Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Song Shuhang tries to ask Merit Snake Beauty about the Merit Art of Worldly Dual Perfection through mental communication, but discovers she cannot communicate.
• He asks Melon-Eating Sage to demonstrate the art. Watching the demonstration triggers Snake Beauty’s instincts: she performs the complete Merit Avatar technique.
• Snake Beauty’s will descends into Melon-Eating Sage’s Merit Light. Because his Merit Light has fused with his body, the technique becomes a struggle over his entire colossal-whale form, and Shuhang’s attempt to learn more turns into chaos.
• Shuhang sends Su Clan’s Sixteen to the Core World for safety as Melon-Eating Sage’s struggles churn the sea.
• Northern Great Emperor arrives, having gathered nearly all the ingredients for an Ice Soul Pill meant to heal an old friend’s daughter. Mistaking the scene for Snake Beauty being attacked, he freezes and strikes Melon-Eating Sage before Shuhang can explain.
• The blow weakens Melon-Eating Sage’s will. Snake Beauty wins the struggle and possesses him, transforming him into a bizarre Snake Beauty riding a colossal whale.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang improvises to draw out Snake Beauty’s knowledge, but his plan backfires. He is frustrated by the escalating mishaps and relieved when the Great Emperor arrives—only for that help to make matters worse.
• Merit Snake Beauty remains instinct-driven and unable to converse, but proves to have a full repertoire of Merit techniques. She acts decisively, even when her actions endanger Melon-Eating Sage.
• Melon-Eating Sage demonstrates his cultivation art and warns that his fused body makes the avatar technique dangerous. He becomes the unwilling target of both Snake Beauty’s possession and the Great Emperor’s attack.
• Northern Great Emperor appears warm and helpful toward Shuhang, but reacts aggressively when he thinks his friend is in danger. His intervention unintentionally decides the contest in Snake Beauty’s favor.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen is kept out of danger when Shuhang sends her away.

Significant themes and tone

• Good intentions creating bigger problems: Shuhang’s attempt to consult Snake Beauty, followed by the Great Emperor’s attempt to protect her, both worsen the situation.
• Misunderstanding and impulsive action: The Great Emperor attacks before hearing Shuhang’s explanation, with immediate consequences.
• Comic chaos amid immense power: A dangerous contest of wills ends in the absurd image of Snake Beauty riding a giant whale—the chapter’s punchline, “Pipi Whale, let’s go!”

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang explains to Northern Great Emperor how his accidental use of a Merit Avatar secret art fused the Merit Snake Beauty with Melon-Eating Sage. The Beauty rides the giant whale wildly across the sea until the secret art expires.
• Northern Great Emperor says the fusion is temporary. He also reveals that ＠＃％×Fairy’s cultivation technique was completed by several Ancient Heavenly Court figures, including himself, and that only she has authority to teach its follow-up.
• While waiting for the pair to separate, the Great Emperor answers Song Shuhang’s cultivation questions. Once the secret art ends, both appear unharmed, though the Beauty now has a tiny whale made of Melon-Eating Sage’s pure Merit Light curled in her tail.
• Northern Great Emperor agrees to guide Melon-Eating Sage’s cultivation, but says advancing toward the Ninth Grade requires abandoning his physical body. He asks for every drop of Melon-Eating Sage’s vital essence, leaving the whale monster alarmed and uncertain whether this is instruction or a threat to take his body.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang feels responsible for the mishap and seeks help for Melon-Eating Sage. He gains useful cultivation advice and continues his habit of saying “look to the heavens”—a tic that has also trained him to literally look upward when thinking.
• Melon-Eating Sage is shaken by his involuntary fusion with the Merit Snake Beauty and develops a wary respect for Song Shuhang. Though desperate to break through his realm, he hesitates when told to surrender his body’s vital essence.
• Northern Great Emperor shows both expertise and a dry, unsettling sense of humor: he offers genuine guidance while joking that Melon-Eating Sage would be better divided into several dishes.
• Merit Snake Beauty remains playful and energetic, and her appearance changes after the fusion, gaining a small whale-shaped portion of Merit Light.

Significant themes

• Cultivation has a price: progress may demand enormous sacrifices, and knowledge or guidance is rarely given freely.
• Power and vulnerability: Melon-Eating Sage is physically immense yet feels powerless before stronger cultivators and within the Merit Avatar technique.
• Comedy amid danger: slapstick whale-riding, Song’s verbal tic, and the Great Emperor’s culinary jokes contrast with the serious question of whether Melon-Eating Sage must give up his body.

Character interactions

• Song Shuhang confesses his role in the accident to Northern Great Emperor and asks him to help Melon-Eating Sage.
• Northern Great Emperor patiently answers Song’s questions, then offers Melon-Eating Sage guidance under a startling condition.
• Melon-Eating Sage’s dependence on Song Shuhang’s help is tempered by his fear of both Song’s uncontrolled techniques and the Great Emperor’s demand.

Key events

• The Northern Great Emperor explains that the Melon-Eating Sage’s Merit Art of Worldly Dual Perfection cannot advance to the Ninth-Grade Realm while he keeps his physical body. At Peak Eighth-Grade, his body remains separate from his Merit Light and has become a barrier to further progress.
• The technique’s creator was an unimaginably powerful figure, yet even that creator did not devise a way to preserve the body while reaching Ninth Grade. Song Shuhang suspects the creator may have been a legendary, era-defining sage.
• The Great Emperor gives the Melon-Eating Sage three days to decide whether to abandon his body. The whale demon immediately chooses to proceed, believing this may be his only chance to pursue the Ninth Grade.
• To prepare, the Great Emperor collects some of the Sage’s blood and uses it to draw a grand formation across an ice sheet. He tells Song Shuhang to stand at one of its formation eyes, where he—and others—can benefit from the process.
• Song summons Su Clan’s A Sixteen, Xiao Cai, Shi, and Onion Lady. As the preparations begin, Song asks about the Thirty-Three Beasts Innate Unity Qi Technique. The Great Emperor reveals that its Giant Whale Chapter was built around the ancestor of the Melon-Eating Sage’s bloodline, prompting him to tell Song that he is especially lucky.

Character developments and interactions

• Melon-Eating Sage moves from wary hesitation to firm resolve, accepting the loss of his powerful divine-beast body for a chance at advancement. The Great Emperor also warns that his trusting nature makes him easy to deceive.
• Northern Great Emperor serves as a blunt but knowledgeable mentor. He reassures the Sage that he does not intend to kill or cook him, then carefully explains the risks and begins the complex preparation.
• Song Shuhang remains wary of the Great Emperor’s jokes about cooking the whale, but becomes intrigued by the connection between the Sage’s bloodline and his own cultivation technique. He also eagerly looks for ways to share the formation’s benefits with his companions.
• The Sage watches Song gather a group around him for the promised benefits and briefly feels as if he is being prepared for a communal feast.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and ambition: The Sage must give up a formidable body to pursue a higher realm.
• Limits of cultivation: Even a technique created by a supreme cultivator may have an unavoidable trade-off.
• Opportunity and fate: The Great Emperor frames Song’s encounter with the whale—and the bloodline link to Song’s technique—as exceptional good fortune.

Key plot points and events

• The Northern Great Emperor recognizes the Beast God Division and examines Song Shuhang’s cultivation. Song explains that his Phantom Core resembles a giant whale, but the Emperor and Melon-Eating Sage have never heard of such a thing.
• The Emperor confirms that Song’s Fat Whale Phantom Core is genuinely unusual—possibly linked to Senior White’s version of the Thirty-Three Beasts Innate Unity Qi Technique, Song’s tribulation, or both. Intrigued by what it might become, the Emperor secretly strengthens Song’s formation node to improve his cultivation benefits.
• The Emperor finishes a concealed, ten-kilometer formation for Melon-Eating Sage’s Abandoning the Fleshly Body ritual. Melon-Eating Sage asks not to witness the extraction of blood essence from his body, and the Emperor agrees.
• While assigning positions in the formation, the Emperor senses something special about Su Clan’s Sixteen and moves her to the eastern node, which he says will greatly increase her strength. He assigns Little Cai to the southern node because her Daoist name, Vajra Gentleman Saber, sounds familiar and she is a sparrow demon.
• The Emperor senses a Cause-and-Effect connection to Fairy Lychee. Song realizes this may be because Fairy Lychee is Cheng Lin’s twin younger sister and privately tells the Emperor.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang discovers that his Phantom Core is unprecedented, adding to the sense that his cultivation is exceptional. He also protects Fairy Lychee’s privacy by explaining her identity through Secret Voice Transmission.
• Melon-Eating Sage bristles at the suggestion that he looks like Song’s Phantom Core, mistaking it for a comment on his weight. He remains wary about having his body handled after the ritual.
• The Northern Great Emperor is curious about Song’s unusual cultivation and shows his considerate side toward Melon-Eating Sage. His mysterious connection to Fairy Lychee opens a new thread.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen accepts her reassignment with gratitude, while Little Cai proudly identifies herself as Song’s disciple. Their exchanges with the Emperor reflect his habit of assessing each person before placing them in the formation.

Significant themes

• Individuality and the exceptional: Song’s whale-shaped Phantom Core is unlike anything the Emperor has seen, underscoring the chapter’s title.
• Mentorship and care: The Emperor uses his expertise to help Song and accommodate Melon-Eating Sage’s request.
• Hidden connections and fate: The Emperor’s sensed bond with Fairy Lychee hints at deeper ties through her connection to Cheng Lin.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang explains that Fairy Lychee is Cheng Lin’s twin, created through Cheng Lin’s Dao of Longevity, the Way of Nurturing New Life. Ye Si, by contrast, is Cheng Lin’s actual daughter, whom Cheng Lin bore herself.
• Northern Great Emperor reacts with disbelief, then becomes sentimental about Cheng Lin and his complicated past with her. He earnestly tells Song Shuhang to take good care of Ye Si, leaving Song Shuhang uncomfortable.
• The Great Emperor assigns participants to positions in the Abandoning the Fleshly Body formation. He adjusts Shi’s node to suit her low cultivation and sends Onion Lady to the Northern position, where her unusual constitution will benefit her.
• Song Shuhang is placed at a specially modified node opposite Melon-Eating Sage, with the energy intended to help his Divine Whale Phantom Core fully form.
• Melon-Eating Sage, the ritual’s centerpiece, is told to remain still and follow his instincts as he separates from his fleshly body. A mysterious fairy also independently moves to a node the Great Emperor prepared for her.
• The Great Emperor activates the formation. Golden light and Merit Power flood the area, causing Melon-Eating Sage intense pain as energy flows through the formation. Song Shuhang’s Fat Whale Phantom Core absorbs that energy, grows more solid, and nears completion.

Character developments and interactions

• Northern Great Emperor reveals lingering, conflicted feelings for Cheng Lin and shows unexpected protectiveness toward Ye Si. He also appears especially supportive of Song Shuhang, explaining that Shuhang’s role in restoring him created a great debt.
• Song Shuhang remains wary of the Great Emperor’s sudden warmth but cooperates with the ritual and is on the verge of advancing to Fourth Grade.
• Shi accepts the risk of standing at her adjusted formation node, while Onion Lady is treated as Song Shuhang’s demon pet despite her continued reluctance to accept the label.
• Melon-Eating Sage follows the Great Emperor’s instructions despite fear and pain, trusting his instincts to guide him through the ritual.
• The Great Emperor notices the links among Song Shuhang, the mysterious fairy, Cheng Lin, and other powerful figures, and suspects some connection between Song Shuhang and Song Blockhead.

Significant themes

• Love and unresolved history: The Great Emperor’s feelings for Cheng Lin show how affection and resentment can persist even across vast stretches of time.
• Bonds and responsibility: Song Shuhang’s ties to Ye Si and Onion Lady carry obligations, whether or not he is comfortable with them.
• Instinct and transformation: Melon-Eating Sage must trust his instincts through a painful bodily separation, while the formation drives Song Shuhang toward a new cultivation stage.
• Hidden connections: The gathering of beings tied to Cheng Lin and Song Blockhead suggests that Song Shuhang’s relationships may be part of a larger, unexplained pattern.

Key events

• Melon-Eating Sage’s Flesh-Abandoning Ritual releases a vast supply of pure spiritual power through the formation, rapidly swelling Song Shuhang’s Fat Whale Phantom Core until it fills—and painfully strains—his already unusually large Natal Dantian.
• The Northern Great Emperor stabilizes the situation by sending in purified Divine Whale aura. It merges with the Phantom Core, completing its form and making it remarkably lifelike.
• The Phantom Core begins spraying out spiritual power, which strengthens and expands Song Shuhang’s Dantian. His Dantian grows from Fourth-Grade capacity to hold as many as ten Phantom Cores, then fills with Innate True Essence.
• With the ritual’s benefits nearly spent, the Northern Great Emperor urges Song Shuhang to condense an Immortal Bone. Song follows the modified fourth chapter of his cultivation technique, and the first bone forms smoothly—but its flat, curved shape seems abnormal.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang endures the dangerous expansion, then enjoys a surge of power before refocusing on the next step of cultivation. His progress is unusually rapid, though much of the ritual’s energy goes toward enlarging his Dantian.
• The Northern Great Emperor watches over Song, intervenes to protect him, and guides him toward forming an Immortal Bone. He suspects Song’s encounter with Melon-Eating Sage may have been arranged by Song Blockhead, though he also allows that extraordinary luck could explain it.
• Melon-Eating Sage is not present in the scene, but his ritual and Divine Whale bloodline are essential to Song’s transformation.

Significant themes

• Fortune and hidden orchestration: Song’s seemingly perfect opportunity may be either impossible luck or the result of someone’s manipulation.
• Growth with risk: A tremendous influx of power strengthens Song, but initially threatens to overwhelm his body.
• Individual cultivation and adaptation: Song’s Phantom Core and Dantian develop in unusual ways, foreshadowing that his path may differ from that of ordinary cultivators.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang’s first immortal bone forms in a curved, whale-like shape. The Sage Seal stamps “Tyrant Song” onto it, then channels energy through the mark to temper it.
• With help from the Northern Great Emperor and the energy of Melon-Eating Sage’s formation, the bone rapidly darkens to gold. Its sharp force enters Song’s fat-whale phantom core—but instead of damaging it, the force changes into saber intent and becomes armor on the whale’s head. The bone successfully joins the phantom core, making Song Shuhang a true Fourth-Grade Cultivator with his first immortal bone.
• Su Clan’s Sixteen also advances dramatically: she tempers four immortal bones and forms a fifth, completing more than half her Fourth-Grade progress without complications.
• Sparrow Demon Little Cai reaches the peak of the Third Grade. Encouraged by her progress, she embraces the daoist name “Vajra Gentleman Saber Xiao Cai” and resolves to live up to it.
• Shi wakes to find herself unexpectedly advanced to the Second Grade, though she suspects she may be dreaming.
• Onion Lady’s cultivation surges to the brink of tribulation. The Northern Great Emperor moves her out of the formation, and Song Shuhang sends her to the Core World, reassuring her that the tribulation is not immediate.
• As the ritual nears completion, the Northern Great Emperor tells everyone to leave the formation.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang anxiously watches his strange immortal bone, fearing it will endanger his advancement. Its transformation into saber-intent armor reassures him about the phantom core’s safety, though it confirms his bone is essentially a “saber bone,” leaving him comically dismayed.
• Sixteen is pleased by her steady, successful advancement, contrasting with Song’s unusual cultivation.
• Xiao Cai gains confidence and a stronger sense of identity, believing she has inherited some of Song’s fortune through her daoist name.
• Shi reacts with naïve delight to her rapid advancement.
• Onion Lady panics at the prospect of an imminent tribulation; Song calms and relocates her, while the Northern Great Emperor manages the formation and its participants.

Significant themes

• Growth through shared fortune: The formation’s benefits accelerate the cultivation of everyone present, not just Song Shuhang.
• Unpredictability and adaptation: Song’s bizarre whale phantom core and saber-like immortal bone defy normal expectations, yet their strange interaction proves beneficial.
• Identity and responsibility: Xiao Cai’s acceptance of her daoist name becomes a commitment to embody its ideals.
• The risks of advancement: Immortal-bone tempering can destroy a phantom core, while sudden progress may leave cultivators unprepared for the challenges that follow.

Plot and events

• Song Shuhang, Su Clan’s Sixteen, Shi, and Xiao Cai retreat beyond Melon-Eating Sage’s ritual formation as its Merit Light grows too bright to see through.
• Sixteen says the ritual appears to be progressing well: a Merit Physique has formed inside Melon-Eating Sage and should soon emerge from his old body.
• After waiting more than half an hour, the group rests on Song Shuhang’s Puppet Silver Dragon. Sixteen and Shi fall asleep, so Song sends them to the Core World to recover.
• Xiao Cai chooses to stay near the formation, noticing that even its faint ambient influence increases her Merit Power. Song lets her remain but warns her to keep her distance.
• Song checks the Nine Provinces Number One Group and announces that he has finally completed his advancement to Fourth Grade. His Phantom Core is complete, and he has formed and tempered his first Immortal Bone.
• The group discusses news reports about his recent clash with Winter Melon Sage Lord. Soft Feather reveals that Song won their one-move contest, shattering Winter Melon’s defenses with his Heaven-Burning Flame Blade. Song relishes the praise and changes his chat name to “Song Really Kicked Ass This Time Shuhang.”
• Then Soft Feather mentions a second story: Melon-Eating Sage also challenged Winter Melon. Song realizes with dismay that the disguised Sage had his face—and was beaten badly.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang celebrates a major cultivation breakthrough and enjoys finally receiving public recognition for a victory. His smugness is undercut by the reminder of Melon-Eating Sage’s defeat.
• Sixteen has gained considerably—tempering four Dao Bones and forming a fifth—but is mentally and physically drained. Song looks after her while she rests.
• Xiao Cai shows growing sensitivity to Merit Power and an eagerness to cultivate.
• The group’s seniors congratulate Song, tease him, and react with comic envy at the younger cultivators’ rapid progress. Soft Feather shares the news; Song mostly watches the conversation and enjoys the praise.

Significant themes

• Progress and effort: Song’s completed advancement and Sixteen’s gains contrast with the pressure older cultivators feel to keep pace.
• Merit and spiritual benefit: Melon-Eating Sage’s ritual benefits not only its subject but also those nearby.
• Recognition and comic pride: Song’s triumph becomes public news, and his satisfaction is both celebrated and gently mocked.
• Reputation versus reality: The dramatic headlines portray a heroic victory, while the second report reveals an embarrassing consequence of Melon-Eating Sage’s impersonation.

Plot points and events

• Yu Rouzi reports that the Cultivator Daily covered Song Shuhang, using the face of Melon-Eating Sage, defeating Winter Melon Sage Lord with a dazzling Merit Secret Art. Winter Melon lost twice but proved the strength of his defensive path, and his goal had already been met.
• The group realizes the outcome matches Copper Trigram’s earlier divination: Shuhang forced Winter Melon back, defeated him directly, and cemented his reputation as the “First Millennium Sage.” Since Copper Trigram’s predictions are famously disastrous, the group speculates that someone else—possibly the divine beast who abducted him—altered the prediction.
• Copper Trigram comes online briefly. He dodges questions about whether he made the accurate prediction himself, leaving the group convinced there is a hidden explanation.
• Shuhang asks Copper Trigram about the divine beast’s connection to the Golden Dragon Progenitor. Copper Trigram confirms she is the Progenitor’s beloved thirty-six-formed divine beast. She refuses to discuss “Blockhead,” whom she despises, so Shuhang cannot learn where the Golden Dragon Progenitor’s hidden treasure is.
• Shuhang instead asks about the Ancient Heavenly Court’s secret Beast God Division inheritance. The divine beast offers clues in exchange for healing materials. Copper Trigram privately tells him that the inheritance was entrusted to spirit beasts and demonic beasts, who formed an alliance to preserve it.
• Copper Trigram asks about Venerable White’s tribulation. Shuhang says it is nearly over, since the inability to detonate the tribulation weapon in the Present World has diminished White’s interest.
• Shuhang then contacts White and learns that White’s clone is drafting the Profound Sage Lecture for his main body.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang gains recognition after the battle and actively pursues clues about the Beast God Division, while discovering that “Blockhead” has made powerful enemies.
• Copper Trigram remains evasive about the unusually accurate divination and is still confined with the divine beast, though he expects to be free in a few days.
• The divine beast is revealed as closely connected to the Golden Dragon Progenitor and deeply hostile toward Blockhead, but willing to trade useful information.
• The group chat members turn the divination mystery into playful speculation, teasing Copper Trigram about his relationship and possible offspring.
• Venerable White’s clone shows practical independence by handling the lecture draft while White completes his tribulation.

Significant themes

• Fate, divination, and hidden causes: The group doubts that Copper Trigram’s accurate prediction could be his own work.
• Inheritance and preservation: The Beast God Division’s secret legacy survives through a pact among spirit beasts and demonic beasts.
• Reputation and achievement: The battle secures Shuhang’s standing, even though Winter Melon also accomplishes his defensive-path objective.
• Humor amid serious events: Teasing, romantic speculation, and the clone’s “homework” lighten the chapter’s revelations.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang admires Venerable White’s versatile clone and asks to learn the technique. White explains it is an innate ability, but offers to develop a simpler, teachable version later.
• White says he is nearing the end of his Heavenly Tribulation and preparing his Profound Sage Lecture. He asks what the group would like him to discuss, and promises Shuhang private lessons on his Disposable Flying Sword technique.
• In the Nine Provinces Number One Group, True Lord Yellow Mountain announces that Doudou will be married on the autumn equinox. The groom’s identity is being kept secret from Doudou, and the group speculates about whether the groom will be a Hound Lord, Fairy Fusheng, or someone else.
• Shuhang tries to collect lecture requests, but the discussion veers into Senior White’s looks and exceptionally long hair. Rather than ask White himself about marrying someone once his hair reaches his waist, Shuhang nervously asks how long it is now, blaming the question on Fairy Dongfang Jingxue.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang remains eager to learn from Senior White, while also showing his usual awkward humor and talent for getting caught in absurd situations. He is pleased to have found a way to ask a potentially embarrassing question without taking responsibility for it.
• Venerable White is generous with his knowledge, offering to develop a simplified cloning technique and teach Shuhang about flying swords. He plans to write his lecture according to his own interests.
• True Lord Yellow Mountain is determined to arrange Doudou’s wedding and keep its details secret, treating the event as a group celebration.
• Doudou is unaware of the wedding’s true circumstances, having been deliberately misled about the groom.
• Fairy Dongfang Jingxue stands up for Doudou, while Fairy Lychee trusts Yellow Mountain’s judgment.

Significant themes

• Innate talent versus teachable skill: White’s clone is impossible to pass on directly, but he is willing to create a simpler alternative.
• Affection and admiration: The group’s fascination with White’s appearance overwhelms its practical interest in his lecture.
• Humor through secrecy and confusion: Doudou’s wedding plans depend on deception, and the groom’s identity remains an escalating mystery.
• The group’s social chaos: Even a serious topic such as a Sage’s lecture quickly turns into teasing, speculation, and personal jokes.

Character interactions

• Shuhang respectfully asks White for instruction; White responds warmly and offers future lessons.
• Yellow Mountain informs the group about Doudou’s wedding, while Phoenix Slayer and Zhou Li reveal that they have helped keep Doudou ignorant of the groom’s identity.
• Group members tease Shuhang about his changing daoist names and his Sage Title, then redirect the conversation to White’s hair.
• Shuhang avoids asking White the suggestive marriage joke himself, but passes along the group’s curiosity about White’s hair length.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang considers teasing Venerable White about his hair, but resists after imagining the dangerous consequences. He sends a harmless reply instead, though he feels disappointed at missing the chance for a potentially amusing reaction.
• Sparrow Demon Xiao Cai notices his conflicted, almost death-seeking expression. Shuhang jokes about risking misfortune for an interesting outcome, then reflects that Senior Three Waves may be a “great” senior for repeatedly courting disaster to entertain others.
• The Merit Light surrounding Melon-Eating Sage’s ceremony contracts and fades, revealing his old body shriveled into a “dried whale.” Despite appearances, his life force is growing, and Northern Great Emperor confirms the ritual has succeeded.
• Following the Emperor’s instructions, Melon-Eating Sage recites True Words. His old body cracks open, and he emerges in a new, transparent, glass-like form composed of Merit Power and Profound Sage energy—but retaining the functions of a physical body.
• Melon-Eating Sage discovers that his new body lets him wield the spells of the Merit Art of Worldly Dual Perfection without the limitations of his former flesh. He also senses that he has broken through the Eighth-Grade shackles and can now aspire to the Ninth Grade.
• Grateful to Northern Great Emperor for remaking his body and opening a path toward the Great Dao, Melon-Eating Sage swears loyalty and promises to answer any future call.
• The Emperor claims the dried whale body and jokes about making lunch from it. He then offers its scales and bones as materials for Song Shuhang’s artifacts. Shuhang wants to strengthen his Black Iron Divine Armor and asks whether the whale bones can be made into railings, baffling the Emperor.

Character developments

• Song Shuhang recognizes his own growing temptation to court danger for entertainment, identifying with Three Waves’ reckless behavior, but ultimately restrains himself around Venerable White.
• Melon-Eating Sage undergoes a genuine rebirth, gaining a powerful new body, greater command of his techniques, and renewed hope of reaching the Ninth-Grade realm.
• Northern Great Emperor demonstrates both immense power and generosity, while treating the whale’s remains with practical, humorous casualness.
• Xiao Cai remains observant and wary, teasingly questioning her master’s dangerous-looking intentions.

Significant themes

• Risk, temptation, and restraint: Shuhang’s near-teasing of Venerable White shows how the prospect of amusing consequences can tempt people into reckless choices.
• Rebirth and transformation: Melon-Eating Sage’s physical renewal represents both an immediate enhancement and a new spiritual and cultivation path.
• Gratitude and obligation: Melon-Eating Sage’s oath reflects the depth of his debt to the Emperor.
• Humor amid the extraordinary: The chapter contrasts a profound transformation with casual jokes about eating a whale and turning its bones into railings.

Character interactions

• Shuhang carefully manages his conversation with Venerable White, avoiding a remark he suspects could provoke retaliation.
• Xiao Cai reads Shuhang’s expression and questions his intentions; he denies being especially self-sacrificing.
• Northern Great Emperor guides Melon-Eating Sage through the ritual, receives his vow of gratitude, and then jokes with him about the fate of his former body.
• Shuhang and the Emperor discuss reusing the whale’s remains, ending on Shuhang’s unusual request for railings.

Key plot points and events

• Song Shuhang proposes adding guardrails to flying swords, believing they would reassure people afraid of heights. The Northern Great Emperor is baffled but supplies him with whale bones and scales from the Melon-Eating Sage’s former body.
• The Great Emperor had considered crafting an artifact for Shuhang, but abandons the idea rather than risk being known as the maker of a guardrail-equipped sword. Shuhang plans to modify his Overlord Shatter Saber and armor with the materials.
• The Great Emperor finishes harvesting useful materials from the Sage’s old body. The newly reborn Melon-Eating Sage watches without much distress, surprised by how emotionally detached he feels from his former body.
• The group decides to eat the whale meat. Shuhang contacts Fairy Bie Xue, who initially brushes him off until he mentions the rare Eighth-Grade ingredient; she eagerly agrees to cook it.
• Before they can proceed, cultivators across the realms sense another Sage Manifestation. The Sixth Sage of the Millennium appears: a strikingly handsome, long-haired figure dressed in white.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Shuhang remains cheerfully unconventional, turning a discussion of defensive artifacts into a pitch for guardrails. He is grateful for the whale materials and resourceful in recruiting Fairy Bie Xue.
• Northern Great Emperor shows gratitude toward Shuhang by giving him valuable materials, while humorously protecting his own reputation. He also takes charge of planning the meal.
• Melon-Eating Sage finds his new body has changed his emotional perspective: he can watch his old body being dismantled with surprising calm, and says it no longer feels connected to him.
• Fairy Bie Xue shifts instantly from irritation to enthusiasm when offered a rare ingredient, revealing her strong professional pride and passion for cooking.

Significant themes

• Humor and unconventional thinking: Shuhang’s guardrail sword idea clashes amusingly with the Great Emperor’s dignity.
• Transformation and identity: The reborn Sage’s detachment from his old body raises questions about how his new existence has altered his sense of self.
• Cultivation’s changing era: A succession of Sage Manifestations suggests a coming surge in cultivation, underscored by the arrival of the Sixth Sage.

Plot points and events

• Senior White completes his Heavenly Tribulation early and begins his Sage Manifestation, becoming the Sixth Sage of the Millennium.
• His unrestrained charm overwhelms cultivators across the Myriad Heavens and Realms. They fall silent, mesmerized, while the Manifestation slowly displays him from every angle.
• Members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group—many of whom are already accustomed to Senior White—joke and gush about him. Little White Crane laments the sudden growth of his romantic rivals, while Mad Saber Four Waves wonders aloud whether Senior White would be even more appealing as a fairy.
• Just as cultivators await Senior White’s Sage Seal and Sage Name, his image suddenly deflates into a flat sheet of skin. The spectacle alarms onlookers, who fear he has died after his tribulation.
• Song Shuhang suspects the figure was one of Senior White’s disposable clones, rather than Senior White himself.
• Nearby, the newly reborn Melon-Eating Sage recognizes the name “White” despite never having met him. He realizes his Merit Light-based body can receive unusual information, much like a smartphone compared with his old, limited body.

Character developments

• Senior White: His immense charm becomes a realm-wide phenomenon, but the unexpected collapse of his Manifestation raises questions about his clone and the Sage ceremony.
• Song Shuhang: Quickly interprets the deflating figure as a clone, drawing on his familiarity with Senior White’s habits.
• Melon-Eating Sage: Discovers that his new Merit Light body grants him access to information and abilities unavailable to his former body.
• Little White Crane: His devotion to Senior White is reinforced, even as he worries about the vast number of new admirers.

Significant themes

• Charm and infatuation: Senior White’s beauty temporarily eclipses ordinary awareness across the realms.
• Comedy through contrast: A solemn, anticipated Sage ceremony turns absurd when its central figure deflates like a balloon.
• Transformation and expanded perception: Melon-Eating Sage’s rebirth has changed not only his body but also how he receives information.
• Public spectacle: Modern communication and group-chat banter accompany the traditional, realm-wide Sage Manifestation.

Character interactions

• Group members tease one another over their attraction to Senior White; Four Waves’ comment about him becoming a fairy prompts warnings that Senior White might read the chat.
• Rain Moon jokes about turning the group’s romantic antics into a comic, while Dharma King Creation announces a song that leaves Cloud-Swallowing Monk suffering through it.
• The wider cultivation world shares the group’s fascination, then shifts from admiration to alarm when Senior White’s image collapses.
• Melon-Eating Sage’s newly awakened perception connects him, without explanation, to Senior White’s name.

Key plot points and events

• Melon-Eating Sage senses that his newly reborn body has connected him to a mysterious network. Seeing Venerable White’s Sage Manifestation triggers an instinctive recognition, which he resolves to investigate.
• Senior White Two watches the manifestation from afar. He suspects Venerable White may be connected to someone from his past, but avoids approaching him so as not to cause trouble. Bored by a comedy performance, he considers watching End-Dharma War.
• A Divine Elephant Longevity Immortal and several others watch the manifestation. The elephant recalls being defeated by a Tribulation Immortal in an ancient Heavenly Dao contest—but cannot remember the opponent’s appearance, suggesting a Heavenly Dao erased the memory. He and the other immortals soon set the thought aside, focused on the coming competition for the vacant Heavenly Dao Seat.
• Venerable White suddenly disappears from the manifestation, upsetting viewers across the realms. A crystal box then falls into view, revealing a living-looking left arm holding a blank slip. Viewers speculate that it is part of a resurrection or regeneration technique.
• Song Shuhang recognizes the arm as the one he lent Senior White. Members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group quickly realize that the world may identify it as belonging to Profound Sage Tyrannical Song. Fairy Eastern Six confirms that even a demon who knows little about the matter recognizes it.
• Little White Crane jealously challenges Shuhang over the arm’s time with Senior White. Fairy Lychee reassures him that Senior White may manage the situation. Venerable White then reappears, exhausted and with torn clothes, and picks up the box.

Character developments and interactions

• Melon-Eating Sage becomes more curious about the strange capabilities of his reborn body.
• Senior White Two remains watchful but deliberately keeps his distance from Venerable White; his boredom and high standards for humor provide comic relief.
• The Divine Elephant Longevity Immortal reveals the lasting impact of an old defeat and his retreat from the Heavenly Dao struggle, though he has since resigned himself to a quieter life.
• Song Shuhang faces the embarrassing prospect that his detached arm could publicly identify him. His groupmates confirm the danger, while Little White Crane’s envy turns the situation into a playful confrontation.
• Venerable White returns to the manifestation, leaving the viewers—and Shuhang—waiting to learn what happened.

Significant themes

• Erased history and hidden identities: Powerful immortals have gaps in their memories, hinting that past Heavenly Daos concealed important events.
• Ambition and resignation: The coming Heavenly Dao contest promises a rare, open competition, while the Divine Elephant’s old defeat shows how failure can extinguish even a powerful being’s ambition.
• Public spectacle and unintended consequences: The manifestation turns a mysterious event into a spectacle, and Shuhang’s personal matter risks becoming public knowledge.
• Comedy amid cosmic stakes: The group’s banter and Senior White Two’s complaints contrast with the immense significance of the approaching Heavenly Dao struggle.

Key plot points

• Senior White completes his tribulation and dismisses his clone. After repairing his robe, he writes to Song Shuhang’s severed arm to ask when food will be ready—unaware that the Manifestation Before All is broadcasting him to cultivators everywhere.
• Once Senior White realizes he is on air, he calmly puts the arm away and proceeds to the Sage Seal ceremony.
• The group jokes nervously that Senior White’s Sage Title might be “Song Bai,” since his ID bears that name. Fortunately, the available titles are both simply “White,” and Senior White chooses the Chinese character.
• The seal declares him Sage White, the Sixth Sage of the Millennium. His true body regains its peak condition and presents an imposing, controlled presence.
• Senior White begins the required Profound Sage Lecture, choosing his favorite subject: speed. He explains ways to improve it and uses the Hand Tractor Race as a practical example, mixing cultivation instruction with an unexpectedly unconventional topic.

Character developments and interactions

• Senior White remains cheerful, practical, and oblivious to how his actions look to others. Even during a solemn ceremony, he is focused on food; in his lecture, his enthusiasm for speed leads him to promote hand-tractor racing.
• Song Shuhang is embarrassed and anxious about being identified by his arm. He cannot respond to Senior White without exposing his ability to communicate with the Tribulation Space, and he briefly fears being saddled with the unwanted “Song Bai” title.
• The Nine Provinces Number One Group reacts to the broadcast with gossip and teasing. White Crane threatens Shuhang over the possibility of the name “Song Bai,” while other members joke about danger and even offer him a grave.
• The cultivators watching the lecture are initially bewildered by its focus on hand tractors, but some recognize that Senior White is teaching real principles in an accessible way.

Significant themes

• Public image versus personal quirks: Senior White’s dignified Sage Seal contrasts with his casual concern for dinner and his passion for hand tractors.
• Learning through practical examples: His lecture makes complex cultivation techniques understandable by applying them to a familiar, entertaining activity.
• Community humor and camaraderie: The group’s teasing provides comic relief, even as Shuhang’s exposure creates genuine anxiety.
• The Profound Sage’s responsibilities: Completing the tribulation and earning the Sage Title are not enough; the lecture must also gather merit and help resolve the remaining Heart Demon Tribulation.

Key events

• Senior White’s Profound Sage Lecture uses the Hand Tractor Race to teach insights about formations, runes, and artifact refinement. Its engaging style captivates cultivators across the Myriad Heavens and Realms.
• The lecture produces an extraordinary succession of Great Dao visions, prompting veteran Profound Sages to marvel at its power and speculate about the merit it will earn.
• When listeners beg Senior White to stay longer—some merely to watch him sit or eat—he firmly replies that he is going to eat.
• After the lecture, Senior White receives a torrential downpour of Merit Power. His Merit Light rapidly manifests as a nearly ten-meter Tree of Merit bearing golden waxberries.
• Senior White picks and eats one of the merit-grown fruits, leaving cultivators to wonder whether Merit Light’s produce is edible.
• He then releases Qingwu, his Willow Tree Demon pet, into view. Recognizing the golden fruit tree, she understands what she is expected to do.

Character developments and interactions

• Senior White remains calm and practical despite the audience’s adoration. He ends the lecture to eat, then treats his miraculous Merit Tree as a source of fruit.
• Song Shuhang watches the spectacle through the Nine Provinces Number One Group and compares the audience’s desire to watch Senior White eat with modern livestream culture. He also identifies the tree’s fruit as waxberries.
• Cultivators and group members react with awe, jokes, and curiosity: they admire the lecture, discuss its visions and merit, and debate the nature of Senior White’s tree. Cloud-Swallowing Monk also reports that he survived Fellow Daoist Creation’s singing by damaging his own eardrums.
• Qingwu is introduced as a treasure-collecting demon pet; her immediate recognition of the tree suggests she is ready to gather its fruit.

Significant themes

• Teaching through storytelling: entertaining presentation can make deep cultivation knowledge accessible and memorable.
• Merit and its visible consequences: widespread gratitude becomes Merit Power, which transforms into a tangible, personalized manifestation.
• Fame and spectacle: Senior White’s appeal extends beyond his teaching; cultivators want simply to watch him, even eat.
• Humor in the extraordinary: profound spiritual phenomena are treated with everyday curiosity, from livestreaming meals to wondering whether merit-grown fruit can be eaten.

Plot points and events

• Senior White’s Tree of Merit keeps producing Golden Waxberries. His demon pet, Qingwu, efficiently harvests them and saves their golden merit-filled pits.
• Senior White eats the berries, spitting out the pits with such speed and accuracy that viewers enjoy the spectacle. More Merit Light pours in, making the tree grow and produce fruit faster than Qingwu can collect it.
• Unable to stop the influx of Merit Light, Senior White tests whether he can redirect some of it. He hangs Song Shuhang’s left arm on the tree, and Merit Power successfully flows into it.
• Senior White then remembers Chang Yuanzi, a fellow Sage still trapped in the Tribulation World. He hangs Chang Yuanzi beside Shuhang’s arm, hoping the Merit Light will help him through his Heart Demon Tribulation.
• Chang Yuanzi’s obsession with Fairy Bie Xue has left him emotionally trapped. He mutters Buddhist reflections on illusion and emptiness, then loudly declares, “Show off your love, die soon!”

Character developments and interactions

• Senior White is resourceful and generous, experimenting with ways to share the overwhelming Merit Power with Shuhang and Chang Yuanzi. His casual, practical approach contrasts with the dramatic situation.
• Song Shuhang is embarrassed as the group jokes about his arm hanging from a tree, but accepts the teasing. He hopes the gathered Merit Power will benefit his Merit Snake Beauty when his arm is returned.
• Qingwu proves herself a skilled treasure collector, harvesting the berries and carefully saving their pits.
• Chang Yuanzi is revealed to have remained behind because he is caught in a Heart Demon, rooted in his unrequited feelings for Fairy Bie Xue. His ramblings suggest that surviving the ordeal may fundamentally change his outlook.
• The Nine Provinces Number One Group turns the spectacle into jokes, mock headlines, and a parody song. True Lord White’s jealousy and snappishness spark banter with Mad Saber Four Waves.
• The Northern Great Emperor observes that Senior White’s fortune is extraordinarily unusual.

Significant themes

• Merit as a transferable resource: Merit Light can be directed into others, offering Shuhang and Chang Yuanzi possible help.
• Humor amid danger: The group treats bizarre and serious events—Shuhang’s detached arm, Chang Yuanzi’s crisis, and an ever-growing merit tree—with irreverent comedy.
• Attachment and suffering: Chang Yuanzi’s romantic fixation has helped trap him in a Heart Demon, highlighting the risks of unchecked attachment.
• Unexpected consequences of good fortune: Senior White’s Merit Light is so abundant that even his attempts to leave only make the tree and its harvest grow further.

Key events

• The Northern Great Emperor compares Senior White’s astonishing luck to that of the Confucian Sage, whose extraordinary fortune helped him rise to immense power. He wonders whether Senior White may be similarly destined for greatness.
• Song Shuhang confirms that Senior White has always been exceptionally lucky, though he thinks the two sages have very different personalities and styles.
• Song’s detached left hand, still hanging from Senior White’s Tree of Merit, absorbs Merit Rain. It turns golden and glasslike, then settles back to normal except for a brilliantly gold index finger: Song’s literal “Golden Finger.”
• The Merit Power also helps Chang Yuanzi regain clarity after his Heart Demon Tribulation. However, the Northern Great Emperor explains that Chang Yuanzi actually lost; Senior White’s Merit Power merely saved him from death.
• Chang Yuanzi thanks Senior White, then watches his Sage Seal dissolve. His failed Tribulation Transcendence follows his decision to use his Profound Sage Lecture to confess his love to Fairy Bie Xue.

Character developments and interactions

• Northern Great Emperor becomes interested in Senior White’s fortune and cautiously compares him with the Confucian Sage. He also explains the consequences of Chang Yuanzi’s failure and Song’s hand mutation.
• Song Shuhang jokes impulsively—briefly suggesting the Great Emperor has fallen for Senior White—and quickly apologizes when threatened. He remains anxious about his altered hand and his generally unlucky life.
• Senior White is not directly involved in the conversation, but his Merit Power transforms Song’s finger and saves Chang Yuanzi’s life.
• Chang Yuanzi awakens from his delusion, recognizes his defeat, and humbly thanks Senior White—even though he has envied him as Fairy Bie Xue’s beloved.
• Little Cai envies the Merit Power reaching Song’s hand and jokes that his new golden finger makes him look like a protagonist.

Significant themes

• Fate and extraordinary fortune: Senior White’s luck invites comparison with the Confucian Sage and raises questions about whether such fortune signals a greater destiny.
• Merit as both blessing and force of change: It saves Chang Yuanzi from death while physically transforming Song.
• Failure and consequences: Chang Yuanzi survives, but survival does not erase his defeat or restore his Sage Seal; his romantic confession has cost him his chance to transcend his tribulation.

Key plot points and events

• Chang Yuanzi’s Sage Seal dissipates during Sage White’s manifestation, making him the former Third Profound Sage. The cultivators witness the loss in silence, recognizing that the realms have lost a Sage.
• Chang Yuanzi retains his Sixth-Grade True Lord cultivation. He accepts his setback, plans to consolidate his realm, and vows to pursue the Profound Sage level again—and to keep trying to win Fairy Bie Xue’s affection.
• In the Tribulation World, Qingwu collects the remnant of Chang Yuanzi’s Sage Seal, hoping it may prove useful to her master.
• Senior White completes his tribulation and returns Song Shuhang’s severed left hand. Shuhang reattaches it and tests its unusually powerful, merit-infused golden index finger.
• The finger can shine with intense Merit Light, potentially distracting an opponent, and can temporarily transform into other shapes. Shuhang jokingly tries to make it into a sword, but gets a small knife instead.
• Senior White is eager to eat, while Northern Great Emperor asks Shuhang for Fairy Bie Xue’s location so they can go together.
• On Spirit Butterfly Island, Soft Feather remarks that livestreaming seems fun, unsettling her tea-drinking father, Venerable Spirit Butterfly.

Character developments and interactions

• Chang Yuanzi faces the consequences of his failed tribulation without bitterness or gloating from others. Though his Sage title is gone, he remains determined and optimistic about rebuilding his cultivation and pursuing Fairy Bie Xue.
• Qingwu acts on her treasure-hunting instincts, securing the Sage Seal remnant for Senior White.
• Song Shuhang is relieved to have his left hand back and curious about its new abilities. His playful experiments prompt banter with Sparrow Demon Little Cai, Senior White, Northern Great Emperor, and Melon-Eating Sage.
• Senior White celebrates his success, casually shares his good fortune, and evaluates Shuhang’s new light-based ability.
• Northern Great Emperor jokes that the finger’s blinding glow deserves the name “Sun Finger,” while Shuhang rejects the nickname.
• Soft Feather’s interest in livestreaming hints at a new enthusiasm; her father’s startled reaction provides the closing gag.

Significant themes

• Loss and perseverance: Chang Yuanzi loses his Sage status but keeps his cultivation and hopes for the future.
• Merit and transformation: Merit Power gives Shuhang’s finger both its brilliant radiance and its unusual shape-changing ability.
• Humor amid major events: The chapter balances the solemn loss of a Sage Seal with playful teasing, odd experiments, and food-focused enthusiasm.

Key events

• Inspired by Senior White’s recent manifestation broadcast, Soft Feather decides she wants to become an internet livestreamer. She cannot safely join a tribulation or manifestation, so she plans to build an audience through ordinary online broadcasts.
• Venerable Spirit Butterfly, though conflicted about his daughter appearing on camera, accepts that he cannot stop her and suggests adventure and exploration content. He offers to have Liu Jianyi and Jiugu accompany her for safety. Soft Feather hopes eventually to hold an online concert, ideally with Senior Creation.
• Song Shuhang’s group arrives at Fairy Bie Xue’s cave by spatial teleportation to prepare a meal using Eighth-Grade giant-whale ingredients. The party includes Melon-Eating Sage, the Northern Great Emperor, and Senior White, who brings Fairy Bie Xue a box of golden waxberries.
• Fairy Bie Xue enters serious cooking mode and asks for help processing the enormous whale. Melon-Eating Sage volunteers, surprising Song Shuhang and the others, who suspect his behavior has been altered by the recent ritual.
• In the kitchen, Melon-Eating Sage expertly cuts up the whale. When Fairy Bie Xue remarks on his familiarity with its anatomy, he calmly explains that it is his own body, leaving her stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Soft Feather shows her ambition, enthusiasm, and desire to make a splash, while also being considerate of her father’s dangerous upcoming tribulation.
• Venerable Spirit Butterfly reveals his protective but contradictory feelings: he worries about Soft Feather’s public exposure, yet supports her and prepares to keep her safe. He also secretly researched livestreaming so he could advise her.
• Fairy Bie Xue is warm toward Song Shuhang and especially pleased to receive her first gift from Senior White, but becomes focused and professional when handling the rare ingredients.
• Melon-Eating Sage behaves unusually eager and helpful, displaying intimate knowledge of the whale. His revelation suggests the giant whale is connected directly to him.
• Song Shuhang, the Northern Great Emperor, Little Cai, and Senior White are puzzled by Melon-Eating Sage’s strange conduct, setting up the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Significant themes

• Parental protectiveness versus independence: Spirit Butterfly tries to support Soft Feather’s plans while managing his anxiety.
• Ambition and self-expression: Soft Feather seeks her own route to fame rather than imitating the dangerous Sage-level broadcasts.
• Unexpected identity and mystery: The whale’s connection to Melon-Eating Sage reframes the cooking scene and raises questions about his condition and the ritual.