Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Poison Dragon Grass, How Dangerous!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Soft Feather attempts to subdue the Spirit Ghost at Ghost Lantern Temple, following information from her father, Venerable Spirit Butterfly’s, old journal.
• The chapter explains the rarity and value of Spirit Ghosts:
  • Low-Tier ghosts can share energy with their masters but have limited cultivation potential.
  • Mid-Rank ghosts possess powerful innate abilities, can strengthen and purify their master’s energy, and may reach the Spirit Lord Realm.
  • High-Tier ghosts possess humanlike intelligence, can cultivate ghost techniques, and may eventually become Ghost Immortals.
• Soft Feather discovers that there are actually two Spirit Ghosts in the temple, even though her father had only sealed one. One ghost ambushed her while she was fighting the other.
• She chooses the violent method of subjugation, overwhelming both ghosts with talismans and martial techniques.
• The Spirit Ghosts reveal their innate abilities: one summons a golden shield, while the other enlarges its body and greatly increases its strength.
• Soft Feather destroys the shield and nearly defeats one ghost, but the enlarged Spirit Ghost rescues its companion and breaks through her Spirit-Binding Formation.
• The injured ghosts charge toward Song Shuhang, hoping to absorb his Blood Qi and recover.
• As they attack, Song Shuhang notices and pulls up a dangerous-looking plant: Poison Dragon Grass, which he recognizes from the Nine Provinces Number One Group.
• Immediately afterward, something crashes into a nearby wall. The chapter ends with Soft Feather looking astonished and excited, leaving the result of the confrontation unclear.

Character Developments

• Soft Feather: Her confidence and combat strength are emphasized, but her lack of battlefield experience becomes apparent when the Spirit Ghosts exploit an opening and escape her control. Her competitive pride is also evident, as she is deeply irritated at being outmaneuvered by supposedly weaker opponents.
• Song Shuhang: He remains calm during the crisis and focuses on retrieving his phone before noticing the Poison Dragon Grass. His instinct to secretly secure the rare plant shows his growing awareness of cultivation treasures—and their possible dangers.
• The Spirit Ghosts: They demonstrate considerable intelligence, cooperation, tactical thinking, and powerful innate abilities. Rather than fleeing blindly, they coordinate an attack on Song Shuhang to recover their strength.

Significant Themes

• The value and danger of rare treasures: Spirit Ghosts are extraordinarily useful cultivation companions, but their rarity and power make them highly coveted. Poison Dragon Grass is similarly valuable but potentially lethal.
• Strength versus experience: Although Soft Feather vastly outmatches the ghosts in power, their strategy and teamwork allow them to exploit her inexperience.
• Cultivation as risk and opportunity: Every discovery—whether a Spirit Ghost or a rare medicinal plant—offers tremendous benefits while also carrying serious danger.
• Humor amid danger: Soft Feather’s exaggerated frustration, the unusual methods of subduing Spirit Ghosts, and Song Shuhang’s casual concern about Medicine Master drinking poisonous grass create a comedic contrast with the battle.

Character Interactions

• Soft Feather fights and attempts to dominate the two Spirit Ghosts, using talismans and the Butterfly Dance Between the Palms technique.
• The two ghosts cooperate closely, with the stronger one rescuing the injured one and using Song Shuhang as a potential source of Blood Qi.
• Soft Feather rushes to protect Song Shuhang when the ghosts attack him.
• Song Shuhang’s discovery of the Poison Dragon Grass occurs at the critical moment of the ghosts’ assault, setting up the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “The Unexpected Gift”

Key Plot Points and Events

• As two Spirit Ghosts attack Song Shuhang, Senior Song calmly removes a specially planted Poison Dragon Grass, activating a hidden sealing formation at Ghost Lantern Temple.
• The formation, secretly arranged by Soft Feather’s father decades earlier, traps and severely weakens the Spirit Ghosts. Soft Feather then pins them down and seals each one inside a Soul-Sealing Ice Pearl.
• Soft Feather gives one of the sealed Spirit Ghosts to Song Shuhang as thanks. Although frightened by the idea of carrying a ghost, Shuhang reluctantly accepts the gift.
• With their mission complete, the pair leave the cemetery and prepare to return to the hotel before traveling home.
• Soft Feather’s shoe breaks during the chase, so Shuhang helps her reach a commercial street and buys her a replacement pair of sandals. A humorous misunderstanding occurs when he calls the young shopkeeper “auntie,” irritating her.
• After they leave, the hidden Altar Master emerges from the woods. He had been waiting to steal the Spirit Ghosts but never found a safe opportunity and is forced to watch them disappear.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates unexpected observation and composure by identifying and activating the hidden formation. However, witnessing the Spirit Ghosts and their sealing causes his ordinary, science-based worldview to collapse, making him increasingly aware that supernatural forces truly exist.
• Soft Feather proves resourceful, prepared, and generous. She successfully completes her mission, shows deep gratitude toward Shuhang, and begins viewing him as a dependable senior from whom she still has much to learn.
• The Altar Master is revealed as cautious and frustrated. Despite intending to seize the Spirit Ghosts, he lacks the courage or confidence to confront the pair and ends up helplessly observing their success.
• The sandal shopkeeper provides comic relief through her sharp temper and pride after being mistakenly addressed as an “auntie.”

Significant Themes

• The hidden supernatural world: Shuhang’s understanding of reality changes as he directly encounters ghosts, formations, and magical treasures.
• Trust and gratitude: Soft Feather rewards Shuhang with a Spirit Ghost because he protected her and enabled her success.
• Preparation versus hesitation: Soft Feather and Song Shuhang act decisively, while the Altar Master’s indecision prevents him from achieving anything.
• Humor amid danger: The frightening supernatural events are balanced by everyday comedy, particularly the broken shoe and the shopkeeper’s reaction.
• Mentorship and admiration: Soft Feather’s respect for Song Shuhang deepens as she interprets his actions as evidence of great experience and foresight.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang’s calm intervention allows Soft Feather to capture the Spirit Ghosts safely.
• Soft Feather insists that Shuhang accept one Spirit Ghost despite his fear and reluctance.
• Shuhang looks after Soft Feather after her shoe breaks, supporting her and buying her sandals.
• Their relaxed, teasing exchange on the way back contrasts with the Altar Master’s bitter isolation as he watches them leave.

Chapter Summary: “Venerable Spirit Butterfly’s Methods”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Altar Master realizes that Soft Feather is vastly more powerful than he expected. Her casual attack destroys a Spirit Ghost’s golden shield, while her golden talismans easily suppress the two Spirit Ghosts.
• He also recognizes that Song Shuhang, despite appearing completely ordinary and lacking visible Blood Qi or true qi, possesses remarkable insight. Song identifies the core of the sealing formation and activates it at the crucial moment, trapping both Spirit Ghosts.
• The Altar Master explains why he waited sixty years to claim the Spirit Ghosts. Huang Dagen’s grave, formerly Ghost Lantern Temple, is surrounded by seven powerful formations. These formations allow Spirit Ghosts to enter but prevent them from leaving unless a descendant of Venerable Spirit Butterfly arrives.
• Greed had blinded the Altar Master when he first took control of Ghost Lantern Temple. After his Spirit Ghost matured, he discovered that the hidden formations were impossible for him to break.
• Although devastated by losing his opportunity, the Altar Master resolves to reclaim his own Spirit Ghost at any cost. He believes it could help him advance from the Second-Stage True Master realm to the Third-Grade Houtian Battle King realm and extend his life by a century.
• After he leaves, Liu Jianyi appears and reports to Venerable Spirit Butterfly that Soft Feather successfully found Ghost Lantern Temple and sealed the Spirit Ghosts. He is instructed to remove the activated formations so ordinary people will not be harmed.
• Liu Jianyi reveals that Venerable Spirit Butterfly secretly arranged the journey, protected Soft Feather through his disciples, and deliberately allowed events to unfold. Even Mad Saber Three Waves’ earlier trouble conveniently gave Venerable Spirit Butterfly an excuse to leave Spirit Butterfly Island.
• The next morning, Song Shuhang wakes up and calls Soft Feather. They decide to eat breakfast before returning.

Character Developments

• The Altar Master: His usual cowardice and caution prevent him from attacking Soft Feather, but his greed and desperation remain strong. He is unwilling to accept losing sixty years of effort and becomes determined to recover his Spirit Ghost because of its potential to extend his lifespan and improve his cultivation.
• Soft Feather: She demonstrates overwhelming combat strength and successfully completes the mission of finding and sealing the Spirit Ghosts. She remains unaware of how extensively her father has protected and guided her.
• Song Shuhang: His ability to locate and activate the formation highlights his unusual perception and growing importance. His relationship with Soft Feather also appears increasingly close, though he is embarrassed and conflicted about missing her unconventional way of waking him.
• Liu Jianyi: He is revealed as Soft Feather’s protective senior brother and a highly capable but extremely lazy person. He avoids unnecessary effort and chooses not to report Soft Feather’s ambiguous interactions with Song Shuhang to their master.
• Venerable Spirit Butterfly: He emerges as a deeply protective father who quietly manages events from behind the scenes, creating safeguards for Soft Feather while pretending to remain uninvolved.

Significant Themes

• Parental protection and hidden preparation: Venerable Spirit Butterfly’s elaborate formations and secret protection show how far he will go to safeguard his daughter.
• Greed and its consequences: The Altar Master’s desire to possess the Spirit Ghosts blinds him to the obvious dangers of the site and leads to decades of wasted effort.
• Power and humility: The Altar Master recognizes that both Soft Feather and Song Shuhang are far beyond his expectations, forcing him to confront his own limitations.
• Caution versus desperation: Although the Altar Master survives by being cautious, his desperation over the Spirit Ghost threatens to push him toward reckless action.
• Hidden relationships and misunderstandings: Soft Feather does not know her father arranged much of her journey, while Liu Jianyi deliberately conceals details about her relationship with Song Shuhang.

Character Interactions

• The Altar Master observes Soft Feather and Song Shuhang and decides not to attack because he fears immediate defeat.
• Liu Jianyi reports Soft Feather’s success to Venerable Spirit Butterfly, who praises him and orders him to neutralize the remaining danger from the formations.
• Liu Jianyi internally reflects on Soft Feather’s closeness with Song Shuhang and chooses not to reveal it to Venerable Spirit Butterfly.
• Song Shuhang and Soft Feather speak the following morning and agree to have breakfast before returning home.

Chapter Summary: “Song Shuhang, Your Huge Express Delivery Has Arrived”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang and Soft Feather travel by train to Jiangnan University Town after successfully completing the Ghost Lantern Temple mission.
• At the station, Soft Feather prepares to return home to Spirit Butterfly Island and contract the Spirit Ghost sealed inside the Ice Pearl.
• She insists on keeping her promise to send Song Shuhang two boxes of medicinal ingredients. Shuhang reluctantly gives her his mailing address.
• In the Nine Provinces Number One Group, Soft Feather reports that she completed the mission with the help of a mysterious “Senior Song.” She identifies him by his secular name, Song Shuhang, without realizing that he is not actually a cultivation senior.
• The next day, Shuhang attends class while wearing the Soul-Sealing Ice Pearl. It cools his body, sharpens his mind, and dramatically improves his ability to memorize and understand lessons.
• The Ice Pearl’s supernatural effects make Shuhang seriously question whether cultivation, Spirit Ghosts, immortals, and the group’s members are real.
• During the class break, a frighteningly large man from Harvest Express arrives with two enormous packages sent by expedited air freight. He insists that Shuhang sign for them personally, strongly suggesting that Soft Feather has sent the promised medicinal ingredients.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes increasingly curious about the supernatural world. The Ice Pearl’s effects convince him that the cultivation world may truly exist, and he begins eagerly anticipating evidence from the chat group. He remains modest and ordinary-minded, unaware of the major changes Soft Feather’s gift will bring to his life.
• Soft Feather: Demonstrates her reliability and strong sense of honor by insisting on fulfilling her promise. She develops a very favorable impression of Shuhang, viewing him as an exceptionally kind and trustworthy senior.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator: Feels relieved and somewhat guilty after learning that Soft Feather completed the mission, since he had originally promised to assist her but contributed little.
• Unnamed female classmate: Is attracted to Shuhang because the Ice Pearl makes him unusually cool in the oppressive heat, viewing him as both comfortable and unexpectedly charming.
• Sima Jiang: Represents Harvest Express and treats Shuhang with unusual respect, implying that the delivery is important and possibly unusual.

Significant Themes

• The beginning of an extraordinary life: Soft Feather’s decision to send the medicinal ingredients becomes a turning point that will pull Shuhang away from an ordinary university life.
• Reality versus disbelief: Shuhang gradually moves from skepticism toward accepting that cultivation and supernatural phenomena may be real.
• Fate and unintended consequences: A small act of kindness and a promise between two people lead to dramatic future consequences for Shuhang.
• Honor and keeping promises: Soft Feather’s insistence on fulfilling her word highlights the importance of trust and integrity within the cultivation community.
• The hidden supernatural world: Ordinary settings such as trains, classrooms, and express deliveries begin intersecting with magical and cultivation-related events.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang and Soft Feather part amicably, with Shuhang offering practical travel advice and Soft Feather thanking him for his help.
• Soft Feather and Northern River discuss the completed mission in the group chat, with Soft Feather praising Shuhang and Northern River congratulating her.
• Shuhang experiences humorous attention from a female classmate who wants to stay near his unnatural coolness.
• Sima Jiang interrupts Shuhang’s class to deliver the mysterious packages, creating suspense about the contents and marking the first major consequence of Soft Feather’s promise.

Chapter Summary: “Two Boxes of Medicinal Herbs!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Two large packages addressed to Song Shuhang arrive at his university dormitory. They are delivered by Sima Jiang, a heavily guarded and unusually professional courier accompanied by four men in black suits.
• The packages were sent by Soft Feather and contain the medicinal ingredients she promised for refining the Simplified Body Tempering Liquid.
• After signing for the delivery, Shuhang carries the boxes into his room and opens them. Inside are thirty-two smaller wooden boxes containing more than forty varieties of herbs.
• The ingredients include ordinary medicines such as ginseng and goji berries, as well as rare, fantastical materials like fresh Overlord Branch and Nine-Yang Scarlet Flame Bamboo.
• Seeing the valuable herbs makes Shuhang seriously consider whether the cultivation world and the Nine Provinces Number One Group are genuine. He decides that successfully refining the liquid could prove that cultivation truly exists.
• Since he has no proper pill furnace, Shuhang searches the dormitory kitchen for a substitute. He rejects the rice cooker, kettle, frying pan, and pressure cooker, eventually settling reluctantly on a hot pot basin.
• With no afternoon classes and enough materials for multiple attempts, he plans to try refining the liquid that afternoon.
• Before returning to class, he stores all the herbs in his dormitory cabinet.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang becomes increasingly curious and committed to testing the supernatural claims surrounding cultivation. Rather than merely theorizing, he decides to conduct an experiment himself.
• His practical, action-oriented nature is emphasized: once he makes up his mind, he immediately begins planning how to refine the elixir, even with inadequate equipment.
• Soft Feather remains absent but is characterized indirectly through her generosity and access to extremely rare medicinal materials.
• Sima Jiang treats Shuhang with unusual respect and cheerfulness, suggesting that Shuhang’s connection to Soft Feather and the cultivation world gives him special importance.
• Shuhang’s roommates show concern when they see the intimidating delivery men, revealing their friendship and protectiveness toward him.

Significant Themes

• Testing belief through experience: Shuhang seeks concrete proof that cultivation exists instead of relying solely on stories or messages from the group.
• Curiosity and transformation: The medicinal herbs represent the possibility of escaping ordinary human limitations and entering a supernatural world.
• Ordinary life versus the extraordinary: The mysterious herbs and elite couriers appear within the mundane setting of a university dormitory, creating humorous contrast.
• Resourcefulness and experimentation: Despite lacking a proper furnace, Shuhang is willing to improvise and learn through failure.
• Value and responsibility: Shuhang recognizes that the herbs are extraordinarily expensive and worries about wasting them, even though he is eager to begin.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang reassures his three roommates that the intimidating visitor is only a courier.
• He and Sima Jiang exchange polite conversation while inspecting and signing for the packages. Sima Jiang is amused by Shuhang calling him “Little Jiang,” a familiar name no one has used in years.
• Sima Jiang’s deferential behavior and guarded delivery underscore the special status of Soft Feather’s shipment.
• Shuhang interacts mainly with the herbs and his surroundings in the latter part of the chapter, debating the best equipment and discussing his plans internally.

Chapter Summary: My One-of-a-Kind Alchemy Furnace

Key Plot Points and Events

• After class, Song Shuhang’s female classmate once again considers confessing to him, mainly because she wants him as a “human-shaped air conditioner” during the hot summer. Her intense gaze makes Shuhang uncomfortable.
• Tubo and Yangde invite Shuhang to help them search for an apartment. Yangde has earned money by selling a program and plans to rent a two-bedroom place, which the roommates hope to use as a second hangout.
• Shuhang declines because he needs to deal with two large packages that arrived earlier. He privately intends to use the time alone to attempt refining Medicine Master’s Body Tempering Liquid.
• The roommates leave after joking about food and Tubo asking Shuhang to introduce him to one of Shuhang’s attractive older sisters. Yangde remembers Zhao Yaya’s impressive martial arts skills, especially her brutal “Heir-Breaking Kick.”
• Alone in the dormitory, Shuhang opens the packages and carefully checks the medicinal ingredients. Soft Feather has organized more than forty ingredients in the exact order required by the formula and divided them into proper portions.
• He studies Medicine Master’s instructions, which require adding ingredients one at a time, simmering each for roughly five minutes, and carefully controlling the heat until the mixture becomes a black, transparent, pungent paste.
• Shuhang realizes that although the medicine is low-grade and does not require spiritual energy or special flames, the lengthy process demands precision, experience, and constant concentration.
• Unsure whether the ingredients require water, Shuhang decides not to ask the group immediately. He chooses to make an experimental attempt, record his mistakes, and consult the group afterward.
• He adds a ladle of water and begins heating the ginseng in a dormitory induction cooker and hot pot—the unconventional “alchemy furnace” forced on him by school safety rules.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang becomes more independent and cautious. Rather than relying on the Nine Provinces Number One Group for every problem, he decides to experiment himself and learn from failure.
• He also shows practical thinking by adapting cultivation techniques to modern circumstances, using an induction cooker because open flames are forbidden in the dormitory.
• Soft Feather is characterized as thoughtful, organized, and dependable through the careful preparation and labeling of the medicinal ingredients.
• Tubo remains outgoing, opportunistic, and food-motivated, while Yangde is portrayed as a quiet but capable programmer who has begun earning money independently.
• Zhao Yaya, though absent from the present events, gains a humorous reputation through the roommates’ memories of her formidable martial-arts ability.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation meeting modern life: Traditional alchemy is adapted to dormitory technology, creating a humorous contrast between mystical medicine and an induction cooker.
• Learning through experimentation: Shuhang accepts that his first attempt may fail and values gathering practical experience rather than depending immediately on others.
• Preparation and precision: The formula’s strict ingredient order, timing, and heat control emphasize that even simple-looking tasks require discipline.
• Friendship and everyday college life: The chapter balances supernatural cultivation with roommate banter, apartment hunting, food schemes, and summer heat.
• Improvisation under limitations: Shuhang must work within the restrictions of student housing while attempting something fundamentally unconventional.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang awkwardly handles the female classmate’s suggestive attention.
• He jokes with Tubo and Yangde about money, freeloading, and attractive older sisters.
• Tubo bargains for a promised late-night meal, while Yangde silently questions which sister Tubo is interested in.
• The roommates bond through teasing and shared memories of Zhao Yaya’s intimidating fighting skills.
• Shuhang’s indirect interaction with Soft Feather appears through the care she took in preparing the medicinal materials, reinforcing her supportive role.

Chapter Summary: “Refining Body Tempering Liquid!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang begins refining the Body Tempering Liquid according to Medicine Master’s pill formula, using a hot pot and induction cooker rather than a traditional alchemy furnace.
• He follows the formula’s initial instructions by adding ingredients at five-minute intervals, starting with Ginseng and Goji Berry.
• When he adds the rare Morning Dew Mystic Herb, the Ice Pearl helps him achieve extraordinary concentration, allowing him to sense the medicinal properties being released.
• Realizing the heat is insufficient, Shuhang raises the temperature. The Mystic Herb immediately melts into emerald-green liquid, which then dissolves and fuses the earlier ingredients.
• As he adds more ingredients, he gradually learns that the “five-minute” intervals are approximate. The correct timing depends on the ingredients’ condition, the heat, and how completely the medicinal liquid has fused.
• By the tenth ingredient, Shuhang is actively controlling the temperature and adjusting the timing according to the mixture’s appearance rather than blindly following the recipe.
• After the sixteenth ingredient, the Morning Dew Mystic Herb reaches its fusion limit. Shuhang adds the Three Lives Fruit Core, which takes over the role of binding and fusing the remaining ingredients.
• Despite more than an hour of heating, the liquid does not evaporate; instead, its volume slightly increases, suggesting that the refinement is progressing in a supernatural way.

Character Development

• Song Shuhang begins uncertain and skeptical, wondering whether he is truly practicing alchemy or merely cooking medicinal soup.
• His initial approach is mechanical: he relies on the stopwatch and adds ingredients at fixed five-minute intervals.
• The Ice Pearl improves his concentration and stabilizes his emotions, enabling him to perceive subtle changes in the ingredients.
• He develops an intuitive understanding of alchemy, recognizing when the heat must be increased and when ingredients have fused sufficiently.
• By the end of the chapter, he is no longer a passive beginner. He adjusts temperature and timing independently, demonstrating a natural sensitivity and potential talent for alchemy.
• He also gains greater respect for Medicine Master and the discipline required of a true alchemist.

Significant Themes

• Skepticism versus belief: Shuhang hopes the experiment will confirm that cultivation is real, while fearing that it may produce nothing more than ordinary medicine.
• Learning through practice: Although he lacks formal experience, Shuhang gradually learns by observing the ingredients and responding to their changes.
• Precision and patience: Alchemy is portrayed as tedious, demanding, and unforgiving, requiring constant attention to heat, timing, ingredients, and fusion.
• Innate talent and adaptation: Shuhang’s natural sensitivity allows him to move beyond rigid instructions and develop an intuitive grasp of the process.
• The contrast between the mundane and the supernatural: The refinement takes place in an ordinary kitchen with modern appliances, yet the ingredients display impossible, mystical properties.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang has no direct interaction with other characters in the chapter, but Medicine Master’s influence is central through the pill formula and his instructions.
• Shuhang mentally compares his ordinary cooking methods with Medicine Master’s alchemical discipline, gradually realizing how much skill the latter requires.
• The Ice Pearl functions almost like a silent aid or companion, calming Shuhang, sharpening his senses, and giving him confidence as he refines the medicine.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After nearly four hours of refining the Simplified Body Tempering Liquid, Song Shuhang reaches the forty-first ingredient, the critical trigger for the purification stage.
• The mixture reacts violently: it emits a terrible smell, begins evaporating rapidly, and appears close to failure.
• Knowing he lacks Medicine Master’s experience, Song Shuhang adds water to slow the evaporation, then throws in the final four ingredients at once:
  • Fresh Overlord Branch
  • Nine-Yang Scarlet Flame Bamboo
  • Deep-Sea Cold Crystal
  • Snow Demon Core
• The ingredients create an “ice-and-fire” reaction. The liquid partially separates into extremely hot and extremely cold portions, while the overall volume rapidly decreases.
• Just as Song Shuhang believes the refinement has failed, the two portions begin fusing again. He raises the heat to maximum in a desperate attempt to complete the purification.
• The pot eventually erupts, blasting off its lid and filling the kitchenette with black smoke and an unbearably foul odor. Shuhang ventilates the room and narrowly avoids being overwhelmed by the stench.
• After the mixture settles, only a thin layer of black, translucent paste remains. Comparing it with Medicine Master’s description, Shuhang realizes that the supposedly failed refinement may actually have produced the finished Simplified Body Tempering Liquid.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates remarkable endurance by completing an extremely difficult alchemical process despite being a total beginner.
• He remains practical and resourceful under pressure, improvising by adding water and later combining all remaining ingredients at once.
• His initial confidence gives way to acceptance of failure, but he continues experimenting rather than giving up completely.
• His willingness to take a final risk—maximizing the heat even as the mixture seems doomed—may have unexpectedly led to success.
• His humorous thoughts about using the foul smell as a “biological weapon” highlight his ability to cope with stress through self-mockery.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance despite inexperience: Song Shuhang succeeds, or nearly succeeds, through persistence rather than expertise.
• Risk and improvisation: With no established technique for rescuing the mixture, he relies on desperate but logical experiments.
• The unpredictability of success: What appears to be a disastrous failure may actually be the correct result.
• Transformation through purification: The final stage converts an ordinary medicinal mixture into a powerful body-tempering liquid, symbolizing the importance of refinement and endurance.
• Humor amid danger and failure: The chapter balances tense alchemical experimentation with comic descriptions of the stench and Shuhang’s exaggerated survival concerns.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct interactions with other characters in the chapter.
• However, Song Shuhang’s thoughts repeatedly reference Medicine Master, whose expertise represents the standard Shuhang lacks, and Soft Feather and Northern River’s Loose Cultivator, whose previous failures reassure him that failure is normal for beginners.
• He also worries about his roommates discovering the experiment and mistaking his alchemy for a sign that he needs psychiatric treatment.

Chapter 29 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After more than three and a half hours of work, Song Shuhang is unsure whether he successfully refined the Body Tempering Liquid, since he had relied on intuition during the final stages instead of strictly following the formula.
• Hoping to prove that the Cultivation Chat group and its supernatural teachings are real, he decides to test the medicine. He prepares to call his roommate Tubo if anything goes wrong.
• Shuhang swallows a spoonful of the medicinal paste. It initially causes intense burning and pain in his throat, making him fear that he has poisoned himself.
• The sensation quickly transforms into powerful, comforting warmth that spreads from his stomach throughout his body. He releases the pressure through a fart and an enormous belch, after which he feels internally cleansed and revitalized.
• Realizing that the Body Tempering Liquid is genuine, Shuhang becomes overwhelmed by its energy. Since he knows no cultivation techniques or martial arts to help digest it, he decides to expend the energy through exercise.
• He runs to the school track and begins sprinting under the blazing sun. The medicine dramatically enhances his stamina and speed, allowing him to run dozens of laps—possibly thirty or forty—without becoming tired.
• Eventually, the medicinal energy settles in his lower abdomen, continuing to strengthen his body. Shuhang stops running with steady breathing despite the extreme exertion and removes his sweat-soaked clothes.

Character Development

• Song Shuhang demonstrates cautious courage: although afraid of the unknown medicine, he takes reasonable precautions before consuming it.
• His skepticism is replaced by certainty when the Body Tempering Liquid produces supernatural effects.
• He begins adapting creatively to the cultivation world. Lacking formal techniques, he instinctively uses running as a substitute method to disperse and absorb the medicinal energy.
• His physical abilities improve dramatically, suggesting that he has taken an important first step toward genuine cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Faith and verification: Shuhang risks his safety to confirm whether the Cultivation Chat group’s world is real.
• Adaptation and improvisation: Without guidance or martial techniques, he finds his own practical way to handle the medicine.
• Transformation: The chapter marks the beginning of Shuhang’s physical evolution from an ordinary student into someone with supernatural potential.
• Humor amid danger: The frightening medicinal reaction is undercut by his comical fart and belch, keeping the cultivation breakthrough lighthearted.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct interactions with other characters in this chapter.
• Tubo is mentioned as Shuhang’s emergency contact, highlighting their roommate relationship and Shuhang’s trust that Tubo would recognize something was wrong even if he could barely speak.

Chapter 30 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the girls’ dormitory, Lu Fei and her roommate notice Song Shuhang running laps on the track despite the heat. They initially mock him, but after he removes his shirt, they are impressed by his unusually muscular physique. Lu Fei recognizes him as their classmate and begins considering whether she should pursue him.
• After exercising, Song Shuhang discovers that the Simplified Body Tempering Liquid has dramatically enhanced him. His clothes and body are covered in impurities expelled through his sweat.
• He finds that his abdominal muscles have returned, his physical strength and endurance have greatly increased, and old problems—including shoulder and neck pain—have disappeared.
• His eyesight has also improved far beyond normal levels; he can clearly see tiny details from a great distance.
• Song Shuhang tests his strength by lifting a five-kilogram shot put, which feels almost weightless. Although he is tempted to throw it, he restrains himself to avoid attracting attention.
• Returning to his dormitory, he realizes that even a small amount of the medicinal paste has produced astonishing results. He collects the remaining Body Tempering Liquid but decides not to consume any more for now.
• While showering, he notices that his skin has become exceptionally smooth, fair, and healthy, creating another problem when explaining the sudden change to his roommates.
• The medicine’s effects finally destroy Song Shuhang’s ordinary worldview. He accepts that cultivation, magical medicines, and the practitioners in the Nine Provinces Number One Group are genuine.
• Song Shuhang seriously considers whether to remain an ordinary person or enter the dangerous world of cultivation. Despite recognizing the risks—especially Heavenly Tribulations—he hesitates for only a second before decisively clicking into the Nine Provinces Number One Group.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Undergoes a major psychological shift. His skepticism and former belief in an ordinary world collapse completely, but instead of rejecting the supernatural, he embraces the opportunity to learn more. His curiosity and desire for truth overcome his fear of danger.
• Lu Fei: Becomes newly aware of Song Shuhang’s physical attractiveness and begins thinking about making a romantic move before other girls notice him.
• Lu Fei’s roommate: Treats Song Shuhang as a spectacle at first, mocking his running, but changes her opinion after seeing his physique.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and awakening: The Body Tempering Liquid changes Song Shuhang physically while also awakening him to the hidden reality of cultivation.
• The collapse of ordinary beliefs: The chapter emphasizes how easily a worldview built over many years can be shattered by undeniable evidence.
• Curiosity versus safety: Song Shuhang understands that cultivation is dangerous, yet his desire to discover the truth proves stronger than his fear.
• Crossing into a new world: Clicking the group icon symbolizes his decision to leave behind an ordinary life and enter the cultivators’ world.

Character Interactions

• Lu Fei and her roommate gossip about Song Shuhang while watching him from the dormitory window, shifting from ridicule to admiration.
• Song Shuhang interacts indirectly with the cultivation world through the medicinal paste provided by Soft Feather and the Nine Provinces Number One Group.
• His internal consideration of the group members—particularly the danger faced by Su Clan’s Sixteen during her tribulation—helps him weigh the consequences of joining their world before choosing to proceed.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang reflects that cultivation’s dangers are worth facing: even a brief chance to pursue the Way is better than an ordinary, wasted life.
• He joins the Nine Provinces Number One Group chat for the first time, greeting the members as “seniors.”
• The group realizes that Song Shuhang is the ordinary newcomer whom True Lord Yellow Mountain mistakenly added—and the same “Senior Song” Soft Feather met in Jiangnan City.
• Shuhang explains that Soft Feather’s visit and the medicinal ingredients she sent prompted him to try Medicine Master’s recipe for Simplified Body Tempering Liquid.
• He made a batch in roughly five or six hours, apparently succeeding on his first attempt. Although something went wrong around the forty-first ingredient, the resulting liquid improved his eyesight, strength, and endurance.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator confirms that Shuhang’s batch worked, likely at lower quality, and is astonished by his effortless success.
• Northern River wonders whether Shuhang used a special alchemy furnace. Shuhang clarifies that his equipment was merely a household induction cooker, leaving Northern River comically crestfallen.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang moves from silent observer to active participant in the group and takes his first practical step into cultivation by making and trying Body Tempering Liquid. His opening reflection shows growing resolve to pursue the extraordinary despite its risks.
• Soft Feather is delighted to reconnect with Shuhang and treats their nearly identical account numbers as a sign of fate. She continues calling him “Senior Song,” despite his request to be called Shuhang.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator recognizes Shuhang’s connection to Soft Feather and is impressed—but also painfully jealous—at how quickly Shuhang succeeds where he once struggled.

Significant themes

• Choosing a meaningful life despite danger: Shuhang decides that the possibility of pursuing the Way outweighs the risks of calamity and death.
• Talent, fortune, and experience: Shuhang’s first-try success contrasts sharply with Northern River’s many costly failures, raising the possibility that Shuhang has unusual luck or aptitude.
• The ordinary meeting the extraordinary: The casual chat, household kitchen appliance, and cultivation medicine bring the supernatural world into everyday life with humor.

Character interactions

• Shuhang greets Northern River and Soft Feather, explaining how he came to make the medicine.
• Soft Feather’s enthusiastic response reveals her affection and admiration for Shuhang, while Shuhang gently tries to make their relationship less formal.
• Northern River’s questions turn the conversation into a humorous comparison between Shuhang’s beginner’s luck and his own difficult early cultivation.
• Shuhang’s matter-of-fact mention of his induction cooker punctures Northern River’s hope that a revolutionary alchemy furnace explains the success.

Plot points and events

• The group is stunned to learn that Song Shuhang made Body Tempering Liquid using an induction cooker and a hot pot. His improvised method challenges the seniors’ expectations and unsettles their sense of alchemical expertise.
• At Medicine Master’s request, Shuhang explains his process, including adding water and what happened when he added the forty-first ingredient. The ingredient is a catalyst that begins the final purification; a foul smell and rapid evaporation indicate that earlier heat or timing was off.
• Shuhang countered the evaporation by adding more water, then added the remaining ingredients and raised the heat. The lid flew off, but he still produced about five spoonfuls—more than a typical batch.
• Intrigued, Medicine Master leaves to test Shuhang’s method. Northern River’s Loose Cultivator notes that, if it works, Shuhang may earn valuable goodwill from the group.
• Northern River welcomes Shuhang to the Nine Provinces No. 1 Group’s cultivation world. He explains that Shuhang must choose between becoming an independent cultivator or joining one of the seniors’ sects.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang grows more comfortable participating in the group and begins sharing his experience openly. His successful, unconventional experiment suggests he may have unusual aptitude, though he does not yet understand how remarkable it is.
• Medicine Master shifts from shock to intense curiosity, treating Shuhang’s improvised technique as a potentially useful discovery.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator takes on a welcoming, explanatory role, guiding Shuhang toward his first major decision about his place in the cultivation world.
• Soft Feather relates to Shuhang’s difficulty with the catalyst step, reinforcing her interest in his account.

Significant themes

• Tradition versus improvisation: Shuhang’s everyday kitchen tools and practical adjustments succeed where established methods often fail.
• Experience and experimentation: The seniors recognize that alchemy depends on timing and judgment, but Shuhang’s accidental workaround may offer a new approach.
• Entering a new world: Shuhang’s participation in the group marks a transition from curious outsider to someone beginning the path of cultivation.
• Mentorship and belonging: The group’s teasing, advice, and welcome create a sense of community, even as the cultivation path is portrayed as dangerous.

Character interactions

• The seniors react with disbelief and comic frustration to Shuhang’s hot-pot alchemy, while Soft Feather and others enthusiastically compare his experience with their own.
• Medicine Master questions Shuhang closely, and their exchange turns his unusual method into a serious subject for experimentation.
• Northern River jokes with Shuhang about his knowledge of the group, then offers practical guidance and explains the choice between independent cultivation and joining a sect.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang asks whether he should join a cultivation sect or cultivate independently. Northern River’s Loose Cultivator explains that sects provide teachers, resources, techniques, and protected places to train, but demand obedience and commitment—often including separation from one’s ordinary family.
• Independent cultivation offers freedom but little support. Most lone cultivators struggle to find techniques and resources, though the Nine Provinces Number One Group helps members exchange assistance for cultivation supplies.
• Song chooses to cultivate alone, deciding that he is not ready to leave his family and the people he cares about. Copper Trigram warns that joining a sect later may be difficult, but Shuhang stands by his decision.
• Because Shuhang is still too weak to take on group tasks, Northern River offers to advance him a basic Foundation-Building Fist Technique and Meditation Method. Combined with his Body Tempering Liquid, these should let him complete Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment and enter the First-Grade Mortal Transcendence Realm. A Blood Qi Pill could speed the process.
• Shuhang is deeply moved and is about to accept when a new message appears in the group.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang makes his first firm decision about his cultivation path. His priorities remain rooted in his family and ordinary life, and he accepts that his choice may carry future costs.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator takes a mentor-like role, explaining the options and offering Shuhang the practical help he needs to begin.
• Soft Feather enthusiastically tries to recruit Shuhang to Spirit Butterfly Island, emphasizing its flexibility and her willingness to help him.
• Copper Trigram Immortal Master acts cautiously, urging Shuhang to consider the long-term consequences before committing.

Significant themes

• Freedom versus security: Sects offer guidance and resources in exchange for rules and service; independent cultivation preserves autonomy but makes progress harder.
• Family and personal attachment: Shuhang’s reluctance to leave his parents and loved ones outweighs the benefits of a sect.
• Reciprocity and community: The group functions as an informal support network, where members earn help by assisting others and seniors give newcomers a start.
• Commitment and consequence: Shuhang understands that his choice could limit future options, but accepts responsibility for it.

Character interactions

• Soft Feather’s eager recruitment pitch is gently interrupted by Northern River, leaving her embarrassed; she later defends herself when he jokes about her generosity.
• Northern River explains the realities of both paths, including his own hardships as an independent cultivator, then offers Shuhang cultivation methods without demanding immediate repayment.
• Copper Trigram gives Shuhang a final warning, while Shuhang responds with quiet resolve.
• Shuhang’s gratitude toward Northern River and Soft Feather reflects the growing trust and mutual support within the group.

Chapter Summary: “The Medicine Master and the Reward”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Soft Feather offers to teach Song Shuhang a basic cultivation method and volunteers to visit the Jiangnan Region again. Her real motivation is partly to see Shuhang refine Body Tempering Liquid and partly to escape home and enjoy the outside world.
• Venerable Spirit Butterfly immediately orders Soft Feather to remain on Spirit Butterfly Island, revealing that he is still supervising her closely. She withdraws from the conversation.
• Medicine Master unexpectedly offers to personally guide Song Shuhang’s cultivation. He wants to observe Shuhang refining Body Tempering Liquid because the process may help him improve the Simplified Body Tempering Liquid Formula.
• As compensation, Medicine Master promises Song Shuhang a Body-Tempering Sword Art and a Meditation Method, both slightly superior to Northern River’s techniques.
• Song Shuhang accepts the opportunity. Medicine Master obtains his address and phone number and announces that he will arrive at the university the following morning.
• Song notices the Poison Dragon Grass beside his computer—the herb Medicine Master had previously sought—but forgets to mention it before Medicine Master logs off.
• Soft Feather indirectly confirms that the injuries suffered by two professors were not coincidental. Song realizes that her earlier actions likely caused the professors’ hospitalization, though she quickly leaves the group to avoid answering further questions.
• Northern River explains that Song’s path as a Rogue Cultivator will be difficult because he lacks a formal master, but encourages him to ask the group for guidance whenever necessary.
• Song asks whether he can give Body Tempering Liquid to his parents and relatives. Northern River confirms that medicinal pills may be shared freely, though the limited supply of ingredients means Song must prioritize his own cultivation.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang becomes increasingly committed to cultivation while remaining humble and grateful for the group’s assistance. He chooses the Rogue Cultivator path because it currently suits him best.
• His filial nature is emphasized when he immediately considers using Body Tempering Liquid to improve his parents’ health rather than keeping every portion for himself.
• Song also shows growing awareness of the dangers and responsibilities of cultivation, especially by seeking advice before making decisions.
• Medicine Master takes a direct interest in Song’s potential and offers both practical guidance and valuable cultivation techniques. His scientific curiosity about Body Tempering Liquid motivates his visit.
• Soft Feather remains mischievous, eager to travel, and somewhat reckless. Her attempt to conceal her involvement in the professors’ injuries highlights her playful dishonesty and avoidance of responsibility.
• Venerable Spirit Butterfly is shown as a strict but protective father who keeps Soft Feather from wandering off.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator acts as a dependable mentor, offering advice and recognizing Song’s good character.

Significant Themes

• Mentorship and generosity: Song receives crucial help from several seniors, making his entry into cultivation far easier than expected.
• The difficulties of independent cultivation: Rogue Cultivators lack teachers, complete methods, and reliable resources, making guidance especially important.
• Filial piety and moral character: Song’s desire to help his parents earns Northern River’s respect and reinforces the importance of benevolence and loyalty.
• Limited resources and personal sacrifice: Although Song receives thirty-two portions of ingredients, the supply is insufficient even for his own Foundation Establishment, forcing him to balance family generosity with cultivation needs.
• Trust and responsibility: The group’s willingness to help Song contrasts with Soft Feather’s secretive behavior and raises questions about how power should be used responsibly.
• The dreamlike nature of Song’s transformation: Song reflects that his entry into the cultivation world has been unexpectedly easy, lacking the trials and hardships he imagined.

Important Character Interactions

• Soft Feather offers to teach Song, but Venerable Spirit Butterfly interrupts and orders her home, creating a humorous father-daughter exchange.
• Medicine Master’s offer surpasses Soft Feather’s and Northern River’s proposals, giving Song a more valuable teacher and reward.
• Northern River actively encourages Song to accept Medicine Master’s guidance and later promises continued support.
• Soft Feather evades Song’s questions about the professors’ injuries, strengthening his suspicion that she was responsible.
• Song consults Northern River about sharing Body Tempering Liquid with his family, and Northern River responds approvingly while warning him about the scarcity of medicinal ingredients.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator advises Song Shuhang not to give Body Tempering Liquid to his family or friends until he is strong enough to protect himself and has enough medicine for his own cultivation.
• He warns Shuhang to hide his identity as a cultivator and create a believable explanation for the medicine, since exposing one’s cultivation could endanger both Shuhang and his relatives.
• Northern River explains that Body Tempering Liquid requires a person to possess sufficient Blood Qi. Elderly people, whose Blood Qi has declined, may die from taking it. This worries Shuhang because his parents are already past their physical prime.
• Northern River is surprised that Shuhang survived the medicine despite having stopped exercising for over a year. He investigates by asking a series of increasingly embarrassing questions about Shuhang’s romantic and sexual experience.
• From Shuhang’s answers, Northern River determines that Shuhang still possesses a “Virgin Body” and unreleased “Primordial Yang.” This condition helped him withstand the Body Tempering Liquid; otherwise, the medicine might have caused his body to explode.
• Copper Trigram points out that Northern River could have asked these questions through private messages instead of embarrassing Shuhang in the group chat.
• After Shuhang logs off, Copper Trigram privately questions why Northern River recommended the difficult path of rogue cultivation rather than arranging for him to join a sect.
• Northern River explains that Shuhang is already eighteen, far beyond the ideal age for Foundation Establishment. In the cultivation world, children around four or five have the greatest advantage because they still retain innate True Qi from birth.
• Foundation Establishment is considered possible until about age eight, but after that the innate True Qi disappears, making future cultivation slower, more difficult, and more resource-intensive. At eighteen, Shuhang is already ten years past the accepted upper limit.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang becomes more aware of the dangers involved in sharing the Body Tempering Liquid and of the limitations imposed by Blood Qi and age. He also suffers considerable embarrassment from Northern River’s interrogation.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator displays both practical wisdom and a mischievous sense of humor. Though he teases Shuhang mercilessly, his advice is protective and grounded in experience.
• Copper Trigram Immortal Master acts as a more sympathetic observer, recognizing Shuhang’s embarrassment and questioning whether Northern River’s recommendation is truly in his best interests.
• Shuhang’s unusual physical condition is revealed: despite limited recent exercise, his Virgin Body and unreleased Primordial Yang allowed him to survive the Body Tempering Liquid.

Significant Themes

• Secrecy and self-protection: Revealing one’s cultivation prematurely can bring danger to oneself and one’s family.
• The importance of physical condition: Cultivation medicines are not universally safe; Blood Qi, age, and bodily constitution determine whether someone can use them.
• Age and missed opportunities: The cultivation system heavily favors early Foundation Establishment, making Shuhang’s late start a major disadvantage.
• Humor amid serious matters: Embarrassing jokes and group-chat teasing contrast with the genuinely dangerous realities of cultivation.
• Different cultivation paths: The chapter raises the difficulty of rogue cultivation and suggests that Shuhang may lack access to the advantages normally provided by sects.

Character Interactions

• Northern River gives Shuhang serious cultivation advice, then abruptly shifts into teasing questions about virginity and wet dreams to diagnose why he survived the Body Tempering Liquid.
• Shuhang answers reluctantly, becoming increasingly frustrated and embarrassed by Northern River’s jokes and euphemisms.
• Copper Trigram interrupts the exchange by reminding Northern River that private messaging exists, highlighting the group’s tendency to treat Shuhang’s embarrassment as entertainment.
• Afterward, Copper Trigram privately challenges Northern River’s decision to recommend rogue cultivation. Northern River explains that Shuhang’s age makes traditional sect cultivation and late Foundation Establishment extremely difficult, even though rogue cultivation is itself an arduous path.

Chapter Summary: The Girl Surrounded by Delinquents

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Nine Provinces Number One Group discusses whether Song Shuhang should join a cultivation sect or remain a Rogue Cultivator.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator points out that Song Shuhang’s late start—at around twenty years old—makes him unattractive to sects. He would require more resources, progress more slowly, and have fewer prospects than younger disciples.
• The seniors conclude that neither option is ideal. Since Song Shuhang must live with the consequences, they believe he should choose his own path while they help him when necessary.
• In his dormitory, Song Shuhang examines the remaining Body Tempering Liquid and considers renting a place off campus for future cultivation and pill refinement. He also wonders how to earn money, since he lacks useful part-time skills.
• Tubo invites him to visit Yangde’s new residence in Great Fortune District and have dinner with their friends.
• While taking a shortcut through the neighborhood’s alleys, Song Shuhang reflects on the recent incident in which nearly ninety local delinquents were mysteriously defeated and hospitalized. Their memories of the event were erased, apparently through supernatural means.
• Song Shuhang encounters seven delinquents harassing a petite young woman. Unable to ignore the situation, he intervenes.
• Strengthened by the Body Tempering Liquid, Song Shuhang moves with startling speed and effortlessly lifts the golden-haired delinquent by the head, surprising both himself and the delinquents.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes more aware of the disadvantages of beginning cultivation late and the practical difficulties of supporting himself. Despite being inexperienced, he demonstrates growing courage and a strong sense of justice by confronting the delinquents. His enhanced physical strength is far greater than he expected.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator: Shows practical insight and concern for Song Shuhang’s future, recognizing that neither sect life nor the Rogue Cultivator path will be easy for him.
• Copper Trigram Immortal Master: Realizes that his earlier view of sect life was overly simplistic after hearing Northern River’s reasoning.
• The young woman: Is presented as composed but clearly disgusted and annoyed by the delinquents’ harassment.

Significant Themes

• Late beginnings and limited opportunities: Song Shuhang’s age places him at a major disadvantage in the cultivation world, where disciples normally begin training as children.
• Personal responsibility and free will: The seniors decide that Song Shuhang should choose his own path rather than be forced into a decision by others.
• Hidden supernatural influence: The mass memory loss among the delinquents hints at powerful cultivators or mysterious forces operating outside ordinary society.
• Justice and courage: Song Shuhang chooses to intervene in an unjust situation despite the potential danger.
• The contrast between ordinary life and cultivation: He worries about rent, employment, and daily expenses even as he begins developing superhuman abilities.

Character Interactions

• The cultivation seniors debate Song Shuhang’s future, with Northern River persuading Copper Trigram that sect membership would not automatically solve his problems.
• Tubo contacts Song Shuhang and invites him to Yangde’s new home, maintaining their ordinary university friendship.
• Song Shuhang confronts the delinquents after observing them harass the girl, directly challenging their behavior.
• The chapter ends with Song Shuhang holding the golden-haired delinquent effortlessly, setting up the imminent confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang confronts seven delinquents who are harassing a short-haired girl.
• Having recently gained increased strength through cultivation, he effortlessly lifts the blond delinquent by the head.
• When two delinquents attack him, Shuhang uses the blond man as a weapon, smashing him into one attacker, then defeats another with a powerful kick.
• Three delinquents are incapacitated almost instantly. The remaining four recognize the overwhelming difference in strength, retreat, and make empty threats to preserve their pride.
• Shuhang checks on the girl, but she coldly dismisses him and leaves without thanking him.
• He then hurries to Li Yangde’s apartment, where Tubo and Yangde are waiting.
• The friends discuss the affordable rent near campus and go to a food stall to celebrate and treat Yangde.
• Shuhang eats an unusually enormous meal, surprising his roommates and hinting at the increased energy demands of his newly strengthened body.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Demonstrates a dramatic increase in physical strength and combat ability. Although he nearly indulges in excessive violence, he retains his restraint and avoids frightening the children nearby. He is protective of his family’s honor, dislikes vulgar insults, and remains good-natured even after the girl rejects his help. His enormous appetite reflects the effects of Body Tempering.
• The delinquents: Initially confident because of their numbers and intimidation tactics, they quickly become terrified once Shuhang displays his overwhelming power. Their threats afterward are merely attempts to save face.
• The short-haired girl: Shows herself to be cold, proud, and fiercely independent. Rather than expressing gratitude, she criticizes Shuhang for interfering.
• Tubo and Li Yangde: Continue their relaxed friendship with Shuhang, teasing him about rescuing a girl and welcoming him into their meal plans.

Significant Themes

• Power and self-control: Shuhang’s strength has grown rapidly, but he must learn to control it so that ordinary people are not seriously injured.
• Justice versus intimidation: The delinquents rely on numbers, profanity, and threats, while Shuhang defeats them through superior ability and composure.
• Pride and saving face: Even after being decisively defeated, the delinquents continue making threats to preserve their dignity.
• Unexpected consequences of cultivation: Body Tempering grants Shuhang extraordinary strength but also creates practical effects, particularly his greatly increased appetite.
• Misunderstood heroism: Shuhang expects at least basic gratitude for helping the girl, but she views his intervention as unwanted meddling.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang physically overwhelms the delinquents after they insult him and attack him together.
• The girl responds to Shuhang’s concern with contempt, creating a humorous contrast between his well-intentioned behavior and her aloof personality.
• Tubo jokes that Shuhang must have stopped to “save a beauty,” while Shuhang confirms that he did, though the encounter did not unfold romantically.
• Shuhang, Tubo, and Yangde share a friendly meal, but his extraordinary appetite leaves the other two shocked.

Chapter Summary: “The Cultivator’s Way of Opening a Door”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• On the night of June 4, Song Shuhang cannot sleep because he is excited about meeting Medicine Master and beginning his cultivation training. The Body Tempering Liquid has strengthened his body and reduced his physical need for sleep, but he still feels mentally unsettled after spending the night awake.
• On June 5, Shuhang attends university classes while anxiously waiting for Medicine Master to contact him. He brings a fully charged phone in case Medicine Master calls.
• During College English, Shuhang’s roommates—Tubo, Li Yangde, and Gao Moumou—deliberately leave him seated near the attractive Lu Fei. They believe Shuhang may be developing a romantic relationship with her and want to give the two privacy.
• Shuhang, however, is not interested in romance and remains focused on cultivation, constantly checking his phone for news from Medicine Master.
• The roommates notice strange changes in Shuhang: he seems unusually cool, his skin has become fairer, and the area around him feels noticeably more comfortable despite the hot weather.
• Their English class is interrupted when the locked classroom door is violently forced open. The lock is ripped from the door with tremendous strength, creating a dramatic cliffhanger.

2. Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: His body is beginning to show the effects of cultivation and the Body Tempering Liquid. He needs less sleep, radiates a cooling sensation, and appears paler and healthier. His priorities have also shifted: instead of pursuing romance, he is intensely focused on meeting Medicine Master and starting formal cultivation.
• Tubo, Li Yangde, and Gao Moumou: The roommates continue to act as a comic and supportive trio. They misunderstand Shuhang’s relationship with Lu Fei but sincerely try to help him find a girlfriend. Their observations also unintentionally reveal that Shuhang’s physical changes are becoming noticeable.
• Professor Smith: The strict English professor has returned after being hospitalized. His rigid standards and intimidating classroom discipline remain unchanged.
• Lu Fei: She appears interested in Shuhang and repeatedly chooses opportunities to sit near him, though the chapter does not establish the nature of her feelings.
• Medicine Master: He does not appear directly, but his expected arrival drives Shuhang’s thoughts and anticipation throughout the chapter.

3. Significant Themes

• The transition from ordinary life to cultivation: Shuhang is physically changing, and these changes are beginning to affect how others perceive him.
• Impatience and anticipation: His inability to sleep and constant phone-checking show how eagerly he awaits the next stage of his cultivation journey.
• Friendship and misunderstanding: His roommates’ matchmaking efforts demonstrate their concern for him, while also creating humorous misunderstandings because they do not know about his involvement in the cultivation world.
• The hidden supernatural beneath everyday life: The chapter begins in a normal university setting, but Shuhang’s altered body and the inexplicably powerful force at the classroom door hint that extraordinary events are intruding into ordinary life.
• Foreshadowing and suspense: The strange door-opening method strongly suggests the arrival of a powerful or unusual character.

4. Character Interactions

• Shuhang discusses relocating seats with his roommates, but they conspire to leave him beside Lu Fei.
• The roommates joke about Shuhang’s supposed romantic progress and predict that he will eventually have to treat them to a meal.
• Li Yangde humorously threatens Tubo by referencing private files on Tubo’s computer, showcasing his technical skill and the group’s familiar teasing dynamic.
• Gao Moumou analyzes Shuhang and Lu Fei like a detective, reinforcing his habit of making dramatic deductions.
• Shuhang and Lu Fei exchange a brief glance and smile, but Shuhang remains distracted by his cultivation concerns.
• The classroom’s calm interaction with Professor Smith is abruptly disrupted when an unknown force tears apart the locked door, ending the chapter on a suspenseful note.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking Mercy from Senior”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A strikingly tall, oddly styled man interrupts Song Shuhang’s class by bursting open the classroom door.
• The man immobilizes Professor Smith and the entire class with a technique that freezes their bodies, speech, and even thoughts.
• He reveals himself as Medicine Master, a senior from the Nine Provinces Number One Group, and identifies Song Shuhang as the student who has undergone body tempering.
• Song Shuhang reluctantly leaves class with Medicine Master, asking Tubo to gather his books. His classmates speculate about the mysterious intruder.
• Medicine Master explains that he located Shuhang through his phone number and recognized him because the effects of body tempering distinguish him from ordinary people.
• Shuhang discovers that Medicine Master’s bizarre hairstyle was caused by flying on his sword, while his dark eye circles come from spending weeks refining pills without proper sleep, food, or rest.
• At Shuhang’s dormitory, Medicine Master examines the makeshift “alchemy room”—the kitchen—and asks Shuhang to refine Body Tempering Liquid again so he can observe the process directly.
• When Shuhang mentions his afternoon classes, Medicine Master casually proposes injuring the teacher and sending him to the hospital so Shuhang can leave school, alarming Shuhang.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Becomes increasingly disillusioned with his image of Medicine Master as a quiet, reliable senior. He remains respectful but grows wary of Medicine Master’s reckless and overly direct behavior. His experience with Soft Feather’s previous actions makes him especially anxious about his teachers’ safety.
• Medicine Master: Is revealed to be talkative, carefree, eccentric, and physically powerful, in sharp contrast to his reserved online personality. He is deeply curious about Shuhang’s unusual Body Tempering Liquid refinement method and is willing to use extreme solutions to eliminate practical obstacles.
• Professor Smith and the students: Are temporarily rendered completely unaware and powerless by Medicine Master’s technique, allowing Shuhang to leave without normal consequences.
• Tubo and Gao Moumou: Observe the strange situation from the sidelines and humorously attempt to interpret Medicine Master’s identity.

Significant Themes

• Reality versus expectations: Shuhang’s idealized view of Medicine Master collapses when he meets the senior in person.
• The clash between cultivation and ordinary life: Medicine Master treats school attendance, meals, and teachers as trivial inconveniences, while Shuhang must still navigate normal student responsibilities.
• Comedy through misunderstanding: Medicine Master’s “fashionable” appearance is actually the result of sword flight and chronic alchemy-related exhaustion.
• Power and social disruption: A powerful cultivator can effortlessly override ordinary rules, but Shuhang must manage the awkward and dangerous consequences.
• Scientific curiosity and experimentation: Medicine Master wants to personally observe Shuhang’s unconventional method of refining Body Tempering Liquid to investigate its unexpected results.

Character Interactions

• Medicine Master forcibly interrupts Professor Smith’s class and freezes everyone before claiming Shuhang.
• Shuhang awkwardly asks Professor Smith for leave, though the professor cannot respond or remember the interruption.
• Shuhang and Medicine Master discuss his appearance, revealing the practical causes behind his strange hairstyle and dark circles.
• Medicine Master questions Shuhang about his dormitory and alchemy setup, then requests another demonstration of Body Tempering Liquid refinement.
• Shuhang begs Medicine Master not to harm his afternoon teacher, but Medicine Master jokingly—or perhaps seriously—suggests sending the teacher to the hospital.

Chapter Summary: “A Fine Poison Dragon Grass”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang stops Medicine Master from staging another “accident” involving teachers, pointing out that Soft Feather has already sent two of his teachers to the hospital. Another incident would appear suspicious.
• He also prevents Medicine Master from causing the entire academy to suspend classes so they can refine Body Tempering Liquid. Instead, Shuhang plans to take leave properly.
• Medicine Master suggests that Shuhang abandon the mortal world and join a cultivation sect, but Shuhang declines for now, believing he still has unresolved ties and responsibilities.
• The two decide to rent a place outside the school where Medicine Master can stay and refine medicine safely.
• Medicine Master notices the Poison Dragon Grass beside Shuhang’s computer. After examining it, he realizes it is an unusually high-quality plant that grew for decades in an area rich in spiritual and ghost energy.
• The herb had once served as the anchor of a formation, causing it to mutate and gain the ability to conceal itself—even from Medicine Master’s highly trained senses.
• Medicine Master explains that the Poison Dragon Grass is worth far more than the Body Tempering Liquid Soft Feather gave Shuhang. Shuhang nevertheless offers it to him because he has no use for it and appreciates Medicine Master’s freely shared formula.
• Medicine Master stores the herb in a magical “One-Plot Medicine Field,” a specialized subspace used by alchemists to transplant medicinal plants.
• Grateful for the valuable gift, Medicine Master decides to give Shuhang more advanced meditation and sword techniques than he originally intended.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates increasing practicality and maturity. He balances cultivation with school responsibilities, refuses reckless solutions, and shows generosity by giving away a priceless herb.
• He remains committed to the mortal world rather than rushing into sect life, indicating that he is not yet ready to devote himself entirely to cultivation.
• Medicine Master is shown as impatient, eccentric, and dangerously casual about causing chaos, but also fair-minded and honorable. He refuses to exploit Shuhang’s inexperience and responds to the herb by offering better instruction.
• Medicine Master’s expertise is emphasized through his ability to identify the Poison Dragon Grass’s history, quality, and unusual mutation.

Significant Themes

• Balancing ordinary life and cultivation: Shuhang must continue attending school while becoming increasingly involved in the supernatural world.
• Generosity and fair exchange: Shuhang gives away an extremely valuable resource out of gratitude, while Medicine Master insists on compensating him appropriately.
• Trust and mentorship: Their relationship develops from a simple exchange of assistance into a more personal teacher-student bond.
• The hidden value of ordinary objects: The Poison Dragon Grass appears to be merely a plant beside a computer, but it possesses rare qualities and a remarkable history.
• Impulsiveness versus responsibility: Medicine Master favors extreme shortcuts, while Shuhang repeatedly restrains him and insists on avoiding unnecessary harm or suspicion.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang repeatedly reins in Medicine Master’s reckless plans, creating comedic tension between Medicine Master’s impatience and Shuhang’s concern for normal society.
• Their discussion about joining a sect reveals differing perspectives: Medicine Master sees separation from mortals as convenient, while Shuhang feels bound to his unfinished worldly affairs.
• The exchange of the Poison Dragon Grass strengthens their mutual respect. Shuhang expresses gratitude for Medicine Master’s formula, and Medicine Master responds by preparing superior cultivation techniques for him.