Recaps

As Wei Shao'er struggled to give birth, Zhang Xuezhou fought the painting demon inside her and fetched Sage Kong's Token while Chen Zhang waited in anguish. A cry of “Righteousness” linked Chen Zhang to Wei Shao'er and her unborn child, and the chapter ended with a baby's wail and Chen Zhang recovering from terrible pain.

• The figure summoned by Sage Kong's painting suppressed everyone with “Benevolence,” eased Wei Shao'er's pain, and was struck down by a red light from her body.
• The injured painting demon was pulled back into Wei Shao'er, while Zhang Xuezhou remembered a voice asking for the Dao Comprehension Stone and went to fetch Sage Kong's Token.
• Chen Zhang worried over the possible outcomes for Wei Shao'er and the child as he waited outside the room.
• A cry of “Righteousness” rang from the room, and Zhang Xuezhou appeared bound by a golden cord to Chen Zhang, Wei Shao'er, and her belly.
• Chen Zhang felt excruciating pain and thrashed about, while Di Rang watched from nearby and delayed reporting the commotion.
• A baby cried, Chen Zhang's screaming stopped, and he felt between his legs, shaken by the pain.

Zhang Xuezhou witnessed Sage Kong's Token suppress the painting demon, leaving Wei Shao'er as an ordinary pregnant woman, and helped deliver her healthy son. After the birth, Wei Shao'er abandoned her plan to fake her death and escape, choosing instead to live for her child.

• Sage Kong's Token manifested a towering man who tapped the Green Rock Wooden Staff and suppressed the painting demon, while Zhang Xuezhou pointed him toward Chen Zhang.
• The physicians awoke from a missing stretch of memory, and Zhang Xuezhou found Wei Shao'er free of the painting demon's signs as her labor began.
• Zheng Wukong delivered Wei Shao'er's healthy son with help from Chunyu Tiying, Yi Shuo, and Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Wei Shao'er whether she would follow their escape plan, and she recalled that she had planned to fake her death and reunite with Huo Zhongru.
• Wei Shao'er abandoned the plan and decided to keep living for her newborn son.

After Wei Shao'er safely gave birth, Chen Zhang’s pain during the delivery deepened his concern for her, and she chose to return home with him instead of feigning death. Their reunion was interrupted when servants reported that the King of Huainan had entered the capital and Chen He was furious that Chen Zhang had missed the proper courtesies.

• Zhang Xuezhou congratulated the suffering Chen Zhang and explained away the pain he had shared with Wei Shao'er as a sign that they were of one heart.
• Chen Zhang entered the room, comforted Wei Shao'er first, and showed affection for both her and the child.
• Wei Shao'er crushed the pill she had planned to use to feign death and asked Chen Zhang to take her home.
• Chen Zhang and Wei Shao'er discussed naming the child, and he held the baby as they prepared to leave.
• Servants told Chen Zhang that the King of Huainan had entered the capital and that Chen He was angry he had failed to pay his respects.

After the King of Huainan presented Vast and Brilliant, the new emperor and the empress dowager worried that his mastery of the Fortune Technique could threaten the throne. The emperor secretly planned to counter him with a fake Red Empyrean Sword, while his mother urged him to seek help from the Immortal Court if he was cornered.

• The empress dowager reassured the new emperor that his uncle had fulfilled royal etiquette in welcoming the King of Huainan.
• The new emperor discussed Vast and Brilliant and feared the King of Huainan could use his Fortune Technique to challenge the throne.
• The new emperor kept his plan to forge a fake Red Empyrean Sword secret, intending to act after the King of Huainan left Chang'an City.
• The empress dowager warned the new emperor that he could borrow the Immortal Court's strength if he was pressed too hard.
• The new emperor accepted her advice but preferred the forgery, and thought of Dongfang Shuo as he escorted his mother back to her palace.

After more than six years apart, Zhang Xuezhou reunited with Lei Bei as the King of Huainan’s party left the imperial palace. Lei Bei told him about Tian Jiu’s death and Jin Chang’s injuries, and offered to bring Zhang Cigong to join them.

• Zhang Xuezhou waited at the Golden Horse Gate for the King of Huainan’s party to leave the palace and spotted Lei Bei among the retainers.
• Zhang Xuezhou followed the delegation and met Lei Bei after the King of Huainan departed by carriage.
• Lei Bei explained that Tian Jiu had been burned to death and that he had inherited the position of first retainer.
• Zhang Xuezhou encouraged Lei Bei not to accept the elders’ doubts about his cultivation, and Lei Bei reconsidered their advice.
• Lei Bei told Zhang Xuezhou that Jin Chang was badly injured and had stayed out of sight.
• Lei Bei offered to find Zhang Cigong among the carriage guards so he could join Zhang Xuezhou’s reunion.

Zhang Xuezhou visited Zhang Cigong at the King of Huainan's Household's camp and secretly asked him to investigate Jin Chang's possible role in the disappearance of their village. The King of Huainan recognized Zhang Xuezhou as Dongfang Bubai and understood why she had come, while she remained a reserve official without a powerful patron.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Lei Bei found Zhang Cigong at the camp, where he had become a head coachman and was advancing in cultivation.
• After Lei Bei left, Zhang Xuezhou privately told Zhang Cigong to look into the Household's mission records connected to Jin Chang and find out why the villagers had disappeared.
• Zhang Cigong agreed to investigate and saw Zhang Xuezhou out, learning that she lived in Old Tree Alley.
• Lei Bei told a woman in the King of Huainan's Household that the scholar was Dongfang Bubai, and the woman arranged for Zhang Cigong to send her New Year gifts.
• The woman reported the visit to the King of Huainan, who recognized Dongfang Bubai and recalled her previous presentations and her lack of a court appointment.

Zhang Xuezhou considered the King of Huainan’s threat to the new emperor, then learned that Yi Shuo’s sudden cultivation breakthrough had left her unable to follow her sect’s usual methods. The chapter ended with the new emperor arriving at Zhang Xuezhou’s home in disguise to test him as a Golden Horse Gate scholar.

• Wei Qing dropped Zhang Xuezhou off without collecting his fare, and Zhang Xuezhou worried about the new emperor’s position amid the King of Huainan’s arrival in Chang'an City.
• Yi Shuo told Zhang Xuezhou that Zheng Wukong had sent her away because her cultivation had become too powerful for him to guide.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized Yi Shuo hoped to use his connections to reach more cultivation opportunities, while he also saw value in keeping her close.
• The new emperor arrived at Zhang Xuezhou’s door dressed as a eunuch and asked which foot he had entered with.

The new emperor questioned Zhang Xuezhou about physiognomy and a historical succession crisis, and Zhang’s answer helped him devise a plan to discredit the King of Huainan before the grand empress dowager. Pleased with the insight, the emperor invited Zhang to join a large outing the following spring.

• The new emperor asked Zhang Xuezhou about reading fortunes, and Zhang warned that physiognomy was mostly guesswork.
• The emperor posed a hypothetical about Qin Er Shi’s path to the throne, and Zhang suggested framing Crown Prince Fusu for treason and Emperor Qin’s death.
• The new emperor applied Zhang’s suggestion to the King of Huainan and planned to turn the grand empress dowager against him by linking him to the King of Liang’s death.
• The new emperor invited Zhang Xuezhou to join him and several hundred companions on an outing the following spring.

The new emperor secured the grand empress dowager’s approval to visit the Liang Lands, where he secretly planned to pursue the Red Empyrean Sword. He cooperated with her plans to install loyal officials, leaving her unsettled by how readily he trusted and obeyed her.

• The new emperor asked to visit the Tomb of the King of Liang when spring began, intending to go to Fengxi Marsh, and the grand empress dowager approved.
• The new emperor argued that any extreme response from the Confucian School would amount to rebellion if the court obtained conclusive proof against them.
• The grand empress dowager asked the new emperor to endorse Xu Chang, Zhuang Qingdi, and other marquises for key court positions, and he agreed to every proposal.
• The grand empress dowager sent Grand Princess Dou to arrange the appointments, while Grand Princess Dou suggested that the new emperor’s compliance reflected his trust in her.
• The grand empress dowager reflected that the new emperor was the only family member who could place complete trust in her.

Zhang Xuezhou collected ten half-liang coins during the King of Huainan’s public New Year’s alms and overheard Du Wencai and Kong Anguo discussing how to win more from a Mohist treasure bowl. He met Kong Anguo, who feared that every faction in the unsettled court might be in danger, and left the conversation poised to hear what Zhang knew.

• Rong Tianding went looking for Zhang Xuezhou so they could collect the King of Huainan’s New Year’s gifts, but Zhang had already left.
• Zhang Xuezhou reflected on his Body Transformation Realm cultivation, then joined the crowds receiving alms in Chang’an City and won ten half-liang coins.
• Zhang Xuezhou overheard Du Wencai and Kong Anguo identify the treasure bowl as a Mohist mechanism and discuss a lever sequence that could pay out a string of coins.
• Kong Anguo warned himself that accepting the King of Huainan’s coins could bring trouble, and Zhang Xuezhou approached him.
• Kong Anguo greeted Zhang Xuezhou happily and considered asking him for information to help keep the Kong Household clear of the political turmoil.

Kong Anguo and Zhang Xuezhou headed to the Temple of Confucius to find Kong Zhong and the other Confucians, fearing they would face punishment for disrupting Shen Peigong’s plans. Zhang Xuezhou scouted the crowded temple with his Yang Corporeal Soul, but Shen Peigong spotted him, and Kong Zhong emerged from beneath the statue of Sage Kong.

• Kong Anguo learned that Kong Zhong and the others had gone to the Temple of Confucius, where Shen Peigong was likely to confront them.
• Kong Anguo prepared to take his father and the other Confucians to Zhang Xuezhou’s neighbor for treatment if they were injured, then set off with Zhang Xuezhou for the temple.
• Kong Anguo and Zhang Xuezhou found thousands of Confucians gathered around the Temple of Confucius and climbed trees to look inside.
• Zhang Xuezhou sent his Yang Corporeal Soul toward the temple and overheard Confucians arguing about revolt, the King of Huainan, and a suspected traitor.
• Shen Peigong sensed Zhang Xuezhou near the statue of Sage Kong, and Kong Zhong crawled out from beneath it, claiming he had been cleaning his ancestor’s back.

Duke Shen confronted Kong Zhong and the Kong Household members over their suspected role in Zhao Wan and Wang Zang’s deaths and the loss of Sage Kong’s Token. Choosing to focus on breaking the Confucian School’s political deadlock, he recruited them to dig a passage so he could approach the Grand Empress Dowager and challenge her with a ritual.

• Duke Shen found Kong Zhong, Ye Siqian, Li Mingrui, and Zhu Jiusi hiding beneath Sage Kong’s statue and questioned them about Zhao Wan and Wang Zang’s deaths.
• Kong Zhong revealed that he had pawned Sage Kong’s Token, and Ye Siqian said it had gone to a scholar who helped Kong Anguo break through.
• Duke Shen concluded that the Kong Household had sided with the court and suspected the Grand Empress Dowager of directing the opposition to the Confucian School.
• Duke Shen offered to let Kong Zhong and the others off if they helped him, and Kong Zhong agreed to dig a passage.
• Duke Shen planned to use the passage to approach the Palace of Peace and Happiness, set up an altar, and challenge the Grand Empress Dowager in a ritual.

Zhang Xuezhou and Kong Anguo tried to work out why Shen Peigong had forced Kong Zhong and his companions to dig a tunnel, while Du Wencai considered how to help them escape. They suspected Shen Peigong was plotting an attack on Old Madam Dou at the Palace of Peace and Happiness, but feared the plan would end in disaster.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Kong Anguo that Shen Peigong had compelled Kong Zhong and the others to dig a tunnel, though their purpose remained unclear.
• Kong Anguo admitted he could not rescue his father, and Du Wencai offered to help build an escape route once he knew where the tunnel was.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Kong Anguo reasoned that Shen Peigong might be planning to attack a powerful target in Chang'an City.
• Kong Anguo considered that Shen Peigong might target the Palace of Peace and Happiness, and Du Wencai doubted he could survive such a confrontation.

Shen Peigong and the Confucian scholars plotted to kill the grand empress dowager and seize influence at court, while Kong Anguo and Du Wencai prepared to follow them and protect themselves. Zhang Xuezhou lent Kong Anguo Sage Kong's Token for payment as the group split up to track Shen Peigong and retrieve the token.

• Shen Peigong told Zhou Ba, Xia Kuan, Dang Lu, and the other Confucian scholars that he planned to use the Sword-Drawing Life-Slaying Technique to kill the grand empress dowager swiftly.
• The Confucian scholars hoped that killing the grand empress dowager would let them take Zhao Wan and Wang Zang's places at court and unite Confucian schools under their leadership.
• Kong Zhong and the others overheard Shen Peigong's plans but, unable to escape, followed him and his companions out of the Temple of Confucius.
• After Zhang Xuezhou's Yang Corporeal Soul revealed that Shen Peigong's group had left through the back door, Kong Anguo decided to follow them and locate their target.
• Kong Anguo asked to borrow Sage Kong's Token for protection, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed in exchange for a string of coins.
• Du Wencai went to track Shen Peigong's group while Kong Anguo followed Zhang Xuezhou home to collect the token.

Zhang Xuezhou waited for Kong Anguo to return Sage Kong's Token while preparing to return to reality, then received new year gifts from the King of Huainan. Zhang Cigong explained that the gifts had been sent widely, possibly to win favor for the king's daughter, who was seeking a husband in Chang'an City.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked Rong Tianding to welcome Kong Anguo if he came to return Sage Kong's Token.
• Zhang Xuezhou continued teaching Yi Shuo the Grain Avoidance Instruction and planned to recommend the Poison Avoidance Art once Yi Shuo reached a realm-based bottleneck.
• Zhang Cigong arrived with gifts from the King of Huainan, and Zhang Xuezhou invited him inside.
• Zhang Cigong explained that the King of Huainan had sent gifts to officials across Chang'an City, possibly to pave the way for his daughter to find a suitable husband.
• Zhang Xuezhou joked that Zhang Cigong could win the princess's hand by becoming capable enough, and their conversation left Zhang Cigong more hopeful about his chances.

Zhang Xuezhou woke after twelve days and learned that Wang Li had sold their blood serums for more than the group’s total investment. Zhou Yueyan confirmed that Zhang’s vomiting-inducing drug had no antidote and arranged to trade culture medium for a batch while observing its preparation.

• Zhang Xuezhou woke up and read Zhang Manqian’s message about the serum sales, which had brought in 63 million despite an investment of 55 million.
• Zhang Xuezhou contacted Zhou Yueyan to order eighty portions of culture medium.
• Zhou Yueyan asked Zhang Xuezhou for an antidote to his drug, and he told her there was none.
• Zhou Rihui suggested using the drug against captured high-sequence holders, while Zhou Yueyan considered testing it on Ferocious Beasts instead of Zhou Xin.
• Zhou Yueyan asked Zhang Xuezhou for the drug’s formula, and he offered to let her observe its preparation so they would not be held responsible for misuse.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to prepare the drug, and Zhou Yueyan said she would bring the culture medium.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed the upcoming Sequence Contest and laboratory funding with Luo Burang, then asked whether a gene mutation could change his Sequence. Luo Burang revealed that he had tried to mutate his own genes years ago and told Zhang Xuezhou where to find his account of the failed experiment.

• Luo Burang said the Sequence Contest would begin in seven days and discussed Luo Gaogao's preparation with Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou noted that he was stuck at the second sequence and would watch the contest rather than compete.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Luo Burang that sales had brought in over eight million and offered the A9 Laboratory sixty million for further research.
• Luo Burang asked Zhang Xuezhou to procure as much blood plasma as possible within three days to make plasma stock solution.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked whether a mutation could lead to a different Gene Sequence and whether dedicated plasma could still be used to formulate compatible serum.
• Luo Burang said he had tried to induce a gene mutation twenty years earlier and directed Zhang Xuezhou to volumes twenty-two through twenty-four of his book catalog for the story of his failure.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed genetic mutation methods with Luo Burang, sharing how eating exotic creatures had gradually changed his own genes. As Zhang Manqian began adjusting fifty-two blood agents in the laboratory, she suddenly experienced a terrifying vision that vanished after she saw through it.

• Zhang Xuezhou studied Luo Burang's research and considered what blood agents could continue changing his genes after Black-Tipped Chickens became less effective.
• Zhang Xuezhou recommended inducing genetic mutation through eating, but Luo Burang doubted the method would work quickly or reliably for him.
• Luo Burang asked Zhang Manqian to adjust the fifty-two blood agents while Ren Wuyang delivered plasma, and Zhang Xuezhou encouraged her despite her anxiety over the costly experiment.
• Zhang Manqian saw Luo Burang transform into a winged, clawed figure, then pierced through the illusion and drank Origin-Nurturing Pill liquid as weakness overtook her.

Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Manqian received a large plasma delivery from Ren Wuyang, while the Changkong siblings suspected Luo Burang was researching the Heavenly God General Medicine. The chapter left Luo Hui considering another experiment on Ren Yisheng as his research and treatment efforts stalled.

• Zhang Manqian took the Origin-Nurturing Pill Paste, which helped her remain calm while she worked, and Zhang Xuezhou gave Luo Burang some of the medicine.
• Zhang Xuezhou brought Luo Burang to meet Ren Wuyang, who delivered thirty million worth of plasma in a small truck.
• Changkong Yinghao and Changkong Yinglian discussed whether Luo Burang was the source of the Heavenly God General Medicine and decided to investigate the Luo Household after the Sequence Contest.
• Luo Hui struggled to verify his longevity research and treat Ren Yisheng, then considered using him as a test subject.

Ren Yisheng woke after Professor Luo Hui injected him with an enhanced Life No. 1 reagent, then beat the professor unconscious and entered his secret storage room. While examining Luo Zhong’s living head and the records of the Heavenly God General Medicine, Ren Yisheng uncovered an unexplained extra dose, only for Luo Zhong’s eyes to open behind him.

• Ren Yisheng discovered that Professor Luo Hui had injected him with an enhanced Life No. 1 reagent, which rapidly restored his mobility while making him gain weight.
• Ren Yisheng attacked Professor Luo Hui for experimenting on him and knocked him unconscious.
• Ren Yisheng used Professor Luo Hui’s fingerprints to enter the secret storage room and found Luo Zhong’s head preserved in a tank.
• Ren Yisheng examined the research records and realized that the Luo Household had received one more dose of the Heavenly God General Medicine than the known tally allowed.
• As Ren Yisheng reached toward the tank, Luo Zhong’s eyes opened and watched him.

Ren Yisheng confronted Luo Zhong in Luo Hui's laboratory and learned that Luo Zhong might know how Ren Aiguo died and how to advance Mental Strengthening. After Ren Yisheng discovered his Soul Jade was damaged, Luo Zhong offered information about another piece, and the two moved closer to cooperation despite their uncertainty about one another.

• Ren Yisheng confronted Luo Zhong and accused him of knowing about Ren Aiguo's death, then proposed finding two people in exchange for information.
• Luo Zhong inferred that Ren Yisheng wanted knowledge of Mental Strengthening and suggested they cooperate because each needed something from the other.
• Ren Yisheng discussed Luo Zhong's use of sixteen doses of Heavenly God General Medicine but hesitated to rely on that method himself.
• Ren Yisheng discovered that his Soul Jade had faded and shed stone powder, and feared it had been damaged while protecting him.
• Luo Zhong identified the Soul Jade as Tur Tribe jade and offered the piece beneath a stone lion at the Gate of Ten Thousand Nations, but Ren Yisheng said the site had become Twilight Years Mansion and its lions were gone.

Ren Yisheng negotiated with Luo Zhong for Mental Strengthening material in exchange for finding two people, and Luo Zhong began sharing his original research after offering a quarter of it in advance. Left alone in the sealed tank, Luo Zhong grappled with how much the world had changed and regretted the failures that had cost him his empire and his chance to guide mental-strength development.

• Luo Zhong asked Ren Yisheng to bring him Luo Hui's son and the young person who had explained mental matters in Luo Hui's laboratory, offering his knowledge in return.
• Ren Yisheng demanded half the Heavenly God General Plan's Mental Strengthening material, then threatened to leave; Luo Zhong offered a quarter in advance and the rest depending on their cooperation.
• Luo Zhong began explaining his original, more open-ended Mental Strengthening research to Ren Yisheng, who listened by the secret chamber door.
• Ren Yisheng left without giving Luo Zhong an answer, closing the secret chamber door after pressing Professor Luo Hui's finger to the scanner.
• Alone in the tank, Luo Zhong struggled with his isolation and the news of the X864 Drug, recognizing that technology had advanced while he had been left behind.
• Luo Zhong recalled that his failed attempts to suppress the imperial rebellion and escape in Luo Burang's body had cost him the Luofu Empire and his chance to shape mental-strength development.

Ren Yisheng woke from Professor Luo Hui’s treatment with his body restored but dramatically overweight, then chased the professor through Shengteng Academy after learning he had been injected with a fattening shot. Professor Luo Hui fled and contacted An Ran about Ren Yisheng’s recovery and the follow-up contract, while the chase continued and onlookers eventually reported the disturbance.

• Ren Yisheng woke up, confronted Professor Luo Hui about his weight gain, and accused him of giving him a fattening shot.
• Professor Luo Hui fled through glass doors and a second-floor window as alarms sounded, while Ren Yisheng wrecked the laboratory to cover their earlier traces.
• Ren Yisheng left the laboratory and publicly cursed Professor Luo Hui, who protested from a distance.
• Professor Luo Hui borrowed a communicator, told An Ran that Ren Yisheng had recovered, and asked for Wuyang to take him home and arrange the Mental Strengthening Chapter.
• Ren Yisheng chased Professor Luo Hui across Shengteng Academy as they traded insults, drawing a crowd until someone reported the situation.

Ren Yisheng chased Professor Luo Hui around Shengteng Academy, accusing him of giving him a fattening shot, while the Sequence Committee discussed whether Ren had recovered enough to help them. The chase ended when Ren collapsed and appeared to be dying, leaving Luo Hui fearing his treatment had caused it.

• The Sequence Committee discussed bringing Ren Yisheng back from the Twilight Years Mansion and questioned the state of his health.
• Professor Luo Hui ran from Ren Yisheng around Shengteng Academy, keeping his distance and arguing that his treatment had helped Ren recover.
• Ren Yisheng accused Luo Hui of giving him a fattening shot and demanded to give Luo Hui eighty jin of flesh in return.
• Ren Yisheng suddenly fell to the ground and failed to get up.
• Two junior lecturers checked Ren Yisheng and reported that his breathing and heartbeat were faint, his pulse was dropping, and his pupils were dilating.
• Professor Luo Hui feared that his treatment had exhausted Ren Yisheng's life potential and left him dying.

Ren Yisheng briefly returned to normal after Professor Luo Hui treated him, but his condition soon worsened and he was rushed to the emergency room. He explained that his body could only function normally for a short time, leaving the cause and treatment unresolved.

• Ren Wuyang confronted Professor Luo Hui over his father's failed treatment, and Professor Luo Hui defended himself by pointing to Ren Yisheng's normal test results and the injuries he had suffered.
• Doctors warned that Ren Yisheng might need to be frozen again, while Professor Luo Hui immobilized Ren Wuyang with steel needles after they fought.
• Song Bu'er reflected on the group's dwindling prospects as Ren Yisheng's survival remained uncertain and the others faced mounting political pressure.
• Ren Yisheng told Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran that his body could exert normal strength only briefly, as though it needed charging.
• Zhang Xuezhou said Professor Luo Hui had likely used a longevity drug, and Ren Yisheng confirmed the Soul Jade had been drained and destroyed.