Chapter Summaries

Shi Nan woke in the body of Shi Lan, a woman disguised as the Shi Clan’s worthless-bodied eldest legitimate son, and learned that her mother had hidden her sex to secure the clan matriarch’s position. Realizing the secret put both her and Su Lanyue in danger and that she had no power or support, Shi Lan wanted only to return home.

• Shi Nan woke in an unfamiliar room and recognized his reflection as a young man with a new body.
• Shi Nan welcomed the transmigration and waited for a companion to enter, but fell from the bed while trying to attract attention.
• Shi Nan absorbed the original owner’s memories and discovered that he was now Shi Lan, a woman disguised as a man.
• Shi Lan learned that Su Lanyue had switched her newborn daughter with a baby boy to become matriarch of the Shi Clan.
• Shi Lan realized that only she and Su Lanyue knew the truth, and feared what would happen if Shi Tianlu found out.

Shi Lan’s long-awaited Heavens Reincarnation System bound to her, but a spatial outburst sent its power into the Nine Heavens Gale and attracted the attention of powerful beings. After waking, Shi Lan found the system’s functions were disabled and received no gift pack or mission, leaving her furious.

• Shi Lan found and ate the dry rations she had kept in her wardrobe, then heard the Heavens Reincarnation System begin binding to her.
• The system figure discovered that Shi Lan was a woman in the Lingyang Realm, lost contact with Headquarters, and unleashed spatial force that knocked her unconscious.
• The spatial force tore open a vast rift into the Nine Heavens Gale, alarming powerful beings across Chengtian Domain before it vanished and the rift closed.
• Shi Lan woke and opened the system panel, which showed her as a mortal and displayed an error while its missions, lottery, shop, and traversal functions remained unavailable.
• The system told Shi Lan to explore the incomplete world information herself, and she angrily demanded a gift pack or a beginner’s mission.

Shi Lan practiced the system’s Bikou Chan task, changed into her male disguise, and went to dinner at Yishui Hall. There, she faced her nominal father, Shi Tianlu, for the first time and was intimidated by his presence.

• The system altered the task interface and gave Shi Lan a Bikou Chan task that required her to keep her mouth shut for twelve shichen.
• Shi Lan undressed and bathed, then dressed again when a maid summoned her to dinner.
• Shi Lan avoided speaking to Zique and followed her through the Shi Mansion to Yishui Hall.
• Shi Lan entered the hall, saw Shi Tianlu at the head of the table, and froze under his imposing presence.

Shi Lan learned that her father had arranged a betrothal before her birth to the Lu Clan, whose heir was the famed genius Lu Yueqing. After her mother questioned her about Xu Yuanbai, Shi Lan recalled how the original owner had fallen for him and helped his family prosper.

• Shi Lan joined her family for dinner, where Shen Mingqiu remarked that she was old enough to need a bedchamber maid.
• Shi Tianlu revealed that Shi Lan was betrothed to the Lu Clan and said they would visit soon; he then dried her wet hair with a display of care.
• Su Lanyue privately explained that the Lu Clan head was Lu Changfeng and his daughter, Lu Yueqing, was a celebrated young Xiantian Realm genius.
• Su Lanyue asked whether Shi Lan had recently visited Xu Yuanbai, and Shi Lan recalled the original owner's romantic feelings for him.
• Shi Lan remembered that Xu Yuanbai's merchant family had expanded rapidly with help from the original Shi Lan.

Shi Lan received a second system, the Empress Cultivation System, after a mysterious wisp of black smoke entered her body. It gave her a beginner gift and a dangerous three-day mission, while the figure connected to her first system realized the newcomer was a symbiotic system.

• Su Lanyue told Shi Lan that Xu Yuanbai's mother wanted her to keep her distance from him, and Shi Lan hurried back to her room.
• A nearly invisible wisp of black smoke entered Shi Lan and reached the spiritual platform between her brows, prompting the Empress Cultivation System to bind with her.
• Shi Lan learned that her innate talent was one in ten thousand and received a Body Tempering Pill and a Basic Draw opportunity.
• Shi Lan used her draw and obtained a two-star White Crane Skirt.
• The Empress Cultivation System assigned Shi Lan a three-day mission to reach the first level of the Body Tempering Realm, warning that failure would eliminate her.
• The figure linked to Shi Lan's first system recognized the new system as a symbiotic system.

Shi Lan considered how to begin cultivating and decided to ask Su Lanyue for help after the system’s pill proved unsuitable for her weak body. On her way, watching Shi Yiming and Shi Qinghu train sparked a genuine desire to learn martial arts.

• Shi Lan admired the White Crane Skirt but refused to wear it, then reviewed the Body Tempering Realm and put away the Body Tempering Pill because her body could not handle it.
• Shi Lan went to seek Su Lanyue after waking with her menstrual period and tending to herself.
• Shi Lan passed the training grounds and watched Shi Yiming spar with Shi Qinghu.
• Shi Lan became envious of Shi Qinghu’s physique and felt a new longing to cultivate martial arts before continuing toward Su Lanyue’s courtyard.
• Shi Qinghu blushed and asked whether something was wrong with Shi Lan, and Shi Yiming replied that it was a serious problem.

Shi Tianlu offered Shi Feng a chance to compete for a place in the Shengwu Immortal Sect, but Shi Feng refused because he did not want to leave Shi Mansion. Shi Lan asked Su Lanyue to teach her martial arts, and Su Lanyue explained the foundations before offering her a brocade box.

• Shi Yiming warned Shi Qinghu to stay away from Shi Lan, and Shi Qinghu nervously agreed.
• Shi Tianlu praised Shi Feng for completing a mission and offered him a qualification to compete for an outer sect position in the Shengwu Immortal Sect; Shi Feng refused because he did not want to leave Shi Mansion.
• Shi Tianlu read a letter from Changfeng announcing that Yueqing would visit Shi Mansion with her family elders to discuss marriage.
• Shi Lan arrived at Su Lanyue's courtyard and asked to practice martial arts.
• Su Lanyue explained the major human martial schools and the importance of the Body Tempering Realm, then pushed a brocade box toward Shi Lan.

Su Lanyue gave Shi Lan the Vajra Divine Fist, and Shi Lan began practicing despite the punishing strain it placed on her body. After Shi Feng secretly rescued her from severe pain and exhaustion, Shi Lan woke feeling stronger and received the medicinal food Su Lanyue had sent.

• Su Lanyue gave Shi Lan the Vajra Divine Fist and warned her to keep the rare manual safe, while offering medicinal meals and help with her cultivation.
• After Shi Lan left, Su Lanyue ordered Zique to watch the Eldest Young Master's movements and follow him if he left the estate.
• Shi Lan memorized the fist art and practiced in her courtyard, but collapsed before finishing half a set from exhaustion.
• Shi Lan suffered a sudden, intense pain in her lower abdomen, and Shi Feng carried her inside, restored her with true qi, and secured the room before leaving.
• Shi Lan awoke feeling free of pain and noticeably stronger, then took the medicinal food from Zique and sent her away.

After recovering from painful menstrual cramps, Shi Lan learned the system’s ways to avoid them and chose to explore Tenglong City for a task that could raise her cultivation. As she toured the city with her guards, she noticed that the common people looked at her with fear and disgust.

• Shi Lan ate the medicinal meal, and the system explained that her earlier pain had been menstrual cramps caused by overexertion.
• The system described three ways Shi Lan could avoid future cramps, but she decided to continue training despite the risks.
• The Heavens Reincarnation System issued a task to explore Tenglong City within three shichen, offering one level of cultivation as a reward, so Shi Lan left Shi Mansion with her guard squad.
• Shi Tianlu and Shi Feng discussed Shi Lan’s unexpected martial arts practice, and Shi Feng joined the guards assigned to accompany her.
• Shi Lan toured Tenglong City beneath a parasol held by a nervous young guard, then wondered why the common people regarded her with fear and disgust.

Shi Lan encountered Xu Yuanbai at Yunsheng Restaurant and, after he provoked her, ordered her men to beat him. The confrontation ended with Shi Lan discovering Shi Feng’s private grudge against Xu Yuanbai and recruiting him to follow her.

• Shi Lan entered Yunsheng Restaurant to rest and ran into Xu Yuanbai on the second floor.
• Xu Yuanbai blocked Shi Lan and tried to make her call him back, but she ordered Shi Feng to drag him away and teach him a lesson.
• Shi Lan’s men beat Xu Yuanbai until he begged for mercy and fainted, and Shi Lan’s lingering feelings for him faded.
• Shi Lan learned that Shi Feng had broken Xu Yuanbai’s legs because of a private grievance, then invited him to follow her.
• Shi Lan went downstairs to find the restaurant hall silent and its patrons trembling.

Shi Lan completed her city-circuit task and received a cultivation reward, but the Empress Cultivation System extracted the strength as an unstable foundation and returned a lottery draw. Back at Shi Mansion, she practiced the Vajra Divine Fist while Shi Tianlu arranged to publicize her attack on Xu Yuanbai and sent her Blood Ginseng through Shi Feng.

• Shi Lan learned that Xu Yuanbai had been taken away by his clan, while Zique heard that he had been beaten and crippled.
• Shi Lan completed her task around Tenglong City, gained first-level Body Tempering cultivation, then lost it when the Empress Cultivation System removed the unstable reward and issued a lottery draw.
• Shi Lan returned to her residence and found she could practice half a set of the Vajra Divine Fist with less fatigue than before.
• Shi Tianlu ordered Shi Feng to spread news of Shi Lan crippling Xu Yuanbai and gave him a hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng to deliver to her secretly.
• Zique confronted Shi Feng over her missing sunshade, and he told her it was at the gatehouse.

Shi Feng gave Shi Lan a century-old Blood Ginseng and reflected on how his feelings toward her had changed. Shi Lan drew the Heavenly Eye Qi-Observing Technique, began cultivating the Jade Forging Art, and ate a large bite of the ginseng to satisfy the resulting hunger.

• Shi Feng brought Shi Lan a century-old Blood Ginseng and, after she awkwardly asked him to call her brother, left to rest on the roof.
• Shi Feng recalled becoming Shi Lan’s shadow guard and how his affection for her had grown, then felt a sudden distance between them.
• Shi Lan used her system’s prize draw to obtain the three-star Heavenly Eye Qi-Observing Technique and absorbed its knowledge.
• Shi Lan read the Jade Forging Art and cultivated its first level until a faint airflow began tempering her body.
• Shi Lan’s cultivation triggered overwhelming hunger, so she ate her dry rations and then took a huge bite of the Blood Ginseng.

After refining an excessive dose of Blood Ginseng, Shi Lan grew stronger and saw that her fortune was chained to Shi Feng’s immense fortune. Meanwhile, Xu Yuanbai decided the Xu Clan had to leave Tenglong City, and Shi Lan left the mansion wondering what tied her future to Shi Feng’s.

• Shi Lan refined the Blood Ginseng’s medicinal power with the Jade Forging Art, then practiced the Vajra Divine Fist with renewed strength.
• Shi Feng watched Shi Lan smile in the morning light and was moved by her radiance.
• Xu Yuanbai told his parents to leave Tenglong City and said he wanted to study at Taixu Academy.
• Shi Lan used the Heavenly Eye Qi-Observing Technique on Shi Feng and saw that his great fortune was linked to her by a pale blue chain.
• Shi Lan left Shi Mansion wondering whether she and Shi Feng would become enemies or whether their past held a dispute that affected him.

Shi Lan visited Hundred Flowers Pavilion with Shi Feng and the guards, expecting the famed house of pleasure to be exciting. After dismissing several groups of courtesans, she asked to meet the pavilion’s most beautiful woman, Wan'er, and asked her to play an instrument, leaving the reason for Shi Lan’s melancholy unexplained.

• Shi Lan set aside her thoughts about the chain linking her to Shi Feng and led the guards to Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
• Shi Lan treated the guards to courtesans while Shi Feng tried to dissuade her from entering the private room.
• Shi Lan rejected successive groups of girls and insisted that the madam bring the pavilion’s most beautiful courtesan.
• The madam brought Wan'er, who told Shi Lan she was a clean courtesan and did not sell her body.
• Shi Lan asked Wan'er what instruments she could play, then went to the window and asked her to perform.

Lu Yueqing came to Tenglong City to investigate her betrothed, Shi Lan, and heard damaging rumors about his character. She encountered Shi Lan outside Hundred Flowers Pavilion, leaving her to judge him for herself.

• Wan'er watched Shi Lan by the window, and Shi Lan briefly saw two colored beams of light.
• Lu Yueqing, Lu Yuan, and an old man arrived in Tenglong City and questioned a waiter about Shi Lan.
• The waiter described Shi Lan as crippled, arrogant, and violent, and repeated rumors about his relationship with Xu Yuanbai.
• Lu Yuan angrily objected to Shi Lan becoming Lu Yueqing's husband, while Lu Yueqing left the restaurant without eating.
• Lu Yueqing encountered Shi Lan leaving Hundred Flowers Pavilion with his guards, and watched as he ordered them back to the residence.

Lu Yueqing learned that the man who left the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was Shi Lan, while Shi Tianlu ordered Shi Lan and his guards punished for the brothel visit. Shi Tianlu escalated Shi Feng’s sentence to three hundred lashes after Shi Lan defended him, and Shi Feng began enduring the punishment.

• Lu Yueqing forced the Hundred Flowers Pavilion’s gatekeepers to reveal that the man who had just left was Shi Lan, the Shi Clan’s Eldest Young Master.
• Shi Tianlu learned that Shi Lan had visited a brothel and ordered him to bring along every guard who had gone with him to the Disciplinary Hall.
• Shi Tianlu sentenced Shi Lan’s guards to twenty lashes for neglecting their duty, and Shi Lan silently watched as they were whipped.
• Shi Lan tried to spare Shi Feng from punishment, but Shi Tianlu raised Shi Feng’s sentence to three hundred lashes when Shi Lan insisted that Shi Feng was his man.
• Shi Feng sat down to take the punishment, and the guard began whipping him at full strength while Shi Lan watched anxiously.

Shi Lan chose the path of becoming an empress revered by all, then accepted a side quest’s demand that she take responsibility for Shi Feng’s punishment. After Shi Tianlu confined her to the estate for three months, the side quest unlocked the system’s virtual space, where Shi Lan arrived at the chapter’s end.

• Shi Lan chose the empress cultivation path, activating a main quest to reach the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm within one month or die.
• Shi Lan accepted a side quest to request punishment for her part in the events, hoping to unlock the system’s virtual space.
• Shi Feng endured three hundred lashes, while Shi Tianlu confined Shi Lan to the estate for three months.
• Shi Lan completed the side quest, unlocked the virtual space, and entered a vast white expanse.

Shi Lan explored the virtual space and used its battle simulation to test herself against Shi Feng, who defeated her instantly. She focused on training with Blood Ginseng and the Jade Forging Art, reaching the first level of the Body Tempering Realm.

• Shi Lan learned that the virtual space could simulate environments, battles, and characters, then selected Shi Feng for a full-accuracy battle simulation.
• Shi Feng killed Shi Lan in the simulation, and she watched the replay to see how his palm strike and follow-up snapped her neck.
• Shi Lan retrieved the Body Tempering Pill and White Crane Skirt from system storage, then continued consuming Blood Ginseng while practicing the Jade Forging Art.
• Zique delivered a larger portion of medicinal food and told Shi Lan that Madam had ordered the Eldest Young Master to stay home and practice martial arts.
• Shi Lan absorbed the Blood Ginseng's medicinal power until her sinews and bones reached a breakthrough, completing the first level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Shi Lan trained in the system’s virtual space, improving her combat skills after repeated defeats by a stronger mirror image. The next morning, Shi Feng summoned her to meet an honored guest at the Shi Mansion, where she found the guest’s party waiting in the grand hall.

• Shi Lan discovered that the Heavenly Eye Qi-Observing Technique appeared under a new Mystical Ability section in her attribute panel.
• Shi Lan fought a mirror image in the virtual space, was repeatedly killed, and learned it had been set at the third layer of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Shi Lan continued training through the night against an equal-strength mirror image and improved her combat experience.
• Shi Feng told Shi Lan that Shi Tianlu had requested her presence because an honored guest had arrived at the mansion.
• Shi Lan entered the grand hall and saw Shi Tianlu, Su Lanyue, and other clan members gathered with three visitors, including a young man glaring at her.

Shi Lan met her betrothed, Lu Yueqing, and expected her to end their engagement, but Lu Yueqing instead asked to postpone the wedding and spend time getting to know her. After the others left, Lu Yueqing questioned Shi Lan about her reputation and asked whether she knew Xu Yuanbai.

• Shi Tianlu introduced Lu Yueqing, her Third Great-Uncle, and Lu Yuan as guests from the Lu Clan of Jiuxiao City.
• Lu Yueqing said she had only just met Shi Lan and asked to delay setting a wedding date so they could spend time together.
• Shi Tianlu agreed to let Lu Yueqing speak with Shi Lan alone and quietly told Shi Feng to keep an eye on her.
• Lu Yueqing asked Shi Lan whether she really brought guards, beat people, and smashed shops; Shi Lan denied it.
• Lu Yueqing stepped closer and asked Shi Lan if she knew Xu Yuanbai.