Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “So Freakish It Was Terrifying”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan, Da Huang, and the third companion visit the Dean of Heavenreach Sacred Academy to request additional cultivation resources.
• Chen Changan explains that the upcoming promotion tournament, less than ten years away, will determine the academy’s future resources and territory. He argues that stronger cultivation among the three of them would benefit the academy.
• He boldly claims that, with sufficient resources, they can reach the Primordial Sage Realm within roughly a dozen years—a feat the Dean considers nearly impossible, since ordinary geniuses may require centuries to advance from the Hongmeng Saint Realm to that level.
• The Dean agrees to provide his personal cultivation resources for an initial five-year trial. If their progress is convincing, he will then persuade the academy to allocate broader resources to them.
• Chen Changan immediately takes the offered resources, assuring the Dean that his investment will eventually be repaid.
• The Dean gives them 3,000 Primordial Stones and ten drops of Primordial Dao Source. Though Da Huang considers this amount stingy, Chen Changan recognizes that the Dean likely sacrificed nearly everything he could personally spare.
• The three divide the resources and begin cultivating. Despite the supposed five-year period, they exhaust the supplies in only one year and advance to the Eighth-Tier Primordial Sage Realm.
• Their astonishing progress shocks the academy’s disciples, who had been amazed by their earlier cultivation speed. Some become discouraged and question the value of cultivating, while others take the trio’s example as motivation to work harder.
• Realizing that their cultivation has slowed without resources, Chen Changan and the others decide to approach the Dean again, either for more supplies or for information about where additional resources can be obtained.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan demonstrates confidence, strategic thinking, and an almost outrageous understanding of his own potential. He skillfully persuades the Dean by connecting their personal advancement to the academy’s interests.
• He also shows practicality: rather than worrying about ownership of the resources, he focuses entirely on obtaining anything that can accelerate cultivation.
• Da Huang remains blunt and greedy in a humorous way, dismissing the Dean’s contribution as insufficient, though he ultimately accepts Chen Changan’s decision to divide the resources fairly.
• The Dean shifts from suspicion and disbelief to cautious investment. He is nervous about provoking resentment among the academy’s other disciples but is also deeply hopeful that the trio can achieve unprecedented results.
• The academy disciples develop from curious observers into witnesses of a terrifying gap in talent. Their reactions range from envy and despair to renewed determination.

Significant Themes

• Extraordinary talent versus ordinary cultivation: The trio’s one-year advancement exposes the immense difference between them and even the academy’s most talented disciples.
• Resources as the foundation of power: The chapter emphasizes that cultivation speed depends heavily on access to rare materials such as Primordial Stones and Primordial Dao Source.
• Risk and investment: The Dean gambles his personal resources on the trio, hoping their success will justify further institutional support.
• Inspiration and discouragement: The trio’s strength has a double effect on others—some feel their efforts are meaningless, while others become motivated to improve.
• Ambition under time pressure: With the promotion tournament approaching, the characters must advance rapidly before the limited deadline expires.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changan uses polite but confident persuasion when negotiating with the Dean, while the Dean responds with skepticism and concern over academy politics.
• The Dean’s reluctance contrasts with Chen Changan’s decisive behavior, especially when Chen Changan immediately grabs the resources once they are offered.
• Da Huang jokes about the limited supply, but Chen Changan moderates him and encourages the group to accept the resources without complaint.
• The disciples’ conversations after witnessing the trio’s advancement highlight the psychological impact of their overwhelming talent: some lose confidence, while others challenge themselves to follow the example set by the three ascenders.

Chapter Summary: “Turbulent City”

Key Plot Points and Events

• One year after leaving Heavenreach Sacred Academy, Chen Changan, Da Huang, and Mu Yunyao return as Eight-Tier Primordial Sages. Their astonishing progress shocks the Dean, who realizes they may reach the Primordial Sage Realm’s peak—or even advance further—if given enough resources.
• The group has already exhausted all the cultivation resources they brought with them. They ask to use the academy’s reserves, but the Dean explains that, without harming the other disciples’ cultivation, the academy can only support them for about five more years.
• Chen Changan concludes that this will not be enough, especially because higher realms will require increasingly large amounts of resources. He asks where they can acquire more.
• The Dean directs them to Turbulent City, a notoriously lawless and dangerous place where cultivators can obtain resources through methods such as life-and-death battles. In these arenas, the winner claims both victory and the loser’s resources.
• Despite the Dean’s warnings, Chen Changan decides they should go immediately rather than delay the danger for five years. The Dean provides them with academy resources to use as starting capital and gives them directions.
• Concerned for their safety, the Dean secretly sends two Elders to follow and protect them. He also wants the Elders to assess the group’s true combat strength.
• Chen Changan detects the hidden escorts but does not object. After traveling at remarkable speed, the group reaches Turbulent City in only two months instead of the expected three or four, confirming that their actual strength far exceeds what their cultivation levels suggest.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan remains decisive, ambitious, and practical. He refuses to wait passively for resources and immediately chooses the more dangerous path if it will improve their chances in the future advancement competition.
• He also displays sharp awareness of human motives, recognizing that the Dean’s generosity is based largely on the group’s immense value to the academy, even if the Dean is personally kind.
• Da Huang continues to be outspoken and irreverent, mocking the academy’s limited resources. He also views the Dean more favorably after learning that the man arranged protection for them.
• Mu Yunyao shows trust and admiration for Chen Changan’s caution and clear-headedness, acknowledging that he consistently avoids careless decisions.
• The Dean develops from an astonished authority figure into a protective ally. He understands the group’s importance and, though unable to stop Chen Changan, secretly ensures they will not be left completely defenseless.
• The two Elders shift from skepticism to respect. Their initial belief that the group is merely composed of Eight-Tier Primordial Sages is challenged by the group’s extraordinary speed and hidden power.

Significant Themes

• Resource scarcity and ambition: Rapid cultivation creates an urgent need for greater resources, forcing the protagonists to seek danger rather than rely on institutional support.
• Risk versus preparation: Chen Changan believes confronting danger early is better than postponing it, especially when future breakthroughs will become even more demanding.
• The limits of appearances: The group’s cultivation level does not accurately reflect their true combat ability, reinforcing the idea that they should not be judged by ordinary standards.
• Pragmatism and human nature: Chen Changan recognizes that kindness is often connected to usefulness and status. Relationships in the cultivation world are shaped by mutual value as much as by morality.
• Protection and trust: Although the Dean cannot openly accompany them, his secret guardianship shows a developing bond between the academy and the protagonists.

Character Interactions

• The Dean reacts with disbelief and excitement to the group’s advancement, while Chen Changan calmly focuses on the practical problem of obtaining more resources.
• Chen Changan and the Dean discuss the dangers and opportunities of Turbulent City, with Chen Changan repeatedly pressing for information despite the warnings.
• Da Huang and Chen Changan contrast comic bluntness with sober realism when discussing the Dean’s motives.
• Mu Yunyao praises Chen Changan’s caution, reinforcing his role as the group’s rational leader.
• The Elders’ private discussion reveals the Dean’s confidence in the protagonists and their growing recognition that the group’s real strength is far greater than expected.

Chapter Summary: “Life-and-Death Arena”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan, Mu Yunyao, and Da Huang enter Turbulent City, a place filled with disorder, violence, curses, and chaotic auras.
• Da Huang questions why the Dean directed them to Turbulent City to gather resources instead of safer locations such as mines, secret realms, or resource-rich ownerless lands.
• Chen Changan concludes that the Dean likely recommended Turbulent City because those alternatives are harder to locate or more dangerous. He also trusts that the Dean does not intend to harm them, especially since two Elders are secretly following and protecting them.
• Shortly after arriving, a lecherous man harasses Mu Yunyao and expresses a desire to make her his woman.
• Mu Yunyao calmly challenges him to fight Chen Changan on the Life-and-Death Arena, where the winner can claim everything belonging to the loser.
• The man, a first-grade Primordial Sage, becomes overconfident after sensing that Chen Changan is only an eighth-grade Hongmeng Saint. He assumes Chen Changan will be easily defeated.
• Chen Changan accepts the challenge, intending to use the arrogant man as their first opportunity to obtain resources.
• The group proceeds to the Life-and-Death Arena. Other cultivators recognize them as members of Heavenreach Sacred Academy and speculate about why they have come to such a dangerous place.
• The two hidden Elders grow concerned and follow them openly enough to intervene if necessary.
• At the arena, the rules are explained: both combatants must surrender all their resources before the match, and the victor takes everything. The arena keeps a ten-percent commission.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan remains calm, confident, and calculating. Rather than being intimidated by the opponent’s higher cultivation, he sees the confrontation as a convenient way to acquire resources.
• Mu Yunyao demonstrates composure and decisiveness. Instead of reacting emotionally to the man’s harassment, she turns the situation into a formal life-or-death challenge and places her trust in Chen Changan.
• Da Huang provides comic relief through his teasing remarks about Mu Yunyao’s beauty and Chen Changan’s tendency to encounter arrogant fools. He also recognizes the opportunity to use the man as a “sacrifice.”
• The lecherous cultivator is characterized by arrogance, lust, and overconfidence. He underestimates Chen Changan solely because of the apparent difference in cultivation realms.
• The two Elders show their protective responsibility toward Chen Changan’s group, even though they initially attempted to remain unnoticed.

Significant Themes

• Chaos and survival: Turbulent City is portrayed as a lawless environment where conflict and danger are ordinary.
• Overconfidence and underestimation: The opponent assumes cultivation level alone guarantees victory, failing to recognize Chen Changan’s actual abilities.
• Beauty as both attraction and danger: Mu Yunyao’s appearance draws unwanted attention, but her poise and strength allow her to control the situation.
• Risk as a path to resources: In Turbulent City, danger and opportunity are closely connected; Chen Changan deliberately turns a confrontation into a way to obtain wealth.
• Hidden protection and trust: Although Chen Changan’s group appears to face danger alone, the Sacred Academy Elders are secretly watching over them.

Character Interactions

• Da Huang questions Chen Changan about the Dean’s recommendation, prompting discussion of their mission and the dangers of Turbulent City.
• The lecherous man directs his advances toward Mu Yunyao, while she responds by challenging him to a Life-and-Death Arena match against Chen Changan.
• Chen Changan and the man exchange threats and mockery, with each believing the other will be the one to die.
• Da Huang jokes with Chen Changan about Mu Yunyao’s beauty and the foolishness of their opponent.
• The arena officials establish the rules and financial stakes, setting the stage for the upcoming battle.

Chapter Summary: “You’ve Worked Hard”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan and his companions enter Turbulent City’s Life-and-Death Arena, whose organizers take a 10% commission from the losing side’s resources. Chen pays the required resources and prepares to wait through roughly fifteen scheduled battles.
• Chen asks about the arena’s betting system, but cannot place a wager because all his resources have already been submitted as the entry stake. He plans to bet on himself after winning future matches and accumulating resources.
• The arena’s battles proceed slowly, with only seven matches completed in one day. Chen’s opponent repeatedly mocks him, confident that Chen is heading toward certain death, but Chen ignores him.
• When betting opens for Chen’s match, the odds reveal a massive perceived difference in strength. Most spectators bet on Chen’s death, believing his opponent’s greater cultivation makes the result obvious.
• Da Huang returns from the betting area excited that so many people are wagering against Chen. Chen sees this as a potential opportunity to profit, while Mu Yunyao explains that the arena’s participants are not reckless gamblers; they seek reliable resource gains, not risky windfalls.
• Mu Yunyao also reasons that the arena’s betting is trustworthy because no fighter would risk their life by deliberately throwing a match. She predicts the odds will be adjusted after Chen’s battle, since the arena would otherwise risk losing money.
• Chen’s turn finally arrives. He enters the stage and faces an opponent who is an eighth-stage Primordial Saint, while Chen appears to be only a first-stage Primordial Saint. The crowd assumes the battle will be an effortless victory for Chen’s opponent.
• Chen considers whether to kill his opponent instantly, but decides that revealing his true strength would discourage future challengers and reduce his ability to profit from the arena’s odds.
• His opponent arrogantly allows Chen to attack first. Chen agrees, recognizing that this may be his only opportunity to make an opening move.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates patience, strategic thinking, and confidence. Rather than simply seeking victory, he considers how to conceal his strength, preserve future opponents, and maximize his profits through betting and repeated battles.
• Mu Yunyao: Shows sharp insight into the motivations of the arena’s participants and the economics behind the betting system. She understands that most people prioritize steady gains over gambling.
• Da Huang: Acts as an enthusiastic observer of the betting scene and brings Chen information about the odds. His excitement highlights the group’s interest in exploiting the arena’s financial opportunities.
• Chen’s opponent: Is characterized by arrogance and contempt. He assumes Chen is helpless because of the apparent cultivation gap and offers him the first strike out of confidence.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The crowd judges Chen solely by his visible cultivation and completely underestimates him.
• Strategy over brute strength: Chen must balance winning the battle with concealing his true abilities and maintaining access to future opponents.
• Risk, gambling, and survival: The chapter distinguishes reckless gambling from calculated resource accumulation. The arena’s participants seek dependable profit rather than needless danger.
• Exploitation of systems: Chen intends to use the arena’s rules, commission structure, and betting odds to gather resources.
• Overconfidence and underestimation: The opponent’s arrogance and the crowd’s certainty foreshadow that their assumptions may be disastrously wrong.

Character Interactions

• Chen questions the arena staff about betting and attempts to find a way to wager despite having no spare resources.
• Da Huang excitedly reports the betting odds and the large number of bets placed against Chen.
• Mu Yunyao explains the cautious behavior of the bettors and analyzes how the arena protects its profits.
• Chen’s opponent taunts him before the match and offers him the first attack, setting up the confrontation at the chapter’s cliffhanger ending.

Chapter Summary: “Keep You Company in an Act”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan fights an opponent on the Life-and-Death Arena. What initially appears to be an even battle gradually reveals Chen Changan’s overwhelming advantage.
• Chen deliberately restrains his strength and pretends to be nearing exhaustion, allowing the crowd and his opponent to believe the fight is close.
• His opponent becomes increasingly injured and desperate, repeatedly attempting to break through Chen Changan’s defenses. However, Chen remains completely unharmed.
• The spectators slowly realize that Chen Changan, despite possessing only the Eight-Tier Primordial Sage Realm cultivation, is dominating an opponent from a higher realm.
• When his opponent is nearly exhausted, Chen Changan draws the Red Dust Sword and kills him with a sudden, perfectly timed attack.
• Chen collects his winnings from the Life-and-Death Arena. Many spectators curse him because they had bet on his death and lost significant resources.
• Chen asks whether he must wager all his resources in future matches. He learns that stronger opponents will be required to accept his challenges after this victory.
• The arena staff explain that Turbulent City offers other ways to obtain resources, including robbery and killing. Chen acknowledges this but decides to continue using the arena for now.
• He openly challenges the crowd, wondering whether anyone still dares to fight him.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates exceptional combat ability, tactical patience, and psychological manipulation. He conceals his true strength, deliberately prolongs the battle, and ends it only when victory can be explained as the result of his opponent’s exhaustion. His confidence grows as he realizes the arena can provide both resources and opportunities to establish his reputation.
• Chen’s opponent: Begins the fight confidently but gradually recognizes that he has been outmatched from the beginning. His desperation and frustration increase as every attempt to injure Chen fails, ultimately leaving him helpless and defeated.
• Da Huang: Remains confident in Chen Changan and assumes that his big brother is merely playing with the opponent.
• Mu Yunyao: Understands Chen Changan’s strategy, explaining that he must conceal his strength so that opponents will continue accepting his challenges.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy’s Elders: Their view of Chen changes from cautious interest to excitement and admiration. They now regard him as an extremely valuable and possibly unprecedented talent, though they also sense something unusual about him that they cannot identify.

Significant Themes

• Concealed strength and strategic deception: Chen’s apparent struggle is an act designed to conceal his overwhelming power and preserve future opportunities to fight.
• Genius transcending realms: His victory over a stronger opponent establishes him as a rare talent capable of killing across cultivation levels.
• Greed and risk: The crowd’s reactions reveal how heavily the arena is driven by gambling, resources, and personal profit.
• The brutality of Turbulent City: Murder and plunder are treated as ordinary methods of obtaining wealth, emphasizing the city’s lawlessness.
• Reputation and opportunity: Chen’s victory begins to attract attention throughout the arena and may eventually establish his name across Azure Origin.

Character Interactions

• Da Huang questions why Chen Changan is holding back, and Mu Yunyao explains that Chen must avoid appearing too strong or no one will challenge him.
• Chen taunts his opponent for voluntarily entering the arena and promises not to kill him too quickly, revealing his intention to prolong the fight.
• The opponent accuses Chen of tricking him and refuses to surrender, but his resistance collapses as Chen remains untouched.
• The arena staff congratulate Chen, explain the rules concerning wagers, and warn him that future challengers will likely be stronger.
• Chen questions them about alternative ways to obtain resources and then turns toward the crowd with an unmistakable challenge, inviting another opponent to step forward.

Chapter Summary: “This Time, No Act”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan deliberately provokes the people of Turbulent City, insulting their strength and challenging them to a Life-and-Death Arena match.
• A fierce-looking middle-aged man at the Third Grade Primordial Sage Realm accepts the challenge, confident that Chen Changan’s Hongmeng Saint Realm cultivation makes him an easy target.
• Both fighters submit their resources and wait for several scheduled matches to conclude.
• Mu Yunyao and Da Huang worry about Chen Changan’s decision, recognizing that the gap between the First and Third Grade Primordial Sage Realms is enormous. However, they ultimately choose to trust him.
• Chen Changan reveals that his earlier arrogance is part of a larger plan: he wants to defeat increasingly powerful opponents, accumulate resources, and use them to place larger bets in future matches.
• Unlike his previous battle, which involved deliberately concealing his strength, Chen Changan intends to end this fight quickly and fight seriously.
• Once the match begins, the middle-aged man launches an all-out attack. Chen Changan moves even faster and kills him instantly with a flash of sword light.
• The spectators are left stunned and unable to understand how the battle ended so quickly.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates confidence, strategic thinking, and a growing desire to test his true combat strength. He admits that he has never fought at full power and wants to discover his current limits. His instant victory proves that his actual strength far exceeds what others expect from his cultivation level.
• Mu Yunyao and Da Huang: Their concern for Chen Changan deepens, but they also acknowledge his unusual confidence and willingness to risk his life. They begin to accept that he may genuinely possess the power to back up his behavior.
• The middle-aged Burly Man: Introduced as an arrogant and confident challenger, he underestimates Chen Changan because of the apparent difference in cultivation. His confidence ends in a sudden and overwhelming defeat.
• The spectators: Initially mock and condemn Chen Changan, placing bets against him. His victory completely overturns their expectations and leaves them shocked.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus appearances: Chen Changan’s low cultivation level causes others to underestimate him, while his true combat ability remains hidden.
• Arrogance and confidence: The chapter questions whether Chen Changan’s behavior is empty arrogance or justified self-assurance. His victory confirms that his confidence is based on real power.
• Risk and strategy: Chen Changan is not fighting merely for pride; he is manipulating the Life-and-Death Arena to attract stronger opponents and maximize his profits.
• Breaking expectations: The spectators assume that a Third Grade Primordial Sage will easily defeat Chen Changan, but the instant kill overturns their assumptions.
• Trust in an unpredictable ally: Mu Yunyao and Da Huang struggle to understand Chen Changan’s decisions but choose to trust his judgment.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changan provokes the crowd with insults, challenging them to prove their strength.
• The middle-aged Burly Man responds to the provocation and exchanges threats with Chen Changan before the fight.
• Mu Yunyao and Da Huang debate whether Chen Changan should be stopped, while Chen Changan explains his betting and opponent-attraction strategy.
• Chen Changan and his opponent trade sarcastic “last words” remarks before the match.
• The crowd mocks Chen Changan and bets on his defeat, only to fall silent when he kills the Burly Man instantly.

Chapter Summary: “None Came in Vain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan instantly kills a third-grade Primordial Saint despite being only an eighth-grade Primordial Saint himself, stunning everyone at the Life-and-Death Arena.
• Spectators and the arena’s two seventh-grade Primordial Saint Elders question whether Chen Changan has hidden strength, since his power far exceeds what his cultivation level should allow.
• Chen Changan mocks his defeated opponents and the people of Turbulent City, calling them weak and cowardly.
• After reclaiming his winnings, Chen announces that he will fight one final match before leaving, deliberately provoking the crowd.
• The spectators spread news of Chen’s arrogance and overwhelming strength throughout Turbulent City. Many initially refuse to believe the reports, but curiosity and outrage draw increasing numbers of challengers to the arena.
• When numerous people begin competing for the chance to fight him, Chen asks whether challengers can withdraw after being assigned a match. The staff member explains that withdrawal results in confiscation of resources, crippling, and exile.
• Pleased that challengers cannot escape once registered, Chen invites everyone to fight him one after another, promising that “none of you came in vain.”

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Becomes increasingly confident and provocative after his effortless victory. Rather than leave after one more battle, he recognizes the opportunity to earn more resources and intentionally humiliates the entire city. His arrogance is presented as both genuine self-assurance and a calculated tactic to attract challengers.
• The spectators and arena Elders: Shift from disbelief to fear and uncertainty. They realize Chen may be far more dangerous than his visible cultivation suggests and hesitate to confront him directly.
• The people of Turbulent City: Their initial hostility turns into embarrassment and competitive outrage. Though none dare fight immediately, they attempt to recruit stronger individuals to restore the city’s reputation.
• Arena staff member: Acts as the source of the Life-and-Death Arena’s rules, unknowingly confirming that Chen can safely force successive challengers to face him.

Significant Themes

• Power versus cultivation level: Chen’s victory challenges conventional assumptions about the limits of a cultivator’s realm.
• Arrogance as strategy: Chen uses insults and provocation to pressure others into challenging him, turning the crowd’s anger into a source of profit.
• Reputation and humiliation: Turbulent City’s inhabitants are driven less by justice than by the fear of becoming a laughingstock.
• Fear beneath bravado: Although the crowd loudly condemns Chen, their refusal to fight reveals the gap between their fierce reputation and their actual courage.
• Greed and opportunity: Chen’s focus shifts from simply winning to maximizing his gains once he realizes a large number of challengers are willing to enter the arena.

Character Interactions

• Chen humiliates the crowd by openly declaring that no one in Turbulent City can fight.
• Spectators exchange rumors, argue over whether the reports are true, and compete for the right to challenge him.
• Chen questions the arena staff about whether fighters can withdraw, then uses the rules to his advantage.
• He ultimately addresses all the challengers together, accepting every challenge and ensuring that each person who came to confront him will have to face him.

Chapter Summary: “Intimidating the Entire Crowd”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan shocks everyone by declaring that he will accept challenges from all the gathered experts, including Fifth- and Sixth-Rank Primordial Saints.
• He openly insults the challengers, claiming he does not take any of them seriously and daring them to attack him if they are dissatisfied.
• The two Elders from Heavenreach Sacred Academy and Chen Changan’s companions worry that his provocation has gone too far, but his allies remain confident that he will not lose.
• The challengers, enraged by his arrogance, successively agree to fight him on the Life-and-Death Arena.
• Chen Changan becomes visibly delighted, viewing the opponents not as people but as valuable “resources” whose defeat will bring him substantial gains.
• He attempts to arrange a battle against everyone at once, hoping to increase the betting opportunities, but the arena staff reject the idea and insist on one-on-one matches.
• The first challenger immediately attacks, but Chen Changan releases an overwhelming aura, catches the opponent off guard, and kills him instantly with a familiar sword strike.
• The crowd is horrified that a Fifth-Rank Primordial Saint has been defeated so easily. After multiple such victories, they realize Chen Changan’s strength is on an entirely different level.
• The remaining challengers begin regretting their decisions. They are trapped: refusing to fight would damage their reputation, but entering the arena appears certain to result in death.
• Chen Changan continues mocking them and urges the next opponent to step forward.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan displays extreme confidence, arrogance, and calculating greed. His challenge is not merely an act of pride; he deliberately seeks to profit from defeating numerous powerful opponents.
• His strength is revealed to be far beyond what the crowd expected. His ability to instantly kill Fifth-Rank Primordial Saints transforms him from an arrogant challenger into an overwhelmingly terrifying figure.
• Da Huang shows concern for Chen Changan, while Chen Changan’s sister-in-law remains confident that he will ultimately win, even if the battles take time.
• The challengers shift from anger and confidence to fear, regret, and helplessness once they witness Chen Changan’s true power.
• The arena staff member becomes increasingly exasperated by Chen Changan’s unreasonable demands and recognizes that Chen is trying to exploit the fights for profit.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and intimidation: Chen Changan’s instant victories destroy the crowd’s assumptions about the limits of his strength.
• Arrogance versus reality: What initially appears to be reckless boasting is proven to be justified confidence.
• Greed and opportunism: Chen Changan treats the opponents as sources of resources and seeks to maximize his gains through betting and repeated battles.
• Pride and social pressure: The challengers are forced into a deadly situation because backing down would make them appear cowardly or dishonorable.
• Psychological warfare: Chen Changan’s taunts and casual attitude unsettle his enemies before the fighting even begins.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changan repeatedly provokes the challengers, inviting them to attack and mocking their hesitation.
• The Heavenreach Sacred Academy Elders observe his behavior with disbelief and concern.
• Da Huang discusses Chen Changan’s recklessness with his sister-in-law, who reassures him that Chen will not lose.
• The arena staff argue with Chen Changan over the rules, rejecting his proposal to fight everyone simultaneously and preventing him from placing further bets.
• The crowd alternates between insulting Chen Changan and expressing disbelief at his victories, ultimately becoming frightened and uncertain about how to proceed.

Chapter Summary: “Wealth Moves the Heart”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan leaves the Life-and-Death Arena after fighting far more matches than planned—over a dozen instead of three—and wins an enormous amount of cultivation resources.
• His overwhelming performance leaves the spectators, including the two Elders from Heavenreach Sacred Academy, stunned and unable to process what they witnessed. Many convince themselves that Chen Changan’s strength must have been an illusion.
• Chen Changan, Da Huang, and Mu Yunyao quickly leave Turbulent City, recognizing that his sudden wealth will attract dangerous attention.
• A large group of cultivators, including two Eighth-Rank Hongmeng Saints and one Ninth-Rank Hongmeng Saint, decide to pursue and rob Chen Changan. Although some are uneasy, their greed overcomes their fear.
• The two Heavenreach Sacred Academy Elders notice the ambush and decide to intervene, intending to delay the attackers so Chen Changan and his companions can escape.
• When the Elders catch up, they discover that Chen Changan has deliberately stopped and appears to have been waiting for the pursuing group.
• Chen Changan confirms that he knew they were coming and asks whether the attackers’ resources will remain after their deaths. Upon learning that they will, he orders the others to attack.
• Da Huang and Mu Yunyao withdraw from the fight, leaving Chen Changan to handle the enemies alone.
• The chapter ends with Chen Changan offering the attackers one final chance: surrender their resources and leave, or face death.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates confidence, strategic awareness, and a growing understanding of how wealth can provoke danger. Rather than flee, he turns the ambush into another opportunity to acquire resources.
• Da Huang: Remains humorous and opportunistic, initially suggesting that they continue seeking resources—and jokingly mentioning the brothel—but becomes cautious once the danger is explained. He trusts Chen Changan to handle the battle.
• Mu Yunyao: Shows practical judgment by urging everyone to return and strengthen their cultivation. She recognizes that Chen Changan’s invulnerability does not necessarily protect her and Da Huang.
• The two Heavenreach Elders: Shift from stunned observers to protective allies. Despite knowing they may be outmatched, they are willing to risk themselves to safeguard Chen Changan and the others.
• The pursuing cultivators: Reveal their greed and willingness to gamble with their lives. Their lack of resources and backing makes Chen Changan’s wealth especially tempting to them.

Significant Themes

• Greed and temptation: Chen Changan’s sudden fortune inspires people to abandon caution, illustrating how wealth can distort judgment.
• Strength and intimidation: His arena performance is so extraordinary that most witnesses doubt their own understanding of cultivation.
• Risk versus reward: The attackers knowingly pursue a dangerous target because they believe the potential rewards outweigh the risks.
• Caution and preparation: Chen Changan and Mu Yunyao understand that victory and wealth can create new dangers, making increased cultivation essential.
• Power imbalance: The attackers rely on numbers and high-ranking cultivators, yet Chen Changan’s confidence suggests that individual strength may matter more than apparent numerical superiority.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changan and Da Huang exchange humorous remarks about earning resources and visiting a brothel, with Chen Changan ultimately ordering Da Huang to return with them.
• Chen Changan explains to Da Huang that overwhelming temptation can make people reckless, emphasizing that his own safety does not guarantee theirs.
• Mu Yunyao reinforces Chen Changan’s caution, persuading Da Huang that returning to cultivate is the wiser choice.
• The two Elders discuss rescuing the group and prepare to sacrifice themselves if necessary.
• Chen Changan reveals that he was aware of the Elders and the pursuing cultivators all along, surprising the Elders.
• He confidently commands Da Huang and Mu Yunyao to stay out of the fight and confronts the attackers with an ultimatum.

Chapter Summary: “Are You Eating Resources?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A group of enemies confronts Chen Changan, Mu Yunyao, Da Huang, and the two Elders, demanding that they surrender their resources or die.
• Chen Changan immediately attacks without warning. His overwhelming strength shocks the two Elders, who realize he had been holding back during his earlier battle on the Life-and-Death Arena.
• Chen Changan effortlessly ignores the enemies’ attacks and kills the entire group in moments, including a Ninth-Rank Hongmeng Saint.
• He searches their belongings but is disappointed by how little wealth they possess, though the stronger enemies provide somewhat worthwhile resources.
• On the journey back, the Elders question whether Chen Changan’s combat ability has already reached the Dean’s level. Chen Changan admits he does not know because he has never fought the Dean.
• After returning to Heavenreach Sacred Academy, the Elders report the incident to the Dean. The Dean is astonished and concludes that Chen Changan and his companions may guarantee the academy’s success in the upcoming promotion tournament.
• The Dean decides not to elevate their official status yet, preferring to keep their identities and strength hidden until the tournament. He also orders an investigation into whether other academies possess similarly exceptional ascenders.
• Five years pass in secluded cultivation. Chen Changan advances to the Third-grade Hongmeng Saint Realm, but his enormous resource consumption depletes the supplies intended for all three cultivators.
• Chen Changan exits seclusion early because he has run out of resources, while Mu Yunyao and Da Huang continue cultivating.
• He visits the Dean to request more resources, leaving the Dean stunned by both his cultivation speed and his seemingly bottomless appetite.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates an enormous gap between his apparent cultivation realm and his actual combat power. He becomes even more confident and straightforward, treating his extraordinary strength as ordinary. His greatest limitation appears not to be talent or speed, but his immense consumption of cultivation resources.
• Mu Yunyao: Remains calm and perceptive, correctly observing that people willing to risk robbery are unlikely to be wealthy. She continues to trust Chen Changan’s ability enough to avoid interfering in his battles.
• Da Huang: Like Mu Yunyao, stays out of the fight because Chen Changan clearly does not need assistance. He continues cultivating alongside the others.
• The Two Elders: Shift from seeing Chen Changan as someone who might need support to recognizing that they could only hinder him. Their awe and curiosity grow as they witness his true strength.
• The Dean: Moves from disbelief to intense excitement. He sees Chen Changan and the others as potentially decisive assets who could elevate Heavenreach Sacred Academy, while also becoming concerned about concealing their true abilities and supplying Chen Changan’s cultivation needs.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Chen Changan’s low visible cultivation conceals combat power far beyond what others expect.
• The difference between cultivation and true ability: His realm alone cannot explain his effortless victories, reinforcing the idea that exceptional geniuses cannot be judged by conventional standards.
• Resource consumption and cultivation costs: Even extraordinary talent requires vast material support. Chen Changan’s rapid progress is matched by his nearly absurd demand for resources.
• Strategic concealment: The Dean chooses to keep the trio’s status low to prevent others from discovering their true strength before the promotion tournament.
• Fortune and institutional revival: The Dean views Chen Changan’s arrival as a stroke of heaven-sent luck that could transform the academy’s future.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Changan and the enemy group: Their attempted negotiation collapses when Chen Changan attacks first and annihilates them, reversing their demand that he surrender resources.
• Chen Changan and the Elders: The Elders question his strength after witnessing the battle, while Chen Changan responds casually and misunderstands—or deliberately deflects—their initial “interest.”
• Mu Yunyao and Chen Changan: Mu Yunyao humorously explains why the enemies possessed so little wealth, helping Chen Changan accept his disappointing spoils.
• The Elders and the Dean: Their report convinces the Dean that Chen Changan may possess Dean-level combat ability and could secure victory in the promotion tournament.
• Chen Changan and the Dean: Their final exchange highlights the central comic tension of the chapter: Chen Changan’s astonishing cultivation achievement is overshadowed by his casual announcement that he has consumed all the academy’s resources again.

Chapter Summary: “Is Robbery the Only Road Left?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Dean is shocked by Chen Changan’s enormous resource consumption and worries that Heavenreach Sacred Academy cannot sustain his rapid cultivation.
• Chen Changan clarifies that he is not asking the academy for more resources. Instead, he wants a long-term solution to the academy’s resource shortage.
• The Dean explains that Heavenreach controls only a small, low-yield Primordial Stone Vein within a restricted territory. The Sacred Academy Alliance enforces these territorial limits, preventing Holy Academies from freely claiming resources elsewhere.
• Advancement to a mid-level Holy Academy would greatly expand Heavenreach’s territory and resources, but the competition is still nearly five years away.
• Since Turbulent City is unsuitable as a permanent source of income, the Dean proposes an unconventional solution: Chen Changan could secretly raid the resource veins controlled by rival Holy Academies.
• The Dean reveals that resource shipments from Primordial Stone Veins occur periodically, creating opportunities to intercept them. Chen Changan might also mine the veins directly after defeating their guardians.
• The Dean identifies Qingfeng, Nanlin, and Yun Xiao Sacred Academies as targets, arranging them in an order that allows Chen Changan to visit them one after another.
• Suspicious of the Dean’s detailed knowledge, Chen Changan suggests that the Dean may be using him to settle old grudges. The Dean admits the academies are not on good terms with Heavenreach but claims he previously lacked the confidence to act himself.
• With fewer than five years until the advancement competition, Chen Changan agrees to test this strategy and immediately leaves for Qingfeng Sacred Academy.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates practical thinking and concern for Heavenreach’s long-term survival rather than simply demanding personal support. Though initially reluctant to resort to robbery, he accepts the plan because the academy has no viable alternatives. His intimidating cultivation and deceptive appearance make him an ideal agent for covert raids.
• The Dean: Becomes visibly desperate over Chen Changan’s resource needs and reveals a more opportunistic, even scheming side. His willingness to encourage raids against rival academies suggests hidden rivalries, though he insists he is not a bad person. He also shows strategic confidence in Chen Changan’s abilities.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy: Its poverty and limited territory are emphasized, making Chen Changan’s cultivation both a burden and a potential solution to the academy’s future advancement.

Significant Themes

• Resource scarcity and survival: The academy’s limited resources threaten both Chen Changan’s cultivation and its institutional future.
• Rules versus loopholes: Although the Sacred Academy Alliance forbids Holy Academies from claiming resources outside their territories, the rules apparently do not prevent individuals from taking those resources.
• Desperation and moral compromise: The academy’s financial crisis pushes the Dean and Chen Changan toward robbery, raising the question of how far they will go to survive and grow stronger.
• Power and political rivalry: The Alliance’s control over territories creates competition among Holy Academies, while old grudges influence strategic decisions.
• Individual power versus institutional weakness: Heavenreach lacks the resources to support Chen Changan, but Chen Changan’s overwhelming strength may allow him to obtain what the academy cannot.

Character Interactions

• The Dean anxiously offers to find more resources, while Chen Changan reassures him that he wants a permanent solution rather than immediate aid.
• Chen Changan challenges the Dean about the Alliance’s rules and questions whether resources outside Heavenreach’s territory can be seized.
• The Dean provocatively suggests robbing rival academies, leading to humorous exchanges in which Chen Changan accuses him of exploiting personal grudges.
• Their conversation reveals a relationship based on mutual dependence: the Dean needs Chen Changan’s strength, while Chen Changan needs the academy’s support and information.
• The chapter ends with Chen Changan acting on the plan, departing for Qingfeng Sacred Academy.

Chapter Summary: “Jade Bottle’s Reaction”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan travels to Qingfeng Sacred Academy’s Primordial Stone mine to seize its resources, facing little psychological burden because the academy is weakly defended.
• He arrives just as the mine’s resources are about to be transported away, allowing him to catch the academy off guard.
• The mine is guarded by fewer than two hundred cultivators, most in the Hongmeng Saint Realm and the rest in the Primordial Sage Realm.
• Chen Changan attacks without warning and quickly defeats or kills everyone stationed there.
• He collects ten thousand Primordial Stones and other resources from the defeated cultivators.
• Entering the mine, he attempts to absorb its energy directly. Although he drains some of it, he realizes that absorbing an entire mine personally would take too long.
• Chen Changan then experiments with transferring the mine’s energy into the Hongmeng Jade Bottle. For the first time, the bottle reacts and begins absorbing energy at an astonishing rate, dimming half the mine within a day.
• Despite absorbing a tremendous amount of energy, the Jade Bottle shows no visible improvement, suggesting that it requires an enormous quantity of energy to upgrade.
• Chen Changan leaves before Qingfeng Sacred Academy can respond.
• The academy’s Dean arrives afterward, discovers the slaughter and the damaged mine, and vows to find and punish the attacker.
• Encouraged by the Jade Bottle’s reaction, Chen Changan immediately heads toward Nanlin Sacred Academy’s mine, traveling far faster than expected.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan becomes increasingly confident and aggressive in exploiting the resources of other Sacred Academies. His overwhelming strength allows him to defeat Qingfeng’s defenders effortlessly.
• He remains practical and cautious, leaving before the academy can organize a counterattack.
• His discovery that the Jade Bottle can absorb mine energy greatly increases his motivation and excitement. He becomes eager to test it on more mines.
• Chen Changan’s rapid journey also reveals that his own potential and speed continue to improve, reinforcing his self-confidence and boastful personality.
• Qingfeng Sacred Academy’s Dean is shown as anxious and perceptive, having sensed that trouble might occur, but he fails to prevent the attack. His grief and rage intensify after seeing the destruction of the mine.

Significant Themes

• Resource competition and survival: Cultivation progress depends heavily on rare resources, driving Chen Changan to raid rival academies.
• Overwhelming power and weak defenses: Qingfeng Sacred Academy’s complacency leaves it vulnerable to Chen Changan’s sudden assault.
• The mystery and potential of the Jade Bottle: Its first reaction suggests that it may eventually solve Chen Changan’s resource problems, though its seemingly bottomless appetite creates a new challenge.
• Confidence and ambition: Chen Changan’s growing strength fuels both his daring actions and his humorous self-admiration.
• Consequences of arrogance: Qingfeng Sacred Academy assumed no one would dare attack it, and that complacency results in the loss of its guards and half of its mine’s energy.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changan overhears Qingfeng’s guards discussing the early delivery of resources and the Dean’s unease, which confirms the timing of his raid.
• The guards react with shock and anger when he attacks, but their attempts to resist are completely ineffective.
• Chen Changan has no direct interaction with the Dean, but his actions provoke the Dean’s fury and promise of revenge.
• His most significant “interaction” is with the Hongmeng Jade Bottle: by transferring the mine’s energy into it, he finally awakens a response and discovers a possible path to upgrading it.

Chapter Summary: “Robbery Really Does Pay Faster”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan discovers that the Jade Bottle has not improved despite absorbing energy from the Primordial Stone veins of Nanlin and Yunxiao Sacred Academies. Realizing that three veins are insufficient, he decides to acquire more resources.
• He spends the next two years locating and looting mineral veins belonging to other Holy Academies instead of returning to Heavenreach Sacred Academy.
• During his absence, Mu Yunyao and Da Huang emerge from seclusion and wait with the Dean, who grows increasingly worried about Chen Changan’s prolonged disappearance.
• The Vice Dean reports that numerous Holy Academies have had their mineral veins brutally looted and rendered unusable. The culprit remains unknown to the wider world.
• The Dean reveals that Chen Changan was responsible for the attacks on Qingfeng, Nanlin, and Yunxiao Sacred Academies. It is then discovered that he has actually looted around fifteen Holy Academies.
• Chen Changan finally returns safely and casually confirms that he obtained roughly 200,000 Primordial Stones over the two years.
• The Dean is stunned, explaining that Heavenreach Sacred Academy produces fewer than 10,000 Primordial Stones annually, meaning Chen Changan acquired more than twenty years’ worth of resources in only two years.
• Chen Changan refuses to explain why he deliberately destroyed some of the mineral veins, calling it a personal secret.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Becomes increasingly resource-driven and decisive. His desperation to improve the Jade Bottle leads him to conduct a large-scale campaign of robbery. He demonstrates extraordinary efficiency, confidence, and secrecy, looting fifteen academies without being exposed.
• The Dean: Shifts from concern over Chen Changan’s disappearance to shock and helpless admiration at the scale of his actions. He recognizes that Chen Changan’s abilities and methods are far beyond ordinary expectations.
• Mu Yunyao and Da Huang: Both advance to the Third-grade Primordial Saint realm during their seclusion. They show unwavering faith in Chen Changan, believing he must have had a valid reason for his actions.
• The Vice Dean: Is astonished by Mu Yunyao and Da Huang’s cultivation progress and later becomes alarmed upon learning about the widespread destruction of Holy Academy mineral veins.

Significant Themes

• Resource acquisition and power: The chapter emphasizes how difficult cultivation resources are to obtain and how dramatically robbery accelerates Chen Changan’s progress.
• The limits of ambition: The Jade Bottle’s seemingly bottomless energy requirements push Chen Changan toward increasingly extreme actions.
• Trust and loyalty: Mu Yunyao and Da Huang defend Chen Changan despite not knowing his motives, trusting his judgment completely.
• Secrecy and consequences: Chen Changan’s actions have created a major hidden threat. If his identity is exposed, Heavenreach Sacred Academy could suffer, though Chen Changan himself is confident in his ability to survive.
• Humor through contrast: Chen Changan treats 200,000 Primordial Stones as “not that many,” while the Dean views the amount as equivalent to decades of Heavenreach’s production.

Character Interactions

• Da Huang confronts the Dean about Chen Changan’s prolonged absence, while the Dean admits he is equally powerless and worried.
• The Vice Dean reacts with disbelief at Mu Yunyao and Da Huang’s rapid advancement, highlighting how abnormal their cultivation speed is.
• The Dean and Mu Yunyao discuss the danger of Chen Changan’s actions. The Dean fears retaliation against Heavenreach Sacred Academy, while Mu Yunyao confidently insists that Chen Changan can protect himself.
• When Chen Changan returns, the Dean questions him about the looted academies and the resources he obtained. Chen Changan answers casually, revealing the enormous scale of his robbery while refusing to disclose his deeper motive.

Chapter Summary: “Do You Like Killing?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Dean agrees to let Chen Changan keep the mineral-vein resources he obtained and reminds him that less than three years remain before the advancement tournament.
• After returning to his residence, Chen Changan reveals to Mu Yunyao and Da Huang that the Jade Bottle has evolved into the Primordial Jade Bottle. It can now absorb energy from mineral veins, though it requires an enormous amount of energy to improve.
• Chen Changan plans to store their resources in the bottle and rely on absorbing heaven-and-earth energy while they stabilize their cultivation.
• Over two years of cultivation, Chen Changan advances to the Fourth-tier Primordial Saint realm, while Mu Yunyao and Da Huang reach the peak of the Third-grade Primordial Saint realm.
• The Dean arrives to announce that it is time to depart for the advancement tournament. The journey will take over half a year, and more than twenty people from Heavenreach Sacred Academy will participate.
• The Dean explains that thirty Holy Academies will compete in a large-scale team battle, with only one academy earning the qualification to advance.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy has repeatedly failed because several rival academies formed an alliance specifically to target it. The Dean reveals that the three academies whose mineral veins Chen Changan took were among its persistent enemies.
• The Dean claims Heavenreach ranks among the top academies in its current region, though Da Huang mocks this as a result of stronger academies having already advanced.
• Chen Changan dismisses the threat of alliances and confidently declares that they can defeat anyone who challenges them.
• When Chen Changan asks whether killing is allowed, the Dean firmly states that killing is forbidden. Chen Changan regrets losing what he sees as the quickest way to resolve conflicts.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Becomes significantly stronger, reaching the Fourth-tier Primordial Saint realm. His successful refinement of the Jade Bottle into the Primordial Jade Bottle gives him and his companions a powerful hidden advantage. He also displays extreme confidence, pragmatism, and a frighteningly direct attitude toward eliminating obstacles.
• Mu Yunyao: Continues cultivating alongside Chen Changan and reaches the peak of the Third-grade Primordial Saint realm. She remains supportive and attentive to his discoveries.
• Da Huang: Serves as the group’s comic critic, openly questioning the Dean’s claims and exposing the likely weaknesses behind Heavenreach’s past failures. His teasing reveals that the academy’s reputation may not be as impressive as the Dean suggests.
• The Dean: Becomes accustomed to Chen Changan’s rapid progress but remains unsettled by his methods and confidence. He explains the political and strategic nature of the tournament and worries about Chen Changan’s willingness to kill opponents.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and secrecy: The Primordial Jade Bottle is so extraordinary that Chen Changan must conceal its existence to prevent powerful figures from coveting it.
• Strength and strategic alliances: Advancement depends not only on individual combat ability but also on cooperation, reputation, and whether other academies perceive a group as a threat.
• Reputation and political targeting: Heavenreach’s repeated failures may stem less from weakness than from being deliberately targeted by alliances.
• Pragmatism versus rules: Chen Changan views killing as an efficient solution to conflict, while the tournament’s regulations and broader consequences place limits on his methods.
• Comedy through blunt honesty: Da Huang’s sarcastic remarks repeatedly challenge the Dean’s self-important explanations and expose uncomfortable truths.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changan shares the Primordial Jade Bottle’s secret with Mu Yunyao and Da Huang, establishing their trust and shared investment in its power.
• The Dean provides Chen Changan’s group with the tournament rules and background, while Chen Changan repeatedly questions the logic behind Heavenreach’s past defeats.
• Da Huang mocks the Dean’s claims about the academy’s strength and suggests that Heavenreach’s current high ranking is merely due to stronger academies advancing first.
• Chen Changan’s statement that they will defeat anyone who attacks them contrasts with the Dean’s cautious explanation of alliances and tournament restrictions.
• The chapter ends with the Dean alarmed by Chen Changan’s casual attitude toward killing, while Chen Changan is disappointed that the rules prevent him from ending battles as efficiently as possible.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan and the Heavenreach Sacred Academy group travel without incident to Competition City, the venue for the advancement tournament.
• The Dean explains that Competition City is controlled by the Sacred Academy Alliance, whose members oversee all advancement tournaments. Holy Academy representatives are normally forbidden from interacting privately with the Alliance to prevent manipulation or bribery.
• The Holy Academies are housed separately according to their current rankings. Heavenreach, now ranked third, receives a lodging near the front.
• They pass the lodgings of Qingfeng’s three Holy Academies, which previously looked down on Heavenreach. The Dean takes satisfaction in their coming defeat and believes they are no longer a threat.
• Chen Changan focuses on the consequences of advancement, especially the need to select a new territory for Heavenreach Sacred Academy. The current territory is poor and contains almost worthless mineral veins.
• The Dean admits that the new territories cannot be investigated beforehand. The available locations are selected by the Sacred Academy Alliance, and Holy Academies choose them in a randomly determined order.
• Chen Changan volunteers to draw Heavenreach’s selection order and choose its future territory, claiming that his luck is exceptionally good. The Dean and the others agree, though Chen rejects the idea that the academy’s future should depend solely on him.
• After roughly fifteen days of waiting, all thirty Holy Academies gather in Competition City’s central plaza for the tournament.
• The Sacred Academy Alliance briefly explains that the final victor will advance to the Intermediate Sacred Academy level, then opens the tournament space.
• The participating academies immediately rush inside to secure advantageous positions. Chen Changan, unfamiliar with the tournament’s details, follows them without yet understanding what makes a position “good.”

Character Developments

• Chen Changan remains pragmatic and aggressive, viewing killing as the quickest way to resolve conflicts. He is also perceptive, quickly recognizing that advancement will create important political and territorial consequences.
• His confidence in his own providence and luck grows into a practical leadership role: he takes responsibility for the random draw and future territory selection.
• Despite his confidence, Chen shows awareness of teamwork and refuses to let Heavenreach become dependent entirely on him.
• The Dean shifts from enjoying Qingfeng’s academies’ impending downfall to seriously considering Heavenreach’s future after advancement. He trusts Chen Changan’s luck but also recognizes the uncertainty surrounding territorial selection.
• The other Heavenreach members increasingly rely on Chen, though his reminder that everyone must contribute prevents that reliance from becoming complete complacency.

Significant Themes

• Strength and pragmatism: Violence is presented as an efficient solution, though only the powerful can use it safely.
• Institutional fairness versus hidden competition: The Sacred Academy Alliance’s separation rules appear impartial, but the existence of alliances and strategic cooperation shows that the tournament remains politically competitive.
• Luck and fate: Both advancement positions and future territorial choices depend heavily on random selection, making luck a major factor in the academies’ destinies.
• Leadership and responsibility: Chen accepts an important role but resists being treated as the sole savior of Heavenreach.
• Strategic preparation: Advancement is not merely about winning the tournament; the academy’s future territory, resources, and long-term development are equally important.

Character Interactions

• The Dean and the group react wryly to Chen’s straightforward belief that killing is the best solution.
• The Dean explains the structure and rules of Competition City to Chen, including the Sacred Academy Alliance’s oversight and the academy lodging arrangements.
• Chen notices the Dean’s satisfaction near Qingfeng’s academies and draws out his resentment toward them.
• Chen questions the Dean about post-advancement territory selection and exposes the risks created by the lack of information and reliance on random order.
• When Chen volunteers to handle the lot-drawing and selection, the others hesitate because such duties usually belong to the Dean, but they ultimately support him.
• The Alliance officials give all thirty academies a brief explanation before opening the tournament space, after which the academies rush inside to compete for favorable starting positions.

Chapter Summary: “One Man’s Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan and Heavenreach Sacred Academy enter the advancement trial space and learn that it contains ten powerful formations. Occupying these formations gives Holy Academies a significant combat advantage.
• Many Holy Academies have already formed alliances and seized the formations, while others remain outside after failing to claim one.
• The Dean explains that the trial has a time limit. If no academy wins before time expires, none will advance, so the formations are intended to create a gradual elimination battle before the final confrontation.
• Impatient with the strategic stalemate, Chen Changan decides not to compete for a formation first. Instead, he attacks every Holy Academy outside the formations, treating all academies except Heavenreach Sacred Academy as opponents.
• His reckless-looking assault shocks everyone, especially the academies safely watching from the formations and Heavenreach’s members, who fear he will make their academy a target.
• Chen Changan quickly overwhelms six or seven Holy Academies by himself. His performance reveals that his actual combat strength is vastly greater than his Fourth-tier Primordial Saint cultivation suggests.
• Because killing is forbidden, Chen Changan spares the defeated opponents but threatens to cripple them if they continue resisting or attempt a sneak attack. The defeated academies withdraw from the trial space.
• Chen Changan then turns his attention to the twenty-two Holy Academies occupying the formations and demands that they leave voluntarily, warning that his methods will become even harsher.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates extreme confidence, impatience, and overwhelming combat ability. He rejects the trial’s intended strategic approach and chooses direct confrontation. His ruthlessness is tempered only by the rule forbidding killing, and he openly threatens to cripple opponents who interfere with him.
• The Dean: Shows complete confidence in Chen Changan’s abilities. Rather than restraining him or reacting with panic, the Dean calmly tells the others to observe the battle, indicating that he already understands Chen Changan’s true strength.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy members: Initially become anxious and confused by Chen Changan’s actions, especially those unaware of his abilities. After witnessing his victory, they are shocked and gain a clearer understanding of how formidable he is.
• The allied Holy Academies: Their initial amusement and contempt toward Chen Changan turn into fear and seriousness once he defeats multiple academies alone. They begin to view him as a threat capable of overturning the entire trial.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming individual power versus collective strategy: The trial is designed around alliances, formations, and gradual elimination, but Chen Changan renders that strategy nearly meaningless through sheer strength.
• Confidence and intimidation: Chen Changan’s words and actions psychologically weaken his opponents before the next stage of the battle even begins.
• Appearance versus true ability: Although Chen Changan’s cultivation level appears ordinary, his combat strength is terrifying, emphasizing that surface-level cultivation does not reveal his actual power.
• Rules and restrained violence: The prohibition against killing limits Chen Changan but does not prevent him from using brutal force or threatening permanent injury.
• Impatience with complicated systems: Chen Changan views the formation-based trial as unnecessarily elaborate and prefers to resolve everything through direct action.

Character Interactions

• Chen Changan questions the Dean about the purpose of the formations, prompting an explanation of the trial’s time limit and strategy.
• The Dean and Heavenreach’s members clash indirectly over Chen Changan’s behavior: the members worry that he is acting recklessly, while the Dean calmly trusts him.
• The Holy Academies inside the formations mock Chen Changan at first, treating him as an entertaining spectacle. After witnessing his victory, they become fearful and avoid meeting his gaze.
• Chen Changan verbally dominates the defeated academies, warning them against resisting or ambushing him.
• At the chapter’s close, he confronts all remaining academies in the formations and gives them a choice: leave peacefully or face harsher treatment. The outcome of this confrontation remains unresolved.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan confronts representatives from twenty-two Holy Academies during the advancement match and orders them to surrender.
• Though shocked by his strength, the academies refuse because the match is important to their futures. They secretly agree to cooperate against him.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy’s members consider helping Chen, but Mu Yunyao explains that he deliberately intends to handle the entire battle alone. She notes that the team-based format actually makes things easier for him.
• The opposing academies remain inside their formations to benefit from their enhancements, hoping Chen will enter and be weakened.
• Growing impatient, Chen charges into one of the formations with the Red Dust Sword, warning them of the consequences of refusing to surrender.
• Chen decisively defeats and cripples every opponent he faces. Although killing is forbidden, he destroys their cultivation foundations, leaving them with little hope for future advancement.
• The remaining opponents panic and launch a united assault, but numbers prove useless. Chen cripples them all without exception.
• Witnessing his overwhelming victory, the members of Heavenreach Sacred Academy become awed and even question whether their academy is worthy of someone as powerful as him.
• The Dean humbly suggests that Chen would be more qualified to serve as Dean, but Da Huang rejects the idea, explaining that Chen dislikes administrative responsibilities and would never want the position.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates absolute confidence, impatience with empty talk, and overwhelming combat power. He deliberately fights alone and ends the match swiftly, showing that he values decisive results over negotiation. Despite his strength, he has no interest in authority or status.
• Mu Yunyao: Shows strong insight into Chen’s personality and strategy. She understands from the beginning that he planned to resolve the team battle alone and calmly prevents the others from interfering.
• The Dean: Initially worries about whether Chen can defeat so many opponents, but quickly becomes impressed and humbled. He recognizes Chen as potentially more capable than himself.
• Da Huang: Acts protectively toward Chen’s freedom and preferences, rejecting the idea that Chen should become Dean because he would dislike the burdens of the role.
• The opposing academies: Begin confident and politically calculating, attempting to cooperate while also exploiting one another’s caution. Their confidence collapses into fear and regret after Chen cripples them.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy members: Shift from concern about Chen fighting alone to profound admiration and self-doubt, feeling that their academy may not be worthy of him.

3. Significant Themes

• Absolute strength and confidence: Chen’s power allows him to ignore numerical superiority, formations, and conventional teamwork.
• The danger of arrogance and stubbornness: The opposing academies refuse to surrender despite Chen’s warning and suffer irreversible consequences.
• Superficial alliances and self-interest: Although the academies agree to cooperate, each faction secretly hopes others will fight first and weaken Chen.
• Respect earned through ability: Chen’s performance makes even his own allies question whether they are worthy of standing beside him.
• Freedom versus responsibility: The chapter contrasts Chen’s overwhelming capability with his lack of interest in leadership, administration, or formal status.

4. Character Interactions

• The twenty-two academies collectively challenge Chen and threaten to overwhelm him through cooperation.
• Heavenreach’s members ask whether they should assist, but Mu Yunyao and the Dean discuss why Chen does not need their help.
• Chen directly provokes the opponents into fighting by entering their formations and reiterating his warning.
• The academies’ internal distrust is revealed as they debate waiting for others to weaken Chen.
• After Chen’s victory, the Dean praises him as a possible future Dean, while Da Huang immediately objects and explains Chen’s dislike of such responsibilities.
• The closing exchange humorously undercuts the supposed prestige of the Dean’s position: Chen’s lack of interest makes the role seem insignificant rather than desirable.

Chapter Summary: No Regrets About This Choice

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenreach Sacred Academy’s Dean and elders discuss Chen Changan’s refusal to pursue the position of Dean. Da Huang points out that Chen Changan clearly does not care about status or authority, prompting everyone to reconsider how they should treat him.
• Mu Yunyao advises the Dean not to control or command Chen Changan. Instead, they should give him freedom, respect, equality, and enough authority to make his own choices. Trying to force or manipulate him would only drive him away.
• The Dean reflects on how power, status, and changing circumstances can alter a person’s heart. Mu Yunyao and Da Huang also acknowledge that although the lives of Ascenders are exciting, they are exhausting, and some people—such as Yi Tuo and Little Earthworm—prefer the comfort of Chen Changan’s Small World.
• Meanwhile, Chen Changan finishes the advancement tournament. His opponents, terrified by his overwhelming strength, surrender and admit defeat.
• Chen Changan refuses to accept their surrender, arguing that they chose to fight to the end and must now face the consequences. He defeats and cripples many of them, showing no mercy.
• After returning, Chen Changan is greeted by the people of Heavenreach Sacred Academy with awe and reverence. The Dean worries that his ruthlessness may create problems, but Chen Changan dismisses the concern, noting that the academy is about to advance to Intermediate Sacred Academy status.
• Members of the Sacred Academy Alliance approach Chen Changan and attempt to recruit him. Despite the Alliance’s immense influence and prestige, Chen Changan declines without hesitation.
• He explains that he prefers remaining at Heavenreach Sacred Academy, where he can retain his freedom and avoid the complicated obligations and restrictions likely involved in joining the Alliance.
• The Alliance accepts his decision and informs Heavenreach Sacred Academy that, as the tournament winners, they may choose a new location at an Alliance branch.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan: Demonstrates overwhelming power, ruthlessness toward enemies who refuse to surrender, and firm independence. His refusal to join the Sacred Academy Alliance confirms that he values freedom and autonomy more than status, power, or convenience.
• The Dean: Begins to understand that Chen Changan cannot be treated like an ordinary subordinate or controlled through authority. He recognizes the need to preserve their relationship through trust and respect.
• Mu Yunyao: Acts as a perceptive adviser, explaining that Chen Changan must be given equality, freedom, and respect. She also highlights how difficult it is for people to preserve their original nature as their circumstances change.
• Da Huang: Helps challenge the Dean’s assumptions by questioning the value of the Dean’s position and encouraging deeper reflection.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy’s members: Their attitude toward Chen Changan shifts from respect to awe and reverence after witnessing his victory.
• Sacred Academy Alliance representatives: Are surprised by Chen Changan’s refusal but do not pressure him, treating the offer as a routine recruitment attempt.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus control: Chen Changan cannot be commanded or restrained; he cooperates only when he chooses to do so.
• Power and identity: The chapter questions whether status, authority, and prestigious positions truly matter to someone as powerful and independent as Chen Changan.
• Remaining true to oneself: Mu Yunyao emphasizes that status and strength can gradually change a person’s heart, making it difficult to preserve one’s original values.
• Consequences and regret: Chen Changan insists that choices have consequences. Those who chose to fight rather than surrender earlier cannot undo their decision once they lose.
• Loyalty and belonging: By rejecting the Sacred Academy Alliance, Chen Changan shows that he values his connection with Heavenreach Sacred Academy more than greater influence or material advantages.
• Different paths in life: The chapter contrasts the arduous pursuit of power and advancement with the desire for comfort and freedom, suggesting that neither path is universally preferable.

Character Interactions

• The Dean, Da Huang, and Mu Yunyao debate how best to handle Chen Changan and conclude that respect and freedom are more effective than authority.
• Chen Changan confronts his defeated opponents and rejects their pleas for mercy, emphasizing personal responsibility.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy’s members react with admiration after seeing Chen Changan’s victory.
• The Sacred Academy Alliance directly offers Chen Changan membership, but he respectfully declines, affirming his preference for Heavenreach Sacred Academy.
• The Alliance and Chen Changan part amicably, with the academy receiving permission to select a new site after winning the tournament.

Chapter Summary: “I Choose Ghost Abyss”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan and Heavenreach Sacred Academy arrive at a Sacred Academy Alliance branch ahead of the other advancing Holy Academies because they completed their advancement matches unusually quickly.
• The branch personnel recognize the academy’s Dean, revealing that one of the branch officials had once been a member of Heavenreach Sacred Academy before leaving to join the Sacred Academy Alliance.
• The former member still feels guilty about abandoning the academy, but the Dean reassures him that everyone eventually understood his decision to seek better opportunities.
• After roughly a month, all ten Holy Academies that advanced from the region arrive at the branch. They are informed that they must draw lots to determine the order in which they will select their future locations.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy sends Chen Changan—not the Dean—to represent it. His appearance surprises the others, but the branch president accepts him as the academy’s representative.
• Chen Changan draws first, gaining priority selection. The other academies assume he may not necessarily receive an advantageous location.
• Before choosing, Chen Changan closes his eyes, seemingly sensing something about the available locations. He then selects Ghost Abyss.
• The branch officials react with shock, while the other academies mock the choice and assume Ghost Abyss is an undesirable or dangerous destination.

Character Developments

• Chen Changan demonstrates confidence and independence by representing Heavenreach Sacred Academy in an important decision normally handled by a Dean.
• His mysterious ability to sense something about the locations suggests that he possesses insight beyond ordinary perception and may have deliberately chosen Ghost Abyss rather than selecting randomly.
• The Dean is shown to be understanding and magnanimous. He holds no resentment toward the former academy member and emphasizes that people are entitled to pursue better prospects.
• The former Heavenreach member is revealed to retain strong emotional ties to the academy. His lingering guilt shows that leaving was a difficult and morally significant decision for him.
• The other Holy Academies are characterized as cautious but competitive. They avoid open arrogance at first, then become relieved and mocking after Chen Changan chooses what they believe is a poor location.

Significant Themes

• Personal choice versus loyalty: The former member’s departure raises the conflict between remaining loyal to one’s original institution and pursuing greater opportunities.
• Forgiveness and moving beyond the past: The Dean’s reassurance demonstrates that old disappointments can eventually be understood and forgiven.
• Appearances versus true value: The other academies judge Ghost Abyss by its reputation and the branch officials’ reactions, while Chen Changan appears to recognize a hidden value others cannot perceive.
• Confidence in unconventional decisions: Chen Changan’s willingness to choose Ghost Abyss despite having first selection rights suggests that powerful opportunities may be concealed in places others fear or dismiss.
• Competition and insecurity: The advancing academies remain wary of one another, balancing excitement over their success with anxiety about facing stronger rivals.

Character Interactions

• The Dean and the former academy member share a reconciliatory conversation, with the Dean easing the man’s guilt over leaving Heavenreach Sacred Academy.
• Chen Changan observes this exchange and realizes that the earlier hostility toward recruits from the Sacred Academy Alliance was rooted in the academy’s painful history.
• The branch president questions whether Chen Changan is truly authorized to draw on Heavenreach Sacred Academy’s behalf, but accepts the Dean’s decision.
• After Chen Changan selects Ghost Abyss, the other academies react with surprise, mockery, and relief, believing he has wasted the strongest selection advantage.

Chapter Summary: “Da Huang the Wise”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Changan selects Ghost Abyss as Heavenreach Sacred Academy’s territory after its promotion to an Intermediate Sacred Academy.
• The Sacred Academy branch president explains that each academy may relocate to its chosen territory but must report its final location to the Sacred Academy Alliance.
• A former Heavenreach disciple now serving in the Alliance warns the Dean that Ghost Abyss is unusually dangerous:
  • It has long remained vacant.
  • Numerous independent factions operate there.
  • Violent conflicts are common.
  • The Alliance may be testing whether a newly promoted academy can subdue the region.
• Despite the warning, the Dean supports Chen Changan’s decision, believing hardship will strengthen the academy and that danger may also bring opportunities.
• Heavenreach Sacred Academy returns home and begins preparing for relocation without celebrating its promotion.
• After packing, the entire academy sets out for Ghost Abyss, a journey expected to take several years.
• One year into the journey, Da Huang suggests stopping, though Chen Changan reveals that he actually wants to visit a brothel.
• Da Huang defends the idea as a possible form of cultivation and spiritual understanding, delivering an unexpectedly profound explanation that leaves everyone viewing him as a “wise dog.”

Character Developments

• Chen Changan demonstrates decisive leadership and earns continued trust from the academy. His choice of Ghost Abyss shows confidence, ambition, and willingness to embrace risk.
• The Dean reveals deep faith in Chen Changan and adopts a forward-looking attitude, accepting danger as necessary for the academy’s growth.
• The former Heavenreach disciple acts as a cautious advisor, warning the academy to avoid unnecessary conflict and establish itself carefully.
• Da Huang shifts from comic troublemaker to an unexpectedly philosophical figure. His argument that wisdom can be found anywhere gives him a new image as a perceptive and unconventional thinker.
• The academy members move from confidence and excitement to seriousness and unease as they realize the dangers awaiting them in Ghost Abyss.

Significant Themes

• Growth through hardship: The Dean believes comfort leads to stagnation, while danger and trials can force Heavenreach Sacred Academy to develop.
• Risk and opportunity: Ghost Abyss is dangerous, but its chaos may also create opportunities unavailable in safer territories.
• Trust in leadership: The academy follows Chen Changan despite the risks because of their faith in his judgment and past achievements.
• Individual paths to enlightenment: Da Huang argues that different people may comprehend their own Dao through different experiences, challenging conventional moral assumptions.
• Perspective and open-mindedness: The chapter emphasizes judging experiences through personal understanding rather than blindly accepting society’s opinions.

Character Interactions

• The Dean and Chen Changan share mutual trust, with the Dean accepting Chen Changan’s unexplained choice without objection.
• The Alliance representative warns the Dean and the academy about Ghost Abyss, urging caution and restraint.
• Chen Changan repeatedly suppresses Da Huang’s inappropriate remarks, creating comic tension.
• The Dean initially misunderstands Da Huang’s request to “take a break,” only to learn that Da Huang wants to visit a brothel.
• Da Huang then debates Chen Changan and the Dean, transforming the embarrassing situation into a philosophical discussion about cultivation and enlightenment.