Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie is announced as the overall first-place student of the Martial Way Department in Starry Sky University’s New Student Martial Arts Grand Competition.
• His victory is viewed as a major upset because he comes from Blue Star, a relatively barren Fringe Star Domain planet, yet defeated numerous elite students from the Ten-Star Alliance planets, including Wei Zeyang of Glimmer Star.
• The destruction Chen Lie caused to the Duel Platform demonstrates the overwhelming force behind his victory.
• The leaders of the three major departments discuss Chen Lie’s talent. Although they recognize him as an extraordinary genius, some believe his origins and weak foundational resources may prevent him from becoming a Greater Heavenly Human Grandmaster.
• Chen Lie returns to the waiting area and prepares for the upcoming Three-Department Martial Meet. He tells Huang Yuxi that his true goal is to become the top new student in the entire university.
• Meanwhile, Luo Yunshang of Aurora Star wins the Mental Power Department’s final, overpowering Dongfang Chenhui of Changxia Star.
• Luo Yunshang learns that Chen Lie defeated Wei Zeyang and is shocked that such a powerful martial artist came from the obscure Blue Star. Her teaching assistant, Xue Yingran, provides an analysis of Chen Lie’s combat abilities.
• Chen Lie and Luo Yunshang are confirmed as the winners of their respective departments. Their match is announced as the first contest of the Three-Department Martial Meet.
• Huang Yuxi reveals that Luo Yunshang possesses the powerful Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit known as the Winged Fish, which greatly amplifies mental attacks and grants the ability “Spirit Sealing.”
• Chen Lie claims that his own Consciousness Spirit can devour incoming Mental Power, specifically countering Luo Yunshang’s Spirit Sealing.
• The chapter ends as Chen Lie and Luo Yunshang are called onto the Duel Platform for their match. The result is not yet revealed.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: His status rises dramatically after becoming the Martial Way Department champion. He proves that his strength is not dependent on his background and gains recognition as a once-in-a-millennium talent. His mastery of saber techniques, powerful physique, enormous True Qi reserves, and Mental Power abilities are emphasized.
• Luo Yunshang: She develops from a confident Mental Power champion into a wary opponent after learning about Chen Lie. Her previous preparations focused on other famous martial artists, so Chen Lie’s sudden emergence forces her to reassess her strategy.
• Huang Yuxi: She becomes an important source of tactical support for Chen Lie, informing him about Luo Yunshang’s Consciousness Spirit and warning him of the danger of Spirit Sealing.
• Xue Yingran: Luo Yunshang’s teaching assistant demonstrates her analytical ability by gathering information about Chen Lie and advising Luo Yunshang to avoid a prolonged battle.
• Zhang Wenwu: He is overjoyed by Chen Lie’s victory, recognizing it as an unprecedented honor for Blue Star and a potential improvement in the planet’s interstellar status.
• Shen Jiuxi: Her private observations suggest that she knows Chen Lie’s Mental Power techniques are unusually deceptive and powerful, perhaps even more sophisticated than those of recognized experts.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus origins: Chen Lie’s success challenges the belief that elite strength can only come from wealthy or advanced planets. His victory exposes the prejudice against Fringe Star Domain students.
• Reputation and recognition: Chen Lie’s achievement brings honor not only to himself but also to Blue Star, potentially changing how the broader star domain views the planet.
• Preparation versus unpredictability: Luo Yunshang prepared carefully for well-known opponents, but Chen Lie’s unexpected rise disrupts her plans and forces her to adapt.
• Hidden strength: Chen Lie conceals the full nature of his Consciousness Spirit and abilities, making him difficult for others to evaluate accurately.
• Competition and strategic advantage: The coming battle is presented not merely as a contest of raw strength but as a clash between Chen Lie’s endurance and Mental Power resistance and Luo Yunshang’s overwhelming mental attacks and Spirit Sealing ability.

Important Character Interactions

• The department heads praise Chen Lie but debate whether his humble origins will limit his future, revealing the elite world’s prejudice toward barren planets.
• Chen Lie tells Huang Yuxi that he aims to become the university’s overall champion, showing his ambition and confidence.
• Xue Yingran informs Luo Yunshang about Chen Lie’s victory, origin, cultivation technique, and battle style, helping Luo Yunshang formulate a strategy.
• Huang Yuxi warns Chen Lie about the Winged Fish’s nineteenfold Mental Power amplification and Spirit Sealing technique.
• Chen Lie reassures Huang Yuxi that his own Consciousness Spirit can devour Mental Power, implying that he possesses a hidden countermeasure.
• The chapter concludes with Chen Lie and Luo Yunshang facing one another as the first battle of the Three-Department Martial Meet officially begins.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Because the Martial Way Department’s Duel Platform was destroyed, the Three-Department Martial Meet continues on the Mental Power Department’s platform.
• Chen Lie, representing the Martial Way Department and Blue Star, faces Luo Yunshang, the Mental Power Department’s top student from Aurora Star.
• Luo Yunshang initially looks down on Chen Lie, believing that a Martial Way practitioner cannot match the mysteries of Mental Power. She aims to become the university’s overall top new student.
• The battle begins with Chen Lie using the Blood Dragon Saber Technique and Luo Yunshang responding with energy waves and the Frost Sword Technique. Their martial abilities prove closely matched.
• Luo Yunshang unleashes her powerful frost sword intent, Snow Drifts Across the Mortal World, but Chen Lie blocks it with the ultimate technique of his saber art.
• As the prolonged clash drains Luo Yunshang’s True Qi, she activates her Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit, the Winged Fish, and launches a Mental Power attack.
• Chen Lie reveals that he is also a Divine Sense Master. His Mental Power counters Luo Yunshang’s attack and allows him to overwhelm her.
• Luo Yunshang attempts to use the Winged Fish’s ability, Spirit Sealing, to disable Chen Lie’s senses. Instead, Chen Lie’s Third Star God, Liu Earth Musk Deer, follows her Mental Power into her Consciousness Sea and begins devouring both her Mental Power and Consciousness Spirit.
• Luo Yunshang suffers severe mental pain and loses the ability to fight. Her instructor, Xue Yingran, intervenes, severs Chen Lie’s connection, and concedes the match on Luo Yunshang’s behalf.
• Chen Lie is officially declared the winner, defeating the Mental Power Department’s top student.
• Spectators are shocked that a Blue Star student has reached the final stage, though some insist he cannot defeat Shao Lin, the renowned Sword Dao Department champion from Canglong Continent.
• The university directors recognize that Chen Lie’s mysterious Consciousness Spirit resembles the powerful Devouring Heaven Taotie and conclude that he must have obtained an extraordinary encounter.
• Chen Lie returns to recover while carefully concealing the full extent of his abilities. The Sword Dao Department’s final concludes with Shao Lin taking first place, setting up the final match between him and Chen Lie.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates overwhelming endurance, powerful saber techniques, exceptional True Qi regeneration, and the hidden strength of Liu Earth Musk Deer. He proves capable of defeating not only martial experts but also a top-ranked Divine Sense Master. He remains cautious, concealing his multiple Star Gods and abilities from the university’s True Essence Realm experts.
• Luo Yunshang: Begins the match confident in her superiority as an Aurora Star Mental Power cultivator. She gradually realizes that Chen Lie is far stronger than expected, eventually becoming frightened when her Mental Power is devoured. Her defeat severely injures her Consciousness Spirit and forces her instructor to concede.
• Xue Yingran: Initially warns Luo Yunshang against fighting a battle of attrition. When Luo Yunshang is endangered, she immediately intervenes to save her student and concede the match.
• Huang Yuxi: Praises Chen Lie’s victory and warns him about Shao Lin, recognizing that the upcoming final will be much more difficult.
• Shao Lin: Establishes himself as the Sword Dao Department’s champion and Chen Lie’s likely final opponent.
• University Directors: Become intrigued by Chen Lie’s unusual Consciousness Spirit and suspect that he possesses a rare extraterrestrial inheritance or encounter.

Significant Themes

• Overcoming prejudice: Luo Yunshang and many spectators dismiss Chen Lie because he comes from the supposedly barren Fringe Star Domain planet, Blue Star. His victory challenges assumptions about superiority based on birthplace.
• Hidden strength and strategic concealment: Chen Lie wins while carefully limiting what he reveals, especially because exposing all three of his Star Gods could attract dangerous investigation.
• Martial cultivation versus Mental Power: The match tests whether physical martial ability or Mental Power is superior. Chen Lie ultimately proves that mastery of both can overcome a specialist in either field.
• Endurance and resource management: Luo Yunshang seeks a quick victory because she fears Chen Lie’s seemingly inexhaustible True Qi. His regeneration allows him to survive her strongest techniques and turn the battle in his favor.
• Ambition and honor: Chen Lie’s progress carries significance not only for himself but also for Blue Star, whose status is challenged by the established powers of the Ten-Star Alliance.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Luo Yunshang: Their verbal exchange begins with Luo Yunshang’s condescension and Chen Lie’s refusal to be intimidated. Their battle becomes a direct contest between saber cultivation and frost swordsmanship, followed by a hidden Mental Power confrontation.
• Luo Yunshang and Xue Yingran: Xue Yingran’s earlier warning influences Luo Yunshang’s tactics, and she later rescues her after the failed Spirit Sealing attack.
• Chen Lie and Huang Yuxi: Huang Yuxi congratulates him but cautions him about Shao Lin’s abilities. Chen Lie responds calmly, saying he is prepared.
• Chen Lie and the spectators: His victory provokes both admiration and resentment, particularly from those who believe a Blue Star student should not surpass the elite students of the Ten-Star Alliance.
• Chen Lie and the university directors: Though they do not confront him directly, the directors begin analyzing his abilities and suspect that his power comes from an extraordinary hidden encounter.

Chapter Summary: “Finals”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Sword Dao Department’s champion, Shao Lin of Canglong Star, is announced as the winner of his department’s freshman competition.
• The university-wide final is revealed: Chen Lie of Blue Star’s Martial Way Department versus Shao Lin of Canglong Star’s Sword Dao Department.
• Many spectators from Canglong Continent strongly support Shao Lin because of his prestigious victory in the Canglong Continent Hundred-School Martial Competition.
• Before the final, Huang Yuxi takes Chen Lie to a meditation room so he can recover from his previous battles.
• Chen Lie uses the Primordial Limitless Qi Gong and rapidly absorbs Yuan Stones, refining approximately 20,000 jin in twenty minutes. His cultivation is nearing a breakthrough from the Early Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm to the Mid-Second-Order.
• Shao Lin learns that Chen Lie has defeated both Wei Zeyang and Luo Yunshang, former department champions, and recognizes that Chen Lie is a serious opponent rather than an insignificant fighter from a remote planet.
• The host, Bai Xinlin, announces that the winner will become Starry Sky University’s top freshman and may address martial cultivators across the Central Star Region from the Canglong Star Interstellar Cloud Platform.
• A problem emerges: if Chen Lie wins, Blue Star has no Ninth-Order Martial Artist present to escort him to the platform. Because the authorization system is extremely strict, the honor may be impossible for him to claim.
• After the one-hundred-second preparation period, Chen Lie and Shao Lin face each other. Shao Lin draws his sword, Chen Lie draws the Blood River Saber, and the final confrontation is about to begin.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates extraordinary endurance, recovery, and cultivation speed. His ability to absorb Yuan Stones astonishes Huang Yuxi and confirms that both his constitution and Sacred Grade cultivation technique are exceptional.
• Chen Lie’s cultivation is close to a minor breakthrough, but he chooses not to force it before the match. He remains confident that he can break through during battle if necessary.
• His personality is shown to be calm and detached. He is unmoved by the prospect of addressing trillions of martial cultivators, caring more about practical benefits than public honor.
• Shao Lin is initially surrounded by supporters who underestimate Chen Lie, but he displays better judgment. He acknowledges Chen Lie’s victories and warns others not to dismiss him because of his origins.
• Shao Lin has advanced from the Early Qi Accumulation Realm to the Late Qi Accumulation Realm since their previous encounter, indicating significant growth.
• Huang Yuxi becomes increasingly impressed by Chen Lie’s talent and recognizes that his success is not merely due to luck.
• Zhang Wenwu realizes that Blue Star failed to prepare for Chen Lie’s unexpected rise, exposing the planet’s lack of attention toward its promising young martial artists.

Significant Themes

• Talent overcoming background: Chen Lie comes from the supposedly barren and insignificant Blue Star, yet he reaches the final against elite students from powerful planets.
• Prejudice against remote planets: Several Canglong students dismiss Chen Lie because he is from a Fringe Star Domain world, while Shao Lin correctly recognizes that strength matters more than origin.
• Preparation and institutional neglect: Blue Star’s failure to send a Ninth-Order escort illustrates how inadequate preparation can prevent a genius from fully benefiting from his achievements.
• Personal strength versus public honor: Chen Lie’s indifference to fame contrasts with the enormous symbolic importance others attach to the top-freshman declaration.
• Growth through combat: Chen Lie’s repeated battles have expanded his True Qi and brought him close to a breakthrough, showing how pressure and conflict accelerate advancement.

Character Interactions

• Huang Yuxi and Chen Lie: She offers to help regulate his True Qi, but Chen Lie confidently relies on his own cultivation method and Yuan Stones. Her observation of his speed deepens her respect for him.
• Shao Lin and his companions: His companions mock Chen Lie’s background and expect an easy victory, while Shao Lin counters their arrogance and insists that Chen Lie must be taken seriously.
• Chen Lie and Bai Xinlin: Bai Xinlin subtly reminds Chen Lie of the honor awaiting the winner, but he remains expressionless and unaffected.
• Huang Yuxi and Zhang Wenwu: They discuss the escort problem and realize that Blue Star’s lack of preparation may prevent Chen Lie from giving the winner’s speech even if he triumphs.
• Chen Lie and Shao Lin: Their exchange is restrained but confrontational. Shao Lin claims superiority and demands that Chen Lie withdraw, while Chen Lie simply challenges him to attack, setting the stage for their final duel.

Chapter Summary: Mid-Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm, First Among New Students!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie faces Shao Lin, the champion from Canglong Star and his opponent in the final of Starry Sky University’s New Student Martial Arts Grand Competition.
• Shao Lin attempts to weaken Chen Lie’s confidence by emphasizing Blue Star’s low status and the historical impossibility of a student from outside the Ten-Star Alliance winning the tournament. Chen Lie remains calm and declares that he will become the first exception.
• The battle begins with Shao Lin immediately demonstrating superior strength. His first sword strike forces Chen Lie backward and reveals that Shao Lin is stronger than Wei Zeyang and Luo Yunshang, possessing peak Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm combat power.
• Chen Lie counters with the Blood Dragon Saber Technique. Although he initially appears evenly matched with Shao Lin, the fight consumes his True Qi rapidly.
• Shao Lin unleashes his powerful “Thousand Swords’ Absolute Slaughter” technique. After more than a hundred exchanges, he drives Chen Lie to the edge of the platform and prepares to finish the match.
• At the critical moment, Chen Lie breaks through from the Early to the Mid-Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm during battle. His True Qi reserves and regeneration immediately increase, restoring his fighting strength.
• The breakthrough allows Chen Lie to reverse the battle. He shatters Shao Lin’s sword qi and begins overwhelming him through sustained attacks.
• Shao Lin recognizes Chen Lie’s exceptional endurance and proposes settling the match with one decisive move. Chen Lie agrees.
• Both fighters unleash their strongest techniques: Shao Lin uses “Ten Thousand Swords’ Heavenly Execution,” while Chen Lie counters with “Dragon Strikes the Sky.”
• During the clash, Chen Lie secretly employs his mental power and uses the Liu Earth Musk Deer Star God to attack Shao Lin’s mind. The mental assault disrupts Shao Lin’s True Qi at the decisive moment.
• Chen Lie overpowers Shao Lin’s sword qi, then follows with “Blood Dragon One-Slash,” blasting Shao Lin off the platform and splitting the Duel Platform in half.
• Chen Lie is officially declared the winner, becoming the first student from outside the Ten-Star Alliance—and specifically the first from Blue Star—to win Starry Sky University’s New Student Martial Arts Grand Competition.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates extraordinary determination, composure, endurance, and tactical intelligence. His mid-battle breakthrough confirms his exceptional cultivation potential, while his ability to combine saber techniques with mental attacks proves that he is not dependent on brute strength alone. His victory establishes him as one of the strongest new students and brings unprecedented honor to Blue Star.
• Shao Lin: Begins the battle confidently, believing the gap between himself and Chen Lie is insurmountable. Though he remains highly skilled and powerful, he gradually becomes confused and pressured as Chen Lie’s breakthrough reverses the momentum. His willingness to propose a decisive final attack shows his pride and respect for Chen Lie’s strength.
• Huang Yuxi: Watches with relief and pride as Chen Lie fulfills expectations and wins the championship.
• Huang Yucheng: Is deeply shocked by Chen Lie’s performance and recognizes that his combat strength has reached a level comparable to her own, approaching the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
• Zhang Wenwu: Reacts with overwhelming excitement and immediately reports Chen Lie’s historic victory to Blue Star’s highest authorities.
• Starry Sky University’s department heads: Become highly interested and alarmed by Chen Lie’s strength, his unknown “Pure Yang Attribute Blood” physique, and his ability to fight above his cultivation realm.

Significant Themes

• Breaking historical and social barriers: Chen Lie challenges the entrenched belief that only students from the Ten-Star Alliance can dominate Starry Sky University.
• Determination versus prejudice: Shao Lin and the Canglong Star students dismiss Chen Lie because of his origin on a “barren” planet, but his performance proves that talent and effort are not restricted by planetary status.
• Growth under pressure: Chen Lie’s breakthrough occurs at the most dangerous point in the battle, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and the ability to seize opportunities during crisis.
• Hidden potential: Chen Lie’s unknown physique, rapid cultivation, powerful combat ability, and mental techniques suggest that his true potential is far greater than others realize.
• Strategy and adaptability: Victory comes not only from Chen Lie’s saber strength but also from his endurance, cultivation breakthrough, attrition strategy, and carefully concealed mental-power attack.
• Honor and collective pride: Chen Lie’s victory becomes a historic achievement for Blue Star, inspiring excitement among its representatives and officials.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Shao Lin exchange verbal challenges before the match, with Chen Lie calmly rejecting Shao Lin’s attempts to belittle him.
• Shao Lin’s supporters insult Chen Lie and Blue Star throughout the battle, but Chen Lie ignores them and focuses entirely on the fight.
• During the match, Shao Lin acknowledges Chen Lie’s strength but initially assumes his apparent resurgence is caused by a temporary expenditure of True Qi.
• After Chen Lie’s breakthrough, Shao Lin becomes increasingly unsettled as his advantage disappears and Chen Lie begins forcing him into an attrition battle.
• The university department heads discuss Chen Lie’s mysterious physique and speculate that it may explain his extraordinary combat strength.
• After the victory, the spectators, Blue Star representatives, and university officials react with disbelief and celebration as Chen Lie’s historic achievement is formally announced.

Chapter Summary: “Martial Seal Medal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie is officially announced as the overall champion of the 7366 Starry Sky University Freshman Martial Arts Grand Competition. His victory is met with unusually muted applause because he comes from Blue Star, a poor planet in the Fringe Star Domain, rather than one of the powerful Ten-Star Alliance worlds.
• The host, Bai Xinlin, announces Chen Lie’s rewards:
  • Two million Credits
  • Five uses of either the Zero Martial Intent Cave or Divine Intent Cave
  • One high-grade earth-tier martial skill
  • A choice between an Innate Spiritual Object and a Mental Power Treasure
  • One piece of Five Elements Divine Iron
• Chen Lie also earns Blue Star a dazzling-gold Martial Seal Medal. The medal allows Blue Star to use its otherwise-unrecognized local currency to purchase up to thirty million Star-Origin Galactic Coins’ worth of Class Two resources from the Canglan Star Domain within one year.
• The medal represents a major economic benefit for Blue Star, potentially doubling its annual imports of martial resources and strengthening its interstellar influence.
• The top students from the Martial Way, Mental Power, and Sword Dao Departments receive their own medals. Chen Lie, Luo Yunshang, and Shao Lin are recognized as the champions of their respective departments.
• Luo Yunshang and Shao Lin have representatives from their home planets collect their medals. Blue Star sends no representative because it never anticipated Chen Lie winning. Chen therefore accepts his medal personally.
• Chen also forfeits the opportunity to address the planets of the Central Star Region from the interstellar cloud platform because Blue Star did not send a Ninth-Order Martial Artist capable of transporting him there. He suggests giving the opportunity to the second- and third-place winners, but both reject the proposal because the honor traditionally belongs to the champion.
• Yan Zhiyun, the head of the Martial Way Department and Starry Sky University’s vice president, personally presents Chen Lie with the medal. Chen instructs her to let Blue Star control it.
• Spectators criticize Blue Star for failing to send a representative and interpret the omission as evidence that the planet does not value its geniuses. Zhang Wenwu, Blue Star’s on-campus official, feels embarrassed and explains that Blue Star simply never expected Chen Lie to win.
• After the competition, Huang Yuxi congratulates Chen but warns him that winning the freshman competition does not make him unquestionably the strongest student of his age. Many elite geniuses from powerful families were excluded because they had already registered at Starry Sky University.
• Zhang Wenwu apologizes to Chen on behalf of Blue Star. Chen accepts the explanation and gives him the dazzling-gold Martial Seal Medal to bring back to the planet.
• Shen Jiuxi confronts Zhang Wenwu and accuses Chen Lie of stealing and detaining her spirit sword while attempting to extort one million Galactic Coins from her. She demands that Blue Star restrain him, but Chen dismisses her accusations, implying that her threats compensate for her inability to defeat him.
• The competition officially ends, and the spectators and competitors leave the arena.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: His victory confirms him as an exceptional martial talent and the first non–Ten-Star Alliance student to win the overall competition. Despite public hostility and institutional neglect from Blue Star, he remains calm, confident, and uninterested in making a public speech. He demonstrates generosity by offering the cloud-platform opportunity to others and pragmatism by ensuring Blue Star receives the medal.
• Bai Xinlin: She remains professional while navigating the politically uncomfortable reaction to Chen Lie’s victory. She highlights the significance of his achievement and explains the practical value of the Martial Seal Medal.
• Luo Yunshang and Shao Lin: Though rivals of Chen Lie, both display integrity by refusing to accept the champion’s cloud-platform honor after Chen offers it to them. Their willingness to preserve the competition’s traditions shows respect for rightful achievement.
• Zhang Wenwu: He initially appears embarrassed and defensive about Blue Star’s absence but sincerely apologizes once he realizes how badly the oversight appears. He recognizes the medal’s enormous value to Blue Star.
• Shen Jiuxi: She establishes herself as a powerful and confrontational noble from the Shen Family of Canglong Star. Her hostility toward Chen Lie remains intense, and she attempts to use her family’s influence to pressure Blue Star.
• Huang Yuxi: She acts as a realistic mentor-like figure, praising Chen’s accomplishment while reminding him that the competition did not include every major genius.

Significant Themes

• Prejudice against weaker worlds: Chen Lie’s victory exposes the arrogance of the Ten-Star Alliance planets, whose citizens resent a champion from a poor Fringe Star Domain planet.
• Recognition and neglect: Blue Star’s failure to anticipate Chen’s success causes him to miss an important opportunity for public glory, despite his achievement bringing substantial benefits to the planet.
• Individual achievement versus collective responsibility: Chen’s personal victory produces economic advantages for all of Blue Star, showing how one genius can influence an entire planet’s future.
• Political and economic inequality: The Martial Seal Medal illustrates the vast differences between core and peripheral planets, especially in access to currency, resources, technology, and cultivation materials.
• Humility and legitimacy: Chen does not seek praise, while Luo Yunshang and Shao Lin refuse honors they have not earned. The chapter emphasizes that achievement must be accompanied by rightful recognition.
• Power and intimidation: Shen Jiuxi attempts to use status and threats against Chen, setting up a conflict between genuine strength and social privilege.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Bai Xinlin: Bai announces Chen’s rewards and explains the Martial Seal Medal’s function. Chen responds briefly and asks practical questions about its limitations.
• Chen Lie, Luo Yunshang, and Shao Lin: The three champions share the stage. Chen offers his cloud-platform opportunity to the other two, but they reject it out of principle.
• Chen Lie and Yan Zhiyun: Yan presents the dazzling-gold medal, while Chen confirms that Blue Star—not he personally—should control it.
• Chen Lie and Huang Yuxi: Huang congratulates him but cautions him against overestimating his position among all elite freshmen.
• Chen Lie and Zhang Wenwu: Zhang apologizes for Blue Star’s failure to send a representative. Chen accepts the explanation and entrusts him with the medal.
• Shen Jiuxi and Zhang Wenwu: Shen pressures the Blue Star official to discipline Chen, invoking her powerful family background.
• Shen Jiuxi and Chen Lie: Their exchange reveals an ongoing feud. Shen accuses him of theft and extortion, while Chen counters that her threats reveal her lack of power to defeat him directly.

Chapter Summary: “Rewards for First Place”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After winning the university-wide Freshman Martial Competition and the Three-Department Martial Meet, Chen Lie leaves the arena. Shen Jiuxi’s hostility toward him remains unresolved, and Huang Yuxi warns him that antagonizing a major Shen Family heir could be dangerous.
• Starry Sky University’s department heads discuss Chen Lie’s victory. They recognize that he is the first freshman from outside the Ten-Star Alliance—and specifically from a Fringe Star Domain planet—to win the competition in over a thousand years.
• Zhang Wenwu reports Chen Lie’s achievement to Blue Star. The planet’s leaders are shocked and delighted, especially because his victory earns Blue Star a Dazzling-Gold Martial Seal Medal. The medal allows Blue Star to offset thirty million Star-Origin Galactic Coins when purchasing shared resources.
• Blue Star’s leaders realize that Chen Lie is already at least as strong as a peak Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm Martial Artist. They decide he may be able to help Blue Star compete for control of the Interstellar Allied Forces in the Four-Sided Star Domain.
• Concerned that Chen Lie missed the chance to speak on the Interstellar Cloud Platform because Blue Star failed to send a representative, the leaders order Zhang Wenwu to apologize to and comfort him before requesting his assistance.
• Chen Lie returns to Heaven Second Campus and spends the night consolidating his middle-stage Roaming Qi Realm cultivation. His Primordial Limitless Qi Gong advances from the early to the middle stage of its second level, strengthening the quality of his True Qi.
• He plans to return to Blue Star to retrieve his Innate Five Elements Divine Meridians and begin cultivating Five Elements True Qi. Because of his immense resource consumption, he also considers obtaining more Yuan Stones from the princess of Jin Kingdom on Changxia Star.
• Chen Lie encounters Hou Yutan, Qiao Xuanxi, and Nie Cheng. They congratulate him and question how he became so much stronger than them. He attributes his advantage primarily to the Origin-Heaven Qi-Gathering Scripture and guidance from an assistant instructor.
• Huang Yuxi summons Chen Lie to collect his championship rewards. He receives details of the substantial prizes and takes possession of the Five Elements Divine Iron.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Establishes himself as the strongest freshman at Starry Sky University and a potential future Hidden Dragon Rankings contender. His cultivation becomes more stable, and his plans shift toward retrieving his divine meridians and increasing his power further. He remains modest—or deliberately evasive—when discussing his strength.
• Shen Jiuxi: Her conflict with Chen Lie continues. She is revealed to be a highly valued successor of the powerful Shen Family, making her enmity politically significant.
• Huang Yuxi: Acts as a cautious mentor and warns Chen Lie about Shen Jiuxi. She also ensures that he receives his competition rewards.
• Zhang Wenwu: Becomes increasingly anxious about Blue Star’s failure to support Chen Lie publicly and is tasked with repairing the situation and securing his cooperation.
• Blue Star’s leadership: Moves from surprise to strategic urgency, recognizing Chen Lie as both a source of planetary honor and a potentially decisive military asset.
• Qiao Xuanxi: Shows unusual vulnerability by openly admitting that Chen Lie’s growth has made her feel inferior. Her competitive attitude is challenged by the enormous gap between them.
• Hou Yutan and Nie Cheng: Remain friendly and impressed by Chen Lie, though they humorously accept his implausible claim that his opponents were merely “strong on the outside.”

Significant Themes

• Recognition and neglect: Chen Lie achieves an unprecedented victory, yet Blue Star’s failure to send a representative causes him to miss a major public honor.
• The rise of a frontier genius: The chapter emphasizes how extraordinary it is for someone from a remote, underdeveloped planet to surpass elite heirs from powerful star systems.
• Power and resources: Chen Lie’s strength is linked not only to talent and techniques but also to his enormous consumption of cultivation resources.
• Political and military influence: Martial achievements directly affect Blue Star’s economic standing and may determine leadership over a major interstellar alliance.
• Ambition and comparison: Qiao Xuanxi’s reaction highlights how Chen Lie’s rapid advancement reshapes the ambitions and self-perceptions of his peers.
• Cultivation foundation: The chapter stresses that solid technique cultivation, particularly Chen Lie’s Primordial Limitless Qi Gong, is essential for long-term strength.

Character Interactions

• Huang Yuxi cautions Chen Lie about the consequences of becoming enemies with Shen Jiuxi.
• The university department heads debate whether Chen Lie deserves special cultivation and acknowledge his historic achievement.
• Zhang Wenwu reports Chen Lie’s victory to Lei Jinglong, Blue Star’s Administrator, and Wang Shou, prompting celebration and strategic planning.
• Chen Lie exchanges humorous and revealing dialogue with Hou Yutan, Nie Cheng, and Qiao Xuanxi about the source of his overwhelming strength.
• Huang Zongcheng and Huang Yuxi formally congratulate Chen Lie, explain the championship rewards, and encourage him to aim for the top twenty of the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
• Chen Lie chooses a Mental Power Treasure over an Innate Spiritual Object and postpones his selection until a more extensive shipment arrives from Aurora Star.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie is contacted by Zhang Wenwu, director of Blue Star’s On-Campus Work Group, who apologizes on behalf of Blue Star’s authorities for failing to attend Chen Lie’s victory in the Starry Sky University Freshman Martial Competition.
• Blue Star asks Chen Lie to return home and participate in the upcoming Four-Sided Star Domain Contest, a team competition to determine which of twenty-eight planets will control the Interstellar Allied Forces Command Authority. Although not officially a leadership contest, the winning planet would become the region’s “uncrowned king.”
• The competition requires True Qi Martial Artists to master a powerful joint attack formation. Since rival planets have already acquired advanced formations, Blue Star needs its representatives to return early for at least half a month of training.
• Chen Lie agrees to return to Blue Star the day after tomorrow. His mentor, Huang Zongcheng, approves his leave and arranges a faster route through Starry Sky University’s spatial jump station, Glimmer Star, and Red Flame Planet.
• Before leaving, Chen Lie visits the True Essence elder and tends his spirit field. He prepares specialized spiritual water and Spirit Liquid for over a hundred plants, restoring their vitality.
• The elder reluctantly permits Chen Lie’s absence but orders him to teach Shen Jiuxi how to care for the spirit field. She will manage it while Chen Lie is away.
• The following morning, Chen Lie begins instructing Shen Jiuxi in preparing Spirit Liquid. She initially suspects his sudden helpfulness, but the elder explains that she must take responsibility for the field during Chen Lie’s absence.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates loyalty to Blue Star despite the inconvenience of travel and lost cultivation time. He also shows growing responsibility by ensuring the spirit field will be properly maintained during his absence. His expertise in spiritual cultivation and plant care is emphasized.
• Huang Zongcheng: Acts as a supportive mentor, recognizing that Chen Lie’s duty to his home planet should take priority. He helps reduce Chen Lie’s travel time and continues advising Huang Yuxi about her cultivation.
• Huang Yuxi: Remains focused on reaching the Second Extreme Realm, the Yin-Yang Profound Void Realm. Her mentor warns her that failing to achieve this stage may prevent her from surviving the Origin Tribulation and becoming a Greater Heaven-Human Grandmaster. She is also indirectly encouraged to learn from Chen Lie.
• Shen Jiuxi: Becomes responsible for the True Essence elder’s spirit field and begins learning Spirit Liquid preparation from Chen Lie. Her wary, skeptical attitude toward him remains, but she cooperates because of the elder’s instructions.
• True Essence Elder: Though outwardly irritable about Chen Lie leaving before fully repaying his debt, he ultimately supports Chen Lie’s decision because it concerns his home planet. He entrusts Shen Jiuxi with the spirit field and uses the situation to make her learn from Chen Lie.
• Blue Star’s authorities: Their failure to recognize Chen Lie’s importance is portrayed as an understandable oversight caused by his unexpectedly rapid rise. They now hope to use his strength to elevate Blue Star’s influence.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and duty to one’s homeland: Chen Lie accepts the disruption to his cultivation because Blue Star needs his help.
• Rapid growth and recognition: Chen Lie’s victory has transformed him from an unknown student into a major asset whose strength can affect interstellar politics.
• Mentorship and knowledge transfer: The chapter highlights the importance of learning from stronger figures, particularly through Chen Lie’s instruction of Shen Jiuxi and Huang Zongcheng’s advice to Huang Yuxi.
• Cultivation limits and ambition: Huang Yuxi’s struggle reflects the immense difficulty of reaching the Second Extreme Realm and becoming a Greater Heaven-Human Grandmaster.
• Power and political influence: The contest is officially about military command, but victory would grant the winning planet enormous authority across the Four-Sided Star Domain.
• Responsibility and cooperation: Chen Lie’s absence requires others to assume his duties, showing how personal obligations are balanced through preparation and delegation.

Character Interactions

• Huang Zongcheng and Huang Yuxi discuss Blue Star’s failure to attend Chen Lie’s victory and the difficulty of advancing to the Yin-Yang Profound Void Realm.
• Zhang Wenwu explains Blue Star’s apology and recruitment request to Chen Lie, emphasizing the strategic importance of the upcoming contest.
• Huang Zongcheng grants Chen Lie leave and arranges an efficient travel route.
• Chen Lie and the True Essence elder argue briefly over his unpaid obligation to tend the spirit field, but the elder eventually accepts his departure.
• The elder orders Chen Lie to teach Shen Jiuxi, creating a reluctant teacher-student interaction between them. Shen Jiuxi questions Chen Lie’s motives, while Chen Lie matter-of-factly explains that she must care for the field in his absence.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After teaching Shen Jiuxi, Chen Lie leaves the old True Yuan expert’s courtyard and goes to Starry Sky University’s Campus Affairs Resource Office.
• He claims the two remaining rewards from the Freshman Martial Competition:
  • A fourth-rank Mental Power Treasure, the Spirit-Raising Soul-Tempering Leaf.
  • An Earth-Grade high-level fist technique, the Golden Sun Barrier-Breaking Fist, along with its exclusive comprehension Crystal Stone.
• Chen Lie chooses the Spirit-Raising Soul-Tempering Leaf from the university’s limited stock of Mental Power Treasures. He selects the Golden Sun Barrier-Breaking Fist because it is powerful, broadly applicable, and suitable for future sale.
• Instead of using one of his valuable Zero Divine Intent Cave or Martial Intent Cave opportunities, Chen Lie cultivates in an ordinary Divine Intent Cave.
• Preparing to return to Blue Star for the Four-Sided Star Domain Contest, he uses the Mental Power Treasure to cultivate the second Star God of the Eastern Heavenly Seven Mansions: Kang Metal Dragon.
• His cultivation succeeds. Kang Metal Dragon grants the Spirit-Fixing ability, which can immobilize an opponent at the consciousness level and prevent them from controlling their body.
• The cultivation heavily strains him, causing Chen Lie to spit blood, but he recognizes the power of the Mengzhang Divine Refining Chapter and decides he would never abandon it despite lacking its complete version.
• The next day, Chen Lie receives a message from Zhang Wenwu informing him that a Star Boat will depart for Blue Star and that Wang Shou, president of the Martial Artist Association, wishes to speak with him.
• At the Blue Star On-Campus Work Group office, Chen Lie learns that his mentor’s travel permit allows him to use Starry Sky University’s Space Jump Station to travel to Glimmer Star, then a wormhole to Red Flame Planet, greatly shortening his route home.
• Through a projection, Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong thank Chen Lie for obtaining Outer Stars resources worth approximately thirty million Galactic Coins for Blue Star.
• Wang Shou also asks Chen Lie to return and assist Blue Star in its upcoming contest against Langya Star, Jurong Star, and Hetai Star.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates careful judgment by selecting rewards with both immediate cultivation value and potential commercial value. His choice of the Golden Sun Barrier-Breaking Fist reflects his awareness that a common, powerful technique will be easier to sell.
• His Mental Power cultivation advances significantly with the successful formation of Kang Metal Dragon, giving him a powerful new control ability.
• Chen Lie becomes increasingly confident in the superiority of the Mengzhang Divine Refining Chapter and recognizes that changing cultivation methods would severely weaken his combat power.
• His growing reputation is emphasized: he has become the overall champion of Starry Sky University’s freshman competition and is now regarded as an important asset by Blue Star’s authorities.
• Zhang Wenwu acts as an intermediary between Chen Lie, Starry Sky University, and Blue Star, helping coordinate his return.
• Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong acknowledge Chen Lie’s contributions and seek his assistance, showing that official forces now value and respect him.

Significant Themes

• Strategic resource management: Chen Lie carefully weighs the scarcity of Mental Power Treasures and chooses rewards according to both cultivation needs and future usefulness.
• Power through specialized cultivation: The chapter highlights the superiority of the Mengzhang Divine Refining Chapter and the unique abilities gained through cultivating the Star Gods.
• Preparation before competition: Chen Lie strengthens his Mental Power before returning to face geniuses from across the Four-Sided Star Domain.
• Recognition and responsibility: Chen Lie’s achievements bring him fame, but they also create obligations toward Blue Star.
• The value of support and connections: His mentor’s travel permit and the assistance of university and governmental authorities significantly accelerate his journey home.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie respectfully concludes his dealings with Shen Jiuxi before pursuing his university rewards.
• He cooperates efficiently with the resource office staff, who explain the available treasures and martial techniques and provide the items he selects.
• During cultivation, Chen Lie internally compares Kang Metal Dragon’s Spirit-Fixing ability with Gui Gold Sheep’s illusion technique, concluding that his new ability is even more powerful.
• Zhang Wenwu coordinates Chen Lie’s meeting with Blue Star’s leadership and arranges communication regarding his return.
• Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong formally thank Chen Lie, apologize for previously failing to visit him, and appeal to his sense of duty by asking him to aid Blue Star in its upcoming interregional contest.

Chapter Summary: “Arrival on Red Flame Planet”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie travels from Glimmer Star to Red Flame Planet using a Space Wormhole arranged through his mentor, Huang Zongcheng.
• At Glimmer Star’s interstellar station, he meets Director Luan Donglai, Huang’s old classmate. Luan grants Chen Lie access to the rarely used wormhole leading to Red Flame Planet and explains that it connects directly to Wangluo, Great Yan’s capital.
• Chen arrives at an abandoned palace in Wangluo, where he is welcomed by Princess Zhu Jingxi, also known as Princess Lingyan.
• Zhu Jingxi explains that Wangluo was formerly called Sui’an and was renamed to symbolize Great Yan’s determination to reclaim its former northern capital, Luojing, now controlled by the Taiping Sect.
• Although Chen initially wants to return immediately to Blue Star, Zhu Jingxi informs him that she is also traveling there for the upcoming contest between the Four-Sided Star Domain’s factions. He agrees to attend a palace banquet and travel with her.
• Zhu Jingxi escorts Chen through Wangluo in a grand procession guarded by imperial soldiers and transported by a carriage drawn by five intelligent dragon steeds.
• Chen arrives at the Great Yan palace, where he is treated as a highly honored guest because of his status as Blue Star’s Administrator candidate.
• Before the banquet, Chen encounters Zhu Luoying, a young imperial relative, who angrily confronts him for eating before the emperor arrives. Zhu Jingxi stops the quarrel and apologizes for the girl’s behavior.
• Emperor Zhaowu, Zhu Zhengxi, enters the hall and personally meets Chen, recognizing him as the Eastern Star Region’s leading young talent.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates confidence, composure, and independence. He remains calm while navigating unfamiliar customs, refuses unnecessary formality, and does not hesitate to eat before the emperor or challenge Zhu Luoying’s threats. His refusal to kneel shows his loyalty to Blue Star’s customs and his elevated political status.
• Luan Donglai: Revealed as a loyal friend of Chen’s mentor. He readily assists Chen and emphasizes Huang Zongcheng’s high regard for his student.
• Zhu Jingxi: Appears diplomatic, gracious, and politically capable. She personally welcomes Chen, explains Great Yan’s history, manages the procession, and mediates when Zhu Luoying offends him. She is also shown to be a cultivator who has reached the Five Qi Converging at the Origin realm.
• Emperor Zhaowu/Zhu Zhengxi: Established as a powerful and respected ruler who rescued Great Yan from near-collapse, formed an alliance with Glimmer Star, and recovered much of the dynasty’s southern territory.
• Zhu Luoying: Introduced as impulsive, outspoken, and inexperienced. Her rigid understanding of palace etiquette contrasts with Chen’s relaxed confidence.

Significant Themes

• Political alliances and diplomacy: Chen’s journey is tied to interplanetary relations, while Great Yan’s survival depended on its alliance with Glimmer Star. His reception reflects Blue Star’s growing importance.
• Tradition versus independence: The formal customs of Great Yan—curtsies, imperial hierarchy, and banquet etiquette—contrast with Chen’s informal, self-assured behavior.
• National memory and resistance: The renaming of Sui’an to Wangluo symbolizes Great Yan’s determination to reclaim its northern homeland from the Taiping Sect.
• Reputation and rising status: Chen’s victory at Starry Sky University has made him famous across the Eastern Star Region, causing Great Yan’s imperial family to treat him nearly like a crown prince.
• Cultural and planetary diversity: The chapter highlights differences between Blue Star, Glimmer Star, and Red Flame Planet, including wormhole travel, intelligent spirit beasts, imperial traditions, and distinct political histories.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Luan Donglai interact through their shared connection to Huang Zongcheng, establishing Chen’s mentor as influential and trusted.
• Chen and Zhu Jingxi develop a courteous relationship as she welcomes and guides him while attempting to persuade him to remain in Great Yan.
• During the carriage ride, Zhu Jingxi praises Chen’s martial achievement, while Chen responds modestly and acknowledges that the Ten-Star Alliance still has hidden experts.
• Chen’s confrontation with Zhu Luoying reveals his confidence and unwillingness to be intimidated by palace authority.
• Zhu Jingxi acts as mediator between them, defending Chen’s status while excusing Luoying’s immaturity.
• The chapter ends with Chen meeting Emperor Zhaowu, setting up a formal political encounter before Chen’s departure for Blue Star.

Plot points and events

• Emperor Zhu Zhengxi and Empress of Great Yan welcome Chen Lie at a banquet on Red Flame Planet. Princess Luoying complains that Chen Lie began eating early and took a decorative “dragon’s head” dish, but the Empress defuses the issue by treating his appetite as praise for the chefs. The Emperor nevertheless orders Luoying confined for a month for offending their guest.
• The banquet shifts to Chen Lie’s achievements: Zhu Jingxi explains that he recently won Starry Sky University’s New Student Martial Arts Grand Competition, defeating prodigies from the Ten-Star Alliance.
• Emperor Zhu Zhengxi asks about preparations for the Nineteenth Interstellar Allied Forces command contest. Chen Lie has received no briefing from Blue Star. Zhu Zhengxi explains that the Eastern Star Region has only seven qualified young martial artists for a ten-person team, and offers to mediate between Blue Star and Wood Source Planet so the region can field a stronger delegation.
• After the banquet, Chen Lie and Zhu Jingxi depart for Blue Star aboard a Star Boat. During the three-hour trip, Zhu Jingxi asks how he advanced so quickly; Chen Lie credits fortunate encounters.
• Blue Star stages a major public welcome at Lanjing Star Boat Plaza. A reporter celebrates Chen Lie’s historic victory as the first competitor outside the Ten-Star Alliance to win Starry Sky University’s annual competition.
• Chen Lie accepts the crowd’s acclaim and agrees to a half-hour television interview, believing it will encourage Blue Star’s young martial artists.

Character developments

• Chen Lie remains modest and composed despite his growing fame, cooperating with the media and responding calmly to praise. His return also brings him into the wider political and military contest over leadership of the interstellar forces.
• Zhu Jingxi openly supports Chen Lie, celebrates his accomplishments, and is curious about his rapid growth. She accompanies him to Blue Star and suggests he may be welcomed as a hero.
• Empress of Great Yan demonstrates tact and hospitality by preventing a childish complaint from disrupting the banquet.
• Zhu Zhengxi treats Chen Lie as an honored guest but also uses the gathering to raise a serious regional alliance problem.
• Li Zhuxian, the reporter, is impressed by Chen Lie’s lack of arrogance and sees his maturity as unusual for someone so successful.
• Zhu Luoying acts childishly by complaining about Chen Lie, prompting her confinement.

Significant themes

• Humility amid fame: Chen Lie’s achievements bring enormous public attention, yet he remains unassuming.
• Talent and opportunity: His victory shows that ability can emerge from a less prestigious planet and challenge established powers.
• Regional cooperation and political rivalry: The Eastern Star Region’s shortage of qualified competitors makes cooperation between planets essential, despite existing tensions.
• Public inspiration: Chen Lie’s success is presented as a source of confidence for Blue Star’s next generation.

Character interactions

• The Empress gently corrects Luoying and protects the atmosphere of hospitality; Jingxi also defends Chen Lie.
• Zhu Zhengxi and Chen Lie discuss the allied-forces contest, with the emperor asking Chen Lie to help encourage Blue Star’s officials to negotiate with Wood Source Planet.
• Jingxi and Chen Lie share a cordial journey, with her admiration and curiosity contrasting with his restrained answers.
• On Blue Star, Li Zhuxian interviews Chen Lie, while the cheering crowd and television coverage turn his arrival into a public celebration.

Key plot points and events

• After returning to Blue Star, Chen Lie meets Martial Artist Association President Wang Shou and Blue Star University President Lei Jinglong. Wang apologizes for Blue Star’s failure to support him earlier, but Chen Lie turns the discussion to the coming Four-Sided Star Domain Contest.
• The contest will decide which of the domain’s four star regions commands the new Interstellar Allied Forces. Winning brings major political and military power; losing could leave a region’s people exposed to dangerous missions against Star Bandits.
• Each region must field ten competitors under twenty who have reached the peak of the Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm and entered the True Qi Ultimate Realm. The Eastern Star Region has eight contestants so far and is seeking two more from Wood Source Planet.
• The contest begins May 1, leaving little time to prepare. Blue Star has acquired an Earth-ranked team technique, the Heavenly Stems Battle Formation Art. Since Chen Lie expects to focus on improving his personal strength, Wang assigns him a less demanding secondary formation position.
• Chen Lie requests five thousand jin of Spirit Nourishing Flower to strengthen his Divine Sense. He then goes to Blue Star University, retrieves the five stored Innate Five Elements Divine Meridians, and returns to a cultivation room.
• Using the Primordial Limitless Qi Gong, Chen Lie simultaneously absorbs the five meridians despite the dangerous strain on his body. He fuses their powers with his five viscera and successfully develops metal, wood, water, fire, and earth True Qi.
• He rapidly strengthens the new True Qi by refining a large stock of Five-Element Yuan Stones. Recognizing that his Primordial Spirit Aperture lets him control Qi through spirit, he decides to attempt cultivating the Five Element Gods—an advanced practice associated with the Central Galactic Empire’s top geniuses.

Character developments

• Chen Lie remains guarded about his true level of power, telling the presidents only that he defeated a peak Qi Gathering Realm opponent who had reached the Ultimate Realm. He is focused on preparing for the contest but prioritizes his own advancement over mastering the team technique’s main position.
• His cultivation takes a major step forward: he masters Five Elements True Qi and sets his sights on cultivating the Five Element Gods, which could continually generate energy and let his Martial Way advance even during sleep.
• Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong acknowledge their earlier failure to support Chen Lie and now treat his development as crucial to Blue Star’s chances.

Significant themes

• Collective survival and political power: The contest is not just a martial competition; its outcome could determine whether an entire star region holds authority or is exploited.
• Preparation under pressure: With the contest only weeks away, Chen Lie and Blue Star must balance individual training with coordinated team preparation.
• Ambition and exceptional potential: Chen Lie’s willingness to endure extreme risk and pursue a practice reserved for elite geniuses highlights his drive to push beyond conventional limits.
• Interdependence and balance: The Five Elements’ mutual generation and restraint mirror the need to harmonize competing forces, both in cultivation and in the contest’s team-based strategy.

Character interactions

• Wang apologizes to Chen Lie for Blue Star’s absence at Starry Sky University; Chen Lie accepts the explanation and redirects the conversation to the contest.
• Wang and Lei explain the stakes, eligibility rules, and team strategy, while Chen Lie asks practical questions and negotiates his role in the formation.
• Lei offers resources to support Chen Lie’s training, and Chen Lie requests Spirit Nourishing Flower in return.
• Chen Lie’s later actions show his independence: despite being offered a place to rest, he immediately retrieves his treasures and begins cultivating.

Chapter Summary: “Five Gods Within, Heaven and Man as One!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Lie begins cultivating the Five Element Gods, taking advantage of having recently formed Five Elements True Qi. He uses his powerful Mental Power, developed through the Lingguang Divine Refining Chapter and Mengzhang Divine Refining Chapter, to merge spirit with qi.
• Through a special cultivation method from his previous life, Chen Lie forms the five divine beings within his viscera:
  • Goumang, God of Wood
  • Zhurong, God of Fire
  • Roushou, God of Metal
  • Xuanming, God of Water
  • Houtu, God of Earth
• The Five Element Gods transform his ordinary elemental True Qi into Five Gods True Qi, creating a self-sustaining cycle and placing him in the rare state of “heaven and man as one.”
• Although still only at the Second-Order Roaming Qi Realm, Chen Lie believes he has secured a path toward becoming a Tenth-Stage Martial Artist, or Heavenly Human Grandmaster. His combat power rises dramatically, reaching a level comparable to the strongest geniuses of the Central Galactic Empire.
• During cultivation, he refines twenty thousand jin of each type of Five-Element Yuan Stone, but realizes that he will need many more resources to advance. He plans to trade with the princess of the Jin Kingdom after returning to Starry Sky University.
• After two days of cultivation, Chen Lie returns to the Blue Star Martial Artist Association. Lei Jinglong gives him eight thousand jin of Spirit Nourishing Flowers—five thousand jin gathered for him and another three thousand supplied by the Divine Sense Master Association.
• Chen Lie also receives the Bing-position section of the Heavenly Stems Battle Formation Art, a ten-person combined combat technique intended for the upcoming Four-Sided Star Domain Contest.
• The other star regions have changed the contest format after the conflict between Blue Star and Wood Source Planet. The contest will now consist only of team battles, making the battle formation especially important.
• Chen Lie is brought to a heavily guarded training ground where the Blue Star team practices. He is introduced as the newest member and is assigned the Bing position.
• The team includes Ning Fan, Pei Naiqing, Zhu Jingxuan, Zhu Jingxi, Xiao Sheng, He Zhen, You Mingyue, and others. Chen Lie memorizes the Bing-position method quickly but needs a full day to gain a basic understanding of it.
• Because some formation positions are still vacant, the team cannot properly practice the complete technique. Wang Shou announces that Wood Source Planet has recalled Meng Qingwan and Zhang Yingxue to complete the ten-person formation.
• The chapter ends with Meng Qingwan objecting, stating that although Wood Source Planet’s planetary affairs chief agreed to participate, she herself never consented.

Character Development

• Chen Lie makes a major cultivation breakthrough. By nurturing the Five Element Gods, he greatly strengthens his True Qi and establishes an unusually powerful cultivation foundation.
• His confidence increases as he realizes that he can now contend with elite Fourth-Order Qi Gathering Realm contestants without relying on Mental Power.
• Chen Lie remains aware of his limitations, particularly his merely moderate martial arts aptitude compared with the super-geniuses of the wider Four-Sided Star Domain. This humility motivates him to study the battle formation seriously rather than relying solely on his natural advantages.
• He also demonstrates rapid comprehension, memorizing the Bing-position technique after a single reading, though practical mastery takes longer.
• Lei Jinglong continues acting as Chen Lie’s supporter and coordinator, providing cultivation resources and guiding him into the team.
• Wang Shou organizes the team and assigns Chen Lie a key position in the formation.
• Meng Qingwan is introduced as strong-willed and independent. Her immediate refusal suggests possible resistance, conflict, or political tension within the team.

Significant Themes

• The unity of spirit and physical cultivation: Chen Lie’s breakthrough depends on merging Mental Power with True Qi, symbolizing the ideal of “heaven and man as one.”
• Privilege and rare opportunity: Cultivating the Five Element Gods normally requires resources and circumstances available only to the most privileged geniuses. Chen Lie’s success reflects both extraordinary fortune and preparation.
• Talent versus effort and resources: Although Chen Lie is exceptionally powerful, he recognizes that his aptitude is not unrivaled. His progress relies on discipline, rare treasures, inherited knowledge, and continued study.
• Cooperation and collective strength: The upcoming contest shifts from individual combat to team battles, emphasizing formation, coordination, and trust over personal strength.
• Political tension and individual choice: The Wood Source Planet team’s participation appears to have been decided by higher authorities, while Meng Qingwan’s objection highlights the conflict between political decisions and personal consent.

Character Interactions

• Chen Lie and Lei Jinglong: Lei provides Chen Lie with Spirit Nourishing Flowers, the battle formation manual, and introductions to the team. Their interaction shows mutual trust and Lei’s role as Chen Lie’s institutional supporter.
• Chen Lie and Wang Shou: Wang formally welcomes Chen Lie and assigns him the Bing position, recognizing his reputation and combat strength.
• Chen Lie and the team: Pei Naiqing, Zhu Jingxuan, He Zhen, and You Mingyue express admiration for Chen Lie’s achievement at Starry Sky University. Chen Lie responds modestly and avoids boasting.
• Chen Lie and the formation members: Chen studies separately before joining the others in practice, revealing both his rapid learning ability and his difficulty mastering a technique designed for a complete ten-person formation.
• The team and Meng Qingwan: The group welcomes the Wood Source Planet members, but Meng Qingwan immediately interrupts and rejects the assumption that she has agreed to participate, creating a tense unresolved conflict at the chapter’s conclusion.

Key plot points and events

• Meng Qingwan of Wood Source Planet refuses to cooperate fully in the upcoming contest unless someone defeats her in a spar. She challenges Chen Lie, still resentful that he helped Blue Star take Wood Source Planet’s Permanent Councilor Star seat.
• Chen Lie accepts. Although Meng Qingwan is expected to have the advantage—she is a senior Sword Cultivator who has begun cultivating her Divine Treasury—Chen Lie’s Five Gods True Qi gives him a decisive edge.
• Meng Qingwan’s swordsmanship and momentum initially keep the fight competitive, but Chen Lie’s Metal God True Qi repeatedly breaks through her defenses. He then uses Fire God True Qi to wipe out her surrounding sword attacks and strikes her with all five forms of God True Qi.
• Meng Qingwan is briefly immobilized but soon recovers. She acknowledges defeat and promises to give her full effort in the contest.
• The other participants revise their estimate of Chen Lie, placing him among the group’s strongest. By afternoon, all ten contestants have assembled and received the Heavenly Stems Battle Formation Art’s formation-position method. The next morning, they begin practicing the combined technique.

Character developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates that his rapid progress is more than a matter of talent: his Five Gods True Qi can overwhelm opponents with greater experience and refined technique. He also recognizes that without this advantage, he might have needed to rely on Mental Power to win.
• Meng Qingwan moves from resentment and confidence to surprise, then acceptance. Defeat convinces her that Chen Lie’s strength justifies Wood Source Planet’s earlier loss, and she commits to the team.
• Lei Jinglong and Wang Shou shift from concern about Chen Lie’s chances to admiration for his strength.
• Zhu Jingxuan admits he underestimated Chen Lie, while Zhu Jingxi suspects Chen may rank second among the assembled fighters.

Significant themes

• Strength must prove itself: Meng Qingwan’s challenge makes cooperation conditional on a direct test; Chen Lie’s victory earns her commitment.
• Talent and rapid growth: Chen Lie’s progress challenges assumptions based on seniority and experience.
• Technique versus overwhelming power: Meng Qingwan’s exceptional swordsmanship keeps her competitive, but Chen Lie’s unusual True Qi ultimately breaks through it.
• Rivalry turning into cooperation: A personal grievance is resolved in a way that helps unite the team ahead of the contest.

Character interactions

• Pei Naiqing and Ning Fan confront Meng Qingwan about her refusal to cooperate; she answers by demanding a spar with Chen Lie.
• Zhu Jingxi considers intervening, but Zhu Jingxuan explains that only a clear victory or defeat will settle the resentment.
• Chen Lie and Meng Qingwan’s duel transforms their antagonism into respect and practical cooperation.
• After the fight, the assembled fighters reassess Chen Lie, then begin working together under Wang Shou’s direction.

Chapter Summary: Qi Donglin of Langya Star and the Hidden Dragon Rankings Threshold

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Shou teaches the ten Eastern Star Region contestants the Heavenly Stems Combined Attack Formation, a low-grade Earth-rank technique using ten positions. Zhu Jingxuan and Ning Fan occupy the two primary positions, while Chen Lie takes the crucial Bing position.
• During a spar against ten elite Sixth-Order Blue Star University Martial Artists, the formation initially overwhelms its opponents despite the Eastern team members being only Fourth-Order Martial Artists.
• When the Blue Star fighters attempt to flank them, the formation shifts. Chen Lie fails to maintain the Bing position’s connection because he has not fully mastered its transformations. This causes Meng Qingwan and Pei Naiqing’s attacks to collapse, bringing down the entire formation and resulting in the team’s defeat.
• Pei Naiqing accuses Meng Qingwan of deliberately sabotaging the formation. The two nearly fight until Chen Lie admits responsibility. Wang Shou confirms that Bing is exceptionally difficult and that Chen Lie’s failure is plausible.
• Chen Lie is privately praised by Wang Shou for apparently taking the blame to preserve team unity, though Chen Lie insists internally that he genuinely had not mastered the position.
• The team receives intelligence files on 103 potential contestants from the other three regions. Chang Fukun then gives a detailed briefing on the Southern Star Region’s ten confirmed contestants.
• The most notable opponent is Qi Donglin of Langya Star, the Southern Star Region’s strongest peer. He once briefly reached 179th place on Starry Sky University’s second-year Hidden Dragon Rankings, meaning he nearly crossed the threshold to become one of the university’s 180 strongest Martial Artists below the Fifth-Order Realm.
• The Southern Star Region is revealed to be exceptionally powerful, with twenty-three candidates reaching the True Qi Ultimate Realm before selecting its ten representatives. Unlike the Eastern team, Langya Star has emphasized individual combat because the contest grounds may not support large formations.
• Chang Fukun warns that Ji Yuyan, another Langya Star contestant, is a powerful Divine Sense Master whose Bai Ze Consciousness Spirit can disrupt opponents mentally. Chen Lie claims his own concealed Consciousness Spirit can counter her and all other Divine Sense Masters.
• Chen Lie later cultivates with the Spirit Nourishing Flower, breaking through to the mid-third-order Divine Sense Master realm. He believes his mental attacks are now strong enough to injure weaker Hidden Dragon Ranking fighters and give him a major advantage.
• The next day, Wang Shou decides the group needs a leader capable of commanding them if the formation breaks. Rather than hold a full tournament, the team selects Chen Lie and Zhu Jingxuan as the strongest candidates. The chapter ends as their leadership spar begins.

Character Developments

• Chen Lie: Demonstrates strong tactical awareness and teamwork by accepting blame for the formation’s collapse, even though he has not fully mastered Bing. He continues concealing the true nature of his Consciousness Spirit. His mental power advances to the mid-third order, greatly increasing his confidence before the contest.
• Meng Qingwan: Initially becomes defensive and angry when Pei Naiqing accuses her of sabotage. After learning Chen Lie protected her reputation, she recognizes that she owes him a favor, though she stubbornly insists he acted for Blue Star rather than for her.
• Pei Naiqing: Shows suspicion and hostility toward Meng Qingwan but apologizes after learning that Chen Lie’s incomplete mastery caused the failure. She remains wary of the dangers of internal betrayal.
• Zhu Jingxuan: Establishes himself as one of the team’s strongest fighters and accepts the challenge to spar with Chen Lie for leadership.
• Zhu Jingxi: Acts as a mediator and observer, explaining Chen Lie’s reputation and helping Meng Qingwan understand his actions.
• Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong: Shift the team’s preparation from formation-based combat to a balanced strategy involving formations, individual combat, leadership, and countermeasures against mental attacks.
• Chang Fukun: Provides crucial intelligence on the Southern Star Region and recognizes that Chen Lie’s mental power is far more formidable than his public reputation suggests.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork versus individual strength: The formation multiplies the team’s power, but one weak link can destroy the entire strategy.
• Trust and misunderstanding: The conflict between Meng Qingwan and Pei Naiqing shows how quickly suspicion can fracture cooperation, while Chen Lie’s sacrifice restores unity.
• Humility and concealed ability: Chen Lie repeatedly hides his true talents, allowing others to underestimate him and preserving tactical advantages.
• Preparation and adaptability: The team must prepare for both formation combat and individual battles because unpredictable terrain or enemy tactics may invalidate their main strategy.
• Regional competition and political change: The contest reflects shifting power relations, especially Blue Star’s growing influence over Wood Source Planet and the wider Eastern Star Region.
• The danger of thresholds: Qi Donglin’s brief appearance on the Hidden Dragon Rankings establishes how narrow the gap is between elite contestants and the university’s recognized top fighters.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Lie, Meng Qingwan, and Pei Naiqing: Their dispute over the failed formation exposes tensions between Blue Star and Wood Source Planet but is resolved when Chen Lie takes responsibility.
• Chen Lie and Wang Shou: Wang praises Chen Lie’s supposed self-sacrifice, while Chen Lie remains privately frustrated that no one believes his explanation.
• Zhu Jingxi and Meng Qingwan: Zhu encourages Meng Qingwan to abandon hostility toward Blue Star and reveals that Chen Lie likely protected her.
• Chang Fukun and Chen Lie: Chang probes Chen Lie about his Consciousness Spirit, but Chen Lie refuses to reveal its identity while confidently claiming he can defeat enemy Divine Sense Masters.
• Chen Lie and Zhu Jingxuan: Their upcoming duel will determine who leads the team when formation combat is impossible, making it both a test of strength and a contest for authority.

Key plot points and events

• In the Martial Arts Arena, Chen Lie defeats Great Yan’s crown prince, Zhu Jingxuan, after a fierce exchange of more than a thousand moves. When Zhu’s seemingly inexhaustible power threatens to prolong the fight, Chen Lie uses Jing Wood Madman’s Mental Power attack to stun him, then knocks him from the platform.
• Zhu accepts the loss and says Chen should lead the Eastern Star Region in the coming Four-Sided Star Domain Contest.
• Military Commandant Chang Fukun tests the ten Eastern Region competitors. Chen’s ordinary saber attacks cannot penetrate Chang’s protective qi, but Chang insists on seeing Chen’s strongest Mental Power technique. Chen’s attack briefly dazes the Eighth-Order Grandmaster, revealing how dangerous it would be to lower-ranked fighters.
• Chang concludes that the Eastern Region is relatively weak in martial arts but that Chen’s Mental Power could compensate. He promises Wang Shou a comparison of the Southern Region’s competitors within two days.
• Jing Qingtian tells Chen that his sister, Chen Xingyao, is cultivating on Aurora Star, where her exceptional Mental Power talent has attracted important attention. Reassured that she is well, Chen agrees to replenish the Crystal Pillars at Blue Star University’s Second Campus.
• The chapter reveals that Chang is secretly sharing intelligence with a figure represented by black mist, apparently tied to the Southern Star Region. He exaggerates Chen’s likely Consciousness Spirit ranking but accurately warns that Chen’s Mental Power could devastate their contestants. The black-mist contact urges him to handle Chen and promises better terms.
• The next day, Chen practices the Bing position of the Heavenly Stems Battle Formation Art. He notices Chang repeatedly crossing a restricted line in the arena and becomes suspicious.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie confirms his exceptional combat and Mental Power abilities, but deliberately uses only ordinary True Qi during Chang’s initial test. He remains alert when Chang presses to see his trump card and later notices Chang’s suspicious movements.
• Zhu Jingxuan shifts from confidence to surprise and respect, openly conceding defeat and endorsing Chen as the Eastern Region’s leader.
• Chang Fukun presents himself as a helpful evaluator and former Blue Star University student, earning Chen’s trust through Lei Jinglong’s endorsement. Privately, however, he is conspiring with an enemy contact and seeking to profit from his information.
• Jing Qingtian and Wang Shou share news and plans with Chen: Jing reassures him about Xingyao, while Wang hopes Chen’s strength will help Blue Star secure permanent command authority.
• Chen Xingyao, though absent, is established as a rising Mental Power talent on Aurora Star.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and misjudgment: Chen’s Mental Power proves far more formidable than his visible martial arts, while others struggle to assess his true limits.
• Trust and deception: Chang’s public role as evaluator contrasts with his secret dealings, making Chen’s growing suspicion important.
• Individual talent and collective stakes: Chen’s abilities may offset the Eastern Region’s broader weakness and influence control of the Allied Forces command authority.
• Family and reassurance: News of Xingyao’s progress brings Chen relief amid the looming contest.

Chapter Summary: “Song Yixuan’s Tip Exposes the Traitor”

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie replenishes all twelve Crystal Pillars at Blue Star University’s Second Campus, restoring their Mental Power for another six months. The feat impresses the Divine Sense Master Association, which credits him with helping strengthen the university’s new students.
• Song Yixuan approaches Chen Lie privately and confesses that she once belonged to Dark Moon, a group that assassinated Blue Star’s promising martial artists. She admits to killing Wu Tianchen but says she has never wanted to harm Chen Lie.
• Song explains that Dark Moon’s members, including her family and elders, have been captured. In return for Chen Lie’s help protecting them, she reveals a conspiracy involving Dark Star: one of its agents has allegedly arranged to help Langya Star seize control of the Interstellar Allied Forces and plans to have the ten contestants from the Five Stars of the Eastern Region killed.
• Chen Lie suspects Chang Fukun, whose recent behavior has seemed suspicious. He reports Song’s information to Wang Shou. Because Chang is a lieutenant in the Interstellar Allied Forces, Blue Star’s authorities have limited power to act against him, but Wang agrees to detain him and promises to seek leniency for Song’s captured relatives.
• The next day, Dark Moon attackers storm the training arena. Chang lets one attacker pass and deliberately disrupts the guards, apparently helping the assailant reach the contestants.
• Wang Shou and disguised Martial Artist Association Grandmasters reveal the trap and arrest Chang. Chang admits he is a Dark Star agent and claims his actions are justified because Blue Star betrayed his ancestral country. His military appointment, however, may protect him from interrogation and lasting punishment.
• In response, Blue Star’s leaders decide to increase vigilance and launch a major operation against Dark Star in Three-Island Province.

Character developments

• Chen Lie demonstrates both exceptional ability and sound judgment: he replenishes the pillars, hears Song’s confession without immediately trusting her, and verifies her warning through Blue Star’s leadership. He offers to protect her family if her intelligence proves useful.
• Song Yixuan moves from guarded acquaintance to informant, risking her life by admitting her past and revealing the plot. Her loyalty is conflicted: she belonged to an anti-Blue Star group, but now seeks to protect her captured family and elders.
• Chang Fukun is exposed as a Dark Star sleeper agent. His apparent loyalty to Blue Star masks active betrayal, and he frames his allegiance to his ancestral country as justification.
• Wang Shou acts cautiously because of Chang’s military rank, then coordinates a sting operation to catch him in the act. Lei Jinglong reacts with anger and regret at having trusted Chang.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and identity: Song and Chang both have ties to groups seeking to restore former nations, but they make different choices about their future allegiance.
• Trust and betrayal: Chen Lie must weigh Song’s credibility, while Chang’s apparent service to Blue Star conceals his treachery.
• Political limits on justice: Chang’s position in the Interstellar Allied Forces complicates Blue Star’s ability to punish him, even after his betrayal is exposed.
• Redemption and responsibility: Chen Lie considers helping Song’s family despite the harm Dark Moon has caused, while Blue Star’s leaders confront the consequences of past policies of appeasement.

Character interactions

• Song appeals to Chen Lie’s trust and then bargains with crucial intelligence; Chen responds with cautious compassion rather than an immediate pardon.
• Chen reports her tip to Wang Shou, who takes it seriously and agrees to protect the captured Dark Moon members from execution, while placing Song under surveillance.
• During the arena attack, Chang pretends to fight alongside the guards while undermining them. Wang exposes his behavior, and Lei confronts him over his betrayal; Chang rejects Lei’s accusation by appealing to his ancestral homeland.

Plot and key events

• The Eastern Region prodigies learn that Chang Fukun, a former Blue Star University instructor, has betrayed Blue Star by sharing intelligence with Langya Star. Zhu Jingxuan and Zhu Jingxi criticize Blue Star’s repeated security failures and worry that the other competitors may already know their strengths.
• During interrogation, Chang Fukun admits he has revealed Chen Lie’s exceptional mental power and warned Langya Star to prepare defenses against it. He refuses to cooperate, claiming his position in the Sixth Interstellar Allied Forces protects him from Blue Star’s authority.
• When Lei Jinglong nearly attacks him, Wang Shou intervenes, fearing retaliation from Canglong Star and the allied forces. Chen Lie proposes contacting Chu Ling’er, daughter of the forces’ commander, Chu Tiannan.
• After several unanswered calls, Chu Ling’er answers and readily agrees to ask her father to remove Chang Fukun from the military. She soon confirms that Chu Tiannan has approved his discharge, leaving Blue Star free to deal with him.
• Several days later, Chen Lie has mastered the Bing Formation Position of the Heavenly Stems Battle Formation Art and is close to the True Qi Ultimate Realm. The team prepares to travel to Beimang Star for the Four-Sided Star Domain Contest.
• Zhu Jingxi tells Chen Lie about Beimang Star’s immense power and reveals that the contest will be presided over by its Sacred Martial Crown Prince, a remarkably powerful young martial artist.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains calm and resourceful under pressure. Rather than reacting to Chang Fukun’s taunts or acting rashly, he uses his connection with Chu Ling’er to find a lawful way around the traitor’s military protection. His success surprises the officials and prodigies, who had assumed powerful people on Canglong Star would not help someone from Blue Star.
• Chang Fukun is arrogant and threatening, but his confidence falters when Chen Lie’s request succeeds.
• Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong are furious at Chang Fukun yet constrained by political and military realities. Wang Shou cautions against impulsive retaliation, while Lei Jinglong struggles to control his anger.
• Zhu Jingxuan and Zhu Jingxi challenge Blue Star’s handling of security and emphasize the consequences for the upcoming contest. Later, Zhu Jingxi shares her knowledge of Beimang Star with Chen Lie.

Significant themes

• Political hierarchy and unequal power: Blue Star cannot punish a military officer protected by a powerful planet, demonstrating how status shapes justice.
• Loyalty and betrayal: Chang Fukun’s espionage threatens the entire Eastern Region team, not just Blue Star.
• Connections and trust: Chen Lie’s genuine relationship with Chu Ling’er proves more influential than the others expected.
• Composure and initiative: Chen Lie’s measured response contrasts with Lei Jinglong’s anger and turns a seemingly impossible problem into a solution.
• Preparation for competition: Chang Fukun’s leak raises the stakes, while Chen Lie’s continued training and the team’s journey to Beimang Star set up the coming contest.

Key plot points and events

• Zhu Jingxi asks Chen Lie how he has managed to befriend Canglong Star’s elite, hoping to build alliances that might help Great Yan reclaim Red Flame Planet’s rebel-held north. Chen Lie privately believes the uprising began for valid reasons—corruption and oppressive taxes—and that Great Yan’s court is at fault, but keeps this view to himself because Blue Star’s diplomatic agreement recognizes Great Yan and bars cooperation with the Taiping Sect.
• Ten representatives from the Five Stars of the Eastern Region, all peak fourth-stage martial artists in the True Qi Ultimate Realm, board a Star Boat for Beimang Star. Chen Lie judges Zhu Jingxuan the strongest, with Xiao Sheng close behind; Chen’s martial skill is comparable to Xiao Sheng’s, but his mental power makes him likely the group’s strongest overall.
• After a three-day journey, the delegation reaches Beimang Star’s Sacred Capital and the Four-Star Inn, where visitors will stay until the Four-Sided Star Domain Contest. Wang Shou warns them that Beimang Star is a powerful martial realm and its officials may treat Outer Star visitors arrogantly.
• The inn has limited rooms. Administrator Luo Xin dismisses Wang Shou’s request for extra accommodation and assigns the Eastern Star Region delegation only ten rooms, despite its many contestants and escorts.
• The rooms prove small and inconvenient. Zhang Liwu, experienced in off-world dealings, offers the inn clerk a large tip to help him contact someone, and the clerk readily agrees.

Character developments

• Chen Lie shows social restraint and political awareness. He does not challenge Zhu Jingxi’s account of Great Yan’s cause, even though he privately sees the dynasty as responsible for Red Flame Planet’s suffering. He also considers using his past dealings with Beimang Star’s Qin Zhenling and Kong Yu to learn about the contest.
• Zhu Jingxi reveals her ambition to restore Great Yan and her insecurity about making connections with powerful outsiders. She admires Chen Lie’s ease with people and assumes his success comes from his exceptional talent.
• Wang Shou tries to advocate for adequate rooms but remains deferential to the host officials.
• Zhang Liwu demonstrates practical resourcefulness, using money and his experience with interstellar contacts to work around the inn’s dismissive treatment.

Significant themes

• Political legitimacy versus popular justice: Blue Star’s diplomatic recognition of Great Yan conflicts with Chen Lie’s belief that the rebellion arose from genuine public grievances.
• Power and status: Beimang Star’s dominance shapes its officials’ condescension toward visitors from the Fringe Star Domain.
• Diplomacy and personal ties: Zhu Jingxi seeks alliances for political survival, while Chen Lie’s existing relationships may become useful in navigating the contest.
• Pragmatism: The delegation must adapt to unequal treatment and limited resources rather than provoke its powerful hosts.

Character interactions

• Zhu Jingxi seeks Chen Lie’s advice and praises his ability to make friends, while Chen quietly withholds his true political judgment.
• Wang Shou and Luo Xin clash over the number of rooms; Luo refuses to negotiate and treats the delegation dismissively.
• Lei Jinglong worries that inadequate accommodation will undermine the contestants’ preparation.
• Zhang Liwu bypasses the clerk’s initial refusal with a payment, securing his willingness to help.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Liwu uses locally exchanged Sacred Martial Treasure Notes to secure better treatment at the Four-Star Inn. With help from his contact, Zhang Zhaolin at the Office of Foreign Guests, the Blue Star delegation receives ten additional rooms.
• The team learns that the Four-Sided Star Domain Command Contest will take place at Deathtrap Ridge, a perilous area where extreme weather and other hazards can change repeatedly in a single day. Conditions may severely weaken fighters below the Seventh-Order Gang Qi Realm.
• The other three delegations are trying to scout the ridge in advance. Since Imperial Guards have sealed it, the Blue Star leaders seek another route.
• The contest has been delayed one day because of the coming-of-age ceremony of Commandery Princess Chengning, Qin Zhenkui. She has invited many young martial artists to an exchange, where an exceptional participant may request a reasonable martial-arts-related favor. The rival delegations hope to win an Access Token to Deathtrap Ridge.
• Zhang Liwu arranges an invitation for Blue Star. Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong choose Chen Lie to attend, judging him their strongest candidate and a likely match for the princess’s interest in martial arts.
• Chen Lie spends time cultivating, then goes to dinner with Princess Lingyan Zhu Jingxi. She advises him that ordinary talent may not impress Chengning. Chen Lie has no fixed strategy, though he considers asking another commandery princess for access if necessary.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Liwu proves resourceful, using his local connections to improve the delegation’s lodging and pursue access to the contest grounds.
• Wang Shou and Lei Jinglong take a cautious, strategic approach: they discourage Chen Lie from exploring alone and prioritize learning the terrain before the contest.
• Chen Lie accepts the responsibility of representing the team at the exchange, while remaining calm and open-minded about how to gain the princess’s favor.
• Zhu Jingxi shows friendly concern for Chen Lie, inviting him to dinner and offering practical advice. They agree to address each other informally.
• Zhu Jingxuan and the other contestants support Chen Lie’s selection, recognizing him as the strongest among them.
• Qin Zhenkui is described as a highly accomplished fifteen-year-old martial artist, favored by the imperial family and deeply interested in martial arts.

Significant themes

• Preparation and adaptability: Deathtrap Ridge’s hazards make familiarity with the environment potentially as important as raw strength.
• Power, privilege, and connections: Access to lodging, restricted terrain, and the princess’s ceremony depends on currency, status, and influential contacts.
• Talent and recognition: The exchange offers Chen Lie a chance to turn martial skill into a practical advantage for his team.
• Collective responsibility: Chen Lie’s attendance is not merely personal; the delegation depends on him to secure an opportunity for everyone.

Chapter 638: “Learn from the Enemy to Defeat the Enemy”

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lie asks Zhu Jingxi about the Border Pacifying Marquis Residence on Beimang Star. He learns it is a powerful noble household, but decides not to approach it: doing so could expose his plans without giving him enough leverage.
• The Four-Sided Star Domain Contest is postponed by one day. Contestants from the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Star Regions register their identities, with no substitutions permitted. The contest will be held at Deathtrap Ridge on May 2, and its victor will command the 19th Interstellar Allied Forces.
• Qi Tai, leader of the Southern Star Region delegation, urges the other regions to withdraw, citing the South’s greater population and number of life-bearing planets. Wang Shou rejects his argument and accuses Langya Star of exploiting divisions within the Eastern Star Region.
• Qi Tai praises Blue Star’s talent-development system and says Langya Star intends to imitate it. He identifies Chen Lie as the remarkable Blue Star prodigy and has Ji Yuyan challenge him to a mental-power contest. Chen Lie refuses to reveal his abilities, saying she will see them on the battlefield.
• Qi Tai explains privately that the South is studying Chen because his mental power may be dangerous even to strong opponents, especially if he possesses a top-ranked Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit. He had hoped to gauge Chen’s strength and potentially manipulate the other regions’ matchups, but the failed challenge leaves him uncertain.
• The chapter ends with Wang Shou sending Chen Lie and Zhang Liwu to Commandery Princess Chengning’s Martial Arts Exchange. They hope to secure an advance inspection of Deathtrap Ridge.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lie remains cautious and controlled. He avoids exposing his intentions regarding the noble residence and refuses Ji Yuyan’s provocation, recognizing it as an attempt to assess his powers.
• Wang Shou stands up to Qi Tai’s pressure, defending the Eastern Star Region and criticizing Langya Star’s covert tactics. He later entrusts Chen Lie with the important task of arranging access to the contest grounds.
• Qi Tai emerges as a calculating strategist. Rather than relying only on the South’s numerical advantage, he studies Chen Lie’s abilities and considers using the other regions to eliminate him.
• Ji Yuyan tries to draw Chen into a public test by insulting his courage and ability, but he sees through her ploy.
• Qi Donglin, the Southern team’s leading contestant, initially dismisses the threat posed by Chen’s mental power. Qi Tai’s warning about a top-ten Heaven-Grade Consciousness Spirit makes him reconsider.
• Zhang Liwu brings the invitation to the princess’s Martial Arts Exchange and accompanies Chen to pursue the Eastern delegation’s practical advantage.

Significant themes

• Strategy over brute force: Population and territory do not guarantee victory; preparation, talent, and tactics matter.
• Concealing one’s strength: Chen refuses to reveal his abilities before the contest, recognizing that information itself is a weapon.
• Learning from rivals: Qi Tai openly admires Blue Star’s system and plans to copy it, embodying the idea that understanding an opponent’s strengths can help defeat them.
• Power and status: The discussion of the noble residence highlights how sharply privilege separates powerful royals from fallen ones, and how dangerous it can be to approach influential people without sufficient standing.