Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Longevity Spring Water”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun returns to the Formation Dao Mountain Gate after successfully retrieving and refining the Soul-Refining Lamp for He Wei.
• He Wei exchanges twenty Ultimate Spirit Stones for the lamp, though the Mirror Spirit complains about the payment and pressures him to rescue Jiuling quickly.
• While He Wei works on saving Jiuling, Feng Jun and his companions remain near the Formation Dao Mountain Gate for nearly a month. Formation Dao disciples gather to discuss formations with Feng Jun, particularly the Energy Conversion Formation.
• News of Feng Jun’s presence attracts Formation Dao and Artifact Refining Dao cultivators, turning the area into an unofficial gathering place. He Wei eventually orders unrelated cultivators to leave because Jiuling’s situation is highly confidential.
• He Wei announces that Jiuling has successfully advanced and is consolidating his new realm in seclusion. Jiuling sends Feng Jun his thanks and promises to discuss Dao with him after emerging.
• Jiuling gives Feng Jun fifteen additional Ultimate Spirit Stones as a token of gratitude, despite not appearing personally. The Mirror Spirit criticizes Jiuling for avoiding Feng Jun, while He Wei explains that Jiuling is embarrassed after his ordeal.
• Feng Jun and his group return to Libo Shoal after spending nearly two months at the Formation Dao. After handling the accumulated work, Feng Jun receives good news from Jiangzhu Grass: the Longevity Spring can now produce genuine spring water rich in Life Force.
• Jiangzhu Grass explains that the spring can yield roughly two hundred drops per day if used carefully. At that rate, the Heart of Life may last five to eight thousand years; draining it rapidly would reduce its lifespan to only one or two thousand years.
• Feng Jun reflects on the vastness of such a lifespan and on how little ordinary cultivators and disciples would remain after thousands of years. He also understands why He Wei wanted to use the Heart of Life to restore his youth, though Feng Jun recognizes the danger of allowing such desires to become greed.
• Jiangzhu Grass reveals that it delayed production because it spent an extra month cleaning the area around the spring. It proudly claims never to have grown in dirt, rejects Profound Yellow Qi as “filthy,” and says it would prefer Primordial Purple Qi.
• Finally, Jiangzhu Grass admits it could have produced the spring water earlier but was frightened because “that person” kept staring at it with lecherous eyes.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues to gain prestige among the major cultivation factions. His expertise in deduction and formations attracts both admiration and requests for guidance, even though he remains comparatively young and low in cultivation.
• He also demonstrates restraint and maturity. Although he understands He Wei’s desire to restore his youth, Feng Jun rejects the escalating greed that could arise from constantly seeking to preserve or improve oneself.
• He Wei becomes more openly appreciative of Feng Jun, rewarding him generously and personally conveying Jiuling’s gratitude. He also shows concern for secrecy and order around the Formation Dao Mountain Gate.
• Jiuling successfully advances to a higher realm but remains in seclusion and avoids meeting Feng Jun, apparently because he feels embarrassed or unwilling to face others after being rescued.
• The Mirror Spirit remains blunt, impatient, and irreverent. It demands payment, celebrates Jiuling’s survival, and criticizes his absence, though He Wei recognizes that its harshness is mostly superficial.
• Jiangzhu Grass displays unexpected intelligence and competence in nurturing the Longevity Spring. Its cleanliness obsession, arrogance, and fear of an unnamed lecherous observer give it a more distinct and humorous personality.

Significant Themes

• Restraint versus greed: Feng Jun recognizes that the pursuit of longevity can become endless once desire is indulged. True cultivation requires self-control rather than constant attempts to preserve youth or avoid every possible danger.
• The value of time and longevity: The spring’s potential lifespan of thousands of years causes Feng Jun to reflect on mortality, generational change, and the enormous scale of cultivation-world lifespans.
• Reputation and influence: Feng Jun’s fame has spread so widely that he attracts admirers and curious cultivators even at the heavily guarded Formation Dao Mountain Gate.
• Gratitude and social obligations: Jiuling repays Feng Jun generously despite not appearing in person, while He Wei acts as the intermediary and ensures Feng Jun receives proper compensation.
• Humor and personality contrasts: The serious cultivation developments are balanced by the Mirror Spirit’s blunt remarks and Jiangzhu Grass’s prideful, eccentric behavior.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and He Wei: Their relationship is respectful and increasingly cooperative. Feng Jun delivers the Soul-Refining Lamp, while He Wei pays him and later conveys Jiuling’s gratitude.
• Feng Jun and the Formation Dao disciples: They engage in enthusiastic technical discussions, with the disciples treating Feng Jun as an esteemed expert despite his outsider status.
• He Wei and the Mirror Spirit: Their exchanges are comedic but reveal mutual familiarity. He Wei tolerates the Mirror Spirit’s insults because of its seniority and importance, while the Mirror Spirit openly pressures and criticizes him.
• Feng Jun and Jiuling: They do not meet directly in the chapter, but Feng Jun’s rescue of Jiuling establishes a bond of gratitude. Jiuling’s gift and promise of future Dao discussion acknowledge Feng Jun’s contribution.
• Feng Jun and Jiangzhu Grass: Their conversation reveals a relaxed, familiar relationship. Feng Jun teases the grass about its origins and arrogance, while Jiangzhu Grass confidently explains its methods and fears.

Chapter Summary: “Allocation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun discusses Jiangzhu Grass’s discomfort with Moon Vine Elder, whose battle-oriented use of spirit plants has left her with karmic traces associated with many plant deaths.
• Jiangzhu Grass asks Feng Jun to drive Moon Vine Elder away, feeling especially uneasy because Moon Vine Elder keeps staring at it.
• Feng Jun learns that Jiangzhu Grass enjoys reading and solitary thought rather than poetry, painting, or image-recording stones. He promises to provide introductory books in languages it can understand.
• Feng Jun asks Jiangzhu Grass to oversee the newly created Longevity Spring. Since neither Luohua nor Libo Shoal has anyone better suited to nurturing an artificial natural treasure, Jiangzhu Grass is the ideal caretaker.
• Jiangzhu Grass agrees to maintain an output of two hundred drops of Longevity Spring Water per day and insists that only a few people collect it.
• Feng Jun initially selects Mi Yunshan, Yu Qingzhu, and Gu Jiahui as collectors. Jiangzhu Grass chooses Gu Jiahui as its main liaison, judging her responsible, perceptive, and balanced.
• Feeling that Feng Jun does not fully value its opinion, Jiangzhu Grass becomes offended and renews its demand that Moon Vine Elder leave, threatening to lose interest in tending the spring.
• Feng Jun accepts its conditions and goes to inform Gu Jiahui. They decide to distribute roughly sixty to eighty drops daily while storing the remainder as reserves.
• The chapter explains that demand for the Longevity Spring Water is already enormous, with more than one million drops preordered, despite the spring not yet being fully established.
• Feng Jun’s reputation and Libo Shoal’s history of producing unprecedented treasures convince people that the Longevity Spring can truly be created. Their credibility allows them to accept deposits and attract buyers with minimal concern about refunds or unsold stock.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun shows practical judgment and flexibility. Although he finds Jiangzhu Grass overly sensitive, he recognizes its unique value and accommodates its preferences to ensure the Longevity Spring is properly maintained.
• Jiangzhu Grass reveals a strong personality: it is peace-loving, highly perceptive, proud of its natural abilities, and easily offended when its opinions seem dismissed. It also demonstrates discernment by selecting Gu Jiahui as its representative.
• Moon Vine Elder is characterized as a battle-oriented Spirit Plant Dao cultivator. Though her aura is gentle because of her connection to vegetation, her history of using plants in combat makes her threatening to Jiangzhu Grass.
• Gu Jiahui gains an important administrative role as the primary liaison for the Longevity Spring. Jiangzhu Grass views her as both innocent and shrewd, with a strong sense of responsibility.
• Mi Yunshan, Yu Qingzhu, and Zhang Caixin are briefly contrasted: Mi Yunshan is seen as lacking strong personal opinions, Yu Qingzhu as overly thoughtful, and Zhang Caixin as too busy with miscellaneous affairs.

Significant Themes

• Nature versus cultivation through violence: Jiangzhu Grass represents peaceful, contemplative plant life, while Moon Vine Elder represents the use of spirit plants as weapons. Their incompatibility reflects different philosophies within the Spirit Plant Dao.
• Trust and reputation: Libo Shoal’s ability to sell the Longevity Spring Water before production depends on Feng Jun’s established reputation for accomplishing seemingly impossible feats.
• Scarcity and allocation: Despite the spring’s impressive output, its water is extremely limited compared with the population of Heavenly Zither. Careful distribution, storage, and designated collectors are therefore necessary.
• Resource management and long-term planning: Feng Jun prioritizes reserves rather than releasing all the water immediately, recognizing its future value for cultivation, medicine, and Luohua’s overall foundation.
• Individual suitability over formal authority: Jiangzhu Grass, rather than Feng Jun, chooses the person it trusts to manage access, showing that effective cooperation depends on compatibility and responsibility.
• The value of solitude and imagination: Jiangzhu Grass prefers books to audiovisual records because reading allows room for personal thought and imagination.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Jiangzhu Grass have a relationship built on negotiation and mutual accommodation. Feng Jun reassures it, offers books, and grants it authority over the spring, while Jiangzhu Grass openly expresses its preferences and demands respect.
• Jiangzhu Grass’s reaction to Moon Vine Elder creates tension even though the two do not directly converse. Its instinctive dislike of Moon Vine Elder’s karmic aura reveals the conflict between peaceful and battle-oriented plant cultivation.
• Feng Jun and Gu Jiahui interact administratively, with Feng Jun assigning her responsibility for the Longevity Spring’s distribution.
• Jiangzhu Grass indirectly evaluates Feng Jun’s associates and asserts its right to choose Gu Jiahui, strengthening its role as an independent guardian rather than a passive tool.

Chapter Summary: “Contribution Points”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Pre-sales of Longevity Spring Water from Libo Shoal surpass one million drops, despite the spring’s annual production being only about seventy thousand drops. Because the main household plans to release only thirty to forty percent of the output, production for roughly thirty years has already been reserved.
• More than thirty percent of the reservations come from Kunhao Realm cultivators. Feng Jun suspects many of these orders are speculative purchases intended for resale, since Kunhao lacks the financial power to consume such a vast quantity.
• Feng Jun delegates all management of the Longevity Spring Water business to Gu Jiahui, instructing her to coordinate with Jiangzhu Grass and determine the sales price.
• He establishes one firm rule: ordinary Spirit Stones cannot be used for payment. Mid-Grade and higher-grade Spirit Stones may be accepted, with the exact pricing left to Gu Jiahui and the others.
• Gu Jiahui gathers the key members of Luohua and Libo Shoal to discuss pricing and internal distribution. Each person may receive one drop as a personal benefit; additional drops must be exchanged through Contribution Points.
• The discussion reveals that the Contribution Point System exists in theory but has never been properly implemented. Existing tasks are mostly routine work on Blue Star and Libo Shoal, such as transportation, translation, maintenance, land management, and fee collection.
• Because the core members already earn plentiful Spirit Stones through businesses, property, and Feng Jun’s support, they have little incentive to complete Contribution Point tasks. As a result, most possess few Contribution Points despite being financially comfortable.
• Yu Qingzhu becomes concerned because she needs Longevity Spring Water for her grandfather and the entire Yu Family. She argues that the Contribution Point System must be properly organized before Libo Shoal grows too large.
• Zhang Caixin refuses to manage the system herself but supports Yu Qingzhu taking responsibility. She retains the right to audit the accounts and warns against abusing public resources.
• The chapter ends with Yu Qingzhu realizing that she may have to take charge of reforming the Contribution Point System.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun shows increasing trust in his subordinates. Rather than personally deciding every detail, he forces Gu Jiahui and the others to exercise independent judgment and develop administrative ability.
• Gu Jiahui takes an important step toward becoming a true manager. Although initially uncertain about setting prices, she begins organizing the group and accepting responsibility.
• Yu Qingzhu shifts from being primarily concerned with cultivation and family interests to recognizing the need for institutional management. Her personal desire for Longevity Spring Water motivates her to confront the system’s flaws.
• Zhang Caixin remains practical and detached from administrative work. She avoids taking on extra responsibilities but preserves supervisory authority through auditing.
• Jiangzhu Grass remains aloof because of its Nascent Soul-level status, though it shows limited recognition of Gu Jiahui due to her guileless nature, Dust-Free Realm cultivation, and Wood-Type Constitution.
• Libo Shoal’s core members are revealed to enjoy substantial financial security while contributing little to the formal Contribution Point structure.

Significant Themes

• Delegation and leadership: Feng Jun’s decision to hand over authority reflects the need for leaders to cultivate capable successors rather than personally control every matter.
• Institutional growth: As Libo Shoal expands, informal trust and personal influence are no longer sufficient; organized systems for compensation, duties, and resource distribution become necessary.
• Wealth versus contribution: The characters possess abundant Spirit Stones, but wealth does not translate into Contribution Points. The chapter questions whether material success should be enough to earn valuable communal resources.
• Scarcity and power: The huge demand for Longevity Spring Water demonstrates how rare resources create immense commercial value and encourage speculation and resale.
• Corruption and governance: Although Libo Shoal is currently protected by morality and Feng Jun’s authority, the chapter acknowledges that favoritism, embezzlement, and internal conflict are likely to emerge as the organization grows.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun gives Gu Jiahui direct responsibility and dismisses her concern that pricing is too important to delegate, encouraging her to trust collective judgment.
• Gu Jiahui consults Zhang Caixin, Yu Qingzhu, Yang Yuxin, Yun Buyao, Mi Yunshan, Gazi, Gao Qiang, Wang Haifeng, Xu Leigang, Li Shishi, and others about pricing and resource allocation.
• Zhang Caixin and Yu Qingzhu both decline to manage pricing directly, though for different reasons: Zhang lacks interest and time, while Yu is more concerned about whether the group can obtain personal supplies of the spring water.
• Zhang Caixin supports Yu Qingzhu’s potential leadership while reminding her that misuse of public resources will be punished.
• The interaction between Gu Jiahui and Jiangzhu Grass reflects the gap between ordinary cultivators and a powerful Nascent Soul existence, with Gu Jiahui receiving limited acknowledgment because of her unusual qualities.

Chapter Summary: “Integration”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yu Qingzhu reflects on how meeting Feng Jun changed her priorities. Although she once aimed for business success and influence, she now values cultivation and longevity far more than worldly authority.
• She worries about obtaining enough Longevity Spring Water for her extended family, since many relatives are too old to cultivate and depend on her.
• Yu Qingzhu and Zhang Caixin discuss Contribution Points. Zhang has far more points and fewer family obligations, while Yu must work to support a larger family network.
• Yu leads reforms to the Contribution Point System:
  • More kinds of businesses and tasks are added.
  • Ordinary members are allowed to post tasks.
  • Contribution Points can be exchanged with Spirit Stones.
  • Members can deposit resources into Libo Shoal’s central treasury and receive Contribution Points in return.
• These changes gain broad support because many core members have relatives who need Longevity Spring Water. Even Gazi supports the reforms because Luo Yuhuan wants him to secure more of it.
• Zhang Caixin becomes more involved because her friend Liang Siyu also has family members who may need Longevity Spring Water.
• Feng Jun realizes that the new system helps correct Libo Shoal’s earlier imbalance. Previously, he supplied nearly all resources and made most decisions, while other members kept the resources they earned. The revised system begins separating public resources from private wealth and strengthens the organization as a whole.
• Longevity Spring Water is priced at fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones per drop. Although relatively inexpensive, access is restricted by eligibility requirements and registration, allowing Libo Shoal to retain control over distribution.
• The increased administrative workload forces Gu Jiahui to hire outside assistants. Rather than admitting new people into Libo Shoal, she pays temporary staff to handle routine work.
• Jiangzhu Grass complains that core members draw Longevity Spring containing Life Dao Intent for ordinary relatives, but Feng Jun explains that even a small lifespan advantage should be reserved for their own people. He also gives the grass hundreds of thousands of books and language materials to occupy it.
• Sister Hong, Gazi, Yang Yuxin, and Feng Jing approach Feng Jun about recruiting more members. The improved Contribution Point System requires people to manage data, resource storage, withdrawals, and other administrative tasks.
• Feng Jun agrees to let them handle recruitment and organization themselves, but imposes one restriction: Luo Yuhuan must not become a full member or be allowed into the manor.

Character Developments

• Yu Qingzhu shifts from valuing business, influence, and leadership to prioritizing cultivation and longevity. However, her family obligations keep her involved in organizational affairs.
• Zhang Caixin is shown to be relatively independent of her family and financially secure, giving her greater freedom to focus on cultivation. She nevertheless helps because of her friendship with Liang Siyu.
• Feng Jun begins moving away from personally controlling every aspect of Libo Shoal. He recognizes that centralized leadership was necessary at the beginning but that continued growth requires rules, delegation, and shared responsibility.
• Gu Jiahui takes on a much heavier administrative burden but responds practically by hiring assistants.
• Gazi demonstrates loyalty and enthusiasm, though his motivation is partly connected to Luo Yuhuan’s desire for Longevity Spring Water.
• Jiangzhu Grass is portrayed as intelligent and somewhat petulant, complaining about how the spring water is distributed. Feng Jun treats it considerately by giving it books and learning materials.
• Luo Yuhuan remains outside the organization’s trusted inner circle. Feng Jun specifically prevents her from becoming a full member or entering the manor.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation versus worldly power: The chapter emphasizes that authority, wealth, and status are temporary compared with longevity and spiritual advancement.
• Family obligations: Even cultivators who no longer care about ordinary society remain tied to relatives and feel responsible for helping them.
• Institutional development: Libo Shoal is transitioning from an informal, leader-centered group into a structured organization with rules, resource management, and defined responsibilities.
• Public and private interests: The Contribution Point System creates a mechanism for members to contribute resources to the central treasury without forcing them to surrender everything they earn.
• Controlled distribution and monopoly: Libo Shoal keeps Longevity Spring Water affordable but controls access, registration, and eligibility, gaining influence rather than merely seeking maximum profit.
• Delegation and maturity: Feng Jun’s willingness to let others manage recruitment and administration shows the organization—and Feng Jun himself—becoming more mature and less dependent on one person.

Character Interactions

• Yu Qingzhu and Zhang Caixin compare their Contribution Point holdings and family responsibilities, revealing their differing motivations.
• Yu works with other members to redesign the Contribution Point System, gaining support from families and individuals who need access to Longevity Spring Water.
• Feng Jun accepts the reforms because they strengthen Libo Shoal and reduce his personal administrative burden.
• Gu Jiahui handles the practical consequences of the new distribution system, including hiring assistants.
• Jiangzhu Grass appeals to Feng Jun over the use of Life Dao Intent, and he reassures it while giving it books to study.
• Sister Hong, Gazi, Yang Yuxin, and Feng Jing collectively pressure Feng Jun to recruit additional personnel. He responds by delegating authority but establishes a firm boundary against Luo Yuhuan joining the inner organization.

Chapter Summary: “A Grand Gesture”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun refuses to make Luo Yuhuan an official member of Luohua. He argues that while the Body Tempering Technique can be controlled, admitting Yuhuan could give outside forces too much influence and threaten Luohua’s autonomy.
• Gazi is disappointed because he promised Yuhuan support, but Sister Hong backs Feng Jun’s decision. The group begins discussing formal rules for recommending new members and how many candidates each person should be allowed to propose.
• Feng Jun prepares to travel to the Insectoid World to rotate out cultivators who have spent years mining on Great Planet. The planet’s sixfold gravity and harsh conditions have placed enormous physical and psychological strain on them, even affecting Gold Core cultivators.
• He decides to bring additional family cultivators to broaden their experience, while also including sect cultivators to avoid accusations of favoritism. Many sect True Immortals are eager to accompany him, partly to see the Insectoid World and partly to gain access to its inner regions.
• The newly established Longevity Spring at Libo Shoal becomes the focus of intense competition. Major sects, including the Zither Dao, seek stable allocation quotas rather than merely purchasing small quantities. Feng Jun avoids announcing a final position, leaving negotiations to Gu Jiahui and the others for the time being.
• After nearly three days of preparation and another three days to complete the mining handover, Feng Jun returns the exhausted miners and remains in the Insectoid World to inspect its energy-stone mine and production facilities.
• Feng Jun’s absence from the Human Federation lasts almost ten months. When he returns, Xuan Gao reveals that the Federation has prepared five Life Potion production lines for him.
• Feng Jun accepts that the production lines are valuable but refuses to assist the Insect God Sect. He insists that the five lines can only be exchanged for life-extension requests involving five people.
• Xuan Gao explains that three people currently seek life extension and instead asks Feng Jun to help with the changing war situation in the Grindstone Galaxy.
• The chapter ends by explaining that the Grindstone Galaxy has been a brutal, centuries-long battlefield and an Insectoid training and testing ground. After suffering defeat elsewhere, the Insectoids are concentrating forces there to recover their morale and prestige.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly firm about protecting Luohua’s independence. He refuses to allow personal promises or emotional pressure to determine membership and maintains strict boundaries in negotiations with the Human Federation.
• Gazi is shown as loyal and compassionate but politically inexperienced in this matter. His promise to Yuhuan conflicts with Feng Jun’s broader concerns.
• Sister Hong demonstrates strong trust in Feng Jun’s judgment and helps persuade Gazi that Yuhuan’s exclusion is reasonable.
• Yang Yuxin and Hao Fengjing reveal that Luohua’s growing influence has attracted many people seeking recommendations and connections, highlighting the organization’s expanding power.
• Zhang Caixin expresses a desire to accompany Feng Jun to the Insectoid World, but Feng Jun’s assessment of the danger makes such a trip impossible.
• Xuan Gao appears well prepared and strategically careful. He has anticipated Feng Jun’s objections and negotiates on behalf of the Federation with a detailed plan backed by a broader negotiation team.
• Feng Jun’s relationship with the sect factions remains cautious and somewhat distant, especially after the Soul-Nourishing Liquid dispute. He nevertheless makes pragmatic efforts to avoid open factional conflict.

Significant Themes

• Control versus obligation: Feng Jun prioritizes Luohua’s long-term stability over Gazi’s personal promise to Yuhuan.
• Factional tension: The chapter contrasts family cultivators and sect cultivators, showing how access to resources and opportunities can deepen political competition.
• Resource politics: The Longevity Spring and Life Potion production lines are not merely medical resources; they are tools of influence, bargaining, and strategic power.
• Premium versus sustainable solutions: Feng Jun views the Longevity Spring as a rare, superior resource, while Life Potions represent a reproducible and scalable path for humanity’s future.
• Pragmatic diplomacy: Feng Jun refuses to become too closely tied to the Human Federation or the Insect God Sect, preferring limited cooperation based on mutual benefit.
• War as endurance and symbolism: The Grindstone Galaxy represents more than military territory. It has become a contest of honor, willpower, and political credibility between the Federation and the Insectoids.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Gazi clash over whether Luo Yuhuan should enter Luohua, with Sister Hong supporting Feng Jun’s position.
• Yang Yuxin, Hao Fengjing, and Sister Hong discuss how many people each member should be permitted to recommend, revealing the pressure created by Luohua’s rising status.
• Zhang Caixin expresses her wish to travel with Feng Jun, but the danger of Great Planet and the Insectoid World prevents him from agreeing.
• Feng Jun’s relationship with the sect True Immortals is shaped by both cooperation and mistrust: he allows them to accompany him, yet avoids promising them Longevity Spring quotas.
• Xuan Gao and Feng Jun engage in a carefully prepared negotiation over Life Potion production lines, life-extension requests, and possible military aid, with Feng Jun making clear that he will not be manipulated into confronting the Insect God Sect.

Chapter Summary: “A Gruesome Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Insectoids launch a nearly two-year, high-intensity offensive against the Grindstone Galaxy, a strategically vital Federation stronghold.
• Their broader assault across more than a dozen galaxies forces the Human Federation to retreat and leaves Grindstone almost completely surrounded and isolated.
• The Federation attempts to reopen a connection to Grindstone but suffers serious setbacks after rushing its troop deployments. Several fortresses fall before reinforcements from nearby galaxies stabilize the front.
• Learning from the failed rescue effort, the Federation adopts a strategy of sudden, localized attacks rather than fighting exclusively on battlefields chosen by the Insectoids. This produces some limited successes but cannot change the overall unfavorable situation.
• Because abandoning territory would also mean abandoning the human population within it, the Federation cannot withdraw from Grindstone. It must continue reinforcing and defending the galaxy despite the enormous cost.
• Transport routes into Grindstone repeatedly open and close. Insectoid attacks destroy jump points, cargo ships, supplies, and vast amounts of financial resources, even though relatively few transport personnel die.
• The Federation considers requesting assistance from the Humanoid Civilization to help reopen the supply route, primarily to deliver supplies and possibly additional troops.
• Xuan Gao explains that Grindstone’s reserves are being depleted after two years of intense fighting. Its limited military factories mostly recycle old equipment, while its emergency Energy Stone mines and stockpiles cannot support the war indefinitely.
• The Insectoids have not captured the galaxy because Grindstone may possess a Core Electromagnetic Railgun capable of firing Antimatter Annihilation Bombs, weapons powerful enough to threaten even King Rank Insectoids.
• Xuan Gao suggests that the Insectoids may be deliberately allowing the conflict to become a war of attrition, using Grindstone as a “bleeding wound” to exhaust the Federation rather than capturing it at an unacceptable cost.
• Feng Jun ultimately refuses to participate in the Grindstone campaign, instructing that the five Life Potion production lines be given to people who need extended lifespans instead.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly critical of the Federation’s strategy. He recognizes the emotional and political reasons for defending Grindstone but sees the campaign as irrationally costly and potentially unwinnable.
• He questions why the Insectoids have not committed King or Emperor Rank forces and challenges the idea that losing one or two powerful Insectoids would matter to them.
• His final decision shows that he values practical results over symbolic military commitments and does not wish to be drawn into a war driven by pride, morale, or political pressure.
• Xuan Gao provides a pragmatic explanation of the Federation’s situation. Though he understands that Grindstone may be an intentional attrition trap, he admits that the Federation cannot easily abandon a battle that has continued for more than two centuries and involved four generations of soldiers.
• Xuan Gao also reveals the Federation’s compromises: weak border defenses, limited military production, emergency resource extraction, and the enormous logistical burden of sustaining the isolated galaxy.

Significant Themes

• War as a struggle for survival: Since the Insectoids consume humans and leave no safe civilian population behind, retreat is not a viable way to preserve lives. Losing land means losing the people living there as well.
• Attrition and resource exhaustion: The chapter emphasizes that war depends on transportation, production, supplies, and money. Even when casualties are limited, destroyed ships and cargo can cripple a civilization.
• Strategic necessity versus irrational commitment: Grindstone is defended not only because of its military value but also because abandoning it would represent a psychological and political defeat after centuries of sacrifice.
• The burden of history: Four generations have fought in the conflict, making it nearly impossible for the Federation to admit that the campaign may be unwinnable.
• Intelligence and manipulation in warfare: The Insectoids may be deliberately avoiding a decisive assault and instead exploiting the Federation’s emotional attachment to Grindstone to drain its strength.
• The human cost of prolonged conflict: Even those far from the front are affected by shortages, profiteering, reckless orders, and the pressure to continue a war that has outlasted individual lifespans.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao discuss the Federation’s failed attempts to reinforce Grindstone and the reasons the Insectoids have not conquered it.
• Feng Jun presses Xuan Gao about the absence of King and Emperor Rank Insectoids, while Xuan Gao explains the possible deterrent effect of Grindstone’s powerful railgun.
• Their conversation shifts from military tactics to the deeper political and emotional reasons the Federation continues fighting.
• Xuan Gao acknowledges that the battle may be a bottomless pit, but he argues that no Federation leader can openly recommend surrender after centuries of sacrifice.
• Feng Jun responds by rejecting involvement in the campaign, demonstrating his disagreement with the Federation’s willingness to continue paying such a heavy price for a strategically and symbolically charged battle.

Chapter Summary: “Persistence”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Gao tries to persuade Feng Jun to cooperate with the Human Federation in its war against the Insectoids, arguing that both human factions share a common enemy.
• Feng Jun firmly refuses to alter their existing agreement. He insists that the original terms be honored: if only three people are ready to exchange Life Potion Production Lines for extended lifespans, he will accept only three production lines.
• Feng Jun warns that any attempt to manipulate or withhold production lines—especially Gate Chips—will provoke harsher retaliation, potentially including forcibly taking the remaining lines or killing those responsible.
• Xuan Gao explains that the five production lines came from different sources. Three belong to powerful Federation figures whose lifespan-extension deals are straightforward, while the other two were obtained through political pressure and borrowed influence from wealthy tycoons.
• Feng Jun agrees to proceed with the three reliable exchanges and postpone discussion of the other two.
• Xuan Gao attempts to sweeten the offer by mentioning that the Federation might provide a brand-new B-Rank Flagship if Feng Jun participates in the war.
• Feng Jun is tempted by the warship but remains skeptical of “free” gifts. Xuan Gao explains that military technology is tightly controlled and cannot normally be sold without a strategic justification.
• Xuan Gao suggests that Feng Jun’s companions might be persuaded to participate because they appear interested in collecting Insectoid corpses. He explains that the Federation considers most Insectoid remains dangerous and disposes of them after extracting useful materials.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun is portrayed as rigidly principled, highly cautious, and resistant to emotional or political pressure. He values contracts and clearly defined rules above expediency, even when cooperation could benefit humanity or earn him powerful military technology.
• Feng Jun also reveals a pragmatic and opportunistic side. He covets the production lines and is willing to claim them when properly earned, while keeping open the possibility of taking the remaining lines later if the Federation acts dishonestly.
• Xuan Gao demonstrates political experience and persistence. He recognizes that Feng Jun’s real objection is not helping humanity but being forced to change the terms of an agreement. Xuan Gao adapts by explaining the origins of the production lines and offering additional incentives.
• Xuan Gao also shows loyalty to humanity, or at least presents himself as someone who wants to contribute to the anti-Insectoid war, though his attempts to persuade Feng Jun are partly driven by political necessity.
• The Human Federation is shown as powerful but constrained. It can requisition resources and pressure wealthy individuals during a wartime emergency, yet it cannot easily obtain Life Potion Production Lines or freely distribute advanced military equipment.

3. Significant Themes

• Rules and contracts versus wartime necessity: Feng Jun refuses to let the Federation use the war as an excuse to rewrite an agreement, emphasizing that emergencies do not automatically justify breaking promises.
• Trust and manipulation: Feng Jun views unilateral pressure and emotional appeals as attempts to control him. The chapter suggests that cooperation is impossible without mutual respect and predictable terms.
• Pragmatism versus principle: Feng Jun is willing to accept valuable benefits, including production lines and possibly warships, but only when they fit the original bargain.
• The cost of survival: The Federation’s wartime requisitioning of resources shows how survival-level conflicts can override private ownership and ordinary political rules.
• Hidden motives and strategic bargaining: Both sides present moral or practical reasons, but each is also calculating how to gain leverage. Xuan Gao uses the war, military technology, and Insectoid corpses as possible incentives.
• Civilizational differences: The Federation does not understand the value Feng Jun’s companions place on Insectoid remains, while Feng Jun’s side likely sees them as valuable resources for cultivation or research.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao engage in a tense negotiation. Xuan Gao repeatedly appeals to shared humanity and the urgency of war, while Feng Jun dismisses sentimental arguments and redirects the discussion to contractual obligations.
• Feng Jun bluntly challenges Xuan Gao’s ability to obtain the production lines, prompting Xuan Gao to clarify that although his personal influence is limited, he acted under direct Federation orders.
• Xuan Gao tries to regain leverage by offering a new B-Rank Flagship, but Feng Jun rejects the idea of accepting something without a clear price or obligation.
• Their exchange establishes a relationship based on mutual caution: Xuan Gao recognizes that Feng Jun cannot be bullied into cooperation, while Feng Jun acknowledges that Xuan Gao has access to valuable resources and may still be useful.
• By the end, Xuan Gao shifts from directly pressuring Feng Jun to targeting his companions’ apparent interest in Insectoid corpses as a possible route to securing cooperation.

Chapter Summary: “Rendezvous”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Gao proposes that Feng Jun’s companions help the Human Federation attack Insectoid planets and collect insectoid corpses.
• Feng Jun explains that his allies normally attack Insectoid worlds directly, implying that they possess overwhelming strength. Xuan Gao is shocked, since such attacks are extremely dangerous for the Federation.
• The Federation usually avoids prolonged planetary assaults because Insectoid reinforcements arrive quickly. Instead, it relies on feints, ambushes, and destroying incoming reinforcements. Fighting the Insectoids is costly and yields little profit, though humanity must continue because the bugs threaten human lives.
• Xuan Gao suggests cooperation against their shared enemy, hoping to gain the mysterious force’s support and friendship. Feng Jun reluctantly agrees to ask his companions, while warning Xuan Gao not to alter agreements without permission again.
• Feng Jun returns to his territory and later searches for Venerable Xiao Dong’s group. Using Qian Zhong’s deductions and Xuanyuan Buqi’s sensing ability, the two groups finally reunite.
• Xiao Dong’s group has spent three years on the front lines. They completely cleared one Insectoid star system and attacked two others, but withdrew when active Insectoid temples summoned powerful Divine Descents.
• Feng Jun transports the cultivators to the Icefield Sector and asks who is willing to return to the Insectoid World. More than sixty percent agree to restock and return, with many hoping for additional places.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Remains cautious and independent, particularly about the Federation changing contracts or trying to draw his allies into its war. Nevertheless, he recognizes that some cultivators may welcome the opportunity to fight and gain resources.
• Xuan Gao: Becomes increasingly impressed—and envious—of Feng Jun’s force. He attempts to persuade Feng Jun through shared interests and mutual benefit, showing diplomatic persistence despite Feng Jun’s reluctance.
• Venerable Xiao Dong: Demonstrates responsible leadership. Although he could fight more aggressively, he prioritizes preserving the group’s strength and protecting cultivators from different sects and factions.
• The Heavenly Zither cultivators: Show remarkable willingness to continue fighting despite exhaustion, injuries, and depleted supplies. Their eagerness is motivated both by their adventurous nature and by the valuable resources available in the Insectoid World.

Significant Themes

• The cost of war: Humanity must fight the Insectoids despite gaining little materially, highlighting the burden of defensive warfare.
• Strength and deterrence: Feng Jun’s casual claim that reinforcements are simply beaten back underscores the vast difference between his force and the Human Federation.
• Caution versus ambition: Xiao Dong balances the desire for cultivation experience and spoils against the dangers of Divine Descent and inadequate logistics.
• Independence and cooperation: Feng Jun wants to avoid dependence on the Federation, yet shared enemies and mutual benefits create pressure for an alliance.
• Logistics and leadership: Feng Jun’s departure changes the group’s entire combat style, proving how transportation, supplies, and escape routes shape military decisions.
• Resource-driven cultivation: The possibility of obtaining Energy Stones and insectoid corpses encourages cultivators to return to battle even when they are tired or injured.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao: Their discussion is diplomatic but tense. Xuan Gao tries to recruit Feng Jun’s companions, while Feng Jun resists outside interference and insists on honoring the original contract.
• Feng Jun and Xiao Dong’s group: Their reunion reveals mutual reliance. The group welcomes Feng Jun’s arrival because he provides transportation, supplies, and a fast route to the front lines.
• Xiao Dong and the other cultivators: Xiao Dong acts as a protective leader, restraining reckless attacks to avoid unnecessary casualties and political complications among the various sects.
• Feng Jun and the Heavenly Zither cultivators: Feng Jun offers logistical support, while the cultivators demonstrate that they are not merely dependent on him; most are prepared to continue dangerous expeditions once they have recovered.

Chapter Summary: “Getting Some Practice”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun waits five days in the Icefield Sector before a new expedition team arrives, composed of roughly 30% veterans and 70% newcomers. Although many veterans want to continue fighting in the Insectoid World, the sect rotates personnel because they need rest and must give others combat experience.
• The veterans recommend that the newcomers begin with lower-intensity battles to develop proper fighting habits. The Grindstone Galaxy, introduced by Feng Jun, is selected as a training ground.
• Fishing Elder Venerable and Procrastinating Venerable lead the expedition instead of Xiao Dong Venerable, who remains behind to supervise affairs near the interworld passage. Hanhai also returns, giving the team three Venerables, along with True Lords Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong.
• The team reaches the distant Grindstone Galaxy through spatial infiltration and jumps using Humanity’s ships. The battlefield is more intense than Feng Jun expected, and the Insectoids have created hidden folded spaces and sophisticated disguises.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong detect several traps that even the Venerables miss, though they deliberately avoid intervening unless necessary so the others can gain experience. Their presence nevertheless prevents the Insectoids’ schemes from succeeding.
• Feng Jun leaves the battlefield temporarily to meet five people seeking life extension. The Federation initially delivers three Life Potion Production Lines, allowing him to extend the lives of three individuals. The remaining two production lines will be delivered after a transport route into the Grindstone Galaxy is established.
• Feng Jun completes the first three life-extension procedures over half a month. Meanwhile, the fighting in the Grindstone Galaxy remains difficult and slow because the cultivators must conceal their true strength.
• The Federation then offers three B-Rank battleships if Feng Jun transports supplies and 200,000 soldiers into the Grindstone Galaxy. Feng Jun agrees to transport cargo but refuses to carry troops, offering to do the former for only one battleship.
• Negotiations become tense. Feng Jun states that his people are merely using the Grindstone Galaxy to train newcomers and that he is not desperate for the remaining production lines. He ends the discussion without promising to continue the deal.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains confident, pragmatic, and unwilling to compromise on principles. He values the life-extension exchange but refuses to risk his people by transporting soldiers into a dangerous war zone. His dismissive attitude toward the Insectoids also reveals his enormous confidence in his side’s strength.
• The veterans and newcomers represent the sect’s effort to institutionalize combat training. The veterans act as mentors, while the newcomers are deliberately exposed to manageable battles rather than immediately thrown into the most dangerous fronts.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong function as powerful bodyguards and hidden safeguards. Their refusal to attack weak enemies shows their arrogance and desire to remain observers, but their ability to identify concealed traps demonstrates their overwhelming strength.
• Fishing Elder Venerable takes on a leadership and coordinating role. He recognizes that the team needs to maintain contact with Feng Jun and appears interested in learning from Xiao Dong’s previous command experience.
• Xuan Gao becomes increasingly uneasy and curious. He tries to preserve the negotiations while probing Feng Jun about the newcomers and the true extent of his civilization’s power, but Feng Jun warns him not to ask too many questions.
• The Federation’s two remaining life-extension applicants become impatient after seeing the first three recipients rejuvenated. Their impatience leads the Federation to seek a new bargaining chip—an urgent military transport mission.

Significant Themes

• Training through controlled conflict: The chapter emphasizes the need for newcomers to gain experience gradually and develop sound combat instincts before facing the full dangers of the Insectoid World.
• War as a force for technological advancement: Humanity’s improved understanding of spatial technology, sensors, and folded spaces is presented as a direct result of prolonged warfare.
• Power imbalance and cultural misunderstanding: The Federation considers the Grindstone Galaxy a severe battlefield, while Feng Jun’s people regard it as a relatively safe practice ground. This contrast highlights the vast difference between the two civilizations.
• Negotiation, leverage, and mutual distrust: Both sides treat life-extension technology, production lines, battleships, supplies, and troop transport as bargaining tools. Neither fully trusts the other, and Feng Jun refuses to let the Federation exploit his abilities.
• Secrecy and restraint: Feng Jun conceals the full strength and origins of his side, while Xuan Gao understands that learning too much may be dangerous. The chapter repeatedly stresses the risks of revealing information.
• The expendability of soldiers: The Federation’s willingness to send 200,000 troops into the Grindstone Galaxy contrasts sharply with Feng Jun’s refusal to transport them, underscoring different attitudes toward human life and military resources.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Fishing Elder Venerable: Fishing Elder privately asks whether Feng Jun has other business, prompting Feng Jun to leave the battle temporarily. They agree that someone must remain in contact with him while the fighting continues.
• Feng Jun and Xuanyuan Buqi/Qian Zhong: Feng Jun relies on the two True Lords as bodyguards and strategic safeguards. Their intervention in detecting traps protects the expedition but frustrates the Venerables, who want the newcomers to gain genuine experience.
• Feng Jun and Xuan Gao: Their conversation shifts from trade negotiations to probing questions about Feng Jun’s civilization. Feng Jun bluntly explains that the expedition is only training newcomers and implies that the Federation’s forces are weak compared with his own.
• Feng Jun and the Federation: Their negotiation reveals fundamentally different priorities. The Federation wants immediate military support, while Feng Jun prioritizes safety, autonomy, and control over his people. The chapter ends with the agreement effectively suspended.

Chapter Summary: “Repercussions”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Feng Jun abruptly ends his communication with Xuan Gao, Xuan Gao becomes frustrated with the Federation officials who drove away such a powerful ally. He contacts a wealthy Federation tycoon awaiting life extension and warns him that the Military Department can no longer help secure Feng Jun’s cooperation.
• The tycoon angrily blames Xuan Gao for failing to retain Feng Jun, but quickly apologizes after Xuan Gao reminds him that he is the only person capable of contacting the Humanoid Civilization. Once the call ends, however, the tycoon remains furious and resentful.
• Feng Jun leaves the Grindstone Galaxy after arranging several communication signals with Fishing Elder Venerable. Vast Sea Venerable chooses to remain behind to deal with the arrogant Insectoids rather than continue traveling with Feng Jun.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong are surprised by Vast Sea Venerable’s decision, since accompanying Feng Jun offers rare opportunities. Xuanyuan Buqi remarks that sect cultivators are more willing to act according to personal preference, unlike family cultivators, who carry heavy obligations.
• Feng Jun returns from the Insectoid World after more than a month, bringing three additional Life Potion production lines. However, because Longevity Spring Water is more valuable for immediate life extension, he delays setting up the new facilities.
• The major issue at Libo Shoal becomes Feng Jun’s plan to recruit more disciples. The proposal creates tension between the Kunhao natives and the Luohua/Xia Nation faction.

Character Developments

• Xuan Gao asserts his importance and authority. Though socially inferior to the tycoon, his unique connection to Feng Jun gives him confidence, and he refuses to accept blame for the Federation’s failure.
• The Federation tycoon reveals desperation caused by his approaching death. His need for life extension makes him anxious, entitled, and increasingly hostile toward Feng Jun and those unable to secure his help.
• Vast Sea Venerable displays an independent and uncompromising temperament by staying behind to oppose the Insectoids, even though remaining with Feng Jun would likely bring greater benefits.
• Mi Yunshan becomes more assertive than usual. Once viewed mainly as Feng Jun’s gentle maid, she openly challenges the recruitment policy because it excludes her relatives and, more broadly, the Kunhao people.
• Yun Buyao supports Mi Yunshan out of factional solidarity. Although she usually avoids administrative matters and is primarily interested in combat, she recognizes the political implications of the recruitment decision.
• Liu Yiyi also supports Mi Yunshan despite her precarious position as a former captive and former member of an antagonistic faction. She has no personal desire to recommend relatives but feels obligated to stand with fellow Kunhao natives.
• Gao Qiang urges caution toward outsiders and favors prioritizing Xia Nation people.
• Gazi opposes rapid expansion, believing that recruiting too many people could make Libo Shoal difficult to control. His position is influenced by his rejection of Luo Yuhuan’s faction and his lack of trustworthy candidates to recommend.
• Yu Qingzhu emerges as one of the strongest advocates for broader recruitment, proposing that each existing member be allowed to recommend three people.

Significant Themes

• Power, dependence, and desperation: The Federation’s wealthy elite depend on Feng Jun’s life-extension technology, yet their wealth and political influence cannot force him to cooperate.
• Factionalism and identity: The recruitment dispute exposes divisions between Kunhao natives, Luohua members, Xia Nation people, and local Libo Shoal forces.
• Personal loyalty versus institutional responsibility: Vast Sea Venerable chooses personal conviction over opportunity, while family-system cultivators such as Xuanyuan Buqi are constrained by obligations to their wider clans.
• Growth and the dangers of expansion: Libo Shoal’s rising strength allows it to recruit openly, but rapid growth raises concerns about loyalty, control, and the reliability of newcomers.
• Resources and social mobility: Membership in Libo Shoal offers more than wealth. Access to techniques, pills, guidance, and cultivation opportunities could transform ordinary relatives into powerful cultivators, making recruitment a matter of status and future prospects.

Character Interactions

• Xuan Gao and the tycoon: Their conversation shifts from accusation to uneasy apology, showing both the tycoon’s desperation and Xuan Gao’s newfound confidence.
• Feng Jun and Vast Sea Venerable: Feng Jun leaves after coordinating with Fishing Elder Venerable, while Vast Sea independently chooses to remain and confront the Insectoids.
• Mi Yunshan, Yun Buyao, and Liu Yiyi: The three Kunhao-affiliated women form the core of the opposition to the recruitment policy.
• Yun Buyao and Gu Jiahui: Yun Buyao privately questions Gu Jiahui about the exclusion of Kunhao disciples, but Gu Jiahui avoids revealing the real reason.
• Kunhao faction versus Luohua faction: The Kunhao natives feel deliberately excluded, while Luohua members focus on securing more recruitment opportunities for their own associates.
• Yu Qingzhu and Gazi: Their opposing views represent the central debate: whether Libo Shoal should expand aggressively or prioritize stability and control.

Chapter Summary: “Summoning Technique”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun resolves a dispute over Luohua’s membership expansion. After considering competing proposals, he adopts Hao Fengjing’s compromise: established members may recommend two candidates, while newer members may recommend only one.
• He informs Mi Yunshan, Yun Buyao, and Liu Yiyi that the first expansion will prioritize Luohua candidates rather than people from Kunhao. Although the decision is authoritarian, he reassures them that another expansion will occur soon and that Kunhao candidates may be considered then.
• Recruitment remains subject to public review and evaluation, with Feng Jun retaining final authority.
• Concerned that Yi Jue might face danger while attempting to break through to the Spirit Severing Realm, Feng Jun seeks permission to visit her secluded location.
• Moon Vine Elder refuses to decide the matter herself and directs Feng Jun to Shouzhong the True Immortal, whose grandmaster is a Spirit Plant Dao Venerable. Feng Jun spends nearly half a month locating Shouzhong and brings him back to Heavenly Zither.
• Because Shouzhong’s grandmaster is also unavailable, another Venerable is consulted. The Venerable permits Feng Jun’s request as an exception but demands an explanation for his concern.
• Feng Jun cautiously reveals that Hewei Ancestor entrusted him with a Deduction involving another powerful cultivator. He implies that the person he helped was an Integration-stage ancestor but refuses to identify them.
• Shouzhong is astonished by Feng Jun’s connections to multiple Integration Ancestors. During their conversation, Hewei Ancestor’s Divine Thought arrives after hearing his name repeatedly mentioned, leading to an awkward and humorous confrontation.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates growing authority and political awareness. He recognizes that delegating power reduces routine work but increases the burden of making difficult decisions. He acts decisively as Luohua’s leader while also showing concern for fairness and seniority.
• He also reveals a more cautious and responsible side through his concern for Yi Jue’s safety. Although he dislikes exposing sensitive information, his worry for her ultimately outweighs his reluctance.
• Hao Fengjing is portrayed as pragmatic and composed. Her proposal balances the interests of old and new members and reflects her position as a quiet but influential faction leader.
• Mi Yunshan, Yun Buyao, and Liu Yiyi accept Feng Jun’s decision because he promises a future opportunity. Their reactions show respect for his authority and their awareness that the main issue is fairness rather than immediate advantage.
• Mei Yeyu remains proud and outspoken, criticizing Feng Jun as domineering while privately envying Libo Shoal’s superior resources and considering its appeal for members of the Mei Clan.
• Yi Jue remains off-screen but is established as being on the verge of a major breakthrough, potentially becoming a Venerable.
• Hewei Ancestor appears indirectly at first, then reacts sharply when he realizes Feng Jun has been discussing him. His appearance emphasizes both his immense status and his somewhat irritable, informal personality.

Significant Themes

• Authority versus administration: Feng Jun learns that leadership is not merely about delegating tasks; it also requires making politically sensitive decisions and managing competing interests.
• Seniority and fairness: The distinction between old and new members reflects the belief that long-standing contributors deserve greater privileges, while also showing how unequal treatment can create factional conflict.
• Power and influence: The chapter highlights the growing importance of Libo Shoal and Luohua. Access to their resources is valuable enough to tempt even established clan disciples.
• Trust and discretion: Feng Jun must balance protecting confidential information with explaining his actions convincingly to the Spirit Plant Dao.
• Concern for companions: Feng Jun’s effort to check on Yi Jue demonstrates that personal loyalty and friendship remain important despite his increasing political stature.
• Hidden networks of power: Feng Jun’s connections to Hewei Ancestor and other Integration Ancestors surprise Shouzhong, emphasizing how rapidly Feng Jun’s influence and reputation have expanded.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun debates membership policy indirectly with the Luohua factions, ultimately favoring Hao Fengjing’s compromise over the Zhang sisters’ more restrictive proposal.
• He speaks firmly with Mi Yunshan, Yun Buyao, and Liu Yiyi, informing them of the decision while softening its impact with a promise of future inclusion.
• Moon Vine Elder refuses Feng Jun’s request but guides him toward Shouzhong, showing institutional caution toward Yi Jue’s breakthrough.
• Feng Jun and Shouzhong discuss the danger surrounding Yi Jue and Feng Jun’s links to the Formation Dao and powerful ancestors. Shouzhong remains skeptical but intrigued.
• A Spirit Plant Dao Venerable questions Feng Jun through Shouzhong, testing the reliability of his warning.
• Hewei Ancestor unexpectedly interrupts through Divine Thought, accusing Feng Jun of gossiping and discovering the Venerable’s presence, creating tension mixed with humor at the chapter’s close.

Chapter Summary: “She Had Come”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hewei Ancestor’s Divine Thought notices Venerable Yuan Hao, forcing Yuan Hao to reveal himself. Yuan Hao explains that he came to check on Yi Jue, who is in seclusion attempting to break through to the Soul Emergence Realm.
• Hewei questions Feng Jun about using him as an example to gain access to Yi Jue. Feng Jun insists that he did not reveal Yi Jue’s identity or background, avoiding the danger of offending her.
• Shouzhong the True Immortal warns Feng Jun that publicly declaring his concern for Yi Jue could create serious trouble. Feng Jun is finally allowed to visit her seclusion site.
• Yi Jue is secluded inside a small plane belonging to the Spirit Plant Dao, beneath a spiritually rich lake guarded by intelligent spirit plants and watched over by Yuan Hao’s Divine Thought.
• Feng Jun uses his phone to perform a Deduction and confirms that Yi Jue is safe and progressing smoothly. She is expected to successfully enter the Soul Emergence Realm within one or two years.
• Wanting to encourage her, Feng Jun erects a stone stele beside the lake bearing the message: “Come find me if you need Soul-Nourishing Liquid.” He leaves a can of beer beside it before departing.
• Yi Jue senses Feng Jun’s arrival and realizes that he came because he was concerned about her. Though she does not interrupt her meditation, his presence relaxes and encourages her.
• After Feng Jun leaves, his Deduction shows that Yi Jue’s breakthrough has advanced by more than three months and that her chance of success has slightly increased, suggesting that she sensed and benefited from his visit.
• Feng Jun reunites with Shouzhong and claims that his anxiety comes from comparing himself to Yi Jue, who is nearing Soul Emergence while he remains in the Gold Core Realm. Shouzhong mocks his needless insecurity, reminding him that reaching High-Tier Gold Core before age seventy is already extraordinary.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates genuine concern for Yi Jue and a desire to support her without disrupting her cultivation. Although he has already given her a Soul Emergence Pill, he feels guilty that he has not done enough and offers Soul-Nourishing Liquid if needed. His concern also reveals his growing emotional attachment and his insecurity about the difference between their cultivation levels.
• Yi Jue: Remains disciplined and emotionally detached enough to maintain her seclusion, but Feng Jun’s arrival subtly strengthens her confidence. She begins to recognize him as a true Dao companion—someone who supports and encourages her on the path of cultivation, even without a romantic relationship.
• Yuan Hao: Acts as one of Yi Jue’s protectors and observes Feng Jun’s behavior with increasing interest. He begins to take Feng Jun more seriously, recognizing that the young Gold Core cultivator has unusual influence and connections.
• Shouzhong: Serves as Feng Jun’s practical guide and teasing companion. He keeps Feng Jun from acting recklessly and ridicules his exaggerated sense of inadequacy.
• Hewei Ancestor: Maintains an intimidating, proud demeanor and makes it clear that revealing Yi Jue’s background would have severe consequences.

Significant Themes

• Support during cultivation: The chapter emphasizes that encouragement from trusted companions can improve a cultivator’s chances of overcoming a major breakthrough.
• Dao companionship: A Dao partner is presented not necessarily as a romantic lover, but as someone who supports, protects, and walks alongside another person in the pursuit of the Dao.
• Emotional attachment versus Severing Mortal Ties: Attachments can endanger cultivation if they create instability, but for someone with a firm heart, meaningful connections can provide strength and motivation.
• Concern expressed indirectly: Feng Jun cannot meet or speak with Yi Jue directly, yet his stone stele, beer, and willingness to provide resources communicate his care.
• Humility and insecurity: Despite his remarkable achievements, Feng Jun feels inadequate beside Yi Jue’s impending advancement. The chapter contrasts his self-doubt with the objective reality that he is already exceptionally talented.

Character Interactions

• Hewei and Yuan Hao: Their exchange establishes Hewei’s dominant personality and Yuan Hao’s respect for senior figures, while Hewei’s blunt remark about Yuan Hao’s damaged Dao Foundation highlights their unequal status.
• Feng Jun and Hewei: Hewei pressures Feng Jun about his motives, while Feng Jun carefully reassures him that he has not exposed sensitive information.
• Feng Jun and Shouzhong: Their conversation mixes danger, humor, and trust. Shouzhong warns Feng Jun against revealing his concern for Yi Jue, then later teases him for comparing himself to her.
• Feng Jun and Yi Jue: They never speak directly, but their connection is conveyed through Feng Jun’s visit and Yi Jue’s subtle emotional response. His presence gives her greater peace and strengthens her resolve.
• Feng Jun and Yuan Hao: Yuan Hao silently observes Feng Jun and begins to suspect that Feng Jun’s role in Yi Jue’s life is more important than his cultivation level would suggest.

Chapter Summary: “Rumors”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shouzhong the True Immortal returns to the Insectoid World, and Feng Jun goes back to Libo Shoal after seeing him off.
• The expanded recruitment list for Luohua has been compiled. After reviewing the candidates, Feng Jun rejects two recommendations:
  • Di Aixin, recommended by Li Shishi.
  • A talented Martial Cultivation practitioner recommended by Hao Fengjing.
• Feng Jun secretly explains the decisions to Gao Qiang:
  • Di Aixin, despite his loyalty and past defense of Luohua, has repeatedly acted recklessly. He previously left Luohua to pursue quick wealth and later became involved in a violent incident that led to imprisonment. During his legal troubles, he formed connections with people who were hostile to Luohua. Feng Jun’s deductions indicate that Di Aixin could unknowingly become a tool against Luohua.
  • Hao Fengjing’s candidate is highly talented but has twice guided military personnel in cultivation without informing Luohua. Feng Jun distrusts people closely connected with the military, fearing hidden agendas and future complications.
• Gao Qiang understands Feng Jun’s reasoning but keeps the information confidential. His silence, along with the silence of others, allows rumors to spread.
• Because most female members of Luohua recommended female relatives or disciples, some people begin to suspect that Feng Jun only wants women recruited.
• Liang Siyu becomes concerned about this rumor and privately asks Zhang Caixin whether it is true.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increasingly strict and cautious leadership. He evaluates recruits not merely by talent or loyalty, but by their karmic connections, judgment, reliability, and possible ties to outside powers.
• Di Aixin is portrayed as fundamentally straightforward and loyal, but also impulsive and easily manipulated. His failure to value past opportunities has permanently damaged Feng Jun’s trust in him.
• Gao Qiang shows his maturity and social awareness. He understands Feng Jun’s unspoken concerns and chooses not to expose sensitive information.
• Hao Fengjing is shown to have recommended her candidate in good faith, judging him mainly by his talent rather than hidden risks.
• Liang Siyu becomes suspicious and anxious as distorted information spreads, revealing the growing impact of internal rumors.
• Zhang Caixin is surprised by the rumor and is drawn into clarifying the recruitment policy.

Significant Themes

• Trust and reliability: Talent and past loyalty are not enough if a person repeatedly makes reckless choices or maintains questionable connections.
• Consequences of past decisions: Di Aixin’s earlier departure from Luohua and later behavior continue to affect his future.
• Hidden dangers and political entanglement: Feng Jun is wary of recruits connected to the military or other powerful institutions, even when their actions appear harmless.
• Rumors caused by secrecy: Confidential decisions protect Luohua but also create misunderstandings when outsiders see only unexplained patterns.
• Merit versus compatibility: Recruitment depends not solely on cultivation talent, but also on whether a person fits Luohua’s principles and can be trusted.
• Gender assumptions and social perception: The predominance of female recommendations leads to an unfounded belief that Feng Jun favors female recruits.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Gao Qiang discuss the rejected candidates. Feng Jun reveals sensitive information only because Gao Qiang directly asks, while Gao Qiang promises nothing explicitly but understands the need for secrecy.
• Feng Jun’s decision regarding Di Aixin reflects his complicated history with Li Shishi and Gao Qiang, both of whom still value Di Aixin.
• Feng Jun rejects Hao Fengjing’s recommendation despite acknowledging the candidate’s talent, creating an unspoken tension between merit-based recommendations and Feng Jun’s security concerns.
• Liang Siyu privately consults Zhang Caixin after hearing that Feng Jun favors female disciples, setting up a likely clarification or confrontation over the recruitment rumors.

Chapter Summary: “When the Wind Blows, It Rains”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter begins by recalling a previous case in which one of Yu Qingzhu’s recommendations was rejected because the candidate held foreign citizenship. The Yu Family quietly forced him to renounce it, and Yu Qingzhu has since been careful to avoid similar problems.
• Zhang Caixin and Liang Siyu discuss the current recommendations for Luohua’s cultivation slots. Liang observes that nearly all the recommended candidates are beautiful women, including those chosen by Zhang Caixin and Hong Jie.
• Liang suspects that Feng Jun may favor attractive female cultivators because of his attraction to women. Zhang denies that he is shallow but privately admits that she may have recommended people partly to strengthen her influence and secure access to resources.
• Yang Yuxin is brought into the discussion. She explains that Feng Jun’s preference is less about lust and more about control and territorial instincts: he is comfortable accepting male cultivators who are already his brothers or close friends, but may distrust unrelated men who could become rivals.
• Liang worries that her male cousin, whom she wants to recommend, may therefore be rejected. Yang points out that Feng Jun can hold Gao Qiang responsible for An Hejun because Gao recommended him, but if Liang’s cousin causes trouble, Feng Jun may find it awkward to hold Liang accountable.
• Liang then asks An Hejun to recommend her cousin instead, offering to recommend a female cultivator for him in return. An is shocked because he views Liang’s cousin as his friend and does not want to betray him.
• Liang pressures An by implying that she may agree to date him if he handles the recommendation matter properly. An, who has been pursuing Liang for a long time, is deeply tempted despite his discomfort.
• They eventually negotiate a temporary solution: Liang’s cousin will cultivate privately using resources supplied by Liang and An, and An will recommend him officially at a later time. Liang also considers recommending another Earth Cultivation cultivator instead.

Character Developments

• Zhang Caixin is shown to be politically calculating beneath her calm exterior. She claims not to care about Feng Jun’s romantic preferences, but admits internally that consolidating her influence and securing cultivation resources motivated her recommendations.
• Liang Siyu reveals both her protectiveness toward her cousin and her willingness to manipulate circumstances to help him. She also uses the possibility of dating An Hejun as leverage, though her feelings remain cautious and conditional.
• Yang Yuxin acts as a perceptive and pragmatic adviser. She understands Feng Jun’s organizational priorities and explains the difference between trusted male associates and potentially uncontrollable outsiders.
• An Hejun is caught between loyalty to his friend, fear of offending Feng Jun, and his long-standing pursuit of Liang Siyu. His past as a poor outsider and Gao Qiang’s warnings have made him especially cautious about relationships and security.
• Feng Jun does not appear directly, but his authority dominates the chapter. His preferences, silence, and decision-making power shape everyone’s behavior.
• Gao Qiang is established as a protective senior figure who monitors An Hejun’s relationships and emphasizes the dangers threatening Luohua from outside forces.

Significant Themes

• Power and access to resources: Cultivation opportunities are scarce and valuable, causing characters to maneuver socially and politically to protect their interests.
• Authority and unspoken rules: Feng Jun’s influence is so strong that people avoid questioning his decisions directly and instead infer his preferences.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: An Hejun struggles between helping his friend and securing a chance with Liang Siyu, while Liang balances family loyalty with organizational constraints.
• Gender and control: The chapter explores Feng Jun’s apparent preference for female recruits and his distrust of unrelated male cultivators, framing it as an issue of rivalry, territory, and control.
• Romance as negotiation: Liang uses the possibility of an office romance to persuade An, turning personal feelings into part of a broader exchange involving recommendations and cultivation resources.
• Security and trust: Gao Qiang’s warnings emphasize that Luohua’s peaceful appearance hides external threats, making trustworthy relationships especially important.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Caixin and Liang Siyu: They exchange teasing remarks about Feng Jun’s attraction to beautiful women, while both indirectly reveal their own insecurities and motives.
• Zhang Caixin and Yang Yuxin: Zhang seeks Yang’s interpretation of Feng Jun’s behavior, recognizing her experience and insight.
• Yang Yuxin and Liang Siyu: Yang gives Liang a blunt explanation of why Feng Jun may reject her male cousin.
• Liang Siyu and An Hejun: Their negotiation forms the core of the chapter. Liang pressures An to sacrifice an official recommendation for her cousin, while An tries to preserve his friendship and win Liang’s affection.
• An Hejun and Gao Qiang: Though Gao does not appear directly, his earlier warnings influence An’s caution about outsiders and relationships.
• Feng Jun and the organization: Even in absentia, Feng Jun’s authority affects recruitment, romance, resource allocation, and the behavior of every character.

Chapter Summary: “Already in Production”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liang Siyu recommends another Earth Cultivator for training after arranging for her cousin to leave Luohua. She avoids asking Feng Jun directly and has Zhang Caixin raise the matter. Feng Jun reluctantly approves it but warns that others should not imitate the precedent.
• Luohua’s personnel pass their reviews, and recruitment and work transitions proceed rapidly.
• A major crisis arises when Hao Fengjing’s father gives his mistress a drop of Life Spring Water, believing Mei Jin can obtain more. The mistress conspires with another lover to extort additional drops and escape with the wealth, but surveillance uncovers the plot.
• The discovery confirms to the authorities that Luohua possesses powerful life-extending resources. Since Mei Jin is not among Luohua’s highest-ranking members, officials infer that such treasures may be relatively plentiful.
• Beauty Lin confronts Feng Jun about the Life Spring Water and the growing pressure from the authorities. Feng Jun refuses to distribute it casually, emphasizing that it is his property and that he alone decides how it is used.
• Feng Jun reveals that he is already assembling a Life Potion production line. More surprisingly, he explains that the existing Life Potions supplied to Xia Nation were produced off-world, not on Blue Star.
• He claims the future production line could eventually meet the needs of half the world’s population, though he is still gathering components and refining the formula for Blue Star humans.
• Beauty Lin argues that production should be expanded immediately for the benefit of Xia Nation’s people and proposes a factory site. Feng Jun rejects the attempt to dictate his arrangements, insisting that secrecy, safety, and his own strategic concerns must come first.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains guarded, independent, and unwilling to surrender control over Luohua’s resources. His increasingly firm responses show that he resents governmental pressure and believes his power gives him the right to make decisions without outside interference.
• Liang Siyu demonstrates political caution by using Zhang Caixin to approach Feng Jun rather than speaking to him directly.
• Zhang Caixin continues acting as a trusted intermediary between Luohua’s members and Feng Jun.
• Mei Jin/Hao Fengjing’s father reveal the dangers of careless secrecy. The father’s loose morals and poor judgment expose Luohua’s life-extending resources to unwanted scrutiny.
• Beauty Lin becomes increasingly frustrated by Feng Jun’s refusal to prioritize official demands, but she restrains her anger and continues negotiating pragmatically. Her shock at learning that production is already occurring off-world underscores the widening gap between the authorities’ understanding and Feng Jun’s actual capabilities.

Significant Themes

• Ownership and autonomy: Feng Jun repeatedly insists that powerful resources belong to him and cannot be claimed merely because others consider them socially important.
• Secrecy and security: The chapter emphasizes how easily extraordinary technology can trigger greed, conspiracy, political pressure, and social unrest.
• Power imbalance: The authorities attempt to influence Luohua through persuasion and administrative planning, but Feng Jun’s superior capabilities leave them dependent on his cooperation.
• Responsibility versus control: Beauty Lin frames mass production as a public duty, while Feng Jun argues that responsible distribution requires caution and strategic preparation.
• Expanding world and hidden capabilities: The revelation that Life Potions are produced outside Blue Star shows that Feng Jun’s operations and influence extend far beyond what the authorities realize.

Character Interactions

• Liang Siyu relies on Zhang Caixin to communicate her request to Feng Jun, illustrating the cautious hierarchy within Luohua.
• The mistress and her lover plot against Hao Fengjing’s father after learning about the Life Spring Water, but surveillance exposes them.
• Beauty Lin and Feng Jun engage in a tense negotiation: she appeals to national welfare and public need, while he responds with irritation and asserts his independence.
• Feng Jun’s revelations repeatedly unsettle Beauty Lin, especially his claims that the Life Potions are already produced elsewhere and that future output could serve half the world.

Chapter Summary: “Teachers and Students”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Beauty Lin suggests that human scientists modify the Life Potion themselves to gain research experience. Feng Jun refuses, explaining that he has already perfected the modifications through his Deduction ability.
• She then proposes obtaining alien tissue samples for scientific study. Feng Jun consults the Guardians, who warn that Blue Star’s civilization is too weak to handle the consequences and that such research could bring disaster. Feng Jun firmly rejects the request.
• Beauty Lin argues that studying alien biology could unlock the secrets of life and intelligence, but Feng Jun counters that unfamiliar extraterrestrial life may be dangerous rather than beneficial. His reference to the fire he previously caused in space prevents her from continuing the argument.
• When asked about the location of a Life Potion production line, Feng Jun gives an evasive answer, saying it will not be concentrated in one place.
• After Beauty Lin reports back, officials criticize Feng Jun for hoarding valuable resources and refusing to cooperate. However, they dare not confront him directly because Xia Nation relies on him for gold, oil, iron ore, and Cancer Care Center treatments.
• Beauty Lin becomes the target of their frustration. She threatens to resign, warning that excessive pressure may cause Feng Jun to withdraw entirely. The others back down because she is difficult to replace and has Feng Jun’s trust.
• Since direct pressure fails, various powerful figures begin trying to reach Feng Jun through people around him, especially Zhang Caixin.
• Zhang Caixin’s second maternal uncle is turned away after attempting to exploit their relationship. Her former teacher, however, approaches her under pressure: people are threatening his younger brother over an offense connected indirectly to Zhang Caixin.
• Zhang Caixin recognizes that her teacher is not acting out of greed and sympathizes with him, despite her usual ruthlessness. She refuses to reveal whether Luohua possesses Longevity Spring Water and makes clear that none will be given to the people applying pressure.
• The teacher admits that those behind the request are offering money and only want a purchasing quota, but Zhang Caixin dismisses their supposed moderation and emphasizes Luohua’s power.
• She recalls that she has already given her teacher fifty Life Potions, a substantial gift intended to help his large family and compensate for his past kindness toward her.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates caution, decisiveness, and responsibility toward Blue Star. Although he possesses extraordinary abilities and resources, he refuses to encourage dangerous scientific experimentation or allow greed to dictate his decisions.
• Beauty Lin: Shows scientific ambition and persistence but also understands Feng Jun’s temperament and the risks of pushing him too far. Her threat to resign reveals both her frustration and her importance within the organization.
• Zhang Caixin: Her ruthless reputation is balanced by her fundamentally reasonable and grateful nature. She distinguishes between malicious opportunists and a genuinely kind teacher forced into an uncomfortable position.
• Zhang Caixin’s teacher: Revealed as a sincere mentor who previously supported Zhang Caixin without ulterior motives. He is reluctant to ask for help and feels ashamed that his family’s problems have placed pressure on her.
• The officials and outside power brokers: Their desperation for longevity exposes their opportunism. They avoid confronting Feng Jun directly and instead attempt to manipulate his associates.

Significant Themes

• Ambition versus responsibility: Scientific progress and longevity may benefit humanity, but reckless pursuit of them can create catastrophe.
• Power and restraint: Feng Jun’s strength is shown not through domination, but through his refusal to distribute dangerous knowledge or resources irresponsibly.
• Political pressure and dependency: The authorities criticize Feng Jun while remaining dependent on his resources and medical technology, revealing their lack of real leverage.
• Loyalty and gratitude: Zhang Caixin protects her former teacher because he genuinely helped her in the past, demonstrating that personal bonds still matter despite Luohua’s overwhelming power.
• The danger of unequal ambitions: The chapter repeatedly suggests that people seeking benefits beyond their abilities may trigger consequences they cannot control.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Beauty Lin debate whether humans should study alien biology and independently modify the Life Potion. Their exchange highlights Lin’s scientific curiosity against Feng Jun’s caution.
• Beauty Lin’s superiors pressure her to obtain more information from Feng Jun, but she defends herself by warning that replacing her could destroy the existing relationship with him.
• Zhang Caixin rejects her opportunistic uncle but treats her teacher with respect and sympathy, revealing the difference between exploitation and genuine need.
• Zhang Caixin and her teacher discuss the Longevity Spring Water and the people manipulating him. She reassures him that Luohua will not surrender to coercion while acknowledging his past kindness through the Life Potions she gave him.

Chapter Summary: “Better Off Working”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with Zhang Caixin’s former teacher admitting that the fifty doses of Life Potion she gave him have all been used. Despite the potion’s extreme black-market value—over one million per dose—he insists that no unrelated people forcibly extorted him.
• The narration explains the immense demand for Life Potion. Although Feng Jun produces tens of thousands of doses daily, only a small portion reaches the public market. Wealthy families, elderly citizens, and foreign buyers all compete for the limited supply, driving prices temporarily into the millions.
• The Life Potion’s availability reduces the urgency surrounding the even more valuable Longevity Spring Water. Influential people who already possess Life Potion believe their lives are secure for the next several years and therefore hesitate to provoke Luohua.
• Zhang Caixin learns that her teacher was pressured by people seeking Longevity Spring Water through his younger brother. They are not directly threatening the teacher but are using his family member as leverage.
• Zhang Caixin promises to handle the matter. Instead of confronting the coercive group directly, she suggests that the teacher’s niece stop pursuing her ordinary career and work at Cultural Town.
• She hints that employment at Luohua may lead to cultivation. The teacher realizes that a former caregiver, Li Nansheng, was transferred into Luohua because she might be given access to cultivation.
• The chapter ends by revealing that Flower Flower recommended Li Nansheng for cultivation because of her dedication and even demanded that Feng Jun provide the necessary cultivation resources.

Character Developments

• Zhang Caixin shows loyalty and protectiveness toward her teacher, despite recognizing that his defense of his younger brother is somewhat biased. She becomes more confident and decisive in using Luohua’s influence to protect him.
• The former teacher is revealed as concerned but somewhat self-righteous. He feels insulted by the pressure placed on him, even though the real issue stems from his younger brother’s actions. He also remains unfamiliar with the full extent of Zhang Caixin’s position and Luohua’s power.
• The teacher’s younger brother and his family become indirect targets in the conflict. His daughter may gain an opportunity to enter Luohua and potentially cultivate.
• Li Nansheng is characterized as diligent, reliable, and unusually committed. Unlike many caregivers who left or married, she continued working seriously, earning Flower Flower’s recommendation.
• Flower Flower develops from a peripheral figure into an influential advocate for deserving employees. She values hard work, recommends both Little Crow and Li Nansheng, and confidently insists that Feng Jun supply the resources needed for cultivation.
• Feng Jun and Luohua continue to appear as an organization with enormous wealth, scarce technologies, and growing social influence, though Feng Jun himself remains mostly in the background.

Significant Themes

• Scarcity and unequal access: Life Potion’s limited supply creates a market where wealth and connections determine access, while demand remains far greater than availability.
• Wealth versus true power: Even immense financial resources cannot easily buy Longevity Spring Water or entry into Luohua. Luohua’s influence and cultivation opportunities are more valuable than money.
• Protection through affiliation: Joining Luohua can offer not only employment but also safety, status, and access to extraordinary abilities.
• Merit and opportunity: Li Nansheng’s diligence earns her a chance to cultivate, suggesting that Luohua rewards loyalty and sincere effort rather than relying solely on wealth or connections.
• Family leverage and moral responsibility: The antagonists exploit family relationships to pressure the teacher, while Zhang Caixin must balance loyalty to her teacher with awareness that his brother may bear responsibility for the conflict.
• Changing social order: Life Potion and cultivation are reshaping society, creating new hierarchies based on access to health, longevity, and supernatural power.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang Caixin and her teacher: Their conversation combines mutual trust, concern, and subtle tension. She reassures him while quietly correcting his assumptions about the situation.
• The coercive group and the teacher’s younger brother: The group avoids directly challenging Luohua, instead using the brother as a pressure point to investigate possible access to Longevity Spring Water.
• Zhang Caixin and the teacher’s niece: Though they do not interact directly, Zhang’s proposal could redirect the girl’s future from an ordinary career toward employment—and possibly cultivation—at Luohua.
• Flower Flower and Li Nansheng: Flower Flower recognizes Li’s steadfast work ethic and recommends her for cultivation, establishing a relationship based on appreciation and merit.
• Flower Flower and Feng Jun: Flower Flower boldly demands that Feng Jun provide cultivation resources, demonstrating her confidence and her willingness to advocate for those she believes deserve advancement.

Chapter Summary: “Flower Flower’s Selfish Motives”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Flower Flower asks Feng Jun to recognize its contributions to Luohua and grant it official-member status, along with the Contribution Points it should have earned over the years.
• Feng Jun agrees that Flower Flower’s request is justified. It has supported the Cancer Care Center, saved many lives, earned Luohua substantial wealth, and defended the organization against enemies.
• Yu Qingzhu discovers that Flower Flower was mistakenly excluded from the Contribution Point system and promptly grants it retroactive points.
• Flower Flower had previously recommended Little Crow as a prospective Luohua member. Feng Jun establishes that because Little Crow had been consuming Luohua’s spiritual energy without authorization, Flower Flower must take responsibility for repaying the cost.
• Feng Jun also rules that Little Crow cannot become an official member until it reaches the Qi Refining Intermediate Stage. Flower Flower protests that it is unfair to bear responsibility for Little Crow’s poor cultivation, but Feng Jun refuses to negotiate.
• Afterward, Flower Flower plans to spend its newly granted Contribution Points on a drop of Longevity Spring and cultivation resources for Little Crow.
• Yu Qingzhu approaches Flower Flower with a possible solution: use cultivation resources as an incentive to make the lazy Little Crow study Gu Arts, potentially helping it improve its cultivation.

Character Developments

• Flower Flower: Gains formal recognition as a Luohua contributor and receives long-overdue Contribution Points. It shows both a strong sense of justice regarding its own labor and a selfish, protective attachment to Little Crow. Though normally clever and outspoken, it becomes emotionally frustrated when Feng Jun imposes responsibility for Little Crow’s actions.
• Feng Jun: Moves from treating Flower Flower as merely a pet to acknowledging it as an important Luohua member. He begins formalizing rules for nonhuman cultivators and insists that personal relationships cannot override organizational principles.
• Yu Qingzhu: Demonstrates fairness by correcting the Contribution Point oversight, but also reveals practical motives: she hopes to obtain Flower Flower’s Contribution Points or influence how they are used. She skillfully manages Flower Flower’s emotions and proposes a strategy for improving Little Crow.
• Little Crow: Remains lazy, weak, and primarily interested in attracting female crows rather than cultivation. Its dependence on Flower Flower creates both a financial and moral burden.

Significant Themes

• Recognition of labor and merit: Flower Flower’s overlooked contributions highlight the importance of rewarding effort, even when the contributor is nonhuman or treated as a subordinate.
• Rules versus personal relationships: Feng Jun insists that Luohua’s policies must apply consistently, especially concerning spiritual-energy use and membership qualifications.
• Responsibility and karma: By recommending Little Crow, Flower Flower becomes responsible for supporting it and dealing with the consequences of its past behavior.
• Power, resources, and fairness: The chapter explores who deserves access to scarce cultivation resources, including whether a lazy crow should receive treasures valuable enough to be unavailable to many humans.
• Companionship among outsiders: Flower Flower, Little Crow, and Little Tiger are the only nonhuman beings among Luohua’s cultivators, explaining Flower Flower’s unusual attachment to Little Crow despite its frustration with him.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Flower Flower: Their argument mixes affection, authority, and comedy. Flower Flower appeals to its past contributions, while Feng Jun emphasizes rules and refuses to let their relationship create exceptions.
• Flower Flower and Yu Qingzhu: Yu Qingzhu approaches diplomatically, calling Flower Flower “Senior” and using its concern for Little Crow to gain its cooperation. Flower Flower remains suspicious but listens when she offers a practical solution.
• Flower Flower and Little Crow: Although Flower Flower complains that Little Crow is useless and lazy, it is willing to spend nearly all its rewards on helping him, revealing a protective and possibly patron-like relationship.
• Feng Jun and Yu Qingzhu: Their administrative decisions together expand Luohua’s institutional structure, especially by correcting the Contribution Point system and clarifying membership rules.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yu Qingzhu advises Flower Flower on how to deal with Little Crow, who has stopped cultivating because of poor aptitude and a lack of resources. She suggests using cultivation resources as an incentive: Little Crow could either study Gu Arts or cultivate seriously to earn them. If it refuses both options, Flower Flower should stop supporting it.
• Yu Qingzhu bluntly points out that Little Crow has become an obstacle to Flower Flower’s cultivation and may even be affecting Flower Flower’s standing with Boss Feng. Flower Flower gradually accepts that it cannot continue sacrificing its own hard-earned resources indefinitely.
• Flower Flower reveals that it genuinely enjoys working at the Nursing Center and finds meaning in saving and helping people. Its progress to Qi Refining Level Seven is partly attributed to this fulfilling state of mind. Although it longs to travel, it remains worried about leaving the Nursing Center and entrusting its responsibilities to Little Crow.
• Yu Qingzhu exchanges for some of Flower Flower’s contribution points to obtain Longevity Spring. When others hear about the exchange and try to obtain more points from Flower Flower, it refuses most of them, believing that something everyone competes for must be valuable.
• Li Nansheng unexpectedly becomes a reserve, or prospective, member of Luohua. The news surprises her and many others, though Beauty Lin considers it a natural result of Li’s capable work at the Nursing Center.
• Beauty Lin visits Li Nansheng to congratulate her and attempts to establish a closer relationship. Li responds cautiously and formally, refusing to be recruited or drawn into premature political maneuvering. Beauty Lin leaves dissatisfied.
• News of Li’s advancement causes Cultural Town and Luohua-related jobs to become highly sought after. People begin competing for positions ranging from nursing and cleaning to shop ownership, hoping to gain access to Luohua or improve their futures.
• Rich young women who once looked down on difficult nursing work now flock to the Cancer Care Center, believing it may provide high pay, status, romantic opportunities, or a path into Luohua.
• Small shareholders in Cultural Town begin considering ways to make the town more commercially active, such as leasing shops and developing businesses. Yang Yuxin remains powerful because she can buy back their shares whenever necessary.
• Zhang Caixin tells her teacher that Li Nansheng has entered Luohua’s field of vision and may eventually become a full member. Her teacher is astonished to learn that work in Cultural Town could lead to cultivation and asks whether his son, Kai Ming, might also be brought there.

Character Developments

• Flower Flower becomes more realistic about personal limits and resources. It still cares about Little Crow, but begins recognizing that compassion cannot mean endlessly enabling someone who refuses to improve.
• Flower Flower’s love for medical work is emphasized. Its sense of purpose and satisfaction in helping others has contributed to its cultivation breakthroughs.
• Yu Qingzhu acts as a practical, unsentimental adviser. She prioritizes effective decisions and cultivation progress over emotional attachment.
• Little Crow is portrayed as lazy and discouraged rather than simply incapable. Its lack of hope has caused it to abandon serious cultivation, though it may still be motivated by the right conditions.
• Li Nansheng reacts to her unexpected promotion with disbelief and caution. She understands the importance of joining Luohua but refuses to become involved in Beauty Lin’s attempts to recruit or influence her before her position is secure.
• Beauty Lin shows both approval of Li’s abilities and a desire to gain an early connection with her. Her frustration reveals her competitive and politically alert nature.
• Zhang Caixin’s teacher shifts from dismissing Cultural Town as an unpromising place to seeing it as a possible opportunity for his son.

Significant Themes

• Compassion versus enabling: Flower Flower must decide whether helping Little Crow is truly beneficial or merely prolongs its stagnation.
• Personal responsibility and self-interest: The chapter argues that people should not destroy their own prospects to support someone who refuses to help themselves.
• Meaningful work and spiritual growth: Flower Flower’s fulfillment in caring for patients is linked directly to its cultivation progress, suggesting that inner purpose can advance one’s Dao.
• Opportunity and social mobility: Li Nansheng’s promotion transforms Cultural Town into a desirable gateway to Luohua, causing people from many backgrounds to seek even humble jobs there.
• Rumor, status, and ambition: Much of the sudden interest in Luohua is driven by speculation, wealth, romance, and the belief that proximity to powerful figures can transform one’s life.
• Power and control: Yang Yuxin’s ownership structure and Luohua’s financial strength allow them to control Cultural Town while resisting pressure from shareholders and outsiders.

Character Interactions

• Yu Qingzhu and Flower Flower have a candid discussion in which Yu challenges Flower Flower’s emotional attachment to Little Crow and urges it to make a rational choice.
• Flower Flower’s concerns about Little Crow, the Nursing Center, and the dangers of the outside world reveal its dependence on both its responsibilities and its friendship.
• Beauty Lin congratulates Li Nansheng but immediately hints at closer cooperation. Li maintains professional distance, creating tension between them.
• Luohua’s decision regarding Li indirectly affects the entire town, prompting workers, investors, wealthy applicants, and local shareholders to reconsider their relationship with Cultural Town.
• Zhang Caixin acts as the link between Luohua’s developments and her teacher, whose new interest shows how quickly Luohua’s influence expands through personal connections.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Caixin discusses how to help her teacher’s younger brother, who has been targeted and may be facing an exaggerated or deliberate crisis.
• She proposes introducing the teacher’s niece, Ruowei, to Cultural Town rather than his son, Kai Ming. Kai Ming once had feelings for Zhang Caixin, but she considers recommending him inappropriate and explains that Luohua’s current referral system favors women.
• Zhang warns that entering Cultural Town does not guarantee entry into Luohua. Her own referral quota has already been used, and the next opportunity may not come for one to five years—or she may no longer have referral authority.
• The teacher immediately decides to persuade Ruowei to accept the opportunity, recognizing that it could protect her father and improve the family’s future. His earlier concern about the Longevity Divine Water is forgotten.
• Zhang emphasizes that Luohua does not beg people to join. If Ruowei refuses, she has other ways to help her teacher’s brother.
• The chapter then expands into Luohua’s policies regarding referrals and the responsibilities of Dust-Free Stage cultivators. Existing high-level members are expected to focus on cultivating promising practitioners rather than concentrating on ordinary relatives.
• Mi Yunshan’s situation is used as an example: although she may eventually establish a family, she lacks the resources, income, and organizational foundation to support one independently. Becoming a vassal family of Libo Shoal would be more realistic, but Feng Jun might not agree to support a large number of ordinary people.
• The chapter concludes with the teacher worrying that Ruowei would not abandon her university education for an uncertain future. Zhang replies that Ruowei’s chances will improve if her character is truly excellent.

Character Developments

• Zhang Caixin displays loyalty and a strong moral conscience by helping her teacher despite believing the affected family member may deserve punishment. She is also practical, firm, and unwilling to make empty promises about Luohua.
• Zhang’s teacher reveals deep concern for both his younger brother and his family’s future. He is flexible rather than rigid, quickly accepting the plan to recommend his niece once he realizes it may offer the family protection.
• Kai Ming is characterized indirectly as Zhang’s former admirer and as someone closely connected to his endangered uncle, though Zhang deliberately avoids recommending him.
• Ruowei is presented as intelligent, attractive, academically successful, and potentially well suited to Luohua, but her character and willingness to accept the opportunity remain uncertain.
• Mi Yunshan is shown to be cautious and realistic. She desires only to protect a few relatives rather than establish a major family, recognizing that she lacks the combat strength and resources needed to build one independently.
• Feng Jun is portrayed as a powerful but selective authority whose support is essential to any large-scale family or factional development.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus justice: Zhang helps her teacher’s family out of gratitude and personal loyalty, even though she believes wrongdoing should normally be punished.
• Scarcity and opportunity: Luohua’s referral quotas are limited, making timing crucial and creating anxiety over missed chances.
• Merit versus connections: Referred individuals receive opportunities, but entry is not guaranteed; character, usefulness, and potential still matter.
• Responsibilities of power: Dust-Free cultivators are expected to nurture promising cultivators and strengthen their organizations, not merely indulge personal attachments to ordinary family members.
• Family and factional survival: Establishing a powerful cultivation family requires more than having a Dust-Free ancestor; resources, income, political support, and talented descendants are all necessary.
• Institutional growth and anti-clique policies: Luohua is tightening referral privileges to prevent entrenched factions while still addressing its need for new members.

Character Interactions

• Zhang and her teacher share a familiar, candid relationship, allowing them to discuss sensitive matters such as Kai Ming’s past feelings and Ruowei’s appearance and prospects.
• The teacher initially suggests Kai Ming but gradually accepts Zhang’s preference for recommending Ruowei.
• Zhang maintains control of the conversation, correcting her teacher’s assumptions about Cultural Town, Luohua, and the uncertainty of future referrals.
• The teacher attempts to reassure Zhang that Ruowei has excellent character, while Zhang responds cautiously that good character will only improve—not guarantee—her chances.