Chapter Summaries

On the eve of his awakening assessment, Yu Sheng reported his father Yu Sanshui to the police, then refused to bail him out and let him face rehabilitation. The next morning, Yu Sheng went to school for the assessment, where Liu Qingfeng urged the class to prepare for ordinary lives of public service.

• Yu Sheng reported Yu Sanshui to the police for an illicit encounter at the Sophie Hotel.
• Yu Sanshui called from the Guard Bureau and told Yu Sheng where to find money, but Yu Sheng kept it and refused the bureau's request to bail him out.
• Yu Sheng dreamed of the ancient scroll in his mind as a wisp of starlight fell on him.
• Yu Sheng went to school on the morning of his awakening assessment and listened as Liu Qingfeng reminded the class that few would become powerful fighters.
• Yu Sheng remarked that some people served the public while others were served, leaving his classmates dismayed.

Yu Sheng and his classmates gathered for their awakening tests, where egg markings would determine their aptitude. Yu Sheng set off the security alarm by revealing his many concealed weapons, then entered the awakening room with a third of his hidden trump cards exposed.

• Liu Qingfeng reassured Yu Sheng as the students assembled for their awakening assessments.
• The teachers tested students, and Liu Yuxuan received a four-mark egg while Zhang San and Li Si received two-mark eggs.
• Yu Sheng corrected two classmates’ fantasies about hatching divine beasts with jokes about the Black Tortoise and a Phoenix.
• The security gate alarmed when Yu Sheng approached, and he removed daggers, steel nails, concealed needles, and a compact crossbow.
• After the alarm finally stopped, Yu Sheng entered the awakening room, upset that a third of his hidden trump cards had been revealed.

Yu Sheng awakened as a Nine-Pattern Egg, but he broke the testing machine and was taken to the principal, who worried about his origins in Sin City. As Yu Sheng investigated the mysterious scroll painting in his mind, the principal arranged to consider his future studies, leaving Yu Sheng to decide on his own.

• Yu Sheng awakened the testing machine, which displayed a golden nine, then punched its screen and declared it broken.
• The teacher accused Yu Sheng of damaging public property and flew him away, while the other students’ resentment gathered as energy in Yu Sheng’s scroll painting and lit up an iron rod with nine golden patterns.
• The principal questioned Yu Sheng about his background in Sin City and his ambitions, but Yu Sheng was distracted by the newly active painting.
• Yu Sheng said he wanted to serve the people and explained that he had reported his father for visiting a prostitute.
• The principal told Yu Sheng to keep his awakening secret and consider his future studies, noting that his father would not be released soon.

Yu Sheng suspected that his Dragon-Patterned Staff meant he could awaken multiple times, but a wounded boy fleeing the Guard Bureau interrupted his thoughts. After holding the boy at knifepoint and demanding that he kill himself, Yu Sheng learned he was seventeen and let him go.

• Yu Sheng considered whether the Dragon-Patterned Staff and the other items in his mind meant he could awaken multiple times.
• A wounded boy slipped into Yu Sheng's room while the Guard Bureau searched outside, and Yu Sheng surprised him with a dagger at his neck.
• Yu Sheng refused to let the boy get medicine and repeatedly asked him to kill himself, explaining that the boy had dirtied his floor by sneaking in.
• The boy recognized that Yu Sheng was from Sin City, then argued that releasing him was necessary to avoid unlawful detention.
• Yu Sheng learned that the boy was seventeen and had not awakened, lowered the dagger, and warmly told him he could leave.

Yu Sheng repeatedly kept the wounded boy from leaving and discovered that the boy’s emotional distress produced gray energy that strengthened the Dragon-Patterned Staff in his mind. The boy tried to die with an assassin’s dignity, but Yu Sheng’s interruptions left him injured and still alive.

• The boy tried to leave Yu Sheng’s home, but Yu Sheng hauled him back inside and told him to clean the blood from the floor.
• Yu Sheng noticed that the boy’s emotional breakdowns released gray energy that entered the scroll painting and made the Dragon-Patterned Staff more solid.
• Yu Sheng alternately encouraged and frustrated the boy while he cleaned, causing the gray vapor to appear and disappear.
• The boy declared that he would die with dignity and prepared to cut his throat with a razor blade.
• Yu Sheng corrected the boy’s chosen cutting spots because they would cause pain or make a mess, and the boy collapsed after angrily shouting at him.
• Yu Sheng said that he did not understand what dying meant and would ask someone before killing them next time.

Yu Sheng prevented Li Yihan from completing his suicide attempt and eventually gave him medicine and bandages, though he continued to torment him with jokes and demands. Li Yihan treated his wounds and left owing Yu Sheng a life debt, while Yu Sheng suggested awakened people were not as powerful as Li Yihan believed.

• Li Yihan introduced himself after Yu Sheng asked what name to give the Guard Bureau, then repeatedly failed to muster the resolve to kill himself while Yu Sheng recorded him.
• Li Yihan explained that he had taken an assassin's job before his Awakening Ceremony and could not kill Yu Sheng without payment from a client.
• Yu Sheng said his father was in the Guard Bureau because Yu Sheng had reported him, then tossed Li Yihan medicine.
• Li Yihan treated his wounds, and Yu Sheng joked that he had given him chili water before telling him to bandage himself and clean the room.
• Yu Sheng said Li Yihan still owed him a life debt, went to bed, and remarked that awakened people were not as powerful as Li Yihan imagined.

Yu Sheng collected three Demon Crystals and prepared his home before beginning to absorb one, while news of demon attacks and growing instability spread. Near Demon-Suppressing Pass, an old man confronted members of the Divine Cult and ordered them to rename themselves, declaring they did not count as the Human Race.

• Yu Sheng collected a grease-stained bag from a scarred shopkeeper, who left the store after watching him go.
• A news report about demon beasts attacking downtown Xinhai City prompted residents to worry that the Demon Clan was breaching the passes.
• Yu Sheng found three Demon Crystals in the bag, rigged traps around his home, and began absorbing a crystal as his egg's nine golden markings slowly spread.
• An old man guarding a mountain road stopped a group of red-robed Divine Cult members and warned their leader that continuing would mean death.
• The Divine Cult leader tried to leave respectfully, but the old man ordered him to tell their Divine Seat to rename the group the Evil Cult and said they did not count as the Human Race.

Yu Sheng returned to school for a revised apprentice assessment involving the Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion, the Guard Bureau, and the reserves. The principal selected him as one of the school's five representatives, prompting protests from his classmates before he was summoned to the principal's office.

• Yu Sheng finished draining a crystal of energy after a week and received Liu Qingfeng's call about an upcoming apprentice assessment and resource allocation.
• Yu Sheng told Liu Qingfeng that his father was in prison and later checked a calendar, noting that 312 days remained.
• Liu Qingfeng announced that the Guard Bureau and the reserves would join the Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion and that each school would nominate five students for an elimination-style assessment.
• Liu Qingfeng revealed that the principal had personally selected Yu Sheng, and his classmates protested the choice as unfair.
• Liu Qingfeng rebuked the students for complaining and told them to improve their strength rather than shout about unfairness.
• Yu Sheng left for the principal's office while Liu Qingfeng urged the remaining students to cultivate and recognize the sacrifices behind humanity's leaders.

Liu Qingfeng reflected on the unseen sacrifices of the heroes who guarded Demon-Suppressing Pass, while the principal questioned Yu Sheng about his father and learned more about Yu Sheng’s life in Sin City. The principal hired Yu Sheng for the school assessment, but Yu Sheng’s blunt attitude toward payment and killing left him deeply unsettled.

• Liu Qingfeng left the classroom, thinking about the bloodshed behind the heroes’ reputation and the Ten Elders of Ink Pavilion who guarded the Demon Clan in secret.
• Yu Sheng told the principal that his father was doing fairly well because cornmeal buns were valuable in Sin City.
• The principal explained that the assessment would determine which school led after Mobei City’s three schools merged, and urged Yu Sheng not to hold back.
• Yu Sheng demanded separate payment for the job, and the principal agreed to pay him three grade-one crystals.
• Yu Sheng asked whether he had to kill anyone, prompting the principal to forbid it and worry about how Yu Sheng understood life in Sin City.
• The principal sent Yu Sheng to rest on the school bus and decided not to ask him to look after the other four students.

Yu Sheng met Zhao Zicheng and his classmates on the school bus before their assessment, and rejected Zhao's offer to lead their group. The bus headed toward an old factory outside Mobei City, where the assessment would take place.

• Zhao Zicheng introduced himself to Yu Sheng and explained that the Mo Pavilion planned to recruit local talent and establish branches in Mobei City.
• Zhao Zicheng proposed that the four students support one chosen candidate, offering to use his father's position as Head of the Guard Department to help the others join the Mo Pavilion.
• Yu Sheng said his father was in prison and asked Zhao Zicheng to keep him locked up for a few more days, leaving Zhao deflated.
• The bus driver returned, and Yu Sheng noticed that Zhao Zicheng had emitted none of the gray energy.
• Zhao Zicheng realized the bus was leaving the city, and the driver explained that the assessment would be held at an old factory outside Mobei City.

Yu Sheng and the other students arrived at an abandoned factory for an assessment, where Liu Qingfeng explained they would compete against students from other schools. The Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion’s representative arrived and recognized Liu Qingfeng, then challenged Yu Sheng after noticing he remained calm under the man’s intimidating presence.

• Yu Sheng, Zhao Zicheng, and the others reached the factory and spotted Du Xu, whom Zhao Zicheng warned Yu Sheng was strong.
• The driver watched the students on surveillance footage with two colleagues, judging most of them careless but finding Yu Sheng interesting before going to sleep.
• Liu Qingfeng told the students the assessment would test them while they were all still apprentices, and Zhao Zicheng resolved to rely on his willpower against Du Xu.
• A battered vehicle brought a burly man from the Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion, who recognized Liu Qingfeng and learned he had become a teacher.
• The burly man intimidated the students with his presence, then asked Yu Sheng why he was not afraid of him.

Luo Yun, a Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion captain, made students from three schools compete in arena matches after choosing the assessment on the spot. The matches continued as the students took turns fighting, leaving Zhao Zicheng as the only one of his group to win.

• Luo Tian introduced himself as the chief examiner, then announced that the assessment would be a single-elimination arena competition.
• Luo Yun drew a circle to mark the arena and ordered two students from different schools to fight.
• Xiao Zifeng used a shouted introduction to distract his opponent, won the match, and declared, "Pardon my poor showing" while glancing at Luo Yun.
• The students continued fighting, shouting their names before their matches as Luo Yun gradually lost interest.
• Zhao Zicheng and the other two took their turns, and Zhao Zicheng narrowly won.

Yu Sheng defeated Du Xu in the assessment with concealed weapons and then searched him for poison, baffling Luo Yun with habits learned in Sin City. After Luo Yun guessed Yu Sheng was from Sin City, Yu Sheng asked whether people outside it really went without poison.

• Yu Sheng asked whether weapons were allowed, and Luo Yun said contestants could use whatever they liked.
• Du Xu entered the ring with a wooden stick, while Yu Sheng stepped in empty-handed.
• Yu Sheng used a razor blade and dagger to wound Du Xu, then dodged his charge and knocked him unconscious.
• Yu Sheng revealed a concealed crossbow, then searched Du Xu’s mouth and clothes for poison.
• Luo Yun suggested Du Xu might not carry poison, but Yu Sheng insisted that captives needed poison to avoid torture.
• Luo Yun asked whether Yu Sheng was from Sin City, and Yu Sheng confirmed it before asking whether people elsewhere carried no poison.

After Luo Yun ended the assessment and left the students to spend the night in an abandoned factory, Liu Qingfeng defended Yu Sheng and explained why talent alone could not determine a person's future. He left the students considering how temperament and luck shaped survival and success.

• Luo Yun questioned Yu Sheng's origins in Sin City, but Liu Qingfeng defended him as his student and said he would be judged by his actions.
• Luo Yun ended the assessment until the next day, then left, forcing the students and their teachers to spend the night in the factory.
• The surveillance-room observers identified Xiao Zifeng, Du Xu, and especially Yu Sheng as promising prospects, noting how decisively Yu Sheng had attacked Du Xu.
• Zhao Zicheng asked Liu Qingfeng why the Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion had not focused on their talent, and Liu Qingfeng explained that many talented people failed through arrogance or poor choices.
• Liu Qingfeng told the students that temperament, vigilance, resolve, and luck mattered more than talent when facing danger at humanity's Four Great Passes.

Liu Qingfeng urged the students to endure hardship, and Yu Sheng slipped out of the factory to investigate its surveillance room. He returned without revealing what he had learned, while the driver secretly watched him and the monitors continued discussing the assessment.

• Liu Qingfeng told the students that those seeking special resources had to endure hardship, and they eventually sat down after he pointed to Yu Sheng as an example.
• Yu Sheng left the factory, used his wrist crossbow to avoid the surveillance cameras, and listened outside the rusty iron door.
• Monitor A and Monitor B discussed Liu Qingfeng and considered recommending that he be transferred to the provincial capital.
• Yu Sheng retraced his route, returned to the factory, and pretended to fall asleep without opening the surveillance room door.
• The school bus driver secretly watched Yu Sheng on the surveillance feed before closing his eyes and resuming his snores.

Yu Sheng left the factory after hearing a distant growl, while Myriad Gods Church members prepared to attack Mobei City’s students and arranged passage through Baichun City with Pavilion Master Lin. Luo Yun released a blood-eyed dog toward the factory, leaving the students in danger.

• Yu Sheng woke to a distant growl and silently left the factory, while Liu Qingfeng watched him go and warned that a lone wolf’s ending was usually tragic.
• A group of Myriad Gods Church members gathered near the factory and planned to kill Mobei City’s talented students, though a distant growl briefly unsettled them.
• The Myriad Gods Church contacted Pavilion Master Lin and demanded that guards let a convoy pass through Baichun City in exchange for the lives of twelve students; Lin agreed under threat of another crackdown.
• Pavilion Master Lin arranged for Baichun City’s northern gate to open, and several trucks drove through toward the south.
• Luo Yun released a huge, blood-eyed dog and sent it racing toward the factory, saying the students would learn what awakened people had to face.

A newly transformed dog demon entered the factory and attacked the students while the driver and two surveillance operators watched. Du Xu led the students’ defense, and the fight was still underway as the driver observed them.

• The driver dismissed the operators’ concerns about the dog demon and sat down to watch the surveillance monitor.
• The dog demon charged into the factory, and the students woke to find it approaching them.
• Liu Qingfeng prompted the two teachers to withdraw and let the students face the danger, though they first held the demon back with their auras.
• Du Xu stepped forward with a wooden stick, and Zhao Zicheng joined him despite his fear.
• The dog demon attacked, breaking Du Xu’s stick and clawing his arm as the driver watched from the surveillance room.

Yu Sheng tracked the driver to a surveillance room, where the driver tried to teach him to save his classmates out of solidarity. Yu Sheng insisted he would help when he could, but explained his choices through Ink Pavilion laws and rewards, leaving the driver regretting the money he had missed by saving people.

• Yu Sheng followed faint footprints to the surveillance room and calmly entered after the driver opened the door.
• The driver challenged Yu Sheng for not helping Du Xu, Zhao Zicheng, and the other students, but Yu Sheng said the Dog Demon was too weak to kill them.
• When the driver proposed making the Dog Demon stronger, Yu Sheng cited Ink Pavilion criminal law and warned that doing so could count as murder.
• Yu Sheng said he would report the driver and claim death benefits if the driver killed his classmates, prompting the driver to threaten him before admitting he could not kill him.
• Asked whether he would save classmates if he had the ability, Yu Sheng said he would and explained that he could claim two rewards for each person saved.
• The driver realized he had likely missed out on more than three hundred thousand by not claiming rewards for the people he had saved.

Yu Sheng left to claim the assessment bonus for saving his teammates, and the driver agreed to split the money with him. The driver explained to the surveillance operators why heroes needed resources and ended the chapter considering a future partnership with Yu Sheng.

• Yu Sheng calculated the bonus he could claim under the Campus New Deal and left to collect it.
• The driver threatened Surveillance Operators A and B into keeping quiet, then agreed to take half of Yu Sheng's windfall.
• Surveillance Operator A questioned how the driver could take part in misconduct despite his commendation.
• The driver argued that heroes needed money to grow stronger and that some resource competition was tacitly accepted by the Ink Pavilion.
• The driver considered asking Yu Sheng for his contact details so they could make money together.

Yu Sheng staged a heroic rescue in front of the surveillance cameras, using the fight with the dog demon to deliver a speech praising the Ink Pavilion. The dog demon was left defeated beneath him as he aimed a crossbow at its forehead and continued reciting his lines.

• Zhao Zicheng and Du Xu struggled against the dog demon, and Zhao Zicheng joked that he would call Yu Sheng Dad if he returned.
• Yu Sheng emerged from the darkness, declined to hand Zhao Zicheng a dagger, and asked everyone to pretend they were seriously injured so he could fight the dog demon alone.
• Zhao Zicheng and the others collapsed or feigned injuries, while Du Xu reluctantly joined in after Yu Sheng checked the surveillance camera for approval.
• Yu Sheng denounced the dog demon and began a speech about defending humanity under the Ink Pavilion before it charged at him.
• The driver watched from the surveillance room and regretted failing to restrain the dog demon before it interrupted Yu Sheng’s speech.
• Yu Sheng wounded the dog demon until it collapsed, then straddled it with his crossbow pressed to its forehead and continued praising the Ink Pavilion.