Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Niu Yu and Hua Teng arrive at Phantom Immortal Technology with their teams for talks arranged by Shen Bing. They tour the company and joke with him when he arrives.
• Shen Bing reveals that the meeting was not his idea: officials are behind it, and he warns the businessmen that the agenda may be significant.
• Secretary Jiang arrives with a high-ranking government and banking delegation. He explains that the media were tipped off about a meeting on Dragon Scale-related payment arrangements, partly to make the initiative appear company-led rather than government-imposed.
• Secretary Jiang presents the official account: Shen Bing had sought policy support to make Dragon Scale top-ups easier for overseas users, and the leadership approved a foreign-exchange conversion service.
• Deputy Governor Han outlines a preliminary partnership: Phantom Immortal Technology supplies the platform, the Four Major Commercial Banks participate, and Taobao and Penguin provide the payment methods.
• Jiang invites objections, but Niu Yu and Hua Teng quickly endorse the proposal. The group is ready to begin negotiating details, and Jiang signals that Shen Bing must now lead.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains dryly humorous and guarded. He knows the meeting has a hidden political dimension but does not yet know all the intended arrangements; once the framework is announced, he recognizes that he is expected to take charge.
• Niu Yu and Hua Teng move from casual banter to surprise and caution as they realize the meeting involves senior officials. They understand that the public explanation has been adjusted and avoid probing into what they are not meant to know.
• Secretary Jiang manages the meeting’s framing, presenting the initiative as a response to Shen Bing’s request and positioning the project as voluntary cooperation.
• The business representatives recognize that the arrangement offers them valuable access to Dragon Scale’s international user base and readily agree to participate.

Significant themes

• Government and business coordination: The proposal combines state authorization, banking infrastructure, and private technology and payment platforms.
• Strategic communication: The meeting’s public narrative is deliberately shaped to avoid the appearance of government coercion.
• Power and dependence: Though several major organizations are involved, the project’s success depends heavily on Phantom Immortal Technology and the Dragon Scale platform.
• Mutual benefit: The proposed service is presented as helping the country, participating companies, and overseas consumers.

Chapter summary

• International payment cooperation: Shen Bing proposes a system for overseas Dragon Scale users to pay in their local currencies. Penguin and Taobao would provide payment interfaces, while licensed commercial banks would convert the funds into yuan for users to buy access. The arrangement could lower costs for users—some currently pay up to twice the standard price—and help the two companies expand internationally.
• Broader significance: Though the meeting focuses on practical business details, the cooperation could also increase the yuan’s global influence and gradually challenge the U.S. dollar’s dominance. This political dimension remains unspoken.
• Agreement and press conference: After a day of negotiations, Phantom Immortal Technology, government representatives, Penguin, and Taobao reach agreement. A press conference is planned, partly to publicize the outcome and apply indirect pressure on the United States.
• Shen Bing’s distraction: Shen tries to leave the press conference to Wang Sheng, claiming he is busy. In fact, he has been playing Gate to the Immortal Realm during the meeting and is eager to guide his Skyflying Shuttle into the mysterious Land of Primordial Chaos, where he hopes to find the Divine Puppet Artisan. Wang persuades him that his presence will carry much greater weight, and Shen reluctantly agrees.
• Public attention: Reporters crowd the conference room, speculating about the payment plan, U.S. tariffs, and Shen’s past conflict with the United States. Shen’s arrival silences the room and sparks excitement, showing how much his reputation and the company’s prominence have grown.
• Announcement: Shen confirms the agreement and explains that overseas Dragon Scale users will be directed to Taobao or Penguin payment services, with banks handling currency conversion. The chapter ends as a reporter asks what the company ultimately hopes to achieve through the changes.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is influential in business and public relations, but remains casual and eager to delegate—especially when the game’s mysteries beckon.
• Wang Sheng acts as the responsible executive, challenging Shen’s excuse and persuading him to address the media himself.
• Their exchange is humorous and familiar: Wang recognizes Shen’s habit of avoiding duties, while Shen accepts mainly because the press conference will be brief.
• Reporters shift from noisy speculation to attentive excitement when Shen appears, underscoring his growing public stature.

Themes

• Commerce and geopolitics: A payment system designed for convenience also carries implications for international influence and currency competition.
• Reputation and power: Shen’s presence gives the announcement more authority than any other company representative could provide.
• Responsibility versus personal interests: Shen’s corporate role clashes comically with his desire to return to his game.

Chapter Summary — “So Haughty!”

Key plot points and events

• At a press conference, Shen Bing explains that Phantom Immortal Technology’s new Dragon Scale System payment policy is meant to reduce unfairly high costs for users abroad. In practice, however, pricing and access will favor users considered friendly toward the company and Huaxia.
• Shen confirms that the system’s red-list and blacklist features will apply internationally. Red-listed users receive discounts, while those on the blacklist pay more.
• Challenged over the risk that users might switch to a rival operating system, Shen argues that most people are good and will support the policy. He dismisses those who leave as free to choose another system.
• Shen counters U.S. claims that Dragon Scale threatens national security by pointing out that the White House demanded its source code. He argues that the same standard could bar American operating systems from other countries.
• He then announces that Phantom Immortal Technology will stop selling its products in the United States unless the country abolishes its discriminatory tariffs. The unexpected declaration shocks reporters and Wang Sheng.
• Afterward, Wang asks why Shen made the announcement. Shen says it is intended to make the Americans pay a heavier price, though he does not explain how.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing presents himself as principled and confident, framing his policies around fairness, morality, and loyalty. His sharp, provocative answers reveal that he is also willing to use commercial pressure and public confrontation to retaliate against perceived hostility.
• Wang Sheng is surprised by Shen’s sudden decision to withdraw from the U.S. market, but trusts that it is calculated rather than impulsive. He does not press Shen for details.
• The reporters repeatedly challenge Shen on pricing, international acceptance, competition, and U.S. security concerns. Shen turns their questions back on them, embarrassing one American reporter and leaving the press corps startled by his bluntness.

Significant themes

• Morality as a business tool: Shen casts discounts and access restrictions as rewards for good conduct, blurring the line between ethical principle and commercial leverage.
• Power and retaliation: The chapter emphasizes Shen’s willingness to accept losses—or appear willing—in order to impose a greater cost on an adversary.
• Nationalism and market access: Disputes over tariffs, source code, and security become part of a broader struggle over trade and technological influence.
• Public image versus hidden motives: Shen’s stated concern is protecting users and opposing unfair treatment, but his private aim is to make the United States pay.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing publicly declares that Phantom Immortal Technology will stop selling its products in the United States unless the White House removes the new tariffs. The announcement divides opinion: some see it as reckless, while others praise his resolve, especially since demand already exceeds the company’s limited production.
• Director Cameron calls Shen Bing, worried the trade dispute will derail plans to install the company’s W-X movie equipment in American cinemas before Avatar 3. Shen Bing tells him to proceed, confident the White House will eventually reverse course.
• Cameron considers the wider consequences: American consumers may travel abroad to experience Phantom Immortal Technology’s products, sending money overseas and creating political pressure on the administration.
• Shen Bing’s bodyguard, Li Xiao, suggests using supernatural means to control the U.S. president. Shen Bing rejects the idea, citing the need to follow basic rules, though he cannot reveal the system’s restrictions.
• At home, Shen Bing enters the Gate to the Immortal Realm and prepares to travel to the Primordial Chaos World. Worried that the Skyflying Shuttle might malfunction there, he switches to the cheaper Immortal Carriage. In the unfamiliar, weightless environment, he initially floats helplessly until entering the carriage, which restores a sense of gravity.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows confidence and defiance in his business strategy, while privately weighing risks and trying to conceal the Gate’s limitations from Li Xiao.
• Cameron moves from alarm over the U.S. market to recognizing the potential economic and political costs of the tariffs. He remains uncertain but begins to share Shen Bing’s belief that the White House may back down.
• Li Xiao proposes a blunt supernatural solution; Shen Bing shuts it down with a deliberately vague explanation.
• Shen Bing’s delight in the Immortal Carriage’s simulated gravity shows his curiosity and excitement about applying its technology to future space travel.

Significant themes

• Economic leverage and consumer desire: Products that are not necessities can still influence trade and politics by offering experiences people strongly want.
• Confidence versus uncertainty: Shen Bing bets that public and economic pressure will force a policy reversal, while Cameron remains wary.
• Power constrained by rules: Shen Bing possesses extraordinary means but cannot use them without limits.
• Exploration and technological wonder: Shen Bing’s journey into the Primordial Chaos World combines adventure with practical concerns about unfamiliar technology.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing enters the Primordial Chaos World in the Immortal Carriage, but Chaos Energy kills him almost immediately. The system calls his body “frail,” despite his True Immortal strength and Diamond Body.
• Unable to recover the carriage or reach the Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul, Shen Bing decides to strengthen his character before trying again.
• He analyzes a Nine-Turn Golden Core Pill and unexpectedly extracts two-star Basic Brain Development Technology. He sees it as a valuable way to improve the Underground Base’s research staff, though he has no current plans to release it publicly.
• Shen Bing consumes the pill, gains ten million Spiritual Qi, and opens his final ten acupoints to become a Golden Immortal.
• He returns to the Chaos Shore. His new rank lets him survive for about three seconds—long enough to confirm he is still vulnerable, but not long enough to retrieve the nearby carriage.
• After his second death, he consumes another Nine-Turn Golden Core Pill. Rather than spend its limited Spiritual Qi on a single Golden Immortal acupoint, he uses one million points to upgrade Diamond Body to its sixth tier, which multiplies his physical strength by a thousand.

Character developments

• Shen Bing remains ambitious and pragmatic: despite the cost of using rare pills, he prioritizes reaching the Chaos World and obtaining the remnant soul needed for his larger plans.
• He treats repeated deaths with dark humor and persistence, but recognizes that his cultivation alone is insufficient; he must improve his physical defenses.
• His unexpected success extracting brain-development technology deepens his interest in intelligence enhancement, especially for his researchers.

Significant themes

• Persistence through failure: Shen Bing repeatedly dies and adjusts his strategy rather than abandoning his goal.
• Power and its limits: Becoming a Golden Immortal greatly improves his status, yet Chaos Energy still overwhelms him.
• Risk and resource management: Rare pills can provide either technological discoveries or cultivation resources, forcing Shen Bing to weigh immediate survival against long-term advancement.
• Uneven progress: Shen Bing gains powerful technology and physical strength, but his ambitious projects remain constrained by practical obstacles.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing’s main “interaction” is with the game system, which bluntly labels him frail and offers revival options; he reacts with frustration but receives no explanation.
• He also considers the needs of the Underground Base’s researchers, hoping brain-development technology will let ordinary staff contribute more effectively alongside their enhanced project leaders.

Plot points and events

• Yun Xue returns home and invites Shen Bing to a movie. They choose the action film Black Sea Operation, then decide to have dinner first at a Western restaurant in the Nancy Hotel.
• Their joking conversation turns flirtatious when Shen Bing asks whether they need to bring their IDs. Yun Xue calls his mind “dirty,” but admits she worries that his wealth and status might attract other women.
• Yun Xue insists on driving her own BMW rather than one of Shen Bing’s luxury cars, wanting to avoid looking like a kept woman. Shen Bing respects her independence, though he had previously offered to buy her a better car.
• On the drive, Shen Bing plays his game while Yun Xue shares stories from work. He secretly returns to the Land of Primordial Chaos, where he survives briefly inside the Immortal Carriage before Chaos Energy kills him.
• Using the Heavenly Eye lets him see through the Chaos Energy, but his strength is insufficient to endure it for long. He revives safely on Illusory Void Island, having left the carriage behind again.
• Shen Bing realizes that randomly searching the enormous Land of Primordial Chaos for a Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul is impractical. He considers using the Immortal Artifact Heaven-Seeker to locate something connected to the remnant soul.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing tries to balance a date with his obsessive gaming and ongoing quest. He is affectionate toward Yun Xue and willing to let her set the evening’s plans, but continues sneaking back into the game.
• Yun Xue is playful and affectionate, while also candid about her insecurity over Shen Bing’s wealth and the attention it could draw. Her insistence on driving her own car reflects her desire for financial independence.
• Their banter shows comfort and intimacy: they tease each other about their relationship, and Shen Bing reassures her through his considerate actions rather than arguing over her choices.
• Shen Bing also calls Li Xiao to make his own plans, surprising him by choosing to spend the evening with Yun Xue.

Significant themes

• Romance and independence: The date brings out both the couple’s affection and Yun Xue’s determination to retain her autonomy.
• Wealth and insecurity: Shen Bing’s riches are both an advantage and a source of anxiety for Yun Xue.
• Persistence and limits: Shen Bing’s repeated attempts to explore the Land of Primordial Chaos reveal the danger of the task and the need for a smarter strategy than simply searching blindly.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing arrives at Craftsman God Island using a Teleportation Talisman, but a crash in the real world interrupts him: Yun Xue has rear-ended a Bugatti with their BMW.
• The Bugatti’s owner angrily insults Yun Xue and boasts about the car’s value. Shen Bing secretly slaps him twice, though nobody—including Yun Xue—sees him move.
• Shen Bing denies hitting the man, and the bystanders back him up. He accepts responsibility for the collision and asks the owner to name a repair price.
• The owner says the car cost 12.99 million yuan and threatens Yun Xue with lasting financial consequences.
• A bystander recognizes Shen Bing, the celebrated scientist and chairman of Phantom Immortal Technology. The owner remains dismissive until another witness points out that Shen Bing recently helped bring down a U.S. president through impeachment.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is calm, confident, and irreverent under pressure. He defends Yun Xue, mocks the owner’s arrogance, and uses an unseen ability to slap him without being caught.
• Yun Xue is composed after the crash and quick to challenge the owner’s insults. Her teasingly approving response to Shen Bing’s first slap shows that she supports him despite pretending to scold him.
• The Bugatti owner shifts from anger and self-importance to bafflement as his attacks go unseen; he still boasts about his wealth and status.
• The bystanders first deny witnessing anything, then recognize Shen Bing and become excited, reframing the confrontation in his favor.

Significant themes

• Power versus arrogance: The owner relies on his expensive car and threats, while Shen Bing’s real influence makes that posturing look small.
• Public reputation and status: Recognition of Shen Bing changes how the crowd understands the encounter.
• Hidden ability and comic irony: Shen Bing’s invisible slaps leave both the owner and witnesses confused.
• Protectiveness and loyalty: Shen Bing steps in when Yun Xue is insulted, and she clearly appreciates his defense.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing and Yun Xue’s BMW rear-ends a Bugatti in traffic. The Bugatti’s owner initially berates them, but recognizes Shen Bing after checking a news report about Phantom Immortal Technology’s press conference.
• Once he realizes whom he confronted, the young owner apologizes and hesitates over whether to accept compensation. Shen Bing remains calm and insists he will pay for the damage, leaving Gao Silun and Tian Youde to settle the matter.
• As Shen Bing and Yun Xue drive away, onlookers discover that the BMW has no visible damage. They suspect it has been technologically reinforced like Shen Bing’s other vehicles.
• The couple arrives at the Nancy Building for dinner. At Yun Xue’s suggestion, Shen Bing wears sunglasses to avoid being recognized and interrupting their date.
• They admire the Nancy Hotel’s striking exterior and head to Bigge, an exclusive Western restaurant on the top floor. When told they need a reservation and the restaurant is full, Shen Bing refuses to give up on their special evening and calls Nancy Building chairman Fang Yuanming to resolve the problem.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is composed and generous about the accident, yet maintains a personal sense of justice: he will compensate the other driver but considers the two slaps he dealt the man a separate matter. He also shows affection for Yun Xue by prioritizing their date.
• Yun Xue reveals both her responsibility and her playful, romantic side. She insists on paying for the accident because she caused it, jokes about repaying Shen Bing “with her body,” and admits she has avoided visiting the Nancy Building alone because she wanted to see it with him.
• The Bugatti owner shifts from arrogance to embarrassment and deference once he recognizes Shen Bing, highlighting the latter’s extraordinary public reputation.
• Fang Yuanming responds to Shen Bing’s call with eager loyalty, treating even a minor request from him as important.

Significant themes

• Fame and influence: Shen Bing’s identity instantly changes how others treat him, from the Bugatti owner to the restaurant’s management.
• Responsibility and fairness: Shen Bing intends to pay for the collision, and Yun Xue refuses to shirk responsibility, even when the other driver might not demand compensation.
• Intimacy amid a busy life: The outing gives Shen Bing and Yun Xue a rare chance to enjoy time together, and Shen Bing recognizes that he should make more room for her.
• Power used without cruelty: Shen Bing rejects wildly disproportionate revenge, distinguishing between fair compensation and personal retaliation.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing reassures Yun Xue about the accident and teases her about the cost; she answers with affection and playful confidence.
• At the Nancy Building, Yun Xue encourages Shen Bing to disguise himself, then happily takes his arm as they explore.
• Shen Bing protects Yun Xue from being jostled in the crowded elevator, while her happiness makes clear how much the date means to her.
• When the waiter refuses them entry without a reservation, Shen Bing avoids arguing with him and calls Fang Yuanming instead.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing asks Fang Yuanming to secure a table at the fully booked Bigge Western Restaurant. Fang recognizes that Shen must have an important reason for insisting and personally calls the restaurant’s owner, Lowis.
• Lowis realizes Fang’s request must concern someone influential and rushes to free the restaurant’s best table, Violet, without openly displacing its customers.
• He tells the couple occupying Violet that they have won a bottle of rare 1982 Lafite—but claims they must stop dining and surrender their table to collect it. He adds that their meal will be free.
• Though they find the rule bizarre, the couple accept the offer after Lowis guarantees the wine’s authenticity. Lowis has the table cleared and calls the front desk to check on the incoming diners.
• The chapter ends with the front-desk waiter confused by Lowis’s questions: no one is waiting, and he has not stopped anyone without a reservation.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Yuanming shows his business instincts and regard for Shen Bing by personally intervening, while hesitating over whether to go to the restaurant himself.
• Lowis is anxious to protect his restaurant’s contract and reputation. Under pressure, he improvises an awkward promotion rather than directly asking the couple to leave.
• The young couple, especially Wu Luo, are pleased by the prospect of rare wine but become puzzled by the conditions. Wu Luo ultimately agrees, persuading her companion to go along.
• The front-desk waiter’s confusion contrasts with Lowis’s urgency and hints that the situation may not be unfolding as expected.

Significant themes

• Influence and obligation: A powerful connection turns an ordinary seating problem into an urgent matter for the restaurant owner.
• Improvisation under pressure: Lowis tries to satisfy a powerful caller while avoiding the reputational damage of openly ejecting customers.
• Irony and absurdity: The chapter’s comedy comes from the elaborate “lucky customer” rule and the restaurant staff’s growing confusion.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing and Yun Xue arrive at Lowis’s restaurant without a reservation. Recognizing Shen Bing as an important guest, Lowis personally welcomes them and gives them Violet Hall, apparently persuading its current diners to leave.
• Lowis treats Shen Bing with conspicuous deference. They chat about China, and Shen Bing orders foie gras, Caspian caviar, and wine. Lowis plans to cover the meal as an investment in building a relationship.
• Meanwhile, a video spreads in Japan showing attackers ambushing a three-car convoy and being defeated by sharpshooters. During interrogation, the attackers claim they were sent by TEPCO’s chairman to kill Wang Zi’an and Phantom Immortal Technology staff and prevent geothermal power stations from being built in Japan.
• The revelation sparks public outrage. Japanese citizens see geothermal power as a solution to the country’s energy shortages and high electricity costs, and fear the attack could derail the promised project. Mass demonstrations break out, and tens of thousands surround TEPCO headquarters, leaving its directors afraid to emerge.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains relaxed and understated despite the exceptional treatment he receives. His casual manner contrasts with Lowis’s eagerness to impress him.
• Lowis is highly deferential toward Shen Bing, both out of recognition of his importance and in hopes of gaining his favor. He uses hospitality and praise to build goodwill.
• The waiter is astonished by the sudden change in treatment and privately reflects that Shen Bing’s low profile conceals considerable influence.
• TEPCO’s directors, especially the chairman, are placed under intense public pressure and appear powerless as the scandal unfolds.

Significant themes

• Influence and status: Shen Bing’s importance is evident in how quickly the restaurant makes room for him, even though he never demands special treatment.
• Public accountability: The alleged assassination plot turns years of frustration with TEPCO into immediate mass protest.
• Energy and public welfare: Japan’s dependence on costly, resource-limited power makes geothermal technology a source of hope—and the attempt to block it a matter of broad public concern.
• Contrasting power: Shen Bing quietly receives privileged treatment, while TEPCO’s leadership is trapped by the consequences of its alleged actions.

Plot points and events

• Protests surround both TEPCO headquarters and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department after Zhang Zi’an and his companions are attacked. Under pressure from the crowd and the public eye, authorities order TEPCO chairman Muto Rong arrested.
• Soon after, a leaked recording reveals Muto Rong threatening Japan’s deputy senate speaker, Imaizumi Teru, and Imaizumi promising to arrange his release. The recording fuels suspicions of corruption and collusion, likely ending Imaizumi’s political career. Muto may face prison if his role in the attack is proven.
• Shen Bing receives news of the crisis during a date with Yun Xue. He is pleased that the obstacle to a proposed geothermal power project has been removed, and makes clear that Phantom Immortal Technology will not tolerate interference.
• At dinner, Shen Bing eats an extraordinary amount of expensive Kobe beef. The restaurant owner waives the bill; Shen accepts, explaining that the gesture is minor in light of his company’s business relationship with the owner’s group.
• After watching a film about people living through war, Yun Xue expresses sympathy for them. Shen suggests creating a charitable foundation for Phantom Immortal Technology and offers her the chance to lead it.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing appears confident and ruthless in business, but also attentive to Yun Xue. He sees corporate influence as a tool for advancing his plans, while encouraging Yun Xue to take on a meaningful role.
• Yun Xue shows concern about the responsibilities and risks that will come with the company’s growing power. She is devoted to Shen Bing, and her compassion for civilians affected by war leads her to consider charitable work, though she doubts her management experience.
• Muto Rong and Imaizumi Teru are exposed as having a threatening, possibly corrupt relationship. Their recorded exchange turns a corporate scandal into a political crisis.
• Lowis, the restaurant owner, treats Shen Bing as an honored guest and waives the costly meal. Shen interprets this as goodwill rather than a debt or troublesome favor.

Significant themes

• Power and accountability: Public pressure forces authorities to act, while the leaked call exposes the dangers of business influence over government.
• Strength and vulnerability: Shen Bing argues that the weak are preyed upon, suggesting that power is necessary for protection—but the chapter also raises the question of how great power should be used.
• Wealth and responsibility: Phantom Immortal Technology’s growth prompts Yun Xue to worry about its future, while the prospect of a charitable foundation offers a way to direct its resources toward helping others.
• Intimacy and trust: The date’s lighthearted moments contrast with Yun Xue’s serious questions about Shen Bing’s ambitions and her promise to follow him.

Key plot points

• Shen Bing persuades Yun Xue to take charge of the Charity Fund, assuring her that a professional team will handle much of the work and that she can continue her research.
• Their conversation turns flirtatious. Yun Xue hints that she may be ready for greater intimacy, but Shen Bing assumes she is joking. Frustrated, she later gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and tells him she enjoyed their day.
• Shen Bing enters the Gate to the Immortal Realm to pursue his mission: obtaining a wisp of soul aura from a Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul. He has only two minutes in the Primordial Chaos World and plans to use the Heaven-Seeker to locate a suitable target.
• On Craftsman God Island, he asks Lu Ban for help extracting the soul aura from one of his Divine Puppet Artisans. Lu Ban says the process would damage the remnant soul and that only Guanyin’s Spirit Water could quickly repair it.
• Lu Ban makes clear that without Guanyin’s help, the damaged artisan could be unusable for over ten years, delaying the Floating Immortal Island. He suggests an alternative deal: Shen Bing could give him another Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul. Shen Bing rejects the costly bargain and decides to approach Guanyin.

Character developments and interactions

• Yun Xue agrees to lead the Charity Fund, though she remains unsure at first. Her teasing and eventual kiss reveal growing affection and courage.
• Shen Bing is affectionate but emotionally oblivious: he misses Yun Xue’s attempt to signal her readiness for intimacy, then mistakes the source of her irritation.
• Lu Ban is eager to help only on favorable terms. His concern for protecting his Divine Puppet Artisan—and his reluctance to offer other solutions—strains his exchange with Shen Bing.
• Shen Bing and Lu Ban remain outwardly cordial, but Shen Bing recognizes Lu Ban’s self-interest and refuses to give up a valuable remnant soul.

Significant themes

• Romance and miscommunication: Yun Xue’s indirect signals contrast with Shen Bing’s poor emotional awareness.
• Charity and responsibility: Yun Xue is encouraged to take on meaningful work without abandoning her research.
• Bargaining and self-interest: Lu Ban’s help comes with implicit pressure and an extravagant price.
• Ambition and resourcefulness: Shen Bing pursues his mission while weighing the risks, costs, and available allies.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing worries that Lu Ban’s demand for another Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul may be impossible to meet. Lu Ban instead gives him the Divine Puppet Artisan’s control core, which contains the remnant soul, and suggests he take it to Bodhisattva Guanyin for help.
• At the Purple Bamboo Grove, Shen Bing argues with the Black Bear Monster, who insists Guanyin is unavailable. Unable to locate Guanyin on his map, Shen Bing searches for Red Boy and teleports to him instead.
• Before approaching Red Boy, Shen Bing receives news from Qiuqiu: the United States has sent aircraft carriers toward the Red Sea and plans to attack Syria within days.
• Qiuqiu reveals that the real trigger is a battle in Egypt. American agents sought insects connected to a valuable gene sequence, but other parties stole two specimens and fled through Jordan into Syria. Shen Bing realizes the impending attack may be tied to events connected to him.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains resourceful and irreverent, sidestepping the Black Bear Monster’s refusal by using his teleportation map. He is also unsettled when he learns that his past actions and the stolen specimens may have helped set the crisis in motion.
• Lu Ban cooperates by handing over the control core, giving Shen Bing a possible way to secure Guanyin’s help.
• The Black Bear Monster is wary of Shen Bing and tries to keep him away from Guanyin, but Shen Bing outmaneuvers him without a direct confrontation.
• Qiuqiu provides increasingly specific intelligence, moving the conversation from public explanations of the American deployment to its concealed cause.
• Red Boy is found meditating, though Shen Bing has not yet interrupted him.

Significant themes

• Hidden consequences: Shen Bing’s earlier actions continue to shape international events, even when he believes they are unrelated to him.
• Deception and uncertainty: Public justifications for military action conceal more complicated motives.
• Resourcefulness and opportunism: Shen Bing navigates obstacles through quick thinking rather than force.
• The collision of worlds: Spiritual quests and supernatural beings share the chapter with modern intelligence, military power, and genetic research.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing learns that the United States may launch a war to obtain an insect specimen in Syria. He asks Qiuqiu about the secretive Blade Mercenary Corps and authorizes her to stir up trouble, redirecting the Americans’ allies toward countries such as Britain and France.
• Shen Bing asks Red Boy to arrange a meeting with Bodhisattva Guanyin. He needs her help extracting a wisp of soul aura from an artifact containing a Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul, then restoring the remnant with water from her Jade Purifying Vase.
• Red Boy leaves to consult Guanyin, but Shen Bing falls asleep while waiting. The next morning, Red Boy tells him Guanyin has been waiting for him and is willing to help if he accepts a condition.
• Red Boy escorts Shen Bing through the Purple Bamboo Grove. The Black Bear Monster tries to obstruct him, but backs down when Red Boy explains that Guanyin specifically requested Shen Bing.
• Guanyin reveals that she also needs Shen Bing’s help with a troublesome matter. In exchange, she promises to assist him with the remnant soul whether or not he succeeds.
• Shen Bing readily agrees before asking what the task is, handing over the Divine Puppet Artisan’s control core. Red Boy is left baffled by his haste.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows strategic and self-interested sides: he frames his intervention in Syria as duty, though he mainly wants the specimen, and quickly accepts Guanyin’s bargain because it guarantees his own goal.
• Qiuqiu demonstrates sharp intuition, immediately understanding Shen Bing’s plan and proposing a way to cause political distractions through the mercenary corps.
• Red Boy acts as Shen Bing’s intermediary and escort, while teasingly treating his absence as meditation. His deference to Guanyin contrasts with his authority over the Black Bear Monster.
• Guanyin is compassionate but practical: she sets a condition and seeks assistance herself, while promising help regardless of Shen Bing’s success.
• Shen Bing’s encounter with the Black Bear Monster remains tense, but Red Boy’s intervention prevents a confrontation.

Significant themes

• Self-interest and duty: Shen Bing’s noble-sounding motives are mixed with personal gain.
• Reciprocity and alliances: Access to help depends on relationships, negotiation, and mutual favors.
• Humor and irreverence: Shen Bing’s grumbling about waiting, flying, and “cultivating” undercuts the solemnity of the Immortal Realm.
• Power and status: Red Boy’s standing is enough to silence the Black Bear Monster and secure Shen Bing’s passage.

Plot points and events

• Bodhisattva Guanyin extracts a wisp of aura from Shen Bing’s control core and places it in his Immortal Artifact Heaven-Seeker, enabling it to search. She then uses spiritual liquid to nourish the core, which responds with apparent joy.
• Guanyin recognizes that Shen Bing may use Heaven-Seeker to locate another Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul. She also knows about his ability to return to places he has visited, including Hell—a power now widely discussed in the Immortal Realm.
• Guanyin asks Shen Bing to collect Most Sacred Spirit Bones from Hell’s Sea of Rebirth. They are a scarce Buddhist cultivation resource, and she offers a reward. Since Shen Bing also needs them for a side quest, he asks for a sample to make searching easier.
• Guanyin lends him a black, jade-like Most Sacred Spirit Bone. Accepting it triggers a quest: collect more bones for rewards, with no time limit but the penalty of earning Guanyin’s dislike if he fails.
• Shen Bing returns to Craftsman God Island and gives Lu Ban the control core. Later, Yun Xue comes to wake him for breakfast. Shen Bing playfully carries her into his room and tries to initiate intimacy, but she asks him to wait until she has spoken to Yuan Wei about their relationship.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is increasingly recognized across the Immortal Realm for his unusual abilities. He is pragmatic about Guanyin’s request, securing a sample before agreeing to search, and privately jokes about the quest’s oddly personal failure penalty.
• Guanyin remains composed and generous, but her request reveals the Buddhist Realm’s need for the bones. Her final observation suggests she is watching Shen Bing’s growing reputation closely.
• Lu Ban praises Shen Bing for getting Guanyin’s help and receives his control core back.
• Yun Xue is attracted to Shen Bing but cautious about their relationship. She wants to tell Yuan Wei herself before their romance becomes known, fearing Yuan Wei may feel hurt or betrayed. Shen Bing is eager to act on their chemistry, while Yun Xue insists on setting the pace.

Significant themes

• Reputation and power: Shen Bing’s abilities have become common knowledge among powerful immortals, bringing both opportunities and scrutiny.
• Scarcity and competing obligations: The Spirit Bones matter to both Guanyin and Shen Bing, creating uncertainty about how much he can obtain.
• Transactional quests and hidden expectations: A seemingly open-ended request carries an emotional penalty, humorously exposing the gap between formal terms and personal expectations.
• Romance and responsibility: Shen Bing and Yun Xue’s attraction clashes with the need to consider Yuan Wei’s feelings and handle their relationship honestly.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing continues searching the Land of Primordial Chaos for Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Souls. The Skyflying Shuttle works there, but after nearly thirty fruitless searches, he puts it away just before his two-minute survival limit and dies.
• While Phantom Immortal Technology moves into its new headquarters, Shen Bing stays away to work on more important projects.
• At the Underground Base, he transfers Level 2 Brain-Development Technology and a vision-enhancement drug technology into Qiuqiu’s database. He considers releasing these advanced inventions but decides to wait until the company is better positioned.
• In the aviation research area, Rox reports that the team has developed a miniaturized nuclear-fission engine suitable for aircraft. Shen Bing imagines combining it with stealth technology and AI to create an extremely long-range, potentially unmanned aerospace fighter. He considers discussing the engine with the government in exchange for something useful.
• Clarence reports that researchers extracted a substance from an Immortal Peach that can repair cancer cells and other damaged cells, including some cells affected by HIV. Lu Qi can synthesize it, and Shen Bing orders the team to develop a reliable artificial-production process.
• Shen Bing also tells Clarence to lead the work on Brain-Development Technology.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows caution as well as ambition: he pursues powerful discoveries but recognizes the risks of releasing technologies far ahead of their time.
• His relationship with Yun Xue remains playful. She teases him, while Yuan Wei later calls him to breakfast.
• Shen Bing takes an active interest in the base’s research, visiting laboratories despite Qiuqiu’s detailed records.
• Rox briefs Shen Bing on the aviation breakthrough; Shen Bing sees its military and commercial potential.
• Clarence’s findings excite Shen Bing, who presses for confirmation and then gives clear research instructions. Clarence is confident about the substance’s effects and pleased to receive new work.

Significant themes

• The promise of scientific breakthroughs: The peach-derived substance may transform cancer treatment and potentially address many cellular diseases.
• Power and responsibility: Shen Bing delays publicizing technologies that could reshape society or provoke dangerous competition.
• The gap between discovery and application: Breakthroughs such as the nuclear engine and brain-development technology still require research, production methods, and careful decisions about deployment.
• Immortality and human limits: Cellular repair may extend life, but overcoming the limit on cell division remains beyond Shen Bing’s current capabilities.

Key plot points and events

• After discovering a substance that can repair cancer cells, Shen Bing sees a major opportunity for both public benefit and Phantom Immortal Technology’s reputation.
• He asks Qiuqiu for cancer statistics, then tells company manager Wang Sheng to arrange a pharmaceutical product launch for the following day, immediately after the company’s relocation ceremony.
• Shen Bing refuses to wait for media attention, telling Wang that reporters may attend or not.
• He calls Gao Jingchuan to find a cancer patient and help secure a special approval route for the medicine. Shen claims its effectiveness and safety are already rigorously verified and says trials could be completed quickly.
• Gao warns that medicines normally require three clinical-trial phases and that giving an untested drug to patients could have serious legal and ethical consequences. He is stunned by Shen’s haste.

Character developments

• Shen Bing shifts from caution about releasing powerful technologies to eager confidence in bringing the cancer treatment forward. He is driven by both its potential to save lives and its enormous commercial and reputational value.
• Wang Sheng remains practical, questioning the sudden move into pharmaceuticals and raising regulatory and publicity concerns, but ultimately follows Shen’s instructions.
• Gao Jingchuan is wary and exasperated, yet willing to help Shen because their relationship has a history of favors and access to valuable information.
• Qiuqiu provides statistics in a detached, matter-of-fact way.

Significant themes

• Innovation versus regulation: Shen’s confidence and urgency collide with the safeguards designed to protect patients.
• Medical breakthroughs and social impact: The prospect of curing cancer could transform society and bring immense prestige.
• Ambition and impatience: Shen wants to move from discovery to public launch almost immediately.
• Public good and business interests: Shen frames the medicine as life-saving while recognizing its vast commercial potential.

Character interactions

• Shen’s easygoing, commanding manner contrasts with Wang’s cautious questions; Wang raises concerns but does not challenge the decision.
• Shen and Gao trade familiar teasing before the conversation turns serious. Gao’s alarm highlights how extraordinary—and risky—Shen’s plan is.
• Shen’s final insistence that the launch is already scheduled leaves Gao with little room to object.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing tells Gao Jingchuan that his new medicine can apparently restore terminal cancer patients to health overnight. Gao is astonished but promises to secure trial volunteers and help obtain approval.
• Shen orders production from Lu Qi. Although the artisan can make about three metric tons daily, each patient needs roughly 500 grams, enough for around 6,000 people per artisan per day. Shen considers assigning more artisans if needed. The medicine must be diluted in a large quantity of water.
• Shen resumes searching the Land of Primordial Chaos for a Great Luo Golden Immortal Remnant Soul. The search is slow and fruitless because the region is vast, despite the shuttle’s strong search capabilities.
• Gao arranges for more than a dozen terminal cancer patients at Xiaxi Hospital to volunteer. Shen sends Lu Xian to distribute the medicine, ensure patients take the full dose, and record their condition and diagnostic results before and after treatment.
• After a day of tedious searching, Shen gives up for the evening and hopes to spend time with Yun Xue. Instead, Yuan Wei joins them. The three eat out and shop; Shen finds the shopping exhausting and collapses into bed afterward.
• Meanwhile, media outlets prepare for Phantom Immortal Technology’s headquarters relocation ceremony the next day, which will also include a new-product launch. The company’s restructuring and recent major business deals add to the anticipation.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is confident in the medicine’s power and delegates both production and the hospital trial rather than handling them himself. He is practical and ambitious, but grows frustrated with his fruitless search and exhausted by shopping.
• Gao Jingchuan is delighted by the prospect of the medicine and eager to help, readily taking responsibility for finding volunteers. Shen teases him and then gives him credit-seeking work.
• Lu Qi and Lu Xian serve as trusted subordinates: Lu Qi handles production, while Lu Xian oversees the trial and documentation.
• Yun Xue and Yuan Wei enjoy the shopping trip, while Shen’s effort to spend time alone with Yun Xue turns into a group outing.

Significant themes

• Medical miracle and public responsibility: The medicine could save many lives, but its astonishing effects and practical production limits make testing and approval crucial.
• Delegation and trust: Shen relies on capable subordinates to manage important tasks while he pursues other goals.
• Ambition versus drudgery: Shen pursues an enormous supernatural search but struggles with its repetitive nature, contrasting grand objectives with mundane frustrations.
• Publicity and corporate momentum: Phantom Immortal Technology’s growing influence makes even routine company events major media news.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology’s upcoming product launch attracts intense media attention. Reporters and commentators speculate about flying cars or space tourism, but nobody guesses the product is medicine.
• Shen Bing enters the Gate to the Immortal Realm while being driven to the company’s new headquarters. In Hell, he plans to search the Sea of Rebirth for a Most Sacred Spirit Bone.
• He realizes that Heaven-Seeker contains the soul aura of a Great Luo Golden Immortal remnant and worries that searching for the bone could put it at risk. He uses Lord Lao’s replica Demon-Refining Pot to safely store the aura.
• Heaven-Seeker eventually detects a possible target, but Shen Bing cannot distinguish it among countless dark bones. He uses the Underworld-Peering Mirror to see beneath the sea and begins a painstaking search.
• Meanwhile, Shen Bing arrives at the newly developed Phantom Immortal Technology Industrial Park, which has transformed Shiqiao Town and is guarded like a high-security facility.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains secretive and difficult to predict, even to senior staff. Wang Sheng knows only that the new product is medicine-related; Yuan Yi and other executives know even less.
• Shen Bing shows both caution and resourcefulness: he protects the valuable soul aura before proceeding, then improvises by using the mirror to search underwater.
• Yun Xue and Yuan Wei are excited that the headquarters—and Shen Bing’s office—are moving closer to them.
• Shen Bing coordinates with Lu Xian before entering the Immortal Realm, while Li Xiao drives him to the industrial park.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and anticipation: Phantom Immortal Technology’s secrecy fuels public speculation, while the company’s actual plans remain hidden.
• Innovation and power: The company’s technology and facilities are portrayed as extraordinary, extending from magical artifacts to a formidable industrial complex.
• Persistence amid awkward obstacles: Shen Bing’s search is slowed by the difficulty of identifying one bone among many, but he keeps working through the problem.
• Transformation and influence: Phantom Immortal Technology has reshaped Shiqiao Town, creating jobs and suppliers and earning the goodwill of local residents.

Plot points and events

• On the day of Phantom Immortal Technology’s relocation ceremony and new-product launch, credentialed reporters are admitted to the grounds. The company’s security is exceptionally strict, using AI-powered scanners that can analyze vehicles in detail, though Shen Bing’s car is waved through.
• Shen Bing takes a private elevator through the titanium-alloy headquarters. Its panoramic displays make the ride feel futuristic. His aide, Li Xiao, gets off to help coordinate security with the company’s security division.
• At the building’s diamond-shaped top floor, Shen Bing enjoys the view over Shiqiao Town and Rongcheng. He reflects briefly that power and perspective can foster ambition, but says his own aspirations reach beyond Earth. Before the ceremony begins, he checks his phone and is delighted by something he finds.
• While waiting outside, reporters photograph and discuss the striking headquarters. Its designer, Fischer, explains that the building is made of ninety-eight movable modules arranged like a three-dimensional Rubik’s Cube. He calls it a landmark of architectural art and says its shifting layout also strengthens company security.
• A reporter questions the building’s practicality, especially whether its complex design would make escape difficult during a fire. Fischer is insulted when the reporter calls the design idiotic and snaps back.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing displays confidence in his company’s security and technology, while his reflection from the top floor hints at his awareness of how power can encourage ambition. His larger focus remains humanity’s future in space.
• Li Xiao is openly impressed by the headquarters’ futuristic elevator, then promptly takes responsibility for coordinating the day’s security.
• Fischer is fiercely proud of the building, treating it as his defining creation despite the extensive revisions made by Shen Bing’s AI, Qiuqiu, and the company. He grows defensive when the reporter challenges its purpose and safety.
• The reporter is skeptical and looks for a critical angle, interpreting the building as costly showmanship and questioning whether its unusual design is safe. His exchange with Fischer turns hostile.

Significant themes

• Innovation and spectacle: The headquarters is both a functional security system and an architectural statement, blurring the line between practical engineering and artistic ambition.
• Power and perspective: Shen Bing’s elevated vantage point prompts thoughts about ambition, but his goals extend beyond ordinary earthly influence.
• Technology and control: AI governs access, security, and movement through the building, making advanced technology central to both convenience and protection.
• Art versus practicality: Fischer sees the building as a historic work of art; the reporter challenges whether beauty and novelty justify its cost and potential risks.