Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

• Conflict over the cultural relics: The Antiquities Appraisal Bureau arrives at Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven to investigate rumors that cultural relics have been uncovered. Because the Daoist sect refuses to confirm anything or reveal the abbot’s whereabouts, the officials decide to search the back mountain. Their insistence makes the Daoists suspicious and anxious, especially since Guan Shanyue fears powerful outsiders may seize anything valuable belonging to the sect.
• Feng Jun scares off the investigators: As the two officials enter the mountain, unexplained lightning repeatedly strikes in front of them. The Daoists seize the opportunity to claim that their ancestors are angry and abandon the officials. Although the men initially dismiss the lightning as a deliberate trick, they continue alone. They soon encounter thick, unnatural fog that traps them overnight. Cold, hungry, exhausted, and unable to find the path, they finally become frightened. When lightning strikes again the next morning beneath a clear sky, they retreat in panic. Feng Jun is later revealed to have created the supernatural disturbances to protect the hidden small world without causing greater trouble for Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven.
• Humiliation at the temple: The officials return pale and exhausted, with the older man suffering from a cold. The Daoists mockingly suggest that they may have angered their ancestors and refuse to give them ginger soup. The two men leave resentfully, blaming the monk involved in the broader dispute, but they no longer dare continue their investigation.
• The expedition returns: That afternoon, the group that entered Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s small world comes back after five days. No one has died, but Feng Tianyang and Zhang Dongyuan are seriously injured, while Daoist Qiu, Dong Zenghong, and Tang Wenji receive minor injuries. Guan Shanyue remains unharmed because the others protect him as the sect’s abbot, while Zhang Caixin is protected by her many talismans and the group’s concern for her.
• Little Celestial Master’s injury: Little Celestial Master is hurt because she is overconfident and careless in combat. Feng Jun’s Blood Essence Protective Talisman prevents her injuries from becoming fatal, highlighting both the value of his support and her developing vulnerability despite her strength.
• Rewards and discoveries: The expedition is considered highly successful. The group kills more than two hundred creatures, mainly Mortal Transcendence Spirit Beasts after becoming more selective. They explore an enormous and varied environment—plains, mountains, rivers, deserts, and other terrain—covering an estimated twenty to thirty thousand square kilometers, though its full size remains unknown.
• Zhang Caixin’s practical contributions: Zhang Caixin’s all-terrain vehicle becomes essential during the expedition. Although the cultivators initially prefer to travel under their own power, the five-day journey exhausts them, and nearly everyone eventually rides on or in the vehicle. Zhang Dongyuan, despite caring deeply about his dignity, ultimately abandons his pride and uses it after being injured. Her Storage Talisman is equally valuable, containing tents, a generator, cooking equipment, and two tons of bottled water.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Guan Shanyue is shown as cautious and protective of his sect’s interests, while his followers use the supposed anger of their ancestors to defend the mountain.
• Feng Jun acts as both protector and strategist, using his enhanced senses and supernatural abilities to prevent outsiders from discovering the small world.
• The Antiquities Appraisal Bureau officials begin arrogantly skeptical but become frightened and humbled by the lightning and fog. Their interactions with the Daoists shift from confrontation to reluctant retreat.
• Zhang Caixin proves indispensable through her preparation and resources, earning the group’s appreciation.
• Zhang Dongyuan experiences comic humiliation as his concern for appearances gives way to exhaustion and injury.
• The expedition members demonstrate mutual protection, especially toward Guan Shanyue and Zhang Caixin, though injuries reveal differences in cultivation, judgment, and combat ability.

Significant Themes

• Superstition versus rationality: The officials initially reject supernatural explanations, but repeated impossible events overwhelm their skepticism. The chapter humorously suggests that even rational people hesitate when faced with unexplained danger.
• Protection of sacred and hidden spaces: The Daoists and Feng Jun work together—through deception rather than open confrontation—to keep the small world and its treasures safe from official interference.
• Preparation and practicality: Zhang Caixin’s equipment proves that logistical planning can be as important as cultivation in a dangerous wilderness.
• Pride versus survival: Several characters, particularly the officials and Zhang Dongyuan, must abandon their confidence or dignity when circumstances become genuinely threatening.
• Rewards accompanied by risk: The expedition yields major gains and valuable experience, but the injuries emphasize that exploration of the small world remains dangerous.

Chapter Summary: The Small World Was Fierce

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Daoist Sect expedition enters the Small World prepared for a five-day hunting trip. Feng Tianyang brings an enormous backpack, while Zhang Caixin even carries an electric oven, prompting Feng to wish for a Storage Pouch.
• The group quickly discovers that the Small World’s ordinary animals are extraordinarily powerful. Massive, aggressive goats possess the strength of Martial Warriors, while leopards are so agile that Martial Master-level cultivation is needed to confront them safely.
• A herd of seven or eight hundred goats attacks the group, forcing the experts to rely on coordinated combat, Talismans, martial arts, and monster-luring techniques.
• The meat of ordinary wild beasts is highly effective at replenishing blood and qi. However, Mortal Transcendence-stage Spirit Beasts are even more valuable because their meat contains spiritual energy.
• After eating the meat of a feathered Spirit Beast capable of firing steel-like needles, Feng Tianyang becomes determined to hunt only Spirit Beasts. Elder Guo objects, arguing that the group should kill whatever prey they encounter rather than become overly selective.
• Zhang Caixin reveals that she can sense faint spiritual energy permeating the Small World itself, not merely the Spirit Beasts. This energy is inherent to the Small World, while Feng Jun’s Spirit Stones help compensate for the world’s spiritual-energy losses and prevent it from falling dormant.
• The group therefore decides to prioritize Mortal Transcendence-stage Spirit Beasts, though they recognize that hunting them is dangerous. They agree that confronting more than three at once is unacceptable, and even two can be the limit for safety.
• The danger becomes clear when they encounter over a dozen wild boars, several of which can use the earth-element spell “Treading Earth.” Since no one can fly, the spell makes the beasts a serious threat.
• Two members are injured while attempting to hunt a Qi Refining Stage Demon Cultivator resembling a pangolin. The creature’s thick hide resists weapons, and its flying-stone spell causes severe trouble. When a second pangolin appears, the group retreats.
• Feng Tianyang is struck in the chest, while Zhang Dongyuan stays behind to cover the retreat, dodges an earth spike, and breaks his own leg from overexertion.
• Despite the injuries, the expedition is considered highly successful. The group returns with more than two hundred animals and Spirit Beasts, whose estimated value exceeds one hundred million.
• After leaving the mountain, they recover at the secluded residence of a local lay devotee. Local doctors treat their external injuries, while Daoist Sect methods handle their internal injuries.
• The group finalizes the distribution of the spoils. Feng Jun leaves the decision entirely to Zhang Caixin, trusting her to represent Luohua Manor. The prey is temporarily stored in her Storage Talisman, while Guan Shanyue plans to purchase cold-storage facilities for future use.
• The chapter ends with Guan Shanyue angrily mentioning rumors that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven had discovered ancient artifacts, suggesting that the Daoist Sect intends to investigate or retaliate.

Character Developments

• Zhang Caixin demonstrates strong judgment, spiritual sensitivity, and growing authority. She identifies the spiritual energy in both the Spirit Beast meat and the Small World itself, persuading the group to prioritize more valuable prey.
• Feng Tianyang begins enthusiastically focused on practical preparations but becomes excited by the superior value of Spirit Beast meat. His willingness to hunt stronger creatures also reveals some impulsiveness.
• Elder Guo represents the Martial Sect’s practical priorities, valuing ordinary beasts because their meat strongly replenishes blood and qi and allows the sect to conserve milder spirit plants.
• Tang Wenji and Guan Shanyue openly support Zhang Caixin, reflecting their trust in her abilities and awareness of her favored position within Luohua Manor.
• Zhang Dongyuan proves his reliability and courage by covering the group’s retreat, suffering a serious injury in the process.
• Feng Jun displays complete confidence in Zhang Caixin by refusing to interfere in the distribution of the spoils.

Significant Themes

• The hidden danger of the Small World: What initially appears to be a safe hunting ground is revealed to contain powerful beasts, dangerous spells, and Demon Cultivators.
• Greed versus caution: The group’s desire for spiritually nourishing Spirit Beast meat leads them toward increasingly dangerous prey, forcing them to establish limits.
• The value of resources: Spirit Beast meat, spirit plants, Spirit Stones, and storage facilities all represent different forms of cultivation wealth and strategic power.
• Trust and authority: Zhang Caixin’s influence grows because of her ability and insight rather than merely her connection to Feng Jun.
• The maintenance of a Small World: The chapter explains that such a world requires an ongoing spiritual-energy supply, making Feng Jun’s Spirit Stones essential to its survival.
• Cooperation among factions: Members of different Daoist organizations combine their specialties and negotiate the distribution of shared gains.

Character Interactions

• Feng Tianyang and Zhang Caixin exchange lighthearted remarks over their travel equipment.
• Zhang Caixin’s proposal to focus on Spirit Beasts is supported by Tang Wenji and Guan Shanyue, while Elder Guo initially challenges it.
• The group collectively establishes hunting limits after recognizing that even they cannot safely fight multiple high-level Spirit Beasts.
• Zhang Dongyuan’s sacrifice during the retreat highlights the expedition members’ mutual reliance.
• During the spoils discussion, Zhang Caixin acts as Luohua Manor’s representative, while Feng Jun reinforces his trust in her judgment.
• Guan Shanyue’s final complaint about the rumors introduces a likely future conflict involving Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven.

Chapter Summary: Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s Bounty

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Guan Shanyue returns to Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven from the small world, she learns that the Antiquities Appraisal Bureau has investigated the temple. The report was made by Yue Yao, a monk from Lotus Mountain Sect.
• The group concludes that Yue Yao is motivated by revenge after suffering losses and that officials from the Appraisal Bureau likely have personal or corrupt motives for pursuing the matter so aggressively.
• Guan Shanyue decides Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven must retaliate to protect its reputation and prevent others from viewing it as weak or easy to bully.
• Feng Jun suggests placing a bounty on Yue Yao rather than killing him directly: the reward will go to whoever can restrain Yue Yao’s legs and mouth, preventing him from traveling around and causing further trouble.
• Guan agrees to offer a future entry slot into the Spirit Beast Garden as the reward. The proposal becomes a way for Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven to demonstrate its authority within the Daoist world.
• Several sect leaders discuss contributing additional rewards, including cultivation time in Green Mountain Sect’s Spirit-Gathering Array and a Five-Thunder Righteous Heart Talisman from Qingcheng Mountain.
• Concerns arise that involving too many powerful sects could attract unwanted attention from government authorities. Guan ultimately decides that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven should issue the bounty alone, preserving its spotlight and avoiding political complications.
• After the meeting, most participants retire to rest following their exhausting time in the small world. Dong Zenghong instead visits Feng Jun to discuss purchasing Spirit Stones.

Character Developments

• Guan Shanyue displays stronger leadership and a growing determination to defend Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven’s dignity. She balances retaliation with political caution, refusing to let the bounty become an unnecessarily broad alliance.
• Feng Jun continues acting as a strategic supporter of Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven. He avoids taking direct action against Yue Yao but provides a clever solution that establishes authority without forcing him to intervene personally.
• Yue Yao is characterized as vindictive, reckless, and fond of creating disorder. His attempt to involve the Antiquities Appraisal Bureau makes him the target of a Daoist-wide bounty.
• Dong Zenghong emerges as practical and politically aware. He questions the implications of publicizing the Spirit Beast Garden and later approaches Feng Jun about the difficult matter of obtaining Spirit Stones.
• Feng Tianyang reacts defensively when he believes Profound Virtue Grotto-Heaven is being excluded from the bounty arrangement, revealing his pride and sensitivity regarding sect status.
• Tang Wenji contributes a diplomatic compromise by suggesting that Green Mountain Sect offer cultivation time as part of the reward.
• Zhang Dongyuan attempts to contribute a powerful talisman but also recognizes the danger of involving too many major sects.

Significant Themes

• Power and reputation: Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven must demonstrate that it cannot be bullied, even when the original offense poses little practical danger.
• Retaliation versus restraint: Rather than resorting to murder, Feng Jun proposes a controlled punishment that neutralizes Yue Yao’s ability to cause trouble.
• Political maneuvering within the Daoist world: The participants carefully weigh alliances, public perception, sect rivalries, and government scrutiny.
• Scarcity and leverage: Access to the Spirit Beast Garden, Spirit-Gathering Arrays, and Spirit Stones represents enormous strategic value. These resources function as political tools as much as material rewards.
• Secrecy and controlled information: The sects hesitate to reveal the Spirit Beast Garden’s existence because unrestricted access could upset the balance of power.
• Cooperation and rivalry: The Daoist sects cooperate when convenient but remain conscious of status, influence, and unequal benefits.

Character Interactions

• Guan, Tang Wenji, Zhang Caixin, Zhang Dongyuan, Elder Guo, and Daoist Master Qiu analyze Yue Yao’s motives and the Appraisal Bureau’s involvement.
• Guan and Feng Jun establish the bounty plan, with Guan eagerly accepting his suggestion.
• Dong Zenghong questions whether the Spirit Beast Garden will be publicly advertised, prompting Feng Jun to clarify that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven can decide how widely to spread the news.
• Dong proposes jointly attaching the names of Luohua and Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven to the bounty, but Feng Jun declines so that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven can build its own reputation.
• Tang Wenji and Zhang Dongyuan offer additional rewards, leading to a dispute with Feng Tianyang over which sects should be included.
• Guan resolves the disagreement by thanking everyone but insisting that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven issue the bounty independently.
• The chapter ends with Dong Zenghong privately approaching Feng Jun, awkwardly admitting that he wants to buy Spirit Stones and acknowledging that their value cannot easily be measured by ordinary wealth.

Chapter Summary: Heavenly Secrets Disk

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dong Zenghong of the Gugui Lineage negotiates with Feng Jun for a Spirit Stone, explaining that his lineage wants to reactivate its Heavenly Secrets Disk, which has been unused for more than four hundred years.
• He offers Feng Jun one divination in exchange for a Spirit Stone, but Feng Jun bargains for three Spirit Stones and three calculations. Dong Zenghong agrees, with the condition that each calculation concerns a different person or matter.
• Feng Jun remains tempted but cautious. He wants to witness Gugui divination firsthand, yet worries that the Heavenly Secrets Disk might expose his ability to travel between planes.
• Feng Jun leaves with Dong Zenghong for the Gugui estate near Xichang. Zhang Caixin and Tang Wenji remain behind to manage the Spirit Beast meat business, while Feng Tianyang accompanies the travelers partway before leaving for another meeting.
• Dong Zenghong’s estate is large but modest compared with Luohua. He leads Feng Jun to a private study and reveals the Heavenly Secrets Disk, casually storing it among peanuts and sunflower seeds.
• Feng Jun provides a Spirit Stone and asks the Disk to calculate whether cryptocurrency will rise or fall. As Dong Zenghong activates it, the Disk emits intense white light, consumes energy far faster than expected, and suddenly explodes.
• A mysterious green streak shoots from the ruined Disk toward Feng Jun’s left arm, leaving the situation unresolved.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates his usual pragmatism and firm principles. He is willing to help the Gugui Lineage but refuses to give away Spirit Stones without a meaningful return. His curiosity about divination competes with his concern that the Disk might discover his secrets.
• Dong Zenghong proves himself skilled in negotiation, diplomacy, and psychological observation. He understands Feng Jun’s personality and appeals to his sense of fairness. He also shows confidence in the Gugui Lineage’s strategic traditions.
• Feng Tianyang appears cautious and protective of the Gugui Lineage, accompanying Feng Jun and Dong Zenghong at first—likely as a subtle warning—though he later leaves for a worldly meeting.
• Zhang Caixin is established as capable of representing Luohua in business matters despite her youth. Feng Jun’s concern for her safety highlights his protective feelings toward her.
• Tang Wenji reinforces Zhang Caixin’s independence, asserting that the two women can handle themselves.
• The Gugui Lineage is characterized as wealthy, secretive, strategic, and influential in both mystical and secular affairs.

Significant Themes

• Trust and mutual exchange: Feng Jun insists that aid must be based on equivalent value, while Dong Zenghong earns his trust by offering access to the Heavenly Secrets Disk.
• Mysticism versus practicality: The legendary Disk is presented with great reverence, yet its mundane storage and sudden malfunction create humorous contrast.
• Strategy and hidden intentions: Dong Zenghong’s diplomacy, Feng Tianyang’s escort, and the Disk’s concealment all reflect the Gugui emphasis on calculation and strategic thinking.
• Limits of knowledge and fate: The Gugui Lineage claims that heavenly secrets can be observed and sometimes changed, but human power may still be insufficient to control the outcome.
• Humor and subversion: Feng Jun treats a supposedly priceless mystical artifact almost like an ordinary object, while Dong Zenghong confidently defends its unconventional concealment.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Dong Zenghong engage in a prolonged, good-natured negotiation over the price and benefits of a Spirit Stone.
• Dong Zenghong flatters Feng Jun by emphasizing his dignity and principles, strengthening their relationship.
• Feng Jun teases the Gugui Lineage’s diplomacy and compares it favorably with the bluntness of other Daoist branches.
• Feng Tianyang’s temporary presence creates an undercurrent of distrust, suggesting that the Gugui Lineage is still monitoring Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun, Zhang Caixin, and Tang Wenji discuss the women’s ability to manage business and protect themselves.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun and Dong Zenghong reacting in alarm as the Heavenly Secrets Disk explodes and sends an unexplained green light toward Feng Jun.

Chapter Summary: “Ghost Valley Stratagems”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Feng Jun places a Spirit Stone into the Gugui Lineage’s Heavenly Secrets Disk, he senses something unusual but initially assumes it is merely a reaction caused by the device calculating heavenly secrets for him.
• The Heavenly Secrets Disk suddenly explodes. Its fragments turn to dust, while a streak of azure light enters Feng Jun’s arm, suggesting that the disk was somehow fated to merge with or belong to him—possibly because its material is connected to the Stone Ring on his wrist.
• Feng Jun immediately worries about how to deal with Dong Zenghong, the disk’s owner. He pretends to be shocked and innocent, emphasizing that the disk belonged to Dong and that he had not asked for anything beyond information about virtual currency.
• Dong is devastated because the disk was the Gugui Lineage’s only Heavenly Secrets Disk and represented an important part of its inheritance. He initially suspects Feng Jun but cannot prove that Feng Jun caused the destruction.
• Feng Jun asks Dong to explain what happened and offers compensation, provided Dong gives a plausible account of the disk’s collapse.
• Feng Jun indirectly reveals that Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven is actually a small world rather than merely a “Spirit Beast Garden.” Dong recognizes the enormous value of such a world and begins comparing it with the destroyed Heavenly Secrets Disk.
• Dong proposes several possible reasons for the explosion:
  1. The disk was used to investigate an illegal foreign virtual currency.
  2. The disk may have reached the end of its service life.
  3. It was forced to calculate matters involving Dust-Free Realm cultivators, who represent the current cultivation limit of the world.
• Dong then cleverly reframes the disaster as potentially beneficial to Feng Jun. Publicly compensating the Gugui Lineage could enhance Luohua’s reputation and encourage others to bring unidentified treasures to Feng Jun for appraisal.
• Feng Jun offers to establish a Spirit-Gathering Array for Dong and give him five Spirit Stones. Dong considers the offer inadequate because the Gugui Lineage does not primarily depend on cultivation resources.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains calm, calculating, and politically cautious. Although he acts innocent, he understands that the Heavenly Secrets Disk’s destruction may benefit him and that he bears a moral obligation to compensate Dong. He also demonstrates his growing ability to manage delicate relationships and conceal the true nature of his powers and treasures.
• Dong Zenghong initially reacts with despair, believing that he has ruined his lineage’s inheritance. However, he quickly regains his composure, develops several reasonable explanations for the explosion, and skillfully turns the situation into an opportunity to obtain better compensation. His adaptability, intelligence, and diplomatic instincts leave Feng Jun impressed.
• Feng Jun’s opinion of Dong improves significantly. He realizes that the Gugui Lineage’s thousand-year survival reflects more than inherited knowledge—it also depends on Dong’s ability to think quickly and protect his interests.

Significant Themes

• Fate and ownership: The Heavenly Secrets Disk’s destruction implies that it was destined to become part of Feng Jun’s power or possessions, raising questions about whether taking it was truly an act of theft.
• Loss and compensation: Dong cannot truly replace the disk, so he must seek practical compensation while accepting that the loss is irreversible.
• Adaptability and survival: Rather than collapsing permanently after losing a priceless inheritance, Dong immediately searches for an explanation and a way to preserve the Gugui Lineage’s interests.
• Reputation and influence: Feng Jun recognizes that compensation can serve as an investment in Luohua’s public image and help it acquire rare treasures in the future.
• The limits of cultivation: The Heavenly Secrets Disk may have failed because it was forced to calculate matters involving beings at the very peak of the current world’s power.
• Hidden identities and secrets: Feng Jun’s revelation about Fugu Crimson Cloud Heaven shows the risks of maintaining concealed information among powerful and ancient lineages.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Dong begin in a tense atmosphere, with Dong grieving and suspicious while Feng Jun carefully performs innocence.
• Feng Jun challenges Dong’s implied accusation by invoking the authority and dignity of a master, though the exchange also contains humor and mutual testing.
• Dong responds to Feng Jun’s pressure with a tactful explanation rather than direct confrontation, showing that he understands both Feng Jun’s strength and the need to preserve their relationship.
• Their conversation gradually shifts from blame to negotiation. Feng Jun offers compensation, while Dong subtly argues that the value of the lost disk requires a more substantial settlement.
• Despite the conflict, their interaction develops into a mixture of wariness, respect, and strategic cooperation.

Chapter Summary: “Talk About Compensation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dong Zenghong and Feng Jun negotiate compensation after the Gugui Lineage’s Heavenly Secrets Disk is destroyed. Dong is dissatisfied because the disk, a unique strategic treasure, was exchanged for only a Spirit-Gathering Array and five Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun argues that the disk was not priceless or indestructible, and suggests adding a Storage Talisman to the original compensation. He views the Storage Talisman—containing an internal space—as another kind of “secret of heaven.”
• Dong reveals that the Gugui Lineage possesses cultivation methods but has traditionally avoided Daoist cultivation. Its successors instead focus on engaging with the mortal world through strategy and worldly experience.
• Feng challenges Dong’s assumptions, arguing that cultivation and strategy are not opposites. A longer lifespan would provide more experience and could strengthen the Gugui Lineage’s inheritance.
• Feng further prompts Dong to consider immortality or, at minimum, lifespan extension as a legitimate goal. Dong begins to question whether the lineage’s traditional pursuit of worldly influence has truly succeeded.
• Feng leaves to investigate whether he can obtain a Storage Talisman and reminds Dong to decide where to establish the Spirit-Gathering Array.
• Dong anxiously contacts Feng Tianyang, fearing Feng Jun may not honor the agreement. Feng Tianyang reassures him that Feng Jun is trustworthy and confirms that Feng Jun has also promised him a Spirit-Gathering Array.
• The two discuss where Dong should place the array. Feng Tianyang advises him to avoid Long City and choose a location with strong earth veins, since Feng Jun understands how to improve Earth Vein Art.
• After leaving the Dong residence, Feng Jun travels toward Xichang City and examines the mark on his wrist. He discovers that the single Stone Ring mark has become two overlapping rings and changed color to orange, suggesting a new and unexplained transformation.

Character Developments

• Dong Zenghong becomes increasingly aware that the Gugui Lineage’s traditional path may be flawed. He has always prioritized strategy and worldly engagement over cultivation, but Feng’s arguments make him reconsider pursuing the Dao, extending his lifespan, and seeking immortality.
• Dong also displays anxiety and insecurity after the Heavenly Secrets Disk’s destruction. Although intelligent and composed, he worries about losing the promised compensation and recognizes that strategic ability is limited without sufficient combat strength.
• Feng Jun demonstrates patience but also irritation with Dong’s insistence on the disk’s value. He remains willing to compensate him fairly while subtly encouraging him to cultivate and rethink the Gugui tradition.
• Feng Jun’s growing abilities and knowledge are emphasized through his mastery of Earth Vein Art, his status as a Dust-Free Realm master, and the mysterious evolution of the Stone Ring mark.
• Feng Tianyang acts as a mediator and reassures Dong about Feng Jun’s character. He also shows respect for Feng Jun’s abilities and warns Dong not to underestimate him.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation versus worldly strategy: The chapter questions whether strategic wisdom and Daoist cultivation must conflict. Feng argues that cultivation can enhance wisdom by granting greater longevity and perspective.
• Tradition versus reinvention: Dong begins to doubt the Gugui Lineage’s inherited philosophy of “engaging with the world,” especially because most of its successors failed to achieve lasting fame or influence.
• Mortality and the pursuit of immortality: The possibility of extending life forces Dong to reconsider the choices made by previous Gugui successors.
• Value and compensation: The disagreement over the Heavenly Secrets Disk explores how treasures are valued differently depending on their uniqueness, usefulness, durability, and symbolic importance.
• Power and influence: Dong’s realization that strategy is ineffective without adequate combat strength highlights the relationship between intelligence, cultivation, and practical authority.
• Mystery and advancement: The Stone Ring’s transformation suggests Feng Jun’s powers or treasures are evolving, introducing an unresolved supernatural mystery.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Dong Zenghong engage in a philosophical negotiation: their discussion about compensation gradually becomes a debate over the Gugui Lineage’s entire approach to cultivation and life.
• Feng challenges Dong directly but respectfully, encouraging him to pursue cultivation without abandoning strategy.
• Dong later contacts Feng Tianyang in panic. Feng Tianyang reassures him that Feng Jun will keep his promise while teasing him for undervaluing the Spirit-Gathering Array.
• Feng Tianyang also advises Dong on the array’s location and reveals more about Feng Jun’s capabilities, further increasing Dong’s respect and apprehension toward Feng Jun.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun alone, pleased by the Stone Ring’s change but uncertain about what its new double-ring form and orange color signify.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun travels to Xichang, checks into a hotel, and secretly enters the Phone Plane after nightfall.
• He investigates the Stone Ring’s new abilities after it gains a second ring.
• The ring’s detection range doubles:
  • “People Nearby” expands from 60 to 120 meters.
  • Nearby Spirit Stones can be detected from up to 1,200 meters away.
• A new function reveals people’s cultivated techniques and displays their Technique Compatibility.
• Feng Jun experiments by copying Heavenly Net Edge and pasting it into Yun Buyao’s empty technique slot. Her compatibility reaches 78%.
• He tests compatibility on other cultivators and discovers that aptitude, elemental attributes, and the technique’s potential all affect compatibility.
• Further testing reveals that the ring can analyze techniques, magical artifacts, and spiritual plants, while also offering limited predictions about future developments.
• After spending two days testing the new functions at Autumn Star Market, Feng Jun realizes the second ring is extraordinarily valuable and begins imagining how much wealth and power future rings might provide.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more analytical and self-critical. Although Yun Buyao is merely his servant in name, he takes responsibility for choosing a suitable cultivation technique for her and worries that Heavenly Net Edge may limit her extraordinary potential.
• His understanding of cultivation deepens. He learns that high aptitude does not automatically make every technique suitable; a technique’s long-term potential is equally important.
• Feng Jun’s confidence in the Stone Ring increases significantly. He recognizes that its new abilities resemble a form of heavenly prediction and begins thinking ambitiously about obtaining a third or even fifth ring.
• Yun Buyao is revealed to possess an exceptionally rare “twenty-four-karat pure gold” constitution, giving her remarkable compatibility with many techniques—especially Five-Element Mortal Transcendence, which reaches 88% compatibility.
• Jing Qingyang’s compatibility remains uncertain because he has not yet entered the Dao through martial arts, demonstrating that a cultivator’s unfinished path can produce unstable results.

3. Significant Themes

• Aptitude versus opportunity: Exceptional talent can be wasted if paired with an unsuitable or limited technique.
• Responsibility and mentorship: Feng Jun feels obligated to give Yun Buyao more than the minimum, even though she began as someone he acquired for practical reasons.
• Limits and long-term potential: Heavenly Net Edge is powerful enough to reach the Dust-Free Realm but may restrict Yun Buyao’s future because her aptitude has no obvious upper limit.
• The price of knowledge: The Stone Ring’s expanding abilities allow Feng Jun to perceive hidden information, predict changes, and analyze the future—suggesting increasing access to the secrets of heaven.
• Power and ambition: Feng Jun’s discoveries lead him to think beyond immediate survival and start planning for greater wealth, influence, and additional rings.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun interacts indirectly with various market cultivators while testing their techniques and compatibility.
• He focuses particularly on Yun Buyao, copying Heavenly Net Edge into her technique slot and later comparing it with Floating Life, Weak Water and Five-Element Mortal Transcendence.
• Feng Jun observes Yun Buyao from outside the courtyard, hesitating to face her because he feels the technique he selected may not be good enough for her.
• He assesses Jing Qingyang’s compatibility with multiple techniques, using the results to better understand the relationship between aptitude and cultivation paths.
• Feng Jun’s concern for Yun Buyao marks a subtle shift from treating her as a convenient servant to viewing himself as someone responsible for her cultivation future.

Chapter Summary: “Little Pebbles”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun searches for a superior metal-element cultivation technique for Yun Buyao, whose exceptional aptitude is poorly matched with her current technique, Heavenly Net Edge.
• Using his mysterious copy-and-paste ability, he discovers Severing Azure Silk, a Great Dao technique with 93% compatibility for Yun Buyao—far better than her current technique’s 78%.
• The technique’s owner demands 100,000 Spirit Stones, making Feng Jun hesitate despite its suitability.
• Feng Jun visits the Heavenlink Trade Alliance, hoping to copy one of its techniques, but discovers that most of its techniques are protected against his ability. He also avoids entering because Huangfu Wuxia is there and might expose his methods.
• Ji Ping’an secretly contacts Feng Jun by throwing a pebble. He warns that members of the Xue Family are investigating the Huangfu Family because they are considering taking action against Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun learns that Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi killed the surviving Xue Family cultivator whom Feng Jun had deliberately spared. They did so to eliminate potential evidence and prevent retaliation. Feng Jun agrees to claim responsibility for the death and compensate Ji Ping’an.
• Ji Ping’an offers to continue monitoring the Xue Family and suggests that he and Feng Jun later travel to Zhi Ge together.
• Liang Zhongyu then contacts Feng Jun, worried about the Xue Family after helping kill one of its members. Feng Jun informs him that the survivor is already dead, relieving Liang’s anxiety.
• Liang recognizes that Feng Jun is searching for a powerful technique for Yun Buyao. He explains that Severing Azure Silk is a dangerous but genuinely excellent Great Dao technique and argues that its high price is difficult to justify for most cultivators.
• Liang reveals that the technique’s owner, Old Man Su of Vast Sea Bookshop, retained rental rights to four cultivation caves after his family’s land was requisitioned, explaining why he has no need to lower the price.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Shows increasing concern for Yun Buyao’s future and is willing to spend heavily to improve her cultivation prospects. He also demonstrates pride and independence by refusing to seek help from Huangfu Wuxia, even though the Huangfu Family provides him indirect protection.
• Yun Buyao: Becomes aware that Feng Jun is actively searching for a better technique on her behalf. She remains humble and grateful, believing Heavenly Net Edge is already more than sufficient.
• Ji Ping’an: Acts as a discreet ally and takes responsibility for removing the Xue Family survivor. His relationship with Feng Jun becomes more cooperative, though he admits he failed to warn Feng Jun accurately about the danger.
• Liang Zhongyu: Reveals himself to be knowledgeable about cultivation techniques but overly cautious and somewhat insecure about his judgment. He is still wary of the Xue Family and remains dependent on Feng Jun’s protection.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Though absent from the chapter, her influence remains important. Feng Jun believes she expects him to approach her for assistance, but he deliberately refuses.
• The Xue Family: Emerges as an active threat. Rather than immediately attacking Feng Jun, they are investigating his connections and the protection offered by the Huangfu Family.

Significant Themes

• Mentorship and investment: Feng Jun’s search for a better technique reflects his growing responsibility toward Yun Buyao and his willingness to nurture promising talent.
• Independence versus reliance: Feng Jun benefits from the Huangfu Family’s reputation but refuses to ask them directly for help, preferring to maintain autonomy and avoid appearing dependent.
• Information and hidden alliances: Secret signals, covert investigations, and indirect protection dominate the chapter. Characters survive as much through intelligence and connections as through strength.
• Value and suitability: A technique’s worth depends not only on its reputation or price but also on its compatibility with a particular cultivator. Severing Azure Silk may be dangerous and expensive, yet it is unusually well suited to Yun Buyao.
• Loss of control: Feng Jun is irritated that Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi killed the survivor without consulting him, revealing his discomfort when events depart from his plans.
• Social privilege and resources: Old Man Su’s wealth, gained through retained rights to cultivation caves, highlights how established families and institutions possess advantages unavailable to ordinary cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun encourages Yun Buyao to accompany him while secretly searching for a technique suited to her. She tries to reassure him that her current technique is adequate, but he refuses to settle for less.
• Ji Ping’an and Feng Jun speak covertly about the Xue Family, the Huangfu Family, and the killing of the surviving enemy cultivator. Their exchange mixes mutual trust, teasing, and a discussion of responsibility and payment.
• Feng Jun and Liang Zhongyu debate the true value of Severing Azure Silk. Liang criticizes its danger and price, while Feng Jun emphasizes its exceptional compatibility with Yun Buyao.
• Liang’s comments also prompt Feng Jun to recognize the limits of his own knowledge regarding cultivation techniques, despite his access to unusual powers.

Chapter Summary: “Wealth Comes Knocking”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun asks Liang Zhongyu whether Old Man Su can protect his wealth in the dangerous cultivation world. Liang explains that Old Man Su’s late father was a Dust-Free Realm master and that his two grandsons belong to the Four Great Sects, giving the family enough influence to deter would-be thieves.
• Liang reveals that Old Man Su’s main “weakness” is his obsession with refining pills, particularly the rare Wisdom-Communing Pill, which increases the intelligence of Spirit Beasts and Wasteland Beasts.
• Old Man Su has worked on the incomplete ancient formula for over twenty years. His bounty for completing it has risen from 200 to 8,000 Spirit Stones, but no one has succeeded.
• Feng Jun realizes that, with the help of his two rings and their analytical abilities, he may be able to solve the formula. He asks Liang to approach Old Man Su, hoping this will also help him negotiate the price of the Severing Azure Silk cultivation technique.
• Feng and Liang bargain indirectly over possible benefits. Liang initially pretends he does not need cultivation techniques, but Feng points out that his clan will need them after moving to Autumn Star. Liang agrees to assist while clearly planning to profit from both sides.
• The chapter shifts to Old Man Su’s family. His young granddaughter, Su Mo’er, angrily confronts him because her beloved Purple-Gold Eagle, Little Fragrance, has fallen into a deep sleep after being given the latest Wisdom-Communing Pill.
• Old Man Su had used the eagle as a test subject because Spirit Beasts were expensive and he believed this batch was close to succeeding. Mo’er accuses him of killing many of Little Fragrance’s companions during previous experiments.
• When Liang arrives to discuss the bounty, Old Man Su immediately agrees to meet Feng Jun, but Liang insists that Old Man Su visit Feng instead. He hints that Feng is a powerful and temperamental expert without revealing his true cultivation level.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more confident in using his hidden advantages. He moves from merely considering the Wisdom-Communing Pill problem to seriously planning to exploit it in negotiations.
• Liang Zhongyu shows his skills as a shrewd middleman. He flatters both sides, conceals Feng Jun’s identity, and positions himself to gain benefits from the transaction while remaining wary of Feng’s intelligence.
• Old Man Su is shown as wealthy, eccentric, and deeply committed to pill research. Despite his stern public manner, he is indulgent and submissive toward his granddaughter.
• Su Mo’er is introduced as a spoiled but emotionally attached child. Her magical clothing and expensive possessions reflect the Su family’s wealth, while her grief over Little Fragrance reveals genuine affection and moral concern.
• Little Fragrance, the Purple-Gold Eagle, becomes important as both Mo’er’s companion and the latest victim of Old Man Su’s experiments.

Significant Themes

• Wealth and privilege: Old Man Su’s family is protected by money, powerful relatives, and influential connections. His wealth allows him to pursue a hobby for decades and fund costly experiments.
• Power and reputation: Even people who are not personally formidable can remain safe through family background and connections to major sects.
• The ethics of experimentation: Old Man Su treats Spirit Beasts as research subjects, while Mo’er sees them as living companions. Their conflict highlights the tension between scientific ambition and emotional responsibility.
• Business versus friendship: Feng Jun and Liang both maintain outwardly friendly relations, but their interactions are driven largely by calculation and mutual benefit.
• Appearances and hidden strength: Feng Jun’s true abilities remain concealed, while Liang uses carefully chosen warnings to make Old Man Su respect an unseen expert.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Liang negotiate over Old Man Su, the pill formula, and the Severing Azure Silk technique, with Feng subtly exposing Liang’s commercial motives.
• Su Mo’er emotionally confronts Old Man Su, accusing him of lying and harming Little Fragrance. Old Man Su responds with unusual patience and fear of upsetting her.
• Liang presents Feng Jun to Old Man Su as a highly skilled pill refiner and carefully refuses to reveal Feng’s identity or cultivation level.
• Old Man Su agrees to cooperate because he is desperate to complete the Wisdom-Communing Pill, while Liang’s warning establishes Feng Jun as someone who should not be treated casually.

Chapter Summary

• Old Man Su accepts Liang Zhongyu’s lead: After hearing that Feng Jun may be a Dust-Free Realm expert, Old Man Su initially dismisses the possibility but agrees to visit him in Autumn Star Market. He brings his granddaughter Su Mo’er after she insists on coming to save her injured Purple-Gold Eagle, Little Fragrance.
• Visit to Feng Jun’s residence: Su Mo’er and Old Man Su travel by carriage to Feng Jun’s courtyard. Old Man Su evaluates the property and notices its defensive formations, an Innate guard, and the respectable arrangement of the household. He recognizes Feng Jun as the young man who recently tried to purchase the valuable cultivation technique Azure Luo.
• Dispute over the pill formula: Feng Jun says he knows something about alchemy and asks Old Man Su to show him the ancient Wisdom-Communing Pill formula. Old Man Su insists that Feng Jun first prove his alchemical ability, as he has done with previous applicants. Feng Jun refuses, arguing that the reward was offered for completing the formula, not for passing an examination. Their exchange becomes increasingly confrontational, and Old Man Su prepares to leave.
• Feng Jun reveals his cultivation: Feng Jun tells Old Man Su that he is a Dust-Free Realm cultivator and that, as a lower-level Qi Refining cultivator, Old Man Su should have shown greater respect. Though initially skeptical, Old Man Su becomes convinced when Feng Jun uses genuine Divine Sense—something extremely difficult to fake—and immediately backs down.
• Mo’er asks for help: Before leaving, Mo’er respectfully asks whether Feng Jun can save Little Fragrance. Feng Jun examines the Purple-Gold Eagle and determines that it has been poisoned by Yù Venom, created when Ink Dragon Bone is combined with a Yù Crystal.
• Old Man Su’s alchemical mistake exposed: Old Man Su argues that Drought-Spider Silk Ash can neutralize Yù Venom, but Feng Jun points out that after being processed and consumed by a bird, the substance’s properties revert and become harmful. Old Man Su realizes that his treatment was fundamentally flawed and that he chose the wrong test subject.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Old Man Su shifts from arrogant skepticism to embarrassed respect. His pride as an alchemist is challenged when Feng Jun identifies the flaw in his pill immediately.
• Feng Jun remains calm and assertive, refusing unreasonable conditions and emphasizing the difference in their cultivation levels. His ability to diagnose the poison demonstrates unusual knowledge and deductive skill.
• Su Mo’er is persistent, innocent, and deeply attached to Little Fragrance. Her tears and respectful appeal ultimately prevent Old Man Su from leaving without seeking Feng Jun’s help.
• Relationship dynamics: Feng Jun and Old Man Su clash over status, trust, and professional credibility, while Mo’er’s presence softens the encounter and redirects it toward saving the injured spirit beast.

Significant Themes

• True expertise versus empty claims: Feng Jun’s practical diagnosis proves more convincing than formal declarations of alchemical knowledge.
• Respect and social hierarchy: The chapter emphasizes the danger of offending powerful cultivators and the importance of recognizing differences in status.
• Pride and humility: Old Man Su’s confidence is undercut by his mistake, forcing him to acknowledge Feng Jun’s superiority.
• Knowledge through deduction and experimentation: Feng Jun’s conclusion comes from extensive research and reasoning about medicinal properties rather than simply possessing a perfect alchemical formula.

Chapter Summary: “I Can Treat It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun examines the Su Clan’s sick Purple-Gold Eagle, Xiaoxiang, and corrects Old Su’s initial diagnosis.
• He reveals that the eagle’s illness is caused not by a single mirage-beast poison, but by mixed poison: residual Golden-Thread Snake venom interacted with the Wisdom-Communing Pill.
• Feng Jun further discovers that Xiaoxiang had been given Wisdom-Communing Pills twice in succession, causing cerebral edema, as well as a third unidentified toxin.
• Although mixed poison is normally extremely dangerous because every component must be identified precisely, Feng Jun is confident in his ability to analyze and treat it.
• Mo’er becomes distraught at the possibility of losing Xiaoxiang. Feng Jun promises to consider treatment if she apologizes to her grandfather, which she promptly does.
• Feng Jun secretly uses his phones and the dual-ring infused with heavenly secrets to calculate whether Xiaoxiang can be saved and determine a treatment plan. The process consumes the batteries of two phones.
• He returns after a short time and announces that Xiaoxiang can be treated.
• Rather than naming a direct treatment fee, Feng Jun proposes buying the Su Clan’s Severing Azure Silk cultivation technique for eight thousand Spirit Stones. Old Su realizes that this effectively makes the treatment fee 27,000 Spirit Stones, since the technique originally cost the clan 35,000.
• Though Old Su considers the price high compared with Xiaoxiang’s actual value, he recognizes that a Purple-Gold Eagle capable of reaching the Wasteland Beast level could possess combat strength comparable to a Dust-Free Realm cultivator.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates remarkable expertise in poison analysis and medical treatment, earning Old Su’s genuine respect. He also shows confidence, business acumen, and restraint by choosing a clear, uncomplicated transaction rather than exploiting the clan.
• Old Su shifts from skepticism to humility. After being repeatedly corrected, he acknowledges Feng Jun as an Adept and becomes willing to pay a substantial price to save Xiaoxiang.
• Su Mo’er displays deep affection for Xiaoxiang and initially panics at the danger of mixed poison. Despite her grief, she behaves obediently when Feng Jun asks her to apologize to her grandfather, showing both emotional maturity and respect for proper conduct.
• Xiaoxiang is revealed to have been unintentionally poisoned through the combination of its diet and repeated medication rather than through deliberate wrongdoing.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge versus assumption: Old Su’s experience is insufficient because he fails to account for the eagle’s previous food and medication history. Feng Jun’s detailed analysis exposes the danger of incomplete diagnoses.
• The complexity of treatment: The chapter emphasizes that mixed poison is dangerous not simply because it is powerful, but because its interacting toxins are difficult to identify accurately.
• Respect and hierarchy: Old Su’s attitude changes once he learns Feng Jun is an Adept, highlighting the importance of status and expertise in their society.
• Mercy and responsibility: Feng Jun uses his abilities to save Xiaoxiang and also guides Mo’er toward apologizing rather than allowing her grief to excuse disrespectful behavior.
• Practical bargaining: Feng Jun and Old Su negotiate through the Severing Azure Silk technique, demonstrating that business dealings can function as both payment and leverage.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun bluntly challenges Old Su’s diagnosis, embarrassing him but ultimately forcing him to recognize his mistakes.
• Old Su responds by adopting a respectful attitude and asking Feng Jun for instruction and assistance.
• Feng Jun comforts Mo’er when she cries, but also uses the situation to teach her to apologize to her grandfather.
• Mo’er’s apology restores harmony between her and Old Su, who admits that he also made mistakes.
• After Feng Jun confirms that Xiaoxiang can be saved, Mo’er reacts with overwhelming joy, while Old Su immediately turns to negotiating the treatment fee.
• Feng Jun and Old Su understand each other as experienced businessmen: Feng Jun states his price plainly, and Old Su correctly interprets the technique purchase as compensation for the treatment.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Old Man Su evaluates the cost of saving his three-year-old Purple-Gold Eagle. Although an adult, tamed eagle could be worth over fifty thousand Spirit Stones, the young bird still requires years of expensive feeding and training, making its current value debatable.
• Su is especially worried because Feng Jun, a Dust-Free Realm superior, has taken an interest in his cultivation manual, Severing Azure Silk. He realizes that refusing Feng Jun could be dangerous, particularly since Feng Jun has already imposed a treatment fee for healing the eagle.
• Feng Jun treats the Purple-Gold Eagle using silver needles, medicinal ingredients, powders, and decoctions. After several hours, the eagle awakens, though it remains weak and will need further treatment for three days.
• Impressed by Feng Jun’s medical ability, Chen Junsheng understands why Feng Jun is called the “Divine Physician.” Old Man Su also becomes relieved and grateful, agreeing to give Feng Jun Severing Azure Silk.
• Instead of immediately accepting the manual, Feng Jun asks to see Su’s incomplete Wisdom-Communing Pill formula, along with records of previous experiments, failed attempts, and lessons learned.
• Feng Jun travels with Old Man Su to retrieve the materials. After studying them for less than half an hour, he completes the research and produces four distinct pill formulas: one general formula and three specialized versions, including one for aquatic Spirit Beasts.
• Old Man Su recognizes the formulas’ quality and realizes they are worth the promised eight thousand Spirit Stones. Feng Jun refuses to accept Severing Azure Silk immediately, insisting that Su first test the formulas successfully so that no one can accuse him of exploiting his superior status.
• Fully convinced by Feng Jun’s skill and integrity, Old Man Su apologizes for offending him earlier and expresses deep admiration.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates not only overwhelming cultivation but also exceptional medical and alchemical knowledge. His successful treatment of the Spirit Beast strengthens his reputation as the Divine Physician.
• Feng’s character is shown to be confident yet principled. Although he holds great power over Old Man Su, he deliberately avoids appearing coercive and insists on objective proof before accepting his reward.
• Old Man Su changes from cautious and defensive to respectful, impressed, and genuinely grateful. He initially fears Feng Jun’s interest in Severing Azure Silk but ultimately recognizes Feng as a fair and extraordinarily capable expert.
• Mo’er is deeply attached to the Purple-Gold Eagle and reacts with great relief and excitement when it awakens. Her feelings influence her grandfather’s willingness to spend heavily on its treatment.
• Chen Junsheng gains a clearer understanding of Feng Jun’s abilities and why others honor him as a divine healer.
• Jing Qingyang continues serving as a reliable subordinate, transporting Feng Jun and Old Man Su efficiently.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and negotiation: Old Man Su’s willingness to compromise reflects the pressure created by the difference between his strength and Feng Jun’s superior cultivation.
• The value of potential: The Purple-Gold Eagle’s worth depends not only on its present condition but also on the time, resources, and risk required for it to mature.
• Expertise transcending boundaries: Feng Jun combines medical knowledge, alchemy, and cultivation, showing that true mastery can extend across fields.
• Integrity and fairness: Feng Jun refuses to take Severing Azure Silk merely because he is powerful, insisting that his completed formulas prove their value.
• Respect between experts: Old Man Su’s attitude shifts from guarded suspicion to sincere admiration after witnessing Feng Jun’s abilities.
• Knowledge as a valuable resource: Su’s experimental records are treated as important intellectual capital, while Feng Jun’s improvements demonstrate the value of combining accumulated experience with superior insight.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Old Man Su negotiate over the Purple-Gold Eagle’s treatment and Severing Azure Silk, with Su ultimately agreeing to cooperate.
• Feng Jun gives instructions to Chen Junsheng, who promptly gathers the necessary medicinal ingredients.
• Mo’er watches anxiously during the treatment and celebrates when the eagle wakes, reinforcing her emotional bond with it.
• Old Man Su consults Feng Jun about the use of acupuncture on Spirit Beasts, revealing his uncertainty and Feng Jun’s impatience with unnecessary questions.
• Feng Jun requests Su’s complete research records, and Su agrees because he respects Feng Jun’s abilities.
• After reviewing the completed formulas, Su praises Feng Jun and offers the manual, but Feng Jun insists on testing the formulas first. This final exchange establishes mutual respect and confirms Feng Jun’s honorable conduct.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun impresses Old Man Su by presenting himself as a dignified superior rather than someone desperate to obtain the Severing Azure Silk cultivation technique. By displaying four pill formulas, he makes it clear that he is unwilling to overpay for the technique and wants to avoid speculation about his origins.
• The Su Clan leaves satisfied after agreeing to have the Wisdom-Communing Pill formula tested. Producing and evaluating the pill will take approximately ten days, after which Feng Jun will receive the cultivation technique.
• To occupy himself during the waiting period, Feng Jun returns to the Blue Star Realm and decides to commission a mini program to automate the tedious data matching and testing required in Phone Space.
• After rejecting several unsuitable or overpriced developers, he hires a chubby independent programmer for six thousand yuan and separately buys the programmer’s development toolkit for thirty thousand yuan.
• Dong Zenghong contacts Feng Jun about placing a Spirit-Gathering Array on Fuluo Mountain, near the Luofu Grotto-Abode. The Gugui Lineage would retain ownership, while Luofu would provide protection and share the array’s benefits.
• Dong also asks whether Feng Jun can improve Luofu’s Earth Vein. Feng Jun refuses, explaining that he dislikes returning to Bud City because of unpleasant memories from his past there.
• Dong attempts to persuade him by suggesting that returning would allow him to enjoy seeing his former enemies regret their actions. Feng Jun rejects this idea, insisting that he has already let go of the past. Dong agrees to reconsider the location, though he remains reluctant to abandon Luofu because it is his preferred partner.
• Feng Tianyang later invites Feng Jun to a gathering attended by a Daoist and two civilians, including a beautiful and influential woman surnamed Wei. After hearing about Feng Jun’s need for a mini program, Wei offers to provide one.
• The next day, Wei sends a stiff but knowledgeable programmer to discuss the project. He warns Feng Jun that casually hiring developers is dangerous because malicious code—such as hidden billing functions—could cause serious losses.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues to cultivate an image of authority and dignity. He carefully controls negotiations, refusing to be exploited while still appearing reasonable and magnanimous.
• He demonstrates greater emotional maturity regarding his past in Bud City. Although he remains unwilling to return there, he states that he no longer harbors resentment and does not seek revenge.
• Feng Jun also shows practical judgment: he recognizes the value of automating repetitive work and is willing to spend heavily on a reliable tool and development system.
• Dong Zenghong appears resourceful and persuasive. He is willing to negotiate boldly with Feng Jun while remaining respectful, and he tries to secure the best possible location and benefits for the Gugui Lineage.
• Feng Tianyang is portrayed as opportunistic and strategic, attempting to use Feng Jun’s ability to improve Earth Veins as a possible future benefit for the Feng clan.
• The woman surnamed Wei is confident, outspoken, socially powerful, and generous in a blunt, almost overbearing way. Despite her teasing behavior, she acts decisively when she decides to help Feng Jun.
• The unnamed programmer, though initially reluctant, reveals professional caution and integrity by warning Feng Jun about security risks.

Significant Themes

• Dignity and negotiation: Feng Jun refuses to allow others to view him as greedy or easily exploited. His presentation of multiple pill formulas lets him reject an unfair price without appearing desperate.
• Reputation and social status: The chapter emphasizes Feng Jun’s elevated position and the difficulty ordinary people now have speaking to him casually. Others must balance familiarity with respect.
• Letting go of the past: Feng Jun’s refusal to return to Bud City is not driven by active hatred but by a desire not to revisit painful memories. His attitude reflects emotional detachment rather than revenge.
• Mutual benefit and obligation: The proposed Spirit-Gathering Array involves complicated exchanges of resources, protection, Earth Veins, and potential disciples. Relationships are treated as agreements in which favors and debts must be carefully balanced.
• Practical modernization: Feng Jun combines cultivation-world power with modern technology, seeking a small software tool to reduce repetitive labor. The chapter also highlights the risks of technical dependence and hidden exploitation.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Old Man Su: Feng Jun uses restrained superiority and strategic generosity to negotiate from a position of strength, while Old Man Su is impressed by his bearing.
• Feng Jun and Dong Zenghong: Their relationship is respectful but increasingly familiar. Dong presses Feng Jun for additional favors, while Feng Jun sets firm boundaries yet honestly explains his reluctance about Bud City.
• Feng Jun and Feng Tianyang: Feng Tianyang indirectly seeks to benefit from Feng Jun’s abilities, while Feng Jun remains wary of being treated as someone who can be summoned whenever useful.
• Feng Jun and Wei: Wei teases and challenges him openly, but Feng Jun responds patiently because of her influence and because he wants to avoid creating trouble for Baizong Mountain.
• Feng Jun and the programmer: Their interaction shifts from a simple software commission to a discussion of trust and security, with the programmer warning him against unreliable developers and concealed malicious code.

Chapter Summary: “Run”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wei Madam’s recommended programmer creates the matching applet, but the first developer—a dishonest, overweight shut-in—has secretly inserted a command that siphons phone charges.
• Feng Jun refuses to pay the fraudulent developer further. Using her unusual connections, Madam Wei brings in two police officers, frightening him into returning Feng Jun’s deposit.
• Feng Jun pays the stone-faced assistant who successfully identifies and fixes the problem. He then has Yang Yuxin and China Mobile independently inspect the applet, confirming that it contains no backdoors.
• Yang Yuxin criticizes Feng Jun for relying on outsiders, but Feng Jun remains wary of asking her associates to develop sensitive software. He believes their greater technical ability could make hidden tampering harder to detect.
• Returning to the Phone Plane, Feng Jun uses the applet to organize and compare information about medicinal ingredients, pills, artifacts, and cultivation techniques.
• He rapidly imports information from more than five hundred books and spends eight days collecting additional data from Autumn Star Market. Around thirty to forty percent of the market’s information remains inaccessible because it is scattered among private shops and residences.
• When Heart of Heaven Platform announces an inspection, Feng Jun leaves the market with Su Mo’er, Yun Buyao, Mi Yunshan, and others to avoid being confined indoors.
• While they enjoy the wilderness outside the market, Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi find Feng Jun and explain that Heart of Heaven Platform is investigating the origin of Yisuo Zhenren’s Heart of Heaven Favor-Repayment Token.
• Master Xu has indicated that Feng Jun is only being investigated because he happened to acquire the token, though the matter is not considered especially serious.
• Ji Ping’an also relays Master Xu’s question about Feng Jun’s relationship with the Xue Family, creating a new point of concern.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly cautious about information security and the people connected to Yang Yuxin. He values reliable verification over technical skill alone and continues turning his “golden finger” into a powerful research and data-organization tool.
• Madam Wei: Though described as flamboyant and unconventional, she proves effective and dependable by finding competent help and using her connections to deal with the dishonest programmer.
• Yang Yuxin: Demonstrates concern for Feng Jun’s safety and competence in handling the applet, but her close network of powerful associates makes Feng Jun distrustful of involving her too deeply.
• Su Mo’er and Yun Buyao: Their relationship continues to improve. Despite their very different backgrounds, they enjoy driving the all-terrain vehicle together, with Su Mo’er acting as the more adventurous one.
• Mi Yunshan: Participates in the outing and relaxes by playing in the stream, showing a more carefree side.
• Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi: Continue developing commercial cooperation with Zhige Mountain and act as messengers regarding Heart of Heaven Platform’s investigation.

Significant Themes

• Trust and surveillance: Feng Jun must balance the advantages of outside assistance with the danger of hidden backdoors, manipulation, and powerful factions monitoring him.
• Knowledge as power: The applet greatly increases Feng Jun’s ability to collect, organize, and compare cultivation knowledge, transforming scattered books and market information into a practical database.
• Limits of copying: His ability can copy knowledge and properties but cannot steal physical objects or reveal the full contents of cultivation techniques, establishing limits to his extraordinary power.
• Power hierarchy and intimidation: Heart of Heaven Platform’s inspection shows how major sects can pressure ordinary cultivators, even when the person involved may have done nothing wrong.
• Pragmatism and preparation: Feng Jun’s decision to leave before the inspection reflects his habit of avoiding unnecessary risks and preserving his freedom of movement.

Character Interactions

• Madam Wei’s intervention protects Feng Jun from the dishonest programmer, while the stone-faced assistant earns Feng Jun’s respect through competence and honesty.
• Feng Jun and Yang Yuxin maintain a cooperative but distrustful relationship: she wants him to rely on her, while he fears the influence of her associates.
• Feng Jun treats Su Mo’er protectively, asking Yun Buyao to supervise her before taking the group out.
• Su Mo’er and Yun Buyao continue bonding through shared adventures in the vehicle.
• Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi seek Feng Jun both for business matters and to warn him about Heart of Heaven Platform.
• The chapter ends with Ji Ping’an raising the unresolved issue of Feng Jun’s connection to the Xue Family, foreshadowing further complications.

Chapter Summary: Lovesick Third

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Xue Family investigates Heavenlink’s connection to Feng Jun after two of its Dust-Free Realm cultivators die. Heavenlink claims Feng Jun is an important partner and identifies Guildmaster Huangfu of the Eastern Branch as the intermediary.
• The Xue Family also seeks Huangfu Wuxia, but she has been away handling matters involving the Heart of Heaven Favor-Repayment Token. Until they can contact her, they do not dare confront Feng Jun directly.
• Master Xu informs Feng Jun that Huangfu Wuxia has returned with members of the Heart of Heaven Platform. Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi, who are also involved in the related affair, question Feng Jun about his plans.
• Feng Jun explains that he will remain on Autumn Star for several more days to collect a reward from Vast Sea Bookshop. He has already completed Old Su’s difficult pill formula and cured the Su Clan’s poisoned Purple-Gold Eagle; he is only waiting for the formula’s verification before leaving for Zhige Mountain.
• Su Mo’er appears and confirms that the Su Clan really does possess the Purple-Gold Eagle, lending credibility to Feng Jun’s claims.
• That evening, Feng Jun camps outdoors with Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi, cooking dinner and bringing out his rare wine, Lovesick Dream—also known as “Lovesick Third” when made from converted Spirit Wine.
• During the drinking session, Liang Yisi revisits the subject of alchemy and discusses the treatment of the Purple-Gold Eagle’s poisoning and cerebral condition. He argues that the creature’s soul should have been repaired first, while Feng Jun defends urgent treatment aimed at removing immediate, life-threatening dangers.
• A mysterious, shabby-looking middle-aged cultivator approaches after being drawn by the wine’s fragrance. Though he claims to be merely passing through, his impressive movement technique and unusual ability to suppress Liang Yisi’s hostility reveal that he is far from ordinary.
• The stranger recognizes Lovesick Third, drinks an entire cup, and demands another. Feng Jun refuses until he gives his name. The man instead challenges Feng Jun to a fight, offering to use only his present cultivation: if he wins, Feng Jun must brew him a goblet of Lovesick Dream; if Feng Jun wins, the stranger will grant him a condition.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Remains confident and dismissive of the Xue Family’s hesitation. His successful completion of the pill formula and treatment of the Purple-Gold Eagle demonstrate his medical and alchemical skill, though he carefully avoids revealing how he achieved them. He also shows composure and hospitality toward the mysterious stranger while remaining cautious about his identity.
• Ji Ping’an: Continues acting as a sensible intermediary and observer. He helps assess the stranger’s identity and remains alert to possible danger.
• Liang Yisi: His obsession with alchemy stems from losing an eye that might have been saved with better medicine. His debate with Feng Jun reveals both his medical knowledge and his personal emotional investment in treatment methods. Despite his usual aggressiveness, he becomes strangely calm under the stranger’s influence.
• Su Mo’er: Defends her family indignantly when Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi mock Old Su, while also unintentionally verifying Feng Jun’s accomplishments.
• The mysterious middle-aged man: Appears refined but impoverished, with advanced cultivation, excellent wine knowledge, and an unusual ability to perceive and manipulate others’ emotional states. His teasing, confidence, and challenge suggest he may be a powerful and unconventional figure.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus courage: The Xue Family’s reluctance to confront Feng Jun reflects the danger of acting against someone connected to powerful organizations, while Feng Jun criticizes their caution as cowardice.
• Practical treatment versus orthodox theory: Feng Jun prioritizes saving a patient from immediate danger, whereas Liang Yisi favors repairing the underlying spiritual foundation. Their argument highlights the tension between rigid doctrine and adaptable practice.
• Hidden ability and concealed identity: Feng Jun conceals the true source of his accomplishments, while the stranger hides his name and background behind the claim of being a passing traveler.
• Wine as a medium of connection and challenge: Lovesick Dream attracts the stranger, creates an atmosphere for discussion, and ultimately becomes the prize in a proposed duel.
• Power expressed through restraint: The stranger demonstrates his strength not through open violence but through effortless movement, emotional suppression, and casual confidence.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun, Ji Ping’an, and Liang Yisi discuss the Xue Family and Feng Jun’s plans to leave Autumn Star.
• Ji Ping’an and Liang Yisi question Feng Jun about Old Su’s pill formula, while Su Mo’er interrupts to defend her grandfather and confirm the Purple-Gold Eagle’s existence.
• Feng Jun and Liang Yisi debate medical philosophy, particularly whether urgent treatment should take priority over restoring the soul and strengthening the body’s foundations.
• The stranger verbally disarms Liang Yisi, causing his anger to fade despite his suspicion.
• Feng Jun welcomes the stranger with wine but insists on learning his surname before offering more. The exchange culminates in the stranger’s challenge to fight Feng Jun under supposedly restricted cultivation conditions, leaving the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “Encountering a Gold Core”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A mysterious middle-aged man casually approaches Feng Jun’s group, drinks their wine, and eats their grilled Viper meat without ceremony.
• Feng Jun tries to learn the man’s name but is repeatedly refused. Suspecting that the man may have been sent by the Xue Family, Feng Jun proposes arm-wrestling as a controlled way to test their strength.
• The man reveals that he can see through Feng Jun’s Dust-Free Realm cultivation and hints that he may be concealing an even higher level of power.
• Feng Jun correctly guesses that the man is likely a Golden Core True Person. The revelation terrifies Liang Yisi, who realizes he had nearly attacked someone vastly beyond his level.
• Despite recognizing the danger, Feng Jun continues with the challenge. He reasons that if the man attacks him directly, he may have no chance to survive, whereas arm-wrestling limits the confrontation to physical strength. Feng Jun is also prepared to flee to another plane if necessary.
• The middle-aged man senses an ominous warning from the encounter and suspects Feng Jun may possess the ability to seriously injure or even kill him. Because cultivators must respect heavenly omens, he becomes cautious.
• The man finally reveals his name: Ji Busheng, a True Person from the Heart of Heaven Platform. His identity excites Ji Ping’an, who is also surnamed Ji, but Ji Busheng silences him inside a sound-blocking barrier because he prefers peace and quiet.
• Ji Busheng explains that he has been conducting a covert inspection for his sect. His concealment of identity was therefore part of a mission rather than an attempt to deceive maliciously.
• After sampling more wine, Ji Busheng invites Feng Jun to become a guest elder of the Heart of Heaven Platform, clearly impressed by Feng Jun’s alchemical abilities.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates courage, caution, and strategic thinking. Although frightened by the possibility of facing a Golden Core cultivator, he refuses to submit passively and seeks a relatively controlled method of testing the situation. His willingness to speak frankly and challenge Ji Busheng reveals growing confidence.
• Ji Busheng is established as a powerful Golden Core True Person, but also as a relaxed, curious, and observant individual. He enjoys food and wine, values quiet, and follows his instincts and heavenly omens carefully. His interest in Feng Jun shifts from curiosity to respect.
• Liang Yisi is overwhelmed by fear after discovering Ji Busheng’s identity. His reaction highlights the enormous difference between ordinary cultivators and a Golden Core True Person.
• Ji Ping’an reacts with enthusiastic admiration upon recognizing Ji Busheng’s sect affiliation. His straightforward personality contrasts with Ji Busheng’s calm reserve.
• Feng Jun’s alchemy gains further recognition, as Ji Busheng considers him valuable enough to recruit into the Heart of Heaven Platform.

Significant Themes

• Courage versus recklessness: Feng Jun’s challenge is dangerous, but he balances bravery with an effort to control the terms of confrontation.
• Respect for hidden power: The chapter emphasizes the danger of judging people by their appearance or apparent cultivation. Both Feng Jun and Ji Busheng conceal their true capabilities.
• Heavenly omens and cultivation philosophy: Ji Busheng believes that cultivators may defy Heaven but must still respect warnings and opportunities revealed by fate.
• Identity and trust: Feng Jun’s insistence on knowing Ji Busheng’s name reflects his need to assess threats, while Ji Busheng’s concealment reflects the secretive nature of his sect mission.
• Power and restraint: Although the encounter could become lethal, both sides avoid direct violence and carefully probe each other’s intentions.
• Recognition of talent: Ji Busheng’s invitation shows that skill and usefulness—particularly Feng Jun’s alchemy—can earn respect even across a major difference in cultivation level.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Ji Busheng engage in a tense but playful exchange over food, wine, names, and arm-wrestling.
• Feng Jun openly challenges Ji Busheng while disguising his anxiety with humor and confidence.
• Liang Yisi warns Feng Jun to clarify the wager and later reacts with terror to Ji Busheng’s true status.
• Ji Ping’an excitedly recognizes Ji Busheng, but Ji Busheng isolates him behind a barrier to maintain quiet.
• Feng Jun formally offers Ji Busheng wine after learning his identity, while still subtly criticizing his concealed cultivation.
• Ji Busheng responds to Feng Jun’s boldness by explaining his mission and offering him a position as a guest elder, turning a potentially hostile encounter into a possible alliance.

Chapter Summary:

The Free-Spirited Gold Core

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Busheng, a Gold Core True Person from the Heart of Heaven Platform, visits Feng Jun’s group after smelling their Lovesick Dream wine.
• He listens to Feng Jun discuss treating a Purple-Gold Eagle’s soul-related illness and becomes impressed by Feng Jun’s medical and pill-refining abilities.
• Ji Busheng invites Feng Jun to become an honorary guest of the Heart of Heaven Platform. Feng Jun politely declines, explaining that he prefers a carefree, wandering life and may consider joining a force only after gaining more cultivation and experience.
• The group continues drinking. Ji Busheng reveals important information about Lovesick Dream:
  • Three days of brewing produces Lovesick Third.
  • Nine days produces Lovesick Sixth-Brew.
  • Eighteen days produces Lovesick Ninth-Brew.
  • Forty-nine days and the true recipe are required to make genuine Lovesick Dream.
• Before leaving, Ji Busheng takes twenty jin of wine and gives Feng Jun a white plaque bearing the character “Guide,” his name, and the Heart of Heaven emblem.
• The plaque secretly contains Ji Busheng’s power. When Feng Jun catches it, he uses power from across planes to neutralize the attack, then pretends to be injured by spitting blood.
• Ji Busheng recognizes that Feng Jun has faked the injury and concludes that Feng Jun possesses a powerful hidden trump card. He is curious but chooses not to pursue the matter further.
• After Ji Busheng leaves, Ji Ping’an apologizes for his behavior, while Liang Yisi criticizes him for excusing someone merely because they share a surname.
• The group examines the plaque and suspects it may be a Guidance Token, signifying that Feng Jun has been recognized as a promising cultivation talent.
• Feng Jun stays away from his courtyard for several days, claiming to recover. When he returns, he discovers dozens of people gathered around a new notice: “Instructions for Installing Telephones.”

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates tact by refusing recruitment without openly offending Ji Busheng. He also reveals greater caution and resourcefulness by using his cross-plane abilities to survive the hidden attack while concealing his true strength.
• Ji Busheng: Appears eccentric, confident, and fond of fine wine. Though disappointed by Feng Jun’s refusal, he remains relatively open-minded. His curiosity and pride lead him to test Feng Jun before leaving.
• Ji Ping’an: Shows embarrassment over Ji Busheng’s conduct and apologizes afterward, suggesting that he is more considerate and socially cautious.
• Liang Yisi: Displays a blunt, perceptive personality by rejecting Ji Ping’an’s attempt to defend Ji Busheng.
• Mi Yunshan: Continues managing the group’s affairs and helps interpret the significance of the plaque, while her lack of a Guidance Token suggests she may not yet have received recognition from a major force.
• Mo’er: Provides comic relief by confidently repeating what her “big pot” told her about Guidance Tokens.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus institutional allegiance: Feng Jun values independence and a wandering lifestyle over the status and protection offered by a major cultivation organization.
• Hidden strength and strategic deception: Both Feng Jun and Ji Busheng conceal their true intentions and abilities. Their encounter becomes a subtle contest of observation and restraint.
• Pride and personal temperament: Ji Busheng’s actions reflect the Heart of Heaven Platform’s philosophy of acting according to one’s own desires, even when that means testing or offending others.
• Recognition and potential: The Guidance Token suggests that powerful organizations identify and cultivate promising talents, raising the possibility that Feng Jun has attracted serious attention.
• Cultivation-world knowledge and technology: The detailed discussion of wine-making and the appearance of telephone-installation instructions show the blending of cultivation traditions with developing technology.

Character Interactions

• Ji Busheng and Feng Jun engage in a polite but tense recruitment conversation, with Feng Jun’s refusal concealed beneath courteous words.
• Their drinking session creates a temporary atmosphere of camaraderie, but Ji Busheng’s final gift doubles as a test of Feng Jun’s strength.
• Ji Busheng silently assesses Feng Jun after detecting the deception, while Feng Jun internally warns him not to push further.
• Ji Ping’an apologizes to Feng Jun, but Liang Yisi challenges his loyalty to Ji Busheng, revealing tension within the group.
• The chapter ends by shifting from cultivation politics to a technological development, as Feng Jun encounters the public notice about telephone installation.

Chapter Summary: “The Way of Business”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Heavenlink promotes its new telephone service in Autumn Star Market. The system allows long-distance communication without consuming spiritual energy, but customers must pay a twenty-Spirit-Stone installation fee and a monthly fee of one Spirit Stone.
• Market residents debate whether telephones are worth the cost, comparing them with paper cranes, which are cheaper but limited to point-to-point communication.
• Feng Jun realizes that Huangfu Wuxia has quickly begun expanding the telephone business after securing approval from the major sects.
• Huangfu admits that telephone installations in towns have been slow. Feng explains that this is natural because people living close together have little need for long-distance communication.
• Feng learns that Heavenlink both manufactures and operates the telephone network. He criticizes this arrangement, explaining that separating manufacturing from operations would prevent monopolies, encourage competition, and eventually lower costs.
• Huangfu explains that local town and market administrations cannot afford to purchase the equipment outright. Their budgets are tightly controlled, and they cannot risk spending public funds on an unproven technology.
• Feng proposes a BOT model—build, operate, transfer: Heavenlink should construct and operate the network itself, recover its costs, and eventually transfer the system to the local administration. It should also pay the administration commissions for each installation to encourage promotion.
• Huangfu is deeply impressed by Feng’s systematic business knowledge. She realizes that his value lies not only in supplying unusual products but also in teaching effective methods of doing business.
• She offers to appoint Feng as a consecrated advisor and seek his appointment as a guest elder. Feng declines, preferring his independence and freedom from restrictions.
• Feng reveals that Ji Yongnian of the Heart of Heaven Platform previously invited him to become a guest elder because of his medical abilities.
• Huangfu is skeptical because Feng is supposedly only at the Qi Refining Stage and she has never witnessed his medical skills. Feng explains that he recently helped Old Man Su of Vast Sea Bookshop complete an ancient pill formula and cured Su’s Purple-Gold Eagle.
• Huangfu recognizes the reference to Old Man Su’s incomplete pill formula but is surprised that Feng may have solved it. Feng says the results will be verified within a day or two.
• To reinforce his claims, Feng places an unidentified white object on the table and challenges Huangfu to identify it.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates strong commercial and organizational insight, especially through his explanation of separating equipment manufacturing from network operations and his proposal of the BOT model. He becomes more open about his accomplishments, subtly revealing his connections with powerful figures and his medical achievements.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Develops from a profit-focused businesswoman into someone eager to understand Feng’s broader principles and methods. She recognizes that learning his “way of doing business” is more valuable than merely obtaining profitable products. Her respect for Feng increases considerably, although she remains skeptical of his medical reputation and hidden abilities.
• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia’s relationship: Their interaction becomes more mutually respectful. Feng still dislikes Huangfu’s habit of spying on others, but he begins to view her as a potentially good friend because of her willingness to learn.

Significant Themes

• Teaching methods versus providing results: The chapter emphasizes that teaching someone how to succeed is more valuable than simply giving them profitable goods.
• Business structure and monopoly: Feng argues that manufacturing and operations should be separated to prevent monopolistic control, encourage competition, and reduce prices.
• Innovation and institutional limitations: New technologies may fail to spread because local administrations lack the authority, funds, or confidence to invest in them.
• Adaptation to local systems: The BOT model shows how modern business strategies can be adapted to the Cultivation Realm’s decentralized administrative structure.
• Hidden ability and reputation: Feng’s true talents remain underestimated because others judge him by his apparent cultivation level. His influence rests increasingly on skills—business knowledge, medicine, and innovation—that are not immediately visible.
• Freedom versus status: Feng values independence more than official titles, refusing prestigious positions if they might restrict his freedom.

Important Character Interactions

• Market residents argue over the cost and usefulness of telephones.
• Huangfu consults Feng about improving Heavenlink’s promotion and expansion.
• Feng instructs Huangfu in modern commercial principles, particularly the separation of manufacturing and operations and the BOT system.
• Huangfu offers Feng an official advisory and elder position, but he rejects it.
• Their conversation shifts toward Feng’s relationship with Ji Yongnian and his medical achievements.
• Huangfu questions whether Feng truly completed Old Man Su’s pill formula, while Feng confidently hints that he has proof, ending the chapter on a reveal.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun examines a mysterious white token. Huangfu Wuxia identifies it as a Sage-Recruiting Token issued by Ji Busheng, a Gold Core Immortal of the Heart of Heaven Platform.
• Huangfu explains that such tokens are reserved for exceptional cultivators and function as a prestigious faction’s promise of future acceptance. Their existence protects Feng Jun from open retaliation by the Muchuan Xue Family, since attacking him could provoke Ji Busheng.
• Feng realizes that Ji Busheng’s token was likely intended to shield him from the Xue Family, despite Ji never asking about the trouble Feng was facing. His resentment toward Ji disappears.
• Feng asks whether the token would allow him to blame future attacks on the Xue Family. Huangfu clarifies that only Ji’s willingness to deduce heavenly secrets could establish responsibility, so the token offers deterrence rather than absolute protection.
• Feng recounts his conflict with the Xue Family, omitting the exact circumstances of two Dust-Free Realm cultivators’ deaths. Huangfu acknowledges that neither side was entirely wrong in their struggle for resources and advancement, but promises that the Huangfu Family will warn the Xue Family not to trouble Feng.
• The next morning, Old Man Su arrives with two guards and respectfully presents Severing Azure Silk as payment for the pill formulas Feng gave him.
• Su reports that three formulas have been successfully refined. The water-element Spirit Beast pill repeatedly failed before finally succeeding, but the testing exhausted his family’s resources and left him unable to purchase more Spirit Beasts.
• Feng accepts Su’s refinement manual and test records, pretending to be enthusiastic despite having little interest in learning alchemy himself.
• Huangfu Wuxia and Master Xu arrive to discuss the newly refined pills. Heavenlink Trade Alliance offers to buy the Wisdom-Communing Pills for no more than ten Spirit Stones each, or to purchase the formulas outright.
• Su rejects the proposed sales price as too low because of his high refinement costs, then hints that selling the formulas would require a substantial payment.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more appreciative of Ji Busheng after understanding the token’s protective significance. He remains self-reliant and pragmatic, refusing to depend entirely on an Immortal’s protection. His merchant-like attitude—prioritizing profit over friendship—is challenged by Huangfu Wuxia.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Demonstrates political insight and loyalty. She explains the token’s importance, recognizes the complexity of Feng’s conflict with the Xue Family, and offers the Huangfu Family’s support. She also reveals that she values both profit and personal alliances.
• Old Man Su: Grows deeply respectful of Feng Jun, treating him as a master after benefiting from the pill formulas. Despite financial setbacks during testing, he shows confidence in the commercial value of the pills and becomes willing to negotiate firmly.
• Ji Busheng: Although absent, his influence becomes clearer. His token reveals that he quietly protected Feng Jun and regarded him as a talent worth reserving.
• Master Xu: Acts as Heavenlink’s practical negotiator, making a low initial offer and shifting toward purchasing the formulas when Su refuses to sell the finished pills cheaply.

Significant Themes

• Protection through reputation and influence: The Sage-Recruiting Token demonstrates how association with a powerful Immortal can deter enemies even without direct intervention.
• Independence versus reliance: Feng values the protection but does not want to become dependent on Ji Busheng’s favor.
• The cost of talent: Exceptional cultivators and valuable discoveries attract both recruitment and predatory attempts at control.
• Business and friendship: Feng views commerce as fundamentally profit-driven, while Huangfu argues that relationships, resources, and companionship are essential to long-term success.
• Innovation and commercialization: Su’s pill formulas represent valuable research, but high production costs and uncertain market demand make pricing and ownership contentious.
• Moral ambiguity in cultivation conflicts: Huangfu recognizes that Feng and the Xue Family are both acting according to their own interests in the struggle for the Great Dao.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia: Their conversation mixes mutual respect, teasing, and philosophical disagreement. Huangfu defends the importance of friendship, while Feng jokingly insists that merchants primarily seek profit.
• Feng Jun and Ji Busheng: Though Ji is not present, Feng reassesses him positively after learning that the token was a protective gesture.
• Feng Jun and the Xue Family: Their hostile relationship remains unresolved, but Ji’s token and the Huangfu Family’s intervention make open retaliation more difficult.
• Feng Jun and Old Man Su: Su approaches Feng with the deference of a disciple, while Feng accepts the tribute and maintains the appearance of an accomplished alchemist.
• Old Man Su, Huangfu Wuxia, and Master Xu: They enter into a commercial negotiation over the Wisdom-Communing Pills and their formulas, with Su resisting Heavenlink’s low valuation.

Chapter Summary:

A Gold Core Appears Again

Key Plot Points and Events

• Old Man Su negotiates with Master Xu and Huangfu Wuxia over the sale of his unique Wisdom-Communing Pill formula. He initially asks for an extremely high price of 200,000 Spirit Stones, arguing that the formula is exclusive and took twenty years of experimentation to develop.
• Master Xu considers the price unreasonable and offers Heavenlink’s maximum price of 10,000 Spirit Stones.
• Old Man Su asks Feng Jun to decide the matter. During the discussion, Feng Jun reveals that he has advanced to the Dust-Free Realm, surprising both Master Xu and Huangfu Wuxia.
• Feeling embarrassed for attempting to negotiate a purchase in Feng Jun’s courtyard without realizing his new status, Master Xu gives Feng Jun a valuable Lesser Heavenly Secret Stone, also called a Spirit Stone Under Refinement, as a congratulatory gift.
• Feng Jun politely refuses the gift and instead questions why Master Xu is handling the negotiation. Huangfu Wuxia explains that the transaction concerns Heavenlink’s local business territory.
• Feng Jun asks Old Man Su whether he truly wants to sell the formula. Su admits that he would prefer to keep it as a foundation for his family, possibly using it later to gain support for his grandson’s advancement.
• Before the matter is settled, a seemingly ordinary Qi Refining cultivator appears and asks to inspect the pills. When Master Xu angrily releases pressure against him, the pressure vanishes, Master Xu temporarily loses his sight, and he and Huangfu Wuxia realize that the newcomer is a Gold Core Immortal.
• The Immortal, Ji Busheng, forgives their disrespect but warns Master Xu not to casually threaten people with death.
• Huangfu Wuxia respectfully identifies herself and explains the origin of her Protective Talisman, revealing her connection to the Huangfu family and to Ji Busheng’s former identity, Ji Yongnian.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: His breakthrough to the Dust-Free Realm greatly raises his status. He becomes more confident and influential, calmly mediating the dispute and refusing an immensely valuable gift despite recognizing its worth.
• Old Man Su: He demonstrates greater resolve and strategic thinking. Although tempted by a high price, he ultimately prioritizes preserving the pill formula as a family legacy.
• Master Xu: His initially forceful and dismissive attitude softens after learning of Feng Jun’s breakthrough. He becomes cautious and conciliatory, recognizing Feng Jun’s luck, potential, backing, and connection to powerful Immortals.
• Huangfu Wuxia: She remains commercially pragmatic but is briefly embarrassed by failing to recognize Feng Jun’s advancement. Her attempted use of the Treasure-Appraising Eye against Ji Busheng also reveals her boldness, though she quickly shows proper respect.
• Ji Busheng: He is introduced as a powerful Gold Core Immortal who disguises his identity and effortlessly neutralizes Master Xu’s attack. Despite his overwhelming strength, he is relatively magnanimous toward those who offend him unknowingly.

Significant Themes

• Power and status: Feng Jun’s advancement changes the balance of the negotiation, while Ji Busheng’s appearance demonstrates the enormous gap between ordinary cultivators and Gold Core Immortals.
• Respect and social hierarchy: The characters must constantly adjust their behavior according to cultivation level, sect affiliation, family connections, and hidden identities.
• Family legacy versus immediate profit: Old Man Su values the pill formula as a long-term foundation for his family rather than simply selling it for money.
• Luck and opportunity: Master Xu considers Feng Jun’s extraordinary luck nearly as important as his cultivation and backing, suggesting that fortune is a major force in the cultivation world.
• Restraint and diplomacy: Feng Jun and Ji Busheng both show that true power can be expressed through calmness and mercy rather than aggression.

Character Interactions

• Master Xu and Old Man Su: Their negotiation is tense, with Xu criticizing Su’s price and Su defending the formula’s uniqueness.
• Feng Jun and Master Xu: Feng Jun exposes the awkwardness of Xu’s attempted purchase and later refuses Xu’s valuable gift, maintaining polite but firm control of the situation.
• Feng Jun and Old Man Su: Feng Jun gives Su the choice of whether to sell, respecting his autonomy rather than forcing a decision.
• Master Xu and Huangfu Wuxia: Their partnership reflects Heavenlink’s business divisions, though Huangfu is frustrated when Xu offers her promised Spirit Stone Under Refinement to Feng Jun.
• Master Xu and Ji Busheng: Xu’s attempt to intimidate the disguised Immortal backfires completely, leaving him chastened and physically unsettled.
• Huangfu Wuxia and Ji Busheng: Their exchange reveals her connection to the Huangfu family and Ji Busheng’s past relationship with her ancestor, allowing her to avoid serious consequences for accidentally provoking him.