Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Moving House”

Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and Jiangzhu Grass spend two days deducing two compatible methods for creating a Longevity Spring.
  • The primary spring will be built at Libo Shoal using Jiangzhu Grass’s treasures.
  • A weaker secondary spring will be established near Jiangzhu Grass’s former home using Feng Jun’s resources. It can extend lifespans by roughly thirty or forty years, but requires a Taiyi Life-Force Stone to activate and sustain its longevity effect.
• True Lord Qian Zhong abandons her claim to the Spirit Vein, believing the knowledge gained from the deduction is more valuable.
• Jiangzhu Grass prepares to leave by uprooting itself, wrapping itself in Life-Force Stone, and refusing to enter Feng Jun’s Spirit-Beast Bag. Instead, it rides on his shoulder during the spatial teleportation.
• The group returns to Libo Shoal after more than six months. Jiangzhu Grass settles on the manor’s Earth Vein, appearing like a quiet potted plant while attracting considerable attention.
• Various people—including Zhang Caixin, Gu Jiahui, Yu Qingzhu, Hao Fengjing, and Zhao Xia—become curious about the mysterious “orchid” or spirit herb. Feng Jun keeps Jiangzhu Grass’s identity and nature restricted, especially from those below the Qi Refining Stage.
• Feng Jun spends eight days clearing the backlog of deduction requests. Several people attempt to learn whether Jiangzhu Grass is for sale or how it can be cultivated, but he refuses. He explains that it is highly sentient and requires mutual trust rather than a fixed cultivation method.
• Feng Jun reveals that he paid eight Ultimate Spirit Stones for Jiangzhu Grass, effectively discouraging anyone from trying to purchase it.
• Before constructing the Longevity Spring, Feng Jun consults the Guardians about creating a Protective Talisman for Jiangzhu Grass. The Guardians agree out of curiosity but warn that the plant may attract significant karmic entanglements.
• Feng Jun also asks about refining a massive, growing cave abode inhabited by Soul Bodies and demon beasts. The Guardians warn that bringing it near Blue Star could disrupt the planet’s orbit and potentially introduce Celestial Demon-related dangers or other unpredictable variables between worlds.
• The Guardians agree to consider making the Protective Talisman after Feng Jun settles on a Defense Array and provides the relevant Formation Disc.

Character Development

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly protective and cautious regarding Jiangzhu Grass. He respects its independence, allows it to travel on his shoulder, and refuses to expose it unnecessarily to visitors or potential buyers.
• Jiangzhu Grass grows more comfortable with Feng Jun and the others, losing some of its initial shyness during the deduction discussions. Nevertheless, it retains a strong personality and independence, refusing the Spirit-Beast Bag and choosing where to settle in the manor.
• True Lord Qian Zhong demonstrates intellectual maturity by willingly giving up the Spirit Vein after recognizing that the deduction knowledge she gained was more valuable.
• Xuanyuan Buqi is impressed by Jiangzhu Grass’s advanced knowledge but realizes that his weaker deductive ability limits how much he can benefit.
• The Guardians maintain their noninterference policy toward Feng Jun while emphasizing the dangers of karma, large-scale spatial refinement, and unintended consequences.

Significant Themes

• Mutual trust and sentience: Jiangzhu Grass cannot be treated like an ordinary spirit herb; its cultivation and cooperation depend on a relationship of trust.
• Value beyond material wealth: Qian Zhong values the knowledge gained from Dao discussion above possession of a Spirit Vein, showing that understanding can surpass tangible resources.
• Responsibility accompanying power: Feng Jun’s growing fortune and access to enormous treasures also bring greater risks, including karma, spatial instability, and threats between worlds.
• Secrecy and protection: Feng Jun limits access to Libo Shoal and Jiangzhu Grass to prevent exposure, exploitation, and possible disasters.
• Caution toward unknown forces: The Guardians stress that seemingly minor actions—especially moving or refining a huge cave abode—could have catastrophic effects.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Jiangzhu Grass collaborate closely on the Longevity Spring deductions, with Jiangzhu Grass contributing sophisticated knowledge and resources.
• Qian Zhong listens to their discussions, gains valuable insight, and then formally relinquishes her interest in the Spirit Vein.
• Feng Jun reassures Jiangzhu Grass during the journey but also worries about its safety and possessions during teleportation.
• Manor residents and associates repeatedly question Feng Jun about the spirit herb, but he gives them limited information and prevents them from approaching it freely.
• Zhao Xia’s request to visit Jiangzhu Grass leads to Feng Jun and Zhong Lijing arguing over the restrictions; Feng Jun ultimately refuses because of the attention surrounding Libo Shoal.
• Yan Yuxi asks about cultivating Jiangzhu Grass, while Dantai Yuhu indirectly investigates its price. Feng Jun rejects both inquiries.
• Feng Jun consults the Guardians about both Jiangzhu Grass’s protection and the potential refinement of the enormous cave abode, receiving warnings rather than definitive answers.

Chapter Summary: Across Realms

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun prepares to create a Longevity Spring at his estate. He arranges for a custom Defense Array connected to the Earth Vein, capable of resisting attacks up to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, and secures protective talismans.
• He selects a small mound roughly seven hundred meters from the Earth Vein’s center as the spring’s source, planning to build a small pool nearby because the spring’s output will be limited.
• Feng Jun consults Jiangzhu Grass about the location, but the grass tells him to handle the construction himself while it focuses on sensing the rare Kindred-Path Aura and Dao intent.
• As construction begins, Feng Jun develops an unexplained sense of danger. His Deduction ability, the “People Nearby” function, and the timeline reveal nothing unusual.
• Suspecting a possible tribulation, Feng Jun asks the Yin Soul big shot for advice. The big shot dismisses the idea, explaining that creating a Longevity Spring should not cause a Heavenly Tribulation unless the spring could grant an extraordinarily long lifespan.
• Growing increasingly uneasy, Feng Jun gathers Luohua’s people and uses the Two-Way Door to return to his own world, while instructing Mi Yunshan and Sister Hong to close the door early after he leaves.
• Once back, he asks the Guardians to perform a Deduction. They summon him to their courtyard, where they have intercepted a mysterious palm-sized puppet containing a fragment of another cultivator’s Spirit Division.
• The intruder is revealed to be a Fortune-Substitution Puppet sent by Youying, an Integration Stage Ancestral Venerable of the Myriad Illusions Sect. The puppet had crossed through the Two-Way Door to investigate Feng Jun and the Longevity Spring.
• The Guardians seal the plane, preventing the puppet from communicating with its true body, and threaten to refine its soul. They discover that Youying is Feng Jun’s enemy and intended to obtain the Heart of Life for an injured incarnation.
• Youying had avoided directly attacking Feng Jun because Feng Jun had powerful allies, including Venerables and True Lords, and because the Kunhao Plane restricted stronger cultivators. Instead, he sent the puppet to test Feng Jun’s background and investigate the Two-Way Door.
• The chapter ends with the revelation that Youying had been observing from a distance and finally decided to act when Feng Jun began constructing the Longevity Spring. The puppet was his last remaining Fortune-Substitution Puppet, demonstrating how seriously he regarded the opportunity and danger.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly cautious and perceptive. Although he initially doubts his own unease, he takes precautions by moving everyone through the Two-Way Door and seeking help from the Guardians. His caution proves justified when an Integration Stage cultivator’s puppet is discovered.
• The Guardians: Display overwhelming authority and confidence. They immediately identify the intruder, seal the plane, block its communication, and prepare to search its soul despite the puppet’s attempts at intimidation and self-destruction.
• The Yin Soul big shot: Remains vigilant but is unaware of Youying’s presence because the latter stayed at a distance. The incident highlights the limits of even the big shot’s perception.
• Jiangzhu Grass: Remains detached from worldly matters, focusing on the Kindred-Path Aura and Dao intent rather than Feng Jun’s construction or danger.
• Ancestral Venerable Youying: Is shown to be powerful but cautious rather than reckless. His need for the Heart of Life drives him to risk sending an extremely valuable puppet across realms, despite Feng Jun’s connections and the dangers of the unfamiliar plane.

Significant Themes

• Caution and preparation: Feng Jun’s unexplained instincts lead him to take defensive action, reinforcing the idea that survival in cultivation depends on constant vigilance.
• Power and restraint: Even powerful cultivators must account for restrictions imposed by the Kunhao Plane, Feng Jun’s allies, and the potential consequences of attacking someone protected by a stronger force.
• Cross-realm danger: The Two-Way Door connects different worlds but also creates opportunities for powerful outsiders to intrude, investigate, and threaten Feng Jun.
• Greed and necessity: Youying’s need to nourish his injured incarnation motivates him to pursue the Heart of Life, despite the political and personal risks involved.
• Hidden identities and probing: The puppet serves as both a disguise and a test, while the Guardians’ interrogation exposes the deeper conflict between Feng Jun and the Myriad Illusions Sect.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun works closely with Xuanyuan Buqi, who handles the purchase of the custom Defense Array and prepares to transport the Soul-Stabilizing Pill.
• Feng Jun consults Jiangzhu Grass about the spring’s location, though the grass remains uninterested in practical construction details.
• Feng Jun privately communicates with the Yin Soul big shot about whether the Longevity Spring might trigger a Heavenly Tribulation.
• He coordinates with Mi Yunshan and Sister Hong to close the Two-Way Door after the group departs, showing his efforts to control access between realms.
• The Guardians confront Youying’s puppet, intimidate it, seal its connection to its true body, and extract information about the Myriad Illusions Sect.
• Feng Jun openly identifies the sect as an irreconcilable enemy, confirming that Youying’s investigation is part of an ongoing conflict rather than a neutral inquiry.

Chapter Summary: Shadow Ancestor

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shadow Ancestor arrives in the Blue Star Realm and immediately realizes it is a vast, relatively independent plane at the Dharma-Ending level. He views it as an opportunity for the Myriad Illusions Sect to acquire new territory and resources.
• He overhears Feng Jun’s conversation and concludes that the Blue Star humans could be exploited or enslaved if the Myriad Illusions Sect conquered the realm.
• Before he can act, Shadow Ancestor is pulled into a sealed space created by the Guardians. He realizes that the “wandering cultivator” his disciples provoked is actually an extremely powerful existence capable of manipulating a Dao Domain and deceiving even him.
• The Guardians perform a sophisticated soul search, discovering Shadow Ancestor’s intentions, the Myriad Illusions Sect’s background, and the nature of his Fortune-Substitution Puppet.
• Feng Jun demands that the Spirit Division be destroyed and expresses a desire to retaliate against the Myriad Illusions Sect rather than merely continue defending himself.
• The Guardians explain that killing the puppet’s Spirit Division alone will not easily injure Shadow Ancestor’s main body. To retaliate directly, they need access through the other side of the Two-Way Door.
• Shadow Ancestor admits his mistake and is allowed one reasonable request. He asks whether his Spirit Division can be spared so that he can return and discipline his sect, but the Guardians refuse to answer, implying that the puppet will be destroyed.
• Feng Jun threatens to use Longevity Spring Water to place unrestricted bounties on Myriad Illusions Sect members’ heads once he returns to Libo Shoal.
• The Guardians offer to curse Shadow Ancestor’s disciples, descendants, and associates. Shadow Ancestor, attempting to preserve his dignity and limit the damage, requests that only forty-nine Gold Core cultivators among his disciples and descendants be cursed to death.

Character Developments

• Shadow Ancestor: His initial arrogance and excitement at discovering a new territory quickly turn into fear and regret after realizing the true strength of the Guardians. Despite being trapped and powerless, he maintains the dignity of an Integration Stage cultivator by admitting fault without arguing. He also begins recognizing that his own disciples’ recklessness has endangered the entire sect.
• Feng Jun: He shifts from defensive retaliation to openly planning a counterattack. His willingness to weaponize Longevity Spring Water demonstrates growing confidence, strategic boldness, and a readiness to exploit the Myriad Illusions Sect’s vulnerabilities.
• The Guardians: They reveal themselves as overwhelmingly powerful but not entirely arbitrary. They test Feng Jun’s temperament, respect Shadow Ancestor’s dignity to some degree, and act according to their own principles while still supporting severe retaliation.
• The Myriad Illusions Sect: Though absent directly, the sect is portrayed as aggressive, exploitative, and poorly disciplined. Its members’ actions have created a crisis far beyond what they intended.

Significant Themes

• Power and vulnerability: Even a mighty Integration Stage cultivator can become helpless when confronted by a truly superior force.
• Consequences of arrogance: The Myriad Illusions Sect treats the Blue Star Realm and its people as resources, but its contempt leads to devastating retaliation.
• Morality and strength: Feng Jun reflects that morality has little value when one lacks power, but becomes meaningful when one is strong enough to support the weak or punish wrongdoing.
• Dignity under defeat: Shadow Ancestor’s refusal to quibble, even while facing destruction, highlights the pride and self-respect associated with powerful cultivators.
• Retaliation and deterrence: Feng Jun’s bounty plan and the Guardians’ proposed curse are intended not merely as revenge, but as a warning to prevent future attacks.
• Resources as weapons: Longevity Spring Water is presented as a valuable strategic resource whose ability to extend life could motivate cultivators to hunt members of the Myriad Illusions Sect.

Character Interactions

• Shadow Ancestor mentally evaluates Feng Jun and the Blue Star Realm, initially assuming he has the advantage.
• The Guardians trap and interrogate Shadow Ancestor, exposing the difference between his apparent status and their actual power.
• Feng Jun and the Guardians discuss whether to destroy the Spirit Division and how severely to retaliate.
• Shadow Ancestor attempts to negotiate for his survival and the future discipline of his sect, but Feng Jun rejects mercy and promises direct retaliation.
• The Guardians offer to curse Shadow Ancestor’s wider connections. Shadow Ancestor responds by making a limited, “dignified” request: the deaths of forty-nine Gold Core cultivators rather than a broader massacre.

Chapter Summary: “Gone”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Guardians and Feng Jun confront Youying, an Integration Stage Ancestral Venerable whose Divine Thought has been trapped and is about to be destroyed.
• Youying uses the phrase “curse-kill forty-nine” as a coded request. He is asking the Guardians to limit the curse’s victims to forty-nine Gold Core disciples or descendants instead of allowing his entire branch to be wiped out.
• The Guardians recognize that Youying is trying to preserve his dignity while secretly pleading for mercy. Youying reasons that sacrificing forty-nine Gold Cores is preferable to losing the branch’s Nascent Soul cultivators and other important members.
• The Guardians mock his request and insist that they do not fear the karmic backlash from using such a powerful curse. Youying realizes that he has little ability to negotiate.
• Feng Jun rejects Youying’s attempt to frame the crisis as a misunderstanding or an internal conflict among humans. He is angry over the Myriad Illusions Sect’s repeated persecution and refuses to let the matter end without taking revenge.
• Youying apologizes and even abandons his dignity, admitting that he is afraid of Feng Jun’s side. He argues that a full-scale conflict between human forces would only benefit the alien races.
• Feng Jun counters that the Myriad Illusions Sect already treated its attacks on him as acceptable despite deploying an Integration-level patriarch. He refuses to accept the conflict as a “minor dispute.”
• To negotiate survival for his disciples and descendants, Youying offers information about another Integration Ancestral Venerable in exchange for limiting the curse-killing to forty-nine Gold Cores.
• Feng Jun consults the Guardians. They leave the decision to him but require that Youying still suffer some karmic backlash.
• Feng Jun accepts the information exchange, provided the intelligence is relevant to him.
• Youying reveals that he sensed the presence of He Wei, a powerful cultivator of the Formation Dao, observing Libo Shoal and apparently taking an interest in it. He does not know He Wei’s exact intentions.
• The chapter ends with Youying’s Spirit Division wisp effectively doomed, while the threat of a precise curse against his faction remains imminent.

Character Developments

• Youying: His confidence and dignity steadily collapse under pressure. Initially attempting to negotiate indirectly, he eventually sacrifices his pride, apologizes, admits fear, and offers up members of his own faction in order to save the rest. He also reveals a pragmatic willingness to sacrifice weaker disciples to preserve more valuable cultivators.
• Feng Jun: He becomes more openly defiant and vindictive toward the Myriad Illusions Sect. Rather than accepting conciliatory language, he insists that the sect must pay for its past actions. At the same time, he shows strategic caution by seeking information about other Integration-level threats.
• The Guardians: They are portrayed as detached, overwhelmingly powerful, and unconcerned with conventional dignity or karmic consequences. However, they also advise Feng Jun to show some respect toward Integration cultivators and avoid unnecessarily damaging his own future prospects.

Significant Themes

• Pride versus survival: Youying’s struggle demonstrates how quickly status and dignity become meaningless when an entire faction’s survival is at stake.
• Revenge and justice: Feng Jun refuses to let the Myriad Illusions Sect disguise serious persecution as a minor misunderstanding.
• Power and helplessness: Even an Integration Ancestral Venerable is reduced to bargaining when facing the Guardians and Feng Jun’s greater backing.
• Internal conflict among humanity: Youying invokes unity against alien races, but Feng Jun challenges the hypocrisy of sects that use “humanity must unite” only when their own interests are threatened.
• The uncertainty of higher cultivation: The discussion of the realms beyond Spirit Division emphasizes that the path to greater power is unclear, individualized, and dependent on one’s Great Dao.
• Strategic compromise: Both sides negotiate through calculated sacrifices—Youying offers forty-nine Gold Cores and valuable intelligence, while Feng Jun balances revenge with the need to learn about future threats.

Character Interactions

• Youying and the Guardians: Youying carefully appeals to the Guardians while trying to preserve the appearance of dignity. The Guardians respond with mockery and indifference, forcing him into increasingly humiliating concessions.
• Youying and Feng Jun: Their exchange is openly hostile. Feng Jun rejects apologies and excuses, while Youying tries to prevent total destruction by offering concessions and warnings.
• Feng Jun and the Guardians: Feng Jun relies on the Guardians’ judgment but retains authority over the final decision. The Guardians subtly remind him that excessive hostility could limit his future path.
• Youying and the Myriad Illusions Sect: Youying’s thoughts reveal resentment toward his own disciples and descendants for provoking such a powerful enemy without properly investigating the situation or informing him.

Chapter Summary: “Another Integration Stage”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun learns that He Wei, an Integration Stage ancestor of the Formation Dao, may be involved in the situation. Neither Feng Jun nor Youying knows why He Wei would target him, since Feng Jun has no direct grudge against the Formation Dao.
• Youying asks Feng Jun to give the Myriad Illusions Sect’s Lower Sects time to respond before attacking them. He also requests that Feng Jun warn their Gold Core disciples—especially those in seclusion—using the number “forty-nine.”
• At the Guardian’s urging, Feng Jun agrees to show Youying some dignity. He releases Youying briefly so he can create a token marked “Gold Core Forty-Nine” with a secret dot indicating that the message must be taken seriously.
• Feng Jun is then sent away, leaving Youying alone with the Guardian. Youying asks about the Guardian’s cultivation and the connection between this world and the Heavenly Zither Main Plane.
• The Guardian reveals that the Mirror Spirit was once unimaginably powerful, claiming that even ten Youyings at their peak would have been destroyed instantly by it. It also dismisses the Heavenly Zither Plane as merely a “Main Plane,” implying that this world was once far stronger before the Dharma-Ending era damaged its laws and Dao arts.
• Youying’s strand of Divine Thought disintegrates. At the same time, his true body in the Heavenly Zither Plane suffers a terrifying backlash, vomiting essence blood and losing five hundred years of cultivation time.
• He realizes that the Fortune-Substitution Puppet failed to protect him, meaning the beings behind the curse could ignore or override its rules.
• Youying then learns that two Gold Core cultivators from his own lineage have suddenly died, their Divine Souls completely shattered. After calculating the cause, he identifies the deaths as Karmic Curse Art and understands that the Lower Sects have provoked an extraordinarily powerful enemy.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains cautious and skeptical of Youying’s requests, unwilling to show mercy to the Myriad Illusions Sect after their previous treatment of him. However, he respects the Guardian’s judgment and ultimately agrees to deliver Youying’s warning.
• Youying shifts from confident and calculating to deeply alarmed. His Divine Thought is destroyed, his protective puppet fails, and he realizes that the enemy can curse-kill his disciples. Despite his high cultivation, he is forced to acknowledge that he has encountered an existence far beyond his expectations.
• The Guardian continues to act with calm authority and shows a strong concern for proper conduct and dignity. It also reveals its vast knowledge and power, particularly through its comments about the Mirror Spirit and the former strength of this world.
• The Mirror Spirit gains greater importance through the Guardian’s description. Although seemingly weak and damaged in its current state, it is implied to have once stood at a level vastly beyond Integration Stage cultivators.
• Azure Crane, Youying’s loyal Nascent Soul attendant, is established as both a guardian of his residence and a dependable servant who reports the deaths among Youying’s disciples.

Significant Themes

• The danger of underestimating hidden powers: Youying dismissed the Mirror Spirit and underestimated the world beyond the gate, only to discover that its inhabitants possessed strength capable of bypassing his strongest protections.
• The decline of an ancient world: The Guardian’s remarks about the Dharma-Ending era suggest that the current world is a ruined remnant of a once-superior civilization whose laws and Dao arts have deteriorated.
• Cause and karmic consequences: Youying acknowledges that the Myriad Illusions Sect is suffering the consequences of its past actions. Its attempt to harm Feng Jun has now brought devastating retaliation.
• Power beyond established rules: The enemy’s ability to ignore the Fortune-Substitution Puppet and employ powerful curse arts suggests that conventional defensive techniques and cultivation hierarchies are no longer reliable.
• Pride versus humility: Youying’s confidence gives way to fear as he recognizes that his knowledge of the world is limited. The Guardian explicitly mocks his assumptions, emphasizing the narrow perspective of powerful but isolated cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Youying: Their conversation remains tense and adversarial. Youying asks for mercy and assistance, while Feng Jun resists, viewing the request as undeserved. Their exchange reflects the unresolved hostility between Feng Jun and the Myriad Illusions Sect.
• Feng Jun and the Guardian: The Guardian moderates Feng Jun’s response, encouraging him to preserve Youying’s dignity. Feng Jun obeys out of respect, showing the Guardian’s authority over him.
• Youying and the Guardian: Youying is deferential but inquisitive, seeking information about the Guardian and the world it inhabits. The Guardian answers only partially and repeatedly exposes the limits of Youying’s knowledge.
• Youying and Azure Crane: Their master-servant relationship is respectful and longstanding. Azure Crane’s report about the dead Gold Core disciples provides the clue that enables Youying to recognize the use of curse art.
• Youying and the unseen enemy: Though they never meet directly, the enemy’s destruction of Youying’s Divine Thought, defeat of the Fortune-Substitution Puppet, and killing of his disciples establishes an overwhelming and ominous confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “The True Self’s Wrath”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Youying orders Azure Crane to send someone to Libo Shoal to apologize, recognizing that Feng Jun is too dangerous to provoke further. He demands results within three days and prioritizes protecting the sect over preserving its pride.
• Feng Jun returns to Luohua after visiting Libo Shoal, later learning that Youying’s divine soul has been destroyed. Rather than immediately retaliating or investigating further, he rests and then returns to Libo Shoal.
• With help from the Mirror Spirit and the Yin Soul senior, Feng Jun detects that Progenitor He Wei has been secretly observing Libo Shoal through a concealed Divine Thought. Feng Jun openly greets him, but He Wei immediately withdraws without revealing himself.
• True Lord Qian Zhong reacts contemptuously to He Wei’s presence, calling him a coward and suggesting that their history is hostile and complicated.
• The Myriad Illusions Sect quickly sends True Immortal Cha Ran to negotiate with Feng Jun. Moon Vine Elder accompanies him and asks Feng Jun not to kill anyone.
• Feng Jun gives Cha Ran a token bearing the words “Forty-Nine Gold Cores,” instructing him to deliver it to the sect’s Progenitor. The token is actually connected to an Integration Stage Progenitor and carries a terrifying warning.
• Cha Ran brings the token to Youying’s Spirit Division. Youying realizes that one of his Spirit Divisions has been erased and that it left the token behind as a warning.
• Youying explains that the mysterious deaths of Gold Core cultivators in his lineage are caused by Feng Jun’s curse. Forty-nine Gold Cores must die before the curse ends.
• He interprets the number forty-nine as a deliberate reference to “the one that escapes” from the saying that the Great Dao is fifty and Heaven’s evolution is forty-nine. The erased Spirit Division was effectively warning Youying’s true self to flee.
• Youying condemns the sect leaders for mishandling the situation and emphasizes that Feng Jun’s willingness to establish a fixed death toll and act on it makes him exceptionally terrifying.

Character Developments

• Youying: Shifts from cautious resistance to outright strategic retreat. He demonstrates clear judgment by recognizing that Feng Jun cannot be defeated through ordinary sect retaliation. His anger is directed less at Feng Jun than at his own sect’s incompetence and reckless provocation.
• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly confident and deliberate. He does not rush to exploit Youying’s defeat, instead allowing the opposing side to come to him. His use of the token is both a diplomatic warning and a calculated display of authority.
• Cha Ran: Initially arrives as a formal representative, but his loyalty to Youying leads him to react with outrage at the Progenitor’s humiliation. After hearing about the curse, however, he is forced to recognize the overwhelming danger Feng Jun represents.
• True Lord Qian Zhong: Shows open hostility toward He Wei and reveals her fearless, irreverent attitude toward powerful figures. Her reaction suggests a complicated personal history with He Wei.
• Moon Vine Elder: Acts as a mediator and demonstrates her goodwill toward Feng Jun by accompanying the Myriad Illusions Sect’s envoy, while remaining cautious about the implications of the token.
• He Wei: Remains hidden and evasive. His refusal to appear reinforces Qian Zhong’s accusation that he acts indirectly and avoids open confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Strategic retreat versus sect pride: Youying recognizes that preserving the sect requires abandoning its pride and apologizing rather than escalating a hopeless conflict.
• The consequences of leadership failure: Youying blames the sect’s leaders for repeatedly provoking Feng Jun and risking the destruction of their entire Dao lineage.
• Warnings from the dead: The erased Spirit Division’s final act is to leave behind a token warning Youying’s true self to escape, emphasizing the connection between divided souls and the true self.
• Power revealed through restraint: Feng Jun’s calmness, patience, and refusal to immediately retaliate make him more intimidating than open aggression would.
• Fate, numbers, and Dao symbolism: The number forty-nine carries both practical and symbolic significance, representing the curse’s fixed limit and “the one that escapes” in Daoist cosmology.
• Hidden observation and indirect conflict: He Wei’s concealed surveillance, Youying’s Spirit Division, and Feng Jun’s token all show that the major powers communicate and clash through indirect means rather than direct confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Youying commands Azure Crane to arrange an apology, revealing his pragmatic approach to Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun and He Wei engage in a brief, one-sided confrontation: Feng Jun openly acknowledges He Wei’s presence, while He Wei retreats without answering.
• Qian Zhong and Feng Jun discuss He Wei, with Qian Zhong expressing contempt and Feng Jun attempting to understand their unusual relationship.
• Feng Jun receives Cha Ran and Moon Vine Elder. He gives Cha Ran the mysterious token rather than stating his demands directly.
• Cha Ran passionately defends Youying’s honor, but Youying restrains him and warns that confronting Feng Jun would be suicidal.
• Youying and Cha Ran together interpret the token and the curse, with Youying using the evidence to expose the gravity of the sect’s mistake.

Chapter Summary: Just Turning the Page

Key Plot Points and Events

• True Immortal Cha Ran reports to Patriarch Youying that the forty-nine Gold Core cultivators targeted by Feng Jun and Libo Shoal do not need further verification. Youying’s Deduction confirms their fate is essentially sealed, and even survivors would suffer declining fortune.
• Youying and Cha Ran realize the opposing side may possess a method of transferring or avoiding karmic backlash, making them extremely dangerous to provoke. Youying orders Cha Ran to investigate the conflict between the Formation Dao and Libo Shoal.
• The next day, Cha Ran returns to Libo Shoal with two True Immortals, four captured robbers, and three severed heads. The Myriad Illusions Sect admits that the robbers had been sheltered within its protected area and that its disciples mishandled the affair.
• Feng Jun remains dissatisfied because the sect has acted long after the original deadline and has only surrendered a portion of those responsible. He challenges Cha Ran over whether the sect intends to impose meaningful consequences on those who have repeatedly targeted him.
• Cha Ran offers either compensation or additional executions, but Feng Jun recognizes that accepting compensation would allow the Myriad Illusions Sect to gain access to Libo Shoal’s valuable opportunities and resources. He therefore has little interest in formally reconciling with them.
• Feng Jun deduces that Cha Ran is acting under orders from a powerful sect figure—almost certainly Patriarch Youying—and sarcastically tells him to “rectify” the sect’s conduct while preserving the dignity of its Integration Stage progenitor.
• Cha Ran attempts to offer compensation in return for Feng Jun’s restraint. Feng Jun mocks the patriarch’s desire for Libo Shoal’s Heart of Life and insists that the two sides have merely set aside their grudge, not become friends.
• Feng Jun reveals that his side could potentially have used curse techniques to kill all of the patriarch’s disciples, including those connected to his allies. The delivered prisoners, therefore, are not sufficient proof of sincerity.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun taunting Cha Ran, asking whether Patriarch Youying failed to understand the warning or whether Cha Ran himself is too slow to grasp its meaning.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increasing confidence and strategic control. He refuses to be pressured into reconciliation and understands that peace with the Myriad Illusions Sect could benefit them more than Libo Shoal. His willingness to mock an Integration Stage patriarch shows how secure he feels in his backing and abilities.
• Cha Ran proves pragmatic and politically capable. Once ordered to yield, he decisively captures the protected criminals despite the damage to his sect’s reputation. However, Feng Jun’s attitude frustrates him, exposing the tension between his traditional sense of hierarchy and the need to treat Feng Jun as a dangerous equal.
• Patriarch Youying is portrayed as cautious and calculating. He fears Feng Jun’s side because of its apparent ability to manipulate karma, yet he still covets the Heart of Life and seeks a way to preserve his sect’s interests.
• The Myriad Illusions Sect suffers a loss of prestige. Its willingness to sacrifice protected disciples and negotiate demonstrates that its leaders now prioritize survival and long-term interests over maintaining an image of dominance.

Significant Themes

• Power and fearlessness: Those with overwhelming strength can ignore conventional hierarchies and force ancient, powerful sects to compromise.
• Karma and hidden techniques: The possibility of transferring or avoiding karmic consequences makes Feng Jun’s side especially threatening and raises the stakes beyond ordinary political conflict.
• Dignity versus survival: The Myriad Illusions Sect must surrender criminals and humble itself, sacrificing prestige to avoid a more devastating confrontation.
• Reconciliation without friendship: Ending a grudge does not automatically restore trust. Feng Jun is willing to stop escalating the conflict while continuing to regard the sect as an enemy.
• Strategic value of resources: Feng Jun understands that Libo Shoal’s unique benefits—such as Deduction, the Kindred-Path Aura, Void Index, Soul-Nourishing Liquid, and other technologies—could give the Myriad Illusions Sect more than he would gain from reconciliation.

Character Interactions

• Youying and Cha Ran: Youying warns Cha Ran against provoking opponents capable of manipulating karma and instructs him to investigate the origins of the conflict.
• Cha Ran and Feng Jun: Their formal negotiation becomes increasingly tense. Cha Ran offers prisoners and compensation, while Feng Jun rejects superficial concessions and repeatedly reminds him of the enormous power gap between their sides.
• Feng Jun and Patriarch Youying, indirectly: Feng Jun’s comments about the Heart of Life, the erased incarnation, and the possible deaths of all the patriarch’s disciples serve as deliberate provocations and warnings.
• Feng Jun and his sect elders: Feng Jun follows their instruction to preserve Youying’s dignity, but interprets that instruction narrowly: he will stop short of total destruction without offering friendship or forgiveness.

Chapter Summary: “Private Stash”

Key Plot Points and Events

• True Immortal Cha Ran attempts to repair relations between the Myriad Illusions Sect and Feng Jun after the sect’s Patriarch and forces attacked or attempted to silence him.
• Cha Ran offers the heads of the offending disciples, explaining that the sect has already suffered the loss of forty-nine Gold Core cultivators. Feng Jun rejects this as inadequate compensation, insisting that the Myriad Illusions Sect’s actions were far more serious.
• Feng Jun reveals that he had originally intended to inflict a devastating blow on the Myriad Illusions Sect, but Cha Ran’s intervention prevented him from doing so.
• Cha Ran explores the possibility of forming a personal relationship with Feng Jun, separate from the irreparably hostile relationship between Feng Jun and the Myriad Illusions Sect.
• He offers Feng Jun access to a rare Fortune-Substitution Puppet refined by the sect’s Patriarch. Although Feng Jun recognizes its value for overcoming the limitations of his self-deduction, he refuses because he cannot forgive the sect’s destruction of one of his own puppets.
• Accepting that Feng Jun needs time to resolve his resentment, Cha Ran leaves without securing a formal alliance.
• Feng Jun informs the Xiong Family that the four people who robbed them of their Ultimate Spirit Stones have been handed over by the Myriad Illusions Sect. The Xiong Family sends two True Immortals to retrieve them and gives Feng Jun four thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones as thanks.
• Feng Jun initially refuses payment, but Moon Vine Elder and Dantai Yuhu persuade him that accepting compensation establishes a fair precedent for others seeking his help.
• Two days later, Feng Jun finalizes his plans for constructing the Longevity Spring. Xuanyuan Buqi returns with the Defense Array he purchased for him.
• The Guardians forge a Protective Talisman for the array and charge Feng Jun five Ultimate Spirit Stones, explaining that they need compensation for the backlash and curse-killing costs incurred during their recent clash with an Integration Stage cultivator.
• Feng Jun also purchases a tracking talisman for two thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones to locate the elusive Formation Dao Integration cultivator.
• Afterward, the Mirror Spirit argues with the Guardians over their high charges, claiming it deserves a share of the Ultimate Spirit Stones because it helped reveal Feng Jun’s hidden reserves. The Guardians dismiss the claim and criticize the Mirror Spirit for failing to detect the enemy’s surveillance.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains fiercely resentful toward the Myriad Illusions Sect, but he is pragmatic enough to acknowledge Cha Ran’s intervention and accept that the sect has shown some sincerity. He refuses an extremely valuable Fortune-Substitution Puppet, demonstrating that personal principles and emotional closure matter more to him than immediate power.
• True Immortal Cha Ran acts as a mediator and negotiator. Despite his frustration at Feng Jun’s disrespect and impossible demands, he recognizes Feng Jun’s dangerous influence and carefully avoids worsening the conflict. He shifts from representing the sect as a whole to seeking a possible personal relationship.
• The Myriad Illusions Sect is shown to have yielded under pressure. Its delivery of the culprits signals that Feng Jun’s threat is being taken seriously, even though no genuine reconciliation has occurred.
• The Xiong Family displays gratitude and respect by compensating Feng Jun, while Feng Jun’s acceptance of the payment shows his growing awareness of the political and practical value of maintaining fair exchanges.
• The Guardians continue to be powerful but transactional, demanding payment for their services and using Feng Jun’s hidden Ultimate Spirit Stones as an opportunity to recover resources.
• The Mirror Spirit remains greedy, argumentative, and proud of its abilities, but the Guardians expose its limitations, particularly its failure to detect the Integration Stage cultivator’s surveillance.

Significant Themes

• Reconciliation versus resentment: Feng Jun acknowledges the Myriad Illusions Sect’s conciliatory gesture but refuses to pretend that old grievances have disappeared.
• Pragmatism and negotiation: Both Cha Ran and Feng Jun weigh losses, sincerity, compensation, and future cooperation rather than relying solely on pride or hostility.
• Peace of mind in cultivation: Feng Jun’s refusal of the Fortune-Substitution Puppet emphasizes that cultivation is not merely about acquiring treasures; unresolved grudges and personal convictions also shape one’s path.
• Power and deterrence: The Myriad Illusions Sect’s surrender suggests that reputation and the threat of overwhelming retaliation can force powerful factions to compromise.
• The value of fair compensation: The discussion over the Xiong Family’s Spirit Stones establishes that rewarding assistance encourages others to seek help and preserves trust among cultivators.
• Resource scarcity and hidden wealth: Feng Jun’s small private reserve of Ultimate Spirit Stones becomes important, while the Guardians’ charges highlight the enormous cost of high-level cultivation and supernatural techniques.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Cha Ran: Their conversation is tense and sarcastic. Cha Ran tries repeatedly to negotiate, while Feng Jun refuses to minimize the sect’s wrongdoing. Their exchange ends with an uneasy possibility of future cooperation, but no reconciliation.
• Feng Jun and the Xiong Family: Feng Jun provides the family with justice by recovering the people responsible for the robbery. The family responds with gratitude and material compensation.
• Feng Jun, Moon Vine Elder, and Dantai Yuhu: They debate whether Feng Jun should accept payment. The elders argue that compensation is proper and necessary to preserve a culture of mutual assistance.
• Feng Jun and the Guardians: Their relationship is practical and economically based. Feng Jun pays for protective and tracking talismans, while the Guardians justify their prices through the costs of their previous intervention.
• The Guardians and the Mirror Spirit: Their bickering reveals mutual distrust and rivalry. The Mirror Spirit demands compensation for its contribution, while the Guardians mock its weakness and claim superior effectiveness.

Chapter Summary:

Hewei Reveals Himself

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun completes the construction of the Longevity Spring in three days, placing the necessary treasures and activating its defensive formation.
• The Jiangzhu Grass relocates itself to the spring, planting its roots near an Earth Vein convergence point. It complains about the cleanliness of the surrounding gravel and insists on purifying the water.
• The Longevity Spring attracts attention from nearby cultivators, though the manor’s defenses and the presence of powerful guardians discourage open spying.
• The Mirror Spirit and another powerful consciousness warn Feng Jun that the Hewei Ancestor has returned to observe him.
• Feng Jun uses a tracking Talisman to expose Hewei’s aura. Although the Talisman cannot threaten an Integration Stage cultivator, it embarrasses Hewei by proving that Feng Jun can detect and track him.
• Hewei finally communicates directly with Feng Jun, asking him not to make the matter public. Feng Jun then improves the spring’s concealment by rearranging its facilities and constructing a pavilion with formations to obstruct Divine Sense.
• After leaving the manor, Feng Jun travels to a hillside overlooking Libo Shoal, where Hewei appears in the disguise of a fat middle-aged man.
• The two share beer while discussing Feng Jun’s Deduction ability and Hewei’s repeated surveillance.
• Hewei reveals that he wants Feng Jun’s help breaking a sensitive restriction and hopes to obtain the Heart of Life. Feng Jun refuses, suspecting that Hewei originally intended to control or abduct him rather than politely request assistance.
• Hewei admits that his current appearance is merely a disguise because his search for Feng Jun was supposedly confidential. Feng Jun remains skeptical, believing Hewei’s secrecy was motivated more by pride and dignity than genuine concealment.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly confident and assertive when dealing with Hewei. Though Hewei vastly surpasses him in cultivation, Feng Jun uses wit, Deduction, and the tracking Talisman to protect himself psychologically and politically. He refuses to be intimidated or manipulated into learning more than necessary.
• Hewei Ancestor: Moves from covert surveillance to direct negotiation after Feng Jun exposes him. Despite his immense power, he shows embarrassment, curiosity, and a degree of tolerance toward Feng Jun’s insolence. His interest in Feng Jun confirms that Feng Jun possesses abilities valuable even to an Integration Stage expert.
• Jiangzhu Grass: Displays its unusual autonomy and fastidious nature, relocating itself to the Longevity Spring and demanding a clean environment.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong: Assist with the Longevity Spring’s construction and quietly withdraw when they recognize that Hewei’s presence makes the situation sensitive.

Significant Themes

• Power versus leverage: Although Feng Jun is far weaker than Hewei, his Deduction ability and knowledge give him bargaining power.
• Pride and dignity: Hewei’s reluctance to be exposed or openly named reflects the importance of status and reputation among powerful cultivators.
• Trust and hidden motives: Feng Jun suspects Hewei’s polite explanations conceal an earlier plan to force him into cooperation.
• Privacy and surveillance: The chapter repeatedly contrasts Feng Jun’s attempts to conceal the Longevity Spring with Hewei’s persistent efforts to observe him.
• The value of ordinary pleasures: Beer, cigarettes, and casual conversation serve as reminders that cultivating immortality does not eliminate the appeal of mundane human habits.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and the Jiangzhu Grass: Their interaction is humorous and mildly exasperated, with Feng Jun criticizing the grass’s cleanliness obsession while accommodating its needs.
• Feng Jun and Hewei: Their conversation is a tense negotiation disguised as casual banter. Feng Jun remains sarcastic and guarded, while Hewei responds with patience and curiosity rather than anger.
• Feng Jun and the guardians: The guardians warn him about Hewei’s presence and help maintain security around the Longevity Spring.
• Feng Jun, Xuanyuan Buqi, and Qian Zhong: Their cooperation in finishing the spring demonstrates mutual support, though the senior cultivators wisely avoid interfering in Feng Jun’s confrontation with Hewei.

Chapter Summary: “Methods of His Own”

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Wei deduces that True Immortal Cha Ran previously carried a token belonging to Youying, an Integration Stage cultivator and longtime rival of He Wei. He concludes that Youying likely fell at Feng Jun’s hands and consequently becomes wary of underestimating him.
• He Wei examines Feng Jun’s mysterious Talisman and senses that it can lock onto an Integration Stage cultivator, revealing the terrifying power of its unknown creator.
• He Wei proposes using Feng Jun’s Heart of Life to create a Rejuvenation Formation. Unlike ordinary lifespan extension, the formation could restore cultivators to youth, though at the cost of some cultivation and an enormous amount of Life Force.
• Feng Jun is shocked by the resources required and compares the proposal with his plan to establish a Longevity Spring, which could benefit many people rather than rejuvenate only a few powerful cultivators.
• A philosophical dispute follows. He Wei argues that powerful cultivators are more valuable because they can accomplish greater things, while Feng Jun insists that ownership determines the right to decide how the Heart of Life is used.
• Feng Jun rejects the idea of sacrificing his future Longevity Spring for the sake of rejuvenating high-level cultivators, comparing such resource exploitation to the behavior of demonic cultivators.
• He Wei then attempts to persuade Feng Jun to accompany him and learn about a highly secretive restriction, offering increasingly high payments—one, two, and finally three Ultimate Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun refuses, partly because he has developed his own interest in restrictions and partly because He Wei will not allow him to bring companions. Feng Jun suspects that He Wei may originally have intended to take him away by force.
• He Wei tries to entice Feng Jun by offering the favor and friendship of an Integration Stage Ancestral Venerable, but Feng Jun repeatedly refuses and finally asks whether He Wei is threatening him.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increasing confidence and independence. Although he respects He Wei’s power, he refuses to be intimidated, bought, or pressured. He firmly asserts his ownership of the Heart of Life and prioritizes his own plans.
• Feng Jun also reveals a strong moral and ideological stance: he believes people must recognize their own position and that no outsider has the right to dictate how he uses his property.
• He Wei is shown to be calculating, persistent, and accustomed to relying on his status. He is intrigued by Feng Jun’s temperament and seems to admire his boldness, but becomes frustrated when Feng Jun refuses to accept his authority or favors.
• He Wei’s proposal exposes his utilitarian outlook: he values the potential achievements of powerful cultivators over the broader benefits that Feng Jun’s Longevity Spring might provide.
• The chapter also hints at Feng Jun’s growing reputation. He Wei treats him as far more significant than an ordinary Gold Core cultivator because of his possible connection to Youying’s downfall and the power of his Talisman.

Significant Themes

• Ownership versus social obligation: Feng Jun argues that possessing a resource gives him the right to decide its use, while He Wei frames rare treasures as matters of broader societal value.
• Individual morality versus utilitarianism: He Wei prioritizes the rejuvenation of powerful cultivators for the benefits they might bring. Feng Jun questions whether using enormous resources for a select few is morally different from demonic cultivation.
• Position and perspective: Both characters acknowledge that moral judgments depend partly on one’s standpoint. Feng Jun openly admits that he favors Humanity over Spirit Beasts, but insists that recognizing one’s position is preferable to pretending to possess universal justice.
• Power and autonomy: The exchange emphasizes that a powerful figure’s status does not automatically grant him control over others. Feng Jun refuses to surrender his independence merely because He Wei is an Integration Stage Ancestral Venerable.
• Trust and secrecy: He Wei’s refusal to let Feng Jun bring companions makes Feng Jun suspicious of his intentions, suggesting that secrecy can appear indistinguishable from coercion.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and He Wei engage in a tense but intellectually charged debate over the Heart of Life, rejuvenation, and the value of powerful cultivators.
• He Wei alternates between persuasion, philosophical argument, bargaining, and subtle pressure, while Feng Jun counters with sarcasm, firm boundaries, and veiled warnings.
• Despite their disagreement, He Wei develops an interest in Feng Jun’s personality and claims to appreciate his impulsive, confrontational temperament.
• Feng Jun remains outwardly respectful because of He Wei’s status, but repeatedly makes clear that respect does not equal submission. Their conversation ends with Feng Jun directly challenging He Wei over whether his persistence has become a threat.

Chapter Summary: “Forgotten”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun confronts Ancestral Venerable He Wei over what he sees as an attempt to pressure him into accepting a dangerous favor. He Wei denies threatening him, though he admits that he had previously considered forcibly recruiting Feng Jun.
• He Wei offers to let Feng Jun bring additional powerful cultivators in exchange for helping break a restriction, making the task more attractive. Feng Jun refuses to accept the original reward of three Ultimate Spirit Stones unless the number and strength of his allies increase.
• Feng Jun considers inviting Vast Sea Venerable, Hanhai Great Venerable, Jiu Si Venerable, Old Fisherman, or Venerable Luanxiong. He Wei notes the political divisions among the sects, particularly between the Seven Gates and the Eighteen Daos.
• He Wei reveals that the restriction is located near the Formation Dao’s Mountain Gate. Feng Jun immediately becomes wary, recognizing that entering such a heavily guarded location could be extremely dangerous.
• He Wei explains that the restriction seals a secret realm belonging to the Formation Dao. The realm contains enough spiritual energy to support an Integration Stage breakthrough and was used by Patriarch Jiuling for life-and-death seclusion.
• Jiuling sealed the realm from within over two thousand years earlier. The method to open it was passed through his disciples, but the relevant disciples either disappeared, died, or lost the inheritance.
• The central problem is that the Formation Dao has forgotten how to break the restriction. He Wei admits, embarrassingly, that he himself had forgotten how long Jiuling had been in seclusion and only recently realized that the realm needed to be accessed.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increasing confidence and independence when dealing with Ancestral Venerables. He refuses to be intimidated by He Wei’s status and makes it clear that he will not accept unreasonable risks.
• Feng Jun also shows political awareness and caution. He avoids exposing Hanhai’s private affairs and carefully evaluates which powerful cultivators might safely assist him.
• He Wei shifts from indirect persuasion to honesty. Although he initially tries to negotiate through rewards and authority, he eventually admits that he once considered forcing Feng Jun to cooperate and explains the true danger and importance of the mission.
• He Wei’s dignity and experience remain evident, but his admission that he forgot about Jiuling’s seclusion adds a humorous and humanizing flaw to his otherwise imposing image.

Significant Themes

• Dignity versus authority: Feng Jun argues that an Ancestral Venerable should rely on dignity rather than coercion. This forces He Wei to reconsider how he approaches the negotiation.
• Trust and transparency: The conversation becomes more productive once He Wei stops concealing information and openly explains the mission’s risks.
• Political factionalism: The divisions among the sects, especially between the Seven Gates and Eighteen Daos, influence whom Feng Jun can recruit and reveal tensions beneath the sect system’s appearance of unity.
• The fragility of inheritance: A secret method preserved through generations can still vanish when disciples die, disappear, or fail to pass it on.
• The dangers of power and secrecy: The sealed secret realm is both a valuable resource and a potential threat, since entering it could disturb Jiuling’s breakthrough or expose Feng Jun to the Formation Dao’s defenses.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and He Wei engage in a tense but increasingly candid negotiation. Feng Jun uses sarcasm and firm refusals to maintain control, while He Wei responds with patience, persuasion, and eventually confession.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong silently support Feng Jun by intensifying their Divine Thoughts, signaling to He Wei that they are watching and will not tolerate him abusing his status.
• Feng Jun references his relationships with Hanhai, Yi Jue, Jiu Si, Old Fisherman, and Luanxiong while assessing possible allies.
• The chapter ends with He Wei’s surprising admission that the crisis was worsened not by an enemy, but by the Formation Dao’s own failure to remember the history of Jiuling’s secret retreat.

Chapter Summary: “Radical and Conservative”

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Wei realizes that Jiuling, a patriarch who has been in seclusion for over two thousand years, should have produced some result by now. Investigation reveals that Jiuling’s disciples have lost the method for entering his Secret Realm.
• Because forcefully opening the Secret Realm might injure Jiuling or destroy the realm, He Wei seeks someone capable of deducing a way through its restrictions.
• He chooses Feng Jun, whose deduction abilities are exceptional. His own divination confirms that asking Feng Jun for help would be auspicious.
• He Wei initially considers studying Feng Jun’s background and possibly coercing him, since Feng Jun’s origins are mysterious and he may belong to a powerful hidden faction. However, Feng Jun discovers that He Wei has been observing him, making coercion impractical and politically dangerous.
• He Wei openly explains the situation. Feng Jun agrees to help, partly because the reward—three Ultimate Spirit Stones—is substantial for a relatively simple deduction.
• Feng Jun asks Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong whether they will accompany him. Both eventually agree, despite their differing attitudes toward the Formation Dao’s Secret Realm.
• Vast Sea Venerable and True Lord Jiu Si also join the group. The party travels toward the Formation Dao’s Secret Realm but stops well short of it to avoid appearing threatening.
• He Wei asks Qian Zhong and Jiu Si to come closer, citing their usefulness as deducers and assistants. Xuanyuan Buqi remains farther away, while Vast Sea does not object.

Character Developments

• He Wei is shown as cautious, experienced, and politically calculating. He recognizes the danger of mishandling Feng Jun but is also willing to consider coercion before circumstances force him to be candid. His decision to involve Qian Zhong and Jiu Si demonstrates his preference for trusted, reliable support.
• Feng Jun continues to gain influence and respect. He is perceptive enough to detect He Wei’s surveillance and confident enough to negotiate rather than react aggressively. His relationships with major families and sects are strong enough that others willingly support his request.
• Xuanyuan Buqi displays his characteristically bold and radical attitude. He is willing to approach the Secret Realm directly and sees secrecy as useful only temporarily. His loyalty to Feng Jun is reinforced by the benefits Feng Jun has brought to the Xuanyuan Family.
• Qian Zhong takes the conservative position, emphasizing secrecy and caution. Though initially reluctant to approach the Formation Dao, she ultimately accompanies Feng Jun because of their cooperation and mutual trust.
• Vast Sea Venerable appears detached and disciplined. He believes that fulfilling one’s formal duty does not require constant supervision, reflecting the impersonal values of sect cultivation.
• True Lord Jiu Si acts as a trusted sect representative and witness, while his inclusion also reflects He Wei’s greater confidence in established members of the Eighteen Daos.

Significant Themes

• Radical versus conservative strategies: Xuanyuan Buqi believes a secret is meaningless if it cannot be defended, while Qian Zhong argues that secrecy buys valuable time during a crisis. Neither approach is presented as entirely correct.
• Trust and responsibility: Jiuling trusted his direct disciples with the Secret Realm’s entrance method while relying on He Wei as a safeguard. The loss of the method shows how fragile inherited responsibilities can be.
• Sect versus family culture: Sect cultivators emphasize formal duty and personal independence, whereas family cultivators are bound by bloodline and mutual obligation. This contrast is illustrated through Vast Sea’s attitude and Xuanyuan Buqi’s comments.
• Political caution and hidden strength: He Wei must balance his need for Feng Jun’s help with uncertainty about Feng Jun’s origins. The presence of powerful forces at Libo Shoal also discourages open coercion.
• Cooperation across factions: Despite suspicion and differing philosophies, Feng Jun, family cultivators, sect cultivators, and Formation Dao figures cooperate because the situation requires complementary abilities.

Character Interactions

• He Wei’s relationship with Feng Jun shifts from guarded observation to frank negotiation after Feng Jun detects him.
• Feng Jun relies on Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong, whose contrasting opinions highlight their differing temperaments but ultimately lead to mutual support.
• Xuanyuan Buqi’s loyalty is motivated both by personal regard for Feng Jun and by the benefits Feng Jun has provided to the Xuanyuan Family.
• Vast Sea’s formal, detached attitude contrasts with the family cultivators’ stronger sense of personal and bloodline responsibility.
• He Wei strategically chooses Qian Zhong and Jiu Si for closer involvement because of their deduction skills, prior cooperation, and greater familiarity with the sect system.

Chapter Summary: “Breaking the Restriction”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ancestral Venerable He Wei opens the hidden Formation Dao Secret Realm, located within folded space, using a highly advanced “Formation-Breaking Formula.”
• The revealed entrance is a massive barren mountain containing an ancient gate covered in powerful, oppressive formation patterns. Feng Jun nearly suffers damage from looking at it directly.
• He Wei admits he deliberately allowed Feng Jun to face the danger as a test of his qualifications. Feng Jun strongly objects, warning that further misconduct could affect the Deduction’s results. He Wei accepts the reprimand.
• He Wei spends nearly three hours explaining the Secret Realm’s original restrictions and the additional restrictions placed by True Lord Jiuling. Feng Jun asks most of the questions, though the knowledgeable “big shot” within his consciousness is actually guiding them.
• Feng Jun, Qian Zhong, and Venerable Jiu Si begin deducing a method to break the restrictions. He Wei observes because his own previous attempt failed.
• The restrictions consist of seven layers and automatically change whenever the group makes progress:
  • The first attempt takes ten days and reaches only the second layer.
  • The second takes nine days and reaches the fifth layer.
  • Two further attempts, each taking seven days, finally break all seven layers.
• After forty days, the restrictions are completely dismantled. He Wei is frustrated by the time and effort involved, especially since he promised Feng Jun three Ultimate Spirit Stones, but Feng Jun has gained valuable insight into advanced formation evolution.
• He Wei enters the Secret Realm to inspect True Lord Jiuling and returns in alarm, saying Jiuling’s condition is serious.
• Feng Jun refuses to enter alone, suspecting that the Secret Realm may contain hidden dangers or secrets. He insists that everyone enter together, despite He Wei’s concern that outsiders might witness Jiuling in a vulnerable state.
• He Wei reluctantly agrees and summons Xuanyuan Buqi and Vast Sea Venerable. Vast Sea initially tries to remain outside and guard the entrance, apparently to avoid involvement or suspicion, but Xuanyuan Buqi openly identifies his motive.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates caution, assertiveness, and strategic distrust. He openly challenges He Wei’s testing methods and refuses to place himself in a potentially dangerous situation without witnesses.
• He also proves highly capable in formation deduction, contributing to the eventual breaking of Jiuling’s complex restrictions despite his limited formal knowledge. His hidden adviser’s expertise significantly strengthens his performance.
• Ancestral Venerable He Wei is shown to be powerful and somewhat manipulative, testing Feng Jun without warning and initially trying to control who enters the Secret Realm. However, he is practical enough to acknowledge Feng Jun’s value and compromise when necessary.
• Qian Zhong remains observant and sarcastic, criticizing He Wei’s dramatic techniques and joking about Vast Sea’s reluctance.
• Venerable Jiu Si participates in the deduction using his own divination tools, contributing alongside Feng Jun and Qian Zhong.
• Vast Sea Venerable displays caution and political awareness by trying to avoid entering the Secret Realm, likely because of tensions between the Seven Gates and the Eighteen Daos.
• Xuanyuan Buqi is direct and perceptive, openly explaining Vast Sea’s behavior.
• True Lord Jiuling, though not directly present for most of the chapter, is characterized as an exceptional Formation Dao master whose elaborate and adaptive restrictions remain extremely difficult to overcome. His current condition becomes the chapter’s next major concern.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: Feng Jun does not fully trust He Wei or the Formation Dao and insists on collective action to prevent hidden manipulation.
• Power and qualification: He Wei’s test reflects the hierarchical attitude of powerful cultivators, while Feng Jun asserts that earning respect does not mean accepting reckless treatment.
• The difficulty of mastery: The simplified Formation-Breaking Formula illustrates that apparently effortless techniques require profound Dao understanding.
• Knowledge gained through practice: Feng Jun’s forty days of deduction provide insights that cannot be obtained from manuals alone, making the dangerous and time-consuming process worthwhile.
• Political and factional tension: The reluctance of Vast Sea Venerable to enter the Secret Realm reflects distrust between major cultivation factions.
• Legacy of past masters: Jiuling’s superior formation achievements continue to challenge later experts, emphasizing the enduring influence of great practitioners.

Character Interactions

• He Wei and Feng Jun clash over He Wei’s decision to expose Feng Jun to the gate’s dangerous formation patterns. Feng Jun warns him not to repeat such behavior.
• Feng Jun, Qian Zhong, and Jiu Si cooperate in deducing how to break the layered restrictions, while He Wei supervises.
• He Wei praises Feng Jun’s deduction ability after repeated failures, recognizing that Jiuling’s formations are extraordinarily difficult.
• Feng Jun and He Wei negotiate over continued assistance: He Wei requests more help after discovering Jiuling’s dire condition, while Feng Jun agrees only if everyone enters together.
• He Wei’s attempt to restrict access to the Secret Realm conflicts with Feng Jun’s insistence on transparency.
• Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi tease or expose Vast Sea Venerable’s desire to avoid entering, highlighting the broader factional distrust beneath the group’s cooperation.

Life and Death in the Balance — Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group enters the Formation Dao Secret Realm, discovering a relatively small world with extraordinarily dense spiritual energy and a central mountain topped by a courtyard and several thatched cottages.
• Feng Jun warns that the spiritual energy is so concentrated that low-level cultivators could suffer Spirit Intoxication. His comment highlights both the quality of the Secret Realm and the disparity between the cultivators present.
• He Wei and Xuanyuan Buqi exchange dry remarks about the Secret Realm’s cave abode and the destruction of the Xuanyuan Family’s Heavenly Secret Cave, revealing the old but largely non-hostile tension between sect and clan cultivators.
• Feng Jun insists that he must reach the mountain summit to perform a Deduction. He Wei agrees, and the entire group ascends.
• Inside the summit courtyard, they discover Nine Spirits True Lord in an abnormal state. His body sits motionless, covered in hair and devoid of aura, while his main soul appears to have fled into an incense burner.
• The group determines that the situation is neither ordinary death nor possession. They theorize that Nine Spirits used a dangerous Thought-Shedding Integration or Soul-Splitting Breakthrough, causing a divided strand of Divine Thought to develop independent consciousness and occupy his body.
• Feng Jun identifies the likely solution: disperse the independent divided soul in the body, then quickly return Nine Spirits’ main soul from the incense burner to the body. However, this requires shutting down the Defense Array.
• He Wei initially resists disabling the array, arguing that Feng Jun has explained only the theory and not the practical method. Their exchange becomes a humorous argument over whether Feng Jun expects He Wei to perform the dangerous procedure himself.
• Feng Jun reveals that his Yin-Yang Mirror can manipulate the Divine Soul and carry out the treatment.
• He Wei is shocked that a Dust-Free Realm Magic Treasure might possess such ability. The Mirror Spirit then emerges into the conversation and provocatively insults He Wei, leading to a verbal clash between the ancient Artifact Spirit and the Integration-stage Ancestral Venerable.
• The chapter ends with He Wei abandoning the argument and respectfully asking the Mirror Spirit how it can manipulate the Divine Soul.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates increasing confidence and authority despite being a lower-realm cultivator compared with the others. He accurately analyzes Nine Spirits’ condition and is willing to challenge He Wei when necessary. His possession of the Yin-Yang Mirror further establishes him as someone with unusual resources and hidden capabilities.
• He Wei: Reveals both caution and humility beneath his authority. Although he understands the dangers of interfering with Divine Thought, he cannot devise a safe method himself. His willingness to listen to Feng Jun and respectfully question the Mirror Spirit shows his practical judgment.
• Xuanyuan Buqi: Maintains his blunt, irreverent personality, even when discussing his own ancestor and old sect-clan conflicts. He is also fascinated by the philosophical question of whether the body or the incense burner contains the “true” Nine Spirits.
• Qian Zhong True Lord: Provides important deductions about the absence of possession and the possibility that Nine Spirits’ main soul escaped into the incense burner. Her comments emphasize the mysterious and precarious nature of the situation.
• Jiu Si Venerable: Recognizes that Nine Spirits exists in an impossible state between life and death, helping establish the central mystery.
• The Mirror Spirit: Displays immense pride, an ancient temperament, and sharp confidence in its own former power. It refuses to be intimidated by He Wei’s higher cultivation realm.

Significant Themes

• Life, death, and identity: Nine Spirits exists in a state between living and dead, raising the question of whether identity belongs to the original soul, the divided consciousness, or the physical body.
• The dangers of cultivation breakthroughs: Thought-Shedding Integration and Soul-Splitting Breakthrough are portrayed as desperate, nearly suicidal methods that can produce unforeseen consequences.
• Knowledge versus cultivation level: Feng Jun, despite his lower cultivation, understands the problem better than the stronger cultivators. The Mirror Spirit likewise proves that past power and specialized knowledge may matter more than current realm.
• Caution and risk: The Defense Array cannot be casually disrupted because Nine Spirits’ existence depends on a delicate balance. Any intervention could destroy him permanently.
• Pride and humility: He Wei’s authority clashes with the Mirror Spirit’s ancient arrogance, but both ultimately recognize the need to respect genuine ability.

Character Interactions

• He Wei and Xuanyuan Buqi: Trade restrained but pointed remarks about their sects’ historical conflict and the destruction of the Heavenly Secret Cave, showing familiarity without genuine hostility.
• He Wei and Feng Jun: Their discussion becomes confrontational when He Wei demands practical details and Feng Jun criticizes him for refusing to disable the array. Despite the tension, He Wei accepts Feng Jun’s expertise.
• Feng Jun and the other cultivators: Feng Jun’s explanation shifts the group’s understanding of Nine Spirits’ condition and positions him as the person most capable of resolving it.
• He Wei and the Mirror Spirit: Their exchange develops from skepticism into mutual recognition. The Mirror Spirit mocks He Wei’s limitations, while He Wei responds calmly and ultimately treats it as a knowledgeable senior worthy of respect.

Chapter Summary: “Dignity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Wei questions the Mirror Spirit about how it intends to restore Nine Spirits True Lord’s divine soul. He argues that, as Nine Spirits’ junior fellow disciple and senior, he has the right to understand the risks.
• The Mirror Spirit claims to wield the Life-and-Death Dao, shocking He Wei. Feng Jun clarifies that it has not truly unified with the Dao but cultivates the Life-and-Death Law as one of its agents.
• Feng Jun explains that the Mirror Spirit’s greatest strength lies in managing the transition between life and death—particularly capturing, restraining, destroying, and restoring divine souls.
• He Wei remains uncertain whether the Mirror Spirit can safely act on Nine Spirits True Lord. Xuanyuan Buqi and Vast Sea Venerable support Feng Jun’s claims, confirming that the Mirror Spirit can destroy powerful Spirit Severing Realm Celestial Demons.
• Convinced, He Wei agrees to deactivate the defensive array so the Mirror Spirit can return Nine Spirits’ divine soul to its body.
• The Mirror Spirit then demands additional payment, arguing that restoring Nine Spirits will elevate him from a True Lord to an Ancestral Venerable. It raises the price from an implied original offer to twenty Ultimate Spirit Stones.
• After bargaining, He Wei offers two stones, but the Mirror Spirit counters with eight and threatens to withdraw. He Wei ultimately accepts, recognizing that restoring Nine Spirits would greatly benefit the sect and the Formation Dao.

Character Developments

• He Wei shifts from suspicion and authority to sincere respect for the Mirror Spirit after learning about its mastery of the Life-and-Death Law. He also becomes increasingly cautious around Feng Jun, realizing that Feng Jun commands considerable influence over the seemingly uncontrollable Mirror Spirit.
• The Mirror Spirit is revealed as powerful, arrogant, blunt, and shamelessly opportunistic. Despite its lack of conventional dignity, it is intelligent enough to exploit its value and negotiate aggressively for better compensation. It also shows some restraint toward Feng Jun, whose support and supply of Ultimate Spirit Stones it depends on.
• Feng Jun acts as mediator and interpreter, explaining the Mirror Spirit’s abilities while protecting its secrets. He refuses to force it to work for free and supports its right to charge what it believes its services are worth.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Vast Sea Venerable reinforce Feng Jun’s credibility by confirming the Mirror Spirit’s combat abilities.
• Nine Spirits True Lord, though absent, becomes central to the negotiation. His potential restoration and advancement to the Ancestral Venerable level make the cost worthwhile.

Significant Themes

• Power and respect: He Wei’s attitude changes immediately once he understands the Mirror Spirit’s true capabilities, showing how status and strength shape relationships among cultivators.
• Knowledge versus secrecy: He Wei seeks enough information to assess the danger, while Feng Jun carefully reveals only what is necessary without exposing the Mirror Spirit’s true identity.
• The value of life and advancement: Eight Ultimate Spirit Stones are considered worthwhile because restoring Nine Spirits could provide the sect with another Ancestral Venerable and strengthen the Formation Dao.
• Dignity and hypocrisy: The chapter humorously contrasts He Wei’s appeals to “dignity” with the Mirror Spirit’s blatant profiteering. The Mirror Spirit repeatedly invokes dignity while behaving in the least dignified manner possible.
• Trust and influence: He Wei realizes that Feng Jun’s ability to control or influence the Mirror Spirit indicates that the forces gathered at Libo Shoal are far deeper and more formidable than they appear.

Character Interactions

• He Wei and the Mirror Spirit: Their exchange is confrontational but ultimately transactional. He Wei demands an explanation, then shows respect, while the Mirror Spirit responds with arrogance and aggressive bargaining.
• He Wei and Feng Jun: He Wei increasingly addresses Feng Jun as “Mountain Lord Feng” and treats him with greater deference. He also relies on Feng Jun to interpret the Mirror Spirit’s cryptic explanations.
• Feng Jun and the Mirror Spirit: Feng Jun tries to restrain the Mirror Spirit’s behavior and remind it to preserve some dignity. The Mirror Spirit ignores most criticism but does not openly challenge him, revealing Feng Jun’s influence.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Vast Sea Venerable: Both intervene to support Feng Jun and validate the Mirror Spirit’s abilities, helping persuade He Wei to proceed.
• He Wei and the absent Nine Spirits True Lord: He Wei’s willingness to pay reflects his loyalty to his fellow disciple and his recognition of Nine Spirits’ importance to the sect’s future.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Mirror Spirit proposes extracting True Lord Jiuling’s rebellious split soul, first asking He Wei to deactivate the Secret Realm’s Defense Array.
• He Wei easily disables the array from outside, revealing the formation’s relative weakness compared with Jiuling’s defenses at the Secret Realm entrance.
• Several powerful cultivators—including Vast Sea Venerable, Xuanyuan Buqi, Qian Zhong, and Jiu Si—retreat to avoid becoming involved in the karmic consequences, though they remain nearby as witnesses.
• Feng Jun produces the Jade Stone Lamp, while the Mirror Spirit uses the Yin-Yang Mirror to forcibly extract Jiuling’s split soul from the long-haired Daoist’s body.
• After several blasts of white light, the split soul emerges, visibly revealing Jiuling’s face, and is eventually drawn into the lamp to be refined or contained.
• The Mirror Spirit demands one Ultimate Spirit Stone and several thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones to replenish its power, privately admitting that the Ultimate Spirit Stone is mostly for appearances and negotiation.
• The group discusses the danger that Jiuling’s split soul might have caused the primary soul to become demonized rather than simply destroying it.
• The Mirror Spirit then prepares to extract Jiuling’s primary Divine Thought from the incense burner. He Wei warns Jiuling in advance and confirms that he will cooperate.
• After replenishing its energy, the Mirror Spirit performs a more delicate Soul Binding technique. A tall Daoist phantom emerges from the incense burner, bows to the Mirror Spirit, and remains completely silent.

Character Developments

• He Wei: Demonstrates his mastery of the Formation Dao by disabling the Defense Array effortlessly. Although he feels protective of Jiuling and worries about the risks of refining the split soul, he suppresses his doubts and allows Feng Jun and the Mirror Spirit to proceed.
• The Mirror Spirit: Shows exceptional power, precision, and confidence in manipulating Soul Bodies. It also displays a pragmatic, almost mercenary personality by charging heavily for its assistance and theatrically requesting an Ultimate Spirit Stone.
• Feng Jun: Cooperates with the Mirror Spirit and supplies the necessary treasures. His use of the phone for deduction reveals his observational nature, while his thoughts about Jiuling show empathy for the True Lord’s humiliation.
• True Lord Jiuling: Is portrayed as deeply compromised and embarrassed. His split soul has developed independent consciousness, while his primary Divine Thought remains hidden inside an incense burner rather than emerging publicly.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong: Offer blunt assessments of the split soul’s weakness and the possibility of demonization, contributing to the group’s understanding of the danger.
• Vast Sea Venerable and Jiu Si: Avoid commenting directly and distance themselves from the situation, emphasizing their desire not to become entangled in the matter.

Significant Themes

• Power and expertise: Mastery of Formation Dao and soul-related techniques allows the characters to bypass defenses that would normally be difficult to overcome.
• Humiliation and dignity: Jiuling’s refusal to emerge reflects the shame of having his split soul rebel while his true consciousness is trapped in an object.
• Risk and responsibility: The cultivators must balance rescuing Jiuling against the dangers of refining or extracting his soul, including possible demonization.
• Pragmatism and transactional relationships: The Mirror Spirit treats its assistance as a paid service, turning spiritual energy and cooperation into explicit costs.
• Observation versus intervention: Many powerful cultivators choose to watch rather than interfere, showing caution regarding karma and the uncertain consequences of the operation.

Character Interactions

• The Mirror Spirit directs He Wei and Feng Jun throughout the extraction, while He Wei acts as the formation expert and intermediary with Jiuling.
• He Wei hesitates over whether to stop the split soul’s refinement but ultimately trusts Feng Jun and the Mirror Spirit.
• Xuanyuan Buqi openly comments on Jiuling’s weakened Divine Thought, while Qian Zhong warns that the consequences could involve demonization.
• Feng Jun and the Mirror Spirit privately discuss the real purpose of the Ultimate Spirit Stone payment, revealing their cooperative but teasing relationship.
• He Wei communicates privately with Jiuling to secure his cooperation, after which the Mirror Spirit successfully binds and extracts the Divine Thought.
• The chapter ends with the silent phantom of Jiuling appearing and bowing, signaling that the rescue or restoration process has begun but is not yet complete.

Chapter Summary: “The Chain Breaks”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Yin-Yang Mirror successfully performs the Soul Binding ritual. The Mirror Spirit returns Jiuling’s split soul to his body, then drops into Feng Jun’s hand.
• Despite the ritual’s success, Feng Jun, Qian Zhong, Jiu Si, and Vast Sea Venerable deduce that Jiuling’s condition is critical. His body has aged beyond its natural lifespan, while his Soul Body has weakened from being separated for too long.
• Jiuling may be unable to merge fully with his body or break through to the Integration Stage. If he cannot do so, he will die soon after being restored.
• He Wei confirms the diagnosis and is devastated. Although he does not blame Feng Jun, he acknowledges that Jiuling was destined to endure this calamity and might otherwise have become demonized.
• The Mirror Spirit immediately demands the promised eleven Ultimate Spirit Stones, leading to a heated dispute with He Wei. He Wei argues that the result was effectively a failure because Jiuling remains on the verge of death.
• The Mirror Spirit insists that it fulfilled its promises: it completed the Soul Binding and restored Jiuling’s Soul Body. It blames Jiuling’s deteriorated condition on the passage of time and partially faults He Wei for failing to discover the problem earlier.
• He Wei decides to search for treasures that might save Jiuling, but the Mirror Spirit reveals that Feng Jun may possess something capable of helping the Divine Soul merge with the physical body.
• The Mirror Spirit offers a possible solution only after He Wei pays the outstanding debt. He Wei hesitates, suspecting that this may be an attempt to force him into paying without revealing whether the remedy will work.
• Feng Jun refuses to surrender the treasure, stating that he needs it himself and has no intention of trading it.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes visibly troubled by Jiuling’s diagnosis and accepts some responsibility for failing to deduce the problem earlier. However, he remains firm about keeping his treasure and refuses to refund the three Ultimate Spirit Stones he already received.
• He Wei: Shows deep loyalty and concern for Jiuling, abandoning his usual dignity to pursue any possible means of saving him. His frustration turns into an argument with the Mirror Spirit, though he ultimately admits that the Mirror Spirit technically fulfilled its contract.
• Jiuling: Though rescued from his spiritual imprisonment, he is revealed to be physically and spiritually exhausted, making his apparent salvation potentially only a brief extension before death.
• The Mirror Spirit: Remains sarcastic, rigid, and highly transactional. It defends its performance aggressively, refuses to accept blame for Jiuling’s poor condition, and uses the possibility of a cure to demand payment.
• Qian Zhong: Defends Feng Jun’s deductions, reminding He Wei that deduction cannot guarantee perfect knowledge. She also subtly directs He Wei back toward Feng Jun as the only possible source of help.
• Xuanyuan Buqi, Jiu Si, and Vast Sea Venerable: Share the group’s concern and independently deduce Jiuling’s fate, emphasizing how serious and unusual the situation is.

Significant Themes

• The limits of success: A technically successful rescue can still end in tragedy. The Soul Binding works, but Jiuling’s body and spirit have deteriorated too far for the result to be truly successful.
• Fate versus responsibility: The characters debate whether Jiuling’s condition is the result of fate, delayed intervention, flawed deduction, or personal failure.
• The limits of deduction and power: Even supposedly “invincible” deductions cannot overcome the natural consequences of time, bodily decay, and spiritual exhaustion.
• Contracts versus compassion: The Mirror Spirit focuses on promises and payment, while He Wei prioritizes saving Jiuling. Their conflict highlights the tension between strict obligation and emotional loyalty.
• The cost of hope: The possibility of saving Jiuling remains, but it is tied to an expensive and uncertain remedy, forcing the characters to weigh desperation against risk.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and He Wei: Their cooperation weakens after Jiuling’s failed recovery. He Wei implicitly questions Feng Jun’s deductions, while Feng Jun resents He Wei’s reluctance to pay the Mirror Spirit and refuses to give up his own treasure.
• He Wei and the Mirror Spirit: Their argument dominates the chapter. He Wei claims the result was inadequate, while the Mirror Spirit insists it fulfilled the agreement and accuses him of trying to evade payment.
• Qian Zhong and He Wei: Qian Zhong rebukes He Wei for criticizing deduction. Her intervention causes him to moderate his tone, reflecting their long-standing relationship.
• Feng Jun and the group: Feng Jun’s grim deduction establishes the true danger, while the others rely on his judgment and recognize that his possible treasure may be Jiuling’s only hope.
• He Wei and Jiuling: Although Jiuling barely appears directly, He Wei’s desperation makes clear that he views him as a revered grandmaster and fellow disciple whose life must be saved at any cost.

Chapter Summary: “Saving a Life” — Third Update

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Wei pressures Feng Jun to continue treating Jiuling, whose Divine Soul is in danger, arguing that Feng Jun has already begun the rescue and should not let his previous efforts go to waste.
• Feng Jun warns that success is uncertain and demands a high price for the life-saving treasure. Vast Sea Venerable reveals that he previously paid eight Ultimate Spirit Stones for a similar pill, prompting the group to set the price at sixteen.
• Feng Jun performs a fake “deduction” using his phone and determines that the Soul Emergence Soul-Nurturing Pill has a sixty percent chance of stabilizing Jiuling’s Divine Soul.
• He Wei agrees to buy the pill despite its being designed for the Spirit Severing Realm rather than Jiuling’s higher cultivation level. Feng Jun explains that Jiuling’s soul has not been seriously damaged; the main problem is the incomplete merging of his Divine Thought and physical body.
• Feng Jun offers an additional ten percent chance of success by purifying Jiuling’s detached fragment of Divine Soul and returning it to him, since it shares the same origin as his consciousness.
• He Wei provides three drops of Longevity Spring Water, which Feng Jun adds to the treatment. The pill and soul purification will require time to take effect.
• Feng Jun, Xuanyuan Buqi, Qian Zhong, and Vast Sea Venerable quickly leave the Secret Realm, leaving He Wei and Jiu Si behind. Jiu Si later catches up with them in space.
• Jiu Si infers that He Wei may want additional pills and asks Feng Jun whether he has any left. Feng Jun refuses, stating that he gave away the current pill only because He Wei seemed close to becoming hostile and insisting that the matter remain secret.
• Jiu Si expresses interest in purchasing such pills for the Seven Emotions Dao, whose cultivation depends heavily on Divine Thought, but Feng Jun reiterates that no further resources are currently available.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains cautious, calculating, and protective of his resources. Although he dislikes He Wei, his sense of responsibility and discomfort with abandoning an unfinished rescue compel him to help. He also deliberately limits the treatment to one pill rather than weakening his own reserves.
• He Wei demonstrates both desperation and practical decisiveness. He is willing to pay an enormous price to save Jiuling and accepts the pill despite its imperfect compatibility. His initial arrogance and pressure toward Feng Jun are tempered by gratitude once the success rate improves.
• Qian Zhong strongly defends Feng Jun, warning others not to exploit or pressure him. Her actions reflect a desire to protect Feng Jun and maintain a favorable relationship with him.
• Xuanyuan Buqi remains blunt and mocking, criticizing He Wei’s complaints about the price and recognizing that Jiuling would be embarrassed to be seen in his weakened state.
• Vast Sea Venerable helps Feng Jun raise the price, partly because he does not want others to obtain the same treasure more cheaply than he did.
• Jiu Si Venerable reveals his talent for reading situations and people. Though often viewed as hesitant, he becomes direct when pursuing something valuable and immediately begins considering how to obtain a Divine Soul pill.

Significant Themes

• The value of life and medical aid: Even a pill with only a sixty-percent success rate is worth sixteen Ultimate Spirit Stones when the alternative is death.
• Reciprocity and exploitation: The group debates whether Feng Jun’s assistance should be treated as a favor or a commercial transaction, emphasizing the tension between friendship, obligation, and self-interest.
• Scarcity and hidden power: Feng Jun’s pills are treated as strategic treasures that could alter the balance among major factions. Their existence must be concealed to prevent powerful cultivators from competing for them.
• Trust and boundaries: Feng Jun helps, but he firmly limits what he is willing to reveal or provide. The chapter stresses that kindness should not be mistaken for unlimited availability.
• Human psychology and social pressure: He Wei attempts to exploit the emotional momentum of an ongoing rescue, while Feng Jun recognizes the tactic but is still influenced by his own reluctance to leave a task incomplete.

Character Interactions

• He Wei and Feng Jun: Their exchange is tense and transactional. He Wei presses Feng Jun to act, while Feng Jun insists on payment and warns that success is not guaranteed. Their relationship remains strained, though He Wei becomes sincerely grateful after learning that the soul fragment can improve the odds.
• Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi: Both defend Feng Jun’s interests, but Qian Zhong does so protectively and aggressively, while Xuanyuan Buqi mocks He Wei’s reluctance over the cost.
• Feng Jun and the group: Feng Jun leads the departure without explanation, and the others immediately follow, showing their trust in his judgment and awareness of the awkward situation surrounding Jiuling.
• Jiu Si and the group: Jiu Si tries to remain included despite having been left behind. After catching up, he carefully probes Feng Jun about the pills, while Qian Zhong dismisses his hopes and challenges whether he can afford them.
• He Wei and Jiu Si: He Wei sends Jiu Si away from the Secret Realm, joking about his name and implying that Jiuling does not wish to be seen in his vulnerable condition.

Summary

• Plot/events: At the beginning of September, the author posted the customary three monthly updates. The updates were intended to encourage readers to provide guaranteed monthly votes, which were especially important because the book’s rankings at the start of the month significantly affected its standing.
• Character development: There is no fictional character development. The narrator/author presents themself in a playful, ceremonious way, emphasizing the ritual of making the request.
• Themes: The passage focuses on reader support, rankings, recurring routines, and the importance of ceremony—even when an action has become familiar and technically needs no explanation. It also uses humor and mock solemnity to frame the voting request.
• Character interactions: The narrator directly addresses the readers, reminding them that the monthly voting appeal is a familiar tradition and formally asking for their support.

Chapter Summary: “The Rise and Fall of Fortune”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ancestral Venerable He Wei returns to check on the refinement of Jiuling’s split soul, whose independent consciousness Feng Jun is trying to erase.
• He Wei admits that the split soul is necessary to stabilize Jiuling but hesitates to destroy its consciousness because it belongs to a fellow disciple. Feng Jun argues that the consciousness is an abnormal existence and refuses to involve his sect without proper compensation.
• After bargaining, Feng Jun demands five Ultimate Spirit Stones for persuading his sect’s elders to erase the Divine Thought. He Wei reluctantly agrees, despite already having spent heavily on Jiuling’s treatment.
• Feng Jun deliberately disappears into the Void to avoid He Wei’s powerful Divine Thought and deduction abilities. He remains hidden for three days before traveling to a mining site in the Insectoid World.
• After collecting ore and arranging matters for workers who wish to return to Heavenly Zither, Feng Jun takes the Jade Stone Lamp to the Hasala Desert to test whether Spatial Power can erase the Integration Stage Divine Thought.
• The Guardians explain that the consciousness within the lamp is closer to a Celestial Demon than an ordinary split soul. Spatial Power cannot completely erase it unaided, but the lamp preserved the Soul Body while allowing impurities to dissipate.
• The Guardians refine the remaining Soul Body into Integration Stage Soul-Nourishing Liquid. Feng Jun pays five thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones, rather than using their offer of credit.
• The Guardians send Feng Jun back to Luohua and suggest that spiritual energy may eventually revive, emphasizing that fortune and power rise and fall in cycles.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates greater caution and strategic independence. He avoids returning directly to Libo Shoal because he suspects He Wei could track him, and he tests his own abilities rather than relying automatically on the Guardians.
• He also reveals his opportunistic and practical nature by negotiating aggressively for Ultimate Spirit Stones, while privately recognizing that his actions are partly motivated by the need to strengthen Luohua and support those around him.
• He Wei remains decisive and responsible toward Jiuling, ultimately agreeing to pay the high price despite his frustration. His powerful deduction abilities are also highlighted when he realizes Feng Jun has entered the Void.
• The Guardians show both vast power and unusual trust in Feng Jun. They are willing to help him on credit, accept his desire to test himself, and encourage him to continue developing independently.
• Jiuling, though absent, is central to the conflict: his unstable condition makes the Soul Body necessary, while the independent Divine Thought must be removed to prevent greater danger.

Significant Themes

• The value and scarcity of power: High-level pills, treasures, and Ultimate Spirit Stones have become increasingly rare as Heavenly Zither’s resources decline, making even exorbitant prices understandable.
• Pragmatism versus principle: Feng Jun insists that erasing another Ancestral Venerable’s Divine Thought is a matter involving sect principles and karmic consequences, yet he also uses the situation to demand a substantial reward.
• Independence and risk: Feng Jun wants to test the limits of his own Spatial Power instead of depending entirely on the Guardians, even though doing so exposes him to danger.
• Cycles of fortune and decline: The chapter reflects on the fading resources of Heavenly Zither, the possibility of future spiritual-energy revival, and the idea that prosperity and decline inevitably alternate.
• Trust and hidden motives: Feng Jun conceals his true financial motives from the Guardians, while the Guardians accept his explanation and continue to support him without excessive suspicion.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and He Wei engage in a tense but humorous negotiation over the cost of erasing Jiuling’s Divine Thought. He Wei appeals to friendship and necessity, while Feng Jun emphasizes principle, risk, and karmic consequences.
• Qian Zhong briefly supports Feng Jun’s position by calling the Divine Thought an aberration that should be erased.
• Venerable Jiu Si remains a silent but influential presence, capable of paying Feng Jun’s price but refraining from intervening out of respect for He Wei.
• Feng Jun consults the Guardians about the lamp and the Soul Body. They clarify its nature, explain the effects of Spatial Power, refine the Soul-Nourishing Liquid, and advise him not to take unnecessary risks.
• The Guardians’ final discussion with Feng Jun broadens the chapter from an immediate transaction into a reflection on the future of spiritual energy, the development of Luohua, and the changing fortunes of the world.