Chapter Summaries

Xu Chao, Qin Xun, and Mengmeng escaped their pursuers by paying a merchant caravan to carry them along the highway toward Zone 103. During the ride, Qin Xun reflected on the ninety-nine boys he had killed in the Killing Arena, including A-Liang, before the group got off the truck outside Zone 103.

• Xu Chao and Qin Xun reached a maintained highway, where Xu Chao paid three gold coins for them and Mengmeng to ride in a merchant caravan.
• Qin Xun treated Xu Chao’s wounds with red powder while Xu Chao explained that he and Mengmeng together were said to match a fifth- or sixth-realm Psionic Power user.
• Xu Chao asked Qin Xun how he felt about killing boys in the Killing Arena, and Qin Xun recalled that he had felt no pity for most of them but grieved over A-Liang.
• Xu Chao told Qin Xun that one day the Killing Arenas would be gone, and Mengmeng seemed to agree.
• After the caravan traveled for more than two hours away from Zone 108, Xu Chao, Qin Xun, and Mengmeng slipped off before reaching Zone 103.

Xu Chao led Qin Xun to a lakeside guesthouse in the Misty Forest to rest for the night, where they encountered armed travelers and an old acquaintance of Xu Chao’s. The chapter ended with the innkeeper demanding fifty thousand magic coins for lodging and treatment, reminding Xu Chao that he still owed her for his last visit.

• The security captain’s men learned that the hitchhikers had escaped and agreed to exchange the gold coins for magic coins and share them.
• Xu Chao led Qin Xun and Mengmeng through the forest to a lakeside guesthouse, where they planned to rest until morning.
• A woman named Lulu flirted with Qin Xun and offered him meat if he took off her boots, but Xu Chao led him away.
• Xu Chao and Qin Xun entered the guesthouse tavern, where the short-haired innkeeper recognized Xu Chao and gave them a room key.
• The innkeeper demanded fifty thousand magic coins for the room and treatment, explaining that Xu Chao had left without paying on his previous visit.

Qin Xun and Xu Chao stopped at Chen Qiao’s establishment, where Xu Chao went upstairs with Sisi to have his wound treated and Qin Xun bought a map and requested weapons and climbing gear. Qin Xun learned they were over 200 kilometers from Zone 108 and planned their route toward Zone 96 while waiting for Xu Chao.

• Xu Chao paid extra for Sisi to treat his wound, then went upstairs while Qin Xun stayed downstairs.
• Chen Qiao offered Qin Xun cake, and he cautiously waited until she tasted it before eating.
• Qin Xun asked Chen Qiao for a map and requested daggers, throwing weapons, and a hooked rope; after he hit a distant target with a fork, she offered the gear for free.
• Qin Xun studied the map and found they were more than 200 kilometers from Zone 108 and over 300 kilometers from Zone 96.
• Chen Qiao brought food and water for Mengmeng, but the dog refused to eat while Xu Chao was upstairs.

Chen Qiao subdued a dispute at her establishment and discovered that Qin Xun had just become a Psionic Power user. She began teaching him to control Spirit, and he briefly managed to gather it in his left hand.

• Chen Qiao used a red shuriken to stop Lulu's group and four newcomers from fighting, then ordered A Hu to serve them and arrange rooms.
• Chen Qiao checked Qin Xun and told him that his Qi Gate had opened, making him a first-realm Psionic Power user.
• Qin Xun called Chen Qiao "good sister" so she would teach him to use Spirit.
• Chen Qiao guided Qin Xun through controlling Spirit, and he gathered it in his left hand briefly before losing focus.

Chen Qiao taught Qin Xun how Qi Gates and Spirit worked, and he practiced controlling the Spirit in his body before discovering he could summon a ring of fire and flaming chains. After secretly testing his power and preparing weapons, Qin Xun left the building and encountered a noble youth with three armed men.

• Chen Qiao explained how Qi Gates stored, controlled, and cultivated Spiritual Power, and warned Qin Xun about the strain of using Spirit.
• Qin Xun practiced drawing Spirit into his left hand until he could hold it for more than ten seconds, though it left him tired.
• Sisi told Chen Qiao that Xu Chao had passed out, and Chen Qiao sent Qin Xun to shower and change rather than wait beside him.
• After his shower, Qin Xun summoned a ring of fire and a flaming chain, then secretly practiced controlling the ring and three chains.
• Qin Xun put on fresh black clothes, collected the daggers, darts, and hooked rope Chen Qiao had prepared, and decided to keep his new power secret.
• Outside at night, Qin Xun hoped Brother Zhuang was safe before noticing a disdainful young noble arriving with three armed men.

A bored young noble challenged Qin Xun to a fight for money, while Qin Xun visited the injured Xu Chao and learned more about Chen Qiao's past. The noble pressed the challenge despite Chen Qiao's objections, leaving the tavern waiting to see how Qin Xun would respond.

• The young noble arrived at Chen Qiao's tavern with three subordinates and complained about the commoners and their food.
• Qin Xun visited Xu Chao, who confirmed Qin Xun had a strong supply of Spirit and told him to keep practicing.
• Qin Xun ordered food for Xu Chao and Mengmeng, then asked Chen Qiao about her origins and her missing master.
• The young noble grew bored, ordered Scarface to approach Qin Xun, and then offered him five gold coins to fight.
• Chen Qiao forbade fighting at her tavern, but the young noble offered more money and insisted they could spar outside.

Qin Xun was forced into a fight with an arrogant youth who tried to kill him, despite Qin Xun’s efforts to avoid trouble. After easily dodging the youth’s attacks, Qin Xun faced a sudden escalation when the youth activated his Spirit.

• The youth threatened Qin Xun into fighting, then suddenly attacked him with a curved saber, but Chen Qiao knocked the blade aside with a dart.
• Scarface warned that the youth had the power to cause serious trouble, and Qin Xun agreed to fight to keep the situation from worsening.
• The youth demanded that the loser cut off a hand, and Qin Xun accepted the fight with his dagger.
• The youth charged and repeatedly slashed at Qin Xun, who calmly dodged every attack.
• Chen Qiao learned that Qin Xun had won ninety-nine consecutive matches in the Killing Arena, while the youth, angered by his failed attacks, activated his Spirit.

Qin Xun fought a Spirit-wielding boy at Chen Qiao’s tavern, outlasting and disarming him before Chen Qiao’s hidden power incapacitated the onlookers. The boy revealed a Demon Token, leaving Chen Qiao and Xu Chao facing the possibility that he belonged to a powerful noble family with ties to the Demon Clan.

• The boy used Spirit to attack Qin Xun, who initially dodged without striking because Chen Qiao had told him to stall.
• After five minutes, Qin Xun used Spirit, defeated the exhausted boy, and held a dagger to his throat before turning away.
• The boy tried to attack Qin Xun from behind, but Chen Qiao’s red dart pierced his wrist.
• Chen Qiao revealed that she had secretly drugged the crowd, then demanded that the boy honor their bet and cut off his hand.
• The boy threw down a black iron Demon Token, and Xu Chao and the onlookers recognized the sign of a powerful noble with ties to the Demon Clan.

After defending Chen Qiao's tavern from a noble's threats, Chen Qiao decided to leave and search for her missing master, with Sisi and A Hu joining her. Meanwhile, Xu Chao, Qin Xun, and Mengmeng pursued the noble and his bodyguards into the jungle, where Xu Chao killed them.

• Chen Qiao drove the young noble and his drunken bodyguards out of the tavern after he broke its rules.
• Chen Qiao told Xu Chao and Qin Xun she had decided to leave and search for her master, and invited Qin Xun to come with her.
• Sisi and A Hu chose to accompany Chen Qiao, who ordered the tavern to close the next morning and let guests take its remaining belongings—except the money.
• Xu Chao, Qin Xun, and Mengmeng caught up with the young noble and his three bodyguards in the jungle, where Xu Chao killed the bodyguards.
• Xu Chao learned the young noble was Zhao, son of Zone 101's District Chief, rejected his offers of money and power, and killed him.

After Xu Chao and Qin Xun killed the noble youth and his companions, they left Chen Qiao’s camp and set out for Zone 96 on a battered motorcycle. They stopped at a roadside restaurant to refuel and repair the bike.

• Xu Chao and Qin Xun buried the four bodies, and Xu Chao took their valuables before the pair left the camp.
• At dawn, Chen Qiao gave Xu Chao a motorcycle and exchanged farewells with him, Qin Xun, and Sisi.
• Xu Chao repaired the motorcycle and rode toward Zone 96 with Mengmeng and Qin Xun, leaving a truck behind them.
• Xu Chao avoided people stranded along the road and stopped at a roadside restaurant when the motorcycle ran out of gas.
• Qin Xun observed the restaurant’s quiet customers and suspected its fierce-looking owner was a powerful Psionic Power user.

Xu Chao and Qin Xun reached Zone 96, where Xu Chao hoped to reunite with Xiao Ling. Xu Chao saw Xiao Yu, the woman he secretly loved, leave her flower shop with another man, and he froze in shock.

• Xu Chao warned Qin Xun about the dangers of life outside the zones as they traveled toward Zone 96.
• Xu Chao bribed Zone 96’s guards to let him and Qin Xun enter without identification.
• Xu Chao told Qin Xun that he had protected Xiao Yu from hooligans four years earlier and had fallen in love with her, but feared his wanted status would endanger her.
• Xu Chao watched Xiao Yu close her flower shop and leave with a young man who had arrived to take her home.
• Qin Xun turned to Xu Chao and saw his face turn ashen as he froze.

Xu Chao tried to hide his jealousy after seeing a woman he cared about with another man, then took Qin Xun to meet Old Crab while they waited for the rain to ease. At Old Crab’s weapon shop, Qin Xun saw a caged Black Blood Pigeon and realized the chain sounds in his mind were triggered by nearby demon creatures.

• Xu Chao joked that he had made up his story about the woman, but Qin Xun recognized his jealousy and offered to help him speak with her.
• Xu Chao declined to disturb the woman, gave Qin Xun the nickname Cold-Blooded Killer, and led him toward his sister; the woman briefly looked back at the intersection before a sudden downpour began.
• Xu Chao brought Qin Xun into Old Crab’s shop, where Old Crab confirmed that Qin Ling was staying at a nearby hotel and asked about Dazhuang, who had stayed behind to cover their retreat.
• Qin Xun heard the chain sounds in his mind when he noticed the caged Black Blood Pigeon, a demon creature Old Crab kept for its healing blood.
• Qin Xun controlled the sound and concluded that the chains in his mind reacted to the presence of demon creatures.

Qin Xun secretly absorbed the Black Blood Pigeon’s Spiritual Power, then reunited with his poisoned sister and gave her the antidote. After learning Dazhuang had stayed behind to protect them from the Dark Pavilion, Qin Xun and Qin Ling chose to wait for him with Xu Chao and the others.

• Qin Xun used his fiery chain to petrify the Black Blood Pigeon and absorb its Spiritual Power, while Old Crab and Xu Chao wondered how it had vanished.
• Old Crab offered Qin Xun weapons, but Xu Chao urged him to take them to his sister, and the group went to a hotel room where Qin Ling was staying.
• Qin Xun gave Qin Ling the antidote for the mosquito venom, and her breathing and complexion began to improve.
• Xu Chao explained that Dazhuang had stayed behind to cover their retreat from the Dark Pavilion and might be heading to Zone 96.
• Qin Xun insisted on waiting for Dazhuang, and Qin Ling woke enough to say she would wait with him.
• Xu Chao agreed that everyone would stay and wait for Dazhuang to return.

Qin Xun reunited with Qin Ling, thanked the people who rescued them, and began learning to cultivate from Xu Chao. He learned that Brother Shui’s guild, Sharp Sword, was searching for a sword to help the Human Clan win the war against the Demon Clan.

• Qin Ling asked Qin Xun whether they would be taken to Brother Shui, and he promised to protect her wherever they went.
• Qin Xun thanked Xu Chao, Chen Hui, Song Jie, and Old Crab for saving him and Qin Ling, while learning that Smoker had gone to find medicine for her.
• Xu Chao taught Qin Xun how to cultivate, and Qin Xun successfully opened his Qi Gate and absorbed Spiritual Qi before stopping from exhaustion.
• Xu Chao explained that Brother Shui’s group belonged to the Sharp Sword guild and sought to help the Human Clan defeat the Demon Clan.
• Old Crab revealed that Sharp Sword’s main task was to find a sword.

Xu Chao explained the Holy Sword fragments and the dangers facing the resistance in the Fallen Zone. Smoker arrived with news that Brother Shui had been captured, their hidden camp destroyed, and a traitor suspected.

• Xu Chao told Qin Xun that the shattered Holy Sword could offer hope against the Demon Clan, and that the resistance was searching for its fragments.
• Glasses explained that Brother Shui might take Qin Xun and Qin Ling to the resistance camp, while Xu Chao described the Dark Pavilion as their greatest enemy.
• Smoker arrived and reported that the special medicine would not be available until morning, but Qin Xun said he had already given some to Xiao Ling.
• Smoker revealed that the Dark Pavilion had captured Brother Shui and destroyed the camp, killing more than 120 family members.
• Smoker said Brother Shui had surrendered to protect the camp and warned Old Crab to flee, while Xu Chao and Smoker suspected a traitor among them.
• Smoker told Qin Xun that Brother Shui would probably remain alive until the Dark Pavilion had extracted the information it wanted.

After learning that Brother Shui had been captured by the Dark Pavilion, Smoker led Qin Xun, Qin Ling, Glasses, and Song Jie out of the city to hide in Misty Forest. They learned the city gates had been sealed after their escape, while Old Crab and Xu Chao went to move Old Crab’s family to safety.

• Smoker said the group lacked the strength to rescue Brother Shui from the Dark Pavilion, and Glasses noted that Brother Shui would never join them willingly.
• Smoker told Old Crab to take his family away, and Xu Chao accompanied Old Crab with Mengmeng while Qin Xun stayed with Smoker’s group.
• Smoker led Qin Xun, Qin Ling, Glasses, and Song Jie out through the city gate by paying a guard, but the vice captain soon ordered that no one be allowed to leave.
• The group reached a cave in Misty Forest, where Qin Xun heard chains scraping in his mind before the sound stopped.
• Smoker told the others that Three Eyes had reported Brother Shui’s capture and that the boss had been away from the camp when the Dark Pavilion attacked.
• The group discussed the missing boss and their unsafe contact points, while Glasses reassured Song Jie that Old Crab and the others should escape in time.

Smoker and the others planned their next move while Qin Xun resolved to save Brother Shui and avenge him if necessary. In Zone 96, Old Crab asked Bai Ming to protect his wife and daughter, and Bai Ming helped him escape by killing the Guard Team members and wounding himself.

• Smoker said he would take Old Crab's family to a contact before meeting the boss, while Qin Xun silently vowed to save Brother Shui or avenge him and find the traitor.
• Old Crab left Xu Chao downstairs and went to his apartment, where Bai Ming and armed Guard Team members were waiting.
• Bai Ming urged Old Crab to reveal information about Hunter and offered protection, but Old Crab insisted he knew nothing and asked Bai Ming to care for his wife and daughter.
• Old Crab decided not to be captured and asked Bai Ming to let his family remain in Zone 96 and protect Xiaohui until she grew up.
• Bai Ming shot the seven Guard Team members, stabbed himself to make his actions appear justified, and told Old Crab to take his family and never return.

Bai Ming helped Old Crab escape Zone 96 with his family while the Dark Pavilion’s Black Crow arrived at the city gate seeking the District Chief. As Smoker went into the city to check on Xu Chao and Old Crab, a hungry Snake Frog crept toward the cave where the others waited.

• Bai Ming gave Old Crab a gate card and told him to flee with his family, claiming he would tell the District Chief that he had been injured during their escape.
• Old Crab woke his wife, carried Xiaohui, and fled through the rain with his family, Xu Chao, and Mengmeng as they raced to leave the city within fifteen minutes.
• Black Crow introduced himself at the city gate as captain of the Dark Pavilion’s Night Raven Action Team and demanded to see the District Chief.
• Smoker left the cave to search for Xu Chao and Old Crab, telling Song Jie and the others to leave if he did not return before dawn.
• Song Jie wept over the uncertainty of her younger sister’s fate while Glasses comforted her and Qin Xun held Qin Ling.
• A hungry Snake Frog crept toward the cave, planning to snatch one of the two people it sensed it could overpower.

Qin Xun discovered that he could use his chains to petrify monsters and absorb their Spiritual Power, while learning that rescuing Brother Shui alone would require extraordinary strength. In Zone 96, Black Crow killed Old Crab, pursued Xu Chao, and seized Old Crab’s wife as a cold voice ordered him to let her go.

• Qin Xun used three of his nine chains to petrify a Snake Frog and absorb its Spiritual Power, then concealed what had happened from Song Jie and Qin Ling.
• Qin Xun asked how strong someone would need to be to rescue Brother Shui from the Dark Pavilion, and Song Jie and Glasses said they would need to seek another way.
• Black Crow stood over the bodies of Guard Team members and ordered two subordinates to chase Xu Chao and take him alive.
• Black Crow grabbed Old Crab’s wife by the throat and offered to spare her and her daughter if she cooperated.
• An unknown speaker told Black Crow to let Old Crab’s wife go.

Smoker confronted Black Crow while the District Chief ordered reinforcements despite Bai Ming’s attempt to keep the Guard Team away. After the rain stopped, Song Jie and Glasses planned to find the missing companions, and Qin Xun insisted on helping them.

• Smoker explained that he had joined Hunter after fighting a caravan that trafficked women and children, then attacked Black Crow with a giant hand of smoke.
• At the District Administration Building, Bai Ming refused to send help, but the District Chief recognized that he had deliberately let Old Crab’s wife and daughter remain in danger and ordered him to send three hundred guards.
• The rain stopped the next morning, and Glasses reported that the city gates were under stricter inspection.
• Song Jie planned to enter the city while Glasses took Qin Xun and Qin Ling to safety, but Qin Xun chose to stay and help find their companions.
• Qin Xun asked to join Song Jie and Glasses, saying he wanted to help rescue the man and dog who had saved him from Zone 108.