Recaps

Qiji faced the Void Beast tide alone at the narrow valley entrance while Huomu and the others evacuated Yuejian and the children. As the group watched from afar, Qiji cut down every beast that tried to cross his sword-marked boundary.

• Qiji ordered the group to bring Yuejian, escape through the other exit, and warn them that enemies had caused the Void Beasts’ rampage.
• Huomu cleared the mule cart, loaded Yuejian and the children, and led the others toward the exit.
• Qiji warned the group to stay alert, then faced the charging Void Beasts alone at the valley entrance.
• Qiji used the Spotlight Card, Sound System Card, and Filter Card as he prepared to hold the pass.
• Qiji swiftly killed the attacking Void Beasts, and none crossed the line he had drawn.
• The group looked back and saw Qiji standing alone against the beast tide.

Qiji held back the ground-based beast tide while Teacher Tsukimi criticized the students for relying on him, prompting Huomu to vow to grow strong enough to fight beside him. A swarm of Flying-Winged Poison Flies then attacked the group, and Huomu was left in danger as Teacher Tsukimi subtly reacted.

• Teacher Tsukimi praised Qiji's strength but argued that people who took on too much responsibility often died young.
• Liuli and Huomu insisted Qiji would win, and Huomu said he would follow Qiji's orders and become strong enough to fight at his side.
• Teacher Tsukimi challenged Huomu to prove his resolve when an enormous swarm of Flying-Winged Poison Flies appeared overhead.
• Setsuna organized the students' defense, while Bai Lili protected the children and restrained two flies as the swarm attacked.
• Several flies nearly stung Huomu, whose movement was restricted by the cart ropes, and Teacher Tsukimi subtly opened his eyes.

Yuejian secretly used moonlight to help the students survive their battle with the Void Beasts, then left the mule cart to meet Kamishiro Seian on a distant cliff. Seian confronted Yuejian over abandoning his former identity as Moon Bearer and warned that he might kill him if they fought.

• Yuejian subtly altered the moonlight so students escaped fatal attacks and struck the Void Beasts.
• Yuejian sensed someone approaching, left the battlefield, and appeared on a distant mountain facing Kamishiro Seian.
• Kamishiro Seian recognized Yuejian as his former mentor, Moon Bearer, and recalled meeting him at an Echo exchange conference thirteen years earlier.
• Kamishiro Seian condemned Yuejian for no longer living up to his idealized image of Moon Bearer and threatened to kill him if he would not reclaim that identity.
• Yuejian dismissed Seian's demands and said he wanted to finish work and get home for Dorothy's new show.
• Kamishiro Seian pleaded with Yuejian to avoid a fight, warning that he might lose control and kill him if Yuejian had truly grown weaker.

Class Eight fought on after Yuejian vanished, but two Metal-Rending Battle Eagles drove them to the brink while Qiji and Yuejian faced their own battles elsewhere. As Huomu, Setsuna, and Bai Lili struggled to protect the group, viewers pleaded for Qiji to help, though he was holding a beast tide alone.

• Yuejian confronted Kamishiro Seian over being forced to work overtime and manifested the God of the Moon Scroll.
• Qiji noticed anxious livestream comments warning that Huomu and the others were in danger.
• Class Eight survived the first fly swarm, then faced two diving Metal-Rending Battle Eagles after Yuejian disappeared.
• Setsuna charged at one battle eagle while Huomu drew the other away from Bai Lili and the children.
• Bai Lili hid the children beneath a cart and joined the fight despite her fear and doubts about becoming an Echoer.
• Viewers flocked to Qiji's livestream to ask for help while he held a beast tide alone, and Yuejian clashed with Kamishiro Seian at a cliff's edge.

Qiji shed his weighted trench coat and tore through the Void Beast horde, aiming to reach the person controlling it. Kamishiro Seiki realized Qiji was charging straight toward him and feared he could not escape.

• Qiji checked the livestream and decided to hurry to Class Eight’s aid, believing the crisis had begun because he killed Kamishiro Seigen.
• Qiji killed several Void Beasts with the Sword of No Thought, then dropped his weighted trench coat and crushed another beast beneath it.
• After removing the weights, Qiji unleashed a burst of speed and brutally plowed through the beast tide.
• Qiji recalled the Sword of No Thought and charged toward the circuit’s controller, reasoning that killing the Echoer would stop the beasts.
• Kamishiro Seiki saw Qiji carving a path through the horde and realized Qiji was coming for him, leaving him terrified and unsure how to escape.

Qiji killed Kamishiro Seiki and all thirteen fleeing sword attendants, ending the array that had driven the Void Beasts into a rampage. But when he checked the livestream, the two Metal-Rending Battle Eagles were still attacking Setsuna, Huomu, and the others.

• Kamishiro Seiki ordered his sword attendants to stop Qiji, but they panicked and fled.
• Qiji used the Sword of No Thought to kill all thirteen attendants with one strike, then killed Kamishiro Seiki.
• With Kamishiro Seiki dead, the circuit dimmed and the surviving Void Beasts regained their senses and prostrated themselves before Qiji.
• Qiji checked the livestream, but the two Metal-Rending Battle Eagles continued their frenzied attacks on Setsuna, Huomu, and the others.

Liuli held one Metal-Rending Battle Eagle at bay while Huomu and Setsuna fought the other, and Qiji realized someone else was controlling the eagles and rushed toward Class Eight. The second eagle then targeted two terrified children, and Huomu threw himself in front of them before being struck aside.

• Qiji realized Kamishiro Seiki could not control upper second-tier beasts and raced toward Class Eight, leaving the subdued Void Beasts too frightened to move.
• Liuli used her disguised Mind Echo to stop one Metal-Rending Battle Eagle and asked Bai Lili to protect her while she concentrated.
• Huomu joined Setsuna against the other eagle, while Bai Lili stayed beside Liuli and tried to steel herself.
• The second eagle caught the scent of two children hiding beneath a mule cart and swooped toward them.
• Huomu rushed to shield the children, but the eagle struck him aside with its wing.

Qiji saved Huomu, Setsuna, and the children by swiftly killing both Metal-Rending Battle Eagles. After Huomu and Setsuna argued over his reckless attempt to protect the children, Qiji urged him to consider the consequences of his actions as he pursued becoming a hero.

• Qiji appeared as the Metal-Rending Battle Eagle attacked the children and killed it with a swift sword strike.
• The female Metal-Rending Battle Eagle charged Qiji, who threw the Sword of No Thought and pinned her to a rock wall.
• Qiji checked Huomu's chest wound and found that the attack had narrowly missed his heart.
• Setsuna scolded Huomu for risking his life, while Huomu insisted that he would still protect the children.
• Qiji patted Huomu's head and explained that being a hero did not mean saving everyone, urging him to consider what would have happened if he and Setsuna had fallen.

Qiji helped Huomu understand Setsuna’s choices and accept responsibility for his recklessness, while the rescued children thanked them both. Yuejian defeated Kamishiro Seian, but Seian’s final attack veered toward Liuli, whose identity Yuejian had already recognized.

• Qiji told Huomu that a hero had to make difficult choices and asked him to consider why he lacked the power to protect people.
• Huomu apologized to Setsuna for acting recklessly and thanked Qiji for saving everyone.
• Qiji reassured Huomu and called him a hero for protecting the two children, who thanked both boys.
• Yuejian defeated Kamishiro Seian with the God of the Moon Scroll’s armament, and Seian praised Yuejian despite his defeat.
• Seian launched a blood arrow at Yuejian, then redirected it toward Liuli, whom Yuejian recognized as Kamishiro Ruri.

Yuejian’s attack failed to kill Kamishiro Seian, who escaped into the Sea of Consciousness, and Yuejian gave up pursuit. A blood arrow then targeted Liuli, but Bai Lili pushed her out of its path, prompting Qiji to rush in and catch Bai Lili as the arrow arrived.

• Yuejian fired a compressed beam of moonlight at Kamishiro Seian, but an enormous dog’s head emerged from the Sea of Consciousness and swallowed him before the attack landed.
• Yuejian’s beam struck the mountainside, and he stopped pursuing Kamishiro Seian because his shift had ended.
• A blood arrow flew toward Liuli while she stood dazed after overexerting her Echo.
• Bai Lili warned Liuli and shoved her clear of the arrow, leaving herself in its path.
• Qiji sensed the arrow’s immense power and activated Blurring of Illusion and Reality, then swept the off-balance Bai Lili into his arms as the arrow arrived.

Qiji rescued Bai Lili from a deadly blood arrow and briefly revealed the lower half of his face, stirring feelings in her that she had never experienced with her arranged fiancée, Suyo. The chapter leaves Bai Lili realizing that her heart is racing for Qiji, not Suyo.

• Bai Lili believed the blood arrow would kill her even as Qiji flew in to save her.
• Qiji split his mask and removed its lower half, giving Bai Lili a glimpse of his face.
• Bai Lili recalled how she had accepted her arranged marriage to Suyo and tried to earn Suyo's affection.
• Bai Lili's heart raced as Qiji held and rescued her, and she recognized the feeling as different from anything she felt around Suyo.
• Bai Lili realized she might be falling for Qiji, though he was not Suyo.

Qiji saved Bai Lili from a devastating blood arrow by using the mask’s Echo, and the onlookers grew curious when she ended up wearing half his mask. The danger passed, but Bai Lili’s embarrassment and the viewers’ excitement over Qiji’s hidden face remained.

• Qiji split his mask and used [Blurring of Illusion and Reality] on himself and Bai Lili as the blood arrow struck them.
• The blood arrow passed through Qiji and Bai Lili, then blasted a huge crater into the ground, but both emerged unharmed.
• The crowd noticed Bai Lili wearing half of Qiji’s mask and wondered why she was blushing.
• Bai Lili reflexively stopped Qiji from taking back the mask, then apologized and let him remove it.
• Qiji rejoined the mask halves and confirmed that [Lie] was still in effect.
• Viewers flooded the broadcast with comments demanding to see Qiji’s face.

After Qiji rescued Bai Lili, Liuli pulled her away from him and guarded against further contact, while the girls eagerly questioned Bai Lili about Qiji’s concealed face. The chapter ended with Setsuna staying alert, aware that the attacker behind the blood arrow remained hidden.

• Bai Lili realized she had shared an indirect kiss with Qiji and, when he asked, decided the rescue had been worth the money.
• Liuli confronted Qiji for holding the engaged Bai Lili, then caught Bai Lili when she lost her balance and shielded her from him.
• Liuli thanked Bai Lili for saving her, while privately resenting that Bai Lili had interrupted her attempt to die.
• The girls asked Bai Lili about Qiji’s face, and she said he was even more handsome than the idol Yile.
• Setsuna remained wary, recognizing that the source of the blood arrow was still unknown and could attack again.

Qiji and Class Eight survived the attack, and Liuli took back the Sword of No Thought, explaining that it needed special care. After Qiji revealed he had cleared the canyon of Void Beasts, the caravan returned to search for its lost cargo.

• Qiji told Setsuna the hidden enemy had stopped attacking because Yuejian was gone.
• Liuli asked Qiji for the Sword of No Thought and explained that her family had to restore its power and that Qiji could borrow it from her when needed.
• Class Eight completed the mission with no student deaths, but three caravan members had died, seven were seriously injured, and most of the cargo was lost.
• Qiji told the caravan boss he had already dealt with the Void Beasts in the canyon, giving him hope of recovering some cargo.
• Qiji and the others returned to the canyon, where the caravan members and Class Eight students searched among the wreckage.

After completing the escort mission, Qiji learned that the caravan owner's injured friend had died and took his sister Xiwang out for a late-night meal. A viewer's gift revealed that the livestream had gained a tipping feature that converted gifts into Popularity Points and stored revenue in Qiji's channel backend.

• Qiji refused the caravan owner's extra money, saying he would accept only the payment agreed upon for the mission.
• At the outpost, Qiji learned that the siblings' father had died before they could see him, and he comforted the grieving caravan owner.
• Qiji came home near dawn and, after claiming he had not eaten, invited Xiwang to celebrate his mission pay at a restaurant.
• Qiji covered the menu prices so Xiwang could order freely, while viewers praised him and one viewer gifted him a plane.
• Qiji checked the livestream system and discovered new features for converting tips into Popularity Points and storing tip revenue in his channel backend.

Qiji set all livestream tips to go to charity, earning a surge of Popularity Points before training through the night. Huomu and Setsuna sought him out to ask for help getting stronger, and Qiji answered their early-morning knock.

• Qiji directed all future tips to Blue Star charities, prompting viewers to send gifts and raising his Popularity Points by fifty thousand during dinner with his sister.
• After ending the stream, Qiji pushed himself to train until daylight despite his exhaustion.
• Huomu and Setsuna discussed asking Qiji to teach them how to become stronger, and Huomu proposed kneeling to persuade him.
• Setsuna refused to kneel and decided to invite Qiji for a meal to repay her debt to him.
• Qiji hurried home, showered, and pretended to have been asleep when Huomu and Setsuna knocked; Huomu begged him to agree to her request.

Huomu asked Qiji to teach him how to get stronger, convinced that Qiji could solve what he could not. At the training ground, Qiji's special training stalled as the two stared at each other, and Huomu returned with breakfast for Qiji and addressed him as “Master.”

• Huomu tried to kneel before Qiji and begged him to help him grow stronger, so Qiji agreed to guide him.
• Huomu explained that he had concluded he was an idiot and trusted Qiji to find a way to make him stronger; Qiji praised his reasoning while Setsuna was bewildered.
• Qiji led Huomu and Setsuna to the training ground, where he tried to assume a wise mentor's pose before teaching him.
• Qiji and Huomu stared at each other for several minutes while Setsuna left to buy breakfast and returned with soy milk and fried dough sticks.
• Huomu went to buy his own breakfast, then offered Qiji salty soy milk and called him “Master,” making Qiji stop him.

Qiji tried to guide Huomu toward awakening his potential by arguing that Heart Essence could be used without an Echo, though he disguised his own uncertainty behind confident advice. Huomu and Setsuna took his words to heart and began practicing on their own.

• Qiji accepted Huomu's savory soy milk and planned a way to help him grow stronger.
• Huomu said he wanted to awaken an Echo, and Qiji warned him to discover his own power rather than rely on outside guidance.
• Qiji challenged the belief that Heart Essence needed an Echo and asked Huomu what he felt when protecting something; Huomu described a sense of heat.
• Qiji told Huomu to keep experimenting by himself, then went to sleep while Huomu practiced energetically.
• Setsuna doubted her understanding, decided to test Qiji's claims through practice, and stood before a training dummy.

Qiji encouraged Huomu to keep practicing Flame Fist through repetition, and Huomu finally awakened his Heart Essence and broke a training dummy with a fiery punch. The chapter left Huomu having mastered the technique's first breakthrough.

• Qiji woke in the evening and found Huomu and Setsuna discouraged after failing to make progress in training.
• Huomu admitted he feared he lacked the talent to learn the advanced technique, and Qiji told him that persistence mattered more than talent.
• Qiji urged Huomu to channel his frustration and determination into repeated punches against a training dummy.
• Huomu recalled his helplessness during the Metal-Rending Battle Eagle attack and resolved to become strong enough to protect everyone.
• Huomu felt his Heart Essence for the first time and struck the dummy with Flame Fist, snapping it in half with an explosive burst of fire.

Huomu successfully used [Flame Fist] under Qiji’s guidance, moving Huomu to tears and inspiring Setsuna to train harder. When Qiji urged Huomu to repeat the technique so he could learn its workings, Huomu failed to summon the flames again and panicked.

• Huomu landed a powerful [Flame Fist] on a training dummy, and Qiji praised his achievement.
• Huomu remembered Qiji’s support and felt overwhelming gratitude toward him.
• Setsuna admired Qiji’s teaching and encouragement, then resolved to improve herself by practicing the punch.
• Qiji urged Huomu to repeat [Flame Fist], hoping to observe how he used his Heart Essence and learn the technique himself.
• Huomu tried several more punches, but produced no flames and turned to Qiji in confusion.

Qiji encouraged Huomu to analyze and report on how he had used Flame Fist, partly to help him learn and partly to study the power himself. He then watched the newly released episodes, where his spectacular fights and compassionate moments boosted his popularity, while Yuejian also drew attention with his Armament.

• Qiji told Huomu to review the details of his successful Flame Fist and write him a report, and Huomu trusted his advice.
• Qiji admitted that he wanted to learn Flame Fist because he feared unexpected plot changes and wanted to grow stronger before awakening his Echo.
• Huomu and Setsuna finished training, and Qiji declined Setsuna's dinner invitation because he wanted to watch the new episodes.
• Qiji watched episode four, where his stand against the beast tide and his sword fighting captivated viewers.
• Yuejian's Armament stole some of Qiji's attention in episode five, but Qiji regained viewers with his brutal kills.
• Episode six highlighted Qiji rescuing the group, defeating the Gold-Hunting War Eagle, and showing kindness toward children while explaining what makes a hero.

After Qiji’s masked reveal was cut off at the end of episode six, Echo’s popularity and Qiji’s channel surged, earning him a large number of Popularity Points. As Yuejian gained fans and rivalries sparked online, Qiji decided to improve his abilities, then discovered a system update that added recording and optimized livestream mode.

• Episode six ended just as Qiji removed his mask, sending viewers to his personal channel to search for the uncut scene and driving his popularity to the top of the rankings.
• Qiji received 199,991 Popularity Points from episodes four through six, bringing his total to 580,000.
• Yuejian’s debut with the God of the Moon Scroll boosted Lao Yue’s channel, and fans of Yuejian and Qiji began arguing online.
• Qiji watched Yuejian’s fights and set goals to learn Huomu’s Flame Fist, awaken his own Echo, and develop an impressive Armament.
• The system added a recording function and optimized livestream mode to address the time difference between the anime world and Blue Star.

Qiji spent a month cultivating in the rift and repeatedly battered the Iron Wall Turtles while trying to master Flame Fist. When he rushed to stop the turtles from mating, his mask awakened and his Flame Fist erupted with overwhelming power, leaving him realizing his training had finally paid off.

• Qiji chose recording mode so the system could compile the most valuable footage into a livestream.
• Qiji planned to reveal his mask and summon his Echo at the upcoming Echo Academy joint first-year competition.
• Qiji skipped most classes for a month and relentlessly trained against the Iron Wall Turtles in the rift.
• The surviving Iron Wall Turtles began breeding frantically, and Qiji returned from dinner to find them mating on the riverbank.
• Qiji charged into the turtle crowd, and the silver lines on his mask glowed and formed crimson flame patterns.
• Qiji unleashed a vastly stronger Flame Fist that engulfed his body and burned nearby Iron Wall Turtles to ash.

After a month of training, Qiji used the Mask of Miracles to master Flame Fist and discover that it could convert his attributeless Heart Essence into other elements. He defeated the Iron Wall Turtles with his new techniques, then rested, satisfied with his progress but still determined not to lose to Huomu.

• Qiji realized the Mask of Miracles had transformed his Heart Essence into fire attribute in response to his persistent hope, allowing him to master Flame Fist.
• Qiji directed his hope toward another power, and the mask enabled him to develop Thunder Fist.
• Qiji fought the Iron Wall Turtles with Flame Fist, Thunder Fist, Ice Fist, Storm Fist, and Haymaker, defeating them all.
• Qiji noticed that converting his Heart Essence into different attributes consumed it quickly, but decided the techniques were powerful enough to serve as trump cards.
• Qiji collapsed to rest after his month of training and reflected on his gains, while remaining determined not to lose to Huomu.

Qiji returned to Echo Academy and learned that Suyo had challenged him to a fight in their joint practical combat class. As the crowd eagerly awaited the masked geniuses’ showdown and Qiji’s supposed handsome face, Qiji entered Class Eight, ready to defeat Suyo.

• Qiji arrived at Class Eight and asked Cao E why students were expecting a fight between him and Suyo.
• Cao E explained that Suyo had challenged Qiji after students compared him unfavorably to Qiji following his harsh rejection of Bai Lili.
• Qiji decided he would beat Suyo, partly because Suyo had made Bai Lili cry and because the match could boost Qiji’s popularity.
• Cao E said she hoped Qiji would lose so she could see Suyo’s face, and Qiji revealed his identity by answering her in person.
• The crowd recognized Qiji, welcomed him excitedly, and parted to let him enter the classroom.