Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan arrived at Godly Fire Mountain Manor as Dongfang Guyue’s Close Disciple, prompting resentment among the disciples who believed a beggar had received an undeserved honor. Jin Renfeng exploited that anger while the manor prepared a reception banquet, aiming to undermine Dongfang Guyue and put Lu Yuan in a difficult position.

• Lu Yuan accepted Yuan Mao’s devotion and entered Godly Fire Mountain Manor, where Dongfang Guyue formally introduced him as his Close Disciple.
• After Dongfang Huaizhu and Dongfang Qinlan left to arrange lodging for the beggar children, disciples gossiped about Lu Yuan’s background and complained that he had become a Close Disciple.
• Dongfang Guyue ordered the disciples to prepare a grand Apprentice Reception Banquet, intensifying their existing resentment.
• Jin Renfeng reprimanded dissatisfied disciples in public to keep their anger alive and advance his plan to weaken Dongfang Guyue’s authority and pressure Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan learned that Jin Renfeng was stirring unrest among Godly Fire Mountain Manor’s disciples and chose to prepare quietly, leaving the next move to their enemies. As Jin Renfeng delivered invitations for Lu Yuan’s apprenticeship banquet, Dongfang Huaizhu worried about the brewing conflict, while the Wang Quan Family received an invitation and considered attending.

• Lu Yuan told Yuan Mao to keep the children quiet, conceal what they knew, and let their enemies complete their scheme while he prepared to face it.
• Jin Renfeng left Godly Fire Mountain Manor to deliver invitations for Lu Yuan’s apprenticeship banquet, privately planning a grand gift for the coming day.
• Dongfang Huaizhu questioned the manor’s disciples, sensed that someone was deliberately building their anger, and returned to Dongfang Qinlan without learning what would trigger an eruption.
• Dongfang Qinlan realized Lu Yuan’s status as Dongfang Guyue’s final Close Disciple could leave her unable to claim seniority, then rushed off to ask her father for another apprenticeship slot.
• Jin Renfeng delivered an invitation to the Wang Quan Family, where Wang Quan Zui opened it and Wang Quan Ba Ye decided they could learn the details by attending.

Lu Yuan regained his sight and found the growing unrest around the sect troubling. After Yuan Mao came to see him, he taught her lessons about composure, status, and judging situations by their essence.

• Jin Renfeng saw that the dissatisfaction over the Apprentice Reception Banquet had become public and considered recruiting followers, though he feared the public opinion he had stirred might turn against him.
• Lu Yuan opened his eyes, discovered his vision had returned, and examined his appearance and the room.
• Lu Yuan ate the food Yuan Mao had prepared, then invited her to sit with him until she calmed down.
• Lu Yuan told Yuan Mao not to apologize publicly and taught her to stay calm, observe details, and see through the essence of things.
• Lu Yuan reflected on what he had learned from Zhu Zhuyun, and Yuan Mao said she understood his lessons.

Lu Yuan exposed a betrayal among the beggar children and tested whether the remaining children and Yuan Mao would stay loyal, while encouraging Yuan Mao to become self-reliant. He then set out with her to consult their allies and Master about preparations for the Apprentice Reception Banquet.

• Lu Yuan inferred that the children had cooked his food because they felt uneasy about threats within their group, then discovered that some children had betrayed their former companions.
• Lu Yuan told the remaining children that he had rescued them because of Yuan Mao, not because of them, and warned that loyalty would earn them nothing; several children then listened to the traitor again.
• Yuan Mao asked the children whether they still believed in her, and left after telling them to keep holding on if they did.
• Lu Yuan urged Yuan Mao to respect herself, become stronger, stand independently, and believe in herself; Yuan Mao took his advice to heart and hurried after him with renewed resolve.
• Lu Yuan and Yuan Mao left to visit their allies and ask Master what preparations Lu Yuan should make for the Apprentice Reception Banquet.

Lu Yuan learned that Dongfang Qinlan had arranged for him to become her disciple, creating an awkward conflict with Dongfang Huaizhu and the Godly Fire Mountain Manor’s planned apprenticeship banquet. After offering to ask his master for a solution, he returned to the manor and discovered that this world’s active elements could help him condense and fuse Fire Element and mental energy into black flames.

• Dongfang Huaizhu confronted Lu Yuan and learned that Dongfang Qinlan claimed their father had agreed to take him as her disciple.
• Dongfang Huaizhu explained that the manor had already invited guests to a banquet celebrating its lord’s choice of a Close Disciple, potentially embarrassing the family.
• Lu Yuan offered to ask his master to resolve the misunderstanding and asked Dongfang Huaizhu to stop scolding Dongfang Qinlan before leaving with Yuan Mao.
• Dongfang Huaizhu told Dongfang Qinlan to learn from the incident, and Dongfang Qinlan silently acknowledged her mistake.
• Lu Yuan experimented with the world’s active elements and found he could condense Fire Element and mental energy into solid beads and fuse them into Black Flame.

Jin Renfeng brooded over Lu Yuan disrupting his plans while Dongfang Guyue invited several family heads to examine Lu Yuan’s congenital eye condition. Yang Yifang recognized the sign of the Heavenly Eye Yang Family in Lu Yuan and declared that the boy belonged to his family.

• Jin Renfeng burned the paper bearing fragmented writing and resolved to let Lu Yuan run wild for a few more hours.
• Dongfang Guyue asked the gathered family heads to examine his Close Disciple’s congenital eye condition, and Yang Yifang agreed to look at him.
• Dongfang Guyue summoned Lu Yuan, who arrived with Yuan Mao beside him.
• Yang Yifang saw Lu Yuan’s empty forehead socket and the missing Heavenly Eye, then grabbed him and demanded to know his parents’ names.
• Dongfang Guyue separated Yang Yifang from Lu Yuan with a wave of Pure Yang Flame and shielded his disciple.
• Yang Yifang announced that Lu Yuan was a member of his Yang Family.

Yang Yifang confirmed that Lu Yuan was a Yang Family descendant whose Heavenly Eye had been forcibly removed, and discovered that its lingering quality surpassed his own. Lu Yuan ignored the revelations and asked Dongfang Guyue whether he needed to prepare anything for the upcoming Apprentice Reception Banquet.

• Yang Yifang suspected Lu Yuan was a lost Yang Family descendant, but Lu Yuan denied it despite knowing about the Heavenly Eye.
• Yang Yifang used his Heavenly Eye to forcibly open Lu Yuan's forehead, revealing an empty, bleeding eye socket.
• The family heads realized Lu Yuan's Heavenly Eye had been removed, and Yang Yifang suffered backlash because its residual quality exceeded his own.
• Lu Yuan calmly covered his bleeding forehead and asked Dongfang Guyue whether he had any arrangements for the Apprentice Reception Banquet.

After Lu Yuan calmly recovered from his forehead wound, Yang Yifang and Dongfang Guyue sent the other family heads away to discuss matters privately, while rumors about Lu Yuan’s supposed beating spread through Godly Fire Mountain Manor. As Jin Renfeng headed for the ceremony and major families arrived, Lu Yuan noted the hostile attention around him and the grand gathering began.

• Yang Yifang sealed Lu Yuan’s forehead wound with his Heavenly Eye, then exchanged a significant look with Dongfang Guyue.
• Dongfang Guyue sent Lu Yuan back to his residence, and the other family heads left so Yang Yifang and Dongfang Guyue could speak alone.
• Rumors spread that Dongfang Guyue had beaten Lu Yuan, prompting Dongfang Huaizhu to visit; she found him unharmed and left awkwardly.
• Lu Yuan told Yuan Mao that Dongfang Huaizhu’s visit mattered more than her lack of etiquette because the manor was full of hostile eyes.
• Jin Renfeng, pleased with how events had unfolded, headed for the Godly Fire Mountain Manor Main Hall as representatives of the Wang Quan Family, Li Family, Zhang Family, and Xiao Family arrived.
• Xiao Tianhao observed the children at the ceremony, while Xiao Wancheng and the assembled major families represented formidable strength against any demon who might attack.

Li Muchen slipped away from the banquet to investigate the strange behavior of Godly Fire Mountain Manor’s disciples and the absence of Yang Yifang. She collided with Lu Yuan, who recognized her and told her to return before the banquet began.

• Li Muchen noticed that Godly Fire Mountain Manor’s disciples avoided discussing the banquet’s new Close Disciple and that Yang Yifang was absent despite being on the guest list.
• Li Muchen sneaked out of the banquet hall while several elders noticed and let her go.
• Li Muchen walked distractedly through the manor and collided with Lu Yuan at a turn.
• Li Muchen mistook Lu Yuan and his companion for servants and tried to pull away the cloth covering Lu Yuan’s eyes.
• Lu Yuan caught Li Muchen’s wrist, recognized her, and told her to return to the banquet before it began.

Li Muchen met Dongfang Huaizhu and learned that Lu Yuan was a blind close disciple at the Godly Fire Mountain Manor banquet. As the apprenticeship ceremony began, Jin Renfeng prepared to speak against Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan redirected the proceedings toward Dongfang Qinlan, leaving the hall tense.

• Li Muchen asked Dongfang Huaizhu who Lu Yuan was, and the two returned to the main hall together.
• Lu Yuan entered the hall, and Dongfang Qinlan brought him into Wang Quan Ba Ye's circle and introduced him as her junior brother.
• Yang Yifang watched Jin Renfeng's hostility toward Lu Yuan and considered how it might give him a chance to take Lu Yuan back to the Yang Family.
• Dongfang Guyue prepared to begin the apprenticeship ceremony, but a Godly Fire Mountain Manor Disciple suddenly knelt and declared that he refused to accept it.
• Jin Renfeng began a prepared speech, but Lu Yuan interrupted him and urged Dongfang Guyue to hold Dongfang Qinlan's apprenticeship ceremony first.
• Dongfang Guyue agreed with Lu Yuan without consulting Jin Renfeng, deepening the tension among the guests.

At Dongfang Qinlan’s apprenticeship ceremony, Lu Yuan’s challenge to Jin Renfeng’s scheme exposed the elder disciple’s influence over Godly Fire Mountain Manor. After Dongfang Guyue stopped Qinlan from pressing the matter, Lu Yuan stepped onto the red carpet to confront the disciple who had objected.

• A disciple publicly objected to Dongfang Guyue taking Dongfang Qinlan as his disciple, and Qinlan suspected Jin Renfeng was behind the protest.
• Dongfang Qinlan offered tea to Dongfang Guyue, officially becoming his disciple, then challenged the kneeling protester to explain his objection.
• Jin Renfeng interrupted Qinlan and signaled the frightened disciple, while Dongfang Guyue recognized his eldest disciple’s control over the manor’s disciples.
• Dongfang Guyue ordered Qinlan to stop questioning the protester, and she returned to Lu Yuan, warning him that Jin Renfeng might target him next.
• Lu Yuan thanked Qinlan and stepped onto the red carpet, blocking the disciple as he tried to slip away.

Lu Yuan completed his apprenticeship ceremony as Dongfang Guyue’s Close Disciple, then confronted a Godly Fire Mountain Manor disciple who challenged the appointment. Jin Renfeng attacked the disciple with Pure Yang Flame to silence him, but Lu Yuan declared that Jin Renfeng was not qualified to do so.

• Lu Yuan used Jin Renfeng’s earlier argument to insist that he remain for the apprenticeship ceremony, and Jin Renfeng reluctantly agreed.
• Lu Yuan paid respects to Dongfang Guyue, who accepted him as a Close Disciple and acknowledged that he had suffered an injustice.
• Lu Yuan returned to the steps and invited the kneeling disciple to explain his objections to the appointment.
• The disciple challenged Dongfang Guyue publicly, questioning why he chose a physically disabled outsider over Godly Fire Mountain Manor’s own disciples.
• Jin Renfeng denounced the disciple as a traitor and unleashed a sea of Pure Yang Flame at him.
• As the disciple cried out in hatred, Lu Yuan calmly stated that Jin Renfeng was not qualified to silence him.

Lu Yuan’s black flames countered Jin Renfeng’s Pure Yang Flame and saved the trapped disciple, while Dongfang Guyue watched without intervening. Lu Yuan concluded that Dongfang Guyue was testing Jin Renfeng’s responsibility as Senior Brother, and Jin Renfeng’s continued attack had made him fail badly.

• A disciple trapped in Jin Renfeng’s sea of fire noticed black flames devouring the Pure Yang Flame and realized the red carpet around him remained intact.
• Jin Renfeng poured more Pure Yang Flame into the attack, but the unusual flames held their ground and drew the attention of Dongfang Huaizhu and others.
• Dongfang Guyue watched calmly as Jin Renfeng continued, while Lu Yuan inferred that his Master was testing Jin Renfeng’s fitness to remain Senior Brother.
• Lu Yuan judged Jin Renfeng’s impulsive conduct a failure of vision, magnanimity, and methods.
• Lu Yuan explained that black flames born from the opposite element could devour fire, and they became visible through Jin Renfeng’s sea of flames.

Lu Yuan used black flames to devour Jin Renfeng’s Pure Yang Flame, stunning the onlookers and revealing a power that could counter Godly Fire Mountain Manor. As Jin Renfeng prepared to continue his scheme, a disciple he had abandoned exposed the planned second move, and Lu Yuan removed his blindfold to confront the accusation.

• Lu Yuan’s black flames broke through and devoured Jin Renfeng’s Pure Yang Flame, then gathered into a basketball-sized sphere that Lu Yuan carried away.
• Lu Yuan thanked Jin Renfeng with a smile and thumbs-up, while the spectators concluded that Dongfang Guyue had chosen him as a disciple for his ability to counter the Pure Yang Flame.
• Jin Renfeng swallowed his resentment and silently signaled for the plan’s second move to begin.
• The abandoned disciple recognized Jin Renfeng’s intention and challenged Lu Yuan to refute his accusations before the next move could unfold.
• Lu Yuan removed the cloth from his eyes and declared that he would confront the disciple’s claims, determined to use the opportunity to stop Jin Renfeng’s scheme.

Lu Yuan defended his place as Dongfang Guyue’s Close Disciple against Jin Renfeng’s objections, then faced a new accusation that he was a demon because he could wield Black Flame without Mana. Xiao Wancheng declined to act without evidence and asked Dongfang Guyue to affirm his judgment.

• Lu Yuan argued that his recovery, the promotion of laborers to disciples, and his exceptional flames justified his status as a Close Disciple.
• A former beggar from the Southern Kingdom stepped forward and accused Lu Yuan of being a nonhuman demon who could command Black Flame without Mana.
• A burned disciple recognized the accuser as the traitor who had betrayed his master, but could not speak to expose him.
• The Dao Alliance cultivators looked to Xiao Wancheng, who said the Xiao Family would act only on evidence and asked whether Old Manor Lord Dongfang had judged Lu Yuan correctly.

Dongfang Guyue shut down Xiao Wancheng’s challenge, celebrated Lu Yuan and Dongfang Qinlan’s discipleship, and resisted Yang Yifang’s attempt to claim Lu Yuan for the Yang Family. As the ceremony’s guests mingled, Lu Yuan recognized the gathering of young children as a generation carrying humanity’s luck and unsettled Wang Quan Zui by faking killing intent.

• Dongfang Guyue demonstrated that his flame came from his bloodline rather than Mana, and Xiao Wancheng withdrew after accepting his explanation.
• Dongfang Guyue publicly celebrated his new disciples, then introduced Lu Yuan and Dongfang Qinlan to the Dao Alliance elders.
• Yang Yifang confronted Dongfang Guyue about Lu Yuan’s Heavenly Eye and asked to reclaim him for the Yang Family someday, but Dongfang Guyue refused to give him up.
• Lu Yuan saw the young Mask Gang and other children as bearers of humanity’s gathered luck and reflected on the losses that would leave future generations without strong leaders.
• Wang Quan Ba Ye guessed Lu Yuan felt concern for Jin Renfeng, while Wang Quan Zui guessed he felt regret; Lu Yuan simulated killing intent, frightened her, and warned her to be more careful.

After the banquet, Lu Yuan left the gathering with Yuan Mao and explained why he had rescued a foolish man who had tried to make amends. Dongfang Huaizhu followed him into the night to talk, while Lu Yuan reflected on the authority he had already mastered.

• Wang Quan Ba Ye became more interested in Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan left the table with Yuan Mao, and Dongfang Huaizhu followed them.
• Yuan Mao told Lu Yuan that six people remained and asked why he had rescued the foolish man who had accused Dongfang Guyue.
• Lu Yuan said the man’s courage and attempt to correct his mistakes had earned him another chance, and he credited Yuan Mao with successfully rescuing him.
• Lu Yuan addressed someone hiding in the shadows, but Dongfang Huaizhu arrived before the unseen person responded.
• Dongfang Huaizhu said she wanted to talk with Lu Yuan, and she decided he was less likely than Jin Renfeng to covet the Dongfang family’s Pure Yang Flame.
• Lu Yuan reflected that his mastery of authority could be increased through deep comprehension or through cultivation and practice.

Dongfang Huaizhu and Li Muchen each sought a private conversation with Lu Yuan, but he rebuffed them and returned to deal with the surviving children. He offered each survivor a request, rejected their first suggestions, and began arranging new clothes for a plan he believed would help them.

• Dongfang Huaizhu warned Lu Yuan to be careful of Jin Renfeng, thanked him with an embrace, and hurried away after he refused to discuss matters further.
• Li Muchen approached Lu Yuan to say she was curious about him, but he demanded payment for her questions and left after she argued back.
• Lu Yuan offered each surviving child one request as a reward, and a boy first asked to keep following him.
• Lu Yuan rejected the boy's requests to follow him and learn Dao arts, explaining that the children had already proved their loyalty and could learn Dao arts later.
• Lu Yuan told Yuan Mao to bring seven sets of new clothes in men's sizes for the children, hinting at a plan despite the discomfort it might bring.

Lu Yuan treated the injured children and recruited Chen An, the disciple Jin Renfeng had abandoned, into his plans. He tasked Chen An with building the Heavenly Net in Godly Fire Mountain Manor as the first step toward earning the title Hidden Star, and revealed humanity’s seven public stars alongside him.

• Lu Yuan reassured the injured children as they endured painful treatment, then spoke with the disciple who had returned after Jin Renfeng abandoned him.
• Lu Yuan gave the disciple a plan to read, and the man agreed to change allegiance and serve Lu Yuan as Chen An.
• Lu Yuan warned Chen An that he had not yet earned the title Hidden Star and ordered him to build the Heavenly Net in Godly Fire Mountain Manor.
• Lu Yuan told Chen An that Hidden Star was a trump card for humanity and named the seven stars: Heavenly Pivot, Heavenly Jade, Tian Ji, Heavenly Balance, Yu Heng, Opening Sun, and Shaking Light.
• Chen An left to begin his task while Lu Yuan reflected that the eight stars would sweep across the six directions and swallow the eight wilds.

After the One Qi Dao Alliance guests left Godly Fire Mountain Manor, Dongfang Guyue began preparing Lu Yuan for cultivation. Lu Yuan learned that Jin Renfeng had already been stripped of his Senior Brother position and crippled, while Dongfang Huaizhu and Dongfang Qinlan reacted to the news.

• Lu Yuan and Dongfang Guyue saw off the One Qi Dao Alliance guests, including Yang Yifang and Yang Yitan.
• Dongfang Guyue told Lu Yuan to keep a calm mind until noon, when he would begin teaching him cultivation.
• Lu Yuan's companions reported that Jin Renfeng had been crippled and stripped of his position as Godly Fire Mountain Manor Senior Brother.
• Lu Yuan scolded the excited children and sent them away, while Dongfang Huaizhu stopped Dongfang Qinlan from making a crude picture of Jin Renfeng.
• Dongfang Huaizhu privately thanked the warm-hearted Lu Yuan, who later studied a book while listening to Dongfang Guyue's explanations.