Chapter Summaries

Zhou Xin drove Mengtesi Badun away with dung attacks and threats, then took control of an ocean freighter to leave Qinmeng. Zuo Teng feared Mengtesi Badun would target him, while Zhang Xuezhou resisted taking responsibility for his predicament.

• Zhou Xin hurled exotic beast dung at Mengtesi Badun, who threatened to capture Zuo Teng in Qinmeng.
• Zhou Xin and Mengtesi Badun exchanged threats over their relatives before Mengtesi Badun turned his speedboat toward shore.
• Zhou Xin docked with the ocean freighter, took control, and ordered everyone aboard to prepare to sail.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried to comfort Zuo Teng, who realized Zhang had deliberately moved away from Zhou Xin and asked him for advice.
• Zuo Teng recounted his misfortunes in Qinmeng and asked Zhang Xuezhou, who studied psychology, to assess whether he was sick.

Zhang Xuezhou recovered from Zuo Teng’s beating and offered him a simple way to evade Mengtesi Badun by changing his identity and disguising himself. Zuo Teng accepted the advice, then began to wonder how Zhang Xuezhou knew so much about his past.

• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that Zuo Teng had recovered from the mental influence after being pushed into hysterics and beaten by Zhang Manqian.
• Zuo Teng asked Zhang Xuezhou how to avoid Mengtesi Badun, while Zhou Tianhao explained that Mengtesi Badun could still target Zuo Teng despite his ties to Zhou Tianhao’s grandfather.
• Zhang Xuezhou used the Supreme Purity True Technique to heal his cracked ribs and agreed to help Zuo Teng in exchange for an exotic beast.
• Zhang Xuezhou advised Zuo Teng to disguise himself, change his identification, and travel under Zuo Denggao’s identity.
• Zuo Teng accepted the practical advice and said he did not regret paying Zhang Xuezhou for help.
• Zuo Teng wondered how Zhang Xuezhou knew so much about his past.

Zhang Xuezhou revealed Zuo Teng’s private secrets, leaving him despondent before he redirected his ambitions toward reaching the Tenth Sequence. As Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran discussed their techniques aboard the freighter, Badun arrived too late to stop Zhou Xin from taking control of the ship and carrying Ganghao away.

• Zhang Xuezhou told Zuo Teng that Ren Anran had known about his secret behavior, and Zuo Teng withdrew to the rest pod in shame.
• After lying in a daze for two days, Zuo Teng recovered and shifted his focus from love and family to advancing through the sequence tiers.
• Ren Anran confirmed Zuo Teng had worked through the shock and learned that Zhang Xuezhou’s Person-Fixing Technique could briefly reveal memory fragments.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran discussed cultivating the Realm Technique and agreed to share a future sand-and-soil technique.
• Badun called out to Zhou Xin from the sky and demanded that he release Ganghao, but Ren Anran said he was too late as the freighter’s defensive gun tracked the aircraft.

Zhou Xin confronted Mengtesi Badun after he pursued the ocean freighter and used Montes Ganghao as leverage in negotiations. Mengtesi Badun agreed to return Luo Burang and researchers, but could only speculate about the informant in Western Capital City, leaving Zhou Xin to consider whom the informant had intended to target.

• Zhou Xin ordered the freighter’s defensive cannons to track Mengtesi Badun’s aircraft and had Li Yong issue a warning.
• Mengtesi Badun demanded that Zhou Xin return Montes Ganghao, but Zhou Xin threatened retaliation and demanded the identity of the informant in Western Capital City and the safe return of Luo Burang and others.
• Mengtesi Badun asked about Montes Ganghao’s condition, then agreed to return the people but said he could not prove who the informant was.
• Mengtesi Badun said the informant had likely wanted to use the Aomeijia Alliance against a tough Sequence expert in the Alliance States, prompting Zhou Xin to consider who that person might be.

Zhou Xin refused to release Montes Ganghao until the Aomeijia Alliance returned the Scarlet Alliance State’s researchers, then visited Ganghao in his cage. As Ganghao grew more agitated, Zhou Xin realized his enhanced strength was fading, leaving him less able to control or subdue his prisoner.

• Mengtesi Badun demanded Ganghao, while Zhou Xin demanded the safe return of at least ten researchers before handing Ganghao over.
• Zhou Xin and Li Yong discussed the Aomeijia Alliance’s technological advantage and the Scarlet Alliance State’s difficulty catching up.
• Zhou Xin ordered the ship’s patrols strengthened against a possible night attack, then went to Ganghao’s cage.
• Ganghao demanded better accommodations and something to read, but Zhou Xin refused and offered only erotic magazines or another beating.
• Ganghao began pounding the cage, while Zhou Xin realized the Qinmeng Secret Stone’s strength-enhancing effect was steadily fading.

Zhou Xin asked the young people aboard the freighter to entertain Montes Ganghao, the agitated hostage whose condition could jeopardize an upcoming prisoner exchange. Xu Zhihui volunteered to try first, while Zhang Xuezhou stayed back because he could not speak Aomeijia Language and had not heard what the payment would be.

• Zhou Xin explained that he had captured Montes Ganghao and agreed to exchange him for ten Scarlet Alliance State researchers.
• Zhou Xin asked the young people to keep Montes Ganghao entertained and alive until the exchange, which was still eight to ten days away.
• Xu Zhihui volunteered, and Zhou Xin took him to try first.
• Zuo Teng asked Zhang Xuezhou why he had not volunteered, and Zhang Xuezhou said he could not communicate in Aomeijia Language and did not know the payment.
• Zuo Teng decided he might try if Xu Zhihui and the others failed.

While the group passed time aboard the ship, Wang Haoran emerged from two days of secluded cultivation after making a major breakthrough. He believed he had encountered Ren Yisheng’s spirit and urged the others to help him, leaving Wang Li worried about his grandfather’s sanity.

• Wang Li told the others that Wang Haoran had spent two days in the lounge without eating or drinking, and Zhang Xuezhou concluded he was likely cultivating.
• The group played cards, and Zuo Teng asked Zhang Xuezhou for jokes to amuse Montes Ganghao; Zhang Xuezhou suggested jokes at Zhou Xin’s expense.
• Wang Haoran appeared at the lounge looking more vigorous and said he had advanced from the Meridian Circulation Realm through the Blood Penetration Realm to the Body Control Realm.
• Wang Haoran told the group he had seen Ren Yisheng’s spirit aboard the ship and believed Ren Yisheng might be asking for help.
• Wang Haoran suggested they visit an ancient temple to help Ren Yisheng’s soul rest, while Wang Li suspected his grandfather’s fasting had made him mentally unwell.

Wang Haoran became convinced that Ren Yisheng's spirit remained with them, while the group tried to rescue Zuo Teng after Montes Ganghao seized him and demanded jokes. As their improvised jokes failed and Ganghao hurt Zuo Teng, Zuo Teng called for Zhang Xuezhou and offered him an additional exotic beast to help.

• Wang Haoran insisted that Ren Yisheng might still be present, and Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Manqian, and Ren Anran agreed that Ren Yisheng could be alive with them.
• Zhou Tianhao reported that Montes Ganghao had seized Zuo Teng and was demanding jokes, so Ren Anran went to negotiate with him.
• Ren Anran learned that Ganghao wanted jokes mocking Committee Member Zhou, and Zuo Teng offered two exotic beasts to anyone who freed him while Committee Member Zhou offered an advanced blood agent.
• Zhang Xuezhou waited while the group tried telling jokes, then joined Zhang Manqian in making up a few of their own.
• Zhou Tianhao reported that Ganghao had knocked Meng Taichong unconscious after he approached with a stack of jokes.
• Zhou Tianhao told Zhang Xuezhou that Zuo Teng was being squeezed by Ganghao and was offering him another exotic beast if he came to help.

Zhang Xuezhou visited the agitated Montes Ganghao, who had tied Zuo Teng to an alloy cage, and proposed an endurance contest as a way to resolve the standoff. Montes Ganghao eagerly accepted the idea, while Zuo Teng recognized that Zhang Xuezhou’s unusual ability to stay awake gave him a strong advantage.

• Zhang Xuezhou went to see Montes Ganghao after Zuo Teng was tied to the alloy cage and Zhou Xin warned him to keep his distance.
• Zuo Teng asked Zhang Xuezhou to rescue him, but Zhang said he could not communicate with Montes Ganghao or tell jokes and would need the authority to try his idea.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed competing with Montes Ganghao to see who could stay awake longer, with Zuo Teng’s release as the prize if Montes Ganghao lost.
• Montes Ganghao revealed that he could speak the Scarlet Alliance language and urged Zhou Xin to approve the contest.
• Zuo Teng realized Zhang Xuezhou’s extraordinary ability to stay awake could give him the advantage over Montes Ganghao.

Zhang Xuezhou freed Zuo Teng by arranging a wager with Montes Ganghao over who could stay awake longer, then proposed playing cards to keep them occupied. Montes Ganghao offered his Soft Hedgehog Armor as a stake worth ten exotic beasts, and Zhang Xuezhou accepted, leaving Zhou Xin hoping he would win.

• Zhang Xuezhou persuaded Montes Ganghao to agree to a staying-awake wager, and Montes Ganghao signed Zhou Xin's agreement and released Zuo Teng.
• Zhou Xin steadied Zuo Teng, who thanked Zhang Xuezhou and accepted that the exotic beasts he had given him were deserved.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested a card game to pass the time and invited Zhou Tianhao to bring Wang Li and Professor Wang to join them.
• Montes Ganghao offered his Soft Hedgehog Armor for stakes worth ten exotic beasts, and Zhang Xuezhou agreed to the exchange.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions played cards with the captured Montes Ganghao, wagering exotic beasts while keeping him occupied. After Wang Haoran and Zuo Teng left the game, Ren Anran and Zhang Manqian took their places as Zuo Teng began to suspect the group had set a trap for Montes Ganghao.

• Montes Ganghao established the card-game rules and stakes, then played against Zhang Xuezhou, Wang Li, and Wang Haoran inside the alloy cage.
• After two losing rounds, Wang Haoran quit because he was exhausted, and Zhang Xuezhou invited Zuo Teng to take his seat.
• Montes Ganghao exchanged contract documents with Zuo Teng and continued playing, hoping his stamina would give him an advantage over the others.
• Wang Haoran told Ren Anran and Zhang Manqian that Montes Ganghao was trying to win through a war of attrition, and the women waited for their turn.
• Zuo Teng left after losing two and a half exotic beasts, then wondered whether Zhang Xuezhou's group was luring Montes Ganghao into a trap.
• Ren Anran and Zhang Manqian headed to join the card game as Zuo Teng went to eat and rest.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions played cards with Montes Ganghao through the night, rotating players as Montes Ganghao grew exhausted and lost his chips. After surrendering the Soft Hedgehog Armor, Montes Ganghao offered his Qi-and-Blood-stimulating belt for another round of chips.

• Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Manqian, Ren Anran, and Montes Ganghao played cards through the first day, with Zhang Manqian and Ren Anran gaining while Montes Ganghao lost.
• Ren Anran left after three rounds, and Wang Li took her place and won chips worth three exotic beasts as Montes Ganghao's condition declined.
• Wang Li left the table, and Zuo Teng joined; after gaining one exotic beast in four rounds, Zuo Teng withdrew.
• Ren Anran returned, and after five more rounds Montes Ganghao lost all his chips and handed her the Soft Hedgehog Armor to settle his debt.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered Montes Ganghao another exotic beast as chips, and Montes Ganghao offered his belt in exchange for shares worth twenty exotic beasts.

Ren Anran won a long card game against Montes Ganghao, while Zhang Xuezhou appeared to control the table and claimed Montes Ganghao’s rare Ferocious Beast belt. As Montes Ganghao fell asleep from exhaustion, Zuo Teng worried that the belt could accelerate blood-serum absorption and disrupt his plans for advancing through the sequences.

• Ren Anran played twenty-two rounds as Montes Ganghao grew exhausted, winning Zhang Xuezhou four exotic beasts and Montes Ganghao’s belt.
• Zuo Teng watched from the sidelines and suspected Zhang Xuezhou could control who won and lost at the table.
• Montes Ganghao ran out of chips, complained about his losses, and fell asleep from exhaustion.
• Zhou Xin judged the gambling contest resolved and heard Zhang Xuezhou ask for tiger or leopard blood serums as his reward.
• Zhou Xin suggested Zhou Tianhao and Zuo Teng might borrow Montes Ganghao’s belt with gifts, and Zuo Teng worried about its potential effects on sequence advancement.

Zhang Xuezhou’s group divided the spoils from their scheme against Montes Ganghao and quietly prepared evidence in case he retaliated. As the cargo ship neared Western Capital City, Wang Haoran went to check on their captured exotic beasts, unaware he might encounter Ren Yisheng again.

• Zhang Xuezhou examined Montes Ganghao’s Soft Hedgehog Armor and Ferocious Beast belt, gave the armor to Zhang Manqian, and arranged for the group to share the belt.
• Zhang Xuezhou’s group celebrated their gains, then recorded him pretending to lose consciousness after a card game as a precaution against Montes Ganghao.
• Ren Anran explained that the recording could protect Zhang Xuezhou if Montes Ganghao reneged on their agreement.
• Ren Yisheng had kept the exotic beasts alive by exposing them to Spirit Jade, and the ship had at most two days left at sea.
• Wang Haoran left the rest cabin to ask Zhou Xin about checking the exotic beasts, while Ren Anran and Zhang Manqian wondered how he would react to seeing Ren Yisheng again.

After waking in the Imperial Medical Hall, Zhang Xuezhou learned that Medical Officer Chunyu had opened his skull to dispel a Severe Witchcraft Gu Incantation. His connection to the Venerable One’s Great Wilderness Creation Scripture had been severed, while Lord Du Rui told him to recover and leave the matter alone.

• Zhang Xuezhou awoke with his head bandaged and learned that Medical Officer Chunyu had opened his skull to save him.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried to leave the bed, but Medical Officer Zhao immobilized him with needles until Medical Officer Chunyu arrived and removed them.
• Medical Officer Chunyu explained that she had dispersed the trigger of the Severe Witchcraft Gu Incantation and warned Zhang Xuezhou not to move recklessly.
• Medical Officer Chunyu suspected the incantation came from the master of the Xieluosi River Holy Land, and Zhang Xuezhou tentatively agreed that he might have offended them.
• Zhang Xuezhou found that his cultivation no longer connected him to the Venerable One, and learned that Lord Du Rui had told him to focus on recovering.

After recovering from surgery, Zhang Xuezhou was summoned to the Palace of Peace and Happiness to answer the grand empress dowager’s questions. Medical Officer Chunyu helped ensure he was carried there safely, while her evasive words suggested concern about the grand empress dowager’s health.

• Medical Officer Chunyu warned Zhang Xuezhou to tell the grand empress dowager the truth and advised him to travel as an injured patient, explaining that Zheng Wukong had asked her to look after him.
• An imperial edict summoned Zhang Xuezhou, and Medical Officer Chunyu stopped the eunuchs from roughly lifting him by warning them about his surgery.
• Old Eunuch Cui arranged for Zhang Xuezhou to be carried on a padded frame, with Medical Officer Chunyu accompanying him to the Palace of Peace and Happiness.
• On the way, Old Eunuch Cui asked whether the grand empress dowager was healthy, and Medical Officer Chunyu avoided answering directly.
• Zhang Xuezhou complained that his brains might flow from his nostrils, and Medical Officer Chunyu appeared relieved.

Chunyu Tiying brought the recovering Zhang Xuezhou, posing as Dongfang Shuo, before the Grand Empress Dowager, who questioned him about the curse and his attacker. His account of seeing a giant white deer led her to identify the Exalted One as her enemy, while she continued searching for a way to remove the Sha Qi afflicting her.

• Cui summoned Chunyu Tiying and Dongfang Shuo into the Palace of Peace and Happiness, where they presented Zhang Xuezhou on a stretcher.
• The Grand Empress Dowager praised Chunyu Tiying for opening Dongfang Shuo’s skull and removing the curse, then ordered her to continue treating him and use any special herbs needed.
• The Grand Empress Dowager asked Zhang Xuezhou whether he had seen his attacker, and he recalled a white deer taller than his house before losing consciousness.
• The Grand Empress Dowager concluded that the Exalted One had attacked her and Zhang Xuezhou, and that he had turned the Sha Qi against her.
• The Grand Empress Dowager struggled to suppress the Sha Qi in her body and wondered whether the mysterious fire that had destroyed Shi Wudao’s sinister state could burn it away.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that his injuries had followed Medical Officer Chunyu’s surgery to remove an incantation trigger, and the Grand Empress Dowager examined him to judge whether she should undergo a similar operation. His abnormal cultivation and the danger of her recurring Sha Qi left her wary of surgery, and she barred anyone below the Body Transformation Realm from entering the Palace of Peace and Happiness.

• Zhang Xuezhou described his post-surgery symptoms, and Medical Officer Chunyu explained that Tiying had used needles, datura powder, and castor oil during the operation.
• The Grand Empress Dowager asked whether Zhang Xuezhou could still cultivate, and he said his Law Power worked abnormally and seemed confined.
• The Grand Empress Dowager had Zhang Xuezhou blindfolded and carried behind the screen, where she sensed two Qi seas and an overlap between two bodies.
• The Grand Empress Dowager concluded that Zhang Xuezhou’s condition made surgery risky and feared her Sha Qi would return even if extinguished.
• After Zhang Xuezhou was carried away, the Grand Empress Dowager ordered that no one below the Body Transformation Realm, including His Majesty, could enter the Palace of Peace and Happiness.

After surviving a grave illness caused by the Grand Empress Dowager’s sinister power, Zhang Xuezhou woke in the Imperial Medical Hall and demanded to leave. He persuaded Medical Officer Chunyu to help him escape, while she warned him that he needed to remain seriously ill to avoid being summoned back to treat the Grand Empress Dowager.

• Zhang Xuezhou regained consciousness after three days of delirium, and the medical officers celebrated his survival.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked to leave the Imperial Medical Hall, but the medical officers refused and said they still had orders to carry out.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized that his treatment was also being used to investigate how to treat the Grand Empress Dowager.
• Zhang Xuezhou threatened to praise Medical Officer Chunyu’s treatment unless she helped him leave safely.
• Medical Officer Chunyu agreed to cooperate and warned Zhang Xuezhou to appear more seriously ill so he would not be sent back to the Palace of Peace and Happiness.

Zhang Xuezhou reached an agreement with Medical Officer Chunyu and was released from the Imperial Medical Hall, then deduced that his actions at Yang Mausoleum had accidentally harmed the grand empress dowager. He planned to seek a safer government post and arrived home to find Rong Tianding and Zheng Wukong waiting anxiously.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Medical Officer Chunyu agreed to keep each other’s secrets and stay out of each other’s affairs.
• Medical Officer Chunyu let Zhang Xuezhou leave the Imperial Medical Hall, and the other medical officers accepted his argument that treatment could continue at home.
• As attendants carried Zhang Xuezhou away, he resolved to leave his post at Yang Mausoleum and seek a more secure court position.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized that suppressing the Two Instruments Formation’s eye may have triggered the grand empress dowager’s illness and led her to target him.
• Zhang Xuezhou heard Rong Tianding worrying about him and Zheng Wukong reassuring him as they neared the residence in Old Tree Alley.