Ch. 261Three conditions

Key events

  • Li Yichen’s chosen recipient awakens with teleportation, demonstrating the dramatic power of an Ability Pearl. The elders are impressed—and regret not putting forward their own people.
  • The elders immediately try to buy Li Yichen’s pearls. He sets a price of 100 million each and argues that an Ability User is far more valuable than a trained soldier. When they bargain, he pretends to cancel the deal; they panic and accept his price.
  • Bureau 9 requests 30 pearls, Bureau 4 requests 30, and Bureau 7 requests 40. The elders explain that China has consistently performed poorly at the secret International Ability User Conference, which is only three months away. They need the pearls quickly to prepare their candidates.
  • Li Yichen agrees to try to supply them, but only if the elders accept three conditions. They readily accept his first condition—free, reliable supplies of any paper goods he requests—and reluctantly agree that the pearl abilities must be random rather than chosen.

Character developments and interactions

  • The newly empowered young man is exhilarated by teleportation but feels dizzy and needs time to adjust. He confirms that the ability could make him extraordinarily difficult to defeat.
  • Li Yichen shows himself to be a shrewd negotiator: he uses the demonstration, emphasizes the pearls’ scarcity, and feigns walking away to secure his asking price while keeping the supply controlled.
  • Elders Mo, Wang, and Wu move from skeptical bargaining to urgent cooperation. Their deference to Li Yichen contrasts with their usual authority and reflects how much they need his help.
  • Elder Wu is especially pleased with Li Yichen, while all three elders reveal the pressure facing China’s Ability Users ahead of the international competition.

Significant themes

  • Power and scarcity: The pearls could substantially shift the balance between ordinary soldiers and Ability Users, making them valuable and politically consequential.
  • Negotiation and leverage: Li Yichen’s control over a rare resource lets him dictate terms to powerful officials.
  • Collective security and responsibility: He prefers supplying China’s bureaus rather than letting potentially hostile nations acquire the pearls.
  • Fairness versus control: Random abilities prevent any one group from deliberately accumulating a potentially unbeatable set of powers.

Ch. 262How Embarrassing

Plot points and events

  • Li Yichen finalizes a deal with Elders Mo, Wang, and Wu: they will exchange money for goods in a month. He leaves abruptly, prompting the elders to joke about his nerve and personality.
  • Campus appears calm again, though its administration has changed: Director Wang has been replaced after a reported mental breakdown, and the Student Union has new leaders planning a major welcome party.
  • Sun Kai prepares to visit the Judo Club in his wheelchair to see his “dream girl.” His dramatic departure is interrupted when a Ferrari nearly hits his wheelchair. He jumps up and runs to safety, exposing that he can walk.
  • The Ferrari’s driver, Su Shengnan, ignores the other men and approaches Li Yichen. She asks him to accompany her to Hidden Dragon Manor, which she intends to transfer to him after her grandfather’s funeral.
  • On the drive, Su Shengnan explains that the other three families are already pressuring the Su Family: contracts have been canceled and clients are delaying payments, costing the family over a billion in three days. The chapter ends as they arrive at Hidden Dragon Manor and see a crowd gathered outside.

Character developments and interactions

  • Li Yichen remains casual and self-assured, but is reluctant to involve himself in the four families’ conflict. He offers Su Shengnan sympathy without promising help.
  • Su Shengnan is now head of her family and recognizes how difficult her grandfather’s role was. Though outwardly composed, she is worried about the Su Family’s weakening position.
  • Sun Kai is revealed to be able to walk despite using a wheelchair, apparently abandoning the chair to avoid the Ferrari. His romantic fantasies about Su Shengnan collapse when she chooses Li Yichen.
  • Li Yichen and the elders end their negotiations on friendly, teasing terms. Li Yichen and Su Shengnan share a more serious exchange as she confides in him about her family’s troubles.

Significant themes

  • Appearance versus reality: Sun Kai’s wheelchair use proves misleading, while the Su Family’s apparent authority hides its vulnerability.
  • Power and insecurity: Without strong allies or fighters, the Su Family is exposed to rivals’ economic pressure.
  • Comedy and contrast: The men’s exaggerated romantic expectations are undercut by Su Shengnan’s immediate focus on Li Yichen and family business.

Ch. 263Star-Absorbing Art?

Plot points and events

  • Su Shengnan arrives at Su Family property to confront Jiang Tianyu, who has brought a crowd and demands that the Su Family surrender the site. He mocks her for leading the family and proposes that she become his “woman,” claiming he would then control both her and the business.
  • Su Shengnan attacks him, but one of Jiang’s hidden allies blocks her strike and sends her staggering. Li Yichen steadies her.
  • Jiang’s allies reveal themselves as Black and White Impermanence, notorious martial artists believed to have escaped after being badly wounded in a hunt by Jinling’s four great families. They announce that the Jiang Family intends to take the property by force.
  • The pair attack Li Yichen with corrosive black vapor that dissolves a nearby tree. Su Shengnan urges him to retreat, but the brothers turn on her.
  • Li Yichen catches one arm from each attacker. Their vapor coils around him, but he absorbs it instead, leaving the two men horrified and asking whether he has the legendary Star-Absorbing Art.

Character developments

  • Su Shengnan stands up to Jiang despite his taunts and remains defiant, but the Black and White Impermanence’s reputation and power visibly frighten her.
  • Jiang Tianyu is revealed as arrogant and predatory. Backed by powerful allies, he openly threatens to seize Su Family property.
  • Li Yichen remains calm and irreverent in the face of danger. His ability to absorb the deadly vapor reveals a startling power that may turn the confrontation in his favor.
  • Black and White Impermanence are established as ruthless, feared fighters, but Li Yichen’s resistance immediately undermines their confidence.

Significant themes

  • Power and intimidation: Jiang uses numbers, status, and formidable allies to pressure Su Shengnan into surrender.
  • Gender and authority: Jiang belittles Su Shengnan for leading her family, while her decisive resistance challenges his assumptions.
  • Hidden strength and reversal: The feared attackers appear to dominate the encounter until Li Yichen counters their signature weapon.
  • Humor amid danger: Li Yichen’s joking reference to “Chang Wei” and his dismissive comments puncture the scene’s menace.

Character interactions

  • Jiang taunts and propositions Su Shengnan; she answers with an attack.
  • Li Yichen supports Su Shengnan physically and asks about the attackers, prompting her account of their violent history.
  • Su Shengnan warns Li Yichen to flee, but he stays and protects her when the brothers strike.
  • The Black and White Impermanence attempt to poison Li Yichen with their vapor; he absorbs it, shifting the balance of power.

Ch. 264The manor changed hands

Key plot points and events

  • Li Yichen defeats Jiang Tianyu’s two hidden experts, Black and White Impermanence, draining them of their strength and leaving them near death.
  • He reveals that the Su Family has given Hidden Dragon Manor to him, making the Jiang Family’s attack an intrusion on his property.
  • With Li’s support, Su Shengnan takes control of the confrontation. She rejects Jiang Tianyu’s attempt to withdraw, kicks him down, and orders the Jiang men to have their legs broken and be sent back with a warning.
  • Li and Su Shengnan sign the contract and fingerprints, formally transferring the vast manor to Li.
  • When Su Shengnan orders the two defeated elders to be thrown into the hills for the wolves, Li intervenes and asks for them to be brought to him. Su declares that his instructions now take precedence over hers.

Character developments

  • Li Yichen demonstrates overwhelming strength and confidence, then becomes the new owner of Hidden Dragon Manor. His interest in the two elders hints that he has a purpose beyond simply defeating them.
  • Su Shengnan shifts from being under threat to asserting decisive authority. She is impressed by Li but also shows that she can handle the Jiang Family herself, using force and issuing a harsh warning.
  • Jiang Tianyu goes from confident aggressor to defeated and humiliated opponent. His scheme fails, his experts are lost, and he regrets following his cousin’s advice.
  • The Su Family’s men reveal their opportunism by emerging only once the danger appears to have passed. Su Shengnan’s order that Li’s word is law establishes his new status within the household.

Significant themes

  • Power and authority: Strength determines who can command respect, while the manor’s transfer makes Li’s authority official as well as physical.
  • Reversal of fortune: The Jiang Family’s attempted show of force turns into a humiliating defeat.
  • Loyalty and opportunism: The guards’ late show of loyalty contrasts with Su Shengnan’s contempt for their behavior.
  • Mercy and ruthlessness: Su Shengnan orders severe punishment for Jiang Tianyu and proposes a fatal end for the elders, while Li’s request to see them leaves their fate unresolved.

Character interactions

  • Li dismisses Jiang Tianyu’s attempts to negotiate and makes clear that the attack concerns him because it took place at his manor.
  • Su Shengnan thanks Li, then takes charge herself, confronting Jiang Tianyu and ordering punishment despite his appeal to Li’s presence.
  • After the contract is signed, Su treats Li as the manor’s owner; she reinforces his authority by telling her staff to follow his orders without consulting her.

Ch. 265I Just Want to Die

Plot points and events

  • Su Shengnan explains that her ruthless decisions were necessary to survive as head of the Su family. Li Yichen nearly offers to protect her, but awkwardly changes the subject; she leaves disappointed.
  • Before departing, Su tells Li that the estate staff are paid by her family and can be dismissed if he wishes. As her car pulls away, Li calls after her, saying she can come to him if she can no longer cope. Her car briefly stops, suggesting she heard him.
  • Su smiles, then learns that no experts have applied to join her family. Worried that rival families are recruiting, she raises the offered salary to a million a month—despite the expense—and laments that she “just want[s] to die.”
  • Back at the estate, Li takes the souls of two old men who had been brought to him. They plead for mercy after he reveals that their impersonation of the underworld judges, Black and White Impermanence, could earn them punishment in Hell. Li ignores their pleas, destroys their bodies with supernatural fire, and travels through a spatial rift to the judges’ residence.
  • He finds the residence in ruins and fears the Underworld has been attacked. Black and White Impermanence appear, alive but grieving. Li learns that the damage was caused by his helicopter.

Character developments

  • Su Shengnan shows both the hard resolve required to lead her family and the loneliness beneath it. Li’s offer of support affects her, though she keeps her feelings private and remains focused on protecting the Su family.
  • Li Yichen demonstrates supernatural power and a lack of mercy toward the two fraudulent ghosts. His awkwardness around Su contrasts with his confidence when dealing with threats.
  • Black and White Impermanence are revealed to be safe, but distressed by the destruction of their home.

Character interactions

  • Su and Li share a hesitant, emotionally charged exchange: she hopes he will offer protection, while he struggles to express concern. His parting reassurance prompts her car to stop briefly.
  • Su speaks with her steward, insisting that the family must recruit experts at any cost.
  • Li confronts the two old ghosts, who shift from arrogance to desperate begging when he reveals their likely punishment.
  • Li reunites with Black and White Impermanence, mistakenly calls them ghosts, then asks about their ruined residence; White Impermanence blames Li’s helicopter.

Significant themes

  • Survival and leadership: Su’s harsh choices are presented as the price of holding power in a hostile world.
  • Loneliness and care: Su longs for protection, while Li struggles to communicate his concern directly.
  • Justice and consequences: The impostor ghosts face punishment for abusing the judges’ names.
  • Power and unintended damage: Li’s abilities make him formidable, but the ruined residence hints that his actions can also cause collateral harm.

Ch. 266Mind Your Manners

Key plot points and events

  • Black and White Impermanence tell Li Yichen that their mansion was destroyed and ask him to help them get revenge. Li instead reframes the disaster as a chance to replace it with a more luxurious, modern home.
  • Li offers to pay, then conjures a three-story villa and furnishes it with high-end amenities, including a glass reading lounge, media room, large garage, helipad, and business reception hall.
  • The spectacle draws a crowd of Underworld officials. Envious of the villa and its modern appliances, they ask Li to build homes for them too. He agrees after raising his prices severalfold.
  • After the crowd leaves, Li explains that he came mainly to report two mortal-world impostors who used the names Black and White Impermanence and murdered thirteen members of a family. The real Impermanence are furious and demand to know where the culprits are.

Character developments and interactions

  • Li Yichen shows his knack for turning a problem into a business opportunity. He placates the Impermanence with a free villa, then uses the crowd’s envy to attract more customers and charge premium prices.
  • Black and White Impermanence shift quickly from aggrieved and homeless to delighted and boastful. They warmly call Li family, though their enthusiasm for physical affection makes him uncomfortable.
  • The Underworld officials are dazzled by the modern furnishings and become eager customers, despite initially mocking the Impermanence for taking credit for Li’s generosity.
  • Li and the real Impermanence share a friendly relationship, but the report of people abusing their names transforms the conversation into outrage and a promise of retaliation.

Significant themes

  • Commerce and opportunism: Li turns even a crisis into a sales opportunity.
  • Modernity and status: The villa and its gadgets provoke envy and make traditional Underworld homes seem outdated.
  • Reputation and justice: The real Impermanence take the murderers’ use of their names as a serious insult, linking identity to responsibility and authority.
  • Comedy through contrast: Underworld officials react to modern conveniences with startling excitement, while Li repeatedly tries to maintain composure and “mind his manners.”

Ch. 267Gluttons for punishment

Plot points and events

  • Li Yichen brings two impostors who used Black and White Impermanence’s names to murder all thirteen members of the Qi Family into the Underworld.
  • Black and White Impermanence interrogate and beat the men with supernatural weapons until they confess. They sentence them to ten years in the Eighteen Levels of Hell and plan to recommend reincarnating them as toilets.
  • Li Yichen returns to the largely empty Hidden Dragon Manor and realizes it has almost no security.
  • He summons Dazhuang, a Stone Demon, and asks him to guard the estate. Dazhuang dislikes being left behind and points out that Li Yichen only needs a guard, not necessarily him.
  • Dazhuang flies down to the courtyard and selects a massive blue stone, apparently intending to use it to solve the security problem. The chapter ends before he explains how.

Character developments

  • Li Yichen is pleased that the murderers are being punished but finds the Impermanences’ cruelty revolting. At the manor, his concern for its safety leads him to enlist Dazhuang, though he quickly softens when Dazhuang acts hurt.
  • Dazhuang shows affection for Li Yichen and a strong desire to stay with him. He also demonstrates unexpected intelligence and the ability to fly, confidently taking charge of the security problem.
  • Black and White Impermanence are revealed as theatrical, vindictive figures who take pride in their looks and kindness while enthusiastically tormenting criminals.

Significant themes

  • Justice and revenge: The impostors face harsh supernatural punishment for their crimes, though the punishers’ methods are deliberately excessive.
  • Responsibility and belonging: Li Yichen treats the manor as a home that needs protecting; Dazhuang’s reluctance to be left alone reflects his need for companionship and a place to belong.
  • Comic contrast: Grim punishment is undercut by absurd jokes, while Li Yichen’s serious security concern becomes a playful exchange with Dazhuang.

Character interactions

  • The two criminals plead with Black and White Impermanence, but are beaten into admitting guilt.
  • Black and White Impermanence banter and compete over punishment, with Black frustrated that White gets to deliver the blows.
  • Li Yichen reacts with disgust to their self-praise and proposed sentence, then leaves them to carry out justice.
  • Li Yichen tries to persuade Dazhuang to guard the manor; Dazhuang resists being separated from him, then proposes his own solution and chooses a large stone.

Ch. 268Masochist

Chapter Summary: “Masochist”

Key plot points and events

  • Dazhuang uses his earth magic to awaken a boulder, transforming it into a towering stone creature that obeys him. Li Yichen is impressed but worries the giant is excessive for dealing with ordinary intruders.
  • Dazhuang creates a subtler defense by awakening countless smaller stones across the estate. Li Yichen approves, but warns him not to animate stones that are part of buildings, lest the structures collapse. The giant then returns to its boulder form.
  • Li Yichen puts Dazhuang into his Space Ring and flies back to the university dormitory.
  • Inside the ring, Dazhuang notices a faintly glowing egg. Something inside taps back when he touches it, so he decides to help it hatch by repeatedly striking the shell, which begins to crack.
  • At the dorm, Li Yichen finds Sun Kai and their two roommates looking dejected. Sun Kai’s crush has not rejected him; instead, she wants to spar with him again because she found him handsome when he beat her. Sun Kai dreads the prospect of being beaten again.
  • His roommates joke that they should buy him a better wheelchair or help him avoid standing up. Sun Kai asks Li Yichen for advice, but Li Yichen offers to pay for the wheelchair. Sun Kai theatrically considers jumping out the window.
  • Li Yichen asks whether Sun Kai could pursue someone else, then wonders aloud if Sun Kai is a masochist.

Character developments and interactions

  • Li Yichen shows practical concern about the estate’s defenses, reminding Dazhuang not to animate structural stones. At the dorm, he is amused and bewildered by Sun Kai’s romantic predicament, though he still offers help.
  • Dazhuang is proud of his powers and eager for Li Yichen’s approval. Once confined to the ring, his boredom leads him to meddle with the mysterious egg.
  • Sun Kai is torn between his attraction to a woman who enjoys fighting him and his fear of their next sparring match. He appeals to his friends for help, but receives mostly teasing.
  • Zhang Yong and Yang Weifeng sympathize with Sun Kai only enough to mock his situation and suggest avoiding the fight rather than winning her over.
  • The roommates’ banter highlights their familiarity and camaraderie, while Li Yichen’s final question turns the discussion into a joke about Sun Kai’s taste in romance.

Significant themes

  • Power and responsibility: Li Yichen recognizes that impressive abilities can create practical risks, such as damaging buildings.
  • Comedy through contrast: The chapter moves from the intimidating spectacle of animated stone guardians to the much smaller, awkward problem of Sun Kai’s love life.
  • Unusual attraction: Sun Kai’s affection for someone who wants to fight him invites the chapter’s teasing question about whether he enjoys punishment.
  • Curiosity and unintended consequences: Dazhuang’s attempt to help the egg hatch sets up an uncertain outcome.

Ch. 269Love-brained

  • Sun Kai’s “ideal woman”: Sun Kai describes an impossibly perfect partner, prompting Li Yichen, Yang Weifeng, and Zhang Yong to tease him. He admits he prefers Bian Rourou, a woman who practices judo, and asks Li Yichen to help him win her over. Li initially doubts he can help Sun become a martial-arts master, then realizes he may have an idea.
  • The Jiang Family’s crisis: The Su Family returns more than a dozen Jiang relatives with broken legs after their attempt to seize Hidden Dragon Manor. Jiang Tianyu, whose legs are both broken, complains to his father, Jiang Zhengshan. Zhengshan rebukes him for acting openly and bringing the sensitive operatives Black and White Impermanence into the affair.
  • A family power struggle: Zhengshan reveals that the family patriarch is already displeased with Jiang Tianhao’s Heavenly Treasury plan, making this a chance for Tianyu to improve his position as a potential heir. Tianyu says Jiang Tianhao urged him to demand the manor. Zhengshan and Tianyu’s mother decide to exploit the incident: they will take the injured relatives and children to the patriarch and blame Tianhao, while Zhengshan keeps his own hands clean.
  • Character developments and interactions: Sun Kai’s romantic idealism and naïveté amuse his brothers, while Li Yichen shifts from exasperation to considering a practical plan. In the Jiang household, Zhengshan is calculating and politically ambitious; Tianyu is easily manipulated; and his mother moves from defending him to blaming him once she learns he endangered his succession prospects. The parents then work together to turn the disaster against Tianhao.
  • Themes: The chapter contrasts romantic fantasy with practical matchmaking and highlights the risks of impulsive, public action. It also emphasizes family politics, manipulation, and the way personal setbacks can be weaponized in a struggle for succession.

Ch. 270I have a way

Plot points and events

  • After another failed attack on the Su Family leaves several Jiang men with broken legs and costs the Jiang Family two more experts, Old Master Jiang reprimands Jiang Tianyu for acting without permission and blames Jiang Tianhao for leading the group.
  • Jiang Tianhao accepts the reprimand outwardly, but suspects the Su Family has recruited a powerful new fighter. Old Master Jiang orders him to stay out of family affairs and sends Jiang Zhengshan to seek an alliance with the Shen and Qin families to destroy the Su Family within three months.
  • Alone in his room, Jiang Tianhao vents his anger and vows revenge once he becomes patriarch. He then checks on a deal with Boss Zhou, expecting money from Ouyang Hai’s contract in three days.
  • In Li Yichen’s Space Ring, Dazhuang and the creature inside an egg finally break the shell. A white fox emerges, though Li Yichen does not know it.
  • Back in the dormitory, Li Yichen considers giving his friends Ability Pearls to help Sun Kai become strong quickly. Though doing so risks revealing his secrets, he decides to help and announces, “I have a way!”

Character developments and interactions

  • Jiang Tianhao is weakened politically and resents both his grandfather’s reprimand and his cousins’ apparent satisfaction at his trouble. He hides his ambition and anger while continuing to pursue his financial plans.
  • Old Master Jiang responds to the defeat by tightening control over the younger generation and escalating the conflict through a proposed alliance.
  • Li Yichen chooses loyalty to his friends over protecting his secrets. Sun Kai eagerly asks for his plan, while Yang Weifeng and Zhang Yong joke about his dramatic announcement.

Significant themes

  • Family power and rivalry: The Jiang household is divided by blame, ambition, and competition for influence.
  • Escalation and retaliation: The Jiang Family’s losses lead to plans for a broader campaign against the Su Family.
  • Trust and sacrifice: Li Yichen’s willingness to share his resources shows how much he values the friends who supported him.
  • Hidden developments: The fox’s hatching and Li Yichen’s undisclosed abilities hint at events and powers others have yet to discover.

Ch. 271Putting My Cards on the Table

Plot points and events

  • Li Yichen tells his three college roommates—Sun Kai, Yang Weifeng, and Zhang Yong—that he is a ghost cultivator. They first laugh, then grow frightened when he says he has met famous Underworld figures.
  • To prove it, Li Yichen opens a Spatial Gate and forcibly takes them from their dorm to the Underworld.
  • The roommates panic during the journey, but calm down when they arrive at a luxurious villa in the gray, barren Underworld.
  • Li Yichen explains that it is the home of Black and White Impermanence. The pair appear, and the roommates fall to their knees in awe.
  • After Li Yichen introduces them as his brothers, Black and White Impermanence welcome the three warmly and invite them to visit again.

Character developments and interactions

  • Li Yichen is matter-of-fact and amused by his roommates’ disbelief. He insists he never jokes about serious matters, then drags them through the gate when they refuse to come willingly.
  • The roommates shift from mockery to terror, then from fear to curiosity and excitement once the Underworld proves less frightening—and its residents friendlier—than expected. They are impressed by the social prestige they think their new acquaintances might bring.
  • Black and White Impermanence respond graciously, treating Li Yichen’s friends as their own and easing the roommates’ fear.
  • The scene highlights the contrast between Li Yichen’s casual familiarity with the supernatural and his friends’ dramatic reactions.

Significant themes

  • Fear of the unknown: The roommates’ panic fades once they experience the Underworld firsthand.
  • Friendship and hospitality: Li Yichen introduces his roommates as brothers, and Black and White Impermanence extend that bond to them.
  • Humor through contrast: The roommates’ exaggerated terror clashes with Li Yichen’s casual attitude and the Underworld’s surprisingly modern, welcoming setting.

Ch. 272Choosing abilities

Key plot points and events

  • After returning from the Underworld near dawn, Li Yichen’s friends say they want to visit again. He teases them about how scared they were at first.
  • Li Yichen offers to help Sun Kai, Yang Weifeng, and Zhang Yong gain abilities using Ability Pearls. They enthusiastically request several powers each, but he explains that each person can safely fuse with only one ability; multiple abilities could kill them. He jokingly says each pearl costs 100 million, then reveals the real limitation.
  • The friends choose their abilities: Yang Weifeng wants flight so he can travel with his girlfriend, Yuanyuan; Zhang Yong first asks for X-Ray Vision to look at women, but, after Yang objects, settles for Invisibility; Sun Kai considers Rapid Healing because his girlfriend, Rourou, beats him, but Li chooses Superhuman Physique for him, granting great strength and durability.
  • Eager to proceed, the three agree to meet Li at an address he sends them. Li heads off to prepare and makes a phone call.
  • Meanwhile, Su Shengnan reviews newly gathered information in her late grandfather’s former office. Steward Wang rushes in to report an urgent problem, but before he can explain, the office phone rings.

Character developments and interactions

  • Li Yichen is confident and teasing, but also responsible: he sets limits on the abilities and selects a sturdier power for Sun Kai rather than indulging his self-defeating choice.
  • The three friends show eager, playful personalities. Yang is practical and protective of his relationship; Zhang is lecherous but readily backs down; Sun Kai’s meekness around Rourou becomes a running joke.
  • Li and the friends trade jokes and mock complaints, while their excitement over the new abilities strengthens their camaraderie.
  • Su Shengnan appears serious and composed, admonishing Steward Wang for panicking, though the interruption signals a developing crisis.

Significant themes

  • Power and limits: Extraordinary abilities come with strict physical constraints and potential danger.
  • Friendship and humor: Banter and teasing shape the group’s close, informal dynamic.
  • Responsibility in choosing power: The chapter contrasts frivolous wishes with choices better suited to real needs.
  • Suspense: Steward Wang’s urgent warning and the unanswered phone call introduce an unresolved threat.

Ch. 273Every day felt like a year

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

  • Li Yichen calls Su Shengnan and asks her to withdraw the staff from Hidden Dragon Manor, leaving them to visit only once a month for cleaning. She agrees, and he later checks the manor to ensure it is empty.
  • Su Shengnan’s butler reports that Jiang Zhengshan has gone to the Shen Family. Fearing that trouble is closing in on her own family, she rushes to the Qin Family, hoping she is not too late.
  • Li Yichen’s friends Yang Weifeng, Sun Kai, and Zhang Yong arrive at the manor and are astonished by its size and luxury. Li says it was given to him, then invites them to choose rooms and stay whenever they like.
  • At a large practice plaza, Li gives each friend an Ability Pearl suited to the power they chose. They activate the pearls with a drop of blood, but the process brings intense pain, numbness, and temporary paralysis.
  • An hour later, the friends are still enduring the ordeal. Li suspects that absorption takes longer for people in poorer physical condition.
  • The chapter ends as Su Shengnan arrives at the Qin Family residence in a limousine.

Character developments and interactions

  • Li Yichen takes practical steps to secure his new home, shares it generously with his friends, and acts as their guide as they begin gaining abilities. He warns them that becoming stronger comes at a cost.
  • Su Shengnan shifts from businesslike cooperation to alarm when she learns of Jiang Zhengshan’s move. Her urgent decision to visit the Qin Family reveals how seriously she fears for the Su Family’s safety.
  • Yang Weifeng, Sun Kai, and Zhang Yong move from joking amazement at the manor to eager acceptance of the Ability Pearls, then must endure their painful effects. Their banter shows their closeness to Li.
  • Li and his friends tease one another about how he obtained the manor; he responds with mock irritation before offering them rooms.

Significant themes

  • Power has a price: The pearls promise strength, but their painful absorption makes the cost immediate and physical.
  • Security and looming danger: Li clears the manor of staff for safety, while Su Shengnan’s fear signals wider political or family conflict.
  • Friendship and generosity: Li shares his remarkable new home and helps his friends pursue greater strength, while their joking exchanges maintain an easy, affectionate bond.

Ch. 274Bargaining with a tiger

Plot points and events

  • Su Shengnan arrives at the Qin estate seeking an audience with its head. Jiang Zhengshan arrives soon after and mocks her by calling her his niece.
  • Shengnan retorts by reminding him that her subordinates broke his son Jiang Tianyu’s legs, deliberately provoking him in hopes of starting a fight. Jiang restrains his anger, so her plan fails.
  • Inside, Old Master Qin quizzes Qin Wenhan about why the two visitors have come. Wenhan believes the Qin Family should ally with the Su Family against the Jiang Family.
  • Old Master Qin reveals a more ruthless strategy: the Qin, Shen, and Jiang families should cooperate to eliminate the Su Family and divide its power. He invites Jiang inside and rejects Shengnan.
  • Shengnan realizes the Su Family is in danger and leaves feeling powerless.
  • In a separate scene, Yang Weifeng and the others recover from Li Yichen’s painful strength-enhancing training. Yang angrily tries to attack Li for not warning him, but Li easily evades him and lures him into pursuing him through the air.

Character developments

  • Su Shengnan remains composed under Jiang’s disrespect and uses sharp words to retaliate, but her confidence gives way to dread when the Qin Family turns her away.
  • Jiang Zhengshan is enraged by Shengnan’s taunts but shows political restraint, choosing to pursue the Qin alliance instead.
  • Qin Wenhan demonstrates strategic thinking but has yet to grasp his grandfather’s broader, interest-driven approach to power.
  • Old Master Qin reveals himself as calculating and willing to sacrifice an existing relationship for a chance to reshape Jinling’s balance of power.
  • Yang Weifeng reacts to the ordeal with furious humor and renewed energy; Li Yichen remains playful and in control, treating the chase as a continuation of training.

Significant themes

  • Power and shifting alliances: Family loyalties are secondary to advantage; old enemies can cooperate when interests align.
  • Political maneuvering and betrayal: The Qin Family’s apparent choice between Su and Jiang conceals a plan to destroy the Su Family.
  • The cost of strength: Physical improvement comes through intense suffering, which Li insists is necessary.
  • Imbalance of power: Shengnan’s intelligence cannot overcome the larger forces moving against her family.

Character interactions

  • Shengnan and Jiang trade insults, with her targeting his injured son and Jiang ultimately refusing to be provoked.
  • Old Master Qin guides Wenhan toward a more ruthless understanding of strategy, then orders the Su representative rejected while admitting Jiang.
  • Yang confronts Li over the painful training; Li dodges his attacks and turns Yang’s anger into an airborne pursuit.

Ch. 275A monster!

Key plot points and events

  • After absorbing the blood mist’s power, Sun Kai regains his mobility and discovers extraordinary strength. He tears up heavy bluestone paving slabs and hurls them at Li Yichen, who catches and redirects them with ease.
  • Yang Weifeng joins the fight from the air, but Li Yichen uses the slabs as a shield and keeps both opponents at bay. Their noisy, destructive battle lasts about half an hour, until Sun Kai and Yang are exhausted while Li remains fresh.
  • The brothers call a truce to rest. Li notices the damaged paving and demands that Sun Kai pay for it, though Sun points out Li helped break it too.
  • Li realizes Zhang Yong is missing just as Zhang launches a surprise attack with a brick. Li uses his Intangibility ability to avoid being hit.
  • Zhang stays invisible and pelts Li with stones. Li uses netherworld power to reveal Zhang’s location as he sneaks closer.
  • The others recover and prepare a coordinated attack. As Sun Kai reaches for a large stone, it suddenly grows glowing red eyes and hands that seize his arms. Sun cries out that it’s a monster.

Character developments

  • Sun Kai reveals immense new physical strength after absorbing the blood mist, though sustained effort leaves him exhausted.
  • Li Yichen remains dramatically stronger and more composed than the newly empowered brothers. He demonstrates both his defensive and perceptive abilities, while his complaints about the damaged paving add humor.
  • Yang Weifeng uses flight to pressure Li but is frustrated by his inability to get past Li’s improvised shield.
  • Zhang Yong shows a playful, stealthy, and mischievous side, sneaking up on Li and attacking while invisible.

Significant themes

  • The chapter contrasts newly awakened power with experience: Sun and Yang have impressive abilities, but Li’s greater skill and stamina keep him in control.
  • Brotherhood and rivalry drive the action: the men taunt one another, team up, and turn their fight into a game.
  • Humor undercuts the spectacle, from the property damage dispute to Sun’s panicked reaction to the apparent monster.

Character interactions

  • Sun and Li exchange slabs and challenges, while Yang heckles Li and tries to attack from the air.
  • After the fight, Li and Sun bicker over who owes for the broken paving.
  • Zhang tries to get revenge on Li with surprise attacks, prompting the others to encourage him.
  • The brothers coordinate against Li—until the strange stone-like creature interrupts their plan by grabbing Sun.

Ch. 276Dark Ghost Plan

Plot points and events

  • Zhang Yong sneaks up behind Li Yichen with a rock, but Li reveals he can see him and makes him visible. He then throws Zhang toward Yang Weifeng, who catches him only to have Zhang cling to his head in terror of heights.
  • Sun Kai is chased around the manor by a tiny Stone Demon. Li tells it to stop, revealing that it guards the grounds. When the others ask to see more, Li summons countless red-eyed creatures hidden across the manor.
  • The four friends stay at Hidden Dragon Manor instead of returning to school, thrilled and sleepless over their new supernatural abilities and surroundings.
  • Meanwhile, the Su Family faces a crisis: the Jiang, Qin, and Shen families suspend cooperation, prompting outsiders to distance themselves and members of the Su Family to blame Su Shengnan.
  • Determined not to be defeated, Su Shengnan orders her agent, Dark Shadow, to launch the “Dark Ghost Plan.” That night, disgruntled juniors from all three rival families publish damaging allegations and evidence about prominent relatives’ affairs and illegitimate children. The revelations cause uproar, especially a scandal involving the Jiang patriarch and his daughter-in-law.

Character developments and interactions

  • Li Yichen shows playful confidence and control: he sees through Zhang Yong’s invisibility, rescues Sun Kai from the Stone Demon’s chase, and commands the manor’s creatures.
  • Yang Weifeng, Zhang Yong, and Sun Kai react with astonishment to the supernatural world, though the chapter treats their fear and excitement humorously. Their shared discovery strengthens their sense of camaraderie.
  • Su Shengnan shifts from grief and anxiety to cold resolve. Feeling abandoned and criticized, she chooses retaliation rather than surrender.
  • Dark Shadow responds obediently and without hesitation to Su Shengnan’s order, underscoring her authority and the seriousness of her plan.

Significant themes

  • The supernatural becoming ordinary: Li and the friends’ experiences overturn their assumptions about reality, blending danger with comedy.
  • Power and loyalty: Li’s command over the manor’s creatures contrasts with the Su Family’s fragile alliances and internal criticism.
  • Retaliation and scandal: Su Shengnan’s counterattack uses private secrets as weapons, showing how quickly political and family conflicts can escalate.
  • Public exposure and private consequences: Online revelations spread rapidly, while the accused face turmoil at home as well as reputational damage.

Ch. 277Then let's fight

Key plot points and events

  • Li Yichen accompanies Sun Kai and their two friends to the Judo Club, where Sun Kai hopes to win over Bian Rourou.
  • The club members tease Sun Kai as Rourou’s boyfriend. Rourou rejects him, but Sun Kai’s clumsy attempts to explain himself only offend her further.
  • Rourou sets an ultimatum: if Sun Kai beats her, she’ll be his; if he loses, he must stay away. Sun Kai reluctantly accepts the challenge.
  • Yang Weifeng boasts about being dominant with his girlfriend, only to be tricked by Zhang Yong into thinking she has arrived; he and Zhang then start wrestling.
  • Li Yichen encourages Sun Kai to fight gently. Coach Pang warns that Sun Kai could get hurt, while the spectators assume he’ll be defeated quickly.
  • Sun Kai takes an eccentric, sumo-like stance, provoking laughter. The chapter ends just as the match is about to begin.

Character developments

  • Sun Kai remains devoted to Rourou but is awkward and impulsive, repeatedly worsening the situation with his words. Despite the crowd’s mockery, he appears newly confident about the fight.
  • Bian Rourou is irritated by Sun Kai’s persistence, though she briefly notices that he is somewhat attractive. She agrees to the match and promises to go easy on him.
  • Li Yichen acts as a cautious, supportive companion, accompanying the group to prevent trouble and urging Sun Kai to show restraint.
  • Yang Weifeng presents himself as tough and commanding, but his immediate panic at the mention of his girlfriend exposes his bravado.
  • Zhang Yong mischievously punctures Yang’s act by tricking him.

Significant themes

  • Comedy through misunderstanding and bravado: Sun Kai’s verbal blunders and Yang Weifeng’s posturing create much of the humor.
  • Confidence versus appearances: Sun Kai’s slight build leads everyone to underestimate him, setting up the possibility that the fight may defy expectations.
  • Romance and persistence: Sun Kai’s determination to pursue Rourou clashes with her annoyance and creates the chapter’s central conflict.

Character interactions

  • Rourou confronts Sun Kai and turns their romantic tension into a physical challenge.
  • Li Yichen and Yang Weifeng offer Sun Kai advice, though Yang’s own tough-guy guidance is undermined by Zhang’s prank.
  • Coach Pang warns Li Yichen’s group and asks Rourou to be careful; both Rourou and Sun Kai assure him they understand their limits.
  • The club crowd mocks Sun Kai’s physique and unusual stance, raising the pressure as the match begins.

Ch. 278I Have to Pay for It Too?

Plot points

  • Sun Kai demonstrates his newly acquired strength by stomping through the judo platform, then effortlessly lifts Rourou and throws her into the air before catching her safely.
  • His display stuns the club members and Coach Pang, while Rourou is impressed and admits Sun Kai is the kind of man she has always wanted.
  • The onlookers cheer for the pair to get together, and Rourou kisses Sun Kai. Coach Pang breaks up the commotion and lets her stay with him.
  • Coach Pang then demands compensation for the damaged platform: 50,000. Sun Kai refuses, only for Coach Pang to offer to waive the fee if Sun Kai joins the Judo Club.

Character developments and interactions

  • Sun Kai reveals extraordinary strength but remains concerned about Rourou’s safety. He is also surprised by the damage he caused and unwilling to pay what he sees as an excessive repair bill.
  • Rourou shifts from uncertainty and distance to open affection, defending Sun Kai and embracing him. His strength and tenderness win her over.
  • Coach Pang is protective of the club’s property and uses the damage as leverage to recruit Sun Kai. He also teases or indulges Rourou by allowing her to remain.

Themes

  • Strength and transformation: Sun Kai’s new abilities radically change how others see him.
  • Romance and admiration: Rourou’s feelings deepen through Sun Kai’s dramatic display and considerate behavior.
  • Comic consequences: Sun Kai’s attempt to impress Rourou succeeds, but his strength leaves him with an expensive repair bill—and a possible club membership.

Ch. 279I don't know

Key events

  • Coach Pang tries to stop Sun Kai from leaving the Judo Club, apparently intent on singling him out.
  • Sun Kai charges past him and shoves him with superhuman force, sending him flying several meters. The club is stunned; Bian Rourou is impressed.
  • Coach Pang asks Bian Rourou for Sun Kai’s name and school, but she says she doesn’t know and leaves to practice. He plans to find Sun Kai later.
  • That evening, Li Yichen, Sun Kai, Yang Weifeng, and Zhang Yong celebrate over drinks. The three friends loudly boast about their newfound strength.
  • When they ask whether they are the only Ability Users in China, Li Yichen explains that Bureau 749—the country’s three special departments—includes people with unusual talents and abilities. He offers to take them there.
  • The friends hesitate, preferring the safety of campus. After Li Yichen says he can arrange a visit, they are left speechless.

Character developments and interactions

  • Sun Kai displays striking new strength but remains impulsive and eager to join his friends; his shove humiliates Coach Pang.
  • Coach Pang, initially confident in his judo skills, is shocked by Sun Kai’s power and becomes determined to identify him.
  • Bian Rourou admires Sun Kai’s feat, though she claims not to know who he is.
  • Li Yichen acts as the group’s guide, warning himself that his friends’ new power is making them arrogant while revealing that a wider world of Ability Users exists.
  • Yang Weifeng and Zhang Yong enthusiastically credit Li Yichen for their abilities and boast when drunk, but retreat when offered a chance to test themselves beyond campus.

Significant themes

  • Power and overconfidence: The friends’ newfound abilities quickly inflate their confidence, while Li Yichen recognizes the danger of their arrogance.
  • A wider hidden world: The introduction of Bureau 749 suggests that extraordinary abilities are known to—and organized by—larger institutions.
  • Strength versus skill: Coach Pang’s training is overwhelmed by Sun Kai’s raw, supernatural force.

Ch. 280A shortcut to the top?

Summary

Key plot points and events

  • Li Yichen persuades his three college roommates—Sun Kai, Yang Weifeng, and Zhang Yong—to visit Bureau 749 by promising them immediate military ranks, legal permission to carry guns, and freedom to return to campus and maintain their personal lives when off duty.
  • Once reassured that joining won’t separate them from their girlfriends, the roommates enthusiastically agree.
  • Li calls Elder Mo, who is eager to recruit them as Ability Users. He is especially pleased to learn their abilities are Flight, Invisibility, and a Special Constitution, and arranges for them to be collected immediately.
  • Li asks that their training not interfere with graduating; Elder Mo promises the department can handle the paperwork.
  • Mo Yurou arrives in a Hummer to pick them up. The roommates are dazzled by her, and Zhang Yong tries to impress her by emphasizing that he is single.

Character developments and interactions

  • The roommates shift quickly from skepticism to excitement once Li frames Bureau 749 as a route to status and opportunity. Their concern about leaving their romantic interests reveals that personal relationships matter as much to them as career prospects.
  • Li acts as their recruiter and intermediary, using persuasive promises and his connection with Elder Mo to secure their entry.
  • Elder Mo’s enthusiasm reflects the department’s urgent search for promising Ability Users; he wants the roommates included in training and potentially the Ability User Tournament.
  • Mo Yurou treats the newcomers politely, but their competitive attempts to introduce themselves leave her awkward and speechless.

Significant themes

  • Ambition and opportunity: The promise of rank, weapons, and advancement makes Bureau 749 seem like a shortcut to success.
  • Persuasion and impulsive commitment: The roommates agree before fully understanding what they are signing up for, and their unease returns when a vehicle arrives almost immediately.
  • Balancing duty and ordinary life: Their worries about girlfriends and graduation highlight their desire to pursue extraordinary roles without giving up everyday relationships and milestones.
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