Recaps

Xu Yuanqing persuaded Yu Sheng to represent Ink Academy in the Freshman Competition, and Yu Sheng agreed after negotiating a 500-credit reward. Zhao Zicheng was assigned to accompany him despite his injury, and Yu Sheng made him complete his exercises before they set out.

• Xu Yuanqing urged Yu Sheng to take down the other academies, but Yu Sheng initially refused because he wanted to care for his classmates.
• Sun Wen, Zhao Zicheng, Lin Xiaoxiao, and the others told Yu Sheng to go and win first place for Ink Academy and their bond.
• Yu Sheng agreed to compete if Xu Yuanqing paid him 500 credits, and the voice on the loudspeaker accepted the deal.
• Xu Yuanqing assigned the injured Zhao Zicheng to accompany Yu Sheng, prompting Zhao to complain and suggest other classmates go instead.
• Yu Sheng stopped Zhao Zicheng from naming more candidates and made him complete his muscle-training exercises, encouraging him to compete alongside Yu Sheng as one of the Blood-Colored Twin Fiends.

After Jiangcheng’s lockdown ended, Zhao Qingyi prepared to enter the Demon Domain, where she unexpectedly found An Xin going too. Meanwhile, Zong Ren turned back toward Jiangcheng after deciding Zhao Qingyi might be the pawn he needed, and Yu Sheng stayed with the injured Sun Wen as their departure approached.

• Zong Ren escaped Jiangcheng, suspected the Soul Hunting Hunters organization had set a trap, and decided to return to pursue Zhao Qingyi as a potential pawn.
• Zhao Qingyi accepted a permit to enter the Demon Domain despite the Dark Pavilion master's warnings and reflected on the people who had left Jiangcheng.
• An Xin appeared with her own Demon Domain permit, and she and Zhao Qingyi argued before An Xin followed her, offering to protect her.
• Sun Wen urged Yu Sheng to leave for his upcoming trip early, but Yu Sheng stayed to push his hospital bed into the sunlight and said he would bring dinner.

Ink Academy’s freshmen set off for a competition in Ink City, with Yu Sheng wearing a custom uniform and Zhao Zicheng joining despite his injuries. The trip began with Zhao Zicheng at the wheel while Yu Sheng eagerly hoped to drive.

• Xu Yuanqing praised Yu Sheng’s new uniform, which Sun Wen had arranged, while Yu Sheng said he wanted to keep his old backpack.
• The students cheered Yu Sheng on, and Zhao Zicheng boasted that he would return as a champion before falling and needing Yu Sheng’s help to stand.
• Xu Yuanqing announced that Yu Sheng would drive their car across five provinces while he slept in the back seat.
• Zhao Zicheng took the driver’s seat to prevent Yu Sheng from driving and set off using a crutch on the accelerator.
• Zhao Zicheng shouted about conquering Ink City, then choked on the wind and briefly swerved toward the roadside before correcting the car.

As the Academy Freshmen Competition drew attention across Ink City, Ink Academy declared that it would still fight despite its injured freshmen. Meanwhile, Yu Sheng drove Xu Yuanqing and Zhao Zicheng so recklessly that they feared for their lives, before the three continued toward their destination.

• News of Ink Academy’s injured freshmen led rival schools and gamblers to speculate that they could win the Academy Freshmen Competition.
• Ink Academy’s official account announced that the school had survived disaster and would not back down, fueling rumors about its competitor.
• Yu Sheng’s wild driving left Xu Yuanqing sick and Zhao Zicheng pale, while Yu Sheng insisted he had everything under control.
• The group stopped to recover, and Yu Sheng guided Zhao Zicheng through another round of exercises as Xu Yuanqing posted a video on Ink Academy’s forum.
• Xu Yuanqing joked about the vice principal watching them, then denied watching Seven-Colored Fairy when Zhao Zicheng offered him an uncut version.

Xu Yuanqing, Zhao Zicheng, and Yu Sheng headed for Ink City while the Ink Pavilion confirmed that the Freshman Competition would proceed on schedule despite Ink Academy’s injured freshmen. As speculation about Ink Academy’s competitors spread, Zhao Zicheng bristled at the students being overlooked.

• Zhao Zicheng tempted Xu Yuanqing with a video, and Xu agreed to drive the group to Ink City while Yu Sheng questioned the appeal of the Seven-Colored Fairy.
• Sun Yingxiong refused to postpone the competition or grant special treatment to his grandson, but asked how Sun Wen was doing and took pride in his recovery and performance.
• Sun Yingxiong ordered a nationwide crackdown on the Evil Cult and demanded that the person who injured Sun Wen be identified and killed during the operation.
• The Ink Pavilion announced elimination rounds, individual arena advancement, and college team battles, keeping the competition date unchanged.
• Online commenters debated which Ink Academy freshman would compete, and Zhao Zicheng complained that people had forgotten the Blood-Colored Twin Fiends.

On the way to the national tournament, Xu Yuanqing planned to exploit the casinos’ odds by making Ink Academy look badly injured, while Yu Sheng called a Sin City bookmaker to discuss placing a bet. Yu Sheng’s blunt bargaining revealed that the bookmaker owned six of the nine betting houses, but their negotiations ended without a deal.

• Xu Yuanqing stopped at a service area, bought gauze and antiseptic, and explained his plan to bet after making Ink Academy appear unlikely to win.
• Zhao Zicheng asked Yu Sheng to pool money for a bet, but Yu Sheng said he had given away his mission rewards.
• Yu Sheng called the owner of the Lawless Outlaws Specialty Store to ask about betting operations and told him Xu Yuanqing would lead Ink Academy’s team.
• The bookmaker admitted he owned six of the tournament’s nine casinos after Yu Sheng repeatedly hung up on him.
• Yu Sheng proposed a fifty-fifty cut for his information, and the bookmaker angrily refused before Yu Sheng ended the call.

Yu Sheng struck a deal with an underground casino to profit from Ink Academy being underestimated in the tournament, then disguised his injuries before entering Ink City. His dramatic arrival collapsed into an awkward fall in front of the waiting reporters.

• Yu Sheng negotiated a thirty-percent share with a casino contact in exchange for tournament information and agreed to keep Ink Academy's chances hidden.
• Yu Sheng assured Xu Yuanqing that Sin City rules would ensure the deal was honored, and Xu Yuanqing bandaged him to make his injuries look convincing.
• Reporters gathered at Ink City's gates, where Wu Qianqiu waited as they planned stories about Ink Academy's arrival.
• Xu Yuanqing stepped out of Yu Sheng's car and was ignored by the reporters, who focused on the passenger door.
• Yu Sheng emerged in a pig-head mask with a cast and crutch, but fell after putting weight on his injured leg, leaving reporters with a glimpse of his cuff marked "Quack quack."

Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng appeared at the competition venue in masks and injuries, where Wu Qianqiu declared he would take first place and challenged them. After Xu Yuanqing’s attempt to promote his new business failed, he took the pair to the Gold Yuanbao Hotel and was stunned by Sun Wen’s lavish suite.

• Reporters identified Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng as likely Ink Academy competitors despite their masks and injuries.
• Wu Qianqiu announced he would win first place, then sent Yu Sheng a King of Hell’s Challenge card.
• Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng mocked the challenge and left together while Xu Yuanqing promised reporters that Ink Academy would defend its honor.
• Xu Yuanqing tried to advertise his new food and beverage company, but the reporters shut off their cameras and left.
• Xu Yuanqing drove Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng to the Gold Yuanbao Hotel and gaped at the luxury of Sun Wen’s suite, regretting that he had failed to extort money from him.

Xu Yuanqing, Zhao Zicheng, and Yu Sheng prepared for the Freshman Competition at their Ink City hotel, while the vice principal urged Yu Sheng to dominate and promised a reward. The day before the competition, Zhao Zicheng returned with a custom motorized wheelchair, and Yu Sheng said he expected to win the individual event but might struggle in the team event.

• Xu Yuanqing and Zhao Zicheng admired the view and a Red Luan while Yu Sheng set traps and studied footage of Wu Qianqiu and other academy opponents.
• The vice principal called Xu Yuanqing and told him to have Yu Sheng go all out in the competition, offering an extra 1,000 credits if he performed well.
• Xu Yuanqing told Yu Sheng the vice principal wanted him to show off, then arranged a personal appearance fee for himself.
• Zhao Zicheng returned from rehabilitation in a fast, maneuverable custom wheelchair and declared that he would join the elimination rounds.
• Yu Sheng said he was confident in the individual competition but thought the team event could be difficult, even with Zhao Zicheng alongside him.

Yu Sheng tried to comfort Zhao Zicheng and others with inspirational quotes, only to drive them away while discovering the quotes filled his Scroll with gray gas when spoken face-to-face. The next morning, he and his companions headed to the Ink City Education Department, and Yu Sheng left a taxi driver newly inspired but forgot to pay the fare.

• Yu Sheng recited a quote to Zhao Zicheng, who turned away to train, while Xu Yuanqing questioned where Yu Sheng had learned his strange motivational lines.
• Yu Sheng called the Lawless Outlaws with advice about burning paper offerings, then realized his quotes only produced energy when spoken face-to-face.
• Xu Yuanqing and Zhao Zicheng refused Yu Sheng's offers to help them make money or grow stronger, and he wondered who he could read his remaining quotes to.
• The next morning, Xu Yuanqing and Zhao Zicheng hurried toward the Ink City Education Department to escape Yu Sheng's quotes, leaving him to take a taxi.
• Yu Sheng asked the taxi driver about his dream, and the driver became inspired to be the best king of the road before realizing he had driven away without collecting the fare.

At the Freshman Competition, Xu Yuanqing arranged a dramatic entrance for Ink Academy, while the other academies’ leaders waited and discussed the competition. Zhao Zicheng arrived in a wheelchair, but Xu Yuanqing discovered Yu Sheng was missing.

• Academy representatives gathered at the Education Department, where they discussed Ink Academy’s prospects and its reputation at the Freshman Competition.
• Xu Yuanqing and Yu Sheng secretly waited outside the entrance and planned a grand entrance for Ink Academy.
• Xu Yuanqing flew over the field on his Fire Phoenix and called for Ink Academy’s students.
• Zhao Zicheng raced onto the field in his wheelchair, introduced himself, and then noticed that Yu Sheng was nowhere to be seen.

Yu Sheng made a quiet entrance at the academy gathering, then recited dramatic lines that unexpectedly drew energy into the Scroll in his mind. After Xu Yuanqing cut off his attempt to perform more, the freshmen’s fear of Ink Academy faded, while Li Yihan mistook Yu Sheng’s odd behavior for hypnosis.

• Yu Sheng walked through the air and appeared beside Zhao Zicheng, startling the freshmen with his speed.
• Yu Sheng recited an entrance speech he had found on his phone, and gray gas flowed into the Scroll in his mind as the freshmen and teachers watched.
• Yu Sheng offered to sing and asked Zhao Zicheng if he could perform a stone-breaking stunt, but Zhao Zicheng refused in alarm.
• Xu Yuanqing stopped Yu Sheng and encouraged the other academies to challenge Ink Academy, then changed seats after the deputy director hinted the Publicity Department head was arriving.
• The freshmen’s pressure toward Ink Academy eased, while Li Yihan decided Yu Sheng must have been hypnotized and resolved to awaken him.

The deputy director began the elimination round, sending contestants racing toward the north city gate under rules that allowed them to attack fellow students but imposed penalties for being tagged by officials, civilians, or Reserve Corps members. Yu Sheng and Li Yihan escaped the crowded Education Department after Yu Sheng used a bomb to clear the gate, leaving Li Yihan behind briefly as he pondered Yu Sheng’s words.

• The deputy director explained that the first five hundred contestants to reach the north city gate would advance, and that anyone tagged by a Guard Bureau member, civilian, or Reserve Corps member had to remain confined for five minutes.
• Zhao Zicheng sped out of the Education Department in his wheelchair after the deputy director confirmed that wheelchairs did not count as transportation.
• Yu Sheng asked whether he could damage buildings or kill anyone, then threw an apparent bomb into the crowd at the gate to make room to escape.
• Yu Sheng and Li Yihan shut the gate and jammed it with an iron rod, but the bomb exploded inside and shook the titanium-alloy gate.
• Yu Sheng left Li Yihan behind with a cryptic remark, and Li Yihan spent half a minute thinking about it before realizing he had lost time and setting off after him.

The students began a chaotic citywide escape competition, dodging ordinary people, the Guard Bureau, and the Reserve Corps while trying not to be immobilized. The deputy director watched and directed the pursuit, then noticed two students who had not yet been caught.

• Han Jue broke through the Education Department gate, but Wu Qianqiu immobilized him; their academy groups soon started fighting at the entrance.
• The deputy director ordered the students to leave, and the prodigies scattered through Ink City as the Guard Bureau and Reserve Corps hunted them.
• Zhao Zicheng drew attention by racing through the streets in his wheelchair, but a checkpoint and iron nails forced him into a dead end.
• Yu Sheng escaped a Reserve Corps member with a flickering movement, then knocked down several Spirit Martial Academy freshmen who tried to stop him.
• Li Yihan advanced steadily while Han Jue charged straight ahead, and a disguised freshman was immobilized without understanding the tracker.
• The deputy director coordinated the pursuit by radio and spotted two students whose tracking markers showed they had not been immobilized.

Li Yihan evaded and then escaped the Reserve Corps members who cornered him, while Yu Sheng used energy powder and the sewers to hide from the Deputy Director’s search. Yu Sheng found Zhao Zicheng and pushed him through the filthy tunnels as they continued toward their destination.

• The Deputy Director sent Reserve Corps groups to surround Li Yihan, who escaped their first trap by leaping from a rooftop and teleporting to his shadow below.
• The Reserve Corps members caught Li Yihan with a battle formation, but he objected when they restrained him with a dagger; they then declared they did not represent the Corps and left.
• The Deputy Director searched Ink City for Yu Sheng but found that Yu Sheng had concealed his energy traces and was evading the search in the sewers.
• Yu Sheng stopped beneath a manhole cover, opened it, and found Zhao Zicheng falling into the sewer in his wheelchair.
• Yu Sheng covered Zhao Zicheng with energy powder and pushed his wheelchair at high speed through muddy water, explaining that its motor could give them away.

Yu Sheng carried Zhao Zicheng through the competition while Deputy Director Yuan Qingshan ordered Reserve Corps members to intercept him. Xu Yuanqing pressured Yuan Qingshan into offering Ink Academy bonus points, then argued over a reward for second place.

• Yu Sheng insisted he and Zhao Zicheng were a team and raced along the route with Zhao Zicheng in his wheelchair.
• Yuan Qingshan ordered the Reserve Corps to search for Yu Sheng and drag him out, including through the sewers.
• Xu Yuanqing accused Yuan Qingshan of targeting Ink Academy and made a public scene until Yuan Qingshan promised three extra points if Yu Sheng escaped the Reserve Corps and won the championship.
• Xu Yuanqing announced that over a hundred Reserve Corps members had entered the sewers to intercept Yu Sheng and urged him to defend Ink Academy's honor.
• Xu Yuanqing demanded two academic credits if Ink Academy also took second place, and he and Yuan Qingshan argued over the request.

The freshman elimination round intensified as the academies pushed their students to fight harder, while Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng fled through the sewers with the Reserve Corps close behind. Yu Sheng discovered that small explosive clods could repel their pursuers with foul-smelling mud, and the blur over the Scroll’s second item nearly faded.

• The Spirit Martial teacher urged his students to win first place, while Spirit Mind’s Director of Teaching ordered a charge and the Military Academy teacher called for the Third Battle Formation.
• Yu Sheng raced through the sewers with Zhao Zicheng in his wheelchair, then stood on the handles and told Zhao to speed up while he dealt with those chasing them.
• Zhao Zicheng took control of the wheelchair and accelerated, while Yu Sheng considered ways to stop the Reserve Corps without breaking Ink Pavilion’s laws.
• Yu Sheng fired his crossbow into the muddy water, then lit and tossed small clods that splashed foul-smelling mud onto the pursuing Reserve Corps members.
• The pursuers recoiled from the stench as Yu Sheng kept throwing clods, and the blur obscuring the Scroll’s second item almost disappeared.

Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng crossed the finish line after Zhao used foul-smelling sludge to drive off the Guard Bureau, making Zhao the elimination round’s champion. Wu Qianqiu arrived, fell through a manhole into the sewer, and was trapped as the Reserve Corps began plotting to drop more competitors in with him.

• Yu Sheng gave Zhao Zicheng explosives, and Zhao threw them at the pursuing Reserve Corps while declaring that people would remember his name.
• Yu Sheng lifted Zhao and his wheelchair out of a manhole and pushed him toward the city gate, where Zhao hurled sludge at the Guard Bureau members guarding the finish line.
• The Guard Bureau members retreated, allowing Yu Sheng and Zhao to cross the finish line, and Zhao was deemed the elimination round’s champion.
• Yu Sheng washed his hands while Zhao waited at the gate, proudly declaring himself the champion and planning to show off to the others.
• Wu Qianqiu arrived, stepped onto a manhole cover, and fell into the sewer, where a Reserve Corps member touched him and left him unable to move without being eliminated.
• The Reserve Corps members and Guard Bureau leaders discussed using the manhole trap to drop more competitors into the sewer with Wu Qianqiu.

Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng turned a manhole trap into a robbery when Wu Qianqiu emerged, then persuaded the watching Reserve Corps members and Guard Bureau investigators to help profit from the other contestants. Their scheme left Wu stunned by the shamelessness of the world outside his academy.

• Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng watched the Reserve Corps members test a manhole cover, then prepared to use it to make money.
• The Reserve Corps and Guard Bureau herded a Military Academy prodigy into the manhole, where he was trapped for five minutes.
• When Wu Qianqiu climbed out, Zhao Zicheng knocked him back into the manhole while Yu Sheng politely announced their robbery.
• Zhao Zicheng threatened to delay Wu Qianqiu until he missed the top five hundred, and Wu paid five Demon Crystals.
• Zhao Zicheng offered the watching officials two crystals and pointed out that 497 contestants remained, prompting them to join the scheme.

Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng turned the elimination race into a profitable toll operation, while the Military Academy prodigy took third and Wu Qianqiu fell to fourth. As Yu Sheng reflected on caring for others and continued cultivating, Zhao Zicheng organized the next wave of contestants, leaving Yuan Qingshan wondering whether Xu Yuanqing had taught him.

• Wu Qianqiu left after confronting Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng, and the deputy director agreed to protect their toll operation for thirty percent of the proceeds.
• Zhao Zicheng charged the Military Academy prodigy twenty Demon Crystals after Sun Wen revealed the prodigy's wealthy background, and the prodigy paid with crystals and a valuable ring.
• Zhao Zicheng helped the Military Academy prodigy cross the finish line in third place after Wu Qianqiu had left the course, then charged Wu Qianqiu a discounted second toll when he returned in fourth.
• Yu Sheng spoke with Sun Wen about his recovery, reflected on learning to care for others, and continued cultivating with a Demon Crystal.
• Zhao Zicheng directed the seniors to admit contestants one at a time, prompting Yuan Qingshan to ask Xu Yuanqing if he had taught him.

Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng turned the elimination tournament into a shakedown, collecting payment from competitors and teachers while Yuan Qingshan took a share of the spoils. The Ink Pavilion announced that Zhao Zicheng and Yu Sheng had claimed the tournament’s top two places, leaving the public stunned.

• Yuan Qingshan coordinated a blockade that let Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng collect payment from competitors who reached the finish line.
• Zhao Zicheng charged Li Yihan five Crystal Stones, and Yu Sheng reminded him that Li Yihan had earned a bounty for killing Evil Cult members.
• The other competitors followed the leading students’ example and paid, while Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng amassed Demon Crystals.
• Yuan Qingshan took thirty percent of the goods for the Education Department, and Reserve Corps members intimidated Xu Yuanqing into yielding their share.
• Zhao Zicheng and Yu Sheng turned their attention to the teachers as the Ink Pavilion published the results, listing the two Ink Academy students in first and second place.

Online commenters dismissed Ink Academy’s chances in the Freshman Competition, while Zhao Zicheng and Yu Sheng eyed Xu Yuanqing’s haul of Demon Crystals. At a meeting, Yuan Qingshan deflected criticism over the elimination-round betting scheme with a shameless appeal to his past service and hard luck.

• Forum users argued that Ink Academy would lose despite its elimination-round performance, with many favoring Spirit Martial Academy or Spirit Mind Academy.
• Zhao Zicheng emerged from a difficult shower and joined Yu Sheng at the hotel window.
• Xu Yuanqing returned with a sack of about a hundred Demon Crystals and threatened Zhao Zicheng to keep him away from it.
• The Ink Pavilion Inspection Office confiscated Yuan Qingshan’s Demon Crystals, and he angrily blamed Xu Yuanqing for the report.
• At the Education Department meeting, Elder Sun’s secretary criticized the elimination-round rules, and Yuan Qingshan defended himself by citing his wartime service and misfortunes.

Yuan Qingshan and the officials debated the Arena Tournament’s scoring and publicity, then clashed over whether the freshmen should visit the Demon Domain after the competition. The meeting ended with the officials divided over how to prepare the young competitors for future dangers.

• Yuan Qingshan pressured the middle-aged secretary into agreeing that the Reserve Corps would keep its money.
• The middle-aged secretary outlined the Arena Tournament’s point system, and Yuan Qingshan dismissed it as simple arithmetic.
• The publicity director proposed holding the tournament in Central Square, broadcasting it live, extending its schedule, and offering rewards for correct public predictions.
• Yuan Qingshan and the Reserve Corps’ deputy general warned that excessive publicity could make the freshmen arrogant, and Elder Qi withdrew his proposal.
• Yuan Qingshan proposed taking the freshmen to the Demon Domain under protection, but Elder Qi and the Deputy Commissioner of the Guard Bureau opposed the idea.
• Yuan Qingshan and Elder Qi argued over whether the freshmen should face the Demon Domain early, then stood and glared at each other across the table.

Yuan Qingshan and Elder Qi secretly agreed to send the freshmen to the Demon Domain, hoping the tournament would help prepare them and expose trouble within the Human Race. As the arena tournament went viral, Xu Yuanqing tried to take back his insults about the vice principal while Yu Sheng’s phone call was still connected.

• Yuan Qingshan and Elder Qi argued over whether the students should go to the Demon Domain, then pressured the middle-aged secretary into accepting the decision.
• After leaving the meeting, Yuan Qingshan and Elder Qi revealed they had staged their feud to settle the matter and planned to use the tournament to build momentum and root out enemies within the Human Race.
• The tournament announcement went viral, naming May 1 as its start date and listing Wu Qianqiu, Han Jue, and Li Yihan among the top-ranked freshmen while Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng barely made the top ten.
• Xu Yuanqing entered Yu Sheng's room and criticized the vice principal, then noticed Yu Sheng’s phone was still connected to the Ink Academy worker and hurriedly praised the vice principal instead.
• The voice on the phone told Yu Sheng to remember their earlier conversation before ending the call.

Xu Yuanqing and the others prepared for the arena tournament as Zhao Zicheng received a heavily armed, high-speed wheelchair. In the Demon Domain, Ji Hong was appointed deputy mountain lord of Eagle Ravine Mountain, while Xiangliu secretly placed a spy mark on him; the chapter ended with Zhao Zicheng racing through the streets and making drivers question whether the trend had changed.

• Yu Sheng told Xu Yuanqing that the old principal had relented because Xu had brought Ink Academy glory, but predicted the principal would change his mind.
• Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng described Sun Wen's new battle-chariot wheelchair and its equipment, which included crossbows, smoke grenades, explosives, and a phone-linked smartwatch.
• Xu Yuanqing left with a cloth bag to resume his delivery venture as preparations for the arena tournament and its security were completed.
• Xiangliu told Ji Hong that he had secured him the deputy mountain lord position at Eagle Ravine Mountain and urged him to prove himself.
• After Ji Hong departed, Xiangliu sent a small snake that secretly marked Ji Hong's back, while questioning whether Ji Hong had been behind the intelligence leaks.
• Xu Yuanqing returned with a backpack, and Zhao Zicheng tested his new wheelchair by speeding through the streets with Yu Sheng standing on its rear footplate.