Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Lele hits a classmate after the child refuses to believe his claim that he went to the moon. Zhang Hongxing rushes to school, confirms the story by pretending to be an astronaut, and secretly heals the other child’s injured nose.
• Zhang makes Lele apologize and explains that being disbelieved does not justify violence. He also warns Lele and Wenwen not to reveal their family’s extraordinary experiences, since others may dismiss them and trouble could follow.
• Lele says he will keep telling the truth but will not hit anyone again. Zhang praises his honesty and promises both children they can rely on him.
• Their teacher, Ms. Liu, privately asks whether the children’s stories are true. Zhang declines to explain, but asks her to keep caring for them; his appearance leaves her questioning her scientific worldview.
• At the Maglev Research Center, Pan Qiwu rallies researchers to protest a proposed handover of the center to someone he considers unqualified. Professor Yang arrives unexpectedly, and Pan senses that something is wrong.

Character developments and interactions

• Lele shows both impulsiveness and a strong commitment to honesty. He accepts the need to control his temper without abandoning what he believes is true.
• Zhang Hongxing acts as protector and guide: he repairs the injury, insists on an apology, and tries to teach the children how to handle sensitive truths.
• Wenwen struggles to reconcile Zhang’s advice with her teacher’s rule against lying, highlighting the difficulty of explaining secrecy to children.
• Ms. Liu shifts from teacherly reassurance to private doubt as Zhang’s unexplained abilities challenge her assumptions.
• Pan Qiwu appears confident in his campaign but is unsettled by Professor Yang’s arrival; Yang’s pointed remark suggests he has seen through Pan’s behavior.

Significant themes

• Truth, secrecy, and responsibility: Honesty matters, but revealing unusual truths can have consequences.
• Self-control and forgiveness: Lele must take responsibility for hurting someone, while the classmate graciously forgives him.
• Trust and protection: Zhang promises to support the children even when he cannot fully explain his choices.
• Science and the extraordinary: Ms. Liu’s uncertainty and the children’s claims blur the boundary between conventional belief and the supernatural.
• Leadership and loyalty: The researchers’ protest centers on Professor Yang’s work and the future of the research center.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• At a meeting about moving the Maglev Research Center to Shimen County, Professor Yang publicly supports the relocation and rebukes those trying to disrupt it.
• He calls out Fang Jinwei and Li Xiwen for their schemes and criticizes acting director Pan Qiwu for putting power and personal gain ahead of research. His intervention gives the researchers a chance to change course, and most agree to cooperate—also encouraged by the prospect of continued funding.
• Professor Yang tells Pan that he can either go to Shimen and focus on research or make his own choice. He leaves disappointed, having cared for Pan like family.
• The Xinzhou City Government and Xia Kingdom Academy of Sciences formally announce the relocation, making the decision final. Public attention then shifts to foreign efforts to suppress Xia Kingdom’s technological progress. The government responds with the defiant statement: “The Xia Kingdom never starts trouble, but it never fears it either.”
• A month later, the Shimen research base is ready for preliminary work, accelerated by the transfer of the entire research center. Zhang Hongxing arrives to lead the effort.

Character developments and interactions

• Professor Yang acts decisively to defend the relocation and the research program, but his confrontation with Pan reveals his personal disappointment and affection for his former protégé.
• Pan Qiwu is exposed as having been drawn into political maneuvering. Though he resists Zhang’s authoritarian approach, he suppresses his impulse to quit and stays to judge Zhang’s abilities for himself.
• Zhang Hongxing immediately establishes a commanding, uncompromising leadership style. He keeps Pan as team leader but demands unconditional cooperation from him and the researchers.
• The researchers move from collective resistance to reluctant acceptance, influenced by Professor Yang, funding concerns, and the now-final government decision. At Zhang’s arrival, many still distrust him and doubt his suitability as a scientific leader.

Significant themes

• Loyalty to research over power and personal gain: Professor Yang condemns attempts to exploit the relocation for influence.
• Leadership and trust: The chapter contrasts Yang’s protective mentorship with Zhang’s rigid authority, leaving open whether the team will accept its new leader.
• National resilience: Foreign pressure and domestic calls for capitulation are answered with a statement of confidence and resolve.
• Choices under pressure: Pan and the researchers must decide whether to cooperate, resist, or commit themselves to the work despite uncertainty.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing asserts control over the Shimen County research base, explaining that the researchers have come to study his unfamiliar theoretical framework and should treat their existing expertise as reference until they learn it.
• He demonstrates a Concealment Formation by making his lower body disappear, convincing the researchers that formations may be real.
• The team identifies the Maglev Train’s main obstacles: cost, noise, and radiation. Zhang proposes using Sound-Isolating and Radiation-Isolating Formations, with the more ambitious goal of suspending and propelling the train through formations.
• He distributes Formation Basics and tells the researchers to study its principles, especially how to reproduce formations’ effects using electricity rather than True Qi.
• Zhang promises to share a cultivation tutorial for those interested, while cautioning that few people can cultivate; his youngest son is the only successful cultivator in his family.
• The following day, Zhang creates a discussion group and shares his son’s tutorial. Meanwhile, he begins developing a Suspension Formation powered by a battery bank, hoping eventually to lift a fully loaded train.

Character developments and interactions

• The researchers shift from rejecting Zhang’s authority and doubting his claims to engaging with formations and admiring his effort to make their benefits accessible to ordinary people.
• Pan Qiwu represents the team in describing the train’s technical challenges.
• Zhang moves from asserting authority to explaining his ideas, guiding the researchers’ work, and pursuing practical experiments himself.

Significant themes

• Science and the fantastic: Formations and cultivation challenge conventional scientific assumptions, while Zhang frames formations as a new way to apply energy.
• Technology made accessible: Zhang wants electrical systems to reproduce effects traditionally dependent on cultivators.
• Ambition and collaboration: The proposed train project requires both Zhang’s experimental work and the researchers’ study of unfamiliar principles.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing spends a day trying to adapt the Levitation Array so electricity can activate it, but his first attempts fail.
• After thousands of experiments over the following month, he succeeds in creating a stable, electrically powered array. He scales it up from batteries to a truck and then a freight train carrying thirteen cars.
• With the technology working, Zhang asks Minister Wang Desheng for access to a nuclear reactor as a power source. He describes the array’s potential and promises it is only the beginning.
• Wang arranges for a research team from Capital City, led by eminent nuclear scientist Qian Zhong, to visit Zhang’s research base.
• Before Qian arrives, an advance-party official berates the researchers for not preparing a formal reception. Zhang refuses to defer to him, insults him, and orders him to leave. The researchers enthusiastically join in, turning the confrontation into a show of support for Zhang.

Character developments

• Zhang Hongxing demonstrates persistence and technical ingenuity, ultimately achieving a major breakthrough. He remains confident and independent, refusing to flatter officials or tolerate their bullying.
• Wang Desheng is supportive but cautious: he helps Zhang gain access to expertise and resources while making clear that the technology must impress Qian.
• Qian Zhong is introduced as a highly respected nuclear-power expert whose judgment could determine whether Zhang receives reactor access.
• The research staff grow more loyal to Zhang, admiring his willingness to defend them and seeing him as a refreshing contrast to overbearing officials.

Character interactions

• Zhang and Wang discuss the breakthrough and negotiate a path toward nuclear-reactor access.
• The Capital City advance party’s staff member clashes with Zhang over the lack of preparations. Zhang’s blunt defiance wins the researchers’ approval, and they collectively drive the official away.

Significant themes

• Persistence and innovation: Zhang’s success comes through repeated testing and refinement.
• National pressure and unity: The Xia Kingdom faces international economic and political pressure, strengthening public solidarity.
• Independence versus bureaucracy: Zhang rejects performative deference, while the researchers welcome his resistance to intrusive officials.
• Technology’s potential: The electrically powered array is presented as a breakthrough that could lead to far-reaching applications.

Plot points and events

• At the Shimen County maglev research base, Shi Yihong insults Zhang Hongxing and tries to hit him. Zhang kicks him out, while Shi’s associate Zhang Chu warns that they have come on behalf of Elder Qian. Zhang refuses to tolerate their status games.
• Annoyed by the distraction, Zhang asks Lin Kui to recruit discharged soldiers for base security, offering twice the usual pay. Lin agrees and says his grandfather wants to visit Zhang; Zhang welcomes him.
• Outside the base, Zhang Chu encourages Shi to report Zhang to his father. He also suggests Elder Qian’s visit may be about combining nuclear power with maglev technology, not merely reviewing research grants. Shi becomes alarmed and calls his father, Academician Shi, with the theory.
• After hearing the story, Academician Shi publishes an online article implying that the proposed nuclear-powered maglev technology is immature and dangerous. The post sparks widespread online opposition, and Shimen County residents begin gathering to protest.

Character developments

• Zhang Hongxing is decisive and protective of his research team, refusing to defer to status or tolerate disruptive behavior. He also recognizes the need for proper security.
• Lin Kui is eager to serve Zhang and quickly organizes help, while his grandfather is keen to meet the man Lin calls his boss.
• Zhang Chu proves more calculating than his polite manner first suggests: he appears to steer Shi toward suspicion and quietly watches him report it.
• Shi Yihong shifts from entitled aggression to alarm and resentment, then helps turn speculation into a public controversy.
• Academician Shi is willing to use his influence as a technology commentator to amplify an unverified claim.

Significant themes

• Scientific work versus status and politics: Zhang wants researchers focused on their work, while the visitors rely on prestige and connections.
• Rumor and public fear: A speculative claim, framed as a safety concern, quickly triggers public backlash.
• Power of media influence: A prominent online figure can shape public opinion before facts are established.
• Security and responsibility: Zhang’s response to conflict shows that protecting the research base is becoming as important as advancing its work.

Character interactions

• Zhang confronts Shi Yihong directly, while Zhang Chu initially intervenes diplomatically but later appears to manipulate Shi’s suspicions.
• Zhang and Pan Qiwu disagree briefly over whether Zhang was too harsh; Zhang takes responsibility and ends the discussion.
• Zhang turns to Lin Kui for security support, and Lin eagerly accepts.
• Shi Yihong reports the suspected nuclear-maglev project to his father, whose article escalates the conflict from a personal grievance into a county-wide public crisis.

Plot points and events

• Shimen County residents gather outside the Maglev Research Base, fearing nuclear research and demanding the facility be torn down.
• Zhang Hongxing learns that the protest may have been provoked by people spreading rumors. He focuses on protecting the base and considers using force or a defensive array if the crowd attacks.
• Elder Qian arrives with military vehicles. A local official and a potbellied man blame Zhang for publicizing a supposed nuclear-powered levitating-train project and try to turn Qian against him.
• Qian calmly tells the protesters that nuclear research has not begun at the base and promises any collaboration would not take place there. Several agitators reject his explanation and urge the crowd to charge.
• Zhang’s Black Panther Special Forces team arrives. Under Lin Kui’s command, the soldiers secure the site. When agitators continue inciting the crowd, Zhang has three of them brought forward and demands to know who sent them. They deny being directed.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing remains focused on the base’s safety rather than on the insults and accusations aimed at him. His rapport with Pan Qiwu is also evident: he recognizes Pan’s exceptional talent and tells him to continue the research.
• Pan Qiwu is shown to be a gifted researcher, especially in arrays, though he cannot cultivate. Zhang believes Pan might one day surpass him.
• Elder Qian acts patiently and diplomatically, addressing the villagers instead of accepting the attempts by Zhang Chu and the potbellied man to discredit Zhang.
• Lin Kui arrives promptly, treats Zhang as his boss, and follows his orders to protect the facility.
• Zhang Chu, the potbellied man, and the crowd’s agitators try to exploit public fear and Qian’s arrival to undermine Zhang and fuel the protest. Their claims and motives are not resolved before the chapter ends.

Significant themes

• Fear and misinformation: Anxiety about nuclear power makes the villagers susceptible to rumors and incitement.
• Science versus public trust: Qian’s explanation fails to persuade many protesters, showing how difficult it is to reassure people once suspicion has taken hold.
• Authority and restraint: Zhang is ready to defend the base, while Qian seeks a peaceful explanation; the soldiers’ arrival shifts the confrontation toward security.
• Loyalty and competence: Zhang’s working relationship with Pan and the Black Panther team highlights mutual trust and respect.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing and his team expose three locals who were paid by Yang San to sabotage the research base. After roughing them up, they obtain confessions and hand the men over to the police.
• Elder Qian Zhong, a patriotic scientist, asks to see Zhang’s new technology. At the test site, he witnesses a loaded freight train levitating without visible tracks, propulsion, noise, or radiation shielding.
• Zhang explains that the train uses Earth’s magnetic field and needs a power source. He offers to teach Qian about the technology if Qian joins the base; Qian accepts, despite his students’ objections. Zhang sends the students away.
• Qian’s expertise helps address the train’s power needs. Zhang plans to have its nuclear propulsion unit built at a secret national facility, then installed at Shimen, and begins studying nuclear propulsion himself.
• Foreign media seize on Zhang’s assault of the saboteurs to accuse Xia Kingdom of authoritarianism. One country fabricates an interview, and others repeat the claims. Xia’s authorities respond with the men’s confessions and diplomatic condemnations, but the dispute remains a battle of propaganda.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing is forceful and impatient, using violence to extract the saboteurs’ identities, but he also recognizes Qian’s importance and commits himself to mastering nuclear propulsion.
• Qian Zhong shows both scientific curiosity and patriotic conviction: he accepts Zhang’s offer immediately, believing the technology could benefit the country.
• Qian’s students are wary of Zhang’s motives, but Qian dismisses their concerns and chooses to stay.
• Lin Kui backs Zhang physically and asks to handle such confrontations in future. The deceived residents condemn the saboteurs but ultimately refrain from attacking them.

Significant themes

• Science and national strength: The levitating train represents a breakthrough that could advance both Xia’s practical capabilities and its standing abroad.
• Hard power and soft power: The chapter contrasts technological and military-industrial capacity with international influence, media narratives, and propaganda.
• Patriotism and trust: Qian’s faith in the project outweighs caution, while the locals’ experience illustrates how easily people can be manipulated.
• Competing narratives: The same violent incident is used by foreign outlets to condemn Xia, while Xia counters with evidence of a paid sabotage plot.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing’s son, Zhang Jun, worries that his father has been overworking and neglecting his grandchildren, Lele and Wenwen. Zhang Hongxing promises a family trip to Egret Island once their summer vacation begins, saying he wants to see the ocean.
• At the Research Base, Elder Qian announces that the team’s calculations confirm the nuclear-powered engine is theoretically feasible. After months of collaboration, Zhang Hongxing and Qian Zhong have combined scientific research with array-formation knowledge.
• Zhang Hongxing accompanies the researchers to the Third Nuclear Energy Research Base in Jingzhen. After a month of work, they build the first nuclear-powered engine.
• Qian Zhong reports the success to the Grand Elder, who personally thanks Zhang Hongxing and promises honors and rewards for everyone involved.
• The team discusses a trial run for the nuclear-powered maglev train on the Xinzhou–Nanping high-speed rail section. Zhang Hongxing has already secured Mayor Huang Sheng’s agreement to suspend service there for seven days.
• The Grand Elder gathers the Ten Grand Elders to announce the breakthrough. He says it will strengthen Xia Kingdom’s position internationally and begins assigning ministries and institutions a six-month development agenda.

Character developments

• Zhang Hongxing remains focused and relatively unmoved by the engine’s world-changing implications. His long experience in an immortal cultivation realm has given him a perspective far beyond Earth, though he is confident in his own work and willing to support its practical testing.
• Qian Zhong is exhausted but deeply committed. The successful engine brings him and the other researchers to tears, and he promptly shares the news with the country’s leadership.
• Zhang Jun shows concern for his father’s health and his children’s relationship with him. Zhang Hongxing’s promise suggests he recognizes the need to spend more time with family.
• The Grand Elder is buoyant and confident, seeing the breakthrough as a foundation for national development and greater international influence.

Character interactions

• Zhang Jun confronts his father about his workload and the time he has spent away from his grandchildren; Zhang Hongxing reassures him with a promised family outing.
• Zhang Hongxing and Qian Zhong rely on each other’s expertise, exchanging knowledge of nuclear power and array formations throughout the project.
• Qian Zhong and the researchers celebrate the engine’s completion, while the Grand Elder offers them official gratitude and recognition.
• Zhang Hongxing credits Mayor Huang Sheng’s boldness in agreeing to the trial-run plan. Meanwhile, the Grand Elder uses the news to rally the other senior leaders and coordinate the kingdom’s next steps.

Significant themes

• Scientific and technological breakthrough: The engine represents a major advance with potential applications beyond trains, including aircraft, ships, rockets, and spacecraft.
• National power and ambition: The leadership expects the invention to transform Xia Kingdom’s standing and drive rapid development.
• Collaboration across disciplines: Modern science and cultivation-based array knowledge combine to make the project possible.
• Contrasting perspectives: The researchers and leaders see the breakthrough as world-changing, while Zhang Hongxing’s broader experience makes him view Earth’s achievements in a much larger context.
• Work and family: The chapter pairs intense dedication to national progress with Zhang Hongxing’s neglected family life and promise to reconnect.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing returns home after a long absence. Zhang Jun has been fielding Wenwen and Lele’s daily questions about when their grandfather will take them to see the ocean.
• The children rush to embrace Zhang Hongxing, tearfully telling him they feared he had abandoned them. He apologizes and promises not to keep them waiting like that again.
• At bedtime, the children ask whether he will still take them to Egret City. He promises they can leave the next day.
• Their conversation turns to sharks and exploring underwater. Lele confidently believes sharks would obey Zhang Hongxing, and he plays along, promising to take the children to see the ocean’s depths.
• Meanwhile, official websites announce that the Nuclear-Powered Maglev Train will soon begin trial operations. Though released without fanfare, the announcement quickly spreads around the world.
• Foreign media react with a mixture of excitement, disbelief, and criticism. Countries hostile to Xia Kingdom take the claim seriously because it appeared on official government sites; Cherry Blossom Country is especially uneasy, having closely aligned itself with America.
• Friendly nations offer congratulations, and some leaders ask to attend the trial run. The Grand Elder welcomes them.
• Huang Sheng reports the developments to the Shimen County Research Base, then heads there to help oversee preparations. The schedule is accelerated because of the international attention. The 280-kilometer route requires fixed guidance equipment every kilometer, while the train’s levitation and movement systems are primarily onboard.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Jun’s frustration at having to answer the children’s repeated questions gives way to embarrassment when his father returns just as he complains about him.
• Wenwen and Lele’s tearful reunion reveals how strongly they have bonded with Zhang Hongxing and how anxious his absence made them.
• Zhang Hongxing responds warmly, comforts them, and makes a new promise to take them on their long-awaited trip.
• The children’s contrasting reactions to the sharks—Lele’s fearless confidence and Wenwen’s cautious curiosity—show their trust in their grandfather and their excitement about the adventure.
• Huang Sheng moves from receiving the report to personally joining the preparations, underscoring his commitment to the project.

Significant themes

• Family affection and trust: The children’s distress and Zhang Hongxing’s reassurance center the domestic storyline.
• Promises and responsibility: Zhang Hongxing acknowledges that his absence disappointed the children and promises to do better.
• Technological ambition and global influence: The maglev announcement becomes an international event, illustrating how a major innovation can shift perceptions of Xia Kingdom’s power.
• Public skepticism versus official credibility: Some media dismiss the train as impossible, while foreign governments take the announcement seriously because of its official source.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing’s family travels to Egret Island, leaving Li Xiuying at home. On the flight, Zhang Jun worries that his parents are growing apart and urges his father to take the initiative. Hongxing tells him to stay out of it, then teases him about having more children. Zhang Jun briefly considers the idea before deciding his father must have influenced him; Hongxing denies reading his mind and smacks him twice.
• The family checks into the Five Strips International Hotel and plans a sightseeing trip, starting at Guanyin Mountain Music Beach.
• As they leave, a kindly-looking old woman tries to stab Zhang Ying with a rune-covered dagger. Hongxing catches the weapon and kicks the attacker outside, where she explodes.
• While Hongxing gives a statement to the police, an almost identical old woman enters. Despite police warnings, she keeps approaching. Hongxing again recognizes a familiar sound and kicks her outside; she explodes, shattering the hotel’s glass doors.
• A third identical woman appears. Hongxing senses that she poses far greater danger than the first two—enough, he fears, to destroy the entire building.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Jun shows concern for his parents’ relationship and tries to advise his father, but Hongxing brushes him off with humor and physical teasing. Zhang Jun’s internal monologue also highlights his anxiety about the costs of raising children.
• Hongxing remains protective and decisive: he intercepts the attack on Zhang Ying and quickly removes the bomb-like attackers from the hotel. He is unsure whether the incident is connected to the Eternal Life Society or is a coincidence.
• Zhang Ying is the apparent target of the first attack. The family’s sightseeing plans are halted, and Hongxing must manage both police questioning and their safety.

Significant themes

• Family concern and emotional distance: Zhang Jun worries about his parents’ estrangement, while Hongxing avoids discussing it.
• Humor amid danger: The playful father–son exchange contrasts with the sudden violence.
• Uncertainty and escalating threat: The repeated attackers and increasing danger leave the cause of the attacks—and the third woman’s capabilities—unexplained.

Key plot points and events

• After an old woman’s body makes a muffled pop, Zhang Hongxing restrains a third attacker with Immortal Essence Power. Her body releases poisonous gas rather than exploding; he quickly removes the poison and protects her long enough to interrogate her.
• He tricks her with a promise of eternal life. She reveals that the Eternal Life Society sent the attackers to cause chaos and spread a virus. Zhang then kills her, dismissing her belief that he had promised to spare her.
• The authorities clear Zhang of suspicion and thank him for saving lives. A police chief invites him to dinner, but Zhang politely declines, preferring to spend time with his family.
• At Guanyin Mountain Music Beach, Zhang is moved by the wedding photos being taken there and briefly wishes he and Li Xiuying could have a similar experience, but he sets the thought aside because of the state of their relationship.
• He plays with his grandchildren, gradually drawing his self-conscious adult children into the fun. The family spends the day building sandcastles, digging for shells, and playing in the water.
• At the children’s request, Zhang uses a piece of mulberry wood essence to attract fish into a small pond Zhang Jun dug. Fish soon appear, delighting the children and drawing warm smiles from nearby tourists.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang is quick-thinking and ruthless during the interrogation, using the attacker’s desire for immortality to obtain information before killing her.
• Away from danger, he is affectionate and playful. He deliberately makes a fool of himself to encourage the others to relax and join the children.
• Zhang Jun sheds his usual restraint and becomes the children’s enthusiastic play leader. Yan Mei and the serious Zhang Ying also join in, with Zhang Ying smiling repeatedly.
• Zhang shares a tender bond with Lele and Wenwen, responding to their wishes with warmth and a small display of his powers. His unspoken wish for wedding photos hints at unresolved feelings about Li Xiuying.

Significant themes

• Family and shared joy: Play and time together help several generations overcome self-consciousness and grow closer.
• Immortality and deception: The Eternal Life Society’s claim to possess eternal life gives it influence, while Zhang exploits that belief to secure a confession.
• Private life over status: Despite growing recognition and invitations from officials, Zhang chooses family time over social advancement.
• Unspoken longing: His fleeting wish for wedding photos suggests affection and regret within his complicated relationship with Xiuying.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing’s use of mulberry wood essence draws a huge number of fish into a coastal pool—and then attracts twelve sharks, alarming swimmers and onlookers.
• He binds the sharks with immortal essence, inscribes beast-taming arrays on six, and releases the rest. Riding the largest shark back, he invites Zhang Jun, Zhang Ying, and Yan Mei to join him and the children.
• The family rides the six sharks toward deeper water, planning to explore the seabed. Tourists photograph them, while news of the spectacle rapidly spreads online.
• A sailor, Jianming, dismisses the report as fabricated propaganda—until he sees the family riding sharks in person. Unable to accept what he sees, he insists it must be an illusion or projection. Lele and Wenwen cheerfully introduce themselves to him.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing remains calm and capable amid the panic, effortlessly controlling the sharks. He also includes his family in the adventure, reassuring Zhang Jun that the children will be safe.
• Lele and Wenwen are delighted by the sharks and eager for adventure, contrasting sharply with the frightened tourists. They later greet Jianming and Big Head without hesitation.
• Zhang Jun, Zhang Ying, and Yan Mei move from envy of the children’s earlier extraordinary experiences to excitement when Zhang Hongxing offers them sharks of their own to ride.
• Jianming and Big Head argue over whether the news is credible. Jianming’s disbelief intensifies when confronted with direct evidence; Big Head is more open to considering it real.

Significant themes

• The extraordinary disrupting ordinary life: A supernatural event leaves bystanders struggling to reconcile what they see with what they believe possible.
• Family and shared wonder: Zhang Hongxing turns an astonishing feat into an experience for the whole family.
• Media, skepticism, and public perception: The viral report is doubted as propaganda, showing how political assumptions can shape people’s interpretation of even firsthand evidence.

Key plot points and events

• Aboard a fishing boat, Jianming and Bighead watch a news broadcast featuring Lele and Wenwen. Jianming thinks the children are projections, but they answer Bighead directly. Their exchange sparks thoughts of returning to the Xia Kingdom among the island’s people.
• While taking his family out on sharks, Zhang Hongxing leads them to extreme depths—past 10,000 meters—protected by his Immortal Essence Power. They encounter an enormous, intelligent deep-sea creature that forces them to flee. It stops pursuing them at 5,000 meters.
• Back at Music Beach, the family attracts a crowd and reporters. Zhang Hongxing refuses interviews and uses an unseen ability to get his family through the crowd.
• Huang Sheng calls during dinner to warn Zhang that the Grand Elder wants his number and that the authorities are worried about the public attention. He advises Zhang not to reveal that his abilities come from immortal cultivation; Zhang says he understands.

Character developments

• Jianming begins to seriously imagine going home to the Xia Kingdom, prompted by its strength and technological progress.
• Bighead openly expresses pride in his roots and confidence that the islanders will return home.
• Zhang Hongxing shows caution and protectiveness when faced with a creature he cannot confidently defeat while his family is with him. He also anticipates the attention his public outing will bring.
• Zhang Jun worries about the family’s future visibility, while Lele and Wenwen enjoy the attention.

Significant themes

• Home, roots, and belonging: The idea of returning to the Xia Kingdom becomes a source of hope.
• Power and responsibility: Zhang Hongxing retreats from a dangerous opponent rather than risk his family’s safety.
• Public fascination and secrecy: His unusual abilities attract media and government attention, creating pressure to conceal their source.
• The unknown: The intelligent deep-sea creature hints at dangers beyond the family’s control.

Character interactions

• Bighead challenges Jianming’s disbelief, and their conversation turns from the children’s broadcast to the islanders’ longing for home; Zhang Hongxing overhears them.
• Lele and Wenwen eagerly explore the ocean and question their grandfather during the escape, while Zhang stays focused on protecting them.
• Reporters crowd the family after their return, but Zhang refuses to cooperate and gets them away.
• Huang Sheng acts as a warning intermediary, explaining the government’s concern and urging Zhang to keep his cultivation secret.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing reflects on the danger of renewed superstition and widespread cultivation. Though he is an Immortal Venerable, he believes science benefits society broadly, while cultivation favors a few and fuels competition for scarce resources.
• He books a conference room at the Five Stripes International Hotel for a press conference at 10 a.m., paying in advance and asking staff to direct reporters there. The hotel quickly prepares to capitalize on the publicity.
• Zhang posts a video announcing the event. Online, people argue over whether his family’s shark ride involved cultivation, superpowers, or technology.
• At the National Government Center, senior officials debate how to respond if Zhang reveals cultivation. They decide not to intervene for now; if needed, they will release cultivation videos and may organize civilian cultivators.
• A cruise ship carrying two people from Treasure Island heads toward Egret City. The older passenger, who has late-stage brain cancer, hopes Zhang Hongxing can help him. He and his son look toward the Xia Kingdom’s coast.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing is shown as cautious and socially responsible: despite his immense cultivation experience, he wants to protect the country’s scientific progress rather than encourage a path he sees as unequal and violent.
• The hotel staff react quickly to the expected media attention, coordinating preparations and viewing the event as a chance to raise the hotel’s profile.
• The government elders disagree over whether to contact Zhang, but ultimately choose to wait and remain prepared to disclose cultivation methods if he does.
• The sick elder and his son, Lin’er, share a tender but strained exchange. Lin’er remains hopeful that Zhang can help; his father, resigned to his illness, is nevertheless moved by the sight of his homeland.

Significant themes

• Science versus cultivation: The chapter contrasts science’s broad social benefits with cultivation’s exclusivity and competition for resources.
• Public disclosure and social responsibility: Zhang’s press conference may force a national decision about whether cultivation should remain hidden.
• Patriotism and belonging: The elder’s return to Xia Kingdom carries deep emotional meaning, even amid political risks and the possibility of death.

Plot points and events

• After docking, the elderly man and his son check into the Five Stripes International Hotel—the same hotel and floor as Zhang Hongxing’s family.
• At breakfast, they learn that reporters have gathered because “Shark Knight” is giving an interview. The son shows his father news footage of Zhang and his family riding sharks out to sea.
• Shocked by the footage, the old man speculates that Xia Kingdom’s hidden strength may be greater than other nations realize. He connects this belief to the country’s history and urges his son to study it and return to his cultural roots.
• Though the son wants to leave promptly for medical treatment in Shimen, the father insists on staying to see Shark Knight in person.

Character developments

• The old man appears more reflective after prolonged illness, believing that worldly ambitions are fleeting. Yet he remains strong-willed and politically idealistic, determined to interpret the shark footage as evidence of Xia Kingdom’s concealed power.
• His son is dutiful and restrained, but finally objects to his father’s decision to delay treatment. He ultimately yields, as he often does, while quietly disagreeing with his father.

Significant themes

• Desire and happiness: The opening reflects on how convenience and material abundance have not made people happier, as rising expectations keep contentment out of reach.
• Cultural identity and history: The old man urges his son to understand Xia Kingdom’s history rather than focus solely on foreign influences.
• Fate and coincidence: The father and son’s arrival at the same hotel as Zhang’s family, and their proximity to the Shark Knight event, are presented as striking coincidences.
• Family duty and disagreement: The son cares for his father but struggles to challenge his wishes, especially when health and treatment are at stake.

Character interactions

• The son helps his father with breakfast and explains the news; their exchange reveals both his care and his father’s persuasive, paternal manner.
• The old man lectures his son about national history and identity. The son listens politely but remains unconvinced.
• When the son urges them to leave for treatment, the father refuses. The son’s brief protest gives way to familiar deference.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Hongxing arrives at a press interview and lays out rules: he will explain the shark-riding incident first, then take questions.
• He says the idea began when his granddaughter wanted to ride a shark during a family trip to Egret Island. He claims he could control the sharks through an unusual energy technology connected to the Nuclear-Powered Maglev Train, insisting it is neither cultivation nor magic.
• His account spreads through livestreams. Xia Kingdom’s senior leaders are relieved, though two elders are displeased; foreign critics dismiss the technology as a fabricated threat.
• The question session runs three hours. Reporters ask about the technology and its implications, the maglev train, and Egret Island’s development.
• An elderly man in the back watches Zhang intently and tries to approach him, but Zhang ends the interview and leaves before they meet.
• The old man accepts that he has missed his chance and prepares to leave. His son, Lin’er, interprets his father’s remarks as distrust or belittlement, becomes furious, and sets off after Zhang to prove himself.

Character development

• Zhang Hongxing presents himself as calm, authoritative, and controlled, revealing only limited information about the technology. He shows little inclination to help the sick old man.
• The old man is deeply moved by the prospect of the new technology and appears to have hoped to speak with Zhang, perhaps about his illness. After Zhang leaves, he suppresses his disappointment and chooses to let the matter go.
• Lin’er shifts from impatience with the long wait to fascination with Zhang’s revelations, then anger at what he sees as his father’s dismissive attitude toward him. He acts impulsively to prove his worth.

Significant themes

• Hope and scientific change: The new energy technology represents a long-held national dream and a possible turning point.
• Skepticism and rivalry: Foreign powers reject Xia Kingdom’s claims, framing them as deception or intimidation.
• Missed chances and regret: The old man’s brief opportunity to approach Zhang passes, leaving him to accept that some opportunities cannot be recovered.
• Family misunderstanding and pride: Lin’er’s desire to prove himself clashes with his father’s guarded, resigned manner.

Character interactions

• Zhang’s firm opening sets boundaries with the reporters, who comply to avoid losing access.
• His revelations prompt sharply different reactions: relief among Xia Kingdom’s leaders, resentment from two elders, and disbelief from foreign observers.
• The old man tries to approach Zhang, but Zhang leaves without engaging him.
• Lin’er offers to help his father, but the old man refuses to explain what he wanted. Lin’er takes this refusal personally and pursues Zhang on his own.

Plot points and events

• Before Zhang Hongxing can leave, Jiang Lin tearfully reveals that his father is Jiang Guozheng, Treasure Island’s top leader, and asks Zhang to meet him.
• Zhang agrees to speak with Jiang over a meal. They discuss Jiang’s return to the Xia Kingdom after thirty years and Zhang’s surprising claim that he is sixty.
• Jiang asks about Zhang’s new technology, hoping to assess whether it could help Treasure Island. Zhang says he can pass Jiang’s message directly to the Grand Elder if Jiang can demonstrate his influence.
• Jiang confidently rejects Zhang’s suggestion that Cai Miejue’s faction holds the advantage. Zhang recommends that Jiang visit Shimen to see the nuclear-powered maglev train; Jiang agrees, and they exchange contact information.
• After Zhang leaves, Jiang Lin challenges his father about the real purpose of the trip and the danger of acting under scrutiny from foreign spies. The argument leads Jiang to admit that he once compromised rather than resist his opponents. He then suddenly coughs up blood and becomes gravely weak.

Character developments

• Zhang Hongxing is cautious and politically astute: he tests Jiang’s intentions and offers access to the Grand Elder only in exchange for proof of influence.
• Jiang Guozheng first appears as an emotional admirer of Zhang, then presents himself as a confident political powerbroker. In private, he reveals deep regret over having compromised in the past.
• Jiang Lin shifts from an obedient assistant to a blunt challenger. His accusation that his father is a hypocrite unintentionally brings Jiang’s remorse to the surface.

Significant themes

• Power and political leverage: Zhang and Jiang carefully test what each can offer and how much influence they represent.
• Compromise, regret, and courage: Jiang’s private confession reveals his lasting shame over choosing survival and accommodation over resistance.
• Family conflict and painful honesty: Jiang Lin’s confrontation wounds his father but also draws out truths Jiang had concealed.

Character interactions

• Zhang’s guarded negotiations contrast with Jiang Guozheng’s eager interest in the new technology.
• Jiang Lin’s reverence for his father gives way to anger and suspicion, culminating in a confrontation that exposes Jiang’s buried regret.
• As Jiang weakens, Lin apologizes and promises to take him to Shimen for treatment; Jiang seems to find comfort in the prospect of fighting again.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Guozheng wakes in Physician Xu’s Jade Treasure Hall, learns that his son, Jiang Lin, brought him there, and is told his previously incurable illness has been cured.
• Though skeptical, Jiang Guozheng finds himself free of pain and weakness. After eating Physician Xu’s medicinal congee, he goes to thank the doctor.
• Jiang Guozheng and Jiang Lin watch Physician Xu treat patients with traditional methods and strikingly low fees. One critically ill man improves after Xu uses acupuncture and prescribes medicine.
• Xu explains that his own skills are modest compared with those of his master. When Jiang Lin recognizes the portrait in the hall as Zhang Hongxing, Xu confirms Zhang is his master.
• Impressed by Xu’s abilities and respect for Zhang, Jiang Guozheng becomes even more determined to visit the Shimen Research Center and assess its nuclear-powered maglev train. If it meets his expectations, he vows to launch the Return Movement despite opposition.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Guozheng moves from disbelief about his recovery to grateful amazement. Xu’s skill and connection to Zhang deepen his admiration for Zhang and strengthen his resolve to support the train project.
• Jiang Lin has become a devoted believer in Xu’s abilities. He reassures his father and accompanies him to meet the physician.
• Physician Xu is portrayed as skilled, efficient, humble, and fair-minded. He credits his master, Zhang Hongxing, for his own achievements and offers to waive Jiang’s fee out of respect for their connection.
• Father and son share a warm, appreciative conversation; Jiang Guozheng and Xu bond over their admiration for Zhang.

Significant themes

• Healing and renewed hope: Jiang’s recovery overturns the specialists’ grim prognosis.
• Humility and respect for mastery: Xu’s skill is paired with sincere deference to Zhang.
• Reputation and influence: Zhang’s accomplishments inspire loyalty and admiration even among those who have not yet become his close associates.
• Commitment amid opposition: Jiang’s resolve to pursue the Return Movement signals that the maglev train may become a cause worth fighting for.

Key events

• Jiang Guozheng and his son Jiang Lin visit the Shimen Maglev Research Base, where deputy director Pan Qiwu shows them a nuclear-powered train and engine, as well as a working battery-powered maglev train.
• Jiang Lin doubts the engine’s authenticity and compares it to movie technology, angering Pan. After riding the battery-powered train, Jiang Lin is humbled, and Jiang Guozheng gains confidence in the base’s achievements.
• On Egret Island, Zhang Hongxing arrives at Drumbeat Island with his family and checks into Hilltop Homestay, run by four women.
• While the rest of the family goes sightseeing, Zhang stays behind and confronts the elderly woman feeding seabirds. She reveals that she and the other three women know he has tracked them down.
• The woman suddenly vanishes and reappears before Zhang, holding a concealed black spike, turning the conversation into a direct confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Guozheng stays composed and evaluates the research base cautiously; its technology ultimately convinces him.
• Jiang Lin begins skeptical and overconfident, but Pan’s rebuke and the maglev ride make him back down.
• Pan Qiwu is proud of the base’s work and impatient with uninformed skepticism, though he still gives the visitors a full tour.
• Zhang Hongxing quietly separates himself from his family to pursue a private purpose, suggesting he recognizes the homestay’s occupants.
• The elderly woman appears warm and calm while tending the birds, but admits the four women are no match for Zhang—and then demonstrates unexpected speed and readiness to fight. Her claim of helplessness is clearly complicated.

Significant themes

• Wonder and skepticism: Extraordinary technology challenges Jiang Lin’s assumptions, while the chapter contrasts uninformed disbelief with evidence-based judgment.
• Hidden identities and danger: The welcoming homestay masks a tense encounter between Zhang and the four women.
• Power and vulnerability: The woman describes herself and her companions as helpless before a Planetary-Level Expert, yet her sudden attack shows that appearances can conceal capability.

Plot and key events

• Zhang Hongxing easily outmaneuvers Granny Shen, who eventually gives up and accepts death. Princess Ziyue steps forward, offering to return with him if he spares Granny Shen.
• Confused by their dramatic reaction, Zhang clarifies that he is not there to capture them. He only wants to know who they are and how they arrived on Earth.
• The women reveal that they come from Bluewater Planet, an inhabited world in the Andromeda Galaxy. They reached Earth by spaceship after accidentally passing through a space-time wormhole; their ship ran out of energy and sank in the ocean thirty years ago.
• Ziyue explains that Bluewater Planet’s strongest person is the Heavenly Wolf Supreme, a stellar-level expert. Planetary-level beings can travel through space unaided, while stellar and cosmic levels are described as higher ranks.
• Satisfied with the information and seeing no immediate threat, Zhang lets Ziyue and Granny Shen go. Elsewhere, Jiang Guozheng and his son leave for Xinzhou Airport to act on their decision.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Hongxing demonstrates overwhelming control without hurting Granny Shen. Though wary of a potentially more advanced alien civilization, he acts pragmatically and mercifully, choosing not to punish the women for being outsiders.
• Princess Ziyue shifts from fearing capture to trusting Zhang enough to explain her origins. She also intervenes to protect Granny Shen and reassures her that Earth’s people are friendly.
• Granny Shen is fiercely protective of Ziyue and initially assumes Zhang has come to take them back. Her fear and suspicion persist even after he explains himself.
• The tense confrontation turns into an exchange of information: Zhang’s calm questioning clashes with the women’s assumption that he is an authority figure sent from their home world.

Significant themes

• Misunderstanding and communication: The women misread Zhang’s motives, while he finds their assumptions and dramatic sacrifice unnecessary.
• Power and restraint: Zhang’s superior strength is shown through precise control rather than violence.
• The unknown and the familiar: The revelation of an alien planet expands the story’s scale, but Zhang judges the women by their actions rather than their origin.
• Trust and caution: Ziyue chooses openness, while Zhang remains mindful of the possible danger posed by a more advanced civilization.