Chapter Summaries

Yuan Qingshan reprimanded Spirit Mind Academy for its students’ showboating before Zhao Zicheng won a bizarre, exhausting match for Ink Academy. Yu Sheng’s match against Jiangbei Academy was next, setting up his solo performance.

• Yuan Qingshan condemned Spirit Mind Academy’s students and warned that their academy’s weighting could be reduced if they did not improve.
• Zhao Zicheng entered the arena in his wheelchair and used a sandbag, a speed burst, and Damage Reflection to wear down his Spirit Martial Academy opponent.
• Zhao Zicheng defeated the burly student after twenty minutes, leaving Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan wondering which teacher had trained him.
• Yu Sheng watched Zhao Zicheng’s tactics and recorded more observations in his notebook.
• Yu Sheng’s name appeared on the screen for a match against Jiangbei Academy, and he walked toward the arena.

Yu Sheng fought Jiangbei Academy’s Wu Lin after the Ink Academy vice principal urged him to fight wildly, but his attempts to satisfy the request turned a controlled victory into a bizarre beating. He finished the job and wondered whether he would get to use his clever setups next time.

• The Ink Academy vice principal called Yu Sheng during the match and offered him one hundred credits to win decisively and fight wilder.
• Wu Lin introduced himself and summoned his saber, while Yu Sheng brought out his Dragon-Patterned Staff and considered how to make his fighting style look wild.
• Wu Lin charged, but Yu Sheng teleported behind him and then returned to face him head-on, striking his saber with Sucker Punch and sending him flying.
• Yu Sheng punched Wu Lin, pulled out a tooth, and repeatedly smashed the ground beside him until he decided he had fought wildly enough.
• Yu Sheng called the vice principal, confirmed the job was done, and wondered whether he could use his clever setups in a future fight.

Yu Sheng defeated Wu Lin and kept him on the platform with a bizarre crosstalk performance and a forced recitation of the Three Character Classic, drawing gray vapor that revealed more of his second Awakening Object. Sun Yingxiong intervened afterward, banning unrelated activities from future matches.

• Yu Sheng knocked Wu Lin down, then performed one-man crosstalk while Wu Lin and the crowd listened.
• Gray vapor from the venue flowed into Yu Sheng's Scroll, revealing part of a small bottle as his potential second Awakening Object.
• Yu Sheng tried to make Wu Lin recite the Three Character Classic, and Yuan Qingshan reminded Wu Lin that he could surrender.
• Yu Sheng stopped Wu Lin from surrendering until he had finished reciting, then let him concede and watched the Guard Bureau personnel carry him away.
• Sun Yingxiong announced that future matches prohibited crosstalk, recitations, singing, and other activities unrelated to the competition.

Yu Sheng’s performance drew attention, while Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan questioned whether his strange behavior was an act; Xu Yuanqing defended Ink Academy’s rules and later learned Yu Sheng had bought four high-quality Demon Cores. In Mobei City, Yu Sanshui bragged about his son to a woman as Yu Sheng’s voice played on television.

• Yu Sheng ignored the celebrations and kept revising his notebook while the competition continued.
• Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan questioned Xu Yuanqing about Yu Sheng, but Xu reminded them that Ink Academy would help him without interfering or prying.
• Xu Yuanqing checked Yu Sheng’s records and learned he had bought Bat Demon, Leopard Demon, Rhinoceros Demon, and Azure Luan Demon Cores, all of the highest quality available for their stages.
• Yu Sanshui sat with a middle-aged woman in Yu Sheng’s rented home and praised his son’s competitiveness and independence.
• Yu Sheng’s calm voice came from the television, announcing that he would perform a comedy routine.

Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng discussed the competition and watched Wu Qianqiu walk away, while Ink Pavilion officials planned to expose hostile organizations during the Freshman Competition. The meeting ended with Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan wondering why everyone seemed afraid of them.

• Yu Sanshui switched off the television to stop Yu Sheng's crosstalk and took a woman out to dinner.
• Zhao Zicheng mocked Wu Qianqiu's fighting, while Yu Sheng assessed the Military Academy's teamwork and pondered his stalled progress toward the Fourth Awakening.
• Zhao Zicheng spotted a battered Wu Qianqiu walking away and called Sun Wen.
• The Guard Bureau director reported suspicious spectators at the competition, and Qi Changshan described efforts to trace accounts steering online opinion.
• The middle-aged secretary said Elder Sun wanted officials to hunt major threats, including the Evil Cult and Soul Hunt, while leaving smaller enemies for freshmen to face.
• After the secretary left using his Awakening Object, Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan joked that they were not scary as everyone else left the conference room.

Xu Yuanqing tried to persuade Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng to make Ink Academy look impressive at the Arena Tournament, but Yu Sheng negotiated a higher reward and exposed Xu Yuanqing’s embezzlement. As the second round began amid online attacks on Spirit Mind Academy, Han Jue was chosen to open the competition.

• Xu Yuanqing offered Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng ten credits each to avoid jokes and fight impressively, then raised the offer to fifty credits after consulting the vice principal.
• Yu Sheng contacted Ink Academy Worker and secured a hundred credits each while revealing that the vice principal was docking Xu Yuanqing’s pay for embezzling public funds.
• Anonymous accounts spread accusations about Spirit Mind Academy, the Military Academy, and the Education Department while posts supporting them pushed rational analysis aside.
• The second round began with 250 competitors, and Zhao Zicheng theatrically struck his cast leg before Yu Sheng pushed him through the disabled access lane, which was also crowded with injured students.
• Xu Yuanqing recommended Yu Sheng to warm up the crowd, but Yuan Qingshan selected Han Jue, who headed toward the arena with an icy expression.

Han Jue won a brutal Freshman Competition match as the academies fought with unusual desperation for the championship resources. In the Demon Domain, Ji Hong accepted demonization and became Eagle Ravine Mountain’s deputy mountain lord.

• Han Jue charged the Military Academy student, who used a dagger and a brief opening to wound him before conceding the match.
• Han Jue stopped his final punch short of the fallen student, and the host declared him the winner.
• The following matches grew increasingly fierce as students from the Spirit Mind Academy and other academies fought recklessly.
• At Eagle Ravine Mountain, the mountain lord demanded that Ji Hong become a demon if he wanted to serve as deputy mountain lord.
• Ji Hong swallowed a fragment of a Demon Core and endured two hours of painful demonization, transforming into an ape.
• The mountain lord appointed Ji Hong deputy mountain lord and ordered the others to obey him or be killed.

After accepting his transformation, Ji Hong masked his emotions and withdrew into solitude. At the Arena Tournament, Zhao Zicheng faced Wang Yu amid public ridicule, and their match began with Sandbag appearing between them as Wang Yu charged.

• Ji Hong returned to his cave, tore at his fur, and declared that whether he was human or demon was for him to decide.
• Ji Hong carved a mask from stone and wore it as he watched the clouds from his cave entrance.
• Wu Qianqiu defeated his opponent but left the arena in silence as the crowd continued to judge him harshly.
• The host announced Zhao Zicheng would face Wang Yu, drawing boos, but Zhao arrived on crutches instead of in his wheelchair.
• Xu Yuanqing urged Zhao to fight, and Zhao calmly faced Wang Yu, who revealed that he had undergone his third awakening.
• Wang Yu charged with a wild bull phantom, and Sandbag appeared in his path just as Wang Yu's third Crystal Stone lit up.

Zhao Zicheng defeated Wang Yu despite his injured leg and severe chest wound, securing Ink Academy’s victory in the match. Yu Sheng then took the stage to face Zhu Jin of Spirit Martial Academy, as Xu Yuanqing showed confidence in him.

• Zhao Zicheng evaded Wang Yu’s charge, knocked him down, and held a dagger to his neck to claim victory for Ink Academy.
• After the match, Zhao Zicheng mocked the spectators before collapsing and being carried away by medics, while Wang Yu left in silence.
• Xu Yuanqing arranged for Ink Academy to fight its next two matches back-to-back, and Yuan Qingshan selected Zhu Jin of Spirit Martial Academy as Yu Sheng’s opponent.
• Yu Sheng walked onto the arena quietly, avoided the crowd and cameras, and waited at the edge while spectators wondered whether the frail-looking contestant could fight.

Yu Sheng and Zhu Jin fought to a standstill, though Yu Sheng recognized the methods Zhu Jin had learned from his father in Sin City and proved he could defeat him. The judges declared a draw so both could advance, while Zhu Jin promised to challenge Yu Sheng again in the final.

• Yu Sheng and Zhu Jin charged at each other with daggers, and Zhu Jin used a crossbow before trapping Yu Sheng with blood-red lines and attacking with his Awakening Object and hidden weapons.
• Yu Sheng realized Zhu Jin’s techniques resembled his own and said he owed Zhu Jin’s father a favor for what he had left behind in Sin City.
• Yu Sheng used his Long Staff to crack the arena floor up to Zhu Jin’s feet, then said he would leave Zhu Jin unharmed.
• Yuan Qingshan interrupted Zhu Jin and declared the match a draw, advancing both contestants.
• Zhu Jin said Yu Sheng’s Awakening Object had given him an advantage and promised to fight him again before leaving the arena.
• Yu Sheng remarked that he would have assassinated Zhu Jin before he ever reached an arena in Sin City, then asked the staff whether he had to pay for the cracked floor.

After Yu Sheng’s display of strength, Qian Shu and the other academies’ leaders prepared their students for brutal Arena Tournament matches to limit Ink Academy’s points. The meeting ended with Spirit Martial Academy’s students receiving one simple instruction: beat their opponents within an inch of their lives.

• Yu Sheng left the arena after cracking the alloy, leaving the spectators stunned by his strength.
• Han Jue decided to absorb the beast blood supplied by his academy and left backstage.
• Qian Shu explained the standings and urged Spirit Mind Academy’s remaining students to target Zhao Zicheng and injure Ink Academy’s other contenders.
• Qian Shu told the students he would take responsibility if their tactics drew public criticism, then left the meeting.
• The Military Academy made even more desperate tactical plans, while Spirit Martial Academy’s Director of Teaching ordered his students to beat their opponents within an inch of their lives.

After Yu Sheng and Zhao Zicheng’s match, public opinion turned against Yu Sheng because he had come from Sin City, while Yu Sheng calmly accepted the criticism. The Lawless Outlaws told him that former residents of Sin City were investigating the people behind the posts.

• Xu Yuanqing complained that Yu Sheng had destroyed the arena, then gave up and went to bed.
• Zhao Zicheng and Yu Sheng’s performances spread online, but posts attacking Yu Sheng’s ties to Sin City also gained attention.
• Zhao Zicheng grew furious at the posts, while Yu Sheng said he also wanted Sin City destroyed and calmly considered what might happen if he were sent back.
• The Lawless Outlaws called Yu Sheng and said former residents of Sin City were investigating the people stirring up trouble against the Ink Pavilion.

Yu Sheng spoke with Zhao Zicheng about adapting to life outside Sin City, then warned him that he planned to lie low and advised a teammate to surrender if necessary. At a Guard Bureau meeting, Soul Hunt’s Heavenly Eye contacted the officials and provided detailed information on people behind suspicious online posts.

• Yu Sheng told Zhao Zicheng that gossip helped people fit into the wider world and said he was preparing to go into hiding until they could split the money elsewhere.
• Yu Sheng warned Zhao Zicheng to tell a nearby teammate to surrender if needed, then hung up before finishing a rumor he had heard.
• A Guard Bureau official reported that most suspicious spectators were members of the Evil Cult, while three unidentified people might belong to Soul Hunt.
• Yuan Qingshan, Qi Changshan, and the other officials discussed whether Soul Hunt was behind online posts intended to provoke conflict among humans.
• A virtual face identifying itself as Heavenly Eye of the Soul Hunt Team denied responsibility for the posts and sent the officials detailed information on the people behind them.

Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan received Heavenly Eye’s intelligence about human demonization and weighed Soul Hunt’s motives as the Ink Pavilion prepared to confront the Evil Cult. Meanwhile, the arena tournament continued, and Zhao Zicheng fought a grueling match despite his injuries, leaving the medical staff urging him to withdraw.

• Heavenly Eye sent Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan intelligence, then they cut off the conference room’s networks and read the file.
• Yuan Qingshan and Qi Changshan concluded that Soul Hunt was using the Ink Pavilion to strike the Evil Cult, but they decided they could not ignore the human demonization report.
• The arena tournament continued with 126 contestants remaining, while Xu Yuanqing complained about the damage and costs caused by his students.
• Zhao Zicheng faced a Military Academy contestant from his wheelchair and won after both fighters suffered severe injuries.
• The medical staff advised Zhao Zicheng to withdraw, but he asked them only to stop his bleeding.

Zhao Zicheng chose to keep competing despite his injuries, while Yu Sheng arranged a match against Military Academy’s Fan Yun and brutally injured him after defeating him. Yu Sheng left Fan Yun with injuries expected to take just over a month to recover from, matching the recovery time the Military Academy’s teacher said Zhao Zicheng would have needed.

• Zhao Zicheng rejected Yu Sheng’s suggestion to withdraw and chose to test his own strength despite his injuries.
• Yu Sheng asked Xu Yuanqing to arrange a stronger Military Academy opponent for his next match, and Xu Yuanqing set it up for 10 credits.
• Yu Sheng defeated Fan Yun with repeated staff strikes, overpowering him without using any skills.
• Yu Sheng stopped Fan Yun from surrendering and challenged the judges after the Military Academy teacher said Fan Yun would have severely injured Zhao Zicheng to keep him out of the team competition.
• After the teacher said Zhao Zicheng would have needed a little over a month to recover, Yu Sheng broke Fan Yun’s shinbones and said, “One month, just right.”

Yu Sheng punished Fan Yun for injuring Zhao Zicheng, while Zhao kept fighting through the tournament despite his injuries. As Zhao prepared to risk another match, Yu Sheng warned that he would make everyone pay if Zhao died, and Xu Yuanqing opened the final-eight qualifying round.

• Yu Sheng made Fan Yun perform crosstalk for the crowd, then left after the gray aura flowed in from backstage and the audience.
• Zhao Zicheng fought through his injuries to advance to the final sixteen, while Yu Sheng's opponents forfeited before entering the ring.
• Xu Yuanqing ordered Zhao to forfeit his next match, but Zhao insisted he still wanted to compete for the rewards.
• Yu Sheng asked whether competitions outside Sin City killed people and warned that he would make everyone keep Zhao company if Zhao died.
• Xu Yuanqing floated down with a microphone and welcomed everyone to the final-eight qualifying round.

Yu Sheng advanced to the quarterfinals after his opponent forfeited, prompting Yuan Qingshan to challenge Spirit Mind Academy’s tactics and then impose a rule banning surrender. Yuan defended his intervention as a right earned through strength and service to humanity, while Yu Sheng questioned the fairness of the tournament’s rules.

• Yu Sheng’s opponent from Spirit Mind Academy forfeited, sending him to the quarterfinals without a fight.
• Yuan Qingshan criticized Qian Shu for allowing students to surrender, and Qian Shu said he would resign after the competition and go to Demon-Suppressing Pass.
• Yuan Qingshan asked Yu Sheng to fight, but Yu Sheng questioned why the rules allowed Zhao Zicheng to be seriously injured while demanding a fair fight from him.
• Yuan Qingshan, Qi Changshan, and Xu Yuanqing confronted the university representatives, and Yuan declared a new rule forbidding contestants from surrendering.
• Yuan Qingshan told Yu Sheng that strength and contributions to humanity gave people the right to make rules, then returned to the judges’ table.

At the quarterfinal qualifying match, Yuan Qingshan and Sun Yingxiong defended the students’ right to fight, prompting Qian Shu to reconsider his caution and leave for the Demon-Suppressing Pass. Yin Meng then faced Yu Sheng, who defeated her despite her preparation for his abilities and took one of her teeth.

• Sun Yingxiong backed Yuan Qingshan and urged the students to fight with courage, while Qian Shu realized he had forgotten how his students felt.
• Yuan Qingshan asked Yin Meng whether she feared fighting, being hurt, or losing; she answered no and said she would eventually surpass Yu Sheng.
• Qian Shu apologized to his students, declared he would go to the Demon-Suppressing Pass, and asked them to win the championship for Spirit Mind Academy.
• Yin Meng used her spear, energy wings, and a mind-affecting attack to counter Yu Sheng, but he charged through her assault and knocked her down.
• Yu Sheng struck Yin Meng, pulled out one of her teeth, and left her unable to move; she tearfully asked if she could choose to sing.

Zhao Zicheng fought Feng Yong despite his severe injuries and won with a hidden blade after enduring a brutal beating. He collapsed unconscious after reminding the crowd of his name, while the medical staff carried him away.

• After Yin Meng was carried away, Yu Sheng recorded that her spreading gray gas could provide gray aura.
• The remaining Freshman Competition matches grew increasingly fierce, leaving Zhao Zicheng and Feng Yong as the last pair to fight.
• Feng Yong urged Zhao Zicheng to concede, but Zhao insulted him and charged forward in his wheelchair, using a crossbow and a hidden line to bind him.
• Feng Yong battered Zhao Zicheng until his Sandbag dissipated and pinned him to the ground, demanding that he surrender.
• Zhao Zicheng revealed an unsharpened blade and cut Feng Yong's neck, earning Ink Academy the victory.
• Zhao Zicheng declared his name to the crowd, then collapsed unconscious and was carried away by the medical staff.

After the tournament’s quarterfinalists were decided, Yu Sheng spent a lonely evening reflecting on what it meant to live. Meanwhile, Yuan Qingshan’s operation uncovered Demon Clan operatives infiltrating human territory, leaving him and Qi Changshan worried about how deeply they might have penetrated.

• Feng Yong took the Military Academy instructor’s warning about his lack of experience to heart, and the eight quarterfinalists were announced.
• Xu Yuanqing announced three days of rest before the quarterfinals, then the competition ended without him naming the sponsor.
• Alone at the hotel, Yu Sheng tried red wine and soda, then wondered why Zhao Zicheng and Xu Yuanqing enjoyed ordinary things and what it meant to live.
• Yuan Qingshan ordered the net closed, and his teams arrested Demon Clan operatives across Ink City and nearby county towns.
• Yuan Qingshan shared interrogation reports with Qi Changshan, revealing that the captured operatives had been trained to infiltrate human territory and influence public opinion.
• Qi Changshan warned that many more operatives might be hiding among humans, while Yuan Qingshan feared they could even infiltrate the Ink Pavilion and blamed the Evil Cult for helping them.