Chapter Summaries

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing abandons the planned clothes shopping, claiming he has more important business and asking Li Xiao and Yuan Wei to take him back to Dragon Lake Ring Island.
• He searches the Gate to the Immortal Realm’s Quest List—not to complete a particular task, but to find a quest that will take him to someone he wants to meet without using an expensive teleportation talisman.
• After waiting all day for new quests, he finds one involving Erlang Shen and the dangerous, ancient Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation. Though the quest would bring him face-to-face with Erlang Shen, Shen Bing decides its risks are too great and gives up on completing it.
• Shen Bing then tells Nezha that he will find companions to play cards with him. He teleports to Erlang Shen’s temple and introduces himself as the Mist-Ethereal Adept.
• Erlang Shen appears but, despite Shen Bing’s flattery, brusquely tells him to leave.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is patient and goal-oriented when pursuing something he wants, spending hours watching for new quests. At the same time, he is practical: he recognizes the formation quest is far beyond his abilities and refuses to take an unnecessary risk.
• Li Xiao understands that Shen Bing is eager to return to the game, but humorously rationalizes his behavior as something only a “genius” would do. Yuan Wei is puzzled but accepts Li Xiao’s explanation.
• Nezha is eager to have company for his card game.
• Erlang Shen is shown as proud, stern, and unsociable, preferring directness to polite conversation.

Significant themes

• Ambition tempered by caution: Shen Bing wants to build relationships with powerful immortals, but won’t pursue a connection at any cost.
• The gap between appearances and reality: Li Xiao and Yuan Wei interpret Shen Bing’s behavior as eccentric genius, while the narration makes clear that he simply wants to play the game.
• Patience and limits: Shen Bing perseveres through a tedious wait, yet recognizes that persistence should not consume his whole life—or lead him into a potentially fatal challenge.

Character interactions

• Li Xiao and Yuan Wei try to accommodate Shen Bing’s sudden change of plans, while privately reacting to his obsession with the game.
• Shen Bing reassures Nezha by promising to find him more card-playing companions.
• Shen Bing approaches Erlang Shen with respectful praise, but Erlang Shen responds coldly and dismisses him, setting up a potentially awkward relationship.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing persuades Perfected Lord Erlang to visit Nezha by exploiting Erlang’s pride and claiming Nezha boasts that nobody can beat him at a game. Erlang agrees, and Shen Bing sends him ahead to Nezha’s residence while he waits for a chance to act on another quest.
• While monitoring the game, Shen Bing joins Yuan Wei and Li Xiao for dinner. He asks Li Xiao to confirm the next day’s event schedule and checks on Yuan Wei’s mother, who is recovering well thanks to the medical care Shen Bing funded. His teasing compliment embarrasses Yuan Wei.
• Shen Bing learns that the Nancy Group’s next-day ceremony will unveil its new building, whose Dream Glass façade is expected to attract media attention and potential business partners.
• The following morning, while traveling to the Nancy Building, Shen Bing sees a new quest involving Sun Wukong: “Seven Great Sages Gather.” Sun wants to reunite with the six other Great Sages, but they refuse because he offended their relatives and friends during his pilgrimage, with the Bull Demon King particularly opposed.
• The quest requires Shen Bing to persuade at least one Great Sage to accept Sun’s reward; gathering all seven promises a special reward. Hoping for that prize, Shen Bing accepts and spends ten million on teleportation. The chapter ends as he sees a beautiful, mist-wreathed immortal mountain on his phone.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows a knack for manipulating people through their pride, while remaining opportunistic and motivated by the possibility of valuable rewards. He balances his business responsibilities with his Immortal Realm quests.
• Erlang is portrayed as proud and quick to take up a challenge. He disparages Li Jing and agrees to avoid drawing the Heavenly King’s attention.
• Yuan Wei remains admiring and comfortable around Shen Bing; his flirtatious joke leaves her visibly flustered. She reports that her mother is improving.
• Li Xiao continues to be loyal and supportive, following Shen Bing’s instructions and enthusiastically agreeing with his joke.

Significant themes

• Pride as leverage: Shen Bing uses Erlang’s competitive nature to steer him toward Nezha.
• Rewards and risk: Shen Bing is willing to spend heavily for a chance at an exceptional prize, especially since quest failure carries no penalty.
• Personal ties and reconciliation: Sun Wukong’s effort to reunite the Great Sages is obstructed by grudges and loyalties formed during his pilgrimage.
• Business and spectacle: The Nancy Building ceremony highlights the overlap between technological innovation, publicity, and commercial opportunity.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing marvels at Mount Huaguo’s scenery in the Immortal Realm, but his teleportation has left him at the mountain’s foot rather than at Water Curtain Cave. He begins climbing through the dense, pathless forest.
• Meanwhile, he arrives at the Nancy Building complex for its completion ceremony. The large development is nearly finished, and its Dream Glass exterior remains covered so the unveiling can make a dramatic impression. Crowds gather outside, eager to see the project.
• Just as Shen Bing reaches the entrance, monkeys in the game mistake his character for a suspicious immortal or monster. They capture him and argue over whether to kill, imprison, or drive him away, leaving him desperate to escape without paying another costly teleportation fee.
• Distracted by the crisis, Shen Bing asks General Manager Wang to represent him at the ceremony. Wang reluctantly agrees to become Phantom Immortal Technology’s public face while Shen Bing keeps playing.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains absorbed in his game even during an important public event. He is resourceful but unwilling to risk his character—or spend more money—and uses the monkey kidnapping to justify avoiding the stage.
• Wang Sheng is exasperated by Shen Bing’s behavior but accepts the responsibility when his chairman insists. He cannot tell whether Shen Bing is genuinely distracted or simply avoiding attention.
• Li Xiao, usually reserved, briefly breaks into laughter at Shen Bing’s absurd suggestion.
• The monkeys are suspicious, impulsive, and governed by crude either-or logic: if Shen Bing is not a god, they assume he must be a monster.

Significant themes

• Distraction and divided attention: Shen Bing’s virtual adventure overtakes a major real-world business occasion.
• Humor through contrast: The grandeur of the Nancy Building ceremony clashes with Shen Bing’s frantic, private struggle in the game.
• Avoidance of public attention: Shen Bing would rather delegate the spotlight than appear onstage, even when the opportunity is professionally significant.

Chapter summary

Plot and events

• Shen Bing tries to enter Mount Huaguo’s Central Plaza but is stopped by suspicious monkeys. Unable to fight them, he persuades them to take him to their king. They gag him with dried grass and carry him through the gathering.
• At the same time, a formal unveiling ceremony is beginning in the plaza. Wang Sheng attends the event, while Li Xiao stays close to Shen Bing as his bodyguard.
• The monkeys bring Shen Bing before Sun Wukong. Recognizing him from their earlier encounter at the Plague God’s temple, Sun Wukong frees him and demands to know who he is.
• Shen Bing invents a story about being an immortal cultivator, but Sun Wukong sees through it with his Fiery Golden Eyes and identifies him as a mortal. He is nevertheless baffled that Shen Bing survived his staff strike.
• Shen Bing mentions Nezha’s game and says Erlang Shen has already gone to see it. Intrigued, Sun Wukong leaves immediately—without taking Shen Bing with him. Shen Bing discovers that both related quests have been accepted, though he has no idea whether he can complete them.
• Li Xiao alerts Shen Bing that Zhou Changlin, director of the Qingliu District Public Security Bureau, is approaching. Zhou jokes about Shen’s modesty for staying offstage; Shen explains that he is still busy fighting a game boss.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains resourceful and irreverent, relying on bluffing and quick typing rather than force. He is eager to learn from Sun Wukong but also frustrated by the Great Sage’s abruptness.
• Sun Wukong is powerful, suspicious, and impatient, yet easily intrigued by the prospect of an interesting game. His confidence is shaken by the contradiction between Shen Bing’s apparent mortality and his survival.
• The monkeys initially treat Shen Bing as a threat, then decide to deliver him to their king—roughly and without much concern for his comfort.
• Li Xiao continues his cautious, professional bodyguard role, while Zhou Changlin’s casual teasing contrasts with the grand ceremony underway.

Significant themes

• Power and appearances: Shen Bing looks like an ordinary mortal but has survived an attack that should have killed him, confusing even Sun Wukong.
• Bluffing and ingenuity: Shen Bing’s ability to talk his way through danger often matters more than physical strength.
• Comic contrast: The chapter pairs mythical figures and a formal public ceremony with modern gaming, phone-based communication, and Shen Bing’s irreverent internal commentary.

Key plot points and events

• Director Zhou Changlin privately warns Shen Bing that the investigation into Lin Zijian’s case has implicated someone else, who may approach him. Shen understands the warning but insists that the authorities should handle the case and that he has no role in a matter involving leaked state secrets.
• Zhou and Shen end their conversation cordially, each signaling mutual respect and an understanding of their positions.
• The Nancy Building is officially unveiled. Its exterior, made with Phantom Immortal Technology’s Dream Glass, transforms into a vast, vivid “immortal wonderland,” astonishing the crowd.
• Fang Yuanming explains that temperature-controlled glass panels can display many preset images and combine them into countless seamless panoramas. Skeptical guests and reporters begin to grasp the system’s potential.
• Visitors imagine the building as a major attraction and commercial opportunity. Reporters struggle to capture its beauty on ordinary cameras, leaving them to rely on observation and description.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains composed when warned of possible trouble. He believes Phantom Immortal Technology’s growing national importance and his own resources give him protection and options if threatened.
• Director Zhou balances his official responsibilities with concern for Shen, giving him a discreet warning while affirming that public servants will protect important enterprises.
• Li Xiao voices concern about the warning but stays characteristically reserved during the unveiling.
• Fang Yuanming confidently presents the building and deliberately draws out the audience’s doubts before explaining how its visual effects work.
• Shen and Zhou’s exchange is cautious but cordial; Shen and Li Xiao briefly discuss Fang’s skill at engaging a crowd.

Significant themes

• Innovation and spectacle: Dream Glass turns architecture into an immersive, changing experience that surpasses conventional visual media.
• Power and protection: Shen’s influence now rests not only on personal connections but on his company’s significance to national interests.
• Limits of technology and representation: Cameras cannot adequately preserve the scene, highlighting the gap between experiencing beauty firsthand and recording it.
• Wonder and commercial opportunity: The building inspires both emotional escape and visions of tourism, business, and profit.

Key plot points and events

• The Nancy Building’s completion ceremony boosts the profile of both the Nancy Group and Phantom Immortal Technology. Its success is largely credited to Dream Glass, prompting reporters to focus on the company’s plans and the product’s enormous potential market.
• At the press event, General Manager Wang Sheng announces that the company will release a telescope on January 7. Reporters doubt the move, but Wang confidently invites them to test the prototypes. The vice mayor expresses interest in possible government purchases.
• Meanwhile, Shen Bing enters the Third Prince’s hall in the Immortal Realm and discovers Nezha, Great Sage Sun, and Erlang Shen playing Fight the Landlord. The legendary fighters argue and gamble with immortal jade, with Erlang Shen winning a round.
• Great Sage Sun thanks Shen Bing for introducing the game and gives him 200 immortal jade. The system lets Shen Bing store it in his Inventory, revealing new possibilities for trading and funding his activities.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Sheng shows confidence and composure under questioning, using skepticism about the telescope to invite reporters to see it firsthand.
• Shen Bing remains cautious in public-facing situations but is resourceful in the Immortal Realm. He learns how the system handles immortal jade and sees a new way to support his work.
• Nezha, Great Sage Sun, and Erlang Shen are revealed as competitive, quarrelsome, and surprisingly absorbed in a card game. Erlang Shen’s smug victory contrasts with Monkey’s fiery complaints, while Nezha is annoyed at being interrupted.
• Fang Yuanming and the vice mayor publicly praise Phantom Immortal Technology, though the vice mayor privately resents that the highly profitable company is tax-exempt.

Significant themes

• Innovation and ambition: Dream Glass and the promised telescope suggest Phantom Immortal Technology could become a major global company.
• Public skepticism versus confidence: Reporters doubt the telescope, while Wang’s assurance reflects the company’s belief in its product.
• The mundane alongside the mythical: The immortal fighters’ petty card-game bickering humorously undercuts their legendary status.
• New opportunities and limits: Immortal jade offers Shen Bing a valuable resource, but the system’s restrictions—especially the inability to withdraw deposits from the Online Mall—shape how he can use it.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing realizes Great Sage Sun’s gift of 200 immortal jade likely came from Shen Bing indirectly satisfying the still-active rampage quest. The Gate to the Immortal Realm did not register it as a formal completion, so the reward may have been smaller than usual.
• At the Nancy Building ceremony, project manager Liao Yanfang invites Shen Bing to the hotel reception after he missed the stage appearance. Shen Bing explains that he was delayed by something on his phone; Liao assumes it was an important call.
• Guests enter a reception room transformed by Dream Glass into a vivid countryside scene. The Nancy Group’s exclusive use of the technology reflects its status as Phantom Immortal Technology’s first partner.
• Shen Bing and Nancy Group chairman Fang Yuanming discuss the project’s success: businesses are eager to rent or buy shop space, even at double the expected price. Shen Bing infers that the Nancy Group plans to keep the shops for rent rather than sell them.
• Fang introduces Shen Bing to Vice Mayor Tian. Their polite conversation is interrupted by another guest eager to meet Shen Bing.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows growing insight into the Gate’s quest mechanics and stays composed in business and political settings, though he privately feels justified in having missed his public appearance.
• Fang Yuanming is pleased with the Nancy Building’s commercial prospects and credits Dream Glass for its success. He teases Shen Bing about his unusual behavior before introducing him to Mayor Tian.
• Liao Yanfang handles the reception invitation diplomatically and guides Shen Bing and Li Xiao through the venue.
• Mayor Tian praises Shen Bing’s achievements and greets him cordially; a new, unidentified guest is introduced as eager to meet him.

Significant themes

• Hidden systems and indirect rewards: Shen Bing’s theory suggests the immortal quest system may allow informal completion that its interface does not recognize.
• Technology as spectacle and economic power: Dream Glass reshapes both public spaces and business prospects, making the Nancy Building highly desirable.
• Strategic ownership: With demand assured, renting rather than selling the shops promises the Nancy Group continuing returns.
• Reputation and relationships: Shen Bing’s success draws attention from business leaders and officials, making social connections increasingly important.

Summary

• Secretary Zhu’s intervention: Vice Mayor Tian and Nancy Group chairman Fang Yuanming are surprised when Rongcheng Deputy Party Secretary Zhu arrives at the Nancy Building. Zhu asks to speak privately with Shen Bing, the head of Phantom Immortal Technology. Fang arranges a private tearoom and Zhu brings along an employee of the Nancy Group, Mr. Yu—the father of Yu Liang, who is being detained.
• The request concerning Yu Liang: Zhu asks Shen to show Yu Liang leniency, arguing that the case’s connection to alleged theft of military secrets could damage the Yu family. Mr. Yu acknowledges that his son’s actions caused trouble and offers full compensation, but says the charge is too serious. Shen remains firm: wrongdoing must have consequences, and he will not interfere with the judicial process.
• A confrontation: Shen challenges Zhu’s right to involve himself and rejects Zhu’s warning that he may regret his choices. Mr. Yu tries to keep the discussion civil, but Zhu loses patience and invokes Shen’s ties to the Rongcheng Military District. Shen sees Zhu’s remarks as threats and refuses to be intimidated.
• Military summons: Two plainclothes men enter with Fang Yuanming and respectfully tell Shen that Commander Gao requests his immediate presence. Shen accepts the summons and announces, “I’m done playing along.” When Zhu tries to stop him, one of the men presents credentials bearing central-level authority. Zhu recognizes their significance and backs down.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing displays confidence, composure, and a strong refusal to yield to political pressure. He maintains control of the conversation, judges Mr. Yu more favorably than the previously encountered Lin Tianxiang, but makes clear that sympathy will not erase Yu Liang’s responsibility.
• Mr. Yu shows regret and offers compensation, while fearing the consequences of the military-secrets charge for his son and family. His conciliatory approach contrasts with Zhu’s threats.
• Secretary Zhu begins with courtesy and a request for leniency, then turns to veiled warnings and finally an open threat when Shen refuses. His authority proves limited in the face of the military officials’ credentials.
• Fang Yuanming acts as host and facilitator, arranging the private meeting and later arriving with the officials. He appears uneasy during the confrontation.
• Key interactions: Shen and Zhu clash over influence, authority, and whether the case can be softened; Shen and Mr. Yu discuss responsibility and compensation; the military officials’ respectful but forceful intervention ends Zhu’s attempt to control the situation.

Significant themes

• Accountability versus influence: Shen insists that powerful connections should not shield someone from consequences.
• Resistance to intimidation: Shen refuses to be cowed by Zhu’s rank or warnings.
• Competing power structures: Local political authority gives way when the officials reveal central-level credentials.
• The risks of hidden stakes: The charge involving military secrets threatens to extend beyond Yu Liang to his family and political connections.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing leaves the launch-day preparations at Dream Glass after Commander Gao sends two men to bring him in. He assumes the military needs his expertise in precision glass machining.
• The escort leads Shen Bing and his driver, Li Xiao, from Rongcheng toward Taiping Town. They enter a hidden opening inside a tunnel and travel through an extensive underground complex.
• Li Xiao notices armed firing ports along the passage. Shen Bing realizes the scale and security of the facility and takes the military’s trust as a sign that he is considered one of their own.
• At the facility, Shen Bing is separated from Li Xiao, outfitted in protective clothing, and led into a vast military research center.
• Commander Gao introduces the Golden Eye No. 1, a reconnaissance satellite designed to improve China’s intelligence-gathering and missile-detection capabilities. Its simulations are successful, but the project has encountered a problem requiring Shen Bing’s help.
• Before explaining the difficulty, project leader Professor Zhang asks whether Shen Bing’s company manufactured the Eagle Eye Type 1 Telescope. Shen confirms that his company made nearly all of it and says it can now produce improved CCD sensors and image-processing chips as well.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing balances his usual irreverence—complaining about the military vehicle and the escort’s wording—with respect for the military’s trust and admiration for Professor Zhang. He is confident in his company’s technological abilities.
• Li Xiao remains calm and observant, identifying the tunnel’s defensive gun positions and accompanying Shen into the facility.
• Commander Gao is eager to show Shen the satellite and treats him as a trusted collaborator.
• Professor Zhang approaches Shen with professional respect, first verifying his company’s capabilities before discussing the project.

Significant themes

• Trust and belonging: The military’s willingness to bring Shen into a highly secret facility makes him feel accepted as one of their own.
• National technological ambition: Golden Eye No. 1 represents an effort to close the gap with other major powers in reconnaissance and missile detection.
• Scale versus usefulness: Shen is impressed by the enormous base but remains confident that what matters most is a facility’s ability to produce results.
• Innovation and collaboration: The chapter sets up a partnership between military researchers and Shen’s company, whose manufacturing capabilities may help resolve the satellite project’s obstacle.

Key plot points and events

• A secret satellite program has nearly completed a reconnaissance satellite, but it lacks a 1.2-meter ultra-high-precision optical lens. The lens is under export embargo, and domestic manufacturing cannot yet meet its atomic-level surface-flatness requirements.
• The satellite must launch within a month because tensions with India have heightened the need for its already-functional missile-warning system, which can detect targets three to five seconds earlier than current satellites.
• Professor Zhang, impressed by the lenses Shen Bing previously made for the Eagle Eye Type 1, asks him to produce one. Shen says his company might manage it, but that a specialized machine tool would greatly improve the chances.
• Shen claims he can obtain an LODTM-class machine tool from abroad, though it would have to be smuggled in. Commander Gao agrees to arrange its reception and promises the equipment will remain Shen’s property, with the country protecting his contribution.
• In reality, Shen has no overseas source for the machine. He plans to build one himself, using Lu Xian’s manufacturing abilities, advanced materials he can produce, and technical information gathered online. He begins researching in seclusion at home.
• Meanwhile, the Nancy Building and Dream Glass attract growing attention online.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing conceals how easily he could make the lens. He wants to help but avoids revealing the full extent of his capabilities, while also using the urgent situation to secure ownership protections for the equipment. His supposed smuggling plan is a cover for building the machine himself.
• Professor Zhang moves from concern to excitement when Shen suggests the lens may be possible. He understands the significance of an LODTM-class tool and eagerly asks when it can arrive.
• Commander Gao explains the national-security urgency, initially treats Shen’s proposal skeptically, then recognizes the machine tool’s strategic value. He reassures Shen that neither the state nor its officials will seize it.
• Shen jokes with Gao about getting the promise in writing and challenges him to ensure his property is protected. The exchange is playful but underscores Shen’s distrust of potential official overreach.

Significant themes

• National security versus technical limitations: The satellite’s military value makes an imperfect or rushed solution preferable to delay.
• Knowledge and industrial capability as strategic assets: A machine tool is portrayed as more valuable than a finished weapon because it enables the production of many advanced technologies.
• Secrecy and controlled disclosure: Shen carefully manages what others know about his abilities, balancing cooperation with self-protection.
• Ingenuity and self-reliance: Rather than relying on the overseas connections he claims to have, Shen intends to build the machine himself.

Plot points and events

• The Nancy Building and Dream Glass become online sensations, drawing praise, criticism, and widespread publicity.
• The Nancy Group sells more than a thousand apartments in under half an hour at ¥30,000 per square meter, earning roughly ¥3 billion. The newly opened Central Plaza is overwhelmed by visitors, forcing the group to restrict entry and visitor time; businesses rush to rent space.
• Wang Sheng shows five journalists Phantom Immortal Technology’s Spirit Vision Telescope. Impressed by its extraordinary performance, they each buy one for ¥20,000 and publish articles about it.
• An anonymous, suggestive article about spying on an outdoor encounter turns out to describe dogs mating—and ends by mentioning adopting the puppies. Its comic bait-and-switch helps the telescope reach a much wider audience.
• Two days later, Shen Bing—exhausted but exhilarated after a breakthrough—passes information to Lu Xian and sends her and Li Xiao on a trip to Southeast Asia.
• The Spirit Vision Telescope goes on sale. The company has stocked 30,000 units and arranged dedicated shipping. Shen Bing expects sales to start slowly until word of mouth builds.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Yuanming benefits enormously from the building’s popularity, though he recognizes buyers may be investors rather than future residents.
• Wang Sheng confidently promotes the telescope, selling units to the journalists and preparing the launch with Shen Bing.
• Shen Bing shows renewed energy after a major breakthrough and delegates new work to Lu Xian and Li Xiao.
• The journalists are captivated by the telescope’s capabilities and help promote it through their articles.
• Lu Xian and Li Xiao leave together on Shen Bing’s assignment; the purpose of their trip is not yet revealed.

Significant themes

• Publicity and viral attention: Both positive and negative online reactions drive commercial success.
• Innovation and market confidence: The telescope’s remarkable performance must overcome consumers’ doubts about its high price and domestic origin.
• Commerce and spectacle: The Nancy Building’s visual appeal turns visitors, social-media posts, and foot traffic into major business opportunities.
• Humor and misdirection: The misleading article’s comic reveal illustrates how sensational content can spread while still advertising a product.

Plot points and events

• Wealthy outdoor enthusiast Huang Youmin decides to test Phantom Immortal Technology’s new Spirit Vision Telescope, despite friends’ warnings that its claims are probably a marketing trick.
• When sales open, he discovers the telescope costs 20,000 yuan. After hesitating briefly, he tries to buy one—but the entire 30,000-unit stock sells out almost instantly.
• At the company, Shen Bing and the Sales Department are stunned by the sudden sellout and initially wonder whether Taobao’s data is faulty. The platform confirms the figures are legitimate: the buyers are overwhelmingly men and come from across China.
• Shen Bing learns from Gao Jingchuan that many military personnel had rushed to buy the consumer telescope. Officers who had used the superior Eagle Eye Type 1 telescope recognized the Spirit Vision model as a less capable but still remarkable version. Since the military equipment is classified and cannot be used for personal display, they bought the consumer model themselves.
• Shen Bing regrets that the company made only 30,000 units and could have prepared far more. Gao says he kept the explanation secret because he wanted to surprise him.

Character developments and interactions

• Huang Youmin moves from skepticism to curiosity, then becomes a would-be customer; his brief hesitation over the price costs him the chance to buy.
• Shen Bing, who had expected weak initial sales, is embarrassed and bewildered when the stock vanishes. His frustration grows when he realizes the unexpected buyers were military personnel and that he could have planned for greater demand.
• Gao Jingchuan reveals the reason for the sales surge, explaining that the purchases were private rather than an official military order. His playful secrecy irritates Shen Bing, though Gao insists he meant it as a surprise.
• Wei Changjia confirms the sales data and urges the company to publicize the sellout. Wang Sheng suggests media influence may have helped, but the explanation proves to be far more unusual.
• Huang’s travel group offers a comic counterpoint: its members debate the product’s credibility, while Huang privately decides to test it for himself.

Significant themes

• Reputation and proof: The telescope’s performance among Eagle Eye users validates its quality more convincingly than advertising could.
• The unpredictability of markets: A price and demand level the company’s leaders considered unlikely produces an immediate sellout.
• Secrecy versus opportunity: Gao’s decision to keep the military connection quiet creates a surprise but prevents Phantom Immortal Technology from preparing more stock.
• Status and personal use: Even people with access to elite equipment want a consumer version they can own and show off.

Plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology’s Spirit Vision Telescope sells out: all 30,000 units are purchased in two seconds, bringing in 600 million yuan. Shen Bing considers the success proof of the product’s value but has no desire to take the company public, preferring to retain control.
• The first buyers receive their telescopes, and early Taobao reviews praise the device—while repeatedly calling it “the ultimate spying tool.” The joke goes viral, feeding public debate about the telescope’s capabilities and potential misuse.
• Online reactions divide between people celebrating a breakthrough in Huaxia’s optical manufacturing, skeptics who insist the product or sales figures must be fake, and critics who argue it threatens privacy. The controversy pushes the telescope onto trending searches and draws attention from overseas manufacturers.
• Phantom Immortal Technology announces that it will restock 9,000 telescopes every three days, sustaining demand without responding to the accusations.
• Meanwhile, Li Xiao and Lu Xian secretly transport materials by cargo ship. Lu Xian has built the ultra-high-precision Craftsman God No. 1 machine tool aboard it, using the sea voyage to conceal its construction. The machine is moved through an obscure port and onto a military transport plane bound northwest.
• Shen Bing, whose finances have recovered thanks to telescope sales, discusses withdrawing one billion yuan from the company to fund the machine tool project. Its strategic value makes the expense easy to justify.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is pleased by the sales windfall but remains focused on long-term control and industrial development. He is embarrassed and irritated by the customers’ crude reviews, and privately blames Gao Jingchuan for suggesting the buyers were mostly soldiers.
• Wei Changjia jokes about the frenzy, while Shen Bing responds with amusement rather than dwelling on it.
• Li Xiao and Lu Xian work together to move the machine tool covertly. Their careful arrangements fool the ship’s crew and port personnel, who assume the unusual handling is related to routine business—or tax evasion.
• Shen Bing and Wang Sheng discuss company finances and the rationale for extracting funds to support the machine-tool effort.

Significant themes

• Innovation and industrial independence: The telescope and machine tool represent attempts to overcome foreign dominance and domestic manufacturing bottlenecks.
• Technology’s dual use: The telescope’s impressive capabilities invite legitimate admiration as well as concerns about privacy and misuse.
• Public opinion and misinformation: Viral jokes, nationalism, distrust of domestic products, and moral criticism all shape the debate, while foreign interests may be exploiting it.
• Secrecy and strategic value: The covert construction and transport of Craftsman God No. 1 reflect how sensitive industrial breakthroughs are protected.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing and Wang Sheng discuss how to use the Craftsman God No. 1, the ultra-high-precision machine tool they are acquiring. Wang Sheng again urges Shen Bing to hire a secretary; Shen Bing finally agrees to have HR recruit and screen candidates.
• The machine is flown to Rongcheng and delivered to Phantom Immortal Technology’s newly separated, tightly secured Precision Optoelectronics Factory. Shen Bing oversees preparations, while Dong Qiang assumes he has learned the machine’s specifications from its drawings.
• Commander Gao arrives with Professor Zhang and an assistant to witness the machine’s arrival. The military and national leadership are keenly interested because ultra-high-precision manufacturing is a major industrial bottleneck.
• While they wait, Professor Zhang questions Shen Bing about the machine. Shen Bing freely explains its capabilities and principles, confident that the design cannot be copied with ordinary manufacturing methods.
• The machine arrives in components. Shen Bing and Lu Xian direct workers in assembling it, completing the installation in two hours—far faster than the days such equipment would normally require.
• Shen Bing starts the machine and demonstrates it by machining an unusually thick glass block. Its robotic arms handle the heavy piece, and its cutter slices the brittle glass cleanly and rapidly, astonishing the observers.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows greater willingness to delegate routine work by approving a secretary search. He also displays deep technical knowledge and confidence in the machine, while maintaining the appearance that it is a newly acquired device rather than his own design.
• Wang Sheng remains overloaded with company responsibilities and is openly frustrated at being given yet another administrative task. He nevertheless agrees to arrange both the military visit and the recruitment process.
• Commander Gao moves from assuming Shen Bing merely obtained the machine to recognizing his unusual technical expertise, adding to his impression of Shen Bing as a rare genius.
• Professor Zhang is intensely eager to see the machine and becomes increasingly convinced by Shen Bing’s explanations. Its performance leaves him awestruck.
• Dong Qiang efficiently prepares the factory and follows Shen Bing’s instructions, unaware of the true extent of Shen Bing’s role in designing the machine.
• Lu Xian works alongside Shen Bing to guide the assembly, appearing to the visitors as an exceptional technical specialist.

Significant themes

• Industrial self-reliance: The machine represents a possible way to overcome dependence on foreign high-precision manufacturing technology.
• Innovation and hidden expertise: Shen Bing’s capabilities—and Lu Xian’s nature—are concealed beneath an ordinary-looking company operation.
• Powerful demonstrations: The machine’s rapid installation and clean cutting of brittle glass transform abstract claims into convincing proof.
• The value of specialized talent: The scene highlights both the difficulty of recruiting capable leaders and the importance of experts such as Professor Zhang.

Chapter summary

• At Dust-Free Workshop No. 3, Craftsman God No. 1 quickly cuts a glass block into a lens. Professor Zhang questions the use of a conventional grinding wheel for the final, ultra-precise surface finishing. Shen Bing explains that the machine’s atomic-level construction and specially made grinding wheel make mechanical polishing reliable at that precision.
• Commander Gao asks where Shen obtained the unusual equipment. Shen refuses to disclose the source, citing a confidentiality agreement; Gao accepts the answer despite his doubts. Professor Zhang stays to watch the lens being finished, while Shen leaves for the office.
• Shen learns that one billion has reached Jibada Company, moves the money into his personal account, and deposits it into the Gate to the Immortal Realm. He then transfers the Super Artificial Intelligence Technology into his mind. The enormous influx of information nearly overwhelms him, but he recovers and begins examining it.
• Shen discovers that the technology relies on a completely new programming language, which he names Dragon Language. Its concise, powerful logic differs radically from familiar languages such as Java and C#, and the chapter presents it as capable of enabling genuine super-AI on existing computers. Shen concludes that today’s commercial “AI” is only weak AI.
• Excited by Dragon Language’s potential—and amused by the prospect of making the world learn Chinese—Shen begins studying it. He realizes, however, that he will have to type out the AI code himself, potentially occupying months. He hopes Consciousness Transmission Technology will eventually spare him that work.
• After nearly two hours, Dong Qiang calls with the result of the lens machining: it is perfect.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident and guarded about his supply sources, but becomes fascinated by Dragon Language and newly enthusiastic about programming. His ambition is tempered by the practical burden of implementing the technology himself.
• Professor Zhang is cautious and technically discerning, questions the grinding method, and quietly respects Shen’s right to keep his sources secret. His scholarly stubbornness leads him to remain and witness the lens’s completion.
• Commander Gao is direct and curious about Shen’s equipment, but prioritizes preserving access to the supply over satisfying his curiosity.
• Dong Qiang stays with Gao and the others to oversee the machining and later reports its successful result.

Significant themes

• Technological transformation: A new foundation for programming promises to push AI beyond what current languages and computers can achieve.
• Secrecy and trust: Shen protects his sources, while the others weigh their curiosity against the value of maintaining cooperation.
• Ambition versus labor: Shen gains extraordinary knowledge but must still confront the immense effort required to put it into practice.
• National pride and power: Dragon Language’s Chinese basis fuels Shen’s playful hopes of changing the global balance of technological influence.

Plot points and events

• A Craftsman God No. 1 Machine Tool produces a glass lens that exceeds the military factory’s specifications, convincing Professor Zhang of Phantom Immortal Technology’s exceptional machining and materials capabilities.
• Commander Gao tells Shen Bing that the nation’s top leader wants to acquire another machine tool. Shen agrees, setting the price at two billion yuan, to be paid directly to Jibada Company. Delivery will follow the earlier arrangement, with Lu Xian and Li Xiao making another trip.
• Gao also asks about the dispute involving Yu Liang, whose grandfather is a retired general. Shen agrees to let the matter be handled leniently as long as Yu Liang does not trouble him again. The general insists Yu Liang should still be punished, but the charge of stealing state military secrets should be dropped.
• Shen returns home and begins studying Super Artificial Intelligence Technology. He spends the next few days mostly indoors, leaving briefly to interview candidates for a secretary.
• Yan Lexuan, a capable Huaqing University graduate, gets the position. She reviews documents for Shen and handles his online assignments, easing Wang Sheng’s workload.
• Two more batches of Spirit Vision Telescopes sell out immediately. Their growing popularity leads to online forums and fan groups, and the public begins to accept their performance as genuine rather than hype.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing presents himself as willing to help the nation, but his cooperation is also a calculated move that advances Phantom Immortal Technology’s interests. He shows pragmatism in negotiating the machine-tool sale and unexpected compassion in agreeing to spare Yu Liang the espionage charge.
• Commander Gao acts as intermediary between the military leadership and Shen, carefully making the request without implying that the government intends to seize Shen’s existing machine tool. He also explains the retired general’s position on Yu Liang.
• Professor Zhang is absorbed by the lens’s quality, reinforcing his enthusiasm for Shen’s technology.
• Yan Lexuan joins as Shen’s secretary, while Wang Sheng benefits from no longer having to manage so many errands.
• Shen’s exchanges with Gao combine negotiation, mutual respect, and teasing; his interactions with the public are indirect, through the growing success of his telescope business.

Significant themes

• Technology as national leverage: Shen’s unique manufacturing capabilities attract attention at the highest level and could help the country overcome foreign restrictions.
• Self-interest and patriotism: Shen helps the nation, but strategically, balancing public benefit with his company’s ambitions.
• Justice tempered by compassion: Shen supports easing Yu Liang’s most serious charge, while the retired general still insists on accountability.
• Success and isolation: As Shen’s wealth and work grow, he becomes increasingly withdrawn, even as his products gain widespread recognition.

Key plot points

• Phantom Immortal Technology finishes delivering Dream Glass to the Huashen Group, while production for the Nancy Group’s project continues. The company expects another major payment once that order is complete.
• The military pays Shen Bing two billion yuan for the Craftsman God No. 1 machine tool. He understands it will be used for sensitive military manufacturing, not ordinary production, and sees the deal as both a way to support national defense and to keep the military’s involvement in his company limited.
• Shen Bing converts the payment into immortal jade through the Gate to the Immortal Realm. After weighing several options, he spends it to acquire Consciousness Transmission Technology.
• The technology can precisely record brain activity, translate thoughts into digital information, and transmit digital data into the brain as memories. Shen Bing sees it as a way to speed up his research—especially programming Dragon Language software and developing artificial intelligence—though he decides not to release it commercially.
• Shen Bing studies the technology intensely and orders at least 300 million yuan in research equipment. But building a brainwave receiver requires californium, an extremely expensive and hard-to-obtain radioactive metal, or an alternative material he cannot find on Earth.
• He decides he will need military help to obtain the material and calls Gao Jingchuan. Gao, frustrated by the delay in producing the CCD chip for the Ghost Eye Type 1 Telescope, answers with a complaint.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows strategic generosity and caution: he wants to strengthen the country’s military, but also avoid letting the military become too involved in his company. His new technology increases his ambition, while his choice to restrict its use reflects concern about its risks.
• Gao Jingchuan remains impatient and eager for progress on the telescope project. His irritated response underscores the pressure created by the stalled chip production.
• Shen Bing and the military maintain a mutually beneficial relationship: the military receives advanced manufacturing capability, while Shen Bing gains a large payment and a basis for asking it for help.
• Yuan Wei continues bringing Shen Bing meals while he isolates himself to study, showing the routine support surrounding his increasingly consuming work.

Significant themes

• Technological power and responsibility: Consciousness Transmission Technology could enable mind-reading, memory transfer, and virtual reality, but Shen Bing recognizes that releasing it too soon could cause serious trouble.
• Research depends on resources and collaboration: Even with advanced knowledge and substantial funding, Shen Bing cannot proceed without specialized equipment and rare materials.
• National interest and private enterprise: Shen Bing balances his company’s independence with his desire to contribute to national defense.
• The burden of rapid advancement: Each breakthrough expands what Shen Bing can attempt, but also creates new logistical, ethical, and technical problems.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points

• Shen Bing asks Gao Jingchuan to obtain one or two grams of californium for his work on the Ghost Eye Type 1 Telescope. Gao initially assumes it is inexpensive and boasts that money can buy anything, only to learn that californium is extraordinarily scarce and costs over 100 million yuan for two grams. He agrees to help secure it through official channels.
• Shen Bing checks on the Underground Base, where Lu Xian is installing the Craftsman God No. 1 machine tool and preparing supporting equipment. Shen hopes to resolve staffing soon and have the base operational within six months.
• Shen Bing’s mother calls to say that she has been transferred to Rongcheng and that she and his father expect him at dinner. Their arrival makes Shen realize he may soon have to reveal his company and wealth to them.
• Worried that his luxury cars would expose his success and earn him a scolding, Shen orders a top-trim Wuling Hongguang for a more modest appearance.
• He then has Lu Xian transform the van: its body, glass, engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, and interior are all replaced with advanced components. It retains the Wuling’s outward appearance but is effectively a newly built, exceptionally powerful and durable vehicle.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains playful and resourceful, teasing Gao about money but ultimately giving him a straightforward request. He is also anxious about managing his parents’ expectations and hiding his success.
• Gao Jingchuan learns how rare and expensive californium is after consulting a military materials expert. His initial bravado turns to embarrassment, but he agrees to help Shen obtain it.
• Shen’s mother is direct and familiar, telling him—not asking—about dinner. Her transfer to Rongcheng brings Shen’s private business life closer to his family.
• Li Xiao is baffled by Shen’s request for a Wuling Hongguang, then accepts the explanation that it is meant to look inconspicuous.
• Lu Xian continues his technical work at the Underground Base and quickly carries out Shen’s extraordinary vehicle modifications.

Significant themes

• Money versus scarcity: Shen’s wealth cannot simply buy californium; access and limited supply matter as much as price.
• Appearances and secrecy: Shen tries to look ordinary to his parents, even while using advanced technology to turn a humble-looking van into a remarkable machine.
• Family obligation: Despite his independence, Shen feels he must meet his parents and anticipates their judgment.
• Technological transformation: The chapter humorously contrasts the Wuling’s plain exterior with its radically upgraded interior engineering.

Key plot points

• Shen Bing drives his newly assembled, heavily modified Wuling Hongguang to dinner with his parents, enjoying its hidden luxury and performance despite its unremarkable appearance.
• His mother explains that she has been unexpectedly transferred from Qingyuan City to Rongcheng and promoted to a deputy county-level post at the municipal Investment Promotion Bureau.
• Shen Bing suspects the promotion may be connected to his success, though he keeps that suspicion to himself.
• His father reveals he discovered Shen Bing’s real business success by recognizing him in an online news photo. He understands Shen Bing’s ambition but leaves him to explain the truth to his mother.
• Shen Bing tells his mother he started a company and can help her buy an apartment. She accepts that he is an entrepreneur but declines his offer, assuming he should reinvest in the business.
• After dinner, Shen Bing’s father demands repayment—with interest—of an earlier loan, jokingly threatening to expose an embarrassing childhood story. Shen Bing agrees to pay him back.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing tries to approach the reunion sentimentally but quickly falls back into teasing and practical conversation. He is relieved to tell his mother about his business, yet avoids disclosing just how successful it is.
• His mother is pleased with her promotion but baffled by its cause. She responds supportively to Shen Bing’s business news, offering to help if he struggles, while refusing to accept his money for an apartment.
• His father quietly pieces together Shen Bing’s success and recognizes his character and business instincts. He acts unconcerned, lets Shen Bing handle the conversation with his mother, and later jokes about collecting his debt.
• The family’s exchanges—teasing, mock arguments, and understated concern—show their closeness and familiarity.

Significant themes

• Family affection expressed through humor: The family rarely becomes openly sentimental, but their joking and practical concern reveal strong bonds.
• Success and modesty: Shen Bing’s extraordinary wealth contrasts with his mother’s modest understanding of his company, while he deliberately keeps a low profile.
• Recognition and obligation: His mother’s promotion may reflect Shen Bing’s influence or achievements, and his father’s loan repayment joke highlights the family’s ongoing give-and-take.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing drives his parents to their hotel in his newly purchased Wuling Hongguang. His father mocks the car, while his mother likes its quiet, comfortable ride and threatens to make Shen Bing’s father replace his own car with one.
• Shen Bing’s mother asks whether he will return to Qingyuan for winter break. He argues that his business keeps him in Rongcheng, and she agrees—then tells him to meet Yun Xue, her friend’s daughter, when she arrives to work there.
• The next morning, Shen Bing checks on his company. He reviews project progress, gives instructions on factory construction and headquarters plans, and pushes staff to obtain laboratory equipment quickly. He later speaks privately with Wang Sheng, who emerges thinking the boss is a “shit-stirrer.”
• Shen Bing arranges for five million yuan to be transferred to his father: one million in principal and four million in interest.
• At home, he returns to the Gate to the Immortal Realm game. Finding its three players still absorbed in an endless card game, he notices a quest asking him to find the Immortal Realm’s hardest material for Tu Xingsun’s underground-travel artifact.
• Shen Bing spends ten million on a Teleportation Talisman and arrives at Tu Xingsun’s dark, underground cultivation ground. After confirming the Earth Palace Star Lord’s identity, he asks what the god is busy with and offers to help.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is mischievous and financially confident, but still feels the sting of his childhood academic rivalry with Yun Xue. He reluctantly agrees to meet her, partly because his mother insists and their families once arranged them to marry.
• Shen Bing and his parents: His father teases and criticizes him; his mother is affectionate but forceful, steering his plans and reviving the old matchmaking promise. Their ordinary family conversation gives Shen Bing a sense of warmth.
• Shen Bing and Wang Sheng: Shen Bing gives his employee additional instructions in a private meeting; Wang Sheng’s frustrated reaction supplies the chapter’s title joke.
• Shen Bing and Tu Xingsun: Shen Bing approaches cautiously, aware that he is no match for a god in a fight, and tries to make himself useful. Tu Xingsun is brusque and impatient.

Significant themes

• Family affection mixed with pressure: Shen Bing enjoys being with his parents, even as his mother dictates plans and embarrasses him.
• Lingering insecurity and rivalry: Yun Xue’s extraordinary academic success still affects Shen Bing, despite his own achievements.
• Wealth and responsibility: Shen Bing freely spends on a game quest and willingly pays generous interest to help his father, while also investing in his company.
• Comedy through contrast: The chapter juxtaposes Shen Bing’s high-tech business and extravagant resources with his humble van, family banter, and the absurdly persistent card game in the Immortal Realm.