Chapter Summaries

Yang Ling gathered Lin Caiyi and the others to explain the Grandmaster Network, including its alien inhabitants, and gave them powerful Iron Bear Sets. The group equipped the gifts and gained a major boost to their combat strength, ending with renewed loyalty to Yang Ling.

• Lin Caiyi and the others met outside the Iron Garment Division after noticing Yang Ling had reached level 532 on the Divine Realm Level Rankings.
• Yang Ling told the group that the Grandmaster Network offered rapid leveling and abundant resources, and that aliens resembling humans lived there.
• Yang Ling explained that the network contained many games, factions, and corporations, easing the group’s fear that alien civilizations would focus on them.
• Yang Ling gave the group ten Iron Bear Sets, each requiring level 50 and boosting both attributes by 60 points while granting the Petrifying Skin skill.
• Lin Caiyi, Zhang Wei, and the others equipped the sets and celebrated their increased combat power, then declared their loyalty to Yang Ling.

Yang Ling distributed Iron Bear and Flying Eagle Sets to strengthen his allies, then went to meet Zhao Chongxu. He used the Myriad Dharma Eye to inspect Zhao Chongxu’s attributes, but fainted before the panel appeared, leaving Zhao Chongxu to wonder about his new ability.

• Yang Ling reserved two Iron Bear Sets for players who reached level fifty and reassured the others that he could afford the gear.
• Yang Ling produced a thousand Flying Eagle Sets and equipped the players below level fifty, telling them to aim for level fifty and prepare for Lower Eighth Rank assessments.
• Yang Ling ordered the others to send Flying Eagle Sets to their comrades and recalled those on Fire Jiao Island because trouble might arise there.
• Yang Ling arranged rank assessments for the players and went to meet Zhao Chongxu.
• Yang Ling used the Myriad Dharma Eye to inspect Zhao Chongxu’s attributes, but Zhao Chongxu sensed the ability and the attribute panel vanished before Yang Ling passed out.
• Zhao Chongxu asked Li Zhong about Yang Ling’s ability, then concluded that Yang Ling possessed a Dharma Eye divine ability.

Yang Ling revealed that his Dharma Eye let him witness the Great Dream Dynasty’s plans for Fire Jiao Island, prompting Zhao Chongxu to discuss the threat and send him away without ordering an immediate response. Yang Ling then traveled to Fire Jiao Island, where the Divine Ape Spirit Body appeared and reacted to his cultivation.

• Zhao Chongxu and Li Zhong discussed Yang Ling’s Dharma Eye and the Great Dream Dynasty’s entrenched spies while Yang Ling pretended to sleep.
• Yang Ling told Zhao Chongxu that Nangong Fengge had sought help from the Cicada-Holding Directorate’s Grand Ancestor over Fire Jiao Island, explaining that he had seen it through his divine ability.
• Zhao Chongxu said the threat was not urgent because the Fire Jiao Sect’s patriarch might still be alive, then told Yang Ling that the eldest princess had been looking for him.
• Yang Ling left the capital by diving into the harbor and flew toward Fire Jiao Island, worrying about Celestial Immortals becoming aberrant beasts.
• Yang Ling reached Fire Jiao Island and sensed several Third Grade experts before the Divine Ape Spirit Body appeared and commented on his cultivation.

Yang Ling warned Ji Tianming that Nangong Fengge had gone to seek the Cicada-Holding Directorate’s Grand Ancestor, and learned that Ji Tianming risked losing his sanity if his Primordial Spirit fully merged with his Jiao Dragon body. Ji Tianming asked Yang Ling to find Zhao De and have him kill the Grand Ancestor, leaving Yang Ling to decide whether to accept the dangerous mission.

• Yang Ling told Ji Tianming that Nangong Fengge had gone to the Abyssal Beast Grotto to ask the Grand Ancestor to suppress him.
• Ji Tianming explained that fully merging his Primordial Spirit with his Jiao Dragon body would make him a First-Grade Earthly Immortal but turn him into a mindless exotic beast.
• Ji Tianming revealed that the Divine Ape Visualization Diagram could let him discard his body and attain the Divine Path Realm, while Yang Ling realized his own art might eventually reach that level too.
• Yang Ling considered how players could use resources and experience points to develop Divine Path Realm arts and gain an advantage over native cultivators.
• Ji Tianming asked Yang Ling to find Zhao De in the Abyssal Beast Grotto and persuade him to kill the Grand Ancestor, promising to guard Zhao Kingdom’s waters if he survived.
• Ji Tianming warned Yang Ling that refusing the mission would leave him to accelerate his transformation and fight the Grand Ancestor, while Yang Ling himself would be beaten into a meat patty if Zhao De did not help.

Yang Ling agreed to travel through a hidden passage in Fire Cloud Cave to reach Jia-One City and find Zhao De, hoping he could help Ji Tianming. Ji Tianming gave Yang Ling six Martial Dao Holy Medicine fruits as gifts and warned him not to eat them.

• Yang Ling suggested making Ji Tianming his spirit pet, but Ji Tianming explained that Yang Ling’s cultivation was too low and insisted he find Zhao De.
• Ji Tianming revealed that an unstable, secret passage beneath Fire Cloud Cave led directly to Jia-One City, where Zhao De served as the Cicada-Holding Directorate’s seal keeper.
• Yang Ling decided to make the journey despite the risk that the passage might close and despite his upcoming Forced Mission.
• Yang Ling returned to Kyoto, entrusted the Flying Eagle Set to Lin Caiyi and the others, then went back to Fire Jiao Island with Ji Tianming.
• Ji Tianming opened the way to the passage and gave Yang Ling three Dragon Blood Bodhi fruits and three Water Bodhi fruits as gifts for Zhao De, warning him not to eat them.

Yang Ling learned that Martial Dao Holy Medicines could delay Earthly Immortals’ transformation into aberrant beasts, then returned to Jia-One City and sought out Zhao De. He called Zhao De “Master” and waited to see how the man would respond.

• Ji Tianming explained that Martial Dao Holy Medicines had cultivation-dependent effects and could delay Earthly Immortals’ transformation into aberrant beasts.
• Yang Ling stored the six medicines in his Green Dragon Ring and passed through the fissure back into the Abyssal Beast Grotto.
• At the Cicada-Holding Directorate, Yang Ling overheard that Seal Director Zhao had ordered a search for him and persuaded a eunuch to take him inside.
• Yang Ling met Zhao De in a guarded courtyard and asked him to dismiss everyone before revealing his name.
• Yang Ling called Zhao De “Master,” and Zhao De’s smile disappeared as he stared at him.

Chapter Summary: Dreams Don’t Count

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling meets Zhao De, who is shocked when Yang Ling calls him “Master.” Yang Ling explains that his sworn brother, Ji Tianming, sent him.
• They discuss their shared dreams, in which Zhao De had taught Yang Ling the Candle Dragon Seven-Star Swordplay. Zhao De confirms that Yang Ling’s dream training and the benefits he gained from the Abyssal Beast Grotto have become real.
• Yang Ling demonstrates the sword technique, revealing that he has reached Transcendent Mastery and is nearing the Upper Third Grade.
• Zhao De accepts Yang Ling as his disciple, making Yang Ling his first official disciple despite their relationship originating from a dream.
• Yang Ling conveys Ji Tianming and Nangong Fengge’s request for Zhao De to confront the Grand Ancestor of the Cicada-Holding Directorate at Fire Jiao Island.
• To persuade Zhao De and support the mission, Yang Ling presents him with a complete First-Grade Immortal King Armor, along with three Water Bodhi and three Dragon Blood Bodhi.
• Zhao De is astonished by the armor, which is priceless because complete Divine Weapon Armor can no longer be forged. After equipping it, he determines that it increases his combat strength by at least twenty percent.
• With the armor, Zhao De believes few Celestial Immortals of the Great Dream Dynasty can threaten him. He agrees to prevent the Grand Ancestor from leaving the Abyssal Beast Grotto, even if he cannot kill him.
• Zhao De realizes Yang Ling considers the dream-gained treasures and experiences to be real. He jokingly orders Yang Ling to kowtow several more times, declaring that “dreams don’t count.”

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Shows greater power, maturity, and strategic thinking. He successfully proves the reality of his dream inheritance, gains Zhao De’s formal recognition as his disciple, and uses an extraordinary gift to secure Zhao De’s assistance.
• Zhao De: Moves from suspicion and confusion to acceptance and pride. He acknowledges Yang Ling as his founding disciple and gains renewed confidence after receiving the armor, which helps him act more freely without fear of exposing his identity.
• Ji Tianming and Nangong Fengge: Though absent, they drive the chapter’s central mission by seeking Zhao De’s help against the Grand Ancestor.

Significant Themes

• Dreams versus reality: The chapter explores how events experienced in dreams can leave tangible effects in the real world. Zhao De initially treats the past as a dream, while Yang Ling insists that its consequences are real.
• Master-disciple bonds: The relationship between Yang Ling and Zhao De evolves from a strange dream connection into a genuine master-disciple relationship.
• Trust and proof: Yang Ling earns Zhao De’s trust not through words alone, but by demonstrating his cultivation and offering irrefutable evidence in the form of the Divine Weapon Armor.
• Power and security: The armor dramatically increases Zhao De’s confidence and reduces the danger of revealing his true identity.
• Value beyond material wealth: The armor functions not only as a powerful weapon but also as a symbol of Yang Ling’s gratitude and the reality of their shared history.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling carefully addresses Zhao De as “Master,” while Zhao De interrogates him about his identity, other masters, cultivation, and their shared dreams.
• Zhao De tests Yang Ling’s swordsmanship and recognizes the quality of his progress.
• Yang Ling respectfully presents the armor and medicines, while Zhao De reacts with rare excitement and admiration.
• Their interaction shifts from cautious suspicion to genuine familial warmth, ending with Zhao De playfully demanding more kowtows while accepting Yang Ling as his disciple.

Yang Ling consumed Water Bodhis and Dragon Blood Bodhis, gaining levels and successfully enhancing his White Bone Primordial Spirit Method. Zhao De arranged a temporary identity for him, but Yang Ling demonstrated that he could hide inside the grandmaster network.

• Zhao De confirmed Yang Ling had an excellent foundation and gave him three Water Bodhis and three Dragon Blood Bodhis.
• Yang Ling ate the Water Bodhis, rose from level 532 to 592, and assigned his sixty new attribute points to agility.
• Zhao De explained that Dragon Blood Bodhis could enhance a skill, and Yang Ling failed to enhance a skill with the first two.
• Yang Ling's third Dragon Blood Bodhi successfully added a white bone loose immortal form to his White Bone Primordial Spirit Method.
• Zhao De offered to give Yang Ling a eunuch identity and obtain him a First-Rate Internal Skill, but Yang Ling vanished into the grandmaster network and reappeared after Zhao De failed to find him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao De meets Yang Ling and warns him to hide in Jia-One City, since his appearance at the Cicada-Holding Directorate may attract investigation if his master’s identity is exposed.
• Zhao De discovers that Yang Ling is the mysterious source of the rare Treasure-Storing Talismans. He advises Yang Ling to sell them in the Abyssal Beast Grotto rather than the Zhao Kingdom, where political enemies might target him.
• Yang Ling explains the dangers he has faced:
  • He captured the Rong Tribe expert Jiang Zhuo and killed the Third Grade expert Jiang Li.
  • The Crown Prince tried to seize credit for his achievements through Qi Baiyan.
  • Qi Baiyan attacked him with the Deep-Sea Curse, which Yang Ling survived because of his powerful Martial Dao Furnace.
  • Eagle Taisui later ambushed him in Kyoto.
  • An official, Qi Tairan, attempted to frame him as a Rong Tribe spy.
• Zhao De promises to accompany Yang Ling back to the Zhao Kingdom after dealing with the Grand Ancestor, implying that he intends to confront or punish those who mistreated his disciple.
• Yang Ling demonstrates his concealment technique. Zhao De cannot detect him and realizes that Yang Ling may be entering a dreamlike space. He identifies its main weakness: Yang Ling must return to the exact location from which he disappeared.
• Zhao De then deliberately leaves the Cicada-Holding Directorate with attendants to visit the Grand Ancestor, while Yang Ling travels to the Grandmaster Network.
• At Song Yu Plaza, Yang Ling remembers several powerful figures from the past and gains confidence from Zhao De’s strength and First-Grade Immortal King Armor.
• Ding Zong confronts Yang Ling about the bounty issued against him by several major factions. He claims the Flame Dragon Dynasty is helping organize the campaign because of Yang Ling’s conflict with Ye Divine Fist.
• Ding Zong offers Yang Ling a final chance: apologize by saying, “Sorry, I was wrong,” in exchange for Ding Zong using his influence to suppress the bounty and giving Yang Ling half a percent of the profits.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Reveals the political persecution and repeated attacks he has endured. Despite his anger, he remains confident in his abilities and increasingly trusts Zhao De’s protection. His mastery of concealment has become so advanced that even Zhao De cannot immediately locate him.
• Zhao De: Shows himself to be protective, perceptive, and politically powerful. He learns the truth behind the Treasure-Storing Talismans and decides to support Yang Ling publicly, even promising to return with him to the Zhao Kingdom.
• Ding Zong: Becomes more openly antagonistic and condescending. His offer of help is framed as a demand for submission, suggesting that he wants Yang Ling to publicly admit fault rather than genuinely resolve the conflict.
• Yang Ling’s enemies: The Crown Prince, Qi Baiyan, Eagle Taisui, Qi Tairan, and the Flame Dragon Dynasty are presented as part of a broader network of political and personal threats.

Significant Themes

• Political corruption and injustice: Yang Ling’s achievements are repeatedly stolen or punished because of factional interests.
• Master-disciple loyalty: Zhao De’s willingness to accompany Yang Ling and confront the Zhao Kingdom’s enemies demonstrates strong loyalty and protection.
• Hidden power and strategic survival: Yang Ling’s concealment technique and the Treasure-Storing Talismans represent advantages he must carefully conceal in a dangerous political environment.
• Pride versus submission: Ding Zong’s demand that Yang Ling apologize highlights the central conflict between preserving dignity and accepting protection through humiliation.
• Uncertainty surrounding ancient powers: Zhao De’s trip to meet the Grand Ancestor raises questions about whether the legendary figure remains intelligent or has transformed into a strange beast.

Character Interactions

• Zhao De and Yang Ling: Their conversation deepens their master-disciple bond. Yang Ling confides in Zhao De about his persecution, while Zhao De offers practical advice and promises direct support.
• Zhao De and the Grand Ancestor: Zhao De intentionally goes to meet the Grand Ancestor, treating the encounter as both a formal visit and an opportunity to test the being’s remaining intelligence.
• Yang Ling and the surrounding players: Yang Ling ignores their suspicious or hostile reactions, confident that they do not understand his true circumstances.
• Ding Zong and Yang Ling: Ding Zong attempts to intimidate Yang Ling by emphasizing the bounty against him, then offers conditional assistance in exchange for a public apology and submission.

Chapter Summary: “A Bunch of Trash!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling’s good mood is destroyed when Ding Zong confronts him over the bounty placed on Yang Ling through a mandatory mission encirclement.
• Despite being targeted by numerous powerful players, Yang Ling openly insults Ding Zong, calling him and the “top-tier big shots” supporting him trash.
• Ding Zong responds with a severe threat: because Yang Ling is currently only a Divine Realm player, Ding Zong cannot personally enter the same mission to kill him. He vows instead to kill every Divine Realm player he encounters and help eliminate Divine Realm entirely.
• Yang Ling declares that once he reaches Upper Third Grade, he and Ding Zong will enter the same mission, where Yang Ling will crush him.
• A group of Upper Third Grade players from the top-fifty games Savage Wilderness, Violet Abode, and Azure Nether arrives at Song Yu Plaza. Their presence draws attention because the three games are powerful and allied with the local factions.
• Lei Shao, a member of the formidable Lei Clan Divine Weapon Group, mocks Yang Ling and Ding Zong’s confrontation. Yang Ling immediately insults Lei Shao’s appearance, provoking laughter from Lei Shao’s companions and embarrassing him.
• A Violet Abode player attempts to probe Divine Realm’s strength by asking about its Earthly Immortals. Yang Ling refuses to reveal anything and boldly claims Divine Realm will someday enter the top ten games.
• Lei Shao and the others ridicule Divine Realm, predicting its swift elimination. Yang Ling counters that he is currently the only Divine Realm player, so there is no one else for them to eliminate.
• Yang Ling boasts that Ye Divine Fist of Flame Dragon Security previously tried to trouble him and was killed. He warns the assembled players to prepare medical expenses and coffins for the people sent to encircle him.
• The confrontation escalates when Yang Ling repeatedly insults Lei Shao’s family after Lei Shao orders him to repeat himself.
• During the argument, Yang Ling receives messages from Madman, who explains that trading with Yang Ling has become dangerous because of the bounty and threats against his family. Madman cuts off contact and disappears from Yang Ling’s friend list.
• Furious at the persecution and betrayal, Yang Ling turns his anger on the assembled wealthy heirs, cursing all of them.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling/Luo Kai: Displays extreme confidence, defiance, and aggressiveness. Rather than being intimidated by the bounty or the powerful factions targeting him, he deliberately provokes them and treats their threats as meaningless. His anger also reveals how deeply he is affected by the isolation caused by the bounty.
• Ding Zong: Moves from smug provocation to genuine hostility. He presents himself as restrained, but his threats show that he is obsessed with destroying Yang Ling and Divine Realm. He also takes satisfaction in watching Lei Shao become insulted.
• Lei Shao: Initially acts amused and superior, treating Yang Ling as a madman. His composure breaks when Yang Ling repeatedly insults him, revealing his pride and sensitivity.
• Madman: Represents the collateral damage caused by the bounty. Although he appears sympathetic toward Yang Ling, fear for his family forces him to sever their relationship.
• The Violet Abode player: Takes a more measured, inquisitive approach, attempting to gather information about Divine Realm’s strength rather than immediately provoking Yang Ling.

Significant Themes

• Defiance against overwhelming power: Yang Ling refuses to submit even when facing powerful groups, a bounty, and the possibility of Divine Realm’s elimination.
• Pride and provocation: The chapter’s conflict is driven largely by insults and wounded status. Yang Ling uses verbal aggression as both a weapon and a declaration that he cannot be intimidated.
• Isolation and persecution: The bounty affects more than Yang Ling’s personal safety; it causes allies and acquaintances to abandon him to protect themselves and their families.
• Class and factional arrogance: The wealthy heirs from powerful games assume Divine Realm is insignificant because of its ranking and current weakness, while Yang Ling rejects their hierarchy.
• Foreshadowing of future conflict: Yang Ling’s promise to advance to Upper Third Grade and confront Ding Zong suggests a future direct battle, while his claim that Divine Realm will enter the top ten challenges the established order.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling and Ding Zong engage in a hostile exchange that solidifies their feud.
• Ding Zong and Lei Shao share an alliance of convenience, with Ding Zong subtly encouraging Lei Shao’s anger while pretending to advise restraint.
• Lei Shao attempts to intimidate Yang Ling, but Yang Ling reverses the power dynamic by mocking and humiliating him.
• The Violet Abode player tries to question Yang Ling about Divine Realm’s resources, but Yang Ling responds with defiance rather than information.
• Madman’s withdrawal from Yang Ling’s life demonstrates how the bounty damages Yang Ling’s remaining relationships and intensifies his anger toward the factions pursuing him.

Huo Si joined Yang Ling as Lei Shao and the others threatened them and tried to block Yang Ling’s pill sales. Yang Ling offered his Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills at a discount, then entered the “Three Days in Netherworld City” mission after Wen Qingyao invited him to buy the batch.

• Huo Si arrived and reassured Yang Ling, while Lei Shao threatened to target Huo Si through the War Martial He Clan Credit and in real life.
• Yang Ling revealed he had two hundred Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills to sell and posted an offer for nineteen hundred transaction points each.
• Ding Zong and Lei Shao objected to Yang Ling’s discounted sale, and Lei Shao threatened players who considered buying the pills.
• Wen Qingyao sent Yang Ling a friend request and invited him to join the “Three Days in Netherworld City” mission, offering to buy his pills.
• Yang Ling joined the five-person Middle Third Grade survival mission, and the mission began as Lei Shao and the others watched him disappear.

Chapter Summary: “We Have No Other Intentions”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling, operating under the name Luo Kai, meets Wen Qingyao and three companions outside Netherworld City to complete a black-market transaction.
• Wen Qingyao purchases two hundred Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills for 380,000 Transaction Points, which Yang Ling accepts only after emphasizing his reputation and integrity.
• After payment is transferred, Yang Ling produces the pills from his Green Dragon Ring. Wen Qingyao’s group carefully inspects every pill before storing them.
• Yang Ling asks whether the group has other valuable goods, such as Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills or attribute-enhancing items, but Wen Qingyao says they came only to buy and brought nothing to sell.
• Yang Ling detects unusual nervousness in one of Wen Qingyao’s companions. Using his powerful Mental Power, he monitors the man’s heartbeat and emotional state.
• Wen Qingyao explains the dangers of the Three Days in Netherworld City mission:
  • Its primary dangers are mental rather than physical.
  • Participants generally need at least 3,500 Mental Power to survive with some safety.
  • Around 4,000 Mental Power makes survival relatively easy unless special bosses appear.
  • Encountering those bosses gives ordinary participants less than a 10% survival rate; even with 5,000 Mental Power, survival is only around 40–50%.
  • The bosses are activated by specific triggers, which can be avoided.
• Before entering the city, Wen Qingyao lights a special Divine Weapon in the form of an incense burner containing four incense sticks. She claims its smoke will reduce the mission’s danger.
• Yang Ling becomes increasingly suspicious of the incense and of the nervous companion. When he suggests extinguishing it, the man reacts strongly, revealing that the item and their intentions may be connected.
• Wen Qingyao initially accuses Yang Ling of being excessively suspicious, but Yang Ling points out that her companion’s lie exposed him.
• With less than one-third of the incense remaining, Wen Qingyao finally admits that they were sent by a corporation. They claim they only intended to purchase the pills privately so that the products would not enter the open market and harm their corporation’s interests.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling/Luo Kai demonstrates strong business instincts, confidence, and caution. He values his reputation but does not allow it to make him careless.
• His unusually powerful Mental Power enables him to detect lies, emotional changes, and hidden intentions, making him suspicious of the group before they reveal themselves.
• Yang Ling also shows growing interest in Netherworld City’s rules and rewards, suggesting he is evaluating both the risks and potential benefits of the mission.
• Wen Qingyao appears calm, professional, and financially decisive during the transaction, but her guarded behavior reveals that she is concealing part of her group’s purpose.
• She eventually abandons the pretense of complete honesty and admits the group’s corporate affiliation.
• Wen Qingyao’s companion is less composed. His visible nervousness and angry responses make him the weak point in the group’s deception.
• The other companions remain largely passive, functioning as part of Wen Qingyao’s team and supporting the transaction.

Significant Themes

• Trust and reputation: Yang Ling insists that integrity is more important than corporate pressure, but the chapter shows that even apparently honest transactions may conceal ulterior motives.
• Suspicion versus deception: Yang Ling’s ability to read mental and emotional signs allows him to challenge false explanations and uncover the group’s hidden agenda.
• Corporate control and black markets: The corporation seeks to control the distribution of the Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills, revealing competition over rare resources and the economic impact of powerful goods.
• Mental strength and survival: Netherworld City’s main threat is psychological, making Mental Power as important as physical cultivation.
• Hidden danger: The ominous city, the red-tinged sky, the strange incense, and the group’s secretive behavior all reinforce the chapter’s atmosphere of concealed threats.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling and Wen Qingyao begin with a formal buyer-seller relationship based on mutual trust and reputation.
• After the successful exchange, Yang Ling attempts to establish a broader trading relationship by asking about additional goods.
• His questioning of Wen Qingyao’s companion creates tension, especially when he challenges the man’s claim that his nervousness is caused only by the mission.
• Wen Qingyao repeatedly attempts to calm the situation and defend her companion, but Yang Ling’s mental perception exposes the deception.
• The chapter ends with Wen Qingyao admitting the group’s corporate connection, while insisting that they have “no other intentions,” leaving their true plans uncertain.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Qingyao’s team reveals their plan: the four Soul-Returning Incense sticks were intended to let them leave the Youluo Three Days mission early, causing the mission to treat them as dead and dramatically increasing the difficulty for Yang Ling, who would be left behind.
• Yang Ling exposes the deception and attacks. He kills the two Middle Third Grade players, spares the player who first revealed the flaw, and restrains Wen Qingyao.
• He destroys the incense burner and demands the return of the Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pill.
• Wen Qingyao explains that deaths outside Youluo City increase the mission’s difficulty by 30% each. With two teammates dead, the difficulty has risen by 60%.
• Yang Ling realizes that if the entire team had escaped, the mission would have judged them as dead and increased the difficulty by 120%, leaving him trapped alone.
• The surviving player, Chen Zhiming, reveals the true terror of the mission: one day in Youluo equals one year in the mortal world. Completing the mission would require enduring three years of subjective time, and the increased difficulty may prevent them from surviving even a month.
• Yang Ling remains confident because the mission primarily tests Mental Power, and he possesses exceptionally high Mental Power along with the Myriad Dharma Eye as an emergency safeguard.
• Wen Qingyao returns the Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pill and asks Yang Ling to take her and Chen Zhiming out of Youluo City.
• Under Yang Ling’s pressure, Chen Zhiming explains that Wen Qingyao targeted Yang Ling for the rewards offered by major groups and the merit points of the Flame Dragon Dynasty.
• Wen Qingyao admits that Ding Zong of the Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group gave her access to the Youluo Three Days mission and supplied the Transaction Points used in her trade with Yang Ling.
• She offers to reveal Ding Zong’s whereabouts if Yang Ling can help them survive and escape.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling demonstrates sharp judgment, decisiveness, and confidence. He quickly identifies the team’s hidden strategy, eliminates the immediate threat, recovers his pill, and remains calm despite the mission’s increased difficulty.
• Wen Qingyao shifts from a manipulative conspirator to a desperate negotiator. After her plan fails, she acknowledges her responsibility and attempts to secure Yang Ling’s protection by offering information about Ding Zong.
• Chen Zhiming is shown to be suspicious and cautious, having distrusted Yang Ling from the beginning. However, his habit of exposing flaws contributed to the team’s collapse, leading to an argument with Wen Qingyao.
• The unnamed teammates are eliminated almost instantly, emphasizing Yang Ling’s overwhelming strength and the danger of opposing him.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and manipulation: Wen Qingyao’s group attempts to exploit the mission’s rules to sacrifice Yang Ling, but their scheme is uncovered.
• The consequences of greed: Wen Qingyao’s pursuit of Transaction Points and merit rewards places the entire team in mortal danger.
• Time and psychological endurance: The mission’s greatest horror is not merely physical danger but the distortion of time, forcing players to endure years of suffering.
• Trust as a bargaining tool: After betraying Yang Ling, Wen Qingyao tries to rebuild cooperation through honesty, repayment, and valuable information.
• Power and composure: Yang Ling’s calmness contrasts with the others’ despair, establishing his confidence and superior preparation.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling confronts Wen Qingyao about the incense and forces her to admit the team’s plan.
• Chen Zhiming and Wen Qingyao blame each other for the failed ambush: he accuses her of greed, while she blames him for repeatedly exposing weaknesses.
• Yang Ling questions Wen Qingyao’s motives and makes Chen Zhiming explain the truth instead of trusting her account.
• Wen Qingyao attempts to persuade Yang Ling to rescue the survivors by presenting the returned pill and information about Ding Zong as proof of good faith.

Yang Ling confronted Wen Qingyao and Chen Zhiming about their mission, then refused to enter Netherworld City and declared he would kill the Netherworld King. Wen Qingyao offered a Gold-Grade Pangu Internal Skill Exchange Voucher, and Yang Ling agreed to spare her while throwing in Chen Zhiming's life for free.

• Yang Ling doubted Wen Qingyao's claims and questioned her Mental Power, while Chen Zhiming confirmed that killing the two of them would raise the mission difficulty.
• Wen Qingyao and Chen Zhiming explained the Netherworld King's Upper Third Grade strength, the mission's rewards, and the danger of surviving inside Netherworld City.
• With the countdown nearly over, Yang Ling refused to enter the city and said he would kill the Netherworld King instead.
• Wen Qingyao offered Transaction Points, but Yang Ling rejected them and vowed to show what happened to the corporations' lapdogs.
• Wen Qingyao revealed a Gold-Grade Pangu Internal Skill Exchange Voucher, and Yang Ling accepted it in exchange for sparing her and Chen Zhiming.

Yang Ling accepted Wen Qingyao’s Gold-Grade Technique Exchange Voucher and stayed behind to claim the reward for killing the Netherworld King. He revealed his Bone Emperor spirit manifestation and defeated the Netherworld King, earning an SS+ quest rating.

• Wen Qingyao gave Yang Ling her Gold-Grade Technique Exchange Voucher after agreeing that he would protect Chen Zhiming too.
• Yang Ling refused to enter Netherworld City with Wen Qingyao and Chen Zhiming, choosing to stay and pursue the Netherworld King’s reward.
• Yang Ling summoned his fifty-meter-tall Bone Emperor spirit manifestation, revealing that the figure was not the Netherworld King.
• Wen Qingyao told Yang Ling that the order to target him had come from the Celestial Immortal Network through a veteran Flame Dragon Dynasty expert.
• The Netherworld King charged at them, but Yang Ling’s Myriad Dharma Eye boosted his power and the Bone Emperor devoured the boss.
• Yang Ling received confirmation that he had killed the Netherworld King and achieved an SS+ quest rating.

Chapter Summary: “Warped Good!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Netherworld King is unexpectedly killed almost instantly by Yang Ling’s Bone Emperor, shocking Chen Zhiming and Wen Qingyao.
• Yang Ling insists he did not consciously control the attack. He realizes the Bone Emperor may possess independent intelligence, suggesting something unusual about the White Bone Primordial Spirit Method.
• The Myriad Dharma Eye’s backlash reduces Yang Ling’s Mental Power to one point, but the experience gained from killing Netherworld King immediately restores his strength and triggers seven level-ups, bringing him to Level 599.
• Since the task has not yet concluded, Chen Zhiming apologizes for his earlier hostility. Yang Ling dismisses the matter and offers to undertake future escort missions—for extremely valuable compensation such as Silver- or Gold-Grade Technique Exchange Vouchers, rare resources, or attribute-enhancing medicines.
• The mission rewards are distributed:
  • Chen Zhiming and Wen Qingyao each receive 100 Mental Power.
  • Yang Ling receives 1,000 Mental Power and an Intermediate Bloodline Gene Mutation Potion, raising his Mental Power limit from 6,000 to 7,000.
  • He also gains 380,000 Transaction Points and retains the Gold-Grade Technique Exchange Voucher received from Wen Qingyao.
• Wen Qingyao and Chen Zhiming leave cautiously after the task ends, while Yang Ling returns to Song Yu Plaza after only ten minutes.
• Yang Ling plans to save the potion and voucher until after completing his mandatory task, using them to help break through from the Middle Third Grade to the Upper Third Grade.
• Upon returning, he finds Ding Zong, Lei Shao, and others still watching him suspiciously.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Becomes increasingly powerful but is also unsettled by the Bone Emperor’s apparent self-awareness. He grows more confident in his value and begins considering escort missions as a profitable way to obtain rare cultivation resources. His focus remains on strategic advancement and eventually undergoing Tribulation Lightning, though he is uncertain about losing access to the Grandmaster Network afterward.
• Wen Qingyao: Her view of Yang Ling changes from cautious observation to genuine awe. She recognizes that his strength may rival or surpass legendary first-generation players from powerful games. Receiving 100 Mental Power partly offsets the enormous cost of the Gold-Grade Technique Exchange Voucher.
• Chen Zhiming: His fear and hostility disappear after witnessing Yang Ling’s overwhelming strength. He apologizes and adopts a respectful, flattering attitude.
• Netherworld King: Serves mainly as a powerful opponent whose effortless defeat demonstrates the terrifying potential of Yang Ling’s Bone Emperor.
• Ding Zong and Lei Shao: Remain suspiciously interested in Yang Ling’s return, foreshadowing further conflict.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and loss of control: Yang Ling’s victory is impressive but disturbing because the Bone Emperor acts independently, raising questions about whether his power can be controlled.
• Power determines status: Chen Zhiming and Wen Qingyao’s attitudes shift immediately after witnessing Yang Ling’s strength, showing how respect and fear are tied to cultivation ability.
• Strategic growth: Yang Ling carefully preserves rare items and delays using them until they will provide the greatest advantage.
• Rewards and inequality: The mission’s prizes reveal the enormous value of Mental Power, bloodline-enhancing potions, and technique vouchers, while highlighting the gap between elite players and ordinary cultivators.
• Ambition versus uncertainty: Yang Ling seeks rapid advancement but worries that becoming a Human Immortal could cut him off from the Grandmaster Network and lead him into an unknown future.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling reassures Wen Qingyao and Chen Zhiming that he will not punish them for their earlier misunderstanding, while subtly directing his offer of future protection toward Wen Qingyao.
• Chen Zhiming’s apology reflects his complete reversal from suspicion to submission.
• Wen Qingyao evaluates Yang Ling’s power and background, silently comparing him to legendary top players.
• Yang Ling dismisses Wen Qingyao and Chen Zhiming’s hurried departure as cowardly, then confronts the still-present Ding Zong and Lei Shao, setting up the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “You Can Go Verify It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling returns after a failed-looking trade attempt, but his calm, cheerful attitude suggests he has gained something significant.
• Lei Shao mocks Yang Ling, assuming the trade for Black Tiger Spirit-Nourishing Pills failed because the major corporations have placed bounties on him and blacklisted him.
• A female player from the Violet Abode reveals the real reason for Yang Ling’s confidence: he successfully completed the extremely difficult Three Days in Netherworld City mission through its hardest route.
• Yang Ling defeated the Netherworld King in one attack, despite the mission’s difficulty having increased by 60% because two Flame Dragon Dynasty players had already been killed.
• The Flame Dragon Dynasty’s survivors allegedly claim that Yang Ling possesses a Divine Weapon capable of countering Mental Power.
• The Violet Abode player offers 300,000 Transaction Points for the weapon, but Yang Ling refuses to sell it.
• Instead, Yang Ling offers to be hired to help qualified players speed-clear the mission. However, the present corporations’ members are too powerful to enter it, since they have surpassed Middle Third Grade.
• Yang Ling suggests that the corporations could send younger family members to hire him. He emphasizes that he kept two Flame Dragon Dynasty players alive because they had hired him, proving that he treats business separately from personal hostility.
• Lei Shao and the other young masters leave to consult their elders, recognizing that Yang Ling’s proposal may offer a way to obtain valuable Mental Power.
• When Huo Si asks about the mission, Yang Ling refuses to discuss it publicly and promises to explain privately, protecting the value of his information.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Becomes more confident and commercially shrewd. He exploits his success in the mission to challenge the corporations’ blacklist and creates a potential new business as a power-leveling specialist. His willingness to spare clients demonstrates both reliability and strategic thinking.
• Lei Shao: His mockery turns into suspicion and concern after learning about Yang Ling’s achievement. He recognizes Yang Ling as a serious threat and potential business opportunity, though he still attempts to pressure him into surrendering the Divine Weapon.
• Ding Zong: Initially avoids provoking Lei Shao, but later becomes thoughtful and cautious as Yang Ling’s offer reveals possible room for negotiation.
• Violet Abode intelligence player: Provides crucial information about Yang Ling’s feat and immediately attempts to purchase his weapon, showing her faction’s interest in Mental Power and rare equipment.
• Flame Dragon Dynasty: Their report creates confusion. Yang Ling suspects they may be concealing the existence of the Bone Emperor and the White Bone Primordial Spirit Method while trying to claim his other advantages for themselves.

Significant Themes

• Power of information: Knowledge of Yang Ling’s mission success dramatically changes how the corporations view him.
• Business versus personal conflict: Yang Ling insists that commercial dealings can remain separate from hostility, allowing even enemies to hire him.
• Strategic concealment: The unclear reports about the Divine Weapon may be deliberate misinformation meant to hide Yang Ling’s true abilities and the Bone Emperor’s existence.
• Negotiation and leverage: Yang Ling turns his achievement into bargaining power, refusing to sell his weapon while offering a more profitable service.
• Reputation and credibility: By sparing clients who hired him, Yang Ling establishes himself as someone whose promises can be trusted.

Important Character Interactions

• Lei Shao mocks Yang Ling, but Yang Ling responds calmly and dismissively, refusing to be intimidated.
• The Violet Abode player publicly reveals Yang Ling’s accomplishment and tries to buy his Divine Weapon.
• Yang Ling rejects the sale and instead offers mission-clearing services to the corporations’ younger members.
• He reminds the corporations that their blacklist only forbids trading with him, not hiring him, cleverly exposing a loophole in their policy.
• Lei Shao and the others retreat to consult their elders, while Yang Ling keeps the mission’s details private from the surrounding players.

Yang Ling warned Huo Si to stay cautious as the groups’ ban put both of them at risk, then searched for another mission. Ding Zhan contacted Yang Ling about escorting clan members through Three Days in Netherworld City, and Yang Ling set firm terms for the cooperation.

• Yang Ling told Huo Si to avoid trusting mission partners, and Huo Si planned to attend War Martial’s black market and spend his transaction points on items to strengthen himself.
• After Huo Si left, Yang Ling searched for an eight-star mission that would help him reach level 600 before his forced mission.
• Yang Ling accepted Ding Zhan’s repeated friend requests and challenged him about the ban and bounty against him.
• Ding Zhan explained that his family wanted to hire Yang Ling to escort younger clan members through Three Days in Netherworld City, offering either no fee or goods worth 50,000 transaction points.
• Yang Ling insisted that he would kill the Netherworld King and demanded Silver-Grade and Gold-Grade Technique Exchange Vouchers as payment, with a rebate afterward to cover opening the mission.

Chapter Summary: “Long Time No See”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Ling negotiates with Ding Zhan’s family to escort their disciples through the eight-star mission Three Days in Netherworld City.
• His initial demands are substantial: 100 Basic Treasure-Storing Talismans, 2,000 Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills, and ten each of Pangu’s Strength and Agility Supplements.
• The Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group debates whether cooperating with Yang Ling violates the ban imposed by the major groups. Some executives fear punishment or accusations of secretly supporting a banned individual.
• Ding Sinan argues that escorting a mission is not explicitly forbidden and that the rewards justify the risk. Each run could grant the disciples significant Mental Power, potentially allowing four fixed disciples to gain around 1,000 points each across their stored mission entries.
• The group attempts to renegotiate. Yang Ling refuses to lower his terms or offer a rebate, though he agrees to let their people attempt to claim the Netherworld King’s kill qualification, without guaranteeing success.
• A compromise is reached: ten Basic Treasure-Storing Talismans and 100 Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills for a trial run, with no supplements included.
• Ding Zhan proposes sending his younger sister, and Ding Sinan selects four participants. Despite the promised Mental Power gains, the executives are reluctant because the mission is dangerous and Yang Ling might kill them.
• Yang Ling enters Three Days in Netherworld City with two men and two women from the Ding Clan as their escort.
• Seeing the familiar mission environment, Yang Ling remarks, “Long time no see,” implying that he has recently cleared the mission and is already planning to exploit it repeatedly.
• He demands his escort payment immediately and tells the four participants to obey him completely, since he retains final authority during the mission.
• Yang Ling realizes the mission has no cooldown and begins considering the enormous increase in Mental Power he could gain by clearing all eighteen stored entries.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling becomes increasingly calculating and opportunistic. He accepts the trial arrangement not merely for the immediate payment but because it may give him repeated access to the mission and a chance to greatly increase his Mental Power.
• Ding Zhan acts as the negotiator between Yang Ling and his family, showing both caution and loyalty. He ultimately supports sending his younger sister.
• Ding Sinan, Ding Zhan’s father and a senior executive, demonstrates strategic leadership. He overcomes the group’s fear of political consequences by emphasizing the mission’s exceptional Mental Power rewards.
• The Ding Clan executives remain divided between concern over violating the ban and desire to exploit a rare opportunity. Their reluctance to personally enter the mission highlights the dangers involved.
• The four selected disciples are cautious and uneasy. They have been instructed to remain humble and follow Yang Ling’s orders, recognizing his overwhelming experience and authority in the mission.

Significant Themes

• Risk versus reward: The Ding Clan must weigh political retaliation and possible death against the extraordinary value of gaining Mental Power.
• Rules and loopholes: The characters exploit the distinction between directly cooperating with a banned individual and hiring him as a mission escort.
• Power and leverage: Yang Ling’s experience gives him complete control over the negotiations and the mission itself, allowing him to dictate terms.
• Strategic opportunism: Both sides attempt to turn the arrangement to their advantage, but Yang Ling recognizes that the repeated mission access may be worth far more than his stated compensation.
• Mental Power as a scarce resource: The chapter emphasizes how difficult and expensive mental cultivation is, making Three Days in Netherworld City an unusually valuable opportunity.
• Trust and suspicion: The Ding Clan fears Yang Ling may target their disciples, while Yang Ling refuses to offer guarantees beyond his own authority and ability.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling and Ding Zhan negotiate through messages, with Ding Zhan conveying his family’s concerns and Yang Ling firmly maintaining his demands.
• Ding Zhan reports to Ding Sinan and the branch executives, becoming the intermediary in the family’s internal debate.
• Ding Sinan persuades the executives that the mission’s rewards justify cooperating with Yang Ling and directs Ding Zhan to negotiate revised terms.
• Ding Zhan unexpectedly volunteers his younger sister, connecting the business decision to his family’s future interests.
• Upon entering the mission, Yang Ling establishes a strict hierarchy with the four disciples: he is the escort and sole decision-maker, while they are expected to obey and wait for their rewards.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ding Jiangyao joins Yang Ling for the Three Days in Netherworld City mission at the request of her second brother, Ding Zhan. She gives Yang Ling ten Basic Treasure-Storing Talismans and one hundred Counterfeit Blood Tyrant Pills, and he pays her a commission of 50,000 Transaction Points.
• Ding Yunxi, a manager of the Tianbei branch of the Mystic Antiquity Ding Clan Alchemy Group, introduces herself and seeks to establish a relationship with Yang Ling. Yang Ling observes that Ding Jiangyao may not belong to the Ding Clan’s true core lineage because she was adopted by Director Si Nan.
• The group waits for the Netherworld King to respawn. The Ding descendants are anxious because they previously had to survive inside Netherworld City for three years, constantly threatened by spirit entities.
• When the Netherworld King appears, Yang Ling activates the Vajra White Bone Wisdom King Art and Myriad Dharma Eye, dramatically increasing his Mental Power. A gigantic bone-like manifestation instantly crushes, seizes, and devours the Netherworld King.
• The mission is completed almost immediately, but Yang Ling is enraged when the mission rating is only A+, compared with the SS+ rating he previously received. He realizes the reduced rating results from the current Netherworld King lacking the earlier 60% difficulty increase.
• Despite the poor rating, Yang Ling levels up and becomes the first player among 140 million Divine Realm players to reach level 600. He receives a Diamond Chest.
• The chest contains a Netherworld King’s Bone Finger and a base reward of 1,000 Mental Power. Yang Ling realizes that the base reward is unaffected by the mission rating, while only the bonus reward for rapid completion was reduced.
• The chapter ends with Ding Yunxi recognizing the significance of the reward, and Yang Ling confirming that it is indeed a Diamond Chest.

Character Developments

• Yang Ling: Demonstrates overwhelming combat power by killing the Netherworld King instantly. He is initially frustrated by the A+ rating and reduced experience but quickly recovers after obtaining the Diamond Chest and understanding the reward system. His cautious thoughts about the Bone Emperor Form show that he remains wary of the power he controls.
• Ding Jiangyao: Establishes herself as Ding Zhan’s trusted younger sister and Yang Ling’s client. Her confidence in Yang Ling helps reassure the other Ding descendants.
• Ding Yunxi: Acts as a socially skilled representative of the Ding Clan and attempts to draw closer to Yang Ling for guidance or cooperation. Her confidence is shaken when he dismisses her, but she remains attentive to his achievements.
• Ding Zhan: Does not appear directly, but his judgment and influence are important; he trusts Yang Ling enough to send Ding Jiangyao with him.
• The other Ding descendants: Begin the mission doubtful and nervous, but become stunned by Yang Ling’s effortless victory.

Significant Themes

• Power and overwhelming disparity: Yang Ling’s strength has advanced so far beyond the Netherworld King that the system lowers his mission rating for defeating an insufficiently powerful opponent.
• Rewards versus recognition: Yang Ling initially focuses on the disappointing A+ rating, but the Diamond Chest reminds him that true rewards can matter more than superficial rankings.
• Growth and milestones: Reaching level 600 marks Yang Ling’s status as the leading player in the game and confirms his rapid progression.
• Trust and political calculation: The Ding Clan is testing Yang Ling’s reliability while cautiously involving its members. Yang Ling also evaluates their family structure and motives.
• The risks of power: Yang Ling’s concern about the Bone Emperor Form suggests that his strongest abilities may possess independent or unpredictable potential.

Character Interactions

• Yang Ling and Ding Jiangyao formalize their business arrangement, with her supplying resources and him paying her commission.
• Ding Yunxi introduces herself and attempts to build rapport with Yang Ling, but he rejects her request for guidance because of his frustration over the mission rating.
• Ding Jiangyao defends Yang Ling’s capabilities, arguing that Ding Zhan would not have sent her if he lacked confidence in him.
• The Ding descendants witness Yang Ling’s spectacular victory and are left shocked by the gap between his abilities and their own expectations.