Chapter Summaries

Lu Heng killed the four Mirror Grayfang Wolves and entered a Supernormal State as he faced the Grayfang Wolf King. He fought the Black Iron-tier beast head-on and killed it, leaving him alone in the snowy clearing as the battle ended.

• Lu Heng abandoned the tree and killed the three remaining Mirror Grayfang Wolves with his Bronze Hunting Blade.
• The Grayfang Wolf King charged, and Lu Heng entered a Supernormal State and met it head-on.
• Lu Heng traded blows with the wolf king, relying on his armor and increasingly fluid blade work to exploit its wounds.
• Lu Heng seized the wolf king's final lunge and thrust his blade into a vital point, killing it.
• The wolf king disintegrated, and Lu Heng remained standing in the clearing as his fighting fervor subsided.

After defeating the Grayfang Wolf King, Lu Heng returned to his Shelter, prepared for the escalating trials, and equipped himself with poison and new armor. He ended the chapter ready to face the third-day trial.

• Lu Heng collected the Warm Bedding Bundle trial reward and salvaged his ruined leather armor before returning to his Shelter.
• Lu Heng calculated that skipping future trials would leave him facing lethal temperatures and resolved to keep fighting.
• Survivors in the Regional Chat Channel discussed the wolf trial, and one suggested poisoning weapons against the beasts.
• Lu Heng decided to coat his blade with his stored Cold Stiff Poison Gland and Spider Poison Gland for the next trial.
• Lu Heng crafted and donned a new suit of leather armor, then practiced the Flowing Water Blade Art and breathing exercises.
• Lu Heng prepared to enter the third-day trial with his poison plan and new armor.

On the third day of the trial, Lu Heng tracked a Mirror Image-Rock Tiger, a Black Iron beast, and prepared to ambush it with his hand crossbow. The tiger dodged his first bolt and charged straight at his hiding place.

• Lu Heng put on his new Tusked Wild Boar hide armor, loaded his hand crossbow, and followed his bracelet's marker into the forest.
• Lu Heng discovered the Mirror Image-Rock Tiger resting in a clearing and appraised its strength and deadly speed.
• Lu Heng withdrew into the trees and chose a concealed position to ambush the tiger with consecutive crossbow shots.
• Lu Heng fired at the tiger's head, but the tiger shifted aside and the bolt buried itself in the snow.
• Lu Heng tried to ready a second bolt, but the tiger sprang up and charged at his hiding place.

Lu Heng faced the Forest Rock Tiger in the third day's trial, but its cunning tail swipe overwhelmed his defenses and forced him to retreat beyond the combat zone. Safe from pursuit, he recovered outside the boundary and resolved to fight the tiger again so he could pass the trial and counter the extreme cold.

• The Forest Rock Tiger feinted with its forepaws and struck Lu Heng with a powerful tail swipe.
• The blow numbed Lu Heng's arm and chest, and he realized he could not survive a close-range fight.
• Lu Heng fled beyond the trial's combat zone, where the Forest Rock Tiger stopped pursuing him and returned to its resting place.
• Lu Heng recovered outside the zone and decided he still had to defeat the tiger to pass the trial and offset the temperature drop.

Lu Heng’s poisoned meat failed to tempt the Forest Rock Tiger, and the regional chat confirmed that no survivor had cleared the trial. Realizing the tiger hunted only living prey, Lu Heng found a Snow Rabbit beneath the snow and began trying to catch it as bait.

• Lu Heng retreated from the Forest Rock Tiger and used poisoned meat as bait, but the tiger ignored it.
• Lu Heng checked the regional chat and learned that other survivors had also failed to overcome the tiger.
• Lu Heng realized he needed living bait and searched the snow-covered forest for an animal.
• Lu Heng spotted a Snow Rabbit surfacing through the snow to breathe and recognized an opportunity.
• Lu Heng crept toward the rabbit’s snow-covered burrow to try to catch it.

Lu Heng captured a hare and coated it with Cold Stiff and spider venom to use as live bait for the Forest Rock Tiger. After the tiger swallowed the poisoned hare, Lu Heng waited for the poisons to take effect as the real battle began.

• Lu Heng hid in the snow and waited for a hare to emerge from its burrow.
• Lu Heng shot the hare in a hind leg, captured it, and fed it Cold Stiff venom before coating its body with spider venom.
• Lu Heng tossed the poisoned hare across the trial boundary, drawing the Forest Rock Tiger's attention.
• The Forest Rock Tiger toyed with the hare, killed it, and swallowed it whole.
• Lu Heng realized the tiger had consumed both poisons and prepared for the battle to begin.

Lu Heng poisoned and ambushed the Forest Rock Tiger, but his crossbow bolt missed its brain and failed to stop the beast’s charge. Badly injured by the tiger’s tail, he struggled to his feet with his Bronze Hunting Blade as the fight continued.

• Lu Heng observed the Forest Rock Tiger’s breathing and movements change as the toxins began to weaken it.
• Lu Heng entered the Trial Circle and shot at the tiger’s head, but the bolt struck its shoulder instead.
• The Forest Rock Tiger charged immediately, and Lu Heng barely dodged its pounce.
• The tiger struck Lu Heng in the waist and abdomen with its tail, severely injuring him and leaving his left arm limp.
• Lu Heng forced himself to roll away and used his Bronze Hunting Blade to prop himself upright.

Lu Heng endured his severe injuries and used his Hand Crossbow to kill the poisoned Forest Rock Tiger. After taking a pill to stabilize himself and collecting the Tiger Potion card, he struggled toward the trial’s invisible boundary, still in danger from the blood scent and the exposed snowfield.

• Lu Heng and the Forest Rock Tiger collapsed into a stalemate, both too weakened to attack while the scent of blood spread across the snowfield.
• Lu Heng took out his Hand Crossbow and fired three bolts, killing the Forest Rock Tiger with the final shot.
• The tiger dissolved into pale data and left behind a card as Lu Heng collapsed into the snow.
• Lu Heng swallowed his last Mud-Clearing Anti-Inflammatory Pill, which stabilized his injuries enough for him to move.
• Lu Heng collected the Tiger Potion card and used his Bronze Hunting Blade for support as he slowly headed toward the trial’s invisible boundary.

Lu Heng returned to his cabin after killing the Forest Rock Tiger and collapsed from his severe injuries. He woke on the fourth day, drank the Black Iron Tiger Enhancement Potion, recovered completely, and saw that survivors across the region were still suffering against the tiger.

• Lu Heng locked himself inside his cabin and passed out from the injuries he had sustained fighting the tiger.
• Lu Heng woke at noon on the fourth day of the trial, still in severe pain and too weak to face another monster.
• Lu Heng drank the Black Iron Tiger Enhancement Potion and endured its painful transformation as it healed his injuries and strengthened his body.
• Lu Heng checked his attributes and found his Strength and Constitution at 16 and his Agility at 15.
• Lu Heng read the regional chat and learned that most survivors had been unable to defeat the Forest Rock Tiger, realizing his preparations had saved him.

After spending the fourth day recovering and mastering his strengthened body, Lu Heng braved the worsening cold to enter the fifth day's trial. He discovered that the apparently empty trial grounds concealed an invisible supernatural enemy and used himself as bait to draw it out.

• Lu Heng stayed in his Shelter for the fourth day, repeatedly practicing basic movements until he could control his increased strength and balance.
• Lu Heng found that his transformed body required far more food, then rested until his condition stabilized.
• On the fifth day, Lu Heng left his cabin and headed to the trial boundary as the accumulating cold grew more severe.
• Lu Heng cautiously entered the seemingly empty trial area, where the Azure Spirit Water-Pattern Necklace began to heat up.
• Lu Heng realized an invisible supernatural entity was approaching and feigned weakness while secretly preparing to counterattack.

Lu Heng pretended to remain trapped in an illusion until he could ambush and kill the Mirror Image Snow Demon, gaining a Camouflage Disguise Orb that could conceal his Shelter. On his way back, he sensed that a patient apex predator had been following him, but kept his awareness hidden as the hunter continued to stalk him.

• Lu Heng endured the Mirror Image Snow Demon's mental illusion and waited until it moved within arm's reach behind him.
• Lu Heng turned and struck with the Bronze Hunting Blade, killing the Mirror Image Snow Demon and collecting the Camouflage Disguise Orb.
• Lu Heng recognized that the Orb could fill the Lighting Fixture module at his Shelter and conceal its visibility, occupants' auras, and activity sounds.
• Lu Heng headed back through the Snowfield Forest and sensed a powerful, flesh-and-blood predator watching him from behind.
• Lu Heng realized the predator had studied his routine and fighting habits for days, and he concealed his awareness to avoid triggering its ambush.

Lu Heng was ambushed near his cabin by a real Forest Rock Tiger that had stalked him for days. After realizing it would not be driven away or bought off with meat, he prepared to fight the predator to the death.

• The Forest Rock Tiger struck Lu Heng from behind with its tail, injuring him before retreating several meters.
• Lu Heng recognized the predator as a living Forest Rock Tiger, unlike the false one he had fought before.
• Lu Heng tested whether the Bronze Hunting Blade would scare the tiger away, but it remained wary and refused to retreat.
• Lu Heng considered offering the tiger stored exotic beast meat, then rejected the idea because it would only encourage further attacks.
• Lu Heng steadied his blade and resolved to fight the Forest Rock Tiger rather than yield.

Lu Heng struggled to land a blow on the Forest Rock Tiger, whose experience let it evade his every sword strike. He tricked the tiger into closing in and wounded its foreleg with a Hand Crossbow, but the enraged beast prepared to fight to the death.

• Lu Heng chose to face the Forest Rock Tiger rather than retreat to his house, knowing it would otherwise stalk him there.
• Lu Heng attacked with practiced blade combinations, but the tiger dodged each strike and kept him on the defensive.
• Lu Heng feigned exhaustion to draw the tiger closer, then pulled out his Hand Crossbow and shot its foreleg.
• The Forest Rock Tiger staggered in pain, abandoned its cautious approach, and charged with renewed fury.
• Lu Heng held the Hand Crossbow ready as he braced for the deadly fight ahead.

Lu Heng fought the wounded Forest Rock Tiger in the snow to prevent it from continuing to threaten his shelter. He shot it beneath the neck with his Hand Crossbow, and waited at a safe distance as it struggled toward death.

• Lu Heng and the wounded Forest Rock Tiger faced each other, each intent on killing the other.
• Lu Heng used snow and the nearby shrubs to create openings, but the tiger dodged his attacks and battered his injured shoulder.
• Lu Heng deliberately closed the distance, slashed the tiger's flank, and stabbed shallowly at its belly before it rammed him into a tree.
• As the tiger charged again, Lu Heng cocked his Hand Crossbow one-handed and shot a bolt beneath its neck.
• The tiger collapsed in the snow and struggled to rise while Lu Heng watched from a safe distance, waiting for it to stop moving.

Lu Heng safely killed the Forest Rock Tiger, the Frost Forest’s middle-region overlord, and harvested its rare core crystal and valuable materials. With a Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest secured, he headed back toward the Stone Cave Shelter, his fight finally over.

• Lu Heng fired two crossbow bolts into the wounded Forest Rock Tiger’s eye socket to ensure it was dead.
• Lu Heng vented his frustration by kicking the tiger’s head, then received a Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest for killing the regional overlord.
• Lu Heng used the Survival Bracelet to extract the Forest Rock Tiger Overlord Core Crystal and stored it instead of using it as ordinary fuel.
• Lu Heng dismantled the carcass into tiger hide, bones, teeth, gallbladder, and flesh and blood essence.
• Lu Heng looked toward the Stone Cave Shelter, relieved that the battle was over and his injuries had earned him valuable resources.

Lu Heng opened the Bronze Treasure Chest and gained five useful rewards, then rested in the Stone Cave Shelter and assessed his damaged armor and progress through the Seven-Day Trial. With the sixth day approaching, he expected the next trial target to push him close to his limits.

• Lu Heng opened the Bronze Treasure Chest and received Tiger Bone Healing Wine, a Tiger Concealment Mask, Spirit-Suppressing Rock, Tiger Hide Knee Guards, and Rage Extract.
• Lu Heng stored the five rewards, washed, changed clothes, and inspected his badly damaged leather armor and leg guards.
• Lu Heng reviewed the first five days of the Seven-Day Trial and recalled how his equipment had helped him survive increasingly dangerous targets.
• Lu Heng estimated that his equipment had contributed more than his own abilities to his success and prepared to face the sixth day's trial.

After consuming the Forest Rock Tiger Flesh Core, Lu Heng’s injuries healed and his physical attributes increased permanently. He then encountered a Bronze Tier Wasteland Giant Plume Eagle at the sixth-day trial barrier and realized he had no chance of defeating it at his current strength.

• Lu Heng watched survivors despair in the Regional Public Chat Channel over the Forest Rock Tiger but chose not to reveal that he had killed it or offer them help.
• Lu Heng swallowed the Forest Rock Tiger Flesh Core, which transformed and strengthened his body while healing his injuries.
• Lu Heng checked his Personal Attribute Panel and found that his Strength and Constitution had risen to 19 and his Agility to 18.
• After resting overnight, Lu Heng prepared for the sixth-day trial and stopped before entering the Trial Barrier when he sensed danger.
• Lu Heng appraised the giant eagle perched nearby and identified it as a Bronze Tier Wasteland Giant Plume Eagle capable of lethal aerial attacks.
• Lu Heng concluded that he could not clear the trial against the flying beast with his current abilities.

After leaving the sixth trial stage, Lu Heng explored the Frost Forest and realized the trial beasts were projections of real creatures. He marked his safe boundary and continued mapping the forest, eventually reaching a narrow valley.

• Lu Heng left the sixth trial stage, confident his layered hides and tempered physique would protect him from the cold without risking a fight against the Giant Plume Eagle.
• He encountered native Grayfang Wolves and concluded the trial beasts were mirror projections of real species, raising the possibility that the true Giant Plume Eagle lived in the Frost Forest’s forbidden heart.
• The Grayfang Wolf pack fled from Lu Heng because his hunting blade carried the Forest Rock Tiger’s baleful scent, so he scrubbed the blade clean to avoid scaring off beasts he wanted to fight.
• Lu Heng carved a cross into a dead tree as a boundary marker and explored the forest, studying its terrain and beast activity while enduring the cold comfortably.
• After walking several li into the Frost Forest’s middle reaches, Lu Heng reached a long, narrow valley swept flat by wind and snow.

Lu Heng discovered that a geothermal valley’s warmth and resources were offset by geomagnetic interference that kept most creatures away, then gathered its supplies and chests. He returned to the Stone Cave Shelter, intending to prepare for the seventh day and eventually relocate to the valley if the rules allowed.

• Lu Heng found a Black Iron Chest in the Forest Rock Tiger’s den near the valley entrance and entered the valley, where his bracelet identified its geothermal environment and disruptive geomagnetism.
• Lu Heng explored the creek valley and identified Bone-Warming Snow Fungus, Tough Water Moss, Cold-Resistant Dry Grass, and Frost-Patterned Iron Ore.
• Lu Heng found a high-quality chest at the creek’s source and stored it without opening it.
• Lu Heng decided the valley could become a future base but recognized that geomagnetism could not protect him from every threat.
• Lu Heng harvested the visible resources, then returned to the Stone Cave Shelter with both chests and supplies for the seventh day.

Lu Heng returned to the Stone Cave Shelter and opened two chests, gaining supplies and modules that could improve his survival and prepare him for the approaching extreme-cold trial. The rewards offered the means to build a heated planting area and a self-sustaining water and food system in the cave.

• Lu Heng followed marks he had cut into trees back to the Stone Cave Shelter, sealed the entrance, and rekindled the fire.
• Lu Heng opened the Black Iron Chest and received the Tiger Breathing Technique, a Basic Planting Area Building Module, cold-resistant combat boots, wound-healing ointment, and stamina supplements.
• Lu Heng opened the special chest from Geothermal Creek Valley and found a Geothermal Energy Heating Module, a Special Operations Protective Suit, and an Ecological Water Storage and Circulation Module.
• Lu Heng recognized that the new modules could connect the planting area, geothermal heating, and water circulation into a sustainable shelter system.