Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Ye Qiu learns that his family intends to enforce his marriage to Lu Li, a renowned and exceptionally powerful sword cultivator. He objects because she once pursued him for three days after he visited a teahouse, and he fears her temper—and her protective teacher, Nan Qingyue—even more than the marriage itself.
• Ye Qiu asks his grandfather, Wen Zheng, to stop the arrangement, but Wen admits he has failed. The Wen elders are guarding the estate so Ye Qiu cannot escape, and Nan Qingyue has threatened the family if he does not appear at the First Academy.
• Wen tells Ye Qiu he will be taken there in three days. Left alone and distressed, Ye Qiu develops a severe headache and sees a strange vision: a huge red serpent coiled around a mountain.
• The creature insists it is a dragon and says the vision is real. It seems confused and resentful about being in Ye Qiu’s mindscape.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu is shown as capable, proud, and accomplished, but terrified of Lu Li and frustrated that his family is forcing him into the marriage. His usual confidence gives way to helplessness.
• Wen Zheng cares about his grandson but is too intimidated by Lu Li and Nan Qingyue to protect him. His nervous humor softens his admission that he is yielding out of fear.
• Lu Li is absent, but established as beautiful, fiercely determined, quick-tempered, and a formidable fighter who has chosen Ye Qiu as her husband.
• Nan Qingyue is likewise absent, yet her reputation for combat prowess and absolute loyalty to Lu Li is enough to cow the Wen family.
• The dragon appears as a mysterious new presence in Ye Qiu’s mindscape, speaking with weary familiarity and unexplained resentment.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Ye Qiu’s achievements mean little when faced with opponents far stronger than he is.
• Family duty versus personal choice: The Wen family prioritizes its safety and the marriage arrangement over Ye Qiu’s wishes.
• Comic reversal: A young man accustomed to bullying others finds himself powerless before a woman and her teacher.
• Mystery and supernatural change: The dragon’s arrival suggests that Ye Qiu’s distress has coincided with something extraordinary.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu pleads with Wen Zheng to call off the marriage; Wen sympathizes but says he cannot oppose Lu Li’s wishes or Nan Qingyue’s threat.
• Ye Qiu accuses his family of disregarding his sacrifices, while Wen acknowledges his contributions but explains that the elders are afraid.
• After Wen leaves, Ye Qiu encounters the dragon in his mindscape. Their brief exchange confirms that the vision is real and hints that the dragon may have been displaced into similar situations before.

Key plot points and events

• A massive serpent appears in Ye Qiu’s mind and claims the two are bound together because Ye Qiu’s Dragon Pattern Jade Pendant was destroyed. The pendant had belonged to Ye Qiu’s mother.
• The serpent says it is too weak to leave Ye Qiu and offers to make him stronger. To prove its power, it releases a breath of Dragon Qi that floods Ye Qiu’s body with dangerous energy.
• Ye Qiu struggles to survive the pain, first jumping into a lake and then climbing the Wen Family Cultivation Tower to use its pressure to control the energy. By dawn, he has managed to contain it and absorb it gradually.
• Testing his strength, Ye Qiu shatters the ninth-floor stele with Qi and Blood alone. On the tenth floor, he registers an astonishing 89,000 jin—far beyond his previous 30,000 jin.
• The serpent explains that this came from just one breath of its Dragon Qi, though the process damaged its own source. It asks Ye Qiu to find it nourishment, preferably high-grade Demon Beast Spirits.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu moves from disbelief and suspicion to cautious trust after experiencing the serpent’s power. He endures severe pain, shows determination and resourcefulness, and promises to help the serpent as long as it is not plotting against him.
• The Great Serpent presents itself as a weakened dragon-like being that needs Ye Qiu’s body and outside nourishment. Its request—and its resentment over being stripped of its dragon body—suggest a troubled past and a need to regain strength.

Significant themes

• Power gained through suffering: Ye Qiu’s dramatic increase in strength comes at the cost of intense physical torment.
• Trust and mutual dependence: Ye Qiu and the serpent need one another, but Ye Qiu remains wary and seeks clear terms.
• Hidden identity and deception: The serpent’s claims about the pendant and its nature are not fully explained, while its past hints at betrayal or exploitation.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu questions the serpent’s explanation and motives; the serpent offers power, then proves its ability through Dragon Qi.
• During Ye Qiu’s ordeal, the serpent remains blunt and unsympathetic, telling him simply to endure—or die.
• After seeing the results, Ye Qiu agrees to seek nourishment for the serpent. The serpent’s final comment about a previous person who made a similar promise hints that Ye Qiu may not be its first companion.

Key plot points

• Ye Qiu leaves the consciousness space after speaking with the Great Serpent. Though he remains wary of it, he discovers its energy has raised his strength to 89,000 jin and continues to strengthen his Qi and Blood. With Profound Connection First Layer cultivation, he believes he may soon reach the 100,000-jin threshold and become a true Body Cultivator.
• Hoping to recover his pride after being soundly beaten by his fiancée, Lu Li, Ye Qiu leaves the Cultivation Tower. The Wen Family elders worry over his blood-covered appearance, while the other disciples gossip about his humiliation and his future marriage.
• Ye Qiu confronts the Wen elders, reminding them of his past loyalty and accusing them of failing to support him. They admit their consciences are “rotten,” then tell him representatives of his paternal Ye Clan have arrived.
• Ye Qiu explains that his father, Ye Jiangshan, sent him away to Nanshan City as a child after bringing home another woman and an illegitimate son, Ye Rudí. He rejects the Ye Clan’s sudden summons and says he no longer considers Ye Jiangshan his father.
• Ye Hong and Ye Qian, emissaries from the Ye Clan, insist that Ye Qiu return for Ye Rudí’s investiture ceremony. They insult him as an abandoned son and dismiss his standing.
• Ye Qiu attacks Ye Hong, shattering his fist and badly injuring him with a single punch, then stomps on his face. He knocks Ye Qian unconscious with a slap when she protests.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qiu gains confidence from his rapidly increasing physical power, though his desire to challenge Lu Li is still driven by wounded pride. His rejection of the Ye Clan shows how deeply he resents his father’s abandonment; when provoked, he responds with overwhelming violence.
• Ye Hong and Ye Qian arrive expecting their clan’s status to command obedience. Their contempt turns to shock and pain when Ye Qiu proves far stronger than they anticipated.
• The Wen Family elders are protective of Ye Qiu and wary of the trouble his temper can cause. Their guilt over his past kindness contrasts with their passive response to his humiliation.
• The chapter also highlights Ye Qiu’s relationships with Lu Li, whose earlier defeat of him remains a sore point, and Ye Rudí, the favored half-brother whose status symbolizes Ye Qiu’s exclusion.

Significant themes

• Strength and status: Ye Qiu’s natural power challenges the assumption that wealth, training, and clan rank determine superiority.
• Abandonment and belonging: His refusal to return reflects the lasting damage of being cast aside by his father’s household.
• Pride and humiliation: Ye Qiu’s ambition to defeat Lu Li and his immediate retaliation against the emissaries are fueled by injured pride.
• Violence as self-assertion: Rather than negotiate with those who demean him, Ye Qiu uses force to establish his independence.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Hong and the injured Ye Qian flee the Wen residence after Ye Qiu defeats them. Wen Zheng tries to calm Ye Qiu and turn the conversation to tomorrow’s trip to South Capital.
• Ye Qiu agrees to go—but intends to visit Nanzhou Academy to settle a score with Lu Li. His family urges him not to provoke her, having learned how formidable she is.
• Ye Qiu reveals he has advanced again, though the others remain unconvinced that he can match Lu Li.
• The Great Serpent gives Ye Qiu the Great Dragon Breath Technique and its accompanying fist art, One Punch Breaks All Laws.
• Training on the Cultivation Tower’s tenth floor, Ye Qiu reaches the Tongxuan Second Layer in an hour. He spends the rest of the day refining his punch until he can unleash a powerful blow.
• He strikes the Strength-Testing Stele, shattering it. Its reading shows 100,000 Qi and Blood—possibly more.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu becomes stronger at remarkable speed and shows strong discipline and comprehension as he masters the new technique. He remains fiercely confident and determined to confront Lu Li.
• Wen Zheng and the elders recognize Ye Qiu’s growth but are far more worried about Lu Li than impressed by his bravado.
• The Great Serpent acts as Ye Qiu’s mentor, supplying powerful techniques and encouraging his progress.

Significant themes

• Rapid growth through guidance and effort: A powerful technique accelerates Ye Qiu’s cultivation, while repeated practice helps him grasp its deeper principles.
• Confidence versus caution: Ye Qiu believes his new strength makes him ready to challenge Lu Li; his family’s experience leaves them wary.
• Power and ambition: Ye Qiu’s training is driven not only by cultivation but by his determination to prove himself and settle scores.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu’s family tries to soothe him and persuade him to avoid antagonizing Lu Li, while he insists he is not afraid.
• Ye Qiu consults the Great Serpent, who responds to his request for better training methods with two formidable arts.
• Through solitary practice, Ye Qiu turns the Serpent’s instruction into a dramatic demonstration of strength by destroying the testing stele.

Plot points and events

• After surpassing 100,000 Qi and Blood, Ye Qiu has firmly begun the path of Body Cultivation. He decides to leave Nanshan City for South Capital, where he plans to attend Southern State First Academy and prove himself to Lu Li.
• Before departing, Ye Qiu visits Wen Zheng. Wen supports his departure but warns him not to underestimate Lu Li, and gives him 100,000 Spirit Crystals for expenses.
• Ye Qiu travels toward South Capital aboard a Black Wind Eagle, escorted by the Wen Family elders. The journey will take several days.
• During the flight, Ye Qiu consults the Great Serpent in his mysterious inner space. Hoping for a powerful blade art, he offers it a costly Demon Beast Spirit. The Serpent teaches him an image of a blade strike that resembles the fist technique Ye Qiu already learned.
• After reflecting on why the two techniques share the same force, Ye Qiu realizes the Serpent is teaching him the underlying “Essence, Qi, and Spirit,” rather than particular movements. The Serpent confirms that forms are secondary to the inner spirit behind them.
• Ye Qiu opens his eyes to see South Capital ahead: a vast city and the center of Southern State’s powerful clans, prodigies, and academy.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qiu is confident in his growing strength, though still eager to improve. His ambition to challenge Lu Li is tempered by Wen Zheng’s caution. He also demonstrates insight by working out the principle behind the Serpent’s instruction.
• Wen Zheng shows deep affection and pride in Ye Qiu while accepting that Nanshan City cannot contain his potential. His generous parting gift and warnings reveal both support and concern.
• The Great Serpent acts as a mentor, refusing to hand Ye Qiu easy answers. It uses the repeated technique to push him toward understanding the principles beneath martial forms.
• The Wen Family elders escort Ye Qiu, while Wen Zheng watches his departure with lingering, complicated emotion.

Significant themes

• Growth beyond familiar limits: Ye Qiu must leave home to pursue his potential.
• Principle over technique: Mastery comes from understanding the force and spirit behind movements, not merely copying forms.
• Mentorship through challenge: The Great Serpent teaches by prompting Ye Qiu to reason for himself.
• Affection and independence: Wen Zheng’s care is expressed through support and resources, even as he lets Ye Qiu go.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Qiu returns to South Capital after ten years away, recalling how his father, Ye Jiangshan, sent him away when he was seven without looking back.
• He visits the city’s landmarks and arrives at Nanzhou Academy during its annual recruitment. Applicants must climb the pressure-filled Heavenly Ladder; Ye Qiu reaches the top with ease.
• At registration, an elder from a humble background dismisses Ye Qiu’s request for the standard reward of one thousand Spirit Crystals and hints that he expects a bribe. Ye Qiu refuses to submit.
• Ye Zhen arrives and identifies Ye Qiu as the legitimate son of the Ye Clan’s main branch. Ye Hong and Ye Qian, whom Ye Qiu previously defeated, are with him.
• The registration elder panics when he realizes Ye Qiu has powerful connections. The academy’s formidable mentor Nan Qingyue also approaches, smiling at Ye Qiu. The elder hastily gives Ye Qiu ten thousand Spirit Crystals, which Ye Qiu accepts while noting he was not the one who demanded them.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu remains calm and self-assured, showing both his strength on the Heavenly Ladder and his refusal to tolerate corruption. His return also stirs painful childhood memories.
• The registration elder shifts from condescending and grasping to frightened and obsequious once Ye Qiu’s identity and connections are revealed.
• Ye Zhen confirms Ye Qiu’s status as a legitimate member of the Ye Clan’s main branch.
• Nan Qingyue is introduced as a powerful, feared academy mentor who appears to have a favorable connection with Ye Qiu.

Significant themes

• Hidden status and mistaken assumptions: The elder judges Ye Qiu by his modest origins in South Mountain, unaware of his lineage and influential allies.
• Corruption and power: The elder tries to exploit his position, then reverses course when confronted with someone more powerful.
• Merit and privilege: Ye Qiu’s ability is evident, but the academy’s treatment of its recruits also depends on status and connections.
• Family and painful memory: Ye Qiu’s return brings back the unresolved hurt of being sent away by his father.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu politely parts from the Great Elder and travels into the capital alone.
• He challenges the registration elder’s attempt to withhold his reward, refusing to pay what amounts to protection money.
• Ye Zhen publicly claims Ye Qiu as the Ye Clan’s legitimate son, changing the elder’s attitude instantly.
• Nan Qingyue’s arrival further intimidates the elder; he gives Ye Qiu a greatly increased reward and begs forgiveness.

Chapter Summary: “Green Moon Mountain”

Key plot points and events

• Ye Zhen confronts Ye Qiu on behalf of the Ye Clan, accusing him of attacking Ye Hong and Ye Qian and invoking the Family Rules. He declares that Ye Qiu’s cultivation should be abolished.
• Ye Qiu rejects the clan’s authority over him. To demonstrate how far he is willing to go, he kills Ye Hong and Ye Qian in rapid succession, then challenges Ye Zhen to punish him.
• Nan Qingyue intervenes, declaring Ye Qiu one of her people and preventing Ye Zhen from retaliating. Ye Qiu leaves with her, reiterating that he has severed ties with the Ye Clan. He also demands that the clan repay his mother’s 300,000 spirit-crystal dowry and warns Ye Rudí not to seek trouble.
• Nan Qingyue reminds Ye Qiu that killing is forbidden at the Academy and advises him to find a suitable justification if he does it again.
• She brings him to Green Moon Mountain, her modest home, and tells him he will stay there. Ye Qiu wants to confront Lu Li, but learns Lu Li is in seclusion and may be unavailable for days or months.
• Nan Qingyue urges Ye Qiu to cultivate and says he is not worthy of Lu Li. Ye Qiu agrees that their engagement should end, but Nan Qingyue explains that Lu Li is determined to keep it.
• Ye Qiu is assigned to stay in Lu Li’s room. Ignoring Nan Qingyue’s instruction to bathe first, he promptly lies down on the clean bed while still dusty.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu is blunt, defiant, and increasingly decisive about rejecting the Ye Clan. He shows little hesitation in using lethal force, yet is also eager to end his engagement peacefully if Lu Li agrees.
• Nan Qingyue reveals herself as fiercely protective of her students and powerful enough to deter the Ye Clan. Though critical of Ye Qiu and his suitability for Lu Li, she takes responsibility for him and provides him a place to stay.
• Ye Zhen is left furious but unable to act against Ye Qiu while Nan Qingyue protects him.
• Lu Li does not appear, but his continued commitment to the engagement becomes clear through Nan Qingyue’s comments.

Significant themes

• Severing family ties and asserting independence: Ye Qiu rejects the Ye Clan’s rules and authority over him.
• Power and protection: The clan’s attempt to punish Ye Qiu is halted by Nan Qingyue’s greater strength and influence.
• Clashing values and personalities: Ye Qiu’s impulsiveness contrasts with Nan Qingyue’s emphasis on rules, while her blunt judgment contrasts with his confidence.
• Engagement and personal choice: Ye Qiu wants the engagement ended, while Lu Li’s feelings appear to keep it in place.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu openly challenges Ye Zhen’s authority and taunts him after killing Ye Hong and Ye Qian.
• Nan Qingyue sides with Ye Qiu against the Ye Clan, but later reprimands him for killing and warns him about Academy rules.
• Ye Qiu and Nan Qingyue spar verbally over his cultivation, his worthiness of Lu Li, and her support of Lu Li’s wishes.
• Nan Qingyue accommodates Ye Qiu on Green Moon Mountain, while Ye Qiu immediately disregards her request to keep Lu Li’s bed clean.

Key plot points and events

• After the journey, an assessment, and killing two people, Ye Qiu sleeps. That evening, he finds Nan Qingyue cooking on Green Moon Mountain.
• Nan Qingyue initially refuses to share her food, but after tasting Ye Qiu’s stir-fried greens, she enjoys them and declares him responsible for cooking all the meals on the mountain.
• She leaves by flying on a sword. Ye Qiu admires her Sword Control Technique and asks the Great Serpent if it can teach him to fly. It can, but warns that the method consumes Qi and Blood and would be dangerous for him.
• Ye Qiu goes to the Academy’s Gravity Cultivation Tower. Under intense pressure, he practices his Fist and Blade Techniques, but initially cannot make the training bell ring.
• The Great Serpent asks why Ye Qiu cultivates. His answer—breaking off his engagement—is rejected; it tells him to think of cultivation as necessary to survive any enemy. Ye Qiu imagines the bell as an enemy and then as Lu Li, finally striking it hard enough to ring. He senses he has found the spirit behind his techniques.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu’s self-reliance is rooted in losing his mother young: he learned to endure hardship and provide for himself rather than burden others. His cooking reflects those survival skills.
• He is ambitious and eager to improve, especially after witnessing Nan Qingyue’s sword flight, but accepts the Great Serpent’s warning about the danger of trying to fly too soon.
• Nan Qingyue softens toward Ye Qiu after tasting his cooking, though she uses her authority to assign him the mountain’s meals.
• The Great Serpent acts as a blunt mentor, guiding Ye Qiu toward a more urgent, survival-focused understanding of cultivation.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance and resilience: Ye Qiu’s difficult childhood taught him to grow up and depend on himself.
• Purpose in cultivation: Motivation matters; Ye Qiu’s breakthrough comes when he treats training as a matter of life and death rather than merely a means to achieve a personal goal.
• Skill through practice: The tower’s pressure and repeated training push Ye Qiu toward greater strength and control.
• Humor and power dynamics: Nan Qingyue’s playful command that Ye Qiu cook for her contrasts with his quiet acceptance.

Character interactions

• Nan Qingyue and Ye Qiu begin with a tense, practical exchange over food, which turns into an unexpected bond when she enjoys his cooking.
• Ye Qiu admires Nan Qingyue’s flying sword and consults the Great Serpent about learning the technique.
• At the tower, the Great Serpent challenges Ye Qiu’s reasons for cultivating and gives him a new way to approach the bell. Ye Qiu’s success confirms the advice and marks the beginning of a deeper connection to his techniques.

Plot points and events

• Ye Qiu trains through the night in the Gravity Tower, using its resonant bell to refine his Blade and Fist Techniques and follow a powerful energy sensation.
• He meets Wu Xiaokai, a sixteen-year-old special recruit and Body Cultivator with Qi and Blood of 130,000—well above Ye Qiu’s just-over-100,000. They agree to exchange pointers.
• Ye Yi approaches Ye Qiu twice, urging him to return to the Ye Clan. Ye Qiu initially refuses, but unexpectedly tells Ye Yi to wait while he enters the tower.
• Ye Qiu trains for days to avoid the clan’s repeated visits. He smashes the Sixth-Layer bell with his fist, then the Seventh-Layer bell with his blade, marking a major improvement and breakthrough. He briefly attempts the Eighth Layer but leaves after an hour, overwhelmed by its pressure.
• After leaving the Academy at dawn, Ye Qiu follows a remembered route to the imposing King Ye’s Mansion.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu grows stronger through intense training, developing his techniques and increasing his Qi and Blood. His resolve to control his own future remains firm, though his involuntary response to Ye Yi’s request suggests unresolved feelings or influence connected to his family.
• Wu Xiaokai is introduced as a powerful, disciplined young Body Cultivator who recognizes Ye Qiu’s unusual strength and treats him as a potential training partner.
• Ye Yi appears outwardly friendly but grows cold when Ye Qiu refuses to cooperate. He also shows caution around Nan Qingyue’s influence.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu and Wu Xiaokai bond over their shared cultivation path and agree to train together.
• Ye Qiu rebuffs Ye Yi’s attempts to bring him back to the clan. A companion urges force, but Ye Yi warns that confronting Nan Qingyue could be costly.
• Ye Qiu thinks about Brother Snake, hoping to obtain more of his energy and eventually learn his alchemy and artifact-refining skills.

Significant themes

• Discipline and growth: Ye Qiu’s progress comes through sustained effort under extreme pressure.
• Independence and family obligation: He resists the Ye Clan’s demand that he return, yet his unexpected words hint at a complicated connection.
• Power and leverage: The Ye Clan’s approach is constrained by Nan Qingyue’s protection of Ye Qiu.
• Potential alliances: Wu Xiaokai and Brother Snake represent opportunities for mutual benefit, learning, and future strength.

Plot points and events

• At the Ye Clan’s entrance, Ye Qiu resonates with the aura left in the clan plaque by its founder, King Ye. He withstands the pressure by recalling a powerful fist technique and breaking through it. Before the vision fades, it grants him the Ye Clan’s Invincible Sword inheritance—even though he does not use a sword.
• Ye Qiu enters the estate and finds the abandoned Green Bamboo Residence, where he spent his first seven years with his mother, Wen Xi, and his father, Ye Jiangshan. Overcome by memory, he does not enter the room and quietly says goodbye to his mother before leaving.
• Clan members gossip that Ye Qiu was an immoral child who stole a family treasure and poisoned the young master, and they repeat slanders about his mother. Ye Qiu ignores the crowd until Ye Xing openly insults him and his mother.
• Ye Qiu demands proof, then repeatedly slaps and kicks Ye Xing, leaving him badly injured. Ye Xing finally addresses him as “Young Master Ye Qiu,” but Ye Qiu rejects the title as undeserved.

Character development

• Ye Qiu shows growing strength and control: he withstands King Ye’s aura, gains a new sword inheritance, and remains composed while revisiting painful memories. His restraint ends when Ye Xing insults his family, revealing his anger and readiness to answer humiliation with violence.
• Ye Xing is initially brazen and contemptuous, confident enough to repeat the clan’s accusations. Ye Qiu’s attack quickly reduces him to fear and submission.
• Wen Xi appears only through Ye Qiu’s memories and the rumors surrounding her. She is portrayed by Ye Qiu as gentle and virtuous, in sharp contrast to the clan’s slander.

Significant themes

• Power and justice: Ye Qiu believes that power, not reason, determines how people are treated.
• Rumor and scapegoating: The clan’s people repeat accusations about Ye Qiu and his mother without evidence, illustrating how gossip can reinforce prejudice.
• Memory and loss: Green Bamboo Residence connects Ye Qiu to a happier past and to the family life he has lost.
• Inheritance and identity: Ye Qiu receives a revered clan technique despite not practicing swordsmanship, complicating his relationship with the Ye family and its legacy.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu privately asks the Great Serpent about his resonance with the plaque and receives the explanation that it is a resonance with King Ye’s aura.
• He passes the entrance guard after identifying himself by name.
• Clan onlookers mock him and condemn his mother; Ye Qiu refuses to answer them.
• Ye Qiu confronts Ye Xing directly, asking for evidence of the accusations. When Ye Xing responds with insults instead, Ye Qiu attacks him until he submits.

Plot and key events

• Ye Qiu confronts Ye Xing after the younger man insults his mother, Wen Xi. Though Ye Xing begs for mercy and calls for his grandfather, Ye Qiu kills him with a crushing blow.
• Ye Xing’s grandfather, Ye Tianshui, arrives and threatens Ye Qiu, but Ye Qiu overwhelms and kills him in front of Ye Jiangshan, the Ye Clan’s master.
• Liu Xiu, Ye Qiu’s father’s wife, approaches with a show of maternal concern. Ye Qiu mocks her appearance and rejects her attempt to play the loving stepmother.
• Ye Qiu demands the 300,000 promised from his mother’s dowry. When Ye Jiangshan objects, Ye Qiu exposes his past: he kept a mistress, fathered Ye Rudí, and sent Ye Qiu away after Wen Xi died.
• Ye Jiangshan claims he acted for the clan because Ye Qiu lacked talent and Ye Rudí possesses a rare Heavenly King Body. Ye Qiu rejects this justification, pointing out that Ye Rudí was conceived when Wen Xi was already pregnant with him.
• Ye Jiangshan raises his hand as if to strike, but Ye Qiu draws his Black Broadsword and makes clear he is willing to fight to the death. Ye Jiangshan backs down.
• Liu Xiu tries to defend Ye Jiangshan, but Ye Qiu silences her and again demands the money. The chapter ends before Ye Jiangshan answers.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu is shown as ruthless and openly defiant. His loyalty to his late mother is absolute, and he no longer accepts his father’s authority or excuses.
• Ye Jiangshan is exposed as a compromised, defensive father who hides personal choices behind claims of duty to the clan. He is shaken by Ye Qiu’s readiness to attack.
• Liu Xiu attempts to maintain a gracious façade but reveals her hostility when Ye Qiu’s insults break through it.
• Ye Xing and Ye Tianshui are killed after Ye Xing appeals to his grandfather for help.

Themes and interactions

• Family betrayal and resentment: Ye Qiu confronts the neglect and rejection he suffered after his mother’s death.
• Duty versus self-interest: Ye Jiangshan invokes the clan’s future, while Ye Qiu argues that this is a cover for his infidelity and abandonment.
• Power and autonomy: Ye Qiu’s strength lets him reject the authority his father once held over him.
• Loyalty and justice: Ye Qiu’s violence is framed as retaliation for an insult to his mother and years of perceived injustice.
• The tense exchanges—Ye Qiu humiliating Ye Jiangshan and Liu Xiu, and then challenging Ye Jiangshan to strike—shift the family encounter from confrontation to an open test of power.

Key plot points and events

• After Ye Qiu humiliates him, Ye Jiangshan pays the promised 300,000 Spirit Crystals. He says he cannot explain why he summoned Ye Qiu, but reveals that Ye Qiu’s childhood engagement to Lu Li must be broken.
• Ye Jiangshan argues that Lu Li—a celebrated, exceptionally talented Academy disciple—is far beyond Ye Qiu. He wants Ye Qiu to surrender the engagement so his younger half-brother, who has a Heavenly King Body, can marry Lu Li and strengthen the clan.
• Ye Qiu refuses to accept the arrangement. Liu Xiu offers him a valuable Fourth-Grade Spirit Pill and promises that he can eventually lead the Ye Clan if he agrees. Ye Qiu takes and enjoys the pill, but rejects the bargain; he says he would agree only if she died.
• Ye Jiangshan’s anger erupts, but Ye Qiu stands his ground. He recalls being cast out at seven and ignored throughout his dangerous years away from the clan, then declares that he has long considered his relationship with his father over.
• Ye Qiu leaves for the Academy, warning that any danger he faces will not kill him within the Ye Clan. He smashes the mansion’s gates on his way out. After he disappears, the plaque reading “King Ye’s Mansion” cracks and explodes.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu shows himself as defiant, self-reliant, and unwilling to be bought or manipulated. His bitterness toward his father comes from years of rejection and hardship, though he also remains focused on resolving the engagement with Lu Li himself.
• Ye Jiangshan is powerful but constrained by clan reputation and his own plans for Ye Qiu. He tries to assert paternal authority, yet his history of abandoning Ye Qiu undermines his claim to it.
• Liu Xiu uses conciliatory language, a costly pill, and promises of status to secure Ye Qiu’s cooperation. Her approach fails because Ye Qiu sees through the attempt to purchase his consent.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and fractured family bonds: Ye Qiu’s memories of being cast out and neglected outweigh Ye Jiangshan’s claim of fatherhood.
• Power versus dignity: Though Ye Jiangshan could overpower Ye Qiu, social consequences and clan politics limit what he can do.
• Manipulation and self-determination: The family treats marriage and advancement as political tools, while Ye Qiu insists on making his own choices.
• Endurance: Ye Qiu’s account of surviving repeated brushes with death explains his fearlessness and independence.

Character interactions

The confrontation pits Ye Qiu’s hard-won independence against Ye Jiangshan’s attempts to command him and Liu Xiu’s efforts to persuade him. Ye Qiu’s blunt rejection turns their appeal for reconciliation into a final break, culminating in his dramatic destruction of the mansion gates—and, symbolically, the collapse of the Ye Clan’s “King Ye” plaque.

Key plot points and events

• At the Ye Clan, the ancestral tablet left by King Ye suddenly explodes, alarming the family because it is believed to be linked to the clan’s fortune. Ye Jiangshan dismisses Liu Xiu’s suggestion that Ye Qiu might be responsible and orders the tablet cleared away.
• The clan’s leaders focus instead on Ye Rudí’s Heavenly King Body and on securing his marriage to Lu Li, whose background and constitution could benefit the Ye Clan. They intend to use Ye Qiu’s existing engagement to make him give Lu Li up.
• Ye Qiu returns to Nanzhou Academy and trains in the Gravity Tower. As he strikes the bells, he imagines Ye Jiangshan in place of Lu Li and pours his anger into his punches.
• Ye Qiu’s strength rises sharply: he reaches Mystic Passage Third Level, destroys the bells on the eighth and ninth floors, and makes it to the tenth floor. Its overwhelming pressure stops him, and he cannot move the bell.
• As Ye Qiu struggles on the tenth floor, a mysterious figure in a white dress appears.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu turns hurt and resentment into determination. His training reveals a major increase in strength, though he is still vulnerable to the tenth floor’s pressure.
• Ye Jiangshan remains dismissive of Ye Qiu, regarding him as ordinary and incapable of affecting the clan. His priority is the clan’s status and Ye Rudí’s prospects.
• Ye Rudí is treated by the clan as its best hope for restoring its fortunes because of his Heavenly King Body, despite his questionable birth.
• Lu Li is valued less as an individual in the clan’s calculations than as a powerful potential bride whose lineage could bring influence.

Significant themes

• Family rejection and injustice: Ye Qiu believes he is being pushed aside because his legitimate birth could threaten Ye Rudí’s reputation.
• Ambition and political marriage: The Ye Clan treats marriage and personal relationships as tools for securing power and connections.
• Anger transformed into strength: Ye Qiu’s emotional pain fuels his cultivation and breakthroughs.
• Uncertainty and fate: The tablet’s destruction may signal danger for the Ye Clan, but its cause—and the white-dressed figure’s identity—remain unknown.

Character interactions

• Ye Jiangshan rebukes the guard who reports the tablet’s destruction, then rejects Liu Xiu’s suspicion that Ye Qiu caused it.
• The Ye Clan’s leaders privately prioritize Ye Rudí and Lu Li’s proposed union, planning to pressure Ye Qiu to surrender his claim.
• Ye Qiu’s only direct interaction during his training is with the Great Serpent, who judges his punches as having “some flavor.”

Plot points and events

• Ye Qiu meets Lu Li on the Gravity Tower’s tenth floor. She destroys the floor’s great bell with a casual punch, demonstrating how far beyond him she is.
• The Great Serpent reveals that Lu Li is only around the fifth or sixth layer of Mystic Passage, yet has mastered Artistic Conception, which greatly magnifies her combat ability. Ye Qiu is shaken by the discovery.
• Outside the Academy, Ye Qiu runs into Wu Xiaokai. Lu Li introduces herself as Ye Qiu’s wife, leaving Wu impressed and Ye Qiu unable to correct the misunderstanding.
• Lu Li insists Ye Qiu accompany her around town. After they eat, they visit the Star Pavilion, where she offers to buy him a Demon Beast Spirit. Instead, she orders every spirit in the display case and offers five million when told one costs extra.

Character development

• Ye Qiu is humbled by Lu Li’s strength and frustrated by the gap between them, though the shock also sharpens his competitive feelings. He is wary of her forceful attention and extravagant spending.
• Lu Li remains composed and decisive. Her combat skill, mastery of Artistic Conception, and willingness to spend heavily show both her power and her confidence.
• Wu Xiaokai is awed by Lu Li’s beauty and status and mistakenly admires Ye Qiu for supposedly being married to her.

Significant themes

• Talent and mastery: Lu Li’s Artistic Conception lets her far exceed what her cultivation level alone would suggest.
• Pride and rivalry: Ye Qiu’s confidence takes a serious hit, but his reaction hints at a desire to measure up.
• Power and control: Lu Li repeatedly dictates their plans, while Ye Qiu yields rather than risk provoking her.
• Comedy through misunderstanding and contrast: Wu Xiaokai’s assumptions and Lu Li’s extravagant purchase heighten the contrast between Ye Qiu’s discomfort and her confidence.

Character interactions

• Lu Li’s casual display of strength leaves Ye Qiu stunned; he privately questions the Great Serpent about her abilities.
• Lu Li calls herself Ye Qiu’s wife to Wu Xiaokai, who takes the claim at face value and congratulates Ye Qiu.
• Lu Li invites—and effectively orders—Ye Qiu to accompany her, then offers to pay for his purchase before deciding to buy all the Demon Beast Spirits.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Li pays 3.3 million Spirit Crystals for a treasure and exchanges the remaining funds for Body Refinement materials. Ye Qiu assumes the materials are for him, but Lu Li denies it.
• Outside the Academy, Ye Qiu asks Lu Li to end their engagement. She insists their written contract is valid and reminds him that he agreed to honor it if she defeated him—and that she has beaten him three times.
• Unable to deter her, Ye Qiu claims he is ill and would make a poor husband. Lu Li says she knows alchemists who could cure him.
• Lu Li tests his resolve by moving close and challenging him to admit he finds her unattractive. Flustered, Ye Qiu retreats into the Academy, giving her a clue to his vulnerability.
• As Lu Li follows him through the Academy, onlookers are astonished: the famously aloof beauty appears to be pursuing a man.
• On the mountain, Lu Li reveals that she remembers how Ye Qiu teased and scolded her as a child. His old taunts—especially telling her not to cry—were the reason she had been tormenting him in return.
• Nan Qingyue returns, hears that Lu Li comprehended an Artistic Conception during seclusion, and gently urges her not to overwork. She then orders Ye Qiu to make dinner.

Character developments

• Lu Li remains composed and determined, but her teasing exposes a playful, affectionate side. Her childhood resentment toward Ye Qiu gives way to visible happiness as they revisit their shared past.
• Ye Qiu tries to escape the engagement with excuses, but his embarrassment and attraction undermine his protests. He realizes Lu Li’s earlier aggression was partly payback for his childhood behavior.
• Nan Qingyue shows concern for Lu Li’s health while maintaining her practical authority over both young people.

Character interactions

• Lu Li counters Ye Qiu’s attempts to reject the engagement with their contract, his wager, and the record of her victories.
• Their pursuit through the Academy reverses their expected dynamic: the usually untouchable Lu Li stays close to Ye Qiu, drawing gossip from the disciples.
• Lu Li and Ye Qiu’s argument turns into a teasing recollection of childhood, ending with Ye Qiu accusing her of being ruthless.
• Nan Qingyue’s arrival briefly shifts the scene from flirtatious banter to teacherly care and a mundane dinner order.

Significant themes

• Promises and responsibility: Lu Li holds Ye Qiu to the agreement he made.
• Past shaping the present: Their current conflict stems from childhood teasing and old hurt.
• Pride versus vulnerability: Ye Qiu tries to preserve his dignity, but his reactions reveal his attraction and discomfort.
• Hidden warmth: Lu Li’s icy public reputation contrasts with the joy she shows around Ye Qiu.

Key plot points and events

• While staying with Lu Li and Nan Qingyue, Ye Qiu watches the two women happily talk and casually squander a priceless South Sea Blood Bright Pearl. Their affectionate banter leaves him feeling like an unwanted, financially burdened bystander.
• Lu Li says Ye Qiu should sleep in her room, but he refuses and spends the night in the Gravity Tower. He sends his grandfather a brief note explaining that his return will be delayed; the Wen Family replies, “Understood!”
• Ye Qiu trains intensely for three days, improving his cultivation, Qi and Blood, and martial techniques, though he remains frustrated that Lu Li has comprehended Artistic Conception.
• Wu Gang, a powerful Academy student, confronts Ye Qiu over his engagement to Lu Li. He accuses Ye Qiu of being unworthy and challenges him to a fight to the death on the Life and Death Stage.
• Expecting an easy victory, Wu Gang offers Ye Qiu three moves. Ye Qiu kills him with one sudden broadsword slash.
• A second student, at the eighth level of Mystic Passage, calls Ye Qiu’s first strike a sneak attack and attacks him. Ye Qiu answers with One Saber Breaks Ten Thousand Laws, obliterating his opponent in front of the stunned crowd.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu grows stronger through relentless training and reveals the gap between his calm demeanor and devastating combat ability. Rather than avoid the challenge, he accepts the lethal fight and swiftly kills both opponents.
• Lu Li and Nan Qingyue show a warm, playful closeness in private, contrasting with their aloof public personas. Lu Li also expresses concern for her teacher and affection for Ye Qiu, though she jokingly proposes feeding him the pearl powder.
• Wu Gang is arrogant and jealous, confident that his status and strength make Ye Qiu an easy target. His overconfidence proves fatal.

Significant themes

• Jealousy and social status: Lu Li’s fame and Ye Qiu’s engagement provoke resentment among Academy students.
• Appearance versus reality: The crowd sees Ye Qiu as a weak newcomer, but his skill overturns their assumptions instantly.
• Affection expressed through humor: Lu Li and Nan Qingyue’s teasing reveals their closeness, while Ye Qiu’s silent irritation provides comedy.
• The cost of provocation: Wu Gang’s attempt to intimidate Ye Qiu escalates into a public, irreversible confrontation.

Character interactions

• Lu Li and Nan Qingyue bond through affectionate conversation and teasing, while Ye Qiu watches in exasperation.
• Ye Qiu and Lu Li clash mildly over where he will sleep; Ye Qiu chooses the Gravity Tower instead.
• Wu Gang tries to shame Ye Qiu over his relationship with Lu Li, but Ye Qiu refuses to be intimidated.
• After Ye Qiu kills Wu Gang, a second student challenges him verbally and physically; Ye Qiu’s decisive response silences the watching crowd.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Qiu defeats Wu Gang and another South Province Ranking prodigy with a single slash each, leaving the crowd terrified and silencing anyone else who might challenge him.
• He warns the crowd not to trouble him over Lu Li, then leaves the Life and Death Stage. Onlookers predict Wu Gang’s highly ranked older sister will seek revenge.
• Hoping to prepare for future fights, Ye Qiu asks the Great Serpent how to comprehend Artistic Conception. The Serpent explains that it is an advanced expression of a cultivator’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and that each person must discover it for themselves.
• At Green Moon Mountain, Lu Li shows Ye Qiu a newly built thatched hut and says she will take him with her when she leaves Southern State. Ye Qiu privately resolves not to go, partly because he worries about his aging grandfather.
• Ye Qiu finds a Storage Ring Lu Li has left for him, containing valuable cultivation materials. Though reluctant to accept such generosity, he recognizes that his demanding cultivation needs abundant resources.
• The Great Serpent secretly pulls the ring into its inner space and consumes all the Demon Beast Spirits, leaving Ye Qiu frustrated as the Serpent grows stronger.

Character developments

• Ye Qiu proves himself a formidable fighter, but remains cautious and practical: he plans to fight only when he has a chance to win and flee when necessary. He also resists becoming indebted to Lu Li, despite needing the resources.
• Lu Li continues to provide for Ye Qiu and assumes he will eventually travel with her, showing confidence in their connection and plans.
• The Great Serpent offers cryptic cultivation advice, jokes about Ye Qiu’s dependence on Lu Li, and opportunistically devours the resources intended for him.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Ye Qiu’s decisive victories transform the crowd’s mockery into fear, but success also invites retaliation.
• Self-directed growth: Artistic Conception cannot simply be taught; it must arise from each cultivator’s own nature and experience.
• Independence versus support: Ye Qiu wants to avoid owing Lu Li, yet his ambitions require resources he cannot easily obtain himself.
• Comedy amid danger: The Serpent’s irreverence and theft of the spirits undercut the chapter’s serious cultivation and revenge stakes.

Character interactions

• Ye Qiu publicly challenges the crowd and separates himself from the trouble associated with Lu Li.
• He and the Great Serpent banter over cultivation, pride, and whether accepting Lu Li’s gifts would make him a “kept man.”
• Lu Li provides Ye Qiu with a home and cultivation supplies, while Ye Qiu reacts with suspicion and quietly rejects her assumption that he will leave with her.
• The Serpent’s theft turns Ye Qiu’s uneasy acceptance of the gift into an immediate dispute.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Qiu worries that relying on his fiancée’s Body Refinement materials undermines his pride. The Great Serpent argues that dignity is earned through strength, urging him to train instead of dwelling on the loss.
• Motivated by the advice, Ye Qiu absorbs the materials with the Great Dragon Breath Technique, then spends days attacking the great bell on the Gravity Tower’s tenth floor.
• His Qi and Blood rise dramatically, passing 130,000. The Great Serpent attributes the rapid progress partly to its Origin Dragon Qi, while privately recognizing Ye Qiu’s hidden bloodline and dangerous potential.
• After ten days of training, Ye Qiu destroys the bell and clears the tower. His cultivation has reached Mystic Passage Fourth Level and is nearing the fifth.
• Wu Xiaokai arrives, impressed by Ye Qiu’s progress, and invites him to pursue something they can split equally. Ye Qiu agrees, though the chapter does not reveal what they plan to obtain.
• As they leave the Academy, a purple-qi sword phenomenon appears above the Ye Clan, signaling a major breakthrough by its Heavenly King Body. Ye Qiu glances at it but remains indifferent to the clan.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qiu shifts from frustration and wounded pride to determined action. His extraordinary physical growth and rising cultivation confirm his talent, though he remains detached from the Ye Clan.
• The Great Serpent acts as a blunt mentor, pushing Ye Qiu toward effort and resilience. It also knows more than it reveals about his bloodline and future risks.
• Wu Xiaokai moves from being a fellow trainee to an admirer of Ye Qiu’s strength, then recruits him for an undisclosed venture.

Significant themes

• Dignity through action: The chapter frames self-respect as something earned by improving, not by avoiding defeat.
• Effort and opportunity: Ye Qiu is urged to set aside self-pity and seize chances to grow stronger.
• Hidden potential and risk: Ye Qiu’s rapid advancement hints at exceptional power, but his concealed bloodline may be difficult—and dangerous—to awaken and control.
• Detachment from the past: Ye Qiu’s lack of interest in the Ye Clan shows that he no longer considers its fortunes part of his life.

Key plot points

• Traveling through the Great Mountains with Wu Xiaokai, Ye Qiu receives the Heaven Tier movement technique Dragon Soaring Body from the Great Serpent. He learns it quickly, overtakes Wu Xiaokai, and impresses him.
• The pair reach a gorge where Wu Xiaokai previously encountered a powerful Great Spider. Finding it apparently absent, they discover a web full of trapped Demon Beasts and a small tree bearing Demon Blood Fruit, valuable for Body Cultivators.
• They collect the fruit and the trapped beasts, then hurry toward the exit. Ye Qiu remains uneasy despite their apparent good fortune.
• At the gorge’s mouth, they are confronted by a huge Human-faced Demon Spider—with several young cultivators riding on it, watching them with amusement. The harvest was likely a trap, and the danger has only begun.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qiu gains a powerful new movement technique and shows quick insight and adaptability by learning through imitation. His caution contrasts with Wu Xiaokai’s excitement over the easy prize.
• Wu Xiaokai demonstrates confidence in his mountain knowledge and explains the value of the Demon Blood Fruit, but his relief at avoiding the spider makes him less wary than Ye Qiu.
• Ye Qiu and Wu Xiaokai cooperate in gathering the treasure and captured beasts, while Ye Qiu’s suspicions foreshadow the ambush.
• The Great Serpent continues to support Ye Qiu’s growth, promising a Divine Ability once he reaches Law Gathering.

Significant themes

• Learning and self-cultivation: Ye Qiu begins by imitating a technique, with the goal of eventually developing his own style and path.
• Opportunity and danger: Valuable rewards in the wilderness may conceal serious risks.
• Caution versus confidence: Ye Qiu’s vigilance proves important as the seemingly absent predator appears at the gorge’s exit.

Key events

• Ye Qiu and Wu Xiaokai are confronted by Ye Yi and Wu Lan, a high-ranked cultivator seeking revenge for Ye Qiu’s killing of her brother, Wu Gang. Ye Yi offers to spare Ye Qiu if he annuls his engagement and leaves South Capital, but Ye Qiu suspects the offer is a ruse.
• Ye Qiu asks that Wu Xiaokai be allowed to leave. Wu Xiaokai refuses, pointing out that the pursuers would kill him as a witness—and that he considers Ye Qiu a friend.
• Wu Xiaokai uses a black smoke bomb to help them escape. They split up in the forest, but Ye Yi catches Ye Qiu and admits that now he intends to kill him.
• Ye Yi reveals that he is at the half-step Gathering Law realm, far beyond Ye Qiu’s level. With no safe way to flee, Ye Qiu deliberately takes Ye Yi’s sword through the chest and uses the opening to land a powerful punch.
• Ye Yi is badly surprised and hurt, but remains capable of fighting. Ye Qiu charges through a barrage of sword energy and lands another punch, yet realizes his attacks still aren’t enough to finish Ye Yi.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Qiu stays composed under pressure, prioritizes his friend’s safety, and then accepts that survival requires risking his life. His willingness to endure severe injuries shows his experience and resolve, though he recognizes the gap between his strength and Ye Yi’s.
• Wu Xiaokai proves loyal and courageous, refusing to abandon Ye Qiu despite the danger.
• Ye Yi shifts from presenting a supposed compromise to revealing his intent to kill Ye Qiu once they are alone. His confidence turns to anger and shock when Ye Qiu’s counterattack injures him.
• Wu Lan remains driven by vengeance for Wu Gang and is ready to kill Ye Qiu, though she does not take part in the forest fight shown here.

Significant themes

• Friendship and loyalty: Wu Xiaokai risks his life rather than leave Ye Qiu behind.
• Desperation and resolve: When escape and victory both seem impossible, Ye Qiu chooses to seize whatever opening he can.
• Deception and power imbalance: Ye Yi’s offer masks lethal intent, while the half-step Gathering Law realm’s overwhelming strength puts Ye Qiu at a severe disadvantage.
• Survival through sacrifice: Ye Qiu willingly accepts serious wounds in exchange for a chance to strike back.