Chapter Summaries

Zhang Weimeng accepted a ten-million-yuan commission to write a Zuo Lengchan fanfic and planned to adapt The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber with Zhang Xuezhou's help. Zhang Xuezhou traced the mysterious funder to Changkong Yinghao and concluded that he had run into serious trouble.

• Zhang Weimeng told Zhang Xuezhou that a client had offered ten million yuan for a Zuo Lengchan fanfic.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed that Zhang Weimeng could accept the commission and suggested adapting The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber with Zuo Lengchan in Zhang Wuji's role.
• Zhang Weimeng agreed to the plan and reminded Zhang Xuezhou to stop urging him to divorce Zhang Xuezhou's mother.
• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that the funder was likely an ambitious person facing possible defeat but still holding substantial money or power.
• Zhang Xuezhou narrowed the possibilities to Changkong Yinghao and the others in Western Capital City, then concluded that Changkong Yinghao had run into serious trouble.

Ren Yisheng persuaded Zhang Xuezhou to use the North Rehe Research Institute to prepare the Heavenly God General secret medicine, arguing that its equipment and his guidance made the work feasible. Zhang Xuezhou agreed to take charge, and Ren Yisheng assured him the research was unlikely to attract scrutiny.

• Ren Yisheng explained that the secret medicine was central to the Heavenly God General Plan and that Zhang Xuezhou's Supreme Purity True Technique had helped him and others survive its dangerous side effects.
• Ren Yisheng urged Zhang Xuezhou to investigate the secret medicine instead of rushing to develop gene blood serums, saying the institute's equipment matched the Luofu Imperial Family's former research conditions.
• Ren Yisheng estimated that each dose could cost around 1.5 million if the success rate reached fifty percent and offered his pharmaceutical expertise to guide the work.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to prepare the medicine from Ren Yisheng's formula with help from Zhang Manqian and Ren Anran, while continuing plans to go to Qinmeng.
• When Zhang Xuezhou asked whether the research would bring an investigation, Ren Yisheng said the institute and its researchers were too insignificant to draw the Sequence Committee's attention.

Ren Yisheng explained how Mental Strengthening had enhanced Zhang Manqian’s combat ability and helped Zhang Xuezhou and the others develop their powers. He and Zhang Xuezhou planned to raise Zhang Manqian’s Sequence Tier rapidly, leaving the Ren Household and Zhang Household focused on building strength before future trouble arrived.

• Ren Yisheng explained that Mental Strengthening could improve Realm Techniques and Gene Fighting Techniques, and Zhang Manqian realized it had helped her fight Jiang Feng.
• Zhang Xuezhou judged that Zhang Manqian’s current combat power was already exceptional for a First Sequence Holder and predicted she could become formidable in higher Sequences.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed buying tiger, leopard, and crane blood serums to raise Zhang Manqian to the Third Sequence.
• Zhang Manqian questioned whether she could advance so quickly, and Ren Yisheng said her awakened mental trait was especially suited to combat.
• Ren Yisheng said Zhang Xuezhou’s abilities suited long-range fighting and reflected that either Ren Anran, Ren Wuyang, Zhang Xuezhou, or Zhang Manqian might help secure the Ren Household’s future.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that his strong memory had made him increasingly calculating, while Ren Yisheng and Ren Anran warned Zhang Manqian that her drive to win might also become dangerous. Zhang Manqian questioned whether the diagnosis was reliable but began to consider the possibility of a mental drawback.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked Ren Yisheng what drawbacks he and Zhang Manqian had gained from mental stimulation.
• Ren Yisheng explained that Zhang Xuezhou absorbed the dispositions of unusual people he met and had become overly shrewd, urging him to act more absurdly to protect himself.
• Ren Anran said Zhang Manqian might have an excessive desire to win, and Ren Yisheng warned that it could turn into jealousy if someone surpassed her.
• Zhang Manqian challenged the assessment, while Zhang Xuezhou recalled that believing a mistaken psychiatric diagnosis had once led him to develop the illness he had been diagnosed with.
• After comparing Zhang Xuezhou's behavior with her own, Zhang Manqian began to worry that her mind might have developed an adverse state.

Zhang Manqian explained her deep dependence on Zhang Xuezhou, and Ren Yisheng judged it a psychological disorder that strengthened their partnership rather than harming it. Their discussion of the supposedly independent mind required for the Tenth Sequence ended with Huang recalling that he had once been such a detached being, leaving Ren Yisheng questioning whether that ideal was truly perfect.

• Zhang Manqian told Ren Yisheng that she believed she would fall if Zhang Xuezhou fell, and Ren Yisheng accepted her dependence as a disorder that did not need treatment.
• Ren Yisheng congratulated Zhang Manqian and recognized how she and Zhang Xuezhou had entrusted their hopes and risks to each other.
• Ren Anran explained that the Tenth Sequence's theoretical god-making plan required a fully independent, impartial mind, while Zhang Manqian and Zhang Xuezhou questioned whether such perfection was truly healthy.
• Huang said he had once been like the emotionless, independent being they described, and Ren Yisheng began doubting whether the Tenth Sequence's ideal really represented perfection.

Ren Yisheng explained how genetic modification distorted consciousness and created resistance that could block advancement through the Sequences. After reviewing Zhang Xuezhou’s test reports, he discovered that Zhang Xuezhou’s genes seemed to have undergone a latent mutation rather than a temporary boost from blood serum.

• Ren Yisheng explained that genetic modification strengthened a chaotic beastly consciousness, and that Mental Strengthening could only delay the loss of reason in Sequence Holders like Song Xianzhong.
• Ren Yisheng told Zhang Xuezhou that blood serum resistance prevented many people from advancing beyond the Third Sequence and warned that people with weak genes could encounter it even earlier.
• Zhang Xuezhou said he was not worried about his genes because he could rely on the Realm Technique, while Ren Yisheng recognized that Zhang Xuezhou had already found another path forward.
• Ren Yisheng reviewed Zhang Xuezhou’s blood serum reports and noticed that his genes appeared to have undergone a latent mutation instead of a temporary serum-induced boost.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that his genes appeared to be changing from crane to egret, and he and Ren Yisheng investigated what might be driving the transformation. Ren Yisheng suspected Sinkhole No. 2, while Zhang Xuezhou considered the effects of blood serum and the green-headed duck’s Demon Thought.

• Ren Yisheng told Zhang Xuezhou that his gene data suggested egret genes were emerging in his body.
• Zhang Xuezhou welcomed the change and planned to test again, use egret blood serum, and ask Ren Yisheng to revise his Kunpeng Combat Technique.
• Ren Yisheng considered how the genetic change could affect Zhang Xuezhou’s cultivation and linked it to his strategy of stacking resources.
• Ren Yisheng suspected Sinkhole No. 2 might have caused Zhang Xuezhou’s genes to evolve and compared his data with Zhang Manqian’s.
• Zhang Xuezhou reflected on whether blood serum, Black-Tipped Chicken, Demon Thought, or Sinkhole No. 2 had driven the change, and questioned whether it was normal.

Changkong Yinghao, Changkong Yinglian, and Zhou Rihui discussed investigating the Heavenly God General Plan and the dangers of its human experiments. Zhou Xin agreed to offer elderly volunteers from the Twilight Years Mansion as the first test subjects, leaving the proposed research ready to proceed.

• Changkong Yinghao ordered an investigation into materials and equipment that might reveal which Lineages had researched the Heavenly God General Plan.
• Changkong Yinglian and Changkong Yinghao argued that Zhou Rihui should be the first live test subject, and he agreed only if his younger sister led the plan.
• Zhou Rihui told Zhou Xin about the proposal, and Zhou Xin criticized him for taking on too much responsibility.
• Zhou Xin advised Zhou Rihui to remain patient amid the Scarlet Alliance State's political weakness and said he himself could not reach the Eighth Sequence.
• Zhou Xin offered to recruit elderly people from the Twilight Years Mansion as test subjects, hoping their results would guide future improvements.

After failing to win an official post for a second time, Zhang Xuezhou learned that applicants had bribed their way onto the list, but Sang Hongyang warned him that the court would likely punish those who tried the same thing in the next recruitment. Zhang Xuezhou abandoned his plan to slip coins into bamboo slips and waited for another chance.

• Zhang Xuezhou paid Zhufu Yan fifty banliang coins and learned that applicants had bribed officials by slipping money into their bamboo slips.
• Zhufu Yan wished to become rich and secure an official post, while Zhang Xuezhou left him and bought bamboo slips for his next application.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to his shop and told Sang Hongyang he had failed to make the officials' list again.
• Sang Hongyang warned Zhang Xuezhou that the emperor knew about the bribes and might use the next recruitment to punish applicants who paid them.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized Sang Hongyang had saved him from risking his future prospects and abandoned his plan to bribe his way into office.

Zhang Xuezhou devised an absurdly lengthy fictional story to attract the new emperor’s attention and get his application for office reviewed without being blacklisted. As he wrote, Xu Yuan mistook the invented protagonist’s tragic life for reality and insisted on sending him millet, forcing Zhang Xuezhou to keep writing through the night.

• After learning that the new emperor was checking applicants’ bamboo slips for hidden banliang coins, Zhang Xuezhou decided to submit many tightly bound rolls without any money inside.
• Zhang Xuezhou planned an elaborate novel about Master Zixu, intending to fill dozens of rolls and add a brief petition for office at the end.
• Zhang Xuezhou began writing, believing the story’s absurd length would draw the new emperor’s attention and prove his talent and innocence.
• Rong Tianding watched Zhang Xuezhou write, while Xu Yuan recognized his own past in Zixu’s story and began crying.
• Xu Yuan insisted that Zhang Xuezhou find Zixu so he could give him millet, and Zhang Xuezhou tried to explain that the character was fictional.
• Xu Yuan refused to believe the story was made up, so Zhang Xuezhou continued writing through the night.

After finishing five chapters of a story, Zhang Xuezhou switched to Xiong State writing to demonstrate his learning and improve his chances of securing an official post. He tightly bound the bamboo slips for submission and was visited by his senior brother Wu Chao.

• Zhang Xuezhou finished writing the fifth scroll, while Xu Yuan became absorbed in the story and Rong Tianding questioned whether it could help him gain an official post.
• After Rong Tianding pointed out that the emperor might prefer fu rhapsodies, Zhang Xuezhou decided to show another talent by switching from Han Dynasty writing to Xiong State writing.
• Xu Yuan could no longer read the new characters, and Zhang Xuezhou explained that readers needed to know the language of Xiong State to continue.
• Rong Tianding reminded Xu Yuan that they needed to open their grain stall, and the two left to work while Zhang Xuezhou stayed behind.
• Zhang Xuezhou tied the thirty rolls of bamboo slips tightly, believing the binding would help them reach the emperor without being inspected too closely.
• When someone knocked, Zhang Xuezhou heard Wu Chao call from outside and felt relieved that it was not Wei Shao'er.

Wu Chao visited Zhang Xuezhou after his secluded cultivation and discussed his plans to return to the Xiong State and settle matters with the Western Sect. He agreed to protect Zhang Qian during the mission, while Zhang Xuezhou accepted that Wu Chao would pursue his own ambitions.

• Wu Chao wore a gray-white wig to avoid repeated inspections in Chang'an City and visited Zhang Xuezhou after he woke.
• Wu Chao told Zhang Xuezhou that he intended to cultivate, return to the Western Sect, and repay his debt to him.
• Zhang Xuezhou warned Wu Chao that his ties to the Western Sect made becoming chanyu unlikely and could bring trouble if he took the throne.
• Wu Chao decided to return to the imperial family to claim princely treatment and asked what he should do about Zhang Qian.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Wu Chao to keep Zhang Qian alive, and Wu Chao promised to protect and provide for him before bringing him back.

Zhang Xuezhou weighed the court factions and arranged to apply for office while planning the shop’s next steps. He persuaded Xu Yuan to bring Xu Ji from Ba Commandery to Chang’an City for treatment, leaving Rong Tianding hopeful of learning the Shijiao School’s secret canon.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Rong Tianding that three to five factions were vying for influence at court and asked him to deliver his application slips to the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Xu Yuan to look for other seeds to sell once their broomcorn millet business slowed, and discussed buying a house and farmland after becoming officials.
• Rong Tianding demonstrated his techniques to Xu Yuan and offered to treat Xu Ji, prompting Xu Yuan to agree to bring his grandfather from Ba Commandery to Chang’an City.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered ten strings of cash for Xu Yuan’s journey and explained that his own health and pursuit of office prevented him from accompanying them.

Zhang Xuezhou submitted his elaborate application for office in the emperor’s third talent search and encouraged other applicants to include bribes, hoping their competition would be eliminated. His bamboo slips passed the first screening, while Zhufu Yan gave up on waiting for an appointment and left Chang’an City.

• Gongsun Hong’s envoy procession left Chang’an City with reluctant recruits bound for Xiong State.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged Xu Yuan and Rong Tianding toward the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant to submit his application for office.
• Zhufu Yan saw the many applicants offering bribes, concluded he had little chance, and left to practice his sword elsewhere.
• Zhang Xuezhou’s bound bundles of bamboo slips were carried away for higher review after the officials could not sort them on the spot.
• Zhang Xuezhou encouraged the crowd to add coins to their applications, prompting several wealthy applicants to agree.

The new emperor watched Zhang Xuezhou encourage people to buy official posts and considered the court’s corruption, finances, and lack of capable officials. He then questioned Wei Qing about whether he could replace Li Guang, only to learn that Wei Qing believed he could not master the imperial swordsmanship manuals.

• The new emperor saw Zhang Xuezhou promoting the purchase of office and decided the practice deserved punishment, though he rejected Li Guang’s suggestion of making it a capital crime.
• The new emperor reflected that many court officials had gained their positions through connections and resolved to train young officials and make personnel changes.
• The new emperor left for Weiyang Palace with Wei Qing and asked him which people around him could be trusted and whether he could eventually replace Li Guang.
• Wei Qing said he would strive to catch up to Li Guang but believed he could not master Zhang Zhong's Swordsmanship Insights or Chong Da's Swordsmanship Insights.
• The new emperor realized that he, too, might be unable to master the imperial swordsmanship manuals and felt disheartened.

The new emperor investigated bribes hidden in applications for office, then opened Zhang Xuezhou’s tightly bound bamboo slips and found them filled with unfamiliar writing rather than money. Intrigued by the unusual application, he asked Han Yan to read it aloud, while Sang Hongyang worried Zhang Xuezhou’s third attempt to seek office would end badly.

• The new emperor ordered the eunuchs to count the bribes and record the names of those who had offered them.
• The new emperor summoned Han Yan and Sang Hongyang to help read names and count valuables after the eunuchs made mistakes.
• Sang Hongyang recognized Zhang Xuezhou’s tightly bound bamboo slips and feared he had ignored his warning about hiding coins inside them.
• The new emperor cut open Zhang Xuezhou’s bundles, found no money, and discovered writing in unfamiliar characters among the slips.
• The new emperor asked Han Yan to read the application aloud, while Sang Hongyang tried to speak in Zhang Xuezhou’s defense.

The new emperor considered Zhang Xuezhou’s request for an official post and began to see his talent for exploiting others as useful against Xiong State. The empress dowager and Tian Fen then pressed him to recall Gongsun Hong and the officials accompanying his mission, leaving the emperor frustrated that the mission might end before it could help Zhang Qian.

• The new emperor asked Han Yan to study Xiong State’s script and, persuaded by Sang Hongyang, agreed to consider Zhang Xuezhou for a suitable official post.
• The new emperor separated Zhang Xuezhou’s bamboo scrolls from the bribes and wondered whether the long story hid some purpose, while admitting he wanted to hear its ending.
• The empress dowager and Tian Fen confronted the new emperor about sending nearly a hundred newly appointed officials with Gongsun Hong, revealing that many were Tian Fen’s appointees.
• The empress dowager urged the new emperor to recall Gongsun Hong, and the emperor gave her and Tian Fen permission to contact him.
• After they left, the new emperor summoned Attendant Zhang and worried that Gongsun Hong’s mission would end before he could scout the way for Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian received the new emperor’s orders to seek an alliance with Yue Kingdom and help weaken Xiong State, while the emperor privately recognized the limits of Han’s military strength. At Changle Palace, the emperor carefully placated the grand empress dowager and Grand Princess Dou, leaving his throne secure for now.

• The new emperor ordered Zhang Qian to approach Yue Kingdom for intelligence and an alliance against Xiong State.
• Zhang Qian asked why Han did not attack Xiong State’s three Sacred Lands, and the emperor explained that Xiong State was the immediate target and Han lacked the strength for a distant campaign.
• The new emperor reflected on the grand empress dowager’s power to remove him from the throne and went to report to her at Changle Palace.
• Grand Princess Dou challenged the emperor over his distance from her family, and he explained that he had been strengthening his body so he could have children with the empress.
• The grand empress dowager gave the emperor Dragon Vigor and Tiger Ferocity Pills, and she accepted that he remained the best available heir.

The grand empress dowager warned the new emperor that the Immortal Court posed a grave internal threat and that he had to strengthen his cultivation to remain on the throne. After he left, she mourned the King of Liang and suspected Emperor Jing had played a role in his death, then added Wei Wan and Zhi Buyi to a brocade list of names.

• At the Palace of Peace and Happiness, the grand empress dowager and Grand Princess Dou criticized Tian Fen and discussed the danger of officials connected to the Immortal Court.
• The grand empress dowager told the new emperor that he needed to focus on cultivation, reach the Divine Ability Realm within ten years, and become strong enough to keep his throne.
• The new emperor left after agreeing to take a Dragon Vigor and Tiger Ferocity Pill, and Grand Princess Dou praised his obedient nature.
• The grand empress dowager and Grand Princess Dou grieved over the King of Liang's death, and the grand empress dowager suspected Emperor Jing was responsible despite the lack of evidence.
• The grand empress dowager ordered Grand Princess Dou to watch the empress dowager for ties to the Immortal Court, then wrote Wei Wan and Zhi Buyi's names on a brocade list.

The new emperor asked Dou Ying about the Immortal Court, and Dou Ying warned that accusations of collusion could be used to remove officials. As Dou Ying left the palace, an Immortal Court agent offered him a trade: Ying Zheng’s Heirloom Seal of the Realm for a hundred-year longevity pill or a chance to reach the True Self Realm.

• The new emperor questioned Dou Ying about the Immortal Court, and Dou Ying said its members concealed their identities and tempted people with extraordinary bargains.
• Dou Ying warned the new emperor that the Grand Empress Dowager could use alleged ties to the Immortal Court as a pretext to dismiss officials.
• A statue hidden in Dou Ying’s coachman’s clothes delivered a message offering him a hundred more years of life in exchange for Ying Zheng’s Heirloom Seal of the Realm.
• Dou Ying questioned the statue, which offered three portions of Spirit Jade Essence as another way to help him reach the True Self Realm.
• Dou Ying recognized the value of the offer because the Grand Empress Dowager had used a false pill to reach the True Self Realm.