Recaps

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions arrived at the ruined Ludan Port in Qinmeng and began preparing to explore the wilderness. After Wang Haoran found them a truck, they learned that exotic beast dung could help repel pests and attract prey, much to Huang’s disgust.

• Wang Haoran jumped from the passenger ship early, while Zuo Teng and Zhou Tianhao used a rope to get ashore ahead of the waiting passengers.
• Zhang Xuezhou and his companions disembarked and noticed that Qinmeng’s clean air helped his Law Power recover faster.
• Wang Haoran found a battered pickup truck, and Zhang Xuezhou recognized that its dung-covered state suggested it had carried several exotic beasts.
• Ren Anran and Wang Haoran explained that exotic beast dung could keep pests away, mark territory, and help attract prey.
• Huang objected when the group prepared to rely on exotic beast dung during their expedition.

Zhang Xuezhou’s group followed Huang’s tracking skills to a hyena pack and quickly hunted its unusually fast leader. They prepared to collect the wounded exotic beast, leaving Wang Haoran astonished at how easily the hunt had gone.

• Huang agreed to help locate beasts after the group cleaned away the dung that bothered him.
• Zhang Xuezhou directed Wang Li to drive quickly, and the truck reached a hunting spot after four hours on the ruined road.
• Zhang Xuezhou and the others followed Huang’s clues on foot and found a pack of hyenas, with Wang Haoran reluctantly joining them.
• Zhang Xuezhou shot the hyena leader twice with the Infinite Gun, bringing it down after it displayed exceptional speed.
• Wang Li sounded a horn that mimicked a golden lion’s roars, scattering the rest of the pack as the group prepared to collect their catch.

Zhang Xuezhou's group finished hunting five mutated beasts and drove into Qinmeng's intermediate zone to find Ren Wuyang. They learned that Baili Huai'an, a Fifth Sequence expert, was pursuing Ren Wuyang over a hidden fuel depot, and the group struggled to pinpoint his location.

• Wang Haoran reflected that the group had captured five mutated beasts with little difficulty, while Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian discussed the tamed hyena and their plans to transport more beasts.
• The group left Qinmeng's beginner zone and entered the intermediate zone as they continued toward Ren Wuyang.
• Ren Anran received a message saying Ren Wuyang was within three hundred li, had found an underground fuel depot, and was being pursued by people who wanted his vehicle and the depot's location.
• Ren Anran identified the pursuers' leader as Baili Huai'an, a British Alliance State Fifth Sequence expert known for prolonged combat.
• Wang Haoran said Baili Huai'an could wear down his targets, while Zhang Xuezhou proposed fighting him and Ren Anran searched for Ren Wuyang's location.

Ren Wuyang escaped his truck and tried to reach the group while Baili Huai'an continued pursuing him. Near dawn, the group went to meet Ren Wuyang but encountered Baili Huai'an first, who was distracted by their tamed mutant beasts.

• Ren Wuyang abandoned the truck and headed toward the group's meeting point with only water and a flashlight.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian estimated Ren Wuyang's location and searched for him through the night.
• The group spotted a distant beam near dawn, and Wang Haoran and Zhang Xuezhou set out to investigate.
• Baili Huai'an appeared beside the pickup truck and asked Wang Li for food and water.
• Zhang Manqian claimed the group had tamed the mutant beasts by feeding them biscuits, and Baili Huai'an became intrigued by their obedient behavior.

Baili Huai'an enlisted Wang Li and the others to help him recover his truck and lure mosasaurs with biscuits, mistaking their cooperative behavior for newbie recklessness. As they drove toward the swamp, a sudden attack struck the pickup, and Wang Li vanished from the cab.

• Baili Huai'an tested the biscuits on the spiny mouse and agreed to buy a large batch from Ren Anran for his exotic beasts.
• Baili Huai'an asked to take the spiny mouse, and Wang Li and the others agreed to help tow his stuck truck and try luring mosasaurs with biscuits.
• Baili Huai'an explained that he wanted to hunt a rare mosasaur, and Wang Li eagerly welcomed the chance to see one.
• Baili Huai'an rested in the pickup as Wang Li drove toward the swamp, but a streak of white light attacked the vehicle.
• Baili Huai'an raised his sword-armor genetic armament to block the attack and discovered that Wang Li had disappeared from the cab.

Wang Haoran and Zhang Xuezhou ambushed Baili Huai'an as he attacked them near Qinmeng, overwhelming him with Martial Cry and gunfire. Baili Huai'an surrendered after being wounded repeatedly, while Ren Wuyang watched the fight end in seconds.

• Wang Li and his companions left the vehicle as Wang Haoran attacked Baili Huai'an with Martial Cry.
• Baili Huai'an blocked Wang Haoran's strikes, realized Ren Wuyang and the biscuit sellers were part of the same team, and chased Wang Li to take him hostage.
• Zhang Xuezhou shot Baili Huai'an several times as he tried to grab Wang Li and flee into the woods.
• Baili Huai'an surrendered after further painful shots, and Ren Wuyang marveled at how quickly the fight had ended.
• Zhang Xuezhou complained that Baili Huai'an could still move after nine shots.

After capturing Baili Huai'an, Zhang Xuezhou and the others weighed killing him against the danger of letting him go. They settled on a deal: Baili Huai'an would join them to capture a mosasaur in exchange for settling the dispute over their dead thorn rat.

• Zhang Xuezhou mourned A-Qiang and proposed killing Baili Huai'an, while Wang Li and Wang Haoran backed him.
• Baili Huai'an pleaded for his life and offered compensation, but Ren Anran and the others worried that releasing him or accepting money would cause trouble later.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Baili Huai'an could arrange a lawful biscuit purchase, but rejected it as inadequate compensation for their dead thorn rat.
• Zhang Xuezhou demanded that Baili Huai'an help them capture the mosasaur he had found, and offered to let the matter drop if he agreed.

After forcing Baili Huai'an to help hunt the mutated mosasaur, Zhang Xuezhou and the others reached his truck and reunited him with his battered team. Ren Yisheng watched their plans take shape, while Zhang Xuezhou prepared to use the cooperation to expand their exploration of Qinmeng.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained that the group had used the Spiny Rat to pressure Baili Huai'an into helping them hunt the mosasaur, and Ren Anran described how he had guided the negotiation.
• Ren Wuyang led the group to the old truck, where they found footprints and warned that someone might be nearby.
• Baili Huai'an called out to Rongge'er Pidan, Wusulimu, and Baili Taohong, who emerged from the weeds in poor condition.
• Ren Wuyang translated that the three wanted food and water, and Ren Anran offered supplies and a ride home if they helped with the hunt.
• Baili Huai'an brought his three companions over, accepting that his team would stay under the group’s control during the mosasaur hunt.
• Ren Yisheng watched from the Spirit Jade and concluded that Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran’s cooperation could help the group expand its reach in Qinmeng.

Zhang Xuezhou’s group found the injured exotic mosasaur and began hunting it, but another team intervened to stop Wang Haoran from killing it. Baili Huai'an identified the rival hunters as belonging to the Montes Lineage.

• Zhang Xuezhou enlisted Rongge'er Pidan, Wusulimu, and Baili Taohong to help hold off ordinary mosasaurs while Wang Haoran and Baili Huai'an searched the mud.
• When no mosasaurs appeared, Zhang Manqian relayed Huang’s directions to a fierce beast hidden about five hundred paces away.
• Wang Haoran used the Martial Cry to strike the hidden mosasaur, which burst from the mud and was recognized by Baili Huai'an as the exotic beast they sought.
• Baili Huai'an attacked the mosasaur and exposed its vulnerable neck, but Wang Haoran aimed a lethal strike at it.
• A marksman from a distant truck shot at the Martial Cry, forcing Wang Haoran to withdraw behind the mosasaur, and Baili Huai'an recognized the hunters as the Montes Lineage.

Wang Haoran and Zhang Xuezhou confronted a Montes Lineage hunting party, capturing Shangge Namesi while Wang and Baili Huai'an fought mosasaurs. Commander Montes Arthur and a woman joined the standoff, and the chapter ended as she deflected a shot aimed at Arthur.

• Wang Haoran damaged Shangge Namesi’s rifle and Zhang Xuezhou captured him at gunpoint.
• Zhang Xuezhou questioned Shangge Namesi, learned the team’s members and mission, and made him sign a statement giving up the hunt.
• Batia attacked Wang Haoran and Baili Huai'an with the mosasaurs, then withdrew when a gunshot warned him off.
• Zhang Xuezhou identified Commander Montes Arthur and a woman in the jungle, and the woman paralyzed Shangge Namesi.
• The woman charged Zhang Xuezhou, then intercepted a bullet aimed at Montes Arthur with her curved blades.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions used gunfire and coordinated attacks to defeat Montes Arthur and Adrian after a standoff over Shangge Namesi and the mosasaur. Ren Anran forced Montes Arthur to surrender, and Wang Li tied him up as their prisoner.

• Zhang Xuezhou threatened Montes Arthur with his pistol and demanded that he back away, while Ren Anran fired from a distance.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran opened fire, leaving Zhang Xuezhou unconscious and injuring Montes Arthur and Adrian.
• Zhang Manqian resisted Montes Arthur's intimidation, exploited Adrian's attempt to block a bullet, and struck Adrian's throat until she collapsed.
• Montes Arthur grabbed the unconscious Zhang Xuezhou as a hostage, but Ren Anran threatened him with her rifle and refused to yield.
• Ren Anran ordered Wang Li to bind Montes Arthur, and he became their prisoner.

Wang Haoran and Baili Huai'an crippled a mosasaur exotic beast to stop a confrontation with Batia, then returned to find Montes Arthur and others defeated and captured. Wang Haoran negotiated compensation with Montes Arthur, while the injured Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian awaited treatment.

• Wang Haoran and Baili Huai'an beat the mosasaur exotic beast until it could no longer move, prompting Batia to threaten them before retreating.
• Wang Haoran warned Baili Huai'an that Montes Arthur's intimidation technique could counter him, then hurried back with Baili Huai'an to regroup.
• Wang Haoran and Baili Huai'an found Zhang Xuezhou twitching, Zhang Manqian swollen and barely able to move, and Montes Arthur and two others tied up.
• Montes Arthur offered medical help and compensation, and Wang Haoran agreed to settle the dispute without further fighting.
• Montes Arthur wondered how the newcomers had overcome him, a Sequence Holder who usually countered lower-ranked opponents.

After Montes Arthur's mental-intimidation technique left Zhang Xuezhou injured, Arthur treated him with a newly developed gene medicine that quickly restored him and advanced his cultivation. Zhang Xuezhou fell asleep after securing another dose, while Ren Anran realized the Aomeijia Alliance had made a major advance in medicine.

• Montes Arthur and the others argued over who had injured whom as Zhang Xuezhou began to recover from the mental attack.
• Zhang Xuezhou used the Kunpeng Combat Technique to clear his mind, then Linna injected him with Montes Arthur's new gene medicine.
• The medicine eased Zhang Xuezhou's injury and boosted his cultivation, so he feigned worsening pain and fell asleep after deciding he needed more doses.
• Ren Anran persuaded Montes Arthur to give Zhang Xuezhou another dose the next day.
• Ren Anran recognized that Montes Arthur's medicine outperformed X432 treatment and worried that the Aomeijia Alliance had made the Heavenly God General Medicine obsolete.

After Zhang Xuezhou received repeated doses of the X864 genetic drug, he discovered Linna injecting him and attacked her, leaving himself and the others injured. The drug’s researchers confirmed that the doses had drained his vigor and spirit, and Ren Anran’s group left Montes Arthur and his companions behind as they continued toward the port.

• Zhang Xuezhou used his Yang Corporeal Soul to spot Linna preparing another injection, then struck her with the Infinite Gun when she tried to jab him.
• Four days after the mosasaur hunt, Zhang Xuezhou woke feeling hollowed out and dizzy while Ren Anran and Zhang Manqian watched over him and the tied-up group.
• Montes Arthur admitted that his tests had not covered three or four doses, and Ren Anran ordered him to contact the researchers behind X864.
• A researcher named Nuomadun explained that repeated X864 injections had intoxicated Zhang Xuezhou with pleasure and drained his vigor and spirit, but that rest should prevent lasting harm.
• Ren Anran accepted the explanation, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed to release Montes Arthur’s group before the three vehicles continued toward the port.

Zhang Xuezhou decided to remain in Qinmeng to search for places that could help him recover from the genetic drug’s lingering effects, while Ren Wuyang returned to Western Capital City with the captured exotic beasts. The group set off again with Wang Li, heading first for an oil depot Ren Wuyang had found.

• Zhang Xuezhou proposed exploring Qinmeng again to find a place where his body could recover.
• Ren Anran arranged for Ren Wuyang to escort the exotic beasts back to Western Capital City and pursue cooperation over the mosasaur blood drug.
• Wang Haoran agreed to stay with Zhang Xuezhou’s group as a supporting member after seeing their abilities.
• Ren Wuyang boarded a small cargo boat, and Zhang Xuezhou’s group prepared to continue into Qinmeng.
• Zhang Xuezhou directed Wang Li to drive them to the oil depot Ren Wuyang had discovered.

On the return journey through Qinmeng, Zhang Xuezhou reflected on his cultivation while Ren Yisheng lamented his disembodied existence and searched for purpose. The group found Zuo Teng and his companions unconscious by the road, and their complaints suggested Montes Arthur’s team had ambushed them.

• Zhang Xuezhou sent out his Yang Corporeal Soul and noticed it moved faster after his progress in the Mental Strengthening Chapter.
• Ren Yisheng discussed his isolation and inability to pursue research or cultivation, asking Zhang Xuezhou how he could find meaning in life.
• Wang Li stopped the truck after the group spotted Zuo Teng, Zhou Tianhao, Zhu Kuang, Changkong Weiguang, and Ding Hao unconscious beside the road.
• Ren Anran revived Changkong Weiguang, who said she remembered being in a vehicle before everything went black.
• Zuo Teng and the others blamed a high-rank Sequence Holder’s ambush, and the group suspected Montes Arthur’s team had overwhelmed them.

Zhang Xuezhou’s group rescued Zuo Teng’s team and agreed to take them along on another hunt through Qinmeng. After learning of a possible place where injured exotic beasts recovered, Zhang Xuezhou considered searching the safer intermediate area instead of venturing into the advanced region.

• Zhang Xuezhou explained why his group had defeated Montes Arthur’s team, then learned that Zuo Teng’s group lacked supplies and wanted to join them.
• Zuo Teng, Ding Hao, Zhu Kuang, Zhou Tianhao, and Changkong Weiguang persuaded Zhang Xuezhou to take them along, with Changkong Weiguang offering his wilderness cooking skills.
• Ren Anran treated Zuo Teng and his teammates as they rested in Zhang Xuezhou’s truck, while Zhang Xuezhou lay down to recover from trouble adjusting to Qinmeng’s conditions.
• Zuo Teng revealed that his grandfather had told him of a place where injured exotic beasts went to recover, and he marked its location in Qinmeng’s advanced area.
• Zhang Manqian reminded Zhang Xuezhou that the mosasaur they had hunted was recovering from a gunshot wound, prompting him to consider returning to the intermediate-area mudflats instead.

Zhang Xuezhou searched the mudlands where the group had fought the anomalous mosasaur and decided to dig for anything that might have helped it heal. The group uncovered several natural gold nuggets, leaving Wang Haoran baffled as the digging continued.

• Zhang Xuezhou used the Treasure-Seeking Technique to search the mudlands while Ren Anran and Zhang Manqian assisted him.
• Zhang Xuezhou ordered Ding Hao and the others to fetch shovels and dig where Wang Haoran and Baili Huai'an had fought the mosasaur.
• Ding Hao dug up a branch-shaped gold nugget weighing around a kilogram, and Zhou Tianhao grew eager to keep shoveling.
• Zuo Teng found another kilogram-sized natural gold nugget, surprising Wang Haoran.
• The group kept digging, and Wang Haoran's expression gradually changed as more gold appeared.

Zhang Xuezhou’s group uncovered a treasure-filled truck while digging through the mud, and he used the Treasure-Seeking Technique to locate Spirit Jade hidden inside a piece of white jade. Holding the jade eased the side effects of his genetic medicine injection as he left the pit.

• Zhang Xuezhou, Zuo Teng, Zhou Tianhao, and the others dug up gold nuggets, gemstones, and valuables from an abandoned truck buried in the mud.
• Zuo Teng regretted agreeing to work without a share, but Zhang Xuezhou reminded him to keep his word and limited his own digging to a small marked area.
• Zhang Xuezhou focused on the truck after his Treasure-Seeking Technique reacted, sensing that Spirit Jade had been mixed in with the cargo.
• Zuo Teng unearthed a large piece of mutton-fat white jade and tossed it to Zhang Xuezhou, who caught it and applied the Treasure-Seeking Technique.
• Ding Hao warned that the jade might be radioactive, but Zhang Xuezhou held it and felt his head clear as the side effects of the genetic medicine injection faded.

Zhang Xuezhou used a large piece of Spirit Jade to recover from the gene medicine’s side effects and accelerate his cultivation. He realized that Qinmeng’s resources could help him reach the peak of the Consciousness Creation Realm within a year and prepare for a breakthrough to the Body Transformation Realm.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Zhang Manqian, Ren Yisheng, and Ren Anran to keep searching for Spirit Jade and buy any pieces Zuo Teng and the others found.
• Zhang Xuezhou shut himself inside the truck’s cargo box and cultivated with the Spirit Jade, using its Spiritual Qi to cleanse his body.
• Zhang Xuezhou’s head cleared and his recent instability vanished as the jade’s nourishment helped him endure the effects of the gene medicine.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered how the Mental Strengthening Chapter had developed across generations and concluded that the Aomeijia Alliance could not quickly reproduce it.
• Zuo Teng climbed into the truck at dusk and asked Zhang Xuezhou to share the perfume he thought Zhang Xuezhou had sprayed.
• Zhang Xuezhou estimated that the Spirit Jade could bring him to the peak of the Consciousness Creation Realm within a year and let him attempt a breakthrough once he had the necessary medicines.

After returning to Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou learned that demons and fiends were rumored to be causing trouble, then went with Rong Tianding to check the official appointment list. His name was absent from both the appointments and the bribery blacklist, while the new emperor overheard Zhang Xuezhou denounce the bribers.

• Before leaving for the other world, Zhang Xuezhou told Zhang Manqian to cultivate with the Spirit Jade while the others searched for treasure.
• Rong Tianding told Zhang Xuezhou that rumors said demons and fiends had entered Chang'an City, prompting Zhang Xuezhou to worry about the Spirit Jade attracting beasts in the other world.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding heard reports of ghost fire and burned trees, then headed to the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant to check the appointment notice.
• Zhang Xuezhou found that he had not been appointed and complained about the emperor's preference for rhapsodies, but learned his name was not on the blacklist for bribery.
• The new emperor watched from a marquis's carriage as Zhang Xuezhou denounced the bribers and recalled Zhang Xuezhou's earlier contradictory remarks.

After Zhang Xuezhou found his name on the red list and learned he could take office, he talked an angry crowd of failed candidates out of attacking him by pretending to be suicidal. The new emperor took an interest in Zhang’s lively nature, while Li Guang wondered whether he could help investigate the fires and dying trees in Chang’an.

• Zhang Xuezhou discovered that he had been appointed Gongche Sima Commandant of the Office of the Commandant of the Guard and prepared to report for duty.
• An angry failed candidate grabbed Zhang Xuezhou, but Zhang pretended to want to die, and Rong Tianding joined in to discourage the crowd from attacking him.
• The failed candidates comforted Zhang and eventually dispersed, while Li Siyang wondered whether he had been placed on the blacklist or had simply failed.
• The new emperor watched Zhang’s performance and admitted that interesting people were more likable, though Zhang’s shamelessness gave him pause.
• Li Guang suggested asking Zhang to seek the deer yao of the Xieluosi River Holy Land, but the new emperor argued that the yao was unlikely to have caused Chang’an’s fires and dying trees.

Zhang Xuezhou received a military post guarding the eastern Sima Gate at the Yang Mausoleum, then went with Rong Tianding to retrieve Spirit Jade Essence in Old Tree Alley. After a stone guardian lion spoke and crumbled into sand, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding raised the alarm and drew the nearby residents’ attention.

• Du Rui told Zhang Xuezhou that his recommendation had led the court to assign him as a military officer, and Zhang accepted the post despite preferring to convey messages.
• Du Rui assigned Zhang to guard the eastern Sima Gate at the Yang Mausoleum in a three-shift rotation.
• Zhang met Rong Tianding outside the office and decided to look for a house in Chang'an City after visiting Old Tree Alley.
• Zhang found the porcelain bottle of Spirit Jade Essence beneath the eighteenth stone lion, which turned its head and asked why he was collecting it.
• Rong Tianding struck the stone lion with Southern Brightness Ding Fire, causing it to cry out and crumble into sand.
• Zhang and Rong Tianding pretended to panic, aged their faces with Law Power, and shouted until nearby gate attendants came out and reported the strange event.

After Wang Fugui’s stone guardian was mysteriously destroyed, he tried to leave his house but faced objections from his neighbors and strict moving procedures. Zhang Xuezhou suggested selling the haunted house cheaply, then went with Rong Tianding to the Office of the Inner Clerk to buy it.

• Wang Fugui saw that half of his stone guardian had vanished and decided to move away from the suspected calamity.
• Wang Fugui’s neighbors challenged his plan to leave, and he failed to convince them with an excuse about his sister-in-law giving birth.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested that Wang Fugui sell the haunted house cheaply to someone willing to guard it.
• Rong Tianding realized Zhang Xuezhou had been arranging a chance to buy the house and went with him to the Office of the Inner Clerk.
• Zhang Xuezhou showed his official token, took the property register, and waited for Wang Fugui to list the house.

Zhang Xuezhou browsed the property register while looking for an affordable home, and Wang Fugui arrived to list his residence after a demonic incident made him fear it was haunted. Wang Fugui waited at the Office of the Inner Clerk for a buyer, unwilling to lower the price to Zhang Xuezhou’s budget.

• Zhang Xuezhou complained to the clerk that a minor official’s salary made buying a house difficult.
• Wang Fugui listed his residence for eighty taels of silver and explained that a demonic incident had made him afraid to keep living there.
• The clerk warned Wang Fugui that buyers would avoid the house, while Zhang Xuezhou tried to persuade him that haunted houses did not exist.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked the clerk to find him a home costing ten to thirty taels and left the office.
• Wang Fugui learned Zhang Xuezhou would not buy his house, then paid the clerk and waited for another buyer.