Chapter Summaries

Yan Qing awakened in the Thieves' Den, the dungeon he had designed for a game, and learned that he had to help steal a national treasure within five days. As an unclassed mortal with no spirit jades, he decided to hide his weakness from his dangerous teammates and hope they could complete the theft without him.

• Yan Qing awoke in a cave alongside Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake, and they identified him as Yellow Dog, the Thief King.
• The Thieves' Den revealed their target: Emperor Zhou's sword Bingzi Jiaolin, hidden in Anguo Temple, with a failed theft carrying a penalty of nine thousand spirit jades.
• Yan Qing realized he had transmigrated into the game world and entered the dungeon he had designed.
• Black Wolf proposed that they meet the next day to plan the theft, and the four thieves withdrew to their personal rooms.
• Yan Qing discovered he was an unclassed mortal without spirit jades and resolved to conceal his weakness from his teammates.

Yaoshi Yuan, Ying Ru Shi, and Shang Xin Lei reported their Thieves' Den summons to their rulers and families, revealing plans to pursue the secret realm and Bingzi Jiaolin. Yan Qing explored Thieves' Den, found no food, and discovered a handheld console bearing the game Messenger.

• Yaoshi Yuan told Yaoshi Mo Ke that Thieves' Den had summoned her and proposed ambushing the other thieves in five days to make the secret realm Great Zhou's.
• Ying Le confronted Ying Ru Shi, learned about Thieves' Den, and ordered her to prevent anyone else from mastering it while securing Bingzi Jiaolin.
• Ying Ru Shi admitted she led Fox Demon, and Ying Le's Evil Spirit Warriors delivered the severed heads of its leaders before Ying Le burned them.
• Shang Xin Lei told Shang Qia she was Feathered Serpent and had been summoned by Thieves' Den, then left after saying she stole because she liked it.
• Yan Qing searched Thieves' Den for food, found a handheld console like the one from his original world, and saw that its only game was Messenger.

Yan Qing tried to use the game Messenger to strengthen himself, but his existing character was already logged in, so he created a new one named Yan Yi in Reality Mode. Yan Yi reached Ping City after finding his newbie village abandoned, but the guards beat him to death when he tried to enter without a travel permit.

• Yan Qing found that his game character Yan Qing was already in the game and could not log in as him.
• Yan Qing created Yan Yi with nearly all his attribute points in Insight and selected Reality Mode.
• Yan Qing guided Yan Yi through the deserted Nevernight Subordinate Newbie Village, where he found the remains of a woman and child in a water vat.
• Yan Yi followed the road to Ping City, where travelers warned him to hurry back to the village.
• Yan Yi tried to enter Ping City without a travel permit, and the guards dragged him into the barracks and beat him to death.

After Yan Qing’s first two game characters were killed, he made a powerful third character and fought his way into Ping City’s military camp, where he unlocked the Public Warehouse. He discovered that he could take food from the game into the real world, giving him a way to obtain resources while trapped in Thieves' Den.

• Yan Qing created Yan Er and confirmed that guards and Evil Spirit Knights killed characters who entered their territory without explanation.
• Yan Qing created Yan San with 13 Vitality, killed several guards at Ping City’s gate, and was recruited into the army by an Evil Spirit Knight.
• Yan San trained in the military camp, reached Level 5, and unlocked the Personal Warehouse and Public Warehouse.
• Yan Qing transferred a Roasted Lamb Leg from Yan San’s Personal Warehouse to the Public Warehouse and took it into reality.
• Yan Qing ate the lamb leg and realized that shared warehouse transfers could provide him with cultivation resources before his first theft operation.

Yan Qing discovered that the military camp sent soldiers into dungeons, then controlled 'Yan San' through his first secret-realm raid against the bandit Zheng Shan. After surviving two fights, 'Yan San' reached Level 7, while Yan Qing realized that dungeon loot and injuries worked differently for players and the local soldiers.

• 'Yan San' joined the melee unit selected by Centurion Chief Uwan Ryu and followed it into the guarded secret realm of Zheng Shan.
• Uwan Ryu led the soldiers through a courtyard, where the archers weakened five Bandit Servants before the melee unit defeated them.
• Yan Qing collected Spirit Jade, food, and supplies from a corpse, but Uwan Ryu thought 'Yan San' was stepping on it and ordered him to stop.
• The soldiers fought another group of servants inside the main residence, and 'Yan San' reached Level 7.
• A wounded sword-and-shield soldier said he could not continue, and Yan Qing recognized that 'Yan San' could withstand injuries and recover by eating because he was digitized.

Yan Qing discovered that people in this world changed class by mastering basic skills, then used the Elite Servants in the underground arena to raise Yan San’s saber and shield skills. After surviving the fight and learning the hard way, Yan San stood up to the soldiers who had turned against him.

• Uwan Ryu revealed the Evil Spirit Mask and raised the soldiers’ morale with a speech about becoming heralds through intense combat training.
• Uwan Ryu led the group through a concealed passage into an underground arena, where eight Elite Servants attacked and he ordered Yan San to hold the staircase with him.
• Yan Qing realized the archers could not kill the servants fast enough, so Yan San took a saber and shield from a soldier behind him and held the line, mastering both skills to level 5 as the Elite Servants fell.
• After the battle, a soldier confronted Yan San for taking his equipment, but Yan San dodged his attack, knocked him down, and learned Basic Fist Technique.
• Yan San challenged the soldiers who aimed their bows at him, arguing that he had saved their lives by holding the line.

Yan Qing guided Yan San through the Underground Martial Arts Arena, where Uwan Ryu’s troops defeated the final boss, Zheng Shan. After reaching Level 10, Yan Qing chose Battlefield Herald and saw glowing loot on Zheng Shan’s corpse as Uwan Ryu realized Yan San had changed class.

• Uwan Ryu ordered the archers to lower their bows and let Yan San live, then explained that the treasure chests reset whenever the secret realm was entered anew.
• Uwan Ryu led the group into an underground hall, where they confronted the final boss, Suppressor of Three Mountains Shan, and attacked him together.
• Zheng Shan used Moon Ring when his health fell to a third, badly injuring Yan San, so Yan Qing withdrew him and secretly used medicine.
• Yan San returned to finish Zheng Shan, comprehended Basic Spear Technique, and reached Level 10, unlocking his first class change.
• Yan Qing chose Battlefield Herald, restoring Yan San’s health and unlocking Spirit Energy Value, while Uwan Ryu stared at him in shock.

Yan Qing used a mastery manual to strengthen himself and collected valuable loot from the Zheng Residence instance. After Uwan Ryu accused Yan San of stealing a saber manual and aimed the fortress crossbows at him, Le City County Princess Ying Ru Shi arrived as Yan Qing prepared to fight back.

• Yan Qing picked up Zheng Shan’s drops, used the Basic Footwork Mastery Manual, and gained max-level Basic Footwork along with increased physical abilities.
• Yan Qing found a chest containing a Swift Thunder Saber Technique Beginner Manual but left it behind, then discovered the Hundred Guard Battalion was dismantling and inventorying the Zheng Residence.
• Uwan Ryu accused Yan San of taking the missing saber manual and had crossbows aimed at him, while Yan Qing equipped the White Iron Straight Blade and prepared to use Moon Ring Slash.
• Ying Ru Shi arrived, ordered the crossbows lowered, and asked Yan San whether he admitted to Uwan Ryu’s accusation.

Ying Ru Shi investigated Yan San’s accusation against Uwan Ryu and cleared him of stealing from the secret realm. She promoted him to Hundred-Guard Captain and granted him permission to keep entering the secret realm, while Uwan Ryu warned that Yan San remained in danger in the north.

• Ying Ru Shi questioned Uwan Ryu, who confirmed Yan San had changed class to a messenger after defeating the Demon King.
• Ying Ru Shi gave Yan San a Swift Thunder Saber Technique manual to test whether he had already taken one from the secret realm; he stored it without learning it, and she ruled that he had not stolen it.
• Ying Ru Shi rebuked the camp and threatened severe punishment if anyone disrupted the secret realm again.
• Ying Ru Shi promoted Yan San to Hundred-Guard Captain under Commander Gai Lou and authorized him to join secret-realm clearing teams whenever he wished.
• Yan Qing asked Uwan Ryu why he had harmed him, and Uwan Ryu said he had acted because he felt like it and threatened that the northerners could crush Yan San easily.

Ying Ru Shi witnessed Yan San kill Uwan Ryu in a violent bid for justice, then struggled with what his actions revealed about the treatment of Central Plains natives. She arrived late at the Thieves' Den meeting and learned that weapons could be brought there, though tokens could not be activated.

• Ying Ru Shi inspected Ping City's affairs and considered whether to report a talented young Messenger to Your Majesty.
• Yan San attacked Uwan Ryu, and Ying Ru Shi ordered him to stop while the guards fired heavy crossbows.
• After four slashes from Yan San's token, Uwan Ryu was decapitated, and Yan San fell dead after saying he had acted because he was happy.
• Ying Ru Shi dismissed the search for Yan San's first-advancement token and changed into her White Fox Mask and ordinary Qi-style clothes.
• Ying Ru Shi arrived at the Thieves' Den and noticed Yellow Dog's White Iron Straight Blade as the others discussed the meeting's safety rules.

Yaoshi Yuan planned a forceful raid on Anguo Temple’s golden vault, while Yan Qing learned that the Sand Table worked like a touchscreen and concealed his knowledge behind his Yellow Dog persona. The group ruled out opening the cabinet by its wheel, and Yan Qing claimed he could destroy all four cabinets using simple tools.

• Yaoshi Yuan explained that Anguo Temple was both a temple and Chang'an’s largest bank, and the group approved a plan to seize its vault by force.
• Ying Ru Shi revealed that Thieves’ Den missions removed Main City safety restrictions, allowing thieves and their targets to fight inside Chang'an.
• Yaoshi Yuan explained that each golden cabinet had eighteen embedded locks requiring 1,458 wheel turns to open, making the lock impossible to deal with within the mission’s time limit.
• Shang Xin Lei demonstrated her Invisible Hand, which could manipulate the inside of an object without damaging its exterior, but the group found the cabinet’s lock depended on strength and time rather than lockpicking.
• Yan Qing enlarged and restored the Anguo Temple display on the Sand Table with a finger gesture, surprising the others and teaching them how to zoom in on locations.
• Yan Qing told the group he could destroy all four golden cabinets with simple tools and no special item.

Ying Ru Shi considered the unfinished plan to close Anguo Temple’s doors and suspected Yellow Dog was connected to Yan San and the vanished White Iron Straight Blade. Meanwhile, Yaoshi Yuan challenged her father’s motives for the Bingzi Jiaolin heist, and Shang Qia learned that his sister had barely focused on the plan.

• Ying Ru Shi concluded that Black Wolf and Red Snake planned to test Yellow Dog’s method before their next Thieves’ Den meeting, and she suspected Yellow Dog had links to Yan San and the White Iron Straight Blade.
• Yaoshi Yuan’s maidservants successfully tore the doors off wooden cabinets, but Yaoshi Yuan ordered them to test their strength against iron cabinets.
• Yaoshi Yuan urged Yaoshi Mo Ke to ambush the thieves on Vermillion Bird Avenue, but he said the Thieves’ Den mattered more and intended to let her steal Bingzi Jiaolin before returning it.
• Yaoshi Mo Ke explained that revealing Bingzi Jiaolin could unite his enemies against him, and Yaoshi Yuan accused him of using the theft to weaken the imperial family’s prestige.
• Shang Xin Lei told Shang Qia that she had enjoyed meeting the Thieves’ Den members and was looking forward to traveling to Chang’an, while admitting she expected them to handle the heist plan.

Yan Qing created a new character, Night Four, and entered Ping City to steal from the military camp. After seeing a guard abuse an old woman at the gate, Night Four beat him nearly to death, then killed him when Bai Bao Supervisor Gai Lou Xian ordered him to stop.

• Yan Qing activated Talent Inheritance and paid 12 hours of game time to give his new character Basic Footwork talent.
• Yan Qing created Night Four as a Northern Border native and found that Ping City's guards let him pass without a travel permit.
• A guard seized an old woman's coins, rejected her eggs, and shoved and kicked her.
• Night Four attacked the guard and smashed his face into the ground while the other guards stood by.
• Bai Bao Supervisor Gai Lou Xian arrived and ordered Night Four to release the guard.
• Night Four crushed the guard's throat bone as the old woman fled.

Yan Qing learned from Gai Louxian how Messengers and the ruling class kept ordinary people impoverished and powerless. After entering the barracks and leaving training to the system, Yan Qing decided to explore a new region and send an alt to Chang'an to gather information and steal Bingzi Jiaolin.

• Yan Qing picked up a guard’s spear, but Gai Louxian stopped his knights and took Yan Qing to a restaurant instead of the barracks.
• Yan Qing told Gai Louxian he wanted to enter the barracks and clear secret realms, and Gai Louxian agreed to take him to Bai Bao if he kept trouble in check.
• Yan Qing challenged Gai Louxian’s defense of the poorly paid city guards, arguing that Bai Bao’s secret-realm wealth could support Ping City.
• Gai Louxian crushed a dagger with his Copper Skin Armor token and explained that the ruling class kept commoners poor to limit the rise of wild Messengers.
• Gai Louxian contrasted Qi with Liang and urged Yan Qing to climb in rank if he wanted to change the world.
• Yan Qing handed barracks training to the system and planned to explore Jiangnan or Chang'an, sending an alt to Chang'an to gather information and steal Bingzi Jiaolin.

Yan Qing created five low-level alts and used the game’s Auto Evolution function to travel together from a Chang'an newbie village to Chang'an City. After discovering the city’s milestone system and testing its safe zone, he sent An Wu to scout Anguo Temple, where a stranger offered him shelter for the night.

• Yan Qing created the thin alt An Wu, learned the route to Chang'an, and used Auto Evolution to run the map.
• Yan Qing created An Liu, An Qi, An Ba, and An Jiu and set them to follow An Wu, allowing all five alts to travel together.
• An Wu and the other alts reached Chang'an City, where Yan Qing discovered the milestone system and learned attacks caused no damage in the safe zone.
• Yan Qing left four alts idle in an alley and sent An Wu alone to locate Anguo Temple.
• An Wu found Anguo Temple closed for the night, and a passerby offered to let him stay at the nearby Charity House.

Yan Qing discovered that Anguo Temple used the Charity House to abduct attractive people and sell them to clients seeking to exploit loopholes in Chang'an City's protections. After identifying the monks' methods and the prison's layout, he logged out of An Wu and entered An Liu to take revenge on Ben Zhi.

• Ben Zhi lured An Wu into the Charity House, dropped him through a concealed trapdoor, and delivered him to an underground prison.
• Two martial monks revealed that Anguo Temple trafficked attractive captives and explained how self-immolation let them use fire to harm others despite Chang'an City's protections.
• Yan Qing tested the monks' tactics, learned that candle wax could cause pain without damage, and questioned them about the prison's defenses.
• Yan Qing realized Anguo Temple sold wealthy clients the thrill of exploiting safe-zone rules by preying on people who trusted Chang'an City's protection.
• Yan Qing issued An Wu several evolution commands, logged out, and logged into An Liu to go after Ben Zhi.

Ben Zhi recited a dying man's final prayer at Charity House, then tried to lure An Liu into its hidden trap. An Liu turned the trap against him, and Ben Zhi ended up imprisoned alongside An Wu and other victims, where his excuses were challenged.

• Ben Zhi finished the Rebirth Mantra for a dying man and continued his night patrol at Charity House.
• An Liu arrived asking to stay for free, and Ben Zhi led him to the utility room.
• Ben Zhi tried to lure An Liu into the pit, but An Liu used a rope to make them both slide into the underground prison.
• A martial monk refused to release An Wu and An Liu and threatened to burn them with Fire Oil.
• A girl accused Ben Zhi of deceiving her, while Ben Zhi blamed his master's orders and An Liu reminded him that he had already been given a chance.

An Wu and An Liu refused to leave their cell, keeping the monks from freeing Ben Zhi while Yan Qing prepared a plan to steal from Anguo Temple. After gathering more supplies in a secret realm, Yan Qing presented Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake with his plan for the operation.

• A middle-aged monk ordered the warrior monks to release An Wu and An Liu, but An Liu saw through the ploy and refused to leave Ben Zhi behind.
• An Wu and An Liu blocked the cell door and endured the warrior monks’ attempts to wear them down with hunger and thrown hot wax.
• Yan Qing revealed that An Wu and An Liu’s Basic Footwork had reached level 7 and explained that he needed them to distract the monks and protect the captives until his plan was ready.
• Yan Qing completed the Zheng Sanshan Zheng Shan secret realm with Gai Louxian and obtained spirit jades, a Basic Saber Technique mastery manual, a White Iron Straight Blade token, and Blood Replenishment Pills.
• Yan Qing told Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake that he had planted someone inside Anguo Temple and laid out his plan to close the hall doors, open the golden cabinet, and escape pursuit.

Yaoshi Yuan investigated Anguo Temple and prepared to enter Thieves' Den, while Ying Le punished Yu Sun in the City of Evernight and looked forward to Bingzi Jiaolin. As the theft mission approached, Shang Xin Lei set out in battle gear and Yan Qing finally became a Herald.

• Yaoshi Yuan learned that several powerful nobles had secretly visited Anguo Temple, burned the list after seeing her father's name on it, and vowed to protect the Yaoshi clan's honor.
• Yaoshi Yuan disguised herself as a young man and left to pursue her plan to inherit Emperor Zhou's blade, Bingzi Jiaolin.
• Ying Le smashed Yu Sun's carriage, tortured him for his crimes, and told Ying Ru Shi that he had broken the law by riding in a carriage without official status.
• Shang Xin Lei dressed as a Martial Dao Herald and left home despite Shang Qia's belated concern.
• Yan Qing broke through the limits of mortality and became a Herald capable of wielding a supernatural relic.

Yan Qing and his companions arrived in Chang'an to steal Bingzi Jiaolin, with Yan Qing newly advanced as a Martial Dao Herald. After the group settled at a noodle shop near Anguo Temple, three identical visitors entered Charity House, beginning the mission's next move.

• Yan Qing used a Basic Saber Technique manual to meet the requirements for his first class advancement and became a Martial Dao Herald.
• Yan Qing, Yaoshi Yuan, Ying Ru Shi, and Shang Xin Lei descended onto Vermillion Bird Avenue in Chang'an, where their disguises attracted attention.
• Ying Ru Shi identified their location behind Tongrentang and led the group toward Anguo Temple using her memorized Sand Table.
• Yan Qing chose First Noodle as a place to wait before their return, and Yaoshi Yuan threw two men out after they took the group's table.
• Three identical people named An Qi, An Ba, and An Jiu entered Charity House behind Anguo Temple.