Chapter Summaries

The attack on the banquet ended after the Immortal Palace Assassin helped drive off Monet and the surviving Cards Assassins. Ren Suo treated the wounded and returned home exhausted, leaving an unresolved thought for tomorrow.

• Monet recognized that the assassination had failed, then used his paintbrush to help the surviving Cards Assassins escape through the windows.
• Yu Kuangtu ordered the Countermeasure Cultivators to pursue the assassins and treat the wounded, while the Immortal Palace Assassin refused to speak with them and vanished after borrowing a cigarette.
• Ren Suo treated the wounded alongside Qiao Muyi and noticed that his bonds with her, Dong Chengling, and Bai Ji had increased.
• The Countermeasures Bureau and Yuan Chu organized cleanup and instructed the teachers to keep the attack confidential until negotiations were complete.
• Zhao Huo helped Ren Suo leave the banquet, and Dong Chengling accompanied them to Ren Xingmei, who took her exhausted brother home.
• Ren Suo went to bed after telling Ren Xingmei she could stay, deciding to sleep and deal with whatever he had forgotten the next day.

After the banquet-hall battle, Ren Xingmei worried over Ren Suo and tried to comfort him, while Gu Yueyan and Lin Xianyu bickered over their friends. The next morning, Ren Xingmei mistook Ren Suo’s forced training for survivor’s guilt, and he continued following the Little World Game Console’s exhausting exercise plan.

• Ren Xingmei learned the criminals had been repelled, waited for Ren Suo to return, and told her friends that he and Teacher Dong were safe.
• Ren Xingmei reflected on her friendships and her bond with Ren Suo before falling asleep.
• Gu Yueyan denied being upset about Ren Xingmei calling Ren Suo hers, while Lin Xianyu teased her and begged to borrow her advanced mathematics notes.
• Ren Xingmei woke to hear heavy breathing, found Ren Suo doing push-ups, and assumed he was training because he felt guilty about not fighting on the front line.
• Ren Xingmei comforted Ren Suo and supported his training, while Ren Suo continued the exhausting exercise routine assigned by the Little World Game Console.

Ren Suo endured three days of forced exercise, study, and cultivation, completing a Quadruple Revolution while his friends visited. Bai Ji and Dong Chengling explained that they had a conjectural technique for advancing to the Third Cycle, leaving Ren Suo and Zhao Huo to consider whether to trust it.

• Zhao Huo visited Ren Suo and learned that he had been cultivating continuously for three hours, while Dong Chengling said he was completing a Triple Revolution.
• Ren Suo finished a Quadruple Revolution, eagerly asked Bai Ji for work, and learned that Bai Ji and Dong Chengling had come to discuss a technique for advancing to the Third Cycle.
• Qin Lian, Gu Yueyan, and Lin Xianyu joined Ren Xingmei and the teachers for the visit, and Bai Ji explained that the advancement technique was still an unconfirmed conjecture.
• Ren Suo and Zhao Huo agreed to hear Bai Ji and Dong Chengling out, with Ren Suo saying that he trusted them.

Bai Ji explained how mastering an ordinary spell before advancing to the Third Cycle could strengthen it, and Ren Suo realized he had to train in Gauze Garment. The chapter ended with him being forced to roll down the back mountain as part of his cultivation, sparking an academy ghost story.

• Bai Ji explained that cultivators who mastered an ordinary spell could have its meridians engraved into their Second Ring Qi Vortex and strengthened upon reaching the Third Cycle.
• Dong Chengling demonstrated her enhanced Spirit Vibration Technique, and Bai Ji advised the students to choose a useful spell to master before advancing.
• Ren Suo abruptly left the gathering to resume cultivation, while Dong Chengling sensed he was troubled but decided not to disturb him.
• Ren Suo tried to escape the mysterious force controlling his training, but it made him use Gauze Garment while rolling down the back mountain.
• Ren Suo's anguished cries frightened young couples on the mountain, and the academy later turned the incidents into a ghost story about a twisted single dog.

Ren Suo reviewed the Countermeasures Bureau’s report on the September 12 assassination and found that foreign powers had backed Cards’ attempt to kill Kallen. He sent back his comments, which Yu Kuangtu dismissed, then took comfort in having only four more days of painful training left.

• Yu Kuangtu called Ren Suo to ask him to review the Countermeasures Bureau’s report on the September 12 assassination.
• Ren Suo read that Cards had organized foreign assassins to kill Kallen, that Ink Guest could seize Awakened Spells, and that Sterly Gule had attacked the assassins before escaping.
• Ren Suo crossed out rumors about the Immortal Palace Assassin, added his own comment, and returned the revised report to the Countermeasures Bureau.
• Yu Kuangtu crossed out Ren Suo’s comment, dismissing it as unsupported speculation.
• Ren Suo went to bed and reminded himself that he had only four more days of grueling training to endure.

A Hong Kong City businesswoman noticed that four suspicious men had entered the Mainland disguised as Hong Kong residents, then spotted a glowing nine-tailed fox girl on a rooftop in Lianjiang. The girl jumped out of sight, while a small animal secretly hid beneath the woman’s bed.

• The young woman crossed the border with four strange middle-aged men, one of whom struggled to understand the immigration form and claimed to be from Hong Kong City.
• On the coach to Lianjiang, the young woman picked up Bai Zhu’s travel permit, but he broke free from her grasp and disappeared with the others after getting off.
• At her hotel, the young woman suspected the four men were foreign agents disguising themselves as Hong Kong City natives to bypass tightened visa rules.
• The young woman saw a glowing nine-tailed fox girl on a distant rooftop, became captivated by her, and screamed when the girl jumped out of sight.
• A small animal curled beneath the young woman’s bed and listened as she wondered whether she had hallucinated the fox girl.

After completing eight days of grueling cultivation, Ren Suo discovered that the mysterious energy no longer prevented him from resting or using his time freely. He went to sleep relieved, with plans to attend a convention the next day.

• Ren Suo finished his Quadruple Revolution cultivation after midnight and tested whether he could scroll through his social feed without restraint.
• Ren Suo celebrated his success by hugging Ren Xingmei and telling her he would never let the ordeal happen again.
• Zhao Huo invited Ren Suo to attend the convention and a buffet with their friends, and Ren Suo agreed to go.
• Ren Xingmei told Ren Suo that she and the other students had joined Teacher Dong's Ascetic Training Class early.
• Ren Suo received his cultivation settlement, mastered the spell gauze garment, and fell asleep after eight exhausting days.

Ren Suo went with Zhao Huo and their club to the Firefly Animation Game Carnival, where their group planned to perform a stage play. At the exhibition, a series of cosplayers and Zhao Huo’s appearance triggered Ren Suo’s realization that his impending crisis had arrived.

• Two cosplayers took a lost-looking white-haired girl to the comic exhibition after she said she was searching for her family among people who could fight and had animal ears.
• Ren Suo met Zhao Huo, and they drove to the convention center while Ren Suo read news about the suppressed attack on Heavenly Lotus Academy and other Transcendent-related stories.
• At the exhibition, Sun Shu warned that the university club Carp had Transcendents in its performance, but Zhao Huo remained confident that their group would outperform them.
• Zhao Huo threatened to tell the school he liked Ren Suo if Ren Suo wandered off, then stayed outside while the club members prepared his armor and costume.
• In the restroom, Ren Suo saw several cosplayers and struggled to grasp a troubling memory before Zhao Huo appeared in silver armor; Ren Suo cried, “You! Friend! Z!”

Mister Chuan visited the Secluded Path in Lianjiang and sensed something that convinced him to stay for another day. At a comic convention, Ren Suo confronted the gap between the fantasy world he remembered and its mundane real-world counterparts, then accepted that he would perform onstage.

• Mister Chuan examined the spot where the Immortal Palace Food God had set up his stall, then sensed something to the south and told his group to stay in Lianjiang for one day.
• Xiao Jiu’s fluffy ears and nine tails attracted two girls and a crowd of photographers, so the girls carried her away from the attention.
• Ren Suo and Zhao Huo walked through the convention, where Ren Suo heard people mock his Peking opera-inspired costume and pigtail wig.
• Ren Suo recognized convention shops as mundane versions of sinister places from the game and grew increasingly dispirited.
• Ren Suo’s Resolve Value rose as he approached the stage, and he accepted his role by declaring, “Already here.”

At the Firefly Comic Exhibition, Remnants’ combat-filled Dynasty Warriors play drew a huge crowd because the audience found its painted-face Zhang Fei handsome, eclipsing Carp Comic Club’s spectacular illusions. Xiao Jiu recognized Zhang Fei’s roar and left the two women who had been caring for her, saying she had found her family and would find her on her own.

• Carp Comic Club’s two Awakened performers, Xiao Yan and Bing Bing, used illusions to stage a universe-shattering battle and received enthusiastic applause.
• The host introduced Remnants’ Dynasty Warriors play, where a Transcendent playing Zhao Yun fought through the Cao Army with real weapons.
• Bing Bing discovered that the crowd around Remnants’ stage had grown larger than Carp’s audience, and spectators explained they were there because Zhang Fei was handsome.
• The tall girl and the Gothic girl tried to leave the convention with Xiao Jiu and take her to the police station, but Zhang Fei’s roar made Xiao Jiu recognize that her family was nearby.
• Xiao Jiu thanked the two women, said she would find her family herself, and disappeared from in front of them.

Ren Suo performed as Zhang Fei in a stage play, then discovered the Pure White Little Holy Grail had appeared in his pocket as a real item. The Little Nine-tailed Fox reunited with him, and Ren Suo’s resolve reached 100% as he committed to protecting her.

• Ren Suo used his abilities to repel the Cao Army and break the wooden bridge during the stage play.
• The audience praised Zhang Fei’s performance, leaving Zhao Huo stunned that Ren Suo had outshone him.
• Ren Suo found the Pure White Little Holy Grail in his pocket and realized that game characters equipped the physical originals of items.
• The Little Nine-tailed Fox appeared, tugged Ren Suo away from the crowd, and said she had come to play with him.
• Ren Suo recognized the bond between them, reached 100% Resolve Value, and made protecting the Little Nine-tailed Fox his goal.

Ren Suo reunited with Little Jiu at the comic exhibition and learned that fierce pursuers wanted to steal the clothes that let her take human form. He hid her in a women's restroom and discovered the feather from the game, then bought a red windbreaker after realizing how he would need to use it.

• Ren Suo recognized Little Jiu, who identified him by the Pure White Little Holy Grail and asked whether he was her family.
• Little Jiu told Ren Suo that pursuers were trying to steal her outfit and had chased her across the ground, sky, and a ship.
• Ren Suo promised to protect Little Jiu and sent her to hide in the innermost stall of a women's restroom.
• Ren Suo found the Magician Never Dies Standing Still Feather in his pocket and recalled how it was used in the game.
• Ren Suo entered a nearby anime merchandise shop and bought a red windbreaker.

Ren Suo ambushed Quest in a convention-center women's restroom and defeated him while protecting Little Jiu, but repeated high-speed movement left Ren Suo badly injured. After recovering enough to reassure Little Jiu, Ren Suo faced the prospect of fighting the two remaining Buriers.

• Four Buriers planned to capture the target at the convention, and Quest entered the women's restroom after using Fatal Deterrence to clear the area.
• Quest tracked the target to the innermost stall and was struck from behind by Ren Suo, whose attack pierced his Iron Armor.
• Quest fought back with Rock Fist, but Ren Suo taunted him and defeated him after using Magician Never Dies Standing Still Feather nine times.
• Ren Suo collapsed from severe injuries, and the Pure White Little Holy Grail and Pain Relief Therapy helped him recover while Little Jiu thanked him for protecting her.
• Ren Suo hid his tears from Little Jiu by insisting they were tears of joy and telling her to look how happily he was smiling.

Yu Kuangtu and Li Dan learned that Mister Chuan’s group was rushing to Pazhou because of the Immortal Palace. Meanwhile, Ren Suo used Little Jiu’s clothes to disguise himself and prepared to escape by sending a bloodstained clone out in his place.

• Yu Kuangtu refused to leave Li Dan alone outside the conference room, and Qiao Muyi joined their joking conversation about their futures.
• Mister Chuan told the bureau personnel that they had to rush to Pazhou because of the Immortal Palace.
• Little Jiu used her Phantom Blur ability to distort Ren Suo’s appearance and explained that she could not become invisible without losing her own sight.
• Ren Suo defeated a third Undertaker, gained more Resolve Value, and suppressed his pain by convincing himself he had become accustomed to it.
• Ren Suo summoned a clone, gave it his bloodstained clothes, and sent it out as a decoy while promising to summon it every day.

Roy entered the comic convention to seize the Supreme Treasure before its target could finish fusing with it, but his mission turned into a public confrontation with the Countermeasures Bureau. As Ren Suo prepared to leave, an absurdly dressed man kicked Roy aside, armed himself with two prop swords that displayed real elemental power, and announced that the Immortal Palace was conducting business.

• Roy saw that his Buriers had found the target and that the Supreme Treasure's aura was fading, so he entered the convention to capture her before she could fully fuse with it.
• A bloodied Red-Clothed Man taunted Roy about his Buriers, and Roy killed him with Black White Extreme Flash as he fled the convention hall.
• Yu Kuangtu and Mister Chuan confronted Roy, identified him as a Federation Burier, and tried to arrest him, but Roy charged toward the target.
• Ren Suo noticed the Clear Spring Echo ring on his hand and told Xiao Jiu they were ready to leave.
• A bizarrely dressed man kicked Roy away, picked up Frostmourne and Ashbringer, and announced that the Immortal Palace was conducting business.

Ren Suo escaped the convention with Xiao Jiu while an Immortal Palace explorer and the Countermeasures Bureau fought Roy and the Burials. As Ren Suo and Xiao Jiu left, they formed a mysterious bond, and the cloaked man suddenly sensed them near the exit.

• Ren Suo took the Burials' keys and led Xiao Jiu through the crowd, where visitors recognized him as an Immortal Palace explorer and began cheering.
• Aurora Roy lost his temper and unleashed White Light Waterfall at the crowd, but the explorer blocked the attack and urged visitors to leave safely.
• Roy summoned eight more Burials through the venue's broken windows, and Yu Kuangtu sent his team to intercept them while he incapacitated one with Phoenix Dive.
• Ren Suo and Xiao Jiu neared the exit in disguise, and Xiao Jiu asked to go home with him.
• Xiao Jiu's gift formed a new bond with Ren Suo despite her not being Awakened, and the cloaked man suddenly turned toward them from 145 meters away.

Roy’s mission to recover the Supreme Treasure failed after Three Thousand Li refused to cooperate, and the cloaked man revealed his connection to the Immortal Palace. Ren Suo learned that Little Jiu and the pangolin could sense each other through spellcasting and decided they should go home and put on more clothes.

• The Seeker of the Way and the cloaked man stopped Roy from reaching the convention entrance while Roy used his Black Mirror to block their attacks.
• The cloaked man remembered that he had once belonged to the Immortal Palace and said he would not cooperate with Roy; the Supreme Treasure’s red dot then disappeared.
• Roy introduced himself as Burial Master Roy and challenged the cloaked man, who revealed his name was Three Thousand Li and identified himself as part of the Great Wall.
• The Seeker of the Way declared that he would witness their duel, while Ren Suo learned about the scene through Clear Spring Echo.
• Ren Suo asked Little Jiu about her ability to sense the pangolin, and she explained that they could sense each other when casting spells but that she could sense him unilaterally after putting on clothes.
• Ren Suo decided to take Little Jiu home to put on more clothes, alarming nearby passersby.

Ren Suo and Little Jiu escaped the Exhibition Center without being inspected, and the mysterious energy within Ren Suo merged into his body as his Resolve Value reached 170%. Little Jiu said goodbye and vanished, ending the game, but Qiao Muyi soon found Ren Suo and angrily accused him of trying to scam her.

• The inspectors repeatedly assumed Ren Suo and Little Jiu had already been checked, allowing them to pass through the checkpoint unnoticed.
• As Ren Suo reached the sunlight outside, the mysterious energy inside him surged through his body and merged with his power, raising his Resolve Value to 170%.
• Little Jiu asked whether the bad guys were gone, then told Ren Suo she had recovered and wanted to leave; she reminded him of their promise before vanishing.
• Little Jiu's departure ended “My Knowledge Is Not Your Game” and restored Ren Suo's original appearance.
• Qiao Muyi and Team Seven found Ren Suo standing by the exit; when she patted his shoulder, he collapsed and twitched, prompting her team to assume she had attacked him.
• Qiao Muyi glared at Ren Suo and decided he had tried to scam her.

After Ren Suo broke free from the game's control, Qiao Muyi helped him recover while the Explorers defeated Roy, who fled from the Exhibition Center. Roy spotted four unusual people ahead and saw an opportunity to hinder his pursuers.

• Ren Suo's recovered body left him in pain, and Qiao Muyi helped him to a seat before returning to the fight.
• Ren Suo contacted the Explorers, and Zhao Huo and the anime club members remarked that Ren Suo's voice sounded especially pleasant.
• Roy crashed outside the Exhibition Center after the pangolin defeated him, and Ren Suo confirmed that Roy was trying to escape.
• An Explorer pursued Roy, who searched for a way to slow him down as he fled.
• Roy spotted a scholar in Hanfu, a muscular white-haired man, a jujube-chewing white-haired young man, and a bald child in a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Robe ahead.

Roy tried to use four strangers as hostages to escape the Explorer, but Yun Wangshu and Longevity subdued him. Yun Wangshu sought entry to the Immortal Palace and ended by claiming he was Ren Han’s lover.

• Yun Wangshu recognized the Explorer and explained that he and his companions had hurried to the exhibition after learning of Roy’s attack.
• Roy rushed at Yun Wangshu and Longevity to seize them, but they stopped him, shattered his Black Gloves, and restrained him with spiritual pressure.
• The Explorer arrived, and Ren Suo recognized Yun Wangshu from the fortune-telling stall and identified Little Baldy as the earth spirit.
• Yun Wangshu offered to hand Roy over in exchange for a favor, then asked to join the Immortal Palace or receive a cultivation method leading to eternity, but the Explorer refused.
• Yun Wangshu asked how to enter the Immortal Palace and whether he could meet Ren Han, and he claimed to be Ren Han’s lover.