Chapter Summaries

Lin Li spent Friday at school joking with his classmates, conducting a chemistry lesson, and beginning a new five-elements cultivation task. As Wang Ze and Chen Tianming prepared to confess to the girls they liked at the Pinglu Market, Lin Li wished for everyone to succeed.

• Lin Li grumbled that the Heavenly Secret Mirror had revealed the weather, then decided its limited insight might be due to his incomplete refinement.
• Wang Ze asked Lin Li and Bai Bufan for advice about buying flowers for his confession to Senior Sister Qian, and Bai Bufan agreed to help after Wang Ze threatened him over his crude suggestion.
• During chemistry class, Lin Li and Bai Bufan traded jokes while Zou Weilun prepared an experiment on producing hydrogen from iron and water vapor.
• A new task appeared, asking Lin Li to temper himself with the power of the five elements; he absorbed the Thunder Accumulation Seed and filled part of the wood progress bar.
• After school, Lin Li learned that Wang Ze planned to buy flowers and that Chen Tianming intended to confess to Yao Qiaoqiao at the Pinglu Market the next day, and he wished that everyone would succeed.

Lin Li endured Bai Bufan’s obscene messages, then returned to the Cultivation World and revealed his Soul Wall ability to Shān Qīng Daoist. After Lin Li upgraded it to block and reflect all soul attacks, Shān Qīng Daoist formed a Spiked Club, leaving Lin Li alarmed.

• Lin Li helped Zhang Fang catch Xiao Bo, who had disrupted the square dancers by pretending to lead them as the Monkey King.
• Bai Bufan described Wang Ze’s painful encounter and recounted an enoki mushroom story, while Lin Li reacted with disgust and told Wang Ze to beat Bai Bufan again.
• Lin Li traveled to the Cultivation World and overheard Shān Qīng Daoist arguing with Bu Fan about playing pornographic videos on his phone.
• Shān Qīng Daoist tried to make Lin Li faint with a Divine Sense attack, but Lin Li’s Soul Wall blocked it.
• Lin Li used an Ability Amplifier to upgrade Soul Wall so it blocked all soul attacks and reflected half their power, then let Shān Qīng Daoist test it.
• Shān Qīng Daoist formed a Spiked Club after realizing he could no longer affect Lin Li’s soul, and Lin Li asked what it was.

Lin Li visited Shān Qīng Daoist, asked for help completing his Five-Element tempering task, and discovered that the task only progressed in reality. After returning home, he tested different ways to temper himself and made progress with metal, water, and earth, but still had no solution for fire.

• Lin Li gave Shān Qīng Daoist his phone so the old man could satisfy his curiosity about modern adult films, then asked him to help with Five-Element tempering.
• Shān Qīng Daoist tried several elemental methods on Lin Li, but Lin Li’s task progress did not move; Lin Li concluded that the tempering had to happen in his own world and received a cultivation method from Shān Qīng Daoist.
• Lin Li completed Task Four, received rewards, and triggered a new task to keep Shān Qīng Daoist warm; burning the old man’s wrist with a flamethrower advanced its progress.
• Back in reality, Lin Li’s attempts to temper himself with condensed elemental energy failed, so he tested practical methods and made progress by exercising with gold, swimming in cold water, and carrying bricks at a construction site.
• Lin Li failed to find a funeral home willing to cremate him alive and asked a stranger to burn his ass with a cigarette butt to help him temper the fire element.

Lin Li discovered that returning valuable lost property advanced the task's Metal element, then completed his Body Tempering Eight Section Exercise and received a title and physical improvements. After practicing driving and getting his hair styled, he prepared for the day's outing with his companions.

• Lin Li tested ways to increase Fire, found that burning himself barely helped, and ordered supplies for further experiments.
• At Pinglu Street's Lost and Found, Lin Li discovered that returning valuables rapidly advanced Metal, while small coins contributed little.
• Lin Li tried to advance Fire through Naruto and by resisting temptation, but the task did not respond.
• Lin Li completed the Body Tempering Eight Section Exercise, received the Fruit of Perseverance title, and increased his Qi and Blood and physical strength.
• Lin Li practiced driving, then visited a barbershop to prepare for the day's plans.

Lin Li got his hair styled, then returned to the dorms, where he and his friends traded jokes while preparing to go to Pinglu Street for the Lantern Festival. Wang Ze’s outfit met with ridicule from Lin Li and Bai Bufan, leaving Wang Ze uncertain whether to change.

• Lin Li accepted his blow-dried hairstyle at the barbershop, while the manager discovered Xiao Guang had advertised a membership deal as “eighty will arrive” after a one-hundred-yuan recharge.
• Lin Li returned to school, where Chen Tianming admired his hairstyle and left to get his own hair styled.
• Lin Li found Bai Bufan miming in his sleep, and the two joked about Japanese people favoring Chao in adult films.
• Lin Li visited Wang Ze, who showed off his outfit and claimed he had raised his deadlift record to one hundred and ninety jin.
• Lin Li mocked Wang Ze’s outfit with an elaborate story, then asked Bai Bufan for his opinion; Bai Bufan shut the balcony door and retched, while Wang Ze was left speechless.

Lin Li helped Wang Ze choose a casual outfit for his planned confession to Qian Xuejie, while the group traded jokes about clothes, haircuts, and dating. Lin Li then set out with Bai Bufan and Qu Wanqiu to meet Ding Sihan, confident about his own plans as they headed toward Pinglu Street.

• Lin Li persuaded Wang Ze to abandon his tight, muscular look and try a clean, casual outfit, and Bai Bufan approved of the result.
• Bai Bufan arrived, and Wang Ze compared his clothes with Bai Bufan's before deciding his own outfit suited him better.
• Chen Tianming returned from the barber dissatisfied with his haircut, and Lin Li and the others teased him before Lin Li and Bai Bufan left for their outing.
• At the school gate, Lin Li joked with Qu Wanqiu and Bai Bufan before they took a cab to pick up Ding Sihan.
• Lin Li told Ding Sihan he was relaxed about his plans and asked the others to find a chance to disappear that night; Bai Bufan offered him gum.

Lin Li went to a market with Bai Bufan and the three girls, where a stall owner’s story revealed that Lin Li had returned the owner’s belongings to Lost and Found the previous night. After accidentally receiving an extraordinarily spicy squid, Lin Li noticed that his system’s “Fire” progress had advanced, leaving him to wonder what triggered it.

• Lin Li and Bai Bufan joked while the group chose grilled squid, tofu, and shrimp paste at a market stall.
• Lin Li discouraged Ding Sihan from ordering enoki mushrooms after Bai Bufan reminded him of an embarrassing message, and Lin Li distracted the others with a cutesy performance.
• The stall owner described a lunatic who had turned in his clothes, bag, and phone, and Lin Li realized he had been the one who returned them the night before.
• Lin Li speculated that returning stolen or found belongings might advance his “Gold” trial, then ate the squid the owner had accidentally made far spicier than intended.
• The owner apologized and offered to grill Lin Li another squid, but Lin Li noticed that his system’s “Fire” progress had moved forward.

Lin Li and his friends ate at a market stall, where the owner told them about the stranger who had turned in his belongings the previous night—unaware that Lin Li was that stranger. Lin Li accidentally ate a squid far hotter than intended, and the system’s “Fire” progress advanced, leaving him to consider the result.

• Lin Li and Bai Bufan joked while they and the three girls ordered grilled squid, tofu, and shrimp paste.
• The stall owner described how someone had taken his belongings to the Lost and Found, and Lin Li realized he was the person they were discussing.
• Lin Li wondered whether turning in items he had found could advance his “Gold” task and considered testing the idea again.
• Lin Li ate a squid the owner had accidentally coated with exceptionally hot sauce, then drank Chen Yuying’s fruit tea to cool his mouth.
• The owner offered to grill Lin Li another squid, and Lin Li noticed that his system’s “Fire” progress had advanced.

Lin Li and Bai Bufan watched an acrobatic show and listened to a fellow spectator complain about blind dates and Xiling’s matchmaking scene. Lin Li then received a quest to investigate Joyful Union Demons hiding in the Red Dust Marriage Pavilion.

• Lin Li and his companions stopped at a stage, watched the acrobatic performances, and declined an advertisement from the Promise of This Life Matchmaking Center.
• Lin Li and Bai Bufan stayed to save their seats while the others went to the river and nearby stalls.
• A fellow spectator advised the boys to date while they were young, then recounted bizarre blind dates and blamed an anti-pornography crackdown for flooding matchmaking agencies with suspicious prospects.
• Lin Li and Bai Bufan realized the angry spectator was condemning the very people who had helped expose the crackdown, and they tried not to laugh.
• Lin Li received a quest to enter the Red Dust Marriage Pavilion and investigate Joyful Union Demons posing as respectable women seeking Dao Companions.

Lin Li considered how to complete the system’s blind-date mission and spent the day at the Jade Belt River market with Bai Bufan, Ding Sihan, Chen Yuying, and Qu Wanqiu. That evening, Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu went into a fortune-telling stall while Lin Li and Chen Yuying continued through the market, leaving Bai Bufan to browse alone after he faked a stomachache.

• Lin Li decided he would ask a matchmaking agency to set him up with difficult or abnormal clients, and he exchanged contact information with Sun Ming, a man who knew about blind dates.
• Lin Li and Bai Bufan accompanied Ding Sihan, Chen Yuying, and Qu Wanqiu to take photos by the Jade Belt River, where Lin Li joked about using a glowing Gold General to dry up the river.
• Lin Li and Bai Bufan watched small fish and played with dead apple snail eggs while Chen Yuying and Qu Wanqiu recovered karmic merit after the boys made offensive jokes.
• At night, Ding Sihan led Qu Wanqiu into a fortune-telling stall for readings and told Lin Li, Bai Bufan, and Chen Yuying to browse the market.
• Lin Li prompted Bai Bufan to pretend his stomach hurt so he could leave the group, and Chen Yuying laughed at their clumsy excuse as the two continued walking together.

Lin Li and Chen Yuying spent the evening exploring the night market, growing closer as they shared games, food, and a brief handhold. After Chen Yuying appeared ready to confess her feelings, Lin Li covered her mouth and asked her not to say it yet.

• Lin Li paid for a balloon-shooting game, but Chen Yuying won the elephant plush with twenty-three hits while he fired no shots.
• Lin Li tested his lost-property theory by turning in the plush and a coin, and only the coin advanced his Gold progress.
• Lin Li and Chen Yuying watched a livestreamer sing, then held hands as they squeezed out of the crowd.
• The pair continued through the night market, and Chen Yuying spotted Wang Ze walking hand in hand with Qian Ying after successfully confessing to her.
• Chen Yuying seemed ready to tell Lin Li her feelings, but he covered her mouth and asked her not to say it yet.

Bai Bufan left the Fortune-telling House to reach Lin Li and Chen Yuying as Lin Li prepared to confess beneath fireworks and a drone show. Lin Li asked Chen Yuying to talk about dating, leaving her poised to hear his confession.

• Bai Bufan played cards with Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu at the Fortune-telling House and pitched the owner a dangerous idea for a bar at a highway service area.
• Fireworks and a drone show began, prompting Bai Bufan to rush outside while Wang Ze mistakenly thought he was running over to him.
• Lin Li told Chen Yuying not to like him yet, and she agreed before the two continued walking through the market.
• Lin Li led Chen Yuying to a glowing Electronic Ball beneath the riverside railing, where fireworks and drones displayed a message telling her to turn around.
• Lin Li presented Chen Yuying with a bouquet and said they needed to talk about dating.

Lin Li confessed to Chen Yuying beside the river, and she agreed to date him as fireworks and drones lit up the sky. After their friends teased them and learned how they had planned the confession, the group continued through the market together.

• At the Fortune-telling House, the owner guessed that a confession had succeeded while a passerby overheard her strange blend of Tarot and Eastern divination.
• Lin Li asked Chen Yuying to date him, and she accepted before telling him that she liked him.
• Lin Li and Chen Yuying embraced beneath the fireworks, then discovered that Ding Sihan, Qu Wanqiu, and Bai Bufan had been watching them.
• Lin Li and Chen Yuying joined their friends, who teased them, and Lin Li explained that Chen Yuying had also planned to confess after seeing Wang Ze's plans.
• Lin Li revealed that he had arranged the fireworks and drone show, which had cost 4,700, and joked with Bai Bufan about his extravagant dreams of wealth.

Lin Li and Chen Yuying enjoyed an evening together with their friends, then parted ways after sharing affectionate moments. At the dormitory, Wang Ze arrived just as Chen Tianming was devastated and asked about Wang Ze’s confession, leaving Wang Ze scrambling for an evasive answer.

• Bai Bufan and Lin Li joked about money and nannies before Lin Li asked Chen Yuying to repay 4,702.65 yuan for his past confession expenses, and she agreed.
• Ding Sihan questioned Lin Li and Chen Yuying about when they fell for each other, and they both said their feelings grew around the autumn outing.
• The group took more photos on Pinglu Street, then Chen Yuying left in her family’s car after hugging Lin Li.
• Lin Li teased Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu on the ride back, then accompanied Bai Bufan and Qu Wanqiu to Nansang School.
• Bai Bufan found Chen Tianming distraught in their dark dorm room, and Wang Ze arrived intending to boast about his confession.
• Chen Tianming asked Wang Ze how his confession had gone, and Wang Ze gave a confusing answer while Bai Bufan silently urged him to leave.

After Lin Li and Chen Yuying became a couple, they spent the evening exchanging affectionate messages and talking about their matching gifts and imagined children. Lin Li also spoke with his mother, Wu Min, who told him she would attend his parent-teacher conference the week after next, then he tried calling Chen Yuying again while she was taking a bath.

• Lin Li accepted both of Chen Yuying's transfers and joked with her about using the money for games and having her cook for him.
• Lin Li and Chen Yuying talked by voice call, confirmed that their bracelets and Little Bear plushies were matching gifts, and joked about the names Lin Li had imagined for future children.
• Wu Min invited Lin Li to a voice call, and Lin Li teased her about wanting a grandson before joking that he had thrown her belongings outside.
• Wu Min told Lin Li she planned to attend his parent-teacher conference the week after next, and Lin Li learned it would cover his exams and class placement.
• After ending his call with Wu Min, Lin Li tried calling Chen Yuying, who declined because she was taking a bath.

Lin Li teased Chen Yuying before visiting a matchmaking agency to arrange blind dates for his Blind Date mission. He persuaded the matchmaker to let him use false profile information for supposed sociological research, then chose Bai Bufan as his fake name.

• Lin Li tried to coax Chen Yuying into a video call with a fabricated childhood story, but she refused and told him to stop messaging until she finished bathing.
• The next day, Lin Li ate extremely spicy Luosifen for the Five Elements mission, confirmed it advanced the fire requirement, and recovered using spiritual energy.
• Lin Li visited a matchmaking agency and asked about its membership plans, blind-date process, and upcoming social events.
• Lin Li offered the matchmaker money and claimed he was researching blind-date behavior, persuading her to allow false information while keeping his real identity on file.
• At the agency, Lin Li gave the matchmaker his real ID and chose Bai Bufan as his fake name.

Lin Li spent the evening joking with his classmates, gave Chen Yuying a small rose vase, and prepared to attend their first competition tutoring session. Chen Tianming revealed he had signed up for the competition too and claimed he had recovered from his heartbreak after reading the laxative instructions.

• Wang Ze bragged to Lin Li, Zhou Baowei, and Zhang Haoyang about how Qian Xuejie accepted his flowers and hugged him, prompting the group to tease and congratulate him.
• Lin Li gave Chen Yuying a miniature rose vase and gave lollipops to Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu before returning to his seat.
• Bai Bufan confronted Lin Li for worsening Chen Tianming's heartbreak, then said Yao Qiaoqiao had apparently helped Chen Tianming feel better.
• Lin Li asked Bai Bufan whether he could earn six thousand a month at age twenty-three, reflecting on the fabricated profile he had created for a blind-date event.
• Lin Li, Chen Yuying, Wang Yuezhi, Zhuo Yongfei, and Zhang Haoyang prepared to attend competition tutoring, and Chen Tianming joined them after revealing he had signed up over the weekend because Yao Qiaoqiao was participating.
• Chen Tianming told Lin Li and Zhang Haoyang he had gotten over his heartbreak after reading a book, then identified it as the laxative instructions.

Chen Tianming recovered from his rejected confession after talking with Yao Qiaoqiao, while Lin Li teased him before joining Chen Yuying at competition tutoring. Their closeness drew Wang Yuezhi’s complaints, and Zhuo Yongfei hinted that he thought Wang Yuezhi might be about to get dumped.

• Chen Tianming explained that Yao Qiaoqiao had apologized and said she was not ready for a relationship, but he still planned to wait and pursue her.
• Lin Li advised Chen Tianming to consider moving on, then went to meet Chen Yuying and respected Chen Tianming’s privacy when she asked about his story.
• Lin Li and Chen Yuying arrived at the Multi-purpose Hall, where Chen Yuying introduced Lin Li to Xiao Tingbai as her boyfriend.
• Wang Yuezhi complained that Lin Li was getting too close to Chen Yuying, while Zhuo Yongfei hinted that a friend of his might be about to get dumped.
• Wang Yuezhi mistakenly thought Zhuo Yongfei was talking about him and tried to comfort him.

Zhuo Yongfei told Wang Yuezhi that Chen Yuying and Lin Li had started dating, leaving Wang devastated. After he returned from a foul bathroom, Zhuo Yongfei tried to comfort him before tutoring began.

• Wang Yuezhi misunderstood Zhuo Yongfei’s story about a heartbroken dormmate and assumed Zhuo Yongfei was talking about himself.
• Zhuo Yongfei tried to explain that the heartbroken person was someone they both knew, but Wang refused to grasp his hints.
• Zhuo Yongfei told Wang that Chen Yuying and Lin Li had gotten together over the weekend, then confirmed the news by asking Chen Tianming and Zhang Haoyang.
• Wang broke down over Chen Yuying’s relationship and went to the bathroom, where he found every stall clogged with foul-smelling piles.
• Wang returned in despair, and Zhuo Yongfei tried to reassure him by arguing that he now only had to compete with Lin Li for Chen Yuying’s affection.

Lin Li attended competition tutoring with Chen Yuying and joked with his friends, while using his Duck Blood Bottle to ease Wang Yuezhi’s distress. After school, Wang Yuezhi confronted Lin Li with a dramatic declaration about Chen Yuying, then fell on the stairs and was left needing help back to the dorm.

• Yao Qiaoqiao greeted Lin Li and chose a seat near the front instead of sitting with Chen Tianming.
• Lin Li noticed Wang Yuezhi’s anguished stare and absorbed some of his negative emotions with the Duck Blood Bottle.
• Teacher Hua taught competition material, and Lin Li helped Chen Yuying solve a problem during the break.
• Lin Li joked with Chen Tianming and Zhang Haoyang before returning to Class 4, where Bai Bufan had made him a tombstone and eaten the offerings.
• Wang Yuezhi punched Lin Li and declared that he would keep watching over Chen Yuying and had not given up.
• Lin Li found Wang Yuezhi injured after he fell on the stairs and offered to fetch Zhuo Yongfei to help him back to the dorm.