Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Song Shuhang wakes Venerable White, who carefully cuts a small opening in his giant cocoon and shrinks himself to crawl out. He repairs the opening so he can keep sleeping inside it later, then stores the connected cocoons away.
• White reveals the Dragon Demon Potion made his hair grow very long, so he cut it to just past his shoulders. His constitution has also improved slightly.
• The group heads to the film set. Venerable White and Fairy Lychee begin filming the tragic romance between Ling Ye and Ling’er.
• The screenplay deliberately makes Ling’er fit Song Shuhang’s tastes. She and Ling Ye bond over books, sunsets, and food; their friendship becomes love, until Ling’er’s identity as a female ghost is revealed.
• Watching the scene, Ye Si leans affectionately against Shuhang. Su Clan’s Sixteen starts asking who Ye Si is, but Ye Si suddenly turns transparent and vanishes.
• Director Jacob moves the shoot ahead to the ending, in which Ling Ye recovers Ling’er’s ashes and bids farewell as her ghost ascends.

Character developments and interactions

• Venerable White remains devoted to his cocoon and sleeping habits, but shows unusual care in preserving the cocoon for future use. He is also becoming a more accomplished actor.
• Song Shuhang is freed from beneath the cocoon and is relieved to see White’s changes are minor. He responds warmly to Ye Si’s affectionate gesture.
• Ye Si recognizes that Ling’er resembles her and wonders whether Shuhang helped shape the character after her. Her closeness with him—and her unexplained disappearance—raise questions about their relationship.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen notices Ye Si’s intimacy with Shuhang and tries to clarify who she is, but loses the chance when Ye Si vanishes.
• True Lord White Crane feels conflicted: he mourns the loss of the treasured cocoons but is glad Venerable White took them.

Significant themes

• Affection and loss: The film’s romance builds toward separation, while Ye Si’s sudden disappearance echoes the story’s ghostly themes.
• Art imitating life: Ling’er’s resemblance to Ye Si blurs the line between the film and Shuhang’s real relationships.
• Comic contrast: The tragic romance unfolds alongside the group’s casual banter and White’s comical attachment to his sleeping cocoon.

Key plot points

• Ye Si suddenly turns transparent and disappears while with Song Shuhang. Her aura and scent vanish, and attempts to contact her through the Jadewater Pavilion token initially fail.
• Pavilion Master Chu answers the token instead. She tells Shuhang to activate a hidden function by saying, “Pavilion Master Chu grant me power.” The token scans his body and sends the results to her.
• Chu confirms that Ye Si is actually beside Shuhang, though he cannot perceive her. She explains that Ye Si has been drawn into an unknown state connected to an Emotional Contract with him. Ye Si is safe, but the precise form of the contract is unclear until she wakes.
• Shuhang is relieved and agrees to visit Jadewater Pavilion. After ending the call, Chu reflects uneasily on the unusual contract and on the extraordinary fortune surrounding him.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang panics at Ye Si’s disappearance, considers whether she might have vanished after fulfilling a wish, and worries that his feelings may have triggered an Emotional Contract. He regains composure through the seniors’ advice and is reassured by Chu’s confirmation that Ye Si is safe.
• Pavilion Master Chu shifts from sleepy teasing to serious concern once she hears what happened. She examines Shuhang’s condition remotely, notes his rapid advancement to the Third-Grade Realm and his enlarged body from Dragon Demon Potion, and asks about his Spirit Ghost.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen, Snow Wolf Cave Master, and True Lord Dustfall help investigate but cannot detect Ye Si. Phoenix Slayer suggests contacting her, while Doudou offers to track her by scent from inside a barrel.
• Chu’s warmth toward Shuhang shows beneath her languid manner, while her private reaction hints that Ye Si’s incomplete contract recalls an event from her past.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and reassurance: Ye Si’s unexplained disappearance frightens Shuhang, but trusted connections help him understand that she is not in immediate danger.
• Emotional bonds and magical consequences: The chapter suggests that Shuhang and Ye Si’s relationship has produced a powerful, unusual contract.
• Humor amid danger: The absurd command phrase and Chu’s teasing lighten the tension, even as the characters face a mysterious supernatural event.
• Unusual fortune: Chu’s thoughts emphasize that Shuhang’s rapid progress and collection of remarkable treasures may reflect a strange, consequential luck.

Plot and events

• Pavilion Master Chu reflects that Song Shuhang could not have possessed certain items back when he was only at Second Grade, and decides she will need another chance to meet him.
• Song Shuhang reassures Young Master Phoenix Slayer that Ye Si is fine, though he remains unsure what kind of contract links them.
• The morning’s filming wraps up successfully, and the crew prepares to move to Myriad Books Mountain for the next scene. During the break, the Nine Provinces Number One Group members go their separate ways: Su Clan’s Seven seeks a sparring match, Phoenix Slayer leaves with a barrel of wine, and Shuhang teaches Su Clan’s Sixteen about Cocoon Formation while planning to test a saber technique.
• Venerable White invites Shuhang and the others to visit White Cloud City. Fairy Lychee and Shuhang both sense an uncanny, warm familiarity in each other, which they associate with Ye Si. Lychee fears Shuhang may start calling her “Mom” and insists that “godmother” is the only acceptable alternative.
• The group travels by flying sword to White Cloud City. At the gate, a Confucian guard handles their entry and warns them that the city has introduced restrictions on flying-sword “flight numbers.”

Character developments and interactions

• Shuhang continues to look after Ye Si and Su Clan’s Sixteen, while becoming increasingly puzzled by the apparent connection between Ye Si and Fairy Lychee.
• Fairy Lychee shares Shuhang’s sense of familiarity but is embarrassed and uneasy about what it might mean. Her banter with him turns the strange connection into a comic exchange.
• Venerable White takes the lead in organizing the outing and calmly guides the group to the city.
• Su Clan’s Seven seeks a chance to fight Confucian cultivators, while Phoenix Slayer leaves with Doudou calling after him for help.

Significant themes

• The chapter mixes everyday cultivation life—filming, training, sparring, and sightseeing—with unexplained supernatural bonds.
• The mysterious familiarity between Shuhang, Ye Si, and Lychee raises questions about connection and identity, while Lychee’s “Mom” versus “godmother” anxiety provides comic relief.
• White Cloud City’s new flight restrictions introduce a small note of regulation and anticipation for the next events.

Plot points and events

• Song Shuhang, Venerable White, Fairy Lychee, and Su Clan’s Sixteen arrive at White Cloud City ahead of the Confucian School’s grand ceremony. The city is so crowded that it has introduced flying-sword “number restrictions,” using barcode-like marks and a weekly schedule modeled on vehicle restrictions. Flying swords are also limited to 100 yards per hour—an unwelcome rule for speed-loving Venerable White.
• Venerable White and Fairy Lychee register their swords as Heaven 888 and Peace 2333. Shuhang spots an advertisement for a flying-sword training app, prompting Lychee to tease him about his awkward “Dragging Saber Technique.” When he calls her “Mommy,” she spins him around until he is dizzy.
• Inside the packed city, Shuhang sees statues of the Thirteen Tribulation Immortals Under the Sage, thirteen Ninth-Stage cultivators from the Confucian Sage’s era. He recognizes the glasslike statue of Glazed Scholar, who previously borrowed his Spirit Ghost and left him a fragment of a life-bound treasure as compensation.
• The fragment resonates with the statues. They emit a brief, enlightening Sage Thunder Voice that benefits the Confucian disciples gathered nearby. After the light fades from most statues, it intensifies around Daozi, the Sage’s first disciple, and forms a golden article in the sky: the Sage’s Self-Cultivation Ode, a work used to calm and steady the mind.

Character developments and interactions

• Shuhang is bewildered by the city’s elaborate flying-sword regulations and remains embarrassed by his saber-flying technique. His connection to Glazed Scholar’s legacy becomes more significant when the treasure fragment triggers the statues.
• Venerable White politely accepts the restrictions to avoid offending his friend True Lord Eternal Fire, though the speed limit clearly disappoints him.
• Fairy Lychee playfully provokes Shuhang, and he answers with “Mommy”—a joke that earns him a dizzying punishment.
• The group’s arrival sets Shuhang apart from the other visitors: his personal link to Glazed Scholar appears to be the catalyst for the statues’ response.

Significant themes

• Tradition meeting modern life: The Confucian city applies bureaucratic traffic rules and technology to flying swords.
• Legacy and hidden connections: Shuhang’s keepsake links him to one of the Confucian Sect’s legendary immortals and awakens an ancient power.
• Cultivation through learning: The Sage’s voice and Self-Cultivation Ode show how wisdom and self-discipline can directly aid cultivation.
• Humor and camaraderie: The travel rules, Shuhang’s teasing exchange with Lychee, and White’s frustration provide comic contrast to the sacred revelation.

Key plot points and events

• After the Sage’s Self-Cultivation Ode appears above the Confucian statues, Song Shuhang is suddenly transported to a strange plaza with nine Confucian disciples, including Blade-Wielding Scholar Su Wenqu.
• The statue of Daozi creates writing desks and announces a five-minute test: recite the entire Ode from memory. Walls isolate each person, preventing them from seeing or speaking to one another.
• The Confucian disciples quickly write the Ode in ancient characters. Shuhang, who only glimpsed it earlier, remembers only a few lines and writes them in Simplified Chinese.
• Once the test ends, successful examinees receive a Third-Grade Confucian Treasure, the Fengshan Brush, and may leave. Those who fail must repeat the test after twenty breaths.
• Su Wenqu kindly shows Shuhang his completed page so he can study it before the next round. But Shuhang struggles to memorize the unfamiliar ancient characters and retains less than a third before the walls rise again.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang is out of his depth: he lacks the Confucian training, calligraphy skills, and full recollection needed for the test. His anxiety turns into comic resignation as he realizes he may be trapped in endless retakes.
• Su Wenqu remains composed and considerate. Though he does not know Shuhang, he offers him a chance to study his completed work before departing.
• Shuhang tries to ask the examinee beside him for help, but the walls block speech. He later asks Su Wenqu what failure means and receives an honest answer: Su Wenqu is also unfamiliar with the strange space.

Significant themes

• Examinations and pressure: The chapter humorously turns a sacred Confucian practice into a punishing make-up exam.
• Knowledge versus exposure: A brief glance and a powerful memory are not enough to replace sustained study and practice.
• Cultural and linguistic barriers: Shuhang understands the Ode through its magical translation, but cannot reproduce its original ancient script.
• Kindness amid competition: Su Wenqu’s small act of help contrasts with the rigid, isolating test.

Key plot points

• Song Shuhang is trapped in a repeating exam space and must reproduce the ancient Sage’s Self-Cultivation Ode within five minutes. Each failure resets the test, though he can study Su Wenqu’s nearby answer sheet during brief intervals.
• Unable to understand the text, Song Shuhang memorizes its characters as visual patterns and gradually learns to draw them faster. He eventually completes the whole ode in four minutes and forty-two seconds.
• Despite finishing, the space does not release him. He suspects a mistake or a flaw in the exam, but cannot reach the outside world or even move the table.
• Senior White Two arrives through a black flying sword. Song Shuhang asks for help, but Senior White Two refuses. Hoping to provoke him into ejecting him from the space, Song Shuhang begins writing a teasing line about “Little White” and his hair.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang shifts from panic to determined problem-solving: he memorizes the ode, improves his writing speed, then tries to figure out why success does not free him. When that fails, he turns to deliberately provoking Senior White Two.
• Senior White Two appears in black, pajama-like clothes and recognizes the situation as unusual. He remains aloof and possibly resentful, declining Song Shuhang’s request for help; when Song Shuhang starts teasing him, he simply silences him.
• Su Wenqu does not appear directly, but his handwritten answer sheet is crucial: Song Shuhang uses it as a model to memorize the ode.

Significant themes

• Persistence under pressure: Song Shuhang keeps adapting through repeated timed failures.
• The limits of rote success: He reproduces the entire text accurately, yet the exam still does not accept or release him.
• Improvisation and leverage: With ordinary escape attempts blocked, Song Shuhang relies on his knowledge of Senior White Two’s temper—and humor—to create another possible way out.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang remains trapped in the Infinite Make-Up Exam Space, where he must reproduce the Sage’s Self-Cultivation Ode. His exact copying of the test paper’s version fails, despite his excellent memory.
• Unable to use Secret Voice Transmission, Shuhang negotiates with Senior White Two: in exchange for answering two questions, White Two will help him pass.
• White Two asks whether the Heavenly Court has fallen, then asks about Shuhang’s Second-Grade Tribulation. He postpones his question about whether the Heavenly Dao is in trouble.
• Watching Shuhang write, White Two spots the problem: Shuhang has copied Su Wenqu’s unusual calligraphic flourishes as if they were proper strokes. White Two writes a corrected version for him to memorize, but the exam rejects this as cheating.
• Shuhang writes the Ode himself, correctly, on the next attempt. The text translates into a form he can understand and strengthens and focuses his mental energy. This change satisfies the space’s real requirement, allowing him to leave.
• After Shuhang departs, White Two studies Daozi’s statue and infers that the other Senior White is on Confucian Sect territory. Shuhang’s consciousness returns to his body, where Su Clan’s Sixteen is reading beside him.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang moves from frustration and helplessness to understanding that the test is about gaining the Ode’s effect, not merely copying its appearance. His illiteracy makes him vulnerable to misleading calligraphy, but he ultimately passes through persistence.
• Senior White Two is playful and teasing, yet knowledgeable enough to diagnose Shuhang’s mistake and write the text correctly. His questions reveal concern about major changes in the world and curiosity about Shuhang’s unusual tribulation.
• Shuhang and White Two bargain, trade information, and cooperate, though White Two’s help cannot bypass the exam’s rules. Their exchange also hints at White Two’s interest in the other Senior White and the Confucian Sect.

Significant themes

• Understanding over imitation: Copying the Ode perfectly by sight is not enough; Shuhang must reproduce it correctly and absorb its meaning and effects.
• The limits of memory without comprehension: Shuhang’s strong recall cannot protect him from confusing calligraphic quirks with actual characters.
• Persistence and genuine growth: The exam only releases Shuhang after his mental energy changes, making personal cultivation—not a shortcut—the true measure of success.

Plot and key events

Song Shuhang wakes after nearly an hour of sleep, feeling stronger and less bulky. He suspects memorizing the Sage’s Self-Cultivation Ode helped his body absorb the Dragon Demon Potion. Su Clan’s Sixteen explains that Senior White has gone out after downloading White Cloud City’s new Flying-Sword Taxi app.
Sixteen uses a pair of special glasses with a spell-formation shopping guide, which lets her browse shops remotely. Shuhang tells her about being pulled into the Confucian Sect’s Infinite Make-Up Exam Space and learning the Sage’s Self-Cultivation Ode. He can’t discuss anything involving Senior White Two, but jokes that the ordeal was hardly worth the “fortuitous encounter.”
As Shuhang and Sixteen set off to shop, they see Senior White racing through the sky at several times the speed of sound with two terrified passengers. When he returns, Shuhang warns him about White Cloud City’s speed limit. White admits he knows about the fine but says it is cheap enough that he can afford to speed freely. He promptly accepts another taxi order, sweeps five Confucian scholars onto his sword, and rockets away as they scream.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang feels physically improved and remains wary of Senior White’s impulsive enthusiasm. He turns the frightening taxi rides into a possible business idea: selling flying-sword guardrails.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen is relaxed and playful, enjoying White Cloud City’s shopping technology and inviting Shuhang along.
• Senior White eagerly embraces the taxi app, treating its low speeding fines as permission to fly recklessly. His confidence and disregard for passengers’ comfort create the chapter’s comedy and danger.

Character interactions

Shuhang and Sixteen share a warm, teasing conversation about his exam experience and the city’s technology. Shuhang then tries to caution Senior White, but White brushes off his concern. The Confucian passengers’ strict politeness contrasts with their terror: they attempt to decline White’s ride respectfully, only to be swept onto the sword before they can speak.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts cultivation and modern technology, showing how White Cloud City blends spell formations with conveniences such as online shopping and taxi apps. It also uses reckless confidence and unintended consequences for comedy, while Shuhang’s reflections on the exam highlight the high cost of learning—even when the result is useful.

Chapter Summary: “Shuhang and Sixteen Had Nowhere to Run”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang and Su Clan’s Sixteen decide to walk to the shops rather than use the Whoosh-Whoosh Flying-Sword App, fearing another dangerously fast ride from Venerable White.
• Venerable White repeatedly appears while working as a flying-sword taxi driver. He enthusiastically praises the app’s efficiency, online payment system, and rapid job turnover, completely unaware of how terrifying his rides are to others.
• Shuhang and Sixteen avoid accepting a ride from White by pretending they are merely sightseeing.
• They encounter Northern River’s Loose Cultivator, who is shopping for costumes and props for the film project. He explains that White Cloud City is crowded because of the upcoming Confucian School gathering and that flying swords are being restricted according to their assigned numbers.
• Northern River joins Shuhang and Sixteen on their walk toward the White Cloud Lingering Shoe Shop, where Sixteen wants to buy shoes equipped with a temporary levitation function.
• Northern River reveals that he has downloaded the flying-sword taxi app and has already ordered a ride. The assigned driver, [Heaven 888], turns out to be Venerable White.
• Shuhang and Sixteen realize they can no longer escape White. White arrives, instantly sweeps Northern River onto his flying sword, and prepares to transport him.
• Thinking they have finally avoided the ride, Shuhang and Sixteen say goodbye. However, Northern River deliberately tells White that they also need to go to the shoe shop.
• White cheerfully pulls both of them onto the flying sword, leaving all three passengers trapped in what is likely to be an extremely dangerous journey.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang becomes increasingly wary of Venerable White’s flying abilities. His humorous survival instincts lead him to avoid the flying-sword taxi at all costs.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen shares Shuhang’s fear and cooperates in dodging White, while remaining focused on shopping for the levitating shoes.
• Venerable White demonstrates his usual innocent enthusiasm and dangerous lack of awareness. He treats flying-sword taxi work as an enjoyable and efficient business opportunity.
• Northern River’s Loose Cultivator initially admires the taxi app and wants to give Shuhang and Sixteen a ride, but quickly realizes that White’s speed makes the trip terrifying. He ultimately responds by dragging Shuhang and Sixteen into the same predicament.

Significant Themes

• Humor through danger: White’s cheerful attitude contrasts sharply with the genuine terror experienced by his passengers.
• Inevitable misfortune: Shuhang and Sixteen repeatedly evade White, only to be caught through increasingly absurd circumstances.
• Friendship and shared suffering: Northern River’s decision to include Shuhang and Sixteen reflects the playful principle that frightening experiences are better endured together.
• Cultivation-world modernization: The flying-sword taxi app, online payments, customer ratings, and traffic restrictions blend magical cultivation with modern technology.
• Fate and coincidence: Repeatedly encountering White—especially through the auspicious taxi number “Heaven 888”—creates the sense that escape is impossible.

Character Interactions

• Shuhang and Sixteen work together to avoid White’s taxi service.
• White casually chats with them and repeatedly offers rides, unaware of their fear.
• Northern River treats Sixteen warmly because of his friendship with Su Clan’s Seven and interacts with Shuhang as a familiar senior.
• Northern River initially attempts to share his taxi ride with them, then knowingly exposes them to White after realizing he would otherwise suffer alone.
• The chapter ends with White enthusiastically carrying all three toward the shoe shop, while the passengers face the terrifying consequences of his extreme speed.

Key plot points

• Venerable White takes Song Shuhang, Su Clan’s Sixteen, and Northern River’s Loose Cultivator to White Cloud City using his high-speed “Queen Bee Escape Technique.” Shuhang and Sixteen arrive pale and trembling; Northern River maintains a dignified silence, then quickly leaves to buy props.
• Jade Sword Scholar Su Wenqu spots the pair leaning against a streetlamp and mistakenly thinks they have been electrocuted. Trying to help, he knocks them down with his enlarged brush. Once they explain they are only recovering from the flight, he apologizes in embarrassment.
• At a shop, Sixteen buys levitation shoes. Shuhang haggles the price from six to four Third-Grade Spirit Stones, though the shopkeeper’s sudden change of heart surprises him.
• Before leaving, Shuhang notices a single flip-flop: the Face-Slapping Slipper, a shoe-shaped artifact that flies out to slap someone when activated.

Character developments and interactions

• Shuhang and Sixteen share the discomfort of Venerable White’s exhilarating but terrifying flight, then recover together.
• Northern River tries to preserve his senior dignity during the flight, while Shuhang privately imagines how much True Lord White Crane would enjoy the ride.
• Su Wenqu’s well-meaning intervention once again causes trouble for Shuhang, continuing their pattern of awkward, unintended mishaps. Shuhang nevertheless thanks him for trying to help.
• Shuhang makes a tentative effort at bargaining, and Sixteen happily accepts the discounted shoes.
• The shopkeeper’s inexplicable friendliness leaves Shuhang wondering what prompted it; Venerable White is nowhere nearby.

Significant themes and tone

• The chapter’s humor comes from misunderstandings and good intentions that backfire—especially Su Wenqu’s rescue attempt.
• It also contrasts cultivators’ extraordinary abilities and magical inventions with ordinary social situations, such as shopping and haggling.
• Venerable White’s carefree enthusiasm creates chaos for his passengers, while the newly introduced slipper hints at the story’s playful, unconventional magical artifacts.

• While shopping with Su Clan’s Sixteen, Song Shuhang buys a pair of Face-Slapping Slippers: the right slipper can slap someone’s face, while the left is an ordinary durable slipper. He suspects the shopkeeper’s sudden friendliness was prompted by Su Wenqu, but cannot find him.
• After an hour of shopping, Shuhang and Sixteen rest in the plaza beneath the statues of the thirteen Tribulation Immortals. When Shuhang notices a flash of crimson light, he fears he is being pulled back into another Confucian exam—and suddenly blacks out.
• Shuhang’s consciousness is drawn into the black plaza, but he is the only one taken. Senior White Two appears, dressed inside a sleeping bag, and admits he pulled Shuhang in because he was bored. He claims he had an important, life-threatening warning to share, but says he has forgotten it after taking a nap.
• To jog his memory, Senior White Two demands jokes and then makes Shuhang perform a series of smiles and laughs. Shuhang reluctantly complies, growing increasingly frustrated at the senior’s teasing.
• Senior White Two finally reveals the warning: the Confucian School is near its once-every-three-years grand gathering, and the Nine Netherworld is preparing to attack.
  Character developments and interactions: Shuhang’s initial relief at seeing Senior White Two quickly turns to exasperation when he learns the senior caused his abduction. Despite the danger, he tries to humor White Two to recover the warning. Their playful, bullying exchange highlights White Two’s capriciousness and Shuhang’s reluctant patience. Shuhang and Sixteen remain companionable while shopping, though Sixteen is left behind when he is pulled away.
  Themes: Comic contrasts between mundane shopping and supernatural danger; the unpredictability of powerful immortals; and humor used as a teasing form of interaction, even when the stakes are serious.

Plot and key events

• The Nine Nether Demons are preparing to attack White Cloud Academy during the Confucian School’s once-every-three-years gathering. The attack is especially dangerous: an Eighth-Grade demon Broodmother may appear, along with at least three Seventh-Grade demons.
• Senior White Two warns Song Shuhang of the threat but holds him in his spiritual space until he tells a joke or story. Shuhang can think of no joke, so he tells a “horror story” about students whose summer homework is unfinished. Senior White Two accepts it, though he does not understand why it is frightening.
• Back in the real world, Shuhang wakes with his head on Su Clan’s Sixteen’s lap. He tells her the warning, and they quickly contact Venerable White and Fairy Lychee while sharing the information with the Nine Provinces Number One Group.
• Venerable White is delayed because he is paying fines after an hour of wildly successful flying-sword delivery work at White Cloud Academy. Shuhang and Sixteen wait for him beneath the Thirteen-Tribulation Immortal Statue.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang reacts urgently to the threat and takes responsibility for alerting the group, though his familiar humor surfaces in his failed attempt to bargain with Senior White Two and his anxious “jinx” superstition.
• Senior White Two reveals that the Netherworld is divided into rival powers: despite being aligned with the Netherworld broadly, he warns Shuhang about this faction’s attack. He also indulges his demand for entertainment before letting Shuhang go.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen stays calm and practical, verifying the warning’s reliability and coordinating calls to senior allies.
• Venerable White remains comically preoccupied with settling his fines, while True Lord Eternal Fire accompanies him.
• Shuhang and Sixteen act as a team, but Shuhang wonders whether they should join the coming battle.

Significant themes

• Old enmity and recurring conflict: The Confucian School’s history of persecution by the Nine Nether Demons makes its recovery—and the planned attack—a major turning point.
• Alliances and power: A dangerous enemy is more threatening still when powerful cultivators have powerful allies; the chapter emphasizes the importance of cooperation and timely warnings.
• Comic contrast: An existential military threat is interrupted by Senior White Two’s insistence on a story, Venerable White’s fines, and Shuhang’s fear that a script by Gao Moumou will jinx events.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang warns the Nine Provinces Number One Group that a genuine army of Nine Nether Demons is preparing to attack White Cloud Academy. Unlike the earlier, smaller incursion, this assault could threaten the entire academy.
• The group debates whether to stay and help. Some favor assessing the academy’s defenses first and evacuating if resistance is hopeless; others are determined to remain because of personal ties, old grudges, or a desire to fight.
• As one member after another commits to staying, the group’s sense of mutual responsibility draws in more participants. Young Master Phoenix Slayer urges everyone to prepare reliable escape methods and protective shields.
• Shuhang proposes using Venerable White’s inexpensive, extremely fast Disposable Flying Swords as emergency escapes. The group accepts the idea, though Su Clan’s Seven asks for a version without the dizzying spiral flight.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain says he is nearly at White Cloud Academy and reassures the group that the academy will retreat if necessary rather than fight pointlessly to the death.
• At the statue square, Shuhang tells Fairy Lychee about the impending attack. She decides she may stay to help friends at the academy. Venerable White arrives with True Lord Eternal Fire.

Character developments and interactions

• Shuhang takes initiative by spreading the warning and proposing a practical way to protect the group.
• Several seniors reveal their loyalties: Flood Dragon Overlord will help his friend Eternal Fire; Snow Wolf Cave Master will join him after arranging his family’s evacuation; Profound Principle has reason to oppose the demons; and Su Clan’s Seven stays partly out of concern for Sixteen.
• Northern River agrees to remain and watch over Sixteen, while Dustfall ultimately stays to look after the group’s younger members.
• Sixteen insists she can protect herself, but Seven remains protective because she is nearing her tribulation.
• Fairy Lychee’s friendships at White Cloud Academy motivate her to consider joining the defense.
• Yellow Mountain’s pragmatic reassurance eases Shuhang’s fear that the academy might refuse to retreat.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and community: Members’ decisions to stay spread through their interconnected friendships and sense of responsibility.
• Courage balanced with prudence: The group is willing to help, but stresses evacuation and survival rather than needless sacrifice.
• Mutual care: Seniors protect juniors, while members also make plans to safeguard families and friends.
• Practical ingenuity: Shuhang’s proposal turns a dangerous situation into a manageable risk through an unconventional escape tool.

Key plot points and events

• Senior White arrives with True Lord Eternal Fire after learning from Song Shuhang that the Netherworld’s fiends are preparing to attack White Cloud Academy.
• Eternal Fire says the Confucian School has expected such assaults for centuries: whenever it shows signs of revival, the Netherworld attacks. Their conflict is especially bitter and long-standing.
• He explains that the academy’s grand gatherings double as military preparations. Senior White noticed that many apparent travelers in White Cloud City were actually patrolling Confucian cultivators or Ink Sect combat puppets concealed by powerful illusion formations. The city also has restricted aerial access and prepared escape routes for visiting allies.
• Fairy Lychee suggests that visiting cultivators could help defend the academy rather than simply evacuate. Eternal Fire confirms that the academy has a plan for volunteers and introduces an activity involving Virtuous Golden Lotus seeds.
• These seeds guarantee an awakened special ability and add fifty years to the consumer’s lifespan, though the ability is random and may be useful, trivial, or bizarre. The ability can improve through practice or additional seeds.
• Senior White recalls giving a seed to an ordinary pet bird, which gained the ability to speak human language but eventually died. The chapter ends with Eternal Fire revealing the activity’s premise: exchange Netherworld demons for Virtuous Golden Lotus seeds.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang passes on the warning and learns how thoroughly the Confucian School has prepared for war; he admires its strategic foresight.
• True Lord Eternal Fire is composed and hospitable, explaining the academy’s defenses and its plans for visitors. His calm exterior briefly falters at Senior White’s casual story about wasting a valuable seed on a pet bird.
• Senior White shows his usual nonchalance about powerful treasures: he once chose not to use a seed himself and gave it to a bird instead.
• Fairy Lychee probes the academy’s arrangements and tactfully argues that visiting cultivators could be useful allies.
• Song Shuhang, Fairy Lychee, and Su Clan’s Sixteen react with disbelief or silence to Senior White’s tale.

Significant themes

• Preparedness and strategy: The academy has embedded defenses into the ordinary bustle of its city and planned for both battle and evacuation.
• Enduring conflict: The Confucian School’s repeated struggles against the Netherworld have shaped its culture and survival plans.
• Luck and the unpredictable value of power: Golden Lotus seeds promise a guaranteed ability, but its usefulness depends on chance.
• Humor through contrast: Senior White’s casual treatment of a rare treasure clashes with its immense value to others.

Plot and events

• True Lord Eternal Fire invites the group to help White Cloud Academy defend against an approaching Nine Nether Demons army. During the event, demon corpses can be traded for Virtuous Golden Lotus seeds, which add fifty years to a person’s lifespan and may awaken a special ability.
• Venerable White agrees to help, partly because he can use the battle to film scenes of protagonist Ling Ye fighting on the front lines. He plans to shoot the footage himself with help from Fairy Lychee, who volunteers to operate the camera in exchange for two seeds.
• Song Shuhang asks whether existing demon corpses can be exchanged. Eternal Fire offers him especially favorable rates: one Sixth-Grade demon corpse earns one seed. Shuhang produces the corpse of the Four-Headed Snake Demon, receives a seed, and eats it.
• The seed boosts Shuhang’s vitality and awakens a Mouth Aperture ability. When he exhales and moves his tongue, spiritual energy gathers into a fragrant white lotus. Eternal Fire identifies the ability as “Lotus-Blossom Tongue.”

Character developments and interactions

• Eternal Fire eagerly recruits Venerable White, whom he regards as an extraordinary source of good fortune, and uses generous seed offers to enlist support.
• Venerable White agrees to defend the Academy but treats the battle as a chance to film action scenes. He jokingly suggests Shuhang should have given the seed to a pet instead.
• Fairy Lychee is keen to earn Golden Lotus seeds and volunteers to film, though she admits she would rather fight demons herself.
• Song Shuhang hopes to save seeds for his family, but chooses to test one on himself. After briefly praying to Venerable White for a useful result, he discovers his new ability.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen and Lychee watch with curiosity; Lychee’s suggestion that Shuhang might have gained an ability involving endless tooth regrowth becomes a joke.

Significant themes

• Practical rewards and cultivation: Lifespan extension makes the Golden Lotus highly valuable, especially to cultivators nearing the end of their lives.
• Humor amid danger: The looming demon invasion is framed not only as a battle but as an opportunity for filmmaking, bargaining, and comic banter.
• Luck and unpredictability: The group expects Shuhang’s new talent to be powerful, but the mysterious ability’s exact usefulness remains uncertain when it manifests as a lotus created through tongue movements.

Chapter Summary

• After consuming a Virtuous Golden Lotus seed, Song Shuhang discovers his new mouth-related ability: Lotus-Blossom Tongue. It conjures a white lotus whose fragrance makes people intensely hungry. He had hoped for a practical power, but concludes that his ability is more “edible” than useful.
• True Lord Eternal Fire explains that the skill may help someone survive without food, though Song Shuhang points out that cultivators can use Grain-Repelling Pills. Fairy Lychee jokes that the lotuses might impress disciples during a future lecture.
• Venerable White tests the ability and uses its appetizing fragrance to enjoy a meal. His enthusiasm confirms that the power is effective at stimulating appetite, while Lychee and Su Clan’s Sixteen quietly take pills to avoid being tempted.
• Song Shuhang wonders whether merging his Phantom Voice ability into the skill could improve it. White suggests it might make the lotuses look like food as well as smell like it, disappointing Shuhang. Eternal Fire adds that leveling up the ability only makes it produce more lotuses—up to four—and further lotus seeds cannot grant a different power.
• White’s purified Willow Tree Demon, Qingwu, efficiently clears the meal dishes. Shuhang compares it unfavorably with Onion Lady, who is still preoccupied with escaping. White encourages him to make the best of his ability.
• The group leaves Eternal Fire’s cave. Shuhang has agreed to help defend against Netherworld demons, and the group is heading back as Director Jacob’s crew prepares to resume filming.
• Lychee asks Shuhang to tell the Nine Provinces Number One Group that Netherworld demons slain at White Cloud Academy’s event can be exchanged for Virtuous Golden Lotus seeds. White also asks him to recruit help gathering willow branches to make more Disposable Flying Swords 005 Version, since the coming demon attack may be severe. The group wonders why the Academy wants so many demon bodies.

Character Notes and Themes

• Song Shuhang is comically disappointed by a power that seems impractical, but remains curious about its potential and reluctant to give up on it.
• Venerable White is supportive in his own way, though his suggestions mostly improve the ability’s appetite-inducing effects. His practical concern shifts to preparing defenses.
• Themes: The gap between expectations and reality; making use of an unexpected talent; humor in cultivation powers; and the importance of preparation and cooperation in the face of danger.
• Interactions: Eternal Fire offers reassurance, Lychee teases and gives Shuhang a task, White tests and celebrates the ability, and Shuhang’s comparisons—especially with the diligent Qingwu—provide further comic frustration.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fairy Lychee and Venerable White discuss the long-standing conflict between the Confucian School and the Netherworld. Fairy Lychee explains that Confucian cultivators have extensively studied the bodies and weaknesses of the Nine Nether Demons, using their remains to create powerful magical treasures.
• At White Cloud Academy’s Myriad Books Mountain, Jacob’s film crew prepares to shoot the next major scene in the Ling Ye story: the Heaven-Swallowing Cat finding Ling Ye after the destruction of the Skycloud Sect.
• Most of the tragic backstory has already been filmed, including Ling Ye’s defeat by Gao Sheng, Murong Hua’s marriage to Feng Chuanzi, Ling Ye’s departure from the Skycloud Sect, his battles against the Evil Realm, his meeting with the ghost Ling’er, and the Skycloud Sect’s destruction.
• The upcoming scene is intended to mark Ling Ye’s emotional recovery and his vow to exterminate the Evil Realm. Later scenes will move to the modern city, where Song Shuhang’s friends and members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group will appear.
• Song Shuhang reunites with Tubo and Yangde, who have been spending time around the film set. The Foreign Monk has been enthusiastically preaching Buddhism to them and even tries to persuade them to convert.
• The Foreign Monk invites Song Shuhang to join him in future ghost-exorcising and soul-delivery jobs, revealing how Song Shuhang’s interest in the Ksitigarbha Soul-Deliverance Scripture has shaped their relationship.
• Tubo and Yangde ask about the mysterious filming location, Myriad Books Mountain. Song Shuhang conceals its true nature as the territory of White Cloud Academy but offers to bring them back someday.
• Song Shuhang reflects on the mysterious phrase “Upside-Down Myriad Books Mountain, Sage Silence Pool,” wondering whether the Sage Silence Pool is hidden within the mountain or will appear if the mountain is overturned.
• Immediately after he mentions the phrase, Myriad Books Mountain begins violently shaking. Butterfly Demon Jiugu orders the Illusion Butterflies to put the ordinary people to sleep and protect them from what is happening.
• The mountain then rises like a giant humanoid, growing two enormous legs. A booming voice comes from within it and cheerfully announces, “Yo, hello, everyone~~”

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang continues balancing his ordinary identity with his supernatural life. He hides White Cloud Academy’s secrets from his friends while considering whether they might one day gain opportunities through contact with the cultivation world.
• He is also becoming increasingly accustomed to ghost-related techniques and supernatural responsibilities, though he still tries to keep these matters hidden from Tubo and Yangde.
• Tubo remains humorous and carefree, joking about the Foreign Monk’s preaching and teasing Song Shuhang about exorcising ghosts. He is interested in visiting Myriad Books Mountain as a scenic location.
• Yangde maintains his rational, science-based worldview and rejects conversion to Buddhism, though the supernatural events around him directly challenge that worldview.
• The Foreign Monk appears sincere, enthusiastic, and persistent. Despite being a Daoist disciple, he openly promotes Buddhism and treats Song Shuhang with great respect because Song Shuhang once saved him.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen remains quietly supportive, meditating beside Song Shuhang while the filming and later crisis unfold.
• Fairy Lychee and Venerable White continue acting as knowledgeable senior cultivators involved in both the magical conflict and the film production.
• Butterfly Demon Jiugu demonstrates leadership and quick thinking by protecting the ordinary people when the mountain begins to transform.

Significant Themes

• The clash between ordinary and supernatural worlds: Tubo and Yangde view the setting as an unusual filming location, unaware that it is actually a major Confucian cultivation site.
• The fragility of conventional beliefs: Yangde’s faith in science and Song Shuhang’s former worldview are humorously contrasted with the reality of ghosts, demons, cultivation, and animated mountains.
• Hidden identities and secrecy: Song Shuhang must conceal his true experiences and the nature of White Cloud Academy from his friends.
• Transformation and recovery: The filmed story of Ling Ye centers on overcoming grief and finding a new purpose after catastrophic loss, paralleling broader themes of endurance and renewal.
• The mysterious and unpredictable nature of cultivation: The cryptic phrase about the Upside-Down Myriad Books Mountain appears to trigger a bizarre transformation, suggesting that ancient locations may possess immense power or consciousness.
• Humor amid danger: Comic conversations about Buddhism, dating, drinking, and movie-making occur alongside serious supernatural threats and the possibility of conflict with the Netherworld.

Character Interactions

• Fairy Lychee and Venerable White discuss Confucian methods of exploiting Nine Nether Demon remains.
• Song Shuhang reunites with Tubo and Yangde and casually talks with them about the film set and their future roles.
• The Foreign Monk preaches to Tubo and Yangde, tries to recruit them into the Buddhist Sect, and later addresses Song Shuhang respectfully as “Senior Song.”
• Tubo and Yangde become suspicious of Song Shuhang after hearing that he performs exorcisms and delivers souls, prompting him to deflect their questions with jokes.
• Tubo teases Yangde about bringing his romantic interest to Myriad Books Mountain, while Yangde insists they are only getting to know each other.
• Song Shuhang sits with his friends while Su Clan’s Sixteen meditates nearby, creating a contrast between ordinary friendship and cultivation.
• When the mountain awakens, Jiugu and the Illusion Butterflies protect the ordinary people, while the cultivators and supernatural figures remain conscious to face whatever is emerging.

Chapter Summary: Upside-Down Myriad Books Mountain: I’ll Do a Handstand for You

Key Plot Points and Events

• During the group’s filming at Myriad Books Mountain, the mountain unexpectedly awakens and reveals that it can speak, move, and grow limbs.
• The Foreign Monk casually greets it, and the mountain introduces itself as “Uncle Book Mountain,” leaving Song Shuhang and the other cultivators confused about whether it is a sentient mountain, puppet, or enormous magical treasure.
• Trying to entertain the awkwardly silent group, Myriad Books Mountain announces that it will perform a handstand.
• The cultivators evacuate the ordinary people, filming equipment, and themselves from beneath the mountain’s shadow.
• Myriad Books Mountain successfully lifts its massive body using its slender arms, but its arms begin cracking under the strain. Despite Fairy Lychee’s warning, it refuses to stop, boasting about its former strength and agility.
• Its arms eventually break, causing the mountain to topple toward the ground. The fall threatens to cause a catastrophic earthquake and potentially damage nearby White Cloud Academy.
• Venerable White intervenes. Rather than simply catching the mountain, he punches it repeatedly, using overwhelming physical strength to halt its descent and force its enormous body to float temporarily.
• The other members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group assist by using transformations and magical treasures to stabilize the mountain and guide it safely to the ground.
• After landing, Myriad Books Mountain lies trembling and exhausted, appearing deeply shaken by the experience.
• Venerable White calls True Lord Eternal Fire to report what happened, astonishing him with the news that Myriad Books Mountain is alive, has grown limbs, and attempted a handstand.

Character Developments

• Myriad Books Mountain is revealed to possess sentience, speech, limbs, pride, and a playful, boastful personality. It behaves like an elderly but energetic cultivator and seems eager to show off despite its enormous size and physical limitations.
• Venerable White demonstrates extraordinary combat power. His ability to stop a falling mountain with his fists greatly impresses Song Shuhang and reinforces the terrifying strength of a Seventh-Grade Venerable.
• Song Shuhang remains bewildered by the absurd situation but also gains a renewed admiration for Venerable White’s abilities. He begins wondering whether he might someday reach a similar level.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen remains calm and practical, helping Song Shuhang carry the unconscious people to safety and recording Venerable White’s intervention.
• The Nine Provinces Number One Group responds efficiently to the danger, prioritizing the evacuation of civilians and coordinating their abilities to prevent a disaster.
• True Lord Eternal Fire is left stunned by the bizarre report, initially fearing a Netherworld invasion before learning that the mountain itself caused the disturbance.

Significant Themes

• Absurdity and comedic contrast: A gigantic mountain treating a handstand like a casual performance creates a deliberately ridiculous situation, especially contrasted with the genuine danger it causes.
• The unpredictability of cultivation: The cultivators encounter something far beyond ordinary expectations—a mountain that may be a living being, puppet, or magical treasure.
• Power and scale: The scene emphasizes the immense difference between ordinary humans, cultivators, and Venerable White. What appears impossible—even stopping a mountain’s fall—becomes achievable at Venerable White’s level.
• Pride and recklessness: Myriad Books Mountain’s desire to show off leads directly to its injury and near-disaster, illustrating the danger of refusing to acknowledge one’s limitations.
• Teamwork and responsibility: Although Venerable White stops the mountain’s fall, the other cultivators work together to stabilize it and protect civilians and nearby locations.

Character Interactions

• The Foreign Monk immediately treats Myriad Books Mountain as a person, while Song Shuhang and Su Clan’s Sixteen debate its true nature.
• Myriad Books Mountain attempts to engage the silent group through jokes and boasts, even addressing Fairy Lychee flirtatiously while falling.
• Fairy Lychee warns the mountain to stop before its arms break, but it dismisses her concern out of vanity.
• Song Shuhang compares Myriad Books Mountain’s behavior to the flirtatious and eccentric members of the group, highlighting its unusually human personality.
• Venerable White first attempts to stop the fall gently but switches to a barrage of punches when necessary, stunning everyone watching.
• The group’s cultivators coordinate their powers to ensure the mountain lands safely, demonstrating their mutual trust and teamwork.
• Venerable White’s phone call with True Lord Eternal Fire closes the chapter with the absurd revelation that the supposedly ordinary filming location is actually a living entity.

Plot points and events

• Myriad Books Mountain awakens after being badly damaged by an earlier handstand. True Lord Eternal Fire is surprised to learn the mountain is alive and rushes over to comfort it.
• The Nine Provinces Number One Group tends to the unconscious film crew and salvages the equipment. With the mountain too injured for wide shots, Venerable White and Northern River’s Loose Cultivator consider filming around the less-damaged areas.
• Song Shuhang asks the mountain about the cryptic clue “Upside-Down Myriad Books Mountain, Sage Silence Pool.” The mountain recognizes neither the pool nor anything unusual connected to its past handstands.
• The group speculates that performing another handstand might reveal the Sage Silence Pool. Though the mountain refuses, they decide to turn it upside down themselves.
• The cultivators inscribe formations to lighten and reinforce the mountain, then work together to launch and rotate it. Venerable White’s final strikes correct its position, leaving it upside down with its peak pointing toward the ground.

Character developments and interactions

• Myriad Books Mountain shifts from injured and dejected to delighted when Song Shuhang praises its handstands, even giving itself the grand title “Lord Upside-Down Myriad Books Mountain.” Its enthusiasm quickly vanishes when the group proposes another handstand; it tries to flee but is captured and forced into position.
• Song Shuhang pursues the Sage Silence Pool clue, hoping the mountain can explain it, but gets no answer.
• Venerable White leads the effort, treating the forced handstand as a practical experiment and assuring the mountain it will not be hurt—despite ignoring its objections.
• Young Master Phoenix Slayer proposes that the pool may appear after a handstand and suggests the group help the mountain perform one.
• True Lord Eternal Fire shows concern for his injured mountain and hurries to it, though he arrives too late to witness the group’s maneuver.

Significant themes

• Comic contrast between kindness and coercion: The cultivators speak as if they are helping, while treating the mountain’s clear refusal as a minor obstacle.
• Curiosity and uncertain clues: The group acts on a vague phrase, hoping an experiment will uncover its meaning.
• Unexpected life in the ordinary: Myriad Books Mountain is not merely terrain but a conscious, emotional being—with opinions, memories, and a strong dislike of handstands.

Plot points and events

• The Nine Provinces Number One Group uses Venerable White’s palms to slow Myriad Books Mountain’s fall, then lands it upside down in its original spot.
• With its arms broken and terrified of impact, the mountain stretches its legs into an improbable backbend to keep its enormous body off the ground. The group waits to see whether this will summon Sage Silence Pool, but nothing happens.
• True Lord Eternal Fire arrives and finds his mountain contorted. As the group discusses what to do, Myriad Books Mountain suddenly splits open like a book, revealing two vast pages covered in ancient Confucian writing.
• Eternal Fire identifies the text as the Sage’s Nurturing Nature Ode. Song Shuhang recognizes that it may be related to the Sage’s Self-Cultivation Ode from an earlier ordeal and hurriedly memorizes it, fearing another exam-like trial.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang feels guilty for having sparked the seniors’ curiosity and putting Myriad Books Mountain through the ordeal. He remains curious about the mountain’s secrets but is wary of repeating the exhausting Infinite Retake Exam.
• Venerable White treats the mountain’s bizarre contortions with amusement and presses it to hold its pose in hopes of finding Sage Silence Pool. His enthusiasm fades when he remembers that any treasure belongs to Eternal Fire.
• Myriad Books Mountain is frightened, complains bitterly, and insists it has no tears despite Phoenix Slayer’s theory that its crying might create the pool. Its sudden transformation into a book surprises even itself.
• Young Master Phoenix Slayer suggests that the pool might require the mountain to be upside down in the correct location.
• True Lord Eternal Fire arrives to witness the chaos, then recognizes the writing revealed inside the mountain.

Significant themes

• The chapter mixes comedy and absurdity, turning a colossal mountain into a frightened, flexible “gymnast.”
• It builds mystery around Myriad Books Mountain’s true nature and the possible appearance of Sage Silence Pool.
• The Confucian texts connect this discovery to knowledge, cultivation, and past trials, hinting that Shuhang may soon face another test.