Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran discussed how Broken Jade Paste could help advance the Fleshly Body Technique, while Ren Anran tested its effects and limits. Zhang Manqian became interested in the Longevity Instruction, and Ren Anran planned to continue testing the medicine over the next ten days.

• Ren Anran reached the introductory stage of the Fleshly Body Technique with Broken Jade Paste, and Zhang Xuezhou estimated that the medicine could carry her into the second stage but might fail at the third.
• Ren Anran tested her newly hardened body and noted that the technique could shore up a Sequence Holder’s weaknesses, though she found its cultivation difficult.
• Zhang Xuezhou described the Longevity Instruction, and Zhang Manqian volunteered to try it after they prepared the necessary medicines.
• Luo Gaogao asked what the group’s cultivation was for, while Ren Anran explained that she would keep advancing the Fleshly Body Technique to find the Broken Jade Paste’s limit.
• Ren Anran said the Poison Avoidance Instruction reduced the medicine’s side effects and made it possible for her to take large doses of Broken Jade Paste.

Zhang Xuezhou struggled to find a medicine that could advance the Longevity Instruction, then left for Western Capital City to receive his honorary professor title. After he left, Zhang Manqian discovered that the medicinal mixtures had unexpectedly made it easier to cultivate the Poison Avoidance Instruction.

• Zhang Xuezhou entrusted Ren Anran with advancing the Fleshly Body Technique and Zhang Manqian with cultivating the Longevity Instruction.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried more than twenty medicinal formulas, but none matched Cai Ma's medicine, and Zhang Manqian failed to advance even one acupoint.
• Zhang Manqian suggested asking people at the Twilight Years Mansion to test the medicine, but Zhang Xuezhou refused because the Longevity Instruction could attract dangerous attention.
• Zhang Xuezhou received a call about his honorary professor conferment ceremony and left for Western Capital City.
• After Zhang Xuezhou left, Zhang Manqian found that her Poison Avoidance Instruction had become easier to advance, likely because of the medicinal mixtures she had taken, and began cultivating it.

Zhang Xuezhou attended the honorary professorship ceremony at the Western Capital City High-Tech Agricultural Products Research Center, where Zuo Quan introduced him to researchers in Weak Gene technology. After Zhang Xuezhou greeted Wang Haoran and reassured him about his prospects, he realized Zuo Quan’s carefully arranged introductions were of little use to him now that his gene had changed to Falcon Sparrow.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered the research center and greeted Professor Pei Jinghong and other researchers.
• Zuo Quan approached Zhang Xuezhou, praised his performance in Wanping Province, and asked what research he did.
• Zhang Xuezhou greeted Wang Haoran, who asked about his odds of recovery, and Zhang answered, “Ten out of ten.”
• Zuo Quan introduced Zhang Xuezhou to several researchers specializing in Weak Gene technology.
• Zuo Quan introduced Lecturer Zuo Luo, who described his Crane Bird gene research, but Zhang Xuezhou saw little connection to his own Falcon Sparrow gene.

At an honorary professorship ceremony, Zuo Luo assessed the fortunes of the gathered leaders while searching for Luo Zhong, and Zhang Xuezhou listened in and connected Zuo Luo to the wider plot surrounding Huang Daoxian. The ceremony then began presenting Zhang Xuezhou’s past life-extension research as the basis for his honorary professorship.

• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo discussed using Zuo Teng to win over young people, and Zuo Luo judged Zhang Xuezhou’s fortune to be prosperous but dangerous.
• Zuo Luo examined the officials at the ceremony and asked Zuo Quan about finding Luo Zhong, whose fortune and power made him difficult to suppress.
• Zhang Xuezhou overheard their conversation, suspected Zuo Luo was connected to Huang Daoxian, and wondered whether Luo En and Zuo Luo were linked.
• After four honorary professors received their titles, the ceremony introduced Zhang Xuezhou’s life-extension research as the path that had earned him his promotion.

Zhang Xuezhou received an honorary professorship for his unfinished life-prolonging drug after influential figures vouched for it. The ceremony ended with the research endorsed as a promising starting point, despite the drug’s uncertain effects and risks.

• Zhang Xuezhou was elevated to honorary professor after eighteen former Sequence Committee Members and others attested to the drug’s efficacy.
• Zhang Xuezhou described the drug as experimental and potent, warning that only high-Sequence Holders could barely withstand it and recalling Changkong Luo’s near-fatal accident.
• Li Yingbo, Changkong Yinghao, Changkong Yinglian, and Qin Wenhan defended the decision and urged researchers to pursue life extension.
• The committee members and other attendees voiced support, and no one objected as Zhang Xuezhou’s unfinished drug was recognized as a new starting point for genetic life-extension research.

At an academic gathering, Zhang Xuezhou received attention for his supposedly life-extending drug, while overhearing Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo discuss gene crops and Luo'an Province. He found a possible way to undermine Huang Daoxian’s plans and grew more open to dealing with the two men, while Zuo Luo became interested in explosives research.

• Zhang Xuezhou was celebrated as an honorary professor, and he overheard Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo discuss the weak spread of gene crops beyond Luo'an Province and the dangers of extending Sequence Holders’ lives.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized his drug barely extended life, but inferred that Huang Daoxian wanted gene crops planted widely in Luo'an Province and considered bringing in crops from elsewhere to counter him.
• Zhang Xuezhou collected his appointment medal and certificate, then reflected that he was becoming less fearful of Huang Daoxian and could interact with Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo directly.
• The gathering appointed Huang He as its sixth honorary professor for his compressed explosives research, and Zhang Xuezhou listened with keen interest.
• Zuo Luo asked Zuo Quan to arrange an associate professorship in explosives research, then exchanged a friendlier look with Zhang Xuezhou.

After Zhang Xuezhou received an honorary professorship for his longevity research, Li Yingbo explained to Wang Haoran that the attention and hope surrounding his life-extension medicine would protect him from powerful enemies. The medicine’s true effects remained unknown, but Zhang Xuezhou’s place in the spotlight had made his position in the Scarlet Alliance State far safer.

• Nearly five hundred researchers and Sequence Committee Members exchanged contact information with Zhang Xuezhou after the ceremony and expressed interest in his work.
• Li Yingbo told Wang Haoran that Zhang Xuezhou’s public profile as a longevity researcher served as a protective talisman by drawing attention away from his combat strength.
• Li Yingbo explained that powerful people’s desire for longer lives would make them favor Zhang Xuezhou and help keep him safe.
• Wang Haoran wondered whether the life-extension medicine worked, while Li Yingbo admitted that he did not know its true effects.
• Wang Haoran concluded that the ceremony had benefited Zhang Xuezhou, whose supporters and the former committee members’ testimony made it unlikely that anyone would accuse him of fraud.

After gaining an honorary professorship and a network of prominent contacts, Zhang Xuezhou hoped to learn from the Immortal Court’s development of its life-extending medicine. Zuo Quan invited him home, and Zhang concealed the truth about his condition while revealing his supposed mental illness and intermittent deep sleeps, prompting Zuo Quan to predict that darkness would eventually consume his fortune.

• Zhang Xuezhou added prominent scholars and officials, including Gao Tingsheng, to his communicator and marked Gao as a priority because of his unstable Gene Sequence and health.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered seeking advice from the Immortal Court about how it had built its Life-Extending Golden Elixir operation.
• Zuo Quan invited Zhang Xuezhou to his home and offered to have Zhang’s car delivered there while taking him aboard his aircraft.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Zuo Teng was training under Zuo Quan, suspected that Zuo Teng was being controlled, and no longer trusted him.
• Aboard the aircraft, Zhang Xuezhou told Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo that he had been diagnosed with a mental illness and sometimes fell into deep, difficult-to-break sleep.
• Zuo Quan interpreted Zhang Xuezhou’s condition as a sign that his rising fortune would eventually be swallowed by darkness.

Zhang Xuezhou traveled with Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo, explaining past incidents and sharing information while recognizing that they were hiding their true identities. As the aircraft neared the Zuo Household’s villas, he wondered what they planned to do with him.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Zuo Quan that the Luo Household had given him the Thousand Threads, Hundred Coils Body formula and Broken Jade Paste after Luo Tianming and Luo Hui fought at his research institute.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Luo Tianming and Luo Hui had argued incoherently before coming to blows, and he compared their behavior to Pei Jing’s rampage in Qing'an.
• Zuo Luo asked about the Changkong Committee Members’ apparent recovery, and Zhang Xuezhou suggested they had not been gravely injured.
• Zhang Xuezhou said Zhou Rihui recovered from his fifth-sequence wounds after advancing to the sixth sequence and using the Black Armor Combat Technique.
• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo debated Zhou Rihui’s strength and possible weaknesses as the aircraft neared the Zuo Household’s villa district, leaving Zhang Xuezhou uncertain about their plans for him.

Zuo Quan invited Zhang Xuezhou to his villa and asked him to help Zuo Teng lead a group of influential young people. Zhang Xuezhou realized that Huang Daoxian's lineage was seeking to control the next generation rather than pose an immediate threat to the committee.

• Zuo Quan welcomed Zhang Xuezhou to the Zuo Household, and Zhang explained his past conflict with Zuo Teng and Zuo Denggao over his sister's blood.
• Zuo Quan claimed Zuo Teng was training in the basement and described his weak genes and practice of the Wisdom Eye martial art.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Zuo Quan why he had invited him, and Zuo Quan said the Zuo Household had lost influence because of its physical problems.
• Zuo Quan asked Zhang Xuezhou to form a group of young people with Zuo Teng as its head, hoping to use their connections to gain influence.
• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that Huang Daoxian's lineage was trying to control the next generation, contrary to his expectation of an imminent threat to the committee.

Zuo Quan tried to demonstrate how his lucky treasures could influence blind betting, hoping to draw Zhang Xuezhou into relying on his fortune techniques. Zhang Xuezhou’s guesses failed even with the treasures, leaving Zuo Quan puzzled and prompting him to try another one.

• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo showed Zhang Xuezhou a purple ring and proposed blind-guessing arena results to demonstrate its power.
• Zhang Xuezhou guessed that the left side would win four matches, but only one of his guesses was correct.
• Zuo Quan activated the ring and had Zhang Xuezhou guess four more results, but the left side lost three matches and won only one.
• Zuo Quan suspected the ring or its lucky gem had failed, then offered Zhang Xuezhou a gold pendant for another attempt.
• Zhang Xuezhou took the pendant as his body’s passive resistance prevented Zuo Quan’s fortune technique from affecting him.

Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo used a lucky treasure to persuade Zhang Xuezhou to cooperate with their plans, though he remained skeptical about its power. Zhang Xuezhou agreed to support the Zuo Household and Zuo Teng, leaving the two sides pledged to work together.

• Zuo Quan repeated the luck demonstration, and the left side won four times in a row.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked whether the treasure could help him enter the seventh sequence, and Zuo Quan explained that luck could only improve chances when success was already possible.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked if the treasure could help his drug research after twenty-two failures, but Zuo Quan could not promise success from zero.
• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo gave Zhang Xuezhou a lucky necklace and asked him to help gather people around Zuo Teng, while he warned that his illness limited how quickly he could act.
• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo explained how powerful lineages could threaten the Zhang Household, and Zhang Xuezhou pledged friendship and cooperation with the Zuo Household.

After Zhang Xuezhou left the Zuo Household, Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo discussed his weaknesses and whether he was worth cultivating as a subspecies. Zuo Luo decided to inspect Zhang Xuezhou when he next fell into a coma, leaving their plans to control the Scarlet Alliance State in motion.

• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo concluded that Zhang Xuezhou's illness made him easy to exploit, and they suspected his lost Fortune had been consumed by his condition.
• Zuo Quan argued that Zhang Xuezhou's research and influence made him worth investing in, while Zuo Luo worried that strengthening him would consume too much power.
• Zuo Quan persuaded Zuo Luo to consider placing a seed in Zhang Xuezhou and cultivating him toward their goal of controlling the Scarlet Alliance State.
• Zuo Luo decided to visit Zhang Xuezhou in a few days when he fell into a coma, so he could assess whether the illness was curable and control him more easily.
• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo discussed their master’s search for a new habitat, then fell quiet and chose to lie low and build their strength.

After leaving the Zuo Household, Zhang Xuezhou feared that Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo might target him through the Fortune Technique, and he weighed fighting back or fleeing. He arranged to take charge of the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums, hoping to strengthen his Fortune Body by restoring East Mountain’s fortune, then found himself considering the gold necklace Zuo Quan had given him.

• Zhang Xuezhou left the Zuo Household on friendly terms with Zuo Quan and the others, but his heart began pounding as he drove into North Rehe.
• Zhang Xuezhou suspected Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo might plot against him while he slept and realized his allies could not reliably protect him from their long-range abilities.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered asking Ren Yisheng’s group to subdue the Zuo Household, then considered fleeing, but concluded that neither option would keep him safe.
• Zhang Xuezhou called Professor Li to confirm his appointment as an honorary professor and said he wanted to take charge of the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums.
• Zhang Xuezhou planned to use repairs at the mausoleums to search for Spirit Jade and East Mountain’s hidden fortune, which he hoped would strengthen his Fortune Body.
• Zhang Xuezhou worried that the Fortune Technique confrontation had made him fall short of completing the mound, then took out the gold necklace Zuo Quan had given him.

Zhang Xuezhou went to the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums at night, hoping Zuo Quan’s lucky necklace could help him avoid a looming danger. As Zhang Xuezhou pursued his gamble, Ren Yisheng inferred that the Zuo Household was targeting him and decided to seek a way to obtain gene medicine that could aid him.

• Zhang Xuezhou collected Emperor Luo Yan’s Tongtian Jade Ruler and equipment, then drove toward the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums to try his luck against the danger he feared.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Li Yingbo for official permission to enter the mausoleums, claiming he wanted to inspect the place he would soon manage.
• Li Yingbo told Ren Yisheng about Zhang Xuezhou’s unusual behavior, and they concluded that the Zuo Household had set its sights on him.
• Ren Yisheng suspected Zuo Quan might control Zhang Xuezhou or place him under an illusion, but believed Zhang Xuezhou’s immense mental strength could overcome it.
• Ren Yisheng decided to advance the international dispute project or provoke a Sequence Contest to obtain the Aomeijia Alliance’s X864 Gene Medicine.

Newly appointed Commissioner Zhang Xuezhou toured the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums Administration Office, then used his Gene Power to fly to the Luo Yan Imperial Mausoleum. He entered the burial chamber carrying the lucky gold necklace and Tongtian Jade Ruler, preparing to investigate despite his weakened flying ability.

• Zhang Xuezhou arrived at the administration office and let former-dynasty loyalists continue their memorial ceremony in the square.
• Song Mo offered to drive the mourners away, but Zhang Xuezhou told him to leave them alone and toured the building with the patrol guards.
• Zhang Xuezhou dismissed the guards and found a curtained fourth-floor window he could use to leave without appearing on corridor surveillance footage.
• Zhang Xuezhou nearly fell while flying because the giant Ferocious Beast bird's power in his body seemed to have weakened, but he reached the Luo Yan Imperial Mausoleum.
• Zhang Xuezhou covered the mausoleum's livestream cameras, entered the burial chamber with the necklace and Tongtian Jade Ruler, and turned on a high-intensity flashlight.

Zhang Xuezhou searched the Luo Yan Imperial Mausoleum for the purple gladiolus grass and discovered a hidden source of Luofu Dynasty Fortune beneath the burial chamber. He drew a small amount of Fortune through the Tongtian Jade Ruler and left with his Fortune Body strengthened, while Zuo Quan remained unaware of his exact location.

• Zhang Xuezhou examined the disturbed soil and footprints near Emperor Luo Yan’s burial goods, concluding that the purple gladiolus grass might have escaped underground there.
• Zhang Xuezhou inserted the Tongtian Jade Ruler into a gap beside a floor tile and extended it more than two meters until it touched a hard object.
• Zhang Xuezhou saw golden light pass over the ruler and realized it connected him to a hidden source of Luofu Dynasty Fortune below the mausoleum.
• Zhang Xuezhou used the ruler to draw a small amount of Fortune, strengthening his fish-dragon Fortune Body while the gold necklace’s purple light dimmed.
• Zhang Xuezhou sensed that Zuo Quan was still in Western Capital City and recognized that Zuo Quan could not pinpoint his location within the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums.

Zuo Quan learned that Zhang Xuezhou had taken up his new post at the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums to search for ancient artifacts and medicine formulas, easing Zuo Luo’s doubts about using him as a subject for control. Zuo Luo and Zuo Quan then headed for the B13 Research Institute, planning to plant a seed in Zhang Xuezhou once he fell into a deep sleep.

• Zuo Quan discovered that Zhang Xuezhou had become director of the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums Management Office, and Zuo Luo worried that he might be hiding an ambition for power.
• Zuo Quan called Zhang Xuezhou, who explained that he had gone to the mausoleums to search for ancient artifacts and secret medicine formulas.
• Zuo Quan persuaded Zuo Luo that Zhang Xuezhou was worth investing in, and Zuo Luo agreed to try planting a seed in him that night.
• Zuo Quan told Zuo Luo that Zhang Xuezhou was driving back to North Rehe, and the two set off for the B13 Research Institute to prepare their plan.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to North Rehe after evading scrutiny over his actions at the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleums, while preparing for Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo to pursue him. He welcomed Zuo Denggao’s cooperation and learned that Zuo Quan was already heading to North Rehe.

• Zhang Xuezhou spoke with Zuo Quan by phone and concluded that he had not noticed Zhang’s extraction of Fortune from the Luo Yan Imperial Mausoleum.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to the research institute and gave Zuo Denggao R32 Catalyst samples, research data, and a gold necklace for luck.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged Zuo Denggao to focus on advancing his sequence and keep pace with him and Zuo Teng.
• Zhang Manqian complained that Zhang Xuezhou was the only one who could manage Zuo Denggao, while Ren Anran asked about his time on East Mountain.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Ren Anran to help investigate when the time came, then sensed that Zuo Quan had left Western Capital City for North Rehe.

Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo infiltrated the research institute, where Zuo Luo tried to imprint Zhang Xuezhou while he slept in the X432 medical device. Ren Anran secretly watched them, but Zuo Luo’s power met no response from Zhang Xuezhou, leaving him baffled.

• Zhang Xuezhou warned Zhang Manqian and Ren Anran to act normally because unfamiliar visitors with strong mental power had reached North Rehe, then entered the X432 medical device and switched worlds.
• Ren Anran sent her Yang Corporeal Soul to observe the institute and nearly lost focus when she saw Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo approaching with purple light.
• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo disabled the surveillance cameras as they searched the institute, while Ren Anran hid and listened to them discuss the staff.
• Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo found Zhang Xuezhou in the recovery room, and Zuo Quan explained that Zhang Xuezhou had helped Zuo Denggao by giving him a gold necklace.
• Zuo Luo slipped a liquid chip into Zhang Xuezhou’s ear and tried to brand him with an imprint, but the process consumed his power without producing any response.