Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• A video of Chen Siyao’s cruise-ship interview is maliciously edited to make her sound as if she is flaunting wealth and looking down on ordinary travelers. The clip spreads rapidly across social media, drawing abuse and accusations.
• Siyao reports the incident to the police, while Lu Xiao posts the original footage. Neither action immediately convinces the public.
• To calm herself and explain the truth to her audience, Siyao livestreams a game with her brother, Chen Hao. She explains that the trip was work-related, the company paid for the tickets, and she did not know their cost. Trolls continue attacking her, while her fans defend her.
• Four powerful families—the Ye, Wu, Qin, and Ying families—post verified messages backing Siyao and warning rumor-spreaders. The Information Bureau then announces a special investigation and says those responsible will face legal consequences. The abuse stops, and Siyao is moved by the show of support.
• The next day, Yang Wanqing answers the door to find Qin Zheng of the Special Affairs Bureau and an unfamiliar, sharp-eyed woman in uniform.

Character developments

• Chen Siyao is hurt by the false accusations but tries to stay composed, address her viewers honestly, and carry on. The unexpected public support overwhelms her emotionally.
• Chen Hao comforts his sister and remains calm during the livestream. Siyao suspects he arranged the powerful intervention, but he denies it.
• Yang Wanqing is angry on Siyao’s behalf and supports her through the backlash.
• Lu Xiao tries to correct the record by posting the original footage, though it initially has little effect.

Significant themes

• Misinformation and online mob behavior: Editing can distort the truth, and viral outrage can overwhelm evidence.
• Power, influence, and accountability: Powerful families and the Information Bureau can quickly silence abuse and promise legal consequences, though this also highlights the reach of elite connections.
• Family and solidarity: Siyao receives support from her brother, friends, fans, and influential allies when she is targeted.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao reassures Siyao and encourages her not to let the comments defeat her.
• During the livestream, Siyao addresses the accusations directly, while fans argue with hostile viewers on her behalf.
• The four families and the Information Bureau intervene publicly, changing the tone of the stream and prompting the trolls to withdraw.
• Yang Wanqing welcomes Qin Zheng and his unfamiliar female colleague, setting up the next development.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Zheng and Gu Lan visit Chen Siyao to reveal that Zhao, a jealous small-time streamer, fabricated and spread rumors about her to attract followers. The Information Bureau has identified him, and he will face legal penalties.
• Qin says his niece, Qin Xiaoyu, alerted him to the situation. After they leave, Gu Lan points out that the Bureau was already investigating and that Qin’s visit also makes the family feel indebted to him.
• Gu Lan reflects that Chen Hao’s file is classified beyond her already-high clearance, underscoring how closely the authorities monitor him.
• Siyao finds her fan group still buzzing about the investigation and redirects their attention to watching Chen Hao play Delta Force. She, Yang Wanqing, and Xiao Yue join him, and millions tune in when the stream begins.
• The next day, Siyao returns to Pengcheng University, where students recognize her as both a popular online personality and the “Jade Pool Fairy.”

Character developments and interactions

• Siyao is relieved that the rumors are being handled, though she is unsettled that a stranger targeted her. She soon regains her playful mood, eagerly organizing a gaming stream with Chen Hao and Wanqing.
• Qin Zheng presents his involvement as a favor, despite knowing the Bureau was already acting. Gu Lan sees through the gesture and later grows concerned about the extraordinary secrecy surrounding Chen Hao.
• Wanqing is caught off guard by Siyao’s enthusiasm, while Xiao Yue eagerly heads for the gaming room.
• Chen Hao remains mostly in the background, but the authorities’ surveillance and restricted access to his file mark him as a figure of exceptional importance.

Significant themes

• Jealousy and online harm: Zhao weaponizes edited videos and rumors for attention.
• Influence and obligation: Qin uses a real family connection to frame his intervention as a personal favor.
• Secrecy and power: Chen Hao’s restricted file hints at deeper government interest in him.
• Fame and community: Siyao’s audience quickly shifts from scandal to excitement over her brother’s stream, while her public recognition extends to campus.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Siyao has become a campus celebrity, nicknamed the “Jade Pool Fairy” after a photo of her circulated online. Her cultivation has also changed her appearance and presence, though she brushes off Huang Qiaoling’s praise.
• Freshman Fu Zhaojie approaches Siyao with an unusual concern: his cat—and, he claims, the other animals in his village—have begun cultivating.
• He shows Siyao photos of cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, and a goose gathering beneath an old locust tree. Several animals appear to sit upright in meditation, faintly glowing. Fu insists the photos are genuine and says the animals assemble there daily.
• Siyao takes the matter seriously and promises to ask her brother about it. Qiaoling exchanges contact details with Fu so he can send the photos.
• That evening, Siyao and Yang Wanqing examine the images with amusement and curiosity. When Chen Hao looks through them, he notices the final photo contains tiny cracks near the tree’s roots emitting a faint red glow.

Character developments

• Chen Siyao is increasingly admired and recognizable on campus, but remains modest. Her response to Fu shows that she is willing to investigate a strange claim rather than dismiss it.
• Huang Qiaoling remains outspoken and protective of Siyao, initially assuming Fu is using the story as a pretext to approach her.
• Fu Zhaojie is nervous but earnest, desperate for someone knowledgeable to believe him.
• Yang Wanqing reacts with humor, joking that the animals seem better at meditation than she is.
• Chen Hao approaches the evidence more methodically, spotting the subtle glow at the tree’s roots—a potentially important clue.

Significant themes

• Cultivation entering ordinary life: The possibility that common pets and farm animals can cultivate expands the story’s supernatural world.
• Appearance versus truth: Fu’s bizarre claim sounds like an implausible pickup line, but the photos and his sincerity suggest something real is happening.
• Humor amid mystery: The animals’ solemn, humanlike poses create both comedy and unease.
• Hidden causes: The faint red glow at the tree’s roots hints that the animals’ behavior may be linked to something beneath or within the tree.

Character interactions

• Qiaoling teases Siyao about her looks and later challenges Fu’s story, while Siyao responds calmly and gives him a chance to explain.
• Fu presents his evidence to Siyao and Qiaoling; Siyao agrees to consult her brother, and Qiaoling helps establish a way to contact him.
• Siyao and Wanqing inspect the photos together, joking about the animals’ apparent meditation.
• Siyao and Wanqing then show the images to Chen Hao, whose discovery of the red-lit cracks shifts the scene from amusement toward investigation.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao examines reports of animals gathering around a tree and explains that they are passively absorbing energy from a small Flame Spirit Stone beneath it. Unlike the many stones beneath Gusu, this fragment should only make the animals somewhat smarter and longer-lived, not monstrous. Chen Siyao relays the explanation to Huang Qiaoling to reassure Fu Zhaojie.
• In Shushan City, a localized earthquake has revealed ancient buildings on E Mountain’s summit. The site cannot be photographed by satellite, drones lose their signals and overheat, and scouts find themselves mysteriously circling back.
• The Special Affairs Bureau’s Team Two returns from an expedition with several wounded members and the body of its captain, Gao Chiyu. A scout reports that three-meter-tall, heavily armed monkeys ambushed them using coordinated tactics. Gao was killed by a sharpened branch thrown like a spear while covering the team’s retreat.
• Footage from the mission shows the creatures. Biologist Professor Wang identifies them as grotesquely enlarged Cangyou monkeys, likely altered by an outside force. He compares them to the giant spiders previously found beneath Dragon Mound in Gusu.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao explains the limits of the energy source, easing Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing’s fears that the village animals might become huge monsters.
• Cao Shoujun responds to Gao’s death with grief and anger, briefly losing control and striking a wall. In a tense briefing, he questions how confidently the creatures can be identified and whether one should be captured for study.
• The injured scout’s account establishes that the monkeys are not merely powerful: they can use weapons and coordinate attacks.
• Professor Wang brings scientific context to the crisis, linking the Shushan creatures to earlier mutations in Gusu. The meeting also includes Qin Zheng, scholars, and local officials, who face the implications of the discovery.

Significant themes

• The supernatural entering the modern world: Strange geography, ancient buildings, and altered wildlife challenge ordinary methods of investigation.
• Power and adaptation: The same mysterious energy can produce modest changes in one place and terrifying transformations in another.
• The cost of exploration: Team Two’s losses show that investigating these phenomena is deadly.
• Intelligence beyond humanity: The monkeys’ weapons and tactics make them a strategic threat, not simply dangerous animals.

Plot points

• At a crisis meeting about the dangerous creatures and mysterious formation on E Mountain, Qin Zheng explains that the beasts may have grown after absorbing highly pure energy, as in Gusu.
• The formation is not a normal maze: it seals the mountain’s inhabitants inside and prevents outsiders from entering. Qin Zheng admits he cannot break it, but believes Chen Hao can.
• Professors Li, Sun, and Wang recognize Chen Hao’s reputation from livestreams showing him breaking ancient formations. Director Cao, unfamiliar with him and livestream culture, agrees that Qin should make contact.
• Qin Zheng asks Chen Siyao to relay an urgent request to her brother. He reports evolved beasts, a Primordial Era formation, trapped scouts, and fatalities in Shushan City.
• At university, Siyao’s improved badminton skills reveal the gains from her Azure Dragon cultivation. After the call, she tells Yang Wanqing about the crisis; Yang immediately volunteers to go, hoping for an adventure and a chance to ride a beast.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Zheng is cautious about approaching Chen Hao but confident in his ability, and uses Siyao as the most reliable way to reach him.
• Cao Shoujun shifts from uncertainty about the unfamiliar Chen Hao to taking the proposal seriously after hearing the professors’ endorsements.
• Chen Siyao is surprised by the crisis and promises to consult her brother, while keeping her cultivation gains private from Yang.
• Yang Wanqing responds to danger with exuberant enthusiasm, contrasting with the officials’ grave concern.
• The scholars’ respect for Chen Hao lightens the tense meeting, while Siyao’s conversation with Yang turns an urgent request into the possibility of a new adventure.

Significant themes

• Human limits and exceptional ability: the experts cannot solve the formation, so they must seek Chen Hao’s help.
• Ancient mysteries amid modern crisis: primordial formations and evolving beasts challenge contemporary institutions.
• Uneven responses to danger: officials focus on casualties and risk, while Yang sees excitement and opportunity.

Plot points and events

• Yang Wanqing suggests a winter-break trip to Shushan, partly for its famous hot pot. Chen Siyao agrees after learning that Shushan is also where Fu Zhaojie had mentioned a remarkable cat.
• Siyao tells Chen Hao that Director Qin has asked for help investigating a mysterious site on Shushan’s summit: a cluster of buildings lies behind a formation, and scouts have encountered evolved giant monkeys, with some casualties.
• Chen Hao agrees to go with Siyao after her exams. He suspects the site may be connected to unusual energy fluctuations he has sensed elsewhere, and wonders who built the buildings and what is influencing the monkeys.
• In his study, Chen Hao examines Flame Spirit Stones and reflects on their possible connection to energy beneath Gusu, in Yongle City, and on Shushan. He then studies the fourth transformation of the ancient cultivation method Azure Dragon Nine Transformations.
• The next morning, while Siyao and Wanqing leave for exams, Chen Hao practices the method’s breathing and forms in the courtyard. Afterward, he makes breakfast and opens a ride-hailing app to visit Pengcheng’s Hundred Herbs Hall.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Siyao is excited by the prospect of a trip and shows her closeness to Chen Hao by leaning on and hugging his arm. Chen Hao responds warmly, agreeing to go for her sake while keeping his concerns about Shushan to himself.
• Yang Wanqing shares Siyao’s enthusiasm, especially about Shushan’s hot pot, and respectfully calls Chen Hao “Master.”
• Chen Hao balances affection for Siyao with quiet caution. He continues investigating mysterious energies and developing his cultivation, demonstrating both his formidable ability and his disciplined routine.
• Xiao Yue, listening from the rug, remains a quiet presence as the girls excitedly plan the trip.

Significant themes

• Family affection and everyday life: The sisters’ trip planning and morning send-off contrast with Chen Hao’s serious investigations.
• Mystery and foreshadowing: The summit buildings, formation, evolved monkeys, and scattered energy sources suggest a larger hidden phenomenon.
• Discipline and cultivation: Chen Hao’s study of ancient techniques and careful practice show his commitment to strengthening himself before the coming expedition.

Plot points and events

• At Hundred Herbs Hall, the initially dismissive shopkeeper, Tong, takes Chen Hao’s prescription and realizes it calls for large quantities of costly, aged supplementary herbs. Chen orders five portions of each and pays a deposit for the ingredients the shop must obtain from its headquarters.
• Tong asks whether Chen needs a main ingredient and offers expensive wild ginseng. Chen declines, privately noting that he already possesses a far more potent primordial-era flower for his medicinal bath.
• On a riverside walk, Chen unexpectedly meets Zhang Wei, a former university neighbor and hometown acquaintance. They catch up briefly, and Zhang invites Chen to fish with him.
• Chen accepts a rod and uses concealed techniques to locate a favorable feng shui fish vein. He heads toward the water under a bridge pier, despite its stagnant, duckweed-covered appearance.

Character developments

• Chen remains composed and unbothered by the shopkeeper’s initial snub. His knowledge of herbs and access to extraordinary treasures reveal the gulf between his abilities and ordinary standards.
• Zhang is enthusiastic about reconnecting but compares himself unfavorably with Chen, who appears unchanged since university. He boasts of his stable state-owned-company job and assumes Chen’s internet fame is a less secure career.

Character interactions

• Shopkeeper Tong’s attitude shifts from indifference to cautious respect after seeing Chen’s expensive prescription; he then tries to sell him ginseng.
• Zhang recognizes Chen, recalls their student days, and probes about his work before inviting him to fish. Chen is reserved but agrees.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Chen looks like an ordinary young man, yet possesses deep expertise and extraordinary resources; the seemingly poor fishing spot may also conceal promise.
• Status, security, and comparison: Zhang measures success through stable employment and conventional milestones, while his envy highlights his insecurity about aging and physical change.
• Hidden power in everyday life: Chen quietly applies mystical knowledge amid ordinary city scenes and conversations.

Key plot points and events

• While fishing, Chen Hao ignores Zhang Wei’s warning about a supposedly fishless spot beneath a bridge. He catches three large carp in quick succession, while Zhang Wei catches nothing.
• Chen Hao explains that he is leaving because the area’s qi has shifted upstream. He gives Zhang Wei the fish, saying no one at home eats them.
• Zhang Wei is impressed and envious of Chen Hao’s good fortune, wealth, and home in the expensive Treasure Sky City development. After Chen Hao leaves, Zhang Wei continues fishing without a bite and questions his own luck and life.
• Two days later, Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing celebrate finishing their final exams by going shopping with Cai Jingwen and Li Li. Among their purchases is a black cashmere coat for Chen Hao.
• At home, Chen Hao receives medicinal herbs from Hundred Herbs Hall. He takes out three rare blood-congealing dragonbone flowers from a jade box, combines them with the herbs in jars, and leaves the mixture to steep.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao comes across as calm, capable, and quietly generous. His knowledge of qi guides his fishing, and he readily gives his catch to Zhang Wei.
• Zhang Wei shifts from smugly advising Chen Hao to astonishment, envy, and self-doubt. His memories of his wife’s complaints about his fishing add a personal note to his frustration.
• Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing are exuberant after exams and show affection for Chen Hao by choosing him a coat.
• Chen Hao and his household are shown preparing for an unstated medicinal task, as he carefully arranges herbs and rare spiritual ingredients.

Significant themes

• Luck, skill, and hidden knowledge: Zhang Wei sees Chen Hao’s success as unfair luck, while the narration reveals Chen Hao is tracking qi.
• Contrasting lives and perspectives: Zhang Wei’s dissatisfaction with his circumstances contrasts with Chen Hao’s apparent prosperity and generosity.
• Care and connection: The girls’ gift and Chen Hao’s gift of fish show everyday acts of affection and kindness.
• The extraordinary within the ordinary: Fishing and shopping sit alongside rare spiritual treasures and qi-based knowledge.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao prepares a medicinal bath for Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing, warning them to soak for half an hour without resisting the medicine’s effects.
• The next morning, both girls feel energized and look healthier despite limited sleep. Chen Hao explains that the bath is only basic body tempering and that their cultivation will eventually require stronger medicines.
• The group travels to Shushan City to investigate strange Primordial Era ruins that have appeared on E Mountain. A powerful formation hides the site from satellites and drones, and previous investigators have been injured or lost.
• Qin Zheng introduces Chen Hao to Cao Shoujun, the official overseeing the southwest response. Cao welcomes Chen Hao respectfully and explains the seriousness of the situation.
• Professors and Special Affairs Bureau personnel brief Chen Hao. He confidently says he can break the formation, lifting the room’s spirits.
• Chen Siyao asks to livestream the trip. After checking with Qin Zheng and honoring restrictions on what she can show, Cao permits it. Her broadcast quickly attracts over a million viewers.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao acts as both mentor and problem-solver: he cares for the girls’ physical development and remains calm and confident when faced with the E Mountain mystery.
• Chen Siyao is delighted by the bath’s effects and eager to share the expedition with her audience, while showing some awareness of security limits.
• Yang Wanqing shares Siyao’s excitement about the treatment and brings a lively, humorous presence to the cold-weather livestream.
• Cao Shoujun, though an experienced official and gunman, approaches Chen Hao with sincere respect because he urgently needs help protecting his people.
• Qin Zheng serves as the link between Chen Hao and the authorities, quietly signaling that the livestream is allowed.
• Professor Li and the other experts place their hopes in Chen Hao after conventional investigation has failed.

Significant themes

• Cultivation and preparation: The medicinal bath establishes that physical refinement is an essential foundation for future advancement.
• The limits of conventional knowledge: Modern technology and academic investigation cannot penetrate the ancient formation.
• Trust under pressure: Cao Shoujun and the research team rely on Chen Hao because the danger is immediate and their own efforts have failed.
• Public attention and secrecy: Siyao’s livestream brings the expedition to a huge audience, but the authorities must balance publicity with operational security.

Chapter Summary: “Attack of the Monkey Horde”

Key events

• Chen Hao leads Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing up E Mountain while Xiao Yue watches the forest alertly. At the foot of the mountain, Cao Shoujun tells his team to monitor their livestream.
• The group follows a rough trail through misty woods. Monkey calls abruptly stop, and the forest falls unnaturally silent.
• A barrage of sticks and stones flies at them from beyond the trees. Chen Siyao pulls Yang Wanqing behind Chen Hao.
• Chen Hao halts the weapons in midair with a hand seal, then sends them hurtling back toward their attackers. The returning projectiles injure several Cangyou Monkeys.
• The group encounters the surviving monkeys, including a much larger leader marked with a white crescent on its chest. When several young monkeys attack, Chen Hao dodges one, breaks its knee with a kick, and knocks another unconscious with an elbow. The confrontation is still unfolding when the chapter ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains composed under attack, displaying powerful supernatural control and decisive fighting skill. He continues forward without pausing to explain or boast.
• Chen Siyao reacts protectively and quickly, getting Yang Wanqing out of danger before Chen Hao counters the attack.
• Yang Wanqing shifts from fear to excitement after witnessing Chen Hao’s ability and asks to learn it. His answer—that she must reach the third transformation of the Azure Dragon Nine Transformations—leaves her discouraged.
• Xiao Yue is unusually tense and watchful in the forest, then licks Yang Wanqing’s hand after her disappointment.
• Cao Shoujun stays behind but remains invested in the group’s progress, instructing his team to follow the livestream.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Chen Hao’s calm mastery contrasts with the monkeys’ overwhelming ambush.
• Fear and composure: The group and livestream audience are shaken by the forest’s silence and sudden attack, while Chen Hao stays steady.
• Training and limits: Yang Wanqing’s eagerness to imitate Chen Hao runs up against the demanding progression required to gain such abilities.
• Nature turned hostile: The mist, unnatural silence, and organized monkey attack make the forest feel threatening and almost sentient.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao defeats the Cangyou Monkeys attacking the group, overpowering their leader with a single palm strike. The remaining monkeys flee.
• As Chen Hao, Yang Wanqing, Xiao Yue, and Chen Siyao continue up the mountain, they encounter unusually vivid or oversized wildlife, including a red fox, enlarged white-lipped deer, a snake, and a mountain leopard. The leopard retreats when it senses Chen Hao’s aura.
• Near the summit, the forest falls unnaturally silent. A giant tiger blocks the trail.
• Xiao Yue bravely confronts the tiger with a strange, powerful howl. Chen Hao then releases the draconic aura of Azure Dragon Nine Transformations. Sensing his superior presence, the tiger backs away and disappears into the forest.
• The group resumes its climb.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains calm and overwhelmingly powerful, handling both the monkey attack and the tiger encounter without panic. His aura proves more effective than violence against the tiger.
• Xiao Yue displays growing courage and hints at a wolf-like nature, standing her ground against the tiger and howling at it. She seems proud afterward, and Yang Wanqing praises and pets her.
• Yang Wanqing is startled by the snake but celebrates Xiao Yue’s bravery.
• Chen Siyao is frightened by the tiger, while filming the unusual animals for the livestream. Viewers speculate about Xiao Yue’s identity and admire her courage.

Significant themes

• Hierarchy in nature: Animals respond instinctively to power, retreating before stronger or higher-order beings.
• Hidden identities and transformation: Xiao Yue’s howl suggests she may be more than an ordinary dog, while the mountain’s altered wildlife hints at broader supernatural changes.
• Courage and restraint: Xiao Yue faces the tiger boldly, while Chen Hao resolves the standoff by calmly revealing his aura rather than attacking.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao, Chen Siyao, Yang Wanqing, and Xiao Yue enter a maze formation behind the tiger. Chen Hao uses the Cloudbreaker Ruler to guide them safely through it.
• They emerge into a plaza lined with enormous piles of silver bricks. When Chen Hao picks one up, it turns into gold—but he reveals that the apparent treasure consumes the holder’s lifespan. He destroys the piles, exposing a doorway.
• Beyond the doorway, a layered illusion formation separates Chen Hao from Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing. Using the Primordial Golden Eye Mantra, he sees through the illusions and discovers twenty-four Dinghai Pearls, each sustaining one layer of the formation.
• Chen Hao realizes they have reached Zhao Gongming’s cultivation ground. Xiao Yue has avoided the illusion, so Chen Hao uses her to reach the pearls. He finds Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing trapped separately inside them. The chapter ends as Chen Siyao enters her illusion.

Character developments

• Chen Hao remains calm and decisive, recognizing both formations and warning the others about the lifespan trap. He demonstrates powerful knowledge and abilities by breaking through the illusions and locating their source.
• Yang Wanqing is initially dazzled by the apparent wealth, nearly touching a brick, but Chen Hao’s warning makes her grasp the danger.
• Chen Siyao follows Chen Hao’s guidance but is ultimately separated and trapped in an illusion.
• Xiao Yue shows unusual composure and proves immune to, or unaffected by, the illusion, making her useful to Chen Hao.

Significant themes

• Greed as a trap: The gold and silver exploit people’s desire for wealth, secretly taking their lives in exchange.
• Illusion and discernment: The formations distort reality, while knowledge and clear perception allow Chen Hao to identify what is real and dangerous.
• Trust and protection: The group relies on Chen Hao’s judgment as he leads them through the ruins and protects them from hidden threats.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao guides Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing through the maze, while Yang Wanqing’s excitement over the treasure prompts his warning.
• Chen Hao demonstrates the bricks’ danger and destroys them, convincing the others that the treasure is a deadly lure.
• After the illusion separates him from the women, Chen Hao works with Xiao Yue to locate the pearls containing Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing are trapped in separate illusion arrays inside the Dinghai Pearls. Siyao first faces a vast pack of wolves; Wanqing faces charging wild boars.
• Chen Hao’s voice encourages Siyao to use the Azure Dragon Nine Transformations. She fights the wolves successfully, growing more confident with each victory.
• Wanqing initially calls for her master, but discovers she can defeat the boars with her own strength. Fear turns into exhilaration as she charges through them.
• Siyao’s trial advances to a forest filled with spear-wielding, elephant-headed monsters. Before she can finish the fight, the illusion collapses and Chen Hao reveals that she has escaped.
• Wanqing is also released from her illusion, where she had been fleeing headless, axe-wielding monsters and repeatedly calling for help.
• Chen Hao explains that the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls contain progressively more difficult combat trials. He chose the first level to help the two women practice.

Character developments

• Chen Siyao moves from panic and self-doubt to resolve, using her brother’s advice and her training to face increasingly dangerous opponents.
• Yang Wanqing discovers that she is stronger than she expected. Although she remains frightened, she can still fight—and soon becomes overconfident and boastful.
• Chen Hao acts as a tough, deliberate instructor, letting the trials test his companions rather than warning them in advance.

Significant themes

• Courage despite fear: Wanqing insists that fighting does not mean she was unafraid; both women act while frightened.
• Growth through challenge: The illusions turn combat into a test of skill, confidence, and resilience.
• Deceptive appearances: The threats seem real, but each defeated enemy dissolves into smoke, revealing the trials’ artificial nature.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao’s voice helps Siyao regain her determination, while his silence during Wanqing’s trial forces her to rely on herself.
• After the trials, Siyao comforts the shaken Wanqing and helps her up.
• Wanqing clings to Chen Hao and complains about the frightening test. He flicks her forehead, teasing that a warning would have distracted her from training.
• Siyao redirects them toward the Main Hall, bringing the scene to a close.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Hao, Chen Siyao, and Yang Wanqing reach the Primordial Era Hall at the summit of E Mountain. Its plaque reads “Xuantan Hall,” and black tiger statues beside the entrance identify it as the sanctuary of Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth.
• Chen Siyao restarts her livestream, and viewers react excitedly to the discovery. Professor Li confirms the hall’s identity and explains Zhao Gongming’s association with a black tiger. Scholars watching from the mountain’s base speculate that the sanctuary and its formation were established by Zhao Gongming.
• Inside, the group finds an otherwise empty hall with a rune-covered platform. When Chen Siyao remarks on the lack of a statue, golden ropes suddenly shoot from the dome and bind her and Yang Wanqing.
• The ropes fail to restrain Chen Hao: a golden glow around him repels them. He tells the others not to move.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains composed and knowledgeable, identifying the hall and protecting himself from the ropes with his unexplained golden aura.
• Chen Siyao shifts from wonder at the discovery to excitement about sharing it with her audience, then is caught off guard by the trap.
• Yang Wanqing eagerly jokes about praying for wealth, but instinctively tries to catch Siyao and ends up trapped too.
• The livestream audience and scholars add context and excitement: Professor Li identifies the sanctuary, while viewers turn the discovery into a hopeful spectacle about gaining wealth.

Significant themes

• Ancient myth and archaeological discovery: The hall links a real-world expedition to legendary Taoist figures and sacred sites.
• Wonder mixed with danger: A seemingly tranquil sanctuary becomes hazardous without warning.
• Modern attention meeting ancient belief: The livestream turns the discovery into shared entertainment, scholarly discussion, and popular hopes for good fortune.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Siyao’s attempt to break free from the golden ropes only makes them tighten. Chen Hao identifies them as the Binding Dragon Rope, which constricts anyone who struggles.
• Chen Hao uses the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors—an artifact said to counter the rope—to free Siyao and Yang Wanqing. Professor Sun confirms the scissors’ legendary origin in the livestream.
• Wanqing asks to borrow the scissors, but Chen Hao refuses, promising her an artifact when she reaches the third transformation.
• The group approaches a raised platform reached by nine steps carved with symbols of wealth and Dao. Chen Hao explains that Zhao Gongming placed the rope trap there and that whoever inherits his legacy may become its master.
• A coin embedded in the platform contains Zhao Gongming’s legacy: a chance to inherit his full powers as the God of Wealth. Chen Hao examines it but declines to pursue the inheritance.
• Siyao and Wanqing each try the coin. Siyao is rejected for having no affinity with wealth; Wanqing is told she is not destined for windfall wealth. Siyao laughs at Wanqing’s disappointment.

Character developments

• Chen Hao remains calm and knowledgeable, quickly recognizing the trap and using a rare artifact to escape it. He shows little interest in Zhao Gongming’s legacy.
• Chen Siyao is frightened by the rope trap but recovers quickly. Her failed inheritance attempt disappoints her, though she later finds humor in Wanqing’s rejection.
• Yang Wanqing is initially panicked, then excited by the scissors and the prospect of wealth. Her hopes are deflated when the legacy rejects her, but her disappointment is played for comedy.
• Professor Sun provides historical context, identifying the scissors through the livestream.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Struggling against the Binding Dragon Rope worsens the danger; escaping requires knowledge and the right tool.
• Inheritance and worthiness: Zhao Gongming’s legacy is available to anyone, but acceptance depends on individual affinity or fate.
• Humor amid danger: The characters move from a life-threatening trap to teasing and comic disappointment over their failed claims to wealth.
• Training and earned strength: Chen Hao links Wanqing’s future magical artifact to reaching the third transformation.

Character interactions

• Chen Hao protects and frees Siyao and Wanqing, then explains the trap and legacy to them.
• Wanqing eagerly asks to use the scissors, but Chen Hao sets a condition tied to her training.
• Siyao and Wanqing both challenge each other to try the legacy coin; after their rejections, their disappointment turns into mutual laughter and teasing.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao removes the copper coin from its pedestal. The hall’s lights and runes briefly go dark, then return dimmer; the coin appears ordinary and is stored in his Qiankun Bag.
• He and his companions are confronted by He Tong, president of the Shushan Taoist Association, and four trained men who emerge from the shadows. He Tong demands the coin, claiming the association has authority over the temple and its contents.
• Yang Wanqing protests that her group endured the temple’s dangers while He Tong’s party waited outside. Chen Siyao calls Qin Zheng of the Special Affairs Bureau, who confirms that the coin belongs to Chen Hao as the bureau’s invited expert.
• Though intimidated by the bureau’s authority, He Tong remains determined to claim the God of Wealth’s inheritance. He proposes a duel, arguing that the winner should take the treasure.
• Yang Wanqing volunteers to fight first so she can test her progress. Chen Hao agrees, and she challenges He Tong; he accepts with contempt and prepares to fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains calm and self-assured, letting Chen Siyao handle the official dispute and allowing Yang Wanqing to take the duel.
• Yang Wanqing is outspoken and protective of the group, then shows confidence in her own growing abilities by stepping forward to fight.
• Chen Siyao acts decisively, using her connection to Qin Zheng to establish the group’s legal standing.
• He Tong reveals himself as greedy and opportunistic: after his authority is challenged, he switches to a duel to pursue the inheritance by force.
• The livestream audience condemns He Tong’s attempted seizure and mocks his decision to challenge Chen Hao. Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing’s amusement contrasts with He Tong’s confidence.

Significant themes

• Greed and entitlement: He Tong invokes official authority, then martial custom, to justify taking a treasure he did not earn.
• Merit versus power: The dispute pits the group’s hard-won achievement against He Tong’s claim that treasures belong to the strong.
• Authority and accountability: The Special Affairs Bureau’s intervention checks the Taoist Association’s attempt to overreach.
• Growing strength and trust: Yang Wanqing’s request to fight reflects her confidence and Chen Hao’s willingness to let her prove herself.

Key plot points and events

• He Tong, a martial artist who has cultivated using a Flame Spirit Stone fragment, challenges Yang Wanqing. Though his Bajiquan is far more refined, her strength from the Azure Dragon Nine Transformations overwhelms him.
• When He Tong tries to attack Yang with hidden silver needles, Chen Hao intercepts them with needles of his own, then paralyzes He Tong by striking acupoints. He immobilizes He Tong’s four companions as well.
• Chen Hao takes He Tong’s pouch and identifies the dark red stone inside as a Flame Spirit Stone fragment. Under pressure, He Tong explains that he found it in the hills behind Fu Family Village, where animals had become unusually aggressive and large.
• Chen Hao asks Chen Siyao to contact the Special Affairs Bureau to take the group away. He then searches the Xuantan Hall with his divine sense, discovering a much stronger energy source three meters beneath the Main Hall.
• He breaks through a stone slab, revealing a dark opening below. He Tong and his companions are stunned by Chen Hao’s power.

Character developments

• Yang Wanqing proves that her extraordinary physical strength can overcome a much more experienced fighter, though her technique remains comparatively rough.
• He Tong shifts from confidence and contempt to desperation, resorting to a sneak attack before surrendering and revealing what he knows.
• Chen Hao demonstrates his composure and superior abilities, showing that he had anticipated He Tong’s intentions and is now investigating the source of the strange energy.
• Chen Siyao responds promptly to Chen Hao’s instructions and helps arrange the authorities’ intervention.

Significant themes

• Power versus experience: Yang’s raw strength defeats He Tong’s superior martial skill.
• Hubris and consequences: He Tong’s attempt to exploit the situation leaves him at the mercy of someone far stronger.
• Hidden forces and discovery: The Flame Spirit Stone and the stronger energy beneath the hall hint at a wider mystery behind the unusual events.

Character interactions

• Yang Wanqing and He Tong exchange a brief, dismissive challenge before fighting.
• Chen Hao protects Yang from He Tong’s concealed attack, then interrogates him about the stone.
• Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing connect He Tong’s account of Fu Family Village to a photograph they had seen earlier.
• Chen Hao directs Chen Siyao to summon the Special Affairs Bureau while he searches the hall; the others watch as he uncovers the underground opening.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao finds six Flame Spirit Stones arranged in a circle beneath Xuantan Hall and stores them in his Qiankun Bag. Their energy, together with the removal of the Legacy Coin, causes the ancient formation over Shushan to vanish.
• He releases He Tong and his companions from the silver needles immobilizing them, then leaves the grounds with Chen Siyao, Yang Wanqing, and Xiao Yue. Siyao ends her livestream.
• Special Affairs Bureau Director Qin Zheng, Cao Shoujun, and the research team arrive. Chen confirms that the formation is broken and the animals will no longer evolve. Cao thanks him and orders He Tong’s group taken away.
• On the way down, the group decides to stay in Shushan City overnight and visit Fu Family Village the next day. They end the evening at a spicy skewer restaurant.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains calm and in control, quietly resolving the crisis and accepting Cao Shoujun’s thanks without ceremony.
• Chen Siyao is curious about the stones’ connection to Zhao Gongming’s legacy and wraps up her livestream before leaving.
• Yang Wanqing’s disappointment at missing a chance to profit quickly gives way to enthusiasm for food and the next day’s excursion. Her first bite of hot-pot-style food leaves her tearful from the heat.
• Cao Shoujun shows Chen Hao sincere respect and gratitude, while the researchers eagerly anticipate examining the site.
• Chen Hao, Siyao, and Yang Wanqing coordinate their next destination; Siyao suggests asking Fu Zhaojie for directions.

Significant themes

• Crisis resolved and normalcy restored: The formation’s collapse reconnects the isolated grounds with the outside world and ends the animals’ evolution.
• Power and restraint: Chen Hao uses his abilities precisely, freeing He Tong’s group without further confrontation.
• Curiosity and discovery: The researchers and Siyao remain keen to understand the supernatural events and the animals’ cultivation.
• Companionship and everyday pleasures: After the danger, the group shifts naturally to travel plans and food.

Key plot points and events

• After dinner in Shushan City, Chen Siyao contacts Fu Zhaojie and arranges for him to show the group the unusual old tree at Fu Family Village. Chen Hao sets the meeting for eight the next morning.
• The group travels to the village, where Fu Zhaojie greets Chen Hao with nervous excitement. He starts to invite them into his home but becomes embarrassed by its unfinished, sparsely furnished interior. Siyao tactfully suggests they go straight to the tree instead.
• When Yang Wanqing asks whether anyone else is home, Fu Zhaojie explains that his parents died when he was ten and his grandfather died when he was sixteen. He says he has grown used to living alone.
• Fu leads them to the several-hundred-year-old tree. Since the previous month, cats and dogs have gathered there and begun meditating. At the tree, Chen Hao examines a freshly dug pit and finds coarse black-bear fur carrying a faint trace of Flame Spirit Stone energy. He identifies the animal, leaving the group to wonder why a bear came to the village entrance.

Character developments and interactions

• Siyao is considerate and perceptive: she recognizes Fu’s shame about his home and redirects the visit, then quietly comforts him when he reveals his losses. His history resonates with her own, as she also lost her parents at ten.
• Fu Zhaojie is an eager fan of Chen Hao, but his enthusiasm gives way to vulnerability when discussing his isolation. He remains their guide and explains the strange animal behavior.
• Wanqing brings playful humor to the group, teasing both the food and Fu’s imitation of a meditating animal. She also promptly apologizes when she realizes her question about his family has hurt him.
• Chen Hao remains reserved and focused. His inspection of the pit turns the group’s attention from the animals’ odd behavior toward a possible supernatural connection.

Significant themes

• Loneliness and loss: Fu’s account and Siyao’s empathy establish a bond through shared childhood bereavement.
• Compassion and dignity: Siyao helps Fu avoid embarrassment without making a spectacle of his poverty or grief.
• Mystery and supernatural disturbance: The animals’ meditation, the fresh pit, and the Flame Spirit Stone trace suggest the old tree is connected to an unexplained event.

Plot points and events

• Chen Hao deduces that the Flame Spirit Stone was brought to the mountains by a demonic beast. Its presence stirred local spiritual energy and caused the village livestock to mutate.
• He asks Fu Zhaojie to lead the group to a nearby bear den. Fu warns them of the cave’s danger but turns back once Chen Hao says he need not enter.
• Chen Hao, Chen Siyao, Yang Wanqing, and Xiao Yue explore the damp, dark cave and find an enormous black bear watching them.
• Yang Wanqing, eager to test her strength, challenges the bear and calls it “Xiong Er.” The bear initially looks confused, then senses the aura of her Azure Dragon Nine Transformations and bows submissively.
• When Yang Wanqing strokes its head, the bear nuzzles her hand. Chen Hao explains that the dragon-like aura intimidates beasts and can make spiritually intelligent animals submit.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Hao remains composed and perceptive, identifying the likely source of the village’s strange changes. He leads the group into danger and explains the bear’s reaction.
• Yang Wanqing is confident and eager for a fight after her recent victory over He Tong. Her challenge unexpectedly wins the bear’s submission, leaving her astonished and delighted.
• Chen Siyao is cautious but curious; she keeps the group’s way lit and notices that the bear does not seem hostile.
• Fu Zhaojie is frightened by the den and quickly retreats once given permission.
• The black bear is unusually intelligent and calm, shifting from watchful appraisal to respectful submission and friendly affection.
• The group’s reactions—especially Yang Wanqing’s bewilderment—lend humor to an otherwise tense cave encounter.

Significant themes

• Spiritual power and nature: The Flame Spirit Stone affects the surrounding environment, while Yang Wanqing’s cultivation aura influences the bear.
• Strength expressed without violence: Yang Wanqing’s power resolves the encounter through intimidation and submission rather than combat.
• The uncanny in the ordinary: The bear’s intelligence and altered surroundings suggest that supernatural forces are reshaping the natural world.