Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing returns to Dragon Lake Ring Island and arranges for Jiangnan Construction Company to renovate his five villas. He stores the precious Spirit Water safely in the Underground Base and decides not to drink it, since Taibai Jinxing warned that it could be dangerous to humans.
• Back in the Spirit Ruins, Shen Bing finds that the giant bird that had repeatedly killed him is gone. He runs north toward the Demon Emperor Hall, following Taibai Jinxing’s directions, and remains unharmed for over an hour.
• His route ends at another vast, bottomless cliff. Unsure where to go next, he teleports to Mount Huaguo to ask Sun Wukong for help finding the Demon Emperor Hall.
• Sun Wukong cannot direct him personally but agrees to ask Taibai Jinxing. In exchange, the system requires Shen Bing to accept a task: complete the second stage of Seven Great Sages Gather within one day.
• Sun Wukong asks Shen Bing to deliver an invitation to Great Sage Ventilation, the Macaque King. Shen Bing accepts, hoping to preserve the valuable quest and its special reward.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains cautious and practical: he protects the Spirit Water, avoids confronting dangers he cannot defeat, and seeks help when the Spirit Ruins’ scale defeats his navigation efforts. He is frustrated by the game-like system’s transactional rules but follows them when necessary.
• Taibai Jinxing remains an important but imperfect guide: his directions point Shen Bing north, yet lack the detail needed to navigate the enormous Spirit Ruins.
• Sun Wukong is friendly and willing to help, but the system turns his favor into a formal exchange. He asks Shen Bing to carry a message to the Macaque King, continuing the reunion effort among the Seven Great Sages.
• The fiery-red bird is revealed to still be following Shen Bing from far above, watching him mockingly despite his apparent escape.

Significant themes

• Survival through caution and resourcefulness: Shen Bing relies on planning, teleportation, and seeking allies rather than strength.
• Help comes at a price: Even friendly requests in the Immortal Realm are governed by tasks, rewards, and penalties.
• Uncertainty and scale: Shen Bing’s limited map and incomplete directions make the Spirit Ruins feel vast and perilous.
• Friendship and reunion: Sun Wukong’s wish to reconnect with his sworn brothers drives the new quest.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing learns that Sun Wukong does not know where King Macaque lives. The quest’s teleport function offers destinations for the Seven Great Sages, so Shen Bing travels directly to King Macaque’s remote, gloomy forest.
• Shen Bing calls out to King Macaque, but gets no response at first. He concludes the sage is either absent or deliberately ignoring him. When Shen Bing invokes Sun Wukong’s name, King Macaque finally answers—only to say he does not want to meet Sun Wukong and expects him to come in person.
• Sun Wukong is away on urgent business at the Heavenly Court, leaving Shen Bing to persuade King Macaque alone. A call from Li Xiao interrupts his efforts, and Shen Bing postpones the problem while heading to a scheduled evening outing.
• Li Xiao suggests luring a monkey with fruit. Shen Bing considers finding an especially appealing peach for King Macaque, but obtaining one seems difficult.
• Before leaving, Shen Bing gives Li Xiao a bottle of Gene-Enhancement Drug. At the Fragrant Pavilion, Shen Bing is admitted to the prestigious Dragon King Palace, where Gao Jingchuan is entertaining guests. Shen Bing remains distracted by the game on his phone as he hopes King Macaque might respond.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is resourceful but increasingly frustrated by the chain of quests, wasted Immortal Jade, and King Macaque’s contempt. He keeps searching for a way forward, even while juggling ordinary obligations.
• King Macaque is introduced as elusive, proud, and unwilling to meet Sun Wukong on Sun’s terms. He responds only after Shen Bing appeals to their connection.
• Sun Wukong helps Shen Bing by explaining what he knows, but his absence forces Shen Bing to handle the negotiation himself.
• Li Xiao has become comfortable enough with Shen Bing’s unusual world to take the idea of a spirit monkey seriously. He is also excited by the potion Shen Bing gives him, suspecting it is a Gene Potion.
• Gao Jingchuan is busy hosting a well-attended gathering and directs Shen Bing to the private room rather than greeting him personally. Han Rou escorts Shen Bing inside.

Significant themes

• Persistence amid setbacks: Shen Bing keeps trying despite time pressure, sunk costs, and an uncooperative target.
• Status and pride: King Macaque’s refusal reflects his pride, while Shen Bing’s access to an elite club highlights social status and appearances.
• Humor from contrast: The chapter juxtaposes supernatural quests with mundane concerns—work schedules, fruit as bait, a potion handoff, and a fancy club—while Shen Bing’s gaming distraction makes him appear to be showing off, though he is simply focused on the quest.

Key events

• Shen Bing arrives at the Fragrant Pavilion with Han Rou for Gao Jingchuan’s birthday gathering and is impressed by the extravagant private suite.
• Gao introduces him to Liu Tingyu, a shareholder in the venue, who welcomes him as a friend of Gao’s.
• Liu Jin recognizes Shen Bing and calls him “Master,” explaining that Shen once beat him. Shen rejects the title and says he never agreed to train him.
• Gao explains Liu Jin’s influential family background: his grandfather is a renowned physician, while his father runs a major ocean-trade company. Shen asks which routes the company serves, hinting at possible business cooperation, but says he is not interested in shipping himself.
• Shen meets the other guests—Wang Xin, Li Zhaofeng, and Wang Wei—then opts to sit apart and play a game while thinking about how to draw out King Macaque. Liu Jin immediately tries to join him.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains private and self-contained. He enjoys observing the wealthy setting but keeps his identity and business success understated, describing his company as small. He is also exasperated by Liu Jin’s persistent admiration.
• Gao Jingchuan acts as host and mediator, introducing guests and subtly discouraging Liu Jin from pressing Shen about business.
• Liu Jin is revealed as a privileged, martial-arts-obsessed heir who idolizes Shen despite having been beaten by him. His eagerness contrasts with his family’s expectations that he continue their medical or business legacy.
• The group reacts with surprise that Shen could defeat Liu Jin, a feat no one in their elite circle had managed.

Significant themes

• Status versus ability: Wealth, family influence, and professional prestige matter in the gathering, but Shen’s unexplained combat skill commands the most immediate respect.
• Privacy and understatement: Shen conceals his stature and prefers to keep to himself, even among powerful people.
• Expectation versus personal choice: Liu Jin’s refusal to follow either his grandfather’s medical tradition or his father’s business path reflects his desire to choose his own life.
• Friendship and informality: Despite the luxurious venue and influential guests, Gao presents the gathering as a relaxed reunion rather than a formal networking event.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing is frustrated that King Macaque refuses to leave his remote home. Liu Jin offers advice on luring someone out, suggesting universal temptations such as wealth.
• Shen Bing realizes King Macaque may be tempted by Immortal Jade, a form of merit. He guesses that the reclusive demon has little merit and offers him some if he will go to Mount Huaguo.
• King Macaque appears, looking ragged, and claims he prefers his quiet life to Sun Wukong’s ties to the Heavenly Court. Despite his apparent jealousy of Sun Wukong, he abruptly kills Shen Bing to steal the promised loot.
• Shen Bing revives and confronts him with the Nine Heavens Divine Talisman, threatening to annihilate his body and soul with Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
• Terrified, King Macaque begs for mercy and agrees to go to Mount Huaguo. Shen Bing spares him but orders him to carry him there.

Character developments

• Shen Bing uses Liu Jin’s advice to devise a practical lure, then turns his knowledge of the Immortal Realm into leverage. His anger at being killed gives way to a calculated show of force.
• King Macaque is revealed to be jealous, impoverished, greedy, and deeply afraid of death. His professed preference for peace seems tied to avoiding trouble and karmic consequences, not true detachment.
• Liu Jin shows initiative and resourcefulness by offering Shen Bing a useful strategy, though he still hopes to be rewarded with a martial-arts master.

Themes and interactions

• Greed and temptation: King Macaque accepts the bait not to cooperate, but to kill Shen Bing and take his loot.
• Power and survival: Shen Bing’s ability to revive and his divine talisman instantly reverse the power dynamic; King Macaque’s boldness collapses into fear.
• Merit, karma, and isolation: King Macaque’s retreat reflects concern that involvement with others could bring karmic trouble, especially without merit to protect him.
• Bluff, bargaining, and control: Shen Bing turns a failed negotiation into a new deal, forcing King Macaque to escort him to Mount Huaguo.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing remains absorbed in a game, watching King Macaque in the Immortal Realm and directing him to make a hanging chair for the return journey. He promises Liu Jin that he will arrange martial-arts instruction for him, then sends him off.
• Liu Tingyu, his wife Wang Xin, and Gao Jingchuan discuss Shen’s unusual gaming habit. Gao recalls that Shen once asked his powerful father—the commander of a military district—for a phone charger so he could keep playing. Rather than scolding him, Commander Gao apparently helped.
• Gao introduces Shen to his wife, Zhang Jiayu, and other women, including Luo Yan, but Shen refuses to look up until he clears his game stage. Zhang Jiayu understands that gaming is simply one of Shen’s eccentric hobbies.
• In France, American and French forces conduct a massive search for Naga, the hacker blamed for Washington, D.C.’s traffic-system failure, which caused more than ten deaths and hundreds of injuries. Investigators use eyewitness reports, road cameras, drones, and a large security perimeter to narrow the search to the area around Meilong Town.
• Meanwhile, Shen’s subordinates Bernie and Jack are already tracking Naga through the woods with Little Doudou, whose enhanced sense of smell makes it an exceptionally capable tracker.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains comically indifferent to social expectations, prioritizing his game even in company. His attention to King Macaque also shows that his gaming is tied to activity in the Immortal Realm, not merely entertainment.
• Liu Jin is delighted by Shen’s promise to help him learn martial arts and quickly adapts to Shen’s wish not to be called “Master.”
• Gao Jingchuan is both amused and exasperated by Shen’s behavior, while feeling overshadowed by the high regard his father has for Shen.
• Zhang Jiayu treats Shen’s gaming as a harmless quirk and gently smooths over the awkward introduction.
• Darnell, the CIA director, is confident that capturing Naga will let him shift blame for the Washington disaster and extract an account of how the attack was done.
• Little Doudou has grown and become much more powerful after eating Immortal Realm cat food. It teases and threatens Jack, who is wary of its abilities; Bernie accepts its authority as well.

Significant themes

• Eccentricity versus conventional status: Shen behaves casually even around powerful people, and his confidence makes his gaming obsession seem less like a failing than a distinctive habit.
• Power and hierarchy: Shen’s influence is evident in how others accommodate him, while Little Doudou commands respect despite being a cat.
• Surveillance and pursuit: The authorities’ elaborate search contrasts with the team’s more direct, supernatural tracking method.
• Scapegoating and accountability: Darnell’s priority is to pin responsibility on Naga, suggesting political pressure may matter as much as discovering the truth.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Bernie and Jack are sent to extract Naga before American and French agents can capture him. Qiuqiu urges them to hurry and avoid alerting the authorities; Little Doudou initially jokes about simply seizing Naga but falls in line when Bernie invokes their boss’s orders.
• A police helicopter spots Bernie and Jack and orders them to leave the area. When they refuse, the men use a newly developed Stun Gun—with Thorne first jamming the helicopter’s communications—to incapacitate its crew. The helicopter crashes and explodes, escalating the danger of the search.
• Guided by Little Doudou, they find Naga hiding in a cave behind vines and rocks. Bernie knocks Naga unconscious and carries him out after Thorne warns that three armed helicopters are approaching.
• Bernie, Jack, and Naga escape aboard the invisible Immortal Carriage. The soldiers who reach the cave find it empty, and a large-scale search follows.
• Elsewhere, Shen Bing attends Gao Jingchuan’s birthday party but spends the entire gathering playing a game. Gao is exasperated; Shen Bing privately insists he did not choose to behave this way.

Character developments and interactions

• Bernie acts as the cautious, responsible field leader, balancing Qiuqiu’s instructions with Little Doudou’s impulsiveness. He handles the helicopter confrontation, locates Naga, and prioritizes a quick escape.
• Jack is eager to test his enhanced abilities and the new weapon, but backs away from Little Doudou’s suggestion that he fight lions. He joins Bernie in bringing down the helicopter.
• Little Doudou remains mischievous and provocative, mocking the men and pushing for excitement, yet helps guide them to Naga.
• Qiuqiu provides urgent intelligence and reinforces the team’s need for discretion.
• Thorne supports the rescue by jamming communications and warning the team of incoming helicopters.
• Naga is frightened when discovered and is taken away unconscious before he can be captured.
• Shen Bing and Gao Jingchuan clash in attitude at the party: Gao expects him to socialize, while Shen is absorbed in his game and feels unfairly blamed.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and obedience versus recklessness: Bernie repeatedly steers the team toward the boss’s plan despite Little Doudou’s appetite for chaos.
• Escalating consequences: A rescue operation becomes more dangerous after the helicopter crash draws a wider military search.
• Power and technology: Enhanced bodies, the Stun Gun, signal jamming, and the invisible carriage give the team extraordinary advantages.
• Comic contrast and frustration: The high-stakes mountain operation is paired with the mundane social annoyance of Shen Bing ignoring a birthday party for his game.

Plot points and events

• At dinner with Gao Jingchuan, Zhang Jiayu, Liu Tingyu, and their circle, Shen Bing realizes Gao and Zhang had hoped to set him up with Zhang’s aloof companion. The match is clearly going nowhere: neither seems interested, and Shen spends most of the meal focused on his game.
• The hosts lavish Shen with expensive food, which he enjoys while imagining how extraordinary Immortal Realm delicacies might be. The dinner lasts nearly two hours, but he remains absorbed in the game.
• Shen continues playing as King Macaque carries him toward Mount Huaguo. He keeps the demon moving by threatening him with the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, and learns they still have hours to fly.
• When the others leave, Liu Tingyu lets Shen stay in the suite as long as he likes. Shen thanks him and calls him a friend; Gao privately envies how quickly Liu has earned that regard. Shen also asks Gao to arrange for Li Xiao to come upstairs.
• During the flight, Shen checks his teleportation destinations and notices Longevity Mountain—the home of Five Manor Temple and the powerful Immortal Zhenyuan. He is excited to realize they have flown over it, though the Immortal Realm’s geography still confuses him.
• At Mount Huaguo, King Macaque asks Shen to put away the talisman now that they have arrived. Shen agrees, reasoning that the mission is complete and that the demon is unlikely to flee and risk angering both him and Sun Wukong.
• Exhausted after the long journey, Shen heads off with Li Xiao, hoping to see Taibai Jinxing the next morning. Unbeknownst to him, events in France have again drawn American attention toward him.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains casual and self-absorbed, prioritizing his game even during dinner and while traveling. He is also curious about the Immortal Realm and begins thinking more seriously about its geography and luxuries.
• King Macaque is humiliated and fearful under Shen’s threat, but remains cautious rather than risking defiance. Once they reach Mount Huaguo, he asks for the talisman to be put away instead of trying to escape.
• Gao Jingchuan is embarrassed by Shen’s behavior and quietly envious of Liu Tingyu’s easy rapport with him, though he recognizes the benefits of their friendship.
• Liu Tingyu shows hospitality and tact by welcoming Shen to stay, earning Shen’s approval. Li Xiao, by contrast, accompanies Shen without questioning him.

Significant themes

• Status versus personality: Shen’s wealth and importance contrast with his informal, distracted behavior.
• Friendship and social obligation: Gao tries to help Shen socially, while Liu’s genuine courtesy creates a smoother bond.
• Power and caution: King Macaque’s fear of Shen’s divine talisman shapes his choices, even after reaching his destination.
• World-building and curiosity: Shen’s discovery of Longevity Mountain highlights the strange, still-unexplained geography of the Immortal Realm.

Plot points and events

• The President receives a briefing on the failed pursuit in France: the targets escaped, and a helicopter crashed, killing its three police officers and the agent aboard.
• Intelligence identifies two men photographed at the scene as Bernie and Jack, CIA agents who vanished in Huaxia a month earlier. Investigators suspect they caused the crash through an unexplained electrical effect and may be connected to the disappearance of Naga.
• The CIA’s director believes Bernie and Jack—and possibly other missing agents—have turned against the United States. He suspects Phantom Immortal Technology is involved, citing its connection to their earlier mission, its apparent cyber capabilities, and the unexplained movements of its founder’s bodyguard, Li Xiao.
• The President and his advisers conclude that Phantom Immortal Technology’s rapid advances threaten U.S. interests. Since the company operates mainly in Huaxia, they see few effective ways to restrain it directly.
• Defense Secretary Kleizer proposes targeting founder Shen Bing. Huaxia is heavily guarding him, so the U.S. wants to lure him abroad and capture him—preferably alive.
• Morey suggests engineering a Nobel Prize to draw Shen out, but the President rejects the long wait. Kleizer proposes the Turing Award instead. The President approves the idea, arguing that the company’s cybersecurity software merits recognition, and orders them to find a way to make Shen feel safe enough to attend.

Character developments and interactions

• The President grows increasingly angry and alarmed, shifting from outrage over the French operation to a determined plan to neutralize Shen Bing and his company. His interest in awards is also tied to his personal ambition for a Nobel Peace Prize.
• Kleizer acts as the President’s trusted adviser, endorsing the theory that Phantom Immortal Technology is behind the events and proposing the faster Turing Award strategy.
• Morey points out the limits of economic pressure and offers the Nobel Prize as a possible lure, though his proposal is dismissed.
• Simpson, the new CIA Deputy Director, backs the French director’s conclusions. Cort, the intelligence briefer, supplies the evidence and analysis.
• The discussion is marked by shared suspicion: the President, Kleizer, and Simpson treat the missing agents’ reappearance as evidence of possible betrayal and of Phantom Immortal Technology’s growing reach.

Significant themes

• Fear of technological disruption: The company’s innovations are portrayed as a strategic threat that the United States cannot readily understand or counter.
• Power and manipulation: U.S. officials consider exploiting awards and international recognition to draw Shen into a vulnerable position.
• Uncertainty and mistrust: The unexplained crash, missing agents, and conflicting assumptions encourage suspicion, even toward once-trusted operatives.
• Political ambition: The President’s decisions reflect both national security concerns and his personal desire for prestige.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing rests after returning home, while Li Xiao celebrates the effects of the Gene-Enhancement Drug by exercising through the night.
• Shen checks on King Macaque, then reunites him with Sun Wukong. The two monkeys greet each other warmly and begin catching up.
• Shen consults Taibai Jinxing about the Spirit Ruins. Taibai identifies Shen’s pursuer as the Golden Crow Descendant Firebird, a powerful Great Golden Immortal guarding the Demon Emperor Hall, and advises Shen to approach from the north. He also explains that the magical treasure will merge with the Demon Emperor Avatar on contact and cannot be separated except by a Sage.
• Shen returns to the Spirit Ruins and uses attacks by lesser demons to map the limits of Firebird’s territory. Firebird watches him, intrigued by his repeated returns from death and hoping to learn the secret behind his apparent immortality.
• Qiuqiu reports that Thorne’s team has found Naga. Their search exposed photographs of Bernie and Jack to the United States through an isolated communications network, potentially prompting suspicion about Shen. Shen dismisses the risk and reminds Qiuqiu to secure the full ten-billion-dollar payment.
• At home, Shen tends the growing Immortal Peach Tree, notices its flower buds, and is surprised when two sparrows perch on his shoulders. Yun Xue then reports a breakthrough in her team’s interactive-touch research.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing stays confident and pragmatic: he accepts Taibai’s tactical advice, exploits his unusual ability to return after being killed, and refuses to worry much about possible U.S. suspicions. He also shows excitement about both the peach tree and the sparrows.
• Taibai Jinxing provides crucial information but chides Shen for not using spiritual sense to locate the Demon Emperor Hall sooner.
• Sun Wukong and King Macaque reunite affectionately, with Sun Wukong greeting his old companion through hearty punches and questions.
• Firebird shifts from simply hunting Shen to studying him, fascinated by his survival.
• Shen and Qiuqiu discuss Naga’s recruitment, the leaked photographs, and payment. Shen values human creativity as a complement to Qiuqiu’s computational abilities.
• Yun Xue shares her research progress with Shen, showing her growing contribution to his scientific work.

Significant themes

• Persistence and strategic adaptation: Shen turns repeated deaths into a method for mapping enemy territory.
• Power, secrecy, and risk: Firebird seeks the secret of Shen’s survival, while the U.S. may infer that Shen is connected to exposed intelligence operatives.
• Human creativity and technology: Shen sees creativity as a distinctively human strength, even alongside advanced artificial intelligence.
• Growth and cultivation: The peach tree, the sparrows, and Yun Xue’s research all suggest promising developments taking root.

Key plot points and events

• Yun Xue describes her team’s interactive-touch technology and imagines combining it with holograms to create immersive experiences, such as trying on virtual clothes. Shen Bing teases her about how far away holographic technology is, but she confidently predicts the work could be done within two years and tries to recruit him onto her team. He refuses.
• Shen Bing returns to Gate to the Immortal Realm, intent on finding the Demon Emperor Hall.
• Phantom Immortal Glass Factory completes its first batch of Dream Glass for Disney: 200,000 square meters, weighing about 4,000 tons. The company’s transport fleet and rail arrangements handle the shipment.
• Construction advances on Phantom Immortal Technology’s headquarters. Its five underground floors will use an unprecedented titanium-alloy structure. Plans include a huge server room managed by Qiuqiu, three floors for research and development, and an emergency-supply level.
• The company prepares to launch Dragon Scale Security Software, its first software product. Shen Bing sees it not as a trial run but as the foundation for building a software empire by attracting users. The launch is supported by substantial server capacity and dedicated network connections.
• At noon, the software launch is set to begin. Meanwhile, university student Shen Xiao runs into Wang Yanxi, who has just returned from an internship in the United Kingdom. Yanxi says she has found an app that would be perfect for Xiao.

Character developments and interactions

• Yun Xue displays confidence and ambition, eager to push her team’s research from interactive touch toward holography. She and Shen Bing exchange playful, competitive banter; Yuan Wei watches and laughs.
• Shen Bing remains focused on his game and larger business plans, while his absence from the software launch leaves Wang Sheng to encourage the staff.
• Wang Sheng reassures nervous deputy network manager Chen Wanhua, presenting the chairman’s trust as an opportunity for Chen to grow.
• Chen Wanhua admits his nerves but commits to ensuring the launch goes smoothly.
• Shen Xiao is portrayed as sweet-natured but unusually susceptible to scams. Wang Yanxi, a confident and familiar friend, returns and approaches her with a recommendation.

Significant themes

• Innovation and ambition: Characters envision technologies and infrastructure far beyond ordinary commercial standards.
• Users as business power: Shen Bing treats Dragon Scale as a way to build a user base and platform, not merely sell security software.
• Trust and responsibility: Managers must take ownership of major projects even when Shen Bing is absent.
• Contrast between grand plans and everyday life: Vast industrial and technological developments sit alongside a casual campus encounter that sets up the chapter’s closing hook.

Plot points and events

• Wang Yanxi introduces Shen Xiao to Phantom Immortal Technology’s new Dragon Scale Security Software, emphasizing its advertised guarantee to compensate users if it fails to detect a telecom scam. Shen Xiao, who has lost money to scams before, is interested but initially doubts the claim.
• Shen Xiao recognizes the company’s name and wonders how its supposedly brilliant chairman could be “such an idiot” for making such a bold promise. Wang Yanxi is startled by her bluntness.
• Wang Yanxi persuades Shen Xiao to download the software. It appears as a gray egg on her screen and responds to the voice command “Qiuqiu.”
• Shen Xiao renames the assistant Snow White and gives it a tiny, lifelike cartoon appearance. Snow White claims it can resist cyberattacks, manage the phone, conserve battery power, and protect Shen Xiao from scams.
• Snow White explains that it is bound to Shen Xiao’s identity, so others cannot use it without permission and it can be restored on a new phone.
• Impressed, Shen Xiao and Wang Yanxi rush off to test the software. Meanwhile, users around the country are installing it through word of mouth. The software is free during a one-month trial, but may later require payment.

Character developments

• Shen Xiao is kind and trusting, which has made her vulnerable to scams. She is curious, outspoken, and quickly becomes affectionate toward Snow White.
• Wang Yanxi is practical and familiar with Phantom Immortal Technology’s disruptive reputation. She acts as Shen Xiao’s guide, though she is also surprised by the software’s capabilities.
• Snow White presents itself as a charming, childlike but highly capable assistant, forming an immediate personal connection with Shen Xiao.

Significant themes

• Technology and trust: The software promises protection against scams and cyberattacks, raising questions about how much users should trust its claims.
• AI as companion: Snow White is more than a utility; its personality and personalized appearance make it feel like a companion or secretary.
• Innovation disrupting industries: Phantom Immortal Technology has built a reputation for unexpectedly entering and reshaping new markets.
• Free trials and commercial uncertainty: Users eagerly try the software despite its likely future cost, postponing concerns about pricing.

Character interactions

• Wang Yanxi teases Shen Xiao about her history of being scammed, then encourages her to install the software.
• Shen Xiao’s blunt criticism of the company’s chairman catches Wang Yanxi off guard.
• Shen Xiao and Snow White quickly bond through playful conversation and the assistant’s flattering, reassuring responses.
• Snow White’s identity-binding promise reassures both women, prompting them to test its features together.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology releases Dragon Scale Security Software, already famous for withstanding a global hacker attack.
• Security professionals test it, but no one can breach its defenses—not even elite hackers from the Satan’s Hand forum. They also find the software’s reasoning and adaptability comparable to a human’s.
• News outlets quickly shift attention from the program’s security to its apparent artificial intelligence, sparking worldwide debate about AI and its implications.
• At Strange Fox Company, chairman Zhou Hong learns that his technical team cannot crack Dragon Scale’s core code. The release threatens the company’s cybersecurity business and its planned backdoor listing.
• Zhou rejects the prospect of stealing the source code as unrealistic and recognizes that Shen Bing and Phantom Immortal Technology cannot be easily targeted. He concludes that competitors may need to cooperate rather than fight.
• Apple holds a more optimistic meeting, discussing Dragon Scale’s likely user base and how to partner with Phantom Immortal Technology.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Hong moves from frustration to reluctant pragmatism. He presses technical director Wang Tao for answers, but accepts that the software is beyond their reach and considers cooperation.
• Wang Tao explains that his team can understand only Dragon Scale’s outer layer; the protected core remains inaccessible.
• A colleague proposes obtaining the source code, but the room dismisses the idea as both impractical and foolish. Another colleague suggests cooperation, prompting Zhou to point out the competitive risks of partnering with a rival in security software.

Significant themes

• Technological disruption: Dragon Scale threatens to transform not just cybersecurity but any field where its intelligence might be applied.
• The limits of human expertise: Even elite hackers and major companies cannot penetrate the software.
• Competition versus cooperation: Established firms must decide whether to resist Phantom Immortal Technology or seek an alliance.
• Public fascination with AI: The software’s intelligence overshadows its original purpose, illustrating how quickly public attention shifts to potentially transformative technology.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing skips the launch of Dragon Scale Security Software, trusting Qiuqiu to oversee it, and instead searches the Spirit Ruins for the Demon Emperor Hall.
• The Firebird intercepts him and demands to know what he is. Shen Bing calls himself the Mist-Ethereal Adept, then deliberately insults the Firebird and teleports away.
• The Firebird catches up at the hall and kills Shen Bing, but cannot prevent his Safe Revival. Shen Bing uses the newly revealed map of the palace interior to locate an avatar of Demon Emperor Di Jun.
• When the Firebird summons two fellow guardians—the lion-headed demon and Wind Leopard—Shen Bing acts quickly. He teleports onto the avatar and presses Taibai Jinxing’s quest Magic Treasure against it, completing his mission, though Wind Leopard kills him moments later.
• Shen Bing revives and returns to Mount Huaguo to report his success. Taibai presents ten sealed Immortal Arts for him to examine, including techniques he obtained specifically for Shen Bing.
• The system identifies the first scripture as suitable for Shen Bing’s character, but only because it is a basic-level technique. Shen Bing concludes that the system may accept any basic cultivation manual, making his elaborate search—and possibly Taibai’s efforts—unnecessary.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains resourceful and irreverent, using the teleportation map, repeated revival, and the demons’ assumptions to complete the quest. His victory turns into frustration when the system’s blunt assessment suggests his cultivation requirements are far less restrictive than he thought.
• The Firebird grows wary of Shen Bing’s ability to revive and regrets letting him reach the hall. He summons other guardians, but Shen Bing outmaneuvers them.
• Wind Leopard kills Shen Bing after the quest is completed, becoming another enemy in Shen Bing’s eyes.
• Taibai Jinxing rewards Shen Bing’s success by offering a carefully gathered selection of Immortal Arts. His kindness surprises Shen Bing, who briefly becomes fascinated by Taibai’s genuine divination ability.

Significant themes

• Persistence and ingenuity: Shen Bing turns repeated deaths into opportunities to advance.
• Miscommunication and mistaken assumptions: The guardians do not understand Shen Bing’s abilities or purpose, while Shen Bing cannot hear their discussion.
• The gap between effort and reward: Shen Bing’s long search for a suitable cultivation method may have been needless because the system’s criteria are unexpectedly simple.
• Humor through frustration: Shen Bing’s sarcastic inner commentary contrasts with the high-stakes setting and undercuts his apparent success.

Key plot points and events

• After suspecting the system had duped him, Shen Bing tests several Immortal Arts and finds their prompts identical. He decides to choose one anyway, treating it as a quest reward rather than a total loss.
• Taibai Jinxing removes the seal from Shen Bing’s chosen scripture. Using it unlocks the cultivation system.
• Shen Bing discovers that cultivation works through a familiar game-like interface: he must spend spiritual qi to break through acupoints. His current 12 points are insufficient for the first breakthrough, which costs 50.
• Shen Bing infers that eating supplies spiritual qi and asks Sun Wukong for seeds of immortal herbs and spirit fruits. Sun charges him 1,000 immortal jade for a large batch.
• Shen Bing also collects the Skyflying Shuttle from Taibai, then returns to Illusory Void Island. He plants over a thousand seeds there and transfers about a hundred more to the real world.
• Meanwhile, the Underworld is stunned when the Satan’s Hand website publicly admits that it rigged a betting market involving the attack on Phantom Immortal Technology. It returns $10 billion to the Godslayer Mercenary Squad and promises not to repeat the offense. The announcement suggests the squad forced the website to comply through intimidation or overwhelming power.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing moves from frustration over the system’s apparent trickery to excitement at unlocking cultivation. He quickly approaches it pragmatically, planning to grow spiritual-qi-producing plants rather than pay other immortals for supplies.
• Sun Wukong is eager to see Shen Bing cultivate, but also plainly mercenary: he sells the seeds for a substantial sum and is pleased to recover some of the immortal jade he recently spent.
• Taibai Jinxing and Shen Bing share a knowing, sly exchange over the Immortal Arts. Taibai eventually hands over the Skyflying Shuttle, though reluctantly.
• Shen Bing’s dealings with both immortals are marked by friendly banter but also mutual calculation: each understands that the others are looking for advantage.

Significant themes

• Gaming mechanics and cultivation: Shen Bing interprets the Immortal Realm through familiar game systems, turning spiritual practice into interface prompts, resource management, and progression.
• Resourcefulness and self-sufficiency: Rather than relying on costly purchases, Shen Bing plans to cultivate his own supply of spiritual qi on Illusory Void Island.
• Power and coercion: Satan’s Hand’s public confession shows that even a powerful organization can be forced to yield when confronted by a stronger force.
• Humor and transactional relationships: The chapter uses Shen Bing’s self-mocking reactions and the immortals’ bargaining to undercut the grandeur of the supernatural setting.

Key plot points

• Thorne and four teammates return safely with Naga, whom they’ve captured and placed in the Underground Base. They also collect $10.5 billion from three Mafia organizations, including an extra $500 million from Hughes.
• Shen Bing tries to convert the money into immortal jade. The system rejects the $500 million as “illegal proceeds” but gives no refund, leaving him with about 72,318 immortal jade.
• He spends 40,000 immortal jade on two Aperture-Opening Pills for researchers Royard, a gifted materials scientist, and Rox, a leading aerospace expert. Shen believes enhancing them will strengthen the Underground Base’s research capacity.
• Shen visits Naga and offers him a place at Phantom Immortal Technology, promising advanced training in network security. Naga accepts enthusiastically.
• Naga asks to contact his worried parents in France. Shen allows a supervised video call, during which Naga tells them only that he is safe and cannot return home yet.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is thrilled by the large haul but furious when the system confiscates the “illegal” portion without explanation. He then shifts from frustration to investing in the company’s long-term research needs.
• Naga moves from confusion and fear to relief, excitement, and gratitude. His resentment toward the United States helps him feel aligned with Shen, and he accepts that he must work anonymously as a behind-the-scenes contributor.
• Thorne reports the mission’s success and escorts Shen to Naga’s cell, showing his trusted role in the organization.
• Shen reassures Naga that rescuing him was partly meant to frustrate the U.S. government, then recruits him by appealing to his fascination with advanced technology. Their exchange establishes a working relationship built on shared grievances and Naga’s admiration for Phantom Immortal Technology.

Significant themes

• The limits of power: Shen can command a powerful organization, but the system remains rigid and beyond negotiation.
• Pragmatic investment in talent: Shen treats the costly pills as worthwhile because skilled researchers can multiply the value of his technological resources.
• Anonymity and protection: Naga gains safety and a future, but only by accepting a hidden identity and life away from home.
• Shared enemies as a basis for loyalty: Shen’s opposition to the U.S. government helps win Naga’s trust and commitment.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• After Naga undergoes Subconscious Implantation, Shen Bing settles him in a new Eastern District residence, which will serve as both home and workplace. Naga’s first task is learning Chinese so he can use the Dragon Language programming language, with Qiuqiu as his tutor.
• Shen Bing removes aerospace work from his own schedule and assigns those projects to Rox. He turns his attention to improving the electrical energy storage unit used in the Stun Gun, aiming for greater stability and better performance.
• Shen Bing tests the Aperture-Opening Pill on Royard and Rox. Royard takes it before hearing what it does, suffers intense pain, and passes out, but wakes with clearer thinking and dramatically improved eyesight. Shen Bing puts him in charge of the New Materials Experiment Area, where he will focus on stealth materials.
• Rox also takes the pill. After a long private conversation with Shen Bing, he is placed in charge of a newly designated Aviation Test Zone.
• Meanwhile, Dragon Scale Security Software takes the country by storm, reaching fifty million installations in two days. Its unexpected popularity comes largely from its cute, customizable persona, which appeals especially to women: they make up eighty percent of its users.
• Strange Fox Company, alarmed by Dragon Scale’s rise, secures an AI cybersecurity partnership with Google and prepares publicity to reassure the market. But its campaign appears to miss the mark just as Dragon Scale continues its advance.

Character developments

• Naga begins a new life at the Eastern District and starts learning the language needed for his technical work.
• Shen Bing delegates more responsibility, shifting aerospace research to Rox and assigning Royard leadership of the materials research area. He also pursues battery improvements as a strategically important technology.
• Royard demonstrates great trust in Shen Bing by taking the pill without asking questions. After recovering from its painful effects, he feels transformed and is eager to take on his new role.
• Rox is entrusted with a confidential aviation project, suggesting his responsibilities and status within the organization are expanding.

Significant themes

• Delegation and organizational growth: Shen Bing increasingly relies on specialized researchers to lead major projects.
• Technology’s unpredictable appeal: Dragon Scale succeeds not only through security and AI, but through an unexpected emotional selling point—cuteness.
• Disruption and competition: Phantom Immortal Technology’s rapid entry into software threatens established companies and forces them to seek partnerships and public reassurance.
• The promise and cost of enhancement: The Aperture-Opening Pill offers striking benefits, but only after severe pain.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing guides Naga’s transition into research and arranges his Chinese lessons through Qiuqiu.
• Royard’s unquestioning trust contrasts with Shen Bing’s concern when the pill’s effects begin; Shen Bing later rewards him with a leadership position.
• Shen Bing and Rox share a long, private discussion before Rox takes charge of the Aviation Test Zone.
• Dragon Scale’s popularity reshapes the relationship between technology and users: its intelligent, cute persona draws in a demographic traditional security software had largely overlooked.

Plot points and events

• Strange Fox Company and other cybersecurity firms publicly criticize Phantom Immortal Technology’s claim that its Dragon Scale Security Software cannot be cracked. Phantom Immortal does not respond, believing its performance will speak for itself.
• The software’s popularity grows, especially among female users drawn to its charming persona. It also earns widespread praise for warning people about scams, while users notice its unusually effective battery management and reminder functions. Its success unsettles not only cybersecurity companies but also other internet firms and phone manufacturers.
• Phantom Immortal Technology completes an initial government order of three tons of room-temperature superconducting material. The components are loaded into an armored vehicle and sent to Mianyang, escorted by military personnel.
• General Manager Wang Sheng travels to a meeting with the Rongcheng municipal government about developing a “smart Rongcheng.” Shen Bing has delegated the negotiations to him, giving him a general framework but encouraging him to make ambitious proposals.
• Wang arrives at the government building and is greeted by Director Chu. They enter the conference room, where numerous officials and company representatives are waiting—but several expected government figures are missing.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Sheng reflects on how far he has come in six months. He feels pride in leading a company now among the country’s largest, but also pressure from Shen Bing’s trust and the responsibility of handling major negotiations.
• Shen Bing remains confident and hands-off, trusting Wang with the municipal talks despite understanding the smart-city plan better himself. He also insists on security precautions for Wang, who now has a driver and bodyguard.
• Director Chu warmly welcomes Wang and emphasizes how much Rongcheng values Phantom Immortal Technology.
• Phantom Immortal’s success affects a widening circle of competitors: cybersecurity firms resent its dominance, other internet companies fear its expanding capabilities, while phone manufacturers see potential business opportunities.

Significant themes

• Results versus rhetoric: Critics challenge Dragon Scale’s claims, but its practical fraud protection and other features build credibility through user experience.
• Technology crossing boundaries: The software’s unexpected usefulness beyond cybersecurity disrupts multiple industries and provokes the chapter’s central joke that it refuses to “stay in its lane.”
• Rapid success and responsibility: Wang’s rise shows how quickly the company has grown, while his anxiety highlights the burdens that come with that growth.
• Innovation and public benefit: The software helps ordinary users, while the superconducting-material delivery and smart-city discussions show Phantom Immortal’s growing role in national industry and local development.

Key plot points and events

• Mayor Tian informs Wang Sheng that an armored transport vehicle leaving Phantom Immortal Technology’s Industrial Park has plunged from a bridge on the Rongcheng–Mianyang route.
• Wang Sheng alerts Shen Bing, who tells him to handle the situation as he sees fit. Wang Sheng then urges Secretary Li to reach the scene quickly and secure the surrounding roads, warning that the cargo was unusual and the crash may not have been accidental.
• Secretary Li mobilizes local police and armed police. Commander Gao of the Rongcheng Military District confirms that the vehicle carried materials for Huaxia’s nuclear industry and orders the incident treated as a possible hostile attack.
• Rescuers find all four military escorts dead. The cargo compartment has been broken open and searched; a military inventory reveals that thirteen small crates are missing.
• Armed forces and military dogs search the surrounding area. A team follows the dogs toward a farmhouse, while Shen Bing and Li Xiao watch the operation remotely from the underground base.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Sheng responds urgently and cautiously, recognizing the shipment’s importance. He gives Secretary Li a warning but refuses to disclose details without authorization.
• Secretary Li shifts from confusion about an apparently ordinary accident to decisive action once he learns the cargo’s nuclear significance.
• Shen Bing remains controlled but furious, suspecting a planned operation. He refuses to arrest the people found near the scene until the true mastermind is identified.
• Li Xiao shares Shen Bing’s anger and proposes rounding up the suspects, but Shen Bing insists on waiting.
• Local officials and military personnel coordinate the rescue, security, and search, while the deaths of the escorts and missing crates intensify the crisis.

Significant themes

• Accident versus sabotage: The chapter leaves the crash’s cause unresolved but increasingly suggests deliberate interference.
• National security and secrecy: The shipment’s nuclear connection turns a traffic accident into a major security emergency.
• Caution and pursuit of the true culprit: Shen Bing prioritizes uncovering the mastermind over quickly arresting apparent accomplices.
• Escalating stakes: The deaths of four escorts and the theft of thirteen crates transform suspicion into a potentially grave national threat.

Plot and key events

• After a deadly convoy crash, Shen Bing and Commander Gao agree the attack was deliberate. At least thirteen crates are missing, and the trail has gone cold near the Min River. Shen offers to uncover not only the perpetrators but also the mastermind; Gao trusts him and lets him continue investigating while the military keeps searching.
• The crash attracts little public attention, while Rongcheng’s Smart City negotiations proceed. Phantom Immortal Technology will provide platform support, lenses, chips, and Haiwei Company with access to advanced manufacturing technology. Shen keeps the company’s ability to make 10 nm lithography machines secret, wary of revealing too much too soon.
• Shen has secretly tracked the missing cargo. Thorne and other agents recorded fifteen disguised people hiding crates beneath a paving stone, using an underground passage, and relying on a couple posing as farmers to keep watch. The military searched the area but never detected the scheme.
• Three days later, Shen sees the disguised couple retrieve a bundle from beneath the stone. He orders Thorne to follow the man as he leaves, beginning the operation to close in on the conspirators.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is calm, confident, and strategic. He reassures Gao, conceals his surveillance advantage, and patiently waits for the conspirators to expose themselves.
• Commander Gao is shaken by the attack and suspects an internal leak, but trusts Shen’s judgment and accepts his help.
• Li Xiao and Shen Bing briefly consider whether the Americans are behind the operation, though they lack proof.
• Thorne and Shen’s other agents act on his orders, secretly monitoring the suspects rather than confronting them prematurely.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and counterintelligence: The attackers use verbal orders, disguises, hidden routes, and possible insider knowledge, while Shen keeps his own capabilities concealed.
• Technology as an unequal advantage: Shen’s invisible aircraft and surveillance turn a carefully planned operation into a contest the conspirators cannot realistically win.
• Patience and controlled disclosure: Shen waits for decisive evidence and keeps Phantom Immortal Technology’s most advanced capabilities under wraps.

Plot points and events

• Frustrated by a string of failed quests, Shen Bing recalls dying while searching for a seabed treasure because his cultivation is too weak and he cannot breathe underwater. He remains dependent on scarce external sources of spiritual energy.
• Thorne reports that a suspicious package has reached the headquarters of Shanghai’s Sanling Heavy Industries after passing through many handlers. Shen Bing sends Thorne and Jack to investigate, equipped with Invisibility Potions.
• Shen Bing considers recruiting Japanese researchers but worries that the system may restrict money and actions that violate its interpretation of Heavenly Dao law. He decides not to manufacture enemies just to exploit the system.
• Dragon Scale Security Software rapidly surpasses 400 million domestic users, badly damaging rival security companies. Its popularity also leads financial analysts to value it at more than US$20 billion.
• A viral article accuses Phantom Immortal Technology of spying on users by monitoring and transmitting their phone calls to detect fraud. The allegation spreads quickly, triggering public outrage.
• Wang Sheng suspects an organized smear campaign and convenes managers from the Network, Administration, and Legal departments. Chen Wanhua explains that the software analyzes call data locally on users’ devices and sends nothing to company servers—but the technology is secret, and only Shen Bing understands the Intelligent Core well enough to explain its operation.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is discouraged by his limited progress in cultivation but increasingly cautious about the system’s rules and the consequences of his actions.
• Wang Sheng responds decisively to the crisis and recognizes the reputational stakes, treating the scandal as a serious test of his leadership.
• Chen Wanhua is personally invested in Dragon Scale Security Software and becomes furious at what he sees as a malicious attack on a product he helped launch.

Character interactions

• Thorne updates Shen Bing about the package investigation, and Shen Bing orders him and Jack to continue carefully.
• Wang Sheng directs Chen Wanhua to brief the assembled managers. Chen explains the software’s local-only processing, while Gong Xiaolan asks whether the company is being deliberately targeted.

Significant themes

• Limits and consequences: Shen Bing’s power, resources, and actions are constrained by both his weak cultivation and the system’s rules.
• Technology and privacy: The chapter contrasts the software’s actual local processing with public fears about call surveillance.
• Reputation and competition: Dragon Scale’s success threatens established companies, while the smear allegation shows how quickly public trust can be shaken.
• Secrecy versus transparency: Phantom Immortal Technology’s proprietary technology may prove its innocence, but keeping it secret makes the claim difficult to defend.