Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Fleeing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuanyuan Buqi and Feng Jun abduct Chen Jiu from a heavily monitored shelter, destroying nearby surveillance equipment in the process.
• Chen Jiu explains that Robert has been pressuring him to arrange a direct meeting with Feng Jun before handing over the promised gate chips. Robert has also placed Chen Jiu under surveillance.
• Feng Jun becomes furious at Robert’s coercive behavior and orders Xuanyuan Buqi to incapacitate the watchers. Xuanyuan Buqi knocks out five people at the hospital and leaves a threatening message carved into the ground.
• Chen Jiu briefly worries that Feng Jun’s group intends to attack Lower Long City, but Xuanyuan Buqi dismisses the idea as absurd, emphasizing the group’s overwhelming power.
• Feng Jun decides that Robert’s actions have destroyed any possibility of future cooperation with the Lin Family. He instructs Chen Jiu to return and tell Robert that there will be no further dealings.
• Chen Jiu asks to travel with Feng Jun’s group because he is tired of being constantly watched in Lower Capital. Feng Jun refuses to take him along but agrees to transport him to Right Capital.
• Chen Jiu later seeks refuge with Xuan Gao after reaching Right Capital. Xuan Gao accepts him, both out of sympathy and because Chen Jiu’s connection to Feng Jun could strengthen their relationship.
• Seven days later, Xuan Gao reports that the military’s second production line has arrived. Eleven cargo ships transport it, and Feng Jun spends three days inspecting the equipment at Libo Shoal to ensure it resembles the first line and is unlikely to contain further problems.
• Feng Jun discovers Chen Jiu staying with Xuan Gao. Xuan Gao explains that he helped Chen Jiu because of his difficult circumstances and confirms that he has selected the “Rock General” from the Spindle Galaxy as the candidate for lifespan extension.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly distrustful and decisive. Robert’s attempt to force a meeting convinces him to sever relations with the Lin Family entirely. He also continues balancing cooperation with Xuan Gao against the need to protect his secrets.
• Chen Jiu shifts from a monitored intermediary to a fugitive seeking safety. Although he wants to deepen his relationship with Feng Jun’s faction, he understands that Feng Jun does not fully trust him. His move to Right Capital and alliance with Xuan Gao show his adaptability and survival instincts.
• Xuanyuan Buqi demonstrates his immense power by transporting Chen Jiu over a vast distance, destroying surveillance systems, and incapacitating multiple watchers effortlessly. He also shows impatience with Chen Jiu’s misunderstanding of their intentions.
• Xuan Gao proves increasingly cooperative and practical. By sheltering Chen Jiu and receiving the military production line through his transport company, he further integrates himself into Feng Jun’s plans.
• Robert is characterized as manipulative and overly aggressive. His insistence on meeting Feng Jun before delivering the gate chips backfires and destroys his organization’s prospects for future cooperation.

Significant Themes

• Trust and betrayal: Robert’s attempt to force a meeting demonstrates how coercive behavior can destroy an otherwise profitable partnership.
• Surveillance and freedom: Chen Jiu’s constant monitoring leaves him desperate to flee Lower Capital, highlighting the oppressive atmosphere surrounding those connected to Feng Jun.
• Power imbalance: Xuanyuan Buqi’s effortless actions reveal the overwhelming strength of Feng Jun’s faction compared with the Federation’s ordinary forces.
• Strategic secrecy: Feng Jun carefully limits what Chen Jiu and others can know, particularly regarding the second production line and his negotiations with the military.
• Mutual reliance and alliance-building: Chen Jiu, Xuan Gao, and Feng Jun gradually form a loose network of cooperation, with each person offering resources, information, or protection.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuanyuan Buqi work seamlessly together, with Buqi handling the physical extraction and Feng Jun confronting Robert’s behavior.
• Chen Jiu candidly vents to Feng Jun about Robert’s unreasonable demands, while Feng Jun responds by ending all future dealings with the Lin Family.
• Chen Jiu tries to persuade Feng Jun to let him join the group, but Feng Jun firmly refuses and instead offers limited assistance.
• Xuan Gao welcomes Chen Jiu and treats him as a fellow sufferer, while also recognizing that helping him can improve his own relationship with Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun accepts Xuan Gao’s decision to shelter Chen Jiu but reminds him that secrecy remains important, then turns the conversation toward the lifespan-extension candidate and the newly delivered production line.

Chapter Summary: “Rock General”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Gao and Chen Jiu reveal that the military wants Feng Jun to extend the lifespan of

Pampas, the famous “Rock General.”

• Rock General is a legendary Federation general renowned for his unmatched defensive victories against the Insectoids. Though only a general, his reputation and connection to the former grand marshal make him politically significant.
• Feng Jun questions whether Rock General is valuable enough to justify a production-line quota. Chen Jiu explains that Rock General is likely being used by the former grand marshal to test Feng Jun’s conditions, while Xuan Gao notes that the old marshal needs the treatment for personal protection.
• Feng Jun learns that Rock General is over 130 years old, severely injured, and has less than ten years to live without treatment. The military therefore wants more than simple lifespan extension—it hopes Feng Jun can also heal him.
• Feng Jun agrees to treat him under strict conditions:
  • Only one blood relative may remain present.
  • No surveillance or communication equipment may be used.
  • The relative must obey all of Feng Jun’s instructions.
• Feng Jun, Yi Jue, Qian Zhong, and Xuanyuan Buqi travel to the remote Spindle Galaxy, a strategically complicated region filled with asteroid belts, military fortresses, and a high-level military hospital.
• They locate Rock General on a small asteroid hidden in a rubble belt. He lives aboard a converted supply ship with one female descendant.
• Qian Zhong confirms through deduction that the two people aboard are blood relatives.
• Feng Jun and Yi Jue approach the ship. The descendant initially deploys unmanned mechs for security and reception, but Feng Jun immediately orders them shut down and demands that all energy and surveillance systems be removed or disabled.
• The descendant explains that some life-support equipment cannot be completely turned off. Feng Jun insists that he and Yi Jue enter alone, treating the situation strictly as a doctor-patient relationship.
• Just as they are about to board, the woman abruptly asks Feng Jun about the highly important chip, creating a new point of tension.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increasing confidence and authority. He refuses to be manipulated by the military or intimidated by Rock General’s status, firmly establishing his terms and threatening to withdraw if they are not followed.
• He also shows practical medical judgment, recognizing that Rock General’s condition involves both aging and severe vitality loss. Although he appears indifferent, he is willing to attempt a complete cure if the patient cooperates.
• Xuan Gao continues acting as the military’s intermediary. He is frank about the military’s motives but is visibly uncomfortable when Feng Jun interprets the arrangement as a test.
• Chen Jiu openly resents the Lin Family and takes pleasure in the possibility of embarrassing them. His loyalty to Feng Jun and Xuan Gao strengthens because he now knows dangerous secrets and fears what might happen if he alienated them.
• Yi Jue supports Feng Jun’s authority and accompanies him into the ship, presenting herself in ordinary Federation clothing to avoid drawing attention.
• Rock General’s descendant is rational and dutiful but initially protective and somewhat resistant to Feng Jun’s demands. She believes the mechs and security measures are necessary etiquette and care, yet ultimately submits to his authority.

Significant Themes

• Power and negotiation: Feng Jun treats the military as an equal negotiating partner rather than an authority above him.
• Trust versus surveillance: The chapter emphasizes the danger of hidden communication systems, electronic tampering, and secret contingencies. Feng Jun demands complete privacy before agreeing to treatment.
• Loyalty and reputation: Rock General’s value comes not only from military rank but also from his legendary service, symbolic importance, and personal loyalty to the former grand marshal.
• Medicine as leverage: Feng Jun’s ability to extend life or heal severe injuries gives him enormous political and military bargaining power.
• Institutional caution: The military’s reluctance to offer a production line reflects its concern over testing Feng Jun’s abilities and protecting high-ranking figures.
• Directness versus etiquette: Feng Jun rejects formal courtesy and insists that cooperation, not ceremony, is what matters in a medical relationship.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Chen Jiu discuss Chen Jiu’s relationship with Xuan Gao, with Chen Jiu admitting that he feels bound to them after learning their secrets.
• Feng Jun challenges Xuan Gao over whether Rock General is worth a production line, forcing the military representative to justify the request.
• Xuan Gao explains Rock General’s political and medical importance while negotiating the presence of a descendant.
• Feng Jun and Yi Jue work together to enforce the no-surveillance rule.
• Feng Jun clashes with Rock General’s granddaughter over the use of unmanned mechs and the need for security equipment, ultimately asserting control through the threat of refusing treatment.
• The chapter ends with the descendant linking Rock General’s treatment to the unresolved chip issue, suggesting that the military may be attempting another negotiation or test.

Chapter Summary: “Take a Shot at Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

Feng Jun is approached by Lina, General Bedrock’s granddaughter, regarding a highly sensitive chip connected to the Life Potion production line. The chip cannot simply be purchased; instead, Feng Jun is offered a bargain arranged by an unknown party: if he can withstand another direct blast from an E-Rank Scout Ship’s main cannon, the chip will be given to him.
The proposed test is clearly designed to assess Feng Jun’s physical strength before he treats the elderly marshal. The Human Federation wants to know whether Feng Jun’s body is truly powerful enough that weapons, searches, or other precautions would be meaningless. Feng Jun recognizes the manipulation but agrees because the test may secure the chip and remove future obstacles to obtaining the production line.
Feng Jun insists that there be no video, audio, or fire-control recordings of the test. He proposes that Lina and her grandfather serve as witnesses, with General Bedrock personally operating the cannon through a neural-wave-controlled independent fire-control system. He warns that any hidden recording or surveillance would be considered an unfriendly act.
The conversation becomes tense when Lina asks how Feng Jun would respond to such hostility. Feng Jun calmly implies that the consequences would be severe, prompting her to contact her grandfather. Bedrock confirms that the recordings have been disabled and asks whether Yi Jue will also participate in the test. Feng Jun says he will stand where he is, while Yi Jue proudly volunteers to stand beside him and even challenges them to use a stronger cannon if the current one cannot harm her.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains calm, perceptive, and strategically minded. He immediately understands that the test is less about the chip than about measuring his true defensive capabilities. Though irritated by the arrangement, he accepts because it advances his larger goals. He also demonstrates caution by demanding that no evidence of his abilities be recorded.
• Yi Jue shows increasing emotional investment in Feng Jun. She reacts angrily to the possibility that he might be used as a disposable test subject, defending him against what she sees as cowardice and exploitation. Her teasing amusement at his embarrassment also reveals a more relaxed, intimate side of their relationship. By volunteering to share the attack, she openly demonstrates loyalty and confidence in her own strength.
• Lina is revealed to be bold, curious, and outspoken, but comparatively inexperienced and weak. She defends the Human Alliance and the importance of elderly leaders such as her grandfather, though Feng Jun and Yi Jue view this as an excuse for insufficient strength. Her family’s influence, including its shares in Pioneer Bank, establishes her privileged background.
• General Bedrock appears physically frail but mentally sharp and politically astute. He understands Feng Jun’s and Yi Jue’s strength better than Lina does and recognizes that Yi Jue may genuinely be older than himself. He controls the situation more rationally, restraining Lina and agreeing to operate the cannon himself.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus status: Yi Jue argues that surpassing one’s predecessors is the greatest form of respect, while Lina defends reverence for elders. Their argument contrasts the cultivation world’s emphasis on personal power with the Federation’s reliance on experienced leaders and institutional authority.
• Trust, secrecy, and surveillance: Feng Jun’s insistence on disabling all recordings highlights the danger of revealing his true capabilities. The test is only acceptable if it remains controlled and confidential.
• Political manipulation: The offer of the chip disguises a strategic assessment as a fair exchange. Feng Jun understands that the Human Federation wants to test him while avoiding the diplomatic consequences of openly attacking him.
• Courage and fear of death: Yi Jue criticizes the old marshal’s willingness to test Feng Jun while remaining afraid to expose himself. The chapter questions whether caution is wisdom or merely weakness when power and survival are at stake.
• Cross-civilization misunderstanding: The characters repeatedly clash over age, respect, strength, beauty, and authority. Their differing cultural assumptions create both tension and humor.

Character Interactions

The central interaction is between Feng Jun and Lina, with Feng Jun repeatedly forcing her to abandon indirect explanations and state the real purpose of the meeting. Yi Jue supports him aggressively, challenging Lina’s defense of her grandfather and the Federation’s senior leaders. Their exchange exposes a philosophical divide between the two civilizations.
Feng Jun and Yi Jue also display growing familiarity: she laughs at his embarrassment over the earlier cannon attack, defends him when he is treated as expendable, and ultimately offers to endure the next shot alongside him. Meanwhile, Feng Jun’s conversation with General Bedrock—relayed through Lina—becomes a cautious negotiation built on mutual intelligence and suspicion. The chapter ends with Feng Jun and Yi Jue confidently accepting the challenge, turning the planned test into a potential demonstration of overwhelming power.

Chapter Summary: “Who Went First”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yi Jue clarifies that her confidence is justified: as a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator, she is stronger than Marshal-rank Insectoids and believes she can withstand a higher-grade warship cannon.
• She and Feng Jun agree to test the cannon’s power by taking a direct hit. Feng Jun would have been satisfied merely surviving, even if blasted backward, but Yi Jue insists they must remain completely motionless.
• General Bedrock fires the supply ship’s main cannon at them. Despite the tremendous force, Feng Jun and Yi Jue do not take a single step back. Realizing their strength is comparable to or greater than that of General-rank Insectoids, Bedrock abandons further testing and becomes more cautious in dealing with them.
• Feng Jun and Yi Jue enter the supply ship and deliberately discuss their ability to withstand the cannon in Federation Language, ensuring General Bedrock understands their superiority.
• They find Bedrock severely weakened in a life-support pod. Feng Jun explains that he should be treated before receiving lifespan-extending medicine, because direct treatment will be painful but more effective.
• Bedrock chooses treatment first, insisting that Federation soldiers do not fear pain. Feng Jun begins a three-day treatment using powerful medicines, including Body-Tempering Pills.
• During the treatment, toxins and impurities are expelled from Bedrock’s body, contaminating the nutrient fluid. His granddaughter is alarmed by his suffering and later questions Feng Jun, who simply explains that the process is detoxification.
• Feng Jun, Yi Jue, and the others remain inside the ship rather than allowing the weaker Federation survivors to endure the hostile conditions outside. Feng Jun frames this as a matter of diplomacy and status.
• Bedrock and his granddaughter discover that Feng Jun and Yi Jue do not need sleep and show no abnormal physical reactions despite continuous monitoring. The visitors knowingly allow the Federation to collect some biological data, viewing information exchange as an unavoidable part of their dealings.

Character Developments

• Yi Jue: Displays extreme confidence and a strong sense of pride. She shifts from merely surviving the cannon attack to demanding an absolute demonstration of strength, refusing to yield even half a step. Her attitude emphasizes her belief that the powerful should not accommodate the weak.
• Feng Jun: Acts as the more practical and diplomatic counterpart to Yi Jue. Although he thinks her demand is excessive, he supports her and helps use the cannon test to establish their authority. He also demonstrates medical knowledge and carefully plans Bedrock’s treatment to maximize its effectiveness.
• General Bedrock: Initially tests the visitors’ defensive ability but quickly recognizes that they are far stronger than expected. His attitude becomes more respectful and cautious, though he remains mentally sharp and proud. He willingly chooses the painful treatment, proving his determination and military resolve.
• Bedrock’s granddaughter: Becomes increasingly distressed by her grandfather’s pain and protective of him. She also displays scientific curiosity by secretly collecting contaminated treatment fluid for study.
• Yi Jue and Feng Jun together: Their relationship shows a balance between Yi Jue’s uncompromising strength and Feng Jun’s strategic thinking. They cooperate effectively while presenting a united front.

Significant Themes

• Strength and authority: Physical power determines social standing. Once Bedrock realizes the visitors can withstand a main cannon without moving, he understands that they can no longer be treated as ordinary guests or equals.
• Pride and military resolve: Yi Jue’s refusal to retreat and Bedrock’s willingness to endure severe pain reflect the importance both sides place on dignity and toughness.
• Diplomacy through action: Rather than relying on words, Feng Jun and Yi Jue communicate their status through the cannon test, their treatment of Bedrock, and their refusal to yield comfortable territory.
• Cultural and technological contrast: Federation technology can operate a warship cannon even through brainwave control, but it cannot cure Bedrock’s injuries. Cultivation methods, however, provide superior healing and bodily enhancement.
• Trust, information, and exchange: Both sides observe and study one another. The visitors understand that their abilities will inevitably be investigated, just as they have learned about the Federation through previous encounters.
• The cost of healing: True treatment requires pain and endurance. Bedrock must choose between a safer but less effective process and a harsher treatment that offers a better outcome.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Yi Jue: Feng Jun questions Yi Jue’s insistence on not retreating, but ultimately follows her lead. Their conversation also serves as a deliberate performance for Bedrock, making clear that they survived the attack effortlessly.
• Feng Jun and General Bedrock: Feng Jun speaks frankly about Bedrock’s condition and gives him control over whether to endure treatment immediately. Their exchange combines medical explanation, negotiation, and subtle testing of Bedrock’s courage.
• Yi Jue and General Bedrock: Yi Jue indirectly belittles Federation technology by calling it “toys for the weak,” but her comment also reinforces the power gap between the two civilizations.
• Bedrock and his granddaughter: Their relationship is protective and emotionally important. She fears his suffering and challenges Feng Jun afterward, while Bedrock remains stoic and refuses to complain.
• The visitors and the Federation: Their interaction gradually shifts from covert confrontation to a more formal exchange. The cannon test establishes dominance, while Bedrock’s treatment begins creating a practical basis for cooperation.

Summary of “The Treatment Worked Too Well”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun refuses Pan Linna’s request to contact the outside world, insisting that she and General Bedrock accepted treatment on his terms. He remains secretive and hostile toward inquiries about his methods.
• After several days of treatment, General Bedrock’s mobility improves dramatically: he progresses from being unable to walk independently to moving with a cane.
• Feng Jun administers a combination of Origin-Nurturing Pills and Longevity Pills rather than the same treatment previously given to Lin Jielin. The treatment restores Bedrock’s vitality and is expected to extend his life by roughly thirty years.
• Feng Jun warns that Bedrock will need fifteen to twenty days to recover fully and must maintain proper exercise, diet, and emotional control. He refuses to explain how he calculated Bedrock’s remaining lifespan or provide meaningful follow-up-care instructions.
• Feng Jun and Yi Jue leave abruptly. Pan Linna is furious at their arrogance, while Bedrock accepts the situation more calmly, recognizing that their willingness to treat him represents goodwill and that their power far exceeds the Federation’s understanding.
• After Feng Jun departs, Pan Linna prepares to contact the military and draw blood for testing, implying that the Federation intends to analyze the treatment.
• Feng Jun continues managing affairs across several worlds. He postpones handing over production-line work to Blue Star specialists because the Limb-Regeneration Potion facilities are still undergoing trial runs.
• He collects the first batch of one thousand mining machines, places an Energy Stone Mine at the transfer site, and transports the machines and Energy Stones to the Great Planet and the passage entrance. The Two Sects purchase half of the machines because of the planet’s abundant resources.
• Upon returning to Xingzheng Star, Feng Jun finds Xuan Gao extremely anxious. Xuan Gao reveals that Bedrock’s treatment has been “too successful” and asks whether the military has agreed to provide Feng Jun with the Gate Chip.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains calculating, guarded, and deliberately arrogant. He withholds information to prevent the Federation from understanding or reproducing his treatments, prioritizing secrecy and protecting his civilization’s reputation.
• Pan Linna shifts between gratitude, curiosity, frustration, and anger. As a military doctor, she wants to understand the treatment and secure follow-up care, but Feng Jun’s attitude intimidates her into suppressing most of her questions. She also begins preparing to obtain and analyze Bedrock’s blood.
• General Bedrock becomes physically stronger and gains a probable thirty additional years of life. Though puzzled by the pills and Feng Jun’s evasiveness, he remains composed and pragmatic. He recognizes his dependence on Feng Jun’s goodwill and attributes the opportunity to the favor of the old marshal.
• Xuan Gao is revealed to be under serious pressure. Bedrock’s dramatic recovery has apparently created political or military complications, leaving Xuan Gao considering escape.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and technological secrecy: Feng Jun deliberately limits what the Federation can learn, fearing that explanations, testing, or repeated contact could expose his methods.
• Power imbalance and diplomacy: The Federation cannot force answers from Feng Jun because his civilization possesses vastly superior medical and possibly military capabilities. Bedrock understands that even insulting treatment is preferable to losing access to such power.
• The consequences of miraculous success: The treatment’s effectiveness creates problems rather than simply resolving Bedrock’s illness. His recovery draws military attention and threatens to expose the hidden technology.
• Arrogance versus pragmatism: Feng Jun’s contemptuous manner contrasts with Bedrock’s realistic acceptance that strength determines diplomatic behavior.
• Long-term strategic planning: Feng Jun balances medical missions, resource extraction, technological development, and interworld logistics rather than focusing on a single objective.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Pan Linna repeatedly clash over outside communication, treatment details, diet, recovery, and follow-up care. She seeks reassurance and information, while he responds with vague, dismissive answers.
• Pan Linna compares Bedrock’s treatment with Lin Jielin’s and suspects that Feng Jun may be concealing the true nature of the medicines. Feng Jun warns her not to compare their treatment plans.
• Bedrock restrains Pan Linna’s anger and explains that their limited strength leaves them reliant on Feng Jun’s goodwill. Their exchange highlights the difference between her emotional frustration and his strategic outlook.
• After Feng Jun leaves, Pan Linna and Bedrock prepare to report the treatment to the military, with Pan Linna intending to draw blood for testing.
• Xuan Gao’s anxious meeting with Feng Jun establishes that Bedrock’s extraordinary recovery has triggered a larger crisis connected to the military and the Gate Chip.

Chapter Summary: “Don’t Get Too Deeply Involved”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Gao informs Feng Jun that the Gate Chip has arrived, but its delivery has already resulted in the deaths of two military couriers.
• General Bedrock’s recovery becomes public after he begins walking around the sanatorium. His return causes excitement throughout the Federation, especially among soldiers, former subordinates, supporters, reporters, and political officials.
• Bedrock confirms that he is healthy enough to command on the battlefield again, but refuses to reveal how he recovered. He dismisses persistent questioning from Federation officials, insisting that he is not a medical expert and accusing them of interrogating him.
• Officials and various factions begin investigating the mysterious treatment that restored Bedrock, including the military’s stored Life Potion production lines. The military responds harshly, treating inquiries as possible anti-Federation activity.
• To transfer the Gate Chip safely, the military sends both an official courier and a covert operative:
  • The official courier is murdered by a hostile officer, who then kills himself.
  • The covert operative successfully delivers the chip to Xuan Gao but later dies from poisoning after being injected with an overwhelming dose of Truth Serum. He activates a poisoned needle of his own to prevent the secret from being extracted.
• The military warns Xuan Gao that the chip must be protected at all costs. Feng Jun takes possession of it and questions whether the vice prime minister was responsible for the killings.
• Xuan Gao admits that the military cannot identify the culprit. Several senior Federation leaders may have motives to investigate General Bedrock’s recovery.
• Yi Jue warns Feng Jun not to become too involved in the Federation’s internal struggles. Feng Jun adopts a policy of non-interference, arguing that the Federation’s domestic conflicts are not his concern.
• Xuan Gao asks Feng Jun for protection, effectively requesting political asylum. Feng Jun agrees to let him invoke the protection of Feng Jun’s civilization, provided he does not abuse the privilege.
• Feng Jun promises that he could identify and punish anyone who killed Xuan Gao, but refuses to avenge the two dead couriers because they were not his people and their deaths are the military’s responsibility.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates increasing caution and political detachment. Although he has the power to intervene, Yi Jue’s reminder leads him to reject unnecessary involvement in Federation politics. He remains willing to protect his own interests and those directly working for him, but avoids assuming responsibility for unrelated conflicts.
• Xuan Gao: Becomes increasingly anxious about the dangers surrounding the Gate Chip. His fear of powerful political enemies leads him to seek formal protection from Feng Jun’s civilization. He is practical and politically aware, recognizing that the military may be using him as a pawn.
• General Bedrock: Appears physically restored and confident enough to promise that he can return to battlefield command. His bluntness, patriotism, and resistance to political questioning remain intact.
• Yi Jue: Acts as a moderating influence on Feng Jun, reminding him that cultivators should not become entangled in mundane political struggles.
• The military: Reveals itself to be highly cautious and politically defensive. It protects the secrets surrounding Bedrock’s recovery and the Life Potion while recognizing the danger of offending Feng Jun’s civilization.

Significant Themes

• Non-interference versus intervention: Feng Jun must decide whether to become involved in the Federation’s internal power struggles. The chapter ultimately favors restraint.
• Political intrigue and hidden motives: The deaths of the couriers suggest that several Federation factions may be competing to obtain or suppress information about Bedrock’s recovery.
• Power and deterrence: Feng Jun’s civilization gains influence not through direct intervention, but through the threat of overwhelming retaliation.
• Trust and uncertainty: Feng Jun accepts the Gate Chip but remains skeptical of Xuan Gao’s account and the military’s version of events.
• The cost of valuable knowledge: The Gate Chip and the secrets of Bedrock’s recovery are important enough to provoke murder, coercion, and political maneuvering.
• Civilization and moral boundaries: Feng Jun rejects the Federation’s classification of the Insectoids as a civilization, arguing that enemies who threaten his people do not deserve protection under such definitions.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao: Their conversation centers on the Gate Chip, the deaths surrounding its delivery, and the dangers of Federation politics. Xuan Gao seeks both clarification and protection, while Feng Jun remains skeptical and emotionally detached.
• General Bedrock and Federation officials: Officials attempt to extract information about his miraculous recovery, but Bedrock refuses to cooperate and angrily resists being treated like a suspect.
• Feng Jun and Yi Jue: Yi Jue’s warning causes Feng Jun to reconsider his impulse to investigate the Federation’s internal conflict, reinforcing the importance of staying uninvolved.
• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao on political asylum: Feng Jun agrees to authorize Xuan Gao’s claim of protection, creating a formal connection between Xuan Gao and Feng Jun’s civilization without committing Feng Jun to constant intervention.
• Feng Jun and the Federation’s enemies: Feng Jun makes clear that while he avoids interfering in friendly or internal disputes, he would destroy forces that directly act as enemies of his civilization, particularly the Insectoids.

Chapter Summary: “Intricate Entanglements”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Gao successfully persuades Feng Jun to protect him from those responsible for the deaths of two military officers. Feng Jun promises retaliation if Xuan Gao is harmed, framing the matter as one involving both personal dignity and the reputation of his civilization.
• Feng Jun makes Xuan Gao’s continued protection conditional on cooperation and usefulness. He orders Xuan Gao to locate pharmaceutical production lines, especially for Limb-Regeneration Potions, Evergreen Elixirs, and Brain-Domain Development Auxiliary Potions, offering Energy Stones in exchange.
• Xuan Gao explains that military backing is essential for acquiring such technology because the Federation’s enormous territory forces regional military organizations to retain considerable autonomy. This autonomy also allows powerful factions and corporations to influence military affairs.
• Xuan Gao reports that the military may be able to arrange a Brain-Domain Development Auxiliary Potion production line, while Evergreen Elixir production is controlled jointly by influential civilian organizations and conglomerates.
• The military asks whether Feng Jun can identify the murderer. Feng Jun refuses to accept a low payment of only one Limb-Regeneration Potion production line, arguing that his services and protection are worth far more.
• Feng Jun makes his position clear: he will not interfere with others unless they provoke him, but anyone who does provoke him will face consequences. Xuan Gao understands that this message may reassure the military, since Feng Jun’s faction is extremely powerful but apparently governed by consistent principles.
• Feng Jun departs without treating the old marshal, who is waiting for life extension. He warns indirectly that the military may not dare provide another Life Potion production line until the murderer is found, especially if the culprit could be someone within the military itself.
• Xuan Gao begins to reconsider the political implications of the murder. The old marshal’s possible beneficiaries include powerful military and governmental figures, such as the current military leadership and Vice Prime Minister Lin Yongliang.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates that his protection is strategic rather than charitable. He links loyalty and continued assistance to tangible benefits, while firmly asserting the high value of his power and services.
• He also reveals a restrained but intimidating personal code: he does not seek conflict, yet he will respond decisively when challenged. This makes him appear more reliable—and potentially more dangerous—to the military.
• Xuan Gao becomes more pragmatic and politically aware. He accepts that survival depends on creating value for Feng Jun and recognizes the logic behind Feng Jun’s refusal to work cheaply.
• Xuan Gao also begins to suspect that the murder may involve hidden struggles within the military rather than an external enemy.
• The old marshal is presented as a revered former Commander-in-Chief whose influence remains immense despite his retirement. His prominence makes his life extension politically significant.
• Lin Yongliang emerges as a possible suspect because of his advanced age and potential desire for life extension, although no accusation is confirmed.

Significant Themes

• Protection as a transactional relationship: Feng Jun’s aid is based on mutual benefit, not sentiment. Even personal loyalty must be supported by practical value.
• Power, influence, and political entanglement: Military institutions, civilian associations, corporations, and influential families all compete for control over scarce technologies.
• The limits of centralized authority: The Federation’s vast territory requires regional military autonomy, but that same autonomy creates opportunities for factionalism, corruption, and conflicting interpretations of rules.
• Dignity and reputation: Feng Jun views protecting Xuan Gao as a matter of personal and civilizational dignity, while the military must consider how its actions affect its standing and relationship with Feng Jun.
• Suspicion and hidden beneficiaries: The chapter emphasizes that the person most likely to benefit from an event may also be its greatest suspect. The murder may be connected to internal power struggles over succession and life extension.
• Aging and mortality: The old marshal’s declining abilities and Lin Yongliang’s limited lifespan highlight the immense political value of longevity in this society.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao negotiate protection, resources, and payment in a mixture of intimidation, humor, and commercial logic.
• Xuan Gao acts as an intermediary between Feng Jun and the military, attempting to secure pharmaceutical technology while also relaying the military’s questions.
• Feng Jun challenges the military’s expectation that his assistance can be purchased cheaply, forcing Xuan Gao to acknowledge the true value of Feng Jun’s power.
• Their conversation indirectly reveals tension between the military’s desire for cooperation and its fear of Feng Jun’s faction.
• Feng Jun’s final warning causes Xuan Gao to question whether the military itself may contain the murderer, deepening the chapter’s political mystery.

Chapter Summary: “Expansion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Gao realizes that the killings of military personnel may involve someone within the Federation’s military, an idea suggested by Feng Jun.
• He contacts Boss Zhi to discuss the possibility and deliberately implies that Feng Jun is protecting him. Xuan Gao hopes Boss Zhi will spread the news through his extensive military connections, discouraging anyone from targeting him.
• Boss Zhi agrees to help but asks Xuan Gao to request protection from Feng Jun’s mysterious alien civilization for himself as well. Xuan Gao explains that the civilization only protects people who can provide value, such as helping acquire pharmaceutical production lines.
• Boss Zhi accepts this condition and treats cooperation with the alien civilization as practical rather than treasonous, since it claims not to interfere in Federation affairs.
• Feng Jun returns to Libo Shoal and establishes an Energy Conversion Formation, assigning the Du Family to supply it with Energy Stones. The arrangement benefits both Feng Jun and the family.
• He builds another conversion formation in Chaori County on Blue Star, entrusting his parents with maintaining its Energy Stones because they dissipate slowly there.
• Feng Jun places the third Formation Disc in the Lakemarta Desert rather than Zhengyang, since Zhengyang already has sufficient spiritual energy while the desert remains underdeveloped.
• The formation is intended to improve conditions for the soldiers and warships stationed in the desert. Feng Jun arranges for Luohua’s people to replenish the Energy Stones through teleportation.
• Beauty Lin secures military cooperation to protect the formation. Feng Jun permits up to ten reliable guards but forbids surveillance equipment nearby.
• At Beauty Lin’s request, Feng Jun also agrees to establish three Electric-Powered Spirit-Gathering Arrays, allowing cultivators to train in the desert and potentially encouraging long-term settlement.
• Military officials consider building a sanatorium in the area, but Beauty Lin warns that doing so without Feng Jun’s explicit approval could damage their mutual trust. They instead anticipate that the desert’s environment may improve naturally through the Rain-Praying Formation.

Character Developments

• Xuan Gao becomes more confident after gaining Feng Jun’s protection. He shifts from fearfully defending himself to actively using political influence and strategic rumors to deter his enemies.
• Boss Zhi demonstrates his pragmatism and extensive military connections. Though cautious, he is willing to cooperate with Feng Jun’s alien allies if doing so benefits him.
• Feng Jun expands his influence and resources across multiple regions. He increasingly acts as a protector and nation-builder, improving spiritual-energy access for allies, family, cultivators, and soldiers.
• Du Wentian and the Du Family gain a valuable long-term role through maintaining the Energy Conversion Formation, strengthening their relationship with Feng Jun.
• Beauty Lin continues to serve as a careful mediator between Feng Jun and the military. She understands his unspoken intentions and prioritizes preserving trust over pursuing immediate institutional benefits.
• Feng Jun’s parents are given a meaningful but manageable responsibility, showing his consideration for their cultivation and well-being.

Significant Themes

• Power through alliances: Individuals such as Xuan Gao and Boss Zhi seek protection by attaching themselves to stronger forces, while Feng Jun builds a network through reciprocal benefits.
• Pragmatism versus loyalty: Cooperation with an alien civilization raises accusations of treason, but Xuan Gao and Boss Zhi view survival and national stability as more important than rigid labels.
• Mutual trust and boundaries: Feng Jun is willing to cooperate with the military, but he sets strict limits on personnel and surveillance. The military must respect those boundaries to preserve the relationship.
• Expansion and development: The establishment of energy formations, cultivation arrays, and improved environmental conditions marks the gradual transformation of barren or underdeveloped regions.
• Unspoken understanding: Feng Jun and Beauty Lin communicate indirectly, each recognizing the other’s intentions without forcing them into explicit agreements.

Character Interactions

• Xuan Gao and Boss Zhi: Their conversation combines teasing, negotiation, and mutual dependence. Xuan Gao asks Boss Zhi to spread information, while Boss Zhi seeks access to Feng Jun’s protection.
• Feng Jun and the Du Family: Feng Jun delegates an important task to them, and Du Wentian welcomes the opportunity to gain favor and advance the family.
• Feng Jun and his parents: He assigns them a low-risk role connected to the new formation, balancing usefulness with concern for their cultivation.
• Feng Jun and Beauty Lin: Their cooperation deepens. Feng Jun grants military access under strict conditions, while Beauty Lin obtains spiritual-energy resources for cultivators and recognizes his broader plans for the desert.
• Beauty Lin and her superior: Beauty Lin restrains the military’s ambitions, arguing that secretly converting the area into a sanatorium would violate Feng Jun’s trust. Her superior ultimately accepts the need for patience and looks forward to the desert’s future transformation.

Chapter Summary: “A Basic Necessity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun visits the newly built courtyard at the edge of the Lakemarta Desert. The facility includes fifteen rooms, a basement, running water, drainage, bulletproof windows, camouflage netting, and landscaping.
• He negotiates with a military representative about security arrangements:
  • Feng Jun refuses to let the military establish a permanent guard post because his people will regularly place Energy Stones there and he wants to limit contact.
  • He agrees that small animals around the courtyard may be cleared away so they do not absorb the spiritual energy.
  • He permits martial artists to train nearby but forbids them from entering the courtyard.
• The chapter explains why Luohua’s core members remain extremely loyal and cohesive: they receive access to resources far more valuable than ordinary wealth, including opportunities related to longevity and cultivation. They therefore prioritize preserving Feng Jun’s trust over money.
• After completing three Energy Conversion Formations, Feng Jun prepares to return to Libo Shoal but is approached by representatives from Thousand Province.
• Thousand Province’s Limb-Regeneration Potion production line has entered trial production successfully. However, the province possesses only twenty Nutrient Chambers, creating a severe bottleneck because each patient may require treatment for up to three months.
• Senior Tao asks Feng Jun for more Nutrient Chambers. Feng Jun initially offers ten, then reluctantly increases the number to twenty while warning against accusations of favoritism.
• Yang Yuxin immediately requests chambers for Jincheng, which has the country’s strongest hospitals but fewer than sixty chambers. Feng Jun promises fifty.
• Xiayang University also arrives seeking equipment. Feng Jun instructs Hao Fengjing to delay them and eventually provide no more than thirty.
• Feng Jun visits hospitals to evaluate the Limb-Regeneration Potion’s results. Thousand Province’s domestic potion is gaining the largest market share because it reached production first and is cheaper than the original imported version.
• Treatment remains extremely expensive, but patients continue to crowd hospitals. Many borrow heavily to receive treatment because regaining a limb would allow them to return to work and repay their debts.
• Realizing that limb regeneration is essential not only for disabled people but also for skilled workers—including athletes, programmers, artisans, and surgeons—Feng Jun investigates the national demand. Nearly five million people have limb disabilities.
• He concludes that even 100,000 Nutrient Chambers would require more than three years to treat everyone, while later demand might fall and leave hospitals with excess equipment.
• Feng Jun conducts a Deduction and designs a simplified Nutrient Chamber. It is cheaper and easier to manufacture, though less durable and usable for only about a year. Its low operating cost could make treatment widely accessible.
• Feng Jun considers giving the design to Beauty Lin but, after Gazi’s suggestion, begins considering handing the business to Jiahui instead.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more pragmatic and cooperative in negotiations, though he remains protective of Luohua’s secrets and resources. He also shows a strong sense of social responsibility, wanting limb regeneration to benefit ordinary citizens rather than become purely a luxury treatment.
• Luohua’s core members are shown to be deeply loyal because their access to extraordinary benefits has made them largely indifferent to ordinary wealth.
• Senior Tao demonstrates persistence and political confidence by repeatedly pressing Feng Jun for additional Nutrient Chambers, relying on their relationship as alumni.
• Yang Yuxin proves equally assertive in defending Jincheng’s interests and ensuring it does not lose access to scarce medical equipment.
• Gazi contributes a practical business suggestion by proposing that Jiahui manage production of the simplified Nutrient Chambers.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty built through shared benefits: Luohua’s unity comes less from ideology than from members’ recognition that Feng Jun’s resources are uniquely valuable.
• Resource scarcity and fair allocation: The limited number of Nutrient Chambers creates tension between provinces, hospitals, and institutions competing for access.
• Medical technology as a basic necessity: Limb regeneration is presented not merely as a luxury or treatment for disability, but as something essential to people’s livelihoods, dignity, and independence.
• Balancing idealism and economics: Feng Jun wants treatment to become broadly accessible, but he must also consider production capacity, market demand, hospital profits, and international pricing.
• Secrecy versus cooperation: Feng Jun is willing to cooperate with military and medical institutions, but he carefully limits access to Luohua’s facilities and knowledge.
• Innovation through Deduction: Rather than simply distributing scarce imported equipment, Feng Jun seeks a scalable technological solution that can be mass-produced domestically.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and the military representative negotiate boundaries around the desert courtyard, reaching a compromise on animal control and martial-arts training while preserving Luohua’s privacy.
• Senior Tao repeatedly bargains with Feng Jun, using both provincial interests and their senior-junior relationship to secure twenty Nutrient Chambers.
• Yang Yuxin challenges Feng Jun’s allocation decisions, insisting that Jincheng deserves priority because of its superior medical infrastructure.
• Feng Jun manages competing demands from Thousand Province, Jincheng, and Xiayang University while trying to avoid the appearance of favoritism.
• Gazi’s conversation with Feng Jun redirects the future ownership of the simplified Nutrient Chamber project toward Jiahui, setting up a possible new business venture.

Chapter Summary: “No Regrets in the End”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dou Jiahui visits Luohua after hearing that Feng Jun is looking for him. His Lighting Factory has become firmly established, with Luohua as its main customer, while low-price sales have opened overseas markets and encouraged the growth of a supporting industrial chain in Cloud Garden City.
• Feng Jun introduces Dou to a new limb-regeneration treatment and asks him to manufacture the equipment. Dou is shocked by its capabilities but agrees, especially after learning that two disabled workers at his factory may benefit from it.
• Feng Jun reveals that he is no longer interested in personally handling projects worth less than ten billion yuan, implying that his attention and resources are now focused on the much larger Seeking Immortals Manor project.
• Dou asks Feng Jun to arrange household registration at Seeking Immortals Manor for his son and unborn child. Feng agrees and jokes about Dou’s priorities as a father. He also advises Dou to have more children, citing the social difficulties faced by only children.
• Feng directs Dou to contact Zheng Sike, one of Feng’s former dormmates, to handle patents and medical-device approval. This gives Zheng an opportunity to gain influence while allowing Feng to avoid accumulating favors with more powerful acquaintances.
• The next day, Beauty Lin discusses the new patent with Feng. The equipment can function as a Basic Nutrient Pod, reducing Feng’s need to import large numbers of full-scale Nutrient Chambers.
• Feng argues that limb-regeneration technology and Nutrient Pods should not be freely exported, especially to nations that might use the technology to support warfare. Foreign patients should instead come to Xia Nation and pay high treatment fees, while domestic patients should eventually receive medical-insurance coverage.
• Beauty Lin points out that Dou’s factory lacks the manpower and installation capacity to produce and deploy the equipment quickly. Feng agrees that Dou should expand production and suggests that the authorities arrange loans, while Dou supplies the equipment near cost as a socially beneficial act.
• Feng estimates that he may eventually need around fifty thousand full Nutrient Chambers but admits that financing the purchases remains difficult because he pays with Energy Stones.
• Beauty Lin offers several powerful martial artists, but Feng dismisses even Innate experts as insignificant compared with the forces he now faces.
• She then complains that, despite guarding Luohua and protecting it from countless intruders, she can only absorb a small amount of spiritual energy outside the manor. Feng recognizes that her complaint is reasonable, suggesting a possible change in their arrangement.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is portrayed as increasingly powerful, wealthy, and detached from ordinary commercial profits. He focuses on large-scale strategic goals, public influence, and cultivation resources rather than small business opportunities. At the same time, he remains willing to help friends and repay them by creating opportunities, as seen with Dou and Zheng Sike.
• Dou Jiahui has become a successful industrialist, but his priorities remain deeply family-oriented. Though he once refused to train with Feng Jun, he now seeks the advantages of Seeking Immortals Manor for his children, revealing both paternal love and a quiet sense of missed opportunity.
• Beauty Lin continues to serve as Luohua’s protector and an intermediary with the authorities. She demonstrates political intelligence by developing Feng’s ideas into workable policies, while also revealing personal frustration that her contributions and cultivation access are not being fairly rewarded.
• Zheng Sike is indirectly given a chance to advance through Feng Jun’s recommendation, showing Feng’s growing ability to help his former friends with minimal effort.

Significant Themes

• The strategic use of capital and industry: Feng Jun’s Lighting Factory demonstrates how temporary losses can create long-term industrial dominance and build an entire supply chain.
• Technology as a political and military resource: Limb regeneration and Nutrient Pods are treated not merely as medical inventions but as technologies that could influence warfare, national power, and international policy.
• National interest versus universal access: Feng favors domestic access and tightly controlled exports, while allowing foreigners treatment only at high prices. The chapter explores the moral and political complications of unequal access to life-changing medicine.
• Family devotion and legacy: Dou’s desire to secure his children’s future at Seeking Immortals Manor shows how parents will make sacrifices or seek opportunities for their children even when they themselves decline them.
• Changing scale and perspective: Feng’s dismissal of enormous sums and powerful martial artists emphasizes how far he has moved beyond ordinary human concerns.
• Reciprocity and fairness: Feng helps friends without wanting to owe favors, while Beauty Lin raises the issue that her long service to Luohua deserves greater recognition and access to cultivation resources.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Dou Jiahui: Their friendship combines business cooperation, teasing, and mutual trust. Feng offers Dou a major opportunity, while Dou openly discusses his family and future plans.
• Feng Jun and Beauty Lin: Their conversation is both strategic and argumentative. They debate export restrictions, medical insurance, foreign treatment fees, industrial manpower, and the value of martial artists. Beauty Lin is one of the few people comfortable enough to challenge Feng directly.
• Dou Jiahui and Feng Jun’s wider network: By sending Dou to Zheng Sike, Feng connects his old friend to his growing circle of influence and helps elevate another former dormmate.
• Beauty Lin and Feng Jun’s cultivation system: Her final complaint exposes an imbalance in their relationship: she protects Luohua extensively but receives limited access to its spiritual benefits, prompting Feng to reconsider how he rewards loyal allies.

Chapter Summary: “Granting Your Wish”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun agrees to reserve three places in the Cultivation Courtyard for Manager Lin’s team, provided that anyone selected remains under Teacher Mei’s management.
• Hesheng Corporation has produced another 2,000 mining machines for Feng Jun, but a large Federation contract forces the company to reduce its production capacity. The remaining machines will take three more production cycles to complete.
• He Runxian explains that the Federation’s order is likely retaliation against Hesheng because of Feng Jun’s connection to the company and his role in curing powerful figures such as Rock General and Lin Jielin.
• Feng Jun learns that He Runxian’s grandmother is nearly 150 years old and offers to extend her lifespan for free. He Runxian is deeply moved and immediately arranges for her to travel to the Border Star.
• Feng Jun also asks He Runxian to purchase up to 50,000 nutrition pods, paying through Energy Stones. This hints that Feng Jun is supporting a large population or undertaking major preparations elsewhere.
• He Runxian’s grandmother arrives safely, despite the supposed dangers of Spatial Jump travel. Her inability to travel previously had been due to security and medical concerns, not actual physical impossibility.
• She initially worries that Feng Jun’s treatment may provoke Vice Premier Lin, who also wants lifespan extension, and offers to abandon the procedure to protect her grandson.
• He Runxian reassures her and promises that Feng Jun can extend her life by decades, though privately he considers twenty additional years a more realistic expectation.
• When Feng Jun arrives, he discovers that the old woman is being tracked by nine devices and watched by at least five separate groups. He suggests eliminating the watchers, but He Runxian asks him to avoid killing them.
• Feng Jun instead arranges for the treatment to take place at a secluded location more than 200 kilometers away. However, surveillance satellites continue tracking the hovercar as it leaves the production base.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates increasing influence and generosity. He acts according to his personal principles rather than rigidly following a fixed system of compensation, choosing to help He Runxian’s grandmother for free. At the same time, he remains secretive and willing to use force if necessary to protect the treatment.
• He Runxian: Shows strong filial devotion and gratitude toward his grandmother. Although he understands the political risks of accepting Feng Jun’s help, he prioritizes her wellbeing. His reluctance to kill the people monitoring her also reveals a moral limit and a preference for avoiding unnecessary bloodshed.
• He Runxian’s grandmother: Emerges as a selfless, cautious elder. She is willing to sacrifice the chance of a longer life to prevent danger to her grandson, but ultimately trusts him and accepts the treatment.
• Feng Jun and He Runxian’s relationship: Their relationship becomes more personal and trust-based. Feng Jun treats He Runxian as someone worthy of special help, while He Runxian increasingly relies on Feng Jun’s judgment and abilities.

Significant Themes

• Filial piety and repayment: He Runxian’s desire to extend his grandmother’s life reflects the importance of honoring elders and repaying their sacrifices.
• Power and political retaliation: The Federation uses economic pressure against Hesheng Corporation to signal displeasure with Feng Jun’s actions, revealing the political consequences of his medical abilities.
• Individual will versus formal rules: Feng Jun believes cultivation requires acting according to one’s true nature. He rejects the idea that every favor must follow a strict transactional system.
• The value and burden of longevity: Extended life is treated as a rare and politically sensitive privilege. The grandmother’s potential treatment attracts surveillance because powerful figures, including Vice Premier Lin, also desire it.
• Technological surveillance versus personal loyalty: Despite efforts to remain discreet, trackers, agents, and satellites demonstrate how difficult it is to hide important actions in the Federation.
• Different social pressures across civilizations: The chapter contrasts the Border Star’s high birthrate and constant exposure to death with the Blue Star Realm’s low birthrate, caused by economic pressure and the absence of external threats.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and He Runxian discuss the Federation’s retaliation and Hesheng’s forced production priorities, with Feng Jun responding calmly and humorously to the political pressure.
• Feng Jun offers to treat He Runxian’s grandmother without payment, leaving He Runxian excited and grateful.
• He Runxian and his grandmother share an emotional exchange in which she prioritizes his safety over her own potential longevity, while he insists on honoring her.
• Feng Jun confronts He Runxian about the excessive surveillance surrounding his grandmother. Though Feng Jun is prepared to eliminate the watchers, He Runxian persuades him to avoid unnecessary killing.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun attempting to move the grandmother to a hidden treatment site while Federation surveillance follows closely, setting up a likely confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Pursuit and Interception”

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Runxian uses Hesheng Corporation’s powerful security force to stop the three groups following his convoy. The security personnel claim they are apprehending thieves and demand identity checks.
• Two groups flee rather than reveal their identities, while a third remains and presents legitimate identification as disaster-reconstruction workers.
• Hesheng security fires warning shots, captures the fleeing groups, and discovers that one consists of private investigators and the other of bounty hunters. Unable to legally interrogate them about their employer, the guards beat them and issue threats.
• The Left Capital Police Bureau eventually orders Hesheng to hand the detainees over, limiting the corporation’s ability to punish them further. This demonstrates the balance between powerful local corporations and official Federation authority on Border Stars.
• He Runxian’s anger is actually caused by the discovery that unidentified satellites are monitoring Hesheng’s factory. Qian Zhong notices the surveillance and informs him through Feng Jun.
• He Runxian asks Feng Jun to investigate the people behind the satellites, but Feng Jun refuses, maintaining that he will not interfere in Federation affairs. He Runxian accepts this reasoning but feels humiliated that the influential He Family cannot identify or confront its attackers.
• To avoid surveillance during an upcoming transaction, Feng Jun suggests moving the meeting to Sky Star Port, where natural rain can block satellite observation. He Runxian orders all personal communication devices placed in shielding boxes and switches the convoy to radio communication.
• After more than two hours of travel, the pursuing force correctly predicts their destination and arranges a City Defense Army checkpoint. He Runxian’s convoy turns back rather than submit to inspection.
• Two armored vehicles block the pursuing army and extend their cannons, causing the City Defense Army to assume the convoy is preparing for combat. The chapter ends with soldiers ordering everyone to exit the vehicles with their hands raised.

Character Developments

• He Runxian is shown as decisive, protective, and accustomed to wielding corporate power. He is willing to use force against suspected trackers, but his confidence is undermined by the realization that his family and corporation are under sophisticated surveillance.
• His anger is rooted less in immediate danger than in wounded pride and helplessness. He views the surveillance as an insult to the He Family’s status.
• Feng Jun remains detached from Federation disputes. Although he has helped He Runxian’s family before, he firmly refuses to become their investigator or bodyguard. He nevertheless offers a practical solution by choosing a rainy location for the transaction.
• Qian Zhong contributes by detecting the surveillance satellites and alerting Feng Jun and He Runxian.
• The pursuing groups are revealed to be relatively minor operatives—private investigators and bounty hunters—rather than the true masterminds.

Significant Themes

• Power and jurisdiction: Border Star corporations possess enormous local influence and semi-militarized forces, but they cannot openly replace Federation institutions.
• Surveillance and mistrust: Hesheng monitors Federation satellites out of fear that the central government might act arbitrarily, while unknown forces monitor Hesheng in turn.
• Pride and helplessness: He Runxian’s rage reflects the humiliation of being watched and manipulated despite his family’s wealth and influence.
• Pragmatism and self-preservation: Both sides avoid revealing their identities or provoking a direct conflict. Feng Jun avoids political involvement, while the pursuers conceal their affiliations.
• Technology versus concealment: Advanced identity databases and satellite surveillance make evasion difficult, forcing Feng Jun and He Runxian to rely on weather, shielding equipment, and rapid decisions.

Character Interactions

• He Runxian’s security personnel act on his orders to intimidate, arrest, and punish the trackers, demonstrating his command over Hesheng Corporation.
• The detainees deny being accomplices, while Hesheng exploits the limited authority available to it by beating them without formally holding them for too long.
• The police bureau’s intervention reminds Hesheng that its power still has legal limits.
• He Runxian appeals to Feng Jun for help, but Feng Jun draws a firm boundary between assisting the family and interfering in political or criminal investigations.
• Their cooperation continues despite this disagreement: Feng Jun proposes Sky Star Port, and He Runxian follows his plan while taking additional precautions.
• The chapter closes with the convoy’s defensive maneuver escalating its encounter with the City Defense Army from a routine inspection into a possible armed confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “The Truth Comes Out”

Key Plot Points and Events

• City Defense Army soldiers stop two armored hovercars after receiving an anonymous report claiming that interstellar pirates and Black List criminals are heading toward Sky Star Port.
• Hesheng Corporation’s security personnel exit the vehicles, reveal their legitimate identities, and explain that the passengers—Hesheng executives—had taken a detour because of the inspection.
• The soldiers hesitate to pursue the three vehicles carrying He Runxian and his grandmother. Although the City Defense Army has broad authority, wartime controls are no longer active, and openly attacking Hesheng could create serious political trouble.
• A security officer accuses the soldiers of being used as someone else’s weapon. The soldiers realize that the report may have been fabricated to disrupt Hesheng, and that someone may be embedded among the forces blocking the road.
• He Runxian contacts the security team and confirms that the incident is more than a simple anonymous tip. The real goal is likely to delay or interfere with their escape.
• He Runxian avoids the road by flying through ruined areas, eventually reaching the rain and ordering the three vehicles to separate so they will attract less attention.
• His vehicle arrives at a destroyed military bunker, where Feng Jun and Yi Jue are waiting. The bunker becomes a temporary hiding place for He Runxian and his grandmother.
• Feng Jun prepares to begin the grandmother’s life-extending treatment. He gives her a special “pill” disguised as a fruit, but she immediately recognizes it as fruit, forcing Feng Jun and He Runxian to repeatedly insist that it is a pill.
• The chapter ends when the driver discovers a centipede while inspecting another bunker.

Character Developments

• He Runxian is revealed to be sincere and protective of his grandmother but dangerously careless about secrecy. His poor cover story—claiming his ninth son was still unborn while his granddaughter had already been born—allowed enemies to identify inconsistencies and trace their movements.
• Feng Jun remains blunt, sarcastic, and pragmatic. He criticizes He Runxian’s lack of vigilance but still provides shelter and begins the treatment without wasting time.
• He Runxian’s grandmother is physically frail but mentally alert and emotionally warm. She deeply trusts and indulges her grandson, readily accepting his insistence that a fruit is actually a pill.
• Hesheng’s security personnel demonstrate professionalism and loyalty. They protect He Runxian’s escape, confidently reveal their status, and challenge the City Defense Army’s role in the operation.
• The City Defense Army shifts from aggressive enforcement to suspicion and embarrassment after realizing they may have been manipulated. Their reactions reveal the tension between official authority and political caution.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and hidden agendas: The anonymous report is likely part of a broader plot to create chaos around Hesheng and obstruct He Runxian.
• The danger of careless information: He Runxian’s weak explanation exposes his movements because enemies investigate details, not merely basic personal information.
• Authority versus political power: The City Defense Army has legal force but hesitates to act against a major corporation outside wartime conditions.
• Family loyalty and trust: He Runxian risks himself to save his grandmother, while she instinctively defends and trusts him.
• War’s aftermath: The ruined bunker and lingering bloodstains show that the conflict with the Insectoids has ended, but its destruction and instability still shape daily life.
• Pragmatism under pressure: Characters improvise with abandoned military ruins, camouflage, off-road flight, and a disguised medicine to survive the crisis.

Character Interactions

• Hesheng’s security chief confronts the City Defense Army, warning them not to become tools for unseen enemies.
• The City Defense Army soldiers debate whether they have been deceived and react defensively when accused of being manipulated.
• He Runxian and Feng Jun exchange sharp criticism, with Feng Jun blaming He Runxian’s careless cover story for the pursuit.
• He Runxian’s grandmother apologizes for him, prompting Feng Jun to dismiss the apology and focus on treatment.
• Feng Jun and He Runxian comically coach the grandmother to call the fruit a “pill,” highlighting her unquestioning affection for her grandson.
• The driver quietly takes responsibility for practical tasks, setting up camouflage and searching for a place to sleep before the treatment begins.

Chapter Summary: “He Treated Him Because He Wanted To”

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Runxian’s driver, Big Wind, is bitten by a Toxic Flame Centipede while digging a defensive fort. The venom quickly burns through protective clothing and begins poisoning his body.
• Recognizing the creature and knowing that death usually follows within seconds, Feng Jun rushes to help. He kills the remaining centipedes, stops Big Wind from amputating his poisoned arm, protects his heart with spiritual energy, and gives him several medicinal herbs.
• Feng Jun must continuously supply spiritual energy for several minutes while the medicine counteracts the venom. Big Wind survives and gradually recovers, astonishing He Runxian.
• He Runxian asks whether the medicine can be purchased, but Feng Jun explains that it is extraordinarily expensive—more costly than life-extension medicine—and that he treated Big Wind simply because he respected him.
• After the crisis, Big Wind reveals that Feng Jun destroyed his entrenching shovel from a distance while killing the centipede. The weapon has been punched through, demonstrating Feng Jun’s immense precision and strength.
• Big Wind recognizes that Feng Jun and Yi Jue possess valuable abilities and medicines, potentially creating a major opportunity for Hesheng Corporation. He Runxian, however, doubts whether he has the influence or capability to seize that opportunity.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Shows compassion beneath his detached manner. He values courage, decisiveness, and loyalty, saving Big Wind not for profit but because he admires the driver’s character. His abilities are further revealed through both his long-range attack and advanced healing techniques.
• Big Wind: Proves himself a disciplined, battle-hardened, and fiercely loyal soldier. He suppresses his pain to avoid disrupting the fort’s defense and immediately attempts self-amputation when necessary. His sharp observation and practical judgment allow him to understand Feng Jun’s importance.
• He Runxian: Displays genuine concern for his driver and grandmother, while also recognizing the commercial implications of Feng Jun’s medicine and abilities. His excitement is tempered by insecurity about whether he can take advantage of such an opportunity.
• Yi Jue: Remains aloof and dismissive of the centipedes, emphasizing her immense age and superior cultivation. Her exchange with the old woman adds humor and highlights her pride.
• The old woman: Provides a contrast to Yi Jue’s coldness, reacting with surprise to Yi Jue’s age and relying on her to investigate the disturbance.

Significant Themes

• Compassion and personal choice: Feng Jun refuses to treat Big Wind as a business transaction, insisting that he helped because he wanted to.
• The value of ordinary people: Big Wind’s instincts, loyalty, and bravery are shown to rival the abilities of cultivators, reinforcing the idea that non-cultivators can possess extraordinary strengths.
• Military neglect and frontier danger: The continued presence of deadly centipedes two years after the Insectoid retreat reveals the military’s failure to fully secure the border and the continuing danger faced by soldiers.
• Opportunity versus capability: Hesheng Corporation may benefit greatly from Feng Jun’s medicine and power, but He Runxian worries that recognizing an opportunity does not mean he has the means to control it.
• Different forms of instinct: Cultivators rely on supernatural perception, while experienced soldiers like Big Wind rely on training, reflexes, and battlefield awareness.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Big Wind’s relationship develops through mutual respect: Feng Jun admires the driver’s decisive courage, while Big Wind recognizes Feng Jun’s extraordinary power and benevolence.
• He Runxian repeatedly tries to determine whether Feng Jun’s medicine is available for sale, but Feng Jun’s casual refusal establishes that money is secondary to his personal judgment.
• He Runxian and Big Wind share a familiar employer-driver relationship, allowing Big Wind to speak candidly about Feng Jun’s value and the potential benefit to Hesheng Corporation.
• Yi Jue and the old woman exchange a humorous disagreement over forms of address, with Yi Jue objecting to being called “pretty little sister” because she is vastly older than the woman assumes.

Chapter Summary: “The Rain Kept Falling”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Driver Big Wind’s Toxic Flame Centipede injury is successfully treated by Feng Jun and does not interfere with He Runxian’s grandmother’s life-extension treatment. He recovers in three days.
• The characters learn that surviving Insectoids remain scattered across Border Star’s wilderness and isolated regions. Their eggs can survive for years, so eradication efforts—especially at sea—continue for nearly a decade.
• Feng Jun treats He Runxian’s grandmother over seven days using three special fruits. Her recovery is remarkable: she develops a huge appetite, gains weight, sleeps well, her skin improves, and her hunched back partially straightens.
• The grandmother asks for a fourth “pill,” but Feng Jun explains that drug resistance would make it ineffective and reminds her that the treatment was free. After learning the theoretical cost, she abandons hope of purchasing further treatment.
• Constant rain falls over Sky Star Port and Left Capital throughout the treatment. He Runxian explains that the rain is being used to cleanse pollution from the Insectoid extermination and cannot be dispersed because the operation was unofficial.
• After returning to Hesheng Corporation, He Runxian learns that the security personnel and armored vehicles accompanying him were detained by the City Defense Army. He refuses to personally intervene, confident that no one can easily accuse him of wrongdoing.
• He Family members begin retaliating against the bounty hunters who had targeted He Runxian, pursuing them through their families and connections.
• He Huiqing, Hesheng Corporation’s senior executive on Border Star, questions He Runxian about Humanoid Civilization and the life-extension treatment. He Runxian openly admits that his grandmother received free treatment but emphasizes that it was an exceptional favor that cannot be demanded.
• The Federation Security Investigation Department later interrogates He Runxian after detecting references to Toxic Flame Centipedes. They investigate the centipede’s location, its venom treatment, and the meaning of “life extension.” Authorities even examine the elderly woman’s bodily waste and repeatedly draw her blood for medical research.
• He Runxian cooperates on the security-related questions but remains evasive about life extension, directing investigators toward powerful figures such as Lin Jielin and Rock General. His influence and implied willingness to expose sensitive information prevent them from pressuring him too far.
• Feng Jun remains in Left Capital because he wants to watch the people responsible for provoking him become frustrated. Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi support this decision. At the chapter’s end, they learn that Chen Jiu has returned to Lower Capital and is flying toward Left Capital.

Character Developments

• He Runxian becomes much more confident in Feng Jun and the mysterious Humanoid Civilization after witnessing both Big Wind’s healing and his grandmother’s dramatic recovery. He also displays political skill, balancing cooperation with the Federation against protecting sensitive information.
• He Runxian’s grandmother recovers physically and gains renewed vitality, but her hopes of obtaining additional life extension disappear once she learns its immense cost and rarity.
• Feng Jun demonstrates the extraordinary medical capabilities of his civilization. He remains detached and somewhat vindictive, deliberately staying behind to observe the distress of those who opposed him.
• Big Wind proves his value and judgment by surviving a deadly centipede bite, which earns him special treatment from Feng Jun’s side.
• He Huiqing reacts with envy and frustration when he learns that He Runxian’s grandmother received free life extension, especially because his own mother is aging.
• Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi continue to support Feng Jun’s emotional strategy, recognizing that allowing him to vent will help him regain mental balance.

Significant Themes

• The rarity and value of life extension: Even among advanced civilizations, life extension is portrayed as an extraordinary privilege rather than a common medical service.
• Power and influence: He Runxian’s ability to evade serious consequences depends on his connections and on the danger of provoking powerful figures associated with Feng Jun.
• Political compromise: Official institutions invoke “national interests” to justify invasive testing, showing how individual rights become secondary when valuable technology is involved.
• Revenge and emotional release: Feng Jun’s decision to remain in Left Capital reflects his desire to see his opponents suffer frustration, while others view this as a necessary way for him to recover emotionally.
• Hidden consequences of technological advancement: The Insectoid remnants, pollution, deadly venom, and competing investigations show that advanced weapons and medical technology create long-term environmental and political problems.
• Trust and selective cooperation: He Runxian cooperates when public security is involved but withholds information about life extension, carefully protecting his relationship with Feng Jun’s civilization.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and He Runxian cooperate closely during the grandmother’s treatment, with Feng Jun setting strict limits on the medicine and He Runxian managing his grandmother’s recovery.
• He Runxian and his grandmother grow closer through the treatment, though he must restrain her expectations about receiving more life-extension medicine.
• He Runxian and He Huiqing share a familiar relationship, but Huiqing’s envy exposes the tension created by unequal access to the Humanoid Civilization’s technology.
• He Runxian resists the Federation investigators’ questioning, especially regarding life extension, while remaining cooperative about the Toxic Flame Centipede threat.
• Feng Jun’s relationship with Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi is shown to be supportive and understanding, as both True Lords accept his desire for revenge and emotional relief.
• The chapter ends by setting up a future confrontation or development involving Chen Jiu’s arrival in Left Capital.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking Medical Treatment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun learns that Chen Jiu is still being monitored, with tracking devices hidden in his abdomen and shoe. Because of this, Feng Jun abandons plans to assist him directly and goes to find Xuan Gao instead.
• Xuan Gao explains why Chen Jiu traveled to Lower Capital. A wealthy family sought treatment for a young man who had been paralyzed by neurotoxins for decades. Chen Jiu agreed to inquire about the case after they offered valuable military equipment as payment.
• The family could not provide a Limb Regeneration Production Line, Chen Jiu’s original demand, but reportedly possessed the weapons and logistical supplies for a fully organized space brigade.
• Feng Jun considers the offer but rejects it, saying that acquiring warships and handling related complications would be too troublesome. He implies that he may already have other channels for obtaining them.
• Xuan Gao realizes Feng Jun can potentially exchange medical treatment for military resources. Feng Jun agrees that three chronic patients could collectively be treated in exchange for the equipment of a fully organized division, provided there are no guarantees of success or refunds.
• Feng Jun refuses to solicit patients or treat emergencies, emphasizing that his time is limited and that accepting urgent cases could endanger patients.
• Xuan Gao then offers Feng Jun a Counterfeit Life Potion Production Line seized from rebels. Although it lacks an official production license, its medicinal effectiveness is supposedly genuine.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun criticizing Federation power struggles and internal sympathizers who support rebel Life Potion production while the Insectoid threat remains active.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly pragmatic and detached. Although he recognizes the suffering of patients, he refuses to help indiscriminately and places limits on his medical services. He also values efficiency over acquiring resources that would create unnecessary complications.
• Chen Jiu is shown distancing himself from Robert and the Life Potion negotiations. He no longer wishes to mediate between the relevant parties, especially after the Gate Chip issue and his continued surveillance.
• Xuan Gao acts as an intermediary and information broker. He demonstrates a talent for recognizing opportunities, immediately considering whether medical treatment can be exchanged for larger military assets.
• Robert appears to have lost influence over Chen Jiu. His attempts to resume life-extension treatments receive only superficial replies, after which he stops contacting Chen Jiu.
• The wealthy widow discussed by Xuan Gao is portrayed as financially powerful but politically uncertain, while her deceased husband is characterized as reckless and obsessed with exploration and extreme sports.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism versus compassion: Feng Jun acknowledges that many people need help but refuses to take responsibility for everyone, treating medical aid as a controlled transaction.
• Power and resource exchange: Medical technology becomes a bargaining tool for fleets, military divisions, and production lines.
• Surveillance and freedom: Chen Jiu’s continued monitoring prevents him from acting independently and forces him to sever contact with Feng Jun.
• Political corruption and inequality: Wealthy families can accumulate enormous resources through privilege and leisure, while Federation factions compete for power even during war.
• Control of essential technology: Life Potion production is central to Federation authority, and rebel attempts to reproduce it threaten the government’s monopoly.
• Efficiency and personal evolution: Feng Jun claims that people must improve rather than remain stuck in old habits, reflecting his growing independence and unwillingness to accept burdensome arrangements.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao: Their conversation drives the chapter. Xuan Gao supplies information and proposes lucrative opportunities, while Feng Jun evaluates each offer with cautious skepticism.
• Feng Jun and Chen Jiu: Chen Jiu never appears directly, but Feng Jun’s decision to stop pursuing him reflects the obstacles created by Chen Jiu’s surveillance.
• Chen Jiu and Robert: Their relationship has become distant and purely formal. Chen Jiu avoids discussing the Gate Chip and no longer wants to serve as a mediator.
• Xuan Gao and the wealthy family: Xuan Gao rejected their approach because they used an unsuitable intermediary, though he remains aware of their resources and potential value.
• Feng Jun and the patients: Feng Jun establishes strict conditions for treatment: chronic cases only, no guaranteed cures, no refunds, and no active recruitment.

Chapter Summary: “Old Marshal”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Gao explains that the Human Federation’s military secretly possesses highly credible imitation production lines. Because the Federation has begun investigating such technology, the military wants to trade one line to Feng Jun in exchange for extending the Old Marshal’s lifespan.
• Feng Jun agrees, provided the production line is delivered to Dumbbell Galaxy. The military had already arranged shipment, partly because the crackdown made it necessary to relocate the illicit equipment.
• The Old Marshal travels to Spindle Galaxy, the same place where Rock General was previously treated. Feng Jun agrees to use that location for the life-extension treatment.
• Rock General asks to attend, but Feng Jun rejects him, criticizing the Federation soldiers’ lack of discipline and rules.
• The Old Marshal arrives alone and meets Feng Jun and Yi Jue. He is elderly but energetic, courteous, and politically experienced.
• Rather than focusing on his own treatment, the Old Marshal asks about Feng Jun’s civilization and proposes cooperation against the Insectoids.
• Feng Jun repeatedly rejects the proposal, challenging the Federation’s assumptions and refusing to share information about the bugs. He makes clear that he came primarily to complete a profitable transaction, not negotiate an alliance.
• After the failed negotiations, the Old Marshal stops pressing for formal cooperation and instead asks Feng Jun for honest assessments of the Federation’s weaknesses while the treatment takes place.
• Feng Jun eventually argues that the Federation has fundamentally chosen the wrong developmental path by emphasizing technological advancement while neglecting the potential of the human body.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Remains blunt, skeptical, and commercially motivated. He refuses to be manipulated by the Federation and insists on strict boundaries. However, he shows growing respect for the Old Marshal’s sense of responsibility and becomes willing to engage with his ideas because they may offer lessons for Blue Star.
• Old Marshal: Revealed as disciplined, patient, intelligent, and deeply devoted to the Federation. Though angered by Feng Jun’s harshness, he controls his emotions and adapts his strategy, shifting from requesting cooperation to humbly seeking advice.
• Xuan Gao: Acts as an intermediary between Feng Jun and the military. He recognizes the Federation’s political contradictions and efficiently arranges the production-line exchange.
• Yi Jue: Remains silent and detached throughout the meeting, reinforcing the impression that Feng Jun is not the true authority and that their civilization has little interest in Federation technology.
• Rock General: His attempted involvement is rejected, highlighting Feng Jun’s insistence on rules and controlled interactions.

3. Significant Themes

• Political complexity and institutional distrust: The Federation government has valid reasons to distrust the military, while some rebels and oppressed populations also have legitimate grievances. No side possesses a simple moral position.
• Power imbalance in diplomacy: The Federation wants cooperation, but Feng Jun’s side holds the stronger position and has no need to compromise. This reverses the usual diplomatic relationship.
• Rules and legitimacy: Feng Jun believes that violating rules creates a disastrous foundation for future dealings, while the military’s hidden production lines reveal widespread institutional corruption.
• National responsibility and leadership: The Old Marshal embodies someone willing to endure humiliation and search for solutions to strengthen his civilization.
• Technology versus human potential: Feng Jun criticizes the Federation for pursuing external technological progress while failing to develop the innate abilities of its people.
• Different civilizational perspectives: The chapter emphasizes that civilizations approach governance, development, rebellion, and cooperation from fundamentally different assumptions.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao: Their discussion centers on the military’s hidden production lines and the political bargain for the Old Marshal’s treatment. Xuan Gao is pragmatic, while Feng Jun remains suspicious but accepts the deal.
• Feng Jun and the Old Marshal: Their meeting is tense and confrontational. The Old Marshal seeks cooperation and information; Feng Jun dismisses both requests, questions the Federation’s leadership, and openly states that he is there to make money. Despite this hostility, Feng Jun later respects the Old Marshal’s sincerity and willingness to seek criticism.
• Feng Jun and Yi Jue: Their shared presence demonstrates their civilization’s superiority and detachment. Yi Jue does not participate, while Feng Jun handles the conversation.
• The Old Marshal and the Federation: Through his questions and restraint, the Old Marshal shows that he is trying to improve the Federation rather than merely defend its current policies. His conduct contrasts with the military’s secrecy and opportunism.

Chapter Summary: “Life Potion Production Line Activated”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Old Marshal and Feng Jun debate the relative strengths of technological and cultivation-based civilizations. The Marshal argues that technology offers rapid, accessible power and steadily improving lifespans, while Feng Jun emphasizes cultivators’ vastly longer lives and superior combat capabilities.
• Feng Jun reveals that cultivators can easily live five hundred to a thousand years, and claims that even if the Insectoids became ten times stronger, they would have only a small chance against his civilization.
• The discussion leaves Old Marshal deeply thoughtful about the Federation’s future and whether it should abandon or revise its technological path.
• Feng Jun completes Old Marshal’s longevity treatment using two Longevity Pills followed by an Origin-Nurturing Pill over five days.
• He returns to Libo Shoal with Old Marshal and the others, then takes an imitation Life Potion Production Line to Zhi Ge Mountain for testing.
• Feng Jun chooses an imitation line rather than one of his genuine production lines to avoid drawing attention in the Blue Star Realm and to preserve his cover of supplying goods to Kunhao Plane’s Mortal World.
• Zhi Ge Mountain and its surrounding region have grown substantially, with nearly two hundred thousand people nearby. Feng Jun’s reputation has made the area orderly and secure, and even the local government treats his territory with caution.
• The main obstacle to activating the factory is electricity. Feng Jun discovers that captured Federation warships can provide compatible power, though one E-Rank battleship cannot supply enough electricity to run the entire line at full capacity.
• He considers deploying another battleship but decides it would attract too much attention. Instead, he learns that the production line can function at reduced capacity because of its flexible design.
• Local cultivators are also experimenting with hydroelectric power in the Zhi Ge River. Feng Jun encourages them and rewards their efforts with fifty Spirit Stones.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains confident in cultivation civilization’s superiority but shows practical restraint. He avoids revealing too much technology, limits his use of battleships, and carefully manages how his actions appear to the Mortal World and the Federation.
• Old Marshal begins the chapter defending technological civilization, but Feng Jun’s arguments—especially regarding lifespan and military strength—force him to reconsider the Federation’s assumptions. He becomes unusually quiet and contemplative afterward.
• Lang Zhen has advanced to the Qi Refining First Layer after entering the Dao through martial arts. His cultivation status now makes him one of the most powerful figures in Donghua Kingdom and qualifies him to handle important visitors such as the county magistrate.
• The local researchers demonstrate initiative by experimenting with hydroelectric generation, suggesting that technological development is gradually taking root in Kunhao Plane.

Significant Themes

• Technology versus cultivation: The chapter compares technological convenience and mass accessibility with cultivation’s long lifespan and overwhelming individual power.
• Civilizational pride and adaptation: Both sides are reluctant to admit inferiority. Feng Jun argues that civilizations must absorb superior ideas or risk being eliminated, while Old Marshal fears that doing so would erase the Federation’s identity.
• Controlled technological transfer: Feng Jun introduces advanced technology selectively, balancing development against secrecy and the danger of attracting suspicion.
• Industrialization in a cultivation world: The factory represents the gradual blending of modern industry with cultivation society, while the electricity shortage highlights the practical difficulties of this transition.
• Flexible survival and practicality: The production line’s ability to work below full capacity reflects the rebels’ emphasis on mobility, emergency relocation, and producing whenever conditions allow.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Old Marshal engage in a prolonged philosophical argument over which civilization has the stronger future, with Feng Jun repeatedly undercutting the Marshal’s claims through examples of cultivator longevity and power.
• Feng Jun warns that provoking his civilization would be far more dangerous than confronting the Insectoids, reinforcing the imbalance between the two sides.
• Feng Jun interacts briefly with the hydroelectric researchers, offering encouragement and a modest reward rather than overwhelming them with resources.
• Lang Zhen receives the Zhige County magistrate in Feng Jun’s absence, demonstrating his elevated status and the authority Feng Jun’s organization now possesses.
• Feng Jun’s return causes no disorder because his reputation, supported by the Grand Purity and Crimson Phoenix sects, has made both locals and officials cautious and respectful.

Chapter Summary: “Industry Was Never Easy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun builds a partial imitation Life Potion production line at Zhige Mountain. Because the line is incomplete and only intended for limited production, a single E-Rank Battleship provides sufficient power.
• Construction and installation take sixty days. Initial potions are defective, requiring repeated adjustments and testing over another forty days before Feng Jun produces a qualified imitation comparable to the Federation’s original Life Potion.
• Using his Deduction ability, Feng Jun avoids conventional human drug trials by performing compatibility and predictive tests. He recruits ten ordinary Kunhao people with promises of safety and brings them to Seeking Immortals Manor in the Blue Star Realm for comparison with Blue Star subjects.
• Further tests in the Insectoid World reveal that the imitation potion works best on Human Federation citizens. Its effects are weaker on Blue Star and Heavenly Zither people because the potion directly alters genes, making it sensitive to racial and genetic differences.
• Feng Jun decides the formula must be improved rather than accepting an imperfect result. He spends three days deducing a solution and thirty days producing a version suitable for Kunhao people, then develops a separate Xia Nation/Blue Star formula more quickly using the experience gained.
• The entire process takes nearly two hundred days, with large-scale manufacturing still not begun.
• The improved Kunhao formula theoretically raises ordinary people’s maximum lifespan by roughly fourteen to seventeen years, allowing them to reach about 150 years. The unmodified potion would have produced a limit of approximately 133–136 years.
• Feng Jun prices each Life Potion at ten tons of pig iron. Because Kunhao’s industrial and pig-iron production is still limited, only a small fraction of the population could afford the potion, even if they had enough money.
• He believes this pricing will stimulate Kunhao’s iron industry rather than damage it. Meanwhile, Yang Yuxin continues importing and stockpiling huge quantities of iron ore in Xia Nation, eventually selling much of it after prices rise and later collapse.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun shows extraordinary persistence and perfectionism. Although he initially only wants a usable imitation potion, he cannot accept one that performs differently across populations and commits himself to improving the formula.
• His scientific and cultivation abilities work together: his Deduction allows him to predict compatibility and accelerate research that would normally require lengthy clinical trials.
• Feng Jun also demonstrates practical economic thinking. He chooses pig iron as payment not merely for personal gain, but to encourage Kunhao’s industrial development.
• The two True Lords become resigned to Feng Jun’s stubborn decision to remain in the Mortal World. They stop trying to control or follow him, recognizing that he can prevent them from accompanying him if he wishes.
• Yang Yuxin is portrayed as heavily burdened by the task of transporting and managing enormous iron-ore reserves, even though maintaining those reserves remains strategically necessary.

Significant Themes

• Industry and technological progress are difficult: Even with advanced equipment and cultivation abilities, developing a reliable production line requires months of construction, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Perfectionism and responsibility: Feng Jun refuses to distribute a potion that is merely “good enough,” especially when genetic differences could cause reduced benefits or dangerous long-term consequences.
• Genetic diversity and medical adaptation: Treatments aimed at correcting illness may work broadly across races, but treatments designed to enhance or alter genes require population-specific formulas.
• Economic development through exchange: Feng Jun’s iron-based pricing links longevity to industrial production, potentially stimulating Kunhao’s emerging steel industry.
• The value of resources and reserves: Yang Yuxin’s experience shows that even excessive stockpiles can become valuable when shortages arise; possessing resources is safer than lacking them.
• The limits of abundance: Even a miracle drug cannot be distributed widely when the necessary industrial materials and production capacity are scarce.

Character Interactions

• The two True Lords criticize Feng Jun’s decision to remain in the inhospitable Mortal World, but ultimately accept that they cannot change his mind.
• Feng Jun interacts with ordinary Kunhao residents by recruiting them as test subjects, offering payment and assurances of safety. Their large response demonstrates the appeal of even a small financial reward in the Mortal World.
• He compares Kunhao people, Blue Star/Xia Nation people, and Insectoid World residents, using their differing reactions to identify the potion’s genetic limitations.
• Feng Jun’s plans are indirectly connected to Yang Yuxin’s iron-ore operations: rather than relying on her continued ore transportation, he considers exchanging pig iron directly, tying his Life Potion trade to her broader industrial and economic activities.

Chapter Summary: “Tempted”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun considers importing pig iron from Xia Nation into Kunhao Realm. Although current production is insufficient, he plans to establish the trade channel gradually as demand grows.
• He evaluates the capacity of the imitation Life Potion production line:
  • At normal operation, it can produce roughly 100,000 doses per day.
  • At maximum capacity, it can produce up to 800,000 doses daily.
  • This output could prevent shortages in Xia Nation and eventually support Humanity in the Blue Star Realm if more production lines are imported.
• Feng runs the line for eight days, producing enough Life Potion for Kunhao’s ordinary people. However, demand immediately exceeds his expectations: the Tian, Mi, Yu, Mu, and Chen Families request quotas for 20,000 people.
• The Chen Family explains that pig iron prices have already tripled and may rise ten- or twentyfold. The increased value of Life Potion is encouraging people to recover discarded, damaged, or obsolete iron tools for smelting.
• Feng produces another one million doses over ten days, intending to distribute them among ordinary people in the Cultivation Realm, where access to Spirit Stones limits the usefulness of the potion.
• Ten Directions Platform offers to purchase Feng’s entire production capacity—one million doses—if granted exclusive agency rights throughout Kunhao Domain. Feng is tempted by the prospect of receiving one million Spirit Stones but rejects exclusivity.
• He decides that the other major sects and terraces should also receive quotas. This leads various factions to negotiate for shares of the supply.
• Yan Yuxi objects to Feng’s initial emphasis on sect cultivators, warning that family forces and independent cultivators contain far more ordinary people who may need the potion.
• She estimates that Kunhao’s Cultivation Realm could consume three to five million doses annually, especially because Mortal Transcendence cultivators would purchase the potion for elderly relatives who sacrificed their own cultivation prospects to support younger generations.
• After considering the different attitudes of the sects and families, Feng chooses to distribute agency rights jointly between the Two Peaks and One Valley and the Three Sects and Five Terraces, while favoring family forces and independent cultivators in quota allocation.
• His decision causes a mild uproar at Libo Shoal.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more cautious and strategic as the Life Potion business expands. Although he is strongly tempted by Ten Directions Platform’s lucrative exclusive offer, he prioritizes maintaining multiple sales channels and avoiding dependence on one faction.
• He demonstrates increasing awareness of economics and industrial development, recognizing that high demand for Life Potion can stimulate pig-iron production and broader industrialization in Kunhao’s Mortal World.
• Yan Yuxi shows herself to be perceptive and politically sensitive. She challenges Feng’s factional bias and emphasizes the needs of families and independent cultivators.
• The Chen Family displays practical economic foresight. They understand that rising Life Potion demand will make even neglected iron tools and Yang Yuxin’s mines commercially valuable.
• Ten Directions Platform reveals its ambition to dominate the Life Potion market by seeking exclusive agency rights, but its confidence is weakened when it learns how large Feng’s production capacity is.
• The major sects and terraces appear less optimistic about Life Potion’s sales potential than Feng and Yan Yuxi, partly because their practice of Severing Mortal Ties limits their concern for worldly elders.

Significant Themes

• The value and cost of longevity: Life Potion exposes how strongly different groups desire extended life, even when the potion requires scarce resources such as pig iron or Spirit Stones.
• Economic development through demand: Feng recognizes that technological and industrial progress will occur only when society’s demand makes production profitable. Life Potion indirectly drives mining, smelting, recycling, and trade.
• Factional power and monopolies: Ten Directions Platform’s offer raises the danger of allowing one organization to control distribution. Feng chooses a diversified agency system to preserve his independence.
• Family duty versus sect ideology: Families and independent cultivators view Life Potion as a means of repaying elders, while sects practicing Severing Mortal Ties are less connected to ordinary worldly concerns.
• Inter-realm technological disparity: Xia Nation’s industrial production vastly exceeds Kunhao’s alchemical and manufacturing capabilities, giving Feng’s imitation production line enormous strategic and commercial importance.
• Sacrifice across generations: Elders who cannot cultivate often devote themselves to raising capable descendants, while those descendants feel obligated to reward them with Life Potion.

Character Interactions

• Feng consults with the Chen Family about pig-iron availability and learns how demand is changing the Mortal World’s economy.
• He negotiates with Ten Directions Platform but refuses its demand for exclusive control.
• Other sects and terraces approach Feng after hearing about the Life Potion, seeking their own quotas and possible access to the Upper Realm.
• Yan Yuxi confronts Feng about favoring sect cultivators and persuades him to account for ordinary people, families, and independent cultivators.
• Through Yan Yuxi’s explanation, Feng comes to appreciate the contrasting values of the major cultivator factions and reshapes his distribution plan accordingly.