Chapter Summaries

Shen Heng joined Wang Hai, Wu Cheng, and Han Ling to investigate a suspected Calamity Beast at an abandoned housing development. After finding no sign of it in the building the police had indicated, Shen Heng expanded his hearing and located the beast in another building.

• Shen Heng went on his first official mission after hearing that a suspected Calamity Beast had appeared on Linping Road.
• Wang Hai reminded Shen Heng to conserve his Origin Power during night shifts, and the team drove to the abandoned development.
• Two police officers reported seeing a two-legged creature with a long tail run toward a nearby building.
• Shen Heng considered several possible Calamity Beasts as Wang Hai questioned the officers, but neither could identify the creature.
• Shen Heng detected no sign of the beast in the building the officers had pointed out and expanded his hearing across the area.
• Shen Heng sensed a faint presence in another building and told the others the Calamity Beast was there.

Shen Heng detected a Calamity Beast in a building and guided Wang Hai's team toward it. The beast moved toward the team, then unexpectedly went downstairs, leaving everyone on the eighteenth floor confused about its whereabouts.

• Shen Heng heard a sleeping Calamity Beast on the twenty-third floor of a different building, so Wang Hai led Han Ling, Wu Cheng, and Wei Leyang there while Shen Heng stayed downstairs to track it.
• As the team climbed, Shen Heng reported the beast descending from the upper floors toward them.
• Wang Hai's team prepared to fight on the eighteenth floor, but the Calamity Beast did not appear on the stairs.
• Shen Heng told Wang Hai that the Calamity Beast had gone downstairs instead.

Shen Heng tracked the Calamity Beast moving through the building, but Wang Hai and the others repeatedly failed to see it, even after setting a thread trap across the stairs. As the team began doubting Shen Heng’s reports, he firmly requested permission to go upstairs and investigate.

• Shen Heng reported the Calamity Beast descending past the team, then later moving back upstairs, while Wang Hai and the others heard no fighting and saw nothing.
• Wang Hai led the team downstairs to meet the beast, but it passed their floor unseen and continued upward.
• Wang Hai ordered Wei Leyang to stretch threads across the stairwell, but the Calamity Beast again remained invisible as Shen Heng reported its movement.
• Wu Cheng suggested Shen Heng had misheard, and Wang Hai began to doubt the reports.
• Shen Heng insisted he had clearly heard the Calamity Beast and asked Wang Hai for permission to go upstairs.

Shen Heng realized the Calamity Beast had been climbing along the building’s exterior wall, explaining why the team could not find it inside. Han Ling shot at it from the building’s open side, but its roar left her vision black and sent her falling.

• Shen Heng joined Wang Hai’s group as they climbed the stairwell and warned them when he sensed the Calamity Beast approaching.
• Shen Heng deduced that the Calamity Beast was moving up and down the outside wall rather than using the stairs.
• Shen Heng told Han Ling where the beast was, and she ran to the open side of the building to attack it.
• Han Ling leaped toward the exterior, spotted the Calamity Beast, and fired her sniper rifle at it.
• The Calamity Beast roared as the shot struck, and Han Ling lost consciousness and fell toward the ground.

The team rescued Han Ling after a Tier 2 Calamity Beast’s sonic attack and learned that it could climb between floors quickly, sense them from a distance, and attack with sound and its tail. Shen Heng proposed using ranged attacks and Wei Leyang’s threads to block the beast’s escape routes, leaving Wang Hai to pursue it if it climbed to the top.

• A Calamity Beast’s roar caused Han Ling to lose consciousness, and Wang Hai called on Wei Leyang to rescue her.
• Wei Leyang used his threads to swing outside the building, catch Han Ling, and bring her safely back to the floor.
• Han Ling identified the beast as a Tier 2 creature with a humanlike upper body and a taillike lower body, while Shen Heng tracked it climbing toward the thirty-fourth floor.
• The team discussed the beast’s speed, wall-climbing, sonic attack, tail, and long-range perception, then Shen Heng suggested a plan using ranged attacks and threads to block the open spaces between floors.
• Wu Cheng called the plan underhanded as the team prepared to trap the Calamity Beast’s route through the building.

Wang Hai’s team began a plan to trap the Calamity Beast by sealing selected floors, but the beast heard their discussion and charged down the building. Shen Heng tracked its movements as the team tried to force it back upward, and Wu Cheng prepared a stronger attack after repeated misses.

• Wei Leyang said he could seal only about seven floors, so Wang Hai ordered him to seal two floors at a time starting from the twenty-fifth, leaving one floor open between them.
• Wang Hai assigned the remaining three levels, including the rooftop, to himself, and the team moved into position.
• Shen Heng heard the Calamity Beast moving and warned Han Ling, who fired at it as it retreated to the thirtieth floor.
• Wang Hai concluded that the Calamity Beast had heard their plan and ordered the team to force it back up while sticking to their original positions.
• The Calamity Beast repeatedly advanced past Wu Cheng’s fireballs, so Wu Cheng summoned a Flame Falcon to attack it.

Wu Cheng, Wang Hai, Wei Leyang, Han Ling, and Shen Heng tried to stop the Calamity Beast as it dodged their attacks and climbed through the building. After Wei Leyang sealed the lower floors, the fight moved to the top, where Shen Heng struggled under the beast’s constant roars and someone proposed blowing up the building.

• Wu Cheng’s Peregrine Falcon struck the Calamity Beast, but it evaded later attacks by keeping beyond his effective range as it moved between floors.
• Wang Hai ended the chase and ordered Wei Leyang to seal the walls, so Wei Leyang trapped the twenty-third floor and several floors above it.
• Wang Hai and Wei Leyang pursued the Calamity Beast to the thirty-second floor, then Wang Hai continued toward the remaining upper floors alone.
• The battle reached the top floors, where the Calamity Beast roared constantly to overwhelm Shen Heng and disrupt his ability to guide the others.
• Wu Cheng asked how they could keep the Calamity Beast from escaping, and someone suggested blowing up the building.

The team debated blowing up the unfinished building to trap the Calamity Beast, but Shen Heng asked for twenty more minutes and began secretly sharing a plan with Han Ling. The chapter ended with Shen Heng asking her by phone whether humanoid Calamity Beasts appeared in the otherworld.

• Wei Leyang proposed collapsing the building to bury the Calamity Beast, and Wu Cheng objected over the risk of public exposure.
• Wang Hai agreed to take responsibility for blowing up the building, but Shen Heng persuaded him to wait twenty minutes while the team kept pursuing the beast.
• Wang Hai agreed to give the Calamity Beast his all and update Shen Heng on its position while Shen Heng rested.
• Wu Cheng noticed Shen Heng had left his spot and saw him approach Han Ling as Wang Hai directed Wu Cheng toward the left wall.
• Shen Heng showed Han Ling a phone message explaining that he had a plan they could not discuss aloud, then asked whether humanoid Calamity Beasts appeared in the otherworld.

Shen Heng and Han Ling used a recording and a decoy plan to lure the Calamity Beast within Han Ling’s range. Han Ling shot it through the head, completing the mission.

• Shen Heng devised a plan to carry Han Ling to Wu Cheng’s wall while a timed recording made it sound as if she remained behind.
• Shen Heng carried Han Ling across the floor as Wang Hai and Wu Cheng drove the Calamity Beast toward their position.
• Shen Heng and Han Ling waited by the parapet while Wu Cheng realized what they were doing.
• The Calamity Beast emerged above Shen Heng and tried to attack, but Han Ling shot it through the head with her rifle.

Shen Heng’s plan helped the team kill the Calamity Beast, and Wang Hai assigned him the largest share of the mission points. Shen Heng expected to receive at least 120 points once headquarters assessed the beast.

• Han Ling confirmed that the Calamity Beast was dead, and the team reunited after the fight.
• Shen Heng explained that he had secretly moved Han Ling while using a phone recording to make the beast think she remained in her original position.
• Wang Hai led the team downstairs to inspect the Calamity Beast’s corpse.
• Wang Hai proposed giving Shen Heng forty percent of the points and splitting the remaining sixty percent among the others, and everyone agreed.
• Shen Heng recalled that a Second Tier Calamity Beast was worth at least 300 points and calculated that his share would be at least 120.

Shen Heng finished sparring with Wang Hai and discussed how to spend his Calamity Beast points while pursuing a Lung Crystal to save his mother. Following Wang Hai’s advice, Shen Heng tested weapons in the armory and chose a straight saber.

• Wang Hai pinned Shen Heng to end their sparring session and told him the Maimed-Tail Disaster Beast had earned him 312 points.
• Shen Heng said he planned to save points toward the 3,000 needed for a Firmament Breath Beast’s Lung Crystal, and Wang Hai explained he could instead seek information and hunt one.
• Wang Hai advised Shen Heng to buy an alloy weapon and its basic training method, and explained how to choose a weapon based on ability and personality.
• Shen Heng tried weapons in the armory and narrowed his options to a spear, bow, sword, and saber.
• Shen Heng found the straight saber especially natural to handle and decided it was the weapon for him.

Shen Heng used his points in Martial World Easy Exchange to order a custom straight saber and browsed the available combat techniques. He ended the chapter considering how weapon techniques compared with skills that applied Origin Power directly to the body.

• Shen Heng returned home and found that Xu Yuqin and Shen Shuning were both out.
• Shen Heng checked the exchange list and found the Firmament Breath Beast's Lung Crystal still unavailable and priced at 3,000 points.
• Shen Heng submitted an order for an 11-kilogram straight saber made from Origin Power Alloy, spending 65 points on materials and processing.
• Shen Heng browsed the combat techniques and recalled how inspectors developed and graded them according to their power.

Shen Heng redeemed a basic saber course and worried about repaying Huang Shaohua, but Xu Yuqin gave him money after learning about the debt. That night, Yellow Hair watched gamblers while Huang Shaohua sat nearby, staring grimly at his phone.

• Shen Heng redeemed six days of weekly basic saber instruction, beginning May 4, for 30 points.
• Shen Heng found that his 54,676.9 yuan balance fell short of the 60,000 yuan he owed Huang Shaohua.
• Xu Yuqin returned home and offered Shen Heng 20,000 yuan from an advance on her wages, then offered another 8,000 after he showed her his balance and claimed his job was livestream selling.
• Shen Heng accepted Xu Yuqin's help and promised that he would not borrow money again.
• Yellow Hair watched a casino card game and noticed Huang Shaohua sitting nearby with a dark expression as he stared at his phone.

After Shen Heng repaid Huang Shaohua, Huang feared he could no longer use the family’s debts to force Shen Shuning into marriage. Huang and his associates decided to arrange an attack on Shen Heng, leaving Yellow Hair to organize it.

• Huang Shaohua confronted Yellow Hair after Shen Heng repaid 60,000, and Yellow Hair could not explain where Shen Heng had found the money.
• Huang asked whether Shen Heng had gambled at their casino or others recently, and Yellow Hair confirmed that nobody had seen him gambling the previous month.
• The tall, skinny thug suggested making Shen Heng need money urgently by breaking his leg so he would borrow for treatment.
• Huang agreed to pay 100,000 for the attack, and Yellow Hair promised to arrange it within the next few days.
• Someone interrupted them by asking whose leg they planned to break.

Huang Wenbin stopped Huang Shaohua from ordering an assault on Shen Heng and argued with his son about inheriting the casino and company. Later, Shen Heng left a mahjong game at the Supervision Bureau to meet his weapons instructor, who arrived carrying a wooden case.

• Huang Wenbin questioned Yellow Hair about whose legs he planned to break, and Huang Shaohua admitted he had ordered the men to target Shen Heng.
• Huang Wenbin forbade Yellow Hair and the other thugs from helping Huang Shaohua with illegal acts, including any private request from his son.
• Huang Shaohua told Huang Wenbin he wanted to take over the casino, company, and everything else he owned, while Huang Wenbin urged him to pursue a civil service career instead.
• After Huang Wenbin left, Huang Shaohua asked Yellow Hair if he would still carry out the assault, but Yellow Hair refused.
• Shen Heng played mahjong with Han Ling, Wu Cheng, and Wei Leyang while waiting for his saber instructor.
• Shen Heng went to the Supervision Bureau reception desk, where a young man carrying a wooden case arrived to meet him.

Shen Heng met Yu Jingming, the young saber instructor assigned to train him, and learned why Yu Jingming had taken the job despite fearing the dangers of awakening. Yu Jingming began teaching Shen Heng the basics of saber techniques in the training room.

• Shen Heng met Yu Jingming and asked about his age, background, and family martial arts school.
• Yu Jingming explained that his father had failed to awaken three times and that he became an instructor to keep his younger sister from being pressured to awaken.
• Shen Heng recalled that people were forbidden from attempting a fourth awakening because it could cause loss of control or mutation.
• Yu Jingming opened his wooden case, gave Shen Heng a wooden saber, and began teaching him basic saber techniques.

Shen Heng was forced to attend Linhai No. 2 High School’s college entrance exam oath rally, where Gu Zexuan gave a brief speech as a student representative. Afterward, Gu Zexuan stayed at the lectern and asked Le Gu Nan which university she planned to attend.

• Shen Heng finished breakfast, continued his Bone Tempering routine, and went to school to sleep.
• Yan Sheng woke Shen Heng and reminded him that the school’s thirty-day college entrance exam oath rally was taking place.
• Shen Heng and Yan Sheng listened as the principal delivered a lengthy speech to the assembled students.
• Gu Zexuan spoke as a student representative, joking about being the school’s eternal third-place finisher and urging students to prepare for the exam.
• Gu Zexuan remained onstage after his speech and asked Le Gu Nan which university she planned to attend.

At the school’s college entrance exam pledge rally, Gu Zexuan publicly pressed Le Gu Nan to reveal which university she planned to attend. Shen Heng interrupted to stop the crowd from forcing her to answer, and Gu Zexuan backed down while leaving the question open for later.

• Gu Zexuan asked Le Gu Nan in front of the school which university she would attend, prompting the crowd to treat it like a confession.
• Le Gu Nan struggled to answer as the students chanted for her to tell Gu Zexuan.
• Shen Heng realized Le Gu Nan seemed distressed by the attention and interrupted, urging everyone to stop wasting time before the exams.
• Several students rebuked Shen Heng for interrupting, while the principal considered stepping in.
• Gu Zexuan apologized for taking up time, said he still hoped Le Gu Nan would tell him later, and stepped down after exchanging a look with Shen Heng.
• Shen Heng suspected Gu Zexuan had arranged for students to pressure Le Gu Nan into revealing her university plans.

After Shen Heng interrupted Gu Zexuan’s attempted confession to Le Gu Nan, Gu Zexuan ordered his men to blind Shen Heng and beat his friends. Huang Shaohua learned of the plan and told Yellow Hair to break Shen Heng’s legs as well, leaving an attack being arranged.

• Shen Heng denied liking Le Gu Nan and joked with Yan Sheng and Kong Haochen about where she might attend university.
• Gu Zexuan learned that Shen Heng had interrupted him and ordered his contact to blind Shen Heng and beat his friends.
• Yellow Hair told Huang Shaohua that Gu Zexuan wanted Shen Heng and his friends dealt with.
• Huang Shaohua ordered Yellow Hair to break Shen Heng’s legs too and add more men because Shen Heng was strong.

Shen Heng used his enhanced hearing to guide his team to a Calamity Beast, and Han Ling shot it at an intersection. The next day, Shen Heng learned that a photo of Han Ling’s shot had circulated, but it vanished whenever anyone tried to send it.

• Shen Heng explained that he was bringing his new saber on missions but still relied mainly on his handgun.
• Shen Heng heard a Calamity Beast nearby and guided Wang Hai’s car through the streets toward it.
• Shen Heng alerted Han Ling as the beast charged toward the intersection, and Han Ling fired her sniper rifle at it.
• The next day, Yan Sheng told Shen Heng about a photo showing a woman shooting a wild-boar-like beast from a car.
• Kong Haochen showed them the photo and said it disappeared whenever someone tried to send it.