Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Fang Chen learns that the Ye Family of Youzhou is the lineage of the Xuanhuang Great Emperor. This excites him because he hopes to learn how Ye Qingci is doing.
• He asks Little Glazed to search for Ye Qingci, but she cannot find a student by that name.
• Fang Chen and Little Glazed travel to the Inquiry Map so he can begin earning Points. Impressed by the Map’s power, he decides to seek real combat rather than fight illusions.
• Little Glazed recommends the Myriad Beast Tower, a top-tier Saint Weapon within the Map. On the way, Fang Chen sees its ancient battle marks and is briefly drawn into a vision of a vast war between Divine Ships and Demonic Beasts. Little Glazed explains that the marks carry the Great Dao Laws of powerful beings and warns him not to stare at them.
• They join the queue and enter the tower.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen’s excitement about competing among elite geniuses reveals his ambition and confidence. His thoughts also show that he remains deeply concerned about Ye Qingci.
• He demonstrates a willingness to face danger, insisting that fear has no place in cultivation.
• Little Glazed acts as Fang Chen’s guide and protector, answering his questions, searching for Ye Qingci, and cautioning him about the tower’s dangers and Dao Resonance.
• Fang Chen increasingly relies on Little Glazed, appreciating the advantages of having such a capable companion.

Significant themes

• Ambition and perseverance: Fang Chen embraces the challenge of competing with exceptional talents and seeks real, dangerous training.
• Lingering attachment and concern: His interest in the Ye Family is driven largely by his unresolved concern for Ye Qingci.
• Power and legacy: The Inquiry Map, Myriad Beast Tower, and ancient marks reveal the immense power and history shaping the martial world.

Plot points

• Fang Chen enters the Myriad Beast Tower with Little Glazed, who explains its limits: students may spend only one day per month inside, earn at most 300,000 points, and cannot interfere with or loot the beasts.
• They are on the first floor, where the Qingyang Ancient Road leads to Myriad Beasts Mountain. Little Glazed cannot transport Fang Chen there, so he races ahead himself.
• At the mountain’s barrier, Fang Chen learns that only Spirit Treasures obtained through Tianyuan Academy may be used inside. He accepts the fairness of the restriction and enters the primeval forest.
• Little Glazed explains the academy’s star-based measure of combat strength and identifies Yue Fan, the top-ranked student, as nearly a ten-star fighter. A “King of the Same Rank” can defeat ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators without Spirit Treasures.
• A flock of 232 seven-star Bloodthirsty Hurricane Eagles attacks. Fang Chen kills every one with a single shot from his Sky-Breaking Bow, forming arrows from his own True Essence. He earns 2,320 points and absorbs Spiritual Power.
• A powerful surge of Spiritual Power and a burst of fire erupt deeper in the forest. Fang Chen rushes toward the disturbance, with Little Glazed following.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen is confident and eager to hunt for points, but he adapts readily to the tower’s rules. His effortless destruction of the eagles reveals that his combat ability is far beyond what Little Glazed expected.
• Little Glazed shifts from cautioning Fang Chen to openly admiring him. Her expressive reactions and lifelike cheek prompt Fang Chen to suspect she may be more than an ordinary Puppet Person. He pinches her cheek; she rebukes him, and he apologizes.
• Fang Chen recognizes Yue Fan as a serious benchmark, but calculates that his own point-earning pace could eventually challenge the leader.

Significant themes

• Fairness and discipline: The academy’s restrictions prevent students from gaining unfair advantages and discourage endless point-farming.
• Strength beyond cultivation rank: Star ratings distinguish actual combat power, while Fang Chen’s feat shows that reputation and ranking do not tell the whole story.
• Ambition and competition: Fang Chen sees points as a path toward surpassing Yue Fan, though he understands the race will change as rivals grow stronger.
• Personhood and emotion: Little Glazed’s vivid feelings blur the boundary between puppet and living being.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen encounters Wang Shun, a high-ranking student struggling against a Nine-Star Earth Demon Bear. Fang Chen kills the bear with one arrow, earning 1,000 Points.
• Wang Shun learns that Fang Chen, known as the Riding Heaven Great Sage, defeated Qin Tian in the assessment but remains unexpectedly low on the Points leaderboard. Impressed by Fang Chen’s power, he follows him through the Inquiry Map.
• Fang Chen quickly reaches a battle between a giant snake and a Golden Lizard. Before Little Glazed can identify them, he kills both with one split Light Arrow, earning 10,000 Points.
• The kills also send Spiritual Power into Fang Chen’s unusual Dao Platform, helping repair it and potentially increase his strength even without further cultivation.

Character developments

• Fang Chen demonstrates exceptional speed and archery, easily killing powerful beasts. He is increasingly motivated by the Points and Spiritual Power his victories provide.
• Wang Shun moves from disbelief to curiosity and decides to observe Fang Chen, recognizing that Fang Chen’s displayed strength exceeds his own.
• Little Glazed is astonished by Fang Chen’s ability to kill formidable beasts before she can even explain what they are.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and reputation: Fang Chen’s low ranking and unknown identity conceal power that surprises more established students.
• Power and reward: Combat brings both Points and Spiritual Power, linking external achievement to Fang Chen’s personal growth.
• Rules and restraint: The Inquiry Map’s ban on student attacks means Wang Shun can follow Fang Chen without expecting a direct confrontation.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen rescues Wang Shun from the bear without stopping to speak to him, prompting Wang Shun to ask who he is.
• Wang Shun’s Maid explains Fang Chen’s assessment history and nickname, while Little Glazed warns Fang Chen that Wang Shun is following.
• Fang Chen dismisses the concern and continues toward the next battle, where Little Glazed’s attempted explanation is interrupted by his attack.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Shun watches Fang Chen effortlessly kill two high-tier nine-star Demonic Beasts, earning at least ten thousand Points. The feat amazes him and makes him wonder how Fang Chen compares with Wang Gang, a powerful Xuanwu Sect disciple.
• Fang Chen flies deeper into Myriad Beasts Mountain, openly using Spiritual Sense to search for prey despite the danger of attracting stronger beasts.
• He discovers Tianyuan Academy disciples trapped by hundreds of Golden Twin-tailed Lizards. The lizards’ shared domain prevents the cultivators from replenishing Spiritual Power or escaping with teleportation talismans, leaving them close to defeat.
• Fang Chen fires a single arrow that splits into hundreds of Light Arrows, killing the lizards and breaking the domain. The woman’s voice reports that he has earned sixty thousand Points.
• The rescued disciples are stunned by the display. Wang Shun identifies their savior as the “Riding Heaven Great Sage” and hurries after him. The others look up Fang Chen’s ranking, find it surprisingly low, and return to the mountain’s edge to recover.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen is shown to be fearless, eager for powerful opponents, and extraordinarily skilled with a bow. His casual, efficient slaughter of formidable beasts contrasts with the peril they pose to other cultivators.
• Wang Shun shifts from astonishment to active curiosity: he recognizes Fang Chen’s strength, answers the rescued disciples’ questions, and decides to follow him.
• Little Glazed is once again impressed by Fang Chen’s archery.
• The trapped disciples move from despair to relief and admiration after Fang Chen saves them; they discuss his identity and puzzlingly low ranking.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming strength and reputation: Fang Chen’s feats inspire awe, yet his ranking has not caught up with his apparent ability.
• Risk and confidence: While most cultivators hide to avoid danger, Fang Chen deliberately exposes himself to find stronger beasts.
• Sudden reversal and rescue: The disciples’ near-certain defeat becomes an effortless victory through Fang Chen’s intervention.

Plot points and events

• Fang Chen rapidly earns the Myriad Beast Tower’s monthly limit of 300,000 Points by shooting down Demonic Beasts. He is teleported out before he can continue hunting.
• Wang Shun witnesses Fang Chen’s speed and power, concluding that he could earn millions of Points in a day without the limit.
• Looking for another way to earn Points, Fang Chen chooses the Heart Refining Bridge over the Sea of Demons. The Bridge is an invisible, twelve-level trial that tests willpower; each cleared level earns Points.
• Fang Chen steps onto the Bridge and endures soul-rattling shrieks, passing the first level for 100 Points. He then withstands an increasingly intense Sea of Fire without True Essence or protection, passing the second level for 500 Points. He falls into the third level.

Character developments

• Fang Chen shows exceptional combat ability, but remains grounded, recognizing that he could not clear Myriad Beasts Mountain of every beast. His past ordeals have also made him highly resilient to pain.
• Wang Shun is impressed by Fang Chen’s strength and shifts his attention to hunting after Fang Chen is removed.
• Little Glazed guides Fang Chen and explains the Bridge, while expressing surprise at how quickly he clears its trials.

Themes

• Limits and perseverance: The Tower’s rules restrict Fang Chen’s rapid progress, so he seeks new challenges.
• Willpower and cultivation: The Heart Refining Bridge tests the mind and soul, emphasizing that inner strength is vital to a cultivator.
• Pain and resilience: Fang Chen’s previous suffering enables him to endure the Bridge’s flames.
• Humility amid power: Despite his extraordinary performance, Fang Chen does not overestimate himself.

Character interactions

• Wang Shun and his maid discuss Fang Chen’s Points haul and formidable strength.
• Fang Chen asks Little Glazed where he can earn more Points; she outlines the available trials and leads him to the Bridge.
• Little Glazed explains how the invisible levels work and follows Fang Chen onto the Bridge, where she watches him progress with surprise.

Plot points and events

• On the third level of the Heart Refining Bridge, Fang Chen endures a freezing wasteland that eventually freezes his body and soul. He passes and earns 1,000 Points.
• The fourth level is an apparently endless desert. Fang Chen must cross it without stopping, even though he cannot access his stored supplies or summon Little Crane, and the barren air offers no Spiritual Qi to restore his power.
• Two suns intensify the heat. After ten days, Fang Chen is exhausted; when he pauses, quicksand begins to swallow him, forcing him onward.
• A tempting oasis appears, but drinking its water would fail the trial. Fang Chen resists and continues.
• Later, he must pass through a grove of ripe bayberries while Little Glazed deliberately eats them in front of him. He withstands the temptation, exits the grove, and passes the fourth level, earning 5,000 Points.

Character development

• Fang Chen shows endurance in the freezing trial and, more significantly, in the desert’s prolonged deprivation. Despite thirst, hunger, fatigue, and frustration, he repeatedly controls his impulses and keeps moving.
• Little Glazed reveals a teasing, mischievous side, using food and drink to test Fang Chen’s resolve.

Themes

• The Heart Refining Bridge tests inner strength rather than combat ability: its desert trial centers on perseverance, self-control, and resisting temptation.
• Appearances can mislead: the desert seems simple and harmless, but its scarcity and enticing oasis make it more punishing than the earlier physical hazards.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen questions Little Glazed about the desert and its rules; she explains that he must keep moving and later warns him not to drink the oasis water.
• Little Glazed’s playful display of eating bayberries provokes Fang Chen, but he recognizes the grove as another test and refuses to give in.

Key plot points

• After passing the fourth level of the Heart Refining Bridge, Fang Chen discovers the oasis and bayberries were real. He eats his fill and falls asleep, then wakes restored to full strength in the fifth-level space.
• Little Glazed tells him he can stop and return later, but Fang Chen chooses to continue rather than waste time.
• To begin the fifth trial, he eats a special Blazing Sun Sacred Fruit. It floods him with heat and overwhelming desire.
• Beautiful women appear and try to seduce him. Fang Chen resists, sits down with his eyes shut, and asks whether he can kill them. Little Glazed warns that they are needed to purge the fruit’s toxin; killing them would leave him to die.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen shifts from delighted relief at finally being able to eat to apprehension about the next trial. Despite the strain of the earlier levels, he remains determined to press on. His struggle in the fifth level tests his self-control, and he looks for a way to resist the women without giving in.
• Little Glazed congratulates and supports Fang Chen, explains the trial rules, and gives him the required fruit. Her teasing explanation that it makes him “exceptionally vigorous” contrasts with the danger she later reveals.
• Fang Chen challenges Little Glazed about the trial’s fairness for female disciples. She explains that they face a comparable temptation and may find it even harder to resist.

Significant themes

• Self-control under temptation: The fifth level turns physical desire into a test of discipline.
• Perseverance and ambition: Fang Chen refuses to pause, despite the growing severity of the trials.
• Appearance versus danger: The women seem alluring and harmless, but are also essential to surviving the fruit’s toxin.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen learns that Tianyuan Academy’s poison can only be cured through cultivation with women, a rule imposed on both male and female disciples. He is outraged but recognizes that openly opposing the Academy could get him killed.
• As the poison intensifies, Fang Chen tries to control himself by sealing his hearing and exhausting his strength by punching rocks and a mountainside. The women accompanying him cheer him on, worsening his distress.
• The trial shifts into a seductive hot-spring illusion. Little Glazed and the other women tempt him, claiming he is permitted to touch them and questioning his restraint.
• Fang Chen nearly gives in, but recognizes the temptation and pushes Little Glazed away. He then draws his sword and kills the other women. His Sword Qi cannot harm Little Glazed, who leaves after warning him that he has gone too far.
• Still suffering from the poison, Fang Chen meditates and cultivates the Floating Immortal Art. After enduring the torment for an hour, he regains control and completes the fifth layer of the Heart Refining Bridge, earning 10,000 Points.

Character developments

• Fang Chen struggles between overwhelming physical desire and his moral resolve. He ultimately refuses to be manipulated, even at the cost of violence, and proves his willpower by enduring the poison until it subsides.
• Little Glazed shifts from a cold enforcer of the Academy’s rules to an active tempter. She survives Fang Chen’s attack, but their relationship is left hostile and uncertain.

Significant themes

• Willpower and self-mastery: The trial tests Fang Chen’s ability to withstand desire rather than simply fight an external foe.
• Coercion and autonomy: Tianyuan Academy treats its disciples’ choices as expendable, provoking Fang Chen’s anger and resistance.
• Endurance under pressure: Fang Chen survives by suppressing his impulses, refusing the trial’s bait, and relying on cultivation.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen challenges Little Glazed over the Academy’s cruel rules, but restrains his anger because he knows he is too weak to confront the institution directly.
• The women’s cheers and taunts intensify his struggle; their attempts to coax him into submission provoke him to attack.
• Fang Chen and Little Glazed end in open conflict: he threatens her, while she warns him and departs.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen awakens after clearing the Fifth Layer of the Heart Refining Bridge. The bloody hot spring has become clear, and the woman he killed is gone.
• Little Glazed reveals that she played the woman in the trial and that her claims about needing other women to cure Fang Chen’s poison were lies meant to provoke him. Fang Chen jokes about wanting to spar with them anyway.
• Fang Chen learns he has reached the Sixth Layer and receives three two-hour rest periods. Reaching the Seventh Layer in one uninterrupted run would multiply his accumulated points tenfold.
• Though aware that each layer grows more difficult, Fang Chen chooses to continue, viewing the trials as a rare training opportunity at Tianyuan Academy.
• The Sixth Layer begins as a Heavenly Punishment Heart Trial. Lightning strikes Fang Chen’s mind and Soul Origin, causing severe pain. He endures it and uses the Floating Immortal Art to absorb the lightning, strengthening his Soul Origin.
• A later strike creates a vision of a ruined place and a stele bearing what appears to be the complete Glazed Sword Art. Fang Chen pursues it, then realizes the scene is likely an illusion and uses the Reincarnation Eye Secret Technique to expose the real Thunder Sea around him.
• He channels the lightning into his body to temper his eyes. His pupils transform into orange vortices that begin absorbing the surrounding lightning.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen demonstrates growing composure and discipline: he withstands both the Fifth Layer’s emotional temptation and the Sixth Layer’s intense spiritual pain. Rather than fear the Heavenly Punishment, he treats it as a chance to improve his Soul Origin and eyes.
• Little Glazed is relieved and impressed by Fang Chen’s restraint, then explains the academy’s trial and rewards. Their exchange is playful, with Fang Chen teasing her about the staged scenario.
• Fang Chen’s excitement at the apparent Glazed Sword Art reveals his continuing interest in completing the inheritance associated with True Person Liuli, but his quick suspicion shows that he remains alert to deception.

Significant themes

• Self-mastery: The trials test Fang Chen’s ability to resist emotional and physical suffering.
• Growth through hardship: He turns the trial’s lightning into a means of strengthening his Soul Origin and eyes.
• Discernment amid illusion: Fang Chen must distinguish a tempting vision from the actual test.
• Opportunity and perseverance: Despite the risks and difficulty, he presses on to make the most of a rare chance to train.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen survives the sixth layer of the Heart Refining Bridge, enduring nine increasingly powerful bolts of red Heavenly Thunder. The bridge’s lightning is real, summoned through the Academy experts’ power.
• Rather than be overwhelmed by the trial’s illusions, Fang Chen focuses on cultivating the Samsara Eye, absorbing the lightning into his eyes. He passes the layer and earns 50,000 Points.
• He learns that his first six layers have earned 66,600 Points, which would be multiplied tenfold if he leaves now. The next layers offer far greater rewards, so he plans to continue.
• After passing, he receives a day to rest, a Third Grade Origin Tracing Pill, and clothes. The pill heals his burns and restores his hair and eyebrows.
• Fang Chen spends the rest period cultivating the Reincarnation Eye Secret Technique. At day’s end, a vortex appears and pulls him onward toward the next trial.

Character developments

• Fang Chen’s resolve and past experience with real Heavenly Punishment allow him to treat the bridge’s trial as manageable. His eyes also grow stronger by absorbing the lightning.
• He shows a humorous, human side when he instinctively tries to chew the unusually hard pill and later realizes he is unclothed.
• Little Glazed continues to support and admire Fang Chen, guiding him through the rewards and recovery.

Significant themes

• Resolve shaped by experience: Fang Chen’s earlier tribulation gives him perspective and confidence in the trial.
• Growth through adversity: The lightning is both a threat and a source of cultivation, advancing the Samsara Eye.
• Changing eras and ambition: Fang Chen reflects that becoming a Great Emperor is harder in his age than in earlier eras, making modern achievement a greater feat.

Character interactions

• Little Glazed praises Fang Chen, explains the Points and rest period, and gives him the pill and clothes.
• Fang Chen asks her about the reward system and the next trial’s timing. After she notices his state following the pill’s healing, she turns away while he dresses.

Plot points and events

• On the Seventh Layer, Fang Chen chooses a sword and is bound in place. He endures ten thousand strands of Sword Qi piercing his heart, followed by another ten thousand attacking his Soul Origin.
• Despite extreme pain and nearly losing consciousness, he withstands the trial. His Soul Origin repeatedly reforms, becoming smaller and purer, and he earns 100,000 Points.
• Little Glazed praises him and offers the reward for passing: a rare Innate Soul Shaping Pill. Fang Chen refines it, healing his heart and doubling his Soul Origin’s size.
• Three days later, Fang Chen and Little Glazed enter the Eighth Layer. His name, Riding Heaven Great Sage, appears on the rankings—the first to reach that layer.
• Students gathered outside the bridge react with disbelief. Qin Tian, whom Fang Chen defeated during the selection assessment, confirms his strength and decides to wait and see whether he can pass the Eighth Layer. The Glazed Sword Sect disciples recognize the name and celebrate their junior uncle-master.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen demonstrates exceptional endurance and determination, continuing the trial despite overwhelming physical and spiritual pain. His ambition remains undiminished: he intends to keep advancing as long as he can.
• Little Glazed explains the trial, admires Fang Chen’s achievement, and helps him recover.
• Qin Tian’s view of Fang Chen shifts from that of a formidable opponent to someone capable of a record-breaking feat. His admission strengthens the crowd’s respect for Fang Chen.
• The Glazed Sword Sect disciples show pride and enthusiasm, while other students debate whether Fang Chen can truly conquer the Eighth Layer.

Significant themes

• Willpower through suffering: Progress depends on enduring pain and resisting collapse, not merely combat strength.
• Refinement through hardship: The trial damages Fang Chen but leaves his Soul Origin purer, while the Pill helps turn that ordeal into lasting growth.
• Ambition and reputation: Fang Chen’s persistence takes him into unknown territory and makes his achievement a public spectacle.
• Uncertainty of success: Reaching a higher layer does not guarantee passing it; the students recognize that the bridge tests qualities beyond strength.

Key plot points and events

• On the Eighth Layer of the Heart Refining Bridge, Fang Chen learns that he must wield a sixth-rank Spirit Treasure beyond his cultivation, endure its backlash, and break through all one hundred seals on it.
• He chooses a silver longsword and uses the Floating Immortal Art to activate it. Each seal he breaks strengthens both the sword and the backlash.
• At thirty seals, the pain becomes so severe that Fang Chen fears he will let go. He binds the sword to his hand with strips of clothing so he cannot abandon the trial.
• As he endures the assault, the Reincarnation Eye Secret Technique triggers a profound state that greatly improves his ability to withstand backlash. His tolerance rises, and he breaks the remaining seals.
• Breaking the hundredth seal unleashes a final, devastating backlash that shatters his Soul Origin. Fang Chen stays conscious and passes the test, earning 500,000 Points.
• Fang Chen and Little Glazed are transported onward, and his name appears on the Ninth Layer rankings.

Character developments

• Fang Chen demonstrates exceptional resolve, continuing despite agony and the temptation to release the sword. The trial strengthens his will and increases his resistance to backlash. The experience also brings him closer to the Samsara Eye’s third transformation.
• Little Glazed begins as a guide explaining the test, then reacts with genuine shock and admiration at how quickly Fang Chen succeeds.

Significant themes

• Endurance and self-discipline: Fang Chen’s success depends on refusing to give in when escape is possible.
• Growth through hardship: The backlash that nearly overwhelms him ultimately strengthens his resilience.
• Self-reliance: The Floating Immortal Sword offers no help, forcing Fang Chen to rely on his own will and techniques.

Character interactions

• Little Glazed explains the trial and encourages Fang Chen as he chooses and activates the sword.
• Fang Chen receives no assistance during the ordeal, but afterward Little Glazed praises his achievement.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen quickly clears the Eighth Layer of the Heart Refining Bridge. Because time moves ten times faster inside, the watching disciples see him pass in less than half an incense stick.
• In the Ninth Layer, he learns that the trial is to cross an ancient bridge called the Time Bridge. Little Glazed explains that it is a Time Spirit Treasure that lets its user travel into the past, while exposing them to increasingly severe backlash from the laws of heaven and earth.
• Hoping to return to the period before entering the Heart Refining Bridge, Fang Chen races across the bridge despite the pain and growing force attacking him.
• At the far end, he finds a Nine-Colored Lotus holding one of Tianyuan Academy’s three special Golden Marks. Little Glazed says collecting all three will earn a mysterious reward.
• As a force begins pulling him back, Fang Chen seizes the mark. Space twists, and he and Little Glazed are drawn into a vortex.
• Outside, Fang Chen’s name disappears from the Ninth Layer’s ranking list and does not appear on the Tenth Layer’s. The spectators assume he failed, though they are impressed that he reached the Ninth Layer.
• Fang Chen and Little Glazed reappear in Fang Chen’s cultivation chamber, leaving him shocked by the sudden return.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen demonstrates exceptional willpower, pushing through the Time Bridge’s painful backlash without resting. His interest in the Golden Mark and its reward is immediate, but his main motivation for crossing is the possibility of traveling back in time.
• Little Glazed guides Fang Chen through the trial and reveals the bridge’s nature and the Golden Marks’ significance. Her unusual reaction to the mark suggests she may know more about it than she explains.
• The watching disciples shift from disbelief to admiration and caution. Some dismiss the bridge as a test of will rather than strength, but others argue that such willpower itself signals Fang Chen is not someone to provoke.

Significant themes

• Willpower and endurance: Fang Chen’s progress depends on his ability to withstand escalating pain and pressure.
• Time, fate, and consequence: The Time Bridge offers access to the past, but its power comes with dangerous backlash.
• Ambition and mystery: The Golden Mark promises an unknown reward, creating a new goal beyond the trial itself.
• Reputation: Though the spectators think Fang Chen failed, his performance has already made them wary of him.

Key plot points and events

• After clearing the Heart Refining Bridge’s Ninth Layer, Fang Chen finds that the Golden Mark he won has merged into his palm alongside his Floating Immortal Sword Seal.
• Palace Mistress Lingxin arrives. Fang Chen asks why the points he earned on the bridge disappeared, despite being promised a tenfold multiplier.
• Lingxin explains that the academy deliberately removed his points and kept his achievement off the rankings to protect him: hostile forces, including infiltrators among the Human Race and within Tianyuan Academy, target exceptional talents.
• Because Fang Chen is the first Foundation Establishment cultivator in the academy’s history to clear the Ninth Layer, Tianyuan Academy plans to devote resources to training him for a vital mission. He is not yet fully qualified, but is their strongest candidate.
• Fang Chen asks what he would receive for cooperating. When he names an Elixir of Immortality, Lingxin agrees to provide one plant, confirming how important the mission is.
• Doubting whether the encounter is real, Fang Chen slaps the ground. Energy then flows from his Floating Immortal Sword Seal into his body.

Character developments

• Fang Chen moves from frustration and suspicion to cautious interest as he learns the academy’s secrecy is meant to protect him. He remains practical, asking what he will gain before agreeing to anything.
• Palace Mistress Lingxin reveals a protective, strategic side: she explains the danger facing the academy’s geniuses and offers substantial support to secure Fang Chen’s cooperation.
• Little Glazed is present but becomes completely frozen when Lingxin appears.

Significant themes

• Talent brings danger as well as recognition: Fang Chen’s achievement is hidden so enemies cannot target him.
• Duty and personal reward: The academy needs Fang Chen for a mission, while he weighs cooperation against what he will receive.
• Secrecy and trust: Fang Chen initially suspects the academy is withholding his points unfairly, but learns the decision was protective.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen directly challenges Lingxin over the missing points, and she reassures him that the academy is not refusing to pay but safeguarding him.
• Lingxin praises Fang Chen’s willpower and offers training and resources; Fang Chen responds by negotiating for an Elixir of Immortality.
• Little Glazed remains silent and motionless during the exchange, while Fang Chen’s final attempt to test reality triggers a reaction from his sword seal.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen learns that passing the ninth level of the Heart Refining Bridge has activated a top-tier hidden task tied to Tianyuan Academy—and potentially the Human Race.
• Palace Mistress Lingxin explains that the task’s details are secret until Fang Chen qualifies and chooses to accept it. It is extremely dangerous, though the academy will try to protect him.
• To qualify, he must show extraordinary willpower, combat strength, and comprehension. He has already demonstrated the first; he must also pass the eighteenth island in the Sea of Demons and reach the ninth region of the Heavenly Stone Forest. Since he meets one requirement, the academy will provide any resources needed to help him meet the others.
• Fang Chen asks for a technique to repair his damaged Life Wheel. Lingxin finds his condition unusual but knows of no way to repair it, though she offers techniques that could slow his loss of lifespan.
• Before leaving, Lingxin increases Little Glazed’s authorization. Fang Chen and Little Glazed then travel to the Sea of Demons, where she warns him of its black, evil-infused water and gives him the Mask of Oblivion to conceal his appearance and aura.

Character developments

• Fang Chen remains cautious despite his interest in the Elixir of Immortality: he asks about the task’s danger and rewards before committing.
• He shows renewed determination when the academy’s resources become available, but is disappointed that his Life Wheel cannot be repaired.
• Little Glazed gains increased authority and acts as Fang Chen’s guide and protector.

Significant themes

• Ambition tempered by caution: Fang Chen wants powerful rewards but recognizes the risks and his limits.
• Secrecy and protection: The academy conceals information about its exceptional candidates, while the mask helps guard Fang Chen from assassination.
• Limits of knowledge: Even Lingxin cannot solve the mystery of Fang Chen’s damaged Life Wheel.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen negotiates frankly with Lingxin about the task’s dangers, benefits, and his personal need for a cure.
• Lingxin offers support without revealing the task’s details, then entrusts Little Glazed with greater authority.
• Little Glazed shares what she knows about the Sea of Demons and equips Fang Chen with the mask before their challenge begins.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen and Little Glazed join the queue for the Sea of Demons rather than use their academy privileges, choosing discretion over drawing attention.
• On the first island, Fang Chen learns that the trial limits everyone to standard-issue Spirit Treasures. He chooses two offensive weapons, relying on his skill to defend himself.
• He quickly clears the first island by shooting down its guards and pulling out the flag, earning one Point. He then passes the next sixteen islands in about an hour, defeating their opponents with his bow.
• The eighteenth island is only a small rock guarded by a single, unusually powerful man. The guardian easily destroys Fang Chen’s first arrow and then three carefully aimed arrows.
• Rather than retreat, Fang Chen puts away his bow, draws his sword, and charges to test his close-combat ability and the Imperial Art Hand of the Heavens.

Character developments

• Fang Chen remains cautious about attracting attention, but grows excited when he finally encounters an opponent who can withstand his archery. He shows confidence in his other combat skills, especially the Hand of the Heavens.
• Little Glazed acts as Fang Chen’s guide, explaining the trial’s rules and warning him not to underestimate the eighteenth island’s guardian.

Significant themes

• Caution and discretion: Fang Chen and Little Glazed avoid using privileges that might reveal their status and attract enemies.
• Adaptability and hidden strength: Fang Chen’s success with the bow does not define the limits of his abilities; he is prepared to switch weapons and fighting styles.
• Escalating trials: The early islands are conquered with ease, but the eighteenth introduces a guardian powerful enough to challenge Fang Chen directly.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen asks Little Glazed why they must wait in line and questions the trial’s rules; she advises caution and explains how the islands work.
• The guardian dismisses Fang Chen’s archery and tells him to go back. Fang Chen responds with laughter and a decision to engage him at close range.

Key events

• Fang Chen reaches the eighteenth island and confronts its guardian, a formidable swordsman whose true cultivation is Nascent Soul, though a seal restricts his power.
• The Floating Immortal Sword Seal on Fang Chen’s palm awakens, sharpening his mind and continuously supplying Spiritual Power.
• The guardian initially presses Fang Chen hard, eventually wounding his left arm. Fang Chen responds by activating his Glazed Battle Runes and using Heaven and Earth Creation, forcing the guardian back.
• Fang Chen then employs the Reincarnation Eye Secret Technique to read the guardian’s sword attacks. Their close-range duel becomes evenly matched.
• As the fight continues, the Sword Seal’s energy and the surrounding Spiritual Qi fuel Fang Chen. His Foundation Establishment Dao Platform absorbs the Spiritual Power, while his swordsmanship, speed, and strength improve rapidly.
• Fang Chen gains the advantage, sends the guardian flying, and wounds his left arm. The guardian answers with a powerful technique, Ten Thousand Horses Galloping.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen shifts from struggling to matching and then overpowering the guardian. The ongoing battle rapidly refines his swordsmanship, and the Sword Seal proves to be a major source of support.
• The guardian begins confident in his superior cultivation and sword mastery, but becomes increasingly alarmed by Fang Chen’s steady growth. He is impressed by Fang Chen’s talent even as he fights to defend himself.
• Little Glazed watches the duel and admires Fang Chen’s skill, surprised by how accomplished his swordsmanship is.
• Fang Chen and the guardian exchange attacks and counterattacks with mutual respect beneath their hostility: each recognizes the other’s unusual ability.

Significant themes

• Growth through combat: Fang Chen improves dramatically under pressure, turning a prolonged duel into an opportunity to advance.
• Talent versus experience: Despite his youth and lower cultivation, Fang Chen can challenge a veteran Nascent Soul swordsman through skill and adaptability.
• Endurance and momentum: The guardian expects Fang Chen’s power to fade, but the Sword Seal and incoming Spiritual Qi instead let his strength continue rising.

Plot points and events

• The guardian of the Sea of Demons’ eighteenth island unleashes his Manifestation, transforming the fight in his favor and overwhelming Fang Chen with speed and strength.
• Fang Chen refuses to use a Manifestation, explaining that he does not have one. Though badly wounded, he continues to fight, using the battle to refine his swordsmanship rather than relying on the Hand of the Heavens.
• Under the pressure of the fight, Fang Chen’s awareness and sword insight deepen. At the same time, his Glazed Battle Runes turn orange, signaling that he has reached the second level of the Glazed Golden Body, which multiplies his power fiftyfold.
• Fang Chen turns the fight around, breaks the guardian’s sword with a powerful strike, and sends him beyond the island’s boundary. The guardian survives and acknowledges Fang Chen’s victory.
• Fang Chen and Little Glazed are transported away after he passes the eighteenth-island trial. The guardian reflects on Fang Chen’s extraordinary ability and wonders which faction produced him.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen grows stronger during the fight, advancing his body cultivation and developing sharper awareness and sword insight. His restraint and determination show that he values genuine training, even when he could use a more overwhelming technique.
• The guardian begins confident that no Foundation Establishment cultivator can defeat him. Fang Chen’s strength shocks him, and the guardian ultimately recognizes him as a peerless genius.
• Their encounter shifts from the guardian’s contemptuous challenge to a hard-fought contest in which Fang Chen earns the guardian’s respect.

Significant themes

• Growth through adversity: Fang Chen’s wounds and pressure trigger breakthroughs in both perception and physical cultivation.
• Self-reliance and discipline: He chooses swordsmanship practice over an easy, decisive use of a powerful ability.
• Hidden potential and underestimated talent: Fang Chen’s lack of a Manifestation leads the guardian to misjudge him, while his sudden advancement overturns expectations.
• Respect earned through action: The guardian’s certainty gives way to admiration after witnessing Fang Chen’s skill and resolve.

Plot points and events

• After clearing the Sea of Demons’ eighteenth island, Fang Chen and Little Glazed are transported to a plaza containing a Stone Lotus. Its blue mark matches one Fang Chen found after the Heart Refining Bridge.
• Fang Chen takes the mark, and both return to his cultivation chamber. He now has two marks; one more will satisfy the first two of Palace Mistress Lingxin’s conditions. The Heavenly Stone Forest is the third.
• Little Glazed explains that the Forest is a formation-training ground. Its layers must be cleared by finding each formation’s flaw, not by brute force.
• Since Fang Chen knows little about formations, he asks for introductory books and studies them. He learns that forming and breaking arrays rely on derivation, which requires substantial Soul Power.
• Confident in his ability to derive solutions, Fang Chen seeks advanced methods. Little Glazed cautions him against jumping straight into Saint- or Great Emperor-level secrets, since they are tied to their creators’ cultivation paths. He instead studies foundational derivation arts from powerful Formation Masters.
• A month passes as Fang Chen studies. Palace Mistress Lingxin, waiting in a valley, wonders why he has not yet entered the Heavenly Stone Forest.

Character development and interactions

• Fang Chen shows his usual confidence and eagerness to acquire new skills, but accepts Little Glazed’s advice to build his foundation gradually.
• Little Glazed acts as his guide and practical adviser, explaining the Forest and steering him toward suitable study materials.
• Lingxin’s brief reaction confirms she is monitoring Fang Chen’s progress and expects him to pursue the third condition.

Significant themes

• Learning through discipline: Fang Chen must replace brute force with careful study and analysis.
• Humility and sound foundations: Little Glazed warns that advanced knowledge can be harmful without the right preparation.
• Progress toward a larger mystery: The marks and three conditions connect Fang Chen’s training to Lingxin and the group’s undisclosed plan.

Key plot points and events

• Palace Mistress Lingxin discusses Fang Chen’s progress with the Little White Rabbit. He has already passed two of the three tests required for a dangerous, secret mission, but appears to be a complete beginner at formations—the final condition.
• Lingxin explains that the mission is too important to risk with an unsuitable candidate. They have more than nine years before the deadline, so she decides to wait and see whether Fang Chen can learn.
• Fang Chen spends three years studying formation books until reading is no longer enough; he wants to build a formation himself. Little Glazed finds him a suitable site in the Meteor Mountain Range.
• Fang Chen studies the mountain’s terrain and Spirit Veins by day and the stars by night. After a month of surveying, he chooses to construct a Circulating Heaven Star Spirit Gathering Great Array, a top-tier Sixth-Tier formation.
• Little Glazed obtains the needed materials through Fang Chen’s Nine-Star privileges at Tianyuan Academy. Though she doubts a Foundation Establishment cultivator can build such a formation alone, Fang Chen insists on doing it himself.
• The Little White Rabbit observes his plan with interest.

Character development

• Fang Chen moves from novice to deeply enthusiastic student of formations. He shows patience in studying and surveying, but also bold ambition in choosing an exceptionally difficult formation.
• Palace Mistress Lingxin remains cautious and responsible, balancing hope in Fang Chen’s achievements with the need to protect the mission.
• Little Glazed is supportive and efficient, though wary of Fang Chen’s undertaking.
• The Little White Rabbit acts as an observer and informant, watching Fang Chen’s progress.

Significant themes

• Enthusiasm as a path to mastery: Fang Chen’s growing interest drives his learning.
• Ambition and risk: He refuses to begin with an easy formation and takes on a challenge normally requiring multiple masters.
• Patience and preparation: His study of books, terrain, Spirit Veins, and stars precedes any construction.
• Secrecy and high stakes: The mission’s importance makes Lingxin reluctant to accept anything less than a reliable candidate.

Character interactions

• Lingxin questions the Rabbit about Fang Chen’s abilities and stresses the danger of the mission; the Rabbit worries that the tests are too demanding.
• Fang Chen relies on Little Glazed to find a site and gather materials, while she questions whether he can manage the formation alone.
• The Rabbit watches from afar, intrigued by Fang Chen’s ambitious choice.