy the puppets and then confront the octopus face-to-face.

Lin Yuan fought the Great King Puppet Octopus after identifying it as a mature Transcendent Creature capable of controlling powerful corpses. After defeating its five puppets, he pursued the weakened octopus and planned to use the Death Seed and Sanctum Strike Scroll to kill it.

• 3154 identified the giant, many-eyed octopus as a Great King Puppet Octopus and explained its ability to control corpses and move between sea layers.
• Lin Yuan attacked the octopus’s five puppets, using mirage mist to evade them until the creature opened more eyes and exposed his real position.
• Lin Yuan fought the puppets head-on with his light blade, cannons, and ram, destroying them while losing durability.
• Lin Yuan dived after the recovering octopus, deciding it would keep hunting him because of his prey mark and its killing intent.
• Lin Yuan considered the Death Seed and Sanctum Strike Scroll as he prepared to kill the weakened octopus.

Lin Yuan fought the Great King Puppet Octopus, discovering that its barrier resisted energy attacks while its flesh could be damaged by physical blows. After punching the giant creature and bursting one of its eyes, he trapped it with the Illusion Canvas and prepared to use the Sanctum Strike Scroll.

• Lin Yuan attempted to lock the Sanctum Strike Scroll onto the octopus, but its barrier and Invisible Chains disrupted the lock.
• Lin Yuan used the Illusion Canvas to shield himself from the octopus's eyes, then tested the barrier with the Holy Hall Light Blade and Sea Serpent Ram.
• Lin Yuan fired a cannonball through the barrier and damaged the octopus, but its flesh rapidly regenerated.
• Lin Yuan realized his fists could overwhelm the octopus's regeneration and repeatedly punched it until it tried to flee.
• Lin Yuan caught up with Shell Pump and burst one of the octopus's eyes, causing its main eyes to open and bind him with powerful Invisible Chains.
• Lin Yuan presented the Illusion Canvas, trapping the octopus in an illusion, and brought out the Sanctum Strike Scroll to lock onto it.

Lin Yuan used Jazz's Sanctum Strike Scroll to summon a giant of light that killed the Great King Puppet Octopus and left behind its Transcendent Core. As Lin Yuan reunited with Lilia and prepared to inspect his loot, a dilapidated ship approached through spreading black sludge.

• Lin Yuan activated Jazz's Sanctum Strike Scroll after the Illusion Canvas trapped the Great King Puppet Octopus.
• Jazz's giant of light burned away the octopus's black ink, shattered its gray barrier with a mace of light, and roasted it until only its Transcendent Core remained.
• Lin Yuan collected the Transcendent Core and returned to Lilia, who praised him before insulting the octopus's weakness.
• Lin Yuan noticed dense black sludge spreading across the sea and saw a huge, dilapidated ship approaching on the horizon.

Lin Yuan fled the Crawler’s ship, but the Coffin could not escape the black seawater pulling it closer. As Paradise repaired the barrier damaged by the Great King Puppet Octopus, an Ocean Current Explosion erupted and swept Lin Yuan and Lilia into the sky.

• Lin Yuan recognized the black oil around the battered ship as a sign of the Crawlers and ordered Lilia to flee with him in the Coffin.
• The black seawater flowed toward the Crawler’s ship, drawing it closer to Lin Yuan despite the Shell Pump’s speed.
• Research Institute 3154 realized Paradise was repairing its barrier and suspected the damage could trigger an Ocean Current Explosion, but assumed Zero and his team had escaped.
• The sea began shaking and forming whirlpools, and the Crawler wrapped its ship in black sludge as it prepared for the disaster.
• Lin Yuan and Lilia sheltered inside the Coffin as the sea boiled and water pillars erupted, tossing the Coffin into the distant sky until it disappeared.

After the waterspout scattered the Crawlers’ pursuit, Servant 9527 learned that Lin Yuan had killed the Crawler elder’s rare pet and was ordered to hunt him with power from Lord Oathbreaker. Carried away with Lilia in the Coffin, Lin Yuan inspected the Great King Puppet Octopus’s Transcendent Core and decided to save it for crafting Explore the Sea once he found better materials.

• The Crawler elder learned that Lin Yuan had killed his rare growth-type Transcendent Creature and sought power from Lord Oathbreaker to help Servant 9527 pursue him.
• Servant 9527 decided to keep Lord Oathbreaker’s power for himself and sailed the battered ship toward where Lin Yuan had vanished.
• The waterspout carried Lin Yuan, Lilia, and the Coffin away from the Crawlers’ ship.
• Lin Yuan inspected the Great King Puppet Octopus’s D-grade Transcendent Core and discovered it could absorb other cores, advance in grade, and retain its abilities in crafted items.
• Lin Yuan planned to use the core to craft Explore the Sea, but chose to wait for higher-quality materials unless danger forced him to make it immediately.

After the Coffin landed, Lin Yuan discovered he had been thrown off-route into the dangerous waters beyond Paradise’s routes. He realized the Shallow Sea Barrier was rising and that Paradise might be an underwater world reverting to its original depths, so he continued toward the Gate of Departure rather than wasting time returning to a route.

• Lin Yuan checked the Paradise Sea Chart and found himself far from either of the two nearest routes, then decided to sail forward while edging toward one.
• The exhausted Shell Pump ran out of food and stopped, so Lin Yuan dove into the sea to catch Magical Creatures.
• Lin Yuan found Magical Creatures near the surface and discovered that the Shallow Sea Barrier had risen to ten meters below the surface.
• Lin Yuan concluded that the Main Sea was rising as Paradise’s barrier shrank, and that the waters beyond the routes were part of the Main Sea.
• Lin Yuan inferred that Paradise was an underwater world returning to its original state and resolved to keep sailing toward the Gate of Departure before the remaining three weeks ran out.

Lin Yuan hunted Magical Creatures and sailed north until the surrounding waters became part of the Main Sea. When several Main Sea Transcendent Creatures attacked, he killed the first one so quickly that the others fled, leaving him lamenting the loss of its materials.

• Lin Yuan froze and stored dozens of tonnes of Magical Creature flesh, upgraded his warehouse, and bought timber for Emergency Repair, leaving him with around 15,000 Shell Coins.
• Lin Yuan continued sailing north in the Coffin and thought about needing a ship, recruiting crew members, and the tasks he still needed to complete.
• Lin Yuan sensed the seawater had thickened and found that ordinary fish and Magical Creatures had vanished as the area became part of the Main Sea.
• Main Sea Transcendent Creatures approached Lin Yuan, and a wormlike creature attacked by spraying transparent slime at him.
• Lin Yuan cut the worm in half with the Holy Hall Light Blade and destroyed it with a cannon blast, ruining its materials; the other creatures fled underwater.

After the Main Sea creatures fled from Lin Yuan, he devised a way to use Lilia as bait to lure them back. He left the chapter fishing successfully for more materials, with Lilia reluctantly agreeing to keep helping.

• Lin Yuan killed a Sticky Worm and discovered its mucus was an E-rank transcendent material that could be used to make active wood.
• The nearby Main Sea creatures fled after learning how easily Lin Yuan had killed the Sticky Worm, leaving him frustrated that he could not gather more materials.
• Lilia explained that the weak creatures were avoiding Lin Yuan because they recognized the danger, inspiring him to use her as bait.
• Lin Yuan suspended Lilia over the sea with a makeshift fishing rod, and a Bird-Headed Fish Monster attacked her.
• Lin Yuan killed the monster and rescued Lilia, then used the baiting method to kill over a dozen creatures and collect materials.
• Lilia complained about the monsters but agreed to continue helping Lin Yuan fish.

Lin Yuan tried to sell his stockpile of low-rank transcendent ingredients and learned from Air Force Bro how ordinary players’ physical stats and appetites changed as they grew stronger. Air Force Bro revealed that organized players followed a different path, leaving Lin Yuan with new questions about the differences between them.

• Lin Yuan decided to sell his excess E-rank ingredients and contacted Research Institute 3154, but they showed little interest.
• Lin Yuan asked Air Force Bro whether he wanted transcendent ingredients, and Air Force Bro eagerly accepted because he was struggling to find enough food.
• Air Force Bro explained that rare fish and transcendent ingredients had raised his stats while making him hungry more often, and that 3154 had offered to study him in exchange for food.
• Air Force Bro told Lin Yuan that his stats included 800 health, 35 strength, 40 speed, and 5 defense.
• Air Force Bro said that organized players and solo players differed in how their stats, appetites, and Transcendent Power developed.

Lin Yuan traded a hundred tons of E-rank transcendent ingredients for Air Force Bro’s Shipwright Puppet, an Artisan-powered item that could upgrade ship compartments. Afterward, Air Force Bro was pressured again by the mysterious Diving Club, and he decided to ask Lin Yuan about managing his growing appetite.

• Lin Yuan recognized that the Shipwright Puppet could help him gain Artisan-type Transcendent Power and offered Air Force Bro a hundred tons of E-rank ingredients for it.
• Air Force Bro accepted the trade and requested shrimp, crabs, and shellfish instead of fish because eating fish made his stats and appetite grow.
• Half a day later, Air Force Bro received enough ingredients to fill his Warehouse and wondered how easily Lin Yuan seemed to hunt Transcendent Creatures.
• A nameless person contacted Air Force Bro again, urging him to join the Diving Club and warning that his appetite would eventually leave him hungry.
• Air Force Bro rejected the recruiter and decided he would ask Lin Yuan how he managed to keep obtaining ingredients.

Lin Yuan learned that he lacked the Sanity resonance needed to become an Artisan, so he used the Shipwright Puppet to upgrade the Production Workshop and the ship’s basic compartments instead. He brought the Lin Yuan’s hull and compartments to level three, but the puppet could not upgrade the Transcendent Core Chamber because it represented his individual characteristics.

• Lin Yuan learned from 3154 that he had no Artisan talent because he lacked the necessary Sanity resonance.
• Lin Yuan activated the Shipwright Puppet and used two of its charges to upgrade the Production Workshop to level three.
• Lin Yuan put his Harpoon and gathered materials into the workshop for a twelve-hour processing job.
• Lin Yuan used the puppet’s remaining charges to raise the basic compartments, including the weapon rooms and engine rooms, to level three.
• Lin Yuan discovered that the Shipwright Puppet could not upgrade the Transcendent Core Chamber because it represented a player’s individual characteristics.

Lin Yuan discovered that his Level 2 hull’s Transcendent Core Chamber might reflect his personal transcendent talent, then encountered a huge flock of powerful penguins. The chapter left him fighting an enormous penguin that could copy his Sea Serpent Ram and cannon attacks.

• Lin Yuan considered whether the Transcendent Core Chamber was his individual ship trait and wondered if it related to his transcendent talent.
• Lilia reappeared after being killed and told Lin Yuan that many large creatures were nearby.
• Lin Yuan opened the Coffin and found hundreds of giant, red-eyed penguins feeding on transcendent creatures.
• A huge penguin attacked Lin Yuan with a Sanity power, but Lin Yuan was unaffected and struck it with the Sea Serpent Ram.
• The penguin copied Lin Yuan’s Sea Serpent Ram and cannonball attacks, forcing Lin Yuan to dodge its ram before it hurled a cannonball at him.

Lin Yuan killed a giant penguin that could copy transcendent powers and recovered its E-rank Transcendent Core. He tested the core in the Transcendent Core Chamber and learned how it could grant him copied abilities and ranked power, leaving him to wonder whether other players followed the same path of transcendence.

• Lin Yuan used the Shell Pump and Mirage Mist to evade the giant penguin's copied attacks, then wounded it with the Holy Hall Light Blade.
• Lin Yuan clung to the penguin and hacked it to death before the nearby penguins could overwhelm him.
• Lin Yuan found an E-rank Copy Penguin's Transcendent Core inside the corpse and returned to the Coffin as the other penguins closed in.
• Lin Yuan placed the core in the Transcendent Core Chamber and learned it could copy an opponent's offensive power at E-rank and supply ten uses of E-rank power.
• Lin Yuan realized the core could also empower his ordinary skills and grant an intimidation ability, and wondered whether other players followed the same path.