Recaps

Shen Le investigated the strange two- and three-dimensional nature of the world around the tree hollow and sent a message to reassure those above. As Shen Le continued working, Alloy Master nearly jumped after him, but the Whale surfaced and spat a small green object toward shore.

• Shen Le explored the break in the tree trunk and found that nearby objects seemed both flat and three-dimensional.
• Shen Le used his mental power to write a message on a leaf, and the Big Bird flew away with it to deliver it.
• Shen Le examined plants, animals, and even his own hair, then feared he might become two-dimensional if he did not repair the hollow soon.
• Alloy Master tried to go down after Shen Le, but a staff member persuaded him to wait by warning that he might sink and prevent Shen Le from returning.
• The Whale leaped from the water and spat out a small green object, and a Special Affairs Bureau agent urged Alloy Master to wait in case it was a message from Shen Le.

Alloy Master received Shen Le’s reassuring message from the whale and resolved to grow stronger, while Shen Le worked with the birds, monkeys, and a giant golden-red bird to patch the hole in the tree. After reaching 99 percent, the hole began closing rapidly and the restored world bathed Shen Le in golden light.

• Alloy Master read Shen Le’s message, gave it to the authorities for study, and returned to exploring the Formation determined to become stronger.
• Shen Le tested branches against the hole, discovered their fragments could be pressed into crystals to repair it, and enlisted the monkeys to throw branches precisely.
• A giant golden-red bird brought a huge branch, and Shen Le used his spiritual power and Copper Fragment to hammer the branch material into the hole.
• With the bird supplying branches and food, Shen Le continued repairing the hole until it was nearly complete.
• A whirlwind swept Shen Le toward the hole, but the giant bird caught him as the hole sucked in the surrounding world and closed to 99 percent.
• The world shone with golden light that illuminated Shen Le’s body and spirit.

Shen Le escaped the Jade Wall’s two-dimensional world and discovered that Big Bird was a giant whale-like divine beast that could carry him between worlds. After the Copper Fragment absorbed power and expanded, the whale returned him to shore by spitting him out in a ball of water.

• Shen Le clung to Big Bird as it flew away from the repairing tree and broke through the boundary between the Jade Wall and the three-dimensional world.
• Shen Le found himself suspended beside the Jade Wall and saw the island and its creatures depicted across its surface within the Rosy Barrier.
• The Copper Fragment revealed its Bronze Tripod form, absorbed lights from the barrier and Jade Wall, and grew a new section while forming a resonant point linked to the Jade Wall.
• Big Bird transformed into a giant gray-blue whale, swallowed Shen Le, and leapt upward to carry him out of the Jade Wall.
• The whale launched Shen Le onto the shore in a ball of water, then opened its mouth again and splashed him as he complained.

Shen Le was buried under the giant whale’s gifts, rescued by the Special Affairs Bureau, and shared the fish with the people at the command post. As he ate, he told the Alloy Master about his time in the abyss, then suddenly received feedback from the Copper Fragment.

• The giant whale showered Shen Le with fish, shrimp, crabs, and shells before diving into the abyss, and the Special Affairs Bureau staff rescued him and cataloged the gifts.
• The Alloy Master checked that Shen Le was safe, and Shen Le offered the whale’s gifts to the people who had helped search for him.
• At the command post, Shen Le and the Alloy Master served slices of spiritually powerful fish while the other diners ate cautiously and meditated.
• Shen Le told the Alloy Master how a Monkey and a Big Bird had helped him heal a giant tree in the abyss, and said the Alloy Master’s relatives were probably elsewhere.
• When Shen Le ate another slice, the Copper Fragment began giving him feedback, making him worry that everyone would remember him as someone who burst from overeating.

Shen Le endured the Copper Fragment flooding his meridians with spiritual energy, strengthening them as the Golden Sphere and its Talismans absorbed the excess. After returning to Zhuxi Town with a seafood shipment, he let the proprietress choose the best half and prepare a feast, where she hinted at a surprise.

• Shen Le guided the Copper Fragment's energy through his meridians, repeatedly repairing the damage until his channels could withstand the force.
• When the Golden Sphere struggled to absorb the energy, Shen Le drew four more Talismans, which solidified and joined the others in a ring before merging into a golden line on the sphere.
• After the Copper Fragment's output subsided, Shen Le stopped cultivating, ate some fish with Alloy Master, and agreed to sell half the catch to the Special Affairs Bureau in exchange for delivery to the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant.
• Shen Le escorted the seafood shipment to Zhuxi Town, where the proprietress selected the best half and sorted the ingredients for a feast.
• The proprietress invited Alloy Master to stay for dinner and suggested that a surprise awaited that evening.

Shen Le attended a seafood banquet at the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant, where he learned that a Formation kept ordinary people separate from supernatural guests. The feast began among the many demons and cultivators, but Shen Le was horrified when the Flower Demon servers emerged with their arms turned into branches.

• Shen Le arrived at the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant with Alloy Master, Old You, Old Lu, Gu Yulin, and Zhang Bingxin, and Old You reassured Gui Tianran that no turtle ingredients or eggs were in the kitchen.
• The proprietress explained that a Formation on Old Street separated ordinary visitors from demons and cultivators, and Shen Le learned that the restaurant was serving seafood rather than Rain Artisan.
• Shen Le entered the expanded restaurant and met its supernatural guests, including the Old Sea Turtle family, animal demons, Dr. Qin, and Fairy Jinyi the Silkworm Demon.
• The proprietress introduced Shen Le to the guests and announced that they had contributed ingredients to the seafood banquet.
• The Flower Demon servers began bringing out the dishes, and Shen Le protested when their arms turned into branches.

Shen Le’s seafood feast drew a powerful young woman whose standing appeared equal to the Dragon Lord’s. She joined the banquet and began eating, while the Boss Lady wondered whether another lord would come.

• The Rabbit Demon, Deer Demon, Sheep Demon, and other guests eagerly ate Shen Le’s spirit-rich seafood while Gu Yulin and Zhang Bingxin struggled to absorb its energy under the Demon Kings’ pressure.
• A young woman in a white dress arrived at the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant and asked why the Boss Lady had not invited her or Old Peng.
• Shen Le recognized the young woman as the powerful guest he had met during his first visit to the restaurant, and the demons stood in reverence as she entered.
• The young woman used a fragrant breeze to settle the guests, greeted Shen Le, and sat down to eat while the Flower Demons reacted to her presence.
• The young woman photographed the feast and messaged Old Peng before quickly clearing the dishes at her table.
• The Boss Lady asked whether the young woman’s lord was coming, and the young woman replied, “Take a guess?”

Shen Le and the restaurant guests feasted on crab butter so delicious that even the demons and the Girl in White Dress licked their bowls clean. The Girl in White Dress summoned Old Peng, who arrived with fruit and crabs, and after one crab briefly grew enormous, he headed into the kitchen and then toward the entrance.

• The proprietress served the Girl in White Dress crab butter over rice and noodles, and she called Old Peng to come quickly with more crabs.
• Shen Le and the other diners ate the crab butter, while the demons and the Girl in White Dress found ways to clean every trace from their bowls.
• When the Girl in White Dress could not reach Old Peng by phone, wind and rain broke out, and she announced that the good food had arrived.
• Old Peng entered carrying fruit and crabs, handed over the fruit, and stopped a crab from escaping by commanding it back into its net bag.
• After taking the crabs into the kitchen, Old Peng returned, spotted Shen Le, and headed straight for the entrance.

Shen Le attended a lavish feast with Mr. Peng and the Girl in White Dress, whose gifts of fruit and river delicacies replenished the guests. After the meal, Mr. Peng asked Shen Le to restore a damaged, spiritual wooden boat, leaving Shen Le with a new commission.

• Shen Le cautiously greeted Mr. Peng, who arrived with the Girl in White Dress and gifts of fruit and river delicacies.
• Shen Le ate the fruit and dishes, while Mr. Peng and the Girl in White Dress discussed their home, the harvest, and what they had brought.
• The Special Affairs Bureau personnel left to meditate after eating, while Shen Le wondered how to take the remaining food home.
• Mr. Peng told Shen Le he had come to ask for help restoring an antique belonging to a friend.
• Mr. Peng produced a small fragrant wooden boat with a long crack and a hole in its bottom, and asked Shen Le to repair it for compensation.

Shen Le failed to repair Mr. Peng’s mysterious little boat, then visited the landlady’s storeroom to inspect a large collection of water-damaged relics. He passed over several objects that were beyond his abilities and discovered a headless Thousand-Armed Buddha Statue that warned him not to come closer.

• Shen Le used his psychic power and the Copper Fragment to examine Mr. Peng’s boat, but concluded he could not repair it yet.
• Mr. Peng put the boat away and offered to help Shen Le with anything he needed.
• The landlady invited Shen Le to inspect a collection of spiritual objects left in her care, and he found thousands of water-damaged items in the storeroom.
• Shen Le examined a Republic of China–era book and a vividly glazed vase, but decided the vase was too difficult to repair.
• Shen Le passed over a silk screen, a red-lacquered box, and an inlaid fan before hearing a ghost warn him not to approach.
• Shen Le saw that the supposed Headless Ghost was a damaged Thousand-Armed Buddha Statue missing its head and many arms.

Shen Le bought a damaged Thousand-Armed Buddha Statue and its intricately carved Buddhist Shrine for one hundred thousand, hoping to restore them together. Back at his Studio, he found no missing statue parts and was interrupted by Alloy Master, who asked how long the restoration would take.

• Shen Le examined the headless Buddha Statue and its matching Buddhist Shrine, recognized their artistic value, and decided to take them both.
• Shen Le searched the lady boss’s new and old collections for the missing head and arms but found no other pieces of the statue.
• Shen Le paid one hundred thousand for the Buddha Statue and Buddhist Shrine, and two Little Flower Demons carried them to his Studio.
• The Studio’s little ones argued over the statue and the Red Wedding Dress before Shen Le calmed them and warned Qing Deng to be careful around the fragile objects.
• Alloy Master arrived, admired the statue’s Gold Foil, offered to redo its gilding, and asked Shen Le whether he could finish restoring it within three months.

Shen Le began planning the restoration of a Buddha Statue and its Red Sandalwood Buddhist Shrine, realizing the work could take a long time and worrying about bringing students near the statue’s unsettling spirit. As he documented the shrine, he noticed its style might not match the statue, then screamed after examining its X-ray image.

• Shen Le showed Alloy Master research on the lengthy restoration of the Dazu Thousand-Hand Guanyin, convincing him that the Buddha Statue might take more than a year to restore alone.
• Alloy Master suggested Shen Le recruit students to help, but Shen Le worried that the Buddha Statue’s mournful spiritual presence could frighten them.
• Shen Le ordered reference books, placed the Buddha Statue in a controlled cabinet, and began documenting and restoring the Red Sandalwood Buddhist Shrine.
• Lan Zhuang projected the shrine’s silk Buddha painting while Little Ling helped prepare paper and paints, and Shen Le sketched the shrine by hand.
• Shen Le questioned whether the shrine’s style matched the Buddha Statue, took an X-ray of it, and screamed when he saw the image.

Shen Le began assessing and cleaning a damaged Buddhist Shrine, but the hidden contents made dismantling it risky. To clean its silk painting safely, he learned that he needed dry dough and started searching for someone to teach him how to knead it.

• Shen Le studied X-ray images showing objects hidden behind the Buddhist Shrine’s small Buddha statues and worried about their condition.
• Shen Le drew up a restoration plan, noting damage to the silk painting, dirty glass panes, and several loose Buddha statues.
• Shen Le cleaned the shrine’s exterior and considered how to remove dust from the silk painting without damaging the shrine or its concealed contents.
• Shen Le asked Teacher Zhang about using dry dough to clean the painting, and Teacher Zhang sent him videos and advised him to practice kneading.
• Shen Le struggled to make dough by following the videos, then asked the landlady to send someone who could teach him.

Shen Le tested several methods for cleaning the Buddhist Shrine’s Painting Silk and found that Qing Deng could remove dust far more efficiently than he could. Qing Deng’s electrical cleaning hurt the newly awakened Artifact Spirit, so Shen Le stopped it and began seeking a gentler method.

• Shen Le struggled to knead cleaning dough, then tested it alongside a vacuum cleaner, a chemical sponge, and a microfiber towel on a Silk Painting.
• Shen Le found that the dough and cloth left residue, while the vacuum cleaner and soft brush cleaned the Painting Silk most safely.
• Qing Deng used controlled static electricity to remove dust, refined its technique, and cleaned the test area in half an hour.
• Shen Le praised Qing Deng and let it begin cleaning the Buddhist Shrine, but the Shrine cried out in pain.
• Shen Le used a healing-and-growth Talisman to soothe the Shrine, then told Qing Deng to stop because its Thunder Tribulation electricity was too harsh for the newborn Artifact Spirit.

Shen Le practiced the Cleansing Talisman across the mansion, gradually learning to clean without damaging anything. After a day of work, he mastered the spell well enough to clean the entire estate.

• Shen Le tested his four Talismans and chose the Cleansing Talisman as the safest one to practice with around the mansion.
• Shen Le struggled to control the Cleansing Spell, pulling up paving bricks, crushing a snail, and knocking plaster off a wall.
• Little Puppet brought Shen Le a bucket of water, then tipped it over; Shen Le tried to dry his trousers with the spell and painfully stripped hair from his shin.
• Shen Le practiced on the mansion's paving stones, walls, roof tiles, pillars, and indoor furnishings, steadily improving his control.
• Ah Lu complained that Shen Le neglected offerings and told him to leave the tree's leaves alone while he cleaned them.
• Shen Le mastered the Cleansing Spell in one day and cleaned the entire mansion.

Shen Le refined his Cleansing Spell, cleaned the Studio’s artifact spirits and doll cabinet, and painstakingly restored the painting on the Buddhist shrine. After dismantling the shrine, he saw its contents and recoiled in horror at the restoration work awaiting him.

• Shen Le practiced and adjusted his Cleansing Spell until he could clean an entire ancient painting without damaging it.
• Shen Le cleaned Xiao Ling, Little Ink Marker, Little Oil Lamp, the doll cabinet, and the other little ones despite their excited demands.
• Shen Le spent three days cleaning the Buddhist shrine’s painting, repaired its silk, and retouched its faded colors.
• Shen Le used X-rays and a rubber hammer to dismantle the tightly joined Buddhist shrine.
• Shen Le saw what was hidden inside the shrine and cried out in dismay at the things he would have to restore.

Shen Le opened the Buddhist Shrine and found it packed with animated black hair, which the Studio’s supernatural objects restrained while he calmed them and the frightened hair. He carefully removed and stored the hair and the shrine’s contents, uncovering women’s Ming-era clothing and personal belongings that left their pasts unknown.

• Shen Le opened the Buddhist Shrine, and masses of black hair surged out until Silver Light, Red Wedding Dress, Zheng Mo, Lan Zhuang, the Compass, and the Scroll contained it.
• Shen Le reassured the protective objects and Gu Yulin, then warned the hair to stay still while he opened the shrine’s back panel.
• Shen Le moved the hair onto trays and locked it in a cabinet filled with protective gas, finding that the bundles contained strands from multiple people and included silver hair.
• Shen Le removed and stored women’s embroidered Ming-style clothing, tiny shoes, and infant clothes, noting that the garments had been carefully arranged and preserved.
• Shen Le found silver hairpins and bracelets, musical instruments, embroidery tools, writing supplies, and a pair of swords, but no significant jewelry or Buddhist objects.

Shen Le carefully dismantled and restored the Buddhist Shrine, removing its fragile red silk lining and cleaning its Buddha Statues. After finishing the restoration, he asked the objects in the storage cabinet whether they wanted to be put back, but they did not answer.

• Shen Le photographed the Buddhist Shrine, cleaned its compartments, and carefully separated the red silk lining from the wooden partitions.
• Shen Le removed the decayed backing paper from the red silk, reinforced it with mulberry-bark paper, and pasted it back in place.
• Shen Le rejected the little ones' offers to move the shrine, but the Red Wedding Dress came out and lifted it onto the workbench.
• Shen Le cleaned the shrine, melted the wax seals, and removed and recorded all ninety-six Buddha Statues before restoring them to their original places.
• Shen Le reassembled the shrine and asked the objects in the storage cabinet whether they wanted to go back inside.

Shen Le began documenting a damaged Guanyin statue after arranging for his junior martial brothers and sisters to sterilize the Buddhist Shrine's scattered contents. The students counted the statue's remaining arms and discovered sixty-three, while Shen Le considered whether restoring it might reveal its missing parts or original appearance.

• Shen Le had his junior martial brothers and sisters place the Buddhist Shrine's hair, clothing, and jewelry in a fumigation chamber for sterilization.
• Shen Le protected the restored Buddhist Shrine and examined the headless Buddha statue, deciding to scan and document it before attempting restoration.
• Shen Le sent the statue's scan files to the students and promised them a feast if they counted its arms.
• The students compared conflicting counts, researched methods used on the Dazu Rock Carvings' Thousand-Hand Guanyin, and divided the image into sections.
• The students agreed that the statue had sixty-three remaining arms, including stumps, after finding two hidden among Magic Artifacts.

Shen Le treated his junior brothers and sisters to a lavish meal, then assigned them work assessing damage to the Buddha statue while he examined its stone structure. After a day of research, his juniors surprised him with something they had made.

• Shen Le hosted his junior brothers and sisters at Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant, where they devoured the landlady's dishes and promised to help with his work.
• Shen Le sent his juniors a list of damage to identify from scans of the Buddha statue, explaining that the original was too dangerous for them to inspect.
• Shen Le used X-rays and other instruments to investigate cracks, stone condition, and the statue's mineral composition, while Alloy Master questioned his methods.
• After a day of research, Shen Le went to collect sterilized fabrics, and his junior brothers and sisters showed him what they had made.

Shen Le’s junior brothers and sisters used 3D printing to make five versions of the Buddha statue, while Shen Le began documenting its materials and planning its restoration. Doctor Senior Brother went to seek records of other Thousand-Hand Guanyin statues, and Alloy Master tried to take the statue’s Gold Foil.

• Shen Le followed his junior brothers and sisters to see five 3D-printed versions of the Buddha statue, each with different restoration details.
• Shen Le questioned the group about their unfinished research, and Doctor Senior Brother offered to ask their mentor for records of restored Thousand-Hand Guanyin statues.
• Shen Le asked Doctor Senior Brother to find a list of statues by province, city, and temple so he could scan them himself if detailed records were unavailable.
• Shen Le directed the others to store the sterilized textiles, hair, and jewelry, then used scientific instruments to examine the statue and its pigments.
• Alloy Master offered to peel off the Gold Foil, but Shen Le stopped him and insisted that every sheet had to be preserved for reattachment.

Shen Le began restoring the Buddha statue by carefully removing and testing its aged gold leaf, while Alloy Master offered gold to avoid watching him do the work by hand. Shen Le mobilized his junior brothers and sisters for intensive research and sought historical records on Thousand-Hand Guanyin statues.

• Shen Le explained that the statue’s weathered gold leaf should be reused, and Alloy Master offered a gold bar in exchange for taking it away.
• Shen Le rejected Alloy Master’s offer and began removing, labeling, and sending gold leaf and material samples for testing.
• Shen Le assigned his martial brothers and sisters extensive tests on the statue’s stone, pigments, ground layer, and adhesives.
• Professor Huang questioned the students’ long hours, and Shen Le said he had provided funding, resources, food, lodging, and spiritual-energy fruit.
• Professor Huang said he could help Shen Le borrow records from a previous restoration of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin at the Dazu Rock Carvings, though most were low-resolution drawings and photographs.

Shen Le declined Professor Huang’s offer to connect him with an expert, choosing to research Thousand-Hand Guanyin statues independently. He enlisted Old You to scan hundreds of Guanyin statues across the country, with the Special Affairs Bureau agreeing to arrange access to the temples.

• Professor Huang praised Shen Le’s restoration work and offered to take him to consult a senior expert, but Shen Le said he wanted to research the subject himself first.
• Shen Le called Old You for help, and Old You hurried to his courtyard, eager to prove he was still useful to his boss.
• Shen Le taught Old You to use a Leica RTC360 laser Scanner, and Old You practiced by scanning the buildings and decorations in Shen Le’s courtyards.
• Shen Le gave Old You a list of more than five hundred Guanyin statues to scan and instructed him to coordinate temple access through the Special Affairs Bureau.
• Old You promised to scan up to ten statues a day, and the Special Affairs Bureau agreed to arrange cooperation from the temples.

Old You traveled across northwest China to photograph and scan Thousand-Hand Guanyin statues for Shen Le’s restoration work. He found a similar statue in Pingyao, but Shen Le explained that its smaller number of arms made it only a partial reference for the more complex statue he was restoring.

• Old You struggled to photograph the Mogao Caves murals, then captured two representative Guanyin statues and bought albums and discs for Shen Le.
• Old You flew from Dunhuang to the Yulin Caves, surprising a Special Affairs Bureau staff member who had not known he was a peregrine falcon spirit.
• Old You scanned Buddhist statues across Shanxi, working at night in crowded temples and complaining that he was a falcon, not an owl.
• Old You sent Shen Le a photo of a painted clay Thousand-Hand Guanyin in Pingyao that resembled the statue Shen Le was restoring.
• Shen Le praised the statue’s craftsmanship but told Alloy Master that its twenty-six arms made it only a reference for his more complex restoration.

Old You returned with extensive scans of Buddha statues, and Shen Le had his junior brothers and sisters process them for restoration. He agreed to let his university use copies for research as long as they kept the scans private, then found the lab crowded with printed statue parts as the students worked on restoration plans.

• Old You returned from scanning Buddha statues across Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shanxi and delivered a box of storage cards to Shen Le.
• Shen Le assigned his junior brothers and sisters to organize the scan files, overwhelming their computers with the workload.
• Professor Huang asked Shen Le to let the university keep copies of the scans, and Shen Le agreed while warning him not to sell or leak them.
• Shen Le told Professor Huang that several hundred more Buddha statues were still being scanned and asked him to keep that news quiet.
• Graduate students assembled restoration proposals from printed Buddha heads, arms, and statues, and Shen Le found the lab filled with the pieces.