Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• A black-haired, purple-skinned woman resembling Senior Skylark appears, effortlessly defeats the Stone Giant, then collapses into a bout of painful crying and rolling.
• Song Shuhang and the others watch from inside his Core World, unsure what is happening. The woman’s headache returns whenever she tries to attack a patch of merit light Song left behind.
• Her hair gradually turns blue and her skin begins reverting, revealing that Skylark is recovering. She seems to be sharing her body with a second, cold and hostile personality: one wants to study the body and return to the Netherworld, while the playful Skylark resists and insists on undergoing the Present World’s Eighth-Grade Heavenly Tribulation.
• The hostile personality opens a spatial passage and tries to take them both to the Netherworld. Fearing Skylark will lose control, Song Shuhang decides to intervene.
• With the Merit Snake Beauty partly merged with him, Song sends only his right hand out of the Core World, holding the Scarlet Heaven Sword. He and the sword unleash the Heaven-Burning Flame Saber at immense, Ninth-Grade-level power.
• The hostile Skylark counters by shaping nine-nether energy into a giant axe. The chapter ends as the two attacks meet.

Character developments

• Skylark: Her original self is gradually returning, but she is in pain and appears to be fighting an intruder for control of her body. Her playful determination to pursue the Heavenly Tribulation contrasts with the intruder’s priorities.
• Song Shuhang: He stays cautious at first, then risks intervening when he realizes Skylark may be taken away. He improvises a way to attack while keeping most of himself safely inside the Core World.
• Scarlet Heaven Sword: It offers to help and amplifies Song’s saber technique dramatically.
• Merit Snake Beauty: She acts independently, repeatedly swallowing the sword, then merges her hand with Song’s to help him wield it.
• Stone Giant: After being subdued by Skylark, it remains helpless and bewildered.

Significant themes

• Identity and possession: Skylark’s struggle raises questions about who controls a body and whether an apparent resurrection is truly the original person returning.
• Resistance and self-determination: Skylark fights the intruder’s attempt to dictate where she goes and what she does.
• Caution and improvisation: Song avoids confronting a vastly stronger opponent directly, using the Core World and an unconventional partial manifestation to strike back.
• Comic contrast: The absurd rolling, the sword’s repeated swallowing, and Skylark’s complaints about her skin color lighten an otherwise dangerous confrontation.

Character interactions

• Song consults with Su Clan’s Sixteen, Shi, and Xiao Cai as they observe Skylark from safety.
• The Scarlet Heaven Sword urges Song to destroy the spatial passage or stop Skylark’s body, then works with him to execute the saber strike.
• The Merit Snake Beauty’s affectionate, odd behavior toward the sword complicates the plan but ultimately enables Song and the sword to attack together.
• Skylark’s two conflicting personalities argue over returning to the Netherworld, pursuing the Heavenly Tribulation, and who has the right to control her body.

Chapter Summary: “Heaven-Burning Flame... Armor!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Scarlet Heaven Sword and Merit Snake Beauty use the Heaven-Burning Flame Saber to clash with Skylark’s enormous Evil-Energy Battle Axe.
• Although the saber initially holds its own, the axe grows stronger and eventually overwhelms the flames, proving that the imitation technique cannot match Daoist Scarlet Firmament’s true power.
• The axe continues toward Merit Snake Beauty, while its wide attack range also threatens the immobilized Stone Giant.
• Song Shuhang attempts to pull Merit Snake Beauty, the Scarlet Heaven Sword, and his right arm into the Core World, but the axe’s power seals the surrounding space.
• At the last moment, the scattered flames return to Merit Snake Beauty and form a powerful Flame Battle Armor, allowing her to withstand the axe.
• The battle becomes a thirteen-breath stalemate. The armor eventually cracks, but it unleashes a counterattack infused with “heaven-severing” Saber Intent, knocking the weakened axe away.
• Before the Scarlet Heaven Sword can finish the axe, a mysterious lotus appears and releases countless grotesque roots. The roots pierce the axe, break it down into Nine Nether Evil Energy, and absorb it.
• Skylark, whose body is reaching its limit, retreats through the spatial teleportation gate to the Netherworld. Song Shuhang fails to stop her because of the vast difference in their realms.
• After the crisis, Song Shuhang returns to the battlefield. Merit Snake Beauty immediately swallows the Scarlet Heaven Sword again despite its protests.
• Song Shuhang considers using another Heaven-Burning Flame Saber against the helpless Stone Giant, but the Scarlet Heaven Sword says it needs time to recover before coordinating another attack.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang remains resourceful but acutely aware of his vulnerability. He fears losing his right arm and reflects on possible methods of limb regeneration, highlighting his dependence on powerful allies and techniques.
• Merit Snake Beauty demonstrates unexpected combat potential. Her control of the Heaven-Burning Flame Saber evolves into the Flame Battle Armor, showing that she can instinctively transform and improve the technique.
• The Scarlet Heaven Sword recognizes the limits of its current power and admits that it cannot match the true strength of Daoist Scarlet Firmament or Skylark. It also continues to act protectively toward Song Shuhang, despite being repeatedly swallowed by Merit Snake Beauty.
• Skylark is shown to be powerful enough to nearly destroy Song Shuhang’s defenses with a casual attack, but her unstable condition forces her to retreat.
• The Stone Giant remains immobilized and suffers the battle’s stray damage, becoming a comic victim amid the otherwise serious confrontation.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen proves attentive and helpful by recording Skylark’s actions for the Nine Provinces Number One Group.

Significant Themes

• Power disparity and survival: Song Shuhang’s thoughts emphasize the enormous gap between ordinary cultivators and beings such as Skylark, the Netherworld’s ruler.
• Improvisation and adaptation: Merit Snake Beauty’s transformation of the saber flames into armor demonstrates how unexpected applications of power can turn certain defeat into survival.
• Dependence and cooperation: Song Shuhang, Merit Snake Beauty, and the Scarlet Heaven Sword must combine their abilities to withstand Skylark’s attack.
• Humor amid danger: Song Shuhang’s worries about becoming a “one-armed hero,” the Stone Giant’s helpless suffering, and Merit Snake Beauty’s obsession with swallowing the sword lighten the intense battle.
• Mystery and hidden powers: The sudden appearance of the lotus and its energy-devouring roots introduces another unexplained force capable of neutralizing the Evil-Energy Battle Axe.

Important Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang tries to rescue Merit Snake Beauty and the Scarlet Heaven Sword through the Core World, but the axe prevents him from doing so.
• The Scarlet Heaven Sword guides and supports Merit Snake Beauty while analyzing the limits of their combined technique.
• Merit Snake Beauty protects herself with the Flame Battle Armor, then later ignores the sword’s protests and swallows it again.
• Skylark observes Merit Snake Beauty’s unexpected defense with surprise before retreating.
• Song Shuhang and Su Clan’s Sixteen discuss preserving evidence of Skylark’s condition so the other members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group can help.
• Song Shuhang jokingly proposes attacking the Stone Giant again, while the Scarlet Heaven Sword explains that another coordinated strike would require recovery time.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang and his allies remain trapped in a dangerous confrontation with the Stone Giant, a Longevity Immortal. The giant is bound and engulfed in Heavenly Fire, but another use of the Ninth-Grade Heaven-Burning Flame Saber is not yet possible.
• Scarlet Heaven warns that the technique will take longer to recharge than expected. The Stone Giant begins breaking through its internal restraints, making Song Shuhang consider fleeing.
• Song Shuhang realizes escape would be nearly useless against an enemy capable of crossing space instantly. He therefore asks Scarlet Heaven Sword to contact Daoist Master Scarlet Firmament, who originally wounded the Stone Giant and is the person it hates most.
• Scarlet Heaven Sword reaches Scarlet Firmament despite his initial claim that he is busy. Scarlet Firmament opens a Space Gate and sends only his right hand through it.
• Scarlet Firmament’s hand restrains the Stone Giant with another powerful binding Rune, lifts it into the air, and throws it through the Space Gate. The Stone Giant furiously challenges him to fight again after it recovers.
• Before leaving, the hand makes several ambiguous gestures toward Song Shuhang’s group and Scarlet Heaven Sword, humorously confusing the sword. Scarlet Heaven Sword remains inside Merit Snake Beauty rather than being taken back.
• Scarlet Firmament later explains that he wants Scarlet Heaven Sword to stay with Song Shuhang, protect him, and possibly guide him in using the Heaven-Burning Flame Saber. He considers this partial compensation because he has effectively taken Song Shuhang’s “prey,” the Stone Giant.
• Song Shuhang, Su Clan’s Sixteen, Shi, and Xiao Cai continue descending the mountain. As they pass the former Barrier Gate, night suddenly falls around them, revealing a bright full moon and star-filled sky.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang remains cautious and pragmatic. He recognizes the overwhelming danger posed by the Stone Giant and understands that relying on retreat or imprisoning it in his Core World would be impossible.
• Scarlet Heaven Sword acts as an intermediary between Song Shuhang and Scarlet Firmament. It shows concern for Song Shuhang’s safety but also becomes increasingly exasperated by Scarlet Firmament’s casual attitude and refusal to retrieve it.
• Daoist Master Scarlet Firmament demonstrates overwhelming power by neutralizing the Stone Giant with only one hand. Despite his jokingly detached manner, he appears interested in Song Shuhang’s development and deliberately assigns Scarlet Heaven Sword to protect and advise him.
• The Stone Giant shifts from desperation to fury when Scarlet Firmament arrives. Its hatred of Scarlet Firmament is reinforced, while its vulnerability emphasizes the difference in power between the two Longevity Immortals.
• Merit Snake Beauty remains silent and unmoving, continuing to contain Scarlet Heaven Sword and adding to the comedic exchange.

Significant Themes

• Power and helplessness: Song Shuhang is forced to recognize that, despite his considerable abilities, he is powerless against a Longevity Immortal.
• Protection and mentorship: Scarlet Heaven Firmament’s decision to leave Scarlet Heaven Sword with Song Shuhang suggests an emerging relationship in which Song Shuhang will receive guidance for mastering the Flame Saber.
• Debt and compensation: The Stone Giant is treated as Song Shuhang’s “prey,” and Scarlet Firmament frames his intervention and the sword’s protection as a form of repayment.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter contrasts a life-threatening battle with Scarlet Firmament’s absurd hand gestures, casual remarks, and Scarlet Heaven Sword’s frustration.
• Transition and renewal: The group’s descent from the mountain and arrival under the full moon mark a shift away from the immediate crisis and toward the next stage of their journey.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang consults Scarlet Heaven Sword about the Flame Saber’s cooldown and asks it to summon Scarlet Firmament.
• Scarlet Heaven Sword and Scarlet Firmament exchange sarcastic, casual remarks, especially over the sword’s refusal to be retrieved.
• Scarlet Firmament confronts and captures the Stone Giant, whose furious protests highlight their longstanding rivalry.
• Scarlet Firmament indirectly establishes Scarlet Heaven Sword as Song Shuhang’s protector and potential instructor.
• The chapter ends with Song Shuhang traveling alongside Su Clan’s Sixteen, Shi, and Xiao Cai while Merit Snake Beauty carries Scarlet Heaven Sword.

Chapter Summary: “Those with Affinity Will Meet Across Ten Thousand Miles”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang and his companions leave Spirit Mountain late at night, realizing they will not have time to return to Wenzhou City for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Song asks Scarlet Heaven Sword about the red crystal found beneath Onion Lady’s roots. Scarlet Heaven Sword explains that it was left by Master Scarlet Firmament and is intended to help Onion Lady develop the Monster Body, a special physique that enhances cultivation and combat ability.
• Onion Lady cannot use the crystal immediately because her cultivation is too low. She must first reach at least the Fourth-Grade Realm before she can be transplanted onto it. Until then, cultivating near the crystal will benefit her.
• The crystal’s fire attribute means Onion Lady’s future Monster Body will likely possess fire-related qualities, leading Shi to jokingly imagine a “flaming scallion sprout.”
• Song gathers ginseng, lingzhi, and other herbs from the mountain and transplants them into his Core World, hoping they will recover after being drained of their medicinal power by the mountain’s barrier formation.
• Song worries about the full-moon battle he believes Winter Melon Sage Lord may still initiate. He learns that Scarlet Heaven Sword will be ready to cooperate in using the Heaven-Burning Flame Saber again in about an hour.
• Nearby, Winter Melon Sage Lord arrives with reporters from several major cultivator media organizations. He publicly announces that he has abandoned his planned battle with Song Shuhang after witnessing Song’s terrifying arsenal of Heavenly Tribulation Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, as well as his spatial techniques.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord admits that Song may be more frightening than some veteran Profound Sages and says he would rather fight one of them than Song.
• Instead, he announces that he will challenge the mysterious Melon-Eating Sage, a veteran sage who became a sage thirteen hundred years ago and may even have reached the Ninth-Grade Realm. The reporters are confused because this Sage Name does not appear in their records.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang continues to act as a caretaker toward Onion Lady, seeking ways to improve her cultivation and remove her from the restrictive Enlightenment Stone. He also shows his usual mixture of anxiety and confidence regarding potential battles.
• Onion Lady is revealed to have significant untapped potential. Although her cultivation has progressed unusually slowly, the Scarlet Crystal offers her the opportunity to gain a powerful Monster Body.
• Scarlet Heaven Sword demonstrates detailed knowledge of Onion Lady’s inheritance and remains eager to participate in combat. Its enthusiasm for the Heaven-Burning Flame Saber further highlights its unusual personality and unconventional “skill tree.”
• Shi participates in the conversation with lighthearted humor, while also showing interest in Onion Lady’s possible fire-based transformation.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord undergoes a notable shift from aggressive challenger to cautious evaluator. After recognizing the overwhelming gap between himself and Song, he openly admits defeat rather than pursuing a hopeless battle.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation opportunities and delayed potential: Onion Lady possesses a powerful inheritance, but her weak realm prevents her from using it immediately. Progress requires patience and gradual improvement.
• The overwhelming power of preparation: Song’s stockpile of Heavenly Tribulation weapons makes even an experienced Profound Sage reconsider challenging him, emphasizing how resources and preparation can rival or exceed conventional cultivation strength.
• Reputation and public perception: Winter Melon Sage Lord’s statement to multiple media organizations elevates Song’s reputation throughout the cultivation world, reinforcing his status as an exceptionally dangerous and mysterious figure.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter balances discussions of powerful physiques, battles, and terrifying weapons with jokes about a “flaming scallion sprout” and Scarlet Heaven Sword’s strange obsession with saber techniques.
• Mystery and hidden identities: The unexplained existence of the Melon-Eating Sage introduces a new mystery, suggesting that official records may not contain the full truth about powerful cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Song and Scarlet Heaven Sword discuss the Scarlet Crystal, Onion Lady’s future Monster Body, and the conditions required for her transformation.
• Song, Sixteen, and Shi briefly discuss whether cultivators celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, highlighting the difference between ordinary human customs and the long lives of cultivators.
• Song and Scarlet Heaven Sword discuss a possible future confrontation with Winter Melon Sage Lord, with Scarlet Heaven Sword offering to guide Song in using the Heaven-Burning Flame Saber.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord speaks candidly with the assembled reporters, explaining why he withdrew from his challenge to Song and revealing his intention to fight the enigmatic Melon-Eating Sage.

Key plot points and events

• Reporters learn that Winter Melon Sage Lord is seeking a duel with someone called Melon-Eating Sage. They head to Spirit Mountain to cover what they expect will be a clash between two Profound Sages.
• Song Shuhang leaves Spirit Mountain with Shi, Su Clan’s Sixteen, Xiao Cai, and the Merit Snake Beauty. When his Sage Seal senses a hostile Profound Sage approaching, he assumes Winter Melon Sage Lord has come to challenge him again.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord arrives beneath an artificially enlarged full moon, unaware that his supposed opponent is not the person he expected. He recognizes Song Shuhang as Saint Lord Tyrant Song and realizes his dramatic arrival could look like another challenge.
• Song calmly asks whether Winter Melon has found a way to counter his “spell”—the Heavenly Tribulation bombs. Winter Melon admits he has not.
• The Scarlet Heaven Sword offers to help Song unleash a powerful but controlled Heaven-Burning Flame Saber strike. Before Song can act, Winter Melon explains the misunderstanding: he came to challenge Melon-Eating Sage and demonstrate his Defensive Dao.
• Since Song is there, Winter Melon asks him to hit him with a Heavenly Tribulation Atomic Bomb so he can assess the threat before facing Melon-Eating Sage.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang remains wary of Winter Melon’s persistence and initially prepares for another confrontation, but learns that he has mistaken the situation. He is also relieved to discover the Scarlet Heaven Sword can assist sooner than expected.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord shows commitment to his Defensive Dao: he is willing to face an opponent despite admitting he has less than a one-in-ten chance of winning. His bold challenge turns into a request to test Song’s bombs.
• Shi reflects on how much she enjoys traveling with Song, learning from battles, and sharing his adventures, though she expects her sect may soon call her back.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen pragmatically suggests avoiding Winter Melon, while Xiao Cai and Shi readily affirm their loyalty to Song.

Significant themes

• Misunderstandings and mistaken identities: The reporters’ speculation about “Melon-Eating Sage” and Song’s assumption that Winter Melon has come for him drive the chapter’s humor.
• Reputation and spectacle: The reporters chase a dramatic story, while Winter Melon stages his arrival with an oversized moon.
• Conviction over victory: Winter Melon values proving his Defensive Dao more than winning.
• Courage mixed with caution: Winter Melon seeks to test Song’s overwhelming weapon before undertaking his intended duel.

Character interactions

• Song’s companions discuss where to go next and express their wish to stay with him.
• Song and Sixteen assess the approaching threat, with Song deciding to face it rather than evade it.
• Winter Melon addresses the reporters and explains his willingness to lose for the sake of his Dao.
• Song and Winter Melon exchange formal, tense remarks before the misunderstanding is cleared up; the chapter ends with Winter Melon asking Song to demonstrate the very attack Song had assumed he was trying to counter.

Key plot points and events

• Winter Melon Sage Lord eagerly asks Song Shuhang to test his defenses by hitting him with a Heavenly Tribulation Atomic Bomb, offering to pay for the opportunity.
• Shuhang refuses to detonate one in China, but agrees to settle things with a single strike instead.
• Winter Melon prepares an extraordinary defense, combining golden armor, a shield disguised as a greatsword, holy-light spells, a Paladin Aura, Vajra Body, and multiple resistance-enhancing inscriptions.
• Shuhang draws the Scarlet Heaven Sword from Merit Snake Beauty, startling the watching reporters, who mistake the spectacle for a new manifestation of his Merit Light.
• After warning the reporters to retreat, Shuhang names his attack Heaven-Burning Flame Saber and advances. The chapter ends as he unleashes its blazing strike, before its impact is shown.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang remains cautious about the damage his supposed “nuclear” attack could cause, but agrees to demonstrate his strength with a controlled, decisive blow. He relies on Scarlet Heaven Sword to assess whether Winter Melon’s defenses can be pierced.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord is revealed as an obsessive specialist in defense, yet is eager to test himself against Shuhang. He prefers a direct strike to the atomic-bomb test he initially requested.
• Merit Snake Beauty acts playfully and intimately, drawing Shuhang into her embrace before letting him pull the Scarlet Heaven Sword from her body.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Shuhang’s “nuclear” attack is a bluffing tool rather than a dependable weapon, and the reporters misinterpret the sword’s unusual appearance.
• Specialization and limits: Winter Melon’s defenses are astonishingly comprehensive, but Scarlet Heaven Sword points out that his realm is his vulnerability.
• Power and responsibility: Shuhang refuses to risk widespread destruction, even when offered a tempting opportunity to demonstrate his strength.

Character interactions

• Winter Melon’s enthusiastic request puts Shuhang in an awkward position, and Shuhang’s attempt to avoid the test leads to a one-strike compromise.
• Shuhang consults Scarlet Heaven Sword, which comments on Winter Melon’s defenses and confirms they can be overcome.
• The reporters react with alarm, disappointment, and confusion, interpreting Shuhang’s actions through their own assumptions as the confrontation begins.

Key plot points

• Song Shuhang advances on Winter Melon Sage Lord, gathering overwhelming Saber Intent and heat around the Scarlet Heaven Sword. Even the reporters, watching from a kilometer away, are forced to retreat.
• At the sword’s calculated safe range, Song unleashes Heaven-Burning. Its flames overwhelm Winter Melon’s protective spells, fire-resistant inscriptions, and other defenses, then break his Natal Dharma Artifact’s shield and his golden Armor Intent.
• Just as Song expects to stop the blow short and declare victory, Winter Melon summons his ultimate technique, Absolute Defense: Steel Fortress. He pours his Defensive Dao and conviction into it, and the fortress withstands the attack for several breaths.
• The Scarlet Heaven Sword judges that Song has done his part and offers to deliver the finishing blow. Song withdraws the sword with a flourish; the Merit Snake Beauty takes it from him.
• The Steel Fortress cracks and shatters. Heaven-Burning presses through and stops just in front of Winter Melon, who accepts his defeat.
• As the duel ends, fragments of the shattered fortress ricochet toward Song Shuhang.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates the immense power of his offense while keeping the strike controlled enough not to hit Winter Melon directly. His calm withdrawal of the sword contrasts with the violence of the attack.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord gives his Defensive Dao everything he has. Though defeated, he recognizes the flaws in his Steel Fortress and accepts the result wholeheartedly, treating the duel as a chance to improve.
• The Scarlet Heaven Sword acts as both strategist and finisher, assessing the fortress and deciding to break Winter Melon’s defense itself.

Significant themes

• Attack versus defense: The duel tests whether an exceptional offense can overcome a defense built on conviction and years of cultivation.
• Growth through defeat: Winter Melon’s loss becomes a useful lesson, prompting him to reconsider and strengthen his technique.
• Power with control: Song’s attack is devastating, but its final force is contained and halted before it harms his opponent.

Character interactions

• Song and the Scarlet Heaven Sword coordinate during the duel: the sword evaluates Winter Melon’s technique, then tells Song to withdraw and leave the final blow to it.
• Winter Melon’s challenge and defeat earn the attention of Song’s companions and the reporters, who watch the duel as a public contest between two renowned sages.
• After the fortress breaks, Winter Melon acknowledges Song’s victory; the onlookers’ warning about the flying debris leaves the scene on a sudden note of danger.

• Key events: After defeating Winter Melon Sage Lord, Song Shuhang realizes he has finally broken Copper Trigram’s famously reversed bad-luck hex. His satisfaction is interrupted when fragments of the shattered Steel Fortress hurtle toward him. The Merit Snake Beauty instinctively shields him, is pierced, and theatrically “dies” with an overblown melodramatic plea for him to care for her Third Senior Brother. Meanwhile, Song and the Scarlet Heaven Sword gather the lingering energy of his Heaven-Burning Flame Saber and form it into flame armor. The armor burns and shrinks the fragments, then rebounds them—sending them toward Winter Melon. Winter Melon blocks them with a golden shield that also reflects attacks, creating a comic volley of fragments between the two sages.
• Character developments: Song Shuhang’s victory confirms his growing ability to turn saber intent into both offense and defense. He remains resourceful, weighing escape options before successfully forming the armor. The Merit Snake Beauty demonstrates her protective instinct, though her solemn sacrifice is undercut by her habit of borrowing melodramatic death scenes. Winter Melon’s deep-rooted defensive habits emerge: he carries many shields and automatically activates protective techniques.
• Interactions: Su Clan’s Sixteen, Shi, Xiao Cai, and reporters warn Song of the incoming danger. The Scarlet Heaven Sword guides him through forming the armor, while the Merit Snake Beauty protects him. Winter Melon explains to the baffled reporters that the armor is saber intent, not armor intent, and then becomes Song’s accidental partner in a back-and-forth shield-and-flame volley.
• Themes and tone: The chapter pairs cultivation spectacle with absurd comedy. It highlights adaptability and the blending of offense and defense, while parodying melodramatic sacrifice and puncturing the grandeur of a sage-level battle with an improvised game of “table tennis.”

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang leaves Spirit Mountain with Su Clan’s Sixteen, Shi, and Xiao Cai rather than waiting to see Winter Melon Sage Lord’s next challenge. He suspects the meeting between Winter Melon Sage Lord and the mysterious Melon-Eating Sage was arranged too conveniently.
• Before leaving, he leaves a fragment of his Merit Light behind. Its newly discovered “eye” lets him watch Spirit Mountain remotely, so the group settles in his Core World to wait for Melon-Eating Sage’s arrival. The challenger meditates, but Melon-Eating Sage never appears during the chapter.
• Sixteen shares a video of Skylark in the Nine Provinces Number One Group. Skylark’s changing hair and shifting personalities suggest she may be possessed or otherwise altered; she says she has not yet passed her eighth-grade Demon Tribulation, then returns to the Netherworld.
• The group discusses how to help Skylark. Four Waves volunteers to search the Netherworld, though Shuhang cautions that it is enormous and says he will ask around first.
• Asked whether he met Winter Melon Sage Lord, Shuhang boasts that he won their rematch with one saber strike, cutting through the Sage Lord’s defenses. The group doubts him, assuming a Fourth-Grade cultivator could not defeat a genuine Eighth-Grade Profound Sage.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang shows growing ingenuity with his Merit Light, while remaining playful and eager to boast about his victory. He also looks after his companions, offering Shi a bed and encouraging Xiao Cai’s training.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen voices doubts about the strange circumstances surrounding the challenge and takes the initiative to share Skylark’s video with the group.
• Xiao Cai chooses training over internet access, and Shuhang promises to arrange further instruction for her.
• Four Waves impulsively volunteers to venture into the Netherworld, prompting concern and skepticism from the group.
• The group’s affectionate banter turns to worry over Skylark, then to disbelief when Shuhang claims victory.

Significant themes

• Mystery and suspicion: Melon-Eating Sage’s absence and Winter Melon Sage Lord’s oddly convenient arrival suggest a larger setup.
• Uncertainty about identity and condition: Skylark’s transformations raise questions about possession, the Demon Tribulation, and her return to the Netherworld.
• Comedy and social awkwardness: Shuhang’s dramatic claim of victory meets an uncomfortable group silence and gentle attempts to reassure—or humor—him.

Plot points and events

• The Nine Provinces Number One Group tries to console Song Shuhang after his apparent loss to Winter Melon Sage Lord. Soft Feather notices that the footage showed a saber strike despite Shuhang holding a sword, giving him the chance to explain.
• Shuhang says he borrowed Scarlet Heaven Sword, which can help him unleash one exceptionally powerful Heaven-Burning Flame Saber strike. He used it to stun Winter Melon Sage Lord and settle their confrontation in a single move. The technique is powerful but cannot be repeated freely because it strains both the sword’s energy and Shuhang’s body.
• The group debates whether Copper Trigram’s prediction that Shuhang would lose was actually correct—or whether Iron Trigram made it. Iron Trigram denies being responsible, leaving the group to conclude Copper Trigram may have made an unusually accurate prediction.
• Shuhang is especially pleased when others call him the “Black Trigram Terminator,” apparently enjoying that distinction even more than his victory.
• Lay Buddhist Xian Gong returns to the group from his Sixth-to-Seventh Advancement Heavenly Tribulation, which has lasted seven days and nights. He reports that it has grown increasingly bizarre and is now forming something resembling a nuclear bomb—despite such a phenomenon normally being associated with a higher-level tribulation.

Character developments and interactions

• The seniors’ concern for Shuhang comes through in their supportive messages, though their teasing and speculation soon turn the exchange into comic group banter.
• Shuhang moves from embarrassment about the loss narrative to pride in explaining his one-strike victory, then takes particular delight in being credited with disrupting Copper Trigram’s reputation for wrong predictions.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen quietly enjoys Shuhang’s reactions, recognizing that the “Black Trigram Terminator” title makes him happier than the fight itself.
• Soft Feather’s sincere questions prompt Shuhang’s explanation, while her father, Venerable Spirit Butterfly, reminds her to focus on consolidating her realm.
• Xian Gong’s warning about his tribulation shifts the conversation from jokes to concern: his past trauma involving a nuclear explosion makes the appearance of a nuclear-bomb-like attack especially alarming.

Significant themes

• Reputation and perception: Shuhang’s apparent defeat is overturned by context, while the group’s view of Copper Trigram hinges on his reputation as a bad predictor.
• Support mixed with teasing: The seniors comfort Shuhang but also turn his situation into affectionate humor.
• Limits and risk of power: Shuhang’s spectacular borrowed technique has strict costs, and Xian Gong’s tribulation shows how dangerous advancement can be.
• Fate and recurring trauma: The nuclear-like tribulation attack suggests Xian Gong may be tied to the very danger he fears, raising the comic but ominous possibility of a “Nuclear Bond.”

Key plot points and events

• During his Sixth-to-Seventh advancement tribulation, Lay Buddhist Xian Gong faces strange attacks shaped like fighter jets, followed by what appears to be a Heavenly Tribulation nuclear missile silo and atomic bomb.
• He warns the Nine Provinces Number One Group that the tribulation is dangerous. The others explain that they already know about the modernized Heavenly Tribulation, but had been unable to reach him.
• Soft Feather suggests the unusual “Head-Hugging Crouch Defense,” a pose supposedly used by recent Sages. Song Shuhang privately knows those poses were caused by his Premium Puppet.
• Song Shuhang reasons that if the bomb can explode in the Present World, its power must be limited enough for Xian Gong to survive. The group anxiously waits and posts candle emojis—mistakenly treating them as memorial candles.
• After about five minutes, Xian Gong returns online, safe and newly advanced to Venerable. He explains that the bomb did explode, but its shock wave was surprisingly weak—less powerful than the earlier fighter-jet bombardment.
• The group congratulates him, and he promises to celebrate with them after cleaning up the tribulation site.

Character developments and interactions

• Lay Buddhist Xian Gong moves from dramatic resignation to relief and laughter after surviving. His advance gives the group another Venerable.
• Song Shuhang offers a reassuring theory based on his knowledge of Heavenly Tribulation bombs, then quietly reveals his awareness of the origin of the strange tribulation poses.
• Soft Feather offers her peculiar defensive advice; Northern River’s Loose Cultivator, Fairy Lychee, and Mad Saber Four Waves help assess the danger and ask questions.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain steadies the group and confirms Xian Gong is safe. The members’ worry and shared congratulations show their close bond.

Significant themes

• Friendship and fear of loss: The group’s anxious waiting recalls a past cultivator friend lost during a tribulation. Their relief underlines how painful death remains, even for cultivators.
• Courage amid uncertainty: Xian Gong faces what seems like certain death, while his friends offer advice and encouragement despite not knowing what will happen.
• Humor amid danger: The absurdly modernized tribulation, the crouching defense, and the candle-emoji misunderstanding balance the life-threatening stakes with comedy.

• Xian Gong survives a bizarre tribulation: Lay Buddhist Xian Gong’s Seventh-Grade tribulation escalates into a Heavenly Tribulation Nuclear Bomb. At the moment of detonation, he and the bomb are transported into an independent realm he suspects is the Tribulation World. An immense will freezes time, scans him, and ejects him back to the world, where he survives with devastating leg injuries and completes his advancement to Seventh Grade. He cannot explain the experience aloud, so he tells the Nine Provinces Number One Group only that he is safe.
• The visions deepen his disbelief: After the tribulation, Xian Gong sees the ongoing Profound Sage broadcasts: Song Shuhang appearing as Profound Sage Tyrannical Song with several familiar cultivators, and Winter Melon Sage Lord giving a lecture and challenging him. Shocked that Shuhang seems to have reached Eighth Grade, Xian Gong wonders if he is still trapped in a Heart Demon illusion. He also suspects the strange tribulation may point to a problem with Heaven.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord waits for his duel: At Spirit Mountain, Winter Melon Sage Lord—rested and ready to test his defensive Dao—waits with reporters for Melon-Eating Sage. He trusts that the senior will keep his promise, and the reporters are content to wait after already securing worthwhile material.
• A mix-up is revealed: Melon-Eating Sage finally calls, angrily complaining that he has waited for Winter Melon at Mount Hua. Winter Melon explains that he followed the coordinates Melon-Eating Sage had sent and is instead beneath Spirit Mountain. The two realize they have been waiting at different locations. Melon-Eating Sage abruptly softens and awkwardly asks whether any Merit cultivators are nearby.
  Character and thematic notes: Xian Gong’s ordeal leaves him physically damaged, more fearful of nuclear weapons, and shaken in his understanding of the world; his inability to disclose what happened adds mystery to the Tribulation World and Heaven’s apparent instability. Winter Melon Sage Lord’s sincere faith in Melon-Eating contrasts with the latter’s irritable, elder-like bluster, while their location mishap provides comic relief. The chapter juxtaposes the danger and uncertainty of cultivation’s changing heavenly rules with the absurdity of mistaken expectations and public spectacle.

Plot points and events

• Winter Melon Sage Lord asks the gathered reporters whether anyone can lend Melon-Eating Sage Protective Merit Light. Melon-Eating Sage says he can use it to manifest briefly and promises substantial benefits to the helper.
• Only Temple Channel reporter Hu Beidong qualifies: his Merit Power recently formed Protective Merit Light. He eagerly agrees and provides his coordinates.
• Song Shuhang explains the plan to Shi and Xiao Cai while they watch the broadcast. As Melon-Eating Sage’s technique begins, the spectacle overwhelms Shi, and Song uses his Innate True Essence to ease her discomfort.
• The golden clouds unexpectedly veer away from Hu Beidong and gather around the tiny trace of Merit Light Song Shuhang had left at the scene. The broadcast goes black, leaving Song stunned.
• At Spirit Mountain, the clouds land in empty air a hundred meters from the reporters. A Daoist figure gradually forms there, prompting the reporters to record his appearance and try to identify him.

Character developments and interactions

• Hu Beidong seizes an unexpected chance to assist a veteran Profound Sage, displaying enthusiasm and ambition.
• Song Shuhang cares for Shi and Xiao Cai, explains the dangers of witnessing a Profound Sage’s techniques, and is bewildered when the technique appears to target his leftover Merit Light instead.
• Shi asks questions about the difference between Song’s earlier duel and a genuine Profound Sage’s display, learning that Scarlet Heaven Sword had shielded her.
• Xiao Cai jokes that Song is a “fake Profound Sage,” prompting him to clarify the protection he received.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen notices the clouds’ strange movement and suspects Song is involved.
• The reporters and Winter Melon Sage Lord share shock as Melon-Eating Sage’s manifestation misses its intended landing point.

Significant themes

• Merit and opportunity: Merit Light can enable extraordinary techniques, and Hu Beidong views helping as a chance for future fortune.
• The gap in power: Even a broadcast of a Profound Sage’s technique can distress weaker cultivators.
• Unpredictability and comic mishap: A carefully arranged manifestation goes awry, seemingly redirected toward Song Shuhang’s residual Merit Light.
• Identity and reputation: The reporters attempt to match the newly manifested sage with historical records, setting up the mystery of who he is.

Plot points and events

• Melon-Eating Sage appears through a secret technique, apparently using paladin Hu Beidong’s Merit Light, though Hu insists the Sage never descended into it. The Sage has little time and turns to his promised task: testing Winter Melon Sage Lord’s defenses.
• Reporters gather to film the encounter, but cannot match Melon-Eating Sage to any known Profound Sage from the past.
• Winter Melon activates his full defensive setup. Melon-Eating attacks with sound-powered blasts: the louder his roar, the stronger the strike. Winter Melon answers with equally forceful shouts to reinforce his defenses.
• After steadily testing Winter Melon, Melon-Eating uses the Dust-Banishing Cannon, breaking through the shield, spells, auras, and Armor Intent.
• Winter Melon then unveils his ultimate defense, Steel Fortress, a combination of paladin and Cultivation Chat system techniques. Melon-Eating recognizes it as a distinctive, masterful defensive path and tests its limits.
• The chapter ends with the two still roaring amid golden light. Melon-Eating appears to be gaining the advantage as Winter Melon’s shouts weaken.

Character development and interactions

• Winter Melon Sage Lord shows his respect and gratitude toward Melon-Eating, whom he credits with helping him persevere. He demonstrates how far his defensive path has developed, willingly exposing its limits to his former mentor.
• Melon-Eating Sage is both impressed by Winter Melon’s dedication and wistful about his own apparently stalled path. He treats the battle as a final act of guidance, carefully escalating his force rather than trying to defeat Winter Melon immediately.
• Hu Beidong is bewildered—and so embarrassed by the misunderstanding over his Merit Light that he faints.
• The reporters’ expectations are shaped by the earlier, spectacular battle between Tyrannical Song and Winter Melon. They find this prolonged, mostly stationary contest less exciting, despite its immense power.

Significant themes

• Persistence and devotion to one’s path: Winter Melon’s unwavering commitment to defense earns his mentor’s admiration.
• Mentorship and legacy: Melon-Eating uses the fight to assess and guide his former student, even as he doubts his own future progress.
• Perception versus reality: The battle looks repetitive and almost comic, but the roars conceal the power of two Profound Sages.
• Comparison shapes judgment: The reporters’ disappointment comes largely from having just witnessed a more dramatic fight.

Key plot points and events

• Melon-Eating Sage’s attack abruptly stops when he begins coughing. He collapses, lets out the same dramatic four-note scream associated with Song Shuhang’s Merit Empress, and appears to “die.”
• Everyone realizes Melon-Eating Sage accidentally entered Song Shuhang’s Merit Light instead of the one he meant to borrow. The broadcast returns from his viewpoint, revealing that he had been lying on the ground and peeking through his eyelids.
• About ten seconds later, Melon-Eating Sage gets up, embarrassed but determined to finish the duel before his summoning technique expires.
• He unleashes Merit Great Sun, which melts Winter Melon Sage Lord’s Steel Fortress. The attack stops just short of hitting him, and Winter Melon concedes.
• Melon-Eating Sage privately explains flaws in Winter Melon’s defense. He praises Winter Melon’s progress, strengthening his confidence in his Defensive Dao.
• Melon-Eating Sage tries to end the secret technique, but repeated commands to “Release!” do nothing. The chapter ends with him realizing he is trapped: he cannot cancel it.

Character developments

• Melon-Eating Sage recovers from an involuntary, humiliating bout of “playing dead” and restores his dignified masterly image by winning the duel. His final predicament punctures that composure again.
• Winter Melon Sage Lord demonstrates a strong defense, accepts defeat without resentment, and gains useful guidance and encouragement to continue his path.
• Song Shuhang recognizes what happened through his experience with the Merit Snake Beauty and finds some amusement in seeing someone else suffer the indignity of a companion’s sudden death-like act.
• The Merit Snake Beauty appears, but remains preoccupied with the Scarlet Heaven Sword rather than answering Shuhang’s question.

Significant themes

• Comic indignity beneath great power: Even mighty sages can lose control of their bodies and become part of an absurd spectacle.
• Mentorship and growth: The duel is not merely a contest; Melon-Eating Sage uses victory to help Winter Melon improve and gain confidence.
• The unpredictable nature of merit and secret techniques: Melon-Eating Sage’s misdirected use of Song Shuhang’s Merit Light causes the chapter’s central disruption—and leaves him unable to return.

Character interactions

• Winter Melon worries that Melon-Eating Sage may be injured, but the senior reassures him and resumes the duel.
• After Winter Melon concedes, Melon-Eating Sage offers private technical advice and encouragement; Winter Melon responds with respectful gratitude.
• In the Core World, Shuhang discusses the incident with Su Clan’s Sixteen and Shi, then asks the Merit Snake Beauty what happened.

Chapter 1155 Summary: True Winter Melon Saint Dominates Ba Song

Key Plot Points and Events

• Eat Melon Saint discovers that his Merit Avatar Secret Technique has malfunctioned. Although the technique’s time limit has ended, the avatar does not disappear or return to normal.
• The only way to end the technique is for Winter Melon Saint to destroy the Merit Avatar physically.
• Winter Melon, primarily a defensive eighth-grade Mysterious Saint, has relatively weak offensive power. He transforms his shield into a greatsword, activates attack-enhancing techniques and Paladin auras, and begins attacking Eat Melon.
• Eat Melon suppresses his instinct to exploit Winter Melon’s many openings and voluntarily stands still to receive the attacks.
• Winter Melon launches seventy-eight powerful sword strikes, concealing the brutality of the assault beneath dust clouds and holy light so the reporters will not see Eat Melon being repeatedly beaten.
• Eat Melon’s avatar finally disperses into light particles, creating the appearance of a touching farewell. The reporters respectfully bid him goodbye.
• In Song Shuhang’s Core World, everyone assumes the ordeal is over. Song Shuhang jokes that the event may fulfill Copper Trigram’s earlier divination about him being “dominated” by Winter Melon Saint.
• Unexpectedly, Eat Melon’s light particles re-form. His avatar is smaller and now has Ba Song’s appearance, revealing that the technique has only weakened rather than ended.
• Eat Melon remains mentally himself and asks Winter Melon to continue attacking. Winter Melon cautiously confirms whether he is still dealing with Eat Melon or Ba Song before resuming.
• Song Shuhang realizes that the next stage may involve Winter Melon Saint literally beating an avatar bearing his own appearance. At the same time, Merit Snake Beauty prepares to unleash “Merit—Great Sun,” suggesting further complications.

Character Developments

• Eat Melon Saint: Becomes increasingly frustrated and resigned to his bizarre predicament. Despite recognizing numerous openings in Winter Melon’s attacks, he restrains himself and cooperates so the Secret Technique can be broken. He maintains a dignified, compassionate image even while being repeatedly struck.
• Winter Melon Saint: Demonstrates that, although defense is his specialty, he still possesses formidable offensive techniques. He shows consideration for Eat Melon by using dust and holy light to hide the repeated attacks from the reporters.
• Song Shuhang: Connects the event to Copper Trigram’s ominous divination and recognizes that the Merit Avatar may now be taking on his appearance. His amusement turns into apprehension as the situation threatens to become a literal “Winter Melon dominates Ba Song” scenario.
• Merit Snake Beauty: Quietly prepares another powerful Merit technique, indicating that Song Shuhang’s connection to the avatar may trigger an additional development.

Significant Themes

• Unintended consequences: Eat Melon’s Secret Technique continues far beyond its intended duration and produces an increasingly absurd result.
• Appearance versus reality: The compassionate farewell appears noble to outsiders, but in reality Eat Melon is being brutally attacked to escape the malfunctioning technique.
• Reputation and performance: Both Saints consciously manage how their actions appear to the reporters, turning a painful struggle into a dramatic and respectable spectacle.
• Fate and prophecy: Song Shuhang interprets the events through Copper Trigram’s divination, suggesting that seemingly ridiculous predictions may come true in unexpected ways.
• Comedic misfortune: The chapter transforms a serious Saint-level battle into an escalating farce involving identity confusion, forced cooperation, and repeated “deaths.”

Character Interactions

• Eat Melon explains the malfunction to Winter Melon and reluctantly asks him to destroy the avatar.
• Winter Melon respectfully prepares himself, enhances his offensive ability, and attacks according to Eat Melon’s instructions.
• Eat Melon encourages Winter Melon after the seventy-eight blows, creating the appearance of a heartfelt parting.
• The reporters praise and mourn Eat Melon, unaware of the true circumstances.
• After the avatar reforms as Ba Song, Winter Melon becomes unsure whom he is attacking, while Eat Melon insists that he is still himself.
• Song Shuhang and Su Clan’s Sixteen discuss whether the episode fulfills the earlier bad omen, while the reappearance of the avatar proves that the ordeal is not yet over.

Chapter 1156: “Her Name” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Shuhang realizes that Copper Trigram’s bad-luck hex is still affecting him. Despite his attempts to become “Song_Awesome_Shuhang,” he remains his unlucky self, and Eat Melon Saint’s Merit Clone is still wearing Song’s face during the public battle.
• Merit Snake Beauty suddenly transforms into a dazzling miniature sun, using the powerful Merit Sun technique that Eat Melon Saint had demonstrated earlier. Song Shuhang orders her to stop before she unleashes its full power.
• Song suspects Merit Snake Beauty may have copied the technique from Eat Melon Saint, or perhaps remembered it from the past. When he tries to stimulate her memories by pronouncing her mysterious ancient name, she reacts but fails to regain clear consciousness.
• Instead, Merit Snake Beauty recites a sentimental line about forgetting someone’s name and appearance but never forgetting them, causing confusion among Song Shuhang and the others. They conclude Song may have mispronounced the final part of her name.
• During the “live broadcast,” Winter Melon Saint repeatedly destroys Eat Melon Saint’s Merit Clone. Each destruction reduces the clone to half its former size, eventually leaving it at one-quarter of its original size.
• Eat Melon Saint stops the experiment and decides to bring the Merit Clone back to his main body for further study. He believes it may be the opportunity he needs to break through from the Mysterious Saint realm to the Tribulation Immortal realm, even if doing so causes serious backlash.
• While flying away, Eat Melon Saint is unknowingly redirected by Merit Snake Beauty’s influence and ends up at the entrance to Song Shuhang’s Core World.
• Song refuses to let him enter the Core World, since it is his greatest secret. He instead leaves the world to meet Eat Melon Saint, taking Merit Snake Beauty with him. She swallows Chi Xiao Sword, forcing the sword to accompany them.
• Song and Eat Melon Saint meet face-to-face. Because Eat Melon’s avatar has Song’s face, the encounter is awkward. Eat Melon initially asks Song to withdraw his Merit, but then unexpectedly produces a fortune stick, suggesting a divination or new complication is about to occur.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang: Remains frustrated by Copper Trigram’s hex and his continuing bad luck. He becomes more cautious about protecting the Core World and more determined to understand Merit Snake Beauty’s identity and connection to him.
• Merit Snake Beauty: Demonstrates independent behavior and immense power by reproducing the Merit Sun technique. Her reactions to her ancient name suggest she possesses buried memories or a deeper consciousness, though she still communicates mainly through gestures and scripted lines.
• Eat Melon Saint: Shifts from trying to dispel his Merit Clone to viewing it as a possible breakthrough opportunity. His desperation to advance toward the Tribulation Immortal realm outweighs his concern about the Secret Technique’s harmful after-effects.
• Winter Melon Saint: Continues testing and attacking Eat Melon’s clone but respects his decision to end the experiment. Their exchange reflects mutual respect between fellow cultivators.
• Chi Xiao Sword: Tries to preserve its dignity as a divine weapon but is forcibly swallowed by Merit Snake Beauty and dragged into the confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Identity and memory: The chapter repeatedly questions whether Merit Snake Beauty remembers her true name, past, or connection to Song Shuhang.
• Fate and bad luck: Copper Trigram’s hex continues influencing events, including Eat Melon Saint’s strange flight path toward Song’s Core World.
• Power and opportunity: Eat Melon Saint views the dangerous Merit Clone as a rare chance for advancement, emphasizing the risks cultivators take to break through their limits.
• Appearance versus reality: Eat Melon Saint’s use of Song’s face creates confusion and highlights the difference between physical appearance and true identity.
• Secrets and trust: Song refuses to reveal the Core World to Eat Melon Saint, showing the importance of discretion even among powerful cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Song, Su Clan’s A-Sixteen, Shi, and Xiao Cai observe and discuss Merit Snake Beauty’s strange behavior.
• Song repeatedly attempts to pronounce Merit Snake Beauty’s ancient name, while A-Sixteen and Shi encourage him, believing the correct pronunciation may awaken her memories.
• Winter Melon Saint and Eat Melon Saint part respectfully after their battle, with Eat Melon choosing research over continued combat.
• Song and Eat Melon exchange formal greetings when they meet, though Song is visibly uncomfortable seeing his own face on Eat Melon’s avatar.
• Merit Snake Beauty’s actions—blinding the group with Merit Sun and swallowing Chi Xiao Sword—continue to disrupt Song’s plans and shape the chapter’s events.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Eat Melon Saint examines a mysterious divination slip that displays the message “Just Now,” which he deciphers using a cipher table given to him by the cultivator from whom he won the slip.
• He explains that he obtained the slip through a wager with a strange cultivator who had wanted materials from him. Eat Melon Saint suspects the slip was intentionally given to him and that it reacts to Song Shuhang or his merit power.
• Song Shuhang, unable to interpret the slip, asks Chi Xiao Sword for help. Before he can return it, Merit Snake Beauty takes the slip and eats it.
• Merit Snake Beauty then forcibly dispels Eat Melon Saint’s possession technique, reclaiming the Merit Avatar and restoring her own damaged body.
• Back in his true body on Mount Hua, Eat Melon Saint discovers that another message has appeared on the slip: “Now is the moment.” He concludes that the omen is connected to his meeting with Song Shuhang and decides to seek him out again, believing Song Shuhang may be linked to his hope of advancing to the Tribulation Immortal realm.
• Eat Melon Saint reveals his true form as a gigantic, scaled whale with claws and flies away.
• Afterward, Song Shuhang and Su Clan’s A-Sixteen travel to the seaside near Wenzhou City. A-Sixteen relaxes on the beach, discusses Su Clan’s A-Seven beginning his tribulation, and suggests catching a huge fish. She dives into the ocean, with Song Shuhang following.

Character Developments

• Eat Melon Saint becomes increasingly intrigued and frustrated by the cryptic divination slip. His curiosity develops into a firm determination to investigate Song Shuhang and the connection between the slip and merit power.
• Song Shuhang remains cautious about divination but becomes curious about the slip’s significance. He also continues to adapt to Merit Snake Beauty’s unpredictable behavior.
• Merit Snake Beauty demonstrates unusual independence and power by eating the slip, forcibly ending Eat Melon Saint’s possession, and recovering the Merit Avatar’s energy for herself.
• Su Clan’s A-Sixteen appears cheerful and relaxed, showing a playful side as she enjoys the beach and spontaneously decides to go fishing with Song Shuhang.

Significant Themes

• Mystery and fate: The incomplete messages—“Just Now” and “Now is the moment”—suggest a major event or destiny tied to Song Shuhang and Eat Melon Saint.
• Unpredictability of cultivation powers: Merit Snake Beauty acts in unexpected ways, turning a seemingly important divination artifact into food and effortlessly overriding Eat Melon Saint’s technique.
• Seeking breakthroughs: Eat Melon Saint’s desire to reach the Tribulation Immortal realm motivates his pursuit of Song Shuhang.
• Relaxation amid danger: The chapter shifts from supernatural mystery and pursuit to a peaceful, playful seaside interlude, emphasizing the characters’ personal bond and temporary escape from conflict.

Character Interactions

• Eat Melon Saint and Song Shuhang discuss the divination slip, with Song Shuhang questioning its meaning and origins.
• Song Shuhang consults Chi Xiao Sword, but the sword dismisses divination as unrelated to its nature.
• Merit Snake Beauty unexpectedly intervenes, eating the slip and ending Eat Melon Saint’s possession, leaving both men stunned.
• Eat Melon Saint later interprets the new message and resolves to contact Song Shuhang again.
• At the beach, Song Shuhang and A-Sixteen share a lighthearted conversation about Su Clan’s A-Seven’s tribulation before playfully setting off to catch a large fish together.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang follows Su Clan’s Sixteen underwater after she dives off. He uses Venerable White’s Turtle-Breathing Technique to keep up.
• They glimpse a White Dragon. Sixteen is secretly exhausted because the dragon drained her energy before leaving for the Dragon King Hall, but she cannot explain this due to an agreement.
• Sixteen asks Song to carry her while they search for a large fish. They chase fish for fun, avoiding powerful techniques and using the pursuit to practice Song’s Blade Flight.
• Their “catch” turns out to be Melon-Eating Sage, an enormous, island-sized mutated whale and Eighth-Grade cultivator. He greets Song as an old acquaintance.
• A disheveled Confucian scholar appears, announces that the whale would make a delicious meal, then becomes emotional at the mention of the Confucian School and rushes away. Song recognizes him as Daozi, foremost of the Sage’s Thirteen Tribulation Immortals, and plans to tell True Lord Eternal Fire.
• Song notices that Melon-Eating Sage resembles his developing Fat Whale Phantom Core. The whale says he came specifically to ask Song for help understanding a previous divination, which he suspects was connected to Song or his Merit Light.

Character developments and interactions

• Sixteen is playful and eager to keep fishing, but her unusual weakness hints at a concealed encounter with the White Dragon. She rests on Song’s back and keeps her secret.
• Song is patient and accommodating, though he jokes about using shortcuts; he ultimately follows Sixteen’s preference for catching fish by hand.
• Melon-Eating Sage is startled by Daozi’s appetite and relieved when the scholar leaves. He then approaches Song directly for help.
• Song recognizes Daozi and notices the striking resemblance between the whale and his Phantom Core, raising questions about their connection.

Significant themes

• Trust and secrecy: Sixteen withholds the truth about the White Dragon, while Song senses that important information remains hidden.
• Play and practice: The fish chase turns training into recreation, emphasizing Sixteen’s preference for effort and fun over easy solutions.
• Unexpected danger and absurdity: A lighthearted fishing trip becomes a meeting with an immense cultivator and a powerful, unpredictable Confucian immortal.
• Mystery and connection: The whale’s resemblance to Song’s Phantom Core and its divination-related request suggest a deeper link yet to be explained.

Chapter Summary: “For More Information, Please Consult...”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Melon-Eating Sage admits that he has no idea what his divination result, “It’s now!”, means. He only knows it is connected to Song Shuhang or his Merit Light and may point toward his long-awaited breakthrough into the Ninth-Grade Tribulation Immortal Realm.
• Hoping to remain near Song Shuhang long enough to discover the divination’s meaning, Melon-Eating Sage proposes living with him. Song Shuhang rejects the idea because they barely know each other and because the enormous, powerful sage would compromise his privacy.
• Song Shuhang realizes that Melon-Eating Sage may cling to him regardless, so he offers to use his Appraisal Secret Method to investigate the problem.
• The appraisal severely injures Song Shuhang, causing him to bleed heavily. Melon-Eating Sage immediately uses multiple Healing Spells and offers him Dragon-Whale Pills, which are refined from Melon-Eating Sage’s own divine-beast blood.
• The appraisal reveals that Melon-Eating Sage is actually Whale Chigua, a mutated Colossal Whale with divine-beast bloodline. His cultivation method, Merit Art of Worldly Dual Perfection, is incomplete and prevents him from advancing beyond the Eighth-Grade Profound Sage Realm.
• Melon-Eating Sage explains that he cannot switch cultivation methods because his body has become completely adapted to his current one. He is also incapable of completing it himself because its mysterious creator was far too powerful.
• Song Shuhang successfully appraises the divination slip and learns that “It’s now!” means: “Honestly ask your question.” The message directs him to consult the Flower of the Ancient Heavenly Court, identified with the cryptic name ＠＃％×Fairy.
• Song Shuhang connects this figure to the Merit Snake Beauty, whose Merit Light resembles that of ＠＃％×Fairy. Although the snake beauty has never properly communicated with him, Song Shuhang decides to summon her and attempt to ask for answers.

Character Developments

• Song Shuhang demonstrates greater mastery over the Appraisal Secret Method. He can now control its effects better and avoid life-threatening consequences, though the technique still causes intense pain and bleeding.
• He also shows practical thinking: rather than allowing Melon-Eating Sage to follow him indefinitely, he tries to uncover the meaning of the divination and solve the sage’s problem.
• Melon-Eating Sage reveals his desperation to advance realms. He is willing to abandon his dignity and shamelessly attach himself to Song Shuhang if that might lead to the opportunity for advancement.
• His background becomes clearer: he is an exceptionally powerful but unusually constrained cultivator, trapped by an incomplete yet overwhelmingly profound cultivation method.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen remains attentive to Song Shuhang’s safety, recognizing that he is once again using the dangerous Appraisal Secret Method.

Significant Themes

• Desperation and dignity: Melon-Eating Sage is willing to endure embarrassment, rejection, or even physical punishment in pursuit of a chance to reach the Ninth Grade.
• The burden of exceptional power: A cultivation method that is too powerful can become a prison when incomplete, preventing its user from changing paths or progressing.
• Mystery and fate: The cryptic divination does not provide a direct answer but instead instructs Song Shuhang to ask the right question, suggesting that understanding depends on initiative and communication.
• Pain as a cost of knowledge: Song Shuhang’s ability to uncover hidden truths comes at a physical price, reinforcing the dangerous nature of his appraisal technique.
• Unresolved identity and resurrection: The connection between Song Shuhang’s Merit Snake Beauty and ＠＃％×Fairy hints that his Merit Light may be linked to the fairy’s power or possible resurrection.

Character Interactions

• Song Shuhang and Melon-Eating Sage negotiate their relationship, with Melon-Eating Sage attempting to become a permanent companion and Song Shuhang firmly resisting.
• Melon-Eating Sage tries to prove his usefulness by emphasizing his healing abilities and Dragon-Whale Pills.
• Song Shuhang uses the Appraisal Secret Method on Melon-Eating Sage, exposing details about his cultivation, while Melon-Eating Sage reacts with awe and discomfort at how thoroughly his secrets are revealed.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen questions whether Song Shuhang is using the dangerous appraisal technique again and expresses concern for him.
• After discovering that the divination points toward ＠＃％×Fairy, Song Shuhang turns to the Merit Snake Beauty as a possible source of answers, setting up the next development.