Recaps

Lu Heng strengthened his Shelter against the snowmelt, cultivated the Purifying Water Lotus, and survived a deadly fight with a Bronze Tier Swamp Giant Python. He returned to the Shelter with a Bronze Treasure Chest unopened and fed the lotus an Energy Core.

• Lu Heng soulbound the Geothermal Talisman, which drove the Snow-Hiding Worm Variants from his body, then confirmed he had reached Black Iron Tier.
• Lu Heng traveled through the forest, escaped a herd of Tusked Boars, and watched predators surround and defeat the boars and Giant-Horned Deer before he marked his territory.
• Lu Heng killed a Coldrock Bear, discovered a Purifying Water Lotus seed, and fed the sprouted lotus the bear’s flesh and vital essence.
• Lu Heng hired Lin Chuan to design drainage and foundation work, then dug and completed the system before the snowmelt could flood the Shelter.
• Lu Heng killed a Night Ghost with his Bronze Hunting Blade and fed its Paranormal Crystal to the Purifying Water Lotus.
• Lu Heng collected fertile Humus Marsh Soil, but a Swamp Giant Python emerged and attacked him, and Lu Heng used Rage Extract and killed it with his Bronze Hunting Blade.
• Lu Heng took shelter inside the python’s corpse, extracted its resources, and swallowed its Bronze Flesh Core to recover from his injuries.
• Lu Heng found a Bronze Treasure Chest in the swamp and returned to the Shelter, where he gave the Purifying Water Lotus the python’s Bronze Energy Core.

Lu Heng strengthened his Shelter, traded for useful supplies, and hunted across the forest while recovering from his injuries. After surviving a poison bee swarm and encountering hostile Water Monkeys, he abandoned his search for bluestone and returned to safer ground.

• Lu Heng recovered from his injuries, built a study, and killed a Dark-Spotted Leopard before finding and killing its cub in the abandoned den.
• Lu Heng mined frost-patterned iron ore and used it to enclose his Shelter with a sturdy wall and gate, then supported his tomato vines.
• Lu Heng traded supplies with survivors from other regions, donated part of his meat stock, and exchanged his Hand Crossbow for a Moonlight Pearl that enhanced his Shelter’s lighting and crops.
• Lu Heng hunted Horned Sheep and Red Cliff Jackals, survived the sheep’s attack with his Geothermal Talisman, and gathered salt, herbs, and a Cliffside Tea Tree.
• Lu Heng was chased by Black Tiger Poison Bees, escaped through a river, and collected Large Bluestone before returning exhausted to his Shelter.
• Lu Heng treated his stings, processed the animal carcasses, opened a Black Iron Chest, planted chili seeds, and practiced the Muscle and Bone Relaxation Art.
• Lu Heng gathered bluestone downstream but was ambushed by a Water Monkey, which escaped after he wounded it.
• Lu Heng encountered more Water Monkeys that attacked him with stones, watched them eat their dead companion, and abandoned his bluestone-gathering plan.

Lu Heng survived a siege by infected beasts, explored a downstream wetland and a gravity-warped crater, and returned with rare materials and a Star Chest. Its contents gave him a Star Tear, a Star Altar, and a method for cultivating mental energy, leaving him to decide how to use them.

• Lu Heng crossed the river and ventured into the forest, where he killed a swarm of Rockhowl Monkeys and gathered supplies, including Monkey Wine, a treasure chest, and durable spruce wood.
• Lu Heng fought off a Dark-Spotted Leopard, returned to the Cliffside Shelter, and upgraded it into a Black Iron Fortress before publicly criticizing the Federation holdovers and choosing to remain independent.
• Lu Heng traded for a Bloodthirsty Vine seed, planted it along the fence, and formed a crude master-servant bond with the seedling as hail battered the area.
• Lu Heng’s Silk-Peeping Bugs spotted jackals, wolves, and wild dogs gathering around the Fortress, and he prepared traps before the packs launched a coordinated assault.
• Lu Heng killed the Wild Dog King and Jackal King, survived the attack, and discovered Thread Parasites that had driven the beast leaders’ aggression.
• Lu Heng explored a downstream wetland, collected supplies and rare plants, and killed a charging Marsh-Ridged Cattle before returning toward the crater.
• Lu Heng endured crushing gravity at the crater’s center, collected Bronze Tier Falling Star Sand and a meteorite, then fought off a pack of Spotted Hyenas.
• Lu Heng opened the Star Chest and found a Star Tear, a Star Altar, and the Starlight Meditation Method, then placed the altar in his Shelter and considered how to use the discoveries.

Lu Heng gained new equipment, traded with the swamp's rulers, and defended his Shelter through the Second Survival Catastrophe. After the trial ended, he traveled to an abandoned city, where his encounter with Yun Jing and her zombie pet ended in distrust.

• Lu Heng awakened his Mental Energy through the Starlight Meditation Method and obtained the Ghost Claw through offerings at the Star Altar.
• Lu Heng escaped a Swamp Slippery Fish swarm and watched the Digger Ants and swamp creatures clash before their rulers confronted each other.
• Lu Heng killed the intervening Black-Winged Kite, traded its corpse to the Ant Queen and Slippery Fish King for treasure chests, and secured peaceful coexistence.
• Lu Heng opened the treasure chests and installed a Lookout Tower and Independent Storage Module at his Shelter.
• Lu Heng confirmed that his Frost Forest agreements survived the Second Survival Catastrophe and cleared hostile birds from his Shelter.
• Lu Heng crippled an attacking Giant Plume Eagle with the Geothermal Talisman and finished it with the Giant-Feather Crossbow.
• Lu Heng entered an abandoned city after the trial ended, killed Zombies, and fought a Black Iron-Level Zombie Cat.
• Lu Heng spared Abao at Yun Jing's request, questioned her account of surviving the collapse, then wounded Abao and decided Yun Jing was too dangerous to leave alive.