Chapter Summaries

After Chen Yu's college entrance exam success fueled another massive overflow of positive emotion, he fell asleep in Wang Chuyun's lap and was drawn into the Heavenly Demon Space. There, a Qiu Tianyu illusion used the mystic artifact Flameless to kill him repeatedly, leaving Chen Yu struggling to find a way to defeat it.

• Rumors about Chen Yu's past spread across the Dreamscape Network as his fame and the Benevolence Star Lord Sect grew, causing his positive emotion to overflow again.
• Chen Yu declined his classmates' celebration invitation, asked Wang Chuyun to watch over him, and fell asleep in her lap.
• Chen Yu entered the Heavenly Demon Space and found its stored mystic artifacts, including Flameless, as an illusion of Qiu Tianyu appeared and challenged him.
• Qiu Tianyu killed Chen Yu repeatedly with Flameless, then explained that the space reset after each death and that his Immutability preserved his memories.
• Chen Yu grabbed a mystic artifact and was killed again; Qiu Tianyu taught him to use the Diamond Umbrella, but a second slash curved around it and beheaded him.

Chen Yu repeatedly fought and died against the recreated Qiu Tianyu, using each encounter to learn about Flameless and the mystic artifacts around him. After mastering their names and incantations, he prepared to keep experimenting until he could counter Qiu Tianyu, confident that time was on his side.

• Chen Yu recognized that Qiu Tianyu’s sword abilities and the artifact Flameless made him overwhelming, and decided he needed mystic artifacts of his own to fight back.
• Qiu Tianyu explained that Flameless stored magical power and converted it into sword light, then taught Chen Yu how to use Heaven-Cleansing Sand.
• Qiu Tianyu showed Chen Yu that the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Shield had to face its bowl opening toward the enemy, then used it to burn Chen Yu to ash.
• Qiu Tianyu proposed adopting Chen Yu and having him father hundreds of children, but Chen Yu attacked him while he was talking and was killed by a sword light.
• After dying more than a thousand times, Chen Yu learned the names and incantations of every mystic artifact and resolved to master them and draw out Qiu Tianyu’s abilities.

Chen Yu repeatedly fought “Qiu Tianyu” in the Heavenly Demon Space, mastering Spirit Roaming and the mystic artifacts while facing an opponent who grew stronger with every death. After “Qiu Tianyu” taught him Flameless’s incantation and sent him out, Chen Yu awoke beside Wang Chuyun and fell asleep.

• Chen Yu used Spirit Roaming and the Soul-Hooking Rope to defeat “Qiu Tianyu,” then learned that his opponent revived with a new divine ability.
• Chen Yu killed “Qiu Tianyu” eleven times, but each resurrection made him stronger until Chen Yu could no longer continue.
• “Qiu Tianyu” admitted Chen Yu could have left after the first victory, praised him, and explained that he had once wanted to change the world before becoming what he hated.
• “Qiu Tianyu” gave Chen Yu Flameless’s incantation and sent him out of the Heavenly Demon Space.
• Chen Yu awoke beside Wang Chuyun, held her close, and fell asleep.

Chapter Summary: “Whatever You Say”

Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu wakes after sleeping for two days in a Confucian-style guest room at the Confucian Sect. Though he senses immense power in the calligraphy covering the walls, he cannot comprehend or cultivate its meaning.
• He discovers that Wang Chuyun has been caring for him and has turned away visitors while he slept because she did not want them to “ruin a good thing.”
• The Evil God teases Wang Chuyun, implying that her feelings toward Chen Yu may be more than friendship. Wang becomes embarrassed and admits she “lost her head,” while Chen Yu remains completely confused.
• After breakfast, Chen Yu begins reviewing his affairs now that the National College Entrance Examination is over and his restrictions have been lifted.
• Heaven Origin Tea has become extremely profitable through a popular milk-tea blind-box campaign featuring ability-themed names and hidden portraits of Chen Yu. Because the drinks include Star Lord’s Blessing and provide genuine benefits, Chen Yu predicts enormous profits and sets the company’s net profit at five billion.
• A Station has also expanded dramatically. Using Chen Yu’s fame to attract viewers, the platform’s traffic quadruples and becomes a major video and shopping platform. Its free-content and subsidy model encourages creators, manufacturers, and livestream sellers to join, creating a large commercial network.
• Mr. Hou interprets A Station’s unexpected success as part of Chen Yu’s deliberate strategy to build an online commercial and cultural force capable of breaking through regional restrictions.
• Chen Yu is horrified that his attempt to spend money has accidentally created a powerful “money-printing machine.” He tells Mr. Hou to keep spending rather than pursue profits, and Mr. Hou immediately misinterprets the vague instruction as profound strategic advice. Chen Yu responds, “Whatever you think it means, that’s what it means.”

Character Developments

• Chen Yu: Rested and newly free to act after the examination, he resumes managing his businesses. He remains oblivious to Wang Chuyun’s romantic feelings and is increasingly overwhelmed by the unintended success of his projects.
• Wang Chuyun: Shows clear embarrassment and possible romantic interest in Chen Yu. Her decision to protect his sleep and drive away visitors suggests growing attachment, though she cannot openly express it.
• The Evil God: Acts as an observant and teasing commentator, exposing Wang Chuyun’s feelings and criticizing Chen Yu’s obliviousness.
• Mr. Hou: Demonstrates strong business ability but repeatedly attributes Chen Yu’s accidental decisions to grand strategic planning. His confidence in Chen Yu’s “ambitions” grows despite Chen Yu’s actual confusion.
• Xu Youran and Yan Li: Successfully capitalize on Chen Yu’s fame to expand Heaven Origin Tea and create a highly lucrative product campaign.

Significant Themes

• Accidental success: Chen Yu’s businesses flourish not because of carefully planned commercial strategies, but because others transform his casual decisions into effective systems.
• Miscommunication and mistaken perceptions: Managers and associates constantly interpret Chen Yu’s actions as deliberate schemes, while he is often merely trying to spend money or solve immediate problems.
• Romantic obliviousness: Wang Chuyun’s feelings are apparent to everyone except Chen Yu, creating comedic tension.
• Expansion of influence: Heaven Origin Tea and A Station evolve from ordinary ventures into powerful economic and cultural institutions.
• Power and unintended consequences: Even when Chen Yu tries to limit profits or avoid responsibility, his reputation and resources cause his influence to grow.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu questions Wang Chuyun about turning visitors away, but fails to understand the emotional reason behind her actions.
• The Evil God mocks both Chen Yu’s obliviousness and Wang Chuyun’s embarrassed behavior, prompting her to repeatedly apologize.
• Chen Yu defends Wang Chuyun against the Evil God, insisting that she is his friend.
• Chen Yu and Mr. Hou communicate indirectly: Chen Yu gives an intentionally vague order, while Mr. Hou interprets it as confirmation of a far-reaching business strategy.

Chapter Summary: “How Are You Better at Using It Than I Am”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu reflects on the explosive success of his various businesses and writings. Thanks to the National College Entrance Examination’s popularity and his perfect score, his works and ventures generate enormous profits, pushing his cash flow to fifteen billion and possibly over twenty billion by the end of the month.
• Heaven Origin High School becomes extremely famous because Chen Yu was its top-scoring student. The city also benefits from the Golden-Eating Ants eliminating its pollution, improving its environment and attracting residents, students, and investment.
• Wang Chuyun reveals that she scored 481. She chooses to attend Profound Law University and study literature under a professor who can establish a literature school. Chen Yu enthusiastically promises to fund the school, pleased that she may return to Heaven Origin.
• Heaven-and-Earth True Person tells Chen Yu that more than a hundred high-scoring students, particularly students from Azure Lotus High School, intend to join his university because of his influence. The university has also recruited the two Moral Sages, including Ma Daqiang.
• Chen Yu reviews everyone’s examination results. Ma Daqiang scores 394, with exceptionally high Morality and relatively poor cultural knowledge, making him suited for archaeology and artifact-related work. Chen Yu jokingly views him as the new benchmark for combat power and feels sorry for anyone who scores below him.
• With the examination over, Chen Yu prepares to attend banquets and reunite with friends who have returned from the Great Rift, while also meeting future university classmates.
• A white-haired youth from the Qiu Family arrives and demands that Chen Yu meet the family. Chen Yu refuses, prompting the youth to accuse him of interfering with Qinglian University by attracting Azure Lotus High School’s best students.
• The youth attacks with the stone sword Flameless. Chen Yu quickly disables him by throwing a cleaver into the precise point where the youth is channeling spiritual power.
• When the youth attempts to retreat, Chen Yu effortlessly summons Flameless away from him and uses it with even greater skill, leaving the youth shocked that Chen Yu can control his weapon better than he can.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu: Remains financially successful, influential, and deliberately indifferent to wealth and fame. He continues to support his friends and associates, particularly Wang Chuyun, while displaying remarkable combat precision and mastery over unfamiliar weapons.
• Wang Chuyun: Demonstrates academic achievement with a score of 481 and makes an independent decision to pursue literature through Profound Law University rather than attend a conventional literature school.
• Heaven-and-Earth True Person: Becomes excited and highly motivated by the influx of talented students, viewing Chen Yu’s influence as a major benefit to the university.
• Ma Daqiang: Gains an unusual kind of prominence because of his high Morality score and distinctive abilities. Despite his mediocre overall academic performance, he is considered useful for archaeology and information-gathering.
• The Qiu Family youth: Begins confidently and confrontationally, assuming Chen Yu’s success depends mainly on the Azure Lotus Heart Method. After being easily defeated and losing control of Flameless, he develops caution and respect toward Chen Yu.

Significant Themes

• Success and unintended influence: Chen Yu’s wealth, reputation, and actions continue producing consequences far beyond what he intends, including transforming Heaven Origin and attracting elite students.
• Education and cultivation: Examination scores determine not only academic futures but also cultivation paths, careers, and social status.
• Loyalty and community: Chen Yu values keeping his friends close and actively invests in their futures, especially by supporting Wang Chuyun’s literary ambitions.
• Humor through contrast: Chen Yu complains about making too much money while earning billions, and Ma Daqiang’s strange strengths make him a prestigious yet comical figure.
• Power and mastery: The final confrontation emphasizes that true strength lies not merely in possessing a weapon or technique, but in understanding and using it better than one’s opponent.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu encourages Wang Chuyun and promises to finance her future literature school.
• Heaven-and-Earth True Person credits Chen Yu for the university’s remarkable recruitment success, while Chen Yu dismisses his responsibility.
• Chen Yu privately jokes about Ma Daqiang and Little Hamster’s poor scores, though he recognizes their unusual talents.
• The Qiu Family youth attempts to intimidate Chen Yu and provoke a duel, but Chen Yu responds calmly, defeats him almost effortlessly, and demonstrates superior control of Flameless.

Chapter Summary: “Future Images”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A young member of the Qiu Family confronts Chen Yu after seeing him wield Flameless, a powerful Dao artifact. Realizing that Chen Yu’s authority over the sword exceeds his own, the young man jokingly calls Chen Yu “Uncle.”
• Before he can explain further, the young man is killed and his Primordial Spirit is forcibly dragged away. Qiu Bufan, using her Human Emperor Banner from her puppet Firmament, regrets failing to capture his spirit as collateral for a loan.
• Qiu Bufan visits Chen Yu and explains the Qiu Family’s current situation. Once a powerful Dao Lord family, it is now experiencing a brief period of prosperity because Qiu Tianyu recently became a Star Lord. Before ascending, Qiu Tianyu forced major families to cooperate with and transfer assets to the Qiu Family.
• This prosperity may be temporary. Without a Dao Lord and with Qiu Tianyu apparently unable to respond to the family’s temple rites—possibly because he has gone insane—the family may decline within a century.
• Qiu Bufan reveals that members of the Qiu Family hired her to act as Chen Yu’s bodyguard and establish a relationship with him, unaware that the two already knew each other.
• After seeing Flameless, Qiu Bufan absorbs some of its sword radiance and explains that it is a top-tier Dao artifact fused with the Sword Dao. Its sword radiance is exceptionally pure and valuable to sword cultivators.
• She also clarifies that Qiu Family seniority is determined by authority over Flameless. Since the deceased young man recognized Chen Yu’s commands as superior, Chen Yu apparently possesses authority greater than his, raising the possibility that Chen Yu has an unknown connection to the Qiu Family.
• Chen Yu fills Flameless with ten million units of mana. The sword stores and transforms the mana into powerful sword radiance, producing a deep blue glow and immense destructive power.
• The chapter ends when Flameless triggers an unexplained vision: Chen Yu sees himself holding a phone and viewing an unfamiliar Dreamscape Game. He realizes the image depicts the future.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu gains a deeper understanding of Flameless’s capabilities and discovers that it can show him images of the future. His authority over the artifact also appears to be extraordinarily high, possibly exceeding that of established Qiu Family members.
• Qiu Bufan is shown to be pragmatic, money-minded, and emotionally detached from her family’s fate. Despite being treated poorly by the Qiu Family, she accepts paid work from them and remains willing to help Chen Yu. Her identity as both a puppet pilot and sword cultivator is emphasized.
• Qiu Tianyu is revealed to have become a Star Lord, elevating the Qiu Family’s status while possibly losing his sanity or ability to communicate with the family.
• The unnamed young Qiu Family member is established as a talented prodigy with high seniority, yet he is decisively defeated and forced to revive after death.

Significant Themes

• Temporary glory and decline: The Qiu Family’s renewed prosperity is portrayed as a final burst of power that may precede its collapse.
• Authority and inheritance: Flameless serves as a measure of status within the Qiu Family, suggesting that power and lineage may be encoded through control of the artifact.
• Pragmatism and family loyalty: Qiu Bufan’s willingness to profit from her own family’s problems contrasts with traditional expectations of filial or clan loyalty.
• The value of rare power: Flameless’s sword radiance represents an irreplaceable resource that can greatly benefit cultivators.
• Fate and the future: Chen Yu’s final vision introduces the possibility that Flameless can reveal or influence future events, expanding the story’s supernatural and strategic stakes.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and the young Qiu member: Their brief confrontation establishes Chen Yu’s superior authority over Flameless and ends with the young man’s death.
• Chen Yu and Qiu Bufan: Their conversation combines teasing and negotiation as Qiu Bufan explains the Qiu Family, Flameless, and her paid role as Chen Yu’s bodyguard.
• Qiu Bufan and Flameless: She demonstrates her reverence for the artifact by absorbing its sword radiance and explaining its nature as a Dao artifact.
• Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun: Wang Chuyun quietly provides Chen Yu with the political background he missed while asleep, clarifying Qiu Tianyu’s arrangements and the Qiu Family’s position.

Chapter Summary: “How Have You Been Recently”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu realizes that Flameless is more than a sword-type Dao artifact. Once infused with ten million mana, it can reveal images connected to the future and is closely tied to the Future Star Lord.
• He concludes that Qiu Tianyu intended to use Flameless to steal the Future Star Lord’s authority. Because Qiu Tianyu taught Chen Yu the artifact’s powerful incantation, Flameless has effectively become Chen Yu’s exclusive weapon.
• The future image Chen Yu saw appears to show a successful moment in the Confucian Grove, involving himself, Wang Chuyun, Qiu Bufan, and Wang Shanzhang. It also features Dreamscape Game, which Chen Yu decides to investigate.
• Chen Yu asks Qiu Bufan to remain in Righteous Qi Prefecture and monitor the Qiu Family. Qiu Bufan immediately agrees when Chen offers to pay him more.
• Chen asks Wang Chuyun to stay by his side for the next few days. She agrees, though the Evil God humorously comments on their flirtatious behavior.
• Chen then visits Wang Shanzhang, finding him drunk, disheveled, and lying among wine jars in a damaged bamboo grove.
• Wang Shanzhang explains that contamination caused by Demonic Confucianism Mends the Heavens makes it dangerous to recite traditional poetry. Scholars therefore substitute ordinary words or scenery—and even emoticons—for potentially contaminated phrases.
• Wang Shanzhang reveals that Qiu Tianyu gradually changed over time, hinting at the history behind Qiu Tianyu’s betrayal and transformation.
• To learn more about Dreamscape Game, Wang Shanzhang recommends Cang Grand Confucian, who supervises its publication and review. He decides to accompany Chen Yu because he has little confidence in managing Righteous Qi Prefecture amid widespread contamination and taboos.
• Before leaving, Wang Shanzhang asks Wang Chuyun to stay behind regarding her application preferences. He then unexpectedly addresses her by her former family relationship and asks how she has been, before turning to the hidden identity of Bu Tianque, asking how “Wang Tianque” has been recently.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu becomes more cautious and strategically minded after recognizing Flameless’s connection to the future. He also takes active steps to investigate the future image and protect himself while remaining in Righteous Qi Prefecture.
• Qiu Bufan shifts from temporary mercenary to Chen Yu’s paid ally and informant, agreeing to monitor the Qiu Family.
• Wang Chuyun grows closer to Chen Yu and openly remains at his side, despite the complicated history between her and Wang Shanzhang.
• Wang Shanzhang is portrayed as a drunken, eccentric, and somewhat ineffective prefectural leader, but he remains knowledgeable about the region’s contamination and political history.
• Qiu Tianyu is further characterized as someone who changed dramatically and attempted to seize the Future Star Lord’s authority.
• Wang Chuyun and Wang Shanzhang’s relationship is revealed to be strained: he expelled her parents from the family, causing her to address him formally rather than as “Grandpa.”
• Bu Tianque/Wang Tianque’s identity is brought into question, suggesting a concealed past or transformation connected to Wang Chuyun’s family.

Significant Themes

• The future and fate: Flameless provides Chen Yu with glimpses of future events, allowing him to prepare for dangers and investigate events that have not yet occurred.
• Power and authority: Qiu Tianyu’s attempt to seize the Future Star Lord’s authority reflects the dangers of pursuing power beyond one’s rightful place.
• Contamination of knowledge and culture: Ancient texts, poetry, language, and even ordinary customs have become dangerous because of demonic contamination, forcing people to communicate indirectly.
• Identity and change: The chapter emphasizes how people change over time, particularly Qiu Tianyu, Wang Shanzhang, and possibly Wang Tianque/Bu Tianque.
• Family estrangement and reconciliation: Wang Shanzhang’s interaction with Wang Chuyun exposes unresolved family grievances and hints that old relationships may be confronted.
• Comedy amid danger: Flirtation, emoticons, drunken poetry, and Wang Shanzhang’s ineptitude provide humor within a setting dominated by supernatural threats and political intrigue.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and Qiu Bufan negotiate his continued service, with money quickly resolving Bufan’s objections.
• Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun share a tender, flirtatious exchange, amplified by the Evil God’s comedic commentary.
• Chen Yu and Wang Shanzhang discuss Flameless’s future vision and Dreamscape Game, establishing the next investigative step.
• Wang Shanzhang explains to Chen Yu how contamination has altered Confucian scholarship and everyday speech.
• Wang Shanzhang and Wang Chuyun confront their fractured family relationship, with Chuyun reminding him that he expelled her parents.
• Wang Shanzhang then addresses Bu Tianque by his former name, suggesting that the next chapter may reveal the truth behind his identity and connection to the Wang family.

Chapter Summary: “The Decaying Righteous Qi Prefecture”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Shanzhang identifies the mysterious Evil God accompanying Wang Chuyun as Bu Tianque, his ancestor. Although he refuses to capture or condemn her, he questions why she has returned.
• Bu Tianque claims she has no interest in Righteous Qi Prefecture’s current condition and says she only came back with Wang Chuyun for the National College Entrance Examination.
• Bu Tianque admits her identity to Wang Chuyun and explains that she concealed it because of her many enemies. Wang Chuyun remains unconcerned, accepting that Bu Tianque will explain her past when she is ready.
• Wang Chuyun and Bu Tianque go to find Chen Yu, while Wang Shanzhang searches for him separately.
• Chen Yu attempts to access Righteous Qi Prefecture’s Dreamscape Repository, but Cang Grand Confucian informs him that the process involves fifty approval stages, personal guarantees, and months of waiting.
• Cang explains that corruption and bureaucratic obstruction are widespread. Applicants must offer gifts, food, alcohol, and cigarettes to officials and intermediaries merely to prevent delays.
• Frustrated by the system, Chen Yu prepares to attack the authorities. Qiu Bufan enthusiastically supports him, even threatening to help destroy the city.
• Wang Chuyun joins Chen Yu rather than trying to stop him, suggesting that they attack the prefecture’s weakest points together.
• Wang Shanzhang arrives and prevents the situation from immediately escalating. He pressures Cang Grand Confucian to make an exception, but the fastest alternative still requires roughly a month of procedures.

Character Developments

• Bu Tianque: Revealed to be Wang Shanzhang’s ancestor and the infamous Evil God. Despite her harsh attitude and claim that she no longer cares about Righteous Qi Prefecture, her hesitation before speaking to Wang Chuyun suggests she still worries about how others view her. She is relieved by Wang Chuyun’s unconditional acceptance.
• Wang Chuyun: Demonstrates emotional maturity and unwavering trust. She does not judge Bu Tianque for her identity or past and remains focused on her relationship with Chen Yu. Her willingness to help Chen Yu confront the bureaucracy also shows her bold, rebellious nature.
• Wang Shanzhang: Acts as a restrained mediator. Though he feels conflicted about Bu Tianque, he still regards her as his ancestor and avoids attacking her. He later intervenes to keep Chen Yu from causing a catastrophe.
• Chen Yu: Becomes increasingly enraged by Righteous Qi Prefecture’s irrational bureaucracy. His frustration escalates from disbelief to open plans of destruction, highlighting his direct and impatient personality.
• Qiu Bufan: Shows his loyalty to Chen Yu through exaggerated enthusiasm, immediately supporting violent retaliation against the prefecture.
• Cang Grand Confucian: Represents the helplessness and normalization of corruption within Righteous Qi Prefecture. He understands the system’s absurdity but insists that Chen Yu follow it.

Significant Themes

• Acceptance versus the burden of the past: Wang Chuyun accepts Bu Tianque without demanding immediate explanations, suggesting that trust and present relationships matter more than past crimes or identities.
• Corruption and institutional decay: Righteous Qi Prefecture’s cultivation system depends on official status and “People’s Qi,” but its bureaucracy has become rigid, self-serving, and corrupt.
• The absurdity of bureaucracy: Even a simple request requires endless approvals, bribes, and personal connections, creating a satirical contrast between Confucian ideals and actual governance.
• Rebellion against injustice: Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun’s readiness to attack the system reflects frustration with institutions that protect procedure and privilege rather than serving ordinary people.
• Family loyalty and reconciliation: Wang Shanzhang’s refusal to attack Bu Tianque, despite knowing her identity, reveals the strength of ancestral and familial bonds.

Character Interactions

• Wang Shanzhang and Bu Tianque: Their exchange combines suspicion, resentment, and lingering familial respect. Wang Shanzhang believes Bu Tianque is not truly as selfish as she claims.
• Bu Tianque and Wang Chuyun: Bu Tianque anxiously confesses her identity, but Wang Chuyun responds with calm indifference and trust. This reassures Bu Tianque and allows her to let go of her worries.
• Chen Yu and Cang Grand Confucian: Their conversation exposes the prefecture’s corrupt procedures. Chen Yu grows increasingly exasperated as Cang calmly explains why bribery and connections are necessary.
• Chen Yu and Qiu Bufan: Qiu Bufan amplifies Chen Yu’s anger, enthusiastically offering to help destroy the city.
• Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun: Rather than restraining Chen Yu, Wang Chuyun supports him and proposes coordinated action, emphasizing their closeness and shared impulsive spirit.
• Wang Shanzhang and Cang Grand Confucian: Wang Shanzhang uses his authority to force Cang to make an exception, though the bureaucracy remains so entrenched that even the exception takes a month.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Shanzhang, head of the Confucian Sect and governor of Righteous Qi Prefecture, vents his frustration to Chen Yu. Despite his enormous status, he has almost no practical authority: his orders are blocked by endless bureaucratic excuses, taboos, lack of manpower, and corruption.
• Chen Yu realizes that Wang is essentially a powerless figurehead—well cared for but confined, like a pet or ornamental mascot.
• Wang explains that his duties under the Heavenly Dao have kept him away from Righteous Qi Prefecture for centuries, preventing him from noticing how thoroughly the local administration had become hollowed out.
• Chen contacts Jiang Wen for advice on dealing with the prefecture’s officials. Jiang explains that Righteous Qi’s bureaucracy habitually obstructs anyone who openly tries to accomplish something. Officials pretend to cooperate while using projects to extract money, favors, entertainment, and other benefits.
• Jiang recommends disguising serious plans as vague “big business” discussions while conducting smaller, practical operations. However, because Chen’s intentions have already been exposed, the officials are preparing to exploit him.
• Jiang offers to bring Shao Lingyun and Deng Zixing to help. Chen humorously arranges for the three to be fired and rehired in specially designated positions so they can receive higher business-trip allowances.
• The trio arrives in Confucian Grove and begins investigating. Jiang learns that multiple government organizations are targeting Chen:
  • The Network Management Bureau wants him to fund new Flying Shuttle High Schools, rebuild offices, and pay years of unpaid wages.
  • The Supervision Bureau intends to entangle or detain him through Inspectorate agents.
  • Newspapers are preparing damaging stories to use as blackmail.
• Jiang concludes that Righteous Qi Prefecture is effectively a lawless den of profiteers. When Chen refuses to retreat, Jiang declares that they must “follow the Demonic Path,” signaling a shift toward more ruthless and unconventional methods.

2. Character Developments

• Wang Shanzhang: His dignified image collapses into that of an exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed administrator. He recognizes that his authority has been largely symbolic and that the people around him have treated him as a useful workhorse rather than a true leader.
• Chen Yu: He shows sympathy toward Wang and gains a clearer understanding of the prefecture’s institutional corruption. Despite being threatened and targeted, he remains determined to continue his plan rather than retreat.
• Jiang Wen: He demonstrates extensive knowledge of Righteous Qi Prefecture’s political games. His pragmatic advice reveals that he is comfortable navigating corruption and manipulating bureaucratic incentives. His enthusiasm over receiving business-trip compensation also highlights the absurdity of the system.
• Shao Lingyun and Deng Zixing: Though they do not yet act directly, their recruitment establishes them as the team’s upcoming sources of dangerous, unconventional, and official support.
• The Evil God: It silently observes Wang’s complaints, adding to the scene’s comedic tone without directly affecting events.

3. Significant Themes

• Powerlessness within bureaucracy: Official titles and high rank mean little when lower institutions can obstruct every order.
• Institutional corruption and hollow governance: Righteous Qi Prefecture appears to have laws and offices, but they function mainly to exploit outsiders and protect entrenched interests.
• Satire of administrative systems: The chapter exaggerates bureaucratic behavior through absurd examples such as business-trip allowances, sham employment arrangements, and officials demanding projects while refusing to implement them.
• Adaptation versus confrontation: Jiang’s strategy emphasizes indirect manipulation, while Chen’s determination suggests that more aggressive methods may be necessary.
• Freedom and confinement: Wang’s situation is compared to that of a pampered pet—protected but unable to act—highlighting the difference between comfort and genuine autonomy.
• The “Demonic Path” as practical resistance: The phrase suggests that Chen’s group may abandon conventional, respectable procedures and fight corruption using the same ruthless tactics employed against them.

4. Character Interactions

• Wang Shanzhang and Chen Yu: Chen comforts Wang but also teases him, creating a mix of sympathy and comedy. Their conversation exposes Wang’s lack of real authority.
• Chen Yu and Jiang Wen: Chen seeks practical guidance, while Jiang repeatedly misunderstands or exaggerates Chen’s intentions, believing he is leading a grand campaign to reform the prefecture. Their exchange highlights Jiang’s confidence and Chen’s exasperation.
• Jiang Wen and his childhood friend: Jiang uses personal connections to gather inside information, learning how government departments are preparing to exploit Chen.
• Chen Yu and the arriving team: Chen recruits Jiang, Shao Lingyun, and Deng Zixing as allies, transforming the situation from a bureaucratic dispute into a coordinated counterattack.
• The group versus Righteous Qi Prefecture: By the end of the chapter, Chen and his allies are openly positioned against the prefecture’s corrupt officials, with the decision to “follow the Demonic Path” setting up their next course of action.

Chen Yu caught up on messages and encouraged Luo Tong to attend university through Heaven Origin Morning Light’s work-study subsidy. Meanwhile, Wang Shanzhang joined Jiang Wen, Shao Lingyun, and Deng Zixing in planning their illegal publishing business, leaving Chen Yu to wonder what kind of criminal syndicate they were building.

• Wang Shanzhang told Chen Yu he had disguised himself and wanted to see whether Righteous Qi Prefecture could still be saved.
• Chen Yu reviewed messages from his classmates and approved their loan applications while advising Teacher Zhao not to rush toward Golden Core.
• Chen Yu urged Luo Tong to apply to university and arranged for professors to teach him through the factory’s work-study subsidy program.
• Wang Shanzhang advised Jiang Wen, Shao Lingyun, and Deng Zixing to silence witnesses and flee if their illegal publishing operation was exposed.
• Chen Yu watched Wang Shanzhang and the others work together and wondered what they were doing.

Chapter Summary: “Offending Someone”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Wen returns with an action plan based on Chen Yu’s vague goal of accessing Righteous Qi Prefecture’s Dreamscape database.
• Jiang Wen has misunderstood Chen Yu’s intentions and proposes establishing a piracy network instead. The plan involves:
  • Pirating works by Grand Confucians.
  • Paying royalties and apologizing once discovered.
  • Recruiting those authors as resident writers.
  • Using their publishing connections and Chen Yu’s collection of copyrighted books to qualify as an official publishing house.
  • Eventually gaining access to the Dreamscape database.
• Chen Yu initially doubts the plan but realizes it is practical because Grand Confucians must meet strict annual publishing quotas. Failure can result in losing their Dao Method Seeds and being barred from reapplying for ten years.
• Impressed by the business opportunity, Chen Yu finances the publishing house.
• Jiang Wen quickly acquires a bankrupt publishing house, including its equipment, offices, and employees.
• Chen Yu appoints Jiang Wen as the publishing house’s president and decides their first target should be the works of “Mr. Yun”—actually Wang Chuyun, whose identity Chen Yu still does not know.
• Chen Yu invites Wang Chuyun to participate in the piracy scheme, unaware that he is speaking to the author he intends to pirate.
• The chapter ends with Chen Yu and Jiang Wen visiting the newly acquired publishing house. Its former owner, Old Liu, reveals that he had to shut down because he “offended someone.”

Character Developments

• Chen Yu: Demonstrates entrepreneurial ambition, quick decision-making, and his tendency to turn unexpected circumstances into business opportunities. He enthusiastically invests in the publishing scheme and remains oblivious to Wang Chuyun’s true identity.
• Jiang Wen: Shows strong organizational and strategic ability. He rapidly develops a workable plan, understands Righteous Qi Prefecture’s publishing laws, purchases an existing publishing operation, and gains Chen Yu’s trust.
• Wang Jingting/Shanzhang: His talent for devising criminal schemes becomes clear. Despite being an ancient Golden Core cultivator, he convincingly acts like a young man and impresses Jiang Wen with his knowledge and creativity.
• Wang Chuyun: Becomes increasingly embarrassed by Chen Yu’s affectionate words and secretly enjoys his attention. She admits that her private writing to Chen Yu is more explicit than her public work, but remains unwilling to reveal that she is “Mr. Yun.”
• The Evil God: Acts as a teasing observer, pointing out the irony that Chen Yu can emotionally affect Wang Chuyun while still failing to recognize her identity.
• Old Liu: Appears as the former owner of the publishing house and hints at a larger conflict by saying that his business failed because he offended a powerful person.

Significant Themes

• Unintended consequences: Chen Yu’s simple goal is transformed into an elaborate publishing and piracy operation because Jiang Wen interprets his instructions creatively.
• Entrepreneurship and opportunity: Chen Yu sees profit in the publishing system’s weaknesses and eagerly invests in a potentially lucrative venture.
• Bureaucracy and exploitation: Righteous Qi Prefecture’s harsh publishing quotas create pressure on Grand Confucians, allowing Chen Yu’s company to profit by “rescuing” them.
• Dramatic irony and mistaken identity: Chen Yu plans to pirate Wang Chuyun’s works while unknowingly speaking directly to their author.
• Romantic embarrassment: Wang Chuyun’s hidden identity and private writings create a humorous contrast between her feelings for Chen Yu and her reluctance to confess the truth.
• Power and offense: Old Liu’s cryptic statement introduces the possibility that political or personal enemies can destroy livelihoods, foreshadowing a new conflict.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Wen praises Wang Jingting’s criminal genius while Chen Yu remains suspicious of his background.
• Chen Yu and Jiang Wen debate the publishing plan, with Chen Yu ultimately providing the funds.
• Chen Yu rewards Jiang Wen by making him president of the new publishing house.
• Chen Yu jokingly but sincerely praises “Mr. Yun,” unknowingly flattering Wang Chuyun and causing her to blush.
• The Evil God teases Wang Chuyun about Chen Yu’s ability to charm her despite not recognizing her identity.
• Chen Yu and Jiang Wen meet Old Liu, whose final revelation suggests that the publishing house’s bankruptcy was caused by a powerful adversary.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu and Jiang Wen meet the disgraced businessman Liu Zhenxiong, who has reverted to his original name, Liu Fugui, after going bankrupt and being unable to renew his prestigious name.
• Liu explains that his downfall began after accidentally serving a fish with its eye fallen out and pointed toward a powerful maritime Grand Confucian. In Righteous Qi Prefecture, this implied that he was calling the Grand Confucian blind—an unforgivable insult.
• The Grand Confucian retaliated by blocking the shipment of paper to Liu’s publishing businesses. With ships and factories accumulating expenses, Liu was forced to sell his publishing factory and building at a drastically reduced price, leaving him with only one million after repaying his debts.
• Liu refuses to sell directly to the Grand Confucian out of spite and plans to move to Longevity Prefecture to invest in a Heaven Origin Tea franchise.
• Chen Yu considers inviting Liu to serve as a consultant, but Liu declines, fearing that remaining nearby would expose Chen Yu to further retaliation.
• As Liu prepares to leave with his wife and son, Inspectorate officers arrive to detain him. Wang Shanzhang secretly uses a sword technique to immobilize the officers’ Primordial Spirits, allowing Liu’s family to escape aboard the ship.
• Afterward, Chen Yu inspects the newly acquired printing factory. He finds twenty advanced, mostly unused machines capable of printing, laminating, and sealing up to 100,000 books per day. The factory’s magical technology greatly surpasses the equipment of Chen Yu’s former world.
• Chen Yu concludes that Liu had genuinely intended to build something meaningful, but circumstances and political oppression ruined his efforts. He then prepares to inspect the factory employees.

Character Developments

• Liu Fugui/Liu Zhenxiong: Revealed as a once-wealthy entrepreneur whose ambition and success were destroyed by a petty but powerful official. Despite his losses, he retains his pride and refuses to surrender his business directly to the Grand Confucian. He remains resourceful and optimistic enough to pursue a new venture elsewhere.
• Chen Yu: Shows sympathy toward Liu and begins to recognize how dangerous and corrupt Righteous Qi Prefecture is. He also demonstrates practical leadership by evaluating the factory’s machinery and planning to assess its workforce.
• Jiang Wen: Reveals his admiration for Liu’s former success and displays familiarity with the region’s strict etiquette customs.
• Wang Shanzhang: Protects Liu’s family with a precise, nonlethal sword technique, revealing his considerable strength and earning praise as a sword immortal. His smug reaction contrasts humorously with his impressive ability.
• Deng Zixing: Recognizes Wang Shanzhang’s skill and openly praises him.
• Liu’s family: Liu’s wife expresses both sympathy for his suffering and relief at leaving Righteous Qi Prefecture, while their son looks forward excitedly to life in Longevity Prefecture.

Significant Themes

• Abuse of power and institutional corruption: A minor etiquette mistake becomes an excuse for a powerful official to sabotage a businessman and seize his property.
• The fragility of success: Wealth, reputation, and freedom can disappear rapidly when an individual is at the mercy of powerful authorities.
• Freedom versus control: Liu’s bankruptcy and attempted arrest show how ordinary people can lose control of their lives under oppressive systems.
• Pride and resistance: Although Liu suffers financially, he refuses to hand his property over willingly to the person who ruined him.
• Technological progress: The magical printing machines illustrate how spiritual and magical methods have transformed industrial productivity.
• Hope through migration and reinvention: Liu’s decision to relocate and invest elsewhere reflects the possibility of beginning again after ruin.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Wen excitedly recognizes Liu and explains the cultural meaning of the fallen fish eye, while Chen Yu remains baffled by the elaborate etiquette.
• Liu warns Chen Yu against investing further in Righteous Qi Prefecture and declines Chen Yu’s offer of employment to protect him from retaliation.
• Chen Yu and Wang Shanzhang discuss the frightening implications of Liu’s downfall, with Wang suggesting that the incident was likely more than a simple etiquette dispute.
• Wang secretly rescues Liu’s family from the Inspectorate, while Deng Zixing praises his swordsmanship.
• Chen Yu later shifts from concern over Liu’s fate to practical management, examining the factory and preparing to evaluate its employees.

Chapter Summary: “The Most Outrageous Request”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu visits the struggling publishing house next to the printing factory. Its business license has been revoked because the company could not obtain the paper needed for publication.
• The publishing house has only three employees: an elderly Confucian scholar and two young workers who behave with rigid, old-fashioned formality.
• Chen Yu learns that reapplying for a license would take three months. Offering extra money would paradoxically extend the process to three years because officials would exploit his desperation.
• Concluding that legal procedures are impossible, Chen Yu decides to use the Demonic Path. He offers the employees a choice: leave with back pay and a promise of secrecy, or help him illegally publish ten sets of books.
• All three agree to stay, explaining that surviving in Righteous Qi Prefecture already requires involvement with the Demonic Path.
• The immediate obstacle is a large supply of printing paper stranded at the docks. The paperwork is incomplete because of interference from Cheng the Grand Confucian, and the paper cannot legally be transported.
• Chen Yu contacts Bandage Man, who buys the ship carrying the paper. He then orders Bandage Man to stage a pirate attack, tow away the ship, and secretly unload the paper at the printing factory.
• That night, the docks are attacked. The paper is successfully transferred to the factory, and the ships disappear, leaving the authorities to assume pirates were responsible.
• With the paper secured, Chen Yu instructs the staff to prepare a list of books for illegal printing. The elderly scholar is stunned that Chen Yu committed a series of serious crimes merely to produce pirated books rather than counterfeit money.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu becomes increasingly pragmatic and willing to exploit illegal methods when bureaucratic systems make legitimate action impossible. He treats the dangerous operation casually, focusing on logistics, employee compensation, and getting the printing project started.
• The elderly Confucian scholar remains devoted to hierarchy and propriety, insisting on calling Chen Yu “Young Master.” His respect gradually mixes with disbelief as Chen Yu’s criminal plans become more outrageous.
• The young employees initially appear ancient and oppressive despite their modern appearance, but they demonstrate practical awareness by recognizing that the Demonic Path is essential for survival in the prefecture.
• Wang Shanzhang is disturbed by the corruption surrounding him and struggles with his instinct to punish wrongdoing, since the entire system seems guilty. Chen Yu comforts him after he becomes frustrated.
• Bandage Man proves efficient and loyal, carrying out Chen Yu’s elaborate plan with little hesitation.

Significant Themes

• Bureaucratic absurdity: The legal system punishes initiative and turns simple business operations into nearly impossible tasks.
• Corruption and coercion: Officials exploit people’s needs, making honest commerce more difficult than criminal activity.
• The normalization of evil: Residents knowingly use the Demonic Path because ordinary survival requires it, even though doing so may eventually lead to death.
• Moral inversion: Chen Yu’s illegal actions—piracy, assault, and smuggling—are treated as practical business solutions, while the original goal of printing books seems bizarrely innocent by comparison.
• Satire of business and government: The chapter humorously contrasts the “capitalist” behavior of another region with the even more irrational bureaucratic system of Righteous Qi Prefecture.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu tries to persuade the elderly scholar to treat him casually, but the scholar refuses out of respect for social propriety.
• He questions the young woman about the publishing house and is frustrated by her explanation that paying extra money would make the license take longer.
• Chen Yu openly presents the employees with the choice between leaving safely or participating in illegal publishing; their acceptance reveals how accustomed they are to corruption.
• He reassures Wang Shanzhang after the latter becomes distressed by the pervasive wrongdoing.
• Chen Yu coordinates with Bandage Man by phone, giving him the task of staging the ship robbery and ensuring the paper reaches the factory.
• After the successful operation, Chen Yu cheerfully discusses overtime and hazard pay, further highlighting his bizarrely casual attitude toward the crimes committed.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu and the old Confucian scholar plan to revive Liu Fugui’s abandoned publishing venture by using an existing printing factory to produce unauthorized copies of works by Grand Confucians.
• Their strategy is to print the works openly, allow the authors to sue them, and then settle the lawsuits. Through these legal disputes, they hope to obtain publishing qualifications and eventually a business license.
• Chen Yu contacts Mr. Yun—revealed to be Wang Chuyun—asking permission to pirate one of her works. She agrees, provided they do not print the more risqué material she previously sent him.
• Their exchange becomes awkward when Chen Yu bluntly critiques the erotic portions of her writing, praising its restrained emotional tension but suggesting the later scenes lack realism. Wang Chuyun repeatedly insists that she will “experience it more seriously” next time, leaving Chen Yu uneasy.
• The old scholar gives Chen Yu a list of nine potential Grand Confucians who are financially strained and therefore likely to settle after suing. Since Mr. Yun is not a Grand Confucian, Chen adds another name to reach the needed number.
• Chen Yu feeds Wang Chuyun’s manuscript into the magical printing press. The machine rapidly produces bound books using spiritual power to sustain its formations and electricity for the rest of its operation.
• The printed work is revealed to be Nine Fate Evil God—Volume One, a fantasy novel by Mr. Yun.
• After reading part of it, the old scholar enjoys the novel and decides to remove potential collaborators who look down on fiction. Chen also instructs him to give as much of the profits as possible to the authors.
• When questioned about his true goal, Chen Yu reveals that he is trying to create a Dreamscape Game. The old scholar is shocked and cannot understand why Chen is undertaking such an elaborate publishing scheme for that purpose.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu is shown to be direct, generous, and strategically minded. He is willing to spend money and accept losses to establish the publishing operation, while secretly using it to pursue a larger technological goal. His ominous feeling that another “little demon” may betray him also highlights his growing suspicion and awareness of future dangers.
• The old Confucian scholar becomes an active planner and evaluator of the publishing project. Though initially skeptical, he accepts Chen Yu’s unconventional methods, admires Wang Chuyun’s novel, and begins refining the candidate list according to his own literary standards.
• Wang Chuyun/Mr. Yun responds calmly to Chen Yu’s piracy proposal but becomes increasingly embarrassed and determined after his candid criticism of her intimate writing.
• Bu Tianque reacts with indignation to Chen Yu’s overly open message, while Wang Chuyun takes a more tolerant view of his straightforwardness.

Significant Themes

• Unconventional methods for noble goals: Chen Yu uses piracy and deliberate lawsuits as a means of creating a legitimate publishing enterprise.
• The value of literature beyond social status: The old scholar rejects the prejudice that novels are vulgar, recognizing the emotional and artistic merit in fantasy fiction.
• Commercial success versus cultural prejudice: Grand Confucians may reject novels despite their popularity, revealing tensions between elite literary standards and broader public appeal.
• Hidden motives and larger ambitions: The publishing operation is only a step toward Chen Yu’s true objective—the creation of a Dreamscape Game.
• Straightforwardness and embarrassment: Chen Yu’s blunt honesty creates awkward but humorous interactions, especially with Wang Chuyun.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and the old scholar collaborate closely, with Chen relying on the scholar’s judgment while openly directing the larger strategy.
• Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun exchange playful yet embarrassing messages about pirating her work and the realism of its romantic scenes.
• Bu Tianque criticizes Chen Yu’s lack of tact, while Wang Chuyun defends his direct approach.
• The old scholar’s growing admiration for Mr. Yun’s novel changes his approach to selecting authors and deepens his curiosity about the mysterious writer.
• The chapter ends with the old scholar baffled by Chen Yu’s unexplained ambition, encapsulated by the question:

What exactly is the young master after?

Chapter 1275: “Denied” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu reviews a list of ten retired Grand Confucians selected by the old scholar for publication.
• The old scholar explains that although these men once held official positions and possessed Dao Method Seeds, they are now financially desperate. Retired officials without relatives in government struggle to afford basic living expenses.
• Chen Yu learns that many people in Righteous Qi Prefecture live in extreme poverty, especially those outside the official system. The discussion humorously touches on isolated villages, Demonic Cultivators, and modified “dog-riding rabbits” (tricycles).
• Chen Yu urges Wang Shanzhang to stop obsessing over the Heavenly Dao and pay attention to the suffering of ordinary people.
• After reading the biographies of the ten Grand Confucians, Chen Yu discovers that each has a heartbreaking reason for needing money:
  • One needs funds for his father’s final wishes and his own wedding.
  • Another needs money to treat his gravely ill granddaughter.
  • The remaining cases are similarly tragic, moving both Chen Yu and Wang Shanzhang to tears.
• Rather than negotiating down their already modest demands, Chen Yu orders the publishing house to give them generous royalties: four yuan per copy, with fifty thousand copies printed for each author.
• The books are technically pirated editions, but the royalties compensate the authors. Each publishing machine prints five thousand copies daily.
• Editor Fu distributes the first payments, giving each author twenty thousand yuan immediately and promising equal payments for the next nine days. The Grand Confucians are shocked and initially suspect an error or scam.
• Their complaints lead to a legal settlement. The authors’ support and the newly legalized books allow Chen Yu to use them to apply for official publishing qualifications.
• Despite Jiang Wen’s confidence that the application method was highly reliable, Chen Yu’s application is rejected without explanation.
• The old scholar concludes that the mysterious force responsible for bringing down Liu Boss has begun targeting Chen Yu’s group as well.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu demonstrates increasing compassion and moral responsibility. Though he initially dislikes the Grand Confucians’ works, their circumstances persuade him to help them generously. He rejects further negotiation, saying that doing so would be inhumane.
• Wang Shanzhang is affected by Chen Yu’s criticism and the Grand Confucians’ suffering. He becomes visibly embarrassed and emotional, suggesting that he is beginning to reconsider his narrow focus on the Heavenly Dao.
• The old scholar continues to serve as Chen Yu’s practical adviser, providing information about the social structure and selecting reputable authors. He also recognizes the larger danger behind the application’s rejection.
• Jiang Wen is confused and unsettled when his supposedly reliable method fails, showing that the group’s opponent may possess power beyond ordinary procedural or bureaucratic control.
• The ten Grand Confucians are portrayed as honest but impoverished former officials whose dignity and good reputations contrast with their desperate financial circumstances.

Significant Themes

• Institutional decay and social inequality: Righteous Qi Prefecture is depicted as a deeply divided society in which retired officials and ordinary citizens can become impoverished despite years of service.
• Compassion versus bureaucracy: Chen Yu uses the publishing system—originally for his own goals—to provide meaningful aid to people neglected by the official structure.
• The value of ordinary people: The chapter criticizes powerful figures who focus on grand ideals while ignoring the suffering of those below them.
• Moral use of questionable methods: Although Chen Yu’s publishing operation begins with piracy and manipulation of legal procedures, he uses it to compensate authors and protect their livelihoods.
• Unseen authority and growing danger: The unexplained rejection reinforces the theme that hidden powers control the system. The closing line suggests Chen Yu’s group is being deliberately obstructed by the same enemy connected to Liu Boss’s downfall.

Character Interactions

• The old scholar explains the plight of retired officials to Chen Yu, prompting Chen Yu’s disbelief at the prefecture’s poverty.
• Chen Yu teases and admonishes Wang Shanzhang for ignoring ordinary people; Wang reacts shyly and later becomes emotionally affected by the authors’ stories.
• Chen Yu and the old scholar discuss the authors’ financial needs, with Chen Yu firmly ordering generous compensation rather than bargaining.
• Editor Fu communicates with the Grand Confucians, who move from suspicion and confusion about their unexpectedly large payments to reluctant gratitude.
• Jiang Wen and the old scholar investigate the rejected publishing application with Chen Yu, ending the chapter on the realization that a powerful hidden adversary is interfering with them.

Chapter Summary: “A Beautiful Day”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu, Wang Shanzhang, and the old Confucian scholar discuss why the authorities continue obstructing their small publishing house even after forcing Liu Fugui out.
• The scholar explains that the harassment is likely being carried out by Zhang Yong, a local Grand Confucian responsible for “fire safety.” Zhang uses inspections, regulations, and forced purchases of designated materials to financially ruin businesses.
• Chen Yu and Wang Shanzhang realize that corruption and abuse of power are deeply rooted in Righteous Qi Prefecture.
• The group formally appoints the old scholar as editor-in-chief, despite his reluctance.
• Outraged by the corruption occurring under his administration, Wang Shanzhang leaves to confront Zhang Yong. He tells the others to resubmit their publishing application and announces that he is going to “kill some bugs.”
• On his way to the administrative office, Wang reflects on his long absence from the prefecture and his failure to notice how badly it had decayed.
• His anger manifests as a Heart Demon, which argues that killing a few corrupt individuals will not solve the prefecture’s systemic corruption. Wang rejects this idea and repeatedly cuts the demon apart.
• Wang storms into the administrative office carrying his magical sword. He brutally punishes Zhang Yong’s henchman, father-in-law, and finally Zhang Yong himself.
• Zhang Yong is forced to walk away while being repeatedly cut by Wang’s flying sword and crying out apologies. The guard watches the scene while drinking tea and ironically calls it “a beautiful day.”

Character Developments

• Wang Shanzhang is forced to confront his failure as Headmaster and protector of Righteous Qi Prefecture. His anger comes not only from Zhang Yong’s corruption but also from guilt over neglecting his family, friends, responsibilities, and the prefecture itself.
• His idealism becomes more violent and uncompromising. Rather than merely correcting the bureaucracy, he decides to punish the corrupt directly.
• Chen Yu demonstrates practical judgment and confidence in Wang, choosing to trust him while focusing on resubmitting the publishing application.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei, formerly a handyman, accepts a leadership role after Chen Yu insists that his knowledge makes him the best candidate.
• Zhang Yong is revealed to be a corrupt official protected by powerful connections. His confidence collapses once Wang attacks him, leaving him begging for forgiveness.
• The administrative guard provides comic detachment, treating the horrific punishment as entertaining spectacle.

Significant Themes

• Systemic corruption: The chapter emphasizes that corruption is not limited to one bad official but is embedded in the institutions and social relationships of Righteous Qi Prefecture.
• Neglect and responsibility: Wang realizes that his efforts to improve the prefecture’s fortune were insufficient because he failed to monitor the people and systems under his authority.
• Justice versus vengeance: Wang claims he is “cleaning up,” but his methods are brutal and personal, raising questions about whether violent punishment can truly repair a corrupted society.
• Internal conflict: The Heart Demon embodies Wang’s doubts, guilt, and awareness that corruption cannot simply be eliminated by killing individuals.
• Dark humor: The guard’s calm tea-drinking and final remark contrast sharply with the violence, creating an absurd and ironic tone.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and the old scholar discuss the publishing house’s harassment and agree that the obstruction likely comes from Zhang Yong.
• Chen Yu supports the scholar’s appointment as editor-in-chief, overriding his modest reluctance.
• Wang questions the scholar about Zhang Yong and becomes increasingly enraged by what he learns.
• The Heart Demon challenges Wang’s belief that violence can solve the prefecture’s problems, but Wang refuses to listen and destroys it.
• Wang confronts Zhang Yong’s associates and family member before punishing Zhang himself.
• The guard witnesses the aftermath and responds with detached amusement, ending the chapter on an ironic note.

Chapter Summary — “I Am the Higher-Up”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Yong is killed in the plaza of the Confucian Grove after enduring eight hours of torment. His body is reduced to bones, while his Primordial Spirit is captured by the Human Emperor Banner for further torture.
• The authorities are powerless to intervene. The management office cannot destroy the Jadeite Short Sword responsible, and the local chief inspector flees upon recognizing the terrifying green light.
• Wang Shanzhang returns to the publishing house after killing Zhang Yong, only to learn from Chen Yu that their publication application has failed again.
• Chen Yu and Wang suspect that other enemies are sabotaging their efforts. Editor-in-Chief Lei, terrified by the killing of an eighth-rank official, decides to cooperate fully rather than risk becoming a target.
• Chen Yu distributes large salaries and bonuses to the organization’s employees. The payments include regular wages, danger or “incarceration reserve” allowances, settling-in pay, and bonuses for administrative work.
• The generous payments greatly increase employee loyalty. Even a Confucian scholar is moved by the bonuses, generating positive emotional energy for Chen Yu.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei provides a list of additional people he believes should be eliminated. Wang Shanzhang uses the divine technique “Ask Another” to determine whether each person deserves death; the technique confirms every name.
• Wang explains that the technique only works when another person asks the question and does not understand the technique’s mechanism. Chen Yu realizes this reveals that the organization’s channels for criticism and honest feedback have been suppressed.
• Wang leaves to kill the people on the list, jokingly accepting Chen Yu’s reminder to take an umbrella because rain is coming.
• At an administrative office, Wang is confronted by a sword cultivator who urges him to surrender and leave the matter to the higher-ups. Wang replies, “I am the higher-up.”
• The sword cultivator is suddenly unable to draw his sword, paralyzed by fear or an overwhelming supernatural pressure. Wang enters the office and begins another massacre.

Character Developments

• Wang Shanzhang is portrayed as an increasingly unstoppable and casual executioner. He treats mass killing as routine, carrying an umbrella and wine while going to slaughter officials. His claim to be “the higher-up” emphasizes his growing authority and confidence.
• Chen Yu continues to function as the organization’s pragmatic leader. He rewards dangerous work generously, seeks loyal employees, and analyzes Wang’s abilities strategically. He also shows a troubling willingness to accept and organize violence as part of his plans.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei undergoes a major shift from frightened accomplice to enthusiastic collaborator. After receiving a huge payment, he abandons hesitation, supplies names for further killings, and openly supports decisive violence.
• Chen Yu’s employees, including the young man and Editor Fu, become more devoted because of their unexpected compensation. Their loyalty is bought through a mixture of financial security and fear.
• Zhang Yong serves as an example of the terrifying fate awaiting those who oppose Wang and Chen Yu.
• The sword cultivator is introduced as someone who recognizes Wang’s ability but is quickly overwhelmed before a battle can begin, demonstrating the disparity between their powers.

Significant Themes

• Power beyond legal authority: Official institutions are unable to stop Wang and Chen Yu’s group. The chapter presents them as operating above the law, with even government officials fleeing or becoming victims.
• Corruption and bureaucratic collapse: The failure of the publication application and the killing of officials suggest a system controlled by hidden obstruction and fear. The inability of anyone to provide honest criticism further reveals institutional decay.
• Loyalty through money and intimidation: Chen Yu secures obedience by paying generous wages and danger bonuses, while Wang’s violence ensures that refusal is unthinkable.
• Moral distortion: Murder is discussed alongside salaries, administrative work, and dinner plans, creating dark comic contrast and showing how normalized brutality has become.
• The meaning of authority: The phrase “I am the higher-up” encapsulates the chapter’s central idea: Wang no longer recognizes any superior power, whether governmental, martial, or institutional.
• Suppressed truth and self-confirming judgment: The “Ask Another” technique is rendered useless when subordinates are too afraid to speak honestly, suggesting that oppressive systems eventually receive only the answers they want.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and Wang Shanzhang discuss the failed publication application and speculate about enemies, revealing their cooperative but strategically different roles.
• Chen Yu and the employees interact through salary payments. Chen presents the bonuses as fair compensation, while the employees respond with exaggerated gratitude and devotion.
• Chen Yu and Editor Fu discuss an additional payment for maintaining relations with the Grand Confucians; Fu’s promise to “fool” them exposes his true attitude, prompting Chen’s dry reprimand.
• Chen Yu and Editor-in-Chief Lei have a tense but increasingly transactional relationship. Lei is frightened of Chen’s group, but the large payment turns fear into willing cooperation.
• Chen Yu and Wang debate the limits of Wang’s divine technique and how it has been compromised by a lack of honest feedback.
• Wang and the sword cultivator exchange brief words before the confrontation. The cultivator appeals to law and restraint, while Wang dismisses such authority entirely and proceeds to kill.

Wang Shanzhang killed officials after Chen Yu’s publishing house repeatedly failed to get a business license, while he also gave a dead swordsman a new chance at life. After a final purge forced the authorities to approve the license, Chen Yu accessed the Dreamscape search interface to investigate what he wanted.

• Wang Shanzhang killed the last attacker, then revived a dead swordsman by striking his drifting Primordial Spirit back into its body and giving him the Jade Bamboo Sword.
• Chen Yu told Wang Shanzhang that the publishing house’s business license had been rejected again, and the Chief Inspector begged them to stop killing officials.
• The Chief Inspector returned with another rejection and explained that the person in charge demanded ten days of Dragon Flight Phoenix Dance before reconciling with Chen Yu.
• Wang Shanzhang led another purge, after which the authorities issued the publishing house its business permit.
• Chen Yu registered on Righteous Qi Prefecture’s publishing website and opened the Dreamscape search interface.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu searches the Dreamscape Repository in Righteous Qi Prefecture for a game resembling one from his memories, suspecting that its design contains elements beyond his own style.
• He narrows more than a hundred thousand Dreamscape Games down to roughly a hundred candidates by eliminating text-only games, subsidy scams, and other mismatches.
• Using the spell art Clues and Traces, empowered by his dual Fleshly and Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishments, Chen Yu identifies the game he believes is connected to his memories: “Classics.”
• “Classics” is extremely simple. Players click a Grand Confucian’s portrait, listen to randomly selected famous quotations, and repeat them. It has no scoring system or elaborate visuals, and none of Chen Yu’s companions finds it entertaining.
• Chen Yu decides to contact the creator to understand the game’s design philosophy. Before Shao Lingyun can track the author down, their quiet companion reveals that he created it. His name is Zhi Wu, and the listed author name, “Wu Zhi,” is his name reversed.
• Clicking the Grand Confucian’s eyes twenty times activates a hidden recording in which Zhi Wu introduces himself as the game’s creator.
• The coincidence convinces Wang Shanzhang, Jiang Wen, and the others that Chen Yu may genuinely possess prophetic abilities as the incarnation of the Future Star Lord. Their assumptions grow stronger when Wang Shanzhang suggests that Chen Yu’s “foresight” may have limitations.
• Chen Yu repeatedly denies being able to see the future, but nobody believes him, and the group’s mistaken impression becomes effectively fixed.
• When asked why he created “Classics,” Zhi Wu explains that it was intended to alleviate pollution caused by Bu Tianque.
• Zhi Wu argues that completely shielding Confucian scholars from pollution is dangerous. He compares limited exposure to vaccination: gradual contact might allow people to develop resistance, whereas total isolation leaves them vulnerable to severe exposure later.
• Zhi Wu reveals that he personally survived pollution and claims that minor exposure no longer affects him. To prove it, he exposes his abdomen, revealing a transparent torso with his internal organs visibly suspended inside—a permanent sign of the pollution he endured.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu demonstrates increasingly refined control over spell arts and uses careful deduction rather than relying solely on his memories. However, his attempt to conceal the source of his knowledge backfires, causing his companions to believe he has prophetic powers.
• Zhi Wu changes from a quiet, hesitant companion into the chapter’s key source of information. His embarrassment over his early Dreamscape gives way to confidence as he explains his theory about pollution.
• Wang Shanzhang unintentionally strengthens the group’s mistaken belief in Chen Yu’s foresight. His own experience with restricted divine abilities leads him to interpret Chen Yu’s behavior through that framework.
• Wang Chuyun remains completely convinced of Chen Yu’s exceptional abilities and reacts with pride rather than doubt.
• Jiang Wen, Shao Lingyun, and Deng Zixing become more persuaded that Chen Yu has hidden powers, especially after Wang Shanzhang provides an apparently logical explanation.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus coincidence: Chen Yu finds the exact game connected to his memories by chance, but everyone interprets the event as proof of destiny or prophecy.
• Miscommunication and preconceived beliefs: Chen Yu’s denials cannot overcome the others’ assumptions, showing how easily people reinterpret evidence to fit an established theory.
• The value of controlled exposure: Zhi Wu presents pollution as something that may require gradual contact and adaptation rather than absolute avoidance.
• Hidden meaning in simple creations: Although “Classics” appears dull and unfinished, it embodies Zhi Wu’s serious attempt to address a major societal danger.
• The consequences of pollution: Zhi Wu’s transparent body and visible organs provide a disturbing physical representation of pollution’s lasting effects.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu consults Editor-in-Chief Lei, Jiang Wen, and the others while testing “Classics,” but their shared disappointment prompts him to seek the creator’s explanation.
• Shao Lingyun volunteers to track down the anonymous author, only for Zhi Wu to awkwardly reveal that he is the creator.
• The group teases and questions Chen Yu after deciding that his discovery proves he can see the future. Chen Yu argues with Wang Shanzhang in particular, but Wang’s claim that he “understands” only reinforces the misunderstanding.
• Chen Yu then redirects the discussion toward Zhi Wu’s motives, leading to the revelation about pollution and Zhi Wu’s unsettling physical condition.

Chapter 1280 Summary: “You’ve Lost It Again” (3/5)

Key Plot Points and Events

• With Zhi Wu’s permission, Chen Yu examines his pollution and discovers that Zhi Wu’s abdomen has become transparent and several organs have been transformed into written characters. His digestive system now functions through words representing food, paste, and bodily organs.
• Wang Shanzhang identifies this condition as Text Pollution, in which body parts are replaced by words while retaining their normal functions. Zhi Wu’s case is unusually severe.
• Wang Chuyun consults the Evil God within her, who reveals that she did not cause the Text Pollution. Instead, she was responsible for other forms, including idioms, proverbs, and aphorisms.
• The Evil God finally reveals her identity as Bu Tianque, claiming the ability to inspire and influence people. Chen Yu reacts with almost no surprise, frustrating her.
• Bu Tianque exposes another secret: Wang Shanzhang is Wang Chuyun’s grandfather. Chen Yu is genuinely shocked by this revelation, while Wang Chuyun admits that she has sometimes wanted her father to sever ties with him.
• The group discusses Zhi Wu’s plan to combat the pollution. Bu Tianque confirms that small amounts of pollution can be handled by cultivators and may even build resistance, but the pollution in Righteous Qi Prefecture has spread too extensively for individual efforts.
• Bu Tianque criticizes the Grand Confucians for ignoring the problem and allowing it to worsen. She reveals that she had tried to inspire people through dreams, but almost no one acted successfully.
• Wang Shanzhang acknowledges that he once would have considered the issue a nuisance, showing that his attitude has changed over time.
• He asks Chen Yu for help and offers his Confucian Sect Notes as payment, but Chen Yu agrees to assist regardless.
• Bu Tianque warns that removing the pollution will provoke the resentment of a Star Lord and may eventually result in a curse. Despite being told to leave the matter to Wang Chuyun and enjoy their youth, Chen Yu becomes even more determined, declaring that he is “investing” in the project.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu: Remains unusually unfazed by major revelations, though he reacts strongly to learning that Wang Shanzhang is Wang Chuyun’s grandfather. His sense of responsibility and curiosity ultimately lead him to commit himself to fighting the pollution.
• Wang Chuyun: Shows loyalty to Chen Yu and openly expresses resentment toward her grandfather, revealing long-standing family tension.
• Wang Shanzhang: Is portrayed as overworked and initially avoidant of the pollution problem, but he now recognizes his past indifference and is willing to take responsibility. He also struggles awkwardly with his strained relationship with Wang Chuyun.
• Bu Tianque: Reveals her true identity and her role in causing certain forms of pollution. She appears frustrated by Chen Yu’s lack of awe but also demonstrates concern for the people affected by the pollution and explains its larger dangers.
• Zhi Wu: His severe Text Pollution becomes the concrete example that prompts the group’s deeper investigation into the nature and treatment of pollution.

Significant Themes

• Pollution as a spreading social and supernatural problem: Pollution behaves like rust, multiplying when left untreated and requiring organized, large-scale intervention.
• Responsibility and institutional failure: The Grand Confucians’ avoidance and bureaucracy have allowed Righteous Qi Prefecture’s crisis to worsen.
• Change over time: Wang Shanzhang recognizes that people may not understand certain responsibilities until circumstances and personal growth change their perspective.
• Secrets and family tension: The revelations about Bu Tianque and Wang Shanzhang’s relationship with Wang Chuyun emphasize hidden identities and unresolved family conflicts.
• Sacrifice and consequences: Fighting the pollution may bring the resentment and curses of a Star Lord, making the effort dangerous even if it is morally necessary.
• Humor amid serious conflict: Chen Yu’s deadpan reactions and Bu Tianque’s exasperation lighten the discussion while highlighting his unusual worldview.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu examines Zhi Wu while Wang Shanzhang explains the nature of Text Pollution.
• Wang Chuyun acts as the channel for Bu Tianque, allowing the Evil God to speak with the group.
• Bu Tianque and Chen Yu exchange comedic remarks over his indifference to her identity.
• Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun bond over their shared reaction to Wang Shanzhang, with Wang Chuyun gripping Chen Yu’s hand as they criticize her grandfather.
• Wang Shanzhang appeals directly to Chen Yu for assistance, and Chen Yu accepts without demanding payment.
• Bu Tianque warns Chen Yu about the risks of fighting the pollution, but her attempt to discourage him only increases his determination.