Chapter Summaries

After a sudden Black Tide defense response sealed the residential complex, Cheng Sheng returned home and clashed with his resentful sister, Cheng Yue. He received a message from his mother confirming the danger and was left wondering what the Black Tide was.

• Cheng Sheng ran through the downpour as the city sealed the complex gates under a level-two Black Tide defense response.
• Cheng Sheng returned to the dark apartment and found Cheng Yue watching television without responding to him.
• Cheng Yue angrily blamed Cheng Sheng for wasting family resources and stormed into her room.
• Cheng Sheng reflected on his recent transmigration and his predecessor's strained relationship with Cheng Yue.
• Cheng Sheng received a text from Wu Li telling him to stay home, care for Cheng Yue, and take the Black Tide seriously.
• Cheng Sheng entered his bedroom and wondered what the Black Tide was.

Cheng Sheng investigated the Black Tide online and watched videos showing a horned python emerging from floodwater and a shadow killing people and destroying buildings in Qingsha City. The videos disappeared, leaving him to wonder whether the attacks marked the Black Tide’s arrival as he recalled that it was moving inward around Nantu.

• Cheng Sheng searched online for information about the Black Tide while rain fell outside his apartment.
• Cheng Sheng watched a video of a gigantic black, horned, winged python appearing in a flooded village as black mist rose from the water.
• Cheng Sheng watched footage from Sucha Street in Qingsha City in which a blurry black shadow struck tourists and destroyed nearby stalls and buildings.
• Cheng Sheng found that the rest of the links shared by [Cai] had gone dead and learned they had come from the Dark Forum.
• Cheng Sheng reflected on the Black Tide’s monsters, its ability to swallow living creatures, and its gradual contraction toward Nantu.

Cheng Sheng examined the Book of Warlocks and learned that its first page described an initiation ritual involving a sacrifice and a bargain with a demon. Despite the ritual’s danger and the physical toll of reading the book, he decided to try it once the rain stopped.

• Cheng Sheng recalled the Black Tide’s danger and considered the forbidden video clips he had seen.
• Cheng Sheng discovered that the Book of Warlocks contained instructions for a warlock initiation ritual and suffered nausea, pain, and a nosebleed while reading it.
• Cheng Sheng learned that the ritual would let him communicate with demons in the Abyss of Taboo and exchange a sacrifice for power.
• Cheng Sheng weighed the ritual’s risks against the dangers shown in the videos and decided to prepare its materials after the rain stopped.

After waking to a seemingly ordinary morning, Cheng Sheng learned that many people had died on Sucha Street, though the deaths were unrelated to the black tide. He brushed off his mother Wu Li’s concerns about his future and headed to an arcade, where he lost a fighting game to a friend.

• Cheng Sheng woke to find his father, Cheng Shuisheng, and sister, Cheng Yue, at home while his mother, Wu Li, prepared breakfast.
• Wu Li told Cheng Sheng that two Golden Valley Travel Agency tour groups had died on Sucha Street, while delays had kept her and Cheng Shuisheng’s groups from being there.
• When Cheng Sheng asked whether the black tide had caused the deaths, Wu Li said it had nothing to do with the black tide, then urged him to consider repeating the exam or seeking help from his cousin Kang Chong.
• Cheng Sheng declined Wu Li’s suggestions, left the house, and headed out after checking his phone messages.
• At an arcade, Cheng Sheng lost a game of Jin Mengkong to a teenager in a plaid shirt and offered to buy him a soda.

Cheng Sheng learned that A Bang had left to study Curses after Pei Na rejected him, then went with Song Cai toward Sucha Street to investigate the Black Tide. At a police blockade, they discovered that authorities blamed a wanted human suspect for the deaths, leaving Cheng Sheng wondering what kind of person could have caused the destruction in the video.

• Cheng Sheng and Song Cai discussed A Bang, who had left with his family to study Curses after Pei Na rejected his confession.
• Song Cai asked Cheng Sheng what he planned to do after failing the entrance exam, but Cheng Sheng brushed off the question and headed to Sucha Street.
• A tuk-tuk driver stopped Cheng Sheng and Song Cai at a police blockade sealing off Kunsha District.
• The driver said a wanted criminal had killed many people, while Song Cai wondered whether the Black Tide was responsible.
• Cheng Sheng photographed the wanted notice and wondered whether its human suspect was the powerful black figure from the video.

After witnessing the aftermath of the Sucha Street murders, Cheng Sheng resolved to gain supernatural abilities and began gathering materials for the sorcerer initiation ritual. He bought silver powder but still needed blood and had yet to decide where to perform the ritual or what to sacrifice.

• Cheng Sheng dismissed the likelihood that the wanted notice was fake and decided he needed powers to protect himself from supernatural threats.
• Song Cai invited Cheng Sheng to return to their martial arts school, and Cheng Sheng agreed to go with him the next day.
• Cheng Sheng left Song Cai behind to shop, and Song Cai accepted a tuk-tuk driver's offer to take him to Qingsha City's red-light district.
• Cheng Sheng bought two hundred grams of silver powder for the initiation ritual, spending nearly all his remaining money.
• Cheng Sheng realized he still needed blood from himself, a black crow, and a black goat, and considered how to obtain the goat's blood.

Cheng Sheng arranged supplies and a hidden location for a demonic ritual, then considered using plants as a living sacrifice after his black book training. The next morning, Song Cai told him something that left him visibly unsettled as they headed to martial arts training.

• Cheng Sheng found a farm that might provide fresh black goat meat and chose the abandoned classrooms behind his old high school as the ritual site.
• He studied the black book’s sacrifice categories and considered a living sacrifice, but could not decide what offerings to use.
• Cheng Yue came home late smelling faintly of alcohol, brushed off Cheng Sheng’s concern, and shut herself in her room.
• Cheng Sheng completed his painful black book reading training and wondered whether plants could serve as a living sacrifice.
• Song Cai arrived late for martial arts training, admitted to his indulgence the previous night, and told Cheng Sheng something that made Cheng Sheng board a minibus without responding.

Cheng Sheng accompanied Song Cai to the Black Killing Boxing Gym outside Qingsha City, where Song Cai planned to train and Cheng Sheng observed the gym and its instructors. The chapter ended with them beginning their workout under Songpa’s watch.

• Song Cai invited Cheng Sheng to visit a local establishment, but Cheng Sheng asked to borrow two thousand Nan to buy sheep, and Song Cai refused.
• Cheng Sheng and Song Cai rode a minibus from Qingsha City to Banba and walked through a muddy rubber plantation to the Black Killing Boxing Gym.
• Song Cai greeted the gym’s pet elephant, Dongni, while Cheng Sheng privately considered whether an elephant could serve as a live sacrifice.
• Cheng Sheng and Song Cai entered the gym’s training ground, greeted instructor Songpa, and hurried off to train.
• Cheng Sheng noticed Songpa’s crocodile tattoo and recalled that it marked a formal disciple of the crocodile-worshipping Black Killing Boxing Gym.

Cheng Sheng trained intensely at the Black Killing Boxing Gym, building his stamina and learning its basic fighting techniques while Song Cai repeatedly tried to leave early. After staying late and nearly missing the minibus in a downpour, Cheng Sheng received an umbrella from Songpa and made it home.

• Cheng Sheng ran the sandpit course and dragged tires, then spent the morning training while Song Cai rested.
• At lunch, Song Cai gave Cheng Sheng his food and left early, and Cheng Sheng stayed for the afternoon session.
• Cheng Sheng practiced fighting techniques on his own and mastered the gym’s basic moves, despite hurting his hands on the punching posts.
• Cheng Sheng trained until after the other trainees had left and realized he might miss the minibus in the rain.
• Songpa told Cheng Sheng to arrive earlier the next day and gave him an umbrella, and Cheng Sheng caught the bus home after slipping on the muddy road.

Cheng Sheng’s black-book-enhanced learning helped him progress quickly at the Black Killing Boxing Gym, though his physical conditioning remained his main weakness. After witnessing Zhou Wenye pressure Sulai and intimidate Badan, Cheng Sheng received a call that excited him and hurried out of the gym.

• Cheng Sheng settled into a routine of traveling to the gym each day, while his parents supported his boxing practice.
• Ten days later, Sulai praised Cheng Sheng’s mastery of the Black Killing Style’s basics but told him to improve his physical conditioning after his spar with Badan.
• Zhou Wenye interrupted Sulai’s coaching, pressured Badan to step aside, and drew Cheng Sheng’s resentment as he monopolized Sulai’s attention.
• Cheng Sheng received a phone call, reacted with excitement, and rushed out after asking Badan to tell Coach Su he had to leave.

Cheng Sheng collected black goat blood and gathered supplies for a ritual that had to be completed within two hours. On his way to the back of Qingsha City No. 3 Middle School, he saw his younger sister Cheng Yue get into a red jeep but chose to keep going.

• Cheng Sheng rushed through heavy rain to a farm and obtained black goat blood from a slaughtered goat.
• Cheng Sheng hired the motorcycle taxi driver to take him to several more places, carrying the blood and ritual supplies.
• Cheng Sheng arrived at Qingsha City No. 3 Middle School near dismissal time and headed toward the back of the school.
• A red jeep splashed mud on Cheng Sheng, and he recognized Cheng Yue getting into it.
• Cheng Sheng considered calling Cheng Yue but dismissed the thought and continued toward the back of the school.

Cheng Sheng entered Qinghe No. 3 Middle School’s abandoned campus and prepared a ritual from the Black Book, using blood and a cage of sparrows as sacrifices. As he began the incantation, the spell seized control of his voice and body, and his blood crept toward the array.

• Cheng Sheng crawled through a gap in the campus wall and entered the abandoned classroom building during a storm.
• He prepared a ritual array using materials from his backpack, slaughtered a crow for its blood, and cut his own palm.
• Cheng Sheng placed a cage of sparrows at the center of the array and lit candles at the points of its six-pointed star.
• The Black Book revealed an incantation, and Cheng Sheng found himself chanting it against his will as his mental power drained.
• Cheng Sheng’s wound reopened, and his blood dripped across the floor toward the ritual array.

Cheng Sheng completed the ritual that made him a Forbidden Apprentice and discovered that the Primordial Mark let him draw power from the Abyss. After finding no obvious reward from his first sacrifice, he noticed a drop of water fall from the showerhead.

• Cheng Sheng completed the Dark Sacrifice ritual, endured intense pain, and collapsed as the sparrows vanished from their cage.
• Cheng Sheng returned home, washed off the blood, and found that his injured left hand had healed completely.
• Cheng Sheng sensed a gray-white Primordial Mark beside the Book of Warlocks and learned he had become a Forbidden Apprentice.
• Cheng Sheng learned that warlocks strengthened their Primordial Marks by absorbing souls and borrowing power from demons, but that these contracts deepened their bond with the Abyss.
• Cheng Sheng wondered what reward he had received for sacrificing more than two hundred sparrows, searched his body without finding any changes, and heard a drop of water fall from the showerhead.

After sacrificing over two hundred sparrows, Cheng Sheng discovered that his reactions and charm had improved, and he suspected a powerful demon was acting as his intermediary. At the Black Killing Boxing Gym, his new reflexes helped him evade Badan, and he considered seeking strength from a future sacrifice.

• Cheng Sheng dodged falling water drops and realized his reactions had become much faster after sacrificing sparrows.
• Cheng Sheng suspected sacrifice rewards depended on the creature offered and considered testing the idea in a future ritual.
• Cheng Sheng noticed his increased charm and wondered if a succubus had become his intermediary demon.
• At the Black Killing Boxing Gym, Cheng Sheng repeatedly dodged Badan’s punches and helped pull him back from falling into the mud.
• Cheng Sheng concluded that his reactions were strong but his physical power was lacking, so he planned to sacrifice a creature with strength.

Cheng Sheng considered how to find a strong creature for his next sacrifice but could not afford a crocodile. At the gym, he heard about an upcoming assessment that could make him a formal disciple of the Black Killing Boxing Gym.

• Cheng Sheng decided he needed a respectable sacrifice and considered an adult crocodile, but his lack of money made buying one impossible.
• Song Cai asked Cheng Sheng to lend him money for A Yu's birthday phone, and Cheng Sheng suspected Song Cai was being taken advantage of.
• Songpa announced that the Black Killing Boxing Gym would hold an assessment for formal disciples the following week.
• Badan explained that formal disciples could learn the Black Killing Style's core techniques, stop paying tuition, and receive a monthly allowance.

Cheng Sheng decided to enter the Black Killing Boxing Gym's formal disciple assessment, but the registration fee and fierce competition made him worry about money and preparation. After Wu Li gave him money, he trained on his own and began considering how to perform a second sacrifice, until he spotted Cheng Yue.

• Badan warned Cheng Sheng that veteran students would return for the assessment, then said he would sign up himself.
• Cheng Sheng learned from Song Cai that registration cost a thousand and called Wu Li, who agreed to give him money.
• On the ride home, Cheng Sheng decided he needed another sacrifice to improve his chances of passing the assessment.
• Wu Li gave Cheng Sheng money for the registration fee and nutrition, and he began practicing at a coconut tree instead of the crowded gym.
• Cheng Sheng trained with his unusually fast reactions, used falling coconuts for water, and worried that he had no offering for a second sacrifice.
• Cheng Sheng spotted Cheng Yue in the park and stood up as an idea came to him.

Cheng Sheng confronted Cheng Yue about skipping school and her new phone, then rushed to Pawan District after Song Cai called for help. He found Song Cai being humiliated in a back room and prepared to pay for his release.

• Cheng Sheng followed Cheng Yue home and asked why she had skipped school.
• Cheng Sheng seized Cheng Yue's expensive new phone and demanded to know where she had gotten the money, but Cheng Yue snatched it back and left after insulting him.
• Song Cai called Cheng Sheng in tears and asked for help, so Cheng Sheng went to Pawan District to pay for his release.
• Rooster Comb let Cheng Sheng into the shop and led him to a room where a tattooed man, A Yu, and the battered Song Cai were waiting.
• Song Cai tried to approach Cheng Sheng, but the tattooed man ordered him to stay put.

Cheng Sheng went to Pawan to rescue Song Cai, who had been detained by a gang demanding a hundred thousand Nan Currency. He used his speed to frighten the gang, took Song Cai’s new phone and the men’s money, and led him out before they could call for help.

• Cheng Sheng confronted the scripture-tattooed man, who demanded a hundred thousand Nan Currency to release Song Cai.
• Cheng Sheng mocked the demand, then swiftly took the man’s switchblade and stabbed the table between his fingers without injuring him.
• Cheng Sheng took Song Cai’s new phone and the money from A Yu’s bag, slapping her when she tried to reclaim it.
• Cheng Sheng made the scripture-tattooed man and the mohawk hand over everything in their pockets.
• Cheng Sheng called Song Cai to leave, and Song Cai followed while still carrying his red piss bucket.

After rescuing Song Cai from trouble with the Red Ba Gang, Cheng Sheng used the money he had taken from the gang members to plan a sacrifice involving a crocodile. When the Black Tide closed train service and the farm’s purchase requirements ruined his plan, he found a fierce black goat instead and prepared to sacrifice it.

• Cheng Sheng returned Song Cai’s phone, warned him to keep a low profile, and sent him off to return the phone and stolen money.
• Cheng Sheng counted the money he had taken and planned to buy a farm-raised crocodile in Balai City for a sacrifice.
• Cheng Sheng learned that a level-three Black Tide response had suspended trains and that the crocodile farm required a guarantor and advance order.
• Cheng Sheng bought a powerful black billy goat for 2,800 Nan Currency and carried it to the abandoned school building.
• Cheng Sheng bound the goat in the third classroom, took out a boning knife, and prepared to perform a more perfect sacrifice.

Cheng Sheng performed a Dark Sacrifice with the injured black goat, which transformed and was dragged into a black puddle before a force surged through his body. After cleaning the classroom and leaving, he failed to notice something watching him from a classroom in the teaching building; at home, he examined himself in the mirror after showering.

• Cheng Sheng wounded the black goat and used its blood to draw the sacrificial array.
• Cheng Sheng recited the incantation, and the transformed goat approached him before reacting in terror and sinking into the black puddle.
• Cheng Sheng endured an intense physical transformation after the sacrifice and then cleaned the classroom.
• Something watched Cheng Sheng leave through a crack in a third-floor classroom door.
• Cheng Sheng showered at home and carefully examined himself in the bathroom mirror.