Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• After Lin Bai defeats their Boss raid and traps the players, [Lone Elder] returns online and realizes the group may lose its levels, skills, and hard-won progress if they go to prison or are expelled from their martial arts schools.
• Players gather around him, furious and desperate. Their options seem hopeless: the martial arts halls outnumber them, and dawn will make their disguises less effective.
• Facing criticism from his livestream audience, [Lone Elder] accepts responsibility and asks viewers for a way out, offering a reward for useful advice.
• Lin Bai reveals that he deliberately avoided involving the City Guard, leaving room for negotiation. He warns the players that their actions have likely cost them their places in the martial arts halls.
• The hall masters confirm that the players will be expelled and have their martial arts taken back.
• Lin Bai offers an alternative: join the Beggar Gang, led by [Lao Mi], whom Lin Bai presents as one of his allies. He explains that the gang will serve as his guardian gang as a Successive Disciple of the Righteousness Sect.

Character developments

• [Lone Elder] shifts from anger and self-pity to taking responsibility for the raid’s failure and seeking a practical solution. He recognizes that treating Immortal World like a game has been a costly mistake.
• Lin Bai demonstrates foresight and control, having anticipated the players’ predicament and prepared a way for them to remain in the city. His confidence—and willingness to turn the defeat into an opportunity—impresses Xu Longyun.
• Xu Longyun admires Lin Bai’s ability to uncover and counter the ambush, though she remains displeased that he did not tell her about the plan. She watches to see how he will handle the players.
• [Lao Mi] is excited and newly confident as Lin Bai presents the elite players as potential recruits for his gang.

Significant themes

• Consequences of treating a living world like a game: The players’ attempt to exploit a Boss raid has real social and career consequences.
• Failure as responsibility and learning: [Lone Elder] admits fault publicly and looks for a way to recover rather than simply blaming others.
• Power through planning and negotiation: Lin Bai defeats the raid not only through force, but by anticipating the players’ choices and shaping their available options.
• A second chance with strings attached: Joining the Beggar Gang offers a way forward, but it also places the players under Lin Bai’s influence.

Character interactions

• The players look to [Lone Elder] for leadership, while venting their anger at Lin Bai and the NPCs.
• Lin Bai calmly negotiates with [Lone Elder], setting out the likely penalties before offering the Beggar Gang as an alternative.
• The martial arts hall masters make clear that expulsion and the loss of skills are non-negotiable.
• Xu Longyun silently observes Lin Bai’s exchange with the players, impressed by his competence but still questioning his choices.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Bai’s claim that he is a World Walker of the Righteousness Sect changes the players’ view of him. Rather than keep trying to defeat him, many conclude that joining his side may be the best path forward.
• Lone Elder tells the players to stop streaming so they can keep Lin Bai’s plans and their opportunities from rivals.
• Lin Bai explains that the Beggar Gang will receive martial-arts instructors from local schools. Later, he may teach Righteousness Sect techniques to members who prove their loyalty and worth.
• Ironhead Immortal and I’m Not an Alt ask to become Lin Bai’s disciples. Lin Bai says other talented players may eventually qualify, but criticizes their failed assassination attempt.
• When I’m Not an Alt points out that Deng Libuduo also poisoned Lin Bai, Lin Bai admits he misjudged Deng—but insists that the sect never abandons an accepted disciple.
• Lin Bai publicly calls Deng a bad choice, humiliating him. He then comforts Deng with the story of the Righteousness Sect’s former patriarch, who was once a disliked disciple but later became sect leader. Deng’s confidence returns, and he recommits himself to improving.

Character developments and interactions

• Lone Elder adapts quickly, treating Lin Bai as a powerful, intelligent NPC and negotiating for the players’ benefit. He also wants to keep their plans private.
• Lao Mi sees Lin Bai’s shifting identities as proof that he is a major story character. He secretly fantasizes about eventually leading the Beggar Gang and defeating Lin Bai, while Jing Mi questions whether he can manage the new recruits.
• Deng Libuduo moves from nervous resentment to public embarrassment, then regains confidence after Lin Bai offers him encouragement. Their master-disciple relationship is strained but reaffirmed.
• Ironhead Immortal and I’m Not an Alt eagerly pursue the chance to become Lin Bai’s disciples, reflecting how quickly the players prioritize advancement over pride.
• Lin Bai presents himself as generous and farsighted, while using teasing, blunt criticism, and reassurance to manage the players and maintain authority.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and self-interest: Players abandon the idea of fighting Lin Bai when joining him appears more rewarding.
• Secrecy and competition: The players fear that broadcasting their opportunities will let other players interfere.
• Mentorship and responsibility: The Righteousness Sect’s rule is that a master cannot abandon a chosen disciple, even a flawed one.
• Failure and growth: Lin Bai frames a bad disciple as a lesson for the master and argues that people can improve rather than be defined by their mistakes.
• The gap between appearances and reality: Lin Bai’s identity and motives remain mysterious, prompting both admiration and suspicion.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Bai’s story about the powerful Righteousness Sect inspires the gathered players, while also earning him admiration from the martial-arts hall masters. Xu Longyun, watching in secret, suspects the sect may be fictitious and imagines Lin Bai was expelled by a foolish master.
• Lin Bai explains that he needs his own player faction: players can become loyal allies when given goals and training, though they remain unpredictable. He announces that the Beggar Gang will expand beyond the city and says he hopes to become the Righteousness Sect’s next leader.
• Most players eagerly join. The Shadow Guards hesitate because they have official duties, but Lin Bai tells them they can serve the government while supporting the gang—and even suggests using their positions to pressure other players into joining.
• Lin Bai welcomes a blacksmith apprentice and promises to teach him pill and artifact refinement once he has mastered the basics. He also praises the usefulness of the apprentice’s crossbow and Divine Doctor Hua’s poison.
• At dawn, Lin Bai dismisses the hall masters who helped keep order overnight. They offer further assistance, and Lin Bai’s mission concerning his elder brother is marked complete, awarding him fortune.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai shows himself to be an ambitious, calculating organizer. He uses the Righteousness Sect’s grand vision to recruit players, offers access to skills and crafts, and is willing to exploit official authority to strengthen his faction.
• The players shift from wary potential enemies to enthusiastic recruits, attracted by the gang’s promised training, purpose, and opportunities. Even former opponents see the appeal.
• Xu Longyun remains suspicious of Lin Bai’s claims and privately interprets his behavior as evidence of an unruly past, though she does not intervene.
• The hall masters admire Lin Bai’s courage and power but are unsettled by his willingness to manipulate the Shadow Guards. Hall Master Zhang nevertheless pledges his family’s help.
• The Shadow Guards are shocked by Lin Bai’s ruthless proposal, while Lone Elder recognizes that Lin Bai’s strategic skill exceeds his own.
• Lin Bai’s brother continues to show fluctuating resentment, and Xu Longyun and the hall masters also register resentment at Lin Bai’s conduct.

Significant themes

• Power through organization: Lin Bai realizes that growing influence requires a faction capable of dealing with players as well as NPCs.
• Trust and control: Players may be loyal, but Lin Bai’s private-chat advantage gives him confidence that he can monitor their emotions and intentions.
• Ambition and manipulation: Lin Bai presents idealistic goals while using pressure, rewards, and institutional connections to build the Beggar Gang.
• Conflicting perceptions: Others admire Lin Bai’s effectiveness but question his honesty, ethics, and the true nature of the Righteousness Sect.

Plot points and events

• After the battle, Lin Bai orders one player to collect the dropped loot and sends the others toward Western Mountain. He flies off at startling speed, leaving the players awestruck.
• The players discuss their failed attempt to defeat him and realize that joining Lin Bai’s group may give them an early advantage. Lone Elder argues they must first learn and respect the world’s rules before they can eventually reshape them; he warns that intelligent NPCs can punish reckless players. He also tells the group to change out of their disguises and not to take Lin Bai’s claimed loot.
• Lin Bai waits above Western Mountain, deliberately using the forest and his display of power to intimidate and reassure the players—and to deter Xu Longyun, who is watching from the shadows.
• He reviews his quests and resources. He wants the players to help establish order in the Beggar Gang, while also pursuing quests that could provide useful pills and improve his abilities. His recent battle has exposed his shortage of antidotes, inner-force recovery pills, and internal healing pills.
• A white fox notices the fragrant Bloat Pills Lin Bai is eating. When it flees, Lin realizes he can fulfill the Great Language System’s sweet-talking quest by addressing an animal rather than a person.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai continues to manage appearances strategically: his flight is both a show of strength for the players and a warning to Xu Longyun. He also becomes more conscious of the practical limits of his abilities and the importance of securing supplies.
• Lone Elder takes a leadership role among the players, reframing their defeat as an opportunity and urging caution, patience, and respect for the game world’s rules.
• The players shift from treating the world like an ordinary game to recognizing that powerful NPCs can retaliate. They are eager to join Lin Bai but remain uncertain whether his organization is righteous or evil.
• Lin Bai and the players interact through orders, observation, and negotiation: he assigns their next move, while they debate how best to earn his trust and avoid provoking him.
• Lin Bai and the white fox have not yet spoken, but the fox’s interest in his pill gives him a new target for his quest.

Significant themes

• Power and perception: Lin Bai uses spectacle and reputation as tools, not merely as displays of strength.
• Learning the rules before changing them: Lone Elder sees adaptation as the first step toward players eventually gaining power over the world.
• Players versus NPCs: The players’ rapid growth may eventually threaten the world’s inhabitants, but their current vulnerability demands restraint.
• Practical limits and resourcefulness: Lin Bai’s ambitions depend on systems, supplies, and clever ways to complete quests—not just combat power.

Plot points and events

• Lin Bai enters the woods of Western Mountain to catch a little white fox, using fragrant Bloat Pills as bait.
• The scent attracts not only the fox but also a lone wolf, a leopard, and a wild boar. While Lin Bai is distracted, the fox eats all the pills, causing its belly to swell painfully.
• Lin Bai catches the fox, but it farts in his hand, startling him into dropping it. When it tries to flee, his Palm Thunder zaps it.
• The leopard attacks; Lin Bai kills it with Dragon-Subduing Palm. The wolf and boar flee. He then scares the fox into submission by demonstrating his lightning and martial arts on the leopard’s corpse and a tree.
• Lin Bai carries the fox away, coaxing it with food and intimidating it with threats. Unbeknownst to him, a three-tailed white fox—apparently the little fox’s mother—watches from the forest before retreating, believing she cannot rescue it.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai is confident in the forest and treats the chase as entertainment. His amusement and fondness for the fox coexist with impatience, force, and increasingly theatrical threats. He wants to keep it as a pet, despite its embarrassing defense.
• The little white fox shifts from cautious curiosity to gluttony, then pain, fear, and apparent submission. Its brief, startled widening of the eyes hints that it may be more perceptive than Lin Bai realizes.
• The three-tailed fox reveals a mother’s attachment to the captive, but withdraws because she believes she lacks the strength to help.
• Lin Bai’s pursuit turns into an unequal, comic encounter: he alternates between feeding, handling, and frightening the fox, while the fox’s attempts to escape repeatedly fail.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Lin Bai’s strength makes the forest and its beasts manageable, while the fox is helpless in his grasp.
• Comedy through contrast: Lin Bai’s grand martial abilities clash with his awkward effort to tame a fox—and the fox’s foul-smelling defense.
• Appearance versus hidden nature: The fox seems like a simple, cute animal, but its expression and its mother’s presence suggest a more complex story.
• Parental sacrifice and helplessness: The mother’s retreat underscores the pain of caring for someone she cannot protect.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Bai teases the frightened, bloated fox he captured, naming it Little White and promising to keep it as a pet. He casually speculates about monsters and jokes about training the fox.
• A new Pet System activates. Capturing Little White and talking to it each grant Lin Bai increased affinity with foxes. He considers whether this could eventually help him win over fox demons and recruit pets for combat.
• Once the Bloat Pill wears off, Little White’s fear eases. It finds Lin Bai’s attention unexpectedly comforting, though his talk of killing it if it becomes a monster makes it hide its intelligence.
• The players arrive and recognize that Lin Bai’s Palm Thunder split the tree they had seen struck by lightning in Jiamao City. They conclude that his earlier strange behavior and displays of power were clues they failed to understand.
• Lin Bai claims he captured a Demon Beast and invents a story that the fox came to investigate the players and might have attacked them. Little White suspects he knows its true nature and worries about warning its lineage.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai treats the fox playfully and possessively, while using his power and confident storytelling to impress the players. The Pet System gives him a new reason to cultivate pets and explore the fox-affinity reward.
• Little White shifts from terror to tentative comfort with Lin Bai, but remains wary. It realizes his claims may be a cover and fears the danger he poses to its kind.
• The players, especially the high-level group, gain a new understanding of Lin Bai’s abilities and regret not recognizing his strength sooner. They are also intrigued by the possibility of capturing pets.
• Lin Bai’s boastful account of the fox’s supposed threat leaves the players impressed, while Little White silently struggles not to reveal its alarm.

Significant themes

• Power and misdirection: Lin Bai’s real abilities and invented explanations blur together, leaving both players and the fox uncertain about what he knows.
• Trust and companionship: The Pet System frames pets as loyal allies, while Little White’s growing comfort conflicts with its fear and divided loyalties.
• Game-like progression: New systems, affinity rewards, and possible combat pets expand Lin Bai’s options in the world.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Bai assembles the players to choose leaders for the newly formed Beggar Gang. When Chop Wood No. 1 objects that an endurance race unfairly rewards stronger players, Lin Bai points out that none of them used horses or hired a carriage—and mocks their lack of initiative and cleverness.
• He lectures them that a protector gang must adapt, support its leader, and understand that success in the martial world depends on relationships and practical judgment, not just fighting.
• Lone Elder offers 3,000 taels to secure a leadership position. Lin Bai awards him the post of left deputy gang leader, inventing a story that Lone Elder finished first. When Chop Wood No. 1 offers 1,000 taels for the other deputy post, Lin Bai has Lao Mi record contributions for the gang treasury.
• Lone Elder then asks how much it would cost to become gang leader. Lin Bai refuses, declaring that Lao Mi’s place is protected by their sworn brotherhood and cannot be bought. He insists the others respect Lao Mi publicly, even if they undermine or insult him privately.

Character developments

• Lin Bai reinforces his authority through mockery, manipulation, and selective appeals to principle. He uses the leadership contest to break the players’ unity and establish that he sets the rules.
• Lone Elder adapts quickly to Lin Bai’s system, using money to gain rank. He becomes deputy leader and appears pleased with the outcome.
• Lao Mi is initially anxious about losing leadership, then moved when Lin Bai calls him “Big Brother.” But Lin Bai’s public declaration that Lao Mi cannot be replaced also humiliates and angers him, reviving his thoughts of eventually killing Lin Bai.
• The other players, especially the Shadow Guards, feel cheated and resentful, but Lin Bai’s lecture also gives them a reluctant understanding of the need to adapt.

Significant themes

• Fairness versus power: Lin Bai’s “fairness” is self-serving; success depends on recognizing and exploiting the rules he controls.
• Adaptability and worldly wisdom: Lin Bai urges the players to use initiative, money, relationships, and strategy rather than relying only on strength.
• Authority and manipulation: The contest is less about choosing capable leaders than about scattering the players and asserting Lin Bai’s control.
• Loyalty and hypocrisy: Lin Bai presents sworn brotherhood as sacred while openly permitting Lao Mi to be undermined in private.

Character interactions

• Lin Bai taunts the players for failing to use practical advantages, leaving them unable to answer.
• He teaches them about the duties of a protector gang, prompting formal thanks despite their resentment.
• Lone Elder successfully negotiates with Lin Bai through wealth, then apologizes to Lao Mi for overstepping.
• Lao Mi responds respectfully to Lin Bai’s appointment and address, but privately feels betrayed by the arrangement and distrusts Lin Bai.

Plot points and events

• Lin Bai finalizes the Beggar Gang’s leadership and elder positions, bringing the gang into operation. The system rewards him with two Fortune points and assigns a new quest: help Lao Mi establish a reputation in the martial world. Lin Bai decides Lao Mi must earn that renown himself.
• After dismissing the others, Lin Bai speaks privately with Lao Mi and Jing Mi. Jing Mi angrily accuses Lin Bai of undermining the brothers, but Lin Bai wins him over by promising him a white fox. Jing Mi immediately shifts from resentment to enthusiastic support, while Lao Mi jokes that his brother is a traitor.
• Lin Bai explains Lao Mi’s hardships as preparation for future responsibility, quoting a passage about adversity strengthening character. Lao Mi accepts this interpretation and renews his commitment to leading the gang.
• Lin Bai promises further martial arts training if Lao Mi proves himself. He teaches Lao Mi one move of the Dragon-Subduing Palm, Proud Dragon Has Regrets. Lao Mi can currently use it only once, but sees it as a chance to progress.
• At Jing Mi’s request, Lin Bai teaches him two moves from the Seven Wounds Hand instead, with the possibility of learning the full art after he earns merit. The brothers then return to Jiamao City to continue expanding the gang.
• Lin Bai stays in the wilderness with Little White Fox rather than returning to the city, hoping to avoid another romantic-dialogue quest with Xu Longyun. He plans to grind quests overnight and fly back in the morning.

Character development

• Lao Mi moves from feeling inadequate and humiliated to believing that hardship is part of his development. The promise of advanced martial arts gives him confidence and a stronger sense of responsibility.
• Jing Mi quickly abandons his anger when promised a pet fox. His loyalty to Lin Bai grows, though his enthusiasm is partly driven by the reward.
• Lin Bai continues using praise, promises, and carefully staged challenges to motivate others and steer their emotions while advancing his own objectives.
• Little White Fox remains wary of Lin Bai, having concluded that he is a “great villain” after watching his manipulations.

Significant themes

• Adversity as a path to growth: Lao Mi’s setbacks are reframed as preparation for leadership.
• Power and merit: Lin Bai ties access to stronger martial arts to demonstrated ability and contribution.
• Manipulation and loyalty: Lin Bai secures cooperation through calculated emotional rewards and promises.
• Ambition and self-reliance: Lao Mi must build his own reputation rather than rely on Lin Bai’s presence.

Character interactions

• Lin Bai turns Jing Mi’s confrontation into affection by handing him the fox and promising one of his own.
• He rebuilds Lao Mi’s confidence through philosophical advice, but also warns that Lao Mi can be replaced if he fails.
• The brothers tease one another over Jing Mi’s sudden change of allegiance, while sharing the goal of making the Beggar Gang powerful.
• Lin Bai’s final, earnest “lesson” to the fox contrasts with her nervous suspicion of him.

Plot points and events

• Lin Bai decides to advance both his Pet System and Great Language System quests by bonding with the Little White Fox and showering it with affectionate words.
• He feeds the fox a Bloat Pill and threatens it with Palm Thunder when it resists. Though the fox expects to suffer the pill’s effects, nothing happens.
• Lin Bai completes pet-care tasks—stroking the fox, offering water and pills, and making it urinate—while delivering an escalating stream of romantic compliments. Each task raises his affinity with foxes.
• The fox, secretly an intelligent demon named Xiao Qi, initially assumes Lin Bai is threatening and deceptive. Gradually, his tenderness and sweet talk soften its suspicion, and it begins to imagine what it would be like if he truly meant his words for it.
• A green-robed woman appears, denouncing the fox as a demon bewitching Lin Bai and threatening to kill it. Rather than explain himself and lose quest progress, Lin Bai escapes with Wood-Cloud Traverse.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai treats the fox as a pet and pursues system rewards with cheerful persistence, oblivious to how unsettling his behavior seems. He prioritizes finishing his quest over defending himself when confronted.
• Xiao Qi / the Little White Fox hides its intelligence and obeys out of fear, but gradually becomes less wary under Lin Bai’s affectionate attention. Its feelings shift between terror, irritation, admiration, and a reluctant attraction to his imagined gentler side.
• The green-robed woman misreads Lin Bai’s behavior as fox-demon seduction and intervenes as a righteous avenger.
• Lin Bai’s affectionate talk clashes comically with his coercive actions, while Xiao Qi’s fearful, increasingly confused reactions drive their interaction.

Significant themes

• Miscommunication and mistaken appearances: Lin Bai sees a pet and a quest opportunity; Xiao Qi sees a dangerous human whose intentions are impossible to read; the woman sees a bewitched victim.
• Affection as influence: Repeated petting and sweet talk gradually weaken Xiao Qi’s defenses, even as it remains uncertain whether the tenderness is sincere.
• System-driven absurdity: Lin Bai’s pursuit of rewards turns intimate, romantic-sounding behavior into a checklist, creating humor from the gap between his motives and the fox’s interpretation.

Key plot points

• Lin Bai flees through the forest with Little White Fox, pursued by a green-clad heroine who believes the fox has bewitched him and insists she is rescuing him.
• Lin Bai avoids harming his pursuer, partly because he sees her as a righteous person, but also refuses to abandon the fox: she is bound to his pet system, and he wants to preserve the affection he has built with her.
• The heroine’s Sword Qi forces Lin Bai to fight back. He uses his forest movement skills and kitchen knife to frighten her off, but she remains convinced he is bewitched.
• Lin Bai tries to stop her with exaggerated declarations of devotion to the fox. When that fails, he abruptly professes love to the heroine, confusing and flustering her.
• When she attacks, Lin Bai protects himself with a shield, counters with his palm techniques, disarms her, and holds a knife to her neck. He continues his absurd romantic speeches, leaving her bewildered and suspecting he is a lunatic. Her resentment toward him rises.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai balances restraint with cunning: he dislikes killing someone acting from righteous motives, but uses combat and shameless flirtation to end the pursuit. His claims of love are largely tactics to manage the situation.
• Little White Fox remains captive in Lin Bai’s arms and grows increasingly exasperated, privately criticizing both his behavior and the heroine’s assumptions. She recognizes that Lin Bai’s speeches are inconsistent and insincere.
• The heroine in green, Jiang Qingqin, is earnest and persistent, interpreting Lin Bai’s refusal to leave the fox as proof of bewitchment. After his sudden romantic advances and counterattack, she becomes confused, then suspicious, and finally concludes he may be mad.
• The confrontation is driven by a comic mismatch: Jiang believes she is saving a victim, Lin Bai is trying to protect his quest and avoid killing her, and the fox sees both humans as unreasonable.

Significant themes

• Righteousness versus misunderstanding: Jiang’s urge to help is sincere, but her certainty blinds her to what is actually happening.
• Words versus actions: Lin Bai’s grand declarations of love clash with his tactical motives, while the fox doubts his supposed devotion.
• Comedy through role reversal: The alleged victim is not simply helpless, the “rescuer” becomes the opponent, and Lin Bai’s romantic language functions as a weapon rather than a confession.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Bai spends the night holding Jiang Qingqin at knifepoint while relentlessly feeding her sweet nothings to complete a mission. He also gives Bloat Pills to Jiang and Little White Fox; both accept them, and Jiang’s hunger briefly outweighs her fear and indignation.
• Jiang initially regrets her impulsive attempt to investigate and uphold justice, but by morning she has become oddly receptive to Lin Bai’s attention. When he abruptly leaves, she wonders whether a Heart-Cleansing Pill could cure what she assumes is his lovesickness-induced madness.
• Lin Bai flies back to Jiamao City. Li Jin, who has waited outside the restaurant for a day and night on the City Lord’s orders, asks him to visit the City Lord. Lin Bai reflexively blurts out a romantic line, then retreats inside.
• Lin Bai’s disciple [Deng Libuduo] welcomes him and offers tea. Lin Bai distrusts it, but writes “Yes” when the disciple offers to taste-test his food—and then “Scram” to end the conversation. The disciple accepts the rebuff politely, determined to preserve his position.
• At midday, Lin Bai completes the sweet-nothings mission and receives Ventriloquism. A new mission begins: he must tell no truthful statements for twelve double-hours to earn Vocal Mimicry.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai is exhausted by the night’s mission and increasingly embarrassed by his involuntary sweet talk. Though he restrains himself from going further, he feels some concern for Jiang’s safety and hopes she will learn caution.
• Jiang Qingqin shifts from fear and regret to hunger, then to flustered curiosity about Lin Bai. Her attraction is mixed with the mistaken belief that he is emotionally deranged.
• Little White Fox sees Lin Bai’s attention to Jiang as betrayal, but is quickly placated by a Bloat Pill—prompting her to decide that love may be as good as beef.
• [Deng Libuduo] remains eager to serve Lin Bai, but has learned to keep his resentment hidden and avoid provoking his master.

Significant themes

• The absurdity of forced romance: Lin Bai’s mission-driven declarations are mistaken for genuine affection or madness.
• Naivety and caution: Jiang’s impulsive sense of justice leaves her vulnerable, while Lin Bai recognizes the danger of her behavior in a world full of players.
• Food and affection: Bloat Pills repeatedly distract characters from jealousy, fear, and resentment.
• Performance and deception: The new mission’s demand for constant lying extends the chapter’s comic contrast between sincerity, manipulation, and appearances.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Bai receives the skill Ventriloquism, which lets him produce a voice without moving his mouth—or vocalize two voices at once. He tests it on Little White Fox, who stays focused on stealing more Bloat Pills.
• At the City Lord’s Residence, Jiang Qingqin tells Xu Longyun that a “madman” held a knife to her throat and spent the night reciting sweet nothings instead of harming her. Xu Longyun recognizes that the man was Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai arrives mid-conversation. Jiang Qingqin realizes he is the man from the night before and is mortified to discover he can speak normally.
• Lin Bai claims he was cultivating and had to make Jiang accompany him. He apologizes while presenting the incident as harmless.
• Xu Longyun confirms his explanation, but is angry that he entered without knocking and brings up their own contentious interactions in the pill-refining room. When Jiang asks whether Lin Bai inspired Xu’s completion of a poetic line, Xu denies it and Lin Bai says it did.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai remains shamelessly composed, using a convenient excuse to defuse Jiang’s embarrassment. He treats public scandal as someone else’s problem and enjoys provoking Xu.
• Jiang Qingqin shifts from incredulity to acute embarrassment when she realizes Lin Bai is the “madman” and that Xu knows about the sweet nothings. She also begins to suspect a closer connection between Lin Bai and Xu.
• Xu Longyun recognizes Lin Bai’s involvement immediately and responds with irritation and jealousy, expressed through repeated resentment alerts.
• Li Jin, who understands Lin Bai was the man Jiang described, is embarrassed on his behalf—but impressed by his nerve.
• Little White Fox continues pretending to be an ordinary fox while secretly taking advantage of Lin Bai’s kindness to eat more pills.

Significant themes

• Shamelessness and social embarrassment: Lin Bai’s lack of self-consciousness contrasts with Jiang’s mortification and Li Jin’s secondhand embarrassment.
• Deception and misdirection: Lin Bai disguises his behavior as cultivation, while the fox conceals its intelligence.
• Romantic ambiguity and jealousy: Lin Bai’s teasing answers fuel suspicion about his relationship with Xu, especially in front of her friend.

Key events

• Lin Bai claims his strange, affectionate talk is practice for Words Become Law, a rare Righteousness Sect technique supposedly passed down by his master. He insists the method is genuine and defends his master, despite Jiang Qingqin suspecting he is being deceived.
• His confidence in his other accomplishments—mastering many techniques and splitting a tree with Palm Thunder—convinces Jiang Qingqin that his unusual training might be worth trying. She agrees to practice Words Become Law with him.
• Xu Longyun reveals that the “little white fox” Lin Bai has been keeping is actually a Fox Demon nearing human transformation. Lin Bai is startled: he had not recognized her nature, though he takes her discovery as proof that his luck has been working.
• Xu warns that the fox may have a powerful demon family and could be dangerous without a Beast-Taming Method. Lin Bai privately trusts his pet system to keep her loyal and sees her as a potential battle companion.
• Little White begs not to be bound by a soul contract. Lin Bai reassures her that he will treat her as a friend and proposes meeting her family.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai defuses the women’s anger by redirecting the conversation toward his supposed cultivation, then draws Jiang Qingqin into his plan. He remains calculating about the fox’s usefulness but presents himself as kind and accepting.
• Xu Longyun moves from irritation to sympathy after believing Lin Bai’s master has misled him. She later becomes jealous of his rapport with Jiang Qingqin and cautions him about the Fox Demon.
• Jiang Qingqin shifts from anger and suspicion to curiosity, admiration, and enthusiasm for learning Words Become Law with Lin Bai.
• Little White is terrified of being exposed or controlled, but Lin Bai’s reassurance gives her hope. Xu’s recognition of her sparks the central reveal.

Significant themes

• Deception and mistaken understanding: Lin Bai’s fabricated explanation is taken seriously, while he himself fails to recognize the fox’s true identity.
• Luck and opportunity: Lin Bai interprets the Fox Demon’s discovery as evidence that his fortune has been helping him.
• Trust, control, and companionship: Xu worries about danger and loyalty; Lin Bai rejects a soul contract in favor of friendship—while privately relying on the pet system.
• Humor through irony: The women grow concerned for Lin Bai because they believe his master is exploiting him, even as Lin Bai uses the story to manage their anger.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin try to redirect Lin Bai from chatting with the Little White Fox to a serious matter: members of the Bloodshadow Sect have been abducting Heaven-Sent Ones traveling to Qian City.
• Xu Longyun explains the rules that keep foundation cities safe: evil cultivators who cause trouble there face the combined wrath of the Seven Orthodox Sects, while powerful cultivators generally stay out. The orthodox and evil factions are now cautiously competing for the Heaven-Sent Ones, fearing that either side’s aggressive recruitment could spark another war.
• Jiang Qingqin has come to escort Heaven-Sent Ones from Jiamao City to Qian City. Lin Bai doubts her ability to protect them, teasing her about their previous fight and the techniques she cannot counter.
• Xu Longyun reveals that Lin Bai has already gathered nearly all the city’s Heaven-Sent Ones into his Righteousness Sect’s Protector Gang, even recruiting her Shadow Guards as auxiliaries. She has kept this development quiet and suggests he could still withdraw.
• A new Super Sect Master System appears, offering Merit Points for establishing a sect and then choosing a mountain gate. Lin Bai confirms the Righteousness Sect as his sect and completes the first quest.
• Rather than disband his gang, Lin Bai commits to formally raising the Righteousness Sect’s banner and opening its doors to disciples, claiming his hidden masters will intervene if matters become too difficult.

Character developments

• Lin Bai moves from uncertainty about the world’s rules to a deliberate decision to expand his sect. He recognizes that backing down could undermine the reputation he has built, and that multiple systems are pushing him toward greater influence.
• Xu Longyun shows irritation at Lin Bai’s eccentricity but also demonstrates political caution: she has concealed his recruitment drive and tests whether he will retreat. Her position as a government representative makes her a potential ally, but also an observer assessing him.
• Jiang Qingqin is embarrassed and defensive when Lin Bai questions her combat ability. She remains determined to prove herself and escort the recruits despite his mockery.
• The Little White Fox has a brief, affectionate rapport with Lin Bai, reinforcing his tendency to ignore ordinary conversational expectations.

Significant themes

• Factional balance and political maneuvering: Orthodox sects, evil sects, and the government are all wary of provoking a conflict over the Heaven-Sent Ones.
• Reputation and commitment: Lin Bai feels compelled to uphold the powerful image he has created for the Righteousness Sect, even when retreat might be safer.
• Systems as a force driving events: The new quest rewards reinforce Lin Bai’s growth while nudging him into increasingly consequential actions.
• Satire of social norms and power politics: Lin Bai’s unconventional behavior, gaming-like view of recruitment, and confidence in fictional-sounding hidden masters contrast with the careful calculations of those around him.

Character interactions

• Lin Bai’s easy familiarity with the Little White Fox frustrates Xu Longyun and leaves her and Jiang Qingqin baffled.
• Xu Longyun explains the political situation to Lin Bai, then subtly challenges him by pointing out how recklessly his sect has gathered recruits.
• Lin Bai provokes Jiang Qingqin by questioning her competence; she insists she could beat him under fair conditions, though she excludes several of his strongest techniques.
• Xu Longyun’s warning prompts Lin Bai to reconsider his position, but the system’s quest and his concern for the sect’s reputation ultimately strengthen his resolve.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Longyun tells Lin Bai that major righteous and evil sects are preparing to recruit the Heaven-Sent Ones in Qian City. She intends to announce a registration process, with departure in five days, and warns him not to prevent Beggar Gang members from leaving.
• Lin Bai recognizes that the players will soon be drawn toward stronger sects and that the Beggar Gang may lose its members. He also sees that Jiamao City can no longer provide enough resources or safety.
• He considers the dangers of players growing powerful: their competitive instincts could spark conflict between righteous and evil factions, while Lin Bai himself may eventually become a target.
• Lin Bai decides to postpone establishing his own sect and instead focus on helping the Beggar Gang expand. He believes leading the players outward will serve both their organization and his own interests.
• Several players debate whether to leave for Qian City. Some are eager to seek better opportunities, while Lone Elder argues they should first explore the novice area and fight its local Bosses.
• Lin Bai arrives at the ruined temple and proposes that the Beggar Gang move beyond Jiamao City. Rather than let the players drift away, he will lead their expansion.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai shifts from reacting to the recruitment news to taking initiative. He accepts that the novice village cannot remain his refuge and chooses to guide the players toward the next stage.
• Xu Longyun demonstrates that she is looking out for Lin Bai by privately alerting him to the sect recruitment plans. Their business partnership appears to include genuine mutual support.
• Jiang Qingqin remains skeptical of Lin Bai’s ambitions but says little during his exchange with Xu Longyun.
• The players are divided between ambition and caution. Chop Wood No. 1 urges the group to leave, while Lone Elder and Lao Mi favor waiting until they have explored more and gained experience.
• Lin Bai’s arrival ends the players’ private debate; they show him respect and listen as he presents a plan to expand together.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and initiative: Lin Bai recognizes that circumstances are changing too quickly for him to stay comfortable and decides to act before the players leave.
• Ambition versus security: The players weigh the promise of stronger sects against the risks of travel and abandoning their current foothold.
• Power and instability: Player competition, quests, and territorial ambition may eventually ignite larger conflicts, threatening the existing balance between righteous and evil factions.
• Mutual interest: Lin Bai frames helping the Beggar Gang as a way to advance his own position, reflecting the chapter’s pragmatic view of alliances.

Chapter Summary: “An Advertisement Out of Nowhere”

Plot and events

• The players discover that unlocking a Righteousness Sect quest changes the map and provides an NPC escort to Qian City. Some Beggar Gang members debate whether to stay or seek better opportunities elsewhere, especially since they believe the Righteousness Sect may offer greater rewards.
• Their discussion is interrupted when Immortal World’s Number-One Paparazzo unexpectedly delivers a real-world milk advertisement directly to Lin Bai. The bizarre pitch leaves Lin Bai stunned and the livestream audience amused.
• Lin Bai abandons his original plan to earn money by selling martial arts techniques to Beggar Gang leaders. Seeing a larger opportunity, he proposes turning the gang into an advertising platform: disciples could wear branded uniforms, repeat slogans while begging, and display ads at the Chef God Restaurant—or even across the city.
• The livestream attracts competing sponsors and players claiming to have business connections. Beggar Gang members who had considered leaving now scramble to secure the deal for businesses they represent.
• When Lin Bai jokes that the gang is full of talent, the Paparazzo objects that he began negotiations first. Lao Mi points out that he is not a gang disciple. The Paparazzo then offers to join immediately and personally sponsor the gang with ten thousand taels of silver.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai demonstrates his instinct for turning unexpected events into business opportunities. Rather than extracting money from a few players, he sees a way to profit collectively and deepen the players’ commitment to the Beggar Gang.
• Immortal World’s Number-One Paparazzo begins as a shameless, determined advertiser, but Lin Bai’s proposal gives him a chance to make a much larger deal. When the gang members crowd him out, he tries to join their organization.
• Lone Elder, Lao Mi, and Chop Wood No. 1 shift from questioning their loyalty to competing for advertising profits. Their playful rivalry also reflects their growing interest in the Righteousness Sect as an alternative path to wealth.
• The players and livestream viewers act as a chorus, reacting with disbelief and humor while amplifying the commercial frenzy.

Significant themes

• Commerce invading fantasy: A modern product advertisement disrupts the game’s setting, then becomes the basis for an in-world marketing scheme.
• Adaptability and opportunity: Lin Bai turns an awkward interruption into a potentially lucrative enterprise.
• Money reshapes loyalties: The promise of real-world business gains quickly outweighs players’ earlier doubts about staying with the Beggar Gang.
• Collective enterprise and influence: Lin Bai’s fame and the gang’s reach may let players and NPCs build wealth together, blurring the line between the game world and the outside world.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Bai secures the Beggar Gang’s loyalty by turning it into a vehicle for advertising and real-world profits. He invites players to compete for sponsorships, promises to share the proceeds among gang members, and envisions using the money to buy supplies and magic items.
• He proposes advertising on gang uniforms and banners, renaming his Grain-Avoidance Pills after a sponsor’s product, and holding a Heavenly Fragment Culture Festival in Jiamao City. Players enthusiastically embrace the plan, and the gang’s newfound earning potential draws regretful former members and jealous onlookers.
• Lin Bai gives the players five days to bring in sponsors before the gang sets out for Qian City. The best fundraiser may earn a chance to learn a martial arts move, but Lin Bai warns that he can also dissolve the gang and revoke their standing.
• After leaving the temple, Lin Bai questions and pets the little fox while working on his Pet System tasks. The fox reveals that it has six siblings and that wolf demons occupy territory farther into Western Mountain. When Lin Bai cleverly asks about its mother’s abilities, the fox realizes he has caught its lie and admits that its mother is alive—and is a Three-Tailed Fox Demon.

Character developments

• Lin Bai shows himself to be an ambitious, calculating promoter. He uses shared financial incentives to bind the gang to him, while mixing generosity with firm control.
• The players become genuinely enthusiastic about the Beggar Gang once it offers a chance to earn money. Their reactions show how quickly their loyalties shift when the gang’s prospects improve.
• Little White Fox has grown comfortable with Lin Bai’s affection and even considers remaining in fox form. Yet it remains protective of its family and tries to conceal that its mother is alive before Lin Bai exposes the lie.

Significant themes

• Money as power and social cohesion: Lin Bai argues that wealth can compensate for inferior martial strength and gives gang members a shared stake in the organization.
• Advertising and commercialization: The chapter humorously turns an ancient-fantasy setting into a platform for sponsorships, product placement, and tourism.
• Loyalty and self-interest: The players’ sudden devotion to the gang reflects the pull of tangible rewards.
• Trust, deception, and family: The fox’s growing trust in Lin Bai is complicated by its instinct to protect its family secrets.

Character interactions

• Lin Bai rallies the players with promises of shared profits and business opportunities, while warning them not to undermine him.
• The players respond with praise, excitement, and envy, discussing the gang’s newfound wealth and regretting past decisions.
• Lin Bai’s affectionate questioning of Little White Fox gradually draws out information about its home and abilities; his pointed question about its mother reveals the fox’s deception.

Plot points and events

• In the alchemy room, Lin Bai makes the Little White Fox eat a Bloat Pill, drink water, and use a pee basin. The fox finds the routine humiliating and suspects Lin Bai is taking revenge for her earlier deception.
• Lin Bai is actually completing the Pet System’s daily tasks to raise his affinity with foxes. He hopes to make powerful fox demons allies, especially because Little White’s mother is a Three-Tailed Fox Demon who can take human form.
• The fox has had chances to escape or attack Lin Bai, but repeatedly talks herself out of it—partly because she fears endangering her family and partly because she wants another Bloat Pill. Her growing affinity for Lin Bai is influencing her without her realizing it.
• In the real world, Immortal World’s popularity draws intense corporate interest. Companies cannot locate its publisher, reverse-engineer its gaming pods, or share information about it; attempts to investigate are blocked, and authorities impose a gag order.
• A small advertisement for Muming Milk convinces businesses that the game is too popular and valuable to ignore. Unable to stop it, major companies shift toward adapting to it, and executives receive reports analyzing its possibilities.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai is revealed to be less secure than he appears: his abilities have limitations, and he fears he might not withstand Little White’s mother. He responds by deliberately building rapport with foxes through the Pet System.
• Little White remains resentful and embarrassed, but she is also increasingly attached or compliant. Her thoughts show how she rationalizes staying rather than making a real escape attempt.
• Their relationship is comic and unequal: Lin Bai presents his demands as caretaking, while Little White sees them as calculated humiliation. His mention of her siblings finally persuades her to obey.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Lin Bai appears formidable but knows his abilities are unreliable; Little White has opportunities to strike, yet neither fully acts against the other.
• Influence and attachment: The Pet System quietly changes the fox’s behavior, blurring the line between genuine trust and mechanically induced affinity.
• Profit and technological disruption: Corporations and authorities struggle to control Immortal World, but its popularity and economic potential push businesses to accommodate it.
• Humor through contrasting perspectives: Lin Bai frames the fox’s training as practical care, while the fox experiences it as degrading treatment.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

• Golden-Haired Lion’s hopes for the Bloodshadow Sect are dashed. He proposes using his silver to provide standardized uniforms, but his master, Lan Nuotian, rejects the idea as impractical and potentially dangerous. Lan instead urges him to spend his money on cultivation.
• A livestream comment gives Golden-Haired Lion a new ambition. Viewers mock the sect and urge him to defect, but one suggests he could gain influence by leveling up and leading the Bloodshadow Sect against the Beggar Gang. He decides to pursue that path and win fame—and sponsorships—by becoming strong.
• The game’s popularity creates a rush of commercial activity. With the Beggar Gang already drawing enormous attention, advertisers turn to other promising players. After public pressure for an open beta peaks, Immortal World releases 100,000 accounts for its fourth batch of Pioneers. Companies begin forming gaming divisions and recruiting account holders.
• The Beggar Gang is overwhelmed by sponsorship offers. Its members spend the day negotiating rather than leveling, trying to choose the best advertisers. They regard this as the gang’s first major business deal and intend to follow Lin Bai’s decision.
• Lin Bai focuses on preparing for Qian City. He refines Rejuvenation Pills, eventually producing two successful batches and completing his supply of internal and topical healing medicine. After seeing the severe diarrhea caused by the topical pills when swallowed, he decides not to tell Xu Longyun about that experiment—and not to eat her food until he has made antidotes.

Character developments and interactions

• Golden-Haired Lion shifts from disappointment with his new sect to renewed determination, hoping strength and a future confrontation with the Beggar Gang will bring him recognition.
• Lan Nuotian appears cautious and traditional: he prioritizes martial strength over money, branding, or organizational changes. He also warns his disciple that his wealth could make him a target.
• The Beggar Gang members grow more united around Lin Bai. They plan to protect him, preserve the gang’s growing prosperity, and admit only trustworthy recruits.
• Lin Bai remains oblivious to the upheaval his choices have caused in the game world. In his own preparations, his caution and ingenuity are evident, though his experiments have unpleasant consequences for Little White Fox.

Significant themes

• Popularity as power: In the game, livestream audiences and sponsorships can make a faction commercially influential, while combat strength offers a route to fame for less popular players.
• Tradition versus adaptation: Lan Nuotian rejects marketing and uniformity, while the Beggar Gang’s success shows how commercial thinking can transform a sect.
• Collective loyalty and self-interest: The Beggar Gang members seek the best financial deal, but also frame their prosperity as a reason to protect Lin Bai.
• Practical preparation and comic experimentation: Lin Bai’s efforts to become stronger are grounded in alchemy, caution, and trial and error—with the topical-pill mishap providing the chapter’s comic contrast to the game-world business boom.

Key events

• Lin Bai attempts a new pill formula, adding one of his scarce Spirit Fruits to ingredients owned by Xu Longyun. Little White Fox watches eagerly as he carefully tends the furnace.
• Jiang Qingqin enters and pretends to profess passionate love for Lin Bai. He calls her “stupid,” breaking her act—and uses her reaction to explain that she has failed to maintain the composure required for the first stage of Words Become Law.
• Lin Bai claims the technique requires uninterrupted, spring-warm speech; stopping or saying something else means starting over. Each practitioner receives different instructions for later stages. Jiang, who had doubted the technique’s legitimacy, asks to learn it.
• Bai Yin secretly livestreams the exchange, and other players gather to listen. Lin Bai permits them to stay, while Bai Yin ends the stream and earns Lin positive-emotion points.
• Jiang says she will try the technique when she has time. Lin warns that approaching it half-heartedly is likely to lead to failure.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Bai presents himself as a sincere teacher, but his thoughts reveal a practical motive: he wants to keep Jiang connected to him as he prepares to expand the Beggar Gang into Qian City. He also uses his strange teaching method to make his behavior seem normal by comparison.
• Jiang Qingqin shifts from playful teasing to embarrassment and genuine curiosity. Lin’s praise of her courage and character warms her to him, though she remains hesitant about fully committing to the practice.
• Bai Yin is caught eavesdropping and livestreaming, but Lin treats him as a trusted subordinate. His player instincts make him eager to learn the supposedly advanced technique.
• Little White Fox is protective of Lin’s concentration and excited by the Spirit Fruit.

Themes

• Words and self-control: The technique’s first stage depends on sustained speech and emotional discipline.
• Belief and commitment: Lin insists that a half-hearted attempt cannot succeed, making conviction part of the training.
• Performance and misunderstanding: Jiang’s flirtation, Lin’s apparent sincerity, and the players’ speculation blur the line between practice, romance, and manipulation.
• Scarcity and strategy: Lin’s careful use of Spirit Fruits and his effort to maintain ties with Jiang show how resource management and relationships shape his plans.