Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Jiang Chen’s cultivation advances steadily in the City Guard’s top-floor chamber. After eight days, he reaches the middle stage of the True Martial third layer, gaining enough strength to challenge True Sea realm opponents.
• He keeps up his other training: practicing poison-suppressing acupuncture, tempering his body with Tiger Bone Copper-Pattern Pills, and cultivating the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Sutra.
• His Mystic Serpent egg hatches into a small black snake. Its humanlike eyes resemble Jiang Chen’s, prompting him to wonder whether spirit-taming carries risks. He feeds it replenishing pills and plans to strengthen its venom with poison.
• Dong Ziheng reports that White Water County has a sixteen-year-old prodigy at the pinnacle of the True Core realm. The news unsettles the newcomers and makes Jiang Chen consider that the rival may have benefited from an extraordinary opportunity.
• After killing several cultivators who pursue him near the Ghost Market, Jiang Chen returns to the City Guard and continues preparing for the Fifteen-Prefecture Selection.
• Yun Jingchuan orders Chen Sihu and Jiang Chen to lead a covert mission to retrieve the Qi Family, suspected of involvement with evil cultivators. Despite the team’s concerns, Jiang Chen insists on going.
• The group disguises itself as a merchant caravan and travels to Linshui Village. There they find a midnight sacrificial rite underway, with bloodied animal offerings. Jiang Chen notices a suspicious sack hanging nearby; the chapter ends before its contents are revealed.

Character development and interactions

• Jiang Chen remains disciplined and ambitious, balancing cultivation, medicine, body tempering, and spirit taming. He is also motivated by revenge against the Qi Family and by the chance to gain power.
• He is increasingly confident in his combat strength, but wary of the Mystic Serpent’s unsettling resemblance to him and of the dangers of spirit taming.
• Zhou Yuqing and Tang Mu initially withdraw from a social gathering after Jiang Chen declines it; later, both are shaken by news of the far stronger White Water prodigy.
• Chen Sihu is protective of Jiang Chen and questions the wisdom of bringing him on a dangerous mission. Chen Yan and the other veterans also object, distrustful of involving a newcomer after a previous mission was compromised. Chen Sihu overrules them, citing Jiang Chen’s ability to detect evil cultivators.
• Jiang Chen stays quiet in response to the team’s doubts, trusting that his performance will prove his worth.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and insecurity: The selection is a competition for scarce places, and the news from White Water County exposes how limited the newcomers’ assumptions about their own talent are.
• Ambition and preparation: Jiang Chen’s progress comes from relentless training and careful use of resources, while he seeks every possible advantage before the selection.
• Trust and danger: The mission highlights the tension between relying on a powerful but inexperienced newcomer and protecting a seasoned team.
• The supernatural and its costs: Jiang Chen’s serpent and the ancient Nirvana art offer power, but their strange effects raise questions about the risks of cultivation and control.

Chapter Summary: “True Core”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Chen’s group arrives at Linshui Village at night and discovers that the villagers are sacrificing a child to a supposed Water Ghost or “Dragon King” in the Linshui River.
• Chen Sihu orders Chen Yan to investigate and Xia Rong’s team to rescue the victim. The child is successfully saved, though the group postpones dealing with the river demon.
• The party travels to Dongxiang Village, a suspected stronghold of the Deity Sacrifice Cult. Jiang Chen detects Qi Zhengyuan and Qi Yu hiding there.
• The Qi family claims they were captured by rebels and imprisoned in the village, while denying any connection to the Evil Cultivators. When Qi Zhengyuan begs to be taken back, both he and Qi Yu suddenly release a strange aura and burn themselves into ashes.
• The City Guards discover that Dongxiang Village is trapped inside a powerful illusion or confinement formation. Every escape route leads back into the village, and even their signal flares appear from multiple directions.
• Jiang Chen realizes that strange insect noises are disrupting his senses. By blocking the sound and closing his eyes, he sees through the illusion and discovers that the group is actually surrounded by hidden rebel soldiers.
• Jiang Chen protects Chen Yan from an unseen assassin and then leads the City Guards in battle. His Soul Seal and Starfall Saber allow him to kill numerous rebels, including several at the peak of the True Sea Realm.
• He locates three Deity Sacrifice Cult Evil Cultivators who are producing the insect sounds. Jiang Chen kills all three, gaining six Origin Source points and advancing both his Soul Seal and Blood Seal to the third order. His Blood Seal’s power reaches the level of the True Core Realm.
• The remaining rebels flee, but the illusion formation remains active. Jiang Chen leads Chen Sihu’s group safely out of the village.
• Outside Dongxiang Village, they discover that Xia Rong and the archers have been brutally murdered and mutilated. The deaths confirm that enemies were waiting outside the formation as well.
• The brocade-robed Grand Protector and a hawk-nosed man observe Jiang Chen from a distance. They realize that the cult’s Phantomless Formation could not affect him and begin coveting his abilities or possible treasures.
• Returning to Linshui Village, the group finds the villagers preparing another child sacrifice because the previous offering failed. Chen Yan destroys the altar, and Chen Sihu orders the villagers to stop until the City Guards return to deal with the river monster.
• As the party attempts to cross the river, a black, furry creature attacks and drags away two City Guards. Jiang Chen immediately dives into the river to pursue it, followed by Chen Sihu and the others.

Character Developments

• Jiang Chen demonstrates that his abilities are far greater than his apparent cultivation level. He can detect hidden enemies, resist the illusion formation, coordinate his allies during combat, and kill powerful opponents with ease.
• His Soul Seal proves capable of disrupting even high-level True Sea Realm cultivators, while his Blood Seal advances to the third order and gives him True Core-level combat strength.
• Jiang Chen becomes more confident and ambitious after realizing that his new power may allow him to qualify for the Hidden Dragon Plan.
• Chen Sihu continues to act as a disciplined commander, prioritizing reconnaissance, formation, and retreat. He grows increasingly impressed by Jiang Chen and recognizes his importance to the squad.
• Chen Yan is saved by Jiang Chen from an invisible assassin. Her attitude toward him changes from caution to deep gratitude and respect.
• Xia Rong and his archers are killed, emphasizing the dangers faced by the War Character Camp and the cost of the mission.
• Qi Zhengyuan and Qi Yu are revealed to be prisoners rather than obvious cult members, but their strange self-immolation suggests they were controlled or marked by the Deity Sacrifice Cult.
• The Grand Protector and hawk-nosed enemy identify Jiang Chen as a major threat and potential target.

Significant Themes

• Human sacrifice and the collapse of civilization: Linshui Village’s desperate offerings show how ordinary people revert to superstition and cruelty when faced with supernatural threats.
• Duty versus survival: The City Guards continue investigating dangerous enemies despite heavy losses, accepting death as part of their chosen path.
• The limits of perception: The illusion formation and insect sounds demonstrate how easily senses and judgment can be manipulated. Jiang Chen succeeds only after questioning his own perceptions.
• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Jiang Chen’s apparent status as a young newcomer contrasts sharply with his ability to fight at the True Core level.
• The cost of war: Xia Rong’s death and the villagers’ helplessness show that victories against evil come with severe personal and social consequences.
• Faith, fear, and exploitation: The villagers’ belief in the Dragon King allows fear to justify repeated sacrifices, while the cult and rebels exploit chaos for their own purposes.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Sihu assigns Chen Yan and Xia Rong separate roles during the initial investigation, demonstrating the squad’s trust and coordination.
• Jiang Chen saves Chen Yan from an unseen rebel, earning her lasting gratitude.
• Jiang Chen communicates tactical information to Chen Sihu, Chen Yan, and the others during the battle, allowing them to fight effectively despite the illusion.
• Chen Sihu questions Qi Zhengyuan and threatens Qi Yu to force the truth from him, but Qi Zhengyuan’s sudden death prevents further interrogation.
• Jiang Chen and Chen Sihu cooperate closely to escape Dongxiang Village, with Jiang Chen locating hidden enemies and Chen Sihu maintaining the squad’s formation.
• Chen Yan confronts the villagers and destroys the sacrifice altar, while Chen Sihu asserts official authority and promises to eliminate the river monster.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Chen impulsively pursuing the river creature, prompting Chen Sihu and the other City Guards to follow him.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Chen dives into the Linshui River to rescue two City Guards from a water demon. The demon uses a supernatural current to crush him and make his blood boil, but Jiang Chen counters with the Soul Seal, stuns it, and kills it with his Wind-Thunder Calamity strike.
• The Myriad Dao Chart grants him the Water Seal, whose first-tier ability, Waterwalking, lets him move across and beneath water but does not allow him to breathe underwater.
• Jiang Chen discovers a Water Spirit Lotus growing in the riverbed and takes it. He later confirms that its seeds and roots are valuable treasure medicines that can greatly accelerate cultivation.
• He tells the other Guards the demon escaped, concealing its death and his gains. Chen Sihu reports Jiang Chen’s remarkable strength to Yun Jingchuan, who decides to publicize it rather than suppress the news.
• Jiang Chen feeds the demon’s blood to Little Black Snake and cooks its meat. The blood rapidly nourishes the Mystic Serpent, while the meat’s energy helps sustain the flame that tempers Jiang Chen’s body, greatly improving his training.
• Using the lotus seeds, Jiang Chen advances rapidly: he reaches the True Martial Third Layer, Perfect Stage in a matter of days. His progress astonishes the other newcomers, who assume he has powerful backing.
• Jiang Chen heads to the Myriad Treasure Pavilion to claim the Sea-Breaking Essence-Congealing Pill, while senior officers debate his future. They believe his ordinary aptitude will limit him despite his exceptional strength and doubt that True Sun Hall will invest in him.

Character developments

• Jiang Chen grows more confident in his ability to exploit demons and natural treasures for power. He remains ambitious, but believes he must rely on his own strength rather than outside support.
• Chen Sihu and the other Guards’ respect for Jiang Chen deepens after he saves their comrades and demonstrates extraordinary combat ability. Chen Sihu also shares what he knows about demons and their factions.
• Sun Wu is impressed by Jiang Chen’s cooking but suffers severe digestive distress after eating the nourishing demon meat, revealing that its benefits can overwhelm an unprepared body.
• Yun Jingchuan recognizes Jiang Chen’s potential and chooses to publicize his physical strength to help him attract attention at the upcoming selection.
• Tang Mu, Zhou Yuqing, Dong Ziheng, and the other newcomers become increasingly wary and impressed as Jiang Chen’s combat reputation and cultivation speed grow.

Character interactions

• Jiang Chen rescues the City Guards, then reunites with Chen Sihu’s party and reassures them. He conceals the water demon’s death, while Chen Sihu accepts his account and reports the mission’s outcome.
• During their return, Chen Sihu explains the distinction between demons and sinister entities and names major demonic factions, including the powerful Dragon God Palace—the faction the dying water demon claimed to belong to.
• Jiang Chen shares demon meat with Sun Wu and tells him about the mission and fallen comrades, prompting a sober discussion about the worsening chaos and the need to become stronger.
• The newcomers discuss Jiang Chen’s strength and rapid advancement, while the senior officers debate whether his ordinary aptitude makes him a poor investment for the sect.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance and ambition: Jiang Chen believes lasting security comes from becoming powerful himself, not depending on the dynasty or sect.
• Power through danger and opportunity: Combat, demon remains, and treasure medicines all become means for Jiang Chen to advance.
• A world in decline: The deaths of Guards, threatened villages, and rising demons and sinister entities show the instability left by the Martial Ancestor’s death.
• Talent versus potential: Others judge Jiang Chen by his ordinary bone aptitude, even as his achievements challenge their assumptions about what he can become.

Chapter summary: “Breakthrough”

Plot points and events

• Jiang Chen visits the Myriad Treasure Pavilion and reveals that he has advanced from the early stage to the perfected stage of the True Martial Third Layer in just a few days. Liu Qing’er and Elder Luo suspect treasure medicine is responsible.
• Liu Qing’er gives him a Sea-Breaking Essence-Congealing Pill, which can help him break through to the True Sea Realm. Jiang Chen asks about obtaining more treasure medicine and offers to refine pills and secret medicines to pure-grade quality in exchange.
• To test his claim, Liu Qing’er has him refine Deer Blood Pills. Jiang Chen produces increasingly better batches—first superior-grade, then premium-grade, and finally pure-grade—convincing both her and Elder Luo of his extraordinary alchemical talent.
• Liu Qing’er explains that treasure medicine grows in dangerous places rich in spiritual energy and can be located with rare devices such as the True Sun Sect’s Myriad Phenomena Spirit-Seeking Compass. Jiang Chen begins considering how he might obtain one to search the Xuanyu Lan River.
• Liu Qing’er discusses the strengths of alchemy factions versus the True Sun Sect. Though alchemy groups offer stronger specialized training, she argues that the True Sun Sect has superior martial arts, resources, allies, and access to the Earth Vein beneath the Prefecture Capital.
• Back at the City Guard camp, Jiang Chen takes the pill and begins his breakthrough. Because his bone aptitude is poor, opening the “spring” in his dantian requires constant replenishment; he uses a Water Spirit Lotus Seed to sustain his qi. He succeeds and reaches the True Sea Realm’s first rank, initial stage.
• Newly advanced, Jiang Chen turns to the True Sea-level Bewitching Heart Weeping Note Chapter, a sonic technique that can disrupt opponents’ senses. He believes it can disguise the effects of his Soul Seal Impact, letting him use that ability more openly.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen demonstrates both rapid martial progress and exceptional alchemical ability. He is increasingly strategic: he seeks resources through useful service, plans to search for treasure medicine, and looks for ways to conceal his Soul Seal’s power.
• Liu Qing’er becomes more impressed by Jiang Chen and hopes his growth will eventually help her secure revenge. She does not yet intend to break her engagement to Heavenly Remnant Manor, since it currently protects her from her clan.
• Elder Luo moves from disbelief to admiration after witnessing Jiang Chen’s alchemy. He also suggests Jiang Chen may become strong enough to help Liu Qing’er resolve her marriage contract.
• Liu Qing’er and Jiang Chen establish a mutually beneficial arrangement: she may help him access treasure medicine, while his alchemical skill gives him value to offer in return.

Significant themes

• Talent versus aptitude: Jiang Chen’s weak bone aptitude makes cultivation difficult, but his insight, tools, and resourcefulness let him compensate.
• Power built through exchange and opportunity: His advancement depends on cultivating allies and turning his abilities into access to scarce resources.
• Specialization and martial supremacy: Alchemy offers great advantages, but the chapter presents martial strength and institutional resources as ultimately more decisive.
• Secrecy and strategy: Jiang Chen seeks to conceal the Soul Seal Impact by masking it with a legitimate technique, showing that power must be managed as carefully as it is cultivated.

Plot points and events

• After studying the Bewitching Heart Weeping Note Chapter, Jiang Chen uses the Myriad Dao Chart to open the Martial Veins around his vocal cords. By dawn, he has opened four, enabling him to begin practicing its sonic attack.
• Jiang Chen reveals that he has already reached the True Sea Realm, astonishing Sun Wu and Yun Jingchuan. He attributes his rapid progress to a Water Spirit Lotus supplied by the Myriad Treasure Pavilion.
• He tells Yun Jingchuan he has mastered the Poison-Suppressing Baleful-Dispelling Needles and asks about the Myriad Phenomena Spirit-Seeking Compass. Yun agrees to obtain a small compass for him, provided Jiang Chen avoids dangerous expeditions.
• Reports arrive that monsters are attacking rivers and marshes across the prefecture. Yun suspects the Dragon God Palace may be involved and orders nearby villages evacuated, with local clans supplying provisions.
• Jiang Chen cultivates relentlessly, advances through the early and mid stages of the True Sea Realm, and learns several techniques: the Tidal Water Essence Formula for underwater breathing, the Eight Desolations Baleful-Slaying Canon, and the Formless Phantom Body.
• Jiang Chen treats Yun Jingchuan’s internal Baleful Poison with acupuncture, causing him to expel black blood and feel substantially better. Yun explains the True Sun Sect’s seven competing halls and warns that the True Sun Hall may withhold resources from Jiang Chen because of his poor bone aptitude.
• As an alternative, Yun has arranged for Jiang Chen to join the Vajra Hall, which supports Body-Tempering practitioners. Jiang Chen appreciates the help but remains intent on earning the top resources and becoming a Core Successor.
• Jiang Chen’s cultivation continues: his Tiger Tendon Chapter reaches minor mastery, his Bewitching Heart Weeping Note improves, and he reaches the late stage of the first tier of the True Sea Realm, with strength of roughly 40,000 jin.
• As the Fifteen-Prefecture Selection approaches, the newcomers grow anxious and train harder. Lu Yunxing announces that they will depart the following morning.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen grows stronger in cultivation, body tempering, and martial techniques, while remaining ambitious and strategic. He plans to pursue heavenly treasures but avoids sending Little Black into the dangerous rivers during the monster crisis.
• Yun Jingchuan shifts from concern about Jiang Chen’s rapid advancement to gratitude and active support. He accepts Jiang Chen’s explanation about the Water Spirit Lotus, receives treatment, warns him about sect politics, and arranges a fallback path through the Vajra Hall.
• Sun Wu is excited by Jiang Chen’s progress but respects his privacy and chooses not to press him for the secret behind it.
• Tang Mu is proud of nearing the True Core Realm, yet feels threatened by Jiang Chen’s rapid rise. Zhou Yuqing recalls her father’s warning that Tang Mu’s temperament is unstable, suggesting his envy could become a weakness.
• The newcomers increasingly look up to Jiang Chen, envy his apparent resources, and fear the upcoming selection, which will determine their futures.

Significant themes

• Relentless cultivation and self-improvement: Jiang Chen treats every advantage as a chance to improve and keeps training despite already being far ahead of his peers.
• Talent versus effort and resources: Jiang Chen’s Ordinary Bone Aptitude contrasts with his extraordinary progress, prompting others to suspect secret support and underscoring the importance of medicines and opportunity.
• Ambition and institutional competition: The True Sun Sect’s halls compete for influence by cultivating promising disciples, making Jiang Chen’s placement and access to resources politically uncertain.
• Loyalty and reciprocity: Jiang Chen’s treatment helps save Yun Jingchuan, while Yun repays him with guidance and practical arrangements.
• Threats beyond personal advancement: The monster attacks and possible Dragon God Palace involvement foreshadow a wider crisis just as the characters prepare for the selection.

Chapter Summary: “Grandmaster”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Chen learns that the Fifteen-Prefecture Selection will begin soon. Although he is already guaranteed entry into the True Sun Sect, the selection offers valuable resources and determines candidates for the sect’s Hidden Dragon Plan.
• He returns home to the Jiang Clan, where his parents and clan members celebrate his achievements and hold an ancestral worship ceremony and farewell gathering.
• Jiang Chen visits the Myriad Treasure Pavilion. Liu Qing’er gives him a Prefecture Capital address and token for future assistance. He also asks her to gather medicinal ingredients needed to cultivate the Jade Bone Chapter.
• He asks Yun Jingchuan to protect his parents while he is away. Yun agrees to move them into the City Guard’s affiliated district and explains the selection’s new format:
  • Participants are divided into five regional groups.
  • The strongest candidates from each region will advance.
  • Only those who reach the Earth Fiend Heavenly Dipper Realm can enter the Hidden Dragon Plan.
• Jiang Chen spends his final night cultivating and prepares for departure. His parents express concern and remind him to prioritize his safety.
• The recruits travel by ship rather than by the official road. At the docks, they meet Chu Wenxuan, an intimidating True Sun Hall expert.
• Chu Wenxuan favors Tang Mu, whose Superior Bone Aptitude makes him an especially valuable recruit, while ignoring Jiang Chen. Jiang remains calm, determined to prove himself through his own strength.
• The ship collects recruits from White Water County and East Azure County, revealing that these three prefecture territories will compete in the same regional selection.
• Several exceptional prodigies are introduced:
  • Tang Mu: possesses Superior Bone Aptitude.
  • Yue Qinghong: sixteen years old and already at the True Core Realm Pinnacle due to a powerful fortuitous opportunity.
  • Xu Chiming: born with three main meridians and possessing three True Cores, granting him immense potential and combat power.
• While traveling along the Xuanyu Lan River, a massive disturbance rocks the ship. A mysterious figure emerges from the river and flies through the air, leading Jiang Chen to suspect that a Martial Grandmaster has appeared.

Character Developments

• Jiang Chen demonstrates increasing maturity and strategic foresight. He cares for his parents’ safety, seeks external resources, and recognizes that reaching the Hidden Dragon Plan will require more than ordinary cultivation.
• He remains composed despite being dismissed by Chu Wenxuan, showing confidence in his own path rather than relying on sect recognition or inherited status.
• Jiang Sihai and Lin Shuyun are proud of Jiang Chen but remain protective and anxious about his departure. Their relationship with him is warm and supportive.
• Yun Jingchuan continues to act as a reliable ally, offering protection for Jiang Chen’s family and valuable information about the selection.
• Tang Mu receives special attention because of his rare aptitude, strengthening his confidence and ambition to become a core successor.
• Wei Linyuan is revealed to possess an influential family background but only Ordinary Bone Aptitude, creating a contrast between his status and his limited cultivation prospects.
• Yue Qinghong and Xu Chiming emerge as major competitors whose unusual gifts make the upcoming selection significantly more difficult.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus background: The chapter contrasts Superior Bone Aptitude, fortuitous opportunities, special physiques, and family influence. Jiang Chen lacks all conventional advantages but intends to rely on his own ability.
• Ambition and self-reliance: Jiang Chen refuses to be discouraged by Chu Wenxuan’s indifference and resolves to establish his own position within the sect.
• Family prosperity through individual achievement: Jiang Chen’s rise has already elevated the Jiang Clan’s social standing, and the family now dreams of becoming a major power in Anning Prefecture.
• Protection and responsibility: Jiang Chen’s concern for his parents shows that his ambitions are balanced by a strong sense of familial duty.
• Competition and factional politics: The True Sun Sect’s seven halls are openly competing for outstanding recruits, and sect affiliation appears to be shaped by both talent and political connections.
• The widening martial world: The journey introduces larger rivers, distant prefectures, powerful sects, and increasingly formidable experts, signaling Jiang Chen’s transition into a much broader stage.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Chen reunites affectionately with his parents and receives their support before leaving.
• The Jiang Clan elders hold a farewell ceremony and offer their resources to support him.
• Liu Qing’er agrees to help obtain the medicinal ingredients Jiang Chen needs.
• Yun Jingchuan promises to protect Jiang Chen’s parents and explains the selection’s requirements.
• Chu Wenxuan openly favors Tang Mu, while Jiang Chen is ignored because of his lack of visible aptitude, physique, opportunity, or prestigious background.
• Wei Linyuan and Du Qiulin discuss the leading talents from the participating prefectures.
• Yue Qinghong is presented as a prodigy shaped by a rare opportunity, while Xu Chiming is revealed as a monstrous talent with three main meridians.
• The chapter ends with the recruits facing an unknown flying expert emerging from the river, creating a suspenseful transition into the next chapter.

Key plot points and events

• During the journey to the Prefecture Capital, the newcomers witness Ning Jiu, the True Sun Sect’s youngest Martial Grandmaster, confronting a powerful river demon. The demon invokes Dragon God Palace, but Ning Jiu attacks it for killing people on sect territory. The ship flees the battle.
• Du Qiulin explains that Ning Jiu is the sect master’s final disciple, under twenty-seven, and possesses Superior Bone Aptitude. His achievement amazes the newcomers and reveals the True Sun Sect’s formidable strength.
• The ship reaches the Prefecture Capital, a vast city surrounded by outlying districts. The newcomers pass through the city and enter the True Sun Sect’s walled grounds, where the earth vein makes spiritual energy unusually rich.
• The candidates are settled in Dingyan District. Tang Mu reveals that only five people will advance from the district, which has more than a hundred competitors. Jiang Chen privately concludes that three places are likely spoken for by the most gifted candidates, leaving only two realistic openings.

Character developments

• Jiang Chen is inspired by Ning Jiu’s ability to fly and renews his determination to reach the peak of martial cultivation. He also recognizes that his ordinary bone aptitude puts him at a disadvantage, so he resolves to seek resources and cultivate harder, trusting that his Divine Phoenix Nirvana Sutra may eventually transform his aptitude.
• Tang Mu gains confidence after learning that Ning Jiu’s Superior Bone Aptitude helped him reach Grandmaster rank. He begins to believe he, too, could achieve great things with similar aptitude and the True Sun Hall’s support.
• Yue Qinghong probes the source of Ning Jiu’s talent, reflecting the newcomers’ interest in what determines a martial artist’s potential.
• The other candidates become more competitive and pragmatic: after learning Jiang Chen entered through a Sect Order rather than personal connections, they lose interest in him and focus on cultivating ties with Tang Mu.

Character interactions

• Chu Wenxuan recognizes Ning Jiu and immediately orders the ship away, fearing the danger of a Grandmaster-level fight. Wei Linyuan and the other leaders share his alarm.
• Ning Jiu rejects the demon’s appeal to Dragon God Palace, arguing that its attack on the sect’s people demands retaliation, then charges into the river.
• Du Qiulin answers the newcomers’ questions about Ning Jiu, while Tang Mu shares the selection information with his fellow candidates.
• After Jiang Chen leaves to cultivate, the others question Tang Mu about him and conclude that he has no influential backing in the sect.

Significant themes

• Ambition and inspiration: Witnessing Ning Jiu’s power strengthens Jiang Chen’s resolve and gives Tang Mu a model for what Superior Bone Aptitude might achieve.
• Talent versus resources: The chapter contrasts innate aptitude with Jiang Chen’s reliance on a cultivation method, determination, and access to resources.
• Competition and status: The five advancement slots make the selection intensely selective, while candidates judge one another by talent, connections, and perceived prospects.
• Power and institutional strength: The True Sun Sect’s control of the Prefecture Capital, its command of the earth vein, and Ning Jiu’s intervention establish the sect’s reach and influence.
• Rising danger: The demon’s presence near the sect’s heart—and its connection to Dragon God Palace—suggests a broader threat.

Key plot points and events

• After consuming his remaining pills and snake-monster meat, Jiang Chen makes limited cultivation progress. Snake meat proves far more effective than ordinary monster meat at strengthening his body.
• The newcomers learn the Fifteen-Prefecture Selection has two stages, with only five advancing from each district and fierce competition for places in the Hidden Dragon Plan.
• The sect tests nearly a hundred newcomers’ talents. Tang Mu, Yue Qinghong, and Xu Chiming draw special attention for their exceptional potential and combat promise. Jiang Chen’s poor spiritual aptitude makes him appear unremarkable, though his unusually powerful Blood Qi catches Chu Wenxuan’s interest.
• Sect officials discover several newcomers carry dormant Evil Seals linked to the Deity Sacrifice Cult. Wei Qingtian orders them watched rather than killed, hoping to trace the cult’s larger plans.
• Wei Qingtian also continues seeking someone who knows the Eighteen Ghost Hands Needles, which may help cure sect leader Jiang Tianyan. The Medical Sage’s descendants have disappeared, so he broadens the search.
• Chu Wenxuan confirms Jiang Chen’s strength reaches True Core Realm Second Turn, but focuses on using him to win resources for True Sun Hall’s favored disciples. Jiang Chen refuses and demands the resources due to him under his Sect Order.
• When Chu Wenxuan delays those resources until after the Hidden Dragon Plan, Jiang Chen withdraws from True Sun Hall. He is then assigned to Vajra Hall.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen remains self-reliant and determined to test his own limits despite being told his Inferior Spiritual Constitution bars him from advancing beyond True Core Realm Pinnacle. He rejects an offer that would sacrifice his selection rewards for vague future favors.
• Chu Wenxuan sees Jiang Chen’s combat strength as a tool for True Sun Hall, but dismisses his ambition and treats his claim to resources as shortsighted. Their disagreement ends with Jiang Chen leaving the hall.
• Zhou Yuqing encourages Jiang Chen to build ties with Tang Mu, believing connections matter within the sect. Jiang Chen instead trusts personal strength.
• Wei Qingtian acts strategically on two fronts: monitoring the cult’s agents and searching for a way to save Jiang Tianyan.
• The hall stewards compete over promising recruits, revealing how strongly the sect’s support depends on talent, opportunity, and usefulness.

Significant themes

• Merit versus innate limits: Jiang Chen refuses to accept that poor aptitude determines his future, while the sect’s leaders largely treat talent as destiny.
• Self-reliance versus patronage: Jiang Chen rejects advancement through political favors and insists on earning his place himself.
• Resource competition and institutional self-interest: The halls’ recruitment decisions and Chu Wenxuan’s proposal show how even formal selection can be shaped by factional needs.
• Hidden threats and larger schemes: The Evil Seals, the Deity Sacrifice Cult, and Jiang Tianyan’s illness suggest dangers beyond the newcomers’ competition.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Chen chooses Vajra Hall over the prestigious True Sun Hall. He shows steward Huang Qixing his token, which no longer bears True Sun Hall’s mark, and explains that an old senior taught him a body-tempering art he cannot pass on.
• Huang tests Jiang Chen in combat and is astonished by his physique and layered body-tempering progress. Impressed, he offers Jiang Chen a place in Vajra Hall, along with one Acquired Treasure Medicine, 300 contribution points, and two bottles of Essence Gathering Pills per month. Jiang Chen accepts and becomes an official disciple.
• Huang explains that Vajra Hall is investing in Jiang Chen because it needs strong disciples to survive the Hall Tournament in six months. Branch halls can be replaced if they fail to defend their standing.
• Jiang Chen asks about selection resources. Huang describes the Heaven’s Chosen Platform, Heavenly Martial Pavilion, Mission Hall, and resources supplied by individual halls.
• Back at the newcomer quarters, Jiang Chen confirms his choice to Zhou Yuqing. He presents it as a deliberate attempt to pursue body tempering because his ordinary aptitude limits his prospects in martial cultivation.
• The newcomers tour the sect’s facilities, including the Cultivation Tower and Heavenly Martial Pavilion. After the tour, Wei Linyuan learns that Yun Jingchuan has not collected his usual medicine for suppressing his baleful poison. Suspecting Yun lacks contribution points, Wei buys two bottles of the medicine for him using his grandfather’s account.
• Huang delivers Jiang Chen’s promised resources, including a Scarlet Ginseng root. Jiang Chen then cultivates on the Cultivation Tower’s first floor, combining its dense energy with pills and ginseng. His progress rises by about 10 percent in a day, but the ginseng will last only four days.
• Jiang Chen learns that the Heavenly Martial Pavilion’s War Puppets adapt to a challenger’s demonstrated strength. Its rewards include pills, precious herbs, and contribution points. The prospect of earning more resources gives him a new reason to challenge it.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen commits to body tempering as an alternative to the path constrained by his aptitude. He is practical about resources, chooses the affordable first floor of the Cultivation Tower, and recognizes that his rapid progress depends on a limited supply of medicine. He also keeps the details of his special art—and his conflict with True Sun Hall—private.
• Huang Qixing shifts from testing Jiang Chen to backing him. He respects Jiang Chen’s body-tempering talent and sees him as a chance to strengthen Vajra Hall, while being clear that the hall’s support serves its own survival.
• Zhou Yuqing questions whether Jiang Chen was deceived into leaving True Sun Hall. She accepts his explanation, though she worries that body tempering may also fail and that he has surrendered a valuable connection.
• Wei Linyuan shows concern for Yun Jingchuan and takes concrete action to help him obtain medicine, despite having no confirmation that Yun is in immediate danger.
• Other newcomers, including Tang Mu and the other leading talents, receive better cultivation access through their main-hall status. Their advantages underline the gap Jiang Chen must overcome.

Significant themes

• Merit and institutional competition: The sect rewards strength, while branch halls must continually prove their worth or be replaced.
• Alternative paths and personal limits: Jiang Chen’s ordinary aptitude restricts conventional advancement, prompting him to pursue body tempering instead.
• Resources and unequal opportunity: Talent, hall affiliation, medicines, and access to better cultivation floors shape how quickly disciples can progress.
• Pragmatism and mutual obligation: Vajra Hall invests in Jiang Chen because it needs him; Jiang Chen accepts because the arrangement helps him grow.
• Compassion within a competitive system: Wei’s effort to help Yun offers a counterpoint to the sect’s harsh “survival of the fittest” rules.

Chapter Summary: “Making a Name”

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Chen enters the Heavenly Martial Pavilion, where newcomers test their combat ability against increasingly powerful War Puppets. Other disciples doubt he can progress far, but he clears floor after floor, eventually reaching the ninth.
• The steward confirms that Jiang Chen has cleared the entire pavilion—an unprecedented achievement for a newcomer. The feat shocks the sect and quickly spreads through Dingyan District, making Jiang a serious contender in the competition for advancement slots.
• Jiang receives rewards from the trial: thirty Essence Gathering Pills and three white jade fleeceflower roots. Combined with the Blood Ginseng from Vajra Hall, these herbs can sustain his training for much of the month.
• Back in his room, Jiang feeds the growing Mystic Serpent, then continues his rigorous body-tempering and martial training.
• At breakfast, Zhou Yuqing tells Jiang that Duanmu Yunxi’s clan hopes to secure him through a marriage alliance. Jiang declines, focused instead on his martial path.
• The chapter ends at True Sun Hall, where Chu Wenxuan overhears people discussing the remarkable newcomer surnamed Jiang and realizes who they mean.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen demonstrates extraordinary combat ability and composure, treating his historic victory and sudden fame as unimportant. He remains committed to training, believing his ordinary bone aptitude may eventually change and that the sect is only a step toward greater goals.
• Zhou Yuqing continues to believe in Jiang because he repeatedly exceeds expectations. She acts as an intermediary for the Duanmu Clan’s marriage proposal, while making clear that her interest in him is not romantic.
• Duanmu Yunxi becomes intrigued by Jiang’s achievement and determination, especially after learning he has ordinary bone aptitude yet chose the difficult path of body cultivation. She seeks to bring him into the Duanmu Clan’s orbit, though she does not consider him a match for herself.
• The newcomers shift from skepticism to awe. The White Cloud County group celebrates Jiang, while rivals such as Wang Xinhai and the White Water County disciples recognize that his presence threatens their chances at promotion.

Significant themes

• Ability versus innate talent: Jiang’s combat strength challenges the assumption that bone aptitude determines a person’s limits.
• Perseverance and self-belief: His decision to pursue body tempering despite his perceived disadvantage sets him apart.
• Reputation and rivalry: A single achievement transforms how others see Jiang and reshapes the competition for advancement.
• Ambition beyond immediate success: Jiang views the True Sun Sect not as his destination, but as a means to reach the peak of martial cultivation.

Chapter Summary:

Cloud Lake Realm

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads that Jiang Chen, a newcomer from Dingyan District, has cleared the Heavenly Martial Pavilion. Chu Wenxuan is shocked because the challenge is intended for elite true disciples and seems beyond Jiang Chen’s cultivation level.
• Chu Wenxuan realizes Jiang Chen’s strength likely comes from an unusual body-tempering technique. He believes Jiang Chen made a poor choice by joining the declining Vajra Hall instead of True Sun Hall.
• At Vajra Hall, Huang Qixing informs Hall Master Qiu Changfeng of Jiang Chen’s achievement. They conclude that Jiang Chen’s powerful physique and specialized body-tempering method enabled him to pass the pavilion.
• Qiu Changfeng approves increased support for Jiang Chen: two Treasure Medicines and five hundred contribution points per month. He also orders that Jiang Chen receive the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal, a powerful offensive technique whose strength depends on the user’s physical cultivation.
• Jiang Chen begins cultivating on the third floor of the Cultivation Tower, using the rewards from the Heavenly Martial Pavilion and Vajra Hall’s support. The denser spiritual energy greatly accelerates his progress.
• After eight days of intense cultivation, Jiang Chen reaches the Full-Circle First Tier of the True Sea Realm. His physical strength rises to approximately forty thousand pounds.
• He exchanges contribution points for a Pure Sea-Breaking Essence-Congealing Pill and uses it, along with other resources, to expand his dantian.
• Jiang Chen successfully breaks through to the Early Second Tier of the True Sea Realm—Cloud Lake Realm. His strength rises again to roughly fifty thousand pounds.
• He receives a letter from Liu Qing’er stating that the ingredients for cultivating the Jade Bone Chapter have been gathered, though negotiations for an Innate Treasure Medicine remain difficult.
• Jiang Chen continues body tempering at night. The first volume of the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Sutra reaches completion, allowing him to manifest three flames for tempering rather than one.
• His Tiger Tendon Chapter reaches the verge of Great Accomplishment as his tendons undergo a painful nirvana transformation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Chen: Demonstrates that his abilities extend far beyond raw Blood Qi strength. His powerful body-tempering method allows him to defeat challenges above his apparent cultivation level. He becomes more valuable to Vajra Hall, rapidly improves both martial cultivation and physical strength, and remains focused despite his breakthroughs.
• Qiu Changfeng: Initially surprised by Jiang Chen’s achievement, he quickly recognizes Jiang Chen’s potential and commits greater resources to nurturing him. He also entrusts Jiang Chen with one of Vajra Hall’s core techniques.
• Huang Qixing: Acts as Jiang Chen’s advocate within Vajra Hall, persuading Qiu Changfeng to increase Jiang Chen’s resources. He personally delivers the rewards and explains the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal.
• Chu Wenxuan: Reveals a dismissive and shortsighted attitude toward Vajra Hall and Jiang Chen’s choice to join it. His assumptions contrast with Jiang Chen’s rapidly emerging potential.
• Liu Qing’er: Continues assisting Jiang Chen from afar by gathering medicinal ingredients, though her negotiations for the Innate Treasure Medicine have not yet succeeded.

Significant Themes

• The value of unconventional talent: Jiang Chen’s physical cultivation proves that aptitude cannot be judged solely by conventional martial standards.
• Investment in potential: Vajra Hall’s decision to redirect resources toward Jiang Chen reflects the importance of recognizing and supporting an exceptional newcomer.
• Perseverance and suffering: Jiang Chen’s progress depends on relentless cultivation and his willingness to endure extreme pain during body tempering.
• Strength through multiple paths: The chapter emphasizes the combination of martial cultivation, body tempering, divine techniques, and combat arts rather than relying on a single source of power.
• Decline and revival: Vajra Hall is close to losing its status, but Jiang Chen’s arrival offers it a possible chance at renewal.

Character Interactions

• Chu Wenxuan questions disciples about the newcomer and privately speculates about Jiang Chen’s abilities and poor strategic choice.
• Huang Qixing reports Jiang Chen’s achievement to Qiu Changfeng and argues for increased investment in him.
• Qiu Changfeng rewards Jiang Chen indirectly by approving resources and granting him the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal.
• Huang Qixing meets Jiang Chen after his cultivation session, gives him the Blood Ginseng, contribution points, and ultimate art, and encourages him to seek help from Vajra Hall.
• Jiang Chen reads Liu Qing’er’s letter, learns about the gathered Jade Bone Chapter ingredients and the uncertain Innate Treasure Medicine negotiations, then calmly continues his training.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Chen completes the Tiger Tendon Chapter of the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Sutra after enduring severe pain. The training mainly transforms his body and greatly improves its resilience, rather than giving him exceptional physical strength.
• He continues cultivating at True Sun Sect, advancing to the middle stage of the Second Tier of the True Sea Realm. He also completes the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal and the Bewitching Heart Weeping Note, while further improving his other martial arts.
• News spreads that Tang Mu has reached the True Core Realm. Meanwhile, selection becomes increasingly ruthless: weaker newcomers are eliminated, while Zhou Yuqing, Dong Ziheng, and other promising candidates become full disciples.
• Duanmu Yunxi offers Jiang Chen a position as a guest elder of her clan, promising a monthly Acquired Treasure Medicine and Essence Gathering Pills in exchange for possible future assistance. Jiang Chen accepts. She also warns that the Liu Clan may resent him for receiving Liu Qing’er’s sect admission token and could target him outside the sect.
• Jiang Chen completes the Tiger Tendon Chapter and tests its defensive effects: a powerful saber strike wounds his flesh but fails to damage his bones. He decides to seek a separate body-tempering art and prepare to begin the Jade Bone Chapter, which requires a rare pill.
• He visits Liu Qing’er at the Myriad Treasure Pavilion. She provides the ingredients for the Heavenly Qilin Jade Bone Pill and an Earth Spirit Jade Talisman to help locate natural energy. She reports that the Gu Clan has hired an alchemy master, making its Innate Treasure Medicine unlikely to be available.
• As Jiang Chen leaves the pavilion, he senses two well-dressed young men following him, apparently connected to the Liu Clan.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen remains disciplined and pragmatic: he focuses on steady cultivation, accepts useful resources, and avoids unnecessary rivalries. His extraordinary progress despite ordinary Bone Aptitude increasingly suggests he has an advantage the sect’s assessment methods cannot detect.
• Duanmu Yunxi shifts from pursuing a marriage alliance to making a strategic investment in Jiang Chen’s future. Her warning establishes a potential conflict with the Liu Clan.
• Liu Qing’er continues to support Jiang Chen by supplying valuable materials and equipment. Elder Luo is impressed by Jiang Chen’s rapid advancement and believes Liu Qing’er made the right choice in backing him.
• Little Black Snake is sent to scout the Xuanyu Lan River for resources; Jiang Chen hopes the new talisman will improve its search.
• The widening gap between newcomers reinforces the competitive atmosphere, as talented disciples advance while others are eliminated.

Significant themes

• Painful transformation and perseverance: Jiang Chen’s physical growth requires prolonged suffering, and his progress comes from enduring it.
• Talent versus opportunity: The sect’s reliance on Bone Aptitude overlooks Jiang Chen’s hidden potential, while individuals and clans who recognize that potential gain an advantage.
• Competition and strategic alliances: Selection is a zero-sum contest, and clans form relationships based on future benefit rather than sentiment.
• Power and caution: Jiang Chen seeks resources and strength but recognizes the dangers of acting before he is prepared—especially with the Liu Clan now a possible threat.

Chapter Summary: “Secret Pill”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Chen suspects the Liu Clan is behind two men secretly following him after he leaves the Myriad Treasure Pavilion. Before he can confront them, Elder Luo intervenes, suggesting the Pavilion was already monitoring the situation.
• Jiang Chen chooses not to kill the spies, avoiding unnecessary conflict and focusing instead on cultivating the Jade Bone Chapter.
• At the Myriad Treasure Pavilion, Liu Qing’er identifies the spies as members of the Liu Clan’s Third Elder branch. She realizes the clan likely discovered that she gave Jiang Chen the True Sun Token.
• Liu Qing’er orders Elder Luo to eliminate the spies and everyone else watching the Pavilion, intending the killings as a warning to the Liu Clan. She makes it clear that Jiang Chen’s advancement is now her priority.
• Back at the True Sun Sect, Jiang Chen uses the Myriad Dao Chart to comprehend the recipe for the Heavenly Qilin Jade Bone Pill. He rapidly advances the pill’s quality from Common to Fine, Precious, and finally Pure Grade after only a few refining attempts.
• Jiang Chen consumes the Pure Grade pill and activates the Nirvana True Intent. The medicinal power violently tempers his bones, causing extreme pain, but he endures it because he wants to overcome his Ordinary Bone Aptitude and escape the discrimination he has faced throughout his life.
• His first attempt raises the Jade Bone Chapter to 5%. A second attempt later increases it to 10%.
• Jiang Chen learns that the Heaven’s Chosen Battle will take place in seven days. The top rewards include thousands of contribution points, several treasure herbs, and a rare Pure Yang Pill capable of helping a cultivator condense a True Core.
• Because he has nearly exhausted his contribution points after cultivating on the third floor of the Cultivation Tower, Jiang Chen temporarily returns to the first floor to conserve resources.
• With the aid of Energy Swallowing Pills and precious herbs, his cultivation reaches the late stage of the Second Tier of the True Sea Realm.

Character Developments

• Jiang Chen: Becomes increasingly determined and resourceful. He demonstrates remarkable alchemy talent, producing a Pure Grade Heavenly Qilin Jade Bone Pill with minimal waste. His willingness to endure unbearable pain reflects his ambition to transform his poor aptitude and reach the pinnacle of martial arts. He also becomes more strategic with his cultivation resources, balancing progress against limited contribution points.
• Liu Qing’er: Shifts from passive tolerance to openly aggressive protection of Jiang Chen. She is willing to punish members of her own clan and issue a direct warning because she has invested her hopes in Jiang Chen’s growth.
• Elder Luo: Continues acting as Liu Qing’er’s trusted enforcer and adviser. He recognizes the political danger of attacking the Liu Clan but follows her orders.
• Zhou Yuqing: Shows concern for Jiang Chen after noticing his exhausted appearance and warns him about the dangers of body tempering. She is also preparing seriously for the upcoming Heaven’s Chosen Battle.

Significant Themes

• Ambition versus aptitude: Jiang Chen’s Ordinary Bone Aptitude has caused others to undervalue him, motivating him to forcibly transform his body and prove that talent does not determine his limits.
• The price of advancement: The Jade Bone Chapter requires extraordinary physical suffering, emphasizing that power and transformation come through endurance and sacrifice.
• Clan politics and internal conflict: The Liu Clan’s attempts to monitor Liu Qing’er and Jiang Chen reveal the danger of power struggles within aristocratic families, where loyalty and blood ties are easily overridden by ambition.
• Investment and protection: Liu Qing’er views Jiang Chen as a major investment and is prepared to eliminate anyone who threatens his development, while Jiang Chen must ultimately prove that her confidence is justified.
• Efficient use of resources: Jiang Chen carefully calculates his pills, herbs, and contribution points, showing that cultivation depends not only on strength but also on planning and resource management.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Chen indirectly clashes with the Liu Clan’s spies but avoids confrontation when Elder Luo captures them.
• Liu Qing’er and Elder Luo discuss the spies and the likely Liu Clan retaliation. Liu Qing’er orders a brutal warning while acknowledging that trouble may still arise inside the True Sun Sect.
• Jiang Chen overhears fellow disciples discussing the Heaven’s Chosen Battle and its powerful rewards, which strengthens his motivation to compete.
• Zhou Yuqing encounters Jiang Chen after his painful cultivation session, expresses concern, and advises him to be cautious.
• The chapter closes with Jiang Chen breaking through to the late stage of the Second Tier of the True Sea Realm, showing the tangible results of his relentless cultivation.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Chen advances to the late stage of the True Sea Realm’s Second Tier, reaching 70,000 jin of force. As the Heaven’s Chosen Platform Battle approaches, he continues cultivating.
• Tang Mu reveals that he has opened his fiftieth acupoint, entering the Second Turn of the True Core Realm. Though he wants to take first place, Chu Wenxuan advises him to aim only for third: rival halls may target him because his Superior Bone Aptitude makes him a threat to the Hidden Dragon Plan and the future Core Successor contest.
• Yue Qinghong and Xu Chiming’s mentors arrange to let Yue take first place this month and Xu next month. Both are instructed to injure Tang Mu if he contests the top spots. Their halls view the battle as part of a ruthless struggle over future leadership.
• Jiang Chen follows Little Black Snake to a deep-water fight and kills a True Core Realm Octopus Demon, a weaker Water Turtle Demon, and a lurking Fish Demon. He gains Origin Source and finds an Innate Frost Spirit Grass. He also discovers five Water Turtle eggs; two accept his Spirit-Taming Runes and begin developing as mystic beasts.
• Jiang Chen spends his Origin Source to strengthen his Blood Seal, raising its power to the level of the True Core Realm’s Third Revolution. Eating the Frost Spirit Grass rapidly advances his cultivation: he reaches 75% of the Second Tier’s late stage in a day.
• Testing the demons’ flesh during Jade Bone Chapter training, Jiang Chen finds that meat from demons that have eaten treasure medicines sustains his Nirvana flames better. The Fish Demon’s flesh is more nourishing than the other two, though less effective than the earlier Water Snake Demon’s meat.
• The chapter ends as the bell announces the Heaven’s Chosen Platform Battle.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen becomes stronger through cultivation, Origin Source, and the Frost Spirit Grass. He makes practical use of his bond with Little Black Snake, rewards her with demon blood, and expands his plans by raising two Water Turtles as mystic beasts. He is preparing to compete for first place, confident that victory will accelerate his cultivation.
• Tang Mu learns that ambition must be tempered by strategy. He accepts Chu Wenxuan’s advice to protect his chance at the Hidden Dragon Plan rather than risk being injured for a short-term victory.
• Yue Qinghong is drawn into the halls’ political rivalry. He is uneasy about deliberately harming Tang Mu but ultimately accepts Huo Tianlei’s warning that he cannot afford to trust outsiders.
• Xu Chiming questions the cruelty of the plan to injure Tang Mu, but Xue Shanhai persuades him that the Core Successor contest makes every potential rival a threat.
• Chu Wenxuan, Huo Tianlei, and Xue Shanhai reveal how mentorship and inter-hall alliances are shaped by competition for resources and succession.

Significant themes

• Ruthless competition: The sect’s inter-hall rivalry turns a nominal contest among newcomers into a political struggle, where injuries and betrayal are treated as acceptable tactics.
• Long-term ambition versus immediate glory: Tang Mu is urged to sacrifice the chance for a quick win to preserve his greater prospects.
• Talent, cultivation, and opportunity: Superior Bone Aptitude gives Tang Mu extraordinary potential, while Jiang Chen’s discoveries show how intelligence, resources, and persistence can also produce rapid gains.
• Preparation and adaptation: Jiang Chen experiments with demon flesh, cultivates strategically, and develops allies suited to underwater exploration.
• Escalating stakes: The Platform Battle is presented as a preview of selection for the Hidden Dragon Plan and, ultimately, the Core Successor position.

Chapter Summary: “Crushing the Competition”

Key plot points and events

• After recovering overnight, Jiang Chen eats three Water Turtle eggs he had roasted, then heads to the Heaven’s Chosen Platform Battle in Dingyan District.
• The contest offers five places, with the three leading newcomers—Tang Mu, Yue Qinghong, and Xu Chiming—expected to dominate. The remaining contestants include Jiang Chen and several second-tier talents.
• Elder Song explains that the platform uses a challenge format: anyone who claims a place must defend it against successive challengers. Tang Mu holds back after Chu Wenxuan warns him that Yue Qinghong and Xu Chiming may be cooperating.
• To everyone’s surprise, Jiang Chen claims the position of first place. Wang Xinhai, a powerful second-tier disciple, challenges him.
• Jiang Chen fights without drawing his saber. He blocks Wang’s formidable saber strike barehanded, revealing Blood Qi at the Third Revolution of the True Core Realm and mastery of both forms of the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal.
• Jiang Chen defeats Wang with a single Demon-Subduing Form strike, breaking his arms and leaving him grievously injured. The spectators recognize that Jiang Chen may be capable of winning the entire contest.
• The chapter ends as the hall stewards reassess the competition: Huo Tianlei worries Jiang Chen may disrupt Profound Dipper Hall’s plans, while Xue Shanhai sees Xu Chiming’s chances improve if rivals weaken one another.

Character developments

• Jiang Chen displays extraordinary physical strength, defensive toughness, and rapid progress in Body Tempering. His calm choice to challenge for first place reveals confidence in abilities others had underestimated.
• Tang Mu becomes more politically cautious. After Chu Wenxuan’s advice, he recognizes that the halls’ apparent camaraderie masks strategic alliances and rivalries.
• Wang Xinhai is humbled by the scale of Jiang Chen’s strength and decisively defeated.
• Duanmu Yunxi becomes more convinced that supporting Jiang Chen was a wise investment and sees the potential for him to become a major Body Tempering talent.
• Huang Qixing realizes Jiang Chen may be the breakthrough talent Vajra Hall needs, especially after seeing him master the hall’s signature technique.
• Liu Xuanyu confirms that Jiang Chen is more promising than he appears. He plans to recruit Jiang Chen if possible, but is prepared to have him eliminated if he refuses.

Character interactions

• Chu Wenxuan advises Tang Mu to avoid rushing into a contest that could leave him injured, foiling the apparent plan by Profound Dipper and Hundred Weapons Halls to exploit him.
• Jiang Chen’s barehanded block shocks Wang Xinhai and the audience, transforming a routine challenge into a demonstration of his hidden potential.
• Liu Xuanyu’s subordinate suggests killing Jiang Chen, but Liu instead orders him to approach with an offer of benefits—revealing the clan’s coercive approach to potential allies.
• The hall stewards react differently to Jiang Chen’s rise: Vajra Hall and Duanmu Yunxi welcome it, while Profound Dipper Hall sees it as a threat and Hundred Weapons Hall views the resulting disruption as an opportunity.

Significant themes

• Hidden potential and misjudgment: Jiang Chen’s apparent lack of conventional talent conceals formidable physical abilities and exceptional aptitude for Body Tempering.
• Competition and political maneuvering: The contest is shaped not only by strength but also by alliances, timing, and attempts to manipulate rivals.
• Merit versus appearances: Jiang Chen challenges assumptions about what makes a powerful cultivator, proving that physical cultivation can rival more conventional paths.
• The cost of opportunity: A place on the platform promises valuable resources, but pursuing it risks serious injury and draws the attention of powerful factions.

Chapter Summary: “Reaching the Summit”

Key plot points and events

• After Jiang Chen badly injures Wang Xinhai, Wang is taken for treatment and loses his chance to compete for a promotion spot. Other newcomers are relieved: Jiang Chen is aiming for first place, while Wang’s removal leaves the remaining rankings more accessible.
• Yue Qinghong challenges Jiang Chen. He initially dominates with superior cultivation, speed, and swordsmanship, while Jiang Chen holds a disciplined defense despite accumulating wounds.
• Jiang Chen activates his Soul Seal and uses Soul Force Perception to read Yue Qinghong’s movements and anticipate his attacks. He then turns the fight around with a burst of speed and the Demon-Subduing Seal, forcing Yue Qinghong to defend.
• Just before Jiang Chen can seriously injure him, Yue Qinghong concedes. Elder Song intercepts Jiang Chen’s final strike, demonstrating the gulf between ordinary cultivators and core elders.
• Neither Xu Chiming nor Tang Mu challenges Jiang Chen. Elder Song awards Jiang first place, then the remaining rankings are settled: Xu Chiming takes second, Tang Mu third, and Yue Qinghong fourth. After a series of matches for fifth place, Dong Ziheng narrowly wins.
• Jiang Chen receives 5,000 contribution points, ten precious medicinal herbs, and a Pure Yang Pill. He calculates that his accumulated points will let him train extensively in the higher floors of the Cultivation Tower.
• Yue Qinghong, Xu Chiming, and Tang Mu each signal their intent to contend again next month.

Character developments

• Jiang Chen proves that his strength is not limited to exceptional physical toughness: his combat instincts, perception, and tactical adaptability allow him to overcome Yue Qinghong’s cultivation advantage. His victory also renews his awareness of how far he remains below the core elders.
• Yue Qinghong accepts defeat without making excuses. He is shaken by the loss but quickly regains his composure and treats it as a setback rather than the end of his progress.
• Xu Chiming shifts from expecting to exploit an exhausting fight between Jiang Chen and Yue Qinghong to reconsidering whether Jiang Chen is too dangerous to challenge.
• Tang Mu sees an opening to rise if Yue Qinghong falls, but Jiang Chen’s victory makes him cautious. His Superior Bone Aptitude and confidence in his own potential remain strong.
• Huang Qixing becomes determined to invest more heavily in Jiang Chen and teach him Vajra Hall’s Golden Garment Art. Duanmu Yunxi likewise renews her interest in drawing Jiang Chen closer, including through a possible marriage alliance.
• Chu Wenxuan is increasingly troubled by his past decision to let Jiang Chen leave True Sun Hall. The stronger Jiang becomes, the more his judgment—and his position as steward—may be questioned.
• Zhou Yuqing congratulates Jiang Chen but recognizes that she is unlikely to reach the promotion contest after losing her own match. Dong Ziheng surprises Jiang Chen by advancing to and winning the final contest for fifth place.

Significant themes

• Adaptability and combat instinct: Jiang Chen wins not through cultivation alone but by reading his opponent and changing tactics at the right moment.
• Talent overlooked: Jiang Chen’s Inferior Spiritual Constitution caused others to underestimate him, while his Body Tempering potential and combat talent prove exceptional.
• Rivalry and ambition: The newcomers and their halls constantly weigh risk, opportunity, and status; even defeat only strengthens the leading rivals’ resolve to improve.
• Power and perspective: Jiang Chen’s victory is significant among the newcomers, yet Elder Song’s effortless intervention reminds him that he remains far from the highest levels of strength.
• Recognition and regret: Jiang Chen’s rise benefits Vajra Hall while exposing True Sun Hall’s earlier failure to recognize his potential.

Character interactions

• Jiang Chen and Yue Qinghong engage in a prolonged exchange of tactical offense and defense, ending with Yue’s concession and a respectful but firm promise to compete again.
• Elder Song oversees the fights, protects Yueqinghong from Jiang Chen’s final blow, and announces the rankings and rewards.
• Huang Qixing and Duanmu Yunxi privately consider how to secure Jiang Chen’s loyalty, while Chu Wenxuan watches his own misjudgment become public.
• Xu Chiming and Tang Mu observe Jiang Chen’s victory and reassess their prospects, while Zhou Yuqing offers him congratulations and he encourages her before her own match.

Chapter Summary: “Taking Flight”

Key plot points and events

• After Jiang Chen wins first place in Dingyan District’s Heaven’s Chosen Platform Battle, onlookers assume his lead will be short-lived: his weak bone aptitude and reliance on body tempering seem likely to leave him behind competitors such as Tang Mu, Yue Qinghong, and Xu Chiming. Tang Mu’s supporter, Chu Wenxuan, decides to invest in Tang’s training so he can win next month and protect his own standing.
• The elders’ council reviews promising newcomers from several districts. Among them are youths with innate spirit eyes, a Five-Colored Heart, a mysterious lightning talisman, and extraordinary luck that Wei Qingtian suspects may be Heavenly Fortune. Jiang Chen’s victory also draws notice: despite his poor martial-cultivation prospects, the elders recognize his exceptional body-tempering potential.
• Wei Qingtian reflects that the unusual concentration of prodigies may signal coming turmoil. He orders the halls to cultivate the newcomers and announces that the long-sealed Sect Blessed Land will be opened once the advancement list is settled.
• At Vajra Hall, Huang Qixing and Qiu Changfeng are impressed that Jiang Chen has mastered the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal in less than a month. They raise his monthly support to three thousand contribution points and five medicinal stalks, and offer him the Golden Garment Art as a foundation for the powerful Vajra Demon-Subduing Manual.
• Jiang Chen reveals that his current Divine Phoenix Nirvana Sutra is incomplete and asks to change to a suitable body-tempering art. He accepts the Golden Garment Art and secures Vajra Hall’s authorization to train on the Cultivation Tower’s sixth floor.
• Liu Xuanyu learns of Jiang Chen’s victory and tries to recruit him with medicinal gifts. He makes clear that Jiang Chen must either submit to him or be killed, unwilling to let Liu Qing’er gain such a valuable talent.
• On the sixth floor, Jiang Chen finds the spiritual aura far purer than on the third. Using pills and Frost Spirit Grass, he rapidly expands his dantian and calculates that he may reach True Sea Realm Perfection in nine days, then advance into the True Core Realm with his Pure Yang Pill.

Character developments

• Jiang Chen remains focused and ambitious despite winning the district battle. He uses his new recognition to secure resources and training access, while seeking a better body-tempering path and pushing his cultivation forward.
• Qiu Changfeng and Huang Qixing shift from cautious interest to active investment in Jiang Chen, seeing him as a possible key to Vajra Hall’s revival and the long-dormant Vajra Demon-Subduing Manual.
• Wei Qingtian becomes increasingly attentive to the year’s unusual talents and the possibility that one may inherit his master’s legacy. Jiang Chen impresses him, though his body-tempering path does not fit the legacy’s requirements.
• Liu Xuanyu reveals a ruthless, possessive side: he views Jiang Chen as an asset to control and is willing to eliminate him if he cannot recruit him.
• Chu Wenxuan responds to Jiang Chen’s threat by backing Tang Mu, hoping Tang’s success will preserve his own position.

Significant themes

• Talent takes many forms: Conventional bone aptitude and martial cultivation are not the only measures of potential; Jiang Chen’s body-tempering talent earns serious respect.
• Resources and power reinforce one another: The halls’ wealth attracts promising disciples, whose success then strengthens the halls and brings them more resources.
• Ambition amid gathering turmoil: The elders’ discussion of rising prodigies and impending chaos frames the newcomers’ competition as part of a larger, dangerous era.
• Opportunity carries danger: Jiang Chen’s growing reputation brings support and advancement, but also makes him a target for those seeking to control him.

Character interactions

• Chu Wenxuan commits to helping Tang Mu so he can challenge Jiang Chen next month.
• The elders debate whether Jiang Chen deserves the platform’s rewards, with several defending the value of his body-tempering potential; Wei Qingtian recognizes him from an earlier recommendation.
• Qiu Changfeng and Huang Qixing reward Jiang Chen, offer instruction, and help him gain access to the sixth floor. Jiang Chen responds by joining their plans and asking for further support.
• Liu Xuanyu’s order to recruit Jiang Chen turns a potential alliance into an ultimatum, setting up a likely conflict over Jiang Chen’s allegiance.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Qing’er learns that Jiang Chen has become the top newcomer in Dingyan District, strengthening her hope that he could become the True Sun Sect’s Core Successor and help her avenge her family.
• She worries that Liu Xuanyu’s branch may try to recruit—or eliminate—Jiang Chen. She warns him, while continuing to search for the location marked on her late mother’s ancient map.
• Jiang Chen’s cultivation advances in the sect’s Cultivation Tower. He refuses Liu Xuanyu’s offer, delivered by Liu Shisan, to become his follower.
• The Shadow Punishment Hall takes away a disciple amid rumors that True Sun Sect disciples have been disappearing. Jiang Chen and others suspect that the Prefecture Capital is growing increasingly dangerous.
• Jiang Chen begins training in the Jade Bone Chapter and the Golden Garment Art, making rapid progress with help from the Myriad Dao Chart. Duanmu Yunxi proposes marriage; he declines but accepts the Duanmu Clan’s offer to support him as a guest elder.
• After nine days of intense training, Jiang Chen completes the Jade Bone Chapter’s first breakthrough. His bone aptitude rises from Ordinary to Low-Tier Medium, doubling his cultivation speed and allowing him to eventually contain Earth Sha Qi.

Character development

• Jiang Chen remains loyal to Liu Qing’er and unwilling to trade allegiance for promises. His confidence grows as his training transforms his aptitude and removes what he believed was the main limit on his martial future.
• Liu Qing’er balances trust in Jiang Chen with the practical need to secure resources. Her search for her mother’s map reflects her hope of restoring her branch’s fortunes and pursuing revenge.
• Duanmu Yunxi recognizes Jiang Chen’s rising potential and makes a bold marriage proposal. When he refuses, she shifts to a practical alliance by offering resources for his service as a guest elder.
• Liu Shisan reveals the Liu first branch’s coercive approach: when recruitment fails, he contemplates arranging Jiang Chen’s death.

Significant themes

• Talent can be cultivated: Jiang Chen’s hard-won transformation challenges the sect’s assumption that his poor aptitude makes him unworthy of investment.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: Jiang Chen values the help he received from Liu Qing’er and rejects Liu Xuanyu’s offer, while others treat alliances as bargains.
• Resources and power: Cultivation depends heavily on access to pills, medicines, and training facilities; clans and sects use those resources to attract talent.
• Perseverance through suffering: Jiang Chen endures extreme physical pain, and his progress is presented as the reward for sustained discipline.
• Growing instability: Missing disciples and the Shadow Punishment Hall’s secret work suggest that wider political turmoil is reaching the sect.

Character interactions

• Liu Qing’er and Uncle Luo discuss Jiang Chen’s rise, the danger posed by the Liu clan, and the unresolved map.
• Liu Shisan tries to recruit Jiang Chen for Liu Xuanyu; Jiang Chen refuses, prompting a veiled threat.
• The newcomers greet Jiang Chen with new respect after his victory, while veteran disciples explain the Shadow Punishment Hall and the missing-disciple rumors.
• Duanmu Yunxi offers marriage, then negotiates a guest-elder arrangement when Jiang Chen declines.
• Jiang Chen receives resources from both the Vajra Hall and the Duanmu Clan, which he uses to intensify his training.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Chen perfects the first layer of the Golden Garment Art, bringing his body-tempering Blood Qi to roughly the strength of a True Sea Realm cultivator.
• At the Cultivation Tower, he reaches True Sea Realm Perfection and immediately begins forming a True Core, using sect pills and Frost Spirit Grass to sustain the process. He succeeds, entering the Early First-Turn True Core Realm.
• He learns that the sect will send newcomers to train in a relatively controlled area of the Myriad Poison Marsh. Elders will intervene only in emergencies, and individual performance may earn Innate Treasure Medicine.
• At Vajra Hall, Jiang Chen reveals both his new True Core and his perfected Golden Garment Art. A test confirms his Bone Aptitude has improved to Medium, explaining his rapid cultivation.
• To shield him from scrutiny, Qiu Changfeng advises Jiang Chen to attribute the change to a secret treasure left by Qiu’s master. Jiang Chen agrees to join their lineage and completes the discipleship rites.
• Qiu and Huang give Jiang Chen the late master’s legacy: the Vajra Demon-Subduing Battle Art, an Innate Treasure Medicine called Fire Phoenix Zhi, and the formidable Sky-Rending Halberd.

Character developments

• Jiang Chen grows substantially in both martial cultivation and body tempering, becoming far stronger and more confident. He also shows strategic caution by keeping the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Sutra’s role in his aptitude transformation secret.
• Qiu Changfeng shifts from evaluating Jiang Chen as a promising hall disciple to protecting him and claiming him as a fellow lineage member, while also hoping Jiang Chen will revive Vajra Hall.
• Huang Qixing becomes enthusiastic about Jiang Chen’s potential after personally testing his strength.
• Jiang Chen gains a new family-like position as the youngest disciple of the Vajra lineage.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through resources and perseverance: Pills, treasure medicine, and disciplined training enable Jiang Chen’s rapid breakthroughs.
• The value of a strong foundation: True Core formation requires balancing advancement with the quality and stability of one’s martial foundation.
• Talent can change—and attract danger: Jiang Chen’s unusual aptitude improvement offers enormous potential but could make him a target, so secrecy and protection matter.
• Legacy and revival: Jiang Chen’s entry into the Vajra lineage offers hope to a struggling hall whose strongest members are absent or deceased.
• Strength through combat: The upcoming expedition is intended to turn gifted but inexperienced newcomers into capable fighters.

Character interactions

• Zhou Yuqing notices Jiang Chen’s unusually cheerful mood before his breakthrough.
• Qiu Changfeng and Huang Qixing are astonished by Jiang Chen’s progress, verify his aptitude, and respond with both excitement and concern for his safety.
• Qiu offers Jiang Chen a place in his late master’s lineage; Jiang Chen accepts, and the three establish a closer bond.
• Qiu introduces Jiang Chen to the lineage’s history and entrusts him with its martial art, treasure medicine, and ancestral weapon.

Plot and events

• Qiu Changfeng formally entrusts Jiang Chen with the Sky-Rending Halberd, hoping he will restore its fame. He and Huang Qixing then arrange a celebratory feast at Vajra Hall.
• Jiang Chen reveals his skill in medicine-making and demonstrates it by preparing Golden Medicinal Paste. With a Nine Dragon Pill Furnace and the Myriad Dao Chart’s insights, he improves from fine-grade on his first batch to premium-grade on his second and pure-grade thereafter, producing paste from all one hundred ingredient sets. He gives most of it to Vajra Hall and keeps some for himself.
• Qiu Changfeng warns Jiang Chen to keep his medicine-making talent secret until he is strong enough to protect himself and negotiate with the sect.
• Jiang Chen’s cultivation is officially registered: he has reached the True Core Realm and becomes a formal disciple, qualifying for a monthly allotment. The registration sparks widespread disbelief because he had been at the True Sea Realm only days earlier.
• Several factions react to the news. Chu Wenxuan fears he misjudged Jiang Chen and decides Tang Mu must excel at the coming Newcomer Trial. Huo Tianlei worries Jiang Chen may become a threat to Yue Qinghong’s chances. Duanmu Yunxi wants to learn how he advanced, while Liu Xuanyu and Liu Shisan plot to kill him during the trial and disguise his death among other casualties.
• Over dinner, Jiang Chen’s senior brothers discuss the sect’s history and rumors that the rare Hidden Dragon Plan is preparing the sect for territorial expansion. Qiu Changfeng urges Jiang Chen to aim for a Core Successor position; Jiang Chen confidently accepts the challenge.
• After leaving Vajra Hall around midnight, Jiang Chen senses someone watching him from the shadows.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Chen proves exceptionally gifted in both martial cultivation and medicine-making, but remains discreet and composed. His confidence grows as he sets his sights on becoming a Core Successor.
• Qiu Changfeng entrusts Jiang Chen with a treasured weapon, treats him as a trusted younger brother, and becomes protective of his future. He cautions him about the dangers of revealing too much too soon.
• Huang Qixing contributes to the celebration and supports Jiang Chen’s ambitions.
• Duanmu Yunxi is surprised by Jiang Chen’s breakthrough and considers that she may need to reassess her approach to him.
• Chu Wenxuan, Huo Tianlei, and Liu Xuanyu each recognize that Jiang Chen may be far more formidable than they assumed, though their responses range from damage control to open conspiracy.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: Talent draws attention, but without strength or protection it can make someone vulnerable.
• Hidden potential and mistaken judgment: Jiang Chen’s rapid rise challenges others’ assumptions about his aptitude and limits.
• Loyalty and trust: Qiu Changfeng’s gift and warning show the supportive bonds within Vajra Hall.
• Ambition and political maneuvering: The upcoming trial and Hidden Dragon Plan are tied to competition for status and the sect’s possible expansion.