Chapter Summaries

Cao Qianyu warned the participants that the Jiang Clan wanted to make Li Baimei a desire slave, but Jiang Tao dismissed the claim as an attempt to disrupt Li Baimei's Dao heart. As the warning made Gu De and others fear they were trapped, Li Baimei was suddenly transported away, and Chu Ping'an remarked that he had thrown himself into the game.

• Cao Qianyu tried to tell Li Baimei that the Jiang Clan intended to use him, but Jiang Tao blocked Li Baimei from hearing the rest and dismissed the warning as enemy gossip.
• Gu De realized Cao Qianyu had alleged that the Jiang Clan wanted to turn Li Baimei into a desire slave, and he worried that the participants could not safely leave.
• Cao Qianyu denied that outsiders should take his accusations seriously, while Jiang Tao challenged him for frightening the participants and slandering Yang Kaizhi.
• Gu De wrote Li Baimei a note urging him to believe he could become the one Yang Kaizhi favored, and Li Baimei was immediately transported away by his number token.
• Chu Ping'an saw Li Baimei disappear and remarked that he had thrown himself into the game.

Li Baimei was summoned before Yang Kaizhi, whose body contained two souls, and endured an electric test that revived the strange sensation he had felt on the Emperor Road. The two souls argued over who would take him next, leaving Li Baimei pinned between their opposing forces.

• Li Baimei met Yang Kaizhi and realized that a second soul, speaking with a woman's voice, shared his body.
• Yang Kaizhi's original body stripped Li Baimei with a wave of force to inspect him, prompting Li Baimei to suspect that Yang Kaizhi desired his body.
• Yang Kaizhi's separated figure struck Li Baimei with lightning, causing him to relive the strange sensation he had experienced in the water on the Emperor Road.
• The two souls argued over Li Baimei, with one calling him a talent worth cultivating and the other insisting on having him next.
• The two souls used opposing forces to hold Li Baimei in place as the woman threatened the separated figure.

Li Baimei was forced to choose between Yang Kaizhi’s phantom and original body, so he proposed facing them both and was pushed beyond his limits. Meanwhile, the people waiting in the hall speculated about his delay, and Gu De realized his attendants’ remarks had made them liabilities.

• Yang Kaizhi’s phantom and original body argued over Li Baimei, then agreed to let him choose between them.
• Li Baimei sensed danger from either choice and offered to face both figures rather than offend one.
• Yang Kaizhi’s original body revealed her imposing form, and Li Baimei realized the situation was not what he had expected.
• The two figures pushed Li Baimei past his limits until he called out, "Ancestor, Aid Me!"
• In the hall, the Cao Clan expert and others worried that Li Baimei’s long absence signaled failure, while Gu De felt relieved.
• Gu De overheard two attendants hoping Li Baimei would fail so the Great Emperor could take the opportunity, and decided they could not remain by his side.

Li Baimei emerged from Yang Kaizhi’s selection and won the Huaxia Sect’s protection plaque for the Jiang Clan. Jiang Tao celebrated his success and taunted Cao Qianyu, while Chu Ping'an reflected on Li Baimei’s ordeal and returned to Gu De.

• Li Baimei appeared beside Yang Kaizhi after spending a long time inside, and the crowd greeted Yang Kaizhi.
• Yang Kaizhi praised the Jiang Clan’s recommendation and gave Jiang Tao a wooden plaque representing the Huaxia Sect’s protection.
• Gu De learned that the plaque could protect its holder or their faction once, though it required substantial resources.
• Yang Kaizhi ended the pet selection and said others could receive the same reward if they found someone he liked.
• Jiang Tao taunted Cao Qianyu about the Tai Clan, and Cao Qianyu warned that Li Baimei might resent the Jiang Clan for bringing him there.
• Chu Ping'an concluded that Li Baimei had survived the ordeal, then returned to Gu De.

Yang Kaizhi gave Li Baimei a place to rest and precious cultivation resources, while Li Baimei insisted he could still fight. The Jiang Clan’s wooden token left the Cao Clan and Tai Jiuling unable to act against them, though Tai Jiuling resolved not to let the matter rest.

• Yang Kaizhi brought Li Baimei to a better room and gave him valuable cultivation resources to recover.
• Li Baimei told Yang Kaizhi he could still fight, and a woman urged Yang Kaizhi to let him continue while warning him not to overwork him.
• Cao Qianyu returned safely to the Cao Clan and told its members that the Jiang Clan had obtained the Huaxia Sect’s wooden token.
• The Cao Clan struggled to decide how to answer the Tai Clan’s task without provoking the Jiang Clan or risking the wooden token.
• Tai Jiuling decided he could not attack Jiang Tao while the token was in his hands and left, determined to pursue the matter later.

Jiang Tong decided to give Lu Changzhi the Jiang Clan’s Huaxia Sect token as thanks for indirectly helping them discover Li Baimei’s appeal to Yang Kaizhi. He then offered Lu Changzhi a chance to enter the World in the Painting, a valuable secret realm.

• Jiang Tao reported that Li Baimei had won Yang Kaizhi’s favor and obtained the Huaxia Sect’s wooden token.
• Jiang Tong arrived and said the Jiang Clan should return the favor to Lu Changzhi by giving him the token.
• Jiang Tong dismissed concerns about giving away the token and said the Jiang Clan would pursue opportunities in the World in the Painting.
• Jiang Tong appeared on Hidden Origin Peak, where Lu Changzhi asked whether something was waiting for him.
• Jiang Tong explained that the World in the Painting was a resource-rich secret realm and invited Lu Changzhi to visit.

Lu Changzhi learned that the world in the painting was an artifact called the Scroll of the Falling Brush and agreed to try to subdue it while taking Gu Chen along. Jiang Tong equipped him with a strange melon and a Huaxia Sect token, and Lu Changzhi left Gu Chen eager to explore the world in the painting.

• Jiang Tong explained that entry to the world in the painting was limited and offered Lu Changzhi a spot; Lu Changzhi asked for a second spot for Gu Chen.
• Jiang Tong revealed that the world in the painting was inside the Scroll of the Falling Brush and urged Lu Changzhi to try to subdue the artifact.
• Jiang Tong gave Lu Changzhi a Forcibly Twisted Melon for the Artifact Spirit, a storage ring full of stolen melons, and a token earned through Li Baimei's recognition by the Huaxia Sect.
• Jiang Tong said the Jiang Clan's critics would quiet down if Lu Changzhi settled the Scroll of the Falling Brush matter, then left.
• Lu Changzhi shared melons with the others, and Gu Chen asked him about the world in the painting.
• Lu Changzhi told Gu Chen he could take him there, and Gu Chen thanked his master.

The Tai Clan planned to target the Jiang Clan’s juniors in the World in the Painting and force them to use the Huaxia Sect’s wooden token. Meanwhile, Jiang Tong announced that the Jiang Clan would send only one junior into the World in the Painting and give the other two slots to someone else, leaving the gathered elders stunned.

• A Tai Clan man warned Tai Jiuling not to let his hatred of the Jiang Clan cloud his judgment, then identified the World in the Painting as an opportunity to strike at the clan’s juniors.
• Tai Jiuling agreed with the plan to force the Jiang Clan’s juniors to use their wooden token, and the man ordered him to choose one of the Tai Clan’s five entrants for the task.
• The Jiang Clan received a stream of visitors seeking to learn how it had obtained the Huaxia Sect’s wooden token, and the clan sent them away with polite evasions.
• Jiang Tong summoned the Jiang Clan’s influential experts and said they should select only one junior for the World in the Painting instead of the usual three.
• Jiang Tong revealed that he had given the other two slots to someone else, prompting the gathered experts to fall silent in surprise.

Jiang Tong persuaded the Jiang Clan to give a reincarnated newcomer two slots in the World in the Painting, staking his position as ancestor on the promise that it would benefit the clan. Meanwhile, Gu De reflected on Li Baimei’s success with the Huaxia Sect before an attendant told him about the World in the Painting, suggesting it might be his chance.

• Jiang Clan members argued that giving away two World in the Painting slots would deprive their younger generation of a valuable cultivation opportunity.
• Jiang Tong invoked Gu De’s unusual knowledge from the Land of Contemplation and insisted that giving the newcomer two slots would benefit the Jiang Clan.
• Jiang Tong promised to stop being the Jiang Clan’s ancestor if he failed to secure enough benefits, and the clan reluctantly accepted the loss of the slots.
• People around Gu De complained that Li Baimei had gained ties with the Huaxia Sect, while Gu De privately reconsidered his earlier actions and his concern for reputation.
• An attendant told Gu De that people in a nearby city were discussing the World in the Painting and suggested it might be his chance.

Gu De learned that the World in the Painting was generally restricted to juniors and grew resentful when he thought Li Baimei might enter. Chu Ping'an sent him a warning that Li Baimei had outside help, while Yang Kaizhi later granted Li Baimei entry to the World in the Painting.

• Gu De asked how to enter the World in the Painting and learned that major factions could make exceptions to the junior-only restriction.
• Gu De worried that Li Baimei might be allowed into the World in the Painting, while attendants tried to reassure him that Li Baimei would not get the chance.
• Chu Ping'an noticed Gu De's growing fixation on Li Baimei and decided to help him.
• An attendant delivered a scroll to Gu De warning that Li Baimei had help from an external source and that Gu De could not compete with him; Gu De destroyed the scroll.
• Chu Ping'an left, reflecting that Li Baimei had a system and that Gu De should not be led astray.
• At the Huaxia Sect, Yang Kaizhi told Li Baimei that he could enter the World in the Painting.

Li Baimei received a token from Yang Kaizhi to explore the World in the Painting, while Lu Changzhi took Gu Chen into the outside world. There, Gu Chen met Jiang Tong and learned that he was an ancestor of the Five Symbols Sect.

• Yang Kaizhi gave Li Baimei a token to enter the World in the Painting and search for a way to master the power he could sense.
• Lu Changzhi said he would take Gu Chen outside first, while Mu Fan and Zhong Ming chose to remain on Hidden Origin Peak.
• Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen traveled through the underground passage and emerged into the outside world.
• The system spoke of using its special talent to rescue things gathering dust, and Jiang Tong appeared before Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen.
• Gu Chen greeted Jiang Tong as Senior Jiang until Lu Changzhi corrected him and said he should greet him as an ancestor of the Five Symbols Sect.

Jiang Tong brought Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen to join the Jiang Clan’s party entering the World in the Painting, where Jiang Kui was assigned to accompany them. Tai Jiuling ordered the Cao Clan to target Lu Changzhi inside, while Lu Changzhi surveyed the gathered experts and their surroundings.

• Jiang Tong brought Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen to the Jiang Clan hall and introduced them to Jiang Kui, who agreed to look after them in the World in the Painting.
• Jiang Tong led the Jiang Clan party through a teleportation gate to the crowded area outside the city where entrants had gathered.
• Cao Clan experts recognized Jiang Tong’s arrival and speculated that Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen were important, while lamenting the Tai Clan’s demands.
• Tai Jiuling showed the Cao Clan a portrait of Lu Changzhi, ordered them to leave him in the World in the Painting at any cost, and supplied three pills to strengthen their people.
• Tai Jiuling recalled that Lu Changzhi had escaped him before and decided the Cao Clan should gravely wound him if they could not kill him, while Lu Changzhi surveyed the crowd and noted its stronger Qi.

Lu Changzhi learned that Gu De had come to the World in the Painting and prompted Li Baimei to offer him a place with the Huaxia Sect. Li Baimei invited Gu De to enter with him, leaving Gu De’s response unknown.

• Lu Changzhi discussed the World in the Painting with Gu Chen and saw the Huaxia Sect arrive with Li Baimei among them.
• Lu Changzhi discovered Chu Ping'an was heading to the gathering while following Gu De, who was also on his way there.
• Gu De arrived with his entourage and spotted Li Baimei, wondering whether Li Baimei had truly benefited from his time away.
• Lu Changzhi had the system tell Li Baimei that Gu De was present and asked whether he would offer him a chance.
• Li Baimei located Gu De after a sudden bolt of lightning marked his position, then invited him to enter the World in the Painting with him.

Li Baimei publicly invited Gu De into the World in the Painting, and Gu De accepted despite suspecting a trap. After the crowd objected to Gu De bringing his followers, he went in alone while they waited outside.

• Li Baimei drew attention with a sudden lightning strike and invited Gu De to enter the World in the Painting with him.
• Gu De realized Li Baimei had likely staged the commotion to make refusing the public invitation difficult, but accepted anyway.
• Gu De's followers started to accompany him, prompting the other factions to object that too many outsiders would take up space and affect their quotas.
• Li Baimei said Gu De should enter alone, and Gu De ordered his followers to wait outside.
• One follower warned Gu De by voice transmission that Li Baimei might be setting a trap, but Gu De told him to shut up and continued forward.

Li Baimei invited Chu Ping'an to enter the World in the Painting alongside Gu De, leaving Chu Ping'an wary but eager to seek an opportunity. Lu Changzhi planned to create danger involving water and fire, while Gu De grew uneasy about Li Baimei and remembered Yang Kaizhi.

• Chu Ping'an wondered why Li Baimei had approached Gu De and suspected Li Baimei might be trying to interfere with his plans.
• Li Baimei noticed Chu Ping'an and invited him to enter the World in the Painting with the others.
• Chu Ping'an questioned his system about Li Baimei's motives, then concluded Li Baimei had noticed how closely he followed Gu De and decided to go in anyway.
• Li Baimei studied Chu Ping'an, while Lu Changzhi was pleased that both Chu Ping'an and Gu De would enter the World in the Painting.
• Lu Changzhi considered how to put Gu De in danger involving water and fire, and Gu De felt uneasy as he looked at Li Baimei and remembered Yang Kaizhi.

As the World in the Painting appeared, Lu Changzhi watched the ink entrance form while the factions prepared to compete for limited places. When the Huaxia Sect had entered and the other factions charged, Lu Changzhi grabbed Jiang Kui and used a mysterious power to send them forward.

• The world around Lu Changzhi and the others turned into a flat, monochrome ink painting as the World in the Painting appeared.
• Jiang Tong identified a spreading mass of ink as the entrance, and a voice warned that factions exceeding their place limits would be hunted by the others.
• Jiang Kui warned Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen that the entrance might not admit everyone, while Tai Jiuling watched them and wondered whether they were avoiding the contest.
• After the Huaxia Sect entered, the younger members of the factions manifested their clan symbols and rushed toward the shrinking entrance.
• Lu Changzhi said they should enter together, put a hand on Jiang Kui's shoulder, and enveloped him in power, making Jiang Kui suddenly feel weightless.

Jiang Kui, Lu Changzhi, and Gu Chen entered the World in the Painting, leaving the Jiang Clan and Tai Clan experts outside astonished by their speed. Inside, three frenzied Cao Clan youths who had taken life-burning pills caught up with them, and Jiang Kui prepared to fight.

• Jiang Kui, Lu Changzhi, and Gu Chen rushed into the World in the Painting, astonishing the Jiang Clan experts and impressing Jiang Tong.
• Tai Jiuling ordered the Cao Clan youths to take pills as soon as they entered and catch up with the Jiang Clan members.
• Jiang Kui thanked Lu Changzhi for getting them inside, and Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen examined the painted world and its strange energy.
• Gu Chen sensed three approaching presences and saw three Cao Clan youths rushing toward them with their strength surging from life-burning pills.
• Jiang Kui drew his spear, said he would take on two Cao Clan youths, and left the third to Gu Chen.

Gu Chen and Jiang Kui fought three pill-fueled Cao Clan men in the World in the Painting, while Gu De and Li Baimei recognized Gu Chen. The battle escalated when Jiang Kui and one of his opponents unleashed powerful attacks, leaving Li Baimei wary of the clan juniors’ backing.

• Jiang Kui told Gu Chen to handle one opponent, and the two of them split up to fight the three Cao Clan men.
• Gu De recognized Gu Chen’s Qi from the Land of Contemplation, while Li Baimei remembered him from the incident involving “Ancestor, Aid Me” and considered taking revenge.
• Gu Chen held an advantage over his opponent in their drawn-out fight and realized the Cao Clan men were targeting Lu Changzhi.
• Jiang Kui struggled to hold off two frenzied opponents and hurled an object that transformed into a powerful staff.
• A Cao Clan expert answered with a giant figure, and their attacks collided with enough force to make nearby spectators retreat.
• Li Baimei realized the clan juniors could use their factions’ power and worried that he lacked comparable support.

Lu Changzhi avoided Tai Yin’s surprise attack in the World in the Painting and realized the assassin’s identity. After an unseen voice offered help, Lu Changzhi activated Idle for Tai Yin against him.

• The World in the Painting erased Jiang Kui’s staff and another powerful attack before they could strike.
• Lu Changzhi noticed the presence he believed belonged to the Scroll of the Falling Brush’s Artifact Spirit.
• Tai Yin tried to kill Lu Changzhi with a dagger, but Lu Changzhi dodged and Tai Yin changed his appearance.
• Lu Changzhi identified the disguised attacker as Tai Yin through the system, though both acted as if they had never met.
• An unseen voice asked Tai Yin whether he needed help, and Lu Changzhi activated Idle for Tai Yin.

Lu Changzhi used Reverse Idling on Tai Yin, causing Tai Yin’s cultivation to decline even after he escaped and disguised himself. Tai Yin tried to kill Lu Changzhi with a powerful prepared attack, but the World in the Painting erased it, leaving Tai Yin facing Lu Changzhi’s knowing smile.

• Lu Changzhi activated Reverse Idling on Tai Yin, consuming many Idle Points and beginning to weaken his cultivation.
• Tai Yin sensed his cultivation declining, used Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell to escape and disguise himself, but the decline continued and Lu Changzhi tracked him.
• Tai Yin concluded that Lu Changzhi could see through his disguise and chose to use the killing move Tai Jiuling had prepared.
• Tai Yin unleashed the Tai Clan’s powerful attack, but the World in the Painting erased it before it could strike.
• Tai Yin cursed the World in the Painting and saw Lu Changzhi looking at him with a faint smile.