Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Smuggling”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter recalls the group’s violent first encounter with the interstellar black market. Sifite, Liphia, and the others were mistaken for monsters because they could survive in space and wielded extraordinary powers.
• They attacked a spacecraft belonging to a broker and destroyed a decommissioned military warship, believing both vessels to be dangerous creatures. Liphia obliterated one ship with a fireball, while another member split a shield with a sword empowered by “Hero’s Power.”
• The spacecraft’s owner quickly surrendered and later explained that he and his trading partner were wanted interstellar pirates. He tries to reassure Liphia that destroying them was not morally wrong and may even have benefited the Alliance.
• Sifite questions the owner’s status and then asks him to provide books about the world. The group takes control of his estate and studies the unfamiliar civilization.
• They learn that this world has no Transcendent beings or noble oppression, but its technology—especially its military—can destroy entire star systems. Because they lack legal identities and fear the authorities, the group remains hidden in the estate.
• They avoid openly searching for Melos and She Li, instead monitoring reports of powerful beings. Their opportunity finally comes when the owner’s club receives a commission involving people from their group, though She Li is absent from the photograph.
• Suspecting that She Li may have been captured or formed an alliance, Sifite treats the commission as a possible lead.
• The group commandeers the spacecraft, jams its communications, and jumps more than a hundred light-years to their home star system.
• They shut down the engines and use the ship as a decoy. Liphia shields them from radiation while they leave the vessel and infiltrate the planet.
• The planet’s defense forces detect the unregistered spacecraft, board it, find no life signs, and conclude that it arrived because of a flight-control malfunction. They classify the incident as top secret and tow the ship away, unknowingly helping the group’s smuggling operation.

Character Developments

• Sifite emerges as the group’s practical leader. She remains cautious, morally detached from the local political system, and focused on gathering information and locating their missing companions.
• Liphia is shown to possess overwhelming destructive power, but she also displays guilt after learning that the people they killed were not monsters. Her strength makes her essential to the group’s survival and infiltration.
• The spacecraft owner/boss shifts from terrified captive to reluctant informant. He recognizes that the group is powerful but not inherently cruel, and he cooperates to protect himself.
• Jelina and the Sasa sisters demonstrate their adaptability by mastering the spacecraft’s technology within months and taking responsibility for operating the vessel.
• Melos and She Li, though absent, become central to the group’s next objective. The uncertain fate of She Li creates suspense and motivates their move.

Significant Themes

• Power and morality: The group’s violence is initially based on misunderstanding, while the owner argues that their victims were criminals. The chapter questions whether justice depends on intent, legal status, or simply the power to impose one’s judgment.
• Culture shock and adaptation: The characters must learn the technology, laws, and social structure of a civilization vastly different from their own.
• Technology versus supernatural power: Although the world lacks Transcendents, its military technology is more destructive than magic, making the group feel vulnerable despite their extraordinary abilities.
• Identity and concealment: Without legal identities, the group must hide, manipulate local systems, and rely on the authorities’ assumptions to enter the planet undetected.
• Search and uncertainty: The discovery of a possible clue to She Li’s whereabouts renews the group’s hope while introducing the possibility that she has been captured or compromised.

Character Interactions

• Liphia expresses remorse, and the boss immediately reframes the attack as a legitimate contribution against pirates.
• Sifite interrogates the boss’s status and establishes that the group is interested in knowledge rather than enforcing local law.
• Sifite directs Jelina and the Sasa sisters to jam communications and prepare the ship for escape.
• Jelina coordinates the spacecraft’s departure and infiltration, while Liphia protects the group with her domain.
• The defense unit’s mistaken interpretation of the empty spacecraft unintentionally allows the group to infiltrate the planet without detection.

Chapter Summary: “Following the Internet Cable to Find You”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sifite and her companions secretly enter the home planet under Liphia’s cover, disguising themselves as second-generation interstellar immigrants.
• Since they lack legitimate system identities, they obtain temporary cracked identities through the black market. These identities allow them to travel and spend money normally for about a week without connecting to the system.
• Sifite receives the information they requested about Chen Cheng, but nearly all of it is classified as top secret. The file reveals only his name, age, gender, and marriage to Melinda, along with a heavily blurred surveillance image.
• Using magic, the group bypasses the system’s facial-blurring technology and discovers that Chen Cheng appears to be Senior Brown, an important person from their past.
• The group debates whether Chen Cheng truly is Brown and how to approach him safely. They conclude that one person should make initial contact while the others remain hidden and prepared to provide support.
• Ireland volunteers for the mission because she is the strongest and has the greatest variety of escape methods. Sifite assigns other members specific support roles, forming an organized Transcendent special-forces team.
• The group splits up and travels separately to B City, where Chen Cheng is located.
• Meanwhile, Chen Cheng returns to the manor and speaks with Xiao Suo, Melinda’s father. Xiao Suo offers to use his social connections to help locate the people Chen Cheng and Melinda are seeking.
• Xiao Suo also expresses concern that the mysterious contract may contain hidden dangers, especially if the people they find later harm society or refuse to release Chen Cheng and Melinda from their obligations.

Character Developments

• Sifite demonstrates strategic growth and leadership. She evaluates each companion’s strengths and weaknesses, assigning them roles based on both combat ability and practical usefulness.
• Ireland emerges as the team’s most reliable field operative, combining superior strength with versatile escape techniques.
• Jelina shows confidence in her piloting abilities but accepts that technology such as remote vehicle control could undermine her advantage.
• Noah is recognized as powerful but less adaptable, while Emil’s Hawk Sight makes him better suited for reconnaissance and support.
• Chen Cheng remains cautious and emotionally restrained, but Xiao Suo’s concern deeply affects him. Having lacked parental affection in both lives, Chen Cheng begins to understand Xiao Suo’s care as genuine paternal love.
• Xiao Suo reveals himself to be protective, thoughtful, and resourceful. He investigates Chen Cheng’s activities without violating his privacy and offers practical assistance while considering possible risks to Melinda and Chen Cheng.

Significant Themes

• Identity and disguise: The group’s forged identities allow them to move through society, while Chen Cheng’s classified identity suggests that his true history is deeply concealed.
• Trust and uncertainty: Sifite’s group cannot be sure whether Chen Cheng is truly Brown, forcing them to balance hope with caution.
• Magic versus technology: The group’s magical abilities allow them to defeat advanced technological security, particularly the facial-recognition blurring system.
• Family and parental love: Xiao Suo’s concern introduces a strong emotional contrast to the characters’ dangerous missions. His willingness to help and protect Melinda makes Chen Cheng recognize the meaning of fatherly affection.
• Contracts and hidden consequences: Xiao Suo questions the reliability and morality of Transcendent Contracts, emphasizing the danger of committing to agreements whose rules and loopholes are not understood.
• Strategic cooperation: The group’s division of responsibilities shows their evolution from a collection of powerful individuals into a coordinated special-operations unit.

Character Interactions

• Sifite leads discussions with Noah, Xi Yu, Jelina, Ireland, and Emil about Chen Cheng’s identity and the safest way to contact him.
• Xi Yu challenges Noah’s assumption that Chen Cheng must be Brown, reminding the group that his current identity and security status would be difficult to establish so quickly.
• Jelina and Ireland disagree over who should approach Chen Cheng, with Ireland ultimately being chosen because of her greater combat versatility.
• Chen Cheng and Xiao Suo share a serious father-son-in-law conversation. Xiao Suo offers help but warns Chen Cheng about the possibility of betrayal, dangerous contract terms, and social consequences.
• Chen Cheng is moved by Xiao Suo’s protective concern, marking an important emotional shift in their relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Chen Cheng’s Troubles”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng reassures his father-in-law, Xiao Suo, that taking Melinda with him is not reckless. He promises to protect her and explains that the contract binding him, Melinda, and She Li can be neutralized if necessary.
• Chen Cheng admits privately that he used the contract partly to convince and motivate Melinda, but he never intended to let her suffer its consequences. He feels indebted to her for introducing him to magical knowledge and for allowing him to inhabit her original husband’s body.
• Xiao Suo accepts Chen Cheng’s sincerity and gives him his blessing, while also warning him to cherish and protect Melinda as his wife and future mother.
• Their conversation implicitly confirms that Xiao Suo will not suppress Chen Cheng’s research or force him into dependence on the family’s Lineage. Chen Cheng can investigate and publish freely.
• After leaving, Chen Cheng compares his difficult life on the Karmak Continent—marked by orphanhood, pursuit, slavery, injury, and exile—with the comfortable life of his body’s original owner. He humorously resents how fortunate that version of himself was.
• His strange behavior is witnessed by the manor maids, who believe he may be mentally ill and worry about Melinda. Chen Cheng blames his erratic actions on the original soul of the body and resolves to “dig it out.”
• Reflecting on the day, Chen Cheng realizes that Xiao Suo will likely help him search for Sifite and the others, potentially allowing him to receive news soon.
• He also confronts the issue of his marriage to Melinda. Although the system has already legally matched them, her family expects a grand wedding to publicly announce the union.
• Chen Cheng is troubled because this would be his first marriage across his lifetimes, and he has complicated feelings toward Melinda. He is attracted to her but has traditionally viewed her as a teacher or older-sister figure and avoided acknowledging romantic feelings.
• Meanwhile, Melinda watches Chen Cheng through surveillance cameras. Believing his distress is caused by the impending marriage and fear that he may leave her, she develops an intense, possessive desire to control and restrain him.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Shows loyalty and gratitude toward Melinda, revealing that despite his manipulative use of the contract, he genuinely intends to protect her. He begins acknowledging his attraction and emotional confusion regarding their marriage.
• Xiao Suo: Moves from suspicion and concern to trust. He adopts a supportive father-in-law role and tacitly promises to respect Chen Cheng’s independence.
• Melinda: Her attachment to Chen Cheng becomes increasingly obsessive. Her use of surveillance and fantasy of tying him up expose a growing desire for possession and control.
• The manor maids: Misinterpret Chen Cheng’s unusual behavior as mental instability and sympathize with Melinda.

Significant Themes

• Trust and family responsibility: Xiao Suo’s warning reflects parental hopes that marriage will bring mutual care and stability.
• Identity and comparison: Chen Cheng continually contrasts his harsh original life with the privileged circumstances of the body he now inhabits.
• Marriage versus emotional reality: Though Chen Cheng and Melinda are legally married, Chen Cheng has not fully accepted the relationship emotionally.
• Possession and control: Melinda’s love shifts toward unhealthy obsession as she fears abandonment.
• Debt and moral obligation: Chen Cheng’s decision to protect Melinda stems from gratitude and a sense of responsibility despite his questionable manipulation.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Xiao Suo: Their heart-to-heart conversation establishes mutual trust and gives Chen Cheng freedom to pursue his research.
• Chen Cheng and Melinda: Their relationship remains emotionally unresolved; Chen Cheng is conflicted, while Melinda becomes increasingly possessive.
• Chen Cheng and the maids: His eccentric behavior causes them to misunderstand him and worry about Melinda.
• Chen Cheng and his past selves: His internal comparison between his current life and his Karmak Continent experience highlights his resentment, loneliness, and sense of dislocation.

Chapter Summary: “Uncontrollable Feelings”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Melinda regains her composure after a sleepless night and is disturbed by the intensity of her own possessiveness toward Chen Cheng. She fears losing him and refuses to repeat the failure of the version of herself from the other world.
• The next morning, she asks Chen Cheng whether he is willing to begin preparing for their wedding, specifically by looking at wedding dresses.
• Chen Cheng agrees in principle but asks to postpone the wedding for three to six months. Because their world’s marriage laws make divorce impossible, he wants time to resolve his own emotional uncertainty and find Melos and the others.
• Melinda is delighted by his agreement and interprets it as further proof of his kindness and commitment. She privately vows never to let him go.
• Isabel overhears Melinda’s declaration and becomes concerned. Although Chen Cheng treats Melinda with care, Isabel recognizes that his feelings seem more protective and familial than romantic. She worries Melinda may marry someone who acts like a caring older brother rather than a loving husband.
• After Chen Cheng completes his morning exercise and magic practice, both families prepare to leave the manor. Before they depart, Chen Cheng arranges a family portrait.
• Xiao Suo entrusts Melinda to Chen Cheng and gives the couple freedom to choose their own wedding date. Fini jokingly pressures them to marry soon and mentions wanting a nephew, causing Melinda intense embarrassment.
• Chen Cheng teases Melinda about having a child, briefly overwhelming her with fantasies of pregnancy and motherhood. He then jokes further while accompanying her to their appointment to view wedding dresses.

Character Developments

• Melinda: Her affection develops into possessiveness and emotional dependence. She is determined to secure Chen Cheng and views marriage as protection against losing him. Her excitement over the wedding reveals how deeply invested she is, while her imagined future motherhood shows how quickly she emotionally commits to the relationship.
• Chen Cheng: He remains conflicted and emotionally detached despite treating Melinda gently. He agrees to the wedding only after negotiating a delay, hoping to preserve his honesty and gain time to solve his larger problems. His playful teasing also shows his comfort with Melinda, though not necessarily romantic love.
• Isabel: She becomes the clearest observer of the relationship’s imbalance. As Melinda’s housekeeper and close friend, she sees that Melinda is deeply in love while Chen Cheng’s affection may be merely protective.
• Xiao Suo and the families: They trust Chen Cheng and support the couple’s freedom, unaware of the emotional uncertainty beneath their seemingly happy relationship.
• Fini: Her innocent but mischievous comments intensify the wedding and family expectations surrounding Melinda and Chen Cheng.

Significant Themes

• Love versus possession: Melinda’s fear of losing Chen Cheng turns her love into a determined, almost possessive attachment.
• Emotional uncertainty: Chen Cheng can handle physical or strategic conflicts but feels powerless when dealing with romantic feelings and moral responsibility.
• Marriage and obligation: The inability to divorce raises the stakes of Chen Cheng’s hesitation and makes entering a formal wedding a serious, potentially irreversible decision.
• Appearance versus reality: The family sees a happy, caring couple, while Isabel recognizes that their emotional connection may be unequal.
• Uncontrollable feelings: Both Melinda’s obsession and Chen Cheng’s confusion suggest that emotions may create consequences neither character can fully control.

Character Interactions

• Melinda directly asks Chen Cheng to proceed with wedding preparations; he agrees but requests a delay, producing both relief and happiness in her.
• Isabel teases Melinda about focusing all her attention on Chen Cheng, then privately worries about the danger of Melinda’s one-sided love.
• Xiao Suo expresses trust in Chen Cheng and offers parental support without forcing a wedding date.
• Fini and her mother joke about children, embarrassing Melinda and prompting Chen Cheng to tease her further.
• Chen Cheng’s playful behavior helps lighten the atmosphere, but it also contrasts with his serious internal doubts about the relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Beautiful Misunderstanding”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning home, Fini remembers that Ireland—the woman Chen Cheng’s club is trying to locate—looks exactly like her new teacher and shares the same name.
• Fini mistakenly concludes that Teacher Ireland is involved with her brother-in-law, Chen Cheng, and worries that Chen Cheng may be unfaithful to her sister.
• Determined to protect her sister’s marriage, Fini contacts Ireland and arranges to meet her at a tea house.
• Ireland initially suspects Fini is planning another prank, but Fini’s unusually polite behavior convinces her that the meeting may be sincere.
• Fini attempts to “expose” Ireland’s supposed romantic feelings for Chen Cheng by explaining that the man already has a successful life and a kind wife.
• Ireland interprets Fini’s words as referring to her own former boyfriend, a university sweetheart whose marriage application was rejected by the system. The conversation reawakens her buried heartbreak.
• Believing she has successfully discouraged Ireland from pursuing Chen Cheng, Fini comforts her and begins condemning the supposedly unfaithful man.
• The misunderstanding deepens when Fini offers to take Ireland to confront the man in front of his wife. Fini has forgotten her original goal and is now planning to help Ireland disrupt Chen Cheng’s marriage.
• Meanwhile, Chen Cheng is shopping for wedding dresses with Melinda and suddenly sneezes, humorously suggesting that trouble is approaching.

Character Developments

• Fini shows loyalty and protectiveness toward her sister, but her impulsiveness and poor judgment lead her to make a serious mistake. Her confidence as a self-appointed detective contrasts with her lack of understanding.
• Ireland begins suspicious of Fini because of her reputation for pranks. However, after being comforted over her past relationship, she starts to trust Fini and sees her as someone she can confide in.
• Chen Cheng remains unaware of the scheme forming around him. His contentment while choosing wedding dresses with Melinda highlights the irony of Fini’s suspicions.
• Melinda appears indirectly as Chen Cheng’s intended bride and the “kind, virtuous wife” Fini describes.
• Fini’s sister motivates Fini’s actions, though she does not appear directly.

Significant Themes

• Miscommunication and mistaken identity: Fini confuses two women named Ireland, causing every character to interpret the conversation differently.
• Protective loyalty: Fini’s misguided actions come from her desire to defend her sister’s marriage.
• The lingering pain of lost love: Ireland’s past relationship, rejected by the marriage system, shows how emotional attachments can survive even in a society that regulates romance.
• Irony and comedic misunderstanding: Fini believes she is uncovering an affair, while Ireland believes she is discussing an old heartbreak.
• Society versus personal feelings: The system controls marriage and discourages romance, but individual emotions continue to emerge despite official restrictions.

Character Interactions

• Fini and Ireland’s tea-house conversation is marked by mutual misunderstanding. Fini tries to warn Ireland away from Chen Cheng, while Ireland believes Fini is helping her process her old breakup.
• Ireland’s initial distrust gradually turns into affection and trust when Fini comforts her.
• Fini’s attempt to condemn Chen Cheng unintentionally encourages Ireland to join her in plotting against him.
• Chen Cheng’s unaware sneeze provides a comic closing beat, foreshadowing the consequences of Fini’s mistaken assumptions.

Chapter Summary: “She Li’s Progress”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Several days pass as Chen Cheng balances preparations for his wedding with Melinda and work in the laboratory. He spends mornings visiting bridal shops with her and afternoons conducting research.
• Xiao Suo and his wife intensify the search for Sifite and the others. Using the theft of Chen Cheng’s laboratory assets as justification, they bypass complications involving the group’s citizenship and formally open a case.
• The world’s surveillance system begins a comprehensive search. Although Sifite and the others remain missing, investigators uncover traces from surveillance footage, confirming that they appear to be safe and easing Chen Cheng’s anxiety.
• She Li spends the days studying the New World’s scientific understanding of fundamental laws. His exposure to these ideas deepens his comprehension of Saber Intent.
• She Li develops new abilities based on the principle that thought and will can influence reality:
  • He can manifest Saber Intent at distant locations.
  • He can transform his body into an illusory or blade-like state.
  • In his Little Dragonkin form, he can tunnel through space-like pathways, allowing rapid movement and surprise attacks.
• Chen Cheng is impressed and suggests that She Li’s strength may now rival a Legendary Rank powerhouse. She Li remains cautious, explaining that his new techniques are unstable and cannot yet withstand the domain or “Demigod Heaven-and-Earth” of a true Legendary Rank expert.
• Chen Cheng proposes a sparring match to test She Li’s progress and expose any weaknesses. They move to a heavily fortified weapons-testing laboratory to prevent the battle’s aftermath from damaging the research facility.
• She Li launches a surprise attack by causing a throwing knife to appear directly inside Chen Cheng’s body. Chen Cheng narrowly escapes by tearing open space and shifting away.
• She Li then transforms into streams of blade-light and attacks in a dense barrage. Chen Cheng uses a spatial vortex to redirect the attack, but discovers that She Li’s blade-light can pass through the spatial transmission effect.
• Chen Cheng relies on his Dragon Scale Armor and Dragon Horn Sword to block the attacks. He notices that She Li’s speed decreases while moving through the spatial distortion and exploits this weakness.
• Chen Cheng identifies She Li’s true body among the blade-light, forcing a confrontation in which his sword presses against She Li’s weapon and apparently defeats him.
• Just as Chen Cheng is about to finish the match, She Li transforms into a liquid-like mass, allowing the sword to pass through him harmlessly and leaving the outcome unresolved.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: His concern over Sifite and the others lessens when evidence suggests they are unharmed. He also demonstrates sharp combat instincts, adaptability, and confidence in analyzing She Li’s new techniques.
• She Li: His study of the New World’s laws leads to a major advancement in his Way of the Blade. He gains long-range manifestation, intangibility, spatial tunneling, and deceptive transformation abilities. Despite these improvements, he remains humble and realistic about his limitations against Legendary Rank opponents.
• Chen Cheng and She Li: Their relationship reflects mutual trust and respect. Chen Cheng encourages She Li’s growth and treats him as a combat partner rather than merely a subordinate, while She Li continues to address Chen Cheng respectfully but accepts the opportunity to test himself.

Significant Themes

• Thought shaping reality: The chapter explores how will, comprehension, and cultivated principles can affect the physical world.
• Cross-civilizational learning: She Li’s progress comes from combining his own Way of the Blade with the New World’s scientific understanding of fundamental laws.
• Humility amid growing power: Although She Li acquires formidable techniques, he recognizes that new abilities do not automatically overcome higher-level domains or established realms.
• Adaptation and experimentation: Both cultivation and combat are presented as processes of testing, observation, and refinement.
• Security and uncertainty: The investigation into Sifite and the others offers hope while preserving tension, since their location remains unknown.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng discusses She Li’s breakthroughs and encourages him to continue developing without rushing.
• Chen Cheng invites She Li to spar, emphasizing that the battle will benefit both of them.
• During the duel, She Li uses unexpected and dangerous techniques, while Chen Cheng responds through spatial abilities, armor, swordsmanship, and tactical observation.
• Chen Cheng appears to gain the upper hand, but She Li reveals another transformation, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger with the battle’s result undecided.

Chapter Summary: “Lifespan”

Key Plot Points and Events

• She Li attacks Chen Cheng in a highly adaptable liquid form, first as bright silver fluid and later as black fluid protected by a Shadow Demon.
• Chen Cheng uses the lightning abilities of his Set Armor and then combines wind and lightning magic in “Lightning Chidori.” Although the attack damages She Li, the Shadow Demon insulates him against most of the lightning.
• She Li counters by transforming portions of his body into more than a hundred flying knives. The blades surround and attack Chen Cheng, but his Set Armor withstands the assault.
• Recognizing that She Li is virtually unbeatable below Legendary Rank, Chen Cheng activates his Divine Domain.
• The domain suppresses She Li’s consciousness and Dao Fruit, disrupting his control over his divided body. His knives revert to liquid, and his internal organs become severely disordered.
• Chen Cheng withdraws the domain before killing him and performs emergency surgery using spatial and healing divine arts. He repositions She Li’s organs, drains contamination and blood, and stabilizes his condition.
• Because the surrounding world cannot provide enough vitality to sustain She Li during the procedure, Chen Cheng must consume his own lifespan to keep him alive.
• Afterward, Chen Cheng discovers that his body has aged dramatically, appearing middle-aged with white hair. He realizes that soul transmigration preserved his cultivation and Divine Soul but not his body’s mortal lifespan.
• He estimates that the surgery cost him thirty or forty years of life and uses his remaining rejuvenation potion to restore his youthful appearance.
• Chen Cheng accepts responsibility for the consequences of his actions, though he resolves to find another way to restore his lifespan rather than sacrifice his Divine Soul Vital Essence.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates greater combat ability by combining his Set Armor, magic, and Divine Domain. More importantly, he shows compassion and responsibility by risking his own lifespan to save She Li. He also gains a clearer understanding of the limitations of his transmigrated body.
• She Li: Reveals extraordinary combat versatility, turning his body into liquid, black fluid, and hundreds of flying knives. He is established as a formidable opponent beneath Legendary Rank, but Chen Cheng’s Divine Domain exposes his vulnerability: without a stable body and Divine Soul, his Dao Fruit and consciousness are easily disrupted.
• Their battle shifts from a contest of attacks to a test of domains, endurance, and control. Despite fighting seriously, Chen Cheng ultimately chooses to preserve She Li’s life.

Significant Themes

• The cost of survival and responsibility: Saving She Li requires Chen Cheng to sacrifice decades of his own life, emphasizing that actions have lasting consequences.
• Mortality versus divinity: Chen Cheng possesses divine cultivation but remains bound to the lifespan of a mortal body, highlighting the tension between spiritual power and physical limitations.
• The value of Vital Essence: The chapter explains that a god’s Vital Essence is the foundation of immortality and cannot be forcibly taken, making Chen Cheng’s willingness to sacrifice it a profound potential cost.
• Adaptability and strategy: Both fighters continually alter their techniques and bodies. Victory depends less on raw power than on recognizing weaknesses and changing tactics.
• Compassion amid conflict: Chen Cheng treats She Li as an enemy during combat but refuses to let him die afterward, revealing a moral boundary he will not cross.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and She Li exchange brief warnings and challenges during the battle, each acknowledging the other’s abilities.
• She Li warns Chen Cheng not to lose focus, while Chen Cheng identifies the Shadow Demon’s insulating function and counters with his Divine Domain.
• After defeating She Li, Chen Cheng physically examines and repairs him, reversing the destructive consequences of their fight.
• Chen Cheng’s final decision to preserve She Li—even at the cost of his lifespan—defines their relationship as one shaped by hostility, respect, and reluctant responsibility.

Chapter Summary: “Surgery”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Cheng’s experiment leaves She Li unconscious, emergency researchers take She Li to the medical room for examination.
• She Li is diagnosed as being in a vegetative state. His brain’s neural signals are chaotic, seemingly because multiple conflicting versions of his consciousness are fighting within his mind.
• Researchers explain that the only possible treatment is cerebral cortex electrical stimulation. The procedure would overload and destroy damaged neural pathways in hopes of restoring normal brain function.
• The treatment has a 48.56% failure rate on the first attempt and a 67.68% failure rate on the second. A third attempt would be too dangerous to justify.
• Chen Cheng realizes that neither his Space Magic nor his healing divine arts can safely repair She Li’s brain. Healing magic might undo the intentional neural damage required to restore him.
• He orders the researchers to place She Li on the best life-support system, prepare surgical equipment, and provide laboratory mice for experimentation.
• Chen Cheng studies the surgical procedures, then uses magic to induce vegetative states in the mice and practices the operation himself.
• His early attempts are disastrous: he struggles to insert the needle accurately because the mice’s bodies tremble, killing many test subjects. He eventually succeeds by chance, then successfully performs the electrical treatment.
• After one successful recovery, Chen Cheng uses his Divine Soul and accumulated experience to reproduce the procedure reliably, eventually awakening every mouse he treats.
• He then begins trying to improve the process, especially by preventing patients from dying when the operation fails. However, his attempts to combine magic with the surgery do not produce satisfactory results.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng is consumed by guilt and anxiety over She Li’s condition. He recognizes that his carelessness caused the injury and becomes determined to save him.
• His confidence in his own power is tempered by the realization that even advanced magic has limits, particularly when dealing with the brain.
• Chen Cheng demonstrates exceptional concentration, technical adaptability, and perseverance. Despite having no surgical experience, his steady hands and powerful Divine Soul allow him to master the procedure through repeated practice.
• His willingness to experiment on and sacrifice large numbers of lab mice reveals his ruthless, single-minded determination, though his goal is to prevent She Li’s death.
• She Li remains unconscious throughout the chapter, but his condition drives Chen Cheng’s actions and becomes the central emotional conflict.

Significant Themes

• The limits of power: Chen Cheng possesses overwhelming magical abilities, yet cannot simply heal damage to the mind.
• Science and magic: The chapter explores the combination of advanced medical technology and supernatural abilities, with neither being sufficient alone.
• Guilt and responsibility: Chen Cheng’s regret motivates his desperate efforts to repair the consequences of his mistake.
• Persistence through failure: Repeated deaths and failed surgeries eventually lead Chen Cheng to mastery.
• The ethics of experimentation: The use of lab mice as disposable test subjects highlights the moral cost of pursuing a cure and foreshadows the risks of experimenting on She Li.
• Precision versus uncertainty: Even Chen Cheng’s extraordinary control cannot eliminate the unpredictable dangers of brain surgery.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng questions the medical researcher about She Li’s condition, treatment options, and failure rates. His impatience forces the researcher to provide precise figures and a direct explanation.
• Chen Cheng gives the researchers detailed orders regarding life support, surgical equipment, laboratory preparation, and the delivery of medical papers.
• He contacts Melinda to explain that he will remain in the laboratory for several days, showing that the crisis takes priority over his normal routine.
• His primary interaction with She Li is indirect: Chen Cheng watches over him, studies his condition, and begins a painstaking experimental process to give him a chance at recovery.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng realizes his repeated failures in using magic for electrical brain stimulation were caused by the chaotic, unpredictable number of neurons affected by each electrical pulse. Because magic was extremely precise, it eliminated the randomness that made conventional stimulation sometimes successful and instead amplified the failure rate.
• Searching for a solution, Chen notices a decomposing laboratory mouse whose brainstem is surrounded by fluid. This inspires him to use his Dragon Scale Armor as a protective, brain-compatible medium.
• After cleaning the laboratory, resting, and preparing new test subjects, Chen turns another mouse into a vegetative state and performs brain surgery.
• Rather than using standard electrical equipment, he inserts his Dragon Scale Armor-covered finger into the mouse’s brain. The armor transforms into a black liquid that coats the brain without causing rejection.
• The armor releases a weak current while allowing Chen to sense the mouse’s neurological responses. He can detect when stimulation is becoming dangerous and stop before permanent damage occurs.
• Chen successfully identifies the correct stimulation area and awakens the mouse. After more than ten consecutive successes, he orders full medical examinations of the mice before attempting the procedure on She Li.
• Meanwhile, She Li remains trapped in a vegetative coma. Inside his mind, countless copies of himself battle in a yellow-sand desert—the landscape representing his true self.
• The copies arose when She Li used One Becomes Many after Unity of Man and Blade, but Chen’s Divine Domain briefly disrupted his control and divided his consciousness. Each copy believes it is the original.
• Their endless fighting causes all versions to share injuries and grow weaker. She Li’s true self is unable to reunite them, putting his Dao Fruit and soul at risk of collapse.
• Just as his consciousness begins to fade, lightning appears, followed by dark clouds and a storm descending upon the mental desert.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates scientific persistence and adaptability. He combines experimental reasoning with magical abilities, recognizes the flaw in his original method, and develops a safer technique using his Dragon Scale Armor.
• His relationship with his powers also evolves: the armor is no longer merely equipment but an integrated part of his body that can sense neural activity and respond with precision.
• Chen becomes more cautious and methodical after his breakthrough. He understands that repeated success and medical examinations are necessary before operating on She Li.
• She Li is psychologically and spiritually destabilized. His divided consciousness causes an identity crisis, as every fragment considers itself the authentic self. His inability to reunite the fragments leaves him vulnerable to the collapse of his soul and Dao Fruit.

Significant Themes

• Precision versus uncertainty: Chen’s excessive control becomes a weakness because successful neural stimulation depends partly on chaotic, unpredictable effects.
• Science and magic working together: The breakthrough comes from combining medical experimentation, magical control, and the unique properties of the Dragon Scale Armor.
• Persistence and discovery: Chen’s success follows repeated failure, careful observation, and an unexpected insight drawn from decay.
• Identity and selfhood: She Li’s divided consciousness explores the question of what makes someone the “true” self when every fragment possesses the same memories and convictions.
• Survival and reconstruction: Both characters face breakdown—Chen seeks to restore a damaged brain, while She Li struggles to reconstruct his fragmented mind.

Character Interactions

• Chen has no direct interaction with She Li in the laboratory, but his earlier Divine Domain is the indirect cause of She Li’s mental fragmentation.
• Chen interacts with the experimental mice through surgery and magical stimulation, using their neurological responses to refine his procedure.
• She Li’s fragmented selves interact violently with one another, each treating the others as impostors. Their conflict weakens the entire consciousness and threatens the survival of the original self.

Summary of She Li’s Consciousness Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Inside She Li’s consciousness realm, countless versions of She Li battle one another while heavenly lightning repeatedly descends from above. At first, they try to kill each other directly, but they soon realize the lightning can destroy them. They therefore begin maneuvering so that their rivals are struck instead.
• Outside She Li’s mind, Chen Cheng increases the electrical stimulation to She Li’s brain in an attempt to awaken or transform him. Although the current reaches a level that should destroy a human brain, She Li’s mental activity only becomes stronger.
• Chen Cheng senses that She Li may be undergoing a breakthrough related to his Way of the Blade. He intensifies the stimulation and releases the Tribulation Destruction Law contained in his armor, hoping She Li can absorb it and achieve a higher realm.
• Under the pressure of the lightning, one She Li realizes that his blade must possess not only speed but destructive power. He cuts through the lightning itself and comprehends part of its destruction law.
• The other She Lis quickly gain the same insight because they originate from the same consciousness. They begin competing to absorb the greatest amount of destruction law from the thunderbolts, turning their battle into an even more dangerous struggle.
• Meanwhile, She Li’s physical brain reaches a temperature high enough that it should have been destroyed, yet its internal temperature remains stable and its activity grows increasingly intense. His body also transforms into Dragonkin form to withstand the extreme conditions.
• Chen Cheng prepares to stop the process, fearing She Li will be literally cooked alive, but then detects a suction force drawing the destruction law from his armor into She Li’s consciousness realm.
• Chen Cheng’s Divine Soul follows the flow of energy and enters She Li’s inner world, appearing in the Great Desert beneath the storm-filled sky.
• She Li reveals that he himself has become the Great Desert, while the battling figures above are the countless versions created when his consciousness was suppressed by the Divine Domain.
• She explains that he deliberately altered his body’s structure and fused it together to prevent these fragmented selves from awakening and taking control. Without that measure, he would have become a mentally broken and extremely dangerous being.
• Chen Cheng realizes that She Li’s unusual physical condition was not accidental and accepts responsibility, asking what he can do to help.

Character Developments

• She Li: Demonstrates extraordinary resilience and adaptability. His fragmented consciousnesses independently rediscover the destructive aspect of his Way of the Blade, suggesting that he is approaching a major breakthrough or sublimation. He is also revealed to have consciously sacrificed bodily normality to preserve his true identity and prevent his fractured selves from taking over.
• Chen Cheng: Moves from experimenting on She Li to actively risking his own most valuable power for She Li’s advancement. He releases the Tribulation Destruction Law despite its importance to his own future and enters She Li’s consciousness realm to save or assist him. His concern shifts from cautious observation to personal responsibility.
• The fractured She Lis: Though initially driven by blind slaughter, they become tactical and opportunistic. Their shared origin allows each one to rapidly benefit from the others’ insights, making their internal conflict both deadly and intellectually transformative.

Significant Themes

• Destruction as a path to enlightenment: The lightning, initially a source of death, becomes the means through which She Li comprehends a deeper form of blade power.
• Identity and self-preservation: She Li’s fused body represents his attempt to preserve a single true self against the threat of countless competing personalities.
• Dangerous transformation: Both the physical brain and the consciousness realm undergo extreme changes, showing that advancement may require passing through near-death conditions.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Chen Cheng gives up a precious resource and endangers himself because he feels accountable for She Li’s suffering.
• Unity and fragmentation: Although the She Lis are divided, they remain connected by one origin; every breakthrough can spread instantly among them, making the conflict both competitive and collective.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and She Li: Their relationship becomes more intimate and trusting. Chen Cheng attempts to guide She Li’s breakthrough, enters his mind directly, and apologizes for the situation before offering assistance.
• The She Li fragments: They shift from direct combatants to rivals competing over the destruction laws in the lightning. Their shared knowledge causes them to evolve in parallel, preventing any one version from gaining an easy advantage.
• Chen Cheng and She Li’s true consciousness: Their reunion clarifies the mystery behind She Li’s fused body and establishes Chen Cheng as the first person capable of reaching and communicating with the real She Li within the chaotic inner realm.

Summary: “She Li’s Advancement”

Key Plot Points and Events

• She Li explains that his core consciousness has fragmented across a vast desert-like Consciousness Realm. He asks Chen Cheng to gather his true self so he can regain control.
• Chen Cheng worries that doing so would destroy the other versions of She Li, who are absorbing the Destruction Law from the surrounding lightning and appear close to advancing their Dao Fruit.
• She Li warns that these independent personalities may no longer be trustworthy and could eventually threaten Chen Cheng. Although Chen Cheng hesitates to sacrifice She Li’s advancement, he devises a compromise.
• Rather than directly gathering She Li’s consciousness, Chen Cheng floods the Consciousness Realm with the Thunder Law, creating an immense storm of destructive lightning. She Li must use the lightning to reconstruct and consolidate his own core consciousness.
• The lightning destroys the alternate She Li personalities. At the same time, She Li’s physical body reaches extreme temperatures, nearly killing him, while the Dragonblood Divine Tree spine inside him releases vitality to keep him alive.
• The tree spine begins merging with She Li’s body, transforming from wood into a genuine bone spine. Song Dragon senses this through her connection to the Divine Tree and briefly lends her assistance by releasing its remaining vitality.
• Song Dragon abruptly severs the connection after sensing an ominous disturbance, though the released vitality is enough to complete the fusion.
• She Li’s Dragonkin form disappears as the Divine Tree’s power fully integrates into his body. His Consciousness Realm is transformed from a yellow desert into a brilliant world of multicolored molten glass and crystal.
• A seven-colored Dao Fruit forms above the new crystal realm, surrounded by blue arcs of destructive lightning, proving that She Li’s advancement has succeeded.
• Chen Cheng suppresses his instinctive desire to consume the powerful Dao Fruit and leaves She Li to complete the integration of his Consciousness Realm, promising to wait outside for him to awaken.

Character Developments

• She Li: Confronts the danger caused by his fragmented consciousness and willingly risks losing his future advancement to prevent his uncontrolled personalities from harming Chen Cheng. Through the lightning trial, he successfully reunifies his consciousness and advances his Dao Fruit.
• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates both caution and loyalty. He refuses to sacrifice She Li’s advancement outright and instead finds a solution that preserves She Li’s chance to break through. He also restrains his powerful instinct to seize She Li’s Dao Fruit.
• Song Dragon: Reveals continued concern for She Li and assists through the Divine Tree’s vitality. However, her sudden withdrawal after sensing danger suggests awareness of a larger, possibly cosmic threat.
• The alternate She Lis: Their absorption of the Destruction Law initially suggests they might advance independently, but they are ultimately destroyed when Chen Cheng’s lightning storm reconstructs the Consciousness Realm.

Significant Themes

• Identity and self-control: The chapter explores whether fragmented personalities remain part of the original person or become entirely different beings.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: She Li is willing to abandon his advancement for Chen Cheng’s safety, while Chen Cheng risks enormous power and physical danger to save She Li.
• Transformation through destruction: The lightning does not merely destroy; it reshapes She Li’s consciousness and body into stronger, unified forms.
• Power and restraint: Chen Cheng’s temptation to consume She Li’s Dao Fruit highlights the dangers of power, while his refusal demonstrates trust and self-discipline.
• Fate and ominous forces: Song Dragon’s sudden unease and reference to Hops’s prophecy imply that She Li’s advancement is connected to events occurring far beyond their current world.

Character Interactions

• She Li directly appeals to Chen Cheng for help, while Chen Cheng challenges the consequences of saving him.
• Their disagreement develops into cooperation when Chen Cheng creates the lightning-based alternative and orders She Li to focus on gathering himself.
• Song Dragon indirectly supports both She Li and Chen Cheng through the Divine Tree, but withdraws after sensing an unseen threat.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng choosing to wait rather than interfere further, reinforcing the trust between the two characters.

Chapter Summary:

She Li’s Resolve

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Cheng’s Divine Soul leaves She Li’s Consciousness Realm, the realm undergoes a violent transformation from a silent desert into a landscape of lightning and lava.
• The realm folds inward around She Li’s Dao Fruit, forming a crystalline statue with the Dao Fruit at its heart. She Li successfully attains immortality and condenses an Immortal Soul, becoming one of the world’s supreme powers.
• Awakening on the operating table, She Li instinctively releases a blade attack through his gaze. Chen Cheng suppresses and destroys it with his Divine Domain, sealing the operating room in case She Li has become dangerous.
• She Li recognizes Chen Cheng and reassures him that he remains himself. He then kneels and swears an oath upon his Dao Fruit to serve Chen Cheng for life and never betray him.
• Chen Cheng warns She Li that accepting such an oath could force him into the same tragic role as Samlet: protecting Chen Cheng’s descendants and continuing his cause even if Chen Cheng becomes an enemy of the world.
• She Li hesitates when Chen Cheng reminds him of Mata and the possibility of future children. Ultimately, he chooses to remain loyal to Chen Cheng, believing that success would allow Mata and their children to rise with them, while failure would leave Mata free to begin a new life.

Character Developments

• She Li: Completes his transformation from mortal to immortal and gains a fundamentally new perception of the world’s powers. His gratitude toward Chen Cheng deepens into absolute loyalty. Although he loves Mata, he consciously accepts the possibility of sacrificing their future together for Chen Cheng’s cause.
• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates both caution and compassion. He prepares to kill She Li if necessary, but once She Li proves himself, Chen Cheng is relieved. He also tries to protect She Li from making a potentially devastating lifelong commitment.
• Mata: Though absent, she becomes central to She Li’s decision. Her love, tenderness, and shared memories reveal the personal cost of his oath.
• Samlet: Serves as a warning and precedent for She Li. His lifelong burden of protecting Chen Cheng’s lineage illustrates the painful consequences of absolute devotion.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and immortality: She Li’s attainment of the Dao marks his passage beyond mortality, symbolized by the remaking of his Consciousness Realm and the creation of his Immortal Soul.
• Loyalty and gratitude: She Li views Chen Cheng’s aid as equivalent to being given a second life, making ordinary political allegiance insufficient to express his debt.
• Free will versus sacrifice: She Li’s oath is voluntary, but its consequences may bind his entire future and potentially affect his descendants.
• Love versus duty: She Li must choose between a life with Mata and lifelong service to Chen Cheng. He accepts personal loss as the price of repaying Chen Cheng’s kindness.
• Legacy and fate: She Li accepts that he and Mata may be “fated to meet but not fated to be together,” while also committing to preserve Chen Cheng’s future lineage and unfinished mission.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and She Li’s relationship shifts from ruler and subordinate to one founded on profound trust and life-changing gratitude.
• Chen Cheng tests She Li’s identity and loyalty immediately after his awakening, while She Li responds with submission, reassurance, and a Dao Fruit oath.
• Chen Cheng challenges She Li to consider Mata, his future family, and the burdens of serving a potentially disgraced leader.
• She Li acknowledges the risk but declares that he will stand with Chen Cheng regardless of whether they ultimately triumph or fail.

Chapter Summary: “Terrifying Data”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng formally accepts She Li’s loyalty, not as Emperor of the Empire but as a household vassal like Samlet. The resulting contract binds She Li to Chen Cheng and is incorporated into their bloodlines, meaning it will be inherited by future descendants.
• An alarm outside the operating room brings researchers rushing in. Chen Cheng conceals the true nature of what happened, claiming he accidentally triggered the alarm and that the operation was successful.
• Chen Cheng rewards the researcher who located important materials by assigning him responsibility for document searches and backups. This position is highly valuable because it prevents duplicated research and allows the researcher’s name to be credited on future work.
• She Li undergoes an extensive physical examination, including tests of strength, speed, durability, jumping ability, flight, and spatial movement.
• The tests reveal that She Li possesses extraordinary physical power, comparable to the military’s older H-113 combat armor. His estimated attacks range from several tons of TNT equivalent under normal conditions to over a thousand tons when exerting himself fully.
• Chen Cheng orders all records of She Li’s test results destroyed and classifies the experiment as the highest-level secret.
• She Li becomes discouraged after learning that his painstaking cultivation has left him physically inferior to mass-produced technological armor. Chen Cheng reassures him that technological and Transcendent development represent different forms of human achievement.
• The two discuss combining magic and technology to create a new civilization capable of solving the world’s problems.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates strategic responsibility by accepting She Li’s loyalty while protecting the secrecy of his abilities. He also shows foresight by preserving scientific knowledge and recognizing the importance of combining technological and magical systems.
• She Li becomes officially bound to Chen Cheng as a vassal and gains a clearer understanding of his own power through scientific measurement. Although initially humbled by the technological world’s superiority, he quickly regains perspective and embraces the possibility of developing magic-technology civilization.
• The researcher is elevated to an important administrative and scholarly role, reflecting Chen Cheng’s recognition of the value of information management and research attribution.

Significant Themes

• Technology versus cultivation: The chapter contrasts individual Transcendent power with industrially produced technology. Human ingenuity can compensate for physical weakness through tools and scientific progress.
• Different forms of glory: Chen Cheng argues that neither technological civilization nor cultivation is inherently superior; each represents a distinct achievement arising from different paths of development.
• Integration of disciplines: Magic and technology do not need to compete. Their combination could produce solutions and advancements beyond what either system can achieve alone.
• Secrecy and responsibility: She Li’s capabilities are dangerous enough to be treated as a state-level secret, emphasizing the need to control information about overwhelming power.
• Humility and adaptation: She Li’s pride is shaken by the test results, but he avoids blind worship of technology and instead adapts by imagining how his own civilization can learn from it.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and She Li establish a formal master-vassal relationship through the loyalty contract.
• Chen Cheng reassures the researchers after the alarm and later entrusts one of them with sensitive document management.
• Chen Cheng and She Li discuss the meaning of strength after the examination. Chen Cheng encourages She Li not to feel ashamed and emphasizes that technological and Transcendent achievements can coexist.
• She Li acknowledges Chen Cheng’s previous efforts to deconstruct magic and integrate it with technology, agreeing that they can pursue a technologically advanced magical civilization together.

Chapter Summary: “Encounter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After completing She Li’s operation, Chen Cheng receives a call from Melinda, the BOSS. She tells him that Fini has found his supposed ex-girlfriend and wants him to explain himself.
• Chen Cheng is confused and troubled because he has no personal memory of having an ex-girlfriend, but he realizes that the body and identity he inherited may carry the romantic history of its original owner.
• Melinda accuses him of being unfaithful and hints that he may have pursued several women in both this world and the Karmak World. Her jealousy and frustration become obvious.
• She Li jokingly offers to handle the matter for Chen Cheng, but Chen Cheng rejects the idea and decides to face the situation himself.
• After showering and changing, Chen Cheng travels by flying car to the restaurant where the meeting is supposed to occur.
• Meanwhile, Sifite’s group arrives in B City and begins carrying out their plan to find Chen Cheng. Ireland takes the lead and initially goes to the club to ask for information.
• By coincidence, Fini is already meeting another version of Ireland at a nearby high-end restaurant. The two women have become friendly, bonding over their university experiences, though Fini does not realize that their timelines differ by nearly three years.
• Chen Cheng arrives at the restaurant and carefully adjusts his appearance before entering, wanting to present himself well despite the awkward circumstances.
• Ireland notices Chen Cheng and follows him. Because she cannot afford the restaurant’s minimum spending requirement, she uses her Elf magic to bypass the entrance system.
• By copying Chen Cheng’s footprint and using Aura-Guided Tracking Magic, Ireland teleports directly beside him without being detected.
• When she reappears, she sees not Chen Cheng’s current face but another face that is both familiar and unfamiliar, setting up the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly aware that he must deal with the emotional consequences of his predecessor’s life. His uncertainty over the ex-girlfriend adds to his anxiety about how much of the former Chen Cheng’s identity he truly understands.
• Melinda reveals strong jealousy and possessiveness. Although she claims not to miss Chen Cheng, her words and suspicion suggest that she cares deeply about him and fears losing him.
• She Li shows a more playful and teasing side, contrasting with his former cold and aloof image. His joking helps relieve tension but also irritates Chen Cheng.
• Fini acts as the instigator of the confrontation, seeking an explanation from Chen Cheng and potentially threatening to create a public scene.
• Ireland demonstrates her intelligence, vigilance, adaptability, and formidable magical abilities. Her emotional connection to the relationship from her university days is also emphasized.

Significant Themes

• Identity and inherited consequences: Chen Cheng must bear the consequences of relationships and actions that may belong to the body’s original owner rather than to him personally.
• Jealousy and romantic uncertainty: Melinda’s reaction highlights the instability of Chen Cheng’s relationships and the suspicion surrounding his past.
• Parallel worlds and alternate identities: The overlap between different versions of Ireland, Chen Cheng, and their shared university history creates confusion and foreshadows revelations.
• Social inequality: Although society claims to have achieved equality, the restaurant’s asset-based entry system reveals the persistence of invisible class divisions.
• Fate and coincidence: The characters’ movements align by chance, bringing Chen Cheng and Ireland together just as both groups begin searching for him.
• Appearance versus reality: Chen Cheng is worried about how he appears to others, while Ireland encounters a face that is familiar yet not the one she expected, suggesting that identity may be more complicated than outward appearance.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Melinda: Their phone conversation mixes teasing, affection, suspicion, and jealousy. Melinda pressures him to confront the ex-girlfriend situation.
• Chen Cheng and She Li: She Li mocks Chen Cheng’s romantic predicament and offers to intervene, prompting Chen Cheng to remind him of his formerly serious personality.
• Ireland and Fini: They form a temporary friendship through shared university memories, unknowingly discussing Chen Cheng’s past from different timelines.
• Ireland and Chen Cheng: Ireland spots Chen Cheng, secretly follows him, and uses magic to reach him. The chapter ends at the moment she sees the unfamiliar face, creating suspense over his identity and her reaction.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ireland is shocked when Elf Ireland, an identical-looking version of herself, suddenly appears. Before Ireland can scream, Elf Ireland grabs her by the throat and threatens her.
• Chen Cheng draws his sword against Elf Ireland, while questioning Fini about the supposed “ex-girlfriend” she had mentioned.
• The chapter briefly explains how the misunderstanding began: Chen Cheng entered the restaurant expecting to meet Elf Ireland, but instead encountered the ordinary Ireland. Fini, already suspicious of Chen Cheng, interpreted the scene as evidence of romantic betrayal.
• Elf Ireland’s magical leap had transported her into the restaurant, transforming what looked like a romantic confrontation into a dangerous fantasy encounter.
• Fini screams after realizing there are two Irelands, but Chen Cheng covers her mouth to prevent attention. Elf Ireland escapes his sword and holds her own blade to his throat.
• When a restaurant attendant checks on them, Fini dismisses the noise as a harmless outburst, allowing the group to avoid intervention.
• Chen Cheng demands that Fini explain the “ex-girlfriend” accusation. Ireland clarifies that Chen Cheng is merely her university senior, not her former boyfriend.
• Elf Ireland becomes alarmed by the idea that her parallel-world counterpart has had a romantic relationship, even asking whether Ireland had “given her body” to the man.
• Chen Cheng finally explains the truth: Elf Ireland is Ireland from a parallel world, and the two versions of Ireland are not twins.
• Ireland accepts the explanation relatively calmly because of her academic knowledge, while Fini finds the revelation thrilling and bizarre.
• Elf Ireland realizes that her counterpart really was once involved in a relationship. She also confirms that Brown and She Li have been found; only Elder Melos remains missing.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng shifts from defensive confusion to taking control of the situation. He clarifies the misunderstanding and manages the tense confrontation despite having a sword at his throat.
• Elf Ireland reveals a harsher, more protective side beneath her usually playful personality. Her concern about Ireland’s romantic life suggests strong familial or guardian-like instincts, even though she is confused by the parallel-world situation.
• Ireland is initially frightened but quickly becomes composed and rational. She distinguishes Chen Cheng from her supposed ex-boyfriend and shows greater willingness than Fini to accept the parallel-world explanation.
• Fini remains impulsive, suspicious, and entertained by the chaos. She repeatedly assumes Chen Cheng is hiding a romantic relationship, but her curiosity grows once she learns about the parallel worlds.
• The relationship between the two Irelands becomes a central source of tension and fascination, particularly because Elf Ireland is troubled by the romantic history of her counterpart.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and perception: The scene initially resembles a melodramatic love triangle because the characters misread one another’s identities and relationships.
• Parallel worlds and alternate selves: The chapter explores how two versions of the same person can have radically different experiences, especially in love and personal history.
• Identity and familiarity: Chen Cheng recognizes Ireland through tone and behavior rather than appearance alone, while the identical faces create confusion for everyone else.
• Protectiveness and moral expectations: Elf Ireland reacts strongly to the possibility of her counterpart having had a romantic relationship, reflecting the values and restrictions placed on elves.
• Comedy amid danger: Sword threats, strangulation, and supernatural revelations are mixed with awkward explanations and exaggerated reactions, keeping the scene humorous rather than purely threatening.

Character Interactions

• Elf Ireland restrains Ireland, while Chen Cheng counters by threatening Elf Ireland with his sword.
• Chen Cheng and Fini clash over the false accusation involving an “ex-girlfriend,” with Fini acting like an outraged observer of a romantic scandal.
• Chen Cheng relies on Fini to dismiss the restaurant staff, though she misunderstands his request and assumes he intends to explain himself to her.
• Ireland attempts to calm the situation by explaining that Chen Cheng is only her senior.
• Elf Ireland interrogates Ireland about her romantic history in a comically overprotective manner.
• After Chen Cheng explains the truth, the group’s hostility subsides, though Elf Ireland remains disturbed and curious about her counterpart’s past.

Chapter Summary: “Sudden Exposure”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Fini jokingly summarizes the group’s unusual situation: Chen Cheng is her “brother-in-law” and “Little Slave,” Ireland is their teacher, and Elf Ireland is an elven warrior from another world.
• Elf Ireland explains that elves in her world are born from the World Tree rather than through parents. This disappoints Ireland, who had hoped to learn more about her own unknown parents through her alternate-world counterpart.
• Ireland recounts how she, Sifite, and the others arrived on the Homeworld. Chen Cheng realizes that their reckless behavior could have led to imprisonment if they had not appeared in an underground transaction site.
• The group discovers that Elder Melos is still missing, though Sifite may know what happened to her.
• A security scan, triggered by Fini’s high-level personal safety insurance, detects that Ireland, Sifite, and the others are using forged identities. Their exposure becomes the Homeworld’s largest security crisis in nearly a century.
• Ireland is marked as a red-level target. She traps the restaurant’s robotic guards with magic and escapes, while Chen Cheng asks Fini to contact her family and seeks help through his connections.
• Outside, Sifite’s group creates a massive distraction by fighting the city’s security forces. They destroy buildings and combat armor but deliberately avoid injuring civilians, knowing property damage can be resolved through fines while casualties would result in far harsher treatment.
• Liphia’s magic destroys several flying combat armors, causing the group’s danger rating to rise. City officials then order the highest nonlethal capture protocol.
• Fini contacts Melinda, who informs her parents. Xiao Suo reassures them that the authorities will capture the test subjects without using lethal force, but insists that Chen Cheng pay for the extensive property damage.

2. Character Developments

• Ireland remains quick-thinking and strategic under pressure. She immediately recognizes the danger of the identity exposure, creates a plausible solution involving Chen Cheng’s influence, and prevents the group from needlessly fighting the restaurant guards.
• Chen Cheng takes responsibility for protecting the group and seeks legal and political assistance rather than relying solely on force. He also tries to conceal his connection to the fugitives by pretending to report that the test subjects have escaped.
• Fini shifts from playful teasing to alarm and practical action when her safety insurance exposes the group. She contacts Melinda for help.
• Elf Ireland is shown to be guarded and unwilling to discuss her origins, especially with her alternate self. Her revelation about elven reproduction also highlights how different the two Irelands’ lives are.
• Sifite and the others demonstrate tactical restraint despite their destructive escape. They understand the law and intentionally avoid casualties.
• Melinda and Xiao Suo act as influential allies. Melinda responds quickly, while Xiao Suo remains calm and treats the situation as a manageable legal and political problem rather than a disaster.

3. Significant Themes

• Identity and belonging: The existence of alternate versions of Ireland raises questions about how much identity is shaped by origins, family, and world.
• Law versus force: The characters survive by understanding the Homeworld’s legal system. Property destruction is preferable to harming civilians, and political influence is more useful than violent resistance.
• Responsibility and consequences: Even powerful or well-connected characters cannot simply ignore the damage they cause. Xiao Suo insists that the fine be paid.
• Trust and cooperation: The crisis requires the group to rely on one another, Chen Cheng’s connections, Fini’s family, and the Homeworld authorities.
• Control and surveillance: The automated security system exposes forged identities almost accidentally, showing the power of advanced monitoring and the danger of living under constant identification.

4. Character Interactions

• Fini playfully teases Chen Cheng and Ireland by describing their strange relationships, while Chen Cheng and the others try to focus on the crisis.
• Ireland questions Elf Ireland about her parents and origins, but Elf Ireland shuts down the conversation, creating a moment of loneliness and emotional distance for Ireland.
• Ireland briefs Chen Cheng about the missing Elder Melos and the group’s arrival, establishing a cooperative but urgent dynamic.
• Ireland instructs Chen Cheng to use his status and connections rather than attempting a rescue by force, reflecting her awareness of the danger surrounding their experiment.
• Chen Cheng asks Fini to contact Melinda and directs Ireland to remain with Fini, showing his attempt to divide responsibilities and protect the vulnerable members.
• Melinda reassures Fini, while Xiao Suo reassures both Melinda and Chen Cheng indirectly, balancing familial support with a firm demand that the group pay for its actions.

Summary: “The System’s Sudden Intervention”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Melinda watches the aftermath of the conflict and realizes the property damage may result in an enormous fine, potentially exceeding the value of her company.
• Sifite, Ireland, Liphia, and the others deliberately allow themselves to be surrounded by City B’s arrest robots, while secretly retaining enough strength to escape if necessary.
• The robots trap them in a high-energy force field that limits their control over their powers but cannot completely suppress them. The authorities become interested in their unfamiliar energy-manipulation techniques.
• Melinda’s company sends the city government a letter claiming that Sifite and the others are escaped experimental subjects from the Chen Cheng Laboratory and promising compensation for the damage.
• The city official initially suspects fraud and investigates the laboratory. However, Xiao Suo had already arranged the necessary high-risk experimental permits, and the system’s automatic cloud backups preserve data confirming the laboratory’s connection to She Li and the other subjects.
• Xiao Suo further protects the Moss Family by sending the city government a gratitude banner and a large political donation. Since no civilians, animals, or modified humans were killed, the authorities conclude that the incident was legally contained. The laboratory receives only a fine and an order to improve security.
• Just as the authorities are preparing to transfer Sifite and the others, the long-silent system suddenly activates an emergency protocol. It declares the experimental subjects too dangerous, confiscates all Chen Cheng Laboratory subjects and data, and orders their transfer to the Cosmic Prison.
• The city’s security robots are immediately taken over by the system, leaving the official powerless to stop the order.
• Chen Cheng is horrified and wants to rescue Sifite and the others, knowing that the Cosmic Prison is an isolated void where imprisonment is effectively worse than death.
• Xiao Suo recognizes that the system cannot be opposed. He concludes that the Moss Family must completely sever its connection to She Li and the other subjects to avoid being implicated or controlled through them.

Character Developments

• Melinda becomes increasingly anxious about the financial and legal consequences of the disaster but relies on the company’s prepared cover story.
• Sifite demonstrates caution and strategic resolve. She is willing to cooperate with the apparent arrest while preserving the ability to escape if the authorities reveal hostile intentions.
• Ireland and Liphia function as essential tactical support, helping coordinate the group’s potential escape and monitor incoming threats.
• Xiao Suo proves to be the most politically and strategically prepared character. His prior arrangements with the authorities and use of political influence prevent the laboratory from being exposed, but he ultimately understands that even his connections are useless against the system.
• Chen Cheng shows personal loyalty and concern for Sifite and the others, immediately focusing on saving them rather than protecting the laboratory.
• The City B official shifts from suspicion and determination to helplessness when the system overrides his authority.

Significant Themes

• Power beyond human institutions: The system’s intervention demonstrates that governmental authority, legal procedures, and political influence are all subordinate to a higher technological power.
• Manipulation of law and bureaucracy: Xiao Suo successfully exploits permits, data systems, and political donations to transform a potentially devastating incident into a minor legal violation.
• The moral cost of survival: The characters avoid casualties and legal consequences, but their survival depends on deception, manipulation, and abandoning the experimental subjects.
• Isolation as punishment: The Cosmic Prison is portrayed as a fate worse than death, emphasizing psychological suffering, eternal loneliness, and the cruelty of preserving life without hope.
• Loss of control: Both the authorities and the Moss Family discover that their carefully managed plans can be overturned instantly by the system.

Character Interactions

• Sifite communicates with Liphia and coordinates with Ireland about conserving power and preparing an escape.
• The city authorities confront Sifite’s group while secretly studying their unfamiliar abilities.
• Melinda’s company attempts to negotiate with the city through an official apology and compensation offer.
• Xiao Suo supports the company’s cover-up by arranging permits, using preserved laboratory data, and sending political contributions.
• Chen Cheng reacts emotionally to the system’s confiscation order, while Xiao Suo responds pragmatically and urges a complete separation from She Li and the other subjects.

Summary of “Melinda’s Decision”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Suo contacts his daughter Melinda after learning that the system has intervened and intends to arrest She Li and the others.
• He urges her to convince Chen Cheng to abandon them and return, arguing that the system is omnipotent and that their only option is to separate themselves from the situation before helping later.
• Melinda refuses to rely on Chen Cheng’s compliance. She knows he came to this world specifically to find Sifite and the others and would never give up on them.
• She asks her father to act first and arrange protective measures before Chen Cheng can recklessly resist the system.
• Following the conversation, Chen Cheng’s experiment is locked down by company order, and an arrest warrant is issued for She Li inside the laboratory.
• She Li notices the laboratory’s containment measures and confronts deputy manager Vinnie. He attempts to break through the reinforced walls with his Butcher Knife.
• His first attack leaves only a faint mark, but by using the Destruction Law—and then merging his body with the blade through Unity of Man and Blade—he creates a deep opening and causes part of the wall to vanish.
• Vinnie warns him that escaping is useless because the system knows all his data and has authorized military weapons capable of killing him.
• Vinnie suggests that She Li’s magic, possibly involving higher-dimensional energy, may provide a way out.
• She Li realizes that the Consciousness Body might function as a higher-dimensional form of intervention. He stops attacking the wall, enters meditation, and uses Chen Cheng’s lingering aura to search for Chen Cheng’s Consciousness Realm.

Character Developments

• Melinda demonstrates a major shift in loyalty and resolve. Rather than obeying her father or abandoning She Li and the others, she chooses to protect Chen Cheng from making a suicidal resistance attempt.
• Xiao Suo remains pragmatic and fearful of the system’s power. He prioritizes survival and believes separation is necessary, even if it causes Chen Cheng to resent Melinda.
• Chen Cheng is characterized as determined and unwilling to abandon those he came to rescue, though his incomplete understanding of the system makes him vulnerable to acting recklessly.
• She Li displays both immense destructive power and strategic adaptability. When brute force proves insufficient, he considers the deeper nature of magic and seeks an alternative through the Consciousness Body.
• Vinnie acts calmly and rationally despite the danger. He understands the laboratory’s defenses and the system’s overwhelming authority, but he also helps She Li recognize a possible escape route.

Significant Themes

• Resistance versus survival: The characters must decide whether to oppose an unbeatable system or withdraw temporarily to preserve themselves.
• The limits of individual power: Even She Li’s extraordinary abilities cannot easily overcome technology controlled by the system.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Melinda is willing to risk Chen Cheng’s hatred to prevent him from throwing away his life.
• Science and magic: The chapter blurs the distinction between the two, presenting magic as an advanced understanding of energy and suggesting that the Consciousness Body may transcend ordinary physical laws.
• Authority and omniscience: The system is portrayed as nearly godlike, possessing total knowledge, control, and the ability to eliminate threats through countless methods.

Character Interactions

• Melinda and Xiao Suo: They disagree over whether Chen Cheng should withdraw, with Melinda insisting that preparation and intervention are necessary because Chen Cheng will not abandon his friends.
• She Li and Vinnie: Their tense confrontation combines physical resistance with a debate about the futility of fighting the system. Vinnie warns She Li that escape may only endanger Chen Cheng further.
• She Li and Chen Cheng: Though Chen Cheng is not directly present, She Li relies on the aura Chen Cheng left behind to locate his Consciousness Realm, reinforcing their connection and shared objective.

Chapter Summary: “Break”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After She Li calms down, Vinnie reports the situation to Melinda and continues examining the damaged wall.
• Melinda contacts Chen Cheng, who has arrived near the scene and sees several God of War Armaments approaching. Unlike the versions in the Great Sage’s memories, these machines carry powerful Annihilation Matter Cannons.
• Chen Cheng’s Divine Soul warns him of the danger, preventing him from impulsively rescuing Sifite and the others.
• The surrounding citizens celebrate the arrival of the machines, viewing them as protectors who will finally stop the destruction caused by the extraterrestrial visitors.
• Melinda tells Chen Cheng that the system has intervened and that he must return to sign a severance agreement, cutting his legal and personal ties to Sifite and the others.
• Chen Cheng challenges the legality of the system confiscating company assets. Melinda explains that the system can invoke temporary supreme authority and arrange for the prisoners to be sent to the Cosmic Prison—or even destroyed.
• Chen Cheng demands that She Li be released, invoking the life-and-death contract he and Melinda share. Melinda refuses, insisting that the visitors are no longer his responsibility.
• Their argument escalates. Melinda questions whether Chen Cheng’s memories of the visitors are genuine and claims that the contract is not a serious obstacle because the system can resurrect them from data.
• Furious, Chen Cheng cuts off communication, removes his technology to avoid detection, and decides he must rescue Sifite and the others without Melinda’s Lineage.
• Although he could use his Divine Domain to extract them, Chen Cheng recognizes that the system has marked them and would hunt them across the world, making their escape extremely difficult.
• Enraged by Chen Cheng’s defiance, Melinda threatens to ensure that the prisoners face the harshest possible punishment. She contacts her political connections to influence the judgment, though she cannot bring herself to request their execution.
• Melinda later tracks Chen Cheng through a hidden biological locator implanted in his body, demonstrating that he has not truly escaped her control.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Becomes increasingly alienated from Melinda and the Lineage. His moral loyalty to Sifite, She Li, and the others outweighs his legal obligations and personal safety. He shifts from hesitation to active resistance, despite recognizing the enormous risks.
• Melinda: Reveals both her political influence and her controlling nature. Though jealous and angry, she still shows some restraint by refusing to explicitly demand the visitors’ deaths. Her love for Chen Cheng is mixed with possessiveness and a willingness to use her power against those he wants to protect.
• She Li: Remains powerful but temporarily subdued and compliant enough to be escorted away. His fate becomes a central concern for Chen Cheng.
• Sifite and the other visitors: Are treated as dangerous extraterrestrial assets rather than individuals, with their detention and possible destruction now controlled by the system.

Significant Themes

• Conflict between law and justice: Chen Cheng questions whether the system’s emergency authority can override legal ownership and due process.
• Institutional power and surveillance: The system, the God of War Armaments, political connections, and Melinda’s hidden tracker show how individuals can be controlled by larger structures.
• Loyalty versus self-preservation: Chen Cheng risks his life and future to save the visitors, while Melinda prioritizes security, family reputation, and control.
• Identity and memory: Melinda casts doubt on Chen Cheng’s memories, suggesting that magic or body changes may have altered his perception of reality.
• Love, jealousy, and possession: Melinda’s concern for Chen Cheng is inseparable from her jealousy and desire to control his choices.
• Cultural and civilizational boundaries: The citizens’ reaction to the God of War Armaments emphasizes that Chen Cheng and the visitors are disruptive outsiders whose presence threatens both civilizations.

Important Character Interactions

• Vinnie and Melinda: Vinnie reports She Li’s condition, allowing Melinda to coordinate the response.
• Chen Cheng and Melinda: Their communication becomes a bitter confrontation over the visitors’ fate, the severance agreement, and their marriage. Chen Cheng ultimately rejects her authority and cuts the call.
• Melinda and her political contacts: She uses her family connections to influence the upcoming judgment, seeking to sever the visitors from her family without directly calling for their deaths.
• Melinda and Chen Cheng’s tracker: The hidden locator reinforces the imbalance of power between them and suggests that Chen Cheng’s movements remain under her surveillance.

Chapter Summary: “Sorting Out the Situation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng remains unaware that Melinda has identified him and issued a missing-person notice. Because he disappeared after his experimental results were confiscated and suffered a mental breakdown, he is now classified as a mentally ill missing person.
• He initially plans to find She Li and rescue him, hoping their combined strength will allow them to break out Sifite and the others before they are transferred to the Cosmic Prison.
• While Chen Cheng searches for a solution, She Li tracks his aura to Chen Cheng’s Void Divine Kingdom.
• Chen Cheng enters his Divine Soul and examines his Divine Kingdom. He observes Kui Niu in Hell, whose soul has become increasingly solid and closely connected to the reincarnation cycle, suggesting an unknown transformation.
• Chen Cheng also observes She Li’s Dao through his Divine Eye. She Li realizes that Chen Cheng’s gaze can see through his hidden Dao Fruit, a dangerous ability capable of exposing an opponent’s weaknesses and enabling a fatal attack.
• Chen Cheng allows She Li into the Divine Kingdom. She Li nearly merges with the Divine Kingdom itself after entering, but his control as an Enlightened One allows him to recognize the danger and regain awareness.
• She Li warns Chen Cheng not to act impulsively. He argues that the system—not Melinda—is the true source of their crisis and questions why it waited until everyone had gathered before arresting them.
• Chen Cheng reassesses the situation and realizes that he acted rashly by falling out with Melinda. He decides he must apologize to her and ask her to delay the case while he investigates the system.
• She Li reassures him that Sifite and the others will understand and that imprisonment in the Cosmic Prison may not be permanent. Chen Cheng promises that he will not abandon them.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Moves from panic and an impulsive rescue plan toward a calmer, more strategic approach. He recognizes his mistake in alienating Melinda and becomes willing to set aside his pride to save his allies.
• She Li: Demonstrates composure, insight, and loyalty. He remains calm despite the danger posed by the system and Chen Cheng’s ability to see through his Dao. He also acts as Chen Cheng’s voice of reason.
• Kui Niu: Appears to be undergoing a significant spiritual transformation as his soul becomes more physical and increasingly integrated with Hell and reincarnation.
• Melinda: Though absent from the immediate scene, her earlier judgment is vindicated; Chen Cheng acknowledges that she was correct to intervene and that her connections may be essential to delaying the arrests.

Significant Themes

• Rashness versus reason: Chen Cheng’s initial emotional response nearly worsens the situation, while She Li’s calm analysis helps him identify the real threat.
• Pride and responsibility: Chen Cheng must overcome his wounded pride and apologize to Melinda because protecting his companions is more important than preserving his dignity.
• Trust and loyalty: She Li supports Chen Cheng despite his mistakes, and Chen Cheng promises not to abandon his imprisoned allies.
• The hidden danger of the system: The system’s delayed intervention suggests motives or calculations beyond simple automated law enforcement, raising questions about its true nature.
• Power and vulnerability: Chen Cheng’s Divine Eye grants him extraordinary insight, but She Li’s reaction shows how terrifying and dangerous that power can be when it exposes an opponent’s deepest weaknesses.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and She Li: Their meeting shifts the chapter from desperate action to careful planning. She Li advises Chen Cheng to confront the system indirectly and seek Melinda’s assistance.
• Chen Cheng and Melinda: Although they are currently estranged, Chen Cheng realizes he must repair their relationship and request her help.
• Chen Cheng and Kui Niu: Chen Cheng observes Kui Niu’s mysterious development but does not yet understand its significance.
• Chen Cheng and Sifite’s group: Chen Cheng’s determination to rescue them and his final promise not to abandon them emphasize his loyalty and sense of responsibility.