Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• During a meal, Taobao chairman Niu Yu proposes using Phantom Immortal Technology’s Intelligent Core for product recommendations, realistic shopping experiences, seller evaluations, and fraud prevention.
• Shen Bing is open to cooperation but rejects simply licensing or handing over the technology. He proposes the model used with Strange Fox: Taobao would access the Intelligent Core through interfaces while Phantom Immortal retains control of the core technology. Niu Yu reluctantly agrees.
• Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg approaches Shen Bing, praises his AI work, and hints at wanting to discuss business. Shen Bing barely recognizes him and then interrupts their conversation to answer an in-game summons.
• Erlang Shen reports that he has escaped the Demon Realm’s formation and says Shen Bing has earned a reward. Shen Bing jokes about collecting favors immediately, then tries to preserve Erlang Shen’s promised favor as well. Erlang Shen refuses and offers a choice of two out of three items; Shen Bing is especially struck by the enormous peach among them.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident, blunt, commercially astute, and comically self-interested. He protects his company’s valuable technology, openly boasts about Huaxia, and prioritizes the game even during a potentially major business conversation.
• Niu Yu is a seasoned negotiator who tries to secure access to the Intelligent Core, but recognizes Shen Bing’s leverage and accepts Shen’s preferred arrangement.
• Zuckerberg is impressed by Shen Bing’s AI achievements, but is left bewildered by Shen Bing’s casual, distracted behavior.
• Erlang Shen has completed the difficult rescue but is irritated by Shen Bing’s teasing and transactional attitude. He nevertheless offers a reward, though their exchange quickly becomes tense and sarcastic.

Significant themes

• Control and commercial value: Shen Bing distinguishes between selling access to a technology and surrendering ownership of its core.
• Transactional relationships: The title’s joke reflects Shen Bing’s preference for immediate repayment over owing or being owed favors.
• Contrast between worlds: Serious corporate negotiations are repeatedly undercut by Shen Bing’s immersion in the fantasy game and his irreverent dealings with immortal figures.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing finds three treasures offered by Erlang Shen: an Ascension Pill, a scripture containing the Diamond Body Divine Ability, and an Immortal Peach. Hoping one might be a true Peach of Immortality, he struggles to choose.
• To learn what they are, Shen Bing guilt-trips Erlang Shen by emphasizing the effort and cost of saving his life. The tactic works: Erlang explains each item.
• The Ascension Pill can turn a mortal into an Immortal; the Diamond Body ability can eventually make its user nearly invulnerable; the peach adds a thousand years to one’s lifespan.
• Shen Bing chooses the pill and scripture, surrendering the peach. After completing the trade, he checks the pill’s description and discovers its transformation requires vast amounts of spiritual qi—likely unavailable on Earth—so it can only be used effectively in the Immortal Realm.
• He tries to analyze the pill with the Eye of Truth, but repeated forced analyses fail. Teleporting it would cost an enormous 20,000 Immortal Jade, suggesting it contains technology beyond his current capabilities. He decides to save it and use it later in a suitable location.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing’s ambition to become immortal is intense, and his excitement over the treasures repeatedly overwhelms his composure. Though disappointed by the pill’s limitations, he thinks pragmatically and keeps it for future use.
• Erlang Shen repays Shen Bing for saving his life by explaining the treasures, then conducts the trade and departs.
• Zuckerberg watches Shen Bing’s dramatic reactions with bafflement and teases him about drooling. Shen Bing is embarrassed but holds back his irritation at Zuckerberg’s awkward Chinese phrasing.

Significant themes

• Immortality and ambition: Shen Bing dreams of gaining godlike power, not merely wealth or longevity.
• Power’s hidden conditions: Even an extraordinary treasure may be useless without the right environment or resources.
• Pragmatism amid disappointment: Shen Bing reassesses his plans when the pill proves difficult to use, rather than wasting it.
• Transactional trust and persuasion: Shen Bing uses emotional pressure to obtain information, while Erlang’s gratitude motivates his cooperation.

Key events

• Zuckerberg waits while Shen Bing plays a game, suppressing his impatience because he wants Shen’s help with the Intelligent Core.
• Shen examines a Diamond Body divine ability manual. The system says cultivation methods cannot be transferred directly; they must first be analyzed with the Eye of Truth.
• Because the Gate to the Immortal Realm is only Level 2, Shen’s one-time analysis yields Body-Strengthening Exercise (Second Tier) rather than the full divine ability. The exercise is advanced two-star technology that can eventually raise physical abilities tenfold and is intended to prepare humans for space travel.
• Shen speculates that its effects might combine with his Gene-Enhancement Drug, potentially multiplying strength further. He also recognizes that stronger bodies will be essential to future interstellar travel.
• He finally turns to Zuckerberg’s reason for visiting. Zuckerberg proposes cooperation and offers Shen “safety,” hinting that both understand a threat involving the U.S. government. He says he opposes the White House’s direction and claims to have channels through which he learned classified information.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing moves from disappointment at receiving an exercise routine instead of a spectacular ability to excitement as he grasps its potential. He remains playful and irreverent, teasing Zuckerberg with a question about Superman, but becomes focused when business begins.
• Zuckerberg is visibly frustrated by Shen’s distraction, yet patiently endures it because he needs Shen’s cooperation. He presents himself as worldly, politically concerned, and confident in his ability to protect Shen.
• Their dynamic mixes comic exasperation with strategic negotiation: Shen makes Zuckerberg wait, then challenges him to explain what he can offer, while Zuckerberg responds cautiously and lowers his voice when discussing sensitive matters.

Significant themes

• Technological progress and preparation: Interstellar travel requires adapting human bodies, not merely building spacecraft.
• Limits and trade-offs: The system’s level restricts what Shen can obtain, and the exercise requires long-term training rather than an instant enhancement.
• Power, secrecy, and political risk: Zuckerberg’s offer of safety suggests that Shen’s technology—and the forces pursuing it—have serious consequences.
• Ambition and humor: Shen’s grand visions of superhuman strength and space exploration are undercut by his comic disappointment at the exercise’s plain name.

Key plot points and events

• At a formal dinner, Mark Zuckerberg proposes licensing Shen Bing’s Intelligent Core so Facebook can build an intelligent social network for the U.S. market. Shen responds positively but postpones detailed discussion.
• Shen sees a potential U.S. foothold in Zuckerberg, but only if any partnership remains firmly under his control. He orders Mo Ban to keep an eye on Zuckerberg.
• Other business leaders approach Shen. Domestic companies show open interest in cooperation; American firms are cautious, while Microsoft remains conspicuously indifferent.
• After the banquet, Mo Ban warns that someone has entered Shen’s hotel room and that the hotel’s top-floor staff have been replaced. Qiuqiu reports that Wei Yu and his team are also under fire at their hiding places.
• With the next day’s award ceremony in mind, Shen avoids confronting the attackers. He and Mo Ban leave the hotel room via the invisible Immortal Carriage, then Shen teleports to the safer Illusory Void Island.
• In a secluded valley, Shen takes the Ascension Pill through his game character. The character’s clothes billow as spiritual energy surges into its body, leaving the result uncertain.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains cautious and strategic: he welcomes opportunities for expansion but insists on retaining control, and he prioritizes the award ceremony over a risky fight.
• Zuckerberg acts as a potential partner and U.S. intermediary. He approaches Shen with a concrete proposal, accepts the delay, and leaves on friendly terms.
• Mo Ban serves as Shen’s vigilant aide, monitoring Zuckerberg and relaying security warnings.
• Wei Yu, Li Xiao, Little Doudou, and Feifei are drawn into the unfolding security crisis. Li Xiao pursues the intruder, while the others coordinate under attack; they are reported unharmed for now.
• Shen’s exchanges with business leaders reveal that many are weighing the political risk of associating with his company.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Shen treats the Intelligent Core as a tool for building global influence and insists that partners remain subordinate to his plans.
• Political pressure and opportunism: American companies hedge their bets amid the White House’s hostility, while Zuckerberg sees a possible route around the ban.
• Security and strategic restraint: Shen recognizes the coordinated threat but chooses safety and timing over retaliation.
• Risk and transformation: Taking the Ascension Pill begins a potentially major change, though its effects are not yet known.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing watches his cultivation interface fill with spiritual qi. It automatically opens all 108 acupoints for each stage, progressing rapidly from Qi Refining through higher realms. He mocks the system for making cultivation a repetitive acupoint-opening process, but welcomes the strength it brings.
• The Ascension Pill’s effect carries his in-game character to Spirit Immortal and then True Immortal. Shen Bing wonders whether the abundant immortal qi could take him even further, though the requirements for Golden Immortal rank appear enormous.
• While Shen Bing sleeps, an armed team breaks into his suite to capture or search for him. Mo Ban wakes him, and the two watch from the Immortal Carriage outside the window. Shen Bing declines to confront the intruders, instead telling Mo Ban to send their photos to Qiuqiu so they can be identified and dealt with later.
• The team finds the suite empty despite having watched Shen Bing and Mo Ban enter. They leave without discovering how the pair vanished.
• At the CIA’s underground command center, the U.S. President and intelligence officials learn that the search failed and surveillance footage offers no explanation. Director Darnell suggests Shen Bing may be able to turn invisible, citing other unexplained incidents linked to him.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is amused and increasingly excited by his rapid in-game advancement, while remaining practical: he prioritizes rest before the Turing Award ceremony and chooses to investigate the intruders later rather than risk a confrontation.
• Mo Ban acts as Shen Bing’s alert, capable protector, offering to capture the intruders but following Shen Bing’s decision to let them go.
• The intruders’ leader shifts from cautious confidence to confusion when the target is missing, then orders an immediate retreat.
• The U.S. President is frustrated and skeptical, especially of the suggestion that Shen Bing can become invisible. Darnell, by contrast, grows convinced that this possibility could explain several prior mysteries.

Significant themes

• Unexplained technology and power: Shen Bing’s disappearance exposes how little the intruders—or the intelligence agencies—understand his capabilities.
• Rapid advancement versus immense cost: The system makes cultivation automatic, but the rising spiritual-qi requirements reveal how difficult advancement would normally be.
• The limits of surveillance and control: Even a professional operation with extensive monitoring cannot account for Shen Bing’s escape, while the CIA struggles to interpret the evidence.

Key plot points and events

• The U.S. team debates how Shen Bing and his companions escaped the hotel-room raid. The President rejects the director’s invisibility theory as implausible and suggests they may have used a modified construction device to break through and repair a wall. He cancels further action that night, reasoning Shen Bing would not stay nearby, but agrees to proceed with a second plan the following day.
• Shen Bing checks his progress in the Immortal Realm game. He remains a True Immortal, with only ten acupoints left to open—but doing so would require ten million spiritual-qi points, which he has no practical way to obtain.
• He uses the manual earned from rescuing Erlang Shen to unlock the Divine Abilities module and upgrades Diamond Body to its fifth tier. The ability boosts physical strength from three times its normal level at tier one to three hundred times at tier five. Each upgrade costs ten times more than the previous one, exhausting his remaining spiritual qi and making the ability another costly “money pit.”
• Li Xiao calls to report that the previous night’s attackers posed little danger and that he followed Shen Bing’s instruction to play along. He also tells Shen Bing that Microsoft has arranged transportation for the Turing Award ceremony and other Chinese internet executives.
• Shen Bing agrees to go. At the hotel lobby, he joins the other executives and exchanges friendly remarks with Zhou Hong. Microsoft president Thompson arrives, but Shen Bing says he knows only Bill Gates.

Character developments

• Shen Bing remains pragmatic and humorous: he accepts that becoming a Golden Immortal is out of reach for now, prioritizes unlocking Diamond Body, and weighs its dramatic benefits against escalating costs. He also remains cautious about the Americans’ hospitality.
• The President is skeptical of extraordinary explanations but strategically minded, calling off a likely futile nighttime search and approving a later plan.
• Li Xiao demonstrates loyalty and competence, reassuring Shen Bing that he controlled the situation as instructed.
• Zhou Hong acts as a friendly, sociable companion, while Shen Bing is comparatively unfamiliar with Microsoft’s leadership.

Significant themes

• Power and its price: Shen Bing gains enormous strength, but advancement consumes increasingly scarce resources.
• Technology versus the seemingly impossible: The U.S. officials struggle to explain Shen Bing’s escape, revealing the limits of their assumptions.
• Caution and deception: Both Shen Bing and the President anticipate the other side’s moves, while Li Xiao’s apparent cooperation helps conceal their intentions.

Character interactions

• The President challenges Darnell’s invisibility explanation and discusses alternatives with Simpson and Darnell.
• Shen Bing directs Li Xiao to stay cautious; Li Xiao reports that he followed orders during the raid.
• Shen Bing and Zhou Hong share light conversation before the ceremony.
• Shen Bing joins the Chinese executives’ group and is introduced, indirectly, to Microsoft president Thompson.

Plot points and events

• Mr. Townsend welcomes Shen Bing and the Huaxia delegation to Seattle, then subtly pressures Shen to ride with the group rather than use his own car. Shen agrees, suspecting Townsend has an ulterior motive.
• During the convoy ride, Shen secretly acquires the Body-Strengthening Exercise through the Gate to the Immortal Realm. He studies it so intently that he ignores Townsend’s commentary and even Zhou Hong’s attempt to get his attention. The first set proves too difficult for him to complete.
• The convoy reaches the University of Seattle without incident. Shen remains suspicious, reasoning that the Americans may have separated him from Li Xiao and Mo Ban for a reason other than an attack on the road.
• At the university, Consul General Luo arrives to convey the Huaxia leadership’s regards and offer assistance. Shen understands the reassurance behind Luo’s words and accepts it.
• The unusually large Turing Award ceremony begins before a huge crowd. Gray praises Dragon Scale Security Software and its artificial-intelligence core, then invites Shen to accept the award.
• As Shen walks toward the stage, Mo Ban warns him mentally that two snipers are aiming at him from different directions. Shen shows no outward reaction, keeps walking, and quietly prepares a response.

Character developments

• Shen Bing remains composed and wary despite being surrounded by people who may be working against him. His concentration on mastering the Body-Strengthening Exercise also reveals his impatience with distractions—and the limits of his current physical ability.
• Townsend maintains a genial public manner while putting Shen in an awkward position, reinforcing Shen’s distrust of him.
• Consul General Luo acts as a discreet source of support, making clear that Shen is not alone during his visit.
• Mo Ban demonstrates his value as a fast-moving scout and reliable mental communicator.

Significant themes

• Public courtesy versus hidden hostility: Friendly welcomes and ceremony coexist with suspected political maneuvering and an apparent assassination attempt.
• Vigilance and composure: Shen refuses to let suspicion show, even when warned of immediate danger.
• National pride and international recognition: The award celebrates Shen’s achievement while drawing attention to tensions between Huaxia and the United States.
• Ambition meets limitation: Shen gains access to a powerful training method but discovers that understanding it does not mean he can yet perform it.

Character interactions

• Townsend steers Shen into the delegation’s vehicle and tries to engage him during the trip, but Shen ignores him.
• Zhou Hong taps Shen’s shoulder, without success, as Shen is absorbed in the exercise.
• Consul General Luo greets Shen, offers consular help, and sits beside him at the ceremony.
• Gray publicly recognizes Shen’s work and invites him onto the stage.
• Mo Ban privately warns Shen about the snipers, allowing Shen to respond without alerting the crowd.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing calmly takes the podium at the Turing Award ceremony, relying on his enhanced reflexes and adamantium-alloy armor.
• Warned by Morey that gunmen are preparing to fire, he subtly steps aside just as two sniper shots strike where he had been standing. He then runs toward the crowd, evading two more shots in what appears to be a panicked escape.
• The shooting sends the venue into chaos. Li Xiao joins Shen Bing, while security later announces that the gunmen have been killed. Consul General Luo checks on Shen Bing and angrily demands an explanation from Seattle Mayor Dempsey.
• Shen Bing publicly states that he was the target and criticizes U.S. public safety. Dempsey, unaware of the covert operation, promises an investigation.
• The attackers’ team reviews surveillance footage and argues over whether Shen Bing deliberately dodged the shots or survived by impossible coincidence. They also recall that an earlier operation against his supposed bodyguards ended in the deaths of more than thirty agents. A hidden black cat photographs the group.
• At the White House, the President waits anxiously for news. The chapter reveals the plan: separate Shen Bing from his bodyguards, have snipers wound him, then seize control of him at a prepared hospital and substitute a cloned corpse.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing displays confidence and remarkable awareness, but outwardly acts startled and frightened to make his evasion look accidental.
• Morey warns Shen Bing mentally, while Li Xiao joins him during the apparent escape, helping protect him and sustain the performance.
• Consul General Luo shifts from relief at Shen Bing’s safety to fury at the attack, confronting Mayor Dempsey.
• Dempsey appears genuinely confused and promises an investigation; the city government was not informed of the federal operation.
• The attackers are unsettled by their failure and divided over whether Shen Bing’s survival reflects skill or sheer luck.
• The President is increasingly strained by repeated failures but remains convinced that the elaborate hospital-and-clone scheme should work.

Significant themes

• Perception versus reality: Shen Bing’s deliberate evasions look like coincidence, leaving his enemies unable to judge his abilities.
• Power and vulnerability: Even influential guests panic when faced with gunfire, while Shen Bing remains composed.
• Conspiracy and institutional secrecy: Federal agents operate without the mayor’s knowledge, exposing the gap between public authority and covert power.
• Escalating hubris: The attackers keep trusting supposedly flawless plans despite mounting evidence that Shen Bing and his protectors are far more capable than expected.

Key plot points

• A U.S. operation to capture Shen Bing fails: two expert marksmen miss him and are killed by unfamiliar sniper ammunition. With no evidence linking Shen’s companions to the deaths, the President orders surveillance and prepares a third plan rather than risk a public confrontation.
• The President then learns that CIA Director Darnell has apparently committed suicide. He doubts the official account, especially since Darnell had seemed fine the previous day.
• Shen accepts the Turing Award, medal, and prize money after the attack disrupts the ceremony. He leaves the University of Seattle with a police escort and returns to his hotel.
• Once inside, Shen, Li Xiao, and Mo Ban disappear into the Immortal Carriage, revealed as a hidden space larger than the hotel suite.
• Shen confronts a captive man identified as CIA Director Darnell—called “Nadal” in their exchange. Shen says a perfect double has taken his place in the outside world, where the real Darnell is believed dead. He intends to interrogate him.

Character developments and interactions

• The President shifts from confidence in the capture plan to frustration and caution. He recognizes that Shen’s protection may be formidable and avoids an operation that could provoke a firefight with Seattle police.
• Shen Bing remains outwardly calm after the attack, using a show of fear as cover for his real actions. He is blunt and threatening toward Darnell, dismissing the captive’s protests about his position and the consequences of abducting him.
• Darnell goes from presumed suicide victim to prisoner. Though he tries to feign ignorance and invoke his authority, his fear shows as Shen reveals the apparent replacement.
• Li Xiao and Mo Ban follow Shen into the hidden space without reacting, suggesting familiarity with the Immortal Carriage and their role in his operation.

Significant themes

• Deception and uncertainty: The failed attack, mysterious bullets, apparent suicide, and human double leave both governments and individuals unsure what is real.
• Power and vulnerability: Shen is the target of a state-backed operation, yet secretly turns the tables by capturing the CIA director.
• Public image versus hidden action: Shen performs the role of a shaken victim while concealing his escape and counteroperation.
• Technological transformation: Despite the ceremony’s chaos, Shen’s award marks his work as a milestone that may usher in the age of artificial intelligence.

Key plot points

• Shen Bing interrogates CIA Director Darnell, who begs for his life and offers information about the President’s plans.
• Rather than accept Darnell’s account, Shen uses Phantom Immortal Technology’s Consciousness Transmission Device to extract his memories directly. He discovers two secret U.S. research bases: one focused on genetics and another, far larger, with thousands of staff.
• Shen decides to seize both facilities to supply personnel for his understaffed base on Dragon Lake Ring Island. He wants to do so discreetly, avoiding an attack that would make the world turn against Phantom Immortal Technology.
• Darnell is taken away alive, but the U.S. soon reports that he has died by suicide. His death leaves the White House scrambling to manage the operation against Shen.
• Simpson is appointed acting CIA director and tries to revive the plan to kill Shen. With hotel security making explosives impractical, the CIA sends snipers to attack him from a nearby skyscraper.
• The two snipers are killed almost immediately by unseen protectors. The CIA and the President are stunned by how quickly their plans were discovered and begin to suspect that they have a traitor.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains calm and controlling, using Darnell’s fear for amusement before extracting the information he wants. He shifts from defending himself to planning a calculated raid on the research bases.
• Darnell moves from bargaining and pleading to helpless horror when the device exposes his memories. Though spared by Shen, his reported suicide creates a crisis for the U.S. leadership.
• Simpson, newly elevated to acting director, sees the crisis as a chance to prove himself but quickly finds his operation outmaneuvered.
• The President and CIA leadership are left anxious and divided, struggling to act before Shen leaves the country and questioning whether their own ranks have been compromised.

Significant themes

• Surveillance and the loss of privacy: The consciousness device makes even a person’s private memories accessible.
• Power and vulnerability: Darnell’s high office cannot protect him from Shen’s technology, while the CIA is helpless against an unseen adversary.
• Retribution and escalation: Shen frames his plans as retaliation for the attacks and injuries caused by the U.S. operation.
• Paranoia and mistrust: The failure of the sniper attack turns the CIA’s defeat into suspicion of a traitor within its own ranks.

Plot points

• U.S. officials, including the President, decide to keep pursuing Shen Bing and prevent him from returning to Huaxia, fearing that his influence and possible role in Huaxia’s new stealth technology could overturn American dominance. Their earlier operation has failed disastrously, costing nearly a hundred elite operatives and creating political and media fallout.
• Shen Bing receives a hotel message from Wu Xiaoyun, a woman he previously suspected of being an American agent. He infers that she may have been assigned to persuade him to visit the United States, but refuses to meet her, choosing caution over confrontation.
• Shen Bing returns to the Immortal Realm game to test his newly attained true-immortal strength. A quest to find the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage has expired, so he accepts a new quest: obtain a rare ingredient for the God of Food by hunting a monster in the Demon Realm.
• In the Demon Realm, Shen Bing discovers that his abilities are not suppressed as expected. He encounters a gigantic white tiger, provokes it into attacking, dodges its stomp, and launches a powerful counterattack.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is newly confident in his strength but remains cautious in the real world, avoiding Wu Xiaoyun and relying on his security. In the Demon Realm, his inexperience with combat contrasts with his greatly increased power; he deliberately taunts the tiger to create an opening.
• Wu Xiaoyun reappears as a possible American operative, though her actual motives remain unconfirmed. Shen Bing interprets her visit as part of the U.S. effort to influence him.
• The white tiger mistakes Shen Bing for a member of the Monster Race or another unusual being. Shen Bing insults it, prompting it to reveal itself as the White Tiger Venerable and attack.
• U.S. leadership remains determined to stop Shen Bing despite the heavy losses, treating the conflict as a matter of national interest and power.

Significant themes

• The struggle for technological and geopolitical supremacy drives the U.S. response, with national interest overriding moral considerations.
• Caution and retaliation shape Shen Bing’s choices: he avoids unnecessary danger in the hotel but is ready to confront the forces targeting him.
• The chapter also highlights the gap between power and skill: Shen Bing has become immensely stronger, yet still lacks combat techniques and must learn through trial and error.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing discovers that, while controlling the Immortal Realm Gate Character, he can fight by thought. He uses this ability to overpower a huge White Tiger, battering it until he can kill it with Black Tiger Steals the Heart.
• Killing the Spirit Demon–realm beast unlocks Three Realms favorability: Immortal Realm favorability rises to 1, Demon Realm favorability falls to –1, and Devil Realm favorability remains 0. The system explains vaguely that favorability may affect mission rewards.
• A far stronger White Tiger arrives. Shen Bing collects the dead beast as a mission item and teleports away just before the newcomer crushes the area where he stood.
• At the God of Food Hall, Shen Bing tries to analyze the corpse for useful technology and considers bringing it into the real world. Forced analysis repeatedly fails, and the corpse has no teleport option. He gives up and goes to deliver it.
• Shen Bing enters the grand but sparsely occupied hall. The God of Food says he is busy and asks Shen Bing to wait.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing becomes more confident in combat after realizing that his mental speed lets him control the avatar effectively. He is also curious and opportunistic, hoping the White Tiger’s body could yield scientific or personal benefits, but he cannot bypass the system’s restrictions.
• Shen Bing’s encounter with the stronger White Tiger shows that his easy victory has limits; he escapes rather than risk fighting a much more powerful opponent.
• Shen Bing interacts mainly with the system, whose new feature gives little practical guidance, and with the unseen God of Food, who welcomes him to enter but keeps him waiting.
• Shen Bing notices that, despite its impressive appearance, the God of Food Hall seems lonely and underoccupied—much like the Plague God’s residence, though the Plague God at least has Doudou and the Cat Demon for company.

Significant themes

• Power and confidence: Shen Bing’s new fighting method makes an intimidating battle feel surprisingly manageable, but the stronger White Tiger restores a sense of danger.
• System constraints and uncertainty: Favorability, analysis, and teleportation are governed by opaque rules that Shen Bing cannot fully understand or control.
• Opportunity versus limitation: Shen Bing looks for ways to turn the monster’s corpse into an advantage, only to find that the system blocks both analysis and transfer to the real world.
• Isolation: The vast God of Food Hall appears impressive yet empty, hinting at the loneliness of powerful immortal figures.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing visits the God of Food Hall after hearing that the God of Food is struggling to prepare the Peach Banquet. The God explains that an ancient edict banning the eating of living beings, along with the loss of access to the Demon Realms, has left him without exceptional ingredients.
• Shen Bing offers a freshly killed White Tiger. The God of Food fears this violates heavenly law, but Shen Bing argues that Demon Realm creatures are not covered by the ban.
• Shen Bing summons the enormous carcass. The God confirms it came from the Demon Realm, not the Immortal Realm, and eagerly declares its fresh, tender meat suitable to be the banquet’s centerpiece.
• Asked what reward he wants, Shen Bing lets the God choose. The God gives him his Complete Culinary Compendium, a cookbook he considers a priceless record of his culinary expertise. Shen Bing is disappointed but accepts it rather than go back on his word.
• Back in his carriage, Shen Bing analyzes the book with the Eye of Truth. The system classifies its contents as Two-Star Technology: Complete Ingredient Processing. He transfers the knowledge for 30 immortal jade and is overwhelmed by its vast range of techniques and recipes.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing presents himself as a composed, helpful immortal, though his private thoughts are sarcastic and irreverent. He is frustrated by the cookbook reward but follows through on his promise, then becomes impressed by the knowledge’s practical value.
• The God of Food is courteous, weary, and demoralized by his declining status and lack of ingredients. The White Tiger restores his enthusiasm, and he responds with sincere gratitude by offering his most treasured work.
• Their exchange is comic: Shen Bing expects excitement over the carcass, while the God first panics about the law; Shen Bing then expects a valuable treasure, only to receive a cookbook.

Significant themes

• Hidden truths and unequal knowledge: Shen Bing suspects powerful figures know the Demon Realm still exists, while lower-ranking immortals remain unaware.
• Rules versus loopholes: Shen Bing relies on the distinction between Immortal and Demon Realm creatures to justify using the White Tiger.
• Unexpected value: What initially seems like a disappointing cookbook turns out to contain powerful techniques and medicinal-style recipes that can strengthen the body and prolong life.
• Progress through persistence: Shen Bing has completed ten of the twenty quests required to upgrade the system, bringing him halfway to unlocking its next level.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing completes a quest and receives the Complete Guide to Ingredient Processing. Although its recipes are extraordinary, he decides not to publish them or open restaurants; instead, he sets the knowledge aside as a future technological reserve.
• Pleased by his recent advancement to true immortal, Shen realizes quests have become much easier and believes he may upgrade the Gate to the Immortal Realm to level 3 sooner than expected.
• A U.S. caller turns out to be George, an aide to Mark Zuckerberg, who requests a meeting. Shen agrees to visit Zuckerberg’s home and promises to evade surveillance; he also asks Zuckerberg to keep the property clear of unwanted observers.
• Shen tells his bodyguard, Li Xiao, that they are leaving the hotel for the meeting. Li Xiao questions the need to go outside, but accepts Shen’s decision.
• At his Seattle-area estate, Zuckerberg discusses the meeting with George. He argues that financial interests will eventually persuade powerful groups to cooperate with Shen, and says Shen’s claim that he can evade surveillance should be trusted.
• Shen suddenly appears in the garden, bypassing the estate’s extensive security and bodyguards. After recovering from his surprise, Zuckerberg welcomes him and offers five percent of his company’s shares in exchange for the right to introduce Phantom Immortal Technology’s Intelligent Core. Shen asks what he would gain; the chapter ends before he responds to the offer.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains pragmatic and self-interested: he keeps valuable culinary technology private until he can use it more profitably. His newfound power makes him confident about taking risks, including visiting Zuckerberg alone and entering a heavily guarded estate undetected.
• Zuckerberg reveals himself as calculating and politically perceptive. He sees cooperation with Shen as a future necessity for major financial interests and is willing to offer a substantial stake to secure access to the Intelligent Core.
• George is cautious about the political risks of meeting Shen, but respects Zuckerberg’s judgment and carries out his instructions.
• Li Xiao serves as Shen’s loyal, practical bodyguard, voicing a reasonable concern about leaving their secure vehicle but ultimately following orders.

Significant themes

• Ability versus luck: Shen’s unexplained arrival proves, in Zuckerberg’s eyes, that his previous escapes were feats of ability rather than chance.
• Power and leverage: Shen’s extraordinary capabilities give him control over the meeting, while Zuckerberg uses shares and possible political support to negotiate access to advanced technology.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Shen protects valuable knowledge rather than releasing it freely, and Zuckerberg argues that financial interests ultimately shape political alliances.
• Appearances versus reality: The estate’s impressive security proves ineffective against Shen, whose true strength is far beyond what others can see.

Key plot points and events

• Zuckerberg offers Phantom Immortal Technology a 5% Facebook stake in exchange for licensing its Intelligent Core. Shen Bing rejects the idea that money is his main concern, explaining that he values control more than profit.
• Zuckerberg realizes Shen Bing’s real goal is to gain control of Facebook, something he considers impossible—and deeply personal, since he built the company and structured its shares to preserve his own influence.
• Shen Bing proposes extraordinary compensation, first offering a habitable planet. Zuckerberg dismisses this as fantasy and asks for practical terms.
• Shen Bing then argues that the Intelligent Core could multiply Facebook’s profits by enabling far more than social-media features. Facebook could license its applications to other businesses rather than operate them all itself.
• Shen Bing suggests giving Facebook a distinct version of the technology, which could be presented as Facebook’s own and win government support. He says he needs a controlling stake to ensure the technology stays under his influence.
• To underline the stakes, Shen Bing reminds Zuckerberg that he can kill him anywhere and points to the mysterious disappearance of Sanling Heavy Industries’ chairman as evidence.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing reveals that control matters more to him than immediate returns. He is confident, strategic, and willing to make extravagant offers, but also openly threatening when explaining why he wants control.
• Zuckerberg moves from confidence in his proposed deal to disbelief, then cautious interest when Shen describes the technology’s business potential. His protectiveness toward Facebook remains strong, and Shen’s threat leaves him frightened and unsettled.
• George, Zuckerberg’s subordinate, is visibly indignant at Shen’s treatment of the offer, reflecting how sincerely Zuckerberg hoped to secure the partnership.
• The negotiation shifts from a straightforward technology-for-equity deal into a struggle over ownership, trust, and who will control Facebook’s future.

Significant themes

• Control versus profit: Both men prize control, though Shen presents it as his defining priority and Zuckerberg has protected it through Facebook’s share structure.
• Technology as power: The Intelligent Core could transform Facebook from a social platform into a gateway for many industries.
• Trust backed by coercion: Shen offers Zuckerberg immense opportunity while making clear that resistance—or betrayal—could carry lethal consequences.
• Ambition and plausibility: The prospect of vast growth is weighed against outlandish claims, with Zuckerberg struggling to distinguish a genuine opportunity from Shen’s audacious pressure tactics.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing proposes licensing the Intelligent Core to Facebook through an offshore company. He suggests Zuckerberg could drive Facebook’s share price down by announcing huge AI investments, then potentially profit from buying shares at the lower price and taking the company private.
• Zuckerberg sees the plan’s financial potential, though taking Facebook private would be difficult.
• Shen explains to Li Xiao that Facebook can promote the technology in the United States more credibly than a company secretly created by Shen. The partnership could also help avoid antitrust scrutiny when the Intelligent Core expands into operating systems.
• Shen’s deeper safeguard is that Qiuqiu, his own super AI, will retain control over every terminal running the Intelligent Core, keeping Facebook dependent on him.
• Meanwhile, U.S. agents continue trying to capture Shen. Surveillance, room searches, and an overnight ambush all fail because he is absent from his hotel suite. Police eventually remove the agents, just as observers spot Shen elsewhere.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing demonstrates strategic foresight and confidence, using Facebook as both a credible U.S. partner and a shield against regulatory and political pressure. He withholds the full extent of his control from Li Xiao.
• Zuckerberg is initially wary but becomes intrigued by the financial and business possibilities of Shen’s scheme.
• Li Xiao questions why Shen would share the Intelligent Core’s profits with a foreign company. After Shen explains the strategic reasons, Li Xiao accepts the plan and recognizes his boss’s broader vision.
• Wu Xiaoyun visits Shen at the hotel but leaves quietly when turned away, suggesting intelligence and restraint.
• The American agents grow increasingly frustrated as Shen repeatedly evades their surveillance and capture attempts.

Significant themes

• Strategic alliances and leverage: Shen uses Facebook’s reputation and resources to advance his own ambitions.
• Hidden control: Though Facebook may appear to lead the AI effort, Shen’s control through Qiuqiu ensures he remains in command.
• Power, markets, and regulation: Stock prices, corporate ownership, and antitrust laws become tools in a larger technological contest.
• Surveillance versus evasion: The agents’ sophisticated methods are rendered useless by Shen’s unexplained ability to disappear.

Key events

• CIA agents become baffled when Shen Bing apparently emerges from a public restroom despite having been watched entering his hotel suite. A gap in the surveillance footage leaves them unable to explain how he got there.
• The agents’ next plan is to sabotage the hotel elevators. They install devices meant to sever an elevator cable and injure Shen, but the trap fails when he rides downstairs safely.
• In the elevator shaft, one agent wonders whether the remote is faulty and presses it again. The device detonates, snapping the cable and killing another agent. The remote-holder is left unsure whether he triggered it.
• Shen travels to the China–U.S. Internet Forum’s main venue. There, Townsend, Microsoft’s president, opens the day’s industry discussions with a speech, followed by other business leaders. Zhou Hong reminds Shen that he is scheduled to speak soon.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains calm and composed, seemingly untroubled by repeated attempts on his life. He lets Mo Ban handle the elevator sabotage without asking for details.
• Mo Ban notices a suspicious man near the elevators and quietly takes action. He later tells Shen that the saboteurs have been dealt with.
• The CIA agents grow increasingly frustrated and confused as their surveillance and elevator plots fail. Their inability to control events culminates in an accidental fatality.
• Townsend greets Shen politely and delivers a welcoming speech, but Shen distrusts his genial manner and pointedly criticizes U.S. public safety.
• Zhou Hong welcomes Shen at the forum and teases him about arriving just as Townsend takes the stage.

Significant themes

• Hidden forces and uncertainty: Shen’s inexplicable appearance and the unexplained remote detonation leave the agents unable to understand who—or what—is controlling events.
• Failed schemes and unintended consequences: The CIA’s carefully planned attempt to injure Shen instead causes one of their own agents’ deaths.
• Public diplomacy amid private hostility: The forum promotes cooperation between the two countries even as covert attacks and personal distrust continue behind the scenes.

Plot points and events

• At the China–U.S. Internet Forum, Shen Bing learns he is expected to speak. Though caught off guard, he agrees rather than appear intimidated.
• After speeches from leading technology executives, Shen describes artificial intelligence as central to humanity’s future. He calls Phantom Immortal Technology’s Intelligent Core a strong-AI milestone, but stresses that AI must be controlled as well as developed. He also pushes back against Zuckerberg’s call for greater access to Huaxia’s internet market, arguing against U.S. barriers to his company’s products.
• The forum ends with a day of optional business negotiations scheduled for the following day. Shen tells Taobao chairman Niu Yu that he may leave instead, since U.S. restrictions prevent his company from doing business there; he declines Niu’s offer to sightsee.
• Shen’s security chief, Li Xiao, reports that Mo Ban has dealt with trouble near the venue and is clearing ambushes along their route. Shen orders him to leave no loose ends and tells Li to contact Lu Xian about acquiring technology near Seattle. Shen plans to return to Huaxia by the day after tomorrow and then move against two research bases.
• At the White House, the President berates newly promoted CIA director Simpson: more than ten teams sent to capture Shen have gone silent, and planned attacks—including a roadside bomb—have apparently failed. The President authorizes Simpson to abandon covert tactics and detain Shen openly, with the Department of Justice’s support.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing displays confidence and composure despite threats. His speech combines optimism about AI with caution about its dangers, while his remarks to Zuckerberg show he is willing to answer political and commercial pressure directly.
• Niu Yu is friendly and supportive, inviting Shen to travel with him; Shen declines, lightly reminding him that accompanying him could be dangerous.
• Li Xiao and Mo Ban emerge as disciplined members of Shen’s security operation: Li reports calmly, while Mo handles threats ahead of the group.
• Simpson is frustrated by the repeated failure of his teams but regains confidence once the President grants him authority to act openly. The President shifts from anger to a more forceful plan.

Significant themes

• AI’s promise and risk: AI could transform society, but progress must be matched by safeguards.
• Business and politics: The forum promotes cooperation, yet market access and government restrictions shape which partnerships are possible.
• Power and vulnerability: Shen appears untouchable despite being on U.S. soil, while the intelligence services’ repeated failures undermine their authority.
• Public versus covert action: The President’s authorization signals an escalation from secret operations to openly using state power.

Plot points

• Shen Bing returns to his hotel and tries the Body-Strengthening Exercise. Its movements are painful and demanding; after completing four, he stops before risking a mental breakdown.
• CIA Director Simpson gathers his operatives in Seattle to plan Shen Bing’s capture. Direct attacks on the hotel seem futile because Shen Bing’s bodyguards are highly capable, so the team discusses luring him somewhere less secure and using explosives to overturn his armored car.
• One proposal is to kidnap the Huaxia ambassador in San Francisco and threaten Shen Bing into responding. If that fails, the conspirators consider engineering an emergency at the hotel and exploiting the evacuation.
• Back at the hotel, Little Doudou tells Shen Bing about Simpson’s plot. Shen Bing lets the creature deal with the threat, but forbids escalating it into an international crisis.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows patience in training, stopping when he senses that further effort could harm him. He also takes a cautious, long-term view of geopolitics, preferring gradual strategic pressure over provoking war.
• Little Doudou is eager to act and teases Shen Bing by pretending not to understand why Simpson deserves punishment. It proposes turning the planned kidnapping into a public scandal, but Shen Bing restrains it.
• Simpson is determined to capture Shen Bing and shifts from direct assault to schemes involving hostages, explosives, and manufactured emergencies.
• Simpson’s subordinates offer plans; the group rejects the idea of using Shen Bing’s former classmate as bait, while the refined-looking operative’s ambassador proposal wins Simpson’s attention.

Significant themes

• Power versus restraint: Shen Bing may have the strength to respond forcefully, but believes restraint prevents catastrophe.
• Long-term strategy: He favors gradually weakening a rival rather than provoking an immediate, potentially nuclear conflict.
• Capability and vulnerability: Simpson’s team searches for openings in Shen Bing’s defenses, while the chapter suggests their confidence contrasts sharply with the protection surrounding him.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing’s companion, Little Doudou, reports that people posing as terrorists are planning to kidnap Consul General Luo. Shen Bing initially considers notifying the Huaxia embassy, but realizes the plot could help him leave the United States.
• Shen Bing knows the U.S. intends to kill him if he tries to fly home. He previously rejected Zuckerberg’s offer to take him out privately, wanting to avoid the appearance of secretly fleeing and to avoid alienating Huaxia’s senior officials.
• At dawn, armed men attack Luo’s residence, kidnap him, and injure one member of his entourage. A supposed remnant of the Dash terrorist organization claims responsibility, blames Shen Bing for its destruction, and demands that he leave Seattle with his bodyguards by 9 a.m. to face them—or Luo will be killed live.
• The U.S. and Huaxia governments condemn the kidnapping and call for Luo’s rescue. Most observers assume Shen Bing will not risk his life for someone with whom he has little personal connection.
• Shen Bing privately knows Luo can be kept safe and hopes the rescue will earn Luo political credit. Once his team confirms Luo’s safety, Shen Bing sets out from the hotel, apparently accepting the challenge. Reporters capture his departure and speculate about what awaits him.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is calculating and willing to use the kidnapping as a public reason to “disappear,” while still weighing the political consequences of his choices. He feels guilty that Luo must endure fear, but expects the rescue to benefit him.
• Little Doudou proves to be a reliable eyewitness, recounting the conspirators’ conversation precisely.
• Consul General Luo becomes the hostage at the center of the crisis; his safety is secretly assured by Shen Bing’s team.
• Li Xiao and Mo Ban support Shen Bing’s plan, with Li Xiao coordinating preparations and reporting that Lu Xian has secured Luo’s safety.

Significant themes

• Public appearance versus private strategy: Shen Bing wants to avoid looking like he is fleeing, so he turns a crisis into a plausible reason to leave.
• Political calculation and loyalty: His actions may save Luo and improve the consul’s standing, but Shen Bing also considers how Huaxia’s leaders will judge him.
• Assumptions about courage and self-interest: Observers presume Shen Bing would never endanger himself for a distant compatriot, setting up the contrast between public expectations and his actual plan.
• Manipulation and misdirection: The kidnapping is presented as terrorism, while Shen Bing understands it as an opportunity shaped by hidden political motives.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing dismisses Little Doudou’s initial protest and asks for a full account, then thinks through the report’s implications.
• He coordinates with Li Xiao, who confirms that Lu Xian has secured Luo’s safety, and departs with Li Xiao and Mo Ban.
• The U.S. and Huaxia authorities publicly pressure the kidnappers, while the media and public debate whether Shen Bing will accept the challenge.