Chapter Summaries

Lu Li used Chen Li’s Teleport Jade Token to enter the Chen Family Domain, where a sudden mental pain struck him and Li Luo appeared from the shadows. When guards challenged his claim that Chen Li had invited him, Lu Li fought back after one attacked, and the other guard raised an alarm.

• Lu Li reviewed his recorded omen, activated Chen Li’s Teleport Jade Token, and entered the portal to the Chen Family Domain.
• Near the portal’s exit, Lu Li suffered severe pain in his mind, ate Spirit Beans to recover, and discovered that Li Luo had followed him.
• Lu Li hid Li Luo in the shadows as two guards approached and demanded to know why he had come.
• Lu Li claimed that Chen Li had invited him to discuss blade techniques and lent him four Blade Slave puppets, but the frog-mouthed guard accused him of lying.
• When the frog-mouthed guard attacked with a short rod, Lu Li struck him with the shaft of his Mysterious Iron Heavy Halberd and shattered many of his teeth.
• The other guard saw the injured man and shouted that the Chen residence was under attack.

Lu Li fought Chen Family guards after they challenged his identity, but Chen Ding recognized him and apologized. When Lu Li tried to leave, he learned that a Star Domain lockdown had blocked teleportation, and Chen Ding invited him to his pavilion to explain the crisis.

• Lu Li knocked Lai Fu down after the guard refused to believe he was Elder Chen Li's guest, and the Chen Family guards surrounded him.
• Chen Ding arrived, confirmed Lu Li's identity as the Hub Arena fighter with a hundred-win streak, and apologized for Lai Fu's actions.
• Lu Li tried to teleport back to Hub Land, but Chen Ding revealed that a Star Domain lockdown prevented anyone from leaving.
• Chen Ding invited Lu Li to his pavilion to explain the situation and promised compensation for the offense, while Chang Wei silenced Lai Fu's protest.

Lu Li accompanied Chen Ding to the Chen Family’s Scripture Repository, wary of the man’s past schemes. After Chen Ding’s mark finally entered Lu Li, the formation reacted and Lu Li sensed the interconnected runes of the entire Chen Family formation network.

• Lu Li recalled that Chen Ding had helped scheme to steal his incomplete Blade Manual in his past life, but chose to endure rather than attack him.
• Chen Ding brought Lu Li to the Scripture Repository and said he needed to place a mark on him before allowing him inside.
• Chen Ding tried several times to place the mark, but it repeatedly shattered when it touched Lu Li.
• Chen Ding swallowed pills and strengthened the mark; it entered Lu Li’s chest, while the force of the attempt sent Chen Ding crashing into a wall.
• As the repository formation verified the mark, Lu Li sensed a dense network of interconnected runes and recognized it as the Chen Family’s formation network.

Lu Li discovered that Chen Ding’s soul mark let him access the Chen Family’s formation network, then arranged for Li Luo to steal a Blade Manual while he stayed in the Scripture Library. Chen Ding and Chen Li discussed their plan to kill Lu Li after he wrote the manual and worried over growing unrest in Padtic.

• Lu Li realized he could use Chen Ding’s mark to access the Chen Family’s formations and potentially bypass the defenses around its treasury.
• Chen Ding left Lu Li in the Scripture Library, where Lu Li copied the first three layers of Mad Blade while Chen Ding monitored him.
• After the monitoring stopped for the night, Lu Li gave Li Luo a Minor Stamina Potion and asked her to steal a Blade Manual from the Scripture Library.
• Chen Ding told Chen Li that Lu Li was cooperating and claimed he would kill him once he finished writing the Blade Manual.
• Chen Li reported that unrest in Padtic was worsening, while Chen Ding dismissed the risk unless the Overlord Council intervened.

Chen Ding’s investigations repeatedly cleared Lu Li of responsibility for the rampant thefts in the Chen family, and his attention shifted to internal misconduct. After twenty days, Chen Ding allowed Lu Li to visit the local market, where Lu Li observed how Chen family guards treated the impoverished dustfolk.

• Chen Li warned Chen Ding to verify the Blade Manual’s authenticity before killing Lu Li, while Chen Ding said he would keep the manual secret from Chen Kou until Lu Li was dead.
• Chen Ding watched Lu Li copy the Blade Manual but found that thefts among Chen family disciples kept increasing despite surveillance and strengthened formations.
• Chen Ding investigated the family’s disciples and uncovered widespread misconduct, but the thefts continued and only affected Chen family disciples, not the treasure vault.
• After twenty days, Chen Ding allowed Lu Li to visit the local market because he was preoccupied with the thefts.
• Lu Li walked through the crowded outer city with Chen family guards and asked why passersby greeted them respectfully.
• Chang Wei and You Wei explained that they considered the dustfolk beneath them and said the people were flattering the guards in hopes of favorable treatment when workers were recruited.

Lu Li questioned You Wei and Chang Wei about the Dustfolk’s hardship and their eagerness to work in the mines while browsing a market stall. He bought overpriced Fear Talismans and a piece of amber that he believed concealed something valuable, then moved on with the guards.

• You Wei explained that descendants of powerful Ascenders had become Dustfolk as Talent Abilities weakened across generations, leaving many to compete for scarce labor.
• Chang Wei described the harsh, dangerous mining work and said Dustfolk still sought it for protection and regular meals compared with life in the outer city.
• You Wei explained that Dustfolk had many children in hopes that one would develop a high-grade Talent Ability and lift the family out of poverty.
• Lu Li bargained with a stall owner for ten Fear Talismans and insisted the seller include a fist-sized piece of amber.
• Lu Li paid eight gold beans and stored the talismans and amber, which he believed contained something valuable, before leaving with You Wei and Chang Wei.

Lu Li visited Beaconfire Wild Hall to learn about its teleportation tokens and signature goods, but the dismissive clerk refused to help him. Lu Li smashed a display case and demanded to speak with the manager, leaving Chang Wei, You Wei, and the clerk shocked.

• Chang Wei watched Lu Li spend Adamantine on another purchase and privately wondered whether he could kill him for his wealth.
• Chang Wei and You Wei followed Lu Li into Beaconfire Wild Hall, a powerful shop known for selling teleportation Jade Tokens.
• The clerk misjudged Lu Li as a poor customer and sarcastically refused to explain the shop's signature goods.
• Lu Li drew a blue-black halberd and smashed a display case full of jade tokens.
• Lu Li calmly told the clerk to call the manager while Chang Wei and You Wei protested his impulsive act.

Lu Li confronted Zhu Houcai at Beaconfire Wild Hall over a clerk’s rude treatment, then bought a huge haul of teleportation items. He proposed leaving a Perfect Quality Stamina Power Bank as collateral until he could return with the Adamantine required for the rest of the bill.

• Lu Li told Zhu Houcai that the clerk had dismissed him, and Zhu Houcai punished the clerk by having his tongue torn out.
• Lu Li accepted the punishment as barely sufficient and asked Zhu Houcai to explain the shop’s signature products.
• Zhu Houcai introduced the teleportation items, and Lu Li bought dozens of Jade Token sets, twenty Great Shift Tokens, and more than a dozen Passage Demon Plaques.
• When payment came due, Lu Li offered a Perfect Quality item for the Jade Tokens and proposed leaving a Perfect Quality Stamina Power Bank as collateral for the Adamantine owed on the special items.

Lu Li tried to buy a large batch of teleport Jade Tokens on credit, using his ties to the Chen family as a guarantee. After Chen Ding arrived, Lu Li pressured him to back the purchase by threatening to withhold the rest of the Blade Manual.

• Zhu Houcai rejected Lu Li's request to withdraw payment and explained that the collateral and an Oath Contract would not protect him from a major loss.
• Lu Li claimed the Chen family would cover his debt, prompting Zhu Houcai to question Chang Wei and You Wei about guaranteeing the deal.
• Zhu Houcai revealed that the Padtic Demon Eye was in turmoil and the Neptune Domain Overlord Council had mobilized high-combat-power Players, while Lu Li admitted he had arrived only twenty days earlier.
• Chang Wei and You Wei summoned Pavilion Master Chen Ding, who arrived and tried to persuade Lu Li to return most of the teleport Jade Tokens.
• Lu Li refused to return the tokens and warned Chen Ding that he would withhold the rest of the Blade Manual and had protected its memories against forced extraction.

Lu Li secured a bulk purchase of teleportation tools by having Chen Ding guarantee the deal, then promised to write the correct Mad Blade Blade Manual under an Oath Contract. After handing over the manual and arranging a spar with Chen Kou, Lu Li left Chen Ding verifying the text while Chang Wei, Lai Fu, and You Wei prepared to launch their ten-day plan that night.

• Lu Li told Chen Ding he planned to resell the teleportation tools for profit, and Chen Ding agreed to guarantee his purchase from Zhu Houcai.
• Chen Ding made Lu Li sign an Oath Contract promising to write the correct Blade Manual within ten days, and Lu Li accepted the deadline.
• Over the next five days, Lu Li continued browsing the outer sections of the Scripture Repository while Chen Ding searched for the Mole.
• Chen Kou emerged from seclusion and demanded a match with Lu Li, who agreed to spar with him in the Live Combat Secret Realm the next day.
• Lu Li delivered the Blade Manual on the tenth day, and Chen Ding began practicing it to verify its authenticity.
• That night, Chang Wei, Lai Fu, and You Wei waited together as their ten-day plan was about to begin.

Lu Li continued replacing the Scripture Repository’s martial arts manuals while his Rule Changer ability drained his lifespan, and he waited for Chang Wei and his companions to arrive. When the three entered, they found him apparently fighting a red-eyed woman, and Lu Li called for help.

• Luo Yonghao and the corpses replaced the Scripture Repository’s genuine manuals with children’s picture books disguised by fake covers.
• Lu Li revealed that making his fake Blade Manual count as genuine was consuming his lifespan rapidly, leaving him with only thirty-two years.
• The Tagalong Bugs alerted Lu Li that Chang Wei, Lai Fu, and You Wei were plotting to steal from his Space Ring, so he waited for them instead of searching the Chen Family treasury for lifespan-increasing pills.
• Chang Wei, Lai Fu, and You Wei entered the Scripture Repository and discovered Lu Li facing a red-eyed woman amid the busy corpses.
• Lu Li shouted for the three men to get help, claiming the woman was trying to kill him.

Chang Wei escaped the Scripture Repository and told Chen Ding that Lu Li had died saving him from the red-eyed intruder. Chen Ding confirmed that Lu Li’s body was inside but could not test whether the death was faked without violating their Oath Contract.

• Lai Fu and You Wei fled the Scripture Repository while Chang Wei tripped and was caught by the red-eyed woman.
• You Wei sounded an alarm, waking the Chen Family and activating its defenses, and Chen Ding brought Blade Slave puppets to surround the repository.
• Chang Wei emerged unharmed and claimed Lu Li had saved him before the red-eyed woman and ghostly shadows killed Lu Li.
• Chen Ding used a Blade Slave puppet to inspect Lu Li’s body and saw a jade-green dagger in his chest.
• Chen Ding suspected Lu Li might have faked his death but hesitated to attack because their Oath Contract forbade him from harming Lu Li.

Chen Ding dissolved his Oath Contract and discovered that Lu Li was truly dead after a blood-eyed woman escaped the Scripture Repository. He then suspected Chang Wei was an impostor and ordered You Wei and Lai Fu to verify his identity.

• Chen Ding dissolved the Oath Contract after confirming that Lu Li’s Blade Manual was genuine.
• A blood-eyed woman emerged from the shadows, pulled a dagger from Lu Li’s body, and escaped while Chen Ding’s puppets tried to stop her.
• Chen Ding’s Blade Slave puppet brought out Lu Li’s severed head, and Chen Ding confirmed Lu Li was dead and his valuable items had been taken.
• Chen Ding surrounded Chang Wei with Blade Slave puppets and ordered You Wei and Lai Fu to test whether he was really Chang Wei.
• You Wei and Lai Fu asked Chang Wei what kind of women he liked.

After Lu Li’s death, Chen Ding suspected the blood-eyed woman was tied to Beaconfire Wild Hall and gave Chen Kou the completed Mad Blade manual to steady him. Meanwhile, Lai Fu and You Wei grew suspicious of Chang Wei, whose confused answer about their plans prompted him to seize their wrists.

• Chen Ding ordered the Blade Slave puppets to return and assigned Chang Wei to help tally the Scripture Repository’s losses.
• Chen Kou grieved over Lu Li’s death, and Chen Ding calmed him before handing him the first three layers of the Mad Blade manual.
• The Chen Family disciples confirmed the Scripture Repository was clear and began taking inventory.
• Lai Fu and You Wei discussed how Chang Wei seemed unlike himself and decided to test whether he remembered their original plan for the night.
• Chang Wei said they had only come to stand watch, then grabbed Lai Fu and You Wei by the wrists.

Chang Wei, Lai Fu, and You Wei finished assessing the damage to the Scripture Repository and went to Spring Welcome Tower to celebrate. After entering separate rooms, Chang Wei revealed that he was Lu Li in disguise and created a black-mist double to distract the woman accompanying him.

• Chang Wei reassured Lai Fu and You Wei that he was himself, and they resumed assessing the Scripture Repository’s losses.
• The Chen Family discovered that nearly eighty percent of its martial arts manuals, including the hidden final sections of the Mad Blade Manual, had been replaced with children’s picture books.
• After their night shift ended, Chang Wei, Lai Fu, and You Wei went to Spring Welcome Tower, where they drank and booked rooms with companions.
• Inside his room, Chang Wei cleared his drunken gaze, pushed away the woman, and revealed that he was Lu Li in disguise.
• Chang Wei formed an identical black-mist double, which distracted the woman while Lu Li remained in the room.

Lu Li used his body-seizing ability to take over You Wei after trapping him and staging Chang Wei’s death. He learned that You Wei had 23 years of lifespan remaining, bringing his total to 109 years, then cleaned up the scene and let the prostitute leave.

• Chang Wei transformed into an ant, entered You Wei’s room, and trapped him with his Talent Abilities and a soundproofing array.
• Li Luo emerged from Chang Wei’s shadow and stabbed him with a dagger, after which Chang Wei’s blood formed a snake that knocked You Wei unconscious.
• Lu Li awakened in You Wei’s body and explained that body seizure let him add the bodies’ remaining lifespans to his own.
• Lu Li told Li Luo they would deal with Lai Fu later, then ordered Xing Anlin to keep You Wei’s soul under control.
• Lu Li dismantled the cage and soundproofing formation, cleaned up the scene, and released the prostitute from the illusion.

Lai Fu learned that Chen Ding and Chen Kou had suffered severe damage after practicing a fake blade manual, and that Chen Ding had ordered Beaconfire Wild Hall surrounded. Chang Wei and You Wei urged Lai Fu to plan for the future, but he remained dismissive.

• Lai Fu woke at Spring Welcome Tower and found Chang Wei and You Wei discussing the Demon Eye's unrest.
• Chang Wei and You Wei encouraged Lai Fu to take a more active role in securing their future, but Lai Fu insisted their low status left them few options.
• After breakfast, Lai Fu learned from a Chen Family disciple that Chen Kou had gone half-crazed and Chen Ding had lost the martial skills on his panel.
• The disciple said Chen Ding had ordered Beaconfire Wild Hall surrounded, and You Wei explained that Chen Ding had dissolved his Oath Contract with Lu Li after the Scripture Repository was robbed.

Chen Nuo led Chen family members to confront Zhu Houcai at Beaconfire Wild Hall, accusing him of stealing their martial arts manuals and ruining their talents. Zhu Houcai denied the accusations and taunted them, while Chen Nuo held back from attacking under Chen Ding's orders; an angry roar then rang out from the street.

• Lai Fu, Chang Wei, and You Wei decided to go to Beaconfire Wild Hall despite fearing Chen Ding's anger.
• Zhu Houcai saw Chen family members surround Beaconfire Wild Hall and went downstairs to meet them.
• Chen Nuo accused Zhu Houcai of stealing the Chen Family's martial arts manuals and destroying its prospects, then demanded their return and compensation.
• Zhu Houcai denied knowing anything about the losses and reasoned that the Chen Family had no evidence against him.
• Zhu Houcai provoked Chen Nuo, who restrained himself because Chen Ding had ordered him not to attack.
• An enraged roar came from the street outside Beaconfire Wild Hall.

Chang Wei rallied the Chen Family members against Beaconfire Wild Hall by denouncing its prices, then attacked Zhu Houcai and sparked a riot. The mob was stopped by the arrival of a Grade B battle general, as Zhu Houcai pleaded for help and accused the Chen Family of attacking his shop.

• Chang Wei claimed Beaconfire Wild Hall's prices were harming the Chen Family and urged the crowd to tear down the shop.
• Chang Wei charged at Zhu Houcai, but Zhu Houcai's shield repelled him as the crowd joined in and attacked the shop.
• The rioting Chen Family members overwhelmed Chen Nuo and killed a clerk while Zhu Houcai retreated upstairs and called for help.
• A dazzling white beam descended before Beaconfire Wild Hall, and a booming voice ordered everyone to stop.
• Zhu Houcai knelt before the arriving Grade B battle general and accused the Chen Family of attacking his shop and trying to kill him.

A silver-booted Overlord Army battle commander questioned the Chen family and Zhu Houcai about their dispute, but his muddled investigation ended in an unfair compromise. Zhu Houcai protested the ruling as the Chen family prepared to leave without consequences.

• The stone commander struck Chen Nuo for answering without raising his hand, then slapped Zhu Houcai for talking too much.
• Chang Wei accused Beaconfire Wild Hall of stealing the Chen family's martial arts manual and driving Chen Kou mad, while Zhu Houcai denied the allegations.
• After misunderstanding Zhu Houcai's metaphor, the commander declared both sides responsible and ordered the Chen family to leave while Zhu Houcai dropped the matter.
• Zhu Houcai objected that the commander was merely trying to smooth things over.