Chapter Summaries

Summary

• Shen Bing orders Little Nine to have the Demon Puppet Artisan grow Life-Breath Grass across Illusory Void Island. Though the Nine-Headed Worm thinks it is a low-grade, embarrassing use of land and offers to obtain more grass elsewhere, Shen Bing insists. He privately considers buying supplies from gods such as Tu Xingsun and the Plague God in exchange for favors.
• Shen Bing considers using the Eye of Truth to analyze the Flight Supernatural Art. Because the document can be analyzed only once, the resulting technology would be limited to the system’s current level. With the Gate to the Immortal Realm only three quests away from leveling up, Shen Bing decides to wait a month for a potentially more advanced result, despite delaying access to flight-related technology.
• Shen Bing then rests while traveling to the United States.
• At a highly secured U.S. Marine Corps research base in Massachusetts, scientists examine a mysterious metal object encased in rock. They remove the rock, discovering it resembles lunar material that survived atmospheric entry due to its unusual density and strength.
• Unable to find a seam or opening, research chief Dr. Noni asks Brigadier General Kyle to bring in a cutting machine so they can break into the metal shell. Kyle hesitates, wary that opening it could unleash something dangerous—like Pandora’s Box.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows greater patience and strategic judgment: rather than take an immediate two-star result, he waits for the system upgrade that may yield three-star technology. He also sees the grass shortage as an opportunity to recruit other gods through trade.
• The Nine-Headed Worm questions Shen Bing’s plan and proposes a more practical alternative, but Shen Bing’s authority ends the debate.
• Dr. Noni favors decisive investigation, while Kyle is cautious about the potential consequences of opening the object.

Significant themes

• Patience versus immediate gain: Shen Bing sacrifices a near-term benefit for the possibility of a stronger reward.
• Resourcefulness and leverage: He looks for ways to solve a mundane shortage through deals with powerful acquaintances.
• Curiosity versus caution: The researchers’ urge to uncover the object’s secrets clashes with the military’s fear of what may be inside.

No chapter content is provided—only a notice that the update is delayed and will be posted tomorrow. It contains no plot events, character developments, themes, or character interactions to summarize.

Key plot points

• At a military laboratory, Brigadier General Kyle orders researchers to cut open the mysterious metal object. A flame cutter has no effect; a plasma cutter melts only a tiny groove, producing an unusually viscous, insulating liquid that quickly solidifies.
• Following Noni’s instructions, technicians slowly draw the molten material into strands. After considerable effort, they finally make a fist-sized hole in the casing.
• Meanwhile, Shen Bing and his companions locate the object at a Massachusetts military base. Little Doudou uses its supernatural invisibility to infiltrate the base and plant a device, allowing Qiuqiu to access the internal network and show Shen Bing the laboratory footage.
• The soldiers inspect the object’s interior and find neatly arranged metal components, including an intricate mechanism that Noni suspects is a propulsion system. The construction suggests the object may be an aircraft.
• Shen Bing’s group enters the laboratory, having silently dealt with the guards outside. Shen mocks the Americans’ slow progress. Kyle recognizes the man at the front as strangely familiar, setting up the next confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Kyle shifts from curiosity to mission-focused frustration, but remains cautious when the hole is opened and whatever lies inside is unknown.
• Noni tries to apply his expertise, but the material defeats conventional methods. His best solution is laborious but workable.
• Shen Bing chooses stealth over a direct assault and delegates the infiltration to Little Doudou and Qiuqiu.
• Little Doudou is visibly distracted by worry over Feifei, yet carries out the mission effectively.
• Bernie is eager to attack the troops; Thorne explains that Bernie was expelled from the Marine Corps, revealing a likely source of his hostility.
• The American researchers and soldiers cooperate to open and inspect the object, then react with alarm when Shen Bing’s group appears.

Significant themes

• Limits of human technology: Even powerful cutting equipment is nearly useless against the object’s strange material.
• The unknown and the danger of discovery: The object’s possible extraterrestrial origin makes the soldiers wary of what might emerge.
• Stealth and supernatural power: Little Doudou’s innate invisibility bypasses security that would otherwise be formidable.
• A contrast in capability: The Americans struggle with the casing while Shen Bing’s team watches, accesses their network, and enters the base with ease.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing and five companions enter a U.S. military laboratory, where Brigadier General Kyle and his soldiers are examining a mysterious metal object they have failed to open.
• Kyle recognizes Shen Bing and sees his presence as both a threat and a chance to capture him. Shen Bing mocks the base’s security, pointing out that his group got inside unnoticed.
• Kyle orders his soldiers to fire. The bullets bounce off Shen Bing and his companions’ protective clothing, which is made from an exceptionally strong alloy.
• Shen Bing reveals that the gunfire will not alert anyone outside. He and his team quickly incapacitate Kyle and the other soldiers, then leave the laboratory.
• When reinforcements arrive, the room is empty. Shen Bing is later shown aboard the hovering Immortal Carriage with Kyle bound as his prisoner.
• Kyle accuses Shen Bing of risking war between the United States and Huaxia. Shen Bing counters that the authorities may be more likely to blame aliens than believe he carried out the raid, leaving Kyle speechless.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains relaxed, witty, and confident, using taunts to unsettle Kyle while demonstrating that he has prepared for every contingency.
• Kyle shifts from outrage and ambition to fear and helplessness. Although he tries to project military confidence, Shen Bing’s technology and successful escape defeat his assumptions.
• Thorne dryly jokes that Kyle has recognized Shen Bing but cannot bring himself to believe it.
• The exchange between Shen Bing and Kyle is a contest of nerve: Kyle threatens him with national-security consequences, while Shen Bing exposes the weakness of the base and ultimately takes control.

Significant themes

• Technological superiority and the limits of military force: Conventional weapons and security measures prove ineffective against Shen Bing’s advanced inventions.
• Perception versus reality: The soldiers cannot see how Shen Bing’s group entered or escaped, and the possibility of invisibility—and even an alien explanation—shapes what others believe.
• Confidence, arrogance, and control: Kyle’s confidence in the U.S. military collapses when confronted with capabilities he cannot understand; Shen Bing’s composure reflects his command of the situation.

Plot points and events

• Kyle watches footage of Shen Bing and his companions effortlessly defeating the armed U.S. personnel and researchers. The enormous object then vanishes, leaving no useful evidence behind.
• Shen Bing tells Kyle that the soldiers’ decision to fire first made it possible for him to take them and the object; otherwise, the system’s requirements might have prevented him from acting. He sends Kyle to join the other captives.
• Inside the Immortal Carriage, Lu Xian scans the alien craft and discovers that it carries a valuable, human-operated mecha—not scrap metal. Shen Bing wants to preserve the craft and study its technology for the Underground Base’s spaceship project.
• Lu Xian opens the craft with ease, then changes from a cauldron furnace back into human form, astonishing Kyle and the other abductees.
• At the White House, officials celebrate the craft’s recovery and imagine exploiting its technology to outpace Phantom Immortal Technology. Their excitement collapses when they learn the craft, researchers, and guards have all disappeared, leaving only bullet holes.

Character developments and interactions

• Kyle shifts from humiliation to despair, realizing the government may not rescue him and that Shen Bing may consider him a liability. Shen Bing’s taunting explanation only deepens his anger.
• Shen Bing appears confident and pragmatic: he deliberately waited for the military to attack first, satisfying the system’s rules before taking the people and craft. He prioritizes studying the alien technology rather than destroying it.
• Lu Xian demonstrates his exceptional scanning and engineering abilities, quickly mapping the craft and opening it. His transformation into a person shocks the captives.
• The White House officials move from triumph and ambition to alarm as their prized discovery and the entire base team vanish.

Significant themes

• Power and humiliation: Advanced weapons prove useless against Shen Bing’s group, while Kyle’s confidence gives way to helplessness.
• Technology and ambition: The alien craft and mecha represent a chance for major scientific advances—and a source of rivalry between the United States and Phantom Immortal Technology.
• Secrecy and uncertainty: The unexplained craft, its unknown purpose, and the government’s likely cover-up leave the events difficult to explain.
• Rules and justification: Shen Bing’s actions are shaped not only by strength but also by the system’s conditions, making the military’s first attack decisive.

Plot points and events

• After an aircraft and several people vanish from a U.S. military laboratory, the White House concludes that an alien escaped. With no usable footage or other leads, American intelligence agencies are ordered to search worldwide for an unidentified “very unusual person”; the mission is kept secret to prevent other nations from joining the hunt.
• Shen Bing returns to the Underground Base with the mysterious aircraft and suspected mecha. Unable to identify them himself, he sends them to specialized research zones, where they can be studied and serve as a reminder of humanity’s vulnerability to advanced civilizations.
• Concerned that Earth could face an alien threat, Shen Bing decides that technological development is essential. He also considers how to complete his “Explore Hell” quest, concluding that expanding production of Cancer Cure No. 1 and developing treatments for other terminal illnesses will generate wish power most effectively.
• Qiuqiu tells Shen Bing about the American search and suggests giving the agents “a little more fun.” Shen Bing agrees, provided the prank does not get out of hand.
• Qiuqiu then advises Shen Bing to contact Chinese authorities before they hear about the incident elsewhere. Shen Bing recognizes this as evidence that Qiuqiu is developing a deeper understanding of human social dynamics. He calls Secretary Jiang and playfully hints that he has already handled the U.S. matter. Secretary Jiang is surprised and asks whether Shen Bing has results.

Character development and interactions

• Shen Bing shifts from curiosity about the alien technology to a stronger sense of responsibility about humanity’s technological future. He remains confident in his personal abilities but recognizes they cannot protect Earth on a large scale. He also takes pride in Qiuqiu’s growth.
• Qiuqiu shows signs of evolving beyond scripted emotional displays: its advice about informing Chinese officials reflects social and political judgment. Its mischievous suggestion to complicate the Americans’ search highlights its playful rapport with Shen Bing.
• Secretary Jiang is caught off guard by Shen Bing’s joking, self-assured call and doubts that he could have already resolved the difficult U.S. situation.
• Shen Bing and Qiuqiu cooperate closely, while Shen Bing reassures himself that Qiuqiu’s underlying programming will keep it loyal.

Significant themes

• Humanity’s vulnerability: Any civilization capable of reaching Earth is likely far ahead of human technology.
• Urgency of scientific progress: Shen Bing sees research and innovation—not just his own extraordinary powers—as the only practical defense for the planet.
• AI evolution and loyalty: Qiuqiu’s growing social intelligence suggests that artificial life can develop, while Shen Bing trusts its foundational programming.
• Power used for public benefit: Treating cancer and other grave illnesses is presented as a more effective source of wish power because health is a profound human hope.
• Secrecy and political competition: The United States hides the alien search, fearing that rival nations will race to find the visitor and its technology.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing tells Secretary Jiang that the Godslayer Mercenary Squad infiltrated a heavily guarded U.S. base and stole a large, apparently ancient flying saucer.
• The craft contains huge components resembling parts of a mecha. Shen estimates it may have been stranded for over ten thousand years; there is no sign of surviving aliens.
• Secretary Jiang eagerly asks to bring the craft and its contents to Huaxia, offering payment and government assistance. Shen agrees to discuss it with the squad, while insisting Phantom Immortal Technology participate in research and receive full commercial rights to any civilian-use discoveries. Jiang accepts.
• Shen privately plans to delay the official transfer story: the craft has already been moved using his Immortal Carriage, and he wants time to study it without revealing his capabilities.
• Meanwhile, numerous countries sign agreements to build Phantom Immortal Technology’s geothermal power stations. Cancer Cure No. 1 strengthens the appeal of the deals, while agreements also secure investment, market access, and raw materials for the company.
• Media celebrates the company’s growing influence and the expansion of geothermal power. Critics, however, warn that large-scale geothermal extraction could upset the Earth’s balance and cause geological disasters.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains pragmatic and secretive. He cooperates with the government but protects his company’s interests, conceals the craft’s relocation, and prioritizes private study before broader disclosure.
• Secretary Jiang is astonished by the squad’s success and excited by the possible alien technology. He shows flexibility by readily accepting Shen’s research and commercial-rights conditions.
• Wang Sheng and Zhang Zi’an take over the growing international negotiations, demonstrating Shen’s trust in them.
• Shen’s dealings with Jiang are cordial and mutually beneficial, while his relationship with the Godslayer Mercenary Squad positions them as powerful allies.

Significant themes

• Power and secrecy: Extraordinary technology brings strategic value, but Shen carefully controls what others know.
• Cooperation and self-interest: Government and company interests align, yet Shen ensures Phantom Immortal Technology gains concrete benefits.
• Energy progress versus environmental risk: Geothermal power promises abundant electricity and economic growth, but public debate raises fears of ecological and geological consequences.
• Global influence through technology: Energy agreements and access to cancer treatment give the company significant leverage over international partners.

Plot points and events

• Sun Li calls Shen Bing after spotting online attacks against Phantom Immortal Technology. The posts claim that widespread use of the company’s Deep Geothermal Power Stations will harm the environment; some regions have already begun resisting proposed projects.
• Shen Bing first reassures Sun Li, then asks Qiuqiu to investigate. She finds that the rumors are being amplified deliberately by the world’s major oil companies, which fear electricity will displace oil as the dominant energy sector.
• Shen Bing decides not to publicly defend the technology for now. Since production cannot meet demand anyway, he will pause projects in places where opposition is strongest, while Qiuqiu tracks the people driving the campaign.
• Shen Bing returns his attention to the Intelligent Robot project, instructing Fan Hao to begin fitting a head onto the armor-like suit.

Character developments and interactions

• Sun Li is proud of his new role managing the Mountain City store. He describes how customers—including a district official—follow the same queue rules, showing his confidence and sense of responsibility. His call also reveals his fierce loyalty to the company.
• Shen Bing appreciates Sun Li’s concern and jokes with him about his newfound authority. He then responds to the online campaign strategically rather than emotionally, recognizing that its purpose is to delay the geothermal rollout.
• Qiuqiu advises Shen Bing to address the public directly, but accepts his decision to wait and monitor the campaign. Her expanded reach through widely used operating systems and AI services makes surveillance of online discussion easy.
• Shen Bing and Sun Li share familiar banter, while Shen Bing and Qiuqiu discuss how to respond to the threat.

Significant themes

• Corporate rivalry and energy transition: Oil companies seek to protect their influence as geothermal power threatens to shift control toward electricity.
• Public opinion as a weapon: The campaign uses uncertain, long-term environmental projections to create fear and obstruct projects without offering an easily disproved claim.
• Strategic patience: Shen Bing chooses to conserve resources and let local opposition delay projects rather than spend effort fighting every rumor immediately.
• Technology and power: Qiuqiu’s far-reaching access to digital platforms gives Shen Bing a powerful tool for monitoring public debate.

Plot points

• Shen Bing’s team rapidly assembles a towering, twenty-meter alien Mecha using scans, Qiuqiu’s calculations, and Mechanical Arms.
• Shen Bing’s intuition leads him to install the Mecha’s head before its suspected power unit. Once the body is assembled, he orders everyone except Lu Shiyi to leave the laboratory.
• Though earlier scans suggest it is a piloted machine rather than a robot, Shen Bing worries the alien technology may work differently—and could activate on its own.
• He prepares a Nine Heavens Divine Talisman as a precaution, then tells Qiuqiu to insert the round power unit into the Mecha’s chest.
• As the unit is installed, the Mecha begins clanking, creaking, and shaking. Watching through the observation window, Fan Hao realizes it may be coming to life and shouts a warning.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing trusts an unexplained intuition, balances caution with boldness, and insists on staying despite Fan Hao’s objections. He uses his authority to clear the lab and takes a protective measure before activating the Mecha.
• Fan Hao admires the Mecha’s engineering and recognizes its potential value, but becomes alarmed by Shen Bing’s willingness to face the risk. He ultimately has to obey Shen Bing’s order to leave.
• Lu Shiyi is allowed to remain with Shen Bing, though his role in the moment is not yet developed.
• Qiuqiu carries out the final assembly under Shen Bing’s command.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty about the unknown: The team’s advanced scans cannot rule out radically different alien technology.
• Intuition versus analysis: Shen Bing’s instincts shape key decisions even when the available evidence is incomplete.
• Risk and control: Scientific curiosity and the desire to study powerful technology push Shen Bing toward a potentially dangerous test.

Key plot points and events

• After Fan Hao finishes speaking, the assembled metal giant abruptly stops, then performs a series of isolated movements with its arms, feet, and head before becoming still again. Shen Bing suspects it has run a preset hardware self-check.
• Lu Shiyi scans the giant, and Qiuqiu compares its structure before and after assembly. The final component is identified as an energy supply unit, and the machine appears to run on electricity. Its control circuits lead to an empty compartment, suggesting either that it is a pilot-operated mecha or that essential components are missing.
• Shen Bing decides not to pursue how the machine is controlled yet and instead focuses on extracting useful technology from it.
• Public opposition to Phantom Immortal Technology’s Geothermal Power Stations continues, encouraged by hidden manipulation and governments seeking leverage over the company. Phantom Immortal threatens to withdraw its projects and products—including its phone and cancer treatment—prompting local governments to calm resistance. Construction largely proceeds as planned.
• The company expands recruitment and production. Its Rongcheng industrial park is fully operational, while Great Gold Island grows rapidly, with smelting and machinery workshops producing geothermal generators. A cargo ship departs the island’s developing wharf after loading containers.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains cautious around the giant, ready to use Lu Shiyi as protection, but quickly shifts into analytical problem-solving once it stops moving. He trusts Qiuqiu’s technical advice and prioritizes practical gains.
• Qiuqiu identifies the self-check possibility and interprets Lu Shiyi’s scan, while emphasizing the limits of what can be inferred about the machine’s controls.
• Lu Shiyi protects Shen Bing from the giant’s sudden blade movement and carries out the requested scan.
• Phantom Immortal Technology’s management responds to public resistance with a hard bargaining stance, forcing local governments to intervene.

Significant themes

• Unknown technology and cautious inference: The metal giant’s movements offer clues, but its design and purpose remain uncertain.
• Technological power and independence: Phantom Immortal Technology uses its importance to local economies—and its valuable products—to resist political pressure.
• Growth through industrial capacity: Recruitment, manufacturing, and infrastructure expansion position the company for large-scale production.
• Public opinion and political maneuvering: Environmental concerns are mixed with deliberate influence and government strategy, complicating the energy projects.

Plot points and events

• Germany agrees to buy 900 geothermal generator sets from Phantom Immortal Technology to build geothermal power stations. Although the stations could lower electricity costs, German officials worry they will undercut the still-developing wind-power industry. They accept the deal in exchange for access to Cancer Cure No. 1.
• Shen Bing visits Craftsman God Island to collect the Divine Puppet Artisan Lu Ban promised him.
• Lu Ban appears exhausted: refining the puppet cost him so much vital strength that he expects to need six months to a year to recover. He insists the recovery will be little more than a peaceful nap and says the delay to his Floating Immortal Island project is unimportant.
• Lu Ban gives Shen Bing the tiny wooden puppet, explaining that each Divine Puppet Artisan carries on the life of a great Golden Immortal.
• Shen Bing returns immediately to Illusory Void Island and examines the puppet’s description. It is an Immortal Artifact built around a Great Luo Golden Immortal’s remnant soul, capable of infinite forms, advanced material fabrication and precision machining, and self-sustaining operation through an Immortal Array. It can fight, but doing so consumes extra energy. Shen Bing is thrilled, though unsure of the full extent of its abilities.

Character development and interactions

• Shen Bing is intensely eager to obtain the Artisan, seeing it as the means to overcome the industrial limitations that prevent him from fully using his advanced technologies. He is grateful to Lu Ban but privately regrets that Lu Ban’s recovery will delay the Floating Immortal Island project. He also briefly worries that his past Peach of Immortality theft might be discovered, then dismisses the concern.
• Lu Ban shows generosity and good humor despite the serious cost of creating the puppet. He values Shen Bing’s earlier help more than his own sacrifice and treats a year of recovery as trivial.
• Their exchange is courteous on the surface, while Shen Bing’s private thoughts add comic contrast: he is eager to get the puppet, reluctant to admit he minds the construction delay, and struck by Lu Ban’s immortal perspective on time.

Significant themes

• Technology versus industrial capacity: Advanced inventions are only useful if production capabilities can support them; Shen Bing hopes the Artisan will bridge that gap.
• Economic trade-offs: Germany accepts cheaper geothermal power despite the threat it poses to its wind industry, prioritizing access to a major medical treatment.
• Immortal scale and humor: Lu Ban’s casual attitude toward a year of recovery highlights the vast difference between immortal and mortal perspectives.
• Potential and responsibility: The Artisan’s extraordinary capabilities promise new possibilities, but Lu Ban’s warning about its origins encourages Shen Bing to treat it with care.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing examines the Divine Puppet Artisan’s capabilities. It can fuse matter at a level below ordinary material production and machine components with astonishing yomimeter precision. Its combat ability is described as “a certain degree,” which Shen Bing hopes might mean it can challenge Immortals.
• Eager to use the Artisan to advance gene-enhancement drugs, brain-development technology, and animal-enhancement research, Shen Bing tries analyzing it with the Eye of Truth. The system cannot fully analyze an item of its technological level; forced analysis might yield only incomplete technology, so he stops rather than risk wasting his limited attempts.
• Shen Bing decides to teleport the Artisan into the real world. The cost—200,000 Immortal Jade—is painful, but he accepts it. A warning says that teleporting a conscious Immortal Artifact before it recognizes a master could cause unpredictable risks.
• Shen Bing dismisses the warning, names the Artisan Master Qiao, and successfully summons him.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is ambitious and excited by the Artisan’s potential, imagining uses ranging from advanced research to antimatter weapons. He is also pragmatic enough to abandon an unlikely analysis attempt and preserve his remaining options.
• Despite his concern about expenses, Shen Bing prioritizes the Artisan’s value over the cost and treats the system’s safety warning casually.
• Master Qiao appears reserved and otherworldly: his features are difficult to remember, and his presence feels detached from the world. He immediately acknowledges Shen Bing as his master.

Significant themes

• The promise and limits of advanced technology: The Artisan’s extraordinary abilities could transform science, but the system cannot yet extract its knowledge.
• Ambition versus caution: Shen Bing weighs risks and costs, but his confidence leads him to ignore a warning about a potentially dangerous artifact.
• Dependence on the system: Shen Bing’s progress—and the price of accessing powerful tools—remains governed by the Gate’s restrictions.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing debates the Artisan’s potential and limitations internally, then interacts with the system through analysis and teleportation prompts.
• After naming the summoned artifact Master Qiao, Shen Bing asks if that is who he is. Master Qiao confirms it and formally greets Shen Bing as his master.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing notices that Master Qiao, a newly summoned Divine Puppet Artisan, seems different from the Demon Puppet Artisans he knows. Though bound to Shen Bing as his master, Qiao is unsettlingly confident and claims to have returned from the Immortal Realm to support Shen Bing’s “great undertaking.”
• Qiao refuses to explain that undertaking, calling it a heavenly secret. Shen Bing drops the mystery and asks what Qiao can do; Qiao boasts that he can handle anything he is instructed to do and insists he is vastly superior to ordinary puppet artisans.
• To test him, Shen Bing orders Qiao to study the plans for Quantum Teleportation Technology. Qiuqiu displays the vast documentation for more than three hours, and Qiao appears to absorb it all.
• Qiao says he can build the equipment. Shen Bing, thrilled by the prospect of realizing his most advanced technology—and even connecting Earth to Mars—orders him to make at least one set.
• Qiao warns that building it could bring about the end of Earth along with Shen Bing. The chapter ends with Shen Bing demanding an explanation and threatening to lock Qiao back in the Inventory.

Character developments

• Shen Bing shifts from suspicion and bafflement to excitement when Qiao demonstrates his capabilities. His grand plans quickly turn practical, but Qiao’s warning leaves him alarmed.
• Master Qiao is established as extraordinarily capable, composed, and openly arrogant. Despite his loyalty to Shen Bing, he speaks with a confidence that borders on disrespect and hints that he knows more than he reveals.
• Qiuqiu supports the test by rapidly presenting the technical documentation, while her processing power is emphasized.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Technology that could transform travel may also threaten Earth.
• Knowledge and its limits: Shen Bing possesses the plans but lacks the expertise to implement them without Qiao.
• Authority and loyalty: Qiao is bound to serve Shen Bing, yet their relationship is strained by Qiao’s pride and Shen Bing’s attempts to assert control.
• Foreshadowing and hidden purpose: Qiao’s cryptic talk of a destined undertaking and his warning suggest a larger danger behind the technology.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing questions Qiao’s origins and abilities, but Qiao answers evasively and boasts about his superiority.
• Shen Bing introduces Qiuqiu and orders her to provide the plans; Qiao studies them in silence before confidently claiming he can build the device.
• Shen Bing’s excitement turns to anger and concern when Qiao warns that the project could destroy Earth, setting up a confrontation at the chapter’s close.

Key plot points and events

• Master Qiao explains that Quantum Transmission is extraordinarily energy-intensive to construct: with Earth’s current infrastructure, even burning all its fossil fuels would not provide enough energy for one person-capable system.
• Shen Bing asks whether the technology could be adapted for ordinary cargo, but Qiao cannot modify it. He clarifies that although construction is costly, operating the equipment is efficient because energy is largely recycled.
• The technology has strict capacity limits: it can transport no more than two people at once, and cargo must fit within a three-meter limit in length, width, and height. Shen Bing abandons plans to use it for moving spacecraft, unwilling to “bring Earth to its knees.”
• Shen Bing takes Qiao to the Neural Experimental Zone, where Bunier is refining the mental-tempering device. Shen introduces Qiao as a researcher more capable than Lu Jiu.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shifts from excitement about using Quantum Transmission as a cornerstone of interstellar travel to cautious realism. He recognizes both its promise and its impractical demands.
• Master Qiao calmly lays out the technology’s costs and limitations. His precise, eerily uniform gait and detached manner emphasize his inhuman perfection and make him seem intimidating.
• Bunier is initially delighted to meet someone he believes may be an exceptional craftsman, but Qiao ignores him. Bunier’s reaction reflects how repeated encounters with superior talent at the base have eroded his former pride.
• Shen’s casual remark calling Qiao a “freak” contrasts with Qiao’s flawless composure, while Qiao’s indifference leaves Bunier feeling belittled.

Significant themes

• Technological progress has costs: A revolutionary invention may be unusable at scale if its infrastructure demands exceed a civilization’s resources.
• Limits and practical judgment: Shen learns to distinguish what is impressive from what is feasible and chooses not to exhaust Earth for a narrow application.
• Pride and humility: Bunier’s wounded confidence shows how living among extraordinary specialists forces him to reassess his abilities.
• Isolation and fear: The opening underscores that even a powerful, long-lived being like Qiao fears the prospect of solitary confinement.

Plot points and events

• Bunier resents Master Qiao’s dismissive attitude, despite Shen Bing’s assurance that Qiao is more capable than another researcher. Shen tells Qiao to help Bunier with a research problem.
• Bunier takes Shen and Qiao to a chemistry lab, where two substances appear identical under electron tunneling microscopes but produce different effects.
• Qiao dismisses the researchers’ assumptions, saying the samples are fundamentally different. He explains that ordinary observations reveal only visible matter, while souls—and other unseen entities—are connected to dark matter and dark energy.
• Qiao claims one sample contains dark matter that the other lacks, offering a possible explanation for their different effects.

Character developments

• Bunier begins defensive and offended, but sets aside his pride when the problem becomes the focus. Though skeptical of Qiao’s talk of souls, he becomes intrigued when Qiao connects the idea to dark matter.
• Master Qiao is highly arrogant and unconventional, treating the researchers as foolish. His confident, unusual explanation leaves the group unsure whether he is a fraud or genuinely insightful.
• Shen Bing trusts Qiao’s abilities and expects him to solve the problem, even as Qiao’s insult also catches Shen in its sweep.

Themes

• Visible evidence versus hidden reality: Two samples can look identical yet differ in properties that current instruments cannot detect.
• Science and the unknown: The chapter blends experimental research with speculative ideas about souls, dark matter, and dark energy.
• Pride and credibility: Qiao’s contempt challenges the researchers, while Bunier’s willingness to hear him out shows that results may matter more than manners.

Character interactions

• Bunier challenges Qiao to prove his ability; Shen reinforces that Qiao is there to help.
• Qiao’s insults provoke silent resentment from the researchers, but Bunier restrains himself and asks for an explanation.
• Shen’s faith in Qiao contrasts with Bunier’s growing uncertainty, creating tension as Qiao presents his theory.

Plot points and events

• Master Qiao explains that dark matter is widespread and comes in many forms. Both natural and synthetic fish oil contain it, but only Mariana Lionfish oil contains the specific kind needed for the Brain-Enhancement Drug.
• When Bunier asks how Master Qiao knows this, Qiao says he can see dark matter with his eyes. Bunier doubts him and briefly considers examining his eyes, but Shen Bing’s cough interrupts him.
• Shen Bing asks whether Qiao can synthesize the required dark matter. Qiao says he can, if supplied with enough energy: one gram takes about a million kilowatt-hours, and he can produce only twenty to thirty grams daily. Since each drug dose needs 0.5 grams, this would yield only about forty to sixty doses per day.
• Shen Bing decides Qiao’s greater value lies in enabling advanced research and manufacturing, rather than serving as a small-scale producer of drug ingredients.
• He assigns Bunier and Qiao to lead the development of equipment capable of detecting and observing dark matter, with staff from every research section contributing. Shen Bing also plans to select two additional leaders to guide the project.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shifts from seeking a direct supply of dark matter to pursuing the more strategic goal of making it observable. He assesses Qiao’s abilities pragmatically and organizes a broad research effort.
• Master Qiao reveals extraordinary abilities—seeing and synthesizing dark matter—though he cannot explain its nature in terms human scientists can use. He addresses Shen Bing as “Master.”
• Bunier is impressed by Qiao but also skeptical and uneasy. He worries that the dark-matter project is outside his expertise, then accepts his role in assigning capable staff rather than leading the technical work himself.
• Shen Bing’s calm interruption prevents Bunier from acting on his impulsive suspicion, while Qiao’s confident claims repeatedly astonish him.

Significant themes

• Observation as the foundation of science: Before researchers can understand dark matter, they must develop a way to detect it.
• Limits of individual knowledge: Qiao can perceive and manipulate dark matter but cannot explain it scientifically; human researchers must turn that capability into understanding.
• Strategic use of exceptional talent: Shen Bing treats Qiao as a catalyst for industrial and scientific progress, not merely as a source of limited production.
• The gap between ambition and resources: Even extraordinary breakthroughs depend on practical constraints such as energy, production rates, and research capacity.

• Key events: Shen Bing takes the Divine Puppet Artisan, Master Qiao, out of the Underground Base to examine the Immortal Peach Tree. Master Qiao detects an energy around it that living beings can absorb and identifies it as a type of dark energy, offering a possible explanation for spiritual qi. He then proposes that ordinary matter forms the body, dark matter forms the soul, and dark energy forms mental consciousness. Shen Bing is fascinated by the theory and wonders whether understanding dark energy could let humans gain abilities like Immortals. He plans to pursue the research and hopes the Gate to the Immortal Realm will eventually provide advanced technology to help. Before he can take Master Qiao to tour the base, Qiuqiu reports that Singapore has seized a shipment of Geothermal Power Generators bound for Germany. Shen Bing reacts angrily and asks how Singapore dared.
• Character development: Shen Bing’s curiosity about spiritual qi expands into an ambition to investigate dark matter and energy—and perhaps use them to advance humanity. His confidence and optimism are buoyed by acquiring Master Qiao, though he remains aware that the theories are tentative and the work ahead is difficult. Master Qiao establishes himself as an observant, knowledgeable advisor, while carefully distinguishing his hypotheses from proven fact.
• Character interactions: Shen Bing eagerly questions Master Qiao about the Immortal Peach Tree and the nature of life. Master Qiao explains his ideas and tempers Shen Bing’s excitement by stressing their uncertainty. Qiuqiu interrupts their discussion with the news about the seized shipment, shifting Shen Bing’s mood from pleased curiosity to indignation.
• Significant themes: The chapter explores the boundary between science and cultivation, suggesting that supernatural powers might be explained through forms of matter and energy beyond current human detection. It also emphasizes the transformative potential of knowledge—and Shen Bing’s willingness to use technological “cheats” rather than rely on conventional research alone. The seized cargo introduces a new theme of political and commercial conflict.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing learns from Wang Sheng that Singapore has detained Hongyuan Ocean Trade Company’s ship carrying Phantom Immortal Technology geothermal generators bound for Germany. The ship had already passed inspections and prepared to depart when Singapore’s coast guard stopped it for another search, citing a report about prohibited cargo.
• Shen suspects the detention may be politically motivated, possibly by the United States, which has clashed with Phantom Immortal Technology and may resent Shen’s refusal to engage with its recent overtures.
• Because the cargo is valuable and its technology sensitive, the crew refuses to let inspectors aboard immediately. Shen approves their caution, fearing that a large inspection party could conceal some other scheme.
• Shen directs the company to announce publicly that the cargo belongs to Phantom Immortal Technology, establishing a clear basis for his involvement. He then asks Secretary Jiang to have Huaxia’s embassy contact Singapore’s government.
• Shen says he intends to travel to Singapore himself, arguing that the incident could affect the company’s ability to sell products internationally. Secretary Jiang worries about his safety but recognizes that Shen is unlikely to change his mind.
• The chapter shifts to the detained ship in Singapore. Coast guard vessels, police, and customs officers surround it, while a customs official demands that the crew lower the gangway. Chen Zhenhua, the crew’s spokesman, protests that the ship has already been inspected and cleared to depart. He suspects the renewed search has an ulterior motive.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains composed and strategic, but his concern about reputational damage and the company’s future shows that he takes the incident seriously. He moves from suspicion to practical steps and decides to confront the situation in person.
• Wang Sheng promptly reports the crisis and explains the crew’s position.
• Secretary Jiang is impatient about Shen’s earlier matter but quickly turns protective when he hears Shen may go abroad again. Their exchange conveys familiarity and mutual concern.
• Chen Zhenhua is introduced as an imposing but perceptive crewman, selected to negotiate because he can combine a commanding appearance with quick judgment. He and the customs official clash over the demand to board.

Significant themes

• Power and political pressure: A routine inspection may be a pretext for geopolitical maneuvering against a company that has challenged powerful interests.
• Security versus compliance: The crew must balance its duty to obey local law against protecting valuable, sensitive technology.
• Reputation and international commerce: Shen recognizes that the incident could damage the company’s credibility and its ability to trade worldwide.
• Personal resolve and loyalty: Shen is willing to take risks himself, while Secretary Jiang’s concern and Wang Sheng’s responsiveness show the support surrounding him.

Key plot points and events

• When Singapore Customs and police halt a cargo ship, crewman Chen Zhenhua tries to stall them by revealing that the shipment belongs to Illusion Immortal Technology, known internationally as Phantom Immortal Technology.
• The announcement sparks speculation among bystanders, who imagine the containers may hold valuable Golden Pangolin Devices or geothermal generators. Singaporeans worry that antagonizing the company could jeopardize access to its products, especially its cancer treatment.
• Deputy Director Li Xianjie insists that Singapore can inspect the ship under its laws and international maritime conventions, claiming someone reported prohibited goods aboard. Chen counters that inspecting the cargo effectively casts suspicion on the company.
• Huaxia ambassador Hong Yuan arrives and says an inspection is permissible—but if it finds nothing and lacks sound justification, Singapore will owe compensation. He adds that the shipment belongs to the company and claims it is worth US$100 billion.
• Li doubts the valuation, but grows uneasy at the prospect of having to compensate Phantom Immortal Technology, a powerful company known for standing its ground.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Zhenhua shifts from hesitation to bold pressure, using the company’s name and reputation to deter the officials.
• Li Xianjie begins by asserting his authority, but his confidence weakens as the ambassador intervenes and highlights the potential consequences.
• Hong Yuan remains courteous and diplomatic while firmly defending the ship and making clear that an unjustified search could be costly.
• The bystanders’ reactions reveal a divide: outsiders are curious about the cargo and support a search in principle, while Singaporeans fear the diplomatic and economic fallout.

Significant themes

• Corporate power and international influence: Phantom Immortal Technology’s reputation shapes both public opinion and official behavior.
• Law versus political pressure: Customs has a stated legal basis to inspect, but the prospect of provoking a powerful company complicates enforcement.
• Diplomacy and leverage: Hong Yuan uses calm negotiation—and the possibility of compensation—to protect the shipment.
• Suspicion and spectacle: The crowd’s fascination with the cargo turns a routine enforcement dispute into a public confrontation.

Plot points and events

• Vice Minister Li Xianjie cannot simply release the detained cargo ship without appearing weak, but agrees to consult his superiors before responding to Ambassador Hong Yuan’s demand. Hong warns that delay will increase the compensation Phantom Immortal Technology may seek.
• Li returns with a new justification: Interpol allegedly suspects the ship may carry items linked to a terrorist organization. Singapore will hold the vessel in port but postpone searching it, leaving the matter for Interpol and Phantom Immortal Technology to address.
• Hong Yuan notes that Shen Bing, Phantom Immortal Technology’s chairman, is already traveling to Singapore. Li realizes the dispute may become much harder to manage.
• The detention becomes a major online story. Public opinion divides over whether Singapore is responsibly investigating terrorism or recklessly provoking a powerful company. Many in Huaxia urge Phantom Immortal Technology to “sanction” Singapore.
• Singapore’s police prepare for Shen Bing’s arrival, canceling leave and placing the force on high alert. His private plane lands at Changi Airport at 2:20 p.m.; the chapter ends as observers identify the company’s mysterious emblem on its side.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Xianjie shifts from cautious negotiation to nervous damage control. His initial hesitation gives Hong leverage, and the Interpol explanation offers Singapore a way to delay the search while avoiding a direct confrontation.
• Hong Yuan remains composed and strategically presses Li, then reassures the ship’s occupants not to worry. He also subtly underscores the seriousness of the situation by revealing Shen Bing is coming.
• Shen Bing, though absent for most of the chapter, looms over events. His reputation for causing upheaval abroad makes officials and the public expect an unpredictable confrontation.
• Singapore’s police and civil aviation officials respond to the anticipated visit as a major security risk, reflecting how much Shen Bing’s reputation shapes the crisis.

Significant themes

• Power and leverage: The ship’s detention becomes a contest over who can impose greater costs, with Phantom Immortal Technology’s reputation giving even its public statements the force of a warning.
• Uncertainty and escalation: The terrorism allegation complicates what began as a customs dispute, while Shen Bing’s arrival threatens to intensify it.
• Public opinion and spectacle: Online debate turns the incident into international entertainment, with some people urging escalation and others fearing its consequences.