Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Uma and Tie E both agree to end their engagement. Luo Qian takes charge of negotiating compensation, while Uma promises to make good on what Tie E is owed.
• President Hanton initially objects, citing the betrothal gifts and his public treasure contest. Uma confronts him directly, and Luo Qian argues that refusing would make the president look ungrateful. Hanton ultimately agrees to dissolve the engagement and waives taxes on Tie E’s transactions in Duhu Saint Market.
• Tie E is thrilled to be free and imagines a future with Yifen. Luo Qian cautions him that Yifen may not return his feelings, but accompanies him to Black Iron Saint Market to buy her a gift.
• While Tie E shops for alchemy materials, Little Treasure senses something he calls his “brothers” inside a hidden shop. Luo Qian discovers a neglected dragon egg and buys it for one Superior Saint Stone.
• In the shop, Little Treasure repeatedly catches and releases the magical flame that serves as its proprietor and lighting, Mr. Ghost Flame, effortlessly neutralizing the creature’s power.

Character developments and interactions

• Tie E proves eager to end the engagement rather than heartbroken, and his attention quickly shifts to courting Yifen. He spends freely on gifts, prompting Luo Qian to guard the remaining money.
• Uma is decisive about pursuing the person she loves and is willing to compensate Tie E, though her father’s concern for family dignity complicates matters.
• President Hanton moves from anger to compromise, offering a tax exemption instead of monetary compensation.
• Luo Qian acts as Tie E’s practical negotiator and reluctant shopping companion. He remains skeptical of the president’s motives and protective of Tie E’s money.
• Little Treasure displays unusual perception by detecting the dragon egg from afar, as well as striking power over Mr. Ghost Flame. His playful behavior contrasts with the shopkeeper’s growing frustration.

Significant themes

• Freedom and self-determination: Uma and Tie E both prefer ending an unwanted match, even though their reasons and romantic hopes differ.
• Negotiation, face, and compensation: The engagement’s end depends on balancing personal choice with public dignity and material obligations.
• Love’s comic irrationality: Tie E’s enthusiasm for Yifen makes him impulsive, while Luo Qian watches with amused skepticism.
• Hidden wonders: Little Treasure’s instincts lead Luo Qian to a mysterious dragon egg, hinting at powers and possibilities beyond ordinary understanding.

Key plot points and events

• Luo Qian returns from the Alchemy market with Tie E, who has spent all 300 Superior Saint Stones Luo Qian gave him while supposedly searching for him.
• Back on their planet, Tie E eagerly brings the materials he bought to Yifen. She initially dismisses them as nearly worthless, embarrassing Tie E, who leaves in shame.
• Yifen confirms that the materials were overpriced but later discovers that one piece, mistaken for ordinary iron, is actually valuable Darkwind Silver. Its value, together with the other materials, roughly matches the purchase price.
• Luo Qian asks Yifen to identify a mysterious egg. She says it is a powerful battle beast’s egg with a fifty-percent chance of hatching, and that it needs about thirty Superior Saint Stones’ worth of energy. Little Treasure insists it will hatch with certainty.
• When Luo Qian mentions buying the egg at the Bamosi Shop, Yifen reveals that the shop is the legendary Royal Secret Realm of Alchemy, where even ordinary-looking items may be priceless. Luo Qian realizes he left after buying only one item and bitterly regrets not purchasing more.
• As Luo Qian examines Tie E’s valuable metal, he recognizes it as mithril from the Western Divine Realm rather than Darkwind Silver.

Character developments

• Luo Qian remains shrewd and commercially minded, but his reluctance to spend turns into intense regret when he learns how valuable the Bamosi Shop’s goods can be. He also hesitates to risk more Saint Stones on the egg.
• Tie E is distracted by his new feelings for Yifen and spends lavishly on gifts. Her blunt response leaves him humiliated, though the valuable metal means his purchases were not a total loss.
• Yifen displays both her expertise in Alchemy and her impatience with Tie E’s awkward gift-giving. Her shock at Luo Qian’s visit to the Bamosi Shop exposes how significant the place is to Alchemists.
• Little Treasure confidently contradicts Yifen’s estimate of the egg’s chances, suggesting he may know more about it than Luo Qian does.

Significant themes

• Knowledge determines value: ordinary-looking materials can conceal immense worth, and expertise is needed to recognize them.
• Chance and missed opportunity: Luo Qian’s accidental visit to the legendary shop brings him a rare treasure, but his cautious spending leaves him regretting what he might have gained.
• Love and embarrassment: Tie E’s affection for Yifen leads him to spend freely, while her directness makes his intentions painfully obvious.
• Risk versus reward: Luo Qian must weigh the uncertain chance of hatching the egg against the high cost of doing so.

Character interactions

• Luo Qian repeatedly acts as a go-between for Tie E and Yifen, smoothing over Tie E’s gift-giving and later helping him learn the materials’ true worth.
• Yifen teases and bluntly dismisses Tie E’s gifts, then softens enough to tell Luo Qian that Tie E did not waste his money after all.
• Yifen and Luo Qian clash over his ignorance of the Bamosi Shop’s importance; her astonishment turns his initial complaint into regret.
• Little Treasure playfully encourages Luo Qian and insists the egg will hatch, while Luo Qian remains skeptical.

Key plot points and events

• Luo Qian learns that Saint Realm materials are not inherently superior to those in lower realms; scarcity and supply determine their value. Mithril sells for at least one Superior Saint Stone per gram, prompting him to plan a smuggling business using the abundant Mithril in his Divine Realm mine.
• He takes Yifen to the Alchemy market, pretending Little Treasure can locate Bamos’s hidden shop. He hopes Yifen will identify valuable materials to trade.
• Yifen guides him through several shops, but Luo Qian recognizes none of the materials. He eventually decides to buy tiny samples—often only one or two grams—of anything Yifen identifies as valuable, intending to have an expert identify them later. His absurdly small orders embarrass Yifen and infuriate one shopkeeper.
• Little Treasure points out the hidden entrance to the legendary Alchemy shop, confirming Luo Qian’s earlier claim by coincidence. Inside, Mr. Ghostfire announces that repeat visitors may choose one free item. Yifen approaches the shop reverently, but Luo Qian immediately starts rummaging through the shelves.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains opportunistic and shameless: he turns Yifen’s expertise into market research, makes up a story about his son, and thinks about profiting from the secret shop’s location. His lack of knowledge about alchemy materials becomes clear, but he improvises by buying samples.
• Yifen is knowledgeable about the materials trade and the Alchemy market, but her patience with Luo Qian steadily wears away. She is embarrassed by his behavior among shopkeepers and reverent toward the hidden shop, which she regards as a sacred place.
• Little Treasure is playful and unexpectedly useful. His antics torment Mr. Ghostfire, and his pointing reveals the hidden entrance.
• Mr. Ghostfire is apprehensive around Little Treasure and resentful of being grabbed, yet becomes pompous when he realizes Yifen is an Alchemist.
• Luo Qian’s interactions with Yifen move from coaxing her into helping him to provoking her embarrassment; their contrasting attitudes are especially clear when she treats the hidden shop with awe and he treats it as an opportunity.

Significant themes

• Skill matters more than tools or status: The chapter argues that materials and artifacts gain their value through the ability of the person who uses them, not simply from the realm where they originate.
• Scarcity, commerce, and opportunism: Uneven resource distribution creates markets—and Luo Qian immediately sees a chance to profit.
• Reverence versus irreverence: Yifen views the secret Alchemy shop as sacred, while Luo Qian approaches it as a source of valuable goods and potential profit.

Key plot points and events

• Unable to identify a valuable item in the Bamosi Shop, Luo Qian jokes that he will choose Mr. Ghostfire himself. After Yifen reprimands him, he selects a small, half-disc-shaped stone, reasoning that inconspicuous, tiny objects are often the most valuable.
• The shop’s enchanted shelf transforms into a metal automaton and throws Luo Qian out. Yifen, awed by the advanced alchemy, stays behind to shop.
• With Little Treasure’s help, Luo Qian repeatedly finds his way back into the shop. Each time, the shop’s guardians eject him, escalating from one automaton to four.
• Luo Qian nearly summons two Golden-Armored Automatons, then remembers that using Immortal Artifacts in the Saint Realm could expose him. The shop and Yifen suddenly disappear, and he is transported to a strange, glowing planet.
• There he meets Basmo, the diminutive but powerful master behind the shop. Basmo explains that he brought Luo Qian not as punishment, but because he wants to examine the two magical constructs Luo Qian summoned. Luo Qian agrees, sensing a chance to connect with a grandmaster of alchemy.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains cheeky and persistent, repeatedly defying the shop’s defenses. Beneath his bravado, he is cautious about revealing his foreign artifacts and recognizes the potential value of Basmo’s interest.
• Little Treasure helps his father repeatedly locate the shop and later comforts him during the frightening journey through emptiness, though he also playfully pinches and stomps on him.
• Yifen is irritated by Luo Qian’s antics and refuses to advise him, but her fascination with the shop’s magical construction reveals her strong reverence for alchemy.
• Mr. Ghostfire shifts from fear to brief confidence whenever Luo Qian is ejected, only to be unsettled again when Luo Qian returns.
• Basmo is initially unseen and demonstrates overwhelming control over his surroundings. Despite his power, he says he is not acting out of spite and treats Luo Qian’s artifacts with polite curiosity.

Significant themes

• Persistence and resourcefulness: Luo Qian keeps returning despite repeated setbacks, aided by Little Treasure’s unusual ability.
• Knowledge and ambition: Yifen’s awe and Luo Qian’s interest in Basmo show how mastery of alchemy commands respect and can create valuable opportunities.
• Power and humility: Basmo’s effortless control contrasts with Luo Qian’s bravado, prompting a lesson in respecting stronger elders.
• Secrecy and trust: Luo Qian must weigh the risk of revealing artifacts from another world against the opportunity to build a relationship with a powerful expert.

Key plot points

• Basmo carefully examines the two Golden-Armored Automatons and recognizes them as artifacts from the Primordial Battlefield. His reaction hints at a painful connection to an earlier era.
• He offers Luo Qian a commission: retrieve a mysterious, star-bright object from the Primordial Battlefield. Because Basmo is already a Saint, he cannot cross back into the Western Divine Realm himself, so he needs Luo Qian’s unusual Half-Saint, Half-Immortal constitution.
• Basmo’s usual reward—unrestricted access to his shop—is no incentive to Luo Qian, who can already come and go. Luo Qian instead bargains for Basmo’s prized Liquid Plants, eventually winning the deal.
• Basmo praises Luo Qian’s child, who somehow found the shop, before sending Luo Qian back.
• Back in the shop, Luo Qian claims a 50-percent discount from Basmo. Yifen enthusiastically shops, while Mr. Ghostfire objects that the discount does not cover her. She gets around this by putting the purchases in Luo Qian’s arms and calling them his. Little Treasure’s threatening gesture persuades Ghostfire to give in.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian proves himself a shrewd, persistent negotiator. He recognizes that Basmo’s standard reward is useless to him and leverages the commission to obtain something he truly wants.
• Basmo is revealed as more cautious and knowledgeable than Luo Qian expected. Though powerful, he bargains reluctantly when it comes to his Liquid Plants, and his evasiveness about his era suggests a troubled past.
• Yifen shows both concern for Luo Qian’s safety and playful opportunism once she learns about the discount.
• Mr. Ghostfire acts as a cautious intermediary, visibly displeased when Luo Qian invokes the discount and Yifen presses it further.
• Little Treasure has a strong enough reputation—or presence—to intimidate Ghostfire without speaking.

Significant themes

• Bargaining and leverage: Luo Qian secures a meaningful reward by refusing an offer that benefits Basmo more than him.
• Hidden histories and mysteries: Basmo’s familiarity with the Primordial Battlefield and his reluctance to discuss his past raise questions about his origins and the ancient conflict.
• Ingenuity and unexpected value: Basmo’s “Liquid Plants” are extraordinary creations with defensive and environmental functions, while the supposedly simple shop discount becomes a comic bonus.
• Family and loyalty: Basmo admires Luo Qian’s child, and Yifen’s anxiety during Luo Qian’s absence shows her concern for him.

Key plot points and events

• After shopping at Master Bamos’s store, Luo Qian offers to buy only half the materials, but Yifen insists on keeping everything and even offers to give up a year’s salary. Luo Qian decides to keep supporting her, while privately realizing he may be able to profit by bringing other alchemists to shop there.
• Before returning to the Immortal Realm, Luo Qian entrusts Yifen with a possibly unhatched dragon egg and thirty Superior Saint Stones, asking her to try hatching it in the Saint Realm.
• Back in the Immortal Realm, Luo Qian learns that the Meng Household has blocked his company’s renovation plans in Upper Clarity Heaven, refusing to let it demolish Hero Tower.
• Xie Tang explains the Meng Household’s power and reveals that Xu Hu is actually Meng Hu, an estranged illegitimate son of the clan. Though Xu Hu once received a princely title, it was revoked when his lineage became known.
• Rather than escalate the dispute, Luo Qian decides to visit the Meng Household with a gift and apologize for entering their territory without first paying respects. Dongfang Chen objects, but Luo Qian and Du Lengning go.
• At the Meng Residence, a gatekeeper deliberately humiliates them by making them wait with other visitors. Luo Qian accepts the insult to avoid putting Xu Hu in a difficult position. After waiting most of the day, they are finally close to being received.

Character developments

• Luo Qian shows growing political judgment. Though angry at the obstruction and the gatekeeper’s slight, he chooses patience and compromise over a potentially costly confrontation. He also continues to support Yifen and entrusts her with an important task.
• Yifen proves loyal and generous, refusing to sell the sacred-land materials and offering to surrender her salary. Her devotion to Luo Qian is clear, even as she recoils from his joking suggestion that she have dinner with Tie E.
• Xu Hu is revealed to be Meng Hu, an illegitimate son rejected by his clan who built a life under another name. This history helps explain why he has sympathized with Luo Qian.
• Xie Tang demonstrates political awareness and confidence in Luo Qian’s ability to handle powerful families wisely.
• Dongfang Chen and Du Lengning react more emotionally to the Meng Household’s obstruction and disrespect. Du Lengning ultimately restrains himself out of regard for Xu Hu’s relationship with Luo Qian.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism and restraint: Luo Qian recognizes that winning a confrontation may cost more than it gains, and chooses diplomacy despite personal anger.
• Tradition versus change: The conservative Meng Household fears that Luo Company’s arrival will harm small merchants, while its resistance also reflects a broader inability to adapt to new growth.
• Status and face: The clan’s sense of ownership over Upper Clarity Heaven and the gatekeeper’s treatment of Luo Qian show how hierarchy and perceived slights shape political behavior.
• Belonging and exclusion: Xu Hu’s rejection by his birth family parallels the vulnerability of those who do not fit a powerful clan’s expectations.

Character interactions

• Yifen expresses gratitude and loyalty to Luo Qian; he responds with teasing encouragement and entrusts her with the dragon egg.
• Dongfang Chen reports the construction dispute, while Little Treasure comically urinates on him before Luo Qian hears the news.
• Xie Tang gives Luo Qian the background he needs to understand the Meng Household and urges a measured response.
• Du Lengning urges Luo Qian to reject the insult, but Luo Qian persuades him to wait out of consideration for Xu Hu.
• At the Meng Residence, the gatekeeper’s deliberate snub tests Luo Qian’s resolve; Luo Qian chooses to endure it rather than provoke a larger conflict.

Key plot points

• The Meng Household dismisses Luo Qian after making him wait all day; its gatekeeper then smashes his calling card. Luo Qian is furious but chooses not to retaliate immediately, recognizing that his actions now affect his loved ones and the many people whose livelihoods depend on Luo Company.
• The next day, he sends a clerk with gifts and a politely worded letter seeking peace. Meng Shao and his brothers interpret this restraint as weakness and decide to destroy Luo Qian’s family. They return the gifts and letter with contempt.
• Dongfang Chen wants to pursue the Meng Household’s men and begin work on the disputed land, but Luo Qian stops him. He plans to consult Xu Hu before deciding what to do.
• Before Luo Qian can leave, Zhao Qing, a minor official who witnessed both humiliations, offers advice: if the public learns how the Meng Household treated Luo Qian, they may support his retaliation. Luo Qian asks what Zhao wants in return.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains quick to anger and sensitive to insults, but shows growing political caution. He considers the risks to his partners and employees rather than acting solely for revenge.
• Du Lengning is outraged by the insult to Luo Qian, while Xie Tang, Pei Sefei, Li Feier, and Zhu Ke’er comfort him at home. The four women display affectionate solidarity—and possessiveness—when they insist that only they may care for his body.
• Meng Shao and his brothers grow more arrogant after mistaking Luo Qian’s attempt at peace for fear. Their decision to “wipe out” his family makes a peaceful settlement unlikely.
• Dongfang Chen favors immediate action; Xiao Xiangzi and Du Lengning share his anger, though Luo Qian prevents the group from escalating matters prematurely.
• Zhao Qing reveals himself as the shrewd “Brother Zhao” who had previously discussed Luo Qian’s declining standing. He now offers to help shape public opinion, but Luo Qian suspects he has his own motives.

Significant themes

• Restraint versus retaliation: Luo Qian’s patience is not forgiveness; it is a strategic choice shaped by responsibility.
• Reputation and public opinion: Zhao argues that the Meng Household’s insults can turn public sentiment in Luo Qian’s favor.
• Arrogance and decline: The Meng brothers’ confidence in their family’s ancient status blinds them to its vulnerabilities.
• Responsibility and attachment: Luo Qian’s loved ones and employees make reckless action more costly than before.

Plot points and events

• Luo Qian recruits Zhao Qing to publicize the Meng Household’s insult, promising to help him secure a better official post in return.
• He asks Xu Hu to try persuading the Meng family to settle matters. Xu Hu, despite painful memories and reluctance, returns to Upper Clarity Heaven because his late father had once treated him kindly. The Mengs refuse even to let him in and offer him water in a dog’s bowl.
• Luo Qian orders preparations for demolishing Hero Tower. He sends Du Lengning to oversee the work and has Hao Renqiang quietly bring 300 disguised guards to Upper Clarity Heaven.
• The demolition begins: an Eighth-Rank Immortal breaks Hero Tower’s protective formations. Meng Peng arrives with household servants to stop the work, claiming the Meng Household controls the area despite having sold the land.
• Du Lengning draws Meng Peng into making his bullying attitude public. A crowd gathers, including merchants long mistreated by the Mengs. When the servants attack, the crowd overwhelms them, aided by Luo Company’s guards.
• Meng Peng tries to escape but is captured and beaten by Hao Renqiang; Du Lengning also takes revenge on him, humiliating him by sealing him in a sack.

Character developments

• Luo Qian acts strategically: he seeks public support, gives Xu Hu a chance to intervene, and prepares a controlled show of force. He also restrains Dongfang Chen when anger threatens to derail the plan.
• Xu Hu is torn between resentment toward the family that abused him and gratitude to the father who once showed him kindness. After being rejected, he recognizes the Mengs as irredeemable and does not ask Luo Qian to spare them.
• Du Lengning channels his anger into the confrontation and eagerly retaliates against the Mengs, showing that his personal sense of justice can override restraint.
• Hao Renqiang remains disciplined and lets the crowd and guards handle the clash, intervening only to prevent Meng Peng’s escape.
• Meng Peng embodies the Meng Household’s arrogance, mistaking fear for respect and local influence for immunity.

Character interactions

• Luo Qian and Zhao Qing form a pragmatic alliance based on mutual benefit.
• Luo Qian treats Xu Hu’s past ties with the Meng family carefully, while Xu Hu’s failed appeal confirms that reconciliation is unlikely.
• The Meng Household’s cruelty toward Xu Hu inflames Luo Company’s employees and fuels Du Lengning’s anger.
• Du Lengning publicly challenges Meng Peng; their exchange exposes the Mengs’ belief that they stand above the law.
• Merchants who have long feared the Mengs join the surging crowd, turning the household’s own unpopularity against it.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: The Mengs confuse intimidation with genuine authority; Luo Qian counters them through law, public scrutiny, and organized force.
• Reputation and public opinion: The confrontation makes the Meng Household’s bullying visible, and the crowd’s response reveals how widely it is resented.
• Loyalty and old wounds: Xu Hu’s decision reflects the complicated pull of past kindness amid a history of abuse.
• Revenge and restraint: Luo Qian’s plan is calculated, but Du Lengning’s personal anger pushes the confrontation toward humiliation and retaliation.

Plot and events

• Humiliated after the Luo Company returns Meng Peng and the injured servants to the Meng Residence, Meng Shao considers retaliation but decides he needs help.
• He seeks out his uncle, Prince Meng Rong, and asks him to “stand up” for the family. Meng Shao reveals that he also insulted Xu Hu, a powerful official now favored by the Emperor. Meng Rong recognizes that the Meng Household is in a precarious position, but agrees to mediate because they are family.
• Rumors about the Meng Household’s treatment of Xu Hu and its clash with the Luo Company begin spreading. Realizing the damage to his reputation, Meng Rong brings gifts to Luo Cloudtop and personally apologizes on behalf of his nephews.
• Luo Qian accepts the apology and declares the dispute settled. Meng Rong returns home believing the matter resolved, and Luo Qian tells his people they can relax.
• Meng Rong instructs Meng Shao to offer Luo Qian a personal apology and a gift. Meng Shao takes this as betrayal, while Meng Peng curses their uncle. In a rage, Meng Shao gathers the household’s men and leads a force of over two hundred toward the Luo Company’s construction site.
• Du Lengning and Hao Renqiang are caught off guard when the Meng force attacks at night, setting fires and smashing property.

Character developments and interactions

• Meng Shao is proud and quick to anger. He initially shows some caution, but mistakes Meng Rong’s willingness to mediate for a promise of decisive support. When asked to apologize, he lashes out and escalates the conflict.
• Meng Rong acts as the family’s more pragmatic voice. He understands the Meng Household’s political weakness and tries to protect it through a humble, face-saving apology. His efforts are undermined by Meng Shao’s arrogance.
• Luo Qian balances firmness with courtesy. Though he had planned to press his advantage, he accepts Meng Rong’s apology to preserve the moral high ground and settle the dispute.
• Du Lengning and Hao Renqiang are eager to fight but obey Luo Qian’s order not to strike first. Once told the matter is settled, they lower their guard, leaving them vulnerable to the night attack.
• Meng Shao’s family members reinforce his hostility, while Meng Rong’s conciliatory approach contrasts sharply with the household’s pride and resentment.

Significant themes

• Pride versus prudence: Meng Shao’s wounded ego turns a chance for peace into renewed violence.
• Power and political vulnerability: The Meng Household underestimates the consequences of offending people protected by higher authority.
• Courtesy and moral advantage: Luo Qian’s willingness to accept an apology shows that restraint can strengthen one’s position.
• Family loyalty and responsibility: Meng Rong tries to help his relatives, but their actions make his intervention ineffective.
• False security: The Luo Company assumes the conflict is over just as the Meng Household prepares its attack.

Plot points and events

• The Meng Household attacks Luo Company’s construction site in Upper Clarity Heaven, setting fires and abducting or injuring people. When its retainers kill shopkeepers after being drenched by rain spells, the merchants rise up against them.
• The merchants overwhelm Meng Shao’s forces and pursue the survivors to the Meng Residence. Thousands surround the fortified estate, encouraged by years of the household’s bullying and by rumors that Luo Company is backing them.
• Meng Shao calls for help from the Immortal Court, but General Yuan Renchu deliberately delays his troops’ arrival. Wary of both the Meng Household and Luo Qian, he has the soldiers leave their horses behind and travel slowly on foot.
• Luo Qian arrives to find Upper Clarity Heaven devastated. He sends men to search for Du Lengning and Hao Renqiang, while a disguised subordinate quietly joins the rioters and appears poised to organize them.
• The merchants coordinate their attacks and eventually breach a side gate. At the same time, Luo Qian’s men find Hao Renqiang badly wounded but alive; Luo saves him with a powerful pill. Du Lengning remains missing.
• As fighting spills into the Meng Residence, Luo orders his men to keep searching for Du rather than intervene on the Meng Household’s behalf.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian shifts from anger at the attack to focused concern for his missing associates, especially Du Lengning, whose family ties make his safety particularly important. He acts decisively to save Hao and delegates the search.
• Meng Shao loses control of events. His contempt for the merchants gives way to fear as they unite and threaten to destroy his household.
• The merchants transform from scattered, fearful shopkeepers into a determined mob, driven by longstanding resentment and the belief that Luo Company may protect them.
• Yuan Renchu reveals himself as a cautious political operator: he avoids openly choosing sides by delaying the rescue while technically responding to the call.
• Hao Renqiang is recovered alive but unconscious and severely wounded; Du Lengning’s fate remains uncertain.

Significant themes

• Oppression breeds revolt: the Meng Household’s habitual abuse turns ordinary merchants into a force capable of challenging it.
• Power and public perception: Luo Qian’s reputation influences the rioters even though he had no role in starting the uprising.
• Political self-preservation: Yuan Renchu’s calculated delay shows how officials navigate competing loyalties and personal risk.
• Consequences of arrogance: Meng Shao’s confidence in his household’s status and defenses cannot protect it once its victims unite.

Plot points and events

• After a day and a half, Zhe Shan Garrison troops arrive at the Meng Residence and find it devastated. Yuan Renchu orders the bodies buried together and returns to prepare a report for the emperor.
• The rioting merchants have killed the Meng Household and looted its wealth. Once their shared purpose is gone, they flee to their shops and begin fearing an investigation.
• Luo Qian and the injured Hao Renqiang continue searching Upper Clarity Heaven for the missing Du Lengning, but find no trace of him.
• At court, officials accuse Luo Qian of instigating the riot to seize the Meng Household’s property. His presence in Upper Clarity Heaven and his earlier dispute with the family are presented as evidence.
• The Supreme Pure Emperor orders martial law and an investigation. Though the Realm Security Court delays its report, several independent accounts eventually convince the emperor that Luo Qian was not responsible.
• The official findings clear Luo Qian. The emperor manages the politically sensitive outcome by reassuring—and even praising—the officials who had accused him.
• Luo Qian continues caring for the dead, arranging for unclaimed victims to be buried in a public cemetery.
• The court then debates how to classify the violence, recognizing that the label will shape future policy. With no agreement, an official proposes inviting Luo Qian, a witness and court official, to give his view.

Character developments

• Luo Qian shows unexpected restraint and compassion: he does not exploit the riot, continues searching for Du Lengning, and helps bury the dead. His conduct surprises both the emperor and the court.
• The Supreme Pure Emperor balances anger, political pressure, and fairness. He trusts the evidence clearing Luo Qian while maintaining the appearance of impartial rule.
• Yuan Renchu faces the grim consequences of the massacre and the difficulty of reporting it.
• Hao Renqiang remains loyal to Du Lengning, joining the search despite his injuries.
• The court officials reveal competing motives: some pursue justice, others seize on the tragedy to attack Luo Qian or advance their own positions.

Significant themes

• Mob violence and moral collapse: ordinary merchants commit horrific acts when greed and collective fury overwhelm restraint.
• Political blame and reputation: Luo Qian’s notoriety makes him an easy target, while facts are initially secondary to suspicion and factional interests.
• Justice versus political necessity: the court must acknowledge the truth without inflaming public anger or appearing too lenient.
• Responsibility after violence: burying the dead and deciding how to describe the event are presented as essential parts of dealing with its consequences.

Character interactions

• Yuan Renchu’s troops restore order at the Meng Residence, while the fleeing merchants retreat behind the defenses of their own shops.
• Luo Qian tries to discourage Hao Renqiang from searching while injured, but accepts his determination.
• Remonstrance Officials confront the emperor with accusations against Luo Qian; the emperor listens, investigates, and later handles their error diplomatically.
• The final proposal brings Luo Qian directly into the court’s debate, setting up his testimony on how the riot should be understood.

Key plot points and events

• The Supreme Pure Emperor summons Luo Qian to give his account of the uprising in Upper Clarity Heaven. Luo Qian refuses to blame the merchants, calling their actions a “revolution” against the Meng Household’s abuses. His blunt defense provokes outrage among the court’s ministers.
• Back in Upper Clarity Heaven, Luo Qian explains that he spoke up because he feared the frightened merchants would suffer further punishment. Xie Tang and Pei Sefei criticize his recklessness, while Zhu Ke’er jokingly threatens to smash the emperor’s palace if he retaliates.
• Du Lengning remains missing despite extensive searches. Luo Qian posts a reward of five million pieces of High-Grade Immortal Jade. A mountain hermit eventually reveals that he found Du injured after the riot and has been caring for him. Luo Qian finds Du alive, gives him medicine, rewards the hermit, and arranges for Du to be taken home.
• The Immortal Court classifies the uprising as a “disturbance” and fines each merchant three thousand pieces of High-Grade Immortal Jade. Though the Meng Household is not directly named, the ruling implicitly treats it as responsible for provoking the violence.
• With the Meng Household’s main branch destroyed, Upper Clarity Heaven becomes a coveted prize. Rival factions—including the powerful Hall Stewards—compete for control. Luo Qian hopes its future owner will let him acquire neighboring shops for his business, but Xie Tang warns that the Meng family is unlikely to reclaim it.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian shows a strong sense of responsibility: though he knows his words may anger the emperor, he speaks to protect the merchants. He also persists in searching for Du Lengning and combines compassion with entrepreneurial ambition.
• Xie Tang acts as Luo Qian’s practical, politically astute counterweight. She worries about his safety, recognizes his business motives, and points out the obstacles to his plan.
• Pei Sefei shares Xie Tang’s concern, while Zhu Ke’er boldly defends Luo Qian.
• Du Lengning is found alive after being rescued by an ordinary hermit, whose kindness is rewarded generously.
• Meng Rong recognizes that his nephew Meng Shao’s arrogance helped bring about the Meng Household’s downfall. Feeling indebted to Luo Qian, he sends him a gift.

Significant themes

• Justice versus authority: Luo Qian challenges the court’s framing of the uprising, arguing that popular anger was a response to the Meng Household’s crimes.
• Moral courage and responsibility: He accepts personal risk because he believes the merchants should not bear all the blame.
• Compassion amid chaos: The hermit’s quiet rescue of Du stands in contrast to the violence and political maneuvering surrounding the riot.
• Power and opportunity: The struggle over Upper Clarity Heaven shows how quickly tragedy becomes a contest for wealth and influence, while Luo Qian’s hopes for expansion are shaped by political realities.

Summary

• The inheritance dispute is avoided. Xu Hu retreats to Heavenly River Camp, while Meng Rong formally gives up his claim to Upper Clarity Heaven. The Supreme Pure Emperor considers taking the territory for himself, but recognizes that doing so would anger the factions beneath him and threaten the political balance. The Four Hall Stewards’ competing claims leave him unable to choose a successor.
• Luo Qian resumes his business projects. While waiting for a decision about Upper Clarity Heaven, he visits the Old Roughworker and Xin Yezi to have them identify rare materials brought from the Saint Realm. He hopes they may reveal profitable opportunities for trade between realms. The Old Roughworker is already overwhelmed with work, so Luo Qian offers him and Xin Yezi generous rewards to encourage the effort. He also asks the Old Roughworker to improve his Power Generator so it can run an elevator for the Underground Palace, which is being expanded to seven levels and may eventually reach eighteen.
• The Emperor seeks Luo Qian’s advice. Summoned to the palace, Luo Qian first presents the Supreme Pure Emperor with a Communication Conch, turning his business-minded cleverness into a joke about making himself easier to summon. The Emperor then asks what sort of ruler Upper Clarity Heaven’s merchants would prefer. Luo Qian argues that merchants would rather govern themselves than be ruled by any of the competing factions. He proposes that they form a Chamber of Commerce, manage local affairs through elected representatives, and pay taxes to the Immortal Court. He asks the Emperor not to reveal that the idea came from him.
• Upper Clarity Heaven becomes self-governing. The Emperor adopts the proposal: the territory’s ownership remains undecided, and its merchants will elect a Chamber President and Councilors to settle matters by vote. The Immortal Court retains the right to collect taxes, taking 95 percent of the revenue; the remaining 5 percent supports the Chamber.

Character development and interactions

• Luo Qian shows his usual blend of commercial ambition, practical problem-solving, and political caution. He offers a workable solution to the Emperor’s dilemma but avoids public credit and declines the chance to seek leadership himself.
• The Supreme Pure Emperor is frustrated by the rival factions but proves willing to consider an unconventional compromise. His friendly rapport with Luo Qian allows him to ask for candid advice.
• The Old Roughworker and Xin Yezi are capable but burdened by Luo Qian’s many projects; their exchange highlights the demands placed on his growing enterprise.
• Xu Hu’s avoidance leaves the Emperor’s political problems unresolved and indirectly puts Luo Qian in the role of trusted adviser.

Significant themes

• Self-governance and representation: Merchants gain authority over their own affairs through elected leaders and voting.
• Political balance and compromise: The Emperor avoids favoring one faction by creating an arrangement that satisfies the court’s financial interests while limiting its direct responsibility.
• Commerce shaping society: Luo Qian applies a merchant’s perspective to a matter of imperial governance, turning a political crisis into an institutional solution.

Plot points and events

• The Autonomous Chamber of Commerce’s decision unexpectedly makes its president the effective local ruler of Upper Clarity Heaven. The four major factions rush to back candidates, turning Du Lengning—manager of the still-unopened Luo Department Store flagship—into a target.
• Rival candidates spread vicious rumors and posters accusing Du of every kind of misconduct. Du resolves to win, while Luo Qian recognizes that losing the presidency could jeopardize the Luo Company’s investment.
• Luo Qian speeds up construction and opens the flagship, covering it with inexpensive Immortal Jade from his own mine. A 20% opening discount draws huge crowds, restoring Upper Clarity Heaven’s bustle. The store sells goods from across the Luo Company and from outside merchants, who receive certificates identifying them as agents.
• As the election grows increasingly chaotic, the number of candidates rises from six to seventeen. When Luo Qian learns the latest candidate is the owner of a neighboring embroidery shop, his mood changes; Du offers to handle the matter and urges him to leave.
• On his way back, Luo Qian is summoned to the Underground Palace by Old Roughworker. Old Roughworker and Xin Yezi reveal that the material Luo supplied for identification is ordinary, widely available Windmother Iron—not a rare substance. Luo is delighted and asks them to identify the remaining materials.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian is forced to respond to the factions’ hostility, but remains commercially pragmatic: he opens quickly, uses surplus low-grade jade decoratively, and sees the store as compatible with smaller merchants rather than a threat to them. His joy at learning the “rare” material is ordinary hints that he has a useful reason to welcome the discovery.
• Du Lengning shifts from expecting an easy election to becoming determined to win after the smear campaign threatens the company. He takes responsibility for the candidate crisis and tries to protect Luo Qian from having to confront it.
• Old Roughworker and Xin Yezi feel their expertise—and time—has been taken for granted, but their anger gives way to confusion when Luo Qian celebrates their finding. Their relationship with him is both candid and collegial.
• Luo Qian and Du share a weary, amused reaction to the election’s absurd growth. Luo Qian’s response to the embroidery-shop owner suggests that her candidacy has personal significance, though the chapter does not explain why.

Significant themes

• Cleverness can backfire: The factions’ maneuvering over the presidency produces a chaotic contest and puts the Luo Company under pressure.
• Competition and power: The factions view Luo Qian’s expanding business as a threat even before they know what the flagship will sell.
• Commerce as renewal: The store’s discounts and broad assortment revive a district damaged by slaughter, while demonstrating that large and small businesses may coexist.
• Unexpected value: Low-grade jade becomes effective decoration, and ordinary Windmother Iron proves welcome to Luo Qian—suggesting that usefulness depends on how a resource is understood or applied.

Plot points and events

• The Upper Clarity Heaven Chamber of Commerce election descends into vicious mudslinging. Luo Qian’s polling suggests his ally Du Lengning is near the bottom, but the result proves very different: Du wins the second-highest vote total and becomes vice president. Luo Qian’s Third Aunt, Qian Qiuluo, wins the presidency, apparently benefiting from her powerful clan while the other candidates undermine one another.
• Relieved that no one from Luo Company becomes president—and eager to avoid the celebratory banquet and his estranged relatives—Luo Qian leaves Upper Clarity Heaven with Little Treasure.
• Luo Qian buys Windmother Iron and travels to the Saint Realm. Tie E’s planet continues to develop through trade and heavy investment, with only about a fifth still barren, though Tie E remains unhappy over his stalled relationship with Yifen.
• Yifen reveals that the dragon egg Luo Qian entrusted to her is hatching. A Gluttonous Beast emerges, eats its shell, and quickly befriends the three little dragons. Little Treasure takes charge of the newcomer, but the creature’s appetite proves stronger than even his authority when it swallows a Superior Saint Stone.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian’s electoral experiment gets away from him. He is amused by the candidates’ ruthlessness but recognizes that he underestimated political ambition and human nature.
• Du Lengning shows growing political savvy: his speech deliberately makes broad promises that leave him room to decide how much to deliver. Despite his poor standing in the polls, he wins the vice presidency.
• Qian Qiuluo’s victory highlights the influence of the Turbulent Aristocratic Clan. Luo Qian avoids meeting her, reflecting the continuing distance between him and the Qian family.
• Tie E confides in Luo Qian about his romantic frustration, while Yifen remains absorbed in alchemy and largely indifferent to Tie E’s feelings.
• Little Treasure immediately dominates the newborn Gluttonous Beast, steering it by stamping and slapping its head. But when it swallows a stone, he cannot make it give up food, revealing a limit to his control.

Significant themes

• Politics and self-interest: The election exposes the candidates’ willingness to use scandal and sabotage, while the outcome shows how power and factional advantage can outweigh popularity.
• Cleverness and unintended consequences: Luo Qian’s attempt to introduce a controlled election creates chaos; his plans repeatedly meet outcomes he cannot fully manage.
• Growth through investment: Trade and labor are gradually transforming Tie E’s planet, even as financial costs remain high.
• Affection, control, and appetite: Little Treasure’s comic mastery of the Gluttonous Beast contrasts with its irresistible hunger, showing that even a seemingly dominant character has limits.

Key plot points and events

• Yifen confirms that Luo Qian’s ten-kilogram piece of Windmother Iron is genuine Raw Gold. She explains that refining it will remove much of its weight but produce valuable Condensed Raw Gold.
• Luo Qian bargains with Yifen: she will refine his Raw Gold, keeping one gram for every kilogram refined. After refining the first batch, she is astonished when he reveals that he has hundreds of pounds more for her to process.
• Luo Qian returns to the Immortal Realm and prepares to enter the Primordial Battlefield to search for something Master Basmo wants. Little Treasure refuses to be left behind, so Luo Qian brings him along.
• At the battlefield’s edge, Luo Qian hesitates, unsure where it is safe to enter. Little Treasure insists on a particular spot, steps onto the battlefield unharmed, and appears able to navigate its dangers.
• Little Treasure crawls to a ruined castle and disappears inside. After an anxious wait, he emerges carrying a dark clay jar. Luo Qian calls him back, relieved that he is safe and no longer concerned with the search.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains a shrewd bargainer, but his confidence gives way to fear and protectiveness when he takes Little Treasure into danger. Despite his warnings, he ultimately lets his son accompany him.
• Yifen displays confidence in her refining expertise and negotiates successfully for a share of the finished material. Her initial hope that the Raw Gold is a gift from Luo Qian is quickly dashed.
• Little Treasure shows unusual strength, fearlessness, and apparent sensitivity to safe paths through the battlefield. He also demonstrates his attachment to Luo Qian by refusing to let him leave alone.
• Their father-son relationship blends comedy and tenderness: Luo Qian frets over his son, while Little Treasure seems determined to protect or guide his father.

Significant themes

• Family bonds and parental anxiety: Luo Qian’s concern for Little Treasure repeatedly outweighs his mission.
• Hidden abilities and discovery: Little Treasure’s mysterious powers emerge as he navigates a place Luo Qian considers deadly.
• Commerce and negotiation: Luo Qian’s bargain with Yifen contrasts with the growing danger of his expedition.
• Uncertainty and risk: The battlefield’s invisible threats make even a simple step perilous, leaving the chapter’s ending poised on the mystery of the clay jar.

• Plot: Little Treasure crawls safely through the Primordial Battlefield, evading powerful spells and surviving their shock waves thanks to his strange, resilient body. His escape triggers a hidden spell that releases thousands of Golden-Armored Automatons. Though tempted by the immense military power, Luo Qian leaves rather than risk his life—and his son’s. Back at Luo Cloudtop, he discovers the clay jar contains a valuable object Basmo commissioned him to retrieve. Little Treasure also draws out a seemingly bottomless chessboard, which summons thirty-four automatons when exposed to Luo Qian’s Immortal Spirit Energy. Luo Qian adds his own automatons to the board and realizes that success depends on strategy, not merely numbers.
• Character development: Luo Qian’s awe and greed for the automatons are tempered by his devotion to Little Treasure; he chooses his son’s safety over the chance to claim overwhelming power. He remains an honorable businessman, accepting that he cannot renegotiate Basmo’s agreed fee despite feeling cheated. Little Treasure’s uncanny danger sense, resilience, and ability to handle the jar’s poisonous-looking mist make him seem increasingly extraordinary.
• Character interactions: Little Treasure repeatedly clings to and urinates on his father, while Luo Qian responds with indulgence, abandoning attempts at discipline as soon as the child looks ready to cry. He treats the jar as a heartfelt gift from his son and praises him after the chessboard summons the automatons.
• Themes: Parental love outweighs ambition; immense power is dangerous and must be used wisely; and clever strategy can matter more than sheer numbers. The chapter also contrasts Luo Qian’s comic domestic life with the ancient battlefield’s overwhelming, mysterious forces.

Key plot points and events

• Luo Qian experiments with his chessboard treasure after adding two Golden-Armored Automatons. The board’s army reorganizes, and a warning says he lacks the energy to summon a Golden-Armored Commandant.
• He pours in all his Immortal Spirit Energy. The board summons thousands of automatons at once, which crash into his room and destroy a load-bearing pillar of Luo Cloudtop.
• Luo Qian is pinned beneath the heavy metal army. Little Treasure escapes by turning liquid, while the others rush to help.
• Once the group replaces the pillar, Luo Qian dismisses the automatons and crawls free. His ruined appearance prompts laughter, and Little Treasure climbs into his hair, pulling it painfully.
• With the army’s strength now at his disposal, Luo Qian decides to travel to the Demon Realm and bring back the fifteen hundred Demonic Cultivators. He worries the Lu Household may send Lu Pai if he delays—and that another arrival at home could provoke conflict among his four wives.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian’s curiosity and confidence in his treasure turn into frustration, then a humiliating predicament. He eventually understands that his two upgraded automatons have been promoted to commandants, raising the army’s hierarchy and the energy needed to summon it.
• The four women rush to rescue Luo Qian, but first embrace and fuss over Little Treasure, who escaped unharmed. They later help with the rescue and join in the laughter.
• Xiao Xiangzi identifies the broken pillar and explains that the automatons must remain in place until a replacement is built. Old Roughworker openly mocks Luo Qian, though he also helps with the rescue.
• Little Treasure is calm and resourceful: he slips through the pile, then later grabs Luo Qian’s hair to reach him.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Luo Qian’s increased strength brings practical risks when he uses it without understanding the treasure’s limits.
• Comic reversal: His attempt to summon an army leaves him trapped beneath it, while his friends and family watch—and tease him.
• Household harmony and obligation: Luo Qian’s planned trip is driven not only by concern for the absent Demonic Cultivators but also by anxiety about tensions at home.

Plot points and events

• Luo Qian returns from the Lost Realm with Little Treasure and learns the Luo Hotel is thriving. The Demonic Cultivators have been hunting and stockpiling Demon Realm supplies.
• He summons Lu Kuangtao’s group back to the hotel and prepares to take them to the Immortal Realm. Their enormous hoard is too risky to transport, so Luo Qian gives all 1,500 cultivators basic Storage Rings—an expensive, impulsive gesture.
• Just as the cultivators are about to leave, the three-thousand-strong Troll Legion approaches. Its leader is Devil King Sean, who hopes to seize the hotel’s wealth and use it to rebuild his power.
• Though Sophia, the guests, and the guards fear the hotel will fall, Luo Qian orders the Demonic Cultivators to depart. He refuses Sean’s offer of safe passage and provokes him into attacking.
• Sean sends half the Troll Legion forward. Luo Qian reveals his hidden force: 3,200 Golden-Armored Automatons. They overwhelm the Trolls, and Sean flees.

Character developments and interactions

• Luo Qian remains shrewd and irreverent, but shows a measure of generosity by helping the Demonic Cultivators return home and supplying them with Storage Rings. He also keeps his confidence despite widespread disbelief, using Sean’s attack to test the automatons.
• Lu Kuangtao and Lu Zhen are eager to gather resources for their people. Lu Kuangtao is surprised by Luo Qian’s offer and briefly wants to stay and help defend the hotel, but ultimately follows Luo Qian’s instructions.
• Sophia worries about the hotel’s defenses and the safety of its guests. Her faith in Luo Qian’s plan is shaky, though she continues to obey him.
• Sean is defeated but remains ruthless and ambitious. He tries to exploit the hotel for wealth, disguises his intentions behind a promise of safe passage, and attacks when Luo Qian refuses.
• Little Treasure stays close to his father, while Luo Qian jokingly asks whether he thinks Daddy has gone mad.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus hidden strength: The hotel seems defenseless, but Luo Qian has a powerful reserve force.
• Loyalty, trust, and suspicion: Luo Qian helps Lu Kuangtao despite the latter’s opportunistic resource-gathering, while Sean’s false assurances reveal his habitual treachery.
• Practical generosity: Luo Qian’s kindness has limits—he will help people return home, but hotel lodging still costs money.
• Panic versus composure: Guests and staff lose confidence under threat, while Luo Qian remains calm and turns the assault to his advantage.

Key plot points and events

• Luo Qian uses his Summoning Art to unleash 3,200 Golden-Armored Automatons and confront Devil King Sean’s Troll Legion.
• Though Sean’s trolls initially threaten to overwhelm him, Luo Qian uses Treasure Seals, the dragons housed in his Nine-Dragon Claw Arm, and Six Howls to break their formation. The Automatons establish a formation that blocks magic, preventing Sean from escaping.
• Luo Qian captures Sean and returns to the Luo Hotel in triumph. Most of Sean’s roughly 3,000 trolls have been killed; the surviving thousand are taken prisoner.
• Angry that several guards disobeyed his orders during the attack, Luo Qian fires them despite Sophia’s concern that the hotel will be left understaffed.
• Luo Qian asks Sean to summon more Phoenixes for his dragons. Sean explains that summoning is difficult and instead offers a potion intended to make a dragon and a chosen female beast form a lasting pair. Luo Qian accepts the potion, then seals Sean’s powers and has him imprisoned.
• Luo Qian turns the captured trolls into Beast-Sealing Puppets for the hotel’s defense. Reflecting on the crisis, he recognizes that he needs tighter control over the hotel. He then sets out with Little Treasure through the Broken Range toward the Luo Mine in the Divine Realm.

Character developments

• Luo Qian demonstrates the strength and confidence of a Ninth-Rank Immortal, but also reveals his theatrical vanity and practical, sometimes ruthless leadership. The attack makes him realize that his authority over the hotel’s staff is weaker than he thought.
• Sean shifts from aggressive commander to defeated prisoner. Still pragmatic, he bargains for his life and proposes the potion as an alternative to summoning more Phoenixes.
• Sophia is anxious to preserve her position and quickly carries out Luo Qian’s order, even after questioning its consequences.
• Little Treasure remains a childlike presence; Luo Qian takes care not to discuss the potion in front of him.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Luo Qian’s overwhelming combat strength wins the battle, while the disobedient guards expose the limits of his authority.
• Leadership and loyalty: The crisis prompts Luo Qian to strengthen the hotel’s defenses and reconsider how firmly he manages his organization.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Luo Qian spares Sean in exchange for potential benefits, while Sean uses negotiation to survive.
• Comic contrast: Grand battles and powerful magical beasts are undercut by Luo Qian’s vanity and his dragons’ unexpectedly mundane “romantic” interests.

Character interactions

• Luo Qian faces Sean and the Troll Legion directly, then captures Sean after cutting off his magical escape.
• Luo Qian reprimands Sophia for questioning his order; Sophia responds by immediately dismissing the disobedient guards.
• Luo Qian and Sean negotiate over the Phoenixes and potion, with Sean steering the discussion toward a solution he considers more feasible.
• Luo Qian entrusts Little Treasure to Zhang Zhao before discussing the potion, and later assigns the captured trolls to support the hotel’s defenses.