Chapter Summaries

Lu Heng lost his footing in the swamp and was caught in the python’s crushing coils, but wounded it with his Bronze Hunting Blade and trapped its jaws in a deadly stalemate. As his strength and air ran out, he decided to use his saved dose of Rage Extract as his last chance to survive.

• Lu Heng struggled to hold off the swamp python while the unstable mud made every movement dangerous.
• The python used a tail sweep to obscure his vision, and Lu Heng slipped and fell into the swamp mud.
• The python wrapped around Lu Heng and began crushing him, but he struck it with the Bronze Hunting Blade, inflicting a deep wound.
• Lu Heng raised his blade against the python’s bite, trapping it between the beast’s jaws as its coils continued to tighten around him.
• Realizing his combat suit and Tiger Hide Knee Guards could only delay his death, Lu Heng decided to use his saved dose of Rage Extract.

Lu Heng used a Tiger Potion to break the python’s crushing hold and tear open its mouth with the Bronze Hunting Blade. As the grievously wounded beast tried to flee, Lu Heng pressed after it, determined to kill it before the potion wore off.

• Lu Heng drank a potion from his Wristband and regained a two-handed grip on the Bronze Hunting Blade.
• Fueled by the potion, Lu Heng resisted the python’s coils and repeatedly drove his blade deeper into its mouth.
• The python’s pain weakened its grip, and its attempt to retreat tore a large chunk of flesh from its mouth.
• Lu Heng decided he could not let the wounded python escape, fearing it would ambush him later and knowing his potion-enhanced strength could fade at any moment.
• Lu Heng advanced through the blood-soaked mud after the retreating python, keeping both hands on the blade.

Lu Heng killed the Swamp Giant Python by hacking open the wound in its mouth while the Tiger Potion suppressed his pain and kept him fighting. Badly injured and unable to move after the potion wore off, he hid inside the python’s sinking corpse and awoke in its mouth, temporarily sheltered beneath the marsh.

• The mortally wounded Swamp Giant Python thrashed wildly as Lu Heng kept driving his Bronze Hunting Blade into its mouth wound.
• The python’s strength faded until it died, and the Tiger Potion’s effects vanished from Lu Heng’s body.
• Lu Heng realized he was too injured and weak to escape the exposed marsh, where the blood scent could attract predators.
• Lu Heng slipped through the python’s split mouth and passed out inside its corpse, with the blade holding open an air gap.
• Lu Heng regained consciousness inside the python and found his lower body numb and unusable, but temporarily safe from outside dangers.

Lu Heng dismantled the Bronze Tier python to obtain a Flesh Core and consumed it to heal his severe injuries. As feeling returned to his legs, he prepared to escape the marsh hollow.

• A scavenging bird landed on the python's corpse, but Lu Heng's movement frightened it into flying away.
• Lu Heng used Tiger Bone Wine on his bruises and decided to dismantle the python in hopes of finding a Flesh Core.
• The Wristband extracted the python's Bronze Flesh Core, Bronze Energy Core, hide, bones, meat, and medicinal ingredients.
• Lu Heng swallowed the Bronze Flesh Core, whose vitality began repairing his internal injuries and restoring sensation to his legs.

Lu Heng escaped the swamp despite his severe injuries, found and stored a Bronze Treasure Chest, and made it safely back to the Shelter. He restored the depleted Purifying Water Lotus with an Energy Core, then washed himself and prepared to recuperate.

• Lu Heng used the Bronze Flesh Core to recover enough to stand, then struggled across the swamp on weak legs.
• After falling into the mud, Lu Heng uncovered a Bronze Treasure Chest and stored it in his Tattoo Space without opening it.
• Lu Heng dragged himself through the woods and reached the Shelter without encountering any beasts.
• The Purifying Water Lotus signaled that it lacked energy, so Lu Heng placed a bronze Energy Core from the Swamp Giant Python beside its roots.
• After confirming the lotus was recovering, Lu Heng washed the mud from his bruised body and took out the bottle that had held the Tiger Bone Wine.

After recovering from his battle with the Swamp Giant Python, Lu Heng opened the Bronze Treasure Chest and assessed its valuable contents. He left the chapter with new tools for improving the Shelter and a dangerous pill reserved for desperate situations.

• Lu Heng treated his injuries with medicinal wine, checked the public chat, and saw a survivor anxiously searching for his missing child as others made jokes.
• Lu Heng slept while the Bronze Flesh Core helped repair his injuries, then woke with improved Strength, Constitution, and Agility but lingering damage in his legs.
• Lu Heng opened the Bronze Treasure Chest and found a Bronze-tier Sunlight Pearl that could nourish crops and suppress spirits and demonic creatures.
• Lu Heng found a building module that upgraded fences alongside the house, a set of components for making bear traps, and a module that could develop mental power by storing books.
• Lu Heng discovered a Bronze-tier Blood Beast Pill that could briefly enhance his power at the cost of potentially draining thirty percent of his blood, and stored it as a last resort.

Lu Heng found he lacked the materials to build a fence, but used the Study Construction Module to create a study that preserved the guides stored in his Wristband as physical books. After preparing Swamp Giant Python meat to recover from his injuries, he focused on healing before gathering materials and strengthening his Shelter.

• Lu Heng checked the Fence Construction Module and postponed building because he lacked enough materials and his legs had not healed.
• Lu Heng used the Study Construction Module to create a furnished study inside his Shelter without needing extra materials.
• Lu Heng discovered that the study had converted three guides stored in his Wristband into physical books.
• Lu Heng felt severe hunger from his injuries and the energy spent recovering, so he took Swamp Giant Python meat from his Storage Space.
• Lu Heng cooked the python meat to replenish his strength and help heal his damaged body.

After recovering from his fight with the Swamp Giant Python, Lu Heng headed to the Forest Rock Tiger’s valley to gather materials for his Shelter defenses. There he encountered a black iron-tier Dark-Spotted Leopard, and the two faced off with Lu Heng aiming his crossbow at it.

• Lu Heng rested for a day, treating his lingering leg injuries and replenishing his strength.
• Lu Heng discovered that his Bronze Hunting Blade had been bent in his fight with the giant beast.
• Lu Heng set out for the Forest Rock Tiger’s valley to collect iron ore and stone for his Shelter’s perimeter fence.
• Lu Heng heard a large creature moving near the valley and hid behind a tree to watch.
• Lu Heng scanned the creature and identified it as a black iron-tier Dark-Spotted Leopard.
• Lu Heng drew his Giant-Feather Crossbow and aimed at the leopard as it spotted him and began testing for an opening.

Lu Heng faced a Dark-Spotted Leopard while still weakened by his injuries, and he killed it with a single powerful slash when it lunged at him. The leopard lay dead in the woods as Lu Heng assessed his strike.

• Lu Heng held a crossbow trained on the circling Dark-Spotted Leopard while his leg injuries limited his movement.
• Lu Heng drew his Bronze Hunting Blade while keeping the crossbow ready, and the leopard spotted his brief shift in balance.
• The Dark-Spotted Leopard charged and leaped at Lu Heng, entering the crossbow’s blind spot.
• Lu Heng abandoned the crossbow and met the leopard’s pounce with a forceful downward slash.
• The blade cut deeply through the leopard’s torso, killing it, and Lu Heng checked the wound with satisfaction.

Lu Heng recognized that his habit of avoiding fights was holding him back, then explored deeper into the valley as the Geothermal Talisman absorbed energy and fully charged. He found and killed the orphaned Dark-Spotted Leopard cub, then continued toward the valley's deeper reaches.

• Lu Heng reflected on his instinct to retreat from wild beasts and resolved to face threats directly when he had the strength.
• Lu Heng delivered a finishing strike to the Dark-Spotted Leopard, stored its body, and continued into the valley.
• Lu Heng discovered that the valley's warmer middle section rapidly charged the Geothermal Talisman until its energy reserves were full.
• Lu Heng found a newborn Dark-Spotted Leopard cub in the Forest Rock Tiger's abandoned den and realized its mother had attacked to protect it.
• Lu Heng decided the cub could not survive without its mother and killed it, leaving its body behind.
• Lu Heng emerged from the den with the Geothermal Talisman fully charged and looked toward the valley's deeper reaches.

Lu Heng mined frost-patterned iron ore in a sheltered valley to obtain durable material for upgrading the fence around the Shelter. He collected Tea Grass along the way and continued working carefully around his healing leg, ending with a small pile of high-quality ore.

• Lu Heng found that the valley’s geothermal warmth and abnormal underground magnetic field had preserved its plants, then decided to mine frost-patterned iron ore instead of ordinary iron ore.
• Lu Heng discovered he had no pickaxe and used his Iron Axe to strike and pry ore from the rock face, taking breaks to protect his injured leg.
• Lu Heng scanned clumps of Tea Grass, learned its leaves could be brewed to relieve chills and dryness, and collected a handful in his Wristband's Storage Slot.
• Lu Heng continued mining at a controlled pace and gathered a small amount of frost-patterned iron ore for upgrading the Shelter’s fence.

Lu Heng discovered that heating Frost-Patterned Iron Ore and dousing it with cold water cracked it without damaging its quality, letting him mine far more efficiently. By afternoon, he had gathered enough ore to build a high-quality perimeter fence for the Shelter and decided to stop mining and prepare to return home.

• Lu Heng paused his slow, exhausting work and recalled using fire and cold water to split hard rock.
• Lu Heng gathered dry branches, heated a small section of the ore wall, and poured spring water over it.
• The sudden temperature change cracked the Frost-Patterned Iron Ore without damaging it, so Lu Heng began mining by repeating the process.
• Lu Heng pried ore from the cracks with much less effort and gathered enough for the Shelter's perimeter fence.
• Lu Heng checked his ore stockpile, spared his injured legs further work, and prepared to rest before heading home.

Lu Heng returned to the Stone Cave Shelter and built an iron-reinforced wall with a lightning-struck wood gate, then added traps and tended his crops. He finished by staking up the unruly tomato plants and saving leftover wood and cloth for future use.

• Lu Heng paused to watch fireflies in the forest before continuing back to the Stone Cave Shelter.
• Lu Heng used Frost-Patterned Iron Ore and Half-Section Lightning-Struck Wood to construct an enclosed wall and sturdy main gate around the Shelter.
• Lu Heng crafted animal traps, placed one in front of the gate as a warning, and saved the others for later use along forest trails.
• Lu Heng found the tomato seedlings sprawled across the growing room’s soil and cut straight wooden stakes and strips of old clothes to support them.
• Lu Heng secured the tomato vines to the stakes, leaving them upright, and stored the leftover wood and cloth scraps for future use.

Lu Heng learned that global trading had opened for three days and studied the different regions’ resources and survival problems. He recognized an opportunity to trade his region’s goods for scarce supplies and prepared to begin.

• Lu Heng woke to the Wristband’s announcement that survivors in all regions could trade freely for three days.
• Lu Heng opened the World Channel and used its regional filters to read trade offers and requests.
• Lu Heng found that the Desert Region had abundant ore but little water or fertile soil, while the Rainforest Region had plentiful food but severe hazards and floods.
• Lu Heng learned that the High Mountain Region offered valuable medicinal herbs amid deadly terrain, while the Island Region had abundant seafood but little fresh water.
• Lu Heng compared the regions’ needs with his own and decided to trade his region’s goods for resources he would need later.

Lu Heng traded surplus beast materials with a desert survivor for black iron agate stones, then exchanged meat and an Energy Core for a forearm shield. After discovering that supply donations were available, he donated half his excess meat, leaving his equipment and reserves in better shape.

• Lu Heng negotiated with a desert trader and exchanged fifteen hides and fifteen portions of beast bones for ninety black iron agate stones.
• Lu Heng traded five jin of raw meat and one ordinary Energy Core for a black iron tier forearm shield suited to his fighting style.
• Lu Heng checked the donation interface and confirmed that eligible reserve supplies could be donated voluntarily.
• Lu Heng donated half the raw meat stored in his ice cellar, reducing his surplus.

Lu Heng donated half of his meat stock, keeping the valuable high-tier cuts for his own growth. He traded an unused Hand Crossbow and bolts for a Moonlight Pearl, whose pairing with his Sunlight Pearl strengthened his Shelter’s plant growth and defenses.

• Lu Heng decided to donate half his meat stock and selected ordinary meat along with the lowest-quality black iron meat, preserving his higher-tier reserves.
• Lu Heng confirmed the donation through his Wristband, and the system removed the selected supplies from his cellar.
• Lu Heng found an Island Region survivor offering a Moonlight Pearl in exchange for a ranged weapon.
• Lu Heng traded his Hand Crossbow and five bolts for the Moonlight Pearl, and the survivor also gave him dried seafood.
• Lu Heng installed the Moonlight Pearl beside the Sunlight Pearl, triggering a set bonus that doubled natural-light coverage and suppression effects while greatly accelerating plant growth.

Lu Heng reviewed the mountain, rainforest, and island regions’ survival conditions and decided to wait until the end of the trading period to buy supplies. He then assessed his Shelter’s outdated defenses and realized he needed to acquire more building materials before upgrading it.

• Lu Heng found that mountain survivors struggled with dangerous foraging and had few supplies to trade, while rainforest survivors faced predators, disease, and floods despite abundant resources.
• Lu Heng saw that island survivors had plentiful seafood but lacked land plants, leaving them with chronic health problems from their limited diet.
• Lu Heng compared the regions’ hardships with the more controllable dangers of his snowy mountain forest and decided not to trade while prices were high, planning to buy near the final day instead.
• Lu Heng concluded that his Shelter needed a comprehensive defensive upgrade because its structure had not kept pace with his improved strength and supplies.
• Lu Heng counted his stored materials, found he lacked the 250 units of building materials required, and planned to gather or trade for the remainder before beginning the upgrade.

Lu Heng prepared and ate the seafood he had received through cross-region trade, adding hot pot base after finding it bland. He then set aside his plans and spent the night practicing his breathing method and saber skills.

• Lu Heng divided the seafood in two, storing half in the refrigerated cellar and soaking the rest in salted water to purge the sand.
• While the seafood soaked, Lu Heng applied Tiger Bone Wine to the bruises on his legs.
• Lu Heng rinsed the seafood and boiled it, then added hot pot base after finding the plain crabmeat too bland.
• Lu Heng ate the seafood, cleaned the stove and pot, and returned to the cave’s main chamber.
• Lu Heng practiced his breathing method and repeated basic saber strikes until night deepened.

Lu Heng explored upstream and found a herd of Black Iron Tier Horned Sheep facing a pack of Red Cliff Jackals. As the battle turned unexpectedly in the sheep’s favor, he stayed hidden, unsettled by their abnormal aggression.

• Lu Heng left the Shelter to gather supplies and followed the river upstream through dense forest.
• He spotted a meadow where every sheep in a herd was a Black Iron Tier Horned Sheep and prepared to hunt them.
• A pack of Red Cliff Jackals emerged and encircled the herd, with only their leader at Black Iron Tier.
• The Horned Sheep formed a defensive ring instead of fleeing and fought the attacking jackals.
• Lu Heng watched from cover as the jackals began to retreat and the sheep advanced, leaving him alarmed and unable to explain their behavior.

Lu Heng watched a flock of sharp-horned sheep slaughter a jackal pack and then eat the carcasses, confirming that the sheep had become organized, meat-eating threats. He killed their leader with a crossbow bolt, but the flock held formation and searched for him, leaving him to prepare for a harder fight.

• The sharp-horned sheep methodically killed the jackal pack and began feeding on the corpses.
• Lu Heng decided the transformed flock was too dangerous to leave alive and aimed his Giant-Feather Crossbow at its leader.
• Lu Heng shot the lead sharp-horned sheep through the skull, killing it instantly.
• The remaining sheep tightened their formation and searched the woods instead of fleeing.
• Lu Heng reloaded his crossbow and prepared to attack the flock, recognizing that killing its leader had not routed it.