Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Huang Yucheng continues to dismiss Chen Lie as unimpressive and urges her sister, Huang Yuxi, to distance herself from him before the Freshman Martial Competition.
• Huang Yuxi checks Chen Lie’s progress and discovers that, in only half a month, he has mastered four of the Five Elements Origin Purity Forces. She explains his background and talent to Yucheng, correcting her mistaken assumptions.
• Determined to win the competition’s first-place reward, Chen Lie trains intensely with Primordial Limitless Qi Gong, consuming enormous quantities of Yuan Stone and strengthening his already exceptional body and True Qi.
• Near the First-Order Qi-Nourishing Realm’s limit, Chen Lie returns to a forest rich in spiritual energy. A powerful breathing session draws energy from a wide area, and he breaks through to the Early Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm. He then advances Primordial Limitless Qi Gong to its second level and begins stabilizing his new realm.
• His training drains the nearby medicinal field. A white-haired old man—revealed to be a Primordial Essence Domain powerhouse—finds Chen Lie and confronts him about damaging the plants and disrupting the spiritual energy.

Character developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates remarkable talent, discipline, and resourcefulness. His rapid progress comes from both his extraordinary constitution and intensive training, though the scale of his energy consumption causes damage around his training site.
• Huang Yuxi moves from evaluating Chen Lie’s progress to defending him, recognizing his ability and trying to mend the misunderstanding with her sister.
• Huang Yucheng begins to doubt her judgment after learning Chen Lie’s actual achievements and background.
• The old man is introduced as an observant, formidable figure who takes an immediate interest in Chen Lie’s unusual breathing technique.

Significant themes

• Talent and perseverance: Chen Lie’s advancement reflects exceptional ability paired with sustained effort.
• Misjudgment and reputation: Yucheng’s assumptions are overturned by evidence of Chen Lie’s accomplishments.
• Power and cost: Chen Lie’s breakthroughs consume vast resources and inadvertently harm the surrounding medicinal field.
• Progression and discipline: Chen Lie recognizes that his cultivation technique must keep pace with his realm to avoid hidden problems.

Character interactions

• Yucheng criticizes Chen Lie to Yuxi; Yuxi challenges her to focus on her own training.
• Yuxi questions Chen Lie, verifies his mastery firsthand, and later explains his true circumstances to Yucheng.
• Chen Lie weighs the risk of encountering Shen Jiuxi while choosing where and when to train.
• The old man confronts Chen Lie after discovering that his breathing practice caused the medicinal field to wither.

Chapter Summary: “Tending the Spirit Field”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie is forcibly transported into a hidden courtyard by a mysterious old man who uses spatial power—an ability far beyond that of ordinary True Essence Realm experts.
• The old man reveals that Chen Lie has accidentally drained and ruined his carefully cultivated spirit field three times over the past two months while practicing breathing exercises nearby.
• The spirit field contains 153 different spirit plants, and Chen Lie’s cultivation absorbed their spiritual energy and vegetation essence, causing them to wither.
• The old man threatens to destroy Chen Lie’s dantian and make him restart his cultivation if he cannot restore the field.
• Chen Lie agrees to tend the spirit field. Drawing on knowledge from his previous life and advanced Central Galactic Empire texts, he identifies the field’s problems and prepares specialized Spirit Liquids.
• He mixes a restorative spirit-water formula to replenish the field’s lost spiritual energy, then creates a separate treatment for each of the 153 plants.
• After Chen Lie applies the treatments, the plants rapidly regain vitality. The old man is surprised and acknowledges that Chen Lie may truly be capable of saving the field.
• Chen Lie asks to leave and return the next day, but the old man suspects he might flee. He forces Chen Lie to contact the Blue Star On-Campus Work Group and have someone officially collect him.
• During their conversation, the old man questions Chen Lie about his cultivation technique, identity, and origins. He sees through Chen Lie’s false claim that he uses Starry Sky University’s Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture.
• The old man also deduces that Chen Lie was responsible for taking Shen Jiuxi’s Natal Flying Sword. Chen Lie explains that he will return it after Shen Jiuxi compensates him for destroying one of his Spirit Treasure blades.
• Zhang Wenwu arrives from the Blue Star On-Campus Work Group, provides Chen Lie’s information, and leaves after being intimidated by the old man.
• Before Chen Lie departs, the old man orders him to return at six the next morning to continue tending the spirit field.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates humility and caution when confronted by a powerful elder, recognizing that resistance would be dangerous. He also reveals exceptional practical knowledge of spirit-plant cultivation, using advanced memories from his previous life to restore the damaged field. His intelligence, resourcefulness, and willingness to accept responsibility become clear.
• The old man: Initially appears irritable, threatening, and domineering, but he is also observant and highly knowledgeable. His surprise at Chen Lie’s abilities suggests growing respect and interest in him. He appears connected to Shen Jiuxi and may hold an important position at Starry Sky University.
• Shen Jiuxi: Though absent from the chapter, her conflict with Chen Lie is clarified. She was acting under the old man’s instructions when she pursued him, but after losing her Natal Flying Sword, she sought the old man’s help.
• Zhang Wenwu: Acts as Chen Lie’s official representative but is visibly intimidated by the old man’s temper and authority.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and consequences: Chen Lie did not intentionally damage the spirit field, but he accepts responsibility and agrees to repair it rather than evade punishment.
• Knowledge as power: Chen Lie’s forgotten or inherited knowledge from a more advanced civilization gives him an advantage over people in the current world.
• Strength versus diplomacy: Chen Lie understands that raw strength cannot protect him against the old man, so he relies on humility, negotiation, and competence.
• Hidden abilities and identities: Chen Lie conceals the true nature of his cultivation method and background, while the old man demonstrates the ability to see through his deceptions.
• Generational and regional disparity: The old man is skeptical that someone from the Fringe Star Domain could possess abilities superior to Canglong Star’s elites, highlighting differences in status and martial development.
• Mutual leverage: Although the old man holds overwhelming power, Chen Lie’s ability to save the spirit field gives him value and prevents the elder from simply punishing him.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and the old man: Their relationship begins as one of coercion and threat, with the old man demanding compensation for the ruined field. Chen Lie’s successful treatment earns him reluctant recognition, though the old man continues to control the situation.
• Chen Lie and Shen Jiuxi: Their unresolved conflict is indirectly discussed. Chen Lie holds her spirit sword and demands compensation, while the old man refuses to interfere directly, leaving the matter to the two younger cultivators.
• Chen Lie and Zhang Wenwu: Chen Lie explains the situation to the Blue Star representative, who comes to retrieve him but ultimately leaves his information with the old man.
• The old man and Zhang Wenwu: The old man treats Zhang Wenwu impatiently and dismissively, emphasizing his authority and intimidating personality.

Key plot points and events

• After damaging a spirit field belonging to a formidable True Essence Realm elder, Chen Lie agrees to restore it rather than risk the elder’s wrath. Zhang Wenwu warns him to be cautious at Starry Sky University and explains the strategic importance of the Four-Sided Star Domain Command Contest: its winner will organize and command an interstellar force against demons and bandits.
• Chen Lie stabilizes his new Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm cultivation by refining 50,000 jin of Yuan Stones, but recognizes that his unusually demanding cultivation method will require far more resources.
• He tends the elder’s spirit field each morning and cultivates in the afternoons. When the plants recover, the elder extends his obligation: Chen must help the field produce two harvests within a hundred days. Chen negotiates freedom to schedule his visits and accepts.
• Huang Yuxi tells Chen about the upcoming freshman martial arts competition and suggests aiming for the Martial Way Department’s top ten to earn another visit to the Zero Martial Intent Cave. Chen instead declares that he intends to win the entire university competition.
• Ruan Liusu invites Chen to a banquet hosted by her master for young relatives and friends of the Wenren and Yan families. Chen accepts, curious about why he was invited. The chapter ends as he meets Ruan outside Divine Martial Hall and asks whether her master personally requested his presence.

Character developments

• Chen Lie remains disciplined and resourceful, balancing cultivation, spirit-field work, and the pursuit of scarce resources. His ambition grows more explicit: despite being relatively new and facing privileged rivals, he confidently targets first place.
• The True Essence Realm elder shifts from tolerating Chen’s mistakes to imposing a longer-term task, while recognizing Chen’s skill in tending spirit plants.
• Huang Yuxi acts as a realistic mentor, encouraging Chen while cautioning him about the advantages enjoyed by Ten-Star Alliance elites.
• Ruan Liusu continues to support Chen and brings him into her master’s social circle.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus inherited advantage: Chen aims to surpass competitors who began training earlier and enjoy superior resources.
• Cultivation’s material cost: Chen’s rapid progress depends on an enormous and ever-growing supply of Yuan Stones.
• Obligation and opportunity: Chen’s punishment for damaging the spirit field may become a chance to earn benefits and deepen his skills.
• Power and caution: Chen must navigate relationships with vastly stronger figures and institutions that his home planet cannot influence.

Character interactions

• Zhang Wenwu advises Chen to avoid conflicts with powerful students and explains the contest’s political stakes.
• Chen and the elder negotiate the terms of repairing the spirit field; the elder grants Chen some control over his schedule but expects results.
• Huang Yuxi tempers Chen’s confidence with advice about the competition’s history and the head start elite students possess.
• Ruan invites Chen on her master’s behalf, waits for him at Divine Martial Hall, and is greeted warmly; Chen then presses her for the reason behind the invitation.

Complete Confidence — Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Ruan Liusu brings Chen Lie to a private gathering on the sixth floor of Divine Martial Hall at the request of her master, Yan Zhiyun.
• The gathering introduces Liusu to relatives from the Wenren and Yan families, including:
  • Wenren Mubian, a top-ten Flying Dragon Rankings student at Starry Sky University.
  • Yan Ruowen, a third-year student.
  • Yan Yi and Yan Xing, second-year students.
  • Yan Meng, Yan Zhiyun’s relative and an elder of the Yan family.
• Liusu formally introduces Chen Lie as her boyfriend.
• Yan Meng gives Liusu a Heaven-Grade Martial Technique as a first-meeting gift.
• Yan Meng explains that Yan Zhiyun has prepared refined essence from a rare Tenth-Order Eight-Star Star Beast. The essence is extremely powerful and dangerous for martial artists who have not opened enough Divine Apertures.
• Yan Zhiyun discusses the younger generation’s cultivation:
  • Yan Xing failed to open the Upper Divine Aperture but remains stronger than ordinary Middle Divine Aperture practitioners.
  • Yan Yi has advanced his cultivation and maintained his Hidden Dragon Ranking.
  • Wenren Mubian is praised for remaining in the top ten of the Flying Dragon Rankings and possesses the powerful Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit, the Devouring Heaven Taotie.
• Yan Zhiyun asks Chen Lie about his cultivation. He truthfully states that he is at the Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm, prompting her to imply that his progress is slow compared to Liusu and the other geniuses.
• During the feast, Chen Lie consumes large amounts of the Star Beast essence. Although the energy overwhelms Ruan Liusu after only one bite, Chen Lie’s exceptionally powerful physique suppresses and absorbs it with ease.
• The meal greatly strengthens Chen Lie’s Origin Qi and accelerates his True Qi generation, bringing it close to the level of an ordinary Fifth-Order Qi Manipulation Realm practitioner.
• At the end, Yan Zhiyun instructs the younger generation to look after Liusu and asks Wenren Qinghe to take Liusu and the others to the seventh floor to become better acquainted.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Displays complete confidence and refuses to feel inferior before elite martial artists. He recognizes Yan Zhiyun’s attempt to intimidate him but remains unaffected. His Starry Sky Behemoth-like physique allows him to consume and absorb the dangerous Star Beast essence, greatly improving his cultivation foundation.
• Ruan Liusu: Takes pride in introducing Chen Lie as her boyfriend and defends his slower apparent progress by explaining that he has cultivated without external support. She is also welcomed into Yan Zhiyun’s family circle and receives a valuable Heaven-Grade technique.
• Yan Zhiyun: Presents herself as supportive but subtly compares Chen Lie with more accomplished geniuses in an attempt to pressure him. She also formally asks her relatives to treat Liusu as one of their own.
• Wenren Qinghe: Continues to view Chen Lie with prejudice, believing him unworthy of Liusu because of his apparent dependence on her and his supposedly lesser talent.
• Yan Xing and Yan Yi: Their conversations reveal both the intense competition among elite students and the different paths of talented martial artists. Yan Xing’s failure to open the Upper Divine Aperture has not prevented her from progressing rapidly.
• Wenren Mubian: Appears humble despite his extraordinary achievements and powerful Consciousness Spirit, suggesting confidence without arrogance.
• Yan Ruowen: Admiringly highlights Mubian’s talent and status, reinforcing the high standards of the younger generation.

3. Significant Themes

• Confidence versus external judgment: Chen Lie’s confidence comes from his own achievements and potential rather than rankings or others’ opinions.
• Talent does not determine ultimate success: Yan Zhiyun emphasizes that failing to open the Upper Divine Aperture does not permanently limit a martial artist’s future.
• Martial competition and hierarchy: The Hidden Dragon, Flying Dragon, and True Dragon Rankings establish the increasingly difficult levels of achievement in the martial world.
• Family and networks: Liusu’s entry into her master’s extended family gives her access to powerful allies, resources, and martial knowledge.
• Hidden strength: Chen Lie’s public cultivation realm drastically understates his true foundation and physical ability.
• Nurture versus self-reliance: The chapter contrasts the advantages enjoyed by elite family disciples with Chen Lie’s progress achieved largely through his own efforts.

4. Character Interactions

• Ruan Liusu supports Chen Lie throughout the gathering, introduces him proudly, and reassures him when Yan Zhiyun questions his progress.
• Yan Zhiyun and Chen Lie engage in a subtle contest of status: she attempts to make him feel inadequate, while he calmly answers and later proves his strength by consuming the Star Beast essence.
• Yan Meng welcomes Liusu with a gift but cautions her not to let romantic or external matters distract her from martial cultivation.
• Wenren Qinghe’s cold attitude toward Chen Lie contrasts with Liusu’s open defense of him.
• The family members discuss cultivation rankings and future prospects, creating a comparative atmosphere that highlights Chen Lie’s unusual composure.
• During the feast, Liusu worries about Chen Lie’s health, but he confidently assures her that he can withstand the food, demonstrating the gap between his apparent realm and actual physical foundation.

Chapter Summary: “Conspiracy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a family meal, Yan Zhiyun encourages Wenren Qinghe to introduce Ruan Liusu and her boyfriend, Chen Lie, to the Yan family members, presenting the gathering as an opportunity for the younger generation to become closer.
• Several family members leave, while Yan Zhiyun deliberately keeps Yan Ruowen behind with Yan Meng. She reveals that the meeting has a deeper purpose: discussing Liusu’s extraordinary martial potential and the Yan Family’s declining position.
• The Yan Family is in danger of losing its status as a first-rate family on Canglong Star. Its only current True Essence martial artist is elderly, and the middle generation lacks a successor capable of preserving the family’s influence and its seats on the Planetary Council.
• Yan Meng explains that once the family loses its political position, reclaiming it would be extremely difficult, possibly impossible without an Origin-Dan Realm powerhouse.
• Yan Zhiyun reveals that Liusu possesses a rare constitution, opened the Life Divine Aperture during the Blood-Qi Stage, reached the Supreme Extreme Realm, and was born with nine forms of Ultimate Yin True Qi. She believes Liusu is almost certain to reach the True Essence Realm.
• Because of Liusu’s potential, Yan Zhiyun proposes pairing her with Yan Yi, one of the Yan Family’s greatest young martial artists. Even if Yan Yi fails to break through, Liusu could become a powerful supporter of the family.
• The plan is complicated by Liusu’s existing relationship with Chen Lie, who comes from an impoverished planet in the Fringe Star Domain. Yan Zhiyun, Yan Meng, and Qinghe discuss ways to make Chen Lie withdraw:
  1. Show him the gap between his abilities and Liusu’s.
  2. Demonstrate that he is insignificant compared with the elite of Canglong Star, especially Yan Yi.
  3. If necessary, personally persuade Liusu to choose Yan Yi.
• Yan Zhiyun insists that Liusu’s wishes must ultimately be respected and does not want to damage her relationship with her disciple. Nevertheless, Yan Meng supports trying to pressure Chen Lie into retreating.
• Yan Ruowen is assigned to carry out the first stage of the plan. Yan Yi is deliberately kept uninformed so that he will continue striving under the pressure of the family’s precarious future.
• After leaving the private room, Yan Ruowen privately reflects on the significance of Liusu’s Life Divine Aperture and wonders whether she truly possesses the legendary potential Yan Zhiyun attributes to her.
• Meanwhile, Chen Lie, Liusu, and Wenren Qinghe head to the seventh floor of Divine Martial Hall, where they plan to visit the martial arts sparring area.

Character Developments

• Ruan Liusu is established as an exceptionally rare genius whose potential may surpass that of nearly every young martial artist in the Canglan Star Domain. Her cultivation is deliberately being restrained by Yan Zhiyun.
• Yan Zhiyun is shown as both a proud mentor and a strategic family leader. She genuinely values Liusu, but also views her as a possible solution to the Yan Family’s succession crisis. Although she supports manipulating circumstances, she draws a line at violating Liusu’s wishes.
• Yan Meng is deeply concerned about the family’s decline and readily supports arranging a relationship between Liusu and Yan Yi. Her anxiety reflects her own failed struggle to cross into the True Essence Realm.
• Yan Ruowen begins the chapter puzzled by the family’s behavior, then becomes troubled by the seriousness of the Yan Family’s situation. She accepts the assignment to test and pressure Chen Lie but remains uncertain about Liusu’s true potential.
• Yan Yi is portrayed as a top-tier genius ranked among the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. He is also being used as the family’s primary hope, though he is kept unaware of the matchmaking scheme.
• Chen Lie remains calm and self-assured. He is not intimidated by warnings about powerful food or the elite status of Canglong Star, suggesting that he may not be as ordinary or vulnerable as the Yan family assumes.
• Wenren Qinghe appears to have helped devise the family’s strategies and watches Chen Lie with open indifference, implying that she views him as an inferior outsider.

Significant Themes

• Family survival versus individual choice: The Yan Family treats Liusu’s potential as a means of preserving its political and martial influence, while Yan Zhiyun struggles to balance that goal with Liusu’s freedom.
• The pressure of legacy: The family’s past achievements and the sacrifice of Yan Zhiyun’s brother cannot permanently protect it from decline. Continued power depends on producing new True Essence martial artists.
• Talent and social hierarchy: Chen Lie’s origins on an impoverished planet are contrasted with the prestige of Canglong Star, emphasizing how status and reputation shape relationships.
• The difficulty of martial advancement: Even exceptional geniuses may fail to cross the barrier into the True Essence Realm. The chapter presents this breakthrough as both a personal challenge and a matter of family survival.
• Manipulation and political marriage: Liusu’s proposed relationship with Yan Yi is framed as mutually beneficial, but the family’s plans reveal an attempt to influence her emotions and isolate her from Chen Lie.
• Appearances versus reality: The Yan family assumes Chen Lie will be overwhelmed once confronted with Canglong Star’s elite, but his confidence hints that their judgment may be premature.

Important Character Interactions

• Yan Zhiyun orders Yan Yi to guide Liusu in martial arts, establishing the family’s interest in bringing them closer.
• Yan Zhiyun and Yan Meng discuss the Yan Family’s political crisis and agree that Liusu could become a crucial asset.
• Yan Ruowen challenges the plan by pointing out that Liusu already has a boyfriend and questioning whether Yan Zhiyun’s confidence in her future is justified.
• Yan Zhiyun explains Liusu’s extraordinary achievements, convincing Yan Meng but leaving Yan Ruowen uneasy.
• The women agree to test Chen Lie’s resolve without informing Yan Yi.
• At the end of the chapter, Liusu remains affectionate and concerned toward Chen Lie, while Wenren Qinghe observes him coldly and prepares to expose him to the martial environment of Divine Martial Hall.

Chapter Summary: “Sparring”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wenren Qinghe brings Chen Lie, Ruan Liusu, and the others to the seventh-floor sparring area of Divine Martial Hall, where elite martial artists from the Ten-Star Alliance regularly exchange techniques.
• Ruan Liusu declines Yan Yi’s offer to spar, believing the gap between them is too large. Yan Xing reacts dismissively, but Wenren Qinghe immediately reprimands her and insists that she treat Ruan Liusu respectfully.
• Ruan Liusu instead challenges Chen Lie, who claims to be in the Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm, while she has recently reached the Third-Order Qi Accumulation Realm.
• Ruan Liusu initially promises to hold back, but Chen Lie asks her to attack normally. She uses the Mysterious Yin Nether Palm and later unleashes several powerful techniques using Taiyin, Pure Yin, and Mysterious Yin True Qi.
• Although Ruan Liusu should have the advantage in cultivation realm and martial techniques, Chen Lie easily withstands her attacks and gradually forces her to use nearly all her strength.
• Chen Lie secretly guides Ruan Liusu during the battle, helping her recognize flaws in her combat skills. He eventually displays enough strength to overwhelm her, then deliberately stops before humiliating her.
• Ruan Liusu realizes that Chen Lie is stronger than she is despite his lower apparent realm. Chen Lie explains that his cultivation foundation has been tempered more thoroughly.
• Afterward, Wenren Qinghe tries to arrange another match between Chen Lie and either Wenren Qingyue or Yan Xing, hoping to damage his confidence and make Ruan Liusu reconsider her idealized view of him. Yan Xing refuses, while Qingyue hesitates because defeating someone at a lower realm would offer little satisfaction.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates that his actual combat strength far exceeds his stated cultivation level. He fights without using martial techniques, relies on a solid cultivation foundation, and remains considerate by withdrawing before Ruan Liusu is publicly embarrassed. He also shows that he understands Wenren Qinghe’s attempt to test and undermine him.
• Ruan Liusu: Shows humility and caution by refusing Yan Yi’s help and choosing to spar with Chen Lie instead. She initially holds back to protect his pride, but eventually uses nearly all her strength. Her admiration for Chen Lie deepens when she realizes that his independent cultivation has produced a stronger foundation than her resource-supported advancement.
• Wenren Qinghe: Reveals that she knows Ruan Liusu possesses extraordinary potential—five divine apertures and nine types of Mysterious Yin True Qi—and wants the Yan Family to build a future relationship with her. She protects Ruan Liusu from Yan Xing’s disrespect while simultaneously trying to expose weaknesses in Chen Lie.
• Yan Xing: Displays arrogance and prejudice toward Ruan Liusu because of her humble background. She resents Wenren Qinghe’s defense of Ruan Liusu and refuses to spar with Chen Lie.
• Wenren Qingyue: Remains skeptical of the match’s result and believes Ruan Liusu must have held back. She is reluctant to fight Chen Lie because her higher cultivation realm would make victory unimpressive.
• Yan Yi: Offers sincere assistance, but Ruan Liusu declines because she feels the difference in their strength is too great.

Significant Themes

• True strength versus apparent cultivation: Chen Lie’s lower realm hides a much stronger and more thoroughly tempered foundation, emphasizing that cultivation rank alone does not determine combat ability.
• Humility and pride: Ruan Liusu’s modesty contrasts with Yan Xing’s arrogance, while Chen Lie avoids humiliating his opponent despite his superiority.
• Hidden potential: Ruan Liusu’s extraordinary constitution and talent are known only to Wenren Qinghe, foreshadowing her increasing importance to the Yan Family and the wider martial world.
• Strategic relationships: The gathering is not merely social; Wenren Qinghe is evaluating Chen Lie and attempting to influence Ruan Liusu’s feelings and decisions.
• Respect and social status: The conflict over how Yan Xing addresses Ruan Liusu reflects the tension between Ruan Liusu’s humble origins and her growing value as a disciple of a True Essence Realm Martial Artist.

Character Interactions

• Wenren Qinghe corrects Yan Xing for disrespecting Ruan Liusu, while Ruan Liusu attempts to defuse the tension by defending Yan Xing.
• Ruan Liusu and Chen Lie’s spar reveals their mutual trust: she tries to protect his dignity, and he gives her useful combat guidance without openly exposing his overwhelming advantage.
• Wenren Qinghe attempts to provoke further competition by suggesting Chen Lie fight Qingyue or Yan Xing, but both women resist for different reasons.
• The chapter ends with Chen Lie agreeing to another spar, leaving open whether he will face Wenren Qingyue and further overturn the group’s assumptions about his strength.

Chapter Summary: “Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wenren Qinghe arranges free arena matches for the group, secretly hoping to test Chen Lie against stronger opponents without making her intentions obvious.
• She registers Chen Lie as being in the Peak Roaming Qi Realm, assuming his strength must be at least that high after his escape from Shen Jiuxi.
• Wenren Qingyue and Yan Xing refuse to fight Chen Lie, so Qinghe arranges matches for everyone else. Yan Xing faces Shao Lin, the previous Hundred-School Martial Competition champion, while Qingyue and the others fight separate opponents.
• Ruan Liusu discusses Chen Lie’s rapid progress and unusually high combat power despite his lower apparent realm. She attributes it to his special physique.
• Yan Ruowen arrives and warmly welcomes Ruan Liusu as her aunt’s disciple, emphasizing that Liusu is effectively family. She reprimands Yan Xing for addressing Liusu too casually and insists that Liusu be treated as an elder.
• Yan Ruowen treats Chen Lie condescendingly because he comes from impoverished Blue Star, offering to provide him with martial skills or assistance. Chen Lie rejects the implication that he is lacking.
• Chen Lie is matched with Wang Xin, who is supposedly at the Second-Order Peak Roaming Qi Realm. Before the fight begins, Wang Xin’s companions recognize Chen Lie as the person who took more than 1,500 Innate Spirit Jades from them in the Dual-Origin Secret Realm.
• They accuse him of concealing his true realm. Shao Lin’s companions reveal that Chen Lie is actually at least a late Qi Accumulation Realm cultivator and had previously fought Shao Lin for a thousand moves.
• Fearing Chen Lie’s strength and his reputation, Wang Xin forfeits the match. Chen Lie’s true realm is exposed as the Third-Order Qi Accumulation Realm.
• Wenren Qingyue becomes eager to fight Chen Lie, since she is now at the same realm and remains unconvinced by her previous defeats against him.
• Shao Lin arrives and confronts Chen Lie over the stolen Spirit Jades. Chen Lie refuses to return them, claiming that anything in his possession will not be taken back.
• When Shao Lin threatens to act, Chen Lie deliberately invokes Yan Ruowen’s name, claiming she is protecting him. This forces Yan Ruowen into an awkward position because her earlier offer of help had been largely condescending rather than sincere.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Reveals that he has been deliberately concealing his true cultivation level, presenting himself as weaker than he is. His calm confidence, opportunism, and refusal to be intimidated become increasingly clear. He also cleverly turns Yan Ruowen’s dismissive offer of protection against her.
• Wenren Qinghe: Attempts to manipulate the matching system to test Chen Lie while hiding her intentions. She is surprised when his concealed realm is exposed and realizes that even her mother may have known about it.
• Wenren Qingyue: Remains frustrated by her earlier defeats against Chen Lie. Learning that they are now at the same realm renews her determination to challenge him.
• Ruan Liusu: Continues to defend and praise Chen Lie, emphasizing that he is the strongest Blood-Qi and Divine Sense genius on Blue Star and throughout the Eastern Region.
• Yan Ruowen: Initially acts welcoming toward Liusu but condescending toward Chen Lie. Her attempt to position herself as superior backfires when Chen Lie publicly names her as his protector.
• Shao Lin: Is shown to be powerful and connected, having previously fought Chen Lie in the Dual-Origin Secret Realm. He seeks compensation for the Spirit Jades but is forced into a confrontation after Chen Lie refuses.
• Yan Xing: Is reprimanded by Yan Ruowen for failing to show proper respect toward Ruan Liusu, revealing the strict hierarchy attached to master-disciple relationships on some planets.
• Wang Xin: Withdraws from the match after learning Chen Lie’s true strength and his previous conflict with Shao Lin.

Significant Themes

• Concealed strength and strategic deception: Chen Lie deliberately understates his realm, allowing others to underestimate him and revealing the “playing the pig to eat the tiger” strategy of the chapter’s title.
• Class and regional prejudice: Yan Ruowen’s attitude reflects the prejudice of Upper Three Stars elites toward people from remote and impoverished planets such as Blue Star.
• Status and social hierarchy: The chapter highlights the importance of family ties, martial generations, and master-disciple relationships, particularly through Yan Ruowen’s defense of Ruan Liusu.
• Reputation versus reality: Chen Lie is dismissed because of his origin, but his actual abilities and achievements challenge the assumptions of Canglong Star’s elites.
• Power and manipulation: Chen Lie uses social pressure as effectively as martial strength, forcing Yan Ruowen to stand behind him after she casually offered assistance.
• Pride and rivalry: Shao Lin seeks to recover his stolen resources, while Wenren Qingyue remains driven to prove herself against Chen Lie.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Ruan Liusu: Liusu praises Chen Lie’s achievements and recognizes that his combat ability surpasses his apparent realm.
• Yan Ruowen and Ruan Liusu: Yan Ruowen welcomes Liusu as family and scolds Yan Xing for disrespecting her, though Liusu finds her enthusiasm excessive.
• Yan Ruowen and Chen Lie: She patronizes him because of his background, but he later exploits her public offer of help by presenting her as his backer.
• Chen Lie and Wang Xin: Their match never begins because Wang Xin learns that Chen Lie is far stronger than the registered information suggests and forfeits.
• Chen Lie and Shao Lin: Their previous conflict over the Innate Spirit Jades resurfaces. Shao Lin demands an explanation or repayment, while Chen Lie remains defiant and refuses to yield.
• Wenren Qingyue and Chen Lie: Though they do not fight in this chapter, Qingyue’s desire for a rematch intensifies after learning that Chen Lie’s real realm matches hers.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shao Lin confronts Chen Lie, demanding the return of the more than one thousand Spirit Jades Chen Lie took from his group in the Dual-Origin Secret Realm.
• Yan Ruowen, a Seventh-Stage Gang Qi Realm Martial Artist and top-ranked Flying Dragon Rankings expert, intervenes. Ruan Liusu forces her to clarify that grudges from the closed secret realm should be settled inside it, not carried outside.
• Realizing he cannot overcome Yan Ruowen or determine Chen Lie’s background, Shao Lin backs down and agrees to consider the matter settled.
• Wenren Qinghe criticizes Chen Lie for concealing his martial arts realm, though Chen Lie points out that he never directly claimed to be in the lower realm.
• Wenren Qingyue wants to spar with Chen Lie after hearing that he can fight Shao Lin evenly, but Yan Ruowen postpones the match and leads the group to the eighth floor of Divine Martial Hall.
• Yan Ruowen privately tells Yan Yi that her aunt intends to arrange a marriage between him and Ruan Liusu. The Yan family hopes to gain Liusu’s loyalty because of her supposedly exceptional future potential.
• On the eighth floor, the group discovers a newly introduced Multi-Star-Domain Joint Martial Arts Analyzer, which compares martial artists across the Canglan, Black Cloud, and much stronger Swordfall Star Domains.
• Yan Xing, Yan Yi, Wenren Qinghe, Wenren Qingyue, and Ruan Liusu undergo analysis. Their rankings are much lower than expected, revealing the enormous strength of the wider star domains, especially Swordfall.
• Chen Lie also enters the analyzer. He disguises his true realm as the Second-Order Peak Roaming Qi Realm, but the device detects his extraordinary True Qi quality, speed, and physical strength.
• Despite being only at the Second-Order Peak, Chen Lie receives an overall combat-power ranking of 999, exposing his frightening talent and combat ability. His potential ranking is much lower—118,718—because the analyzer evaluates potential relative to his current realm and background.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates both confidence and restraint. He allows Shao Lin to withdraw without escalating the conflict and carefully conceals his true cultivation while still revealing enough strength to challenge the prejudices of Ruan Liusu’s associates.
• Ruan Liusu openly supports Chen Lie, using her relationship with him and Yan Ruowen’s status to protect him. She also unknowingly becomes the target of a planned political marriage.
• Yan Ruowen establishes herself as a powerful protector and an influential figure within her family. Though she initially hesitates to defend Chen Lie, she ultimately takes responsibility for her words and warns Shao Lin away.
• Yan Yi is revealed to be highly talented, with a top-tier result among the three star domains, but he remains dissatisfied. He accepts the Yan family’s marriage plan and agrees to pursue Ruan Liusu.
• Wenren Qinghe continues to look down on Chen Lie because of his age, origin, and apparent realm. She hopes the analyzer will reveal the gap between him and Ruan Liusu, but Chen Lie’s result instead undermines her assumptions.
• Wenren Qingyue suffers a blow to her confidence after ranking poorly, though Yan Ruowen reassures her that she is still young and has room to improve.
• Yan Xing and the others are forced to reassess their own standing after learning that being exceptional on Canglong Star does not guarantee a high ranking across multiple star domains.

Significant Themes

• The vastness of the martial world: The analyzer reveals that local rankings are relative and that the strongest martial artists of the Swordfall Star Domain vastly surpass those of Canglan and Black Cloud.
• Hidden strength and deception: Chen Lie’s ability to conceal his realm contrasts with the analyzer’s attempt to expose his true capabilities, emphasizing the value of secrecy and strategic restraint.
• Prejudice based on origin: Yan Yi and Wenren Qinghe dismiss Chen Lie because he comes from a remote, impoverished planet, but his ranking proves that background does not determine ability.
• Marriage as a political alliance: Ruan Liusu’s talent makes her valuable to the Yan family, turning her relationship into an obstacle to their plans for family advancement.
• The limitations of measurement: The analyzer provides objective data, but its results create confusion because rankings cannot fully account for hidden techniques, future growth, or the judgment of powerful experts.

Character Interactions

• Yan Ruowen and Shao Lin clash over Chen Lie’s protection, with Ruan Liusu strategically forcing Yan Ruowen to take a public stance.
• Chen Lie and Wenren Qinghe exchange a tense discussion over whether he lied about his realm.
• Yan Ruowen privately pressures Yan Yi to accept the family’s plan to pursue Ruan Liusu and promises to help him deal with Chen Lie.
• The group reacts collectively to the analyzer’s results, with shock, frustration, and embarrassment replacing their earlier confidence.
• Ruan Liusu invites Chen Lie to be tested, while Wenren Qinghe assumes the result will expose his inferiority. Instead, Chen Lie’s extraordinary combat ranking leaves the situation poised to challenge everyone’s assumptions about him.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie’s martial arts analysis results astonish everyone: he receives the analyzer’s highest ratings for physique, True Qi strength, and generation rate, with True Qi quality 6,257 times the baseline. His combat power ranks 999th among Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm fighters across ten years of records from three star domains.
• The group struggles to explain the results. Chen Lie attributes his True Qi quality to Starry Sky University’s risky Sacred Grade Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture, and his exceptional physique to a special constitution. He views his results as limited by the analyzer’s rating scale.
• Yan Ruowen explains that Chen Lie’s relatively low potential ranking reflects his young age, low cultivation stage, and lack of specialized True Qi—not his current fighting ability. His results also undermine the group’s plan to use the analysis to discourage him.
• Chen Lie asks Wenren Qingyue why some Canglong Star fighters have Strength Values above 12.5 despite the Sumeru Illusion Realm. She explains that many enter using Swordfall Star Domain coordinates, giving them access to both regions.
• Yan Zhiyun ends the gathering before matters can escalate. Yan Meng later learns that the effort to match Ruan Liusu with Yan Yi did not go well. She dismisses Chen Lie’s strength as likely a temporary benefit of his constitution and encourages Yan Yi to keep paying attention to Liusu.
• Chen Lie and Liusu part outside the Divine Martial Hall. He returns by airship to Starry Sky University’s Heaven Second Campus.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains modest and matter-of-fact about his extraordinary performance, while demonstrating how far his strength exceeds expectations for his cultivation level. He shares information when it suits him but does not elaborate much about his constitution.
• Ruan Liusu openly celebrates Chen Lie’s achievement and leaves with him, reinforcing their closeness. Yan Zhiyun is careful not to pressure her into a match she does not want.
• Yan Ruowen moves from disbelief to serious concern about Chen Lie’s ability; his results derail her plan to make him recognize the local geniuses’ superiority.
• Wenren Qinghe and Wenren Qingyue are shaken by Chen Lie’s statistics. Qingyue questions him about his physique and explains the Sumeru Illusion Realm’s regional access rules.
• Yan Xing repeatedly doubts the analyzer and objects to Liusu’s humble origins, but Yan Meng reminds him that Liusu’s master is a True Essence Realm expert.
• Yan Meng interprets Chen Lie’s power as a temporary constitutional advantage, while urging Yan Yi to honor the family’s obligations to Yan Zhiyun. Yan Yi agrees but remains focused on competition for the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

Significant themes

• Talent versus circumstance: Chen Lie’s rise from a resource-poor planet challenges assumptions that elite ability requires elite origins.
• Measurement and potential: The analyzer distinguishes current combat power from long-term promise; impressive performance at a low stage does not necessarily translate into a high potential ranking.
• Status and influence: The group’s treatment of Liusu shifts from concern about her background to recognition of her master’s authority, showing how power shapes social judgment.
• Ambition and pressure: Yan Yi’s ranking ambitions compete with family expectations and the attempted matchmaking.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Yan Zhiyun learns more about Chen Lie: After returning home with Ruan Liusu, Wenren Qinghe, and Wenren Qingyue, Yan Zhiyun asks Qinghe about Liusu’s boyfriend. She is impressed by Chen Lie’s past ranking but believes his weak foundation will prevent him from reaching the True Essence Realm.
• Yan Zhiyun softens her stance: She tells Qinghe not to pressure Chen Lie too harshly. Though she had hoped to match Liusu with Yan Yi, she decides not to interfere with Liusu’s choice, valuing her bond with her disciple. She wants Liusu to understand the possible long-term consequences of a gap in cultivation and lifespan.
• Chen Lie prepares for the freshman competition: He cultivates with Yuan Stones and continues tending the True Essence elder’s spirit field. The elder praises his work and offers to consider his debt settled if Chen Lie helps produce two harvests.
• Competition details are announced: Freshmen must compete or pay a penalty. Heaven Second Campus has 8,043 entrants, with preliminary matches across ten arenas. The branch’s top ten will advance to compete against other campuses; the eventual university champion will face top students from the Sword Dao and Mental Power Departments.
• Chen Lie joins Huang Yuxi’s group: Huang Yuxi encourages him to aim for the department’s top ten and believes he may eventually reach the top hundred of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Chen Lie’s friends from Heavy Rain Star join the same competition group.
• Trading and resources are discussed: Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng say they sold Divine Source for far more off-world than the university offered. Chen Lie reflects that his own trade with the Jin Kingdom—exchanging Divine Source for Yuan Stones—was especially favorable and resolves to trade with them again.
• Chen Lie prepares for combat: He plans to use a high-grade Spirit Treasure blade from Shen Jiuxi’s sword case to compensate for lacking the specialized martial techniques he used in his previous life.
• The chapter ends with a visitor: While Chen Lie is preparing Spirit Liquids for the elder’s plants, Shen Jiuxi arrives at the courtyard with a jar of spirit wine.

Character developments and interactions

• Yan Zhiyun shifts from favoring a match between Liusu and Yan Yi to respecting Liusu’s independence. She also cautions Qinghe to be supportive rather than forceful.
• Wenren Qinghe learns about the serious cultivation and lifespan issues that could affect Liusu’s relationship, and accepts her mother’s instruction to avoid going too far.
• Chen Lie shows diligence in cultivation and repaying his debt, confidence in his competitive prospects, and resourcefulness in planning how to overcome his shortcomings.
• Huang Yuxi supports Chen Lie by encouraging him, assessing his potential highly, and offering to brief him on strong opponents.
• Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng compare their progress and share their Divine Source profits with Chen Lie. Qiao Xuanxi gains confidence after Chen Lie affirms her chances.
• The True Essence elder becomes pleased with Chen Lie’s care of the spirit plants.
• Shen Jiuxi’s arrival sets up a likely encounter with Chen Lie at the elder’s courtyard.

Significant themes

• Love, choice, and responsibility: Yan Zhiyun weighs family interests against her duty to Liusu as a disciple and ultimately leaves the decision to Liusu.
• Cultivation and unequal lifespans: Differences in martial attainment may shape whether couples can remain together over centuries.
• Preparation and self-reliance: Chen Lie combines training, practical work, strategic use of resources, and equipment to prepare for a major challenge.
• Value and exchange: The Divine Source discussions show how resources can have very different worth depending on who trades them and what they need.

Chapter Summary: Fourth Primordial Essence Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Jiuxi arrives at the elder’s courtyard seeking revenge against Chen Lie, whom she believes stole her spirit sword and Sword-Nurturing Casket through a mental illusion.
• She attacks Chen Lie with her Five Elements Divine Palm. Her cultivation has advanced to the Five Qi Converging to Origin Realm, allowing her Five Elements Origin-Converging Qi to block most of Chen Lie’s Mental Power.
• Chen Lie withstands her powerful strike with little lasting injury, revealing that his physical body is extraordinarily durable.
• Shen Jiuxi assumes the courtyard and its elder may be another illusion created by Chen Lie. She ignores the elder’s warning and launches another attack.
• The elder suppresses both fighters with overwhelming power, proving that he is physically present and far beyond their level. Shen Jiuxi apologizes and offers him a valuable jar of spirit wine.
• The elder explains that Chen Lie has been tending his spirit fields after causing the spiritual energy in them to be drained. Their agreement is that Chen Lie must successfully harvest the plants twice to settle the debt.
• Shen Jiuxi tries to have Chen Lie handed over to her, but the elder instead orders her to assist Chen Lie with the spirit-field work.
• Chen Lie points out that Shen Jiuxi spilled all the prepared Spirit Liquid. The elder uses an impressive technique to restore the liquid to its containers, revealing that he possesses Mystic Power.
• Chen Lie realizes that the elder must be a cultivator of the Fourth Primordial Essence Realm—the Profound Radiance Realm, an extremely powerful level rarely seen in the Canglan Star Domain.
• Chen Lie teaches Shen Jiuxi how to irrigate more than a hundred spirit plants with specially mixed Spirit Liquids. The liquids dramatically improve the plants’ vitality and growth, astonishing her.
• Shen Jiuxi finally admits that her real purpose in visiting is to learn swordsmanship from the elder.
• The elder refuses to teach her the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art because she failed his previous task, but offers to answer one cultivation question in the future and help her save one or two years of cultivation time before she reaches the True Essence Realm.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates immense physical toughness, recovering almost instantly from Shen Jiuxi’s palm strike. His expertise in spirit-plant cultivation is further established, and he remains calm and opportunistic, using Shen Jiuxi’s attack to make her assist with his work.
• Shen Jiuxi: Shows significant martial progress by entering the Five Qi Converging to Origin Realm. However, she remains impulsive and suspicious, mistakenly believing the elder is an illusion and recklessly attacking. Her attitude gradually shifts from hostility toward Chen Lie to reluctant recognition of his abilities after witnessing his Spirit Liquid techniques.
• The elder, Senior Old Shi: Reveals himself to possess extraordinary authority and cultivation. His control over Mystic Power confirms that he has reached the Fourth Primordial Essence Realm. Although stern, he is fair and willing to offer Shen Jiuxi limited guidance in exchange for her past respect and gifts.
• Chen Lie and Shen Jiuxi’s relationship: Their antagonism continues, but the elder’s order forces them into temporary cooperation. Shen Jiuxi becomes increasingly aware that Chen Lie is not merely a thief but is highly skilled in spirit cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Strength beyond appearances: Chen Lie appears to be at a lower realm, yet his physical body allows him to withstand attacks that should seriously injure comparable martial artists.
• Misjudgment and perception: Shen Jiuxi’s assumption that the elder is part of a mental illusion highlights how deception and preconceived ideas can lead to reckless mistakes.
• Hidden power and hierarchy: The elder’s ability to manipulate spilled Spirit Liquid reveals the vast difference between ordinary martial cultivation and the higher realms of Mystic Power.
• Practical skill as a form of power: Chen Lie’s knowledge of spirit plants and Spirit Liquid proves as valuable as combat ability, earning him a place in the elder’s courtyard.
• Mentorship and opportunity: Shen Jiuxi’s desire to learn from the elder reflects the importance of connections and guidance in cultivation. Though she fails to gain formal instruction, she receives a future opportunity for assistance.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie vs. Shen Jiuxi: They engage in combat, with Shen Jiuxi initially holding the advantage through her advanced cultivation. Chen Lie survives and later directs her labor in the spirit fields.
• Shen Jiuxi and Senior Old Shi: She attempts to justify her attack and win his favor with spirit wine. The elder reprimands her but ultimately offers limited future cultivation assistance.
• Senior Old Shi and Chen Lie: The elder protects Chen Lie from Shen Jiuxi’s aggression while maintaining their agreement about restoring and harvesting the spirit plants.
• Chen Lie and Shen Jiuxi during cultivation work: Chen Lie instructs her in irrigating the plants, while she secretly observes his methods. The remarkable results force her to acknowledge his genuine expertise.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Jiuxi questions the True Essence elder about why her future advancement to the Primordial Essence Domain is uncertain despite her exceptional foundation, aptitude, and family support.
• The elder explains that reaching the True Essence Realm depends not only on talent, but also on fortune, karmic ties, destiny, and timing. Shen Jiuxi may eventually succeed, but breaking through before thirty will be especially difficult.
• The elder reveals that Chen Lie possesses an extraordinary and steadily rising fortune, symbolized by “purple aura rising from the east.” Although his natural destiny appears ordinary, he seems to have used some unknown method to improve it.
• Shen Jiuxi asks Chen Lie and the elder about the obstacles between the Tenth-Order Heavenly Human Grandmaster Realm and the Primordial Essence Domain. Chen Lie is invited to listen as well.
• The elder explains that surpassing the human cultivation limit is equivalent to “fighting heaven for one’s fate.” A successful breakthrough requires surviving:
  • The Five Declines of Heaven and Man
  • The Three Tribulations: Physique, Origin, and Mind-Spirit
  • The Three Calamities: Thunder, Fire, and Wind
• Those who survive the Five Declines and Three Tribulations become Greater Heavenly Human Grandmasters, possessing nearly half the strength of a True Essence Martial Artist.
• The Three Calamities are the final obstacles:
  • Heavenly Thunder must be evaded through insight into one’s nature.
  • Yin Fire burns from the feet upward, destroying the body and cultivation.
  • Bì Wind enters through the head, destroys the internal organs and dantian, and scatters the physical body.
• The difficulty of the Three Calamities depends on age. Younger geniuses face stronger tribulations, while older cultivators face weaker calamities but a more difficult breakthrough barrier. Breaking through after age one hundred is impossible.
• The elder mediates the conflict between Chen Lie and Shen Jiuxi, ordering Chen Lie to return her Sword-Nurturing Casket and spirit sword.
• Chen Lie returns them but demands compensation for a spirit blade Shen Jiuxi previously destroyed. She agrees to provide another blade later, while Chen Lie temporarily keeps the damaged one.
• The pair leave after the elder permits Chen Lie to miss two days of tending the spiritual field so he can participate in the upcoming new students’ martial competition.

2. Character Developments

• Shen Jiuxi: Her confidence is shaken as she learns that talent alone cannot guarantee early advancement. She remains proud and competitive, especially after hearing that Chen Lie’s fortune may surpass hers, but she shows discipline by listening seriously and suppressing her anger during the elder’s mediation.
• Chen Lie: His ambition to reach the Primordial Essence Domain is reinforced by learning the true nature of the breakthrough trials. His reincarnated experience gives him confidence in passing the Mind-Spirit Tribulation, and he demonstrates patience by focusing on his current cultivation instead of worrying prematurely about distant obstacles. He also remains clever and unwilling to surrender compensation during negotiations.
• The True Essence Elder: He acts as both teacher and mediator. His knowledge of destiny, physiognomy, and breakthrough tribulations establishes him as highly experienced. He recognizes Chen Lie’s unusual potential and attempts to prevent unnecessary conflict between Chen Lie and the powerful Shen Family.

3. Significant Themes

• Fighting Heaven for One’s Fate: Advancement beyond the limits imposed on humanity requires defying cosmic laws and enduring heaven’s punishment.
• Talent Versus Fortune: Aptitude and foundation are important, but destiny, karmic ties, opportunity, and timing can determine whether a genius succeeds.
• The Cost of Transcendence: Becoming extraordinary requires surviving physical decay, loss of cultivation, mental trials, and devastating heavenly calamities.
• Age and Potential: Early breakthroughs offer greater future potential but provoke stronger tribulations; delaying makes the tribulations weaker while making the fundamental barrier harder to overcome.
• Perseverance and Mental Fortitude: The Mind-Spirit Tribulation emphasizes that willpower and state of mind can matter more than innate talent.
• Rivalry and Reconciliation: Chen Lie and Shen Jiuxi remain antagonistic, but the elder’s authority forces them into a temporary agreement.

4. Character Interactions

• Shen Jiuxi repeatedly challenges the elder for explanations about her destiny and breakthrough prospects.
• The elder compares Shen Jiuxi’s uncertain future with Chen Lie’s rapidly increasing fortune, provoking her jealousy and frustration.
• Chen Lie listens quietly to the elder’s lecture, while Shen Jiuxi asks most of the questions.
• The elder warns Chen Lie not to antagonize the powerful Shen Family and orders him to return Shen Jiuxi’s belongings.
• Chen Lie and Shen Jiuxi bargain over the destroyed spirit blade, maintaining their hostile but restrained relationship.
• The elder ultimately ends the discussion and grants Chen Lie permission to leave his duties temporarily for the martial competition.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Jiuxi learns to mix spirit water from Chen Lie and successfully prepares a batch. Hoping to keep visiting Old Shi and eventually become his disciple, she asks Chen Lie to teach her more about tending spirit fields. He refuses, explaining that field care requires knowledge she lacks, and dismisses her offer of five million Star-Origin Galactic Coins.
• Chen Lie warns Shen Jiuxi to find another spirit blade soon: he is entering the Freshman Martial Competition and cannot promise that her fragile, untempered Spirit-Nurturing Blade will survive a clash with a strong opponent.
• On April 10, Chen Lie arrives at Starry Sky University’s New Student Martial Arts Grand Competition. Teaching assistant Huang Yuxi explains the elimination and Revival Match rules, and warns him about promising students in his branch. Chen Lie says he is aiming for first place and estimates his strength at roughly that of a formidable Late Fourth-Order fighter.
• Huang names the university’s standout freshmen: Sword Dao prodigy Shao Lin, Mental Power prodigy Luo Yunshang, and Martial Way prodigy Wei Zeyang. Chen Lie accepts the information but remains confident.
• The competition begins. Chen Lie watches several early bouts, which mostly involve weaker contestants. When he is matched against Class 17 student Chen Jingjing, she boasts that she is unlike the earlier losers and predicts he will need the Revival Match.
• Chen Lie defeats her with a single strike, knocking her off the platform before she can attack. She is left stunned by the speed and force of her defeat.

Character developments

• Chen Lie displays deep expertise in spirit-field cultivation, confidence in his combat abilities, and impatience with people he considers unworthy opponents. His one-hit victory confirms that his strength greatly exceeds that of most competitors in the opening rounds.
• Shen Jiuxi is resourceful and ambitious, trying to use spirit-field work as a way to approach Old Shi. Chen Lie’s refusal frustrates her, but his warning about her blade forces her to consider replacing it.
• Huang Yuxi shifts from giving Chen Lie routine guidance to recognizing that his rapid progress may make him a serious contender.
• Chen Jingjing begins overconfident and dismissive, but is immediately humbled by Chen Lie’s strength.

Significant themes

• Talent and rapid advancement: Chen Lie’s progress in less than six months sets him apart from ordinary freshmen.
• Pride versus proven ability: Chen Jingjing’s boasting contrasts with Chen Lie’s decisive performance.
• Knowledge and its limits: Chen Lie stresses that spirit-field care requires understanding conditions, not merely memorizing recipes.
• Competition and hierarchy: The opening matches are only preliminary; the stronger challenges and major rankings are expected later.

Character interactions

• Chen Lie teaches Shen Jiuxi the basics of spirit-water mixing, rejects her offer to buy further instruction, and advises her to replace her Spirit-Nurturing Blade.
• Huang Yuxi briefs Chen Lie on likely rivals and questions his claim of great strength; his explanation changes her assessment of him.
• Chen Lie briefly reconnects with Hou Yutan and the other Heavy Rain Star students before the matches.
• Chen Jingjing taunts Chen Lie before their bout; he answers her challenge with a single blow.

Chapter Summary: Five Rounds of Martial Arts Competition

Key Plot Points and Events

• After defeating Chen Jingjing in a single move, Chen Lie returns to the viewing area. Tao Yunshu is surprised by his rapid improvement and asks whether he has reached the Early Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm. Chen Lie denies it, though his strength is clearly far beyond his apparent realm.
• Hou Yutan praises Chen Lie’s chances of entering the Martial Way Department’s top ten, while Qiao Xuanxi accepts that she is currently no match for him.
• The first round concludes after a full day. Of the 800 contestants in the second arena, 400 advance directly, while 200 eliminated contestants regain qualification through the Revival Match.
• In the second round, Hou Yutan loses narrowly to Zhao Jingtao. Discouraged, he fears he will fail to reach the department’s top hundred, but Chen Lie reminds him that the Revival Matches still give him a chance.
• Chen Lie defeats Su Rongrong effortlessly. He neutralizes her sword qi without moving, catches her Spirit Treasure-grade sword between two fingers, and knocks it from her grasp. Recognizing the overwhelming difference in strength, Su Rongrong concedes.
• Hua Jianying defeats Zhu Jingfei in a close battle between two Eastern Star Region talents, both of whom have reached the Early Third-Order Qi Accumulation Realm.
• Chen Lie’s third-round opponent, a Late-Stage Roaming Qi Realm student, is blasted off the platform with one punch.
• In the fourth round, Chen Lie and Tian Sisi both defeat their opponents with a single punch. Chen Lie advances to the fifth round, while Tian Sisi also continues undefeated.
• The Satellite Sky Eye illuminates the arena after nightfall, allowing the competition to continue without interruption. By the fourth round, only 190 contestants remain in the arena, most of them at the Third-Order Qi Accumulation Realm.
• Tian Sisi begins taking Chen Lie seriously after observing his repeated one-move victories. Her teaching assistant, Li Yaxian, warns her that Chen Lie may possess at least Early Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm strength and could threaten her bid for the department’s top ten.
• Li Yaxian reveals that Chen Lie’s mentor, Huang Yuxi, once rejected a genius from the Hidden Dragon Rankings in order to accept Chen Lie as her student. This further convinces Tian Sisi that Chen Lie is unusually talented.
• Huang Yuxi explains that the separate arenas are expected to merge the following morning. The later stages will draw large crowds and possibly the attention of department leaders and the university president.
• After resting through the long waits between matches, Chen Lie remains calm and unconcerned with spectators. The fourth-round matches end, and the fifth round begins as the chapter closes.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates overwhelming combat ability despite concealing his true cultivation level. His effortless victories establish him as one of the strongest competitors in the arena and a serious contender for the department’s top ten.
• Tao Yunshu: Recognizes that Chen Lie has surpassed her in martial arts progress, attributing his rapid growth partly to guidance from his teaching assistant.
• Hou Yutan: Suffers an early defeat and becomes discouraged, but Chen Lie encourages him not to give up because of the Revival Matches.
• Su Rongrong: Initially attempts to negotiate a less humiliating defeat, but after witnessing Chen Lie’s overwhelming control, she concedes respectfully and acknowledges the widening gap between them.
• Tian Sisi: Starts confident in her own superiority, but Chen Lie’s performance forces her to reconsider him as a potential rival. She agrees to be more cautious if they meet.
• Li Yaxian: Acts as a perceptive mentor by recognizing Chen Lie’s danger and warning Tian Sisi against underestimating him.
• Huang Yuxi: Is further established as a discerning mentor whose decision to choose Chen Lie over another highly ranked genius reflects her confidence in his potential.
• Qiao Xuanxi: Abandons her previous impulse to compete with Chen Lie, accepting the current difference in their abilities.

Significant Themes

• Rapid growth and hidden potential: Chen Lie’s dramatic advancement over only a few months highlights his extraordinary talent and the value of expert mentorship.
• Concealed strength: Chen Lie deliberately keeps his true realm hidden, causing others to underestimate him and making his victories even more impressive.
• Competition and changing perceptions: As the tournament progresses, rivals and observers repeatedly revise their assessments of Chen Lie’s abilities.
• Mentorship and opportunity: The influence of Huang Yuxi and the other teaching assistants emphasizes how guidance can accelerate a martial artist’s development.
• Perseverance after defeat: Hou Yutan’s loss illustrates that elimination is not always final because the Revival Matches provide another opportunity.
• Confidence versus caution: Tian Sisi’s initial confidence is challenged by Li Yaxian’s warning, showing the danger of underestimating an opponent.

Important Character Interactions

• Tao Yunshu questions Chen Lie about his cultivation and acknowledges his progress.
• Hou Yutan praises Chen Lie and later receives encouragement from him after losing.
• Chen Lie and Su Rongrong exchange friendly remarks before fighting; their match ends with Chen Lie’s effortless victory and Su Rongrong’s voluntary surrender.
• Tian Sisi observes Chen Lie’s performance and discusses him with Li Yaxian, who urges her to treat him as a serious threat.
• Huang Yuxi explains the tournament’s future stages and schedule to Chen Lie, while Chen remains focused only on advancing and obtaining the rewards.

Key plot points and events

• As the second venue’s competition reaches round twelve, only 26 contestants remain. The round and its Revival Match determine which 20 advance to the Heaven Second Campus finals.
• Chen Lie defeats Zhao Jingtao with a single punch, advancing from the venue. Tian Sisi’s assistant, Li Yaxian, identifies him as one of the venue’s strongest fighters.
• Tian Sisi defeats Qiao Xuanxi in a few moves. Qiao declines to leave with her Heavy Rain Star classmates, wins the Revival Match, and advances alongside Chen Lie and Chen Jingjing.
• The campus-wide division finals begin with 200 contestants and no Revival Matches: a loss means elimination. Chen Lie’s first opponent, Xu Jinzhou, has combat strength comparable to an early Qi Gathering Realm fighter. Chen Lie beats him in two punches, entering the top 100.
• Li Yaxian estimates Chen Lie’s true strength at roughly the late Qi Gathering Realm. She tells Tian Sisi that although Chen Lie is extraordinarily strong, he comes from an impoverished planet and may lack powerful techniques and weapons—gaps Tian Sisi could potentially exploit.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie continues to reveal overwhelming strength, winning quickly and calmly. His victory over Xu Jinzhou shocks spectators and changes how Tian Sisi and Li Yaxian assess him.
• Qiao Xuanxi remains determined despite being at an early cultivation stage and losing to Tian Sisi. Her persistence carries her through the Revival Match and into the finals.
• Tian Sisi initially sees Chen Lie as a likely threat, then reacts with disbelief and frustration at his apparent advantage. Li Yaxian’s explanation tempers her concern and encourages her to study his weaknesses.
• Hou Yutan and Nie Cheng attribute their group’s disadvantage to time lost mining on Divine Source Ancient Star and urge Qiao to give up after her loss. She calmly refuses.
• Li Yaxian coaches Tian Sisi by analyzing opponents and emphasizing preparation, while also revealing that Chen Lie’s background may limit his resources.

Significant themes

• Perseverance: Qiao keeps competing despite repeated setbacks and pressure to quit.
• Talent versus resources: Chen Lie’s achievement from an impoverished planet challenges assumptions that elite strength depends on wealth, while his lack of equipment may still matter.
• Competition and adaptation: Advancement demands both raw power and careful study of opponents as the stakes rise.
• Unequal opportunity: Tian Sisi’s resentment highlights concerns that wealthy students may have advantages, even as Chen Lie’s rise complicates that view.

Chapter Summary: Martial Arts Department-Wide Tournament

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tian Sisi confirms that she has acquired a spiritual artifact, emphasizing how greatly such weapons can influence battles between similarly matched Martial Artists.
• Qiao Xuanxi faces Jiang Yuan in the Heaven Second Campus tournament. Although Jiang Yuan’s rapid progress is impressive, Qiao’s superior martial arts allow her to win and enter the campus top hundred.
• Chen Lie advances through several rounds with ease, defeating opponents mostly at the middle stage of the Third-Order Qi Accumulation Realm. He ultimately enters the top ten of the Heaven Second Campus Martial Way Department.
• The Heaven Second Campus top ten are announced, including Chen Lie, Tian Sisi, and Jiang Xinglong. These contestants are ordered to proceed to the Central Campus arena for the Martial Way Department-wide tournament.
• Chen Lie’s friends congratulate him, while Chen Lie declares that he intends to compete for first place. His actual ambition is to become the top new student in the entire university.
• Qiao Xuanxi realizes how large the gap is between herself and Chen Lie. She is impressed that he is the only top-ten contestant from outside the Ten-Star Alliance planets.
• Before the department-wide tournament, Huang Yuxi takes Chen Lie to eat a martial arts meal and gives him information about his upcoming opponents. Huang Yucheng has also compiled profiles of several powerful students from the Sword Dao and Mental Power Departments.
• The Central Campus arena is packed with over one hundred thousand spectators. The Martial Way, Sword Dao, and Mental Power Department tournaments are held simultaneously on three massive platforms.
• Huang Yuxi warns Chen Lie that nearly all of his strongest opponents possess spiritual artifact weapons. Chen Lie admits that his current weapon is unsuitable but expects Shen Jiuxi to bring him a proper spirit blade soon.
• The department heads appear to begin the competition. Martial Way Department head Yan Zhiyun reacts with surprise upon seeing Chen Lie’s name, suggesting that she recognizes or has some connection to him.
• The first Martial Way Department match begins. Yu Wuxia of Heavy Rain Star defeats Jiang Xinglong with overwhelming strength, apparently confirming Qiao Xuanxi’s description of Heavy Rain Star’s strongest student.
• Chen Lie is then called to fight Yang Qi of Suyun Star. Yang Qi arrogantly claims that Chen Lie’s journey will end because he has encountered him.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Establishes himself as one of the strongest students in the Heaven Second Campus and enters the department-wide tournament with confidence. His ambitions expand beyond winning the Martial Way Department; he secretly aims to become Starry Sky University’s top new student. However, his lack of martial skills and an appropriate spiritual blade remains a significant weakness.
• Qiao Xuanxi: Advances into the campus top hundred but recognizes that Chen Lie is far beyond her current level. Her admiration and curiosity grow as she wonders how someone from the Eastern Star Region can be so powerful.
• Jiang Yuan: Demonstrates remarkable improvement, reaching the campus top hundred despite previously struggling to open his Heaven Aperture on Blue Star. His defeat by Qiao Xuanxi nevertheless highlights his progress.
• Tian Sisi: Obtains a spiritual artifact, reflecting her determination and awareness of the importance of equipment in high-level combat.
• Huang Yuxi: Acts as Chen Lie’s guide and supporter, ensuring that he eats properly, studies his opponents, and understands the importance of obtaining a suitable weapon.
• Yang Qi: Is introduced as Chen Lie’s next opponent and immediately displays arrogance, believing that his superior strength will end Chen Lie’s run.
• Yan Zhiyun: Reacts strongly to Chen Lie’s name, hinting at an unexplained familiarity or past connection.

Significant Themes

• Equipment and combat power: Spiritual artifacts can dramatically affect the outcome of battles, especially between fighters of comparable strength.
• Talent beyond established regions: Chen Lie’s success challenges the assumption that only students from the powerful Ten-Star Alliance planets can dominate Starry Sky University.
• Ambition and self-belief: Chen Lie refuses to limit himself to a respectable placement and openly prepares to challenge the university’s strongest students.
• Recognition of personal limitations: Chen Lie’s lack of martial skills and unsuitable weapon are presented as obstacles that may prevent him from reaching his full potential.
• Competition and hierarchy: The tournament narrows tens of thousands of students down to a small group of elite contestants, emphasizing the intense hierarchy within the university.
• Hidden identities and connections: Yan Zhiyun’s reaction to Chen Lie’s name suggests that his background may be more significant than other characters realize.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and his classmates: Hou Yutan encourages Chen Lie, while Nie Cheng doubts that a student from outside the Ten-Star Alliance can win first place. Chen Lie responds with confidence but conceals his larger goal.
• Chen Lie and Qiao Xuanxi: Qiao’s success and Chen Lie’s much higher ranking reveal the widening gap between them, though she remains intrigued by his origins.
• Chen Lie and Huang Yuxi: Huang Yuxi provides practical support and tactical preparation, warning him about the importance of spiritual weapons.
• Huang Yuxi and Huang Yucheng: Huang Yucheng delivers the opponent dossiers her sister requested, helping Chen Lie prepare.
• Chen Lie and Yang Qi: Their confrontation begins with Yang Qi’s provocation and confidence, setting up the chapter’s closing battle.
• Department heads: Their discussion establishes the tournament’s importance, while Yan Zhiyun’s reaction introduces a mystery surrounding Chen Lie.

Chapter Summary: Top Ten of the Martial Way Department

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie faces Yang Qi of Suyun Star in the first round of the Martial Way Department competition. Yang Qi, a Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm fighter using Five Elements True Qi, initially believes Chen Lie cannot defeat him.
• The two exchange more than a hundred attacks in a fierce battle. Despite lacking Five Elements True Qi, Chen Lie’s powerful physique, abundant ordinary True Qi, and relentless close combat gradually overwhelm Yang Qi.
• Chen Lie exploits an opening and knocks Yang Qi off the Duel Platform, advancing to the department’s top twenty. Yang Qi had been strong enough to reach the top ten under normal circumstances, but he was eliminated in the first round by Chen Lie.
• The spectators are shocked that Chen Lie, who came from the barren Fringe Star Domain planet Blue Star, can fight at the level of geniuses from the Ten-Star Alliance.
• In the Top Ten Competition, Wei Zeyang demonstrates overwhelming strength by catching Yu Wuxia’s lightning-infused Spirit Treasure whip barehanded, snatching it away, and defeating her with a single Five Elements palm strike.
• Chen Lie is later matched against Wang Haoran, another early Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm fighter who mocks him for lacking Five Elements True Qi. Wang Haoran also possesses a powerful Spirit Treasure saber.
• Chen Lie reveals the black spirit saber he had previously seized and uses the Blood Dragon Saber Technique. His enormous saber aura quickly suppresses Wang Haoran, forcing him to abandon his weapon before Chen Lie knocks him off the platform with a weakened version of “Blood Dragon Emerges from the Sea.”
• Chen Lie officially advances into the Martial Way Department’s top ten freshmen.
• Afterward, a university official informs Chen Lie that Blue Star will receive a medal because one of its students has reached the department’s top ten. The official is surprised that Blue Star’s on-campus representatives are absent.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Establishes himself as an exceptional martial talent despite beginning at the Blood-Qi Realm and coming from a barren planet. He proves that his ordinary True Qi does not prevent him from defeating opponents with stronger attribute-based True Qi. His mastery of a high-grade Earth-rank saber technique becomes a major advantage.
• Yang Qi: Initially confident and boastful, he recognizes Chen Lie’s strength after their first exchange but is ultimately defeated. His loss highlights how unlucky he was to meet Chen Lie so early.
• Huang Yucheng: Becomes increasingly impressed by Chen Lie. She realizes that his rapid advancement may surpass even the greatest geniuses from Canglong Star.
• Huang Yuxi: Acts as a perceptive mentor, recognizing Chen Lie’s potential while warning that lacking Five Elements True Qi could hinder his pursuit of first place.
• Wei Zeyang: Is established as the Martial Way Department’s leading contender. His effortless victory and extraordinary physical strength make him a major obstacle for Chen Lie.
• Wang Haoran: Displays confidence based on his Five Elements True Qi and superior weapon, but his arrogance collapses once Chen Lie reveals his saber technique and overwhelms him.
• Chen Lie’s former classmates: Hou Yutan, Nie Cheng, and Qiao Xuanxi are stunned by how far Chen Lie has advanced since entering Starry Sky University.

Significant Themes

• Hidden talent and rapid growth: Chen Lie’s progress from a Blood-Qi-level newcomer to a top-ten department fighter challenges assumptions about talent based on birthplace or starting cultivation.
• Overcoming resource and background disadvantages: Blue Star’s low status contrasts sharply with Chen Lie’s extraordinary achievements, emphasizing that genius can emerge from even the most barren worlds.
• Technique versus cultivation advantages: Although Chen Lie lacks Five Elements True Qi, his physique, combat experience, weapon, and mastery of a powerful saber technique allow him to overcome opponents with superior attributes.
• Arrogance versus demonstrated strength: Several opponents underestimate Chen Lie or rely too heavily on their realm and weapons, only to be defeated by his actual combat ability.
• Recognition and reputation: Chen Lie’s success begins changing how Starry Sky University views Blue Star and may bring honor and rewards to his home planet.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Yang Qi exchange boasts before fighting, but their battle ultimately proves Chen Lie’s superiority.
• Huang Yucheng questions Chen Lie about his past cultivation and later challenges his confidence in defeating Wei Zeyang; Huang Yuxi intervenes to protect Chen Lie’s mindset.
• Huang Yuxi advises Chen Lie to cultivate Five Elements True Qi, while Chen Lie explains that the needed materials remain on Blue Star and points to his saber technique as compensation.
• Wei Zeyang and Yu Wuxia’s brief fight serves as a demonstration of Wei’s dominance and gives Chen Lie an important opponent to observe.
• Wang Haoran taunts Chen Lie over his lack of Five Elements True Qi and superior weapon, but Chen Lie responds through action, decisively defeating him.
• Chen Lie’s classmates and spectators react with disbelief and admiration as he becomes one of the Martial Way Department’s top ten freshmen.

Plot and key events

• The Martial Way Department’s freshman top ten is finalized. Chen Lie stands out as the only student from outside the Ten-Star Alliance, representing the distant Fringe Star Domain planet Blue Star.
• The battle for department first place begins. Wei Zeyang defeats Chen Gusen decisively: he withstands a Spirit Treasure meteor hammer bare-handed, shrugs off Chen Gusen’s Mental Power attack, and wins with his Diamond Hand technique.
• Song Jiaren defeats Zhou Mingyu using her Spirit Treasure, advancing to the next round.
• Chen Lie worries that he lacks a suitable weapon and that his untempered black blade would break against stronger opponents. Just before his match, Shen Jiuxi arrives with a Spirit Treasure saber, Blood River, and exchanges it for Chen’s Spirit-Nurturing Blade.
• Chen faces Gongsun Huaying, who belittles him for being from Blue Star and urges him to withdraw. He refuses. Their match opens with Gongsun’s intricate Thousand-Thread Sword Technique, followed by an exchange of powerful sword and saber arts. The chapter ends as Chen’s dragon-shaped saber energy collides with her Heaven-Slaying strike; the winner is not yet revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains confident despite others viewing his place in the top ten as his limit. He recognizes his weaknesses but is determined to compete, and uses Blood River to fight Gongsun on more equal terms.
• Wei Zeyang establishes himself as the department’s strongest apparent contender. His physical strength and composure under a Mental Power attack impress the other finalists.
• Shen Jiuxi fulfills her agreement with Chen, though she resents his brusque manner and complains that he insults her despite receiving the better end of the exchange. On learning he is from Blue Star, she is surprised by his connections and growing stature.
• Huang Yuxi considers Chen’s top-ten placement an exceptional achievement and advises him not to expect first place. Chen rejects the suggestion that Wei’s strength makes him superior.
• Huang Yucheng is increasingly impressed by Chen, seeing his rise from a Fringe Star Domain planet as extraordinary. She is also startled to learn that Shen Jiuxi, a renowned young genius, is connected to him.
• Gongsun Huaying initially dismisses Chen as an outsider who has reached his limit, but his defense against her opening technique shows he is more capable than she assumed.

Significant themes

• Prejudice and outsider status: Chen’s achievement challenges the assumption that elite competitors must come from powerful Alliance planets.
• Confidence and ambition: Chen refuses to accept other people’s limits for him, even when faced with a formidable rival.
• Preparation and adaptability: His weapon exchange with Shen addresses a practical weakness, allowing him to meet Gongsun’s superior weapon and techniques head-on.
• Power and reputation: Wei’s performance reshapes how the finalists judge the competition, while Chen’s presence unsettles long-standing expectations about who can rise to the top.

Chapter Summary: “Consecutive Victories, Top Three in the Department”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie defeats Gongsun Huaying of Changxia Star in the first round of the Martial Way Department competition. His high-grade Earth-rank technique, Blood Dragon Emerges from the Sea, overwhelms her Earth-Grade Spirit Treasure sword, and Sweeping Thousand Armies knocks her off the Duel Platform.
• His victory shocks the spectators and students, since Chen Lie comes from Blue Star, a supposedly barren Fringe Star Domain planet, while Gongsun Huaying is from a powerful Ten-Star Alliance world.
• The other first-round matches conclude:
  • Tian Sisi defeats Zhang Miao.
  • Meng Bingcheng crushes Zheng Zhong.
• The second-round matchups are announced. Wei Zeyang receives a bye, while Chen Lie is matched against Tian Sisi and Meng Bingcheng against Song Jiaren.
• Chen Lie defeats Tian Sisi with a single use of Sweeping Thousand Armies, instantly sending her off the platform and securing his place in the department’s top three.
• Meng Bingcheng and Song Jiaren fight for thousands of moves before agreeing to settle the match with their strongest techniques. Their simultaneous attacks send both contestants off the platform, resulting in a draw.
• In the next round, the weakened Meng Bingcheng is forced to fight Wei Zeyang immediately. Wei defeats him with a single palm strike and advances to the finals.
• Chen Lie is then matched against Song Jiaren. The chapter ends as both prepare to fight, with Song Jiaren treating Chen Lie as a serious threat despite his humble origins.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates overwhelming strength, stamina, and technical mastery. He defeats two opponents in succession with minimal effort, confirming that he is among the strongest freshmen in the Martial Way Department.
• His victories cause others to reconsider Blue Star’s martial arts potential. Several students begin wondering whether Blue Star’s development has surpassed that of many Central Star Region planets.
• Gongsun Huaying suffers a major blow to her pride after losing decisively to someone from a Fringe Star Domain planet. Her defeat challenges her assumptions about status and regional superiority.
• Tian Sisi is frustrated and humiliated after being eliminated in one move. Her teaching assistant encourages her by emphasizing that her deeper foundation may allow her to surpass Chen Lie in the future, though Tian Sisi privately realizes that Chen Lie himself is the exceptional latecomer.
• Wei Zeyang establishes himself as a dominant contender by effortlessly defeating the exhausted Meng Bingcheng. His calm arrogance reflects his confidence that he is the strongest freshman.
• Song Jiaren remains cautious and perceptive. Unlike those who underestimate Chen Lie because of his background, she recognizes him as a dangerous opponent.
• Huang Yuxi becomes increasingly impressed by Chen Lie and acknowledges that his strength may rival Wei Zeyang’s.
• Shen Jiuxi is shaken by Chen Lie’s rapid progress and compares herself unfavorably with him, though she responds with contemptuous remarks about his lack of familiarity with Starry Sky University’s rules.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus background: Chen Lie’s success undermines the belief that geniuses can only emerge from wealthy or advanced martial arts planets.
• Prejudice and regional hierarchy: Students from powerful alliance planets initially view Blue Star as backward, but Chen Lie’s victories expose the weakness of judging people by their origins.
• Competition and endurance: The tournament shows how conserving strength matters as much as raw power. Meng Bingcheng’s exhausting draw with Song Jiaren leaves him vulnerable in the very next match.
• Individual achievement benefiting society: Huang Yuxi explains that rankings do not only bring personal glory. A student’s performance increases resources allocated to their home planet, family, and faction. Chen Lie’s success could significantly improve Blue Star’s access to medicines, Spirit Nourishing Flowers, Yuan Stones, and other treasures.
• The emergence of a hidden genius: Chen Lie’s rapid growth after only half a year at Starry Sky University suggests that he may soon enter the Hidden Dragon Rankings and become a major figure in the Canglan Star Domain.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Gongsun Huaying clash directly, with Chen Lie’s power overwhelming her sword techniques and pride.
• Huang Yuxi advises Chen Lie to recover after his first victory, while Chen Lie confidently assures her that he has expended little energy.
• Tian Sisi asks Chen Lie to stop before seriously injuring her; he calmly promises that he always does so. Despite this reassurance, he defeats her instantly.
• Li Yaxian tries to comfort Tian Sisi by claiming she may eventually surpass Chen Lie, unintentionally emphasizing how extraordinary his current achievement is.
• Huang Yuxi explains the tournament’s broader political and economic importance to Chen Lie, helping him understand why contestants fight fiercely even when the personal rewards are similar.
• Shen Jiuxi mocks Chen Lie as a “country bumpkin,” but Huang Yuxi ignores the insult, leaving Shen’s hostility unanswered.
• Wei Zeyang taunts Meng Bingcheng and urges him to withdraw. Meng Bingcheng refuses, but Wei’s single strike proves the difference between them.
• Song Jiaren faces Chen Lie with caution rather than arrogance, recognizing that the upcoming match will be far more difficult than his earlier battles.

Chapter Summary: Defeating Wei Zeyang, First in the Entire Martial Way Department

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the semifinal, Song Jiaren launches an aggressive assault on Chen Lie using her mastered Five Dragon Bloodflame Palm, but Chen Lie counters with overwhelming saber energy.
• Realizing ordinary techniques will not defeat him, Song Jiaren reveals her hidden trump card, the Blood God Crossbow, an Earth-Grade Spirit Treasure capable of:
  • Compressing True Qi into projectiles that pierce protective barriers.
  • Using Mental Power to guide the projectiles toward an opponent’s vital points.
• The crossbow strikes Chen Lie’s major acupoints and dantian, dispersing his True Qi. Believing him defeated, Song Jiaren boasts that he forced her to reveal the weapon prematurely.
• Chen Lie survives because of his extraordinarily tough physique and rapid True Qi regeneration. He unleashes Blood Dragon One-Slash, defeating Song Jiaren and knocking her off the platform.
• Chen Lie advances to the finals against Wei Zeyang of Glimmer Star, who is regarded as the strongest new student in the Martial Way Department.
• During the ten-minute break, Huang Yuxi checks on Chen Lie, while Shen Jiuxi dismisses their relationship despite having previously given Chen Lie a spirit saber. Director Zhang Wenwu of Blue Star’s university work group arrives and is astonished that Chen Lie has reached the department finals.
• In the final match, Wei Zeyang initially overpowers Chen Lie in direct strength, forcing him back after their first weapon clash.
• Chen Lie responds with powerful Blood Dragon Saber techniques, repeatedly damaging and splitting the specially reinforced Duel Platform and forcing Wei underground.
• Rather than relying heavily on Mental Power, Chen Lie chooses a war of attrition, using his exceptional physique and near-inexhaustible True Qi regeneration to endure Wei’s attacks.
• Wei Zeyang gradually weakens while Chen Lie remains in peak condition. Wei attempts to finish the fight with his ultimate Profound Yang Thunder Halberd, but Chen Lie withstands the attack and breaks through it.
• Chen Lie ends the match with Sweeping Thousand Armies, blasting Wei Zeyang off the platform and winning first place in the entire Martial Way Department.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates extreme durability, rapid recovery, tactical patience, and overwhelming long-term stamina. He becomes recognized as more than an unlikely genius from Blue Star; he proves he can defeat the strongest new students from major alliance planets.
• Song Jiaren: Reveals her confidence, pride, and reliance on a carefully concealed trump card. Her premature celebration and decision to explain the Blood God Crossbow instead of attacking immediately cost her the match.
• Wei Zeyang: Initially arrogant and dismissive of Chen Lie because of Blue Star’s low status. Though vastly superior in raw strength, he becomes increasingly alarmed when Chen Lie refuses to tire and ultimately loses his composure and advantage.
• Huang Yuxi: Continues to support Chen Lie as his teaching assistant, encouraging him to recover and protecting his focus before the final.
• Shen Jiuxi: Maintains a disdainful attitude toward Chen Lie while indirectly revealing concern and a personal connection through her gift of the spirit saber.
• Zhang Wenwu: Shifts from disbelief to excitement as he realizes Chen Lie’s success could bring major prestige and benefits to Blue Star.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength versus reputation: Chen Lie’s origins on the supposedly backward Blue Star lead others to underestimate him, but his actual abilities overturn established assumptions.
• Overconfidence and premature victory: Song Jiaren’s boasting and Wei Zeyang’s arrogance contrast with Chen Lie’s calm, practical approach.
• Endurance versus explosive power: The final battle emphasizes Chen Lie’s superior regeneration and durability against Wei’s greater initial strength.
• Strategic restraint: Chen Lie deliberately limits his Mental Power techniques to preserve his abilities for future competitions and avoid exposing his secrets.
• Changing social hierarchy: Chen Lie’s victory challenges the dominance of the Ten-Star Alliance and raises Blue Star’s status within Starry Sky University and the wider Interstellar Alliance.

Important Character Interactions

• Song Jiaren insults Chen Lie as a “lowborn” native of a barren planet, while Chen Lie calmly mocks her for celebrating before the battle is over.
• Huang Yuxi urges Chen Lie to rest after the semifinal, while Shen Jiuxi coldly denies being his friend despite her previous assistance.
• Zhang Wenwu reacts with shock when he learns that Chen Lie has reached the finals, recognizing the importance of the achievement for Blue Star.
• Wei Zeyang belittles Chen Lie’s home region and boasts of Glimmer Star’s superiority. Chen Lie answers his arrogance with confidence and ultimately defeats him through endurance and superior recovery.
• The chapter ends with Chen Lie officially claiming first place in the Martial Way Department’s freshman competition.