Chapter Summaries

Yang Ling rejected Ding Yuan’s attempt to intimidate him and sought a discreet black market for valuable goods. After learning about a dangerous Nine-Star Thundercloud Pool task where participants’ attributes were capped, he decided to enter it with Huo Si and invite Ghost Crane.

• Ding Yuan boasted that Ding Zong had three First-Rate Internal Skills and three first-rate martial techniques, then tried to learn how many trading points Yang Ling had spent on the Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills.
• Yang Ling saw through Ding Yuan’s probing, refused to reveal the cost, and sent him away.
• Yang Ling asked Huo Si to find a black market, and Huo Si explained that some Grandmaster Network tasks hosted discreet markets.
• Huo Si told Yang Ling about a Nine-Star Thundercloud Pool task with a three-thousand-point admission fee, no preliminary protection, and attributes capped at five thousand.
• After learning that the task’s thunder crystals could help Upper Third-Grade Grandmasters survive tribulation lightning and could be taken outside the game, Yang Ling decided to enter.
• Yang Ling agreed when Huo Si offered to invite Ghost Crane, who had reached the Lower Third Grade.

Yang Ling joined a fifty-person Thundercloud Pool mission, where Madman revealed that the gathering was also a black market trading session. Yang Ling learned about Strength Supplement’s benefits and risks, then offered to buy all five doses.

• Yang Ling and Huo Si entered the Thundercloud Pool with the other players, and Yang Ling discovered that his strength and agility had been suppressed to 5,000 points.
• Madman introduced himself as the host of a black market trading session, surprising Ghost Crane and several other players who had expected to collect thunder crystals.
• Madman explained that each dose of Strength Supplement added 200 strength points but damaged the Martial Dao Furnace unless paired with Furnace Supplement.
• A masked seller presented five doses of Strength Supplement for 12,000 transaction points each, and Yang Ling declared that he would buy them all.

Yang Ling bought and consumed all five Strength Supplements, using his Sacred Qilin Martial Dao Furnace to refine them and raise his strength by 1,000 points. At the black market sale of a First-Rate Internal Skill manual, a dispute over a withdrawn bid turned into a threat against Madman and Yang Ling.

• Yang Ling paid Madman 60,000 Transaction Points for five Strength Supplements and consumed them one after another.
• The Sacred Qilin Martial Dao Furnace neutralized the supplements’ side effects, raising Yang Ling’s strength attribute from 5,400 to 6,400 despite the Thundercloud Pool’s restrictions.
• Madman offered the Yin-Quenching Body-Refinement Technique, a First-Rate Internal Skill requiring Mental Power below 3 points, for 60,000 Transaction Points.
• A Third-Grade Great Grandmaster offered 40,000 Transaction Points, and the seller accepted, but the bidder then tried to withdraw.
• Madman demanded 10,000 Transaction Points to settle the broken bid, prompting the bidder and several others to threaten him and Yang Ling.

Chapter Summary: “Flame Dragon Security Company’s President Ye”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling silently observes the Third-Grade Great Grandmasters at the black market, suspecting that some may be accomplices or enemies. Ghost Crane and Huo Si protectively position themselves beside him.
• A group of Third-Grade Great Grandmasters attempts to withdraw from a transaction involving a supposedly flawed First-Rate Internal Skill. The seller waives the demanded compensation, allowing the black market trade to continue.
• The group then reveals that Yang Ling—not the black market—is their true target. Madman, the organizer, initially insists that all grievances be settled elsewhere and refuses to allow violence at his market.
• The group’s leader identifies himself as Ye Divine Fist, the general manager of Flame Dragon Security Company, a subsidiary of the powerful Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group.
• Ye’s reputation shocks the crowd: he is an elite Upper Third Grade, ranked among the top ten thousand on the Grandmaster Network’s Combat Power Rankings, and commands a company with numerous Third- and Fourth-Grade experts.
• Ye declares that Yang Ling, whose true name is Luo Kai, has been jointly blacklisted by the Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group and several major conglomerates.
• Madman immediately withdraws from the conflict, unwilling to oppose such powerful organizations.
• Ye reveals that he brought seven experts—three Upper Third Grades and four Middle Third Grades—to capture Yang Ling, while Yang Ling is accompanied only by Ghost Crane and Huo Si.
• Ye offers Ghost Crane and Huo Si the chance to abandon Yang Ling in exchange for being removed from the blacklist. Huo Si refuses, explaining that blacklisting has already made them targets and that the conglomerates may continue persecuting them even outside the game.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling/Luo Kai: His mysterious background becomes more threatening and significant. He is revealed to be wanted by multiple major conglomerates, though the reason for his blacklisting remains unknown.
• Ye Divine Fist: Established as a powerful, confident, and politically influential antagonist. He combines overwhelming force with institutional authority, using his reputation and the blacklist to intimidate others.
• Madman: Although initially protective of the black market’s rules, he quickly distances himself from Yang Ling once the conflict is revealed to involve the major conglomerates.
• Ghost Crane: Starts confident in Yang Ling but becomes frightened after learning that the conglomerates know his identity and have likely blacklisted him as well.
• Huo Si: Demonstrates greater resolve and loyalty. He understands the ruthless methods of the conglomerates but refuses to betray Yang Ling, recognizing that abandoning him may not actually ensure safety.
• The seller and Third-Grade participants: Their reactions highlight the growing tension and the enormous influence of Ye’s organization.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Institutional power and reputation can force even neutral parties to retreat without a fight.
• Loyalty under pressure: Ye’s offer tests Ghost Crane and Huo Si, emphasizing the difference between self-preservation and standing by one’s allies.
• Corporate influence: Major conglomerates possess enough military and political strength to blacklist individuals across networks and potentially pursue them beyond the game.
• Hidden identities and unresolved grudges: Yang Ling’s true history and the reason behind his joint blacklisting remain mysterious, increasing suspense.
• Rules versus overwhelming authority: The black market’s rules protect ordinary participants only until a conflict involves forces too powerful for the organizer to oppose.

Important Character Interactions

• Madman and Ye Divine Fist: Madman attempts to enforce the black market’s neutrality, but Ye’s identity and backing force him to concede.
• Ye and Yang Ling: Ye openly identifies Yang Ling as the target and warns that he cannot escape the combined strength of Flame Dragon Security Company.
• Ye and Ghost Crane/Huo Si: Ye tries to divide them from Yang Ling by offering to remove them from the blacklist. Huo Si rejects the offer, while Ghost Crane is left terrified by the revelation.
• Yang Ling’s group and the black market participants: The crowd shifts from curiosity to fear as it becomes clear that Yang Ling possesses both immense wealth and dangerous enemies.

Yang Ling revealed overwhelming strength and dismantled the Flame Dragon Security Company’s experts after they threatened him over the blacklist. Ye Divine Fist paid him 60,000 transaction points, and Yang Ling then asked Madman if he had any.

• Ye Divine Fist ordered his Third-Grade Great Grandmasters to approach Yang Ling and the others after Ghost Crane refused to cooperate.
• Yang Ling activated his skills and armor, then killed the Flame Dragon Security Company’s fighters and kicked Ye Divine Fist’s body apart.
• Ye Divine Fist offered to mediate with the Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group and transferred Yang Ling 60,000 transaction points in three payments.
• Ye Divine Fist claimed he could help remove Yang Ling from the blacklist, but Yang Ling asked him for more transaction points.
• Madman reminded Yang Ling that they were in his black market, and Yang Ling asked if Madman had any transaction points.

Summary of “Absolute Fairness”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Madman attempts to deny responsibility for the Thundercloud Pool mission, claiming he was merely concerned that Ye Divine Fist’s death might implicate him. Yang Ling pressures him into transferring 20,000 Transaction Points as an “apology.”
• Yang Ling then demands payment from Ye Divine Fist and his subordinates. Ye Divine Fist orders Flame Dragon Security Company’s members to surrender their Transaction Points, but their initial contributions are insufficient.
• To demonstrate that he is serious, Yang Ling kills one of Flame Dragon’s Third-Grade Great Grandmasters by crushing his head. Terrified, the others—including Ye Divine Fist—transfer massive sums, raising Yang Ling’s balance to over 813,000 Transaction Points.
• Ye Divine Fist begs for his life and promises never to oppose Yang Ling again, even offering to obtain another 200,000 points after escaping. Yang Ling rejects the promise, declares that Ye has no points to offer immediately, and kills him.
• The remaining Flame Dragon experts panic, realizing that they may all be killed. Yang Ling notices that their Treasure-Storing Talismans were likely destroyed when he shattered their armor and bodies, meaning he may have lost valuable resources.
• A Third-Grade Great Grandmaster affiliated with the Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group reveals that he possesses a Life-Substitution Bamboo Slip, explaining his unusual calmness. The treasure can save his life, though it prevents him from entering the Grandmaster Network for three years.
• The man explains that his female employer wants to cooperate with Yang Ling under terms of “absolute fairness.” She offers to help him deal with Ding Zong and remove the blacklist, while also asking to recruit Flame Dragon Security Company’s surviving experts.
• Before the man can ransom them, Yang Ling abruptly kills all the remaining Flame Dragon Great Grandmasters. He then attacks the messenger, leaving only his head, and once again asks whether he has any Transaction Points.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling becomes increasingly ruthless, calculating, and materially focused. He treats the defeated experts’ lives as assets to be exchanged for Transaction Points and kills them when their offers are insufficient or delayed.
• Ye Divine Fist changes from an enraged leader into a desperate, humiliated man pleading for survival. His promises and threats both fail, and he dies recognizing that Yang Ling cannot be negotiated with through empty assurances.
• Madman is exposed as powerless and self-serving. Although he initiated the black-market mission, he cannot protect its participants and is forced to pay Yang Ling to avoid immediate punishment.
• The Flame Dragon experts shift from confidence and group loyalty to terror and helplessness after witnessing Yang Ling kill people stronger than themselves.
• The unnamed messenger remains remarkably composed because of his Life-Substitution Bamboo Slip, but his confidence collapses when Yang Ling kills the people he hoped to recruit and attacks him as well.
• The unseen female employer is introduced as a potentially important faction leader seeking an alliance with Yang Ling and opposing Ding Zong.

Significant Themes

• Absolute power and coercion: Yang Ling’s overwhelming strength allows him to dictate every exchange, turning negotiation into extortion.
• The value of resources versus human life: Transaction Points determine who may live, while promises, status, and loyalty have little meaning.
• Fear as a weapon: Yang Ling deliberately kills one opponent to force the others into surrender, showing how terror can achieve what persuasion cannot.
• Unreliable alliances: Political affiliations and promises are fragile; even supposed allies may be sacrificed when circumstances change.
• Fairness versus brutality: The title’s “absolute fairness” is ironic. The proposed cooperation claims to offer balanced terms, but Yang Ling’s version of fairness means demanding immediate payment and showing no mercy.
• Consequences of hidden conflicts: The confrontation reveals deeper tensions within the Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group, with rival factions potentially competing to use Yang Ling against Ding Zong.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling intimidates Madman into paying him.
• He humiliates Ye Divine Fist by demanding Transaction Points, rejects his delayed offer, and kills him despite his pleas.
• Ye Divine Fist’s subordinates respond to Yang Ling’s violence by collectively surrendering their wealth, but their payment does not save them.
• Huo Si and Ghost Crane explain why the dead men’s Treasure-Storing Talismans were destroyed, prompting Yang Ling to regret the lost resources.
• The messenger attempts to use his connection to a rival Ding faction to negotiate cooperation and save Flame Dragon’s survivors. Yang Ling ignores the proposed recruitment arrangement, kills the survivors, and turns the same financial demand on the messenger.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Taiyuan attacks Yang Ling, expecting negotiation, but Yang Ling decisively refuses to compromise and defeats him.
• Zhang reveals that his backer is connected to a powerful figure on the Celestial Immortal Network, possibly a Second-Grade Human Immortal. He tries to persuade Yang Ling to spare him by appealing to Yang Ling’s future prospects.
• Yang Ling ignores the warning and demands compensation for the Life-Substitution Bamboo Slip Zhang used. Zhang transfers 20,000 Transaction Points, raising Yang Ling’s balance to 830,000.
• After Yang Ling throws Zhang aside, Zhang regenerates an entirely new body through Flesh Derivation. The new body is much weaker and will require at least a year and a half to recover fully.
• The other Third-Grade Great Grandmasters become intimidated and consider paying Yang Ling to leave safely, but he rejects the idea of acting like a bandit.
• Yang Ling announces that the black-market trade can continue, but the merchants and buyers lose confidence and many leave to search for Thunder Crystals instead.
• One suspicious seller approaches Yang Ling privately. He admits that he has an illegal item from Pangu with severe side effects and offers it for sale.
• After carefully considering the risks, the seller reveals a crystal containing red-gold liquid: a Beginner Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion.
• Yang Ling is surprised and suspects the potion may allow him to undergo another Gene Mutation.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling becomes even more dominant and pragmatic. He refuses to be intimidated by Zhang’s powerful backing, prioritizes immediate benefits over distant promises, and successfully extracts compensation without needing to kill him.
• Zhang Taiyuan is humbled. Although he survives through Flesh Derivation, his regenerated body is significantly weaker, demonstrating the consequences of challenging Yang Ling.
• Huo Si and Ghost Crane grow increasingly cautious, recognizing that Yang Ling’s enemies and allies operate at extremely high levels of power.
• The black-market participants lose their courage after witnessing Yang Ling’s strength and fear that any transaction could lead to being robbed or targeted.
• The mysterious seller is revealed to be involved in illicit dealings and becomes much more cautious when presenting his most valuable item.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Yang Ling’s overwhelming strength reshapes the behavior of everyone around him, even without him actively threatening them.
• Pragmatism over long-term promises: Yang Ling rejects Zhang’s appeal to future advancement and focuses on immediate, tangible rewards.
• Consequences of conflict: Zhang’s survival comes at the cost of a severely weakened body, showing that victory can still carry lasting damage.
• Risk and secrecy in underground trade: The black market is built on mutual distrust, illegal goods, and fear of exposure.
• Progress through dangerous opportunities: The Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion presents Yang Ling with a potentially transformative but uncertain path to greater power.

Character Interactions

• Zhang attempts to negotiate with Yang Ling by emphasizing their lack of personal hostility and his boss’s influence, but Yang Ling dismisses his arguments and demands payment.
• Ghost Crane explains the value and rarity of the Life-Substitution Bamboo Slip, prompting Zhang to transfer the compensation.
• Yang Ling’s treatment of Zhang frightens the other Third-Grade experts, who become reluctant to remain at the black market.
• A seller suspected of having a compromised identity privately approaches Yang Ling, and their cautious conversation leads to the revelation of the mutation potion.
• The chapter ends with Yang Ling examining the potion and wondering whether it can trigger another Gene Mutation.

Yang Ling bargained with a seller for a Beginner Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion, weighing its potential benefits against its dangerous side effects. After learning it might raise stats beyond the Third-Grade cap, he bought it for 150,000 transaction points.

• The seller explained that the potion could trigger another gene mutation but might fail, cause strange bodily changes, or kill Yang Ling.
• The seller claimed Yang Ling had a ninety percent chance of success and offered the potion for 200,000 transaction points, but Yang Ling refused the price.
• Yang Ling negotiated the price down to 150,000 transaction points as the seller described the potion's stat gains and its rumored ability to exceed the Third-Grade stat cap.
• The seller handed Yang Ling the potion, and Yang Ling transferred 150,000 transaction points to Madman for the seller.
• The gathered Third Grades reacted with shock at the size of the transaction.

Chapter Summary: Stormcloud Arena Entry Ticket

Key Plot Points and Events

• After completing a transaction, Yang Ling returns to the group but remains separate from the mysterious individual in the corner. The Third-Grade Great Grandmasters cautiously resume the black market trading, reassured when the stranger makes no attempt to rob them.
• Madman continues hosting the trades at Yang Ling’s approval. Most of the following items—questionable pills, second-rate techniques, and martial skills—do not interest Yang Ling.
• Madman introduces a Nine-Star Stormcloud Arena Entry Ticket, explaining that the arena requires a ticket for team formation and forces both competitors to wager items of equivalent value. Possible wagers include Divine Weapons, pills, rare treasures, or even Transaction Points when fighting another player.
• Recognizing that Madman is specifically promoting the ticket to him, Yang Ling purchases it for 5,000 Transaction Points, intending to use it later.
• Madman then presents a Middle Third-Grade Divine Weapon, the War God Crescent Blade. Its attributes include:
  • +2,200 Strength
  • The War God Domain skill, temporarily increasing all three attributes by 1,000
  • Extremely demanding requirements: Level 1000, high Strength and Agility, and 180,000 Vital Blood.
• Although the weapon attracts everyone’s attention, no one bids because the requirements are too difficult to meet.
• Yang Ling discovers through Ghost Crane that Ghost Crane has only 110,000 Vital Blood, while Yang Ling possesses 460,000, revealing the extraordinary depth of Yang Ling’s physical foundation.
• Madman realizes Yang Ling likely satisfies the weapon’s Vital Blood requirement but lacks the necessary level. He then mentions that an owner is selling Experience Mega Packs, suggesting Yang Ling could use them to rapidly close the level gap.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling remains cautious and selective, spending Transaction Points only on items with significant strategic value. His purchase of the Stormcloud Arena ticket shows growing interest in high-risk, high-reward opportunities.
• Yang Ling’s immense Vital Blood is revealed to be far beyond that of ordinary Third-Grade Great Grandmasters, reinforcing his status as an exceptional powerhouse despite his relatively low level.
• Madman continues acting as the black market host and carefully caters to Yang Ling, subtly directing valuable offers toward him.
• Ghost Crane provides a useful comparison point for Yang Ling’s strength. Although powerful among Third Grades, his Vital Blood is much lower, highlighting the gap between him and Yang Ling.
• The other Great Grandmasters remain wary of Yang Ling and the mysterious stranger, though their tension gradually decreases when no robbery occurs.

Significant Themes

• Power and hidden strength: Yang Ling’s low level conceals an extraordinary Vital Blood reserve, suggesting that conventional measures of power do not fully reflect his combat potential.
• Risk versus reward: The Stormcloud Arena offers immense profits but requires participants to stake valuable possessions, making every battle potentially ruinous.
• Wealth as a means of advancement: Transaction Points can purchase access, resources, and possibly rapid leveling, giving wealthy or powerful individuals advantages unavailable to ordinary cultivators.
• Fear and uncertainty: The group’s unease over the mysterious individual reflects the fragile trust and danger surrounding the black market.

Character Interactions

• Madman respectfully seeks Yang Ling’s permission before continuing the market and later directly recommends both the Stormcloud Arena ticket and Experience Mega Packs.
• Yang Ling questions Madman about the ticket’s high price but ultimately accepts the deal.
• Yang Ling privately asks Ghost Crane about his Vital Blood, using the answer to evaluate his own strength.
• Madman and the gathered Great Grandmasters infer that Yang Ling already meets the War God Crescent Blade’s Vital Blood requirement, increasing their amazement at his hidden capabilities.

Chapter Summary: “How Many I’ll Take”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huo Si explains to Yang Ling how Experience Mega Packs work. They come in seven grades, from red to purple, with purple providing the most experience.
• Most Grandmasters sell these packs because Transaction Points are scarce—players earn only 600 per month—and gaining experience normally provides better value. However, buying packs allows wealthy players to exchange Transaction Points for time.
• Yang Ling decides that his time is more valuable than his Transaction Points. Since leveling becomes extremely slow after level 900, he believes the packs could help him reach important milestones much sooner.
• Madman, a black-market broker, reveals that he has a large inventory:
  • 20,000 Red Experience Mega Packs at 3 points each
  • 3,000 Orange Experience Mega Packs at 20 points each
  • 500 Yellow Experience Mega Packs at 100 points each
• The total asking price is 170,000 Transaction Points. Madman offers a five-percent discount, but Yang Ling demands his lowest possible price.
• Yang Ling explains that he is helping Madman free up his funds and inventory. After thinking for fifteen minutes, Madman agrees to sell everything for 150,000 Transaction Points.
• Yang Ling immediately accepts the deal.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Demonstrates a pragmatic and ambitious attitude. He recognizes that Transaction Points can be exchanged for time and chooses rapid advancement over financial efficiency. His goal is to reach higher levels, obtain milestone rewards such as Diamond Chests, gain free attribute points, and eventually equip powerful Divine Weapons.
• Madman: Reveals the scale of his black-market business and his dependence on liquid funds. Although initially nervous that Yang Ling might simply seize his goods after a previous compensation payment, he becomes enthusiastic when Yang Ling offers to purchase his entire inventory.
• Ghost Crane and the other Third-Grade Great Grandmasters: Become increasingly shocked and envious as they realize how wealthy Madman is and how freely Yang Ling is willing to spend Transaction Points.

Significant Themes

• Time versus wealth: The chapter emphasizes that Transaction Points can either be saved for valuable items or spent to accelerate cultivation. Yang Ling values time more highly because his leveling speed has become painfully slow.
• Resource management and opportunity cost: Experience Mega Packs are considered inefficient by ordinary players, but their value changes for someone wealthy enough to prioritize speed.
• Economic power and social perception: Yang Ling’s massive purchase shocks the surrounding Grandmasters, showing how unusual his financial resources and spending habits are.
• Investment in future strength: Yang Ling views the purchase not as wasteful consumption but as an investment that could yield level-based rewards, attribute points, and access to stronger equipment.

Character Interactions

• Huo Si provides Yang Ling with essential information about the Experience Mega Packs and their economic value.
• Yang Ling questions Madman closely about the stock, pricing, and benefits, maintaining control of the negotiation.
• Madman patiently explains his business difficulties and offers a discount, hoping to recover funds tied up in inventory.
• The observing Grandmasters silently judge Yang Ling’s spending, while Ghost Crane calculates the potential profits Madman could make from reselling the packs.
• Yang Ling ultimately reverses the expected power dynamic: instead of being exploited or pressured, he becomes Madman’s largest customer and negotiates an even lower price.

Chapter Summary: “The Value of Thunder Crystals”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling completes a massive 150,000-Transaction-Point purchase from Madman, bringing his total spending on two deals to 300,000 points.
• Madman attempts to sell a Middle Third-Grade Divine Weapon, the War God Crescent Blade, but Yang Ling declines because he cannot yet meet its usage requirements. The weapon is later sold for 40,000 Transaction Points.
• Yang Ling realizes that equipment is far cheaper on the Grandmaster Network than in the Divine Realm, while consumables such as pills, rare flowers, and exotic herbs are likely to become increasingly valuable.
• Madman offers 100 Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills at 150 Transaction Points each. Yang Ling unexpectedly buys all of them for 15,000 points, drawing attention and suspicion from the other Third-Grade Great Grandmasters.
• Yang Ling stores the pills in his Green Dragon Ring and calculates that each pill grants five Strength points without harming him. He considers buying thousands in the future to rapidly increase his Strength.
• Zhang Taiyuan infers from Yang Ling’s bulk purchase that he commands a powerful team in the Divine Realm, possibly including Fourth-Grade Grandmasters. This reassures him that his young lady might cooperate with Yang Ling’s team if necessary.
• After the main black-market sales conclude, Madman encourages everyone to enter Thundercloud Pool to fish for Thunder Crystals. Entry costs 3,000 Transaction Points, while Madman purchases the crystals for 200 points per gram.
• Yang Ling recognizes that Madman deliberately chose Thundercloud Pool to profit both from the black-market event and from buying the crystals afterward. More than twenty Third-Grade Grandmasters enter the pool to fish.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Demonstrates careful financial judgment by rejecting a weapon he cannot use, while also showing boldness and strategic foresight by buying every Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pill. He begins considering how mass purchases could dramatically raise his Strength.
• Madman: Reveals himself as an astute businessman. His black market attracts buyers, and his arrangement at Thundercloud Pool lets him profit from both transaction fees and the resale of Thunder Crystals.
• Zhang Taiyuan: Becomes increasingly suspicious of Yang Ling’s background and resources, but also gains confidence that Yang Ling has a substantial and powerful faction behind him.
• Ghost Crane and Huo Si: Show familiarity with the dangers of Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills. They have already taken their limit and warn that additional doses may cause serious physical strain.

Significant Themes

• Economic disparity and market inflation: Equipment is cheap on the long-established Grandmaster Network because of abundant supply, while consumable resources become more expensive as the player population grows.
• Strategic resource management: Yang Ling carefully distinguishes between worthwhile and wasteful purchases, prioritizing unique items and consumables unavailable in the Divine Realm.
• Power through accumulation: The Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills demonstrate how repeated, seemingly small gains can produce enormous increases in strength.
• Business and exploitation: Madman’s black market shows how clever positioning and controlled purchasing can create profit with minimal risk.
• Appearance versus reality: Other players view Yang Ling as a wealthy nouveau riche, but his purchases are calculated investments connected to his larger plans.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling declines Madman’s offer of the War God Crescent Blade, prompting another player to purchase it.
• Madman advertises the Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills, and Yang Ling interrupts the other buyers by purchasing the entire supply.
• Ghost Crane warns Yang Ling about the pills’ severe side effects, but Yang Ling dismisses the concern without revealing that his body can withstand them.
• Zhang Taiyuan silently analyzes Yang Ling’s purchases and concludes that he likely has powerful allies.
• Madman directs the remaining guests toward Thundercloud Pool, where they can fish for crystals that he is willing to buy.

Chapter Summary: “What’s This Junk Worth?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ghost Crane and Huo Si jump into the Thundercloud Pool to search for Thunder Crystal ore, hoping to refine valuable Thunder Crystals.
• Yang Ling sends five Bone Warriors into the pool as well. They search cautiously, avoiding dangerous lightning surges capable of damaging even his White Bone Primordial Spirits.
• While the search continues, Yang Ling negotiates with Madman for several kinds of goods:
  • A large supply of Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills.
  • Beginner-level equipment that can be purchased cheaply and potentially resold for profit.
  • Treasure-Storing Talismans of various grades.
• Madman explains that Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills are difficult to obtain because Pangu strictly controls genuine Blood Tyrant Pills and suppresses the circulation of counterfeit versions. Yang Ling commissions Madman to gather 1,000 pills, offering him a five-point commission per pill.
• Yang Ling reveals his plan to establish a “junk recycling” business by buying obsolete equipment from older games and exchanging or reselling it through the Grandmaster Network.
• Madman introduces two sets:
  • Flying Eagle Set: Level 10 requirement, increases Strength by 10 and Agility by 20, priced at one Transaction Point per set. Yang Ling orders 1,000 sets.
  • Iron Bear Set: Level 50 requirement, increases both attributes by 60 points and includes a Petrifying Skin skill, priced at ten Transaction Points per set. Yang Ling orders ten sets as a trial.
• Yang Ling also asks Madman to acquire Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Treasure-Storing Talismans.
• Madman agrees to deliver the equipment shortly after the Thundercloud Pool mission, while Yang Ling promises him enormous future profits if the business succeeds.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling demonstrates strategic insight and commercial ambition. He recognizes that equipment considered worthless in older games may be extraordinarily powerful in Divine Realm, which is far behind in development.
• He also shows increasing confidence in using Madman as a broker and expanding his influence through large-scale trade.
• Madman proves knowledgeable about black-market goods and older-game equipment. Although initially surprised by Yang Ling’s unusual requests, he quickly recognizes the profit potential and becomes eager to participate.
• Ghost Crane and Huo Si reveal their willingness to take risks for valuable resources by personally entering the Thundercloud Pool.
• Yang Ling’s Bone Warriors function as cautious scouts, but the dangerous lightning forces him to acknowledge their vulnerabilities.

Significant Themes

• Value is relative: Items dismissed as “junk” in advanced games may be priceless in a less-developed world.
• Economic foresight and exploitation: Yang Ling identifies a vast market gap and plans to profit by importing obsolete but powerful equipment.
• Risk and opportunity: The Thundercloud Pool search and the black-market trade both involve danger, but the possible rewards are enormous.
• Power imbalance between games: Older games possess technology and equipment far beyond Divine Realm, emphasizing Divine Realm’s developmental disadvantage.
• Trust and negotiation: Yang Ling and Madman establish a mutually profitable partnership based on commissions, reliable sourcing, and future business prospects.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling permits Ghost Crane and Huo Si to search the pool but warns them to be careful.
• He indirectly coordinates with his Bone Warriors while remaining alert to the pool’s dangerous lightning.
• Yang Ling questions Madman about Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills, negotiates his commission, and assigns him the task of locating sellers.
• Their discussion shifts from restricted pills to obsolete equipment, with Madman providing market estimates and Yang Ling testing the profitability of each product.
• Yang Ling’s calm, large-scale orders impress and excite Madman, who begins viewing him not merely as a customer but as the foundation of a highly profitable new business.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• On the seventh and final day of the Thundercloud Pool mission, Yang Ling’s Bone Warriors have searched extensively but found no Thunder Crystal ore. He has avoided fighting the powerful lightning-aligned exotic beasts because the White Bone Primordial Spirit is fast enough to escape them.
• The mission’s rewards have been unusually poor. Most Third Grade players have returned injured with very little Thunder Crystal, causing many to lose the fees they paid to enter.
• Yang Ling learns from Madman that Thunder Crystals are rare, valuable consumables used to forge equipment and refine pills that protect against lightning tribulations. They sell for about 200 Transaction Points per gram, and powerful conglomerates may spend over a million points on equipment containing thousands of kilograms.
• A badly injured player returns after being attacked by a Thunder Dragon Fish. The beast bites off his lower body and destroys half of his Divine Weapon Armor, though Flesh Derivation allows him to recover physically.
• The player reveals that he obtained a large amount of extremely pure Thunder Crystal ore from the Thunder Dragon Fish’s nest. Madman explains that the beast’s appearance is a “refresh” event, during which its nest contains Thunder Crystal ore.
• The injured player then reveals that Ghost Crane and Huo Si also entered the fish’s nest and took ore. The two flee across the water with the Thunder Dragon Fish pursuing them.
• When Ghost Crane and Huo Si call for help, Yang Ling immediately intervenes. He uses his cultivation techniques, activates the Profound Fire Qilin Armor, employs the Void-Crossing Step, and reaches them before the fish can devour them.
• The chapter ends as Yang Ling launches a powerful series of kicks against the Thunder Dragon Fish using the Wind God Vajra Leg Technique and a quadruple critical hit.

2. Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Demonstrates patience and tactical caution by avoiding unnecessary battles, but also shows increasing confidence in his strength. He realizes he can now walk across water freely and reacts decisively when his companions are threatened. His ability to use multiple techniques and close the distance instantly highlights his growing combat power.
• Madman: Acts as Yang Ling’s source of information about Thunder Crystals, their market value, and their importance to powerful cultivators. His comments also reveal that he is working on behalf of a conglomerate executive.
• Ghost Crane and Huo Si: Their greed or willingness to take risks leads them into the Thunder Dragon Fish’s nest. Their desperate escape shows the danger of their decision, while their call for Yang Ling confirms their reliance on him as their leader and protector.
• The injured Third Grade player: Suffers a major loss but manages to obtain valuable ore. His experience demonstrates both the danger of the Thunder Dragon Fish and the potential reward associated with confronting it.

3. Significant Themes

• Risk versus reward: Thunder Crystal ore is extremely valuable, but obtaining it requires confronting dangerous creatures and risking severe injury or destruction of expensive equipment.
• Unequal resources: Wealthy conglomerates can afford massive quantities of Thunder Crystal-based equipment, giving their successors major advantages during lightning tribulations.
• Scarcity and timing: The mission’s poor results emphasize how fortune depends on rare refresh events rather than merely persistent searching.
• Growth and responsibility: Yang Ling’s increasing strength allows him to protect others. His intervention suggests that his role has expanded from individual participant to dependable leader.
• Consumable power: Even the most valuable defensive resources are temporary, since Thunder Crystals are destroyed after absorbing lightning once.

4. Character Interactions

• Yang Ling questions Madman about the value and uses of Thunder Crystals, deepening his understanding of the mission’s hidden economic importance.
• Madman evaluates the injured player’s ore and negotiates its price, revealing the practical trade relationships among the players.
• The injured player warns Yang Ling that Ghost Crane and Huo Si are still underwater, indirectly prompting Yang Ling’s rescue.
• Ghost Crane and Huo Si cry out to Yang Ling for help, and he responds immediately, reinforcing their bond and his authority.
• The chapter concludes with Yang Ling physically placing himself between his companions and the Thunder Dragon Fish, turning the group’s desperate escape into a direct confrontation.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling deliberately hides the full extent of his strength from the major groups. Instead of revealing his Bone General Form, he uses more than a hundred Quadruple Critical Hit Wind God Vajra Leg Technique strikes to overwhelm the Thunder Dragon Fish.
• The Thunder Dragon Fish is knocked unconscious and falls into Thundercloud Pool. Yang Ling immediately dives after it to retrieve the Thunder Crystal ore from its lair.
• His overwhelming performance shocks the other players, since Thundercloud Pool suppresses everyone’s attributes to 5,000, making the Thunder Dragon Fish practically unbeatable for most Third Grade players.
• While Yang Ling is underwater, Ghost Crane and Huo Si sell smaller pieces of Thunder Crystal ore to Madman for 7,000 Transaction Points each.
• Yang Ling discovers dozens of Thunder Crystal ores in the Thunder Dragon Fish’s nest, including one enormous piece weighing several hundred pounds. He stores the ores in his Green Dragon Ring.
• Yang Ling returns carrying the unconscious, ten-ton Thunder Dragon Fish. He offers the creature for sale as material for forging Divine Weapons.
• Zhang Taiyuan explains that the living Thunder Dragon Fish itself is more valuable than its scales or flesh because it is a rare status symbol desired by wealthy young masters. He purchases it for 100,000 Transaction Points, then freezes and stores it with a high-grade talisman.
• Madman unsuccessfully attempts to buy Yang Ling’s Thunder Crystal ore, but Yang Ling keeps it for his own use.
• After the mission ends, Yang Ling and Huo Si return to Song Yu Plaza, where Ding Zong confronts Yang Ling over the death of Ye Divine Fist.

2. Character Developments

• Yang Ling demonstrates extraordinary combat power, physical strength, speed, and composure. He remains careful not to reveal all his abilities, showing strategic restraint despite easily defeating the Thunder Dragon Fish.
• He also proves highly opportunistic and business-minded, collecting valuable ore and selling the Thunder Dragon Fish for a huge profit.
• Huo Si and Ghost Crane gain greater confidence in Yang Ling and benefit financially from being associated with him. Their status among the other players rises as everyone recognizes Yang Ling’s strength.
• Madman is impressed by Yang Ling and tries to profit from both the Thunder Crystal ore and the Thunder Dragon Fish, but lacks the funds to compete with Zhang Taiyuan.
• Zhang Taiyuan reveals his strong commercial connections and access to high-level storage equipment. He recognizes the Thunder Dragon Fish’s true market value and makes a profitable investment.
• Ding Zong appears enraged and vengeful over Ye Divine Fist’s death, setting up a confrontation with Yang Ling.

3. Significant Themes

• Concealed strength and strategic calculation: Yang Ling intentionally limits what others see, keeping his strongest techniques and abilities hidden.
• Power and intimidation: His effortless defeat and transport of the Thunder Dragon Fish establish him as vastly stronger than ordinary players of the same grade.
• Economic value and exploitation of opportunity: The chapter emphasizes how rare resources, monsters, and even status symbols can be converted into enormous financial gains.
• Influence through association: Huo Si and Ghost Crane gain advantages simply by being connected to Yang Ling, demonstrating the importance of alliances with powerful figures.
• Rising conflict and consequences: Yang Ling’s success and the killing of Ye Divine Fist attract the hostility of powerful organizations, particularly the Flame Dragon Security Company and the Ding family.

4. Character Interactions

• Madman praises Huo Si and Ghost Crane for following such a powerful “big brother,” while the other players envy their position.
• Huo Si reassures Ghost Crane that Yang Ling is safe and explains that he entered the water to collect Thunder Crystal ore.
• Madman negotiates with Huo Si and Ghost Crane, bargaining down the value of their ore before purchasing it.
• Yang Ling and Madman discuss selling the Thunder Dragon Fish, but Zhang Taiyuan interrupts and outbids Madman.
• Zhang Taiyuan explains the creature’s rarity and resale value, persuading Yang Ling to accept 100,000 Transaction Points.
• At the chapter’s close, Ding Zong directly accuses Yang Ling of killing Ye Divine Fist. Yang Ling confirms it without hesitation, replying: “I killed him. So what?”

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ding Zong confronts Yang Ling in Grandmaster Plaza, enraged by Yang Ling’s dismissive attitude and previous defiance.
• Ding Zong releases an overwhelming aura, revealing himself to be a top-tier Upper Third Grade Great Grandmaster whose attributes may exceed 20,000 when buffs, equipment, techniques, and possible genetic enhancements are included.
• Despite the tension, Ding Zong refuses to attack because violence in Grandmaster Plaza is forbidden. Players who forcibly attack are expelled, receive a severe warning, and can eventually be banned for ten years with their in-game power stripped away.
• Ding Zong threatens to retaliate against Yang Ling and Flame Dragon Security Company outside the plaza, but Yang Ling mocks him and challenges him to use any other schemes he has.
• Ding Zhan arrives with Zhang Taiyuan and publicly criticizes Ding Zong for neglecting his responsibilities and damaging the reputation of the Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group.
• Ding Zhan reveals that he has board support to intervene in Ding Zong’s territory and offers Yang Ling a 20% share in exchange for establishing a trade channel between the Divine Realm and the Grandmaster Network.
• The offer exposes the extensive profit-sharing network among the major conglomerates, which would divide the remaining profits among numerous corporate stakeholders.
• Ding Zhan also reveals that investigations have found no other Divine Realm players, confirming that Yang Ling is likely the only person capable of conducting this unique business.
• Yang Ling rejects the proposed arrangement and demands complete control: the conglomerates must buy whatever he chooses to sell, accept his prices and quantities, and provide whatever resources he requests.
• When warned that this stance will unite all the major conglomerates against him, Yang Ling defiantly embraces his reputation as “Luo the Bold,” declaring that he fears neither the conglomerates nor their threats.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling/Luo Kai: Demonstrates increasing confidence and strategic boldness. Rather than negotiate from a weak position, he recognizes the exclusive value of his Divine Realm connection and attempts to control the entire trade relationship.
• Ding Zong: Initially intimidates everyone with his immense strength, but his authority weakens when Ding Zhan challenges him and reveals that the board supports intervention. He also becomes silent after learning that Yang Ling is the only known Divine Realm player, realizing that direct retaliation may be impossible.
• Ding Zhan: Emerges as a more calculating and cooperative rival to Ding Zong. He presents himself as reasonable, but his proposal still seeks to place Yang Ling within the conglomerates’ established profit network.
• Huo Si: Remains calm despite Ding Zong’s oppressive aura and explains the Grandmaster Network’s rules, showing his practical understanding of the system and confidence in the company’s protection.
• Zhang Taiyuan: Appears alongside Ding Zhan and signals continued interest in recruiting or cooperating with Yang Ling.

Significant Themes

• Power beyond physical strength: Ding Zong possesses overwhelming combat power, but the Grandmaster Network’s rules and Yang Ling’s unique commercial value limit what he can do.
• Economic monopolies and corporate exploitation: The conglomerates have built a complex web of shared interests designed to control valuable businesses and ensure that even competing companies profit from them.
• Negotiation and leverage: Yang Ling’s exclusive access to Divine Realm resources gives him a position strong enough to reject conventional bargaining and demand unilateral control.
• Defiance against intimidation: Yang Ling refuses to let threats, blacklisting, or corporate influence dictate his actions.
• Institutional authority versus individual power: The plaza’s rules can restrain even powerful elites, while corporate boards and business structures influence events as much as personal strength does.
• Isolation and uniqueness: Since Yang Ling appears to be the only Divine Realm player, his uniqueness makes him both extraordinarily valuable and the target of every major conglomerate.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling and Ding Zong exchange hostile threats, with Ding Zong relying on intimidation and Yang Ling responding with mockery and provocation.
• Huo Si explains to Yang Ling how the Grandmaster Network punishes unauthorized violence, reinforcing the safety of the plaza.
• Ding Zhan publicly confronts Ding Zong, accusing him of abusing his position and damaging the family business.
• Ding Zhan offers Yang Ling a supposedly fair partnership, while Ding Zong reacts angrily to the proposal.
• Yang Ling reverses the expected power dynamic by refusing Ding Zhan’s terms and insisting that the conglomerates operate according to his conditions.

Chapter Summary: “Cultivation Space”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ding Zhan explains that curse techniques are not as unstoppable as Yang Ling believes. Within the Grandmaster Network, curses are weakened and generally cannot harm players outside missions or across different game worlds.
• Yang Ling realizes that remaining in Grandmaster Plaza or the Divine Realm protects him from most curse attacks. He also believes his Sacred Qilin Martial Dao Tinder makes him unusually resistant to curses of the same rank.
• Yang Ling gives Ding Zhan three days to have his ban lifted, warning that he will refuse future cooperation if nothing changes.
• Ding Zong mocks Yang Ling and insists that he deserves a harsher ban. Ding Zhan distances himself from Ding Zong, claiming that he and his sister are not Yang Ling’s enemies and suggesting an alliance.
• Ding Zong leaves angrily but warns Yang Ling that Ye Divine Fist was a core member of the powerful Flame Dragon Dynasty, which will seek revenge during Yang Ling’s upcoming mandatory mission.
• The mention of the Flame Dragon Dynasty alarms many Third-Grade Great Grandmasters in Song Yu Plaza. Yang Ling quietly memorizes the identities and auras of those who react suspiciously.
• Huo Si explains that the Flame Dragon Dynasty is an ancient and extremely powerful organization led by the Flame Dragon Sovereign. It is infamous for its vengeful nature and once destroyed a thriving game so completely that its servers were shut down.
• Although Huo Si urges Yang Ling to reconcile with the Dynasty, Yang Ling remains confident. He believes the Divine Realm has not yet revealed its full potential and cannot be forcibly eliminated so easily.
• Seeking a secure place to prepare, Yang Ling follows Huo Si to a shop selling private Cultivation Spaces. He purchases a Standard Cultivation Space for 50 Transaction Points per day.
• Inside the secluded space, Yang Ling prepares to cultivate using a Beginner Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion, an Experience Gift Pack, and one hundred Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling becomes more strategic and confident. Rather than fearing curses or the Flame Dragon Dynasty, he analyzes the limitations of both and begins planning for the future of the Divine Realm.
• Ding Zhan presents himself as pragmatic and relatively neutral toward Yang Ling, separating himself from Ding Zong and offering possible cooperation through his sister’s connections.
• Ding Zong is shown to be arrogant, vindictive, and politically cautious. After learning Yang Ling’s true importance, he decides to adjust his tactics instead of confronting him directly.
• Huo Si acts as a concerned adviser, warning Yang Ling about the Flame Dragon Dynasty and helping him locate a safe cultivation facility.

Significant Themes

• Power has hidden limits: Curse techniques may seem overwhelming, but the Grandmaster Network imposes restrictions that protect players outside missions.
• Strategic confidence versus recklessness: Yang Ling does not blindly dismiss his enemies; he studies their abilities and organizations before deciding how to respond.
• Political alliances and factional power: The chapter emphasizes the importance of large organizations such as the Ding Clan and Flame Dragon Dynasty, as well as the value of maintaining neutral or friendly relationships.
• Preparation for future conflict: Yang Ling’s upcoming mandatory mission and the Flame Dragon Dynasty’s hostility create an approaching threat, prompting him to strengthen himself and improve the Divine Realm’s position.
• The protagonist’s exceptional advantages: As the first and only Grandmaster from the Divine Realm, Yang Ling possesses benefits and resistances unavailable to ordinary players.

Character Interactions

• Ding Zhan and Yang Ling negotiate over the ban, with Yang Ling setting a firm three-day deadline.
• Ding Zong attempts to undermine Yang Ling, but Yang Ling humiliates him by questioning his standing within the Ding Family.
• Ding Zhan rebukes Ding Zong indirectly by leaving without acknowledging him, intensifying Ding Zong’s anger.
• Ding Zong retaliates by warning Yang Ling about the Flame Dragon Dynasty.
• Huo Si discusses the Dynasty’s strength with Yang Ling and urges him to seek reconciliation, while Yang Ling remains determined to handle the threat himself.
• Huo Si then assists Yang Ling in finding and purchasing a private Cultivation Space, enabling Yang Ling to begin his next stage of preparation.

Yang Ling used pills and Experience Gift Packs to raise his strength and level before taking a Beginner Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion. The potion triggered an overwhelming itch, and he discovered hundreds of tiny hands had appeared on his body to scratch him.

• Yang Ling took a hundred Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills, absorbed their medicinal power, and raised his strength from 6,400 to 6,900.
• Yang Ling ate the Red, Orange, and Yellow Experience Mega Packs, reaching level 532 and gaining 98 free attribute points.
• Yang Ling assigned all 98 attribute points to agility, raising it to 7,770.
• Yang Ling drank the Beginner Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion and sat down to endure the mutation’s growing itch.
• Yang Ling checked his attributes, suspected the potion was fake, and then found several hundred pairs of tiny hands scratching his body.

Yang Ling endured a dangerous fourth gene mutation from the Beginner Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion, suppressing grotesque bodily changes with his Sacred Qilin Martial Dao Furnace. After the mutation ended, his attributes had risen sharply, and his mental power began surging again as a golden-lit crack appeared on his forehead.

• Yang Ling saw tiny hands and a second head appear during the mutation, then forced the manifestations to vanish.
• Yang Ling suspected the potion was unfinished or defective and used his Sacred Qilin Martial Dao Furnace to suppress further transformations.
• Yang Ling endured the mutation for more than two days and repeatedly checked his body until it ended.
• Yang Ling found that his strength, agility, and mental power had risen to 8,900, 9,770, and 6,000, respectively, unlocking the Bone Emperor Form.
• Yang Ling noticed his mental power surging again, while a golden-lit crack slowly formed on his forehead.

Chapter Summary: “Myriad Dharma Eye”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling activates the Myriad Dharma Eye, a new ability caused by the Beginner Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion. It grants:
  • 3,000 additional Mental Power
  • Doubled effects for all skills
  • A ten-second duration
  • Severe mental exhaustion afterward, reducing his Mental Power to just 1 point for three days.
• After using the ability, Yang Ling sleeps for three days and fully recovers. He begins considering how to combine the Myriad Dharma Eye with his White Bone Primordial Spirit Escape Technique for maximum combat effectiveness.
• Yang Ling responds to Madman, a powerful Grandmaster merchant, and arranges a trade. Because Madman has already used his monthly plaza-transfer opportunity, his subordinates deliver the goods through a mission-based route.
• The trade is completed at Song Yu Plaza. Yang Ling receives:
  • 200 Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills
  • 20 Basic Treasure-Storing Talismans
  • 1,000 Flying Eagle Sets
  • 10 Iron Bear Sets
    He pays 103,100 Transaction Points.
• Yang Ling asks Madman to continue acquiring experience items, Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills, storage talismans, and attribute-enhancing pills. Madman infers that Yang Ling is preparing to enter the Celestial Immortal Network, where missions and dungeons are level-restricted.
• Yang Ling consumes the 200 Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills, increasing his Strength to 9,900. His Agility is 9,770, placing both attributes near the Middle Third Grade limit.
• He deliberately avoids breaking through before completing his mandatory mission, since doing so would force him to face stronger Upper Third Grade opponents.
• Returning to A-9 City in the Abyssal Beast Grotto, Yang Ling assesses his combat strength. With equipment and cultivation, his Strength reaches 14,900 and his Agility 14,070.
• He concludes that he can likely defeat newly advanced Upper Third Grade experts and may even be competitive against many powerful natives, though top-tier Upper Third Grade experts remain dangerous.
• The chapter ends with Yang Ling meeting the enthusiastic white-haired elder and asking whether he can exchange all twenty Basic Treasure-Storing Talismans.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling gains a powerful but risky new skill. He becomes more confident in his combat abilities while remaining cautious about the skill’s short duration and debilitating side effect.
• His attributes rise dramatically through trade and pill consumption, bringing him close to the next realm’s limits.
• Yang Ling becomes increasingly strategic, prioritizing preparation, resource accumulation, and controlled advancement rather than rushing into a breakthrough.
• Madman is established as a capable and well-connected merchant. Although stronger than Yang Ling in raw base attributes, he acts dependably and efficiently in business.
• The white-haired elder appears eager to cooperate with Yang Ling and is impressed—or at least highly motivated—by the opportunity to conduct a large exchange.

Significant Themes

• Power accompanied by sacrifice: The Myriad Dharma Eye provides extraordinary temporary strength but leaves Yang Ling almost helpless afterward.
• Preparation and restraint: Yang Ling focuses on accumulating resources and improving his foundation before advancing realms.
• Strategic use of systems and commerce: Trade networks, missions, pills, equipment, and storage talismans are as important to Yang Ling’s progress as direct cultivation.
• Strength versus rank: Yang Ling’s official realm does not fully reflect his actual combat power, showing the importance of attributes, equipment, techniques, and experience.
• Risk management: Yang Ling carefully avoids breaking through too early and identifies the specific enemies capable of threatening him.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling and Madman negotiate the trade through messages. Yang Ling remains firm about payment only after delivery, while Madman tries unsuccessfully to obtain a deposit.
• Their relationship is primarily commercial, but Madman appears eager to maintain Yang Ling as a valuable customer and promises to continue finding rare resources.
• Madman’s comment about the Celestial Immortal Network prompts Yang Ling to reconsider the importance of rapidly increasing his level.
• Yang Ling’s interaction with the white-haired elder is direct and business-focused. Rather than engaging in pleasantries, he immediately asks about exchanging the twenty storage talismans, signaling his confidence and urgency.

Chapter Summary: “Not Much to It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling completes another trade with the Myriad Affairs Bureau, exchanging twenty newly refined Basic Treasure-Storing Talismans for two hundred Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills.
• The white-haired old man reveals that the Bureau can resell the talismans for at least twice their purchase price, though Yang Ling suspects the real profit is closer to three times the price.
• Yang Ling requests that the Bureau prepare even more Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills, as well as Black Tortoise Longevity Blood Pills, for his next visit.
• Two Fourth Grade cultivators attempt to follow Yang Ling after the transaction, but he disappears effortlessly, demonstrating that his true cultivation is far beyond their expectations.
• The Bureau reports the transaction to Nangong Fengge, deputy director of the Divine Guard Bureau. She suspects that Yang Ling’s talismans may come from an outside force cooperating with the Abyssal Beast Grotto, possibly involving the Nine Immortal Talisman Sect.
• One cultivator suggests capturing Yang Ling, but Nangong Fengge rejects the idea, reasoning that the talismans strengthen the Great Dream Dynasty and that the matter may simply be a legitimate transaction.
• Nangong Fengge decides to personally handle Yang Ling’s next transaction and investigate his background.
• She also reveals that Ji Tianming, an old traitor from the Crimson-Refined Fire Jiao Sect, is still alive and that she intends to meet the Grand Ancestor through Feng the Seal-Bearer.
• Yang Ling realizes that the white-haired old man secretly has ties to the Cicada-Holding Directorate. He becomes suspicious that Nangong Fengge may be planning to recruit the Grand Ancestor for a visit to Fire Jiao Island and rushes to return.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Displays increasing confidence in his strength and business position. He recognizes that he is now powerful enough to defeat Nangong Fengge, who once seemed overwhelmingly strong. He remains cautious about revealing his identity and carefully monitors those around him.
• Nangong Fengge: Proves perceptive and pragmatic by refusing to seize Yang Ling without clear cause. She prioritizes the Dynasty’s interests and chooses to investigate him personally. Her broader intentions regarding the Grand Ancestor remain ambiguous.
• The white-haired old man: Continues acting as the Bureau’s intermediary but is revealed to have connections with the Cicada-Holding Directorate. He is eager to preserve the profitable partnership with Yang Ling while cooperating with Nangong Fengge.
• The two Fourth Grade cultivators: Fail to track Yang Ling and are left embarrassed, highlighting the gap between their apparent strength and Yang Ling’s actual abilities.
• Ji Tianming and the Grand Ancestor: Though absent, both become important potential threats or players in future events.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and concealed alliances: Yang Ling hides his true strength and origins, while the white-haired old man’s secret affiliation and the possible involvement of the Nine Immortal Talisman Sect create political uncertainty.
• Power and changing perspectives: Yang Ling’s growth is emphasized by his realization that Nangong Fengge, once capable of killing him effortlessly, is now no threat to him.
• Pragmatism versus suspicion: The Divine Guard Bureau must balance national security concerns against the benefits of Yang Ling’s talismans.
• Political and strategic maneuvering: The trade is not merely commercial; it affects relations among the Myriad Affairs Bureau, the Divine Guard Bureau, the Cicada-Holding Directorate, the Nine Immortal Talisman Sect, and the Abyssal Beast Grotto.
• The value of cooperation: The Bureau tolerates uncertainty because Yang Ling’s goods are genuine, valuable, and beneficial to the Great Dream Dynasty.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling and the white-haired old man negotiate the talisman-for-pill exchange, establishing the foundation for continued cooperation.
• Nangong Fengge questions the Bureau’s interpretation of Yang Ling’s identity and decides to meet him herself.
• The white-haired old man reassures Nangong Fengge that she may investigate Yang Ling without taking credit away from him, preserving their working relationship.
• Nangong Fengge pressures the white-haired old man to arrange her meeting with the Cicada-Holding Directorate’s Grand Ancestor, exposing his hidden ties.
• Yang Ling secretly observes all of these interactions, evaluates Nangong Fengge’s strength, and concludes that her plans may pose a threat to Fire Jiao Island.