Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie breaks through the shackles of the third Supreme Extreme Realm of the Blood-Qi Stage, after repeated attacks with his Pure Yang Precious Blood.
• During the breakthrough, his six senses, vitality, and life rank undergo a major transformation. He enters a mysterious state where he sees his Fate Network and thousands of possible futures.
• Chen Lie witnesses his most likely fate: reaching the Primordial Essence Realm late in life, becoming frail and exhausted, and ultimately losing the ability to advance.
• Understanding that “Defying Heaven and Changing Fate” means actively altering his predetermined destiny, Chen Lie shifts his darkest fate branch. His new projected future shows him rising rapidly and reaching the Primordial Essence Realm before age thirty.
• Upon leaving the Divine Source pool, Chen Lie discovers that he has consumed all the Divine Source Essence, Divine Source Liquid, and the Starry Sky Behemoth bone. His strength reaches approximately 300,000 jun, and the Flood Dragon Rebirth Technique reaches perfection.
• Chen Lie encounters Lin Xun and other Sword God Academy disciples, who attempt to stop him for killing their people and stealing resources.
• Lin Xun, also a Supreme Extreme Realm expert, attacks with the Azure Light Divine Sword Palm. Chen Lie activates Flood Dragon Transformation and defeats him with a single palm strike.
• Claiming to be from the Martial Arts Academy of Taia Star Province, Chen Lie intimidates the Sword God Academy group into retreating. Cheng Yiran and Wang Heming, who had summoned the reinforcements, are left frightened but unharmed.
• Chen Lie returns to Starry Sky University’s No. 17 Divine Source Mine after disguising his appearance and gathering additional inferior Divine Source to meet his mining quota.
• His companions—Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng—reveal that they covered for his absence by submitting his quota and claiming he was injured while resisting enemies.
• Chen Lie shares 30,000 catties of Divine Source among them as thanks. He also reveals that he obtained roughly 90,000 catties from a larger raid.
• Qiao Xuanxi asks to accompany Chen Lie on future raids so she can gain real combat experience, but Chen Lie warns that seizing Divine Source is extremely dangerous and may not be practical with only ten days remaining.
• Hou Yutan then reveals alarming rumors about a powerful figure named Wang Hui, who has been raiding mining zones and forcing captured cultivators into brutal slavery—unaware that Wang Hui is actually Chen Lie himself.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie makes a decisive leap in power, reaching the highest level of the Blood-Qi Stage’s Supreme Extreme Realm and perfecting the Flood Dragon Rebirth Technique. His encounter with the Fate Network strengthens his resolve to control his own destiny rather than accept a predetermined future.
• He becomes more confident and calculating, using his strength and false identity strategically to avoid exposing himself.
• Chen Lie also demonstrates generosity and loyalty by rewarding Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng for protecting his secret and helping him meet his obligations.
• Lin Xun is established as a talented Supreme Extreme Realm fighter, but his confidence is shattered after Chen Lie defeats him effortlessly. He becomes cautious and decides that the Sword God Academy should avoid provoking Chen Lie.
• Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng show strong loyalty by concealing Chen Lie’s absence and submitting his mining quota.
• Qiao Xuanxi begins recognizing her sheltered upbringing and expresses a desire to leave the “greenhouse” environment, gain combat experience, and become more self-reliant.

Significant Themes

• Defying fate through personal action: Chen Lie’s breakthrough illustrates that destiny is not fixed; one must actively seize control and alter the path laid out by probability.
• Strength within strength: The chapter emphasizes that even among Supreme Extreme Realm cultivators, there are enormous differences in blood-qi quality, cultivation foundation, and combat power.
• Identity and deception: Chen Lie repeatedly hides his true identity, using the nonexistent connection to Taia Star Province as protection against retaliation.
• Risk versus safety in martial cultivation: Qiao Xuanxi’s wish to gain experience contrasts with the deadly reality of raids and battles. The chapter argues that growth requires risk, but recklessness can lead to death.
• Loyalty and mutual support: Chen Lie’s companions protect him despite danger, and he repays them generously.
• Power and exploitation: The rumors about “Wang Hui” introduce the darker side of Chen Lie’s actions, raising questions about whether overwhelming strength can turn survival and resource gathering into oppression.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Lin Xun: Their confrontation demonstrates the vast gap between Chen Lie and ordinary Supreme Extreme Realm experts. Lin Xun’s attack is completely crushed by Chen Lie’s Flood Dragon Transformation.
• Chen Lie and Cheng Yiran/Wang Heming: Chen Lie’s glance reminds them that he knows they summoned reinforcements. Their fear shows how thoroughly his power now intimidates his former adversaries.
• Chen Lie and his mining companions: Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng welcome him back and explain how they protected his status. Chen Lie responds with gratitude and shares his gains.
• Chen Lie and Qiao Xuanxi: Qiao Xuanxi asks to join him in future raids, seeking independence and growth. Chen Lie neither mocks nor dismisses her, but warns her about the genuine danger and practical difficulties.
• Hou Yutan and the group: Hou Yutan’s final revelation about the violent “Wang Hui” creates dramatic irony, since the feared figure is Chen Lie himself.

Chapter Summary: “Blood Qi Value: 20,000 Cards!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The miners discuss rumors about Wang Hui, a powerful figure said to have turned entire Divine Source mining zones into slave territories. His actions have reportedly placed Canglong Star on level-one alert, though Chen Lie has never heard of him.
• While Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng continue mining, Chen Lie stops mining and focuses on cultivation. His Blood-Qi Stage has reached its limit after sixteen blood temperings, refinement of a Starry Sky Behemoth’s bone, and the enhancement of his Primordial Spirit Aperture.
• Chen Lie realizes he is far stronger than ordinary Third Ultimate Realm Martial Artists and even surpasses Lin Xun despite Lin Xun’s Extraordinary Bloodline. He also takes satisfaction in having changed his previously predetermined fate.
• He plans to pursue the True Qi Realm after leaving the Divine Source Ancient Star, since the Ancient Star lacks the resources needed to become a Ranked Martial Artist. His possession of the Central Galactic Empire’s Primordial Limitless Qi Gong may compensate for his limited aptitude.
• When the month-long expedition ends, Chen Lie receives 4,000 jin of Divine Source as a reward for killing two invading Origin Aperture Stage disciples of the Ultimate Intent Sect. He accepts it mainly to avoid drawing suspicion.
• Hou Yutan and the others discuss their earnings. Divine Source can be sold for 500 Canglong Star Dollars per jin, making their accumulated resources extremely valuable. Chen Lie privately realizes that the enormous amount of high-quality Divine Source in his storage could be worth hundreds of millions of Galactic Coins.
• The miners return through a Space Wormhole. Instructor Jiang Feng reveals that 16 of the 291 explorers died. Returning students must either surrender nine-tenths of their Divine Source or hand over 10,000 jin and keep or sell the remainder.
• Chen Lie, Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng each choose to hand over 10,000 jin, preserving most of their gains.
• Back at Starry Sky University, Chen Lie spends Credits on spirit medicine, high-level Wild Beast meat, and a Wild Beast Core. His Blood Qi Value rises to over 19,700 cards.
• Wanting to reach the absolute limit, he refines another 200,000 jin of pure Divine Source directly into his flesh and blood. His Blood Qi Value finally reaches 20,000 cards, the apparent maximum for the human body.
• Chen Lie then begins planning his next goals: advancing his Mental Power from the middle of the second rank to the third rank and cultivating the third Star God, Liu Earth Musk Deer.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie becomes significantly stronger, completing his Blood-Qi Stage cultivation and reaching the maximum Blood Qi Value of 20,000 cards. His body, blood qi, and combat power are now at their peak for this stage.
• He grows more financially powerful after obtaining vast quantities of Divine Source, but also becomes increasingly aware of the danger of possessing such wealth. He recognizes that selling it openly could attract powerful enemies or even lead to him being robbed.
• Chen Lie demonstrates greater strategic caution. He deliberately collects rewards and manages his resources in ways that avoid attracting attention.
• Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng benefit from the mining expedition and begin preparing to advance into the True Qi Realm. Hou Yutan shows practical financial judgment by planning to keep some Divine Source rather than surrendering it all.
• Chen Lie’s future path becomes clearer: he must balance Blood Qi cultivation, True Qi cultivation, Mental Power advancement, and the enormous financial risks associated with his hidden wealth.

Significant Themes

• Power and limits: Chen Lie reaches the apparent physical limit of human Blood Qi cultivation, marking the completion of one stage and the beginning of a more difficult one.
• Wealth as both opportunity and danger: Divine Source provides immense cultivation benefits and financial value, but possessing too much makes Chen Lie a potential target.
• Caution and secrecy: Chen Lie understands that strength and wealth must remain concealed until he has enough power to protect himself.
• Fate and self-determination: His successful alteration of his destined future reinforces the theme that individuals can defy predetermined outcomes.
• The cost of advancement: Progress into the True Qi Realm and higher Mental Power stages will require rare techniques, resources, and money, making cultivation an increasingly demanding path.
• Survival amid larger conflicts: The rumors of Wang Hui, the deaths on the Ancient Star, and the threat of rival star domains emphasize the dangerous political and martial environment surrounding the characters.

Important Character Interactions

• Nie Cheng initially doubts the rumors about Wang Hui, while Hou Yutan insists that Wang Hui is real and widely feared. Chen Lie listens quietly, revealing how isolated he has been from outside news.
• Hou Yutan explains Divine Source’s market value and the profits available after the expedition. His discussion helps Chen Lie understand the true scale of his own hidden fortune.
• The group jokes and marvels at Chen Lie’s earnings, with Nie Cheng expressing regret that he did not accompany Chen Lie to obtain more resources.
• Hou Yutan advises Chen Lie to retain some Divine Source for future use, but Chen Lie plans to exchange most of his visible holdings for Canglong Currency.
• Before separating after their return, Hou Yutan and Chen Lie agree to meet the next day and apply for an upgrade with Instructor Zhou.
• Jiang Feng formally welcomes the survivors and supervises the submission of Divine Source, establishing the official terms under which the students can retain their earnings.

Chapter Summary: Choosing a Cultivation Method

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie meets Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng the morning after returning from Divine Source Ancient Star.
• Before visiting their mentor, they return their borrowed storage bags and exchange their Divine Source at Starry Sky University’s trading district.
  • Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng each submit 10,000 jin and receive five million Canglong Currency.
  • Chen Lie submits 61,000 jin and earns 30.5 million Canglong Currency, solving his immediate resource shortage.
• The group visits their mentor, Zhou Yixi, and applies to advance from the Origin Aperture Stage to become Ranked Martial Artists.
  • They must cultivate True Qi within ten days and pass an assessment.
  • Those with sufficiently strong foundations may advance directly to higher campuses or enter the Martial Way Department.
• Zhou Yixi takes them to the Transmission Pavilion to choose Qi Gong cultivation methods.
• She explains that cultivation arts range from Mortal Grade to Sacred Grade and that choosing incorrectly can force a cultivator to disperse their cultivation and start over.
• Zhou recommends powerful multi-attribute cultivation arts rather than weaker single-attribute or Variant True Qi methods:
  • Five Elements Qi Absorption Art
  • Five Origins True Art
  • Profound Yin Profound Yang Qi Gong
• The three Heavy Rain Star cultivators choose different methods and take on significant debts:
  • Qiao Xuanxi chooses Profound Yin Profound Yang Qi Gong.
  • Hou Yutan chooses Five Origins True Art.
  • Nie Cheng chooses Five Elements Qi Absorption Art.
• Chen Lie chooses the dangerous, incomplete Sacred Grade Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture, despite Zhou Yixi’s warnings.
• Zhou agrees to apply for permission to issue it but gives Chen one day to reconsider after reading the scripture.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates his enormous gains by turning in more than six times the Divine Source of his companions. His financial problems are temporarily resolved. He deliberately chooses the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture because it can cultivate the Five Elements, Yin, and Yang and provides a perfect cover for his superior Primordial Limitless Qi Gong.
• Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng: Show ambition by selecting high-level cultivation methods despite the financial burden. Their choices reflect their confidence and desire to avoid limiting their future potential.
• Zhou Yixi: Reveals herself as a conscientious and supportive mentor. She recognizes the group’s exceptional talent, provides detailed guidance, and even offers to lend Chen Lie Credits. Her past experience with a failed cultivator makes her especially cautious about Chen’s choice.
• Qiao Xuanxi: Appears particularly confident, choosing the most advanced Heaven Grade method among the group.
• Chen Lie’s companions: Their initial excitement over the free Sacred Grade method turns into skepticism once they learn of its dangers, highlighting their more cautious approach compared with Chen Lie.

Significant Themes

• The importance of foundational choices: A cultivation method determines the direction and limits of a martial artist’s future. A poor choice may cost years of progress.
• Talent versus caution: Chen Lie’s confidence contrasts with Zhou Yixi’s warnings and the others’ fear. The chapter asks whether exceptional talent can overcome a flawed or dangerous system.
• Hidden strength and secrecy: Chen Lie conceals the existence of Primordial Limitless Qi Gong and plans to disguise it as the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture.
• Opportunity and risk: The scripture is free because it is incomplete and dangerous, yet its potential is unmatched. True opportunities often carry serious dangers.
• Financial sacrifice for advancement: The companions accept heavy debts to obtain superior cultivation arts, showing how expensive progress is within Starry Sky University.
• Recognition of talent despite background: Chen Lie and the others come from planets outside the Ten-Star Alliance, yet their achievements suggest they may rival or surpass elite geniuses from wealthy worlds.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and his companions: They cooperate in returning the Divine Source and later question Chen’s decision to choose the dangerous scripture.
• Chen Lie and Zhou Yixi: Zhou offers him personal financial assistance and repeatedly warns him about the scripture’s history of failure. Chen respectfully acknowledges her concern but remains determined.
• Zhou Yixi and the group: She acts as both teacher and guardian, explaining the cultivation hierarchy, recommending suitable methods, and outlining the risks of changing cultivation arts.
• Chen Lie and the collection official: Chen’s enormous quantity of Divine Source surprises the official and emphasizes how much he gained from the ancient star expedition.

Ending

Chen Lie remains determined to cultivate the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture. Since he already possesses the far superior Primordial Limitless Qi Gong, he intends to use the incomplete Sacred Grade scripture as a disguise. He anticipates that if he succeeds, Starry Sky University will be astonished by the scripture’s seemingly impossible power.

Chapter Summary: Primordial Limitless Qi Gong

Key Plot Points and Events

• Instructor Zhou Yixi explains the two methods of advancing from the Blood-Qi Stage to the True Qi Realm:
  1. Drawing external Qi into the body.
  2. Refining one’s own Blood-Qi into Essence Qi, or Fundamental Qi.
• The four students choose the superior second method, since Blood-Qi Martial Artists who refine their own essence generally possess much greater combat strength.
• Zhou explains that the process requires expensive heavenly treasures, including Leakless True Sand, as well as large quantities of Yuan Stones. The total cost is roughly 1.8 million Star-Origin Canglong Currency.
• Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng use the wealth they earned from mining Divine Source Ancient Star to purchase the required materials.
• Chen Lie already has most of the necessary resources supplied by Blue Star. He exchanges money with his companions to obtain Galactic Coins, then buys two and a half jin of Leakless True Sand.
• His companions warn him about the dangers of the incomplete Sacred Grade technique he selected, the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture. Chen Lie assures them that he knows what he is doing.
• After spending a day regulating his Blood-Qi, Chen Lie is summoned to Central Campus by Zhou Yixi and Chief Instructor Mo Bingfei.
• Chen Lie formally registers to receive the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture. The university warns him not to share it and advises him to report any cultivation problems.
• President Wenren learns that Chen Lie is the fourth student that year to select the notoriously difficult technique. He is impressed that someone from the impoverished Eastern Fringe Star Region reached the Origin Aperture Stage and hopes Chen Lie succeeds.
• In reality, Chen Lie has no intention of cultivating the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture. He possesses the far more profound Primordial Limitless Qi Gong, one of the Central Galactic Empire’s ten great Primordial Qi Gong techniques.
• Returning to his cultivation room, Chen Lie refines the Leakless True Sand into his Blood-Qi and begins practicing the first level of the Primordial Limitless Qi Gong, preparing to break into the True Qi Realm.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates confidence, independence, and calculated secrecy. He understands the risks of the university’s incomplete technique but deliberately uses it as a cover while relying on the superior Primordial Limitless Qi Gong.
• His exceptionally deep Blood-Qi foundation requires far more Leakless True Sand and Yuan Stones than ordinary practitioners would need.
• Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng become more financially secure after their mining success. Their willingness to help Chen Lie exchange currency reflects their growing trust and gratitude toward him.
• Qiao Xuanxi appears especially perceptive and open-minded. Although she doubts Chen Lie can master the difficult technique, she respects his willingness to take risks.
• Zhou Yixi acts as a practical instructor, explaining the advancement process, arranging Chen Lie’s access to the technique, and ensuring he understands the costs and dangers.
• Mo Bingfei recognizes Chen Lie’s extraordinary potential and encourages him despite the risks.
• President Wenren acknowledges that Chen Lie’s achievement is remarkable given his origins in the Fringe Star Domain.

Significant Themes

• The cost of cultivation: Advancing to the True Qi Realm requires enormous financial resources, emphasizing how wealth and access to materials influence martial progress.
• Foundation and potential: A stronger Blood-Qi foundation produces more powerful Fundamental Qi, but also demands greater resources.
• Risk versus caution: Chen Lie’s companions favor caution, while Chen Lie embraces a dangerous path because he possesses hidden knowledge and confidence in his abilities.
• Appearances and secrecy: Chen Lie deliberately lets the university believe he will cultivate the flawed Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture, concealing his possession of the superior Primordial Limitless Qi Gong.
• Regional inequality: The Central Star Region views the outer star regions as backward, yet Chen Lie’s achievements suggest that exceptional talent can emerge from even the most disadvantaged locations.
• True inheritance and ancient knowledge: The Primordial Limitless Qi Gong is derived from the ancient Void Qi Refinement Chapter, suggesting that the greatest martial arts techniques originate from lost or primordial traditions.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Yixi instructs the group on advancement methods, costs, and required resources.
• The three Heavy Rain Star students discuss their purchases, financial burdens, and the value of preserving their Divine Source.
• Chen Lie and his companions negotiate a currency exchange, with Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng refusing to exploit him because of their shared history and gratitude.
• They caution Chen Lie against cultivating the incomplete Sacred Grade technique, but he maintains that he will succeed.
• Mo Bingfei questions Chen Lie about his choice and warns him about wasting his prime cultivation years. Chen Lie responds with unwavering confidence.
• Zhou Yixi and Mo Bingfei introduce Chen Lie to Steward Lu, who records his selection and gives him the jade slip.
• President Wenren discusses Chen Lie’s background and potential with the instructors, highlighting the significance of his accomplishments.
• The chapter ends with Chen Lie privately beginning cultivation of the Primordial Limitless Qi Gong and entering the mysterious state required to transform his vast Blood-Qi into Origin Qi.

Chapter Summary: “Origin Qi: Three Million Strands of Essence Qi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After becoming a Ranked Martial Artist, Chen Lie begins converting his enormous reserves of Blood Qi into Essence Qi using the Primordial Limitless Qi Gong.
• His exceptional foundation—including twenty thousand cards of Blood Qi, sixteenfold Strength Value, five powerful Divine Apertures, extensive use of Divine resources, and a Defying Heaven and Changing Fate-level Supreme Extreme Realm—allows him to cultivate 3,101,890 strands of Essence Qi.
• Chen Lie’s Essence Qi quantity and purity vastly exceed those of ordinary Heaven Aperture, Origin Aperture, and even Upper Divine Aperture Martial Artists.
• He merges three million strands of Essence Qi into Origin Qi, which settles in his Three Dantians and begins producing True Qi. This marks his advancement from a Blood-Qi Martial Artist to a first-rank True Qi Martial Artist, specifically the True Qi Generation stage.
• Chen Lie realizes that his powerful foundation will make future cultivation extremely expensive, so he purchases ten thousand jin of ordinary Yuan Stones to strengthen his True Qi. The purchase exhausts nearly all his wealth.
• In the cafeteria, he meets Han Keke and Ji Lingxuan. Ji Lingxuan notices that Chen Lie has become dramatically stronger, prompting him to reveal that he has reached the True Qi Realm.
• At the Martial Way Market, Chen Lie learns that specialized Five-Element and Yin-Yang Yuan Stones are particularly expensive. He buys the large quantity of ordinary Yuan Stones despite the financial burden.
• While leaving the market, Chen Lie encounters his girlfriend, Ruan Liusu, who has also become a True Qi Martial Artist. She reveals that the Spirit-Opening Scroll Chen Lie gave her helped her open ten major apertures.
• Ruan Liusu, now accepted as a disciple by the head of the Martial Way Department, offers to give Chen Lie the divine weapon she was promised for reaching the Ranked Martial Artist realm.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Makes a major breakthrough into the True Qi Realm and establishes an extraordinarily powerful foundation. His three million-plus strands of Essence Qi give him overwhelming potential and likely allow him to fight far above his realm, though his cultivation now requires enormous resources. He also becomes more open about his advancement with trusted companions.
• Han Keke: Continues to regard Chen Lie with admiration and affectionately calls him “Big Brother.” Her cultivation has progressed rapidly because Chen Lie helped her complete missions and access the Void Heaven Pagoda.
• Ji Lingxuan: Demonstrates her unusual perception by detecting that Chen Lie is vastly stronger than before. Her mysterious azure six-pointed star eyes and unknown origins remain notable.
• Ruan Liusu: Successfully reaches the True Qi Realm and opens all ten foundational and Divine Apertures with the help of Chen Lie’s Spirit-Opening Scroll. Her Nine Yin Sacred Vein gives her extraordinary future potential, and she has gained the personal recognition of the Martial Way Department’s leader.
• The Yuan Stone shop owner: Treats Chen Lie as an unusually valuable customer after he makes a massive purchase and gives him a complimentary thirty-five-jin Yuan Stone.

Significant Themes

• The importance of foundations: Chen Lie’s overwhelming Essence Qi comes from years of building an exceptionally strong Blood-Qi and Divine Aperture foundation.
• Power versus resources: Greater strength brings greater expenses. Chen Lie’s unique cultivation requires vastly more Yuan Stones than ordinary Martial Artists and quickly consumes his wealth.
• Advancement and inequality: The chapter emphasizes the enormous differences between ordinary cultivators, elite geniuses, and Chen Lie’s unprecedented foundation.
• Relationships as sources of opportunity: Chen Lie’s assistance helps both Han Keke and Ruan Liusu advance rapidly, showing how cultivation progress is influenced by allies, gifts, and rare inheritances.
• Hidden potential and destiny: Ruan Liusu’s Nine Yin Sacred Vein and Ji Lingxuan’s mysterious abilities suggest that several characters possess extraordinary backgrounds and future potential.

Character Interactions

• Han Keke and Ji Lingxuan warmly question Chen Lie about his journey to the Ancient Star Ruins and notice his recent improvement.
• Ji Lingxuan directly identifies that Chen Lie has experienced a major breakthrough, leading him to disclose his new realm.
• Chen Lie and the Yuan Stone shop owner negotiate over bulk pricing before Chen Lie makes the shop’s largest purchase in months.
• Chen Lie reunites with Ruan Liusu, confirms her advancement by examining her cultivation, and learns that his Spirit-Opening Scroll transformed her growth.
• Ruan Liusu affectionately acknowledges Chen Lie’s gift and offers him the divine weapon she earned, publicly introducing him as her boyfriend to the young woman accompanying her.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie reunites with Ruan Liusu in Market Street and discovers that her acquaintance, Wenren Qingyue, is the same woman he previously defeated in a wager in the Sumeru Illusion Realm.
• Wenren accuses Chen Lie of extorting an extraordinarily valuable Blood-Tempering Spirit Liquid from her. Chen explains that she voluntarily made the wager and lost fairly. Ruan Liusu sides with Chen and persuades Wenren to stop pursuing the matter.
• Ruan Liusu purchases the Spirit Treasure sword Longspring, which her master recommended for her future sword cultivation. Chen declines to take it, believing she should keep the weapon intended for her.
• Ruan gives Chen a Mist-Cloaked Flower, which assists Mental Power cultivation, and a crystal containing the Profound-Grade martial technique Four Extremes Cloud-Shattering Hand.
• At the Martial Way Department’s restaurant, Ruan shares Qi-Nourishing Tea with Chen. The tea substantially increases his True Qi, with one cup being comparable to refining hundreds of kilograms of Yuan Stones.
• Ruan explains how she became the disciple of the Martial Way Department’s director. Chen’s previously given scroll awakened her Nine Yin Physique and opened her legendary Life Divine Aperture, revealing extraordinary potential. Her master also gave her several hundred thousand kilograms of Divine Source.
• Chen and Ruan exchange Communication Bracelet contacts. Ruan encourages Chen to contact her if he needs assistance, while Chen advises her to continue cultivating Mental Power.
• After returning to Earth First Campus, Chen uses ten thousand kilograms of Yuan Stones to cultivate the first layer of Primordial Limitless Qi Gong.
• Despite failing more than ten times to grasp the technique’s basics, Chen combines his previous-life experience as a Ninth-Order Grandmaster with expert instruction he once received and finally succeeds.
• His Origin Qi rapidly strengthens his Three Dantians, allowing him to break through to the mid-stage of the First-Order Qi-Nourishing Realm. His True Qi becomes powerful enough to rival the raw True Qi of a Tier 4 Heaven Aperture Martial Artist, though his overall combat ability remains lower.
• Chen realizes that his cultivation consumes vastly more resources than normal because he must balance martial and Mental Power cultivation. He begins searching for a method of absorbing external spiritual energy instead of relying mainly on Yuan Stones.
• Just as he resumes studying the later contents of the Qi Gong, Hou Yutan contacts him to ask whether he will attend his Ranked Martial Artist assessment, which is scheduled for the following day.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates confidence and composure when confronted by Wenren Qingyue. His previous-life experience proves crucial in mastering Qi Gong, though he remains concerned about the enormous resource cost of his cultivation.
• Chen’s relationship with Ruan Liusu becomes closer and more openly supportive. He accepts her gifts, shares cultivation advice, and establishes a direct communication link with her.
• Ruan Liusu shows strong trust in Chen, defending him against Wenren and believing that he can easily enter the Martial Way Department. Her status and potential rise after becoming the disciple of the department’s director, especially after awakening the Nine Yin Physique.
• Wenren Qingyue remains resentful over her losses to Chen but restrains herself out of respect for Ruan Liusu. Her pride is evident, though she acknowledges that the wager was technically fair.
• Chen’s previous-life identity as a powerful martial expert continues to give him an advantage, helping him overcome the difficulty of cultivating at the True Qi Stage.

3. Significant Themes

• Pride and accepting defeat: Wenren struggles with losing to Chen, while Ruan argues that a wager must be honored and that defeat should motivate improvement.
• Mentorship and inheritance: Ruan’s relationship with her master emphasizes the importance of a true master-disciple bond and the responsibility of passing on martial knowledge.
• Extraordinary potential: Ruan’s awakened physique and Chen’s retained memories both demonstrate how innate gifts and accumulated experience shape one’s cultivation path.
• The cost of power: Chen’s rapid progress requires ten thousand kilograms of Yuan Stones merely to establish himself in the True Qi Realm, highlighting the immense financial burden of his cultivation.
• Limits and advancement: Although Chen achieves a major breakthrough, his strength does not increase dramatically because he had already reached the Blood-Qi Stage’s limit. Advancement in realm does not automatically translate into equal combat power.
• Balancing martial and Mental Power cultivation: The chapter reinforces that high-level martial artists eventually need Mental Power cultivation, and Chen encourages Ruan to develop both paths.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen and Wenren argue over the wager, with Wenren accusing him of extortion and Chen insisting that she lost fairly.
• Ruan mediates between them, defending Chen while urging Wenren to accept the outcome and abandon her hostility.
• Ruan and Chen shop together, with Chen refusing the Longspring Sword so that Ruan can keep the weapon chosen for her.
• Ruan gives Chen cultivation resources and shares Qi-Nourishing Tea with him, showing her generosity and concern for his progress.
• The two discuss Ruan’s master, her awakened physique, Chen’s recent breakthrough, and the importance of Mental Power cultivation.
• Their exchange of Communication Bracelet contacts strengthens their ability to support each other in the future.
• The chapter ends with Hou Yutan interrupting Chen’s cultivation to remind him about his upcoming Ranked Martial Artist assessment.

Chapter Summary: “Upgrading Examination, 586-Fold True Qi Dilution”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie agrees to meet Hou Yutan and the others at the Earth Second Campus for the examination to advance their campus standing.
• After spending seven or eight days becoming a Ranked Martial Artist, Chen Lie travels to the examination site with Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng.
• The group discusses their cultivation foundations. Chen Lie reveals that he refined slightly more than 150,000 strands of Essence Qi, comparable to Qiao Xuanxi’s exceptional 160,000 strands.
• Hou Yutan explains the benefits of joining Starry Sky University’s Martial Way Department, including mentorship, access to the Martial Intent Cave, discounts on cultivation resources, and a high likelihood of graduating successfully.
• The four students enter the upgrading examination together. Because they reached the Origin Aperture Stage during the Blood-Qi Stage and participated in the Divine Source Ancient Star mission, they can advance to the Heaven Second Campus with a score of 80 and potentially join the Martial Way Department with 90.
• The first test measures True Qi quality by repeatedly diluting a sample:
  • Nie Cheng achieves a 125-fold dilution and receives full marks.
  • Hou Yutan achieves 133-fold and also receives full marks.
  • Qiao Xuanxi achieves 150-fold, confirming the strength of her Heaven Grade Qi Gong technique and Divine Source cultivation.
  • Chen Lie’s True Qi continues being analyzed far longer than the others before reaching an astonishing 586-fold dilution, earning a rating of “Extremely strong” and full marks.
• Chen Lie attributes his extraordinary result to the incomplete Sacred Grade technique, the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture. The academic affairs officer accepts this explanation, though he is shocked that the supposedly flawed technique could produce such power.
• The group begins the second test, which measures True Qi quantity and strength by requiring them to fill a storage device within ten minutes. Reaching 80% allows advancement, while 90% is required for direct entry into the Martial Way Department.
• The chapter ends just as the True Qi strength examination begins. Chen Lie is confident he can fill the device almost instantly because his True Qi reserves and power are already comparable to those of a Tier 4 Martial Artist.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates rapid advancement and conceals the true extent of his abilities. His cultivation of the Sacred Grade technique gives him vastly superior True Qi quality, while his immense Essence Qi foundation makes him confident about easily passing the strength test.
• Qiao Xuanxi: Her 150-fold dilution result validates her decision to purchase and cultivate the Heaven Grade Profound Yin Profound Yang Qi Gong. Although initially unsettled by Chen Lie’s result, she retains pride in her own impressive achievement.
• Hou Yutan: Acts as an informed guide, explaining the examination standards and the advantages of the Martial Way Department. His 133-fold result confirms that his True Qi is exceptionally strong.
• Nie Cheng: Achieves a strong 125-fold result, likely due to his Divine Source experience and Earth Grade Qi Gong technique, proving that his cultivation foundation is also impressive.
• Academic affairs officer: Begins confident in the examination standards but becomes increasingly astonished, especially by Chen Lie’s unprecedented True Qi quality.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and strategic restraint: Chen Lie deliberately limits his displayed compression and uses a plausible explanation to hide the full extent of his cultivation.
• Foundations determine future power: The characters’ results reflect their accumulated Essence Qi, past cultivation, Qi Gong techniques, and access to Divine Source.
• Competition and comparison: The examination reveals the widening gap between Chen Lie and even elite cultivators such as Qiao Xuanxi.
• Risk versus security in cultivation choices: Qiao Xuanxi’s concern over whether she chose the correct technique contrasts with Chen Lie’s bold decision to cultivate an incomplete Sacred Grade art.
• Institutional opportunity: Advancement and entry into the Martial Way Department promise guidance, resources, and greater chances of success within Starry Sky University.

Character Interactions

• Hou Yutan warmly checks on Chen Lie’s advancement and questions him about the Sacred Grade technique.
• Qiao Xuanxi expresses skepticism about how Chen Lie could master an allegedly defective Sacred Grade technique, quietly comparing his choice with her own.
• Hou Yutan reassures the group that their cultivation achievements should qualify them for the Martial Way Department.
• During the examination, the four friends compare their Essence Qi accumulations and test results, with Chen Lie’s 586-fold dilution shocking all three of the Heavy Rain Star cultivators.
• The academic affairs officer questions Chen Lie directly about his abnormal result, prompting Chen Lie to publicly credit the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture.

Chapter Summary: Five Elements Intent

Key Plot Points & Events

1. True Qi Strength Assessment: All four students complete this assessment. Chen Lie finishes in 5 minutes 13 seconds with perfect scores (True Qi Strength: 100, Abundance: 100), earning 50/50. Qiao Xuanxi scores 99, Hou Yutan 96, and Nie Cheng 92. Combined with earlier quality scores, Chen Lie has a perfect 100 total.
2. Academic Affairs Officer's Conclusion: All four qualify for direct advancement to Heaven Second Campus and are eligible for Starry Sky University's Martial Way Department.
3. Martial Way Department Review: They are brought to Officer Zhao Dong, who informs them they must comprehend one of the Five Elements Intents (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) within two hours using Five Elements Origin Stones—their final hurdle.
4. Intent Comprehension Test Begins: Chen Lie chooses the Water stele, Qiao Xuanxi the Metal stele, Hou Yutan the Fire stele, and Nie Cheng the Wood stele.
5. Results: Qiao Xuanxi succeeds first (13 minutes 26 seconds), Hou Yutan second (18 minutes 12 seconds). Chen Lie is still struggling to comprehend Water Intent as the chapter ends.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrated extraordinary True Qi quality and abundance but struggles with intent comprehension—his acknowledged weakness. His cultivation costs are revealed to be extreme (1,000 jin of Yuan Stones just for First-Order breakthrough).
• Qiao Xuanxi: Feels an "inexplicable delight" at finally surpassing Chen Lie in something, showing her competitive dynamic with him.
• Hou Yutan: Curiosity about Chen Lie's technique reveals his pragmatic, slightly envious nature.
• Zhao Dong: Introduced as the Martial Way Department's recruitment officer, professional and slightly skeptical of Chen Lie's results.

Significant Themes

• True Qi quality vs. comprehension: Chen Lie's immense True Qi purity contrasts with his slower comprehension ability—talent isn't monolithic.
• Cultivation cost: Sacred Grade techniques demand resources ordinary people can't afford, creating practical barriers regardless of talent.
• Intent as foundation: Comprehending Martial Way intent is essential for cultivating variant or elemental True Qi; the first intent is easiest (difficulty 1), with subsequent intents escalating exponentially (1, 10, 100, 1,000).
• Eastern Star Region vs. Ten-Star Alliance: Chen Lie's achievement of Origin Aperture Stage is framed as "unprecedented genius" due to his disadvantaged origins.

Character Interactions

• Hou Yutan & Chen Lie: Hou Yutan questions the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture's power; Chen Lie calmly explains the incomplete technique likely only lacks later content.
• Qiao Xuanxi & Hou Yutan: She dismisses his fantasy of obtaining a Sacred Grade technique, noting no planet in the Canglan Star Domain may even have one and the resource cost would bankrupt his family.
• Nie Cheng & Chen Lie: Nie Cheng warns about escalating resource costs; Chen Lie replies simply, "Then I'll rely on myself."
• Academic Affairs Officer & Zhao Dong: The officer advocates for Chen Lie, emphasizing that an Eastern Star Region Origin Aperture Stage Martial Artist is "an unprecedented genius."
• Zhao Dong & Students: Explains the intent comprehension process and warns of the dangers of cultivating True Qi without corresponding intent (meridian rupture, dantian damage).

Chapter Summary

Plot and Key Events

• Nie Cheng successfully comprehends Wood Intent in just over twenty-one minutes, leaving Chen Lie as the only one of the four who has not apparently succeeded.
• After two hours, the monitoring system reports that Chen Lie has failed the intent-comprehension test. Everyone is shocked because Chen Lie is an Origin Aperture Stage martial artist from the Eastern Star Region and is widely recognized as an exceptional genius.
• Shortly afterward, the water stone tablet reveals that Chen Lie has actually comprehended Water Intent. His “failure” resulted from the unusual cultivation problems caused by the incomplete Sacred Grade technique, the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture. His True Qi is extraordinarily powerful but unstable, forcing him to divide his attention while cultivating.
• Because the test result has already been uploaded to Starry Sky University’s central Superbrain, it cannot be altered. Rather than make Chen Lie wait until the Third-Order Qi Accumulation Realm to undergo further assessments, Deacon Zhao offers him a place in a recommended-student mission.
• Chen Lie accepts, promising to join the Martial Way Department rather than the Sword Dao or Mental Power Departments. The three Heavy Rain Star students pass normally and are allowed to report directly to the Martial Way Department.
• Back at the campus, Hou Yutan criticizes Chen Lie for accepting what he considers a “trap”—the free Sacred Grade technique that has now delayed Chen Lie’s enrollment by a month. Chen Lie calmly says the delay is insignificant, while Qiao Xuanxi argues that the technique is still worthwhile.
• Chen Lie uses a Mist-Cloaked Flower to advance his Mental Power. He breaks through from the middle Second-Rank Divine Sense Master stage to the peak of the Second Rank, coming close to the Third Rank. He begins studying the cultivation method for the third Star God, Liu Earth Musk Deer, whose ability is related to devouring mental power.
• The following morning, Chen Lie reports to Zhou Yixi, then meets Zhao Dong. He learns that another person will participate in the recommended-student mission: Zhao Dong’s niece, Tao Yunshu.
• Tao Yunshu is a seventeen-year-old transfer student from Canglong Continent First Martial Arts University. She is at the middle Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm, has cultivated Metal and Earth True Qi, comprehended three Five Elements Intents, and mastered a spirit-grade palm technique.
• Chen Lie introduces himself as a middle First-Order Qi-Nourishing Realm martial artist who has not yet cultivated Attribute True Qi or learned a martial skill. Tao Yunshu initially doubts his ability, but Zhao Dong explains that Chen Lie reached the Origin Aperture Stage on an Eastern Star Region planet—an achievement comparable to reaching the Divine Aperture Stage on Canglong Star.
• Zhao Dong brings both students to the recommended-student training site. The site’s director, Qian Long, is initially skeptical about adding two more participants, but Chen Lie’s extraordinary True Qi quality—diluted only 586 times compared with ordinary True Qi—immediately impresses him.
• Qian Long explains that the recommended mission involves fighting Otherworldly Demons, the major external enemies threatening the Canglan Star Domain. Ordinary adult demons are comparable to Seventh-Stage Gang Qi Realm martial artists, though the immature demons used in this mission are supposedly no stronger than Tier 4 Martial Artists.
• Tao Yunshu is alarmed by this information, realizing that the mission may be far more dangerous than her uncle suggested.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates extraordinary comprehension despite severe cultivation instability. His successful Water Intent comprehension proves that his apparent failure was misleading. He remains calm and confident, accepts the month-long delay without complaint, and gains a major Mental Power breakthrough. His reputation as an unparalleled Eastern Star Region genius continues to grow.
• Nie Cheng: Successfully comprehends Wood Intent quickly, establishing himself as one of the strongest among the participants in intent comprehension.
• Hou Yutan: Remains protective of Chen Lie but openly criticizes his choice to cultivate the flawed Sacred Grade technique.
• Qiao Xuanxi: Her respect for Chen Lie deepens. Although she once believed herself superior, she now accepts his greater talent and defends the value of his cultivation path.
• Tao Yunshu: Begins with a sense of superiority as a native of the advanced Canglong Star and assumes Chen Lie’s low apparent realm indicates weak strength. Zhao Dong’s explanation forces her to reconsider him, though she remains surprised and uneasy about the mission’s danger.
• Zhao Dong: Recognizes Chen Lie’s immense potential and actively works to secure him an alternative path into the Martial Way Department.
• Qian Long: Moves from skepticism to astonishment after reviewing Chen Lie’s cultivation data and realizes that Chen Lie has been specially reserved by a Martial Way Department instructor.

Significant Themes

• The difference between apparent realm and true strength: Chen Lie appears to be only a low-level Qi-Nourishing martial artist, but his extraordinary True Qi quality makes him capable of fighting far above his level.
• Talent versus circumstances: Chen Lie’s failure is not caused by poor comprehension but by the instability of his cultivation technique and the need to divide his attention.
• The cost of opportunity: The powerful Sacred Grade technique gives Chen Lie tremendous potential but delays his progress through Starry Sky University’s formal system.
• Regional inequality: Martial artists from the Eastern Star Region face harsher conditions and fewer resources, making Chen Lie’s achievements especially remarkable.
• Military preparation and external threats: Starry Sky University’s recommended missions are tied to the broader struggle against the Otherworldly Demon Tribe and the Canglan Star Domain’s need to cultivate powerful combatants.
• Prejudice and re-evaluation: Tao Yunshu’s assumptions about Eastern Star Region martial artists are challenged by Chen Lie’s hidden strength.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Dong and the academic affairs deacon debate how to handle Chen Lie’s failed test and ultimately arrange an alternative route for him.
• Chen Lie, Hou Yutan, and Qiao Xuanxi discuss the consequences of the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture, with Chen Lie remaining unconcerned about the delay.
• Zhou Yixi advises Chen Lie to take the recommendation mission seriously because failing it would force him through a much longer assessment process.
• Zhao Dong introduces Chen Lie to Tao Yunshu and encourages them to exchange martial insights.
• Tao Yunshu initially underestimates Chen Lie, while Zhao Dong emphasizes that his accomplishments are equivalent to those of the greatest geniuses from advanced planets.
• Qian Long evaluates both candidates, praising Tao Yunshu’s visible accomplishments while remaining doubtful of Chen Lie until seeing his exceptional True Qi data.
• The chapter ends with Qian Long explaining the demon-hunting mission and Tao Yunshu realizing that the recommended task may test them against enemies far beyond her expectations.

Chapter Summary: “Are They Here to Hold Us Back?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Director Qian Long explains the dangers and rules of the Otherworldly Demon Hunting Ground. Tier 4-level demons are heavily suppressed there, but powerful Peak Tier 3 demons can operate freely and may be even more dangerous.
• Guaranteed-admission missions are completed in groups of seven to nine. The required daily kills increase with group size:
  • Seven members: 15 demons, including 1 Tier 3.
  • Eight members: 20 demons, including 2 Tier 3.
  • Nine members: 25 demons, including 3 Tier 3.
• After one month, successful groups earn admission and may choose the Martial Way, Mental Power, or Sword Dao Department.
• Qian Long warns that Chen Lie’s low apparent cultivation may cause established groups to view him as a burden. He suggests that Chen Lie use rotating rest days to cultivate a martial skill, but Chen Lie refuses and insists he can manage.
• Qian Long transports Chen Lie and Tao Yunshu through a Light-Shadow Mirror to Longwind Canyon, a controlled section of the hunting ground. They are warned not to leave the canyon because stronger Tier 5 and Tier 6 demons would be fatal, and they must avoid conflicts with fighters from other planets.
• Chen Lie and Tao Yunshu are assigned to Trial Group No. 32. The group originally had seven members and had already killed 135 demons, including ten Tier 3 demons. Their addition increases the total mission requirement to 750 demons, including 90 Tier 3 demons.
• The existing group members resent the newcomers because they must now complete a substantially larger workload. However, Tao Yunshu and Chen Lie promise to forgo rotating rest days and help compensate for the increased burden.
• Tao Yunshu quickly earns the group’s respect after revealing her Mid-Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm cultivation, dual Five Elements True Qi, martial skill, and combat accomplishments.
• Chen Lie reveals that he is only at the Mid-First-Order Qi-Nourishing Realm. The group is shocked and assumes he cannot fight even the weakest demons. Wang Heilong and Liu Yiting openly question whether he has joined merely to hold them back.
• Chen Lie calmly claims that he will handle the additional workload himself. Tao Yunshu supports him, asking the others to judge him by his actual performance.
• The group prepares to leave the outpost for its first mission with nine members, requiring them to kill at least twenty-five demons that day.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Maintains his confidence despite appearing extremely weak. He refuses special treatment or rest days and hints that his true abilities are far greater than his cultivation level suggests. His mastery of the Mengzhang Divine Refining Chapter also gives him the ability to deceive surveillance systems.
• Tao Yunshu: Demonstrates maturity, social skill, and loyalty toward Chen Lie. She takes responsibility for his presence, promises to work harder, and quickly wins over the group through her strong cultivation and friendly nature.
• Qian Long: Acts as a pragmatic mentor. He explains the mission’s dangers and social dynamics, recognizes Chen Lie’s weak outward profile, and assigns him to a strong but displeased group.
• Shen Yifei: Established as the strongest member of Group No. 32, possessing Lightning-Aspect and Fire True Qi at the Late-Stage Roaming Qi Realm. Though initially wary of Chen Lie, he remains reasonable and accepts the newcomers.
• Su Rongrong: Friendly and sociable, she forms an immediate connection with Tao Yunshu because they share origins on Canglong Star. She is initially shocked and concerned by Chen Lie’s low cultivation.
• The remaining group members: Jiang Wei, Wang Heilong, and Liu Yiting are suspicious of Chen Lie and worried that he will damage their progress, while Wei Wuxun and Xue Zhiran have not yet met the newcomers.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus true ability: Chen Lie’s low cultivation causes everyone to underestimate him, emphasizing the difference between visible realm and actual combat strength.
• Burden and responsibility: The newcomers’ arrival increases the group’s required workload, creating tension over whether they will contribute or benefit unfairly from previous efforts.
• Trust earned through action: Tao Yunshu gains acceptance by openly presenting her abilities and promising to contribute, while Chen Lie must prove his claims through combat.
• Teamwork and cooperation: Success depends on every member contributing in a dangerous group mission, making mutual trust essential.
• Surveillance and power: The university’s bracelets and Satellite Sky Eye provide protection and mission tracking, but Chen Lie’s mental cultivation gives him a potential advantage over the system.

Character Interactions

• Qian Long advises Chen Lie and Tao Yunshu, warning them that established groups may reject weak newcomers.
• Tao Yunshu reassures Qian Long and the group that she will support Chen Lie and compensate for any lost progress.
• The original members initially react with hostility because Chen Lie and Tao Yunshu raise their mission target from 450 demons to 750.
• Tao Yunshu’s introduction softens the group’s attitude, while Chen Lie’s low realm renews their suspicion.
• Su Rongrong befriends Tao Yunshu through their shared hometown and introduces her to the group’s members.
• Wang Heilong and Liu Yiting confront Chen Lie directly, accusing him of being unable to fight and of holding the group back.
• Chen Lie responds with calm confidence, and Tao Yunshu defends him, postponing judgment until after the group’s first mission.

Chapter Summary: “Killing the Otherworldly Demon”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Trial Group No. 32, led by Shen Yifei, enters Longwind Canyon to hunt Otherworldly Demons as part of their guaranteed-admission mission.
• The canyon is filled with dense demonic aura that can affect the mind, but Chen Lie’s exceptionally refined blood-qi foundation protects him from its influence.
• The group encounters a powerful Third-Order Otherworldly Demon hidden in the black mist. The demon attacks immediately, forcing the team into their coordinated battle formation.
• Shen Yifei combines his strength with several teammates and uses his Treasure Artifact-grade black saber and advanced Wild Thunder Saber Technique to damage the demon’s armor.
• Tao Yunshu attempts to assist with her Metal-Splitting Rock-Breaking Palm, but the demon’s armor proves too strong. She is knocked back and injured slightly.
• The demon intelligently targets the group’s formation and nearly seizes Shen Yifei’s saber. When Shen identifies a weak point in its neck, Tao Yunshu attacks, but the demon unexpectedly rotates its head, releases black smoke, and grows two additional arms from its back.
• As the group begins to fear defeat, Chen Lie finally acts. He moves with astonishing speed, forms a blade from his blood qi and True Qi, and severs the demon’s head.
• Because the demon remains alive even after decapitation, Chen Lie follows up with a powerful punch that penetrates its armor and destroys its internal vitality.
• The group’s mission bracelet records the successful kill, raising their progress to 136/750, including 11/90 Third-Order Otherworldly Demons.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Reveals that his apparent First-Order Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivation conceals extraordinary combat power. His supreme Blood-Qi Stage foundation, Pure Yang Precious Blood, and cultivation of the incomplete Sacred Grade Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture allow his True Qi to rival that of an ordinary Third-Order Qi Accumulation Realm Martial Artist. He shifts from being viewed as a liability to becoming the group’s greatest asset.
• Shen Yifei: Demonstrates leadership, tactical awareness, and combat ability. Although initially stronger and more experienced than Chen Lie, he recognizes Chen Lie’s true strength and sincerely apologizes for underestimating him.
• Tao Yunshu: Shows courage by repeatedly attacking the demon and attempting to exploit its weak point. Her direct attacks fail because she lacks a suitable weapon, but she adapts after receiving tactical guidance.
• Su Rongrong and the other teammates: Initially regard Chen Lie as a burden because of his low apparent cultivation. After witnessing his victory, they change their opinions and acknowledge his importance.
• The Otherworldly Demon: Is shown to possess intelligence comparable to a human, strategic thinking, exceptional durability, regenerative or adaptive abilities, and the ability to manifest additional limbs.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength versus outward appearance: Chen Lie’s low cultivation realm causes others to underestimate him, but his foundation and techniques make him far stronger than he appears.
• The importance of cultivation foundations: Chen Lie’s power comes not merely from his current realm but from the exceptional Blood-Qi Stage foundation he built before advancing.
• Risk and reward in martial cultivation: The Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture is a flawed Sacred Grade technique that grants tremendous short-term power but may eventually cripple its practitioner. Its danger explains why no one else dares cultivate it.
• Teamwork and tactical cooperation: The group’s combined-strike formation allows them to contend with a demon beyond any individual member’s normal ability, though Chen Lie’s intervention ultimately determines the outcome.
• Adaptability and intelligence in battle: Both the demon and the humans adjust their tactics during the fight, emphasizing that raw strength alone is insufficient.
• The harsh nature of the demon-hunting trial: The imprisoned demons are promised freedom if they kill enough people, making every encounter genuinely lethal rather than a controlled exercise.

Character Interactions

• Shen Yifei warns Chen Lie and Tao Yunshu about the demonic aura and later directs the team’s coordinated assault.
• Tao Yunshu initially tries to protect and caution Chen Lie, believing him to be vulnerable, but later witnesses him effortlessly kill the demon.
• Su Rongrong criticizes Chen Lie internally for standing aside, assuming he is frightened and useless. After his victory, she learns that his technique explains his power and revises her judgment.
• Shen Yifei asks Tao Yunshu to attack the demon’s exposed neck, but the demon counters her unexpectedly. Chen Lie then intervenes to save the group.
• After the battle, Tao Yunshu questions how Chen Lie can possess such strength, prompting the explanation of his dangerous Sacred Grade technique.
• Shen Yifei apologizes to Chen Lie and accepts that he is the group’s most valuable fighter.

Summary of "The Might of a Saint-Grade Qi Gong"

Key Plot Points / Events

• Trial Group No. 32 continues their mission in Longwind Canyon; Chen Lie is established as the strongest member, capable of killing Tier 2 and Tier 3 Otherworldly Demons with a few moves.
• The group encounters an Otherworldly Demon nest; four Demons attack. Shen Yifei handles one with his soul-treasure saber, while the others split into pairs.
• Chen Lie kills his Demon with a single palm strike and stomp, then proceeds to wipe out the remaining Demons, leaving Shen Yifei to finish the last one.
• After an afternoon of hunting, mission progress reaches 166/750 Otherworldly Demons and 15/90 Tier 3 Demons.
• The group returns via stronghold to Star Sky University. Tao Yunshu invites Chen Lie to a martial arts meal (made from innate spiritual items).
• Tao Yunshu questions Chen Lie about his past realm and his choice of the flawed Saint-Grade Qi Gong technique, seeking to understand if he experienced anything abnormal; Chen Lie deflects, discouraged her from switching to that cultivation method.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Reveals he was at the Origin Aperture Stage during the Blood-Qi Stage, proving his talent in a low-resource region. His power intimidates and impresses the group, who now treat him as the main force.
• Tao Yunshu: Shows curiosity and caution regarding Chen Lie's strength. She is considering the possibility of cultivating the Saint-Grade Qi Gong method but is hesitant due to the risks.
• Group members: Su Rongrong, Liu Yiting, Wang Heilong, and Jiang Wei show disbelief at Chen Lie's strength, shifting their attitude to reliance on him.

Significant Themes

• Power of Saint-Grade Qi Gong: Chen Lie's combat abilities are attributed to his cultivation of the Saint-Grade Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture, which grants immense True Qi purity and strength.
• Talent vs. Technique: Shen Yifei's story about Shen Jiuxi, who stepped into the Upper Divine Aperture and refined six hundred thousand wisps of Essence Qi, shows that intrinsic talent and foundation amplify the value of superior cultivation methods.
• Risks of Power: Chen Lie warns Tao Yunshu indirectly about the dangers of the flawed Saint-Grade method, hinting at the high cost of such power.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie & Tao Yunshu: After the hunt, Tao Yunshu invites him to dinner. She questions him about his background and the Qi Gong technique; Chen Lie answers vaguely and subtly steers her away from following his path.
• Shen Yifei & the group: Shen Yifei explains Shen Jiuxi's strength, attributing it to a combination of a Saint-Grade technique, high-level Blood-Qi cultivation, and extreme True Qi purity. This contextualizes Chen Lie's own power.
• Group dynamics: The veterans (Tao Yunshu, Su Rongrong, etc.) no longer question Chen Lie's untried status; they accept him as the team's strongest asset.

Chapter Summary: “Taking in Qi like the Sea, Exhaling Qi like a Dragon”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tao Yunshu questions Chen Lie’s warnings about the incomplete Sacred Grade Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture. Although she is already at the Origin Aperture Stage and would normally qualify for direct admission to the Martial Way Department, she still has to complete the trial recommendation mission.
• After Chen Lie leaves, Tao Yunshu contacts her uncle, Zhao Dong, at the Martial Way Department. She learns that Chen Lie’s True Qi has an extraordinary dilution multiplier of nearly six hundred times, explaining why he could effortlessly pierce the Otherworldly Demons’ defensive scales.
• Zhao Dong attributes Chen Lie’s strength to neither the incomplete Sacred Grade art nor ordinary cultivation, believing Chen Lie has another secret. He strongly advises Tao Yunshu not to abandon her family-supported Heaven-Rank cultivation art for the risky Sacred Grade technique. Tao Yunshu ultimately decides not to gamble her future.
• Chen Lie explores the Heaven Second Campus and discovers a remote area with exceptionally dense spiritual energy, likely caused by a branch of Canglong Star’s spiritual vein.
• Because his enormous dantians consume Yuan Stones at an unsustainable rate, Chen Lie experiments with the fourth-layer breathing technique of the Primordial Limitless Qi Gong. After repeated failures, he succeeds in drawing spiritual energy from hundreds of meters away through his apertures, mouth, and nose.
• The technique allows him to absorb spiritual energy “like the sea accepting all rivers” and expel waste air as a dragon-shaped stream of white Qi. Each breathing cycle provides energy roughly equivalent to refining one hundred kilograms of Yuan Stones.
• Over two hours, Chen Lie completes twenty-five cycles, gaining the equivalent of approximately 2,500 kilograms of Yuan Stones and reaching the peak of the middle stage of the First-Order Qi-Nourishing Realm. He is close to breaking through to the late stage.
• Chen Lie reflects on his unique cultivation path. Unlike practitioners of the Five Elements True Qi, he does not need to comprehend the Five Elements Intent or True Intent. With his Innate Five Elements Spiritual Objects, he can directly cultivate the Five Elements True Qi and eventually achieve the True Qi Stage’s Ultimate Realm, “Five Qi Converging at the Origin.”
• Before leaving, Chen Lie notices a simple estate near his cultivation site but does not investigate. He then passes a young girl, Jiu Xi, and two middle-aged men who are visiting a renowned former weapon-refining master. Jiu Xi intends to use her grandfather’s old favor to ask the master to forge a divine weapon.

Character Developments

• Tao Yunshu: Her admiration for Chen Lie’s strength grows after learning the astonishing quality of his True Qi. However, Zhao Dong’s advice helps her regain her judgment, and she chooses stability over the dangerous pursuit of a flawed Sacred Grade cultivation art.
• Chen Lie: Demonstrates his overwhelming combat potential and unusual cultivation foundation. He adapts the Primordial Limitless Qi Gong’s breathing method, discovers an extraordinarily efficient cultivation site, and advances rapidly while conserving his limited resources. He also begins planning how to obtain his Innate Five Elements Spiritual Objects.
• Zhao Dong: Acts as a cautious mentor and protective uncle. He values long-term stability and warns Tao Yunshu against sacrificing her established cultivation for uncertain gains.
• Jiu Xi: Is introduced as a respectful but important young cultivator seeking a powerful weapon. Her family connection and the weapon refiner’s past favor give her access to a figure who normally rejects all visitors.
• The unnamed weapon refiner: Is established as a legendary master who once forged numerous Heavenly Treasure-grade weapons but has withdrawn from weapon refining and refuses most powerful visitors.

Significant Themes

• Risk versus stability: Tao Yunshu must choose between the uncertain potential of an incomplete Sacred Grade art and the reliable support of her family’s Heaven-Rank cultivation method.
• Hidden strength and exceptional talent: Chen Lie’s nearly six-hundred-fold True Qi quality makes him far stronger than his apparent cultivation level suggests.
• Resource limitations and ingenuity: Rather than rely on expensive Yuan Stones, Chen Lie finds an alternative method of cultivation by exploiting natural spiritual energy.
• Foundations and long-term cultivation: The chapter emphasizes that early advantages are meaningless if a cultivation method later causes deviation or forces one to start over.
• Special inheritance and unique paths: Chen Lie’s Primordial Limitless Qi Gong allows him to bypass the conventional Five Elements cultivation process and pursue the Ultimate Realm through a different route.
• Foreshadowing: The mysterious estate and the arrival of Jiu Xi suggest that Chen Lie’s newly discovered cultivation ground is connected to an influential weapon-refining master and a forthcoming subplot.

Character Interactions

• Tao Yunshu and Chen Lie: Chen Lie warns her about the dangers of changing cultivation arts, while Tao Yunshu remains curious about his power and methods.
• Tao Yunshu and Zhao Dong: Their conversation provides insight into Chen Lie’s strength and helps Tao Yunshu make a cautious decision about her cultivation future.
• Chen Lie and the environment: His interaction with the spiritual-energy-rich land reveals the exceptional nature of his cultivation technique and his ability to exploit natural resources.
• Jiu Xi and the two middle-aged men: They discuss the rules and expectations surrounding their visit to the reclusive weapon refiner, emphasizing Jiu Xi’s dependence on family guidance and the importance of respecting powerful seniors.

Chapter Summary: “Swords Drawn”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Mo brings his daughter, Shen Jiuxi, to visit Senior Shi, the renowned artifact-forging master known as the Peerless Blade and Sword. Shen Ji’s goal is for Jiuxi to become Shi’s disciple and inherit his sword legacy, particularly the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.
• Senior Shi is initially irritated because much of his medicinal field has mysteriously withered. He suspects that Chen Lie, who has been cultivating nearby and unknowingly absorbing spiritual energy from the herbs, may have neglected the field.
• Jiuxi respectfully presents Shi with a jar of Stellar-Soul Spirit Wine. Pleased with the gift, Shi assesses her aptitude and finds it exceptional: she has opened the Upper Divine Aperture, possesses strong Mental Power, and is almost certain to reach the Tenth-Order Heavenly Human Grandmaster realm within ten years.
• Shi explains that reaching the Primordial Essence Domain depends not only on talent but also on opportunity, confidence, and timing. Jiuxi may eventually reach that realm, but without major opportunities it could take decades.
• Because his medicinal field is damaged and he is in a poor mood, Shi refuses to forge Jiuxi a weapon immediately. Instead, he gives her a list of materials and tells her to return once they are gathered.
• Meanwhile, Chen Lie leaves the spiritual treasure ground and returns to the Otherworldly Demon Hunting Ground outpost. He reunites with Trial Group No. 32, whose workload has increased after two new members joined.
• The group learns that Chen Lie can kill Otherworldly Demons barehanded because of his extraordinarily refined True Qi and powerful physical foundation. His True Qi can reportedly be diluted nearly six hundred times, far surpassing ordinary cultivators.
• Chen Lie explains that cultivating the incomplete Sacred Grade Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture is dangerous and could cause problems in later stages, though the others still view him as a highly promising future powerhouse.
• Chen Lie encounters Xue Zhiran, an old rival from the Eastern Star Region. She blames him for forcing her to break through during their previous battle, which prevented her from immediately joining one of Starry Sky University’s three major departments.
• The two nearly resume their conflict, but their teammates intervene and persuade them to postpone any duel until after the trial.
• Shen Yifei organizes the next mission: the group will travel to Longwind Canyon and kill forty Otherworldly Demons, including four third-order demons, in hopes of completing their guaranteed-admission requirements ahead of schedule.

Character Developments

• Shen Jiuxi: Demonstrates humility and respect despite her exceptional talent. She takes Senior Shi’s warnings seriously and gains a clearer understanding of the difficulty of reaching the Primordial Essence Domain.
• Senior Shi: Revealed as both a legendary swordmaster and a demanding, irritable elder. Although he refuses to forge Jiuxi’s weapon immediately, he acknowledges her potential and agrees to evaluate her.
• Chen Lie: His reputation within Trial Group No. 32 grows as the others learn about his immense True Qi quality and combat ability. He remains confident but does not reveal the full extent of his strength.
• Xue Zhiran: Retains resentment toward Chen Lie but is also wary of him after remembering her previous defeat. Her hostility is tempered by an understanding of the gap between their abilities.
• Shen Yifei and the trial group: Begin treating Chen Lie as a valuable combat asset and potential future ally, while organizing themselves more efficiently around his abilities.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus opportunity: Exceptional aptitude guarantees potential but not success at the highest levels; breakthroughs require luck, resources, confidence, and personal opportunities.
• Respect and humility: Jiuxi’s respectful conduct earns Shi’s approval, reinforcing the importance of proper behavior when approaching powerful elders.
• Risk and ambition: Chen Lie’s cultivation path offers extraordinary power but carries serious dangers, highlighting the sacrifices required by those without family support.
• Rivalry and cooperation: Chen Lie and Xue Zhiran’s personal grudge contrasts with the group’s need to cooperate for survival and shared goals.
• Hidden strength: Chen Lie’s accomplishments appear to come from his cultivation method, but the chapter reveals that his true power also rests on foundations built during the Blood-Qi Stage.

Character Interactions

• Shen Mo coaches Jiuxi on how to address and impress Senior Shi, while Jiuxi respectfully offers him spirit wine.
• Senior Shi evaluates Jiuxi, praises her aptitude, and gives her advice about future cultivation.
• Chen Lie is welcomed by several teammates, including Tao Yunshu and Shen Yifei, who explain his abilities to Wei Wuxun and the others.
• Su Rongrong reacts with shock when she learns that Chen Lie’s True Qi refinement rivals that of the famous Shen Jiuxi.
• Xue Zhiran confronts Chen Lie over their past battle, leading to a tense exchange before the rest of the group mediates.
• The chapter ends with the entire team setting aside their tensions and preparing to work together in Longwind Canyon.

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Trial Mission Group No. 32 enters Longwind Canyon and finds it unusually crowded because Cloudglow Sect’s Cloudrain Peak is holding a trial mission for newly promoted inner disciples.
• The group encounters a Tier 3 Otherworldly Demon leading seven ordinary demons.
• Shen Yifei and Wei Wuxun engage the Tier 3 demon; Shen is knocked back but recovers due to his strong physique.
• Xue Zhiran reveals that Chen Lie has powerful Mental Power and suggests he take the lead.
• Chen Lie uses his Consciousness Sea World and the Star God Jing Wood Tapir to unleash Mental Power attacks, instantly knocking unconscious all seven ordinary demons.
• The group finishes off the unconscious demons, then Chen Lie disrupts the Tier 3 demon with Mental Power, allowing Shen and Wei to kill it.
• Mission progress updates to 174/750 demons and 16/90 Tier 3 demons.
• Chen Lie falsely claims his Mental Power is Tier 3 to downplay his ability.
• The group decides to make Chen Lie the vanguard and main offensive force, then pushes deeper into the canyon.
• Over the rest of the day, they kill 103 demons, including 10 Tier 3 demons.
• Final progress: 269/750 demons; Tier 3 kills 25/90.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates exceptional Mental Power and combat utility, but deliberately holds back to avoid seeming too monstrous. He shows strategic self-restraint and willingness to help the group.
• Xue Zhiran: Acknowledges Chen Lie’s talent internally, admitting he is unprecedented in the Eastern Star Region, though she remains distant and conflicted.
• Shen Yifei / Wei Wuxun: Serve as the group’s main physical attackers, successfully killing Tier 3 demons when supported by Chen Lie’s Mental Power.
• Group No. 32 members: Grow more confident and admiring of Chen Lie, quickly reorganizing their tactics around him.

3. Significant Themes

• Teamwork and role specialization: Chen Lie’s Mental Power perfectly complements the melee fighters’ physical attacks.
• Concealed strength: Chen Lie deliberately undersells his abilities to avoid drawing excessive attention.
• Genius hierarchy: Comparisons to top talents like Gu Tianji highlight the gap between ordinary and exceptional prodigies.
• Humanity vs. Otherworldly Demons: The demons are dangerous but vulnerable to Mental Power, which bypasses their physical armor.

4. Character Interactions

• Shen Yifei gathers information from other groups and warns everyone to avoid the Cloudglow Sect disciples.
• Liu Yiting explains Cloudglow Sect’s structure and the strength of its true disciple.
• Xue Zhiran publicly challenges Chen Lie to use his Mental Power, revealing his hidden capability to the group.
• Tao Yunshu asks Chen Lie about his Mental Power realm; he lies and says Tier 3.
• Su Rongrong and others express amazement, comparing him to Gu Tianji.
• The group unanimously agrees to make Chen Lie the vanguard, and Chen Lie accepts.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie’s Mental Power attacks allow Trial Group No. 32 to kill Otherworldly Demons at remarkable speed. The group expects to complete its trial well ahead of schedule.
• Su Rongrong asks Xue Zhiran why she and Chen Lie are hostile. Xue explains that their home planets, Wood Source Planet and Blue Star, are rivals. Su argues that Wood Source Planet should adapt to Blue Star’s new political standing rather than continue resisting it.
• Over several days, Chen Lie’s kill totals rise to 527 of 750 demons, including 56 of 90 Tier 3 demons. He also deliberately practices relying on his martial abilities instead of defaulting to blood-qi.
• In Longwind Canyon, the group encounters a wounded Tier 4 Otherworldly Demon. Though it initially seems vulnerable, its defenses withstand the group’s combined attack, and it knocks everyone down.
• Chen Lie uses a powerful Mental Power strike to briefly disable the demon, then exploits the opening with a Qi Gong palm strike that critically wounds it. He credits the group’s efforts and the demon’s prior injuries for making the victory possible.
• A party of Cloudglow Sect disciples appears and claims the demon as their kill. Trial Group No. 32 disputes their claim, since they fought and further weakened it at great cost.
• The Cloudglow disciples invoke their formidable leader, Senior Sister An, the peak master’s direct disciple. With both sides injured or outnumbered, Chen Lie proposes handing over the demon only if the sect compensates his companions for their injuries and effort.

Character developments

• Chen Lie continues to prove himself as the group’s decisive asset, but also trains to overcome his reliance on blood-qi and broaden his combat skills. He takes responsibility for negotiating on behalf of his injured teammates.
• Xue Zhiran reveals that her hostility toward Chen Lie is tied to planetary politics, not personal resentment. Her silence after Su’s argument suggests she recognizes the imbalance between their backgrounds and Chen Lie’s achievements.
• Su Rongrong demonstrates political pragmatism and respect for talent, urging Xue to reconsider Wood Source Planet’s opposition to Blue Star.
• Trial Group No. 32 grows more confident and cohesive through repeated missions and the use of a combined attack formation, though the Tier 4 demon exposes the limits of their strength.
• Senior Sister An is introduced as an imposing figure whose reputation gives the Cloudglow disciples leverage in the standoff.

Significant themes

• Mental Power as a strategic advantage: Chen Lie’s attacks can bypass defenses that ordinary martial force cannot overcome, though their effect is brief and must be used tactically.
• Teamwork and individual strength: The group cannot defeat the Tier 4 demon through formation alone, but its effort creates the opening Chen Lie needs.
• Political change and adaptation: Su’s argument frames Blue Star’s rise as a reality Wood Source Planet must accommodate.
• Merit, ownership, and fair compensation: The dispute over the demon pits the Cloudglow disciples’ claim of first injury against the group’s costly effort in bringing it nearly to death.
• Growth through discipline: Chen Lie’s effort to change his fighting habits reflects the need to prepare for stronger stages of martial cultivation.

Character interactions

• Su Rongrong presses Xue Zhiran about her feud with Chen Lie and challenges her to separate personal conduct from planetary rivalry.
• Chen Lie’s growing reputation earns the trust and admiration of Trial Group No. 32, who look to him during the confrontation.
• The group fights the Tier 4 demon together, then stands united when the Cloudglow Sect demands it.
• The Cloudglow disciples escalate the dispute by invoking Senior Sister An’s status; Chen Lie answers with a measured offer that acknowledges their claim while demanding recognition of his companions’ sacrifice.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie negotiates with Cloudglow Sect disciples after his group leaves a Tier 4 Otherworldly Demon barely alive. He secures Yuan Stones for the group—100 jin for each of the nine members, with an extra 100 jin for himself—in exchange for the demon.
• Zhang Tao explains that Cloudrain Peak is competing in a sect trial to kill Otherworldly Demons. He offers Chen Lie 1,000 jin of Yuan Stones for each Tier 4 demon Chen can weaken, provided a Cloudglow disciple delivers the final blow and absorbs its Demon Essence.
• Chen Lie agrees to help, proposing to work alone and avoid the supervising true disciples’ patrols. Zhang Tao also offers to sell him Yuan Stones at a discount and reveals that his family has access to a Yuan Stone mine.
• After returning to campus, Chen Lie uses his Yuan Stones to break through from the middle to the late stage of the First-Order Qi-Nourishing Realm, then spends the night stabilizing his cultivation.
• The next day, Chen Lie arrives alone at Cloudrain Peak’s gathering point. An Ning initially threatens him, suspecting he is mocking the sect, but Zhang Tao calms the situation. Chen Lie insists he can help by himself, and Zhang Tao introduces him to the twenty Cloudrain Peak disciples.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie demonstrates strong bargaining skills, confidence in his combat ability, and a growing focus on acquiring cultivation resources. His breakthrough raises his power, while his interest in trading Divine Sources shows he is cautious about their rarity and uncertain market value.
• Zhang Tao acts as a practical intermediary. He is eager to secure Chen Lie’s help to improve Cloudrain Peak’s trial ranking and appears to have both the resources and connections to fund the arrangement.
• An Ning, Cloudrain Peak’s strongest disciple and leader, is disciplined and suspicious of outside help. She challenges Chen Lie with her sword but relents when Zhang Tao vouches for the plan.
• The two groups’ interactions shift from hostility and tense negotiation to a tentative business alliance. The Cloudglow disciples question the university students’ status, while the students—especially Su Rongrong—push back against their condescension. Chen Lie’s group trusts his decisions and supports him taking time to cultivate.

Significant themes

• Resource exchange and cultivation: Yuan Stones function as both currency and fuel for advancement, linking negotiation directly to Chen Lie’s breakthrough.
• Ambition and competition: Cloudrain Peak’s desire to win its trial drives Zhang Tao to seek an unconventional advantage.
• Trust, risk, and rule-bending: The proposed partnership depends on exploiting the trial’s rules without being caught, while An Ning remains wary of disqualification.
• Status and prejudice: The Cloudglow disciples’ assumptions about Canglong Star natives expose tensions between elite sects and students from other worlds.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

• Chen Lie agrees to help Cloudrain Peak’s trial team hunt Otherworldly Demons, charging 1,000 jin of Yuan Stones per Tier 4 demon and 100 jin per Tier 3 demon. Zhang Tao explains that the peak is fourth in the District 2 standings and needs Tier 4 kills to catch up and help its leader, An Ning, win recognition and a Heaven-Grade martial technique.
• Chen Lie offers to provide ten Tier 4 and twenty Tier 3 demons per day for three days. Zhang Tao gathers twenty Cloudrain Peak disciples and warns them to keep the arrangement secret, since outside assistance could disqualify them.
• Deep in Longwind Canyon, the team locates a powerful Tier 4 demon. Chen Lie reveals he brought no backup and intends to fight it himself. The disciples are skeptical, but he borrows a Spirit Treasure-grade saber and attacks.
• Chen Lie cuts off the demon’s claw, then unleashes the Blood Dragon Saber Technique, producing a thousand-meter blade of saber qi that shatters the demon’s defenses and severely wounds it. He follows up with a mental attack and an internal strike, leaving it barely alive.
• An Ning finishes the demon and harvests its Demon Essence. Zhang Tao pays Chen Lie, who explains little about his background beyond being an ordinary Starry Sky University student. An Ning recognizes that his talent and combat ability far exceed her expectations.
• Chen Lie returns the borrowed saber, and the group moves toward another target. To avoid the trial’s monitoring disciple, the Cloudrain Peak disciples stage a routine battle while An Ning pretends to recover.
• A visiting true disciple spots the previous demon’s corpse and enormous saber scar. Realizing Cloudrain Peak could not ordinarily produce such an attack, he grows suspicious.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie demonstrates that he can defeat a Tier 4 demon while still below the Third Order, but the fight exposes a weakness: using an advanced Earth-Grade technique consumes too much power. He decides to rely more on mental attacks and avoid conspicuous displays.
• An Ning, a Jin Kingdom princess and Cloudrain Peak’s personal disciple, shifts from suspicion and anger at Chen Lie’s apparent lack of preparation to respect for his strength. She recognizes that his abilities surpass her own.
• Zhang Tao acts as organizer and negotiator, motivated by loyalty to An Ning and his Jin Kingdom heritage. He is impressed by Chen Lie but remains concerned that his spectacular attack will expose their scheme.
• The Cloudrain Peak disciples initially doubt Chen Lie and fear he is courting death; after witnessing his strength, they follow his lead and help conceal his involvement.
• The approaching true disciple introduces a new threat: Chen Lie’s display may draw scrutiny and jeopardize the team’s trial.

Significant themes

• Talent and hidden strength: Chen Lie’s modest description of himself contrasts sharply with his extraordinary combat ability.
• Ambition and loyalty: Zhang Tao and An Ning pursue peak-wide victory and personal recognition, while Zhang Tao frames his efforts as loyalty to his countrywoman.
• Competition and rule-bending: The team’s plan to use Chen Lie’s help reveals how far competitors may go to win, as well as the risks of violating trial rules.
• Power and its limits: Chen Lie’s overwhelming technique secures victory but drains his strength, forcing him to adapt rather than rely on raw force.

Chapter Summary: “Cloudrain Peak Cheating?”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• A Cloudglow Sect direct disciple, Wan Xuchuan, discovers Cloudrain Peak’s inner disciples killing Tier 4 Otherworldly Demons unusually quickly during the trial.
• He questions their leader, An Ning, who explains that they encountered a demon already gravely wounded by Chen Lie, a student from Canglong Starry Sky University.
• Wan remains suspicious because the Otherworldly Demon Compass should not be able to lock onto a severely injured demon. He warns them against cheating but leaves without pursuing the matter.
• Zhang Tao worries that killing ten demons as planned will expose their arrangement and suggests halving Chen Lie’s payment. An Ning proposes seeking protection from a Cloudrain Peak direct disciple, but Chen Lie reveals another solution.
• Chen Lie explains that he is a Third-Rank Divine Sense Master and can secretly weaken or incapacitate the demons with Mental Power while the Cloudrain Peak disciples appear to fight them normally.
• Chen demonstrates his ability by repeatedly knocking a Tier 4 Otherworldly Demon unconscious and using internal True Qi to damage it from within. An Ning then delivers the final blow and collects its Demon Essence.
• Chen receives one thousand jin of Yuan Stones for the kill. He then repeats the process with a third demon, bringing Cloudrain Peak’s total to 180 apertures and his earnings to three thousand jin of Yuan Stones.
• An Ning becomes increasingly concerned that their success is too conspicuous. They pause to avoid immediately attracting Wan Xuchuan’s attention, though Chen urges them to continue searching for another target.
• Wan soon returns, accusing Cloudrain Peak of cheating after learning they killed two demons during his brief absence.
• To conceal Chen’s involvement, An Ning claims that the Jin Kingdom gave her a secret technique capable of restraining Otherworldly Demons.
• Wan rejects this explanation as implausible and challenges An Ning to demonstrate the technique by killing a demon he designates.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates that he is far more powerful and versatile than his apparent First-Order Qi-Nourishing/Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm cultivation suggests. His Third-Rank Divine Sense Master abilities allow him to incapacitate Tier 4 demons and secretly aid Cloudrain Peak.
• Chen also reveals his practical ambition: he is focused on earning ten thousand jin of Yuan Stones and is unwilling to waste the opportunity.
• An Ning proves herself resourceful and composed under suspicion. She quickly invents explanations to protect the group and recognizes when their success has become too abnormal.
• An Ning is deeply impressed by Chen’s combat ability, comparing him to the sect master’s final disciple at the same realm.
• Zhang Tao acts cautiously, prioritizing the group’s eligibility in the trial and worrying about the consequences of being exposed.
• Wan Xuchuan shifts from mild suspicion to firm conviction that Cloudrain Peak is colluding with outsiders. His role changes from observer to active investigator.

3. Significant Themes

• Appearance versus proof: The disciples’ performance looks suspicious, but suspicion alone is not enough to establish cheating. Chen emphasizes that what matters is whether Wan can prove their violation.
• Hidden strength and deception: Chen conceals his true abilities while An Ning creates a false explanation, showing how survival often depends on disguising one’s capabilities.
• Institutional rivalry and supervision: Rivalry between Cloudrain Peak and Poolridge Peak influences Wan’s judgment, while the trial’s strict rules create tension between success and concealment.
• Resource and opportunity: Chen’s actions are driven partly by the need to obtain Yuan Stones, emphasizing the practical economic motivations behind cultivation and cooperation.
• Limits of cultivation and technique: Chen’s Mental Power compensates for his insufficient physical cultivation, while the chapter hints that future Divine Sense techniques may let him directly control or destroy demons.

4. Character Interactions

• Wan Xuchuan and An Ning: Wan interrogates An Ning about the group’s rapid progress. She responds respectfully but evasively, later inventing the secret-technique explanation when he returns.
• Chen Lie and the Cloudrain Peak disciples: Chen takes control of the operation, instructing them when to withdraw, when to fight, and how to collect the rewards while he secretly weakens the demons.
• Chen Lie and Zhang Tao: Their relationship is transactional. Zhang fulfills the payment agreement, while Chen insists on continuing the hunt to maximize his earnings.
• An Ning and Chen Lie: An Ning moves from skepticism to trust after witnessing Chen’s power, though she remains concerned about the danger of attracting attention.
• Wan Xuchuan and Cloudrain Peak: Their confrontation escalates at the end of the chapter, with Wan demanding a direct demonstration of An Ning’s supposed secret technique.

Chapter Summary: “Mental Power Long-Range Strike”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wan Xuchuan suspects that Cloudrain Peak cheated during the trial because An Ning and the other disciples collected unusually large amounts of Demon Essence. He demands that An Ning prove their strength by killing a powerful Tier 4 Otherworldly Demon within forty-five minutes.
• An Ning is worried because she could not defeat such a demon alone under normal circumstances. Chen Lie secretly offers to support her with long-range Mental Power attacks, instructing her to fight the demon by herself while the other disciples watch.
• Wan Xuchuan selects an especially powerful Tier 4 Otherworldly Demon located thirty li north. An Ning enters its territory alone, while the Cloudrain Peak disciples remain spectators.
• The demon quickly overwhelms An Ning, shattering her protective True Qi and forcing her into retreat. Just as she is about to be struck, Chen Lie attacks the demon’s mind with Mental Power, causing it to become temporarily unresponsive.
• Following Chen Lie’s instructions, An Ning severs the demon’s left claw, then damages its right arm and repeatedly attacks while Chen Lie prevents the demon from landing a blow.
• As An Ning becomes more confident and aggressive, she kills the demon by cutting off its head after roughly fifteen minutes and collects its Demon Essence.
• Wan Xuchuan is shocked, realizing that the demon seemed unable to resist An Ning. Suspicious, he orders her to kill another Tier 4 Otherworldly Demon fifty li west.
• With Chen Lie’s continued assistance, An Ning defeats the second demon in less than fifteen minutes. Wan Xuchuan still cannot detect the concealed Mental Power attacks and is forced to abandon his investigation.
• An Ning claims that she has only recently comprehended a secret method that works against Otherworldly Demons below Tier 5. Wan Xuchuan accepts the explanation reluctantly and leaves to continue overseeing the trial.
• Afterward, An Ning ensures that Zhang Tao gives Chen Lie the promised one thousand jin of Yuan Stones. She privately thanks Chen Lie for saving her and protecting Cloudrain Peak’s secret.

Character Developments

• An Ning: Initially fearful and uncertain, An Ning learns to trust Chen Lie and gradually gains confidence in her own swordsmanship. Once she realizes the demon cannot harm her, she stops fighting timidly and displays the composure of a powerful combatant.
• Chen Lie: Reveals his extraordinary Mental Power control and tactical ability. He can incapacitate a Tier 4 Otherworldly Demon from a distance while concealing his presence even from a sect direct disciple. He also protects An Ning’s reputation because she is his employer.
• Wan Xuchuan: Begins as an investigator determined to expose Cloudrain Peak’s suspected cheating. Although he repeatedly tests An Ning, he cannot identify Chen Lie’s interference and is ultimately forced to withdraw.
• Cloudrain Peak disciples: Initially believe An Ning will need their support, but become astonished when she defeats the demon alone. Their understanding of her strength changes dramatically.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Chen Lie’s concealed Mental Power allows An Ning to appear far stronger than she normally is, while Wan Xuchuan struggles to distinguish genuine ability from hidden assistance.
• Trust and cooperation: An Ning must place her life in Chen Lie’s hands, following his instructions despite the danger. Their silent coordination turns an impossible battle into an effortless victory.
• Power disparity between regions: An Ning recognizes that Canglong Star possesses martial foundations and talents far beyond those of Changxia Star, particularly in the rare field of Mental Power.
• Pressure and composure: Under public scrutiny, An Ning overcomes fear and transforms from a cautious fighter into a confident swordswoman.
• Political and sect authority: Wan Xuchuan’s confidence comes from the Cloudglow Sect’s dominance over Changxia Star and its kingdoms, highlighting the unequal status between sect disciples and local rulers.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie secretly communicates with An Ning throughout the fight, giving precise tactical orders while disabling the demon remotely.
• Wan Xuchuan repeatedly challenges and questions An Ning, but she calmly answers him and invites further tests, masking Chen Lie’s involvement.
• The Cloudrain Peak disciples question An Ning about her apparent hidden strength, but she refuses to reveal the truth.
• An Ning indirectly arranges Chen Lie’s payment through Zhang Tao and later thanks him privately, while Chen Lie reminds her that their agreement depends on receiving the promised Yuan Stones.