Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Lolita and the Station He Rode Past”

Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang travels by subway to Guangyuan Road to visit the Round Dragon Herb Shop.
• While entering the station, he notices the same middle-aged office worker who previously dropped money and mistook him for a swindler. Song still has the man’s money but cannot return it because they are separated by the escalators.
• The subway is exceptionally crowded because of the gaokao, and the station is hot and poorly ventilated.
• Song’s Soul-Sealing Ice Pearl makes the air around him pleasantly cool. A young foreign girl notices the cold sensation, bumps into him, and begins clinging to him like a human air conditioner.
• Despite her parents’ attempts to pull her away, the little girl refuses to let go and even jokingly declares that she is “breaking up” with her father.
• Song agrees to carry her. She happily settles into his arms, while her father feels comically jealous and embarrassed.
• When the crowded train arrives, Song carries the girl for more than half an hour. He remains unusually steady and tireless, thanks to his cultivation and physical strength.
• The family eventually reaches their stop. The girl has fallen asleep, and her father takes her back, thanking Song for his help.
• Song reveals that he had already passed his own destination three stations earlier but stayed on so the sleeping girl would not be disturbed. He must now ride back in the opposite direction.

Character Development

• Song Shuhang: Shows his increasing kindness, patience, and willingness to help strangers. His cultivation is subtly displayed through his ability to remain cool, stable, and strong while carrying the child. He also reflects on how contact with the Nine Provinces Number One Group has given his life more meaning than an ordinary, numb modern existence.
• The little girl: Though shy around strangers, she instinctively trusts Song because of the cooling effect around him. Her clinginess and playful remarks create a humorous bond between them.
• The girl’s parents: Initially embarrassed and concerned, they gradually recognize that Song is trustworthy and considerate. The father is especially humorous in his mock jealousy over losing his daughter’s attention.
• The office worker: His brief appearance reminds Song of his unfinished intention to return the lost money and hints that the man may behave strangely or suspiciously.

Significant Themes

• Kindness and selflessness: Song willingly inconveniences himself to help a tired family, asking for nothing in return.
• The contrast between modern exhaustion and meaningful living: Song observes the numb, overworked commuters and realizes that his supernatural experiences have saved him from an equally empty life.
• Hidden extraordinary abilities: Song appears to be an ordinary young man, but his spiritual powers, physical strength, and stability reveal his growing cultivation.
• Humor in everyday interactions: The girl’s attachment, her “breakup” declaration, and her father’s wounded pride create a lighthearted scene amid the crowded commute.
• Unintended consequences of helpfulness: Song’s compassion causes him to miss his station and travel beyond his destination, turning a simple journey into an amusing detour.

Character Interactions

• Song notices but cannot approach the suspicious office worker on the opposite escalator.
• The little girl seeks out Song’s supernatural coolness and refuses to leave him.
• Her mother repeatedly apologizes and wonders why her daughter trusts Song.
• Her father alternates between embarrassment, gratitude, and comical jealousy.
• Song gently carries and comforts the sleeping child, demonstrating his considerate nature before finally returning her to her parents.

Chapter Summary: The Foreign Monk and the Strange Car Accident Scene

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Jingli Square Station, Song Shuhang parts ways with the father in the white shirt and his family after helping calm their overheated daughter.
• A striking foreign monk boards the subway. He is over two meters tall, bald with six tonsure scars, dressed in heavy robes, carrying prayer beads, and chanting fluent Chinese Buddhist scriptures.
• Shuhang senses that the monk is far from ordinary: his Blood Qi and mental strength are enormously greater than those of a normal person. Suspecting that the monk may also be a cultivator, Shuhang hides his own aura using his Vigilance state.
• About six minutes into the journey, the subway begins braking and shaking violently. Shuhang braces himself and warns the father to hold on.
• When the lights go out and the passengers are thrown about, the family’s daughter is flung from her father’s arms. Shuhang catches her with precise martial strength and safely absorbs her momentum.
• After the train stops, the carriage appears catastrophically damaged: windows are shattered, passengers are injured or trapped, blood covers the walls, and the scene resembles a massacre.
• Shuhang realizes that the damage seems far too severe to have been caused by the shaking alone, suggesting that something unusual or supernatural may have happened.
• The foreign monk rises from the wreckage, reacts with a cold laugh, forms a Buddhist hand seal, and begins loudly chanting scriptures, apparently attempting to deal with the strange situation.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Demonstrates increasing control over his martial abilities, using Vajra Foundation Fist and Dragon Claw techniques delicately rather than forcefully. He remains cautious about revealing that he is a cultivator, while also acting decisively to protect innocent passengers.
• The foreign monk: Is introduced as a mysterious and powerful figure. His extraordinary physical presence, immense mental power, disciplined chanting, and calm response to the disaster imply that he possesses significant cultivation or spiritual abilities.
• The father and young mother: Continue to rely on Shuhang’s help during the crisis. The father shows gratitude and concern for his family, while both parents are relieved when Shuhang saves their daughter.
• The daughter: Initially sleeps uneasily in the heat, then becomes terrified during the accident. She shows trust in Shuhang by clinging to him and remaining quiet despite the danger.

Significant Themes

• Hidden supernatural forces: The monk’s powers and the inexplicably severe accident suggest that ordinary events may conceal a cultivator-related or spiritual incident.
• Responsibility and protection: Shuhang instinctively risks himself to save the child and assist the family, showing his growing sense of duty.
• Appearances versus reality: The monk looks absurdly out of place to ordinary passengers, but Shuhang recognizes that his strange appearance conceals genuine power.
• Human helplessness in disaster: The passengers panic and suffer because they lack the knowledge to respond effectively, contrasting with Shuhang’s composure and the monk’s purposeful reaction.
• Uncertainty and danger: The unexplained destruction creates suspense, leaving open the question of what truly caused the “accident.”

Character Interactions

• Shuhang and the father maintain a friendly connection from their earlier meeting; Shuhang steadies him during the braking and warns him to hold on.
• Shuhang protects the father’s daughter when she is thrown through the darkened carriage, earning the parents’ silent relief and gratitude.
• The passengers view the foreign monk with suspicion and mockery, interpreting his chanting as inappropriate or insane in the middle of the disaster.
• The monk ignores their reactions and continues chanting, emphasizing the contrast between ordinary passengers’ confusion and his apparent understanding of the supernatural crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Illusion?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang protects a little girl and observes a tall Foreign Monk chanting Buddhist scriptures in the subway.
• The Monk’s powerful mental energy drives away invisible negative energy that Shuhang suspects belongs to a ghost.
• The gruesome scene in the carriage—shattered glass, blood, and injured passengers—is revealed to be an illusion created by a resentful ghost to generate fear, despair, and other emotions for nourishment.
• The Foreign Monk purifies the illusion and pursues the ghost into the next carriage.
• Shuhang realizes that the ghost may be connected to the Altar Master, a Ghost Cultivator whose base is only a few subway stops away. He prepares his talismans but hesitates to use them because he needs them for his coming confrontation with the Altar Master.
• Two low-level cultivators are revealed to be transporting and controlling the ghost, Ku You. They intentionally caused the subway emergency stop so Ku You could feed on the passengers’ fear and negative energy.
• The two men fear that, if Ku You remains weak, the Altar Master will punish them by feeding them to the ghost. They decide to confront the Foreign Monk to buy Ku You time to recover.
• Shuhang detects the two cultivators as they pass through his carriage but remains hidden through mental-power vigilance.
• Ku You regains some strength and spreads illusions through the front three carriages, hoping to drive passengers to despair and consume their souls.
• The Foreign Monk catches up with Ku You and reveals that he has cultivated the Heavenly Eye Insight, allowing him to see through evil spirits’ concealment. He begins reciting a Buddhist scripture to purify the ghost.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates greater spiritual awareness. Although his Eye Aperture is not yet open, he can sense negative energy and recognize the presence of ghosts.
• He becomes more cautious and strategic, considering the possible connection between Ku You and the Altar Master while conserving his limited talisman treasures.
• The Foreign Monk is established as a highly capable Buddhist cultivator. His mental power can disperse ghostly energy, and his Heavenly Eye Insight allows him to track hidden spirits.
• Ku You, an Initial-Stage Ghost General, is shown to be dangerous but weakened from insufficient feeding. It relies on illusions and the emotional energy of terrified passengers to restore its strength.
• The two subordinate cultivators are revealed to be frightened and desperate servants of the Altar Master. Their loyalty is motivated less by devotion than by fear of being sacrificed themselves.
• The Altar Master becomes a more threatening presence through the descriptions of his cruelty, his control over powerful resentful ghosts, and his willingness to turn his own subordinates into food.

Significant Themes

• Illusion versus reality: The horrifying disaster inside the train is entirely false, showing how appearances can manipulate people’s emotions.
• Fear as nourishment: Negative emotions such as terror, despair, resentment, and grief are treated as a literal source of power for evil spirits.
• Good and evil in pursuit: The Foreign Monk’s purification efforts oppose the Altar Master’s cultivation of resentful ghosts.
• Desperation and survival: The two subordinate cultivators are trapped between death at the hands of the Foreign Monk and punishment from the Altar Master.
• Preparation and restraint: Shuhang’s decision to conserve his talismans highlights the importance of planning ahead rather than using resources impulsively.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang protects the little girl and her parents while observing the conflict from concealment.
• The Foreign Monk indirectly protects the passengers by dispelling Ku You’s illusions, then pursues the ghost through the train.
• The two subordinate cultivators discuss their fear of the Altar Master and plan to stall the Foreign Monk.
• Ku You manipulates the passengers through illusions, using their fear to regain strength.
• The chapter ends with the Foreign Monk confronting Ku You directly and beginning the purification battle.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A foreign monk chants sutras, transforming the Buddhist scripture in his hands into countless golden runes. The runes dispel the illusion created by the ghost general Ku You, freeing the subway carriage from its influence.
• The passengers remain dazed because Ku You previously drained their strength.
• Two accomplices arrive to protect the ghost:
  • The white-collar man transforms into a massive, muscular fighter and charges the monk.
  • His ordinary-looking companion destroys the subway’s surveillance cameras and uses a bone ritual artifact to control Ku You.
• The companion releases the ashes of a Flame Wraith, ordering the ghost to attack the monk from behind.
• The monk’s enormous Merit Light blocks the Flame Wraith completely. He then purifies it with golden talismans, allowing the spirit’s original human form to appear briefly before dissolving peacefully.
• The white-collar man attacks the monk with powerful martial techniques, initially knocking him backward and interrupting his chanting.
• The monk declares that he is now acting in “legitimate self-defense” and sends the transformed fighter flying with a single palm strike.
• Realizing that the ghost is being controlled, the monk vows to defeat both men.
• The battle is humorously presented as a televised-style “Subway Ultimate Freestyle Fighting Tournament,” with the monk as the home competitor against the two-man opposing team. The white-collar fighter survives the monk’s first counterattack and rises to continue the fight.

Character Developments

• The foreign monk is revealed to be far more powerful than he initially appears. His mastery of Buddhist techniques, immense Merit Light, physical strength, Chinese fluency, and playful personality make him both formidable and comedic.
• The monk’s merit is extraordinary: he has apparently guided more than ten thousand dead souls to peace, giving him powerful protection against evil spirits.
• The white-collar man reveals a dramatic physical transformation and strong martial ability. Though initially confident, he is quickly overwhelmed by the monk’s superior strength.
• The ordinary-looking man functions as the strategist and supernatural controller of the pair. He understands ghost-related techniques and attempts to win through coordination rather than direct combat.
• Ku You, while powerful, is shown to be unintelligent and dependent on external control to use its full strength.
• The Flame Wraith is briefly restored to a peaceful human appearance before being purified, suggesting that it is more a victim of injustice than a purely evil entity.

Significant Themes

• Merit and spiritual power: The monk’s accumulated good deeds directly translate into supernatural protection and authority over malicious spirits.
• Purification versus control: The monk frees and purifies trapped spirits, while the opposing cultivator manipulates them as weapons.
• Justice and moral legitimacy: The monk frames his counterattack as self-defense, contrasting his righteous motives with the villains’ exploitation of ghosts and innocent passengers.
• Appearance versus reality: The monk initially appears harmless and solemn, but he possesses overwhelming combat ability and a humorous, modern personality.
• Comedy amid danger: The serious supernatural battle is repeatedly undercut by outdated internet slang and exaggerated sports-commentary narration.

Character Interactions

• The monk’s sutra-based attack directly neutralizes Ku You’s illusion, putting him in conflict with the ghost and its controllers.
• The ordinary-looking man attempts to use the Flame Wraith against the monk, but the monk’s Merit Light defeats and purifies it.
• The transformed white-collar man engages the monk in close combat, landing a powerful charge but ultimately being slapped into the subway wall.
• The monk taunts both opponents with playful language, calling them “shy little bees,” while simultaneously warning that he intends to eliminate them.
• The chapter ends with the two-on-one fight continuing, framed as an absurd underground fighting tournament.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Foreign Monk easily defeats the White-collar Man and the T-shirt Man, revealing that he has reached the peak of the First-Grade, Sixth-Aperture “Dragon Gate Leap” realm, while the two men have not even completed Foundation Establishment.
• He destroys the bone magical artifact controlling the Ghost General, Ku You, weakening the ghost and severing its connection to its masters.
• Using Buddhist scripture, prayer beads, and a sealing technique, the monk begins purifying Ku You. The White-collar Man and T-shirt Man desperately beg him to stop, since their deaths are tied to the Ghost General’s survival.
• Before the monk can finish, the Altar Master appears and strikes him from behind with overwhelming Second-Stage True Qi, severely injuring him and interrupting the purification.
• The Altar Master coldly kills his two defeated subordinates, then orders Ku You to consume their souls. The Ghost General absorbs them and partially recovers.
• The Altar Master reflects on his recent misfortunes and explains that he fled after realizing that the antidote ingredients being investigated online were likely a trap designed by “Senior Song” to expose him.
• He believes his fortunate arrival on the subway has finally reversed his luck, since he arrived just in time to save Ku You.

Character Developments

• The Foreign Monk is established as a powerful and uncompromising Buddhist cultivator. He defeats both enemies effortlessly and remains determined to purify Ku You despite their pleas, viewing the destruction of vengeful ghosts as an absolute duty.
• The White-collar Man and T-shirt Man are exposed as weak and expendable followers. Their confidence collapses into fear and desperation after their defeat, highlighting their lack of control over their own fate.
• The Altar Master demonstrates greater strength, caution, and ruthlessness than his subordinates. Though weakened by poison, he remains capable of overpowering the Foreign Monk and shows no loyalty to his failed servants.
• Ku You is severely injured during the purification attempt but survives by consuming the souls of the two subordinates, restoring much of its strength.
• The Altar Master’s view of his luck changes: after suffering losses and recognizing the trap surrounding the antidote, he interprets his escape and rescue of Ku You as a sign that his fortune is improving.

Significant Themes

• Power hierarchy and helplessness: The battle emphasizes the vast difference between cultivation levels. The two subordinates cannot influence their own survival, while the Foreign Monk is suddenly rendered helpless by the even stronger Altar Master.
• The expendability of followers: The Altar Master treats his subordinates as disposable resources, ultimately feeding them to Ku You after they fail.
• Moral conflict and uncompromising beliefs: The monk’s determination to purify all vengeful ghosts clashes with the desperate pleas of the men whose lives depend on Ku You.
• Cunning and survival: The Altar Master survives through suspicion and caution, recognizing the antidote investigation as a trap and fleeing before he can be located.
• Luck and reversal of fortune: The chapter contrasts the Altar Master’s recent failures with his belief that coincidence has finally favored him.

Character Interactions

• The White-collar Man and T-shirt Man attack the Foreign Monk together, but he overwhelms them.
• The two defeated men plead with the monk to spare Ku You, but he refuses to stop the purification.
• The Altar Master ambushes the Foreign Monk and interrupts the ritual.
• The subordinates beg the Altar Master for mercy, but he kills them and commands Ku You to consume their souls.
• The Altar Master’s recollection connects his present escape to Senior Song’s suspected trap and frames the subway encounter as an unexpectedly fortunate coincidence.

Chapter Summary: “All Clear, Let Me Show Off a Little!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Hall Master continues attacking the injured foreign monk, hoping that Ghost General Ku You can consume the monk’s soul and recover—possibly even advance to a higher realm.
• The monk’s defensive cassock activates, expanding into a spherical barrier covered in scriptures. It blocks the Hall Master’s palm and protects the monk from serious harm.
• Having secretly taken a healing pill, the monk uses the cassock’s defensive force to bounce rapidly through several train carriages and attempts to escape.
• He returns to Song Shuhang’s carriage, warns the passengers to leave, and tries to open the carriage door.
• Song Shuhang realizes that the Hall Master’s ghostly illusion has already spread throughout the carriage. The monk is not opening the door at all; he is merely twisting a hand strap while believing he is escaping.
• The Hall Master and Ku You enter the carriage, destroy the surveillance cameras, and intensify the illusion. Most passengers, including the family traveling with Song Shuhang, collapse unconscious and become sources of fear and negative energy for Ku You.
• Realizing that escape is impossible, the monk suppresses his injuries with Blood Qi and launches a final powerful attack with his vajra pestle.
• Ku You, now restored to roughly Second-Stage strength, blocks the attack with enormous ghost claws and sends the monk crashing into the carriage wall, worsening his injuries.
• Just as the monk falls into despair and the Hall Master prepares to claim victory, Song Shuhang remains standing calmly. He produces a pendant and flicks it, creating a clear ringing sound that ends the chapter on a dramatic cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• The Hall Master becomes increasingly desperate and ruthless, worsening his own poison-related condition to capture the monk. His obsession with feeding Ku You reveals both his greed and his dependence on her potential breakthrough.
• The foreign monk shifts from confident escape to desperate resistance. Despite severe injuries and overwhelming odds, he uses his defensive artifact, healing pill, and final attack to protect himself and the passengers.
• Ku You recovers substantially by absorbing the passengers’ fear and negative emotions, becoming strong enough to block the monk’s strongest strike.
• Song Shuhang demonstrates sharp spiritual awareness by detecting the illusion before the others do. He remains calm, prepares talismans, protects the nearby family, and finally appears ready to intervene personally.

Significant Themes

• Desperation versus overwhelming power: The monk’s strategies delay defeat but cannot overcome the combined strength of the Hall Master and Ku You.
• Illusion and perception: The apparent escape route is revealed to be false, emphasizing how easily perception can be manipulated by supernatural forces.
• Fear as power: The passengers’ terror is transformed into energy that strengthens Ku You, turning innocent civilians into unwilling fuel for the ghost’s recovery.
• Hidden strength and timing: Song Shuhang’s calmness contrasts with the panic around him, suggesting that he has been waiting for the right moment to reveal a new ability or artifact.
• Survival and sacrifice: The monk prioritizes escaping and protecting others but ultimately chooses to fight even when victory appears impossible.

Character Interactions

• The Hall Master repeatedly confronts and taunts the foreign monk, treating him as nourishment for Ku You.
• The foreign monk warns the passengers to flee, and the white-shirted father chooses to trust him and urges Song Shuhang to leave as well.
• Song Shuhang quietly instructs the family to stay near him and prepares defensive and offensive talismans.
• The Hall Master and Ku You work together to trap the monk, seal the carriage in illusion, and exploit the passengers’ fear.
• The chapter ends with Song Shuhang drawing everyone’s attention through the mysterious ringing of his pendant, signaling a likely reversal of the situation.

Chapter Summary: “A Way Out? This Seat Will Give You One!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang unexpectedly encounters the Altar Master and the Foreign Monk in a subway carriage.
• Recognizing the Altar Master through his reaction to the Spirit Ghost pendant, fear of Song Shuhang’s name, medicinal scent, and weakened appearance, Song confirms his identity.
• Song activates an Evil-Repelling Talisman, unleashing overwhelming spiritual power that:
  • Eliminates the ghosts haunting the carriage.
  • Destroys the lesser ghosts released by the Altar Master.
  • Severely damages Ku You, the Ghost General, reducing it to a tiny fraction of its former strength.
  • Restores the passengers’ minds and returns the carriage to normal.
• The Foreign Monk is relieved and realizes that Song’s intervention has saved everyone.
• The Altar Master, already poisoned and weakened, is horrified by Song’s appearance and assumes the encounter is a carefully arranged trap.
• When the Altar Master considers escaping, Song deliberately reveals the presence of his invisible flying sword. The weapon’s dangerous aura convinces the Altar Master that escape is impossible.
• Song adopts the persona of an immensely powerful senior cultivator and offers the Altar Master “one final chance” to obtain a way out.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Demonstrates increasing confidence and cleverness. Though he is secretly nervous about maintaining his disguise as a powerful expert, he successfully uses the talisman, flying sword, and intimidating demeanor to control the situation. He also recognizes that his recent act of kindness—helping a little girl—indirectly led him to find the Altar Master.
• Altar Master: His arrogance and greed collapse into fear and desperation. Already suffering from poison and the talisman’s spiritual backlash, he becomes convinced that Song is an unfathomably powerful senior and focuses entirely on survival.
• Foreign Monk: Moves from confusion and danger to relief after Song removes the ghosts’ influence. He notices the Altar Master’s terrified reaction and realizes that Song’s identity and power are far greater than they initially appeared.
• Ku You: The Ghost General is almost completely destroyed by the Evil-Repelling Talisman and is left helpless.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Song Shuhang is not as powerful as the Altar Master believes, but he skillfully creates the impression of overwhelming strength.
• Cleverness over brute force: Song relies on timing, psychological pressure, and bluffing as much as on magical weapons.
• The consequences of greed: The Altar Master’s earlier attempts to exploit or test Song lead him into a hopeless situation.
• Good deeds and unexpected rewards: Song reflects that helping the little girl caused him to take a different subway route, ultimately allowing him to find the Altar Master.
• Power and intimidation: The chapter emphasizes how reputation, aura, and an opponent’s assumptions can determine the course of a confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Song introduces himself in a deliberately unsettling way, provoking an immediate, fearful reaction from the Altar Master.
• The Foreign Monk watches the exchange and realizes that the Altar Master recognizes Song as a terrifying figure.
• Song and the Altar Master engage in a psychological battle: Song calmly projects authority, while the Altar Master internally panics and begs for mercy.
• By invoking his status as “Senior Song” and pretending to offer the Altar Master a final opportunity, Song gains control of the encounter and prevents his enemy from fleeing.

Plot points and events

• Song Shuhang offers the Altar Master a chance to live: survive one attack from him, and he will be spared.
• The Altar Master, desperate and expecting a trap, uses a hidden ghostly technique to prepare for death. Shuhang attacks with a Sword Talisman, which cuts the Altar Master in two—but the Altar Master’s life-preserving technique lets him reappear, badly wounded.
• Shuhang pretends to honor his promise and tells the Altar Master to leave. As the Altar Master turns away with his belongings, Shuhang suddenly attacks again with two Sword Talismans, slicing him into four pieces.
• Shuhang then uses an Evil-Repelling Talisman to purify the weakened Ghost General Ku You and further weaken the dying Altar Master, ensuring neither can threaten him later. The Altar Master’s final words accuse Shuhang of having no honor.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang becomes increasingly comfortable performing the role of an imposing, shameless “Senior.” Though he initially sounds as if he will spare the Altar Master, he has already decided that killing him is necessary and acts without hesitation.
• The Altar Master reveals both desperation and resourcefulness through his survival technique, but his hope of escape collapses when Shuhang attacks again. His final response is bitter outrage.
• The Foreign Monk watches the fight in disbelief, especially when the Altar Master survives the first sword strike.

Significant themes

• Bluffing and deception: Shuhang uses the promise of mercy to make the Altar Master lower his guard.
• Survival over honor: Shuhang deliberately rejects the expectations of a trustworthy Senior, valuing his own safety and peace of mind over keeping his word.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a formidable cultivator is helpless against overwhelming attacks, though hidden techniques can briefly postpone defeat.
• Dark humor: Shuhang’s grandiose, self-important speech contrasts with his calculated betrayal, while the Altar Master’s final accusation delivers the scene’s punchline.

Character interactions

• Shuhang dominates the encounter through threats, false reassurance, and successive talisman attacks.
• The Altar Master submits to Shuhang’s terms, survives the first attack, and appears ready to leave—only to be attacked again.
• The Foreign Monk serves as a shocked observer, reflecting the apparent impossibility of the Altar Master’s survival and Shuhang’s ruthless follow-up.

Chapter Summary: “Foreign Monk, Flashing!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang continues pretending to be a powerful senior while secretly signaling the Altar Master that he is only an ordinary university student.
• Enraged by Shuhang’s deception and defeat, the Altar Master curses him, dies, and threatens to return as a vengeful ghost.
• To ensure the Altar Master cannot revive, Shuhang cuts off his head. He reflects that this is the second cultivator he has killed and recognizes that he is gradually becoming more mentally composed in battle.
• Shuhang uses Corpse-Dissolving Water on the body, but it only dissolves the Altar Master’s clothing. He becomes worried about dealing with the corpse without attracting police attention.
• The Foreign Monk offers to handle the body. Instead of using a hidden organization or special authority, he recites Buddhist scriptures and performs a soul-delivery ritual.
• The monk’s chanting produces powerful Merit Light and strengthens his merit, mental power, and physical body. Shuhang becomes interested in whether Daoist cultivators possess similar methods.
• The subway passengers awaken and discover the mutilated corpses, causing widespread panic, screaming, fainting, and vomiting. The bodies of the Altar Master’s subordinates are also found in the neighboring carriage.
• Shuhang leaves with the little girl’s family, carrying the Altar Master’s mysterious black case. He remains careful to avoid surveillance and worries that modern technology may expose him.
• The police and media arrive. The Foreign Monk deliberately confesses to killing all three people and claims sole responsibility, while insisting that he did not cause the train accident.
• The monk is arrested and publicly takes the blame to protect Shuhang, dramatically giving the camera a thumbs-up as his teeth flash in the sunlight.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes more capable of confronting death and violence without relying on the True Self Meditation Scripture. He accepts that he must develop his own willpower and combat mentality rather than depend on external aids. He also grows more calculating, considering the Altar Master’s followers as future training opponents and potential sources of spoils.
• The Foreign Monk: Reveals himself to be a genuinely compassionate and self-sacrificing Buddhist cultivator. His confidence is comically misleading: rather than possessing official influence, he protects Shuhang by voluntarily becoming a scapegoat. His soul-delivery practice also demonstrates his considerable Buddhist power.
• The Altar Master: Dies permanently after his final curse, ending his immediate threat to Shuhang. His death leaves his organization leaderless and temporarily disorganized.
• The white-shirted father: Recognizes Shuhang as an expert and trusts his judgment. He notices that the black case appeared mysteriously but wisely chooses not to report or question it.
• The passengers: Shift from unconscious victims to terrified witnesses once they see the corpses, creating chaos throughout the station.

Significant Themes

• Honesty versus deception: Shuhang continues to struggle with maintaining a false identity, but rationalizes his lies as necessary “white lies” and hopes to explain himself when it becomes safe.
• Growth through hardship: Shuhang’s willingness to kill and his effort to remain calm show his gradual transition from an ordinary student into a cultivator capable of surviving deadly conflicts.
• Merit and Buddhist compassion: The Foreign Monk’s soul-delivery ritual presents compassion and spiritual service as sources of genuine power, contrasting with the Altar Master’s cruelty.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: The monk protects Shuhang by accepting arrest and taking responsibility, demonstrating selfless loyalty despite their brief acquaintance.
• Modern society versus the supernatural: Ancient cultivation methods and spiritual battles must coexist with police, surveillance cameras, media coverage, and public panic.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang silently communicates his true identity to the Altar Master while maintaining an imposing façade before the Foreign Monk.
• The Foreign Monk reassures Shuhang that he can dispose of the corpse, then ultimately protects him by confessing publicly.
• Shuhang and the white-shirted father establish mutual trust, with the father seeking Shuhang’s permission before leaving the subway.
• The passengers’ reaction to the monk and the corpses contrasts sharply with Shuhang’s calm, highlighting the gulf between ordinary people and cultivators.
• The monk’s final thumbs-up to the camera silently assures Shuhang that he will not betray him, turning his arrest into a humorous but heroic act of friendship.

Chapter 90 Summary: “Shuhang, Why Not Learn to Drive?”

Plot Points and Events

• After defeating Altar Master and resolving the Claw-Mark Beast Cards incident, Song Shuhang returns to Jiangnan University Town by subway.
• He conceals Altar Master’s black suitcase inside a shopping bag because of its suspicious origin.
• Once safely on the train, Shuhang reflects on Altar Master’s execution and gradually calms himself.
• He reports the enemy leader’s death to the Nine Provinces Number One Group, explaining that he used two Evil-Repelling Talismans and three Sword Talismans. He decides not to pursue the remaining minor members.
• Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman praises Shuhang and lets him keep the unused talismans. He reveals that he is currently on a Pacific island teaching nearly ten thousand primitive people to read because of an old vow.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator and Mad Saber Three Waves praise Shuhang’s success. Three Waves jokes that Shuhang possesses part of his own youthful style, while the group discusses Three Waves’s supposed seclusion and his inability to make lewd jokes due to True Lord Yellow Mountain’s warning.
• Northern River reveals that he learned Shuhang planned to obtain a driver’s license by looking through Shuhang’s game profile while stealing vegetables from his virtual farm.
• He advises Shuhang to get his license soon, hinting that doing so will bring major rewards. The rewards may include Blood Qi Pills or an advanced cultivation technique.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Shows increasing composure after killing a Second-Grade cultivator. He honestly explains that his victory depended on poison, Soft Feather’s misunderstanding, and Seven Lives Talisman’s talismans rather than claiming sole credit. His interest in obtaining a driver’s license intensifies when he hears it could lead to valuable cultivation resources.
• Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman: Is established as powerful but comically distracted and frustrated by the consequences of his past vows. His willingness to give Shuhang the talismans demonstrates generosity.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator: Acts as a mentor, recognizing Shuhang’s potential and offering strategic advice. His playful habit of monitoring Shuhang’s game account adds a humorous, informal side to his character.
• Mad Saber Three Waves: Continues to provide comic relief through exaggerated praise and jokes, though he is restrained by True Lord Yellow Mountain’s threat to remove him from the group.
• Drunk Moon Hermit: Briefly interacts with Three Waves and hints at the group’s familiar, teasing atmosphere.

Significant Themes

• Growth through danger: Shuhang’s successful defeat of Altar Master marks a step forward in his cultivation journey, even though he recognizes that teamwork and preparation were essential.
• The contrast between cultivators and ordinary life: Powerful cultivators discuss sword flight, talismans, and cultivation techniques while also playing farming games and worrying about driver’s licenses.
• The consequences of promises: Seven Lives Talisman’s literacy vow shows how reckless promises can create long-term burdens.
• Mentorship and opportunity: The seniors encourage Shuhang and point him toward resources that can advance his cultivation.
• Humor within the cultivation world: The group’s casual teasing, gaming habits, and absurd conversations undermine the traditional image of solemn, lofty cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang reports to Seven Lives Talisman, who praises him and gifts him the remaining talismans.
• Northern River evaluates Shuhang’s victory, calling it bold but carefully executed.
• Three Waves jokingly compares Shuhang to his younger self, prompting Northern River to tease him about his failed seclusion.
• Drunk Moon Hermit comments on Three Waves’s unusually restrained behavior.
• Northern River reveals his knowledge of Shuhang’s driving plans and tempts him with valuable rewards, leaving Shuhang highly motivated to obtain his license.

Chapter Summary: “Shuhang, Deeply Appreciated by His Seniors”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang learns that Blood Qi Pills are extremely valuable first-grade pills capable of restoring a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s blood qi. They would allow him to practice the Vajra Foundation Fist continuously and accelerate his cultivation.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator offers Shuhang Blood Qi Pills and a cultivation technique in exchange for teaching an incoming senior how to drive—and possibly fly a plane.
• Shuhang realizes the senior in question is True Lord White, a powerful cultivator who has been secluded for over a century and is fascinated by mechanical inventions and modern technology.
• Northern River and Mad Saber Three Waves repeatedly insist that True Lord White is kind and generous, but their evasive and overly defensive explanations make Shuhang suspect that they are actually afraid of him.
• Despite sensing a trap, Shuhang accepts the task because the Blood Qi Pills are too valuable to refuse.
• The members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group, who had been secretly watching the conversation, all emerge to praise Shuhang for his “wisdom” and “rationality.” Their synchronized reactions make him realize he has fallen into an obvious scheme.
• When Shuhang considers withdrawing, the seniors respond only with cheerful, intimidating smiles, effectively preventing him from backing out.
• Shortly afterward, Zhao Yaya calls Shuhang after learning from Yangde that he had been buying unusual medicinal ingredients. She worries that he is secretly ill.
• Shuhang denies having any health problems and claims the ingredients were for a friend, but Zhao Yaya remains suspicious and plans to discuss the matter with him and arrange a medical examination.
• Shuhang, realizing that Zhao Yaya has misunderstood his cultivation-related activities, turns to the group for urgent advice.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Shows practical judgment by accepting a suspicious assignment for the sake of valuable cultivation resources. However, he also becomes increasingly anxious as he realizes both the cultivators and his family are drawing dangerous conclusions about him.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator: Demonstrates cunning and strong persuasive skills, deliberately luring Shuhang into accepting responsibility for True Lord White while trying to conceal his own fear of the senior.
• Mad Saber Three Waves and the other group members: Reveal that they are united in avoiding responsibility for True Lord White. Their exaggerated praise of Shuhang suggests they knowingly pushed him into the situation.
• True Lord White: Though absent from the chapter, he is characterized as a powerful, generous, eccentric senior with a fascination for mechanical devices and modern technology.
• Zhao Yaya: Becomes increasingly protective and suspicious of Shuhang’s unusual behavior. Her concern reflects her belief that he may be hiding a serious illness.

Significant Themes

• Temptation versus caution: Shuhang recognizes the danger of the offer but cannot resist the enormous benefits of Blood Qi Pills.
• Comedic manipulation and camaraderie: The seniors exploit Shuhang’s desire for cultivation resources, turning his acceptance into a group joke while maintaining a friendly atmosphere.
• The dangers of entering the cultivation world: Shuhang’s lack of experience makes him vulnerable to schemes by older cultivators, even when they are not malicious.
• Miscommunication and double lives: Shuhang must hide his cultivation activities from ordinary people, causing Zhao Yaya to misinterpret his behavior as evidence of illness.
• Respect and fear of powerful seniors: The group claims to admire True Lord White, but their evasiveness reveals that reverence and fear are closely connected.

Important Character Interactions

• Shuhang and Northern River: Northern River persuades Shuhang to become True Lord White’s guide to modern technology while avoiding the real reason he does not want the responsibility himself.
• Shuhang and Three Waves: Three Waves confirms that he is also avoiding True Lord White, increasing Shuhang’s unease.
• Shuhang and the group: The entire group praises him after he accepts the assignment, making clear that they had been watching and deliberately allowed him to take the “trap.”
• Shuhang and Zhao Yaya: Zhao Yaya confronts him indirectly about his strange purchases and suspected illness. Shuhang attempts to reassure her, but his evasive explanation only leaves her more concerned.

Chapter Summary: “Black Suitcase, Red Banknotes, and… Blood Qi Pills!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning to Jiangnan University Town, Song Shuhang goes first to Medicine Master’s building rather than visiting Zhao Yaya. He is worried that the black suitcase taken from the deceased Altar Master contains suspicious medicinal herbs or other incriminating items.
• Medicine Master is found playing a vegetable-stealing farming game on his phone, competing against powerful cultivators from the Nine Provinces Number One Group. His intense dedication to the game provides comic relief.
• Shuhang asks Medicine Master to inspect the suitcase for traps, since Altar Master was an evil-path Ghost Cultivator. Medicine Master removes several crude magical restrictions and confirms that it is safe to open.
• The suitcase initially appears to contain approximately 800,000 yuan in cash. Although Shuhang is disappointed that there are no obvious treasures, he decides the money will be useful for food, exercise equipment, and maintaining his physical training.
• Medicine Master reveals that the cash hides a false bottom. Beneath it are fourteen small bottles—twelve blue and two red—as well as a metal box.
• The blue bottles contain the stronger, unsimplified version of Body Tempering Liquid. Medicine Master explains that one mouthful is equivalent to three mouthfuls of the simplified version. The supply should be enough to support Shuhang until Foundation Establishment, with some remaining.
• The red bottles contain pills that Medicine Master identifies as Blood Qi Pills, though the chapter ends before their effects are explained.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang continues to demonstrate caution and practical judgment by refusing to open a dangerous cultivator’s suitcase without expert inspection. He also shows growing awareness of his physical and financial needs as his cultivation progresses.
• Shuhang’s disappointment at finding cash instead of magical treasures quickly turns into satisfaction when he realizes the money will support his training.
• Medicine Master is shown as both a highly capable alchemist and an unexpectedly competitive, playful individual. Despite his senior status, he is absorbed in stealing virtual vegetables from other cultivators.
• Medicine Master continues to recognize Shuhang’s potential, noting that Shuhang is bold yet careful and well suited to cultivation, although Medicine Master regrets that Shuhang did not enter the Cultivator Realm earlier.

Significant Themes

• Caution and preparedness: Shuhang’s decision to have the suitcase checked reflects the dangers of the Cultivator Realm and the importance of avoiding hidden traps.
• Resources as stepping stones: Both money and medicinal supplies are portrayed as tools supporting Shuhang’s larger goal of strengthening himself and achieving Foundation Establishment.
• Contrast between the ordinary and extraordinary: The suitcase contains mundane cash alongside rare cultivation resources, blending the mortal world with the Cultivator Realm.
• Comic humanity among cultivators: Even powerful seniors indulge in trivial hobbies, emphasizing that cultivators retain ordinary personalities and playful rivalries.
• Growth and missed opportunities: Medicine Master’s thoughts about Shuhang’s lost Innate True Qi highlight the role of timing and the irreversible consequences of entering cultivation late.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang and Medicine Master: Shuhang seeks Medicine Master’s expertise, while Medicine Master protects him from the suitcase’s traps and explains the value of its contents.
• Their interaction mixes practical cooperation with humor, especially Shuhang’s silent criticism of Medicine Master’s farming-game obsession and eccentric braided hairstyle.
• Medicine Master also encourages Shuhang to spend money on improving his training resources rather than hoarding it, reinforcing his role as both mentor and senior cultivator.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang examines the belongings of the defeated Altar Master and discovers two bottles containing twenty-six Blood Qi Pills.
• Medicine Master explains that the pills are high quality and can restore Song Shuhang’s blood qi several times, giving him a temporary supply.
• Song jokingly considers breaking his promise to help receive True Lord White now that he has obtained Blood Qi Pills, but admits the supply is too limited for that.
• He opens a heavy metal box containing:
  • Lightning-Struck Wood
  • Ten Five-Element Stones
  • A formation-engraved ritual robe
  • Ghost Dragon Saliva
  • Other paired materials and treasures
  • A large amount of cash
• Medicine Master identifies the items as materials for the Five-Element Spirit-Binding Altar, also known as the Spirit Ghost Contract Formation.
• The Altar Master had prepared two complete sets because he intended to contract two Spirit Ghosts from Ghost Lantern Temple. One Spirit Ghost went to Soft Feather, while the other ultimately became available to Song Shuhang.
• Song decides not to exchange the materials for Blood Qi Pills because forming a contract with a Spirit Ghost could greatly aid his cultivation and help him overcome his late start.
• He leaves most of the suitcase, including the cash and treasures, with Medicine Master for safekeeping, taking only a small supply of Blood Qi Pills and some loose money.
• Medicine Master asks Song to test an improved Body Tempering Liquid formula and begin learning to use a proper alchemy furnace instead of household cooking equipment.
• Song leaves to visit his older sister, then remembers that he had intended to ask Medicine Master about the mysterious foreign monk taken away by police. He postpones the question until next time.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes increasingly aware of the value of cultivation resources and begins thinking seriously about forming a Spirit Ghost contract. He remains practical and cautious about hiding the treasures and money, but his excitement and forgetfulness continue to create comedic moments.
• Medicine Master: Acts as Song’s mentor, identifying the treasures, explaining their cultivation significance, and preparing to teach him proper alchemy. He also humorously encourages Song to face his older sister’s suspicions.
• The Altar Master: Though already defeated, his ambitions are revealed through the materials he carried. He had been carefully preparing to contract two Spirit Ghosts.
• Soft Feather: Her connection to one of the Spirit Ghosts is briefly clarified, emphasizing that Song Shuhang obtained the second opportunity through the Altar Master’s defeat.

Significant Themes

• Good fortune and karmic reward: Song Shuhang’s recent gains appear to result from both luck and the consequences of his actions.
• The hidden value of cultivation treasures: Items that look strange or useless to ordinary people can be priceless to cultivators.
• Opportunity and destiny: The Spirit Ghost Contract materials may provide Song with a chance to compensate for his late entry into cultivation.
• Mentorship and growth: Medicine Master continues guiding Song from improvised methods toward genuine cultivation and alchemy.
• Comedy amid danger: Serious cultivation discoveries are balanced by Song’s jokes, practical worries about explaining the money, and anxiety about visiting his sister.

Character Interactions

• Song and Medicine Master discuss the usefulness of the Blood Qi Pills and the significance of the altar materials.
• Medicine Master teases Song about considering betrayal of Northern River’s arrangement and about his older sister’s belief that he has a hidden illness.
• Song entrusts Medicine Master with the suitcase and accepts his guidance about alchemy.
• Song reflects on his connection to Soft Feather through the two Spirit Ghosts and plans to pursue a contract of his own.

Chapter 94 Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang returns to Jiangnan University Town, but Zhao Yaya immediately drags him to the hospital for a full medical examination.
• Shuhang insists that the four medicinal ingredients he investigated were for someone else, not for his own illness. Zhao Yaya remains unconvinced and worries that he may be suffering from a serious disease.
• To make the walk to the hospital more comfortable, Shuhang secretly uses the Soul-Sealing Ice Pearl to cool Zhao Yaya in the intense heat, pretending that a breeze has started.
• At the hospital, Zhao Yaya keeps hold of Shuhang’s hand so he cannot escape the examination.
• Shuhang encounters the middle-aged man who previously dropped more than 150 yuan. Shuhang attempts to return the money, but the uncle recognizes him as a scammer instead.
• Believing Shuhang and Zhao Yaya are conspiring to deceive him, the uncle runs away. Shuhang is left awkwardly holding the money while Zhao Yaya urges him to give up.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang remains honest, kindhearted, and patient, even when repeatedly accused of being a scammer. His concern for Zhao Yaya is shown through his secret use of the ice pearl to protect her from the heat.
• Zhao Yaya acts as a caring but forceful older sister. Her insistence on a medical checkup reveals her genuine anxiety about Shuhang’s health, while her teasing and reassurance show their close relationship.
• The uncle is portrayed as comically suspicious and overly defensive. His repeated misinterpretation of Shuhang’s attempts to help creates the chapter’s main humorous situation.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstood kindness: Shuhang’s sincere efforts are repeatedly interpreted as suspicious behavior.
• Family concern and affection: Zhao Yaya’s forceful behavior stems from worry and protectiveness rather than control.
• Comedy through coincidence and irony: Shuhang keeps encountering the same uncle, yet every meeting reinforces the uncle’s belief that he is being targeted by a scammer.
• Hidden abilities in ordinary life: Shuhang quietly uses supernatural powers while maintaining the appearance of a normal student.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Yaya and Shuhang bicker affectionately as she escorts him to the hospital and refuses to believe his excuses.
• Shuhang tries to reassure Zhao Yaya by appealing to his “sincere eyes,” only for her to point out that he has eye gunk.
• Shuhang attempts to return the lost money to the uncle, but the uncle accuses him—and implicitly Zhao Yaya—of being scammers and flees.
• Zhao Yaya comforts Shuhang afterward, joking that he does not look like a scammer at all, before pulling him away.

Chapter 95 Summary: “The Inconceivable Patient”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang completes an exhaustive full-body examination, enduring numerous tests that leave him more exhausted than a round of martial training.
• While waiting for the results with Zhao Yaya, he remembers Professor Renshui, whose legs were broken after Soft Feather’s reckless attempt to excuse him from class. Feeling guilty, Shuhang decides to visit him.
• A doctor identifies Professor Renshui’s ward and confirms that his unusual injury has become a source of hospital gossip.
• Song Shuhang’s examination results are revealed to be extraordinarily healthy—well beyond normal standards and even superior to those of professional athletes.
• Zhao Yaya is relieved that Shuhang has no serious illness, while Doctor Li jokingly accuses her of being a “brother-obsessed yandere” because of her intense concern.
• Doctor Li is called away to treat a mysterious young female patient whose internal organs and tissues have been inexplicably carbonized, despite her outwardly unharmed appearance. The girl remains alive despite injuries that should be fatal.
• The chapter ends with a middle-aged man detecting the aura of a member of the Su Clan—apparently Su Clan’s Seven—and realizing that Song Shuhang is nearby. However, the aura vanishes before he can locate him.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Remains calm and adaptable despite the bizarre supernatural events surrounding him. He shows guilt and responsibility regarding Professor Renshui’s injuries, but his nonchalance toward his own impossible medical results reflects how much his worldview has changed.
• Zhao Yaya: Displays strong protective concern for Shuhang and fears he may have a terminal illness. Once she sees his excellent results, she relaxes and feels proud that he has apparently been exercising.
• Doctor Li: Comes across as observant, teasing, and professionally curious. She is fascinated by Shuhang’s abnormal physical condition and deeply troubled by the mysterious young patient.
• The mysterious young girl: Is characterized as unusually stoic and accepting of death. Rather than seeking treatment, she only requests painkillers and even supplies her own injection needle.
• The middle-aged pursuer: Shows persistent determination and hostility toward “Su Clan’s Seven,” but is frustrated when the target’s aura disappears again.

Significant Themes

• The collision of ordinary medicine with the supernatural: Shuhang’s extraordinary physical condition and the girl’s impossible injuries cannot be explained by normal science.
• Changing perspectives: Shuhang’s exposure to cultivation and supernatural incidents has made him capable of calmly accepting events that would once have seemed impossible.
• Concern and responsibility: Zhao Yaya’s worry and Shuhang’s guilt toward Professor Renshui highlight the importance of personal bonds amid increasingly fantastical circumstances.
• Mystery and pursuit: The injured girl’s condition and the pursuer’s search for Su Clan’s Seven introduce unresolved dangers and deepen the chapter’s suspense.
• Life and death: The girl’s calm acceptance of her probable death contrasts with Zhao Yaya’s fear of losing Shuhang, presenting different responses to mortality.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang and Zhao Yaya: Wait together for his results; she worries intensely while he remains relaxed. Their exchange emphasizes their sibling-like closeness.
• Song Shuhang and Doctor Li: Doctor Li comments on his astonishing health and finds his physique unusually attractive, while Shuhang feels uneasy about her intense gaze.
• Zhao Yaya and Doctor Li: Their familiarity allows Doctor Li to tease Zhao about her concern for Shuhang. Zhao later asks about the mysterious patient.
• Song Shuhang and Professor Renshui: They do not meet in the chapter, but Shuhang’s decision to visit him reflects lingering guilt over the professor’s injuries.
• Doctor Li and the mysterious patient: Doctor Li is responsible for the girl’s examinations and pain management, yet remains baffled by her condition and behavior.
• The middle-aged man and Su Clan’s Seven: The pursuer finally senses his target nearby but loses the aura again, setting up continued pursuit.

Chapter 96: “The Ill-Fated Bond” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving Doctor Li, Song Shuhang asks Zhao Yaya to accompany him to visit Professor Renshui, but she declines because she must return to Jiangnan University Town to handle injuries from the sports meet.
• Zhao Yaya questions Shuhang about the dark-skinned runner who collapsed during the five-thousand-meter race while obsessively repeating that the runner-up position belonged to him. Shuhang explains that the student was a determined opponent and that he helped him during the race, though Shuhang was ultimately stronger.
• Shuhang buys expensive fruit and visits Professor Renshui in Room 532. Renshui is hospitalized with both legs broken and raised in bandages.
• Shuhang and Professor Renshui have a friendly conversation about school life, the sports meet, and tedious opening-ceremony speeches. The professor is pleased by Shuhang’s visit and decides to remember him favorably when assigning credits.
• Meanwhile, an office-worker uncle searches the fifth-floor wards for a “Su Clan junior,” whose aura he sensed but lost track of. He checks numerous rooms before entering Room 532.
• The uncle recognizes Shuhang and again mistakes him for a swindler, then immediately flees despite Shuhang’s attempts to stop him.
• Shuhang, frustrated by their repeated misunderstandings, decides to chase the uncle and return the money connected to their original encounter. He leaves the fruit with Professor Renshui and departs.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Displays increased confidence and physical ability, having defeated or surpassed the strong runner. Despite his irritation, he remains determined to clear up the misunderstanding with the uncle and return the money.
• Zhao Yaya: Continues acting as a practical, responsible medical intern. She teases Shuhang about his apparent mockery of the runner while also warning him to behave appropriately around Professor Renshui.
• Professor Renshui: Reveals a warm, conversational personality. He is encouraged by Shuhang’s visit, develops a favorable impression of him, and finds humor in Shuhang’s unfortunate encounter with the uncle.
• The office-worker uncle: Remains convinced that Shuhang is a swindler and is simultaneously searching for a mysterious Su Clan junior. His suspicious, impulsive behavior drives the chapter’s comic conflict.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and mistaken identity: The uncle repeatedly misjudges Shuhang, creating an increasingly absurd conflict.
• Fate and recurring encounters: Shuhang and the uncle keep meeting by chance, forming an “ill-fated bond.”
• Competition and pride: The runner’s intense desire to win contrasts with Shuhang’s superior ability and somewhat unintentionally provocative attitude.
• Kindness and social connection: Shuhang visits an injured professor out of consideration, while Renshui’s welcoming response shows how a small gesture can strengthen relationships.
• Comic relief amid tension: The hospital setting and the uncle’s mysterious search introduce a potentially serious plot thread, but the chapter emphasizes humorous misunderstandings.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Yaya scolds and teases Shuhang about the collapsed runner while advising him to be careful with Professor Renshui.
• Shuhang and Renshui bond through relaxed conversation about university affairs.
• The office-worker uncle interrupts their visit, insults Shuhang by calling him a swindler, and flees before Shuhang can explain.
• Renshui laughs at Shuhang’s predicament and encourages him to resolve the matter, prompting Shuhang to pursue the uncle.

Chapter Summary: “The Fated Ones Were Separated by a Floor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang chases after the middle-aged man who misunderstood him as a con artist, but the man mysteriously disappears from the fifth-floor corridors.
• Unbeknownst to Shuhang, the man is hiding against the ceiling in a blind spot, successfully avoiding him while searching room by room for a supposed junior of the Su Clan.
• Shuhang searches the fourth floor but gives up, deciding that if they meet again, he will subdue the man before explaining the misunderstanding.
• On the stairs, Shuhang encounters the aloof short-haired girl he previously saw defeat several delinquents. She is descending painfully because of an injured foot.
• Although she initially refuses assistance, Shuhang supports her after she stumbles at the hospital entrance. Together, they leave to find a taxi.
• Meanwhile, the middle-aged man searches the final room on the fifth floor and discovers that he has missed his target entirely. Convinced that the fortune-teller deceived him, he becomes angry at both the divination and Shuhang.
• Both men independently imagine punching each other, setting up a future confrontation in which neither is likely to speak before attacking.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes increasingly exasperated by the middle-aged man’s repeated misunderstandings, though he remains fundamentally kind and helpful. Despite his frustration, he assists the injured girl and continues planning to help Medicine Master with his experiments.
• The middle-aged man: Reveals himself to be resourceful but eccentric, using extreme measures—including clinging to a ceiling—to avoid Shuhang. His confidence in fate and fortune-telling collapses after another failed search, turning his frustration toward both the fortune-teller and Shuhang.
• The short-haired girl: Remains distant and proud, refusing help at first, but shows a small softening by thanking Shuhang after he catches and assists her.

Significant Themes

• Irony and crossed destinies: Shuhang and the middle-aged man repeatedly miss each other by narrow margins, despite both searching the same hospital.
• Misunderstanding: Their mutual belief that the other is an enemy or nuisance escalates toward an absurd physical confrontation.
• Fate versus coincidence: The middle-aged man relies on a prophecy about meeting a fated person, yet his search is undermined by chance, poor judgment, and missed timing.
• Kindness beneath frustration: Shuhang’s anger does not prevent him from helping someone vulnerable.
• Comedic dramatic irony: The reader knows why the two men keep missing each other, while each character remains unaware.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang and the middle-aged man never directly meet in this chapter, but their actions and thoughts mirror one another: both become angry, imagine punching the other, and prepare for a future fight.
• Shuhang has a brief, awkward conversation with the short-haired girl about her injury and transportation.
• Their relationship takes a small step forward when Shuhang catches her after she stumbles and escorts her out of the hospital.

Chapter Summary: “A Hilarious Goody-Goody”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Old Zhou nearly hits a man who deliberately runs toward his car at an intersection. Although the car avoids him completely, the man throws himself backward, pretends to break his leg, and attracts a crowd.
• Old Zhou realizes he may be the target of a staged-accident scam. With no dashcam, no nearby surveillance, and only twenty-two yuan on him, he worries about how to deal with the situation.
• Song Shuhang and a short-haired girl witness the incident. Shuhang correctly identifies the scam but initially decides that testifying would be ineffective without evidence.
• Instead of exposing the scammer directly, Shuhang pretends to support his story and urges Old Zhou to pay “tens of thousands” in compensation. The scammer believes Shuhang is helping him.
• While pretending to examine the injured man, Shuhang secretly takes his wallet, which contains nearly two thousand yuan, then runs away.
• The scammer instantly abandons his act and chases Shuhang. His sudden ability to run proves to the crowd that the accident was staged, clearing Old Zhou’s name.
• Shuhang deliberately leads the scammer on an exhausting 1,800-meter chase before escaping. Meanwhile, he calls a taxi for the short-haired girl and gives her fifty yuan for the fare.
• Old Zhou leaves relieved, believing that Shuhang is an unusually helpful young man, while the short-haired girl laughs at Shuhang’s absurd behavior.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Demonstrates his improved physical abilities, especially his sharp eyesight, strength, speed, and stamina. He remains outwardly righteous and opposed to violence, but reveals a mischievous, opportunistic side by stealing the scammer’s money and humiliating him.
• Old Zhou: Begins anxious and defensive, fearing both financial loss and false blame. He ends the episode relieved and impressed, mistakenly viewing Shuhang as a heroic good Samaritan.
• The scammer: Starts as a confident professional exploiting the apparent lack of evidence. His confidence collapses when Shuhang steals his wallet, forcing him to expose his own fraud by chasing at full speed.
• The short-haired girl: Continues to observe Shuhang’s strange sense of justice with amusement. She expects him to meddle, but is entertained by the unconventional way he handles the situation.

Significant Themes

• Justice through absurdity: The scam is exposed not through formal evidence or law enforcement, but through Shuhang’s bizarre counterattack.
• Appearance versus reality: The crowd initially believes the scammer’s performance, while Shuhang appears to be helping him but is actually exploiting him.
• Good intentions mixed with mischief: Shuhang wants to protect Old Zhou, yet his methods are hardly morally straightforward.
• Social distrust and vulnerability: The scene highlights how staged accidents exploit confusion, public assumptions, and the absence of surveillance or proof.
• Comic reversal: The supposed victim becomes the pursuer, and the apparent thief-like “good Samaritan” is praised as a hero.

Character Interactions

• Old Zhou and the scammer: The scammer attempts to pressure Old Zhou into paying compensation, while Old Zhou struggles to defend himself with no evidence.
• Shuhang and the short-haired girl: She questions whether he will intervene, and he responds by sending her to wait while he handles the incident and arranges her taxi.
• Shuhang and the scammer: Shuhang deceives the scammer into trusting him, steals his wallet, and then exhausts him in a chase.
• Shuhang and Old Zhou: Shuhang indirectly rescues Old Zhou from the scam, though Old Zhou misunderstands Shuhang’s actions and considers him a good person.

Chapter Summary: “Why Do the Seniors Use Chat Apps to Communicate?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang reflects on the previous fight with the “collision-baiting guy,” hoping the man will gather others to attack him so he can gain real combat experience and practice his Basic Fist Technique.
• After eating, Shuhang goes to Medicine Master’s residence to help refine and improve the Body Tempering Liquid formula.
• Medicine Master successfully increases the medicine’s yield by adding two ordinary herbs and predicts that the improved formula will be complete within two days.
• Medicine Master gives Shuhang the newly refined Body Tempering Liquid and a Stench Pill. He also promises to bring a Fire-Control Artifact the following day so Shuhang can learn to use a pill furnace before Medicine Master leaves the Jiangnan Region.
• Medicine Master warns Shuhang to consult the seniors about cultivation problems rather than experimenting recklessly.
• Shuhang asks whether the Buddhist Sect’s Soul Deliverance technique strengthens the body. Medicine Master explains that it grants Merit Power, which can strengthen First-Grade cultivators but has no effect above the Second Grade.
• Shuhang also asks whether the Daoist School has a similar soul-delivering technique. Medicine Master suggests asking the group, since he is more knowledgeable about pill refinement than the Daoist Five-Virtues Cultivation Method.
• Shuhang tells Medicine Master about the Foreign Monk who accepted blame for the Altar Master’s corpse on the subway. Medicine Master believes the monk likely has a way to escape and reassures Shuhang that he need not worry.
• Shuhang practices the Vajra Foundation Fist and True Self Meditation Scripture at Medicine Master’s home, successfully controlling the Blood Qi entering his Heart Aperture. Medicine Master notes that his Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment is nearly complete.
• During their conversation, Shuhang finally asks why powerful cultivators communicate through chat apps instead of mystical techniques such as Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission.
• Medicine Master explains that chat apps are more convenient and versatile: they support text, voice, video, searchable records, group communication, and entertainment, while communication spells have range and usability limitations.
• Medicine Master ends by reminding Shuhang to upgrade his in-game farm, learn to drive, and accept Northern River’s help because he is running low on Blood Qi Pills.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang continues becoming more serious and capable as a cultivator. He seeks practical combat experience, improves his control over Blood Qi, and approaches completion of his initial foundation establishment.
• He demonstrates increasing curiosity about cultivation traditions, Merit Power, soul-delivery methods, and the customs of the cultivation world.
• Shuhang remains grounded and connected to ordinary life, joking that he still wants a girlfriend and showing surprise at the seniors’ modern communication habits.
• Medicine Master acts as Shuhang’s mentor, teaching him pill refinement, cultivation safety, and practical knowledge. He is satisfied with Shuhang’s progress and begins preparing him to refine pills independently.
• Medicine Master’s humorous, pragmatic personality is emphasized through his defense of chat apps and his teasing advice about driving, games, and accepting help.

Significant Themes

• Tradition versus modern convenience: Even immortal cultivators prefer modern technology when it is more practical than supernatural alternatives.
• Mentorship and gradual growth: Shuhang develops through hands-on experience, careful instruction, and the guidance of senior cultivators.
• Practicality over grandeur: The chapter humorously suggests that advanced powers are not always the best tools; convenience and functionality matter more.
• The blending of cultivation and ordinary life: Magical training, pill refinement, online games, smartphones, university life, and driving all coexist.
• Responsibility and caution: Medicine Master repeatedly reminds Shuhang not to take unnecessary risks and to seek advice when facing cultivation problems.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang and Medicine Master work cooperatively on the Body Tempering Liquid, with Medicine Master gradually entrusting Shuhang with more advanced pill-refining tasks.
• Their conversation about Buddhist and Daoist soul-delivery techniques shows Shuhang’s growing trust in Medicine Master as a source of knowledge.
• Shuhang’s concern for the Foreign Monk reveals his compassion, while Medicine Master responds with calm reassurance.
• Their discussion of chat apps highlights their mentor-student relationship through humor: Shuhang asks an idealistic question about mystical communication, and Medicine Master gives a practical modern explanation.
• The chapter closes with Medicine Master teasing and advising Shuhang about his farm game, driving lessons, and dwindling Blood Qi Pills.

Chapter Summary: “A Strange Dream”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving Medicine Master, Song Shuhang returns to the university town.
• Yangde informs him that he won the five-kilometer race at the sports meet. Gao Moumou accepted the award for him in his absence.
• Shuhang plans to treat Yangde to Ten-Fragrance Fish Head as thanks for information that helped capture the Altar Master.
• He also considers signing up for driving lessons and rejoining the chat app so he can progress in Game Farm, which many members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group now play.
• After dinner with his roommates, Shuhang returns to the dormitory and plays games with them. Exhausted from the day’s events—including the race, the pursuit and capture of the Altar Master, his medical examination, and other incidents—he goes to sleep without consuming the Blood Qi Pill.
• Before sleeping, he uses a spiritual-power technique to maintain vigilance, then enters a vivid dream.

Dream Events and Revelations

• In the dream, Shuhang lives in ancient China as the son of a coffin-shop owner.
• As a child, he is accepted as a disciple by an eccentric Taoist priest. The priest is a rogue cultivator who inherited part of the Ghost Gate Exorcist legacy.
• The inheritance is incomplete, and the Taoist can only reach the Second Stage. He is eventually killed because he and Shuhang are regarded as evil ghost cultivators.
• Traumatized by his teacher’s death, the dream-version of Shuhang becomes cautious and increasingly ruthless. He cultivates evil ghosts, searches for suitable lands to raise them, works as an exorcist, and even runs a killer organization.
• His primary goal becomes obtaining a Spirit Ghost to advance his cultivation.
• He discovers Ghost Lantern Temple in Luoxin District, a blessed land containing a Spirit Ghost, but finds that an expert has already sealed it.
• Unable to break the seal himself, he devises a scheme to use Huang Dagen, the temple’s owner, as an unwitting scapegoat.
• Disguised as a feng shui master, he persuades Huang Dagen to demolish Ghost Lantern Temple and build a cemetery. He guides Huang Dagen to place his gravestone directly over the formation’s core.
• The gravestone breaks the first layer of the expert’s seal, allowing the Spirit Ghost to emerge and drain Huang Dagen’s Blood Qi. Huang Dagen later dies from illness.
• The Spirit Ghost returns to the temple rather than escaping, pleasing the dream-version of Shuhang because it avoids damaging the containment formation.
• He refrains from capturing it immediately, fearing the sealed expert’s retaliation and believing the Spirit Ghost needs more time to mature.
• When Huang Dagen’s family later mourns at the grave, the Spirit Ghost drains most of their Blood Qi as well. The family members fall ill and die one after another over the following year.
• The dream-version of Shuhang remains in Luoxin District for years, guarding the grave and observing the Spirit Ghost’s development.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Demonstrates responsibility by planning to repay Yangde and continues adjusting to his increasingly complicated cultivation-related life. His exhaustion highlights the strain of balancing ordinary university life with supernatural dangers.
• Dream-version of Shuhang/possibly the Altar Master: Develops from an innocent child into a fearful, calculating, and morally corrupt ghost cultivator. His teacher’s violent death makes him paranoid, while his pursuit of power leads him to manipulate and sacrifice ordinary people.
• Old Taoist: Serves as the dream-version’s first mentor. His incomplete inheritance and brutal death shape the protagonist’s later fear and ruthlessness.
• Huang Dagen and his family: Become victims of the ghost cultivator’s scheme, unknowingly helping destroy the seal and suffering the Spirit Ghost’s attacks.

Significant Themes

• The corrupting pursuit of power: The dream-version increasingly abandons morality in his quest to obtain a Spirit Ghost.
• Fear and survival: The Taoist’s death teaches him that weakness leads to destruction, causing him to become overly cautious and manipulative.
• Deception and exploitation: The feng shui scheme shows how supernatural practitioners exploit ordinary people for personal gain.
• Consequences of tampering with forbidden forces: Breaking the seal unleashes the Spirit Ghost and brings tragedy to Huang Dagen’s family.
• Identity and hidden memories: Shuhang realizes the dream may depict the Altar Master’s past, raising questions about why he is experiencing these memories.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang communicates with Yangde about the race and dinner plans, while mentally acknowledging his debt to Yangde.
• He spends the evening casually gaming with his roommates, contrasting his normal student life with the supernatural events surrounding him.
• The old Taoist recruits and trains the young dream-version of Shuhang before being killed.
• The dream-version manipulates Huang Dagen by posing as a feng shui expert and persuading him to destroy Ghost Lantern Temple.
• The Spirit Ghost interacts violently with Huang Dagen and his family by draining their Blood Qi.
• The chapter ends with Shuhang questioning why the Altar Master—or the figure represented in the dream—did not claim the Spirit Ghost once it matured, leaving the mystery unresolved.