Chapter Summaries

Shen Heng learned that his Configuration absorbed Origin Power on its own and heard Li Daoyi’s theory about how Configurations could be adjusted and develop special properties. At the Research Department, Yan Yu examined Shen Heng and began explaining string theory as a possible way to understand his Configuration.

• Shen Heng told Li Daoyi that his Configuration tied up thirty percent of his Origin Power, made its use smoother, and absorbed Origin Power on its own.
• Li Daoyi explained that Configurations could be fine-tuned to improve their Origin Power utilization, absorption, and output efficiencies, and wondered whether Shen Heng’s Configuration had reached an ultimate form.
• Shen Heng ordered food for Li Daoyi, who then said they would visit the Research Department so Yan Yu could examine Shen Heng’s Configuration and measure it.
• Yan Yu examined Shen Heng’s Configuration and asked how Shen Heng had created it.
• Yan Yu asked whether they had heard of string theory and described it as a theory seeking to unify the universe within a single framework.

Yan Yu explained how string theory might relate to Shen Heng’s unusual Configuration, which he believed could reflect the foundation of the world. The group began testing how efficiently Shen Heng could use Origin Power.

• Yan Yu described how string theory treats vibrating strings as the underlying source of matter and force.
• Shen Heng compared the strings to a deeper foundation beneath existing matter, and Yan Yu clarified that strings replaced rather than added to that foundation.
• Yan Yu said Shen Heng’s constantly changing, unified Configuration resembled vibrating strings and might touch upon the origin of the world.
• Yan Yu studied the Configuration for over twenty minutes, then Shen Heng used a device to begin measuring his Origin Power utilization efficiency.

Shen Heng learned that his configuration gave him exceptional origin power efficiency despite locking away thirty percent of his power, and received advice on how to improve further. At the Supervision Bureau’s headquarters, Zhao Yonggang announced that the overlap between Blue Star and the Ruins Realm had greatly deepened and that established practices would be overturned.

• Yan Yu explained that Shen Heng’s origin power efficiency ranked among the best in the country and that his configuration made his attacks significantly stronger.
• Yan Yu said Shen Heng’s locked-away origin power remained a serious drawback, while Shen Heng privately judged the benefits more useful for now.
• Li Daoyi advised Shen Heng to sense the circulation of origin power and his configuration to improve his efficiency.
• The following day, Shen Heng met Gu Lingxuan at the Supervision Bureau headquarters, where she said she had become Suicheng’s person in charge.
• Zhao Yonggang announced that the overlap between Blue Star and the Ruins Realm had deepened greatly and declared the meeting begun.

Zhao Yonggang explained that the overlap between Blue Star and the Ruins Realm had shifted from projection-type incidents to regional overlaps, including Light Gates that opened into sections of the Ruins Realm. The chapter ended with Shen Heng asking whether powerful Calamity Beasts could be trapped inside a Light Gate, raising concerns about the danger of entering one.

• Zhao Yonggang announced that regional overlaps would replace projection-type overlaps as contact between Blue Star and the Ruins Realm deepened.
• Zhao Yonggang revealed that four Light Gates had appeared in Yuchuan, Jiangcheng, Luyang, and Ice City, and said each led to a section of the Ruins Realm.
• Zhao Yonggang explained that the explored areas contained their original plants, soil, water, air, and Calamity Beasts, but that people could leave while dead Calamity Beasts and soil could not yet be brought out.
• Zhao Yonggang said the Light Gates were peripheral overlaps that might eventually allow things to pass through, so Calamity Beasts could later emerge if the gates were left unattended.
• Shen Heng asked whether Seventh, Eighth, or Ninth Tier Calamity Beasts would remain inside a Light Gate, prompting concern among the people in the conference hall.

Zhao Yonggang explained that a Light Gate could expose the team to many third- or fourth-tier Calamity Beasts, but he identified Erosion Zones as a greater danger. A drone survey of Lanikai Island revealed a massive Light Gate hanging over the island, and the chapter ended as the team watched it shed points of light.

• Zhao Yonggang explained that Light Gates could contain many Calamity Beasts, though teams could retreat and call headquarters for support.
• Zhao Yonggang introduced Erosion Zones as a high-risk situation and showed footage of an island shrouded in distorted gray mist.
• Shen Heng recognized the island’s vitrified crystals as those on Lanikai Island, where a seventh-tier Calamity Beast had stayed.
• A drone searched the island’s scorched ground but found nothing before its camera tilted upward.
• The attendees saw an enormous Light Gate suspended above the island, with silver-gray bands around its dark center and points of light falling from its edges.

Minister Zhao Yonggang explained the newly discovered Erosion Zones and how they differed from ordinary Light Gates. He revealed that organized Calamity Beasts up to the sixth tier had emerged from them, and clarified that they first appeared on the sixth day.

• Zhao Yonggang told the conference that Lanikai Island was one of twenty-three confirmed Erosion Zones worldwide, with three located in Great Xia.
• Zhao Yonggang explained that Erosion Zones expanded over time, appeared to be fixed in number, and allowed Calamity Beasts to pass through freely.
• Zhao Yonggang revealed that Calamity Beasts in the zones showed signs of organization and could reach the sixth tier.
• Wang Hu asked whether worldwide nuclear explosions had been used against beasts from the zones, and Zhao Yonggang confirmed they had.
• Wang Hu questioned why there had not been explosions at all twenty-three sites, and Zhao Yonggang said the beasts only began appearing on the sixth day.

Zhao Yonggang told the Supervision Bureau representatives that Calamity Beasts were breaking out of Erosion Zones, causing more than two thousand soldier deaths in five days, and that the Ruins Realm could send reinforcements through the zones. He announced that the representatives would be sent to the battlefield as the countries prepared for war, leaving Shen Heng reflecting on how long he had been waiting for this moment.

• Zhao Yonggang explained that Calamity Beasts had been testing defenses around Erosion Zones and that troops had held them at the Light Gate entrances, though more than two thousand soldiers had died in five days.
• Zhao Yonggang told the gathered representatives that they would be sent to fight the Calamity Beasts.
• Zhang Mang said the representatives should have been sent sooner, and Zhao Yonggang explained that officials had prioritized civilian safety, investigated ordinary Light Gates, and coordinated with other countries.
• Zhao Yonggang warned that Erosion Zones connected to the Ruins Realm could receive reinforcements and could not be abandoned, then declared that war was about to begin.
• Shen Heng recalled joining the Supervision Bureau three years earlier and wondered whether the wait had been fast or slow.

After the meeting, Shen Heng learned how the Supervision Bureau planned to divide Fourth Tier personnel between the Erosion Zone and provincial cities. He also heard how Wang Hu and other agents had become famous for fighting Near-S-Class Calamity Beasts, and Qi Yue suggested Shen Heng could compete with them.

• Qi Yue introduced Lin Yang and Chu Yu, who thanked Shen Heng for saving them in Suicheng.
• Shen Heng watched Wang Hu and two others discuss whether to stay in the province or go to the Erosion Zone.
• Qi Yue explained that each city's Supervision Bureau would submit two or three personnel, including anyone at the Fourth Tier, with a limited number allowed to request staying in their province.
• Chu Yu told Shen Heng that Wang Hu, Li Zhenguo, Han Qiang, and Zhuo Hao had become famous on the Bureau's internal forum after defeating Near-S-Class Calamity Beasts alone.
• Shen Heng said he spent most of his time handling work and cultivating, and Qi Yue suggested he had a good chance in a contest to determine the strongest person below the Fourth Tier.

Shen Heng and Gu Lingxuan confirmed they would meet in the Erosion Zone, where fourth-tier fighters were being sent to confront a coming war. At the Linhai Supervision Bureau, Han Ling argued that Shen Heng should remain behind to defend the province, while Dahuang volunteered to go with him.

• Shen Heng downplayed his role in defeating the Bone Porcelain Puppet, then spoke with Gu Lingxuan, who said Suicheng could spare people for the Erosion Zone despite losing its chance to gain another fourth tier soon.
• Shen Heng and Gu Lingxuan exchanged promises to see each other in the Erosion Zone.
• Shen Heng told the Linhai Supervision Bureau that each city had to submit at least two names and warned that the mission would bring casualties.
• Han Ling said she and Shen Heng could make up Linhai's required names, but Wei Leyang objected that the city would be left without a fourth tier.
• Dahuang offered to accompany Shen Heng, then privately worried that everyone might accept his offer.
• Han Ling argued that headquarters would keep Shen Heng in Linhai because his sensing and combat abilities made him best suited to respond to Light Gates, though Wei Leyang noted that captains were required to go.

Shen Heng chose Han Ling to accompany him away from Linhai and handed the city’s affairs to Wei Leyang. Wei Leyang took over responsibility for the Ruins Realm and Martial Arts Association, then suspended the association’s hunting patrols while awaiting further developments.

• Shen Heng decided Han Ling would leave with him while Wei Leyang stayed behind, and told Wei Leyang to prepare for the handover.
• At the Linhai City Martial Arts Association, Shen Heng told Wei Leyang that the city had over a thousand civilian martial artists and expected more growth before it slowed.
• Shen Heng introduced Wei Leyang to Lei Zhijian and Ma Weizhi as the person who would oversee Linhai’s Ruins Realm and association matters during his absence.
• Lei Zhijian asked whether Shen Heng’s departure was connected to a recent incident and a nuclear explosion reported online, and Shen Heng said headquarters would explain it at a press conference.
• After Ma Weizhi reported that hunting patrols had found no Calamity Beasts for days, Wei Leyang ordered the patrols suspended so the teams could focus on cultivation.

Thorn Squad learned that all hunting patrols had been suspended indefinitely and suspected the order was connected to a recent nuclear explosion. Shen Heng told Xu Yuqin he might leave for a long-term business assignment, and she asked whether it was because of the nuclear explosion.

• Thorn Squad read Lei Zhijian’s announcement suspending hunting patrols until further notice and learned that the General Supervision Bureau would hold a press conference in two days.
• Lin Xiaoyu wondered whether the suspension was connected to the nuclear explosion, and Mei Duo told the squad to stay home and cultivate or rest until the press conference.
• Han Ling gave Little Bell strawberry ice cream and confirmed that she and Shen Heng were going far away, promising to visit when she could.
• Shen Heng returned home and told Xu Yuqin that a new assignment might keep him away for a long time.
• Xu Yuqin stopped and asked Shen Heng whether his departure was because of the nuclear explosion on the news.

Shen Heng told Xu Yuqin that he was the Linhai City Supervision Bureau chief and had to leave to help repel the Ruins Realm’s invasion. Xu Yuqin accepted that he had to go but urged him to put his safety first, while Shen Heng began to explain whether Xiao Ning knew about his work.

• Xu Yuqin explained that she had recognized Gu Nan during a Calamity Beast attack and realized Shen Heng was connected to the Supervision Bureau.
• Shen Heng confirmed that he had joined the bureau before graduation and was now its Linhai City chief.
• Shen Heng explained that Ruins Realm forces were trying to invade through newly formed passages and that he had to help hold them back.
• Xu Yuqin worried about the danger and made Shen Heng promise not to risk his life needlessly.
• Xu Yuqin said she understood that someone had to go, but asked him to think of his family and return safely.
• Xu Yuqin asked whether Xiao Ning knew about his bureau work, and Shen Heng hesitated before answering.

After seeing Shen Heng off, Wei Leyang mourned that he was the last of his old group left in Linhai City and resolved to take his duties seriously. Meanwhile, Shen Heng traveled to the plateau’s defensive lines, learned that an elderly Taoist priest had replaced Lu Zhaoming in command, and considered how unusual the strongest inspectors seemed.

• Dahuang tried to comfort Wei Leyang after Shen Heng’s plane departed, but Wei Leyang said he was the only one of their group of six still in Linhai City.
• Wei Leyang told Dahuang they had to return and get serious from then on.
• Shen Heng traveled across the plateau and saw a fortified position near the Erosion Zone as Qin Ye described the defensive lines and their casualties.
• Qin Ye told Shen Heng that Lu Zhaoming had previously stopped a large Calamity Beast assault, but an elderly Taoist priest had taken over command two days earlier.
• Qin Ye and Xu Ruiyu asked Shen Heng whether powerful inspectors all seemed unusual, and Shen Heng reflected that Lu Zhaoming and the Taoist priest did not match the usual image of inspectors.

Shen Heng and Han Ling traveled with Qin Ye toward the Erosion Zone, where Shen Heng saw the Light Gate and felt the dense Origin Power. They reached Li Daoyi’s quarters, where Shen Heng greeted the Daoist Master and began introducing him to Han Ling.

• Shen Heng questioned Qin Ye about the five defensive lines and considered the risks of their layered defenses.
• Qin Ye pointed out the distant Light Gate as the vehicle neared the Erosion Zone, and Shen Heng and Han Ling saw its unusual shape and the black snow around it.
• Qin Ye warned Shen Heng and Han Ling that the black snow was corrosive before they left the vehicle near several Calamity Beast corpses.
• Shen Heng felt the concentrated Origin Power outside the vehicle, then walked with Han Ling to a nearby building.
• Li Daoyi recognized Shen Heng, exchanged familiar banter with him, and Shen Heng began introducing Li Daoyi to Han Ling.

Shen Heng and Han Ling learned how artillery and defensive lines contained the Calamity Beast hordes emerging from the plateau Light Gate, then were assigned to support Fire Point No. 7. They arrived at the military camp and were shown the tent where they would be stationed.

• Li Daoyi explained that Jiang Lin had been sent to the overseas Erosion Zone, Lu Zhaoming had transferred to the sea Erosion Zone, and he had come to the plateau.
• Li Daoyi told Shen Heng and Han Ling that hordes of hundreds or more than a thousand Calamity Beasts emerged from the Light Gate once or twice daily, with artillery and defensive lines stopping them from escaping.
• Li Daoyi assigned Shen Heng and Han Ling to the first defensive line and said they could keep the beasts they killed, distribute their Origin Crystals, use their meat for food, and submit other materials for points.
• Shen Heng and Han Ling left Li Daoyi and rode with personnel from their assigned defensive line to Fire Point No. 7.
• Qin Ye showed Shen Heng and Han Ling the camp, its artillery and vehicles, and the tent where they would stay.

Shen Heng and Han Ling settled into the outpost and met Lü Wenrui and Tang Yuanyang, two inspectors assigned there. Han Ling questioned Lü Wenrui about whether he could control the good and bad luck caused by his ability.

• Qin Ye offered to arrange separate sleeping quarters for Han Ling, and Shen Heng asked him to coordinate the inspectors’ shifts before clearing a bunk.
• Shen Heng recognized Lü Wenrui training with a spear and reunited with him at the outpost.
• Shen Heng and Tang Yuanyang introduced themselves and their abilities, and Lü Wenrui was surprised that Shen Heng had reached Fourth Tier.
• Shen Heng urged Lü Wenrui to use Origin Crystals to advance quickly so he could survive in the Erosion Zone, and Lü Wenrui agreed.
• Han Ling introduced herself, learned that Lü Wenrui’s A-Class Fortune ability could bring both good and bad luck, and asked whether he could control its effects.

Shen Heng arranged the night duty with Han Ling at the Light Gate and explained his self-developed combat technique, Flow, which could strengthen the body through continuous Origin Power circulation. He offered to teach it to Han Ling, who listened with surprise.

• Shen Heng asked Tang Yuanyang about his ability, and Tang Yuanyang explained that his Stasis Needles could paralyze enemies but struggled against strong defenses.
• Shen Heng assigned himself and Han Ling the night shift, while Tang Yuanyang and Lü Wenrui took the day shift.
• Lü Wenrui realized Shen Heng had become their local Supervision Bureau director and wondered how much he had advanced in two years.
• During their night watch, Han Ling said the plateau’s dense Origin Power improved breathing practice but its thin air made body tempering more tiring.
• Shen Heng offered to teach Han Ling Flow and explained that it continuously circulated Origin Power to strengthen the body and improve combat ability.

Shen Heng explained Flow to Han Ling and guided her through her first attempts to circulate Origin Power continuously. Han Ling managed a small circuit but still had to work toward whole-body Flow, and she asked Shen Heng whether maintaining it constantly drained his mental power.

• Shen Heng explained that Flow required Origin Power to circulate steadily through the body and suggested Han Ling use the Five Animal Fist’s Body Tempering route as a foundation.
• Han Ling attempted to guide Origin Power through her body but struggled to keep it flowing instead of letting it stagnate or surge.
• Shen Heng advised Han Ling to practice smaller circuits first and connect them only after she could maintain one steadily for ten minutes.
• Han Ling successfully sustained a small circuit and acknowledged that whole-body Flow would take more practice.
• Shen Heng explained that he could not teach Han Ling Flow · Overclock because it required sensing and sustaining minute, high-frequency Origin Power vibrations.
• Han Ling asked whether Shen Heng kept Flow running all the time and said she felt her mental power drain when she tried it.

Shen Heng and the camp’s soldiers responded to a huge Calamity Beast horde emerging from the Light Gate, using artillery to thin its ranks. As Qin Ye watched the survivors’ movements, he saw one group converge on their position, unlike the scattered beasts from previous attacks.

• Shen Heng and Han Ling noticed Calamity Beasts surging out of the Light Gate.
• Automated defenses at the outposts opened fire while Qin Ye rallied the camp’s soldiers and directed the artillery.
• Shen Heng told Lü Wenrui and Tang Yuanyang to wait until the shelling ended, then protect the soldiers from any beasts that got through.
• Qin Ye estimated that the horde numbered over fifteen hundred as he tracked the Calamity Beasts that escaped the bombardment.
• Qin Ye saw the survivors divide into three groups, with one group gathering and heading toward their position.

A huge Calamity Beast tide approached the outpost, using dead beasts as shields and overwhelming the expected numbers. Qin Ye ordered the soldiers to evacuate in vehicles while Shen Heng and Tang Yuanyang prepared to hold the beasts back, assigning Lü Wenrui to help the ordinary soldiers escape.

• Lü Wenrui, Han Ling, Tang Yuanyang, and Shen Heng saw a much larger Calamity Beast force approaching than the mission briefing had predicted.
• Qin Ye’s command post discovered that the beasts were pushing their dead kin ahead as shields, and estimated that fifty or sixty would reach them despite the bombardment.
• Qin Ye ordered the soldiers to retreat in tanks and armored vehicles when the beasts came within three kilometers, while the Supervision Bureau’s comrades held them back.
• Shen Heng told Lü Wenrui to help the ordinary soldiers evacuate, while he and Tang Yuanyang dealt with the remaining Calamity Beasts.