Chapter Summaries

The nine-petaled flower tried to locate and wound Zhang Xuezhou, then attempted to persuade him to join forces before resuming the attack. When Zhang Xuezhou finally appeared, he revealed himself as a dead, sixty-foot-long black-gray dragon, leaving the flower stunned.

• The nine-petaled flower used sound waves to locate Zhang Xuezhou and wounded him with a petal blade.
• The nine-petaled flower taunted Zhang Xuezhou, then emerged as a naked man and proposed that they cooperate.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave brief replies while remaining hidden, and the naked man offered to withdraw from the contest and share the power of Xuanming.
• The nine-petaled flower concluded that Zhang Xuezhou would not cooperate, enclosed himself in his petals, and attacked with thousands of blades.
• After Zhang Xuezhou answered again, the nine-petaled flower claimed he had exposed himself and unleashed another attack.
• Zhang Xuezhou appeared as a sixty-foot-long black-gray dragon, and the nine-petaled flower realized his opponent was already dead.

Ren Anran investigated Zhang Xuezhou’s mysterious conflict and learned Song Sijia’s simpler method for Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity. After using the bead and reciting the Tomb Scripture to aid Zhang Xuezhou against Huang Daoxian, she summoned an ancient power that transformed her body.

• Zhang Manqian told Ren Anran that Huang suspected Zhang Xuezhou was caught in a war of faith, though he could not confirm it.
• Ren Anran gave Zhang Xuezhou to Zhang Manqian and went to the crater to ask Song Sijia how she had sensed the bronze turtle statue.
• Song Sijia explained her revised Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity method, and Ren Anran achieved a subtle perception by trying it.
• Ren Anran used her communicator to recite the Tomb Scripture with Ren Wuyang and offered her bead to help Zhang Xuezhou defeat Huang Daoxian.
• An ancient voice announced that the auspicious day had arrived, and Ren Anran gained a grayish-white body and enormous black wings.

Ren Anran and Jin Shixue suffered strange effects after reciting the Tomb Scripture, prompting Ning Que to recite the words Ren Anran had used. He was transformed by a black dragon’s lingering conviction and plunged into a deadly darkness.

• Song Sijia found Ren Anran unresponsive and called for help.
• Jin Shixue examined Ren Anran, then reported seeing white spots of light before becoming dizzy and weak.
• Ning Que concluded that Jin Shixue might have gained Wisdom Eyes and chose to recite Ren Anran’s version of the passage.
• Ning Que saw a chained black dragon that urged him to carry its conviction and sweep Huang Daoxian away.
• Ning Que’s body transformed amid intense pain, then he fell into darkness where spinning blades began cutting his flesh.

The nine-petaled flower’s master believed the black dragon was a dead Fortune Body and began carving it up for a sacrifice, but the dragon revived and started drawing on Luofu Dynasty’s Fortune to heal. The chapter left the naked man startled as the dragon rapidly grew stronger and attacked him.

• The naked man wondered why Luo Zhong’s apparent return had come so late, while the black dragon remained motionless beneath the nine-petaled flower’s blades.
• He considered sacrificing the dragon to Xuanming to reshape his body and Fortune Body, though doing so might undermine his larger plan.
• The naked man noticed the dragon move, then watched it revive and use Luofu Dynasty’s Fortune to repair itself.
• He reduced the number of petal blades and increased their power, cutting into the dragon while collecting its scales, smoke, and flesh to preserve a shell for the sacrifice.
• The black dragon suddenly lunged at the naked man, who realized that his opponent had been growing rapidly.

Zhang Xuezhou watched a black dragon endure Huang Daoxian’s nine-petaled flower and suspected Ning Que was controlling it. He urged the dragon to flee and adapt, while Huang Daoxian realized the Scarlet Alliance State’s rise had disrupted his plans for the Luofu Dynasty.

• Zhang Xuezhou hid in the darkness and watched a black dragon withstand repeated attacks from Huang Daoxian’s nine-petaled flower.
• Zhang Xuezhou suspected Ning Que controlled the dragon because it moved like a beginner, though he could not explain Luo Zhong’s disappearance.
• Zhang Xuezhou whispered for the dragon to run, then advised it to adapt to its body and learn its abilities while escaping.
• The black dragon began fleeing instead of attacking recklessly, while Huang Daoxian noticed Zhang Xuezhou was still hiding in the void.
• Huang Daoxian reflected that Luo Zhong’s resistance, the Luofu Dynasty’s fall, and the Scarlet Alliance State’s growth had derailed his plans.

Ning Que fought to survive the nine-petaled flower’s assault while Zhang Xuezhou advised him from hiding. As the flower blades gathered into nine enormous petals, Ning Que realized the danger he faced and that he would have to rely on himself.

• The naked man identified Ning Que as an uncontrolled Fortune Body and vowed to eliminate him, while Zhang Xuezhou’s voice challenged him from the darkness.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Ning Que that fleeing toward the edge of the Fortune War would not let him escape, and Ning Que adjusted his flight to maintain distance.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked whether Luo Zhong had left Ning Que any instructions, and Ning Que remembered Luo Zhong’s advice to bite his opponent and make him pay even if he died.
• Ning Que reflected on his rapid rise through the Sequences and accepted that he had changed, then resolved to rely on his own abilities now that Luo Zhong could no longer influence him.
• The naked man gathered nearly a hundred flower blades into nine enormous petals, and Ning Que understood why Zhang Xuezhou had hidden and told him to flee.

Zhang Xuezhou ambushed the nine-petaled flower while its petals attacked Ning Que, but the flower had been waiting for him and ensnared him with its stamens. He destroyed the naked man at its core and escaped, but both opponents were badly strained and the flower began recovering as Zhang Xuezhou assessed his own lasting injuries.

• Zhang Xuezhou recognized that the nine-petaled flower’s giant petals were difficult to steer and took the chance to attack its exposed core.
• The naked man revealed that drawing Zhang Xuezhou out had been the flower’s real goal, and its stamens wrapped around him and pierced his Fortune Body.
• Zhang Xuezhou crushed the naked man’s head and tore apart the purple qi, forcing the flower to loosen its hold and push him away.
• The nine giant petals returned and curled around the flower as it cursed and began restoring itself.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized that his Fortune Body could not recover without a source of luck, and decided against forcing another attack while the flower remained protected.

Ning Que risked his life to attack the nine-petaled flower despite his inexperience with his dragon body, while Zhang Xuezhou remained hidden in the darkness. Ning Que charged into the flower as it opened and was crushed, but a sudden explosion and familiar cry sounded just as his consciousness began to fade.

• Ning Que stopped fleeing and attacked the nine-petaled flower, struggling to control his dragon body and failing to damage it.
• The flower mocked Ning Que, while Zhang Xuezhou advised that he could strike its vulnerable center as it opened or be pulled in by its stamens.
• Zhang Xuezhou stayed silent as the flower recovered and guarded itself against an attack from the darkness.
• When the flower began opening, Ning Que seized his chance and charged toward its center.
• The flower closed around Ning Que, crushing and piercing him as he clawed and struck back until he neared death.
• Ning Que heard someone cry out to Xuezhou, followed by an explosion and a piercing wail.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran joined Ning Que’s battle against the nine-petaled flower, whose roar and petal blades badly wounded Zhang Xuezhou. After exposing the flower’s connection to Huang Daoxian and threatening a real-world investigation, Ren Anran prepared to fight it directly.

• Ren Anran appeared in the Fortune Technique contest, and Zhang Xuezhou intervened when he recognized her voice.
• The nine-petaled flower identified Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran, then attacked as Ning Que’s roar filled the battlefield.
• The flower’s petal blade cut Zhang Xuezhou’s Fortune Body in half, while Ning Que’s roar also damaged the flower.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained the flower’s abilities and suspected Huang Daoxian’s control had been interrupted, while Ren Anran warned that the committee was investigating its associates.
• Ren Anran transformed, formed bone blades, and faced the wounded flower without backing down.

Ren Yisheng investigated the sudden unconsciousness and mental disturbances affecting Zhang Xuezhou, Ren Anran, and others, then ordered a search for people with similar symptoms. As he watched Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran, Ren Yisheng felt an unfamiliar brutality rise within him.

• Ren Yisheng learned that several people had fallen unconscious or become dazed, while Jin Shixue saw strange spots and lights around them and the crater.
• Ren Yisheng recalled Zhang Xuezhou's earlier description of unusual eyes and ordered officials to screen for affected people and bring anyone whose body had lost sensation to the crater.
• Zhong Zhenzhen and Zhong Rang reported finding Zhao Changqing dead in a hotel room, with blood on his face and a hole in his head that appeared to have been forced outward.
• Ren Yisheng ordered Zhong Rang to bring more than twenty people unconscious from the explosion to the crater, while Zhong Rang criticized his reluctance to kill suspects.
• Ren Yisheng watched the unconscious Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran and felt his view of the world turn blood-red as brutality surged within him.

Ren Anran protected Zhang Xuezhou and Ning Que from the nine-petaled flower, forcing it to flee as its Fortune Body broke apart. Huang Daoxian then appeared in the purple qi, recognized Ren Anran as Xuanming, and realized the situation was bad.

• Ren Anran confronted the nine-petaled flower and warned it that the committee could destroy its body and Lineage in the real world.
• The nine-petaled flower attacked with a giant petal, but Ren Anran blocked it with her armor and pursued it when it tried to escape.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged Ren Anran not to let the flower escape, and she assured him that it was slowed by carrying their bodies.
• As purple qi rose around the fleeing flower, Ren Anran crossed her hands and silenced its threats; Zhang Xuezhou recovered his severed Fortune Body.
• A pair of eyes appeared in the purple qi, and Huang Daoxian recognized Ren Anran as Xuanming and reacted with alarm.

Huang Daoxian confronted Xuanming over why Ren Anran received the protective armor meant for him, then discovered a mistaken ritual message had prompted Xuanming to act. As Huang Daoxian withdrew from the Fortune Techniques clash, Zhang Xuezhou taunted him, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Huang Daoxian demanded an explanation from Xuanming for giving Ren Anran the Dark Qi Heavy Armor instead of him.
• Xuanming showed Huang Daoxian the four souls involved in the ritual and explained that he had received a message and sensed a faith-imbued offering, so he had sent protective power and extra life force.
• Xuanming criticized Huang Daoxian for repeatedly changing his approach, then vanished into the darkness.
• Huang Daoxian recognized Zhang Xuezhou as the troublemaker who had repeatedly obstructed his success, while Zhang judged that Huang Daoxian could only withdraw the nine-petaled flower for now.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Huang Daoxian that he did not understand Fortune Techniques and warned that even a powerful being could someday be defeated by someone insignificant.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran attacked the unresponsive nine-petaled flower in the Fortune Technique duel until Zhang Xuezhou pulled out its seed and the purple light returned them to reality. Ren Anran woke after more than ten days to learn that Zhang Xuezhou remained gravely incapacitated, Ning Que had recovered, and Ren Yisheng had burned numerous suspected rebels in a lamp-oil pit.

• As Huang Daoxian's presence faded, Zhang Xuezhou found the nine-petaled flower unresponsive and repeatedly attacked its vulnerable center while Ren Anran joined him.
• Ren Anran's attacks failed to pierce the flower's defenses, and Ning Que was too injured to help.
• Zhang Xuezhou pulled a seed-bearing stamen from the flower, releasing a flood of purple light that overwhelmed Ren Anran.
• Ren Anran woke in a makeshift medical tent after more than ten days unconscious; Ren Yisheng said Zhang Xuezhou kept losing consciousness and Ning Que had recently awakened.
• Ren Yisheng explained that Jin Shixue had identified many alleged suspects, and nine people had been thrown into the lamp-oil pit and burned.
• Ren Anran realized Huang Daoxian had not truly been defeated and that Zhang Xuezhou would be unavailable for much of the next half month.

After the Fortune War, Zhang Xuezhou returned to his body at the King of Huainan's Household and learned that his condition had left the household wavering over what to do with him. Li Shang explained that Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation seemed crippled, while a woman lay beside him as part of his treatment.

• Zhang Xuezhou ended the Fortune War, returned to his body, and warned Huang Daoxian that the person he had provoked was dangerous.
• Zhang Xuezhou woke beside a woman and confronted Li Shang, who said he had suffered a stubborn blockage after taking too many tonics.
• Zhang Xuezhou saw Zhang Zhong, Lady Yourong, and others outside the room and inferred that someone had intervened on his behalf.
• Li Shang explained that Zhang Xuezhou's abundant Qi and Blood concealed Law Power that had become immobile and left his cultivation apparently crippled.
• Li Shang recalled how the King of Huainan's Household had considered covering up Zhang Xuezhou's death until a Daoist's arrival and a fight between cultivators changed its course.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked why the woman lay beside him, and Li Shang claimed she was a treatment for his condition.

Li Shang explained that his treatment had freed part of Zhang Xuezhou’s Law Power, but it had also left Zhang Xuezhou facing an unexpected pregnancy and a woman he did not know. Zhang Xuezhou struggled with the King of Huainan’s Household’s assumptions about the arrangement and was left confused about what to do next.

• Li Shang told Zhang Xuezhou that using A Qiao’s pure-yin body as medicine had helped restore some of his Law Power after Divine Lord Zhenyuan investigated his supposed drunken death.
• Zhang Xuezhou tested his Law Power and found that he could draw on only a small portion of it, while Li Shang urged him to continue treatment with A Qiao.
• Li Shang claimed that A Qiao had likely conceived a child and congratulated Zhang Xuezhou on becoming a father.
• Zhang Xuezhou angrily rejected the sudden news, while Li Shang defended A Qiao and said she could be returned to the royal household after treatment.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked for time to sort out his feelings, troubled by the prospect of treating A Qiao and their possible child as property.

After Zhang Xuezhou left with A Qiao, Liu Ling weighed the Huainan household’s losses against the benefits of befriending the expert who had protected him. She continued recovering from the Charm Technique backlash and reconsidered whether Zhang Xuezhou might suit her, but crossed his name off her list because his short life made him an unacceptable risk.

• Li Shang reported that Dongfang Shuo had left with Miss A Qiao and had not protested, easing Liu Ling’s fears about the Eight-Step Immortal Ascension Pill.
• Li Shang suggested retaliating against Divine Lord Zhenyuan, but Liu Ling instead decided to cultivate ties with Zhang Xuezhou and possibly recruit the expert who guarded him.
• Liu Ling told Li Shang to visit Zhang Xuezhou under the pretext of treating his illness and discussing pill-refining arts, while A Qiao’s presence would help her keep watch on him.
• Li Shang warned that Liu Ling might need to drink Heart-Clearing Decoction for half a year or a year, and she dismissed him before draining the bitter medicine.
• Liu Ling considered finding a man to resolve her backlash and wrote down potential partners, but crossed Zhang Xuezhou’s name off because she feared his short life would make him die in her bed.

Zhang Xuezhou accepted A Qiao’s presence in his life after learning she could help cure his illness, while suspecting she had been sent to spy for the King of Huainan’s Household. He brought her to his modest home and assigned her a room, leaving him to contend with the complications of family life alongside his unfinished struggle with Huang Daoxian.

• Zhang Xuezhou decided he could accept A Qiao, both because she could help overcome Cynomorium’s seal on his Law Power and because her presence might fulfill his parents’ hopes for a family.
• Zhang Xuezhou questioned A Qiao about her salary, residence, and purpose, then told her she could freely travel between the King of Huainan’s Household and her own home if she cured his ailment.
• Zhang Zhong welcomed A Qiao and praised her prospects based on her features, while she grew anxious about her uncertain future with Zhang Xuezhou.
• The carriage brought Zhang Xuezhou and A Qiao to his humble residence, where he told her to share his room and meals with the household.
• Zhang Xuezhou felt burdened by the sudden demands of ordinary family life while his conflict with Huang Daoxian remained unresolved.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed learning Kunlun Sacred Land’s Qi Fortune Technique with Divine Lord Zhenyuan, who advised him to earn the Divine Emperor’s favor by distinguishing himself in the Centennial Pact. After Zhenyuan left, Zhang Xuezhou returned to A Qiao, but Rong Tianding arrived before dawn with urgent news.

• Divine Lord Zhenyuan praised Zhang Xuezhou’s ability to use a trace of Law Power and suggested he learn Kunlun Sacred Land’s Qi Fortune Technique.
• Zhenyuan explained that Zhang would need to earn merit, and recommended he prepare to compete in the Centennial Pact two years later.
• Zhenyuan promised to search the Palace of Peace and Happiness for useful items to help Zhang prepare.
• After Zhenyuan departed, Zhang returned indoors and found A Qiao offering to help with his recuperation.
• Rong Tianding climbed over the wall before daybreak and called out that something big had happened.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying had returned from Mount Tai in grave condition, and prepared to meet them at Chang'an's gates. There, he and Rong Tianding found a court notice seeking skilled farmers for agricultural posts, showing that the new emperor had begun implementing Zhang Xuezhou's strategy.

• Rong Tianding told Zhang Xuezhou that he had found Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying nearly starving and barely able to walk near Mount Tai.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to meet Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying at the city gate at daybreak and discuss their illness.
• Rong Tianding met A Qiao, the woman given to Zhang Xuezhou by the King of Huainan's Household, and worried about his own prospects for starting a household.
• Rong Tianding asked Zhang Xuezhou for ways to make money, and Zhang Xuezhou advised targeting wealthy customers while he sought useful connections.
• At the city gate, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding saw a court notice offering agricultural posts to people who could grow crops successfully.

At Chang'an's gates, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding discussed the new policy appointing agricultural officials and its likely benefits for the Three Good Brothers seed shop. They met the ailing Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying outside the city, and Zhang warned Chunyu that someone at the Palace of Peace and Happiness might kill her if she was summoned.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding heard commoners discussing whether farming could earn them official positions, while Xu Ji's seed shop stood to benefit from the policy.
• Rong Tianding asked whether Zhang had arranged the agricultural appointment policy, and Zhang said he had only mentioned the idea to His Majesty.
• Zhang Xuezhou left Chang'an with the crowd and joined Rong Tianding at a carriage carrying Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying.
• Chunyu Tiying asked Zhang why his treatment had left their limbs numb, and Zheng Wukong lamented that their condition could not be cured.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Chunyu Tiying that someone at the Palace of Peace and Happiness might summon her and take her head, so she abandoned her plans to seek help at the Imperial Medical Hall.