Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

+ Chen Lie cultivates to the Blood Refining Stage and awaits Blue Star University's response regarding his Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit.
+ Chen Lie receives a call from Xue Caini, inviting him to the Thirteenth Campus general office.
+ Chen Lie meets Ruan Liusu and Zhao Ziyan, who are also registering as external students of the Super Genius Class.
+ Chen Lie is informed that he will directly advance to an official student of the Super Genius Class.
+ Chen Lie learns that Principal Lei Jinglong is away on a mission to the Outer Stars.

Character Developments

+ Chen Lie demonstrates maturity and composure when dealing with Blue Star University's higher-ups.
+ Ruan Liusu shows concern for Chen Lie's well-being and keeps him updated on her grandfather's actions.
+ Zhao Ziyan remains expressionless and indifferent throughout the chapter.

Significant Themes

+ The power of connections and influence in the Martial Dao world is highlighted, with Blue Star University's higher-ups finally acknowledging Chen Lie's achievements.
+ The theme of hidden potential and sudden growth is emphasized, as Chen Lie's rapid progress from an ordinary student to a Blood Refining Stage cultivator defies conventional expectations.

Character Interactions

+ Chen Lie interacts with Ruan Liusu and Zhao Ziyan, showing concern for Ruan Liusu's cultivation progress and indifference towards Zhao Ziyan.
+ Chen Lie meets with Zheng Dongyang, Yu Yuan, and Tan Qihui, discussing his Martial Dao journey and the mysterious figure who instructed him.
+ Chen Lie and Xue Caini work together to process his registration as an official student of the Super Genius Class.

Key Plot Points & Events

• Chen Lie joins the Super Genius Class and is granted a monthly allowance of Star Liquid.
• Ruan Liusu's cousin, Cheng Xiaoxiao, delivers gifts from Ruan Liusu's grandfather: a Blood-Congealing Crow for Ruan Liusu and Body-Tempering Spirit Mushroom juice for Chen Lie.
• Cheng Xiaoxiao asks Chen Lie to intercede with Principal Qin for Qin Ruoxi.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Joins the Super Genius Class, receives valuable gifts, and agrees to help Qin Ruoxi.
• Ruan Liusu: Feels pressure to keep up with Chen Lie's exceptional talent, resolves to work harder in martial cultivation.
• Cheng Xiaoxiao: Acts more respectfully towards Ruan Liusu due to her grandfather's influence, asks Chen Lie for a favor.

Significant Themes

• Talent and pressure: Ruan Liusu feels pressured to keep up with Chen Lie's exceptional talent.
• Family and relationships: Cheng Xiaoxiao's behavior changes due to her grandfather's influence, and she asks Chen Lie for a favor related to her friend.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Ruan Liusu: They interact more, with Ruan Liusu feeling pressure to keep up with Chen Lie's talent.
• Chen Lie and Cheng Xiaoxiao: They meet for the first time, and Cheng Xiaoxiao asks Chen Lie for a favor related to Qin Ruoxi.
• Ruan Liusu and Cheng Xiaoxiao: They meet as cousins for the first time, with Cheng Xiaoxiao acting more respectfully due to her grandfather's influence.

Summary of "The Upper Three Stars" Chapter

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ruan Liusu discovers Chen Lie's high Strength Value and asks about his martial arts background.
• Chen Lie offers to help Ruan Liusu correct her Bone Refining Stage cultivation in an exchange room.
• Chen Lie shares detailed insights on Bone Refining, Organ Refining, and Blood Refining stages, as well as a Blood Qi circulation method.
• Ruan Liusu invites Chen Lie to dinner at the cafeteria.
• Lei Jinglong returns from the Outer Stars, bringing news about Blue Star's entry into the Ten-Star Alliance and the competition for a permanent council planet seat with Wood Source Planet.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Shows exceptional understanding of martial arts, having been guided by an expert from the Outer Stars. He helps Ruan Liusu improve her cultivation.
• Ruan Liusu: Recognizes Chen Lie's superior martial arts insights and seeks his guidance. She shows eagerness to learn and improve.
• Lei Jinglong: Returns from the Outer Stars with crucial information about the competition for a permanent council planet seat. He learns about Chen Lie's claim of being guided by the Star Seeker.

Significant Themes

• The importance of guidance and mentorship in martial arts cultivation.
• The vast differences in martial arts standards between Blue Star and the Outer Stars, particularly the Upper Three Stars.
• The upcoming competition between Blue Star and Wood Source Planet for a permanent council planet seat.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Ruan Liusu: They exchange martial arts insights, with Chen Lie providing detailed guidance to Ruan Liusu, leading to a stronger bond between them.
• Lei Jinglong and Blue Star's high-ranking figures: They discuss the competition for the permanent council planet seat and the claim made by Chen Lie about being guided by the Star Seeker.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie's past is investigated by Blue Star University's principal, Lei Jinglong, after learning about his exceptional abilities and the injustices he faced.
• Chen Lie joins the Super Genius Class and meets Han Keke, who holds a grudge against him for winning the Northwest General Star and one hundred thousand Star Dollar Galactic Coins from her.
• Chen Lie is informed that he will have the opportunity to travel to the Outer Stars for diplomatic missions and may meet with Principal Lei Jinglong.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Chen Lie remains calm and composed despite Han Keke's provocation. He shows no signs of resentment toward the authorities, keeping his emotions hidden, as Lou Xueru suspected.
• Han Keke: Han Keke is determined to settle her grudge against Chen Lie and challenges him to a duel.

Significant Themes

• Genius vs. Authority: The theme of a genius being suppressed by authority is explored through Chen Lie's experiences. Despite the injustices he faced, he maintains his composure and dignity.
• Resentment and Revenge: Han Keke's actions highlight the theme of resentment and the desire for revenge, which can lead to personal growth or destruction.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Han Keke: Their interaction sets the stage for a potential duel, showcasing their competitive nature and desire to settle their dispute.
• Lei Jinglong and Blue Star University Staff: Lei Jinglong's return and investigation into Chen Lie's situation highlight the interactions between the university's principal and its staff, as they work together to address the injustices faced by Chen Lie.

Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie is challenged by Han Keke to a duel on the Duel Platform, but they are stopped by Cheng Mengying, a teaching assistant.
• Chen Lie declines Cheng Mengying's offer to join her teaching assistant group and instead joins Ruan Liuyun's group.
• Chen Lie meets the other members of Ruan Liuyun's teaching assistant group: Wang Tian'en, Dong Jingtian, Xu Wanqing, and Xia Ziying.
• Blue Star University hosts an exchange event with Shuimang Star Martial Academy and Red Flame Planet Imperial Martial Academy. The leaders of the three powers discuss a potential martial contest.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie joins the Super Genius Class and Ruan Liuyun's teaching assistant group.
• Han Keke is revealed to be willful and unwilling to admit defeat, causing her to lose the Northwest General Star to Chen Lie.
• Wang Chen, the Head Disciple of Shuimang Star Martial Academy, recognizes Chen Lie and expresses gratitude for their previous spar.

Significant Themes

• The importance of humility and learning from others, as seen in Chen Lie's response to Han Keke's challenge and Wang Chen's request for a spar.
• The value of guidance and mentorship, highlighted by the role of teaching assistants in the Super Genius Class.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie interacts with Han Keke, Cheng Mengying, and Ruan Liuyun, leading to his decision to join Ruan Liuyun's teaching assistant group.
• Wang Chen interacts with Chen Lie, expressing gratitude for their previous spar and inviting him to spar with a junior sister from Shuimang Star Martial Academy.
• The leaders of Blue Star University, Shuimang Star Martial Academy, and Red Flame Planet Imperial Martial Academy discuss a potential martial contest between their top young talents.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie arrives at the Shuimang Star Martial Academy and spars with Yang Xinrui, defeating her despite being at a lower stage.
• Yan Qingwu, the chief senior sister, offers to exchange martial arts with Chen Lie but is refused.
• Chen Lie returns to the Blue Star University resting area, where Qin Ruoxi tries to recruit him into Jiang Yuan's group for Starry Sky University.
• Chen Lie receives a call from his younger sister, Chen Xingyao, who has come to find him.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates extraordinary combat strength, defeating a late Blood Refining Stage cultivator while only at the early Blood Refining Stage. Refuses to exchange his Outer Stars martial art.
• Yang Xinrui: Loses to Chen Lie, realizing the gap between Blue Star and Shuimang Star's martial standards.
• Yan Qingwu: Recognizes Chen Lie's potential and offers to exchange martial arts, but is refused.
• Qin Ruoxi: Tries to recruit Chen Lie into Jiang Yuan's group, revealing her intentions to help him at Starry Sky University.

Significant Themes

• The gap in martial standards between Blue Star and Shuimang Star.
• The importance of Outer Stars martial arts and the desire to obtain them.
• The challenges and competition faced by students at Starry Sky University.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Yang Xinrui: Spar on the Duel Platform, with Chen Lie emerging victorious.
• Chen Lie and Yan Qingwu: Yan Qingwu offers to exchange martial arts with Chen Lie, but he refuses.
• Chen Lie and Qin Ruoxi: Qin Ruoxi tries to recruit Chen Lie into Jiang Yuan's group, but he is not interested.
• Chen Lie and Chen Xingyao: Chen Xingyao finds Chen Lie at the Thirteenth Campus, and they catch up.

Chapter summary

Key events

• Chen Xingyao introduces her friend Yan Yueke to her brother, Chen Lie. Recognizing Yan from his previous life, Chen Lie recalls that she was connected to the Yan Family’s persecution of his family after Xingyao discovered a valuable opportunity on an Ancient Star.
• In that former life, Yan and the powerful Yan Family tried to seize the opportunity. Xingyao was framed, expelled from university, and her family was ruined; Chen Lie’s parents were killed, and Xingyao eventually died protecting him.
• Determined to prevent history repeating, Chen Lie warns Yan to stay away from Xingyao. When Yan protests, he grabs her by the neck and threatens her. Xingyao agrees to end the friendship, though she does not know the full reason.
• Chen Lie checks on Xingyao’s cultivation and offers guidance. She tells him she can ask Blue Star University’s principal, Lei Jinglong, for help.
• Chen Lie and Xingyao meet Lei. Learning they are siblings, Lei becomes especially eager to keep Xingyao’s confidence. He says officials will punish those responsible for mistreating Chen Lie and offers compensation for the damage to his reputation and cultivation.
• Chen Lie says his urgent need is the rare Innate Spiritual Object profound yang spiritual marrow. Lei promises to obtain it from the Outer Stars within half a month. Chen Lie outwardly accepts the authorities’ apology and assistance.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie is shaped by memories of his family’s destruction. He is hostile toward Yan but restrains himself from pursuing revenge against the Yan Family before he has enough power. He also uses the university’s desire to protect Xingyao’s favor to secure resources for his cultivation.
• Chen Xingyao remains trusting and kind, but shows loyalty to her brother by ending her friendship with Yan when he asks. She is progressing well in mental-power cultivation and continues to support Chen Lie.
• Yan Yueke presents herself as sweet and confused by Chen Lie’s hostility, but admits privately that her interest in Xingyao is not wholly innocent. She leaves humiliated and resentful.
• Lei Jinglong initially tries to limit institutional responsibility, then offers concrete restitution once Chen Lie makes clear how public punishment affected him. Xingyao’s standing as a gifted student increases the pressure on Lei to satisfy Chen Lie.

Significant themes

• Revenge and restraint: Chen Lie wants justice but recognizes that confronting the powerful Yan Family too soon would be futile.
• Trust and protection: Xingyao’s faith in her brother contrasts with her innocence about the dangers around her.
• Power and institutional self-interest: Officials respond more urgently when a highly valued genius—and her reputation—is at stake.
• Strategic negotiation: Chen Lie turns an apology into a promise of resources he needs, masking his deeper distrust of the authorities.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie negotiates compensation with Principal Lei Jinglong after the recent conflict involving Huo Jinghong and the university authorities. He asks only for Profound Yang Spiritual Marrow, agreeing to put the incident behind him and avoid mentioning it to his sister.
• Lei promises to restore Chen Lie’s reputation within two days and reprimand Huo Jinghong, while urging Chen Lie not to create further conflict because Blue Star cannot afford internal divisions.
• Lei questions Chen Lie about the mysterious Sacred Star Seeker who guided him and possibly left something within his mind years earlier. Chen Lie attributes his sudden martial progress—and possibly his sister Chen Xingyao’s extraordinary Mental Power talent—to this guidance, though he remains deliberately vague.
• After the siblings leave, Lei learns that Profound Yang Spiritual Marrow is an extremely rare starry-sky treasure worth eight to ten million Galactic Coins, far more valuable than he expected. Since Blue Star cannot afford it, he attempts to trade between half a cubic meter and one cubic meter of Star Liquid for it.
• Yan Yueke goes to her cousin Yan Zheng and falsely or selectively recounts her confrontation with Chen Lie, claiming that he humiliated, choked, and threatened her. Yan Zheng assumes Chen Lie attacked her because of their existing rivalry and vows revenge.
• Chen Lie and Chen Xingyao eat at the university cafeteria, where they meet Ruan Liusu and Zhao Ziyan. Zhao jokingly calls Ruan Xingyao’s “future sister-in-law,” embarrassing Ruan and causing Xingyao to suspect that her brother has found a girlfriend.
• Ruan gives Xingyao her valuable Spirit-Concentrating Jade as a first-meeting gift, further strengthening the impression that she has feelings for Chen Lie.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates restraint and political awareness by accepting only one resource and promising not to escalate the dispute. However, his vague explanations about the Star Seeker show that he is carefully concealing the true source of his abilities.
• Lei Jinglong shifts from viewing Chen Lie’s request as minor to recognizing its enormous cost. He also becomes increasingly suspicious that the siblings’ talents originate from an extraordinary, possibly high-level Star Seeker.
• Chen Xingyao is revealed to be an exceptionally gifted young Divine Sense Master, talented enough for Blue Star University to make an exception and admit her at a very young age. She is also innocent and socially inexperienced, taking Zhao’s teasing about Ruan Liusu seriously.
• Yan Yueke remains resentful and interprets the confrontation entirely from her own humiliation, while Yan Zheng becomes determined to retaliate against Chen Lie.
• Ruan Liusu shows generosity and likely romantic interest in Chen Lie by giving Xingyao a precious personal treasure. She is embarrassed when Zhao openly suggests she and Chen Lie are romantically involved.
• Zhao Ziyan acts as a mischievous instigator, teasing Ruan and introducing tension—and possible romantic misunderstanding—between the characters.

Significant Themes

• The cost of genius: Chen Lie and Xingyao’s exceptional abilities attract attention, political pressure, and valuable resources.
• Hidden origins and secrets: The mysterious Star Seeker may explain both siblings’ talents, but Chen Lie carefully avoids revealing what he truly knows.
• Political compromise versus personal conflict: Lei tries to protect Blue Star’s broader interests by settling disputes peacefully, even when doing so requires sacrificing scarce national resources.
• Misunderstanding and perception: Yan Yueke’s account inflames Yan Zheng against Chen Lie, while Zhao’s joke causes Xingyao to misunderstand Ruan’s relationship with her brother.
• Resource scarcity and national survival: Blue Star’s limited wealth and Star Liquid reserves emphasize the difficult choices required to support powerful young talents.
• Family and romantic bonds: The meeting between Xingyao and Ruan highlights the developing relationship between Ruan and Chen Lie while establishing Xingyao’s protective and curious role as his sister.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Lei Jinglong: They reach a temporary settlement based on compensation, restraint, and mutual cooperation.
• Lei Jinglong and Chen Xingyao: Lei questions her extraordinary Consciousness Sea World, though she does not understand its possible connection to the Star Seeker.
• Yan Yueke and Yan Zheng: She appeals to her cousin for protection, successfully provoking his hostility toward Chen Lie.
• Chen Lie and Chen Xingyao: They share a close sibling relationship, with Chen Lie protecting their secrets and Xingyao openly observing his personal life.
• Ruan Liusu, Zhao Ziyan, and Xingyao: Their cafeteria meeting is warm but teasing. Zhao embarrasses Ruan, while Ruan attempts to make a good impression by gifting Xingyao the Spirit-Concentrating Jade.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Xingyao accidentally reveals that her brother, Chen Lie, once liked Lu Qingchan from East River Province. Ruan Liusu questions her about the girl and becomes wary, while Chen Lie dismisses the matter as past history.
• After taking Xingyao back to the Mental Power Department’s Twelfth Campus, Chen Lie attends the exchange gathering’s second half. Teaching assistant Ruan Liuyun offers him martial-arts guidance, but he says he has no questions about blood refining and instead asks how to obtain star liquid.
• Ruan Liuyun explains that star liquid is tightly controlled but available through the Super Genius Class, high placement on the Blue Star Blood-Qi Ranking, or an eightfold strength value. The top ten receive broad access to resources, though reaching that level generally requires entering Starry Sky University and receiving expert instruction.
• Chen Lie says nothing further, but his questions reveal that he is aiming for the Blood-Qi Ranking’s top ten. Xia Ziying explains that martial arts currently receive more attention than mental power on Blue Star, though outstanding dual cultivators such as Jiang Yuan excel in both.
• Xia takes Chen Lie to watch the three-star sparring matches. Shao Keyu and Tao Xiuya exchange hundreds of blows before stopping without a decision; Chen Lie judges that neither wants to risk the cost of using a decisive trump card.
• The chapter’s main match pits Red Flame Planet princess Zhu Jingshu against Shuimang Star fighter Xie Qiuyue. Zhu uses her powerful mental abilities and consciousness spirit to repeatedly daze Xie, but cannot overcome Xie’s much stronger martial defenses. Xie gradually resists the illusion and knocks Zhu off the platform. Zhu accepts defeat.

Character developments

• Chen Lie shows confidence and ambition. Though newly at the blood-refining stage, he asks about elite-level resources and demonstrates sharp tactical insight while watching the sparring.
• Ruan Liusu appears unsettled by the mention of Lu Qingchan, suggesting jealousy or concern about Chen Lie’s past.
• Chen Xingyao realizes that Chen Lie’s present status and ability have placed him far beyond Lu Qingchan’s social and martial circles.
• Xia Ziying serves as an informed guide, explaining the rankings and differences between Blue Star’s martial and mental-power systems.
• Zhu Jingshu displays courage and ingenuity by using mental power to challenge a stronger opponent, but recognizes the limits imposed by her weaker physical cultivation.
• Xie Qiuyue demonstrates composure and adaptation, gradually overcoming Zhu’s repeated mental attacks before winning decisively.

Significant themes

• Ambition and advancement: Chen Lie is already thinking about elite rankings and the resources needed to reach the top.
• The balance of martial arts and mental power: Mental abilities can disrupt stronger opponents, but they may not overcome a substantial gap in physical strength and defense.
• Talent versus cultivation: Zhu’s exceptional mental gifts let her compete beyond her martial realm, but cannot fully erase the difference in training.
• Unequal opportunities and development: The chapter contrasts Blue Star’s recent martial progress with Shuimang Star’s weaker standing and notes the advantages given to elite cultivators.
• Risk and restraint: Shao Keyu and Tao Xiuya avoid a decisive finish because victory could come at too high a cost.

Character interactions

• Ruan Liusu questions Xingyao about Lu Qingchan, while Chen Lie cuts off the discussion.
• Ruan Liuyun offers Chen Lie instruction and explains how star-liquid access and ranking work; he adds her on Green Bubble.
• Xia Ziying teases Chen Lie about his ambition, then explains the rankings and takes him to the sparring area.
• Chen Lie and Xia observe Shao Keyu’s match and Zhu Jingshu’s defeat, with Chen Lie quietly analyzing what the fighters’ abilities and tactics reveal.

Key plot points and events

• After losing to Xie Qiuyue, Zhu Jingshu recognizes Chen Lie and respectfully greets him, explaining that they met in the Sumeru Illusion Realm. She asks for his help with Mental Power cultivation; Chen agrees to meet her the next morning.
• Xia Ziying is surprised by Zhu’s deference and learns that Chen is a Divine Sense Master, though she doubts how extraordinary his skill can be.
• Zhu returns to her party, where her uncle, Prince Yong’an Zhu Zhengchang, explains that her Martial Dao has limits despite her exceptional Mental Power talent. Her Illusion Heart Cloud Butterfly Consciousness Spirit has caused a fog to spread through her Consciousness Sea, which may eventually wither. Zhu came to Blue Star hoping Chen’s supposed Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit, Bi’an, could dispel it.
• Zhu Zhengchang warns that Blue Star may conceal powerful Mental Power talents to protect them from assassination by Wood Source Planet. Zhu confirms she has already found Chen and arranged to meet him.
• Chen spends the night cultivating, hoping Zhu might provide Spirit Nourishing Flowers or another resource to help him advance as a Divine Sense Master. The next morning, Zhu meets him and takes him to a reserved Cultivation Room.
• Tao Yinghua, one of Zhu’s attendants, recognizes Chen as a Genius Class student and questions whether he is the person Zhu sought. Zhu insists he is. Tao then realizes Chen must be far more capable than she assumed.
• Once alone, Zhu asks Chen directly whether his Consciousness Spirit is Bi’an.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains modest and reserved, but is interested in what Zhu can offer, particularly resources that could advance his Mental Power.
• Zhu Jingshu is courteous and politically perceptive. She seeks Chen’s help both because of her deteriorating Consciousness Sea and because she believes his ability may be uniquely suited to treating it.
• Zhu Zhengchang acts as a mentor, emphasizing that Zhu must strengthen her Martial Dao as well as cultivate Mental Power. He also recognizes the strategic importance of Chen’s potential.
• Xia Ziying is impressed by Zhu’s respect for Chen but remains skeptical of his true level.
• Tao Yinghua initially underestimates Chen, then revises her impression after seeing Zhu’s confidence in him.

Significant themes

• Mental Power and Martial Dao: Zhu’s talent in one discipline cannot fully compensate for weakness in the other.
• Secrecy and political danger: A gifted practitioner may need to hide their abilities to avoid becoming a target.
• Status and respect: Zhu’s formal manners reflect Red Flame Planet’s hierarchical culture, while Chen’s reactions show Blue Star’s more egalitarian outlook.
• Strategic potential: Chen’s possible connection to Bi’an could help Zhu personally and potentially affect the balance of power between worlds.
  The chapter ends on Zhu’s direct question, leaving Chen’s identity—and whether he will help her—unconfirmed.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Jingshu asks Chen Lie whether his Consciousness Spirit is Bi’an and whether it has the ability Piercing Delusion. Chen says he lacks that ability, then listens as she explains her problem: the Illusion Heart Cloud Butterfly is beyond her control, and a recurring mental haze is damaging her Consciousness Sea World.
• Chen offers to treat her in exchange for five hundred jin of Spirit Nourishing Flower and a second-tier Mental Power Treasure, Star God Grass. Zhu Jingshu agrees to arrange both within three days.
• Chen uses his embryonic Gui Gold Sheep—an entity associated with fear and ill omens—to consume the black haze in Zhu Jingshu’s Consciousness Sea. Her mind clears in ten minutes, though her Illusion Heart Cloud Butterfly appears weakened and frightened.
• Zhu Jingshu concludes that Chen must have a complete Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit and is concealing its true abilities. She invites him to study martial arts with her and offers him a choice of her Blood Refining Stage supplies. He takes only an eighteen-hundred-year-old Blood Rainbow Vine.
• At the Three-Star Genius Exchange Arena, Zhu Jingshu introduces Chen to her fifth imperial brother, Zhu Jingfei, who greets him with evident respect.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains guarded about his abilities, claiming his Consciousness Spirit is incomplete, but demonstrates a highly specialized power through Gui Gold Sheep. He bargains for payment while refusing to take more resources than he needs.
• Zhu Jingshu shifts from anxious and desperate to relieved and impressed. She is grateful for Chen’s help and becomes more open with him, explaining that her earlier challenges to Blue Star’s geniuses were meant to draw him out, not insult them.
• Zhu Jingshu and Chen establish a practical alliance: she provides resources, while he addresses her cultivation problem. Her belief in his concealed talent increases.
• Zhu Jingfei is introduced as Zhu Jingshu’s fifth imperial brother. His serious reaction and formal greeting suggest Chen’s reputation carries weight.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and secrecy: Chen conceals the full nature of his abilities, reflecting the dangers facing Blue Star’s gifted cultivators.
• Mutual aid and exchange: Chen’s treatment is tied to a negotiated reward, while Zhu Jingshu’s gratitude leads her to offer further support.
• Power and hierarchy: The kneeling guards and Zhu Jingshu’s royal status contrast with Blue Star’s less feudal social order.
• Control and vulnerability: Zhu Jingshu’s powerful Consciousness Spirit is also a source of danger because she cannot fully control it.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Jingshu confirms that Chen Lie has resolved her mental-power cultivation problem. She asks her brother, Fifth Prince Zhu Jingfei, to send five hundred jin of spirit-nourishing flowers and a rare mental-power treasure, star god grass, to Blue Star as thanks.
• Zhu Jingfei introduces Chen Lie to Yang Jiannan, a celebrated young martial talent from Red Flame Planet. Yang doubts Chen’s ability because Chen appears to be only at the Blood Refining Stage, but Zhu Jingfei suggests Chen may surpass the Blue Star Ten Elites.
• Zhu Jingfei invites Chen to a lecture on the history and interstellar relations of the Five Stars of the Eastern Region. At the conference, Chen meets Blue Star elites Hao Yulong and Zuo Yuan’er, who greet him coolly and show little interest in him.
• Zhu Jingshu is surprised that Blue Star’s top young talents do not recognize Chen’s significance: his heaven-grade consciousness spirit gives him extraordinary potential as a mental-power cultivator.
• Yan Qingwu, Shuimang Star Martial Academy’s leading disciple, takes a seat in the first row alongside the foremost representatives of Blue Star and Red Flame Planet, despite feeling that her martial ability is below theirs. Chen’s presence there also puzzles several attendees.
• The lectures present each planet’s history and concerns. Chen finds Red Flame Planet’s account of the Great Yan Dynasty and the Taiping rebellion overly favorable to the dynasty. During Blue Star’s presentation, Zhu Jingshu learns that millions of exotic beasts threaten the Northwest.
• Zhu Jingshu calls Blue Star and Red Flame Planet “fellow sufferers,” comparing Blue Star’s beast crisis with Great Yan’s struggle against the Taiping rebels. Chen privately disagrees with her claim that Great Yan’s situation is more severe.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains modest and reserved, but his unusual mental-power talent contrasts with how little recognition he receives from Blue Star’s martial elites. He also views political history skeptically, questioning the official account of Great Yan’s past.
• Zhu Jingfei respects Chen and publicly praises his ability, while giving him access to the interplanetary gathering.
• Zhu Jingshu expresses gratitude and growing admiration for Chen. Her understanding of Blue Star’s danger is limited by her imperial upbringing and loyalty to Great Yan’s official narrative.
• Yang Jiannan initially judges Chen by his apparent martial cultivation and underestimates him, though Zhu Jingfei’s praise makes him reconsider.
• Hao Yulong and Zuo Yuan’er embody the practical, status-conscious martial world: they offer Chen only a minimal greeting because they do not yet see him as an equal.
• Yan Qingwu navigates the hierarchy cautiously, but chooses to sit in the first row to avoid signaling that Shuimang Star is inferior.

Significant themes

• Status versus hidden potential: Chen’s extraordinary mental-power prospects are not reflected in his apparent martial rank or the respect he receives.
• Social hierarchy and recognition: Seating arrangements and greetings reveal how strongly the young talents judge one another by strength and standing.
• Biased history and political legitimacy: Chen distrusts Red Flame Planet’s idealized account of Great Yan, while Zhu Jingshu repeats the imperial view of the Taiping rebels.
• Shared hardship, different threats: The chapter compares Blue Star’s ongoing exotic-beast crisis with Great Yan’s political and military conflict, while suggesting the two situations are not truly equivalent.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie leaves a historical discussion about Blue Star, uninterested because he already knows its history.
• Zhu Jingshu proposes cooperation between Blue Star and Red Flame Planet: Great Yan’s Heavenly Human Grandmaster could help investigate Blue Star’s Earth Cave crisis, while Blue Star would aid Great Yan during rebellions. Chen Lie dismisses the idea, explaining that he lacks authority and that the beast crisis is far more dangerous than it appears.
• Zhu Jingshu introduces Chen Lie to her imperial uncle, Prince Yong’an, a peak Ninth-Stage Grandmaster who is protecting the Great Yan delegation. Prince Yong’an thanks Chen Lie for solving Zhu Jingshu’s Mental Power problem and invites him to visit Red Flame Planet.
• Prince Yong’an privately becomes suspicious that Chen Lie may have used an extraordinary perception ability to probe him, possibly connected to a heaven-grade consciousness spirit.
• Zhu Jingshu gives Chen Lie the promised eighteen-hundred-year-old blood rainbow vine. He returns to his dormitory, obtains spirit mushroom juice, and enters a Cultivation Room.
• By using the Flood Dragon Rebirth Technique, Chen Lie simultaneously refines and tempers his blood. His powerful physique allows him to do this earlier than ordinary cultivators, saving considerable time.
• Chen Lie reaches the mid-stage of blood refining and completes his first round of blood tempering. After consuming two martial dao treasures, his blood-qi rises to 2,604.28 Ka, while his strength reaches 34,060.97 jun.
• The chapter explains the progression of the blood-qi transforming-into-rainbow realm, including the mortal, spirit, earth, heaven, primordial, divine, and life apertures. Chen Lie’s ultimate goal is to reach the life aperture, requiring fifteenfold strength and allowing a human body to rival a juvenile starry sky behemoth.
• Chen Lie evaluates several cultivators he has encountered, considering Zhu Jingfei, Zuo Yuan’er, Hao Yulong, and Yang Jiannan inexperienced compared with Feng Lingxi, whose extraordinary bloodline allows her to wield earth-aperture-level power.
• Meanwhile, Principal Lei Jinglong learns that variant profound yang golden marrow is available in exchange for star liquid, but the seller demands one cubic meter instead of the previously expected half. Lei hesitates because Blue Star has less than twenty cubic meters remaining, yet he is unwilling to break his promise to Chen Lie.
• Lei then receives a call from Cheng Mianqian, who asks him to transfer Chen Lie into the Super Genius Class. Lei reveals that Chen Lie has already been transferred and learns that Chen Lie is Cheng’s granddaughter’s husband.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates greater confidence and rapidly advancing cultivation. His unusual physical strength lets him refine and temper blood simultaneously. He remains cautious about political promises, avoids unnecessary martial exchanges, and recognizes the limits of his current abilities, especially compared with extraordinary-bloodline users.
• Zhu Jingshu: Shows political awareness by proposing an alliance between Blue Star and Great Yan. She remains respectful toward Chen Lie despite his refusal and continues to value his abilities, rewarding him with the promised medicinal treasure.
• Prince Yong’an: Revealed as a powerful peak Ninth-Stage Grandmaster. His keen perception makes him aware that Chen Lie may possess an exceptional consciousness-related ability.
• Lei Jinglong: Demonstrates responsibility toward both Blue Star’s resources and Chen Lie. Although concerned about the cost of the profound yang golden marrow, he is determined to honor his promise.
• Cheng Mianqian: Revealed to be Chen Lie’s indirect family connection through his granddaughter. He insists that Chen Lie deserves advancement based on merit rather than favoritism.
• Feng Lingxi: Her earlier strength is placed in context: despite being only in the blood-refining stage, her extraordinary bloodline and secret art give her power comparable to an earth-aperture cultivator.

Significant Themes

• The value of a strong foundation: Chen Lie’s physical refinement allows him to progress faster and combine stages that ordinary cultivators must perform separately.
• Potential versus current power: The chapter emphasizes that cultivation realms contain wide differences in strength, and nominally higher-stage warriors may still be inferior to exceptional bloodline users.
• Resource scarcity and responsibility: Blue Star’s limited supply of star liquid creates tension between supporting Chen Lie’s growth and preserving resources for future generations.
• Merit versus connections: Chen Lie’s transfer to the Super Genius Class is justified by his achievements, even though he also has a powerful familial connection.
• Political cooperation and mutual dependence: Zhu Jingshu’s proposal highlights the shared threats facing Blue Star and Red Flame Planet, while Chen Lie’s response reflects the difficulty of solving crises rooted in overwhelming power disparities.
• The importance of promises: Lei Jinglong’s willingness to negotiate for rare materials shows that keeping faith with exceptional talents is essential to maintaining their loyalty.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Zhu Jingshu discuss a possible alliance between their worlds, but Chen Lie refuses to commit to a future political role.
• Zhu Jingshu introduces Chen Lie to Prince Yong’an, who thanks him and invites him to Great Yan.
• Zhu Jingshu and Chen Lie discuss differences between Blue Star and Red Flame Planet’s martial arts before she gives him the blood rainbow vine.
• Lei Jinglong’s staff negotiates over the exchange of star liquid for profound yang golden marrow, reflecting the university’s attempt to support Chen Lie.
• Cheng Mianqian informs Lei Jinglong that Chen Lie is married to his granddaughter and requests Chen Lie’s promotion, though he stresses that the young man has earned it independently.

Key plot points and events

• Blue Star University president Lei Jinglong keeps Chen Lie’s granddaughter’s mental-power talent secret, stressing that sensitive student information is compartmentalized. He also sees her romantic relationship as another bond tying her to Blue Star.
• Chen Lie receives notice that the Blood Qi Ranking will be reassessed. Students who rank will receive substantial support at Starry Sky University, giving them a better chance of surviving its demanding selection process.
• At the Super Genius Class Drill Hall, assistant instructor Ruan Liuyun encourages Chen Lie to compete. He reveals he has made another breakthrough, surprising her with his rapid progress.
• Instructor Zheng Dongyang explains the challenge rules: ranked students may challenge those up to ten places above them; unranked students may challenge anyone ranked ninetieth or lower. The top ten are exceptionally powerful, so their challenges must proceed one place at a time.
• The displayed subsidies prompt Chen Lie to question how Blue Star can afford them. Ruan explains that most students are eliminated within three months, leaving only about five hundred to support; later screenings reduce the number further.
• Xu Wanqing challenges twentieth-ranked Han Keke. Chen Lie chooses to challenge ninetieth-ranked Wu Feixia and asks to keep challenging higher-ranked opponents after each win. His match is scheduled.
• The reassessment begins. The first announced bouts include Yan Zheng versus eleventh-ranked Shao Keyu, He Qingqing versus Li Mo, and Xu Wanqing versus Han Keke. The chapter ends before the matches’ outcomes are revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie shows confidence and ambition: despite being new to the blood-refining stage, he reports another breakthrough and aims to climb the ranking through successive victories.
• Ruan Liuyun acts as Chen Lie’s mentor and coordinator, encouraging him while advising the other students according to their strengths and goals. She is startled by his rapid cultivation progress.
• Xu Wanqing is determined to reach the top twenty and earn rewards promised by Ruan. She openly commits to challenging Han Keke.
• Dong Jingtian, Wang Tian’en, and Xia Ziying receive individualized targets: Dong must defend nineteenth place, Wang hopes to improve from twenty-ninth, and Xia’s completed blood refining is offset by weaker combat skills.
• Chen Lie and Ruan discuss the financial realities behind Blue Star’s subsidies, clarifying that the support system depends on severe, repeated student attrition.
• Lei Jinglong’s decision to conceal the granddaughter’s talent highlights his protective concern, even toward someone who may have a right to know.

Significant themes

• Competition and survival: Rankings bring resources, but Starry Sky University’s successive eliminations make advancement uncertain.
• Talent versus practical ability: Cultivation and mental-power potential matter, yet actual combat skill can determine ranking results.
• Ambition and rapid growth: Chen Lie’s unexpected progress fuels his confidence in challenging stronger opponents.
• Secrecy and protection: Lei Jinglong limits access to sensitive talent information to safeguard a gifted student.
• Institutional costs: Blue Star’s generous subsidies are balanced by a system that quickly weeds out most students.

Key plot points

• Chen Lie watches the Blood Qi Ranking challenges, where Xu Wanqing faces her longtime rival Han Keke. Though both have completed four rounds of Blood Refining, Han Keke’s stronger physique and blood-qi let her dominate and knock Xu off the platform.
• Chen Lie predicts Xu’s loss and later explains that her shortcomings began in the Organ Refining Stage, not in her combat skills. Xu rejects his assessment, while Ruan Liuyun begins to suspect Chen’s judgment is unusually accurate.
• Chen Lie is called to challenge Wu Feixia, a top-hundred-ranked student. He defeats her with a single attack followed by a second strike from the lingering force of his blood-qi, revealing that he has already begun Blood Tempering.
• Chen tells Ruan Liuyun that his Strength Value is eight times the baseline and declares his aim to reach the top twenty that day. He rapidly wins several more challenges, climbing to fifty-second place.
• He then challenges Qin Ruoxi, ranked forty-third. His sudden speed and powerful blood-qi surprise her; the chapter ends as their fight begins, with Qin staggered by his opening punch.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie displays striking confidence and rapidly demonstrates that his abilities have advanced far beyond what classmates expect. He gives precise assessments of other fighters and focuses on climbing the rankings.
• Xu Wanqing is determined to break into the top twenty, but her repeated losses to Han Keke frustrate her. She admits Han’s combat talent is superior, yet resists Chen’s explanation for why she lost.
• Han Keke remains boastful and dismissive of Xu, treating their long-running rivalry as a series of predictable victories.
• Ruan Liuyun supports Xu and catches her when she is knocked from the platform. She is initially skeptical of Chen’s confidence and analysis, then becomes impressed by his progress and helps arrange his next challenges.
• Wu Feixia begins the match confident in her ranking but quickly recognizes the gulf in power. Her instructor confirms that Chen’s solidified blood-qi indicates Blood Tempering.
• Qin Ruoxi, who previously knew Chen as much weaker, is stunned by how quickly he has advanced.

Significant themes

• Training foundations matter: Chen argues that Xu’s incomplete Organ Refining left her physically and energetically weaker, showing how earlier cultivation affects later performance.
• Rapid growth and changing expectations: Chen’s rise overturns assumptions about newcomers and ranking gaps.
• Pride versus persistence: Xu’s determination keeps her challenging Han, while Han’s confidence turns their rivalry into repeated humiliation.
• Combat ability is more than technique: Physique, physical conditioning, blood-qi, and cultivation all shape the outcome of a fight.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie defeats Qin Ruoxi after dominating her in close combat and breaking through her blood-qi arrow technique. He prolongs the fight to punish her for their personal grudge, but stops when she surrenders.
• After seven consecutive wins, Chen Lie decides to climb the Blood Qi Ranking. Ruan Liuyun warns that higher-ranked fighters have completed more rounds of Blood Tempering, but Chen Lie insists on aiming for the top twenty.
• Chen challenges Yue Lin, ranked thirty-fourth and a two-round Blood Tempering fighter. Despite Yue Lin’s greater blood-qi and raw strength, Chen’s conditioning, technique, and toughness let him win after a prolonged exchange.
• Rather than advance gradually, Chen challenges Han Keke, ranked twentieth and a four-round Blood Tempering fighter. Han is already angry with him over the Northwest General Star prize and eagerly accepts the match.
• Han opens with a powerful palm technique. Chen uses his Mental Power to stun and repeatedly disrupt her, landing a barrage of physical blows. Han retaliates with a storm of blood-energy palms, and Chen counters with the Flood Dragon Rebirth Technique. The chapter ends mid-fight.

Character developments

• Chen Lie displays growing confidence and ambition. He relies not only on physical cultivation but also on his previously unused Mental Power, which lets him challenge opponents whose blood-qi should give them a major advantage.
• Qin Ruoxi recognizes that she cannot overcome Chen’s all-around superiority and surrenders, realizing he is deliberately settling a score.
• Yue Lin begins respectfully and wants to test Chen’s strength, but is stunned and humbled by his defeat.
• Ruan Liuyun moves from caution to admiration as Chen repeatedly exceeds expectations.
• Han Keke is confident, combative, and eager for revenge; Chen’s Mental Power attacks frustrate and unsettle her, but she continues fighting fiercely.

Significant themes

• Strength is more than raw power: Conditioning, technique, constitution, and coordination can offset an opponent’s greater blood-qi.
• Adaptation and hidden abilities: Chen’s Mental Power gives him an unexpected way to challenge stronger Blood Tempering fighters.
• Ambition and underestimated talent: Chen’s rapid rise challenges assumptions based on provincial resources and official rankings.
• Rivalry and personal grudges: Several bouts are shaped by pride, resentment, or the desire to test an opponent.

Character interactions

• Chen and Qin’s match is driven by an unresolved personal grievance, which Chen acts on until she surrenders.
• Ruan advises Chen and submits his challenges, while Xu Wanqing and other students react with disbelief and debate whether he can defeat Han.
• Yue Lin compliments Chen’s talent and welcomes a genuine contest, then accepts his loss as proof that exceptional fighters can emerge from anywhere.
• Han and Chen trade taunts before agreeing that neither will appeal to instructors over the result; their bout quickly becomes a clash between her overwhelming blood-qi and his disruptive Mental Power.

Chapter summary

Key events

Chen Lie continues his duel with Han Keke, whose superior blood-qi cultivation initially gives her the advantage. His repeated Mental Power Impact attacks disrupt her, but she gradually adapts. Chen Lie then uses Gui Gold Sheep’s ability to create a personalized fear-based mental illusion. Han Keke experiences a horrifying imagined future in which she kills Chen Lie, is expelled, betrays Blue Star, and is executed alongside her family. While she is trapped in the illusion, Chen dislocates her joints and ends the fight. Han Keke concedes, and Chen leaves the platform.
Han Keke later realizes the experience was an illusion and is shaken by how convincing it felt. Her assistant, Cheng Mengying, explains that advanced Divine Sense Masters can create illusions, and speculates that Chen’s consciousness spirit might be the legendary Dark Ghost Dragon. She considers that unlikely, but Han privately suspects it may be true.
Chen asks about taking Han Keke’s place on the Blood Qi Ranking. Ruan Liuyun explains that rankings reflect more than dueling results, but Chen’s eightfold strength value qualifies him. Staff eventually confirm his victory and award him nineteenth place—Han had just risen to twentieth’s former position after winning another challenge.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie shows formidable mental-power skill, but keeps Gui Gold Sheep’s abilities secret. He acknowledges that the illusion worked partly because Han was enraged and worn down; he is not yet strong enough to reliably overcome a much stronger opponent under ideal conditions. His push for a ranking is tied to seeking leverage over Blue Star University, which has not delivered the promised Profound Yang Spiritual Marrow.
• Han Keke moves from furious confidence to helpless terror, then to reluctant acceptance of defeat. The fight forces her to recognize that Divine Sense Masters vary enormously in ability and can be lethal opponents.
• Xu Wanqing is astonished by Chen’s techniques and teases Han afterward, reviving their rivalry. Han brushes off the mockery and refuses to fight while injured.
• Ruan Liuyun and Xia Ziying explain the significance of Chen’s mental-power ranking and the rarity of students who excel in both martial arts and mental power. Ruan is surprised to learn how exceptional her cousin is.
• Cheng Mengying helps Han make sense of the illusion and introduces the possibility of the Dark Ghost Dragon, though she doubts Blue Star could produce someone who possesses it.
• Zheng Dongyang, a Super Genius Class instructor, recognizes Chen’s victory and confirms his new ranking.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts martial strength with mental power, showing that a powerful fighter can be vulnerable to psychological techniques. It also emphasizes the importance of preparation and emotional control: Han’s anger and accumulated mental fatigue make her more susceptible. Finally, the uncertainty around Chen’s consciousness spirit builds mystery around his exceptional talent and hints at his growing influence in Blue Star’s competitive hierarchy.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie enters the top twenty of the Blood Qi Ranking and earns four bottles of star liquid: for entering the ranking, reaching the top fifty, reaching the top twenty, and attaining an eightfold strength value.
• Blue Star University instructors arrange counseling for students who lose rank, aiming not only to restore their morale but also to prevent rivalries among the university’s strongest students.
• Han Keke recovers quickly from her bruising loss to Chen Lie. Instructor Zhao offers her counseling, but she insists she accepted the defeat and bears Chen Lie no ill will.
• Qin Ruoxi and Cheng Xiaoxiao watch Chen Lie’s rise with surprise, wondering how he advanced so quickly and whether his success will make it harder for Jiang Yuan to recruit him.
• Ruan Liuyun confirms that Chen Lie’s achievement earns her a Galactic Coin reward, but he tells her to keep the money.
• Dong Jingtian, whose ranking has fallen out of the top twenty, asks about Chen Lie’s mental-power abilities. Chen Lie confirms that he has a top-tier Earth-Grade consciousness spirit.
• Han Keke approaches Chen Lie, praises his fighting skill, and unexpectedly asks to make him her big brother and follow him at Starry Sky University. Chen Lie declines, saying he prefers to work alone, but Han Keke insists she has chosen him.
• Qin Ruoxi challenges Han Keke’s choice, suggesting she join Jiang Yuan instead. Han Keke dismisses Jiang Yuan as no more deserving of her loyalty than herself. Cheng Xiaoxiao pulls Qin Ruoxi away, suspecting Han Keke is playing a trick.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie reaches a major ranking milestone, reveals the strength of his consciousness spirit, and remains independent-minded: he declines both the offered money and Han Keke’s proposed allegiance.
• Han Keke shows unexpected humility and admiration toward Chen Lie after their match, despite her usual confidence and her status as Nanjiang Province’s Martial Leader. Her insistence after being rejected surprises everyone.
• Qin Ruoxi is impressed by Chen Lie but also irritated and confused by Han Keke’s behavior. She tries to steer Han Keke toward Jiang Yuan’s group.
• Dong Jingtian shifts from dismissing Chen Lie as a new student to taking him seriously after seeing the power of his mental techniques.
• The instructors emphasize fair competition and solidarity, illustrating the university’s effort to keep its elite students from turning competition into resentment.

Significant themes

• Competition without enmity: The university treats rankings as motivation, while actively discouraging grudges among future allies.
• Talent and status: Chen Lie’s rapid rise disrupts established rankings and assumptions about who deserves influence.
• Independence versus affiliation: Chen Lie resists recruitment and prefers to operate alone, while Han Keke actively seeks to attach herself to him.
• Unexpected respect: Han Keke’s reaction to defeat reveals that recognizing another person’s strength can overcome pride.

Key plot points and events

• After losing to Chen Lie, Han Keke asks to follow him at Starry Sky University, hoping to benefit from his strength and possible mastery of the Dark Ghost Dragon. She admits she was too abrupt and asks to add him on Green Bubble; Chen Lie agrees. Xu Wanqing warns him that Han Keke likely has ulterior motives.
• Zhu Jingshu summons Chen Lie to explain that she can provide the promised five hundred jin of Spirit Nourishing Flower but needs five more days to obtain the Star God Grass. Chen Lie accepts the delay and receives the flowers.
• Zhu Jingshu’s uncle thanks Chen Lie for curing her Consciousness Sea World and notes Chen Lie’s unusual progress in both martial arts and Mental Power. Zhu Jingshu also tells him about a friendly martial exchange between Blue Star, Shuimang Star, and Red Flame Planet, but Chen Lie says he will decide after learning what the rewards are.
• Chen Lie cultivates with the Spirit Nourishing Flower, exhausting the entire supply and raising his Mental Power to the peak of the first rank. He recognizes that Star God Grass is still necessary to advance to the second rank.
• The next morning, Blue Star University president Lei Jinglong summons Chen Lie. After congratulating him on placing in the Blood Qi Ranking, Lei reveals that he has news about the rare Profound Yang Golden Marrow.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains pragmatic and reserved: he accepts Han Keke’s friendship request without committing to her offer, agrees to wait for the Star God Grass, and weighs the value of the interplanetary competition before deciding whether to participate. His Mental Power reaches a major milestone.
• Han Keke shifts from defeat to strategic admiration, seeking an association with Chen Lie because she believes he may be exceptionally powerful.
• Xu Wanqing remains protective of Chen Lie and suspicious of Han Keke’s intentions.
• Zhu Jingshu treats Chen Lie with respect and honors her debt, while her uncle expresses gratitude and recognizes Chen Lie’s abilities.
• Lei Jinglong approaches Chen Lie as both a promising student and a potential recipient of valuable resources, introducing the possibility of Profound Yang Golden Marrow.

Significant themes

• Power and opportunity: Characters seek alliances and rare treasures to advance their abilities.
• Trust and motive: Han Keke’s sudden friendliness prompts suspicion, while Chen Lie stays cautious and noncommittal.
• Growth through cultivation: Chen Lie’s progress depends on both discipline and access to scarce resources.
• Limits and thresholds: Reaching peak first-rank Mental Power is a major achievement, but higher-level opponents and advancement still require specific breakthroughs.

Chapter Summary: “Trading Market on Canglong Star”

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie explains that unusual Martial Arts Knowledge has appeared in his mind since last year, including information about Profound Yang Spiritual Marrow and the rarer Profound Yang Golden Marrow.
• Blue Star University President Lei Jinglong tells him the university has offered half a cubic fathom of Star Liquid for Profound Yang Spiritual Marrow. Star Liquid is an irreplaceable strategic reserve, so the offer has required a difficult exception.
• A trader has offered Profound Yang Golden Marrow, but demands a full cubic fathom of Star Liquid. Lei refuses to exceed the university’s limit, and Chen Lie asks to negotiate personally.
• Resource Category Building Director Zhang Liwu takes Chen Lie into the Sumeru Illusion Realm. They travel to Canglong Star, a major trading hub, conceal their identities with Jade Tokens, and post their offer.
• After waiting, they are approached by Princess Changning of the Great Zhou Dynasty on Blood God Planet. She wants at least two cubic fathoms of Star Liquid and offers to procure whatever they need, but has no Profound Yang Spiritual Marrow currently available.
• Chen Lie dismisses the possibility of a deal. A guard reacts angrily, but Changning restrains him. Zhang then explains that their planet cannot spare more than half a cubic fathom.

Character developments

• Chen Lie shows determination to obtain Profound Yang Golden Marrow, despite the cost and the risks of negotiating beyond his experience. He is also blunt and unconcerned with impressing powerful strangers.
• Lei Jinglong balances support for Chen Lie against responsibility for Blue Star’s scarce resources and future generations.
• Zhang Liwu is cautious and experienced, but skeptical that Chen Lie can succeed where he could not.
• Princess Changning presents herself as influential and composed, demonstrating authority by calming her guard rather than escalating the confrontation.

Significant themes

• Present needs versus future security: Star Liquid is vital to Blue Star’s long-term survival, creating tension between investing in Chen Lie’s cultivation and preserving resources.
• Scarcity and unequal power: A remote planet’s limited reserves contrast with the wealth and influence of major interstellar powers.
• Trust and anonymity: Concealing identities enables safer trade, while powerful buyers still seek information about their trading partners.
• Ambition and determination: Chen Lie pursues a rare opportunity even when more experienced figures expect him to fail.

Character interactions

• Lei Jinglong explains Blue Star’s resource constraints and negotiates the limits of its support with Chen Lie.
• Zhang Liwu accompanies Chen Lie and advises him, openly doubting his ability to bargain successfully.
• Chen Lie and Changning briefly discuss their resources and needs; his abrupt refusal prompts a guard’s anger, which Changning calmly suppresses.
• Zhang Liwu smooths over the exchange and clarifies that Blue Star cannot meet Changning’s request for a larger supply of Star Liquid.