Ch. 401Star Dawn Valley
Chapter Summary: Star Dawn Valley
Key Plot Points and Events
- Chen Ming is tempted to request another elemental benefit but learns that a Second Realm Class Changer can absorb a maximum of six light elements. He must reach level 40 before pursuing more.
- He is transported away from the borderlands to Star Dawn Valley, a tranquil valley beneath an unusually brilliant, possibly illusory starry sky.
- An ancient Human Race deity, disguised as a kindly old grandmother in plain clothing, invites Chen Ming to play chess.
- Chen Ming admits that he does not know how to play, but the grandmother tells him to place the pieces however he wishes. He realizes that the game is likely a pretext for another purpose.
- During the game, the grandmother identifies Chen Ming as a genius from the Blue Star Realm and discusses Blue Star’s former Realm Lord, the Light God, who failed to break through to level 95.
- When Chen Ming picks up a black chess piece, the scene expands into a vast cosmic vision. He senses guidance showing him where to place it and notices that doing so will reward him with a Spirit Origin Fragment.
- After Chen Ming places the piece, the vision ends and the reward appears. The grandmother then reveals that he has mastered the Void Law.
- Chen Ming realizes he has been deliberately tested. The black pieces were invisible to ordinary people and could only be perceived and moved by someone possessing the Void Law.
Character Developments
- Chen Ming remains calm and perceptive when his identity and origins are exposed. He understands that powerful figures would eventually discover his connection to the Blue Star Realm.
- He demonstrates increasing caution and strategic awareness, recognizing that the chess game is not what it appears to be.
- His mastery of the Void Law is confirmed indirectly, though he regrets allowing the grandmother to discover it.
- The old grandmother is established as highly intelligent, knowledgeable, and manipulative. Her gentle appearance and friendly conversation conceal a careful test designed to expose Chen Ming’s abilities.
- Qing Muyu and the other girl remain quiet observers, obediently standing behind Chen Ming during the meeting.
Significant Themes
- Hidden identities and inevitable exposure: Chen Ming accepts that his Blue Star origins cannot remain secret forever, especially from powerful deities.
- Testing and deception: The grandmother uses hospitality, conversation, and an apparently harmless game to investigate Chen Ming’s hidden powers.
- Power concealed beneath appearances: The peaceful valley, false starry sky, plain old woman, and ordinary chessboard all conceal extraordinary forces and purposes.
- The legacy of Blue Star: The discussion of the Light God and Blue Star’s former era hints at a larger history and possible future reemergence of its ancient powers.
- Knowledge as a form of power: The grandmother’s understanding of Chen Ming’s origins contrasts with his ignorance of Blue Star’s past, emphasizing the importance of hidden history.
Character Interactions
- Chen Ming respectfully but cautiously interacts with the old grandmother, choosing to cooperate while withholding his suspicions.
- The grandmother probes Chen Ming through seemingly casual remarks about Blue Star and the Light God.
- Their chess game becomes a battle of concealment: she uses the game to test him, while Chen Ming tries to avoid revealing more than necessary.
- After recognizing that he has been tricked, Chen Ming internally criticizes her methods but decides that he can still deny possessing the Void Law, since she has only inferred it from his actions.