Recaps

At Rongcheng First High School’s awakening ceremony, Ye Qingxue awakened an SSS-grade Ice and Snow World theme and an SSS-grade Snow Queen core card. Su Mu, whose soul power was the highest in the school, then awakened a core card depicting nothing but an ordinary stone, leaving his result unresolved.

• The students discussed the risks and costs of awakening as Su Mu recalled how dungeon themes had enabled humanity to fight immortal monsters.
• Ye Qingxue awakened the SSS-grade Snow Queen core card and the SSS-grade Ice and Snow World dungeon theme, stunning the crowd.
• Ye Qingxue looked to Su Mu with pride, while Li Ming encouraged him before his turn.
• Su Mu stepped onto the platform and touched the light card to awaken his core card.
• A plain white-bordered card appeared, depicting only an ordinary gray stone.

Su Mu awakened an ordinary F-rank stone core card, then triggered a spectacular phenomenon when he touched the stele and revealed the unclassifiable Journey to the West dungeon theme. Though everyone doubted the theme could work with his weak core card, Su Mu recognized the story from his life on Earth and realized the stone might have extraordinary potential.

• Su Mu awakened an F-rank stone core card, and the crowd mocked his prospects.
• Su Mu touched the stele to awaken his dungeon theme, causing a sky-spanning clash of gods and buddhas against demons.
• The stele revealed Su Mu's unique, Special-rank Journey to the West theme, which left the crowd unsure whether it was powerful or weak.
• Su Mu recognized Journey to the West from his life on Earth, a story unknown in this world.
• Su Mu looked at his stone card and recalled the miraculous stone from Journey to the West.

Su Mu refused funding from the three major groups to keep control of his Journey to the West dungeon, while Li Ming awakened an A-rank Biochemical War theme. Ye Qingxue offered Su Mu a place in her SSS-rank Ice and Snow World, but he declined, leaving her to insist that she had only wanted his dungeon-design skills.

• The host teacher announced that the school had secured interest from the three major groups in funding Su Mu’s special dungeon research, but Su Mu declined because the agreement would surrender control and disclose his research.
• Li Ming awakened an A-rank Biochemical Mothership theme and offered to support Su Mu through cooperative combat.
• Ye Qingxue challenged Li Ming’s claim that his technological dungeon could help Su Mu, then invited Su Mu to join her Ice and Snow World.
• Li Ming suspected Ye Qingxue meant to use Su Mu as a stepping stone, but Su Mu thanked her and declined because he had his own plans.
• Ye Qingxue started to leave, then told Su Mu not to get the wrong idea and said she had only thought his dungeon-design skills might be useful.

After turning down offers to team up, Su Mu reassured his loyal friend Li Ming that his dungeon design skills would help him overcome his F-rank core card. With the college entrance exam approaching, Su Mu returned to class and prepared to open his unique Journey to the West dungeon.

• Su Mu explained that joining Li Ming’s military-bound path would hold him back, and Li Ming reluctantly agreed to trust Su Mu’s plans.
• The principal dismissed the students and instructed them to design their dungeons before testing them at the north-gate trial nest.
• Li Ming described his plan to build a Biochemical War dungeon, while Su Mu kept his own design ideas to himself.
• Su Mu checked his information panel and saw that his Journey to the West dungeon remained unopened, then reviewed the steps for opening it with soul power.

Su Mu opened a dungeon space, shaped a barren mountain, and used names tied to Journey to the West to strengthen its core stone. He left the stone at D-rank and realized that naming alone would not be enough to recreate Sun Wukong’s origins.

• Su Mu spent soul power to open a one-square-kilometer dungeon space and raise a barren mountain.
• Su Mu placed his F-rank stone core card on the mountain’s summit, where it appeared as an ordinary boulder.
• Su Mu named the mountain Flower-Fruit Mountain, and the stone gained spiritual charm and rose to E-rank.
• Su Mu named the stone Mending Heaven, transforming it into a D-rank Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven.
• Su Mu judged the stone’s rank far too low for Sun Wukong’s origins and recognized that naming alone was insufficient.

Su Mu realized that fully creating Flower-Fruit Mountain and the Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven would require far more soul power and a complete Journey to the West world. He concluded that he needed creature cards to give his dungeon combat power and set out to claim the card he had won from Rongcheng No. 1 High School.

• Su Mu confirmed that naming Flower-Fruit Mountain and the Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven had advanced his dungeon from F-rank to D-rank, though the creation remained incomplete.
• Su Mu checked his remaining 160 soul power and realized that building the mountain’s features and ecosystem would require still more resources.
• Su Mu identified creature cards and natural biological cycles as the only ways to add living things, and saw that he lacked both money and soul power.
• Su Mu decided to use his dungeon to fight monsters for resources, but recognized that it currently had no combat ability.
• Su Mu remembered winning a creature card below E-rank in a dungeon design competition and left the classroom to claim it from the school.

Principal Zhao Jianguo and the instructors reviewed Class Seven’s dungeon designs, praising several students’ promising work while criticizing basic construction mistakes. The discussion ended with them turning their attention to Su Mu, whose dungeon-design talent contrasted sharply with his F-grade stone core card.

• Zhao Jianguo reviewed Class Seven’s awakening data and warned that many students were making basic mistakes in their dungeon designs.
• An elderly instructor showed Ye Qingxue’s carefully constructed ice-and-snow maze, and Zhao Jianguo praised her efficient use of soul power.
• The teacher with glasses presented Wang Hao’s martial-soul dungeon, where six creature cards resonated with his Chaotic Hair Cloak Hammer core card.
• The female teacher praised Li Ming’s mature biowarfare framework, and Zhao Jianguo remarked that this year’s top students were promising.
• A teacher mentioned Su Mu’s dungeon-design talent and F-grade stone core card, prompting Zhao Jianguo to order the screen switched to him.

Su Mu named his desolate mountain Flower-Fruit Mountain and his core stone Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven, raising the stone from F-rank to D-rank. The teachers realized his affinity for the Journey to the West theme was extraordinary, but they doubted his dungeon could fight because its core was still a stone.

• Teachers watching Su Mu's dungeon criticized him for spending soul force on a mountain instead of creature cards, then remembered his family could not afford many cards.
• Su Mu named the desolate mountain Flower-Fruit Mountain, and the F-rank core stone rose to E-rank with improved attributes.
• Su Mu named the stone Mending Heaven, and it rose again to D-rank as Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven.
• Zhao Jianguo explained that Su Mu's upgrades showed an exceptionally strong affinity for the Journey to the West theme, possibly stronger than Ye Qingxue's affinity for the Ice and Snow World.
• The teachers noted that Su Mu's combat index had risen to 1,170 but concluded that his dungeon still lacked a way to deal damage.

Ye Qingxue completed her ice-themed territory with an exceptionally high combat rating and received enhanced access to the school's card inventory. Su Mu arrived to claim his promised low-rank creature card and began reviewing the limited options available to him.

• Ye Qingxue's completed ice territory displayed a combat power index above seventeen thousand, impressing the teachers.
• A teacher reported that Ye Qingxue had requested cards, and Principal Zhao approved an extra card and upgraded access for her.
• When Su Mu's request was mentioned, Principal Zhao authorized only the E-rank creature card the school had previously promised him.
• At the academic affairs office, Teacher Chen offered Ye Qingxue access to higher-rank cards but gave Su Mu a tablet listing only E- and F-rank cards.
• Su Mu sat apart from Ye Qingxue and browsed the school's creature-card inventory.

Su Mu chose the rare Little Mountain-Patrolling Demon for its potential to grow through Journey to the West’s demon-king mountain concepts, rather than selecting the Blue-Faced Ape. Wang Hao then claimed he wanted the same card and invoked his S-rank privileges, leaving Teacher Chen to decide whether Su Mu’s first choice would stand.

• Su Mu compared the Blue-Faced Ape’s long-term ecological potential with the Little Mountain-Patrolling Demon’s ability to gain strength by serving demon kings, then chose the demon card.
• Su Mu and Ye Qingxue approached Teacher Chen with their selections, but Wang Hao entered and announced that he wanted the Little Mountain-Patrolling Demon too.
• Teacher Chen told Wang Hao that Su Mu had chosen the card first and that school procedure favored Su Mu.
• Wang Hao argued that his S-rank privileges let him take the card and offered to let Su Mu choose another E-rank card, while glancing toward Ye Qingxue.
• Teacher Chen fell silent and looked to Su Mu as Su Mu realized Wang Hao was showing off in front of Ye Qingxue.

Wang Hao tried to assert his superiority over Su Mu and challenged him to a dungeon match, but Su Mu and Ye Qingxue insulted him instead. The chapter ended with Ye Qingxue asking Teacher Chen to register her card.

• Wang Hao resented Su Mu’s past achievements and felt his F-grade stone core card gave him a chance to outshine him.
• Su Mu called Wang Hao a dumbass, and Wang Hao held back from attacking him in front of Teacher Chen and Ye Qingxue.
• Wang Hao formally challenged Su Mu to a dungeon match and taunted him to accept.
• Su Mu recognized the challenge as a chance to win resources and prepared to provoke Wang Hao into setting stakes.
• Ye Qingxue echoed Su Mu’s insult, leaving Wang Hao stunned, then asked Teacher Chen to register her card.

After Ye Qingxue defended Su Mu, Wang Hao left the academic affairs office vowing to prove his superiority in the trial. Su Mu collected his registered card and parted ways with Ye Qingxue, who again clarified that she had invited him to her team for his dungeon design skills.

• Ye Qingxue cursed Wang Hao, who suppressed his anger and left, planning to defeat Su Mu in the trial and prove himself to her.
• Teacher Chen told Su Mu to collect his registered card from the storeroom, and Su Mu thanked him.
• Su Mu thanked Ye Qingxue in the hallway, and she insisted she had spoken up only because Wang Hao annoyed her.
• Su Mu and Ye Qingxue collected their cards from the storeroom: Su Mu took the Mountain-Patrolling Lesser Yaoguai, while Ye Qingxue took two trap cards and one element card.
• At a fork in the path, Ye Qingxue emphasized that she had invited Su Mu to her team because of his dungeon design skills, then left for the training grounds.

Su Mu placed an E-grade mountain-patrolling lesser demon in his Journey to the West dungeon and found that it fit the theme but did not belong on Flower-Fruit Mountain. He decided to give it a mountain of its own and thought of the famous lesser demon Little Drill Wind.

• Li Ming told Su Mu he had built a biochemical mothership and three barracks zones, raised his combat power index above nine thousand, and was heading to the North Gate Trial Grounds.
• Su Mu checked his dungeon and spent 30 soul power to place the mountain-patrolling lesser demon at the foot of Flower-Fruit Mountain.
• Su Mu confirmed the demon's attributes were unchanged and saw his dungeon combat power index rise from just over a thousand to just over seventeen hundred.
• Su Mu realized the lesser demon did not match Flower-Fruit Mountain and considered the soul power cost of transforming it into a monkey.
• Su Mu decided to give the demon a mountain of its own and settled on Little Drill Wind as his inspiration.

Su Mu built and named Lion Camel Ridge, then named the mountain-patrolling demon Little Drill Wind. The name transformed the demon from E-tier to A-tier, and Su Mu was left considering how much stronger a perfectly anchored concept could make him.

• Su Mu chose to establish Lion Camel Ridge and Little Drill Wind as the foundation for building the three demon kings later.
• Su Mu spent fifteen points of soul power constructing a steep, barren mountain east of Flower-Fruit Mountain, raising the dungeon combat index by 150.
• Su Mu moved the mountain-patrolling demon to the new mountain and named it Lion Camel Ridge, but the demon's attributes did not change.
• Su Mu named the demon Little Drill Wind, triggering a transformation that raised him from E-tier to A-tier and granted him new skills, including a currently unusable Call for Aid.
• Su Mu examined Little Drill Wind's powerful new attributes and wondered how much stronger the card could become if its appearance matched the concept perfectly.

Su Mu realized that minor characters were easier to strengthen through their concepts, then expanded and reshaped Lion Camel Ridge to make its connection to Little Drill Wind more complete. The chapter ended with Little Drill Wind’s A-rank card gaining stronger stats and a more imposing appearance.

• Su Mu concluded that minor characters like Little Drill Wind needed fewer concepts to complete than major figures like Sun Wukong.
• Su Mu decided to strengthen Little Drill Wind by building Lion Camel Ridge rather than spending soul power to alter his appearance.
• Su Mu spent seventy soul power expanding Lion Camel Ridge from one square kilometer to eight and shaping it into a mountain range.
• Su Mu spent another thirty-five soul power raising three peaks, forming a secluded hollow, and carving paths through the terrain.
• Su Mu saw Little Drill Wind gain faint scales and black mist around his saber, while his A-rank card showed a combat index of 10496.

Su Mu checked Little Drill Wind’s strengthened attributes and his dungeon’s combat power, while the school’s teachers judged his low ranking as evidence of his weak core card. The chapter left Zhao Jianguo and the teachers noticing something unusual in Su Mu’s data.

• Su Mu saw that Little Drill Wind’s attributes had nearly doubled after he expanded Lion Camel Ridge, though his own soul power had fallen to zero.
• Su Mu checked his dungeon combat power index of 13796 and recognized that Little Drill Wind accounted for most of its strength.
• Zhao Jianguo reviewed the school rankings and saw Su Mu in 178th place with a combat value of 1172.
• The teachers discussed Su Mu’s F-rank stone core card and doubted that his design could overcome its limitations.
• As the teachers prepared to leave for the trial grounds, the old mentor stopped them and pointed out Su Mu’s data.

Su Mu reshaped Lion Camel Ridge and used his naming method to raise the E-rank lesser yaoguai to peak A-rank, sending his combat value soaring. The teachers watched in disbelief as he continued expanding the terrain, leaving Little Drill Wind just short of S-rank attributes.

• Zhao Jianguo and the teachers watched Su Mu's ranking climb from 178th to 36th as he expanded Lion Camel Ridge and increased his combat value.
• The teachers criticized Su Mu for spending nearly all his soul power on terrain instead of cards that could fight monsters.
• Su Mu finished shaping Lion Camel Ridge into a defensive layout of three peaks, a deep valley, and mountain paths.
• Su Mu named the mountain-patrolling lesser yaoguai Little Drill Wind, transforming it from E-rank to A-rank with a combat value of 7172.
• Su Mu expanded Lion Camel Ridge again, raising his combat value past 10,000 and Little Drill Wind's attributes to the brink of S-rank.

The teachers discussed how Su Mu had raised an E-grade mountain-patrolling lesser demon card to peak A-grade by naming it Little Drill Wind, using his Journey to the West theme to bypass the usual expense and soul-power cost of embedding a high-grade card. They recognized his potential advantage while noting that his dungeon still relied on one creature and lagged behind students with complete combat systems.

• The teachers concluded that Su Mu's Journey to the West theme had raised his E-grade card three grades, a feat beyond even the school's SSS-grade theme awakening.
• The female teacher and director of studies warned that Su Mu had only Little Drill Wind, while Ye Qingxue and Wang Hao had multiple cards and more complete builds.
• The bespectacled teacher and old mentor explained that Su Mu had spent only thirty soul power embedding the base card, then used its compatibility with his theme to create an A-grade card without the usual cost or risk.
• The teachers realized Su Mu could potentially buy cheap low-grade cards and nurture them, though the old mentor said such growth depended on finding a suitable card and matching concept.
• The director of studies and old mentor noted that Su Mu still trailed Ye Qingxue and Wang Hao in combat power and lacked backup if Little Drill Wind fell.
• The bespectacled teacher suggested that Su Mu's growth could accelerate once he gained trial experience and resources to buy more compatible low-grade cards.

School officials and students reacted to Su Mu reaching fifth place on the leaderboard with a combat value of 13,796, largely thanks to Little Drill Wind. Zhao Jianguo recognized Su Mu’s deep command of the Journey to the West theme and planned to record his performance at the trial grounds, where his true strength would be tested.

• Zhao Jianguo explained that Su Mu’s understanding of the Journey to the West theme let him use its concepts with unusual precision, though finding compatible cards remained a challenge.
• The director of instruction arranged special recording of Su Mu’s combat data at the trial grounds.
• Su Mu’s final leaderboard score appeared as 13,796, placing him fifth behind Ye Qingxue, Wang Hao, Lin Yuan, and Chen Zimo.
• Teachers noted that Little Drill Wind contributed more than eight thousand combat value, while buildings and the Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven accounted for much of the rest.
• Students debated how Su Mu had earned such a high score, and Miao Xiaoye wondered whether his E-rank card had advanced.
• The students returned to their dungeon designs, while Su Mu’s fifth-place ranking continued to astonish them.

Su Mu met Li Ming outside the trial grounds, where he learned that the academy’s trial featured goblin nests and multiple difficulty levels. He refused to split experience in the normal trial, promising instead to team up with Li Ming for the hard trial, confident that Little Drill Wind could handle normal alone.

• Su Mu arrived at the north gate and saw students preparing for the trial and looking for partners.
• Li Ming told Su Mu that the normal goblin trial had five waves ending with a level-five elite, while hard had seven waves.
• Li Ming proposed teaming up for normal so his biochemical legion could protect Su Mu’s little demon, but Su Mu declined to avoid losing half his experience.
• Su Mu promised to team up with Li Ming for hard if Li Ming cleared normal alone first, and Li Ming entered the trial.
• Su Mu reflected that Little Drill Wind’s combat value exceeded the normal trial’s requirements and would increase further inside Lion Camel Ridge.

Su Mu entered the normal Goblin Camp trial nest and watched Little Drill Wind slaughter ten level-one goblins in seconds. The victory raised Su Mu to level 2 and gave him 10 Soul Power.

• Su Mu selected normal difficulty and entered the Goblin Camp trial nest.
• Ten level-one goblins spawned in the clearing at the foot of Lion Camel Ridge.
• Little Drill Wind's Lion Camel Ridge Glory increased his attributes by 50 percent.
• Little Drill Wind killed all ten goblins in less than ten seconds.
• Su Mu reached level 2 and gained 10 Soul Power.

Su Mu watched Little Drill Wind clear successive goblin waves and discovered that the A-rank creature had growth comparable to an SS-rank card. After four waves, Su Mu reached level 4 with 30 Soul Power, while Little Drill Wind also advanced to level 4.

• Su Mu saw Little Drill Wind gain 250 total attribute points from leveling up, far beyond the usual growth of an A-rank card.
• Little Drill Wind killed all ten level 2 goblins, raising Su Mu to level 3 and gaining another level himself.
• Little Drill Wind defeated the level 3 shield and thrower goblins, and Su Mu reached level 3.
• Twenty level 4 goblins attacked in a coordinated melee and ranged formation, but Little Drill Wind tore through them and wiped out the wave.
• Su Mu reached level 4 and 30 Soul Power, while Little Drill Wind also reached level 4 and grew stronger.

Su Mu and Little Drill Wind cleared the Normal Goblin Camp by defeating its level-five elite and its underlings, then returned to the trial grounds. There, Su Mu saw Ye Qingxue enter the dungeon again and select Nightmare difficulty.

• Su Mu faced the fifth wave, where Little Drill Wind fought and killed the elite goblin despite its high defense and Berserk skill.
• Little Drill Wind chased down the eight fleeing goblins, clearing the Normal Goblin Camp in only a few minutes.
• Su Mu exited the dungeon at level four, nearly level five, and found only a handful of students had finished their trials.
• Su Mu spotted Ye Qingxue emerging from the trial grounds, but she ignored him and returned to the selection interface.
• Nearby students said Ye Qingxue had already cleared Normal and Hard, then watched her choose Nightmare as the entrance turned dark red.

Su Mu waited for Li Ming, then the two entered the hard dungeon as a team while school leaders wondered how quickly Su Mu had cleared normal. Wang Hao emerged after soloing hard, noticed them, and held back from mocking them because the principal and teachers were watching.

• Su Mu waited near the trial grounds as Ye Qingxue's rapid normal and hard dungeon clears impressed Principal Zhao Jianguo and the other school leaders.
• Li Ming emerged from the normal dungeon, told Su Mu he had cleared it at Level 4, and learned that Su Mu had also cleared it.
• Su Mu and Li Ming entered the hard dungeon together, prompting the teachers to wonder how Su Mu had completed normal so quickly.
• Wang Hao emerged after clearing hard solo and enjoyed the students' praise.
• Wang Hao spotted Su Mu and Li Ming entering as a team, but stopped himself from mocking them when he saw Zhao Jianguo and the teachers watching.

Li Ming and Su Mu entered the hard dungeon together, with Li Ming taking the lead in their relay-style defense. Li Ming held off four waves, but the fifth wave brought an elite goblin and eight level-four goblins as his forces dwindled.

• Wang Hao entered the nightmare dungeon despite the teachers' concern that the hard dungeon had exhausted him.
• Su Mu and Li Ming entered the hard dungeon and agreed that Li Ming would defend the opening waves while Su Mu observed and stood ready to take over.
• Li Ming deployed his biochemical barracks and mothership, and his unarmed soldiers easily defeated the first two waves of goblins.
• Li Ming's soldiers suffered casualties against the third wave, but two elite soldiers broke through the shield-bearing goblins and helped clear the wave.
• Li Ming held off the fourth wave at the cost of half his soldiers and much of the mothership's energy.
• An elite goblin and eight level-four goblins emerged for the fifth wave, and Li Ming's expression changed.