Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Who Should Keep It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun decides that Green Mountain Sect’s Ancestral Tablet should temporarily remain outside the sect. He initially assigns it to Zhuang Haoyun, but Master Ma objects because Zhuang is an outsider.
• Feng Jun makes clear that he does not personally want the tablet. He explains that its real significance is that it can be used to compel Green Mountain Sect’s Celestial Master to come to Luohua Manor.
• Master Ma considers keeping the tablet himself, but Feng Jun rejects the idea because Master Ma cannot personally guarantee that the sect will not reclaim it or flee with it.
• Master Ma then proposes that Yang Yuxin safeguard it. After consulting Feng Jun, Yang agrees.
• A ninety-day condition is established: if Green Mountain Sect’s Celestial Master does not appear within that time, the sect’s Daoists may retrieve the tablet.
• Feng Jun warns Yang to keep Gu Jiahui away from the tablet because of the faint baleful aura surrounding it. Yang, whose vitality is currently strong, should be able to guard it safely.
• The Green Mountain Daoists leave the manor with their badly damaged but still functional vehicle. Master Ma attempts to contact Celestial Master Tang, who does not answer his phone, so Ma sends him a message instead.
• Junior Brother Jiang leaves in anger and vows revenge for the humiliation he suffered.
• Back at the villa, Yang asks whether she truly has to watch the tablet for the full ninety days. Feng Jun believes the Celestial Master will likely arrive much sooner.
• The chapter ends with Yang revealing that Gu Jiahui has already caught up with her schoolwork but has recently been in poor physical condition, creating a new concern.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates composure, foresight, and indifference toward the tablet’s material value. He focuses instead on using it to bring Green Mountain Sect’s leader to him.
• Yang Yuxin becomes more actively involved in Feng Jun’s affairs. Though initially puzzled by the tablet’s importance, she agrees to guard it and shows confidence in dealing with the Daoists.
• Master Ma continues to recognize Feng Jun’s superior judgment. He is frustrated by Feng Jun’s refusal to take the tablet but becomes increasingly impressed by his strategic maturity.
• Zhuang Haoyun remains highly deferential to Feng Jun, shocking the Green Mountain Daoists, who had previously viewed him as a powerful and influential outsider.
• Junior Brother Jiang is humiliated, injured, and enraged after the confrontation at the manor. His desire for revenge suggests future conflict.
• Gu Jiahui is indirectly shown to be exceptionally capable academically, but her worsening physical condition raises concern.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: Zhuang Haoyun’s deference and the Daoists’ unwillingness to challenge Feng Jun reveal how far his authority and strength exceed ordinary social and religious power.
• Practicality versus tradition: Green Mountain Sect regards the tablet as a treasured ancestral relic, while Feng Jun and Yang treat it as a manageable object whose main value lies in its strategic significance.
• Trust and responsibility: Deciding who should safeguard the tablet becomes a test of reliability. Yang is chosen because she is trusted by Feng Jun and is unlikely to misuse or surrender it.
• Modern authority versus religious institutions: Yang’s confidence that the government could control or constrain Green Mountain Sect contrasts with the Daoists’ traditional assumptions about sect power.
• Hidden danger: The tablet’s baleful aura and its possible effect on Gu Jiahui emphasize that seemingly valuable spiritual objects may also carry risks.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Master Ma: They debate who should keep the tablet. Feng Jun calmly rejects oaths and emotional assurances, insisting on practical guarantees and the involvement of the Celestial Master.
• Master Ma and Yang Yuxin: Ma probes her identity and relationship with Feng Jun, but Yang gives a respectful yet guarded answer, making it clear that she recognizes Feng Jun as her master.
• Yang Yuxin and Feng Jun: Yang repeatedly seeks his approval before accepting responsibility. Their exchange shows her trust in his judgment and his confidence in her strength.
• Yang Yuxin and the Daoists: Her remarks about the Daoists’ temple being unable to flee expose her pragmatic, government-centered worldview and leave Master Ma unable to respond.
• The Green Mountain Daoists among themselves: Master Ma criticizes Junior Brother Jiang’s reckless behavior, while Junior Sister Zeng attempts to calm him and check his injuries.
• Yang Yuxin and Feng Jun regarding Gu Jiahui: Yang reports Jiahui’s poor health, shifting the chapter’s focus from the tablet dispute to a potentially serious problem involving Jiahui.

Chapter Summary: The Celestial Master Was Busy

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Yuxin explains that her daughter, Gu Jiahui, is not truly ill again. After spending four or five months recovering in Luohua Manor’s Bamboo Grove and benefiting from its Spirit-Gathering Array, she has struggled to readjust to Long City’s polluted air. Her appetite has decreased, and eating too much causes her to vomit.
• Feng Jun realizes that the environmental contrast, rather than an incomplete cure, is responsible. He advises Gu Jiahui to avoid the Bamboo Grove temporarily and gradually acclimate by walking around its outskirts.
• Yang Yuxin offers to help Feng Jun accelerate construction and development work in Chaori County. Feng admits that the project is delayed because he lacks trustworthy designers, workers, and supervisors. She confidently promises to handle the problem.
• Yang Yuxin accepts the Green Mountain Sect’s Ancestral Tablet and speaks with Zhuang Haoyun about its origins, the baleful energy surrounding it, and the ninety-day period before it can be returned.
• Zhuang Haoyun explains his family’s connection to cultivator Zhuang Xian and admits that the surviving members of his lineage are now weak compared with Feng Jun. Yang Yuxin becomes increasingly curious about cultivation, immortality, Feng Jun’s power, and his disciples.
• Zhuang Haoyun reveals that his son’s recovery at Luohua Manor required him to take considerable risks, including seizing the tablet from Green Mountain. He suggests that Feng Jun may be an extremely advanced cultivator, perhaps even someone pursuing immortality.
• Daoist Master Ma finally contacts Celestial Master Tang Wangsun about the tablet and Feng Jun. Tang Wangsun is deeply interested, particularly in Feng Jun’s ability to detect the hidden formation, Gazi’s strength, and the possibility that Hao Fengjing possesses a storage artifact.
• Tang Wangsun cannot personally travel to Yang City because his schedule is packed with meetings, travel, ceremonies, and a mandatory training program lasting more than twenty days. He decides to send Wen Ji, the most talented cultivator of Green Mountain’s third generation, to act in his place.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Shows genuine concern for Gu Jiahui and pride in having cured her completely. He is also increasingly focused on practical development projects, especially improving the environment for his parents’ cultivation. His trust in Yang Yuxin grows because of her competence and reliability.
• Yang Yuxin: Demonstrates strong maternal concern and strategic judgment. She is willing to support Feng Jun’s projects and becomes more openly curious about the supernatural world surrounding him. Her confidence and social authority remain evident.
• Gu Jiahui: Though medically cured, she has become physically dependent on the superior environment of Luohua Manor. Her reduced appetite and difficulty adjusting to Long City reveal the long-term effects of cultivation-related healing.
• Zhuang Haoyun: Becomes more deferential toward Feng Jun and more nervous around Yang Yuxin. He recognizes the weakness of his own family’s cultivation tradition and begins to view Feng Jun as a potentially extraordinary, even immortal-level figure.
• Tang Wangsun: Is portrayed as powerful but constrained by his involvement in worldly institutions. He takes Feng Jun seriously but must balance cultivation matters with political and social obligations.
• Wen Ji: Is introduced as Green Mountain’s most talented third-generation cultivator and is selected as Tang Wangsun’s representative.

Significant Themes

• The gap between spiritual and modern environments: Gu Jiahui’s difficulty returning to polluted Long City highlights how profoundly Luohua Manor’s spiritual energy has changed her body.
• Trust and reliable alliances: Feng Jun’s greatest obstacle is not resources but finding people he can trust, making Yang Yuxin’s support especially valuable.
• Cultivation versus worldly obligations: Tang Wangsun’s packed schedule shows how deeply Green Mountain has integrated into ordinary society, limiting even a powerful cultivator’s freedom.
• Growing awareness of Feng Jun’s power: Characters increasingly speculate about whether Feng Jun is merely cultivating or approaching true immortality.
• Social influence and hidden authority: Yang Yuxin’s confidence, Zhuang Haoyun’s nervousness, and Tang Wangsun’s inability to offend worldly elites all demonstrate that supernatural strength exists alongside complex social hierarchies.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Yang Yuxin discuss Gu Jiahui’s health, environmental adaptation, and the Chaori County construction project. Their relationship is cooperative and increasingly trusting.
• Yang Yuxin and Zhuang Haoyun discuss the Ancestral Tablet, baleful energy, their families’ cultivation histories, and Feng Jun’s capabilities. Her direct questions make Zhuang Haoyun uncomfortable but encourage him to acknowledge Feng Jun’s extraordinary status.
• Daoist Master Ma and Tang Wangsun discuss how Green Mountain should respond to the Ancestral Tablet and Feng Jun. Although Tang Wangsun cannot come personally, he arranges for Wen Ji to represent him.

Chapter Summary: The Nonconformist Young Celestial Master

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter clarifies the distinction between the Green Mountain lineage and Dragon-Phoenix Mountain. Green Mountain considers itself the orthodox direct lineage of Highest Clarity rather than an ordinary sect, while Dragon-Phoenix Mountain enjoys greater imperial recognition through its hereditary Zhang family Celestial Masters.
• Tang Wenji, the youngest daughter of Green Mountain’s lineage head, Tang Wangsun, arrives in Yang City with more than a dozen Green Mountain disciples. Although outsiders often refer to her as the “Young Celestial Master,” she is formally known as Daoist Tang; her father remains the actual lineage-head Celestial Master.
• Feng Jun and his followers go to Luohua Manor’s gate to welcome the expected Green Mountain representative. Instead, they find Tang Wenji dressed as a punk—with rainbow hair, leather clothing, a cigarette, and a motorcycle.
• Feng Jun is shocked to discover that the apparently rebellious young woman is Tang Wangsun’s daughter and the person sent to handle Green Mountain’s dispute with him. He feels insulted that Green Mountain did not send its actual head and initially refuses entry to most of the visiting disciples.
• When several disciples angrily accuse Feng Jun of stealing Green Mountain’s ancestral plaque, Tang Wenji immediately silences them and asserts authority. Her command is obeyed, demonstrating her considerable prestige within Green Mountain.
• Tang Wenji and Daoist Ma enter Luohua Manor. Tang is astonished by Feng Jun’s jade house and senses the exceptionally pure spiritual energy surrounding the bamboo in the backyard, revealing her unusual spiritual sensitivity and cultivation.
• Despite her curiosity, Tang Wenji quickly returns to the purpose of her visit: negotiating with Feng Jun. She insists that the Green Mountain matter be addressed before the separate dispute involving Zhuang Haoyun.
• Tang makes it clear that Green Mountain will not tolerate humiliation and offers Zhuang two choices: settle the matter openly or settle it in a more dangerous, covert manner. Her words invoke Green Mountain’s fearsome reputation for powerful talismans and secret retaliation.

Character Developments

• Tang Wenji is introduced as unconventional in appearance but disciplined, perceptive, and formidable. Her punk style contrasts sharply with her status as Green Mountain’s most outstanding disciple in three generations. She demonstrates strong authority, sharp judgment, self-control, and skillful intimidation.
• Feng Jun begins the chapter irritated and dismissive, believing Green Mountain has sent an unimportant substitute. His opinion changes after seeing Tang command the other Daoists, sense the spiritual energy in his estate, remain composed before the jade house, and quickly focus on negotiations.
• Daoist Ma acts as an intermediary between Tang Wenji and Feng Jun, explaining that Tang Wangsun is unavailable and confirming Wenji’s exceptional standing within Green Mountain.
• Zhuang Haoyun feels offended that Tang treats his dispute as secondary and protests that his family has also been wronged. His complaint exposes the tension between his personal grievance and the larger confrontation between Green Mountain and Feng Jun.
• The Green Mountain disciples initially behave aggressively and indignantly, but their immediate obedience to Tang Wenji shows her unquestioned authority and Green Mountain’s internal discipline.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus substance: Tang Wenji looks like a rebellious street youth, yet she possesses deep cultivation, authority, and strategic intelligence.
• Orthodoxy and legitimacy: The chapter explores competing claims to religious authenticity, social recognition, and authority between Green Mountain and Dragon-Phoenix Mountain.
• Respect and status: Feng Jun’s reception of Tang reflects the importance of rank and perceived prestige. His attitude changes only after she proves her capability.
• Authority and discipline: Tang’s ability to silence her fellow disciples illustrates that true leadership depends on credibility and obedience rather than titles alone.
• Negotiation backed by threat: The dispute is framed as diplomacy, but both sides understand that failure to reach an agreement could lead to open conflict or covert retaliation.
• Spiritual perception and hidden power: Tang’s ability to sense the energy around the bamboo suggests that Luohua Manor contains unusual resources and that she is capable of recognizing them immediately.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Tang Wenji: Their first meeting is marked by mutual surprise and suspicion. Feng is offended by her unconventional appearance and apparent lack of formal status, while Tang remains calm and quickly establishes herself as the real authority.
• Tang Wenji and the Green Mountain disciples: She sharply reprimands them for causing a scene and orders them to withdraw, demonstrating her dominance over the group.
• Feng Jun and Daoist Ma: Daoist Ma explains Tang’s position and prevents the initial misunderstanding from escalating further.
• Tang Wenji and Feng Jun at the jade house: Her fascination with the jade structure gives Feng an opportunity to display his wealth and power, while her restrained reaction impresses him.
• Tang Wenji and Zhuang Haoyun: Their exchange becomes openly confrontational. Zhuang demands recognition for his family’s losses, while Tang dismisses his issue as secondary and warns him that Green Mountain can settle matters either publicly or secretly.

Chapter Summary: A Tough Female Celestial Master

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun mediates a dispute between Tang Wenji of Green Mountain Sect and Zhuang Haoyun over the Green Mountain Ancestral Plaque. He proposes that Zhuang merely rented the plaque for a ritual, which Tang accepts.
• Tang Wenji then challenges one of Feng Jun’s subordinates to an arm-wrestling match, having heard that someone in his group possesses exceptional strength.
• Xu Leigang accepts the challenge. Although Tang appears physically delicate, she reveals herself to be a Martial Master with powerful, wave-like Inner Breath. The match ends without a winner after thirty seconds, and Xu concedes that her unusual technique would be difficult to counter.
• Tang considers challenging Gazi, but Feng Jun provokes her by suggesting she might win. She wisely declines after questioning Feng about Gazi’s strength and recognizing that both men are far stronger than her.
• Tang asks those unrelated to the matter to leave, then focuses the discussion on Feng Jun’s views regarding the ancestral plaque and his lineage.
• Feng Jun demonstrates extraordinary control over the plaque, making it float across the room and allowing Tang to hold it only after its weight gradually returns.
• Tang identifies this as an advanced form of the “Six Consciousnesses,” while Feng explains that his lineage calls the ability Divine Sense or Spiritual Sense.

Character Developments

• Tang Wenji is established as bold, decisive, highly perceptive, and exceptionally talented. Despite her small stature, she possesses Martial Master cultivation and remarkable combat ability. However, she also knows when to withdraw rather than risk an unwinnable contest.
• Feng Jun acts as both mediator and leader. He respects Tang’s straightforwardness but refuses to let her dominate the situation. He uses humor, provocation, and a controlled display of power to protect his group’s dignity and authority.
• Xu Leigang demonstrates maturity by taking Tang seriously rather than underestimating her appearance. He recognizes the sophistication of her Inner Breath and openly concedes the match.
• Zhang Caixin shows jealousy and impatience toward Tang, interrupting to correct her terminology. Feng quietly protects her despite recognizing that she spoke rashly.
• Gazi and the other members of Feng Jun’s group reinforce the hierarchy of strength within Luohua Manor, particularly by emphasizing that Gazi and Feng are vastly stronger than Tang.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus true ability: Tang’s frail appearance conceals formidable cultivation, while physical size proves meaningless against refined internal power.
• Strength and restraint: The strongest characters do not merely display power; they understand when to fight, concede, or reveal only enough ability to establish authority.
• Tradition versus innovation: Tang’s knowledge comes from Green Mountain Sect’s ancient records, while Feng’s Divine Sense represents a more advanced or differently developed cultivation tradition.
• Leadership and household loyalty: Feng balances fairness toward outsiders with favoritism toward his own people, defending Zhang Caixin and maintaining the group’s internal hierarchy.
• Mutual assessment: Both sides continually test one another’s abilities, knowledge, and rules before deciding how seriously to treat the opposing lineage.

Character Interactions

• Feng and Tang develop a tense but respectful relationship based on verbal sparring and mutual recognition.
• Tang challenges Xu Leigang physically and impresses him with her Inner Breath, while he earns her respect by treating her as a genuine opponent.
• Feng teases Tang about fighting Gazi, attempting to provoke her into overestimating herself; Tang counters by probing Feng’s relationship to Gazi and accurately judging the power gap.
• Tang scrutinizes Feng’s followers as possible inheritors of his lineage, while Feng confirms their connection without revealing details.
• Zhang Caixin’s jealousy creates a brief clash with Tang, prompting Feng to demonstrate his control of the ancestral plaque and reassert the superiority and legitimacy of his own lineage.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Wenji experiences her consciousness extending outward and accepts Feng Jun’s preferred term, “Divine Sense,” for the ability.
• Feng Jun hints that Green Mountain’s ancestral plaque contains a hidden secret. Tang Wenji eventually realizes that their founder, Yuanxin Patriarch, left something behind for the sect’s future inheritance.
• Hao Fengjing identifies the plaque as possessing the spatial properties of a Storage Artifact, surprising the others. Tang Wenji admits that only a true Qi Refining Stage cultivator could fully identify or open it.
• Feng Jun confirms that the ancestral plaque is definitely a Storage Artifact. He explains that he deliberately returned it to Green Mountain and had Zhuang Haoyun safeguard it rather than taking it for himself.
• Tang Wenji repeatedly bows in gratitude, praising Feng Jun’s integrity. Feng Jun says his restraint stems both from personal principles and from having little interest in Green Mountain’s weak resources.
• Feng Jun reveals that Yuanxin Patriarch’s cultivation is far beneath his own, causing Tang Wenji to recognize the enormous gap between Green Mountain’s founder and Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun refuses to teach Green Mountain how to open the artifact, suggesting that Yuanxin Patriarch intended it to be opened only when the sect produced another Qi Refining Stage cultivator.
• Tang Wenji, now addressing Feng Jun as Senior Feng, concludes that his invitation to negotiate must involve a request and asks him to state it.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates overwhelming cultivation, confidence, and control. Although he is capable of seizing treasures from enemies, he refuses to exploit a weak sect or appropriate Green Mountain’s inheritance.
• Tang Wenji shifts from competitive and probing to respectful and deferential. She recognizes Feng Jun as far beyond Yuanxin Patriarch and begins treating him as a senior whose assistance may be vital to Green Mountain’s survival.
• Hao Fengjing reveals her unusual spatial sensitivity and establishes herself as perceptive despite her quiet demeanor. Her ability to recognize the plaque’s nature distinguishes her from the others.
• Zhang Caixin becomes suspicious of Hao Fengjing’s certainty, showing her own sharpness and awareness of hidden abilities.
• Daoist Ma, Wang Haifeng, and Gazi provide reactions that emphasize the mystery and importance of the artifact while highlighting the gap between ordinary observers and the cultivators’ coded discussion.

Significant Themes

• Inheritance and responsibility: Yuanxin Patriarch’s artifact represents his concern for future descendants and the survival of Green Mountain.
• Cultivation hierarchy: The chapter stresses the vast difference between ordinary cultivators, Qi Refining Stage experts, and Feng Jun’s far higher level.
• Integrity versus power: Feng Jun’s refusal to take advantage of Green Mountain demonstrates restraint, especially because the sect is too weak to resist him.
• Worthiness and succession: The Storage Artifact can only fulfill its purpose when Green Mountain produces a capable successor.
• Respect born from strength: Tang Wenji’s attitude changes as she understands Feng Jun’s power and moral position.

Character Interactions

• Tang Wenji and Feng Jun engage in a restrained negotiation disguised as a discussion about terminology, Divine Sense, and the ancestral plaque.
• Hao Fengjing’s interruption reveals information Tang Wenji cannot independently confirm, creating a subtle contrast between the women around Feng Jun.
• Tang Wenji repeatedly thanks and bows to Feng Jun, while he responds with calm confidence and refuses excessive praise.
• Feng Jun explains his respect for Yuanxin Patriarch, framing the founder as a senior whose intentions deserve protection.
• The chapter ends with Tang Wenji reversing the pressure of the conversation and directly asking Feng Jun what he wants from Green Mountain.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun openly states that he wants access to Green Mountain’s talisman techniques for research.
• He reveals that he can confirm the ancestral plaque is a storage artifact and can retrieve or replace items within it, but only in exchange for compensation.
• Tang Wenji accepts the principle of an exchange, while warning that Green Mountain’s foundational methods cannot be freely revealed.
• Feng Jun agrees not to demand restricted core techniques, asking instead to view and copy anything Green Mountain is willing to disclose after the artifact is opened.
• Tang Wenji contacts her father, Celestial Master Tang Wangsun, for permission.
• Wangsun is attending an important meeting. Upon hearing that the ancestral plaque may contain stored resources, he becomes extremely agitated and immediately recognizes the potential significance.
• Wangsun orders Tang Wenji not to open the artifact until he arrives in person, but he cannot reach Yang City until after the afternoon meeting.
• Tang Wenji explains that Feng Jun and his people have already prepared to record the process and may become angered by further delays.
• Wangsun reluctantly entrusts her to negotiate, insisting that he retain final authority over what Green Mountain’s inheritance may be shown.
• Tang Wenji privately decides that she will act on her own authority rather than wait for every instruction, leaving her eager to discover what Yuanxin Patriarch may have hidden inside the plaque.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates greater directness and confidence. He is willing to help Green Mountain, but insists on a fair exchange and refuses to be intimidated by its prestigious lineage.
• Tang Wenji proves to be a capable negotiator. Although initially underestimated because of her unconventional appearance and status as the Celestial Master’s daughter, she makes practical decisions and successfully reaches an agreement.
• Tang Wangsun is revealed as deeply protective of Green Mountain’s inheritance and intensely concerned about the ancestral plaque. His urgency shows both his sense of responsibility and his fear that a powerful outsider may control access to the sect’s lost resources.
• Tang Wenji’s rebellious personality is contrasted with her strong responsibility toward Green Mountain. Despite her casual lifestyle, she has earned the disciples’ respect because she takes charge and acts decisively.
• Feng Jun’s possible cultivation is further established as extremely high—potentially within the Dust-Free Realm—causing Tang Wangsun to treat him with caution despite Green Mountain’s pride.

3. Significant Themes

• Exchange and negotiation: Even ancient and prestigious sects must compromise when they need outside assistance.
• Decline and incomplete inheritance: Green Mountain’s lost techniques reflect the deterioration of cultivation traditions during the end-of-Dharma age.
• Pride versus survival: Green Mountain must set aside its arrogance and protect its future, even if that means accepting help from someone who does not respect its status.
• Authority and responsibility: The conflict between Tang Wangsun’s formal authority and Tang Wenji’s practical initiative highlights differing approaches to leadership.
• Hidden legacies: The ancestral plaque may contain resources or teachings deliberately preserved by Yuanxin Patriarch, raising hopes of restoring Green Mountain’s former strength.
• Power hierarchy: Feng Jun’s apparent strength forces Green Mountain to acknowledge that lineage prestige matters less than actual cultivation power.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Tang Wenji: Their negotiation is frank but tense. Feng Jun makes clear demands, while Tang Wenji carefully protects Green Mountain’s restricted knowledge.
• Tang Wenji and Tang Wangsun: Their phone and message exchange reveals a familiar father-daughter relationship marked by affection, criticism, and disagreement. Wangsun reprimands her appearance and impulsiveness, while she points out that his absence created the problem.
• Tang Wangsun and Feng Jun: Although they do not meet directly in the chapter, Wangsun’s reaction shows his fear and respect toward Feng Jun’s power. He realizes that delaying or controlling Feng Jun too aggressively could jeopardize the entire opportunity.
• Tang Wenji and Green Mountain: Her willingness to act first and report later demonstrates her unconventional but effective leadership, explaining why the sect’s disciples respect her despite her rebellious image.

Chapter Summary

The narrator has just finished repaying a debt to the Alliance Leader when he receives news that his father has been hospitalized. He goes to visit and keep him company, fortunately needing to travel only across the same city.
The trip is made difficult by the extreme heat and blazing sunlight. Feng Xiao, who previously developed solar dermatitis while traveling in the northwest, suffers from a recurring allergy to ultraviolet light. Despite the harsh conditions, he walks alone through the empty streets holding a small floral umbrella, creating an absurdly delicate image.
Because the narrator is occupied at the hospital, he cannot continue writing normally. Fortunately, he has several chapters prepared in advance, allowing previously scheduled bonus updates to be posted. He jokingly compares the lack of an “undo” function on Qidian to the poor service of another company, calling both “Pain News” companies but marveling at their differences.
By the end, the narrator laments that his reserve chapters have already been used up and humorously asks readers for monthly tickets as compensation for Feng Xiao’s suffering.

• Character development: Feng Xiao is shown as physically vulnerable and unlucky due to his recurring sun allergy, while still enduring the journey. The narrator appears responsible in caring for family and managing his writing obligations, but remains self-deprecating and playful.
• Themes: Family duty, physical hardship, the strain of balancing real-life responsibilities with creative work, and humor as a way of coping with inconvenience.
• Character interactions: The narrator’s concern for his hospitalized father motivates the chapter’s events, while Feng Xiao’s condition becomes the subject of affectionate, comedic commentary. The narrator also directly addresses readers, turning the update into a playful appeal for support through monthly tickets.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Green Mountain Sect prepares to open an ancestral storage artifact in the villa’s front yard.
• Tang Wenji insists that the entire process be recorded, emphasizing the event’s historic importance to the small sect. Master Ma supports her request.
• Feng Jun understands that the recording also serves as oversight, since only he knows exactly what is inside the artifact and how many items he intends to retrieve.
• The group sets up extensive filming equipment:
  • Feng Jun brings four cameras on tripods.
  • Yang Yuxin contributes a high-definition camera capable of filming from a mile away.
  • Zhuang Haoyun has another camera but leaves it on the bus.
  • Master Ma records with his phone.
  • Tang Wenji prepares to livestream the ceremony using her phone and a selfie stick.
• The opening of the ancestral tablet becomes both a solemn sect occasion and a carefully documented public event.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates awareness of the others’ suspicion and accepts the need for transparency, even though he recognizes their motives.
• Tang Wenji reveals her reverence for the sect’s history and takes an active role in preserving and publicizing the event through a livestream.
• Master Ma continues to support Tang Wenji and acts as an additional witness, reinforcing the event’s formality.
• Yang Yuxin and Xiao Hui show their interest in documenting the wider setting, not merely the artifact itself.
• Zhuang Haoyun remains an observer, unable to contribute his camera because it is still on the bus.

Significant Themes

• Tradition and historical continuity: The ancestral artifact represents the Green Mountain Sect’s past and possibly its future.
• Trust and suspicion: The recording is framed as commemoration but also functions as protection against deception or hidden manipulation.
• Modern technology versus ancient cultivation: Cameras, livestreaming, and high-definition equipment are used to document a centuries-old spiritual inheritance.
• Publicity and legitimacy: By recording and livestreaming the event, the sect seeks to establish the opening as credible, memorable, and significant.

Character Interactions

• Tang Wenji appeals to Feng Jun to treat the event with solemnity and asks Master Ma for agreement.
• Master Ma immediately backs her position, creating a united front in favor of recording everything.
• Feng Jun silently recognizes that the cameras are meant to monitor him but does not object.
• Yang Yuxin and Xiao Hui’s filming plans broaden the event beyond the ancestral tablet, while Tang Wenji’s livestream adds a public dimension.

Chapter Summary: “The Meticulous Patriarch”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Wenji asks everyone to stop recording the Green Mountain Sect’s inheritance retrieval, claiming her own recording is prerecorded. However, Yang Yuxin and the people from Luohua Manor ignore her and continue filming.
• Feng Jun retrieves a pink gemstone from the ancestral tablet. Tang Wenji immediately senses its immense spiritual energy and becomes visibly overwhelmed, realizing it is connected to the Green Mountain Sect’s lost treasures.
• Zhang Caixin identifies the gemstone as a used Spirit Stone. Feng Jun then produces three more Spirit Stones, each with slightly different colors and remaining levels of spiritual energy. Their discovery astonishes everyone, including Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun asks to examine one copy of each type of Talisman. Tang Wangsun worries about giving away extremely rare Talismans, such as the Golden Crow Flame Talisman and Purple Nether Astral Wind Talisman.
• They compromise: Feng Jun will borrow Talismans with fewer than three copies only for study, while more common Talismans may be given to him.
• Feng Jun also requests half of the Green Mountain Sect’s aged liquor. Tang Wangsun explains that it is actually medicinal spiritual wine, but Feng Jun offers to trade medicinal materials so he can simply enjoy it as wine.
• When negotiations reach the Spirit Stones, Feng Jun asks Tang Wenji to decide how many he should receive. Tang Wenji cautiously offers one, but Feng Jun refuses to take any, instead allowing the Green Mountain Sect to owe him a favor.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates generosity and restraint. Although he has considerable bargaining power, he recognizes how impoverished the Blue Star Realm’s cultivators are and ultimately gives up his claim to the Spirit Stones.
• Tang Wenji reveals her intense sensitivity to spiritual energy and her emotional attachment to the Green Mountain Sect’s treasures. Her reaction to the Spirit Stone shows both her lack of experience with such resources and her deep reverence for them.
• Tang Wangsun acts as the practical negotiator for the Green Mountain Sect. He carefully protects rare resources but uses flattery to persuade Feng Jun, praising his cultivation and divine sense.
• Yang Yuxin remains openly independent and disregards Tang Wenji’s authority, continuing to film despite the request to stop.
• Zhang Caixin plays the role of the blunt, practical mediator by identifying the gemstone as merely a used Spirit Stone and helping prevent Tang Wenji from becoming overwhelmed.
• Yuanxin Patriarch, though absent, is characterized through his legacy as extremely meticulous and devoted to preserving the sect. The large stock of Talismans and supplies suggests he prepared extensively to protect future generations.

Significant Themes

• Generosity versus self-interest: Feng Jun could demand valuable treasures but chooses to support the struggling Green Mountain Sect instead.
• Preservation of inheritance: Yuanxin Patriarch’s carefully stored resources reflect a strong commitment to safeguarding the sect’s lineage.
• Power imbalance between realms: The treasures are ordinary or used resources to Feng Jun’s side but nearly legendary possessions to the Blue Star cultivators.
• Negotiation and mutual obligation: Rather than taking material compensation, Feng Jun accepts a future favor, strengthening his relationship with the Green Mountain Sect.
• Reverence for cultivation resources: The characters’ reactions to Spirit Stones and Talismans emphasize how scarce and precious spiritual materials are in their world.

Character Interactions

• Tang Wenji unsuccessfully tries to control the recording, while Yang Yuxin and Luohua Manor refuse to follow her instructions.
• Tang Wenji reacts intensely to Feng Jun’s Spirit Stones, prompting Zhang Caixin to bluntly downplay their value.
• Feng Jun and Tang Wangsun negotiate over Talismans and spiritual wine, with Tang Wangsun protecting rare items and flattering Feng Jun’s abilities.
• Tang Wenji and Feng Jun’s final exchange highlights their unequal positions: she offers a single Spirit Stone, while he magnanimously refuses all of them and accepts only the Green Mountain Sect’s future gratitude.

Chapter Summary: “Yin Soul Stone”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Celestial Master Tang and Feng Jun finalize the division of the treasures recovered from Green Mountain Sect’s Ancestral Tablet.
• Tang returns most of the supplies—including fifty jars of medicinal liquor, three Spirit Stones, talismans, and other treasures—to preserve the sect’s inheritance rather than exhaust it for immediate gain.
• The magical whisk is retained by Green Mountain Sect as a powerful artifact, though Feng Jun considers it limited because it requires spiritual nourishment after being overused.
• Feng Jun demands the Yin Soul Stone, which Green Mountain Sect calls a “Life Stone,” but Tang refuses to set a price because the sect’s founder, Yuanxin Patriarch, died fighting over it.
• Tang reveals that the stone came from Yuanxin’s enemy, indirectly admitting it was acquired through theft or seizure. Feng Jun pressures him with his aura, making Tang realize he cannot lie or evade the issue.
• Instead of naming a price himself, Feng Jun forces Tang to make an offer. This reverses Tang’s usual bargaining strategy, leaving him deeply uncomfortable.
• Tang Wenji proposes fifty unused Spirit Stones for the stone. Zhang Caixin immediately objects, pointing out that Yuanxin had left only four used Spirit Stones behind and accusing Green Mountain Sect of extortion.
• Wenji defends the price by claiming the stone’s value must be extraordinary if Feng Jun considers it important. She insists on simultaneous payment and delivery.
• Zhang Caixin cleverly pretends to know the stone’s true name and suggests that “Life Stone” is incorrect, attempting to expose whether Green Mountain Sect truly understands its value. Wenji sees through the bluff, but the exchange creates uncertainty over whether fifty Spirit Stones is too high—or perhaps too low.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates both authority and restraint. He pressures Tang when necessary, but he also refuses to exploit Green Mountain Sect financially, despite knowing the stone may be worth far more across planes. His insistence that Tang name the price reflects a personal sense of fairness and reluctance to profit from the sect’s poverty.
• Tang Wangsun emerges as a cautious and responsible sect leader. He is not ambitious enough to dominate the cultivation world, but he understands the importance of preserving his ancestors’ resources for future generations. At the same time, he is intimidated by Feng Jun and struggles to negotiate over the stone, which has deep historical and emotional significance.
• Tang Wenji shows herself to be an aggressive, intelligent negotiator. She recognizes that Feng Jun likely possesses many Spirit Stones and tries to use that assumption to raise the price. Her confidence and competitive spirit become especially apparent during her verbal clash with Zhang Caixin.
• Zhang Caixin grows more aware of the enormous value and scarcity of cultivation resources. Though she does not truly know the stone’s identity, she uses bluffing and sharp questioning to challenge Wenji’s claims and protect Feng Jun from being exploited.
• Sister Hong acts as a practical mediator, reminding Tang Wenji that Feng Jun’s wealth is irrelevant to the obligation to offer a reasonable price.

Significant Themes

• Preserving inheritance versus exploiting resources: Tang Wangsun chooses to return most treasures to the Ancestral Tablet, emphasizing long-term survival over immediate prosperity.
• Power and negotiation: Feng Jun’s superior strength gives him the ability to seize what he wants, yet he deliberately avoids acting like a tyrant. The chapter contrasts genuine power with manipulative bargaining.
• Value and perspective: The Yin Soul Stone’s worth differs depending on knowledge, cultivation level, and access to resources. Green Mountain Sect sees it as an irreplaceable ancestral treasure, while Feng Jun understands that they cannot use it.
• Ignorance and secrecy: The stone’s true nature and name remain uncertain. Yuanxin’s warnings about heavenly secrets, his death, and the false name “Life Stone” suggest a larger mystery.
• Moral restraint: Feng Jun’s reluctance to take advantage of a weaker party highlights his personal ethics, even when he has overwhelming leverage.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Tang Wangsun engage in a tense but respectful negotiation, with Feng Jun using pressure to force honesty while Tang tries to protect his sect’s interests.
• Tang Wangsun and Tang Wenji represent two different approaches: Tang is cautious and defensive, while Wenji is bold and willing to demand an extremely high price.
• Zhang Caixin directly confronts Tang Wenji, turning the negotiation into a battle of wit and pride. Their exchange reveals both women’s intelligence and competitive personalities.
• Sister Hong supports Feng Jun by challenging Wenji’s attempt to justify the price based on his presumed wealth.
• The chapter ends with Green Mountain Sect demanding fifty unused Spirit Stones, while Feng Jun remains unreadable, leaving the true value and outcome of the transaction unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Too Many Capable People”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and Green Mountain Sect negotiate the sale of a precious Life Stone, later identified as a Yin Soul Stone.
• Zhang Caixin initially demands fifty Spirit Stones, while Sister Hong supports her by alternating between aggressive bargaining and exaggerated offers. Tang Wenji refuses to reduce the price below thirty Spirit Stones, explaining that Green Mountain Sect desperately needs them to activate and maintain its Spirit-Gathering Array.
• Feng Jun ultimately agrees to pay thirty Spirit Stones. Green Mountain Sect accepts because it has no other realistic buyer: rival sects may lack the resources, refuse to help competing lineages, or even attempt to seize the stone.
• Feng Jun produces thirty flawless Spirit Stones, astonishing Tang Wangsun, Tang Wenji, and Master Ma. The transaction gives Green Mountain Sect a crucial opportunity to rebuild and strengthen its lineage.
• Feng Jun also gives Green Mountain Sect a Storage Talisman usable even by mortals. Zhang Caixin demonstrates how it works, revealing that she herself has surpassed the mortal realm.
• The Green Mountain members reorganize their possessions. The thirty new Spirit Stones are placed inside the difficult-to-access Ancestral Tablet for security, while less valuable supplies are stored in the Storage Talisman.
• When Green Mountain Sect asks Feng Jun to continue managing the Ancestral Tablet, he directs them to Hao Fengjing instead. This revelation shocks them, as it suggests another Luohua Manor member can control the tablet.
• Hao Fengjing avoids answering whether she has reached the Qi Refining Stage, further deepening Green Mountain Sect’s impression that Luohua Manor contains an overwhelming number of powerful individuals.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is revealed to be wealthy and generous, though he initially enjoys letting Zhang Caixin and Sister Hong bargain on his behalf. His willingness to accept the thirty-Stone price shows both confidence in his resources and a pragmatic desire to strengthen Green Mountain Sect.
• Zhang Caixin demonstrates strong bargaining instincts and a playful love of showing off. Her ability to use a Storage Talisman inaccessible to mortals reveals that she has already cultivated spiritual energy, though she has not yet reached the Qi Refining Stage.
• Sister Hong acts as Zhang Caixin’s bargaining partner, using exaggerated claims and reversals to pressure Tang Wenji. She feels mildly betrayed when Feng Jun quickly accepts the higher price.
• Tang Wenji proves decisive, practical, and perceptive. She refuses to lower the price, negotiates access to Luohua Manor’s resources, and carefully considers the security risks surrounding the Spirit Stones and Ancestral Tablet.
• Tang Wangsun and Master Ma share Green Mountain Sect’s mixture of excitement and anxiety. The new resources offer hope for revival, but they fear losing them or mishandling their responsibility.
• Hao Fengjing is presented as another mysterious and capable member of Luohua Manor. Her ability to control the Ancestral Tablet surprises everyone, while her evasive answer about her cultivation preserves her mystery.

Significant Themes

• Resource and power imbalance: The thirty Spirit Stones represent an unimaginable fortune to Green Mountain Sect but are casually produced by Feng Jun, emphasizing Luohua Manor’s superior resources.
• Trust versus exploitation: Green Mountain Sect sells an immensely valuable treasure cheaply because it trusts Feng Jun more than rival sects and needs immediate support. The exchange is cooperative rather than coercive, contrasting with the danger posed by other cultivation factions.
• Security and responsibility: The characters must decide how to protect their newly acquired wealth. The Ancestral Tablet is safer but difficult to access, while the Storage Talisman is convenient but vulnerable if stolen.
• Hidden strength: Luohua Manor repeatedly reveals that seemingly ordinary or young members possess cultivation abilities beyond Green Mountain Sect’s expectations.
• Revival and long-term ambition: Green Mountain Sect hopes the Spirit Stones will allow it to nurture powerful cultivators and eventually recover its former prominence.
• Humorous understatement and showing off: The characters treat extraordinary treasures and abilities with casual familiarity, creating comic contrast with Green Mountain Sect’s astonishment.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Caixin and Sister Hong work together seamlessly, with one applying pressure and the other changing tactics during the negotiation.
• Feng Jun quietly observes their bargaining before ending the discussion by agreeing to Tang Wenji’s thirty-Stone price.
• Tang Wenji and Zhang Caixin engage in a playful but revealing exchange over Storage Talismans and cultivation levels. Tang Wenji is relieved to learn Zhang Caixin has not yet reached Qi Refining, though she remains impressed by her abilities.
• Tang Wenji tries to recruit Zhang Caixin’s help with the Ancestral Tablet, only to learn that Hao Fengjing may be able to control it instead.
• The Green Mountain Sect members repeatedly exchange shocked looks as Luohua Manor reveals one capable figure after another, leaving them convinced that Luohua Manor’s foundation far exceeds their own.

Chapter Summary: “Dispensable”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tang Wangsun, Tang Wenji, and Master Ma work until early morning sorting their late patriarch’s possessions and organizing resources for the Green Mountain Sect. Tang Wangsun leaves for the airport, insisting that his own business is also essential to the sect’s future.
• The following day, most people cultivate in the Bamboo Grove while Hao Fengjing helps Tang Wenji manage the sect’s resources.
• Feng Jun, Gu Jiahui, Yang Yuxin, and Zhuang Zesheng gather at the manor. Zhuang, who has been bedridden for four years, is brought for treatment and is assigned to remain under observation.
• Gu Jiahui is asked to look after Zhuang because she is not yet permitted to enter the Bamboo Grove freely. Although initially displeased, she accepts after becoming determined to pursue cultivation following her first sight of the storage treasure.
• Tang Wenji visits the Bamboo Grove with Feng Jun. She is astonished by its spiritual energy, which she says rivals a blessed grotto-heaven.
• Feng Jun allows Tang Wenji to study his Spirit-Gathering Array in exchange for examining Green Mountain Sect’s array disk. He refuses, however, to explain the defensive mist formation surrounding the Bamboo Grove.
• Tang Wenji cautiously asks about Feng Jun’s origins and the source of his power and Spirit Stones. Feng Jun warns her that probing into his opportunity could bring karma, causing her to withdraw the question.
• Feng Jun begins analyzing Green Mountain Sect’s Spirit-Gathering Array. His casual use of Spirit Stones highlights his immense resources.
• Zhuang Haoyun feels powerless when comparing his wealth with Feng Jun’s abilities. Yang Yuxin reminds him that money is still necessary, since without it he could not have sought Feng Jun’s help, but she bluntly implies that Zhuang Haoyun himself is dispensable.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains guarded about his origins, resources, and defensive formations. He is willing to exchange technical knowledge but carefully protects anything connected to his security and secrets.
• Tang Wenji becomes increasingly impressed by Feng Jun’s cultivation methods and spiritual resources. Her curiosity about him grows, but she recognizes the limits of what she can ask.
• Gu Jiahui shifts from privileged disinterest to genuine enthusiasm for cultivation. Her new ambition is to become Feng Jun’s disciple, though she must still complete university to honor her mother and deceased father.
• Zhuang Zesheng begins developing romantic interest in Gu Jiahui. Despite his formerly proud and superior personality, his prolonged illness has left him vulnerable and eager for connection.
• Zhuang Haoyun realizes that conventional wealth and status are insignificant compared with Feng Jun’s power, though he still tries to secure treatment for his son.
• Yang Yuxin remains practical and emotionally controlled. She supports Gu Jiahui’s cultivation ambitions while insisting that education remain a priority, and she evaluates Zhuang Haoyun as someone useful but replaceable.

Significant Themes

• The limits of wealth and status: Money and family influence matter in ordinary society, but they cannot compare with cultivation, spiritual resources, or access to Feng Jun.
• Knowledge versus secrecy: Feng Jun promotes limited exchange of cultivation knowledge while withholding information that could endanger his territory or reveal his deeper origins.
• Opportunity and ambition: Gu Jiahui’s sheltered life gains a new purpose through cultivation, while Green Mountain Sect seeks to strengthen itself by learning from Feng Jun.
• Fate, karma, and inherited obligations: Tang Wenji’s warning about asking into Feng Jun’s opportunity reflects the dangers surrounding knowledge of destiny and cultivation breakthroughs. Family duties also shape Tang Wangsun’s and Gu Jiahui’s choices.
• Human dispensability: The chapter emphasizes how people can become secondary when measured against greater power, resources, or usefulness—most clearly in Yang Yuxin’s blunt assessment of Zhuang Haoyun.

Character Interactions

• Tang Wangsun and Tang Wenji discuss their competing responsibilities to the Green Mountain Sect.
• Gu Jiahui and Zhuang Zesheng are positioned together, with her acting as his watcher and him beginning to admire her.
• Feng Jun and Tang Wenji engage in a cautious but productive exchange of cultivation knowledge.
• Feng Jun refuses to reveal the nature of his defensive formation, establishing a boundary between cooperation and trust.
• Tang Wenji’s questions about Feng Jun’s background test that boundary, but she quickly backs down.
• Zhuang Haoyun’s insecurity is exposed in conversation with Yang Yuxin, who responds pragmatically and underscores his dependence on Feng Jun’s assistance.

Chapter Summary: “Different Demands”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhuang Haoyun discusses Feng Jun’s treatment of his son with Yang Yuxin. He is impressed that Feng Jun treated Yang Yuxin’s daughter for only one million, while Zhuang Zesheng’s treatment costs ten million per day.
• Zhuang attempts to build a closer relationship with the Gu Family by suggesting that his son remain with them for three months and asking Yang Yuxin’s daughter to guide him.
• He also subtly probes the Green Mountain Sect’s Spirit Stones, prompting Yang Yuxin to become wary and protective of the sect’s resources.
• Over two days in the Bamboo Grove, Zhuang Zesheng’s health improves dramatically. His vitality and appetite recover, indicating that Feng Jun’s treatment is working.
• Feng Jun studies Green Mountain’s Spirit-Gathering Array and discovers that it differs substantially from the array in the Phone Plane:
  • It covers a wider area but has sharply declining spiritual energy.
  • Only its central region can support an Early Qi Refining cultivator.
  • Its outer areas are weak and are mainly useful for Martial Warriors.
  • It consumes fewer Spirit Stones but offers much less cultivation benefit.
• Feng Jun concludes that the array was probably modified because of the Blue Star Plane’s declining spiritual energy and scarcity of resources. He records his findings despite considering the array of limited practical value.
• Tang Wenji is initially pleased that the Green Mountain array works, but becomes disappointed after realizing that Feng Jun’s array is far more powerful.
• She accuses Feng Jun of being overly stingy despite his wealth, arguing that fellow cultivators and friends should share their resources. Feng Jun rejects her reasoning and internally decides he may be better off limiting future dealings with her.
• Shortly afterward, Zhuang Haoyun approaches Feng Jun to discuss a private matter, while Yang Yuxin summons Tang Wenji.
• Yang Yuxin reveals that she wants to buy two of Green Mountain Sect’s four Spirit Stones. Tang Wenji is shocked and angry, though she knows the sect has already anticipated that such a demand might arise.

Character Developments

• Zhuang Haoyun: Becomes increasingly calculating and attempts to use his son’s stay as a way to approach the Gu Family. His outward politeness masks resentment when Yang Yuxin refuses to become closer or share resources.
• Yang Yuxin: Shows herself to be highly perceptive, cautious, and fiercely protective of valuable cultivation resources. She refuses to be manipulated or pressured into surrendering Green Mountain’s Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun: Demonstrates growing expertise in analyzing cultivation formations. He remains practical and unsentimental about resource distribution, refusing to let wealth or friendship obligate him to subsidize others.
• Tang Wenji: Reveals an impulsive, outspoken temperament. Although she recognizes Feng Jun’s superior array, she feels entitled to his resources because they are fellow cultivators. Her later anger at Yang Yuxin’s request exposes her own double standard.
• Zhuang Zesheng: Makes significant physical progress, regaining vitality, appetite, and strength through his time in the Bamboo Grove.

Significant Themes

• Resource scarcity and unequal cultivation conditions: The contrast between the two Spirit-Gathering Arrays reflects the declining spiritual energy of Blue Star and the advantages enjoyed by cultivators from the Phone Plane.
• Entitlement versus personal boundaries: Tang Wenji believes shared cultivation paths justify sharing wealth, while Feng Jun insists that personal resources remain personal.
• Political and social maneuvering: Zhuang Haoyun and Yang Yuxin both use polite conversation to pursue hidden goals, but their different attitudes toward power and resources create tension.
• The cost of power: Even valuable formations and Spirit Stones have limits. Green Mountain’s array is economical but weak, while Feng Jun’s stronger array requires heavy resource consumption.
• Hypocrisy and double standards: Tang Wenji resents Yang Yuxin’s attempt to buy Spirit Stones even though she had just demanded that Feng Jun share his greater resources with Green Mountain.

Character Interactions

• Zhuang Haoyun and Yang Yuxin: Their conversation is superficially courteous but filled with subtle probing and mutual suspicion. Zhuang seeks an alliance; Yang Yuxin suspects he wants access to Green Mountain’s Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun and Tang Wenji: Their discussion over the Spirit-Gathering Array becomes a clash between Feng Jun’s practicality and Tang Wenji’s belief in communal obligations.
• Yang Yuxin and Tang Wenji: Yang Yuxin’s request to purchase two Spirit Stones places Tang Wenji in a difficult position. Tang feels offended, but her status and the sect’s prior planning prevent her from reacting openly.
• Feng Jun and Zhuang Haoyun: Zhuang’s request for a private discussion suggests that another negotiation or demand is about to take place.

Chapter Summary: “Greed Hard to Curb”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Yuxin asks Tang Wenji to sell her Spirit Stones. Tang explains that Green Mountain Sect publicly claims to possess only one, while three are hidden inside the Ancestral Tablet and can be retrieved only with Feng Jun’s help.
• Yang offers increasingly favorable terms: first to buy the stones at any price, then to purchase only the two weakest stones while promising to protect Green Mountain Sect from future pressure, and finally to buy just one. Tang Wenji refuses each offer, insisting that the Spirit Stones are essential to the sect’s survival.
• Tang openly points out that Feng Jun owns Spirit Stones as well, accusing Yang of pressuring Green Mountain Sect because it is weaker. Yang admits she finds Feng Jun difficult to approach because he saved her daughter and is powerful, whereas Green Mountain Sect seems easier to negotiate with.
• Yang reveals that she wants the Spirit Stone for her daughter, hoping it will provide extra protection while the girl studies, despite the superior cultivation environment at Luohua Manor. Tang sympathizes but refuses, and Yang outwardly drops the matter while privately resenting Tang’s attitude.
• Tang Wangsun arrives at Luohua Manor to assess the situation, then leaves for Yang City with the Ancestral Tablet, accompanied by many Green Mountain Sect disciples and several powerful elders to ensure the sect’s treasures remain safe.
• Tang Wenji stays behind to continue studying Luohua Manor. Master Ma also remains because of his growing familiarity with Feng Jun and his interest in exchanging cultivation knowledge.
• Feng Jun is uneasy about Master Ma’s continued presence, fearing further disruptions at the manor, but accepts it after the Little Celestial Master vouches for him. Master Ma agrees to leave at night and spend the day cultivating and discussing the Dao.
• Luohua Manor and Green Mountain Sect begin exchanging knowledge while sorting through the ancient books Green Mountain Sect acquired.
• Influenced by Green Mountain Sect’s unexpected discoveries and Yang Yuxin’s dismissive attitude toward the Zhuang family, Zhuang Haoyun decides to reveal his family’s secret ancestral cave to Feng Jun. He hopes that the cave, which still contains old tools and objects, may conceal another valuable inheritance.
• Feng Jun is surprised that Zhuang Haoyun is willing to bring him into such a strictly guarded family secret. Zhuang proposes sneaking into the cave without informing anyone else.

Character Developments

• Tang Wenji: Demonstrates caution, resolve, and loyalty to Green Mountain Sect. Although Yang’s offer tempts her, she prioritizes the sect’s long-term survival and refuses to surrender its limited resources.
• Yang Yuxin: Reveals both strong maternal concern and a growing possessiveness toward Spirit Stones. Her polite negotiation gradually becomes an expression of resentment when Tang refuses her, though she ultimately maintains outward composure.
• Tang Wangsun: Shows responsibility by interrupting his scheduled training to return and oversee the sect’s newly acquired treasures.
• Master Ma: Becomes more closely connected to Feng Jun and Luohua Manor. His presence shifts from negotiator to cultural and cultivation intermediary between the two groups.
• Feng Jun: Continues to act generously and transparently, but also becomes more protective of Luohua Manor’s order and privacy. His reputation for fairness makes him the person others trust with hidden treasures.
• Zhuang Haoyun: Moves from cautious secrecy to desperate risk-taking. Envious of Green Mountain Sect’s gains and frustrated by his family’s lower status, he gambles on Feng Jun’s judgment by exposing the ancestral cave.

Significant Themes

• Greed and temptation: The title is reflected in Yang’s repeated attempts to obtain Spirit Stones and Zhuang Haoyun’s inability to remain content after witnessing Green Mountain Sect’s fortune.
• Power and vulnerability: Green Mountain Sect’s lack of powerful experts forces it to rely on secrecy, strategic alliances, and Feng Jun’s protection.
• Trust and reputation: Feng Jun’s honesty and willingness to involve witnesses and recordings make him uniquely trustworthy, encouraging others to reveal secrets to him.
• Resource protection and survival: Spirit Stones are treated not as luxury objects but as vital resources linked to Green Mountain Sect’s continuation.
• Social hierarchy and resentment: Zhuang Haoyun’s decision is partly driven by feeling looked down upon by the more powerful Yang and Gu families.
• Knowledge exchange: The interaction between Luohua Manor and Green Mountain Sect develops into a mutually beneficial exchange of texts, cultivation theory, and experience.

Character Interactions

• Tang Wenji and Yang Yuxin: Their negotiation becomes increasingly tense. Both remain outwardly controlled, but Tang resents Yang’s pressure, while Yang privately takes offense at Tang’s refusal.
• Tang Wenji and Feng Jun: Tang invokes Feng Jun’s authority as a safeguard, implying that Green Mountain Sect will cooperate if the demand truly comes from him.
• Feng Jun and Master Ma: Their relationship develops through mutual respect and the exchange of cultivation knowledge, despite Feng Jun’s concerns about Master Ma’s prolonged stay.
• Feng Jun and Zhuang Haoyun: Zhuang’s invitation reflects deep trust in Feng Jun’s integrity. Feng is intrigued but recognizes the sensitivity of entering the Zhuang family’s forbidden cave.
• The Zhuang family and the larger cultivation world: The family’s desire to uncover hidden fortune reflects the growing pressure placed on ordinary or weaker households by the emergence of cultivator treasures.

Chapter Summary: “Juqu Grotto-Abode Reopens”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhuang Haoyun tries to persuade Feng Jun to secretly enter the Zhuang Family’s forbidden ancestral grounds, where a powerful ancient battle once occurred and the stone lock was shattered. Although Feng Jun initially disapproves of trespassing, his curiosity and previous dealings with the Zhuang Family gradually weaken his resistance. However, he cannot immediately leave because Green Mountain’s people are staying at Luohua Manor.
• Gu Jiahui’s recovery improves, allowing her to return to Long City for classes. Yang Yuxin then goes to Chaori County to become openly involved in Feng Jun’s project, primarily to create cultivation opportunities for her daughter.
• Construction and renovation work continues on Feng Jun’s jade villa and his newly completed villa in the park. Feng Jun assigns the work to Wu Limin and later allows Zhang Weihong’s family and Wang Haifeng’s father to oversee portions of the project.
• Feng Jun strictly prevents workers from taking jade scraps, even though he does not value them financially. He views tolerance of small thefts as morally dangerous and insists that bad habits must be stopped early.
• Feng Jun refuses to become involved in Wang Haifeng’s father’s affairs, explaining that cultivators must limit worldly attachments and favors. Wang Haifeng and his father understand this, though the elder continues trying to help Feng Jun in hopes of building goodwill.
• After ten days, Tang Wenji and Daoist Ma prepare to return to Green Mountain. They invite Feng Jun to the reopening ceremony of Golden Altar Huayang Heaven, also called Juqu Grotto-Heaven, one of the Ten Grotto-Heavens.
• Green Mountain has restored its Spirit-Gathering Array and obtained Spirit Stones, allowing it to reactivate the dilapidated grotto-heaven. Though the spiritual energy is only barely sufficient to justify the title, the reopening marks a major symbolic step in Green Mountain’s revival.
• Green Mountain publicly announces the reopening rather than hiding its success. The announcement functions both as a celebration and as a strategic publicity measure designed to restore the sect’s reputation and deter hostile forces from secretly targeting it.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains cautious about violating others’ boundaries, but he is pragmatic and willing to compromise when curiosity, opportunity, or past conduct makes strict principles inconvenient. He also demonstrates increasingly firm control over his property and associates.
• Zhuang Haoyun shows loyalty to Feng Jun and distrust of his own family’s bureaucracy. He believes secretly entering the restricted grounds is justified because formal discussion would alert the family and prevent them from learning the truth.
• Yang Yuxin becomes more directly involved in Feng Jun’s secular projects, openly seeking benefits for Gu Jiahui’s cultivation. She is also preparing to pressure Green Mountain into trading for Spirit Stones.
• Wang Haifeng displays maturity by accepting that Feng Jun will not extend his protection to every member of the Wang family. He recognizes that personal cultivation, rather than relying on favors, is the correct path.
• Wang Haifeng’s father continues trying to curry favor with Feng Jun through practical assistance, illustrating how ordinary social obligations and favors can become burdensome to a cultivator.
• Tang Wangsun develops a broader strategic vision for Green Mountain. He realizes that the sect must publicly reclaim its identity as a genuine Daoist sacred land rather than remain associated with its diminished reputation as a ghost-catching group.
• Tang Wenji and the other Green Mountain disciples move from secrecy and caution toward confidence, unity, and public assertion of their sect’s heritage.

Significant Themes

• Severing worldly attachments: Feng Jun’s refusal to take responsibility for Wang Haifeng’s family reflects the cultivator’s need to avoid endless personal obligations.
• Pragmatism versus principle: Feng Jun dislikes trespassing and theft but recognizes that real circumstances often complicate moral absolutes.
• Reputation and publicity: Green Mountain’s reopening ceremony is not merely religious or ceremonial; it is a deliberate public-relations strategy to announce its recovery.
• Revival after decline: The restoration of Juqu Grotto-Heaven symbolizes Green Mountain’s attempt to recover the prestige of its former Shangqing Lineage.
• Scarcity and competition: The renewed Spirit-Gathering Array and Spirit Stones make Green Mountain valuable—and vulnerable to greed, coercion, and attacks from other cultivators.
• The necessity of openness: Green Mountain concludes that hiding its gains will not protect it. A public declaration allows potential rivals to negotiate openly instead of plotting in secret.
• Tradition adapting to modernity: The sect uses ceremonies, social connections, and publicity much like a modern organization would, showing that ancient cultivators must adapt to contemporary society.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Zhuang Haoyun: Their conversation reveals mutual trust, with Zhuang Haoyun relying on Feng Jun’s judgment while Feng Jun weighs his ethical discomfort against his curiosity.
• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng: Feng Jun emphasizes that friendship does not obligate him to support Wang’s entire family. Wang accepts the boundary, strengthening their practical but disciplined relationship.
• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng’s father: Their indirect relationship centers on favors and gratitude. The elder seeks closeness, while Feng Jun deliberately keeps his distance.
• Feng Jun and Yang Yuxin: Their relationship is becoming more connected through business and cultivation matters, though Yang Yuxin’s willingness to force a Spirit Stone transaction suggests future tension.
• Tang Wenji, Daoist Ma, and Feng Jun: Their farewell establishes Feng Jun’s formal connection to Green Mountain and culminates in the invitation to the Juqu Grotto-Heaven reopening.
• Green Mountain and the wider cultivation world: Green Mountain’s past dealings with Feng Jun have attracted attention from nearby sects, especially because the sect’s sudden activity occurs close to Jade Sect Mountain. The public ceremony is intended to manage these relationships and potential threats.

Chapter Summary: “Farming Tools”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun discusses Green Mountain Sect’s plan to reveal some of its inheritance in order to deter outsiders from coveting its treasures. He recognizes that the sect is weak in actual combat and Taoist techniques, but agrees to help retrieve items from its storage artifact in exchange for access to its ancient classics.
• Tang Wenji admits that the arrangement benefits both sides: Green Mountain Sect gains protection and assistance, while Feng Jun obtains valuable Taoist knowledge. Both agree to keep the matter confidential.
• Zhuang Haoyun returns to Luohua Manor after failing to find the two missing stones from the ancestral stone lock. Hoping to earn further access to the manor’s Bamboo Grove for himself and his wife, he brings Feng Jun several old objects, but none are useful.
• Zhuang reveals that a large ancestral ritual cauldron remains inside the family’s ancestral cave. Feng Jun becomes curious, suspecting it may be an unusual or valuable artifact, but refuses to visit the cave because he dislikes sneaking around and does not want to disrespect the ancestors.
• Feng Jun studies the Taoist classics obtained from Green Mountain Sect, particularly those related to talisman-making. His research allows him to improve the Sweet Rain Talisman.
• He first creates a version that only works during rainy weather, causing grass and winter trees to grow rapidly. After further experimentation, he successfully produces a weather-independent Sweet Rain Talisman.
• Feng Jun realizes that this talisman could create a profitable farming system in the Phone Plane, especially around Zhige Mountain, where villagers could use inexpensive talismans to cultivate Spirit Rice, Spirit Grain, and similar low-grade spirit crops.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more strategically minded about cooperation. He accepts that helping Green Mountain Sect can benefit him while remaining cautious about publicity and unnecessary trouble. His success with the Sweet Rain Talisman also shows his growing mastery of Taoist techniques and his ability to turn cultivation knowledge into economic opportunities.
• Tang Wenji demonstrates confidence and political awareness. Although she acknowledges Green Mountain Sect’s weakness, she insists that its long history and inheritance still give it authority and potential influence.
• Zhuang Haoyun is revealed as ambitious, pragmatic, and increasingly willing to pursue opportunities for his family. He hopes not only to help his son but also to gain access to Luohua Manor’s restorative environment for himself and his wife. At the same time, he remains cautious about violating ancestral traditions, especially concerning the ritual cauldron.
• Zhuang Zesheng’s recovery continues to motivate his father, while the poor health of Zhuang Haoyun’s wife adds urgency to his efforts.

Significant Themes

• Mutual exploitation and cooperation: Feng Jun recognizes that Green Mountain Sect is partly using him, but accepts the arrangement because he also benefits from its hidden knowledge.
• Decline and revival of traditional cultivation: The damaged Heavenly Dao and fading Taoist arts have weakened all sects, creating a shared crisis. Ancient inheritances therefore become extremely valuable.
• Pragmatism versus tradition: Zhuang Haoyun wants to use ancestral treasures for his descendants’ benefit, yet fears becoming a criminal in the eyes of his family and ancestors.
• Knowledge as economic power: Feng Jun transforms talisman knowledge into a practical agricultural technology, showing how cultivation techniques can be adapted for commerce and ordinary people.
• Working within limitations: Since Spirit Stones and advanced farming arts are unsuitable for common villagers, Feng Jun seeks a cheaper and more accessible alternative through single-use talismans.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Tang Wenji negotiate a cautious alliance: she appeals to his interest in Taoist classics, while he insists that Green Mountain Sect’s activities remain secret.
• Feng Jun and Zhuang Haoyun have a subtle bargaining relationship. Zhuang tries to impress or tempt Feng Jun with ancient objects and hints about the ancestral cauldron, while Feng Jun remains skeptical but intrigued.
• Zhuang’s eagerness contrasts with Feng Jun’s reluctance to act improperly. Feng Jun refuses to take advantage of ancestral remains, even while considering the cauldron’s potential value.
• Feng Jun’s interaction with the Green Mountain Sect’s classics leads directly to his breakthrough with the Sweet Rain Talisman, linking his relationships with the sect to his broader plans for farming and wealth creation.

Chapter Summary: Golden Altar Huayang Heaven

Key Plot Points and Events

• After completing the Sweet Rain Talisman, Feng Jun prepares to attend the reopening ceremony of Golden Altar Huayang Heaven at Green Mountain Sect.
• He initially plans to bring all six disciples, believing that greater exposure to the Daoist community will benefit their development and teach them to handle matters independently.
• To resolve concerns about manor security and Zhuang Zesheng’s recovery, Feng Jun suggests that Zhuang Haoyun take his family to the ceremony early. Zhuang Haoyun eagerly agrees, partly because he fears Feng Jun still resents his past thefts from Green Mountain Sect and his ancestral cave.
• Zhuang Haoyun leaves the next morning with his wife, son, and driver in an RV. Feng Jun then decides Gao Qiang is sufficient to guard the manor.
• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang stay behind to focus on cultivation, motivated by Gazi’s recent advancement to Martial Master and acquisition of a Storage Talisman. Zhang Caixin also remains at first, ostensibly to supervise the jade-house renovations, though Feng Jun suspects her interest was piqued by Hao Fengjing’s storage abilities.
• Sister Hong takes responsibility for the renovations, allowing Zhang Caixin to accompany Feng Jun. The final group consists of Feng Jun, Lu Xiaoning, Mei Jin, and Zhang Caixin, accompanied by Gao Qiang, Di Aixin, and Li Shishi.
• The group travels in a luxury coach and reaches Gourong City after roughly nine hours. The city is crowded with Daoists and monks drawn by the reopening ceremony.
• Master Ma, riding a motorcycle, guides them to Green Mountain Sect’s guest accommodations. A young Daoist nun named Xiaoxiao is assigned to receive and assist them.
• The lodgings are extremely plain: standard rooms lack private bathrooms, and even the suites offer only minimal extra space. Meals are also simple vegetarian fare.
• Hao Fengjing and Li Shishi react negatively to the lack of meat, so the group arranges a barbecue using equipment carried on the coach. Feng Jun contributes seven skewers made from rare Pangolin Salamander spirit-beast meat, presenting it as a special delicacy.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more willing to let his disciples travel, interact with other cultivators, and gain experience instead of remaining isolated for cultivation. He also shows generosity by sharing rare spirit-beast meat with the group.
• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang are increasingly motivated to improve their cultivation after witnessing Gazi’s breakthrough and new capabilities.
• Zhang Caixin shows a growing interest in practical cultivation-related abilities, particularly storage techniques, though she disguises her desire to travel as concern for the renovations.
• Gao Qiang continues to demonstrate reliability and sharp observational skills. He notices that many visitors in Daoist robes are outsiders rather than locals and is trusted to drive the luxury coach and guard the manor.
• Li Shishi reveals a desire to escape her prolonged stay at the manor and explore the outside world. She also shares Hao Fengjing’s strong preference for meat.
• Hao Fengjing remains outspoken, practical, and accustomed to comfort. She criticizes Green Mountain Sect’s poor accommodations but quickly organizes an alternative meal.
• Zhuang Haoyun is anxious about Feng Jun’s opinion of him and hurriedly leaves with his family, revealing both guilt and a desire to avoid confrontation.
• Xiaoxiao demonstrates competence and patience as a receptionist, calmly explaining Green Mountain Sect’s austere lifestyle while accommodating the guests’ barbecue plans.
• Master Ma acts as Green Mountain Sect’s informal host and guide, maintaining his humorous, familiar manner.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation versus worldly experience: Feng Jun recognizes that disciples need real-world exposure and interaction with the wider Daoist community, not merely secluded cultivation.
• Trust and responsibility: Feng Jun entrusts Gao Qiang with the manor and allows his disciples to travel, signaling increased confidence in their maturity.
• Austerity versus comfort: Green Mountain Sect’s minimal accommodations reflect Daoist values of simplicity and non-action, contrasting sharply with Hao Fengjing and Li Shishi’s worldly preferences.
• Community and celebration: The reopening ceremony brings together Daoists, monks, and outsiders, creating an atmosphere of unusual activity and cultural exchange.
• Food as fellowship: The barbecue transforms uncomfortable lodging into a relaxed social gathering, while Feng Jun’s spirit-beast meat serves as both a gift and a symbol of the group’s shared experiences.
• Hidden motives and curiosity: Several characters give practical explanations for their actions while actually responding to deeper curiosity about cultivation, storage techniques, or the Daoist world.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun diplomatically persuades Zhuang Haoyun to take his family away from the manor, avoiding direct discussion of past thefts.
• Wang Haifeng and Xu Leigang’s decision to remain behind reflects their competitive response to Gazi’s advancement.
• Sister Hong supports Zhang Caixin’s travel by volunteering to oversee the renovations.
• Master Ma and Hao Fengjing exchange familiar, humorous remarks about Green Mountain Sect’s motorcycle culture.
• Xiaoxiao explains the sect’s austere practices to Hao Fengjing and negotiates an exception allowing the guests to barbecue.
• Hao Fengjing and Li Shishi bond over their shared dislike of vegetarian meals, while the rest of the group cooperates in preparing the picnic.
• Feng Jun’s gift of the spirit-beast meat brings the travelers together and adds a celebratory touch to their arrival.

Chapter Summary: “A Test”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun hosts a barbecue at Green Mountain using rare Spirit Beast meat, specifically meat from a Pangolin Salamander. In the spiritually barren Blue Star Realm, the meat releases a remarkable amount of spiritual energy.
• Feng Jun deliberately uses the barbecue to test whether powerful cultivators will appear to congratulate him now that the Eighth Grotto-Heaven has reopened. No major masters come, disappointing his expectations.
• The spiritual energy attracts the attention of nearby cultivators, including two respected secular martial cultivators and their four disciples.
• The bearded cultivator asks about the meat and attempts to buy skewers for a high price. Feng Jun refuses because the seven skewers are already apportioned among his group.
• Di Aixin briefly considers the offer but rejects it, recognizing that the meat is far more valuable than the few hundred offered. His decision shows both his growing confidence in Feng Jun and his awareness of the meat’s unusual worth.
• A Buddhist monk then approaches and demands that Feng Jun’s group extinguish the fire, claiming that barbecuing vulgar meat in the Void Ruins Holy Land disturbs cultivation and disrespects the Three Pure Ones.
• Gazi challenges the monk’s authority, pointing out that Green Mountain belongs to Daoism and that the Daoists themselves have not objected. Feng Jun joins in criticizing the monk’s intrusive behavior.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun and Gazi contrasting Buddhism’s strict rules with Daoism’s comparatively relaxed attitude.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates confidence, restraint, and strategic thinking. He uses the barbecue as a test of the surrounding cultivators’ reactions, refuses to overvalue external recognition, and protects the rarity of the Spirit Beast meat without openly revealing its origin.
• Zhang Caixin: Quickly senses that the meat is extraordinary and reacts with curiosity. Her comparison to Little Crow adds humor and emphasizes how unusual the meat’s spiritual energy is.
• Gazi: Shows his usual irreverence and distrust of Buddhism. He is outspoken, confrontational, and willing to challenge social or religious authority, while also understanding the meat’s immense value.
• Di Aixin: Displays practical intelligence beneath his simple demeanor. Though poverty makes him interested in money, he refuses the cultivator’s inadequate offer and chooses to keep the skewer.
• The bearded cultivator: Appears courteous and perceptive. He recognizes the meat’s quality and attempts to negotiate politely, though his initial offer reveals that he does not fully understand its true value.
• The second martial cultivator: Represents rigid adherence to hierarchy and etiquette by criticizing Feng Jun for answering while seated.
• The Buddhist monk: Presents himself as compassionate and pure-hearted but behaves intrusively and self-righteously, attempting to impose Buddhist standards on a Daoist territory.
• Crow King: Experiences an ominous shudder from afar, suggesting that the Spirit Beast meat may somehow pose a threat to it, likely because of its connection to the Pangolin Salamander.

Significant Themes

• Scarcity and value: The Spirit Beast meat’s spiritual energy makes it priceless in the Blue Star Realm, while outsiders initially underestimate its worth. The chapter contrasts true value with superficial monetary offers.
• Testing reputation and influence: Feng Jun expects powerful figures to acknowledge the reopening of the Eighth Grotto-Heaven, but their absence reminds him that reputation does not always translate into real-world attention.
• Knowledge and concealment: Feng Jun deliberately avoids explaining the meat’s origin, protecting both its rarity and his group’s advantage.
• Religious and cultural conflict: The argument between Gazi, Feng Jun, and the monk contrasts Daoist freedom with Buddhist formality and rules.
• Authority and entitlement: The martial cultivators invoke seniority, while the monk assumes the right to regulate others’ behavior. Feng Jun’s group resists both forms of imposed authority.
• Comedic tension: The solemn spiritual setting is undercut by barbecue, blunt remarks, exaggerated bargaining, and the absurd contrast between priceless spiritual meat and ordinary takeout.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and his companions share an unspoken understanding that the Spirit Beast meat is extraordinary, with Gazi and Zhang Caixin openly reacting to it.
• Feng Jun maintains polite but evasive exchanges with the two martial cultivators, refusing to disclose useful information or surrender the skewers.
• The bearded cultivator attempts diplomacy, while his companion emphasizes seniority and etiquette; Feng Jun chooses not to escalate the issue.
• Di Aixin’s negotiation with the bearded cultivator highlights the gap between the outsider’s valuation and the group’s understanding of the meat.
• Gazi directly confronts the Buddhist monk, accusing him of meddling on Daoist territory. Feng Jun supports Gazi’s criticism but also humorously rebukes him for being too blunt.
• The chapter closes by reinforcing the camaraderie within Feng Jun’s group, especially their shared skepticism toward outsiders who try to impose authority or rules on them.

Chapter Summary: “Temptation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and his companions barbecue meat inside Green Mountain Sect’s Ten Directions Hall, taking advantage of the sect’s unusually lenient attitude toward visitors.
• Monk Juehui of the Southern Buddhist Sect criticizes them for lacking reverence and disturbing the holy grounds. When the Green Mountain Sect ignores his complaints, he tries to justify his interference as “public righteousness.”
• Gazi openly challenges Juehui, while Gao Qiang mocks his hypocrisy by introducing himself as “Ling Shan Jueyuan,” implying that Juehui is merely acting like a righteous monk.
• Hao Fengjing also questions Juehui’s sudden shift from arrogance to friendliness. Juehui defends himself with polished, evasive reasoning, but Feng Jun bluntly tells him to leave. Juehui departs after realizing he has no authority over the group.
• Gao Qiang claims that Juehui was probing their strength and might have tried to seize something valuable if they had shown weakness. Gazi agrees, comparing the monk’s behavior to “casing the place.”
• Three visitors arrive, recognize the intimidating martial artist Master Xiong, and immediately leave rather than disturb him.
• While the group eats, Master Xiong becomes fixated on one of Di Aixin’s grilled skewers, which seems to contain unusually concentrated essence, blood, and qi. He offers 100,000 yuan for it.
• Another martial artist raises the offer to 300,000 yuan, prompting Master Xiong to bid 500,000 yuan. Di Aixin is torn between eating the skewer and accepting the enormous sum.
• Instead of deciding immediately, Di Aixin probes Master Xiong’s abilities and proposes an arm-wrestling bet: if Master Xiong wins, he receives the skewer; if he loses, Di Aixin receives 500,000 yuan.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains calm and dominant, refusing to be intimidated by Juehui or the martial artists. His indifference toward the bidding encourages Di Aixin to handle the situation independently.
• Gazi demonstrates his blunt, confrontational personality by defending Feng Jun and challenging Juehui’s authority.
• Gao Qiang reveals strong distrust of fraudulent or hypocritical religious figures. His sarcasm is gentler on the surface than Gazi’s, but carries pointed hostility.
• Hao Fengjing acts as a moral observer, questioning Juehui’s inconsistency and showing a traveler’s cautious but skeptical attitude toward religious practitioners.
• Li Shishi is more respectful toward monks and Daoists and advises the group not to provoke people from the supernatural world unnecessarily.
• Di Aixin initially appears simple and hesitant, but proves observant and strategically clever. He recognizes that the skewer is valuable and uses Master Xiong’s pride to create a potentially profitable challenge.
• Juehui is exposed as outwardly righteous but opportunistic and pragmatic. His retreat and slight reaction to Gao Qiang’s insult reveal wounded pride beneath his composed exterior.
• Master Xiong is introduced as a powerful martial artist who disguises his strength behind the identity of a “performer.” His eagerness to obtain the skewer suggests that he understands its extraordinary value.

Significant Themes

• Buddhist restraint versus Daoist self-cultivation: The narration contrasts Buddhism’s emphasis on rules and restraint imposed on followers with Daoism’s focus on disciplining oneself and cultivating personal advancement.
• Hypocrisy and moral posturing: Juehui claims to defend public order, but his changing attitude suggests that his concern is partly a pretext for investigating the group and their resources.
• Power and intimidation: Social status, religious authority, and martial strength all influence how people behave. The three newcomers immediately retreat after recognizing Master Xiong.
• Value beyond appearances: An ordinary-looking grilled skewer contains immense spiritual and physical benefits, making it worth hundreds of thousands of yuan to martial artists.
• Temptation and self-control: Di Aixin struggles between enjoying the skewer and selling it for an extraordinary price, while Master Xiong and the other martial artist are tempted by its concentrated energy.
• Cunning beneath simplicity: Di Aixin’s apparent innocence masks a growing ability to negotiate and manipulate circumstances to his advantage.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun, Gazi, and Gao Qiang jointly oppose Juehui’s intrusion, each using a different form of resistance: direct confrontation, mockery, and cold dismissal.
• Hao Fengjing challenges Juehui’s contradictory behavior, forcing him to rationalize his change in tone.
• Li Shishi moderates the group, encouraging them to stop provoking Juehui once he leaves.
• Master Xiong and the other middle-aged martial artist compete over Di Aixin’s skewer, escalating the price while indirectly testing each other’s willingness to pay.
• Di Aixin turns the bidding into a contest by challenging Master Xiong to arm wrestling, shifting the balance of power and ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “Beyond All Others”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Di Aixin provokes a bearded martial artist, Master Xiong, by proposing a five-hundred-thousand wager over arm-wrestling. Master Xiong hesitates and attempts to redirect the contest toward push hands or sparring, but Di Aixin mocks him for avoiding the challenge.
• One of Master Xiong’s disciples offers to compete with Di Aixin for ten thousand, but Feng Jun interrupts when the Spirit Beast meat is ready. Since each skewer is worth five hundred thousand, everyone focuses on eating.
• While eating, Zhang Caixin quietly circulates her blood and qi, fully digesting the spiritual energy in the Spirit Beast meat. The resulting fluctuations reveal to Master Xiong that she is far more powerful than she appears.
• Di Aixin also remains silent and motionless while digesting the meat, abandoning the arm-wrestling dispute. Realizing that Feng Jun’s group is far beyond ordinary, Master Xiong withdraws respectfully.
• Feng Jun assesses the hidden experts gathered at Green Mountain. He identifies Master Xiong, his companion, several other Martial Masters, and an Early Mortal Transcendence–stage Taoist.
• Feng Jun concludes that Master Xiong and the other martial artists possess relatively weak blood and qi because of the declining spiritual energy and lack of resources in the current era. Although they are powerful, exhausting themselves in battle would make recovery difficult and prevent advancement.
• Later that night, someone appears outside the women’s room. Zhang Caixin sees a shadow fleeing through the rain. Feng Jun examines the air and identifies the lingering scent of an ordinary old man, confirming that the intrusion was real rather than imagined.

Character Developments

• Di Aixin is shown to be bold, competitive, and somewhat reckless. However, he also demonstrates discipline by prioritizing the digestion of the precious Spirit Beast meat over continuing the confrontation. Feng Jun recognizes that Di Aixin’s confidence may cause trouble but believes setbacks will help him mature.
• Master Xiong initially appears confident and proud, but his caution reveals that he understands the danger of the wager. After sensing Zhang Caixin’s cultivation, he becomes wary and respectful, recognizing that Feng Jun’s group is composed of hidden experts.
• Zhang Caixin reveals that she is not merely beautiful or decorative. Her ability to circulate blood and qi and fully absorb the meat’s spiritual energy exposes her as a genuine cultivator, shocking Master Xiong.
• Feng Jun continues to act as the group’s calm observer and strategist. He deliberately allows the potential arm-wrestling confrontation to develop so he can study Master Xiong’s abilities, while remaining confident that he can control the outcome.
• Li Shishi is unable to sleep because of the stimulating effects of the Spirit Beast meat and is the first to notice the nighttime disturbance.
• Gao Qiang, Gazi, Lu Xiaoning, and the others are shown to possess substantial potential, even when their cultivation is not immediately apparent. Feng Jun especially trusts Lu Xiaoning’s powerful blood and qi in a strength contest.
• The Green Mountain Taoist night watchman becomes increasingly astonished by Feng Jun’s abilities and realizes that the visitors’ status is far beyond ordinary guests.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deceptive appearances: Zhang Caixin appears to be merely a beautiful young woman, while the seemingly ordinary guests include cultivators and Martial Masters. True power is concealed beneath outward appearances.
• Scarcity and cultivation limits: The declining spiritual energy of the current era restricts martial artists’ progress. Even accomplished Martial Masters struggle because they lack resources to replenish their blood and qi.
• Confidence versus true ability: Di Aixin’s bravado contrasts with Master Xiong’s more cautious self-awareness. The chapter suggests that genuine experts understand both their strength and their limitations.
• The value of resources: The Spirit Beast meat is extraordinarily precious, and its proper consumption can transform the body. The characters’ reactions emphasize the importance of cultivation resources.
• Feng Jun’s growing awareness of the world: His discoveries at Green Mountain broaden his understanding of how many powerful individuals exist beyond his immediate circle.
• Unseen danger: The nighttime intruder introduces a new mystery and suggests that someone may be monitoring or targeting Feng Jun’s group.

Character Interactions

• Di Aixin and Master Xiong engage in a battle of pride, with Di Aixin repeatedly taunting Master Xiong for avoiding arm-wrestling.
• Master Xiong’s disciple attempts to defend his teacher’s honor by challenging Di Aixin, but the contest is abandoned when Feng Jun serves the valuable meat.
• Master Xiong observes Zhang Caixin closely and experiences a dramatic shift from dismissing her as ornamental to recognizing her as a powerful cultivator.
• Feng Jun silently evaluates Master Xiong and the other experts, choosing not to interfere because he wants to observe their abilities and limitations.
• Li Shishi and Zhang Caixin respond to the nighttime disturbance, while Feng Jun confirms that the intruder was real and provides information the Taoist guard cannot believe.