Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou visited Dong Zhongshu at Gaoyou Water Mansion and found Divine Lord Zhenyuan there as well. They discussed Han Yan’s execution for cultivating a Fortune Technique and the dangers of rulers resisting change, while Dong Zhongshu remained committed to advancing the Confucian School and pursuing a difficult breakthrough.

• Zhang Xuezhou arrived at Gaoyou Water Mansion, where Dong Zhongshu and Divine Lord Zhenyuan greeted him.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Dong Zhongshu and Divine Lord Zhenyuan that the King of Jiangdu had discovered Han Yan cultivating a Fortune Technique and had him executed.
• Dong Zhongshu and Divine Lord Zhenyuan argued that ministers cultivating Fortune Techniques need not threaten the ruler, and that dynasties fell through failure to adapt rather than such techniques.
• Zhang Xuezhou described a country’s need to adjust as times changed, and Divine Lord Zhenyuan said such reforms were difficult because they threatened powerful interests.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan invited Dong Zhongshu to seek refuge at Soul-Severing Ridge if the Great Han emperor refused to adapt, but Dong Zhongshu chose to remain with the Confucian School and pursue his own path of cultivation.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed cultivation, spiritual power, and domains with Dong Zhongshu and Divine Lord Zhenyuan, explaining how he blended Eastern and Western methods. The conversation left Divine Lord Zhenyuan eager to study the Western Sect's Prajna Heart Sutra and refine his sleeve into a stronger treasure.

• Zhang Xuezhou recommended that Divine Lord Zhenyuan study the Western Sect's Prajna Heart Sutra to experience spiritual power, and handed him a copy for reference.
• Zhang Xuezhou demonstrated a radiance ability and explained that Divine Lord Zhenyuan's sleeve technique was a Pseudo-Domain, between Control and a true domain.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan said he wanted to challenge Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and refine his sleeve with Law Treasure Cloth.
• Zhang Xuezhou showed Divine Lord Zhenyuan Jin Chang's Puppet Thread and promised him additional material if Jin Chang kept the Yin-Yang Secret Pill for himself.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan became eager to visit the Western Sect and exchange ideas about the Prajna Heart Sutra.

Zhang Xuezhou warned Dong Zhongshu about possible threats from the Western Sect and discussed cultivation before returning to Shanglin Park. There, Wei Qing told him that the grand commander planned to perform the sacrificial rites at Mount Tai, granting ministers permission to practice the Directing Fortune Technique openly.

• Zhang Xuezhou warned Dong Zhongshu to stay alert to threats around the King of Jiangdu, while Dong Zhongshu agreed to investigate the newcomers there.
• Zhang Xuezhou discussed the challenge of combining cultivation methods with Dong Zhongshu and decided to wait for Huo Qubing to develop.
• Zhang Xuezhou flew back to Shanglin Park and continued toward the Alchemy Chamber to refine pills.
• Wei Qing recognized Zhang Xuezhou as he returned and told him that the grand commander would perform the rites at Mount Tai to let ministers practice the Directing Fortune Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized the ceremony would allow practitioners to pursue the technique openly after Han Yan's death.

After Han Yan’s death, Zhang Xuezhou continued refining pills while considering the empress dowager’s clash with Han Yan and his own cultivation needs. He finished preparing a large supply of pills and found that Wei Qing and the others had already left for Mount Tai, so he took pills and practiced while waiting for his final batch to finish.

• Zhang Xuezhou regretted Han Yan’s death, while Wei Qing argued that Han Yan had deserved punishment for violating the court’s rules.
• Wuqiu Shouwang told Zhang Xuezhou that the empress dowager had broken Han Yan’s Fortune Body in a contest of techniques, and Zhang Xuezhou wondered whether she had cured her illness or succeeded in the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou refined six batches of Law Power Fortune Pills, producing twelve hundred pills, then began a final batch using mixed lingzhi and other ingredients.
• Zhang Xuezhou stored his personal pills and considered how his remaining cultivation goals depended on time and access to Realm Techniques.
• Zhang Xuezhou discovered Wei Qing and the others had left for Mount Tai, then swallowed Fortune Pills and an imitation Life-Creating Fortune Pill while practicing the Fleshly Body Technique as the final batch finished nurturing.

The new emperor defended his decision to abolish the ban on Fortune Techniques, insisting he had to strike first against threats such as the King of Huainan. After the empress dowager left, he studied Sang Hongyang’s bamboo slips and created a Sword-Guiding Technique that embodied the dynasty’s rise and fall.

• The empress dowager confronted the new emperor over his decision to change the rule against cultivating forbidden techniques.
• The new emperor explained that he feared the King of Huainan and would act against threats rather than wait for them to strike.
• The new emperor defended Dongfang Shuo’s motives and urged the empress dowager to stop interfering in court affairs.
• The empress dowager warned that officials might harbor disloyal intentions, then left the hall.
• The new emperor reread Sang Hongyang’s bamboo slips and created a sword stroke he named “Rise and Fall.”

Zhang Xuezhou advanced his Fleshly Body Technique to the Sole Self Realm in Qin Furnace No. 8, then encountered Nine Spirits Primal Sage, who had tracked him down with Hongku. He fled toward the Yang Mausoleum to escape Dao Lord’s swift retaliation.

• Zhang Xuezhou used pills to cultivate his Fleshly Body Technique to the Sole Self Realm and gained greater resistance to Technique Methods.
• Zhang Xuezhou opened Qin Furnace No. 8 and found that its latest batch had produced only one low-grade pill.
• Nine Spirits Primal Sage and Hongku found Zhang Xuezhou outside the Alchemy Chamber, and Nine Spirits Primal Sage lunged at him.
• Zhang Xuezhou evaded Nine Spirits Primal Sage and flew upward, but learned that the pursuer could easily keep pace and track him.
• Zhang Xuezhou plunged toward the Yang Mausoleum, hoping its malignant Sha Qi and traps would hinder Nine Spirits Primal Sage.

The Nine Spirits Primal Sage pursued Zhang Xuezhou into the Yang Mausoleum, intending to bring him back to the Sacred Land to refine pills, but the tomb’s Corpse Sha Qi forced him to wait outside. After Zhang Xuezhou remained silent, the Nine Spirits Primal Sage entered the mausoleum and was met by a flash of dark red Sword-Ray.

• Zhang Xuezhou entered the Yang Mausoleum through its bluestone entrance while the Nine Spirits Primal Sage pursued him.
• The Nine Spirits Primal Sage ordered Hongku to wait outside and followed Zhang Xuezhou through the narrow opening.
• Inside the tomb, the Nine Spirits Primal Sage encountered Corpse Sha Qi and retreated to guard the entrance.
• Hongku hoped Zhang Xuezhou would escape and used Star-Fixing Technique to assess him, but could not determine his location.
• The Nine Spirits Primal Sage grew impatient, pushed the dragon-severing gate open, and entered the dark mausoleum.
• A dark red Sword-Ray flashed toward the Nine Spirits Primal Sage as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Zhang Xuezhou persuaded Emperor Jing to attack the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, then used the chaos to fake his death and end their enmity. He later discovered that Shi Wudao had survived the attack and revived in the ruined mausoleum.

• Zhang Xuezhou urged Emperor Jing to attack the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, while Shi Wudao explained that wielding the Red Empyrean Sword was killing Emperor Jing.
• Emperor Jing went to confront the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, and Zhang Xuezhou followed with the Red Empyrean Sword.
• Emperor Jing ambushed the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, but the sage retaliated with a roar that wrecked the mausoleum defenses and tore apart the flying jiangshi.
• The Nine Spirits Primal Sage and Hongku left, believing Zhang Xuezhou and Wu Jin had died in the mausoleum.
• Zhang Xuezhou emerged after they were gone and concluded that his apparent death had ended the enmity, but Shi Wudao spoke from the flying jiangshi's remains and revealed he had revived.

Zhang Xuezhou negotiated with Shi Wudao and Emperor Jing to exchange Shi Wudao’s Life and Death Technique for a method to condense a new body. After demonstrating the method, he began learning the Life and Death Technique in the Yang Mausoleum and saw a way to strengthen his path of survival.

• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Emperor Jing was still alive within the badly damaged Flying Jiangshi, though his defeat by the Nine Spirits Primal Sage had left him dispirited.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered Shi Wudao a body-condensing technique in exchange for learning the Life and Death Technique or experiencing its power firsthand.
• Shi Wudao asked Zhang Xuezhou to demonstrate the technique, and Zhang Xuezhou formed a new body and used the Supreme Purity True Technique to restore the Flying Jiangshi.
• Emperor Jing urged Shi Wudao to accept the exchange, and Shi Wudao agreed after seeing Zhang Xuezhou’s demonstration.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to the Yang Mausoleum’s burial chamber to avoid patrols and studied Shi Wudao’s technique, sensing it could complete a crucial part of his path of survival.

Zhang Xuezhou learned Shi Wudao’s Life and Death Techniques and recognized how Shi Wudao’s resurrection relied on retracing his divine soul to a prepared backup. Emperor Jing and Shi Wudao then discussed a missing element in the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique, leaving Zhang Xuezhou to reconsider how he might cultivate it.

• Shi Wudao explained that the Life Technique preserved bodily vitality while the Death Technique studied false death and true death.
• Zhang Xuezhou quickly understood Shi Wudao’s techniques, identified a flaw in the location Shi Wudao had chosen for his resurrection backup, and connected the method to other techniques he knew.
• Emperor Jing suggested Zhang Xuezhou could inherit Corpse Jiao’s principles, but Shi Wudao objected that Zhang Xuezhou lacked the Life and Death Token.
• Emperor Jing reflected on the limits of his past understanding and worked with Shi Wudao to improve his cultivation of the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique.
• Emperor Jing and Shi Wudao realized the technique lacked its spirit, and Zhang Xuezhou recalled that he had long been unable to master Zhu Jiuyin’s technique quickly.

Zhang Xuezhou enlisted Shi Wudao and Emperor Jing to help seek a shortcut for condensing bodies, then left Yang Mausoleum with Rong Tianding and learned of deadly turmoil in Chang'an. Suspecting his use of Karmic Fortune might bring misfortune, he examined the unusual Fortune Pill before logging out at Mao Mausoleum.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked Shi Wudao and Emperor Jing to practice the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique and help obtain a shortcut if they could, and Shi Wudao agreed to treat Rong Tianding more favorably.
• Zhang Xuezhou left the burial chamber, met Rong Tianding at the blocked stone door, and heard that people had been executed at Meridian Gate and that deaths had occurred at the marquis's residence.
• Zhang Xuezhou flew away with Rong Tianding, confirmed that nobody followed them, and told him about Shi Wudao's instruction and their changed relationship.
• Zhang Xuezhou suspected that using Karmic Fortune could expose him to adverse effects and cautiously examined the unusually heavy Fortune Pill.
• As night fell, Zhang Xuezhou chose a craftsman's room at Mao Mausoleum as his logout location.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to Sinkhole No. 2 and discussed the dangers and possibilities of traveling to the other world with Ren Anran. As the group tested the Sword-Guiding Technique to escape the distortion, several people traversed safely, while Zhou Rihui stayed behind to keep cultivating.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Ren Anran he had been hunted in the other world but had found protection, and they discussed the possibility of Ren Anran traveling there someday.
• Ren Anran said Changkong Yinghao, Changkong Yinglian, and Li Qi were ready to use the Sword-Guiding Technique to traverse the distortion.
• Zhang Xuezhou learned that nearly everyone had mastered the technique except Zhou Rihui, who lacked the necessary sword sense.
• Zhang Xuezhou promised Zhou Rihui he might bring Luo Burang's device into Sinkhole No. 2 so Zhou could work toward the Seventh Sequence.
• Changkong Yinghao and others guided themselves through the distortion, and Ren Anran confirmed they had arrived safely on the high platform, coughing from the change in environment.

Changkong Yinghao, Changkong Yinglian, and Li Qi emerged from Sinkhole No. 2 after more than half a year and discovered that Spiritual Qi had improved their physical abilities. Zhang Xuezhou brought them to the B13 Research Institute, where they reunited with the injured Montes Badun.

• Changkong Yinghao, Changkong Yinglian, and Li Qi emerged onto the platform and spent nearly fifteen minutes coughing and adjusting to the outside air.
• Zhang Xuezhou tested Changkong Yinghao's lightened body with a jump from the platform and explained that his Spiritual Qi-enhanced condition would fade over time.
• Changkong Yinglian asked whether they could return to the small world, and Zhang Xuezhou said they could go again after he had time to bring supplies.
• Li Qi noticed his improved strength and endurance, while Changkong Yinghao and Li Qi discussed how difficult it would have been to train amid the dangers inside.
• Ren Anran invited the group to the institute for an interview and told Zhang Xuezhou that Montes Badun had arrived seeking treatment for Clark and Arthur's injuries.
• Zhang Xuezhou reached the B13 Research Institute and found Montes Badun badly bruised and receiving an IV, where Badun was surprised to see the others had emerged.

Mengtesi Badun told Zhang Xuezhou that his expedition to the spiders’ cave had failed, leaving him poisoned and Quelling Chief behind. He revealed that the cave held a powerful Fire Meteor being’s treasure that divine power was trying to retrieve, and warned that the spiders might evolve if the treasure remained there.

• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Mengtesi Badun had been poisoned by spider venom and was too weak to reach Sinkhole No. 2.
• Mengtesi Badun said the Qinmeng Secret Stone at East Mountain was nearly used up and tried to persuade Zhang Xuezhou to help by offering its resources and the Fire Meteor being’s treasure.
• Mengtesi Badun admitted that he had used Quelling Chief to escape the spiders but left it behind to hinder them.
• Mengtesi Badun explained that his expedition had failed, that Montes Bingo had not returned alive, and that touching the treasure had badly injured his hand.
• Mengtesi Badun warned Zhang Xuezhou that divine power might break the treasure or allow the spiders to use it and evolve.

Zhang Xuezhou urged Mengtesi Badun to offer practical benefits before expecting help with the Aomeijia Alliance’s crisis, while warning that the beings from Fire Meteor might be only the beginning of a wider threat. The chapter left Mengtesi Badun weighing whether to cooperate with the Scarlet Alliance State rather than face the coming dangers alone.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Mengtesi Badun that they would investigate the danger and act only if the risks and payment were acceptable, advising him to prepare to relocate the population if the mission proved too dangerous.
• Mengtesi Badun offered Changkong Yinghao weapons and Sword Instructions, but Zhang Xuezhou required him to forge the weapons and translate the instructions before they would accept them.
• Ren Anran urged Mengtesi Badun to cooperate with the Scarlet Alliance State, and Zhang Xuezhou joked that he feared creating more competitors.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Mengtesi Badun that Seven Spiders and the other beings from Fire Meteor could threaten the Aomeijia Alliance, and that Puresainuoru’s transmission of spatial coordinates suggested someone might be deliberately targeting their world.
• Mengtesi Badun considered Zhang Xuezhou’s warning as he recalled his difficulties with Seven Spiders and the beings in Qinmeng, recognizing that he might need allies against future threats.

Zhang Xuezhou agreed to exchange the technology for a drug that helped people reach the Seventh Sequence with Mengtesi Badun, hoping their countries would cooperate against future threats. After the deal, he reassured Wang Haoran that he met the requirements to attempt advancement into the Seventh Sequence.

• Mengtesi Badun asked Zhang Xuezhou for the technology behind the Seventh Sequence advancement drug, and Zhang offered to teach him in exchange for useful technical information.
• Mengtesi Badun agreed to the exchange, planning to use the drug to create more Seventh Sequence Holders and return to the cave where Seven Spiders resided.
• Zhang Xuezhou reflected that the scarce Jingluo Vine, rather than the drug-making process, limited production, and urged cooperation to prepare for dangers from beyond the heavens.
• Zhang Xuezhou spoke with Wang Haoran, who worried that he had not accumulated enough to attempt the Seventh Sequence.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Wang Haoran that advancement depended on meeting bodily requirements, not further accumulation, and said Wang was qualified to try.

At the A6 Research Institute, Zhang Xuezhou tested his advancement process on Wang Haoran and studied how different combat techniques affected the results. After Wang Haoran reached the Seventh Sequence, Zhang Xuezhou said he was ready to test an R36 Catalyst on himself, confirming that the path to the Seventh Sequence had been opened.

• Zhang Xuezhou guided Wang Haoran through the third advancement experiment while Zuo Denggao, Zuo Teng, Luo Burang, and Ren Anran watched anxiously.
• Ren Anran reassured Zuo Denggao and Zuo Teng that Zhang Xuezhou's calm, careful approach gave Wang Haoran a high chance of success.
• After a day and a half, Wang Haoran advanced to the Seventh Sequence, though Luo Burang noticed that the process had taken almost as long as Zhou Yueyan's.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that he had tailored Wang Haoran's reaction equation after studying his Gene Fighting Technique, unlike his earlier work with Zhou Yueyan.
• Zhang Xuezhou volunteered to be the fourth test subject once an R36 Catalyst was produced.

Zhang Xuezhou successfully helped Wang Haoran enter the Seventh Sequence by developing a Resistance Layer through a new experimental method. As the committee celebrated the safer path toward advancement, Ouruo and the others reaffirmed that they would not return to the Aomeijia Alliance.

• Wang Haoran reached the Seventh Sequence, recovered his youthful vigor, and thanked Zhang Xuezhou for guiding the experiment.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Luo Burang’s adjusted genetic fluid helped Wang Haoran develop a more evenly distributed Resistance Layer, and he considered how the method could be standardized.
• Luo Burang reported the successful experiment, and Li Yingbo and the committee members congratulated Wang Haoran.
• Zhang Xuezhou said Mengtesi Badun would soon share techniques for making Ferocious Beast products, prompting Li Yingbo to joke about Badun’s generosity toward Silva and Ouruo.
• Ouruo and the others reflected on the Scarlet Alliance State’s fairer distribution of opportunities and resolved never to return to the Aomeijia Alliance.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed the Scarlet Alliance State’s openness to outsiders with Mengtesi Badun, then exchanged research materials with him. Badun struggled to understand the manuscript and went to observe Zhang’s laboratory process for making a Seventh Sequence gene drug.

• Mengtesi Badun asked Zhang Xuezhou and the others why the Scarlet Alliance State welcomed outside Lineages, and Zhang explained that cooperation and fair treatment helped maintain stability.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried to recruit Mengtesi Badun and proposed exchanging their cultivation materials, which they handed over directly without witnesses or formal agreements.
• Zhang skimmed Badun’s manuscript and said he would pass it to someone else to study, while Badun insisted on handling the research himself.
• Mengtesi Badun found that the manuscript did not explain the gene drug’s principles or ingredients clearly enough for him to understand it.
• Ren Anran told Mengtesi Badun that Zhang Xuezhou had prepared a pharmaceutical demonstration and advised him to bring recording equipment; Badun put on laboratory clothing and entered Zhang’s old laboratory.

Zhang Xuezhou showed Mengtesi Badun how to produce genetic medicine and gave him samples, while Ren Anran discussed exchanging knowledge about her mental ability. Mengtesi Badun left wary of the Scarlet Alliance State’s open sharing, and Zhang Xuezhou vanished from the high platform as Ren Anran disappeared from beside him.

• Zhang Xuezhou demonstrated the genetic medicine production process and offered Mengtesi Badun samples and equipment recommendations.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave Mengtesi Badun ten portions of genetic medicine and warned him that overdosing could cause memory loss, as it had for Zuo Lianguang.
• Ren Anran explained that production was limited by a shortage of Ferocious Beast extract and discussed her illusory-body ability with Mengtesi Badun.
• Ren Anran hinted that the Qinmeng Secret Stone could grant a related ability and offered knowledge in exchange for cooperation.
• Mengtesi Badun rejected the idea of sharing knowledge for free, then saw Zhang Xuezhou vanish from the high platform and found Ren Anran gone.