Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Both Refined Features and a Bear’s Back”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Helm Master Jing Mo contacts a Limitless Demon Sect branch to investigate the low-level cultivator known as “Stressed by a Mountain of Books”—Song Shuhang—who supposedly stole one of Gongzi Hai’s Blood God Diamonds.
• The sect’s intelligence network reveals that Song Shuhang’s background is highly suspicious. Though he was formerly an ordinary student, he is closely connected to Medicine Master and Su Clan’s Seven, with signs that powerful cultivators may be supporting him.
• Investigation into Song Shuhang was disrupted when Su Clan’s Seven single-handedly destroyed the Jiangnan Limitless Demon Sect branch, terrifying Steward Chen and demonstrating the danger of provoking him.
• Jing Mo dismisses the risks, assuming Song Shuhang is merely a lucky, newly initiated Foundation Establishment cultivator. He orders the branch to capture Song Shuhang alive and interrogate him about the Blood God Diamond.
• Steward Chen assigns the mission to Sunflower Cultivator, also called Little Kui-Kui, a First-Grade cultivator on the verge of the Dragon Gate Leap.
• Sunflower Cultivator, eager to gain recognition, decides to capture Song Shuhang personally. He also recruits Young Mistress Tang, a talented member of the Empty Thieves’ Sect, to secretly search Song Shuhang’s home for the Blood God Diamond.
• Meanwhile, Song Shuhang travels by bus with Senior White. Senior White’s mysterious charm unintentionally attracts the attention of nearly everyone around them, making the journey crowded and uncomfortable. They get off the bus and prepare to buy Senior White a phone and SIM card.

Character Developments

• Helm Master Jing Mo is shown to be volatile but cunning. He secretly hopes Su Clan’s Seven will destroy his own branch so that he can return to the main sect, revealing his disloyal and self-serving nature.
• Steward Chen remains cautious and fearful of Jing Mo, carefully following orders while recognizing the danger of underestimating Song Shuhang’s connections.
• Sunflower Cultivator/Little Kui-Kui is ambitious, physically imposing, and eager to use the mission to advance his status. Despite his intimidating body, he has a refined face and an oddly cheerful personality.
• Young Mistress Tang is established as a skilled thief and formation expert whom Sunflower Cultivator trusts enough to ask for assistance.
• Song Shuhang remains unaware that the Limitless Demon Sect is plotting to abduct him. His main concern is managing the difficulties caused by traveling with Senior White.
• Senior White continues to be absent-minded and unintentionally influential, with his strange charm affecting ordinary people even after he believes he has restrained it.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation and hidden strength: The Limitless Demon Sect assumes Song Shuhang is weak because of his cultivation level, overlooking his relationships with powerful figures.
• The danger of appearances: Sunflower Cultivator’s delicate features contrast sharply with his enormous, muscular body, while Song Shuhang’s ordinary identity conceals his increasingly important role in the cultivation world.
• Ambition and opportunism: Jing Mo and Sunflower Cultivator both attempt to exploit the situation for personal gain, though their motivations differ—Jing Mo wants escape from his post, while Sunflower Cultivator seeks promotion.
• Comedic contrast: Serious sect conspiracies unfold alongside humorous situations, especially Senior White’s accidental charm, the awkward bus ride, and the contrast between Sunflower Cultivator’s appearance and physique.
• Cultivation society’s interconnectedness: Intelligence networks, sect alliances, personal favors, and powerful clans all influence events, showing how quickly information and danger spread through the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Jing Mo gives Steward Chen orders to investigate and capture Song Shuhang.
• Steward Chen consults his subordinate and selects Sunflower Cultivator for the mission.
• Sunflower Cultivator accepts eagerly and contacts Young Mistress Tang, asking her to search Song Shuhang’s residence.
• Song Shuhang tries to manage Senior White during their bus trip, while Senior White remains oblivious to the attention his charm attracts.

Chapter Summary: “I’m Sorry, I Mistook You for Someone Else!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang accompanies Senior White to an electronics mall to buy a phone, SIM card, computer, tablets, camera, hard drive, and projector.
• Senior White’s extraordinary appearance causes shopkeepers to offer everything at near-cost prices, allowing Song Shuhang to make unusually cheap purchases.
• Because his spending exceeds 20,000 yuan, Song Shuhang receives two lucky-draw chances. He wins only a consolation prize, while Senior White effortlessly wins the grand prize: a new laptop.
• Senior White’s smile leaves the young lottery attendant dazed, highlighting the overwhelming effect of his appearance and charm.
• In the Nine Provinces Number One Group, True Lord Yellow Mountain and Snow Wolf Cave Master realize that Senior White’s notorious “bad luck” or unusual fortune has likely begun affecting events again. They worry that Song Shuhang has not been warned.
• On the way home, Song Shuhang deliberately avoids public transportation and chooses a quiet route, remaining vigilant in case Senior White suddenly loses focus.
• Sunflower Cultivator locates Song Shuhang, believing him to be a weak target named “Stressed by a Mountain of Books.” He assumes Senior White is merely an ordinary human and prepares to attack.
• Senior White trips, creating a massive thirty-meter crater upon hitting the ground. Song Shuhang, Senior White, and Sunflower Cultivator all survive unharmed.
• Terrified by Senior White’s power, Sunflower Cultivator immediately claims he mistook Song Shuhang for someone else and flees.
• Song Shuhang senses that the encounter is suspicious, but chooses not to investigate. He also stops Senior White from using a spell to repair the crater, preferring to let witnesses believe it was a natural sinkhole.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes increasingly cautious and practical when dealing with Senior White’s unpredictable fortune and accidents. He takes advantage of Senior White’s charm but remains aware of the dangers surrounding him. His quick decision to conceal the crater shows growing situational awareness.
• Senior White: Remains cheerful, mild, and considerate, but his extraordinary appearance, luck, and destructive physical mishaps continue to cause chaos. He is oblivious to how intimidating and influential he appears to ordinary people and cultivators.
• Sunflower Cultivator: Changes from a confident hunter into a frightened survivor after witnessing Senior White’s overwhelming strength. His attempted ambush immediately collapses, and he abandons the mission under the excuse that he identified the wrong person.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain and Snow Wolf Cave Master: Their group discussion reveals that they know Senior White’s unusual fortune can create unpredictable consequences and that they feel some responsibility for failing to warn Song Shuhang.

Significant Themes

• Appearance and charisma as supernatural advantages: Senior White wins discounts and inspires stunned reactions without saying or doing anything, suggesting that his beauty functions almost like a magical ability.
• The danger of Senior White’s fortune: His luck produces both benefits, such as winning the grand prize, and disasters, such as accidentally creating a crater.
• Misunderstanding and mistaken identity: Sunflower Cultivator’s false claim mirrors the chapter’s title and allows him to escape without exposing his real intentions.
• Cultivators hiding supernatural events: Song Shuhang attempts to explain the crater as a sinkhole, emphasizing the need to keep the cultivation world concealed from ordinary society.
• Comedic contrast: Mundane shopping, lucky draws, and public embarrassment are juxtaposed with cultivation-level power and catastrophic destruction.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang relies on Senior White’s appearance to obtain bargains but worries constantly about protecting him and managing his accidents.
• Senior White reassures Song Shuhang that he is maintaining control, though he immediately proves unreliable by tripping and producing a crater.
• The electronics shopkeeper and lottery attendant are unconsciously overwhelmed by Senior White’s looks.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain and Snow Wolf Cave Master discuss Song Shuhang and Senior White’s situation, humorously shifting responsibility for warning Song Shuhang onto each other.
• Sunflower Cultivator attempts to confront Song Shuhang but becomes terrified after witnessing Senior White’s power, retreating with an obviously fabricated apology.

Chapter Summary: “Zhuge Yue’s Video”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the way back to Medicine Master’s residence, Song Shuhang encounters a seemingly ordinary but suspiciously unusual man. Shuhang suspects he may be a cultivator and remains wary because of his previous experiences with dangerous altar-master associates.
• Shuhang helps Senior White set up a computer, install chat software, and create an account. Senior White chooses “White” as his username and changes his group nickname to “Venerable White.”
• After Venerable White joins the Nine Provinces Number One Group, the members enthusiastically congratulate him on reaching the Seventh-Grade Spirit Venerable realm. They learn that he actually broke through a century earlier and continued cultivating in seclusion afterward.
• Doudou agrees to investigate the suspicious passerby by following his scent from the crater Senior White created. In exchange, Shuhang must help Doudou video-chat with its online “wife.”
• Doudou uses Shuhang’s image during the video call, coaching him to smile and pose while pretending to be the handsome husband. The young woman enthusiastically praises “Doudou’s” appearance, leaving Shuhang embarrassed.
• While Doudou and the girl play their game, Shuhang reads the campus network and finds news about the enormous sinkhole caused by Senior White’s earlier explosion.
• He then discovers a video posted by Zhuge Yue featuring a foreign businessman performing what he claims is Chinese kung fu. Shuhang realizes the performer is Joseph Guy de Maupassant, his nominal disciple, who is actually performing the second set of broadcast gymnastics.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang becomes increasingly cautious and perceptive, actively investigating potential threats rather than ignoring suspicious behavior. At the same time, he is forced into increasingly ridiculous situations and gradually abandons his embarrassment during Doudou’s video chat.
• Venerable White reconnects with the cultivation community after his long seclusion. His interaction with the group suggests that familiar fellow cultivators help him readjust to a world that has changed during his absence.
• Doudou demonstrates cleverness and bargaining ability, readily accepting Shuhang’s computer in exchange for help with the suspicious passerby. Its playful vanity and devotion to its online “wife” are also emphasized.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain and the group members show great respect for Venerable White, while Yellow Mountain’s reaction reveals both admiration and anxiety over White’s extraordinary cultivation progress.
• Joseph Guy de Maupassant is humorously revealed to have misunderstood Shuhang’s “instruction” as genuine martial arts. His enthusiastic performance exposes the absurd consequences of Shuhang’s earlier influence.

Significant Themes

• The collision of ordinary life and cultivation: A massive crater is reported as an unexplained sinkhole, while powerful cultivators treat it as a normal consequence of their actions.
• Reputation and misunderstanding: Venerable White’s return causes widespread excitement, while Joseph mistakes broadcast exercises for secret Chinese martial arts.
• Friendship and familiarity: Despite Venerable White’s long isolation, the Nine Provinces group provides a connection to his former life and helps him feel grounded in a changed world.
• Humor through embarrassment and disguise: Shuhang must pose as Doudou’s handsome husband, while Joseph’s ridiculous “kung fu” performance turns a serious business gathering into a comic spectacle.
• Caution and hidden danger: Shuhang’s suspicion of the mysterious passerby reflects the continuing threat of hostile or secretive cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang and Venerable White cooperate as Shuhang introduces him to modern technology and the cultivation group.
• Venerable White receives enthusiastic congratulations from Yellow Mountain and the other group members, reinforcing his senior status.
• Shuhang and Doudou negotiate a trade: a computer in exchange for investigating the suspicious man, followed by Shuhang’s participation in Doudou’s video call.
• Doudou and the young woman interact affectionately online, with Shuhang awkwardly serving as the visible “husband.”
• Zhuge Yue’s video indirectly reconnects Shuhang with Joseph, turning Shuhang’s supposed martial-arts instruction into a public comedy.

Chapter Summary: “Contractual Spirit Ghost”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A martial arts video featuring Joseph Guy de Maupassant goes viral across the university network. Song Shuhang worries that Joseph’s daughter may see it and trace the “nameless expert”—Song himself—who taught her father Chinese martial arts.
• Song attends class after repeatedly neglecting his student responsibilities. His roommates remind him that final exams are approaching, prompting him to resolve to review properly.
• The roommates discuss their summer plans:
  • Tubo will help at his family’s machinery repair shop.
  • Li Yangde will attend a product launch for a software project.
  • Gao Moumou proposes a summer trip funded by Zhuge Zhongyang, likely involving Lu Fei’s older sister and travel to an artificial island in the Eastern Sea.
• Song returns to Medicine Master’s residence, where Venerable White is studying modern society through the internet, literature, history, movies, and novels.
• Venerable White identifies the Soul-Sealing Ice Pearl as containing a high-quality Spirit Ghost and offers to teach Song how to contract it using the Five-Element Spirit-Binding Altar.
• At midnight, Song prepares for the ritual. Venerable White improves the formation, arranges the required materials, and guides Song through the incantation.
• When Venerable White pours Ghost Dragon Saliva onto the formation and Soul-Sealing Ice Pearl, the Spirit Ghost materializes in the form of the golden-buckler figure.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Continues adapting to his double life as an ordinary university student and a cultivator. He becomes more confident in his cultivation, possesses strong mental ability and memory, and is finally ready to contract his Spirit Ghost.
• Venerable White: Demonstrates his extraordinary knowledge and generosity by helping Song with the contract ritual. He is also humorously fascinated by modern technology, literature, and the flaws of unfinished novels.
• Song’s roommates: Their teasing reveals that they are increasingly aware of Song’s close relationship with Lu Fei. They also show their contrasting personalities and future plans.
• Lu Fei: Shows consideration toward Song by offering her notes and accompanying him back to the dormitory, suggesting growing intimacy between them.
• Doudou: Is absent while investigating the mysterious broad-backed man, leaving that subplot temporarily unresolved.

Significant Themes

• Balancing ordinary life and cultivation: Song must manage exams and university life while dealing with supernatural dangers and responsibilities.
• Adaptation to change: Both Song and Venerable White are adjusting—Song to the hidden cultivation world, and Venerable White to the modern technological era.
• Trust and mentorship: Venerable White’s guidance gives Song confidence and reflects the supportive bond developing between them.
• Growth and new beginnings: The Spirit Ghost contract represents a major step in Song’s cultivation and marks the expansion of his abilities.
• Humor in the extraordinary: The chapter contrasts dangerous supernatural rituals with mundane concerns such as exams, summer vacations, internet novels, and romantic teasing.

Character Interactions

• Song jokes and exchanges concerns with his roommates about school and vacation plans.
• Tubo, Gao Moumou, and Li Yangde tease Song about his relationship with Lu Fei.
• Lu Fei offers Song her lecture notes and walks with him, reinforcing their developing connection.
• Song and Venerable White discuss modern society, literature, and cultivation.
• Venerable White mentors Song through the Spirit Ghost-contracting process, carefully preparing the altar and explaining the ritual.
• The chapter ends as Song’s Spirit Ghost emerges from the Soul-Sealing Ice Pearl, setting up the contract’s completion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang attempts to subdue and contract the Mid-Rank Spirit Ghost before the Ghost Dragon Saliva powering its temporary manifestation runs out.
• Using the Five-Element Spirit-Binding Altar and Bagua Footwork taught by Senior White, he traps the Spirit Ghost and subjects it to five successive tribulations:
  • Metal: A giant golden sword attacks it.
  • Wood: Thorny vines bind and drain its spiritual power.
  • Water: Corrosive silver rain damages its defensive Golden Buckler.
  • Fire: Flames burn both the vines and the Spirit Ghost itself.
  • Earth: Its body gradually petrifies and crumbles.
• Song Shuhang repeatedly urges the Spirit Ghost to submit while carefully weakening it without killing it. He waits for the precise moment when it is near death so he can establish the contract.
• Senior White notices an approaching threat but protects Song Shuhang with a sword-qi barrier and tells him to remain focused.
• A cyan-robed Fifth-Grade Golden Core cultivator crashes through the building’s defenses and dies immediately after arriving. He identifies himself as the rogue cultivator Li Tiansu before his body disperses into light.
• Li Tiansu leaves behind an Ancient Copper Ring containing several low-grade formations and a blue short sword. Senior White examines and keeps both items, noting that the sword can temporarily serve as transportation.
• Immediately after Li Tiansu’s death, the Spirit Ghost unexpectedly regains its strength and appears ready to break out of the Five-Element Spirit-Binding Altar, leaving Song Shuhang in urgent danger.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates increased discipline, patience, and control over formations. Despite the ridiculous appearance of his ritual movements, he remains focused under pressure and carefully balances weakening the Spirit Ghost with keeping it alive for the contract.
• Senior White acts as both teacher and protector. He helps maintain the formation, shields Song Shuhang from external danger, and calmly handles Li Tiansu’s unexpected arrival and death.
• The Spirit Ghost displays considerable intelligence and survival instinct. It recognizes Song Shuhang as the formation’s controller, attacks him directly, and stubbornly resists submission even while suffering severe damage.
• Li Tiansu is introduced only briefly, but his death emphasizes the dangers faced by rogue cultivators. Despite possessing Fifth-Grade cultivation, he arrives mortally wounded and leaves almost nothing behind.

Significant Themes

• Persistence and willpower: Both Song Shuhang and the Spirit Ghost continue struggling through extreme circumstances, though for opposing purposes.
• Control versus submission: The ritual is not merely physical restraint; Song Shuhang must break the Spirit Ghost’s resistance without destroying it.
• The fragility of life: Li Tiansu’s sudden death shows that even a powerful cultivator can be reduced to a few possessions and fading traces.
• Chance and timing: The contract depends on Song Shuhang’s precise control and luck, while Li Tiansu’s random escape technique demonstrates how unpredictable fate can be.
• Protection and trust: Senior White supports Song Shuhang while respecting his need to remain focused, showing their growing cooperation and bond.

Character Interactions

• Senior White instructs Song Shuhang throughout the ritual, reminding him of the limited time available and encouraging him to maintain concentration.
• Song Shuhang confronts the Spirit Ghost verbally and physically, repeatedly offering relief if it submits.
• Senior White protects Song Shuhang when Li Tiansu arrives, then examines the dying cultivator and collects his remaining equipment.
• The chapter ends with Song Shuhang calling for Senior White’s help after the Spirit Ghost suddenly recovers, setting up the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Spirit Ghost Mutation!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The energy of the Five-Element Spirit-Constructing Altar is exhausted, freeing Song Shuhang’s Spirit Ghost.
• The Spirit Ghost has mutated and can maintain its form without the support of Ghost Dragon Saliva. Remembering the pain caused by the formation, it attacks Song Shuhang.
• Song Shuhang confronts it with the Basic Fist Technique, but the Spirit Ghost is far stronger and easily overpowers him.
• Venerable White intervenes with a controlled strike of Sword Qi, destroying the Spirit Ghost’s Golden Buckler and seriously injuring it.
• When the Spirit Ghost tries to escape, the Sword Qi embedded in its body explodes, leaving it too weak to fight.
• To heal itself, the Spirit Ghost consumes its own spiritual energy and shrinks to the size of a fist.
• Venerable White initially believes its grade has fallen from Mid-Rank to Lower-Tier, but discovers a rotating Rune core inside its body.
• He concludes that the Spirit Ghost has not truly regressed. Instead, it used its energy to condense a core while attempting to evolve into a High-Tier Spirit Ghost. Its current weakness is temporary.
• Song Shuhang is encouraged to reconstruct the formation and contract with the weakened Spirit Ghost, hoping to nurture its future evolution.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang remains brave despite being outmatched, directly confronting the mutated Spirit Ghost. His disappointment at first turns into renewed determination when he learns of its potential.
• Venerable White demonstrates overwhelming power, defeating the Spirit Ghost effortlessly while carefully limiting his attack to avoid killing it. His knowledge and appraisal reveal the true nature of the mutation.
• The Spirit Ghost develops unusual independence and power. Though reduced to a weakened state, it gains the possibility of eventually becoming a High-Tier Spirit Ghost.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain becomes increasingly concerned about Song Shuhang’s safety because of Venerable White’s strange, dangerous good luck.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through adversity: The Spirit Ghost’s painful ordeal leads not to destruction but to the formation of a core and the possibility of evolution.
• Appearance versus reality: What seems like a disastrous downgrade is revealed to be a temporary stage in a potentially greater advancement.
• Dangerous good fortune: Venerable White’s luck brings valuable opportunities, but these are often accompanied by extreme danger.
• Contracts and hidden consequences: The chapter also raises questions about secret contracts and sealed memories connected to the Mysterious Island.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang fights the Spirit Ghost directly before Venerable White steps in to protect him.
• Venerable White explains the Spirit Ghost’s condition and urges Song Shuhang to form a contract with it while it is weak.
• In the Nine Provinces Number One Group, Medicine Master reports that the missing memories of several cultivators were voluntarily sealed through a mysterious contract, prompting concern from True Lord Yellow Mountain and Drunk Moon Hermit.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain recalls his hazardous experiences accompanying Venerable White and decides to call Song Shuhang to warn him.

Chapter 167 Summary: “Could You Hold Fast to It Now?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• True Lord Yellow Mountain tries to contact Song Shuhang, but Shuhang does not answer because he is busy contracting the weakened Spirit Ghost and has silenced his phone.
• Yellow Mountain decides to speak with Shuhang later, intending to tell him about Venerable White’s past when the newly purchased cars arrive at the Jiangnan parking lot.
• Venerable White reconstructs the Five-Element Spirit-Binding Altar without needing Ghost Dragon Saliva. Because the Spirit Ghost is extremely weak, he instructs Shuhang to skip the usual preliminary tribulations and establish the contract directly.
• The Spirit Ghost willingly accepts the contract, realizing that cooperation is necessary for its survival and recovery. It links its consciousness and energy channels with Shuhang, reducing the expected synchronization time to roughly one week.
• Once contracted, the Spirit Ghost enters Shuhang’s Heart Aperture and begins absorbing his Blood Qi. However, it then sacrifices most of its own body, converting itself into energy to help Shuhang open his second aperture.
• Venerable White notices what is happening and gives Shuhang the Ancient Copper Ring formerly belonging to Li Tiansu. After removing its previous imprint, he uses the ring’s Spirit-Gathering Formation to amplify the spiritual energy around Shuhang.
• With the Spirit Ghost’s energy and the ring’s assistance, Shuhang successfully opens his Eye Aperture. His vision improves dramatically, and the impurities expelled from the aperture emerge as black tears.
• Meanwhile, in Jiangnan Prison, the foreign monk forces Zhao Bulu to accept a series of lifelong Buddhist precepts. He shaves Zhao Bulu’s head and burns six precept scars into it, leaving Zhao Bulu utterly resigned and miserable.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang makes major cultivation progress, opening his second Rank One aperture only a month after beginning cultivation. His success reflects both his effort and his extraordinary luck.
• The Spirit Ghost demonstrates increased intelligence and survival instinct. Instead of resisting Shuhang’s contract, it cooperates and ultimately sacrifices much of its energy to help him advance.
• Venerable White continues acting as Shuhang’s mentor and benefactor. He carefully guides the contract process and gives Shuhang the Ancient Copper Ring at a moment when it can make the difference between success and failure.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain remains concerned and attentive toward Shuhang, while also preparing to reveal information about Venerable White’s past.
• Zhao Bulu suffers a humiliating transformation under the foreign monk’s discipline, becoming bald, marked, and emotionally defeated.
• The foreign monk is shown as strict but comically self-satisfied, treating Zhao Bulu’s forced Buddhist conversion as an act of kindness.

Significant Themes

• Luck as a form of strength: Shuhang’s rapid advancement depends not only on cultivation but also on fortunate circumstances, including the Spirit Ghost’s sacrifice and Venerable White’s timely gift.
• Cooperation and mutual survival: The Spirit Ghost accepts the contract because both it and Shuhang benefit from the partnership. Its energy sacrifice turns the contract into a mutually advantageous bond.
• Mentorship and generosity: Venerable White’s guidance and gifts directly enable Shuhang’s breakthrough, reinforcing their teacher-student relationship.
• Cultivation through hardship and sacrifice: Shuhang’s progress comes at a cost, as the Spirit Ghost expends itself and Shuhang’s Blood Qi reserves are strained.
• Comedic contrast: The serious cultivation breakthrough is contrasted with the absurd prison scene, where Zhao Bulu’s tragic humiliation is presented through exaggerated humor.

Character Interactions

• Yellow Mountain and Shuhang: Their attempted phone conversation fails because Shuhang is occupied with the Spirit Ghost contract.
• Venerable White and Shuhang: Venerable White gives precise instructions, monitors the contract, recognizes the breakthrough, and supplies the Ancient Copper Ring.
• Shuhang and the Spirit Ghost: Their relationship changes from attempted binding to cooperation. The Spirit Ghost enters Shuhang’s Heart Aperture, shares its senses with him, and helps him open the Eye Aperture.
• The foreign monk and Zhao Bulu: The monk interrogates Zhao Bulu about whether he can uphold several Buddhist prohibitions, then shaves and brands him. Zhao Bulu outwardly agrees but inwardly wishes the monk had been less “kind.”

Chapter 168 Summary: “Eye Aperture Talent”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang successfully opens his second aperture, the Eye Aperture, and awakens a talent ability.
• His ability is neither Heavenly Eye Insight nor a conventional long-distance or microscopic vision technique. Instead, it creates a form of slow-motion perception, temporarily making the world appear nearly frozen.
• The ability, which Song Shuhang tentatively calls Expert’s Vision or Superhuman Vision, lasts only about a second but feels much longer to him. It consumes a large amount of mental energy and Blood Qi, leaving him exhausted and slightly headachy.
• Venerable White reassures Song Shuhang that awakening any talent is fortunate, since many cultivators gain nothing from opening an aperture. He advises Song Shuhang to stop cultivating and rest to avoid hidden injuries.
• After Song Shuhang goes to sleep, Venerable White reflects on the karma connected to the rogue cultivator Li Tiansu, then repairs the protective formation around the building.
• Once the repairs are complete, Venerable White notices the air conditioner and eagerly decides to dismantle it for study.
• Meanwhile, the Sunflower Cultivator, still terrified after the earlier “Flat-Ground Fall Crater Incident,” hides near Jiangnan University Town. He changes disguises, removes his scent, and uses medicine to conceal his aura.
• He contacts the Limitless Demon Sect for intelligence about Song Shuhang. A sect member summons him to the Batemei Hotel to receive the information.
• During the taxi ride, the driver’s embarrassingly feminine singing worsens the Sunflower Cultivator’s mood instead of relaxing him.
• Doudou, disguised as a small Pekingese and carrying a camera, secretly follows the Sunflower Cultivator and records his phone call. He plans to observe what the cultivator learns and how he acts.
• At an Internet café, the Sunflower Cultivator receives a USB drive containing intelligence about Song Shuhang. The intelligence member warns him to remain cautious because the Heavenly River Su Clan, particularly Su Clan’s Seven, has been attacking and capturing Limitless Demon Sect operatives.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang gains a useful but costly combat-oriented ability. Though initially disappointed that it is not a rarer divine technique, he accepts that awakening any talent is fortunate.
• Venerable White continues to act as a supportive senior toward Song Shuhang, while also displaying his characteristic curiosity and eccentricity through his desire to dismantle and study the air conditioner.
• The Sunflower Cultivator becomes increasingly paranoid and cautious. He recognizes that Song Shuhang himself may be manageable, but fears the mysterious senior accompanying him. His goal is to determine whether that senior remains nearby before attempting to seize the Blood God Diamond.
• Doudou demonstrates his skill at surveillance and deception. He treats spying on the Sunflower Cultivator as easy and entertaining.
• The Limitless Demon Sect’s intelligence network is shown to be under severe pressure because of the Heavenly River Su Clan’s actions.

Significant Themes

• Luck and cultivation talent: Awakening an ability is portrayed as a matter of chance, and even a mediocre talent is valuable compared with gaining nothing.
• Power balanced by cost: Song Shuhang’s powerful perception ability can influence battles, but its heavy mental and physical cost prevents it from being overpowered.
• Karma and responsibility: Venerable White acknowledges that learning Li Tiansu’s name creates a karmic connection, implying a future obligation toward Li Tiansu’s descendants or relatives.
• Paranoia and information gathering: The Sunflower Cultivator relies on disguises, intelligence networks, and surveillance because he does not understand the forces surrounding Song Shuhang.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter contrasts serious cultivation and demonic faction conflicts with comic scenes, especially the taxi driver’s painfully inappropriate singing and Venerable White’s fascination with dismantling appliances.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang and Venerable White: Venerable White encourages Song Shuhang after his talent awakens and orders him to rest. Their relationship remains that of a supportive senior and an exhausted junior.
• Venerable White and Li Tiansu’s karma: Although Li Tiansu is absent, Venerable White internally recognizes that his previous interaction with the rogue cultivator carries future consequences.
• Sunflower Cultivator and the taxi driver: Their brief interaction is comedic; the driver attempts to cheer him up but instead aggravates his anxiety with enthusiastic, off-key love songs.
• Sunflower Cultivator and the Limitless Demon Sect: He receives intelligence about Song Shuhang while also learning that Su Clan’s Seven has made the sect’s information operations increasingly dangerous.
• Doudou and the Sunflower Cultivator: Doudou secretly tails him, turning the Sunflower Cultivator’s attempt to investigate Song Shuhang into an investigation being monitored from the shadows.

Chapter Summary

Plot and Events

• Sunflower Cultivator investigates Stressed by a Mountain of Books through intelligence obtained from the Limitless Demon Sect. Most of the records describe an ordinary university student, but two incidents stand out:
  • A small cultivator organization investigated Stressed by a Mountain of Books, after which its leader, Altar Master, was mysteriously killed and dismembered by a Western monk.
  • Stressed by a Mountain of Books became involved with the Su Clan and Gongzi Hai’s Moon Saber Sect scheme, successfully obtaining the Blood God Diamond.
• Sunflower Cultivator considers exploiting the weakened small cultivator organization by offering its members better cultivation techniques and resources. However, he becomes alarmed when he remembers that Young Mistress Tang was supposed to infiltrate Stressed by a Mountain of Books’s home and steal the Blood God Diamond. Her phone is turned off, leaving him terrified that she has already encountered the powerful senior protecting Stressed by a Mountain of Books.
• Unbeknownst to Sunflower Cultivator, the Pekingese Demon Hound records his distress, completes its mission, and acquires a new laptop. It plans to return home, insult Yellow Mountain Big Fool for abandoning it, and find new entertainment.
• At Medicine Master’s building, Venerable White tries to repair and reassemble an air conditioner. Despite carefully following the original steps, he causes it to burn out again.
• Unable to create a suitable temperature-regulating formation, Venerable White sends the air conditioner into outer space on a single-use flying sword. He then replaces both its indoor and outdoor units with illusion formations, hoping Song Shuhang will not notice.
• Venerable White’s curiosity immediately shifts to the television, which he happily begins dismantling as well.
• Meanwhile, Song Shuhang sleeps deeply from mental exhaustion. A resentful black spirit body suddenly manifests above him, setting up the next development.

Character Developments

• Sunflower Cultivator shifts from suspicion and strategic calculation to panic and guilt when he realizes Young Mistress Tang may be in danger. His fear of the mysterious senior reveals how powerful and intimidating that figure has become.
• The Pekingese Demon Hound successfully completes its spying mission and gains independence through its own computer. Its playful resentment toward Yellow Mountain Big Fool and enthusiasm for gaming emphasize its mischievous, pet-like personality.
• Venerable White remains highly curious, inventive, and dangerously careless. His sincere attempts to fix the air conditioner turn into another absurd experiment, and his fascination with dismantling modern appliances intensifies.
• Song Shuhang is temporarily passive, recovering in unusually deep sleep after exhausting his mental energy.

Significant Themes

• Curiosity versus practicality: Venerable White’s fascination with modern technology repeatedly causes destruction and absurd consequences.
• The collision of cultivation and modern life: Computers, air conditioners, televisions, subway trains, and gaming coexist with formations, flying swords, and supernatural powers.
• Fear of hidden strength: Sunflower Cultivator’s anxiety demonstrates how mysterious and overwhelming the senior beside Stressed by a Mountain of Books appears to ordinary cultivators.
• Humor through unintended consequences: Failed repairs, secret replacements, space-bound household appliances, and the Demon Hound’s petty complaints create a comic contrast with the more serious intelligence-gathering plot.
• Secrecy and deception: Sunflower Cultivator hides his plans, the Demon Hound records him secretly, and Venerable White conceals the destroyed air conditioner behind illusions.

Character Interactions

• Sunflower Cultivator mentally weighs the usefulness of the small cultivator organization while worrying about Young Mistress Tang’s mission.
• He attempts to contact Young Mistress Tang, but her powered-off phone heightens his fear that she has already acted.
• The Pekingese Demon Hound secretly observes and records Sunflower Cultivator, then privately complains about Yellow Mountain Big Fool and plans its future entertainment.
• Venerable White tries to preserve the appearance of normality for Song Shuhang by disguising the missing air conditioner, while simultaneously giving in to his urge to dismantle the television.
• Song Shuhang remains unaware of Venerable White’s activities as the resentful spirit appears above him.

Chapter 170 Summary — “Heaven-Burning Strike”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Altar Master’s lingering curse manifests as a powerful resentful spirit, still obsessed with revenge against Song Shuhang.
• With Song Shuhang asleep and unable to maintain his mental defenses, the ghost attacks his throat.
• Song Shuhang’s contracted Golden Shield Spirit Ghost emerges from his Heart Aperture and effortlessly swallows the resentful spirit, growing slightly stronger before returning inside him.
• Song Shuhang experiences a vivid dream—or possibly a recovered memory belonging to Rogue Cultivator Li Tiansu.
• In the vision, a sick child is taken in by Daoist Scarlet Firmament, who teaches him cultivation and demonstrates a profound sword technique.
• Scarlet Firmament appears to perceive Song Shuhang himself through the dream, suggesting the vision may be more than an ordinary memory.
• Scarlet Firmament then teaches the child a technique called the “Flame Blade.” Although he describes it as an ordinary foundational saber technique, his single strike burns the world and even seems to scorch the heavens.
• The child later grows into Li Tiansu, confirming that the vision depicts his past.
• After waking at 6:03 a.m., Song Shuhang realizes he is drenched in sweat and concludes that the experience was likely connected either to the mutated Spirit Ghost or the Ancient Copper Ring left behind by Li Tiansu.
• Inspired by Scarlet Firmament’s “Flame Blade,” Song Shuhang takes the saber Overlord Shatter to the rooftop and attempts the technique. Nothing happens.
• He decides to practice the technique regularly, then resumes his normal cultivation routine, including the Vajra Foundation Fist and opening his difficult third aperture, the Nose Aperture.

Character Development

• Song Shuhang: Becomes more curious and proactive regarding the strange inheritance connected to Li Tiansu and Scarlet Firmament. His failure to reproduce the Flame Blade does not discourage him; instead, he resolves to train it patiently while continuing his ordinary responsibilities.
• Golden Shield Spirit Ghost: Demonstrates unexpectedly overwhelming power by swallowing the Altar Master’s resentful spirit despite being much smaller. Its absorption causes it to grow slightly, hinting at further evolution.
• Daoist Scarlet Firmament: Is portrayed as an immensely powerful and perceptive cultivator. He passes on both a profound cultivation technique and the seemingly simple but terrifying Flame Blade.
• Li Tiansu: His history is revealed indirectly: he was once a sick child rescued and trained by Scarlet Firmament, eventually becoming a rogue cultivator.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and lingering resentment: The Altar Master’s curse survives even after death, showing how hatred can persist beyond the physical body.
• Inheritance and memory: Song Shuhang receives knowledge through dreams, the Spirit Ghost, or the Ancient Copper Ring, blurring the line between memory, spiritual transmission, and destiny.
• Hidden profundity in ordinary techniques: Scarlet Firmament calls the Flame Blade a common technique, yet his execution possesses world-burning power, suggesting that mastery and intent matter more than a technique’s reputation.
• Patience and cultivation: Song Shuhang’s failed attempt emphasizes that witnessing a powerful technique is not the same as mastering it.
• Connections across time: Scarlet Firmament’s apparent awareness of Song Shuhang implies that past cultivators, artifacts, and present events are mysteriously linked.

Character Interactions

• The resentful spirit attacks Song Shuhang, but the Golden Shield Spirit Ghost intervenes and consumes it.
• Daoist Scarlet Firmament trains young Li Tiansu, offering him medicine, martial instruction, cultivation knowledge, and the Flame Blade.
• Scarlet Firmament seems to look through Li Tiansu’s memory and directly perceive Song Shuhang, creating an unusual interaction across time and consciousness.
• Song Shuhang later interacts with Scarlet Firmament’s inherited technique by attempting to recreate the Flame Blade with Overlord Shatter, though he produces no visible result.

Chapter Summary: “Walking Doudou”

Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang finishes cultivating and notices his progress is unusually effective, unaware that the Ancient Copper Ring is improving his cultivation efficiency.
• While preparing to leave for school, Doudou throws him a DSLR camera containing evidence about the suspicious, fair-faced man. Song Shuhang instinctively draws his Overlord Shatter Saber and cuts the camera in half, though the memory card survives.
• Doudou reveals that the man belongs to the Limitless Demon Sect and was sent to seize Song Shuhang’s Blood Crystal Diamond. The man is a First-Grade cultivator at the Fifth-Aperture Realm and may soon attempt the Dragon Gate Leap.
• Doudou estimates that Song Shuhang could possibly kill the man in a direct fight using his Talisman Treasure and Ancient Copper Ring, but would be helpless against an ambush.
• To help Song Shuhang deal with his anxiety, Doudou agrees to go for a walk. It transforms into a visible Little Pekingese, complete with a collar and leash, forcing Song Shuhang to pretend it is an ordinary teacher’s pet.
• Near Jiangnan University Town, Doudou spots Professor Smith walking a large German Shepherd and deliberately provokes it.
• Doudou eventually slaps the German Shepherd, triggering a fight. Despite its small size, Doudou effortlessly defeats the much larger dog, leaving Professor Smith shocked and confused.
• Song Shuhang apologizes and chases after Doudou, while Professor Smith begins wondering whether Chinese Pekingese are unusually powerful.

Character Development

• Song Shuhang: His cultivation is improving, but he remains unaware of the Ancient Copper Ring’s influence. He also demonstrates impulsiveness and poor reflex control by destroying his new camera. His concern over the Limitless Demon Sect shows that he recognizes the danger surrounding him, though he remains dependent on stronger companions for protection.
• Doudou: Reveals more of his mischievous, arrogant, and playful personality. He investigates threats competently but also enjoys provoking weaker opponents simply for entertainment. His supernatural strength is humorously contrasted with his harmless-looking Pekingese form.
• Venerable White: Continues behaving innocently and elegantly, but secretly attempts to conceal the large collection of appliances he acquired during his overnight activities. His evasive behavior suggests he knows Song Shuhang would question the unusual “spoils of war.”
• Professor Smith: Remains stern and practical but becomes bewildered by the inexplicable defeat of his powerful-looking German Shepherd.

Significant Themes

• Hidden supernatural power: Ordinary objects and situations conceal cultivation-related dangers, as shown by the Limitless Demon Sect’s attempt to obtain the Blood Crystal Diamond.
• Appearance versus reality: Doudou looks like a tiny, harmless Pekingese but is actually a powerful Great Demon Hound capable of defeating much stronger-looking creatures.
• Comedy amid danger: Serious threats to Song Shuhang’s life are balanced by slapstick incidents, such as the destroyed camera and Doudou’s absurd dog fight.
• The burden of secrecy: Song Shuhang must conceal the supernatural truth while navigating ordinary life, school rules, and interactions with unsuspecting people.
• Mischief and responsibility: Doudou’s playful provocations repeatedly create trouble, leaving Song Shuhang to manage the consequences.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang and Doudou discuss the Limitless Demon Sect and Song Shuhang’s chances of surviving a confrontation.
• Song Shuhang and Venerable White coordinate their morning plans, though White secretly hides his unusual collection of household goods.
• Doudou deliberately antagonizes Professor Smith’s German Shepherd, dragging Song Shuhang into an embarrassing public confrontation.
• Professor Smith and Song Shuhang exchange polite greetings before both lose control of their dogs.
• Doudou’s victory leaves Song Shuhang embarrassed, Professor Smith astonished, and the German Shepherd badly injured.

Chapter 172 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• During morning classes, Doudou disguises himself as an invisible demon beast and hides in Song Shuhang’s desk, amusing himself by playing games and posting a ridiculous negative review on an online shopping site.
• Song Shuhang reflects that Doudou is less troublesome than expected, provided he is entertained, though Doudou’s constant insults have damaged Song Shuhang’s opinion of True Lord Yellow Mountain.
• With final exams approaching, Song Shuhang’s roommates make review plans. He agrees to study later and returns to collect his textbooks, intending to arrange things properly for Senior White and Doudou.
• Meanwhile, Sunflower Cultivator organizes an ambush against Song Shuhang. He recruits six First-Grade cultivators from the Altar Master’s faction and arranges bureaucratic delays to keep Senior White occupied.
• Doudou detects seven enemies waiting on a deserted path: six visible attackers and Sunflower Cultivator, who is hiding behind them. Song Shuhang deliberately claims he can see only six, concealing his awareness of Sunflower Cultivator.
• The six attackers ambush Song Shuhang with hiltless blades. He activates an Armor Talisman, rendering their attacks harmless.
• Using his superior cultivation foundation and Basic Fist Technique, Song Shuhang overwhelms the attackers, severely injuring five and knocking the others aside.
• He then targets the stronger Third-Aperture cultivator. Although the opponent avoids Song Shuhang’s initial punch and throws multiple blades, the Armor Talisman protects him. Song Shuhang alters his punch mid-strike and lands a devastating blow to the opponent’s heart.
• The attackers’ failure results from both Song Shuhang’s unexpected strength and their inaccurate intelligence, since they underestimate his cultivation progress, defensive talisman, and combat ability.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes more confident and assertive. He uses his defensive talisman strategically, recognizes the advantage provided by his superior cultivation techniques, and discovers that his ideal combat style may involve absorbing enemy attacks before defeating opponents with overwhelming punches. Though inexperienced, he shows adaptability and cleverness.
• Doudou: Demonstrates sharp perception, mischievousness, and strong combat awareness. He accurately identifies all the ambushers but jokingly refuses to help unless Song Shuhang is nearly dying.
• Sunflower Cultivator: Reveals himself as a calculating but cautious enemy. He attempts to exploit modern bureaucracy and plans a coordinated attack while fearing Senior White’s retaliation.
• The Altar Master’s subordinates: Their confidence turns into shock when their weapons cannot penetrate Song Shuhang’s defenses. Their underestimation of him becomes their downfall.
• Song Shuhang’s roommates and Lu Fei: Their interactions emphasize ordinary student life and exam pressure, contrasting with Song Shuhang’s increasingly dangerous cultivation-related conflicts.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation and hidden strength: The attackers believe Song Shuhang is a weak beginner, but his rapid cultivation, powerful techniques, and talismans give him a decisive advantage.
• Foundation and preparation: The quality of Song Shuhang’s cultivation techniques proves more important than raw aperture levels. His stronger foundation allows him to outperform similarly ranked opponents.
• Growth through combat: Song Shuhang lacks formal battle experience but learns to use observation, timing, defense, and improvisation effectively.
• Contrast between ordinary and extraordinary life: Exams, roommates, shopping, and dormitory plans coexist with ambushes and cultivator battles.
• Humor amid danger: Doudou’s online mischief, insults toward True Lord Yellow Mountain, and sarcastic attitude lighten the otherwise serious assassination attempt.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang quietly observes Doudou’s antics and worries about the consequences of his online shopping.
• His roommates discuss study plans, with Tubo seeking help, Li Yangde reluctantly offering it, and Gao Moumou choosing to study with Mei Yi.
• Song Shuhang invites Lu Fei back toward the dormitory, while she secretly wishes to invite him to study in her room.
• Doudou provides Song Shuhang with intelligence about the ambush but jokingly promises assistance only if Song Shuhang is badly injured.
• Song Shuhang confronts the attackers directly, using their mistaken assumptions against them before defeating them.

Chapter Summary: “The Burning Saber”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang defeats one of the Altar Master’s former subordinates with his Vajra Foundation Fist, then deliberately exposes an opening to lure out the final attacker.
• The hidden enemy, the Sunflower Cultivator, launches a surprise attack from behind. Song Shuhang’s Armor Talisman blocks the strike, allowing him to counter and identify the attacker.
• The Sunflower Cultivator confirms that Song Shuhang has been targeted and claims that another cultivator accompanying him has been delayed. He orders Song Shuhang to surrender.
• Using the magical artifact Azure Wind Acceleration, the Sunflower Cultivator greatly increases his speed and repeatedly attacks with a spike. Song Shuhang barely survives behind the Armor Talisman, which is eventually depleted.
• Realizing that he cannot match the enemy’s speed without using his Sword Talisman, Song Shuhang calls for Doudou’s assistance.
• Doudou sends him the powerful Overlord Shatter Saber, but Song Shuhang has never learned saber techniques and initially has no idea how to use it.
• When the Sunflower Cultivator attacks again, Song Shuhang instinctively slashes with the saber. The weapon effortlessly cuts through the steel spike and forces the enemy to retreat.
• The Sunflower Cultivator becomes greedy after seeing the saber’s power and suspects that the unseen White cultivator may be nearby. Nevertheless, he decides he must capture Song Shuhang to survive.
• The two struggle over the saber. Song Shuhang’s untrained but dangerous attacks prevent the Sunflower Cultivator from safely seizing it.
• The Sunflower Cultivator uses Azure Wind Acceleration for the final time, appearing behind Song Shuhang and reaching for both the saber and his throat.
• Song Shuhang activates his Eye Aperture Talent, Expert’s Vision, allowing him to clearly perceive the attack even though his body cannot react quickly enough.
• At the critical moment, memories of a powerful Heaven-Burning saber strike surface. His Blood Qi surges, the Ancient Copper Ring activates a formation, and flames suddenly erupt along the saber.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates increasing combat instinct and resilience. Though inexperienced with weapons, he adapts under pressure and instinctively channels a powerful saber technique.
• His dependence on defensive talismans is exposed when the Armor Talisman is exhausted, forcing him to fight directly.
• Song Shuhang’s Eye Aperture Talent proves valuable by letting him perceive the Sunflower Cultivator’s movements, even though his physical speed remains insufficient.
• Doudou acts as Song Shuhang’s unconventional support, anticipating the battle and supplying the Overlord Shatter Saber. His teasing attitude contrasts with the seriousness of the fight.
• The Sunflower Cultivator is shown to be fast, calculating, and dangerous, but his greed and fear of the saber—and of the possible presence of White—make him increasingly desperate.

Significant Themes

• Instinct versus training: Song Shuhang lacks formal saber training, yet instinct and crisis-driven adaptation allow him to use an overwhelmingly powerful weapon.
• Hidden strength and sudden awakening: The saber and Song Shuhang’s Blood Qi reveal abilities and powers that even he does not fully understand.
• Perception versus physical ability: Expert’s Vision enables Song Shuhang to see the attack clearly, highlighting the gap between awareness and the ability to act.
• Desperation and risk: Both fighters escalate the confrontation as their options diminish—the Sunflower Cultivator uses his final acceleration, while Song Shuhang relies on an unfamiliar power.
• Power concealed beneath appearances: The Sunflower Cultivator initially sees Song Shuhang as an easy target, but the arrival of the Overlord Shatter Saber dramatically changes the balance.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang and the Sunflower Cultivator engage in a tense battle of speed, defense, and improvisation, with the cultivator repeatedly attempting to capture rather than kill Song Shuhang.
• Doudou communicates with Song Shuhang through Secret Voice Transmission, jokingly claiming he has prepared for the situation while providing crucial assistance.
• Doudou urges Song Shuhang to use a saber technique, prompting Song Shuhang to reveal that he has never learned one.
• The Sunflower Cultivator’s thoughts repeatedly center on the possible intervention of White, whose suspected presence increases his anxiety and urgency.
• The chapter ends as Song Shuhang’s saber ignites, setting up a decisive counterattack.

Chapter Summary: A Doudou Who Couldn't Stay Cool for More Than Two Seconds

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang uses the stance of the powerful Flame Blade Technique he witnessed in Daoist Scarlet Firmament’s dream. However, the flames do not come from his own cultivation; they are activated by the Ancient Copper Ring, which contains a Second Stage “Flame Blade” spell left behind by Li Tiansu.
• The Sunflower cultivator, unable to control the speed granted by his Azure Wind Acceleration talisman, charges directly into Song Shuhang’s attack. The flaming saber cleaves him in two and burns his body completely.
• Doudou quickly retrieves the Sunflower cultivator’s remaining treasures before they are destroyed: two bottles of Blood Qi Pills and the Azure Wind Acceleration talisman.
• Song Shuhang is left mentally and physically exhausted after using his Eye Aperture Talent and the ring’s Flame Blade attack.
• A surviving subordinate of the Altar Master, who had pretended to be dead, suddenly attacks Song Shuhang with four hiltless blades, hoping to capture him and gain entry into the Limitless Demon Sect.
• Doudou transforms into his enormous demonic form, a giant demon hound over five meters tall. The blades cannot pierce his fur, and he incinerates the attacker and the other surviving subordinates with azure demonic fire.
• Doudou carries the exhausted Song Shuhang home through the air, concealing them in demonic mist.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates resourcefulness by adapting the Flame Blade stance from his dream, though he recognizes that his success came mainly from the Ancient Copper Ring rather than genuine mastery.
• He realizes his inexperience in battle, particularly his failure to confirm that defeated enemies were truly incapacitated. This becomes an important lesson for future fights.
• Song Shuhang’s victory leaves him severely drained, emphasizing the limits of his current cultivation and mental strength.
• Doudou proves to be a powerful and dependable ally, easily defeating the remaining enemies when Song Shuhang can no longer fight. His normally playful personality is contrasted with the overwhelming strength of his demonic form.

Significant Themes

• Power versus mastery: Song Shuhang can imitate the form of a legendary technique, but true mastery requires far more experience and cultivation.
• The importance of preparation and equipment: The Ancient Copper Ring is crucial to Song Shuhang’s victory, showing how magical artifacts can compensate for a cultivator’s shortcomings.
• Battle experience and vigilance: Assuming an enemy is defeated nearly costs Song Shuhang dearly, reinforcing the need to remain alert after combat.
• Companionship and mutual reliance: Song Shuhang depends on Doudou’s strength, while Doudou protects and assists him without hesitation.
• Humor amid danger: The deadly battle ends with comic banter when Song Shuhang praises Doudou’s softness and Doudou warns him against imagining a human-demon romance.

Character Interactions

• Doudou collects the spoils of battle for Song Shuhang and later shields him from the surprise attack.
• Song Shuhang acknowledges that bringing Doudou was essential to his survival.
• During their journey home, Song Shuhang affectionately enjoys riding on Doudou’s back, while Doudou responds with mock alarm and jokingly offers to introduce him to cat girls instead.

Chapter Summary: “Empty Thieves’ Sect’s Young Mistress Tang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• True Lord Yellow Mountain calls Song Shuhang to inform him that thirteen cars ordered for Song Shuhang and Venerable White have been delivered to an underground parking lot near Jiangnan University Town. More cars will arrive over the next month.
• Yellow Mountain warns Song Shuhang about Venerable White’s unusually strong recent luck. Although this luck can produce valuable gains, it may also create dangerous situations for anyone nearby.
• He advises Song Shuhang to spend more time interacting with attractive female cultivators, particularly Soft Feather and Fairy Lychee. His cryptic advice leaves Song Shuhang confused, while Doudou interprets it as evidence that Yellow Mountain is being “filthy.”
• At Medicine Master’s townhouse, Venerable White poses for photographs needed to obtain his temporary residence permit under the name “Song Bai.” The female neighborhood employee becomes infatuated with his extraordinary appearance and takes far more photographs than necessary.
• After she leaves, Venerable White reveals that he has been dismantling household appliances to collect materials, replacing the missing objects with illusion formations so no one will notice. He intends to finish hiding the evidence before Song Shuhang returns.
• The chapter ends with Young Mistress Tang of the Empty Thieves’ Sect secretly approaching the townhouse and attempting to bypass its defensive formation.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Shows growing confidence and excitement about owning luxury cars, but remains bewildered by the seniors’ indirect warnings and advice. He begins to understand that staying near Venerable White can be dangerous.
• Venerable White: Continues to display his extraordinary luck, though his reckless dismantling of household objects reveals a mischievous and somewhat destructive side. He also struggles to manage his naturally overwhelming charm.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain: Acts as a cautious, experienced senior. He tries to protect Song Shuhang by warning him about the risks surrounding Venerable White, though he communicates in deliberately vague terms.
• Doudou: Mocks Yellow Mountain’s suggestive advice and reinforces his role as a sarcastic, observant companion.
• Young Mistress Tang: Is introduced as a stealthy intruder capable of infiltrating defensive formations, suggesting that she may be targeting Venerable White or the townhouse.

Significant Themes

• Good fortune and hidden danger: Venerable White’s luck brings rare opportunities but also potentially lethal consequences, emphasizing that benefits in the cultivation world often come “amid danger.”
• Indirect communication among cultivators: The seniors frequently speak in hints and half-explanations, forcing Song Shuhang to interpret their warnings himself.
• Beauty and supernatural charm: Venerable White’s appearance affects ordinary people intensely, even when he deliberately suppresses his aura.
• Deception and concealment: Venerable White’s illusion formations hide his theft of household appliances, while the temporary identity documents help him function in modern society.
• The collision of cultivation and everyday life: Cars, residence permits, cameras, household appliances, and university life coexist with defensive formations, magical luck, and sect infiltrations.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang and True Lord Yellow Mountain: Yellow Mountain informs him about the cars and warns him about Venerable White’s dangerous luck, then gives cryptic romantic advice.
• Song Shuhang and Doudou: Doudou teases Yellow Mountain and calls him “filthy,” leaving Song Shuhang speechless.
• Venerable White and the policewoman: She photographs him for his residence permit but becomes distracted by his beauty, taking numerous unnecessary pictures and offering to expedite the permit.
• Venerable White and Song Shuhang: Though Song Shuhang is absent, Venerable White’s efforts to conceal the dismantled appliances show his awareness that Shuhang may object.
• Young Mistress Tang and the townhouse: Her attempted breach of the defensive formation establishes the chapter’s cliffhanger and introduces a new potential confrontation.

Chapter 176: “Clue to the Meteor Sword” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Young Mistress Tang, a highly skilled disciple of the Empty Thieves’ Sect, attempts to steal the Blood God Diamond in order to repay a favor owed to the Sunflower Cultivator.
• After studying the building’s defensive formation for two days, she notices that it has recently been damaged and repaired, creating a possible weakness. She sneaks beneath the breach and prepares to infiltrate the building.
• Inside, she witnesses Venerable White casually carving formations into an ordinary tree branch and transforming it into a “Single-Use Flying Sword 004 Edition.”
• Venerable White uses the crude-looking flying sword to send a large box of goods soaring into the distance. The weapon travels so far that Young Mistress Tang fears it may have flown into outer space.
• Terrified by Venerable White’s overwhelming ability, Young Mistress Tang decides to abandon the mission. Before she can escape, however, Venerable White detects her despite her invisibility treasure.
• He invites her inside rather than attacking her. He reveals that he was hoping to find someone from the Empty Thieves’ Sect because a disciple of theirs stole his natal flying sword, the Meteor Sword, while he was in seclusion.
• Young Mistress Tang admits that she came to steal the Blood God Diamond. Venerable White warns her that the treasure already belongs to another cultivator and that stealing it could bring destruction upon the Empty Thieves’ Sect.
• Venerable White then questions her about a treasure and flying sword supposedly discovered by an Empty Thieves’ Sect disciple roughly a century earlier—the likely circumstances surrounding the theft of his Meteor Sword.
• Young Mistress Tang explains that the sect has unearthed countless treasures and that many historical incidents fit this description, leaving the mystery unresolved but providing a possible lead.

Character Developments

• Young Mistress Tang: Initially confident in her stealth and thieving abilities, she becomes completely intimidated after witnessing Venerable White’s extraordinary sword-control and formation skills. Her fear makes her abandon the mission, but she also demonstrates honesty and restraint by answering his questions truthfully and choosing not to flee recklessly.
• Venerable White: Displays his usual absent-mindedness and overwhelming power. He effortlessly creates a powerful flying sword from a tree branch, detects an ancient invisibility artifact, and casually warns of the immense force behind the Blood God Diamond’s owner. His absent-minded pause nearly terrifies Young Mistress Tang to death, though he ultimately treats her relatively leniently.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and humility: Venerable White performs astonishing feats with complete casualness, contrasting sharply with Young Mistress Tang’s understanding of what should be possible.
• The danger of misjudging powerful figures: Young Mistress Tang assumes the mission is merely difficult, but quickly realizes that the people connected to the Blood God Diamond are far beyond her level.
• Fate and coincidence: Young Mistress Tang comes to steal one treasure but instead encounters the very person who may help uncover the history of the stolen Meteor Sword.
• The gap between appearance and ability: Venerable White looks like a handsome, relaxed cultivator, yet possesses abilities vastly exceeding what Young Mistress Tang expects.

Character Interactions

• Young Mistress Tang secretly observes Venerable White, witnessing his effortless creation and launch of the disposable flying sword.
• Venerable White exposes her presence despite her invisibility treasure, forcing her to surrender and enter through the main gate.
• He questions her about the Blood God Diamond and warns her of the consequences of stealing it.
• Their conversation shifts from the attempted theft to the disappearance of the Meteor Sword, making Young Mistress Tang the first significant clue in Venerable White’s search for his stolen weapon.

Chapter 177: “Fairy Lychee” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Venerable White identifies the flying sword marked “Meteor” as his lost Meteor Sword.
• Young Mistress Tang recognizes its history and explains that it once belonged to Cold Flame Sword Liu Tianzong, a renowned member of the Empty Thieves’ Sect.
• Liu Tianzong had discovered an ancient immortal’s legacy residence and obtained only a flying sword and a statue. He returned with the sword but mysteriously reburied the statue.
• After returning, Liu underwent intense cultivation. He later emerged as the powerful sword cultivator known as Cold Flame Sword, abandoning his former treasure-hunting specialty.
• Venerable White asks where Liu is, but Young Mistress Tang refuses to answer because Liu may be attempting to rescue Daoist Cloudmist, an Empty Thieves’ Sect senior imprisoned beneath a meteorite.
• Rather than force her, Venerable White decides to keep Young Mistress Tang with him and eventually take her along to retrieve the Meteor Sword.
• Meanwhile, Song Shuhang, confused after speaking with True Lord Yellow Mountain, checks the Nine Provinces Number One Group for information.
• The group welcomes Fairy Lychee, who has returned from overseas after defeating an indigenous deity hidden in an alternate space. She killed it with thousands of Heaven-Shattering Thunders and obtained various artifact-refining and alchemy materials.
• The chapter ends with Copper Trigram Immortal Master joking about possessing a “fruit portrait” of Fairy Lychee. The supposed portrait turns out to be a photograph of peeled lychees, not Fairy Lychee herself.

Character Developments

• Venerable White is shown to be observant, persuasive, and patient. He confirms the identity of the Meteor Sword and reassures Young Mistress Tang that he only wants his weapon back.
• Young Mistress Tang demonstrates strong loyalty and caution toward her sect seniors. Even under Venerable White’s influence, she refuses to reveal Cold Flame Sword’s location.
• Liu Tianzong is given a mysterious backstory: after acquiring the Meteor Sword, he abandoned his original path, underwent decades of secluded cultivation, and transformed into a formidable sword cultivator.
• Fairy Lychee is established as powerful, confident, and somewhat ruthless when provoked. She can hunt hidden indigenous deities and possesses a playful, lively personality.
• Copper Trigram Immortal Master remains mischievous and provocative, using humor to tease Fairy Lychee and stir up the group.
• Medicine Master once again gets into trouble by praising Fairy Lychee’s beauty while Jiang Ziyan is nearby.

Significant Themes

• Transformation through cultivation: Liu Tianzong’s change from master thief to powerful sword cultivator suggests that encounters with ancient treasures can completely redirect a cultivator’s life.
• Loyalty and trust: Young Mistress Tang’s silence reflects her responsibility toward both Liu Tianzong and Daoist Cloudmist, even when questioned by a powerful senior.
• Mystery and hidden legacies: The Meteor Sword, the buried statue, and Liu’s unexplained behavior hint at secrets connected to the ancient immortal’s inheritance.
• Humor within the cultivation world: The serious plot involving lost treasures and imprisoned seniors is contrasted with the group’s casual banter, teasing, emojis, and misunderstandings.
• Power and consequences: Fairy Lychee’s killing of the indigenous deity highlights the moral and karmic complications surrounding cultivators and powerful supernatural beings.

Character Interactions

• Venerable White questions Young Mistress Tang about the Meteor Sword and uses his unusual persuasive charm to make her reveal Liu Tianzong’s history.
• Young Mistress Tang then resists him when he asks for Liu’s current whereabouts, prioritizing sect loyalty over personal safety.
• Venerable White responds without hostility, offering to bring her along to recover the sword.
• Fairy Lychee interacts with the Nine Provinces group after returning from her hunt, discussing her victory and displaying her spoils.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain privately suggests that Fairy Lychee provide photographs for the group’s new fellow daoist—Song Shuhang—causing her to suspect the group’s members have ulterior motives.
• Copper Trigram’s “fruit portrait” joke leads several group members to request the image, while Medicine Master’s praise of Fairy Lychee again appears to provoke Jiang Ziyan.

Chapter Summary: “Home Renovation for the Whole Family?”

Key events

The chapter opens with the cultivation group reacting to Copper Trigram Immortal Master’s increasingly reckless behavior. True Lord Yellow Mountain mutes him for a day after one particularly suicidal message, prompting Song Shuhang to reflect on how strange the group seems compared with ordinary people. Snow Wolf Cave Master then offers to transfer Senior White tens of millions of yuan once Song Shuhang helps him obtain a modern bank card. Song agrees, though he wonders what Senior White plans to purchase.

Return home and suspicious changes

When Song Shuhang and Doudou return home, Song finds that the front-door lock appears to have been dismantled and no longer works with his key. Senior White answers the door and casually conceals the true reason for the damage. Song also reports that the cars ordered by True Lord Yellow Mountain have arrived and will soon be available for inspection, exciting Senior White about modern transportation.

Young Mistress Tang’s capture

Inside, Song discovers a cute young woman, Young Mistress Tang of the Empty Thieves’ Sect, being held by Senior White. She had attempted to steal Song’s Blood God Diamond, but Senior White caught her. She is also connected to the theft of Senior White’s Meteor Sword, which Senior White plans to recover from her sect. Concerned that she might escape or steal the diamond, Song suggests tying her up. Senior White agrees, binding her and reinforcing the restraints with a talisman. Young Mistress Tang becomes deeply resentful toward Song.

Television and Senior White’s secret

Song tries to make Young Mistress Tang more comfortable by turning on the television. However, Senior White secretly uses spells and his cellphone to make the television appear functional, since he has apparently damaged or dismantled household equipment while experimenting. Song remains unaware of the deception. When Song mentions reheating food in the microwave, Senior White becomes visibly distressed, implying that he has also tampered with or destroyed the microwave and other appliances.

Character development and interactions

• Song Shuhang continues becoming more integrated into the cultivators’ world while retaining a practical, ordinary-person mindset. He is responsible about money, transportation, security, and household matters, but his blunt suggestion to restrain Young Mistress Tang unintentionally earns her hatred.
• Senior White remains powerful, charming, and socially awkward. He is eager to use modern conveniences such as cars and money, yet secretly covers up the destruction or malfunction of household devices. His polite smile contrasts with his obvious panic over being discovered.
• Young Mistress Tang shifts from would-be thief to captive and becomes increasingly hostile toward Song after he prevents her escape.
• Doudou acts as Song’s companion during the return home, while the cultivation-group members provide comic background through their reactions to Copper Trigram.

Themes

The chapter emphasizes the clash between ancient cultivation practices and modern life. Senior White’s attempts to adapt to technology create domestic chaos, while Song serves as the bridge between supernatural society and everyday routines. It also uses humor to explore trust, security, and the consequences of treating a dangerous thief as an ordinary houseguest.

Chapter 179 Summary: Tubo’s Grandfather’s Invitation

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang discovers that Venerable White has dismantled or replaced much of the household equipment while experimenting. The television and microwave are only illusions, and Doudou has been amused by Shuhang unknowingly trying to use them.
• To spare Venerable White embarrassment, Shuhang pretends he wants to go out for snacks and suggests exploring Luoxin District after they finish inspecting the car.
• At Li Yangde’s apartment, Tubo complains about the difficulty of studying at Jiangnan University and compares his exam struggles with his friends’ seemingly more enjoyable lives.
• Tubo receives a call from his grandfather, who reports several strange incidents in Luoxin Village and wonders whether ghosts might exist. He invites Tubo to bring Song Shuhang to the village during the upcoming vacation.
• Tubo agrees to visit in three days, provided he passes his exams. His grandfather’s warning makes it clear that failing would bring serious consequences.
• After the call, Tubo asks Li Yangde whether ghosts exist. Yangde rejects superstition but acknowledges that unexplained forces may exist.
• Meanwhile, Shuhang investigates the “Sunflower Cultivator,” wondering whether he was connected to Gongzi Hai or acted independently for profit.
• Shuhang questions Young Mistress Tang, the captured Empty Thieves’ Sect disciple, about the Sunflower Cultivator’s identity and affiliations. She claims to know only that he hired her for the Blood God Diamond theft because she owed him a favor.
• Shuhang brings out the Sunflower Cultivator’s magical amulet as evidence that the cultivator has been defeated, but Young Mistress Tang still maintains that she knows nothing more.
• Doudou volunteers to interrogate her, eagerly treating the situation as entertainment. Shuhang hopes to learn which branch of the Limitless Demon Sect the Sunflower Cultivator belongs to, so the information can be passed to Senior A-Qi.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang becomes increasingly investigative and cautious, analyzing the Sunflower Cultivator’s motives and possible connections. He also shows consideration by trying to protect Venerable White from embarrassment.
• Venerable White continues experimenting recklessly with modern equipment, apparently dismantling household objects while modifying or studying them.
• Doudou displays his mischievous personality and strong observational abilities. He can see through Venerable White’s low-level illusions and eagerly seeks opportunities to amuse himself.
• Tubo remains humorous and outspoken but is also anxious about his difficult university exams. His grandfather’s call introduces a more serious concern about events in his home village.
• Tubo’s grandfather has become suspicious of supernatural activity after several strange incidents. His interest in Shuhang and Soft Feather suggests he may have sensed that they are unusual.
• Li Yangde acts as the practical, rational member of the group, though he admits that science may not explain every force in the world.
• Young Mistress Tang proves loyal and cautious, refusing to reveal information about the Sunflower Cultivator despite pressure.

Significant Themes

• The collision between modern life and cultivation: Ordinary objects such as microwaves, televisions, and refrigerators are rendered strange through Venerable White’s experiments.
• Science versus the supernatural: Tubo’s grandfather begins questioning his former scientific certainty, while Yangde offers a more balanced view that unexplained phenomena may exist.
• Investigation and hidden affiliations: Shuhang attempts to trace the Sunflower Cultivator’s connections within the Limitless Demon Sect.
• Humor amid danger: Serious matters such as supernatural incidents, criminal commissions, and interrogation are repeatedly undercut by Doudou’s playful behavior and Tubo’s complaints.
• Loyalty and favors: Young Mistress Tang’s refusal to betray the Sunflower Cultivator stems from a debt she owes him, highlighting the importance of personal obligations in the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang and Doudou exchange sarcastic remarks over the false household appliances, with Doudou teasing him and Shuhang realizing he has been fooled.
• Shuhang tactfully invites Venerable White out to avoid exposing the damage caused by his experiments.
• Tubo and Yangde joke and argue over studying, university life, and the possibility of ghosts.
• Tubo’s grandfather pressures him to visit and reminds him not to fail his exams.
• Shuhang confronts Young Mistress Tang about her relationship with the Sunflower Cultivator, while Doudou offers to take over the interrogation in a comically threatening manner.

Chapter Summary: “Today, I Managed to Stay Strong and Live On Again!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• True Lord Yellow Mountain’s agent delivers the first batch of thirteen cars purchased for Song Shuhang, all registered under Shuhang’s name and stored in a reserved underground parking lot.
• Song Shuhang verifies the vehicles and signs the contracts, worrying briefly that the sudden accumulation of assets might attract official scrutiny.
• Song Shuhang begins teaching Venerable White how to drive. Although Shuhang is only a novice himself, White quickly masters the basics because of his extraordinary reflexes and comprehension.
• Venerable White takes over driving and soon becomes dissatisfied with the car’s speed. He secretly carves formations onto the vehicle, making it invisible, soundproof, and undetectable by surveillance.
• He uses the “Azure Wind Acceleration” spell and later the “Traction Technique” to make the car travel at absurd speeds and leap over a highway toll station without paying.
• Venerable White accidentally tears the steering wheel from the car. With the brakes already damaged, the vehicle flies off a cliff despite Song Shuhang’s desperate protests.
• Both survive the crash unharmed. White’s bizarre luck immediately manifests when he discovers two valuable Jade Bamboo Shoots in the bamboo grove. He gives one to Shuhang, as it can help improve his sense of smell and aid his breakthrough into the Nose Aperture realm.
• Meanwhile, True Lord Yellow Mountain hears that Shuhang wants to learn to fly a plane and offers to arrange flight training for him.

Character Development

• Song Shuhang: Acts as the responsible and cautious companion, attempting to teach White safely and repeatedly warning him about traffic laws and danger. Despite his fear and frustration, he continues enduring White’s reckless behavior and benefits from White’s fortunate discoveries.
• Venerable White: Displays his usual combination of immense power, childlike enthusiasm, curiosity, and disastrous lack of restraint. He learns driving almost instantly but treats the car like a new magical toy, modifying it, accelerating recklessly, and accidentally destroying it.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain: Continues supporting Shuhang by providing cars and arranging practical resources, while remaining indirectly involved in Shuhang’s increasingly chaotic adventures.
• Doudou: Stays behind to guard the residence and amuse himself by interrogating Young Mistress Tang.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility versus recklessness: Song Shuhang tries to follow ordinary rules and drive carefully, while Venerable White’s overwhelming abilities make him disregard normal limitations.
• The collision of ordinary life and cultivation: Cars, traffic regulations, toll stations, and driver’s licenses are repeatedly disrupted by magical formations, spells, and supernatural strength.
• Venerable White’s bizarre luck: Even catastrophic events turn into opportunities, as the car crash leads White to discover rare medicinal treasures.
• Endurance amid absurdity: Shuhang repeatedly faces terrifying situations but survives, reflecting the chapter’s humorous idea that enduring Senior White’s behavior is itself a form of strength.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang carefully instructs Venerable White in driving while secretly worrying that White will dismantle the car.
• White reassures Shuhang that he can drive safely, then immediately escalates the situation by using magic to make the car invisible and extremely fast.
• Shuhang protests against White’s speeding, toll evasion, and use of magic, but White’s confidence and power override his objections.
• After the crash, White casually shares the discovered Jade Bamboo Shoot with Shuhang, transforming a disaster into a beneficial opportunity.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain’s final message implies that Shuhang’s attempt to master transportation will soon expand from cars to airplanes.