Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Interrupted”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Jingyou concedes after Chen Cheng defeats him using the Sword Pavilion’s power, causing the arena and spectators to erupt in shock and admiration.
• Qiu Tongtian initially refuses to grant Chen Cheng the final selection slot, arguing that Chen Cheng relied on the Sword Pavilion’s formation rather than his own strength.
• Chen Cheng clarifies that he merely resonated with the ancient swords through the patriarch’s thousand-year Sword Qi and offers to fight Ji Jingyou again.
• In the rematch, Ji Jingyou unleashes the powerful Sword Tide Sunders the Mountain. Chen Cheng survives the attack through his astonishing physical durability and counters with his transforming Black Sword.
• Chen Cheng wounds Ji Jingyou’s face and withstands the first eight forms of the Mysterious Heaven Nine Swords with only minor injuries.
• Before Ji Jingyou can unleash an even stronger final attack, Qiu Tongtian stops the battle and grants Chen Cheng the final spot for the Di Luo Plain selection, acknowledging his strength and wishing to prevent serious injury.
• Ji Jingyou desperately begs Chen Cheng to take the final sword, even offering pills, dried meat, and a sword-qi martial art. Chen Cheng refuses, prioritizing his safety and concealing his remaining abilities. Ji Jingyou collapses from exhaustion.
• Chen Cheng receives a black-and-gold token granting access to the future Di Luo Plain selection.
• The final championship match is announced against Jiang Shuqin, but she immediately concedes because Chen Cheng’s Thunder Illusion Step counters her Spirit Sound techniques and he remains far less exhausted than she does.
• Chen Cheng is formally declared champion of the youth division at the Yunlei Prefecture Seven Sects Grand Competition.
• Afterward, several powerful figures congratulate or approach him:
  • Song Linwei gives him three Fourth-Order Qi-Deriving Pills.
  • Baili Hong offers the same and attempts to recruit Chen Cheng under his banner, but Chen Cheng politely declines while accepting the gift.
  • Shen Wanqing quietly abandons his attempt to recruit Chen Cheng after realizing Chen Cheng may have personal ties to the Li family, instead beginning to view him as a potential threat.
• Li Li notices Shen Wanqing’s suspicious behavior and warns Chen Cheng to be cautious.
• Chen Cheng is summoned to Zhenwu Hall, setting up the next stage of events.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Establishes himself as a supreme young genius. His physical body proves far stronger than expected, able to withstand sword qi capable of cutting black iron. He remains calm, practical, and unwilling to risk his life for pride or another person’s martial breakthrough. He also demonstrates political caution by rejecting Baili Hong’s recruitment while preserving a potential friendship.
• Ji Jingyou: Suffers a major psychological and martial setback. Although he regains his former peak combat state, Chen Cheng’s endurance and physique overwhelm him. His desperation to land the final blow reveals how deeply his sword path and “Sword Heart” depend on defeating Chen Cheng.
• Qiu Tongtian: Initially skeptical of Chen Cheng but gradually comes to recognize and appreciate his genuine strength. His intervention shows both fairness and concern for Chen Cheng’s survival.
• Jiang Shuqin: Acknowledges the overwhelming disadvantage she faces and concedes without engaging in a pointless battle, showing practicality and good judgment.
• Song Linwei: Displays strong interest and admiration toward Chen Cheng, offering support without demanding loyalty.
• Baili Hong: Attempts to form a relationship with Chen Cheng through generous gifts and recruitment, but remains composed and friendly after being refused.
• Shen Wanqing: Shifts from wanting to recruit Chen Cheng to potentially wanting to eliminate him after judging him difficult to poach.
• Li Li: Demonstrates loyalty and perceptiveness by recognizing Shen Wanqing’s hostility and warning Chen Cheng.

Significant Themes

• Strength beyond appearances: Chen Cheng’s delicate-looking body conceals an extraordinary physique capable of resisting devastating sword qi.
• Pride versus practicality: Ji Jingyou is driven by pride and the need to overcome Chen Cheng, while Chen Cheng refuses unnecessary risks and values survival, future opportunities, and hidden strength.
• Recognition and legitimacy: Chen Cheng must prove that his victory came from his own abilities rather than borrowed formation power before receiving the selection slot.
• Martial obsession: Ji Jingyou’s sword heart is tied to victory, showing how martial ambition can become psychological dependence and even threaten to form a heart demon.
• Political alliances and hidden dangers: Chen Cheng’s growing reputation attracts gifts, recruitment attempts, admiration, and enemies. Relationships with powerful factions become increasingly important.
• Reputation and influence: Chen Cheng’s championship transforms him from a promising disciple into a figure admired by multiple sects and coveted by major powers.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Ji Jingyou move from formal opponents to deeply personal rivals, with Ji Jingyou recognizing Chen Cheng’s strength while becoming increasingly desperate to defeat him.
• Qiu Tongtian acts as judge and protector, first challenging Chen Cheng’s claim and later validating him by ending the dangerous rematch.
• Jiang Shuqin’s concession reflects her clear assessment of Chen Cheng’s superiority and avoids a battle she is unlikely to win.
• Song Linwei offers Chen Cheng sincere support, while Baili Hong seeks to recruit him into a political alliance; Chen Cheng accepts their goodwill but preserves his independence.
• Li Li functions as Chen Cheng’s protector and warns him about Shen Wanqing’s likely hostility.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng’s victory bringing both honor and new political complications as he is called to Zhenwu Hall.

Chapter Summary: “Harvest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng is summoned to Zhenwu Hall after winning the tournament. Yuan Feiche rewards him with seven Fourth-Order Qi-Deriving Pills and confirms that he has earned the right to ascend Di Luo Plain and compete in the Northern Emperor Sect’s entrance selection.
• The selection date is uncertain, possibly at the end of the year or early next spring. Yuan Feiche warns Chen Cheng that the competition will include geniuses from across Great Shang, Northern Yin, overseas Great Jing, and the Northern Border tribes. His current strength, while exceptional in Yunlei Prefecture, will not be enough.
• Chen Cheng requests cultivation resources and a complete piece of fifth-order exotic-beast bone. The pavilion masters promise to provide third-order resources, seek fourth-order resources, and help him obtain the bone.
• Cheng Yuan is astonished to learn that Chen Cheng has already mastered the entry level of the difficult Heart-Chain Spirit-Control Art. Yuan Feiche further reveals that Chen Cheng taught himself the Six-Harmony Return to Simplicity Art and improved the core Thunder Illusion Step of the Ten Directions Thunder Movement.
• Impressed by his extraordinary comprehension, all four pavilion masters now fully accept Chen Cheng as the Shanhai Sect’s future hope. They each offer him valuable gifts, inheritances, or supreme arts.
• Yuan Feiche privately gives Chen Cheng a second opportunity: a token allowing him to participate in the Divine Physiognomy Sect’s entrance selection. However, Chen Cheng must reach the Seven-Qi Divine Treasury realm before early next spring, making the requirement extremely difficult.
• Yuan Feiche also informs him that the Shanhai Sect remains in grave danger. The Immortal Bone Divine Ship has reportedly appeared in Sea Marsh, suggesting that the Immortal Bone Sect Master may soon launch a full assault.
• At Jade Dragon Dock, Jiang Yujiao gives Chen Cheng the Eight Extremes Dragon Transformation Sutra and a Dragon Marrow Pill. Chen Cheng realizes that the pill contains a sedative and suspects it was designed to conceal the pain of a hidden Gu Insect entering the body.
• By examining the pill, Chen Cheng discovers a dormant Gu Insect egg. He concludes that Jiang Yujiao’s “supreme treasure” and her abnormal condition are actually caused by a Gu Insect that steals the Primordial Yang Li Fire Qi generated by her constitution.
• Chen Cheng tells Jiang Yujiao the truth. Her memories confirm that her symptoms began after taking the Dragon Marrow Pill and worsened as her cultivation increased. She agrees that they should investigate cautiously rather than alert the unknown Gu Insect’s master.
• Chen Cheng and Jiang Yujiao test whether his Qi-Devouring Art can draw out the stolen Primordial Qi. It works, leaving Jiang Yujiao feeling healthier and mentally clearer. Their experiment also becomes an intimate romantic interaction, deepening their relationship.
• The next day, Chen Cheng masters the Water Control Chapter of the Eight Extremes Dragon Transformation Sutra and receives the Sea-Suppressing Black Dragon Armor, the Python Pavilion’s inherited treasure. The armor provides powerful defense, disperses thirty percent of enemy qi force, resists water and fire, and contains ancient dragon qi.
• While traveling through Sea Marsh toward the Fist Pavilion, Chen Cheng’s Howling Sky Eagle detects a ship belonging to the Giant Whale Water Stronghold carrying an Immortal Bone Sect elder.
• Chen Cheng stealthily approaches underwater, activates the Heart-Devouring Gu to sow chaos among the enemies, and uses his newly mastered Water Control technique to condense a massive water sphere. The attack smashes the ship in half.
• As the survivors flee, Chen Cheng forms Water Swords and begins killing the escaping water bandits and Immortal Bone Sect disciples.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng gains recognition as the Shanhai Sect’s greatest future hope. His exceptional comprehension, rapid cultivation, growing collection of techniques, and ability to adapt in battle greatly increase his status among the sect’s leaders.
• He becomes more strategically cautious, weighing the risks of pursuing fortuitous opportunities against the safety of secluded cultivation. Although he wants to reach the Seven-Qi realm in time for the Divine Physiognomy Sect selection, he refuses to endanger himself recklessly.
• Chen Cheng also develops a stronger investigative and protective role toward Jiang Yujiao, using his abilities to uncover the source of her illness.
• Yuan Feiche shifts from merely supporting Chen Cheng to openly positioning him as the sect’s central hope for revival.
• The four pavilion masters move from mixed opinions about Chen Cheng to unanimous admiration and support, offering him inheritances and elite resources.
• Jiang Yujiao learns that her condition is not a natural illness but the result of a parasitic Gu Insect. She becomes more trusting of Chen Cheng and openly seeks his continued help, while their relationship becomes increasingly intimate.
• Xu Hanhai demonstrates strong confidence in Chen Cheng by giving him the priceless Sea-Suppressing Black Dragon Armor.
• Chen Cheng’s relationship with the Howling Sky Eagle continues to prove valuable, as their shared vision enables him to scout enemies and launch a carefully planned ambush.

Significant Themes

• The burden of expectation: Chen Cheng is now viewed as the Shanhai Sect’s hope for survival and revival, placing enormous pressure on his future growth.
• Strength versus opportunity: Qualification for elite sects is only the beginning; Chen Cheng must become powerful enough to survive competition from geniuses across the wider world.
• Caution and preparation: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes gathering resources, maintaining backup plans, scouting carefully, and avoiding reckless pursuit of dangerous opportunities.
• Hidden manipulation: Jiang Yujiao’s illness reveals how easily unseen forces can control or exploit individuals. The unknown master behind the Gu Insect remains a major threat.
• Inheritance and trust: The pavilion masters pass on powerful treasures and arts to Chen Cheng, demonstrating their faith in him and reinforcing his connection to the Shanhai Sect.
• Evolution and transformation: The Dragon Transformation Sutra introduces the idea of human martial artists evolving through methods modeled on demonic beasts, expanding Chen Cheng’s potential beyond conventional cultivation.
• Growing intimacy: Chen Cheng and Jiang Yujiao’s cooperation in treating her condition develops into mutual trust and romantic tension.

Character Interactions

• Yuan Feiche mentors Chen Cheng, warns him about the dangers of Di Luo Plain, provides resources, and gives him the Divine Physiognomy Sect token.
• The four pavilion masters enthusiastically offer Chen Cheng their support, inheritances, and treasures after learning the full extent of his talent.
• Chen Cheng and Jiang Yujiao cooperate to investigate her Gu-related condition, with their medical experiment also bringing them closer emotionally.
• Xu Hanhai personally welcomes Chen Cheng and gifts him the Sea-Suppressing Black Dragon Armor.
• Chen Cheng and his Howling Sky Eagle work together through their spirit-control bond to locate and ambush the enemy ship.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng demonstrating his rapidly expanding combat abilities by destroying the ship and hunting its fleeing survivors.

Chapter Summary: “Great Tomb”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng destroys an Immortal Bone Sect ship in Sea Marsh using the Water Control Technique, killing the Immortal Bone Sect elder, the ship’s helmsmen, and the giant-whale water bandits aboard it.
• He senses and defeats a Corpse-Puppet Giant Shark hidden within the wreck. Recognizing its Blood Eyes as belonging to the Red Moon Cult’s Cloth-Wrapping Demon lineage, Chen Cheng realizes that the Immortal Bone Sect has likely planted numerous aquatic Corpse Puppets throughout Sea Marsh as hidden weapons for an approaching war.
• The battle reveals that Water Control consumes about half of Chen Cheng’s Qi force and stamina. He concludes that he is difficult to stop in water if retreating, but could be exhausted in a prolonged battle against several enemies of comparable strength.
• Chen Cheng cautiously loots only the most important corpses and leaves before reinforcements arrive. Through the Howling Sky Eagle, he sees three more enemy ships approaching, confirming that Sea Marsh is heavily occupied and that a major conflict is imminent.
• Back in Abyss Grotto-Heaven, he consumes an Immortal Gu Pill, successfully tames another Heart-Devouring Gu, and considers eventually raising a Gu King by gathering ten Gu Insects and forcing them to devour one another.
• The Immortal Gu Pill increases his cultivation by roughly the equivalent of a month’s hard work, though it is less effective at his higher realm.
• Pavilion Master Chang Songbai rewards Chen Cheng with the Dragon-Elephant Tyrant Body Art, offers him personal instruction, and grants him unlimited access to the Fist Pavilion’s medicinal hot springs.
• At Geothermal Valley, Chen Cheng meets Li Wenrou, who has been promoted to a deacon disciple because of his success in the Seven Sects Grand Competition. He also receives thirty medicinal packets.
• At the Medicine Pavilion, Chen Cheng reunites with Qiao Qiao, who has become Pavilion Master Tang Xian’en’s personal disciple, partly because of Chen Cheng’s influence.
• He watches Gu Qianqian fight Meng Xiaoman after taking the unstable Blood-Boiling Pill. The pill greatly enhances Gu Qianqian’s combat power but causes severe bodily damage and leaves her mentally unstable.
• Gu Qianqian recognizes Chen Cheng and launches a sudden assassination attempt, blaming him for Gu Sheng’s death and all her subsequent suffering. Chen Cheng kills her instantly with the newly learned Ancestral Dragon Sacred Elephant Fist.
• Tang Xian’en reveals a thousand-year accumulation of pill-qi essence hidden in an ancient pill furnace. Chen Cheng absorbs it and advances to the middle stage of the Five-Qi Divine Treasury realm, with the Immortal Gu Pill also contributing to the breakthrough.
• Chen Cheng warns Yuan Feiche about the Corpse-Puppet Giant Shark. Yuan Feiche prepares to inform the other sect leaders while helping conceal Chen Cheng’s involvement because enemy spies may exist within the Shanhai Sect.
• The chapter ends at the Sage Tomb, where Zhuang Xiaozhong of the Red Moon Cult, accompanied by the badly injured but rapidly recovering Wu Zhuoyi, leads cult members in robbing the graves of the Shanhai Sect’s founding patriarchs. Their goal appears to be retrieving the corpses without damaging them.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, exceptional caution, and strategic awareness. He recognizes the larger military threat behind the Corpse Puppets, evaluates the limits of his Water Control Technique, and continues pursuing efficient cultivation through rare resources. His mastery of the Dragon-Elephant Tyrant Body Art further establishes him as a prodigy.
• Li Wenrou: Advances from a lower-status position to a deacon disciple at Geothermal Valley. She remains grateful to Chen Cheng and increasingly reveres him for remembering past favors and refusing to claim excessive credit.
• Qiao Qiao: Becomes Tang Xian’en’s personal disciple, confirming her unusual talent and strengthening her connection to Chen Cheng.
• Gu Qianqian: Has been physically and psychologically broken by imprisonment and drug experimentation. Her hatred of Chen Cheng has become a deep-rooted obsession, ultimately driving her to ignore Tang Xian’en’s commands and attack him.
• Tang Xian’en: Shows strong favoritism and confidence in Chen Cheng, treating him as a crucial future hope of the Shanhai Sect and providing him with powerful resources.
• Wu Zhuoyi: Despite suffering devastating injuries in the previous competition, he recovers abnormally quickly and now serves Zhuang Xiaozhong, suggesting the Red Moon Cult or its methods have greatly strengthened or sustained him.
• Zhuang Xiaozhong: Appears calm, refined, and courteous, but commands the grave robbery with ruthless authority, revealing her dangerous and disciplined nature.

3. Significant Themes

• The approach of war: The hidden Corpse Puppets, multiple enemy ships, and enemy infiltration indicate that Sea Marsh and the wider Shanhai region are on the brink of a major conflict.
• Power and cultivation efficiency: Chen Cheng increasingly relies on rare pills, pill-qi essence, and specialized techniques to accelerate his progress while carefully weighing their risks and limitations.
• Caution and preparation: Chen Cheng’s survival depends not only on strength but also on reconnaissance, controlled looting, concealment, and awareness of enemy movements.
• Debts, loyalty, and influence: Chen Cheng’s earlier kindnesses to Li Wenrou and Deacon Sun return as loyalty and advancement. His victories also cause influential figures to invest heavily in him.
• The cost of experimentation: The Blood-Boiling Pill grants dramatic strength but inflicts serious bodily harm, while Gu Qianqian’s treatment shows the cruelty of using prisoners as experimental subjects.
• Hatred and psychological destruction: Gu Qianqian’s suffering transforms her resentment into a heart demon, demonstrating how oppression and vengeance can consume a person.
• Desecration and the power of the dead: The grave robbery suggests that the corpses of past patriarchs possess strategic or supernatural value, making the Sage Tomb a crucial target.

4. Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Chang Songbai establish a stronger mentor relationship, with Chang offering martial guidance and unrestricted access to Fist Pavilion resources.
• Chen Cheng and Li Wenrou exchange mutual gratitude, emphasizing their long-standing bond and Chen Cheng’s loyalty to former allies.
• Chen Cheng and Qiao Qiao share a warm senior-junior relationship, with Chen encouraging her to recognize her own talent rather than attributing her success solely to him.
• Chen Cheng’s encounter with Gu Qianqian turns from observation to sudden violence when her hatred triggers an assassination attempt. His swift counterattack ends her life and displays his mastery of the Dragon-Elephant Tyrant Body Art.
• Tang Xian’en protects Chen Cheng’s reputation after Gu Qianqian’s attack and openly declares the sect’s intention to nurture him as its future hope.
• Chen Cheng and Yuan Feiche cooperate discreetly: Chen provides intelligence about the Corpse Puppets, while Yuan agrees to suppress Chen’s involvement to protect him from enemy spies.
• Zhuang Xiaozhong and Wu Zhuoyi interact as superior and subordinate. Wu acts with extreme deference, while Zhuang maintains a polite exterior despite directing the violent desecration of the patriarchs’ graves.

Chapter Summary: “Battle Once More”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng returns to the Abyss Grotto-Heaven with medicinal herbs and uses them in an intensely concentrated body-tempering bath. He withstands the powerful medicinal effects thanks to the extraordinary physique granted by the Immortal Bone Golden Body Art.
• While bathing, he circulates the Five Workshops Gu Control Technique and feeds his Innate Essence into the Blood Cocoon, nurturing the Gu insect inside. He estimates that he can reach the Six-Qi Divine Treasury within sixty-five days and hopes to attempt the Seven-Qi realm before the following spring.
• The next morning, Chen Cheng practices Marrow-Washing Taiji, tempering his marrow toward the Jade Marrow state. This strengthens his Golden Blood, mental defenses, resistance to illusions and external demons, thought speed, and battle instincts.
• A hunting falcon delivers gifts from Hunting Pavilion Master Cheng Yuan: the Ten Thousand Beasts Mortal-Shedding Scripture and a fifth-order beast horn from an Azure Horn Dragon Rhinoceros.
• Chen Cheng sacrifices the horn through his Vertical Eye Mark, successfully breaking through the Immortal Bone Golden Body Art and transforming it into the Azure Horn Golden Body Art. The new art will eventually grant him defense comparable to sixth-order treasure armor, immense brute strength, and the ability to pierce sixth-order armor.
• At Cloud Sea Cliff, Chen Cheng reunites with Shi Kaishan, Meng Xiaoman, Jiang Shuqin, Liu Ruyuan, Su Jinyi, and Ji Jingyou. They discuss the worsening conflict with the Immortal Gu Cult and Red Moon Cult, including the theft of powerful Shanhai Sect corpses that may be turned into terrifying Corpse Puppets.
• Song Linwei announces that she plans to lead the young geniuses north to Emperorfall City, a supposedly safe location under the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect. Everyone agrees to go except Chen Cheng, who postpones the decision because he does not want to risk losing access to the Immortal Bone Pills essential to his cultivation.
• At the group’s urging, Jiang Shuqin challenges Chen Cheng to make up for their unfinished battle from the Seven Sects Grand Competition. Song Linwei offers thirty pieces of fourth-rank Strange Tiger Jerky as a prize.
• Jiang Shuqin uses Song Linwei’s superior zither, increasing the power of her Spirit Sound techniques by more than thirty percent. Chen Cheng nevertheless defeats her overwhelming attacks without moving:
  • He deflects her Spirit Sound Flying Blades with his bare hands.
  • He allows her thunderous sound attacks to strike his body directly for dozens of breaths without suffering any injury.
  • He remains completely unaffected by her Soul-Bewitching Spirit Sound, thanks to his powerful mind, pure-yang Golden Blood, and Jade Marrow.
• Jiang Shuqin admits defeat and becomes fully convinced of Chen Cheng’s overwhelming strength.
• Song Linwei rewards Chen Cheng with sixty pieces of fourth-rank Strange Tiger Jerky—thirty as the match prize and thirty as a parting gift. Her open support makes Liu Ruyuan intensely jealous.
• The chapter ends when a mysterious heterochromatic white cat approaches Chen Cheng with something held in its mouth. Chen Cheng reaches toward it to retrieve the object.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates enormous growth in physical defense, mental strength, and confidence. He is now strong enough to ignore attacks that could seriously injure other elite young Martial Artists. He also shows strategic maturity by refusing to rush to Emperorfall City before securing his cultivation resources. His decision to accept Jiang Shuqin’s challenge is motivated not by pride but by resources and his desire to justify Song Linwei’s support.
• Jiang Shuqin: Moves from regret over her defeat in the Seven Sects Grand Competition to seeking a rematch. Although she gains a powerful advantage from Song Linwei’s zither, Chen Cheng’s overwhelming defense leaves her sincerely impressed and removes her doubts about his strength.
• Song Linwei: Shows increasing favor and investment in Chen Cheng. She protects him from mockery, arranges valuable resources, offers him passage to Emperorfall City, and doubles his reward after witnessing his performance.
• Ji Jingyou: Remains outwardly polite but is visibly gloomy and disappointed after his earlier defeat. His complicated reaction to Chen Cheng’s refusal to fight and subsequent dominance suggests wounded pride and a growing rivalry.
• Liu Ruyuan: Becomes increasingly hostile toward Chen Cheng. Her attempt to provoke him fails, and she is humiliated when he proves vastly stronger than expected. Her jealousy toward Song Linwei’s special treatment of him intensifies.
• Shi Kaishan and Meng Xiaoman: Their admiration for Chen Cheng deepens, though they initially misunderstand his reluctance to fight as fear. They quickly realize he simply considers the challenge insignificant.
• Su Jinyi: Continues to openly admire Chen Cheng and tries to defend him from Liu Ruyuan’s insults.

Significant Themes

• Strength beyond conventional cultivation: Chen Cheng’s physical body and mental defenses allow him to overcome techniques that should be dangerous even to higher-realm experts.
• Calculated growth and resource management: Rather than pursue safety or prestige blindly, Chen Cheng prioritizes the resources necessary for his planned breakthroughs.
• Reputation and demonstrated value: The rematch allows Chen Cheng to display his true potential before Song Linwei, strengthening their future relationship.
• Political and military upheaval: The corpse theft signals a major escalation in the war against the Red Moon Cult and may drastically alter the balance of power.
• Pride, envy, and humiliation: The rematch exposes the emotional consequences of Chen Cheng’s rise, particularly Ji Jingyou’s frustration and Liu Ruyuan’s resentment.
• Investment and reciprocity: Song Linwei’s support of Chen Cheng is both personal and strategic, while Chen Cheng deliberately repays her confidence by accepting the battle and showcasing his strength.

Important Character Interactions

• Song Linwei offers the group protection and entry into Emperorfall City, while Chen Cheng respectfully declines to go immediately.
• Liu Ruyuan mocks Chen Cheng for refusing Jiang Shuqin’s challenge, but Chen Cheng ignores her until Song Linwei provides a substantial prize.
• Jiang Shuqin uses Song Linwei’s zither in the rematch, yet Chen Cheng effortlessly withstands every stage of her attack.
• Song Linwei openly praises Chen Cheng and gives him twice the promised reward, reinforcing the special rapport between them.
• The chapter closes with Chen Cheng interacting with the enigmatic white cat, setting up a likely new development.

Chapter Summary: Tragic

Key Plot Points and Events

• Night-Illuminator gives Chen Cheng a warm amber crystal, apparently as a parting gift and token of friendship.
• Sea Academy decides to abandon its scattered island territories and retreat to the more defensible Mountain Academy after suffering heavy losses.
• Jiang Yujiao and Chen Cheng discuss the unresolved conspiracy surrounding the Dragon Marrow Pill. Jiang refuses to believe her deceased master was responsible, though the Gu Insect’s ability to steal Primordial Qi provides a possible motive. The stolen remains of her master by the Red Moon Cult further complicate the mystery.
• Several factions react to Chen Cheng’s extraordinary recent performance:
  • Spirit Sound Valley is astonished by his physical and mental strength.
  • Shanhai Sect elders praise him as a rare genius and promise to help him obtain high-level cultivation resources.
  • The Mysterious Sword Sect views him as a serious future threat and begins planning his assassination.
  • Wu Zhuoyi secretly sends a message while continuing to pretend that his injuries are severe.
• Chen Cheng returns to the Abyss Grotto-Heaven and spends over sixty days cultivating. He masters the Ten Thousand Beasts Mortal-Shedding Scripture, an art capable of raising and evolving Spirit Beasts, but postpones using it on the Howling Sky Eagle and mutated Gu Insect.
• He breaks through from the Five-Qi to the Six-Qi Divine Treasury Realm, advancing Marrow-Washing Taiji from “Jade Marrow” to “True Fire.” His marrow, spiritual strength, and mental defenses improve substantially.
• His other cultivation gains include:
  • The “Rhinoceros Armor” trait from the Azure Horn Golden Body Art, greatly strengthening his physical defense.
  • The “Skill Bestowal” trait from the Heart-Chain Spirit-Control Art, allowing him to permanently grant a skill to a Spirit Beast.
  • He gives the Howling Sky Eagle the Qingming Qi-Seizing Array technique; the eagle steadily carves the array’s thousands of inscriptions.
• Letters reveal that seven days earlier, the Shanhai Sect suffered a devastating siege by the Immortal Bone Sect, Red Moon Cult, water bandits, and Rebel Army forces.
  • Chang Songbai was severely injured and left unconscious.
  • Hunting Pavilion Master Cheng Yuan died.
  • Yuan Feiche lost an eye, and Geng Yuliang lost an arm.
  • The enemy initially held the advantage, but Northern Emperor Sect venerable Qiu Tongtian secretly ambushed and severely wounded the Immortal Bone Sect Master, forcing the attackers to retreat.
• Though the immediate crisis has eased, Shanhai Sect’s long-term decline appears likely because of its massive casualties, loss of loyal disciples, and dwindling prospects for attracting new talent.
• Chen Cheng decides to travel to Emperorfall City as soon as possible to seek stronger resources, especially Immortal Gu Pills. He also worries about the growing Rebel Army conflict and resolves to return to Zhao City if war threatens his family and friends.
• At Mountain Academy, Chen Cheng visits wounded Sword Pavilion Master Yuan Feiche, who supports his journey to Emperorfall City and promises that the sect will welcome him back if he fails the selection.
• Chen Cheng then visits the severely injured Jiang Yujiao. He uses his Innate Essence and a special massage technique to remove the yin-baleful Killing Intent lodged near her heart and lungs, significantly improving her condition.
• Before Chen Cheng leaves, Jiang asks him to suppress the Gu Insect again. Trusting him completely, she initiates a prolonged kiss, allowing Chen Cheng to extract a large amount of Primordial Yang fire qi from the Gu Insect. They part with mutual wishes to stay safe until they meet again.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes more powerful, reaching the Six-Qi Divine Treasury Realm and gaining major defensive, spiritual, and marrow-related improvements. His confidence is balanced by a sharper awareness of his own limitations and the dangers facing the sect.
• He also demonstrates increasing loyalty and responsibility: he intends to repay Shanhai Sect, aid the Zhang Family Trading Firm, protect Jiang Yujiao, and eventually safeguard his family in Zhao City.
• Jiang Yujiao is shown to be badly wounded but mentally resolute. Her trust in Chen Cheng deepens, and she is willing to overcome personal embarrassment to accept his help. Her emotional attachment to him becomes more apparent.
• Yuan Feiche remains devoted to Shanhai Sect despite serious injury, encouraging Chen Cheng to pursue greater strength while offering him a secure place to return.
• Chang Songbai and Geng Yuliang shift toward actively nurturing Chen Cheng as the sect’s most promising hope.
• Huo Tailai and Luo Tianfeng reveal growing fear and hostility toward Chen Cheng, deciding that he must be eliminated before he matures.
• The Howling Sky Eagle develops into a highly useful companion and obedient “tool eagle,” steadily constructing Chen Cheng’s formation.

Significant Themes

• The fragility of power and security: Even Chen Cheng’s rapid progress is insignificant compared with the forces threatening the Shanhai Sect.
• The cost of war: The battle leaves leaders maimed or dead, disciples scattered, and the sect’s future uncertain.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Chen Cheng’s motivation shifts beyond personal advancement toward repaying the sect and protecting those connected to him.
• Growth through crisis: The catastrophe forces Chen Cheng to recognize that he must continue becoming stronger if he wants to survive and fulfill his promises.
• Trust and intimacy: Jiang Yujiao’s reliance on Chen Cheng reflects their increasingly close bond, combining practical cooperation with restrained romantic tension.
• Hope amid decline: Although Shanhai Sect is weakened and may be headed toward ruin, Chen Cheng’s potential offers a possible path toward its revival.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Night-Illuminator: Their exchange establishes genuine friendship, with the cat offering him a mysterious crystal.
• Chen Cheng and Jiang Yujiao: They discuss the Dragon Marrow Pill conspiracy, later cooperate to heal her injuries, and share an intimate farewell before Chen Cheng leaves.
• Chen Cheng and Yuan Feiche: Yuan expresses concern for Chen Cheng and gives him emotional support before his journey to Emperorfall City.
• Chen Cheng and Shanhai Sect elders: Their admiration reinforces Chen Cheng’s status as the sect’s foremost rising talent.
• Huo Tailai and Luo Tianfeng: They conspire to arrange Chen Cheng’s death without exposing the Mysterious Sword Sect.
• Chen Cheng and the Howling Sky Eagle: Through the Heart-Chain Spirit-Control Art, Chen Cheng grants the eagle a formation skill, turning it into an increasingly valuable assistant.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng visits injured members of the Fist Pavilion—Xu Hanhai, Geng Yuliang, and the unconscious Chang Songbai—and burns incense for Cheng Yuan at the Hunting Pavilion.
• The Zhang Family Trading Firm falls into a financial trap set by Shen Wanqing. After encouraging them to open a medicinal-pill shop, Shen’s Alchemy Hall withholds supplies and refuses to return their advance payment, leaving the Zhangs facing ruin.
• Zhang Wenhui and Zhang Yu wait outside the Shen estate with gifts, hoping to plead for help. A servant humiliates and drives them away, demonstrating the vast social gap between the Zhang and Shen families.
• Shen Wanqing is revealed to be brutally sadistic, having tortured and killed three women. He learns that Chen Cheng is traveling to Yunlei City and admits that his earlier “friendship” with the Zhang Family was intended to lure Chen Cheng into a vulnerable position.
• Shen orders his men to inform Bai Xiyan and prepare a backup force. He also plans to seek assistance from Grand Consecrator Cao, fearing possible intervention by Jiang Yujiao.
• Chen Cheng detours to Horse-Facing Mountain to investigate strange remains left by mutated Heart-Devouring Gu. He discovers and subdues the surviving insect, which bears markings resembling the Cloth-Wrapping Demon’s blood-red eye.
• Chen names the new Spirit Gu the Corpse Demon Gu. Its abilities include an enormous barbed mouth and highly destructive crimson threads; its blood-eye ability remains to be tested.
• In the Shanhai Sect, Huo Tailai discusses the assassination plan with the gravely injured Luo Tianfeng. Huo has hired five powerful bounty hunters to kill Chen Cheng, while Luo assures him that Jiang Yujiao is too badly wounded to interfere.
• Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan organize another ambush outside Yunlei City. Lu seeks revenge for Yan Benchu, who died during the Seven Sects Grand Competition.
• Chen Cheng detects the ambush in advance through the Howling Sky Eagle’s enhanced spiritual link. Rather than walking blindly into danger, he allows the assassins to prepare while secretly turning the situation against them.
• The five bounty hunters suddenly suffer attacks from Chen Cheng’s mutated Gu. Li Gan, Li Kun, and the tall, skinny assassin are gruesomely killed or incapacitated by crimson blood threads. The remaining ambushers are thrown into panic.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly confident and strategically formidable. His control over the Howling Sky Eagle now lets him share both its sight and hearing over a distance of roughly five hundred meters, greatly improving his ability to detect threats.
• He gains his second Spirit Gu, the Corpse Demon Gu, and confirms that mutated Gu can inherit traits from what they consume—this one apparently absorbed characteristics from Hong Xuanji’s corpse and the Cloth-Wrapping Demon.
• Shen Wanqing is exposed as cruel, calculating, and politically ruthless. His apparent generosity toward the Zhang Family was merely bait in a larger assassination scheme.
• Zhang Wenhui and Zhang Yu shift from confidence and ambition to helpless regret. Their greed and dependence on Shen Wanqing leave them financially trapped, while their humiliation emphasizes their lack of power.
• Huo Tailai reveals himself as one of the main forces plotting Chen Cheng’s death. He is cautious about Jiang Yujiao but confident in his hired killers.
• Luo Tianfeng remains severely injured but continues to advise Huo. He appears willing to support the assassination while stressing the need to conceal their involvement.
• Bai Xiyan grows more aggressive and determined to eliminate Chen Cheng, using secret information about Jiang Yujiao’s injuries to justify the ambush.
• Lu Shaoan joins Bai Xiyan out of loyalty and a desire for revenge over Yan Benchu’s death.
• Jiang Yujiao, though absent, becomes a crucial factor in everyone’s calculations because her potentially fatal injuries may prevent her from protecting Chen Cheng.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and manipulation: Shen Wanqing’s supposed alliance with the Zhang Family is revealed as a calculated trap, while multiple factions secretly conspire against Chen Cheng.
• Power and social hierarchy: The Zhangs’ humiliation shows how wealth and temporary success cannot overcome entrenched family status and influence.
• Predation and cruelty: Shen’s sadism and the Gu’s horrific feeding behavior reflect the chapter’s portrayal of power as exploitative and merciless.
• Transformation through consumption: The Corpse Demon Gu’s mutation demonstrates how Gu inherit traits from what they devour, linking physical evolution with violence and death.
• Preparation versus concealment: Chen Cheng’s enemies rely on hidden schemes, but his superior perception allows him to uncover their plans before they can act.
• Reputation and moral hypocrisy: Huo and Luo worry about the reputations of their “righteous” sects while arranging the secret murder of a fellow cultivator.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Yu restrains her enraged father when Shen’s servant insults them, emphasizing both their humiliation and their awareness of the Shen Family’s power.
• Shen Wanqing commands his guard to manipulate Bai Xiyan and use her as the visible culprit, while he prepares a secondary force to finish Chen Cheng if necessary.
• Huo Tailai and Luo Tianfeng coordinate the assassination while discussing Jiang Yujiao’s condition and the danger of public exposure.
• Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan cooperate because their motives—eliminating Chen Cheng and avenging Yan Benchu—overlap.
• Chen Cheng communicates mentally with his Gu, naming and commanding the Corpse Demon Gu, while also sharing food between it and the Blood Immortal Gu.
• Chen Cheng uses the Howling Sky Eagle to eavesdrop on and expose the five assassins, reversing their intended ambush and beginning a one-sided slaughter.

Chapter Summary: “Eerie Claw (Please Vote)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Kun, apparently dead after suffering a catastrophic wound to his carotid artery, suddenly revives under the control of the Corpse Demon Gu. His corpse becomes monstrous, with red eyes, vertical pupils, black veins, and an unnaturally powerful body.
• Li Kun’s corpse kills the woman beside him by tearing her throat out. The remaining scarred man flees but encounters Chen Cheng, who has been targeted by the group.
• The scarred man attacks Chen Cheng with mid-stage Six-Qi cultivation, believing Chen Cheng to be only an early Five-Qi Martial Artist. Chen effortlessly catches the saber between two fingers, snaps it, and kills the man with the broken blade.
• Chen Cheng summons the Blood Immortal Gu, which retrieves valuables from the corpse. The Corpse Demon Gu also loots the woman’s body while controlling Li Kun’s corpse.
• Chen discovers that the attackers were hired by Huo Tailai, who offered a total reward of sixty thousand taels for Chen Cheng’s death, with half paid in advance.
• While traveling through a mountain hollow on the route to Yunlei City, Chen senses multiple supposed “heavenly treasures.” He realizes these are actually signs of a carefully arranged ambush.
• Chen secretly releases the Blood Immortal Gu and Corpse Demon Gu to scout and attack. When an archer fires at him, Chen dodges effortlessly, kills the archer, and steals his first-tier treasure bow.
• The two Gu simultaneously eliminate enemies hiding at other ambush points. Chen then fires three arrows at the remaining fleeing attackers, killing one while the other two survive by using bizarre supernatural defenses: a two-headed snake and a translucent, clawed hand.
• Recognizing that these strange abilities may pose unknown risks, Chen chooses not to pursue the survivors. He searches the corpses and acquires several Treasure Artifacts, including bows, swords, a flute, and a saber.
• Seven new enemies suddenly surround Chen. Among them are powerful experts led by Gu Qinghong, a peak Six-Qi cultivator nearly at Seven Qi.
• Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan, who had previously attempted to ambush Chen, observe from a hillside. They learn that this second group was sent by Shen Wanqing, who intended to use them as the decisive force after Bai Xiyan’s attack weakened Chen.
• Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan decide only to watch and retreat if the situation turns dangerous.
• Chen charges toward the weakest-looking opponent, who attacks with the powerful and unpredictable Mirage Tower Saber Art. Bai Xiyan assumes Chen cannot block the move and believes he will depend on his hidden Gu for survival.
• The chapter ends with the saber striking Chen directly on the forehead, leaving his fate uncertain.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng is revealed to have progressed far beyond what his enemies expect. Though believed to be early Five-Qi, his speed and strength have reached at least the Six-Qi realm, possibly exceeding ordinary cultivators of that level.
• Chen demonstrates exceptional composure, combat judgment, archery, perception, and tactical planning. He identifies ambushes before they are sprung and uses his Gu strategically rather than relying solely on direct combat.
• His cautious nature is emphasized. Although confident in his ability to kill the fleeing enemies, he refuses to pursue them without understanding the strange translucent claw technique.
• Blood Immortal Gu develops a cooperative and almost pet-like relationship with Chen. It eagerly performs corpse-looting tasks and visibly enjoys his praise.
• Corpse Demon Gu is shown to control Li Kun’s corpse, reproduce roughly seventy percent of its strength, and display emotions through the corpse’s movements. Its abilities are powerful but limited by mental-energy consumption and a short control duration.
• Bai Xiyan shifts from confidence to caution. She initially believes her peak Six-Qi cultivation and five hidden experts will defeat Chen, but his rapid progress and unseen Gu helpers shake her confidence.
• Lu Shaoan is portrayed as nervous and pragmatic. He urges withdrawal when the first ambush fails and values survival over pride or immediate victory.
• Li Kun functions as a terrifying demonstration of the Corpse Demon Gu’s abilities, transforming from a corpse into a grotesque weapon.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation and hidden strength: Chen’s enemies rely on outdated information about his cultivation, repeatedly mistaking him for a weaker opponent.
• Caution versus recklessness: Chen survives by preparing for danger and refusing to pursue enemies blindly, while his opponents repeatedly misjudge situations because of greed or overconfidence.
• The unknown nature of power: The Gu insects and supernatural techniques reveal that martial cultivation is only one aspect of the world’s strength. Strange abilities, creatures, and artifacts remain beyond Chen’s current understanding.
• Growth and transformation: Chen’s dramatic advancement over two months, the Gu insects’ development, and Li Kun’s transformation all emphasize how quickly power and identity can change.
• Greed and assassination: Multiple groups pursue Chen for monetary rewards, illustrating how wealth and promised rewards motivate dangerous alliances.
• Master-servant companionship: Chen’s interactions with the Blood Immortal Gu and Corpse Demon Gu show mutual reliance and affection, contrasting with the violent, transactional relationships among the assassins.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen praises both Gu insects after they retrieve valuables, strengthening their loyalty and producing playful, almost affectionate behavior.
• Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan discuss Chen’s unexpected strength and the danger posed by his hidden helpers. Their conversation reveals their growing fear and unwilling respect for him.
• Bai Xiyan identifies Shen Wanqing’s broader strategy: using her group as the first attack while keeping another force hidden to finish Chen afterward.
• Chen’s actions indirectly terrify the observing Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan, as he eliminates ambushers without revealing his position.
• The final confrontation pits Chen against a Mirage Tower Saber Art user while Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan watch, convinced that Chen is about to be killed—though the cliffhanger leaves the result unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Killing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng effortlessly survives a killing strike from a Six-Qi Martial Artist wielding a Black Iron Battle Blade. His forehead remains unharmed, and he kills the attacker with a single punch.
• He breaks through the enemy formation, seeking to avoid prolonged combat because of the mysterious woman who previously used ghostly claws against him.
• The attackers reveal two “hostages,” Zhang Wenhui and his daughter Zhang Yu, hoping to force Chen Cheng into submission. Zhang Wenhui instead kills himself by deliberately slamming his throat into a captor’s blade, apparently trying to warn Chen Cheng that something is wrong.
• Chen Cheng battles six powerful Martial Artists:
  • He crushes one opponent’s wrist and kills him with a punch.
  • He withstands a fourth-rank treasure blade striking his ribs, protected by his powerful body and concealed treasure armor.
  • He uses the Water Control technique to manipulate the dead man’s blood into a spear, killing another enemy and transforming the blood into arrows that eliminate two more.
  • He uses Thunder Illusion Step and mirror images to confuse Gu Qinghong. Although she correctly defends against two apparent attacks, she ignores the fading afterimage, whose sword is unexpectedly real and cuts through her neck.
  • Chen Cheng kills the final axe-wielding Martial Artist while pursuing the supposed hostages.
• The “Zhang Yu” hostage is revealed to be an old woman using an evil illusion technique. Chen Cheng knowingly kills her and the four guards escorting her with a single horizontal slash, demonstrating that he recognized the trap.
• A dark-faced enemy attacks Chen Cheng with a Double-Headed Strange Snake whose third-rank poison engulfs him. Chen Cheng survives and kills the attacker with three arrows.
• The mysterious Ghost Lady launches a spectral claw at the back of Chen Cheng’s skull. The attack rebounds from his body, injuring and exposing her. Chen Cheng kills her with arrows.
• Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan flee, but Chen Cheng pursues them and intercepts them. Their pleas, offers of wealth, and attempts to bargain fail. Bai Xiyan even offers herself to him, but Chen Cheng kills her with one punch and then kills Lu Shaoan with a blood arrow.
• Chen Cheng searches the corpses, obtaining money, weapons, and a mysterious piece of beast hide hidden in Lu Shaoan’s belt.
• He has the Corpse Demon Gu and Blood Immortal Gu loot the battlefield, then flees away from Yunlei City. He avoids returning directly to the Shanhai Sect and hides beneath a distant river before approaching an island in Sea Marsh.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: His overwhelming physical strength, defensive ability, speed, battle instincts, and mastery of multiple techniques are fully revealed. He becomes increasingly ruthless and decisive, refusing to be manipulated by hostages, deception, poison, or appeals for mercy. His Jade Marrow trait protects him from illusions, while his Golden Blood counters spectral attacks.
• Bai Xiyan: Her confidence and belief that she could defeat Chen Cheng with a fourth-rank treasure blade are completely destroyed. She changes from an arrogant martial prodigy into a terrified fugitive, ultimately sacrificing her pride and offering herself for survival before being killed.
• Lu Shaoan: His confidence collapses almost immediately after witnessing Chen Cheng’s strength. He becomes panicked and cowardly, attempts to bargain with wealth and influence, and dies after Bai Xiyan.
• Gu Qinghong and the other attackers: Their coordinated strength and high-grade weapons prove useless against Chen Cheng. Gu Qinghong’s skillful defense is overcome by Chen Cheng’s deceptive afterimage technique.
• Zhang Wenhui: His suicide suggests he recognizes the hostage situation as a deception and attempts to communicate the danger to Chen Cheng despite being gagged.
• Ghost Lady and the dark-faced man: Both rely on hidden, unconventional killing methods—spectral claws and poison—but Chen Cheng’s defenses and vigilance render them ineffective.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming strength versus conventional power: Chen Cheng’s body alone can surpass trained Six-Qi experts and resist fourth-rank treasure weapons.
• Deception and counter-deception: Illusions, disguises, mirror images, hostages, hidden attackers, and poison dominate the battle, but Chen Cheng repeatedly anticipates or reverses these tactics.
• Ruthlessness and survival: Chen Cheng prioritizes eliminating every threat over mercy or emotional hesitation, even killing the apparent hostage when he recognizes the trap.
• Fear and reversal of power: Those who initially view Chen Cheng as an easy target become helpless and terrified once his true strength is revealed.
• Preparedness and controlled risk: Chen Cheng takes risks only after judging them manageable, keeps hidden resources in reserve, and uses his Spirit Gu and mental perception to detect threats.
• The danger of underestimating hidden abilities: Chen Cheng’s Jade Marrow, Golden Blood, Water Control, mirror images, and exceptional speed make him far more formidable than his opponents expect.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng’s physical dominance shocks Lu Shaoan and Bai Xiyan, who watch him destroy their carefully assembled group.
• Zhang Yu’s cries for help are intended to manipulate Chen Cheng, but Zhang Wenhui’s desperate behavior alerts him to the deception.
• Gu Qinghong confidently mocks Chen Cheng’s mirror-image technique, only to be killed by the supposedly harmless afterimage.
• Bai Xiyan and Lu Shaoan cooperate in their final attempt to survive, with Lu suggesting Bai use her beauty and status to appease Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng responds to their pleading and humiliation with complete indifference, killing both without negotiation.
• The enemy forces repeatedly rely on surprise attacks, but Chen Cheng turns each attack—blood, poison, spectral claws, and hidden weapons—against them.

Chapter Summary: “Harvest (Please Vote)”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After the devastating battle between the righteous forces and the Immortal Bone Sect, Chen Cheng exploits the sect’s weakened defenses to raid its island strongholds.
• Using the Howling Sky Eagle, Corpse Demon Gu, and Blood Immortal Gu as scouts and observers, he launches a nighttime sneak attack on an island base. He silently kills the sleeping helmsman, extracts the Heart-Devouring Gu from his body, and collects medicine, money, and an Immortal Gu Pill.
• Over the course of one night, Chen Cheng raids nine strongholds, obtaining:
  • Four Immortal Gu Pills
  • Five ordinary Heart-Devouring Gus
  • Large quantities of healing medicines and cultivation resources
  • Nineteen first- and second-order weapons and armor pieces
  • Nearly two hundred thousand taels of silver
• He also retrieves a shark-tooth-shaped cocoon from the seabed, apparently created by a mutated Heart-Devouring Gu after his battle with the Corpse Chief Great Shark.
• Chen Cheng discovers a hidden sea chart from Lu Shaoan’s belt. It depicts the sea between the Shang and Jing continents and marks an unidentified island, strongly suggesting the location of a treasure. He stores it for future investigation, possibly during his journey to the Divine Physiognomy Sect.
• He feeds the Heart-Devouring Gus the corpse of the Double-Headed Strange Snake, causing them to form snake-scale cocoons. After consuming the four Immortal Gu Pills, he extracts four additional Heart-Devouring Gus and subjects them to the same mutation process.
• Chen Cheng ultimately possesses one shark-tooth cocoon and eleven snake-scale cocoons. Once they hatch, he plans to use them alongside the Blood Immortal Gu and Corpse Demon Gu to begin raising a Gu King.
• The first four Immortal Gu Pills do not advance Chen Cheng’s cultivation realm, but they save him nearly two months of cultivation time. After obtaining five more pills over the following twenty days, he finally reaches the middle stage of the Six-Qi Divine Treasury.
• Chen Cheng sells much of his accumulated loot through Wangyou Valley, bringing his total wealth to nearly five hundred thousand taels. However, he remains unable to acquire scarce fourth-order cultivation resources, slowing his advancement.
• Meanwhile, Shen Wanqing learns that the assassination scheme he designed against Chen Cheng has failed catastrophically. Bai Xiyan, Gu Qinghong, Illusory-Faced Old Man, and the other attackers were all killed, many apparently in a single strike.
• Shen Wanqing is humiliated and enraged, especially because he had confidently praised the operation as an “unsolvable death trap.” He orders his people to determine Chen Cheng’s location and intercept him before he reaches Emperorfall City.
• Bai Chong, devastated by his daughter Bai Xiyan’s death, agrees to cooperate with a mysterious masked woman in purple. She offers to help him avenge Bai Xiyan against Shen Wanqing and Chen Cheng in exchange for the sea chart.
• More than twenty days later, Chen Cheng prepares to leave Sea Marsh and travel north toward Emperorfall City. Just as he finishes his preparations, the Howling Sky Eagle signals that an important task has been completed.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Cheng grows increasingly strategic, efficient, and ruthless. He takes advantage of enemy weakness, conducts carefully planned raids, and prioritizes valuable resources without engaging in unnecessary battles.
• His cultivation progresses to the middle stage of the Six-Qi Divine Treasury, and he focuses on improving practical combat abilities and unlocking new traits when further cultivation resources become unavailable.
• Chen Cheng’s collection of mutated Gu cocoons marks a major step toward developing a Gu King, potentially greatly increasing his future combat power.
• Shen Wanqing is exposed as overconfident and dependent on elaborate schemes. His carefully layered plan collapses completely, leaving him humiliated, furious, and desperate to stop Chen Cheng before he reaches the protection of Emperorfall City.
• Bai Chong shifts from grief and helplessness toward vengeance. Though he opposed Bai Xiyan’s actions, her death drives him to accept the masked woman’s dangerous bargain.
• Bai Xiyan is revealed to have been manipulated or encouraged by Shen Wanqing’s faction into participating in the failed assassination attempt, ultimately paying for it with her life.
• The masked woman in purple emerges as a powerful, composed, and mysterious figure whose interest in the sea chart suggests a larger hidden objective.

3. Significant Themes

• The aftermath of war: Both sides suffer heavy losses, creating opportunities for survivors like Chen Cheng while leaving strongholds vulnerable and destabilized.
• Preparation versus arrogance: Chen Cheng’s success comes from reconnaissance, patience, and careful planning, while Shen Wanqing’s confidence in his supposedly perfect scheme blinds him to unexpected variables.
• Resource accumulation and cultivation: The chapter emphasizes the importance of pills, treasures, money, and rare materials in advancing martial power.
• The diminishing value of external aids: As Chen Cheng’s realm rises, Immortal Gu Pills become less effective, showing that cultivation gains become increasingly difficult at higher stages.
• Consequences of manipulation: Shen Wanqing’s schemes lead to Bai Xiyan’s death and provoke Bai Chong’s revenge, demonstrating how political calculations create unpredictable repercussions.
• Hidden opportunities and future mysteries: The treasure map, mutated Gu cocoons, the possible Gu King, and the masked woman’s agenda all establish future plotlines.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng coordinates closely with his Gu insects and the Howling Sky Eagle, using their different senses and abilities to conduct efficient raids.
• Shen Wanqing lectures his sons and nephews about strategic planning, ironically presenting his failed assassination plot as an example of perfect preparation. Their excessive flattery reinforces his arrogance.
• When the steward reveals the massacre, Shen Wanqing’s confidence collapses. He interrogates the steward about the hostages, Gu Qinghong, and Chen Cheng, while his family members react with disbelief and fear.
• Bai Chong and the masked woman negotiate in a carriage. She offers revenge for Bai Xiyan, but demands the sea chart as payment. Bai Chong, overwhelmed by grief, accepts.
• Chen Cheng’s final interaction is indirect but significant: the Howling Sky Eagle’s cry informs him that his latest preparation is complete, signaling the beginning of his next stage of travel and conflict.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng activates the Qingming Qi-Seizing Array, successfully setting it to accumulate Primordial Qi for his next visit.
• He learns from Li Li's letter that Shen Wanqing, Huo Tailai, and Luo Tianfeng are after him, and plans to take a route prepared by Li Jinge to avoid them.
• On his journey, he encounters Yu Qiongying, a disciple of the Sea-Clarity Sect, who asks him to return a jade hairpin to her junior sister.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: He has improved his water-control technique and unlocked new traits, enhancing his abilities. He also shows restraint and caution when dealing with potential threats.
• Yu Qiongying: She is kind and helpful, showing concern for her junior sister and trying to help Chen Cheng establish a connection with her.
• The Junior Sister (Wangshu): She is shy and timid, struggling to interact with strangers, but values the jade hairpin greatly.

Significant Themes

• Friendship and Trust: Yu Qiongying's kindness and willingness to help Chen Cheng, despite not knowing him well, highlights the theme of trust and friendship among strangers.
• Caution and Cunning: Chen Cheng's decision to keep the jade hairpin and his wariness around potential threats emphasize the importance of caution and cunning in the dangerous world of the martial arts.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Yu Qiongying: They interact cordially, with Yu Qiongying showing kindness and Chen Cheng reciprocating with respect and gratitude.
• Chen Cheng and the Junior Sister: Their interaction is brief but tense, with the Junior Sister initially wary and shy, but eventually willing to thank Chen Cheng for returning her hairpin.

Chapter Summary: “Yin Chi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng returns Su Wangshu’s lost jade hairpin, refusing any reward. His kindness encourages the secluded girl to introduce herself and ask to become friends.
• Su Wangshu gives Chen Cheng a basket of valuable Primordial Qi-rich fruits, revealing that she considers him a genuine friend. She then invites him into the cabin, an unusual gesture given her extreme shyness and isolation.
• Yu Qiongying invites Chen Cheng to travel with them to Emperorfall City. Although he initially worries that his troubles may endanger them, he accepts after seeing Su Wangshu’s eagerness.
• During seven days aboard the treasure ship, Chen Cheng recovers his vitality by eating precious fruits and Yu Qiongying’s nourishing meals. He also develops a fishing technique that draws water-aspected Primordial Qi from the sea and uses it to attract Treasure Fish.
• Su Wangshu gradually becomes more comfortable around Chen Cheng, preparing his meals and personally peeling seafood for him. Yu Qiongying continues cooking and gathering ranked sea ingredients.
• The group discusses their route: they must reach Northern Star Port, transfer to a Northern Emperor Sect giant treasure ship, cross the dangerous Fallen Immortal Sea, and eventually arrive at Emperorfall City. Su Wangshu hopes to find her father and obtain treatment for her mysterious congenital illness.
• Chen Cheng promises to accompany Su Wangshu through the dangerous journey. She seals the promise with a formal pinky pledge, becoming visibly reassured and happy.
• That night, Yu Qiongying encounters a terrifying underwater creature and returns severely wounded, suffering from grayish-white corruption and near-fatal injuries. She forces the ship to maximum speed, but the Artificial Qi Well can sustain that speed for only two hours.
• Su Wangshu takes control of the ship while Chen Cheng attempts to care for Yu Qiongying. However, a massive hornless dragon-like creature—the Yin Chi—pursues them and rapidly closes the distance.
• Realizing that escape is impossible, Chen Cheng leaps from the ship to confront the monster. The Yin Chi toys with him, using overwhelming physical strength and enormous waves to attack.
• Chen Cheng employs concealment and evasion techniques, temporarily causing the Yin Chi to lose track of him. The monster then unleashes colossal waves in an attempt to crush him.
• Chen Cheng ultimately appears atop one of the waves as the Yin Chi launches itself at him. He begins preparing a final sword technique, sacrificing all his stored energy, Innate Essence, Golden Blood, Founder-inherited sword qi, and Taiji Primordial Qi.
• He enters a profound state of unity with heaven and earth, declaring that the boundless sea, heaven and earth, and Pure Yang Taiji itself will bring about the Yin Chi’s death. The chapter ends at the moment before the attack is completed.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng demonstrates compassion, restraint, and emotional intelligence by returning the hairpin without expecting compensation and accepting Su Wangshu’s gifts to preserve her courage. He also becomes increasingly protective of both sisters.
• His recovery allows him to refine his Primordial Qi-fishing method and deepen his understanding of how Qi can be used as bait. He shows exceptional calm and adaptability when facing the Yin Chi.
• Chen Cheng’s willingness to sacrifice everything marks a major escalation in his resolve and combat ability. His final technique appears to represent a new level of union with Taiji and the natural world.
• Su Wangshu grows from a frightened, withdrawn invalid into someone capable of initiating friendship, inviting Chen Cheng into her private space, caring for him, and taking responsibility for steering the ship during a crisis.
• Her emotional dependence on Chen Cheng becomes clear when she panics upon seeing him confront the Yin Chi and faints after believing he is in danger.
• Yu Qiongying is established as both a capable protector and a nurturing caretaker. She cooks for the group, catches Treasure Fish, understands Su Wangshu’s needs, and confidently manages the ship. Her severe injury shows that even her high cultivation is insufficient against the Yin Chi.
• The Yin Chi is revealed as an immensely powerful, predatory creature with strength comparable to—or beyond—a Nine-Qi Divine Treasury expert. It displays intelligence and sadistic confidence, treating the humans as prey to be deliberately tormented.

Significant Themes

• Trust and friendship: Small acts of kindness allow Su Wangshu to overcome years of isolation. Chen Cheng’s acceptance of her gifts and companionship helps her reconnect with others.
• Care as emotional healing: Meals, shared routines, and personal attention become ways for the characters to support one another, especially Su Wangshu.
• Protection and responsibility: Chen Cheng accepts danger not merely for survival, but to protect the people who have welcomed him.
• Despair versus defiance: Although the Yin Chi makes escape seem impossible, Chen Cheng refuses to surrender. His background in hardship enables him to confront despair rather than be consumed by it.
• Unity with nature and the Dao: The final sword technique transforms Chen Cheng’s personal power into an expression of the sea, heaven, earth, and Pure Yang Taiji.
• Hidden dangers of the journey: The voyage toward Emperorfall City becomes increasingly perilous, suggesting that the Fallen Immortal Sea and the forces connected to it may contain threats far beyond ordinary cultivation conflicts.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Su Wangshu form a close bond through the hairpin, shared meals, fishing, and the pinky promise.
• Yu Qiongying deliberately encourages Chen Cheng to accept Su Wangshu’s gifts and attention, helping her learn how to interact with others.
• Su Wangshu repeatedly cares for Chen Cheng at meals, while Chen Cheng accommodates her efforts to make her feel valued.
• Yu Qiongying and Chen Cheng discuss the journey and its dangers, with Yu reassuring him that her strength can shield him from his existing troubles.
• During the crisis, Su Wangshu and Chen Cheng cooperate under pressure: she steers the ship while he confronts the pursuer.
• Su Wangshu’s desperate reaction to Chen Cheng’s apparent danger demonstrates how deeply attached she has become to him, while Yu Qiongying’s earlier efforts to bring them together are shown to have succeeded.

Chapter Summary: “Yin and Yang (Requesting Monthly Votes)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng’s final attack against the berserk Yin Chi succeeds. His tiny water sword pierces the creature’s mouth and splits its enormous head, after which golden sword light shreds the skull and body.
• Pure yang flames erupt through Yin Chi’s corpse, exploiting its greatest weakness as a sinister demonic beast. The creature is burned to ash, leaving behind frost-like fragments scattered across the sea.
• Chen Cheng collapses unconscious after the battle. As he falls toward the water, a ghostly azure energy escapes Yin Chi’s remains, enters his brow, and is absorbed by the Taiji Primordial Qi in his mind.
• The absorbed energy automatically heals him. His “Jade Marrow,” “Spirit Healing,” “Health Preservation,” and “Endless” traits become dramatically more effective, allowing him to survive despite being nearly dead.
• Chen Cheng is rescued from the sea by Hou Hai, a shipboard laborer nicknamed “Sea Monkey,” and brought aboard a Fortune Merchant Guild cargo ship.
• The ship is carrying cargo to Emperorfall City and must pass through the waters where Yin Chi has been attacking vessels. The journey is extremely dangerous because the ship’s delivery contract cannot be delayed.
• Chen Cheng learns that the Imperial Government has offered a bounty of one million taels for Yin Chi’s death, but nearly all previous hunters and ships have been destroyed. He realizes that he has unknowingly killed the creature everyone feared.
• While recovering, Chen Cheng studies the ghostly azure energy absorbed from Yin Chi. He determines that it both produces Innate Divine Spirit Qi and strengthens his innate traits, greatly accelerating his recovery.
• He theorizes that Taiji Primordial Qi has absorbed or purified Yin Chi’s baleful yin, leaving behind a beneficial energy. This may provide the “pure yin” needed to balance the pure yang within him and form a true Taiji state.
• Chen Cheng discovers that he can now consciously control the speed at which Taiji Primordial Qi circulates and releases the azure energy, though he finds no further changes yet.
• By evening, nearly twenty percent of his martial strength has returned. His Golden Blood, Innate Essence, stamina, injuries, and overall physique have all begun recovering rapidly.
• Chen Cheng notices a palm print on Hou Hai’s face, suggesting that the abused servant has been beaten. He considers that, had he retained his money and belongings, he could have bought Hou Hai’s freedom.
• Worried about the luggage left behind on Su Wangshu’s treasure ship, Chen Cheng also fears for Su Wangshu and Yu Qiongying’s safety. His possessions include a large sum of money, rare Gu insect cocoons, weapons, explosives, medicine, and important sect-selection tokens.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng asking Hou Hai to find him a fishing rod or even fishing line, hinting that he intends to participate in the fishing gathering at the ship’s bow.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Survives a desperate battle and gains a deeper understanding of his Taiji Primordial Qi. He becomes stronger through recovery rather than ordinary cultivation and begins exploring how yin-yang balance might unlock new abilities. His concern for Hou Hai also reveals his sense of justice and willingness to repay kindness.
• Hou Hai: Established as a kind, loyal, hardworking servant who rescues Chen Cheng despite having little himself. He hides the Second Young Lady’s selfish comments to protect her reputation, showing gratitude and moral decency. His likely mistreatment aboard the ship reveals his vulnerable social position.
• Fortune Merchant Guild’s Eldest Young Lady: The blue-dressed woman is gentle, calm, medically knowledgeable, and willing to help Chen Cheng. She examines him and orders food and water despite the ship’s shortages.
• Fortune Merchant Guild’s Second Young Lady: The red-dressed woman is arrogant, blunt, and concerned about limited provisions. She objects to feeding Chen Cheng because he may be a dangerous stranger, contrasting with her sister’s compassion.
• The middle-aged martial expert: He remains mysterious and motionless at the bow, traveling to Emperorfall City to retrieve the corpse of his disciple. His presence suggests that powerful figures are connected to the wider crisis.

Significant Themes

• Survival and transformation: Chen Cheng’s near-death experience becomes a source of strength, embodying the idea that surviving catastrophe can lead to growth.
• Yin-yang balance: The destruction of Yin Chi introduces pure yin energy into Chen Cheng’s cultivation, potentially completing or transforming his previously pure-yang-focused Taiji path.
• The purification of evil: Taiji Primordial Qi may strip away Yin Chi’s baleful nature while preserving useful power, suggesting that opposing forces can be harmonized rather than simply destroyed.
• Kindness and repayment: Hou Hai risks his own limited food and labor to save Chen Cheng, while Chen Cheng immediately remembers the debt and considers freeing him.
• Class inequality and exploitation: Hou Hai’s indenture, poor treatment, and apparent beating show the harsh conditions faced by servants and laborers, contrasting with the wealth and privilege of the merchant family.
• Danger and responsibility: The merchant ship’s voyage demonstrates how ordinary people are forced to face extraordinary dangers because of contracts, economic pressure, and obligations to powerful clients.

Character Interactions

• Hou Hai rescues Chen Cheng, gives him water and food, and shelters him from the sun.
• The blue-dressed Eldest Young Lady examines Chen Cheng and orders supplies for him, while the red-dressed Second Young Lady protests because provisions are scarce.
• Hou Hai conceals the Second Young Lady’s objection from Chen Cheng, protecting her despite his own loyalty to the more compassionate sister.
• Chen Cheng deliberately returns most of his flatbread to Hou Hai, recognizing that the laborer needs the food more than he does.
• Chen Cheng and Hou Hai discuss the Yin Chi crisis, the merchant guild’s dangerous contract, the ship’s passengers, and the identity of the mysterious martial expert.
• After noticing Hou Hai’s injury, Chen Cheng silently resolves to remember the treatment he has suffered and contemplates redeeming his freedom.
• Chen Cheng’s final request for fishing equipment indicates that he is beginning to re-enter the ship’s social and practical activities despite still recovering.

Chapter Summary: “Seeing Through”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng, dissatisfied with Hou Hai’s inability to help him, approaches the Hai family at the bow of the ship to request a fishing rod and access to the kitchen if he catches a fish.
• Hai Yunnuan welcomes him politely, but her younger half-sister, Hai Xinyu, antagonizes him, using his rescued status to imply that he should be working rather than making requests.
• The sisters are suddenly summoned by their father, Hai Wenyuan, because Xiang Wenfeng, a supposedly powerful martial expert, has agreed to advise them on their cultivation.
• Hai Xinyu performs the Still Sea, Rising Tides Palm first, but Chen Cheng’s Vertical Eye Mark does not react, indicating that her performance contains mistakes or omissions.
• Hai Yunnuan performs the technique correctly enough for Chen Cheng’s Vertical Eye Mark to analyze it. Chen Cheng immediately learns the martial art at the beginner level and understands its movements, formula, and underlying martial intent.
• Chen Cheng realizes that the technique’s true strength comes from harmonizing with the sea’s tides and using their momentum, though he considers it less valuable than his more advanced martial arts.
• Xiang Wenfeng gives the sisters vague advice: “The younger sister learns from the elder sister; the elder sister learns from the younger sister.” Chen Cheng recognizes that only the first half is meaningful; the second is false because Hai Yunnuan has nothing useful to learn from Hai Xinyu.
• Hai Wenyuan rewards Xiang Wenfeng with several banknotes despite the expert’s initial feigned refusal. Xiang agrees to instruct the sisters again in three days.
• Hai Yunnuan asks her father to provide Chen Cheng with a fishing rod, but Hai Wenyuan dismisses him and refuses to help.
• Suspecting Xiang Wenfeng’s behavior, Chen Cheng secretly releases the Blood Immortal Gu and Corpse Demon Gu to monitor him. He uses Moon Breath of Avici to conceal them.
• Chen Cheng worries about the technique’s harmful effects on the Gu, but concludes that their eventual evolution into Gu Kings should erase the accumulated damage.
• Later that night, after most of the ship’s occupants retire, Xiang Wenfeng remains at the bow. He puts away his fishing rod and scatters an unknown powder into the wind.
• Chen Cheng realizes the powder is likely a signaling substance intended to help an outside party locate the ship. He orders his two Spirit Gu to attack.
• The Blood Immortal Gu sends blood threads toward Xiang Wenfeng’s head, while the Corpse Demon Gu climbs one thread and prepares to bite his carotid artery. The chapter ends as the ambush strikes.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly perceptive, self-reliant, and suspicious. He quickly analyzes the Hai sisters’ family rivalry, masters the palm technique through his Vertical Eye Mark, sees through Xiang Wenfeng’s fraudulent wisdom, and quietly prepares a counterattack.
• Hou Hai remains timid and anxious. He fears punishment from Steward Zhang after Chen Cheng approaches the Hai family and later shares half of his boiled egg with Chen Cheng, revealing some loyalty and kindness.
• Hai Yunnuan continues to appear gentle, courteous, and considerate. She is intrigued by Chen Cheng’s transformed bearing and attempts to accommodate his request, later remembering to ask that he be given a fishing rod.
• Hai Xinyu remains hostile and competitive toward Chen Cheng, though her behavior is partly motivated by rivalry with Hai Yunnuan. She is eager for Xiang Wenfeng’s instruction and deeply reveres him.
• Hai Wenyuan is deferential toward Xiang Wenfeng but dismissive toward Chen Cheng. His eagerness to pay for guidance shows his trust in the supposed expert and his desire to advance his daughters’ cultivation.
• Xiang Wenfeng initially presents himself as a calm, profound martial master. Chen Cheng gradually exposes him as a fraud or at least a suspicious figure whose advice is partly meaningless. His nocturnal signaling confirms Chen Cheng’s distrust was justified.

3. Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Xiang Wenfeng’s lofty demeanor and mysterious manner conceal questionable ability and intentions, while Chen Cheng’s outwardly helpless status hides exceptional insight and power.
• Discernment in a treacherous world: Chen Cheng emphasizes that people in the martial world may deceive others for profit, and that superficial reverence can lead to exploitation.
• The value of knowledge: Chen Cheng refuses to give away his understanding of the palm technique freely, believing that skills offered too easily will not be respected or trusted.
• Hidden power and observation: Chen Cheng’s greatest advantage is not merely strength but his ability to see flaws, detect motives, and gather information secretly.
• Family rivalry and hierarchy: Hai Xinyu’s hostility toward Chen Cheng reflects her competition with Hai Yunnuan, while both sisters remain dependent on their father and on outside experts for advancement.
• Cultivation and adaptation: The Still Sea, Rising Tides Palm demonstrates the importance of martial intent and environmental harmony, especially the relationship between technique and the sea.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Hou Hai’s relationship shows a contrast between Chen Cheng’s decisiveness and Hou Hai’s fearfulness, though Hou Hai still offers quiet support.
• Chen Cheng’s exchanges with Hai Yunnuan are polite and restrained, with Hai Yunnuan showing curiosity and goodwill toward him.
• Chen Cheng and Hai Xinyu immediately clash, while Chen Cheng correctly interprets her hostility as an extension of her rivalry with her sister.
• Hai Yunnuan and Hai Xinyu both seek Xiang Wenfeng’s approval, exposing their shared desire for martial advancement despite their rivalry.
• Hai Wenyuan treats Xiang Wenfeng with exaggerated respect and money, while treating Chen Cheng as an unwanted burden.
• Chen Cheng observes Xiang Wenfeng from a distance rather than confronting him openly, ultimately using the Spirit Gu to launch a surprise attack after uncovering his suspicious signaling behavior.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiang Wenfeng is brutally killed by Chen Cheng’s hidden Blood Immortal Gu and Corpse Demon Gu after being exposed as an infiltrating sea bandit.
• Hai Yunnuan discovers Wind Signal Powder, poison, and multiple disguises on Xiang’s body, proving that he intended to poison the ship and summon his fellow bandits.
• Three ships from Three Blade Stronghold pursue the merchant vessel, led personally by the ruthless chief Zhu Sandao.
• The ship’s inexperienced archers are helpless against the approaching bandits, and Hai Wenyuan begins to consider surrendering.
• Chen Cheng takes the ship’s best bow and demonstrates overwhelming archery skill. He kills Zhu Sandao and many elite bandits with precise headshots, then destroys the masts of all three enemy ships, allowing the merchant vessel to escape.
• The crew praises and kneels to Chen Cheng. Master Zhang, who previously insulted him, begs for forgiveness.
• Hai Wenyuan offers Chen Cheng five thousand taels to guard the ship until Northern Star Port. Chen Cheng accepts, knowing the journey will likely be safe.
• Chen Cheng insists that Hou Hai receive treatment equal to his own, rewarding the servant’s earlier kindness and loyalty.
• The next day, Chen Cheng recovers his strength, catches several Treasure Fish through a special qi-infused fishing method, and impresses Hou Hai and Hai Wenyuan.
• Chen Cheng observes Hai Yunnuan’s martial practice and identifies the flaw in her palm technique. He explains that its essence lies in the balance between stillness and rising force, using the concepts “Still Sea” and “Rising Tides.”
• Hai Yunnuan and even Hai Xinyu begin to gain insight from his explanation, but a mysterious, rapidly approaching object or creature suddenly disturbs the sea, leaving the group uncertain whether another danger is approaching.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Reveals his extraordinary combat power, especially his near-divine archery. He remains calm, detached, and uninterested in praise, while also showing a strong sense of gratitude and fairness. He values loyalty, rewards kindness, and carefully guards the worth of his instruction.
• Hai Yunnuan: Demonstrates excellent composure during the attack and proves herself observant and capable by uncovering Xiang’s disguise and weapons. Her respect for Chen Cheng deepens after he saves the ship and later guides her martial cultivation.
• Hai Xinyu: Reacts to danger with panic and despair, then becomes envious and resentful of Chen Cheng after witnessing his power. She attempts to flatter him and seek instruction, but he rejects her due to her poor character and unstable temperament. Despite her hostility, she appears to gain some insight from his teachings.
• Hai Wenyuan: Transitions from a desperate merchant and worried father into a deeply grateful supporter of Chen Cheng. He recognizes Chen Cheng’s practical strength and tries to secure his protection, while also attempting to restrain Hai Xinyu’s arrogance.
• Hou Hai: Is promoted because of Chen Cheng’s influence and becomes more confident and well-presented. His earlier kindness toward Chen Cheng is rewarded, strengthening his loyalty and inspiring him to believe that he, too, can improve himself.
• Master Zhang: His arrogance collapses after witnessing Chen Cheng’s ability. He changes from insulting Chen Cheng to humiliatingly begging for mercy.
• Xiang Wenfeng: Is revealed posthumously to have been a disguised sea bandit who planned to poison the ship and summon an ambush.

Significant Themes

• The value of loyalty and kindness: Hou Hai’s simple act of sharing food with Chen Cheng ultimately earns him protection and advancement.
• Hidden strength versus outward appearance: Chen Cheng appears to be a young, harmless traveler, yet possesses overwhelming martial and archery ability.
• Practical skill over formal cultivation: Hai Xinyu has a higher cultivation realm, but Chen Cheng’s archery is far more useful in the actual conditions of a naval battle.
• Gratitude and fair exchange: Chen Cheng repays those who helped him but refuses to give away valuable knowledge without acknowledgment of its worth.
• Composure versus panic: Hai Yunnuan’s calmness contrasts with Hai Xinyu’s hysteria, while Chen Cheng remains completely unshaken even when the ship appears doomed.
• Martial insight and natural principles: Chen Cheng teaches that Hai Yunnuan’s technique must mirror the sea’s rhythm—calm on the surface but building hidden strength beneath.
• The danger of arrogance: Characters who dismiss Chen Cheng, particularly Master Zhang and Hai Xinyu, are forced to confront their misjudgment.

Character Interactions

• Hai Yunnuan and Hai Wenyuan work together to expose Xiang Wenfeng’s identity and understand his plan.
• Chen Cheng’s brief command over Master Zhang demonstrates the intimidating force of his presence before he even displays his archery.
• Chen Cheng’s rescue creates a sharp contrast between Hai Xinyu’s envy and Hai Yunnuan’s sincere respect.
• Chen Cheng and Hou Hai develop a warm relationship based on gratitude, humility, and mutual encouragement.
• Hai Wenyuan becomes dependent on Chen Cheng’s protection and repeatedly seeks his guidance, while Chen Cheng maintains emotional distance and clear boundaries.
• Chen Cheng’s martial explanation challenges Hai Yunnuan’s understanding of her own technique and begins a teacher-student-like relationship, though he insists that such guidance must be properly valued.
• The chapter ends with Chen Cheng, Hai Wenyuan, and the crew confronting a new unidentified presence approaching rapidly across the sea.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Cheng and the merchant ship are overtaken by a giant Black Armor Alligator Turtle carrying an Outer Sect disciple of the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect. She transfers civilians rescued from Yellow Shark Stronghold’s sea bandits to the ship and orders Hai Wenyuan to take them to Northern Star Port.
• The turtle’s extraordinary water-control ability impresses Chen Cheng and reinforces his sense that the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect operates on a level far beyond ordinary martial sects.
• Hai Wenyuan reunites with the real Xiang Wenfeng. They clear up how a spy impersonating Xiang caused the earlier trouble: Xiang had missed their meeting after an emergency, and the information leaked to the bandits.
• Xiang reveals that Yin Chi has been slain, prompting a major search for the unknown hero. Chen Cheng is secretly the killer, but chooses not to claim the reward or fame, fearing the danger of attracting powerful enemies—especially the Qingming Path.
• Hai Yunnuan completes the Still Sea Tide-Rising Palm after applying Chen Cheng’s earlier guidance to a strike that draws on the tide. Hai Xinyu suspects favoritism, but Xiang confirms that Chen’s instruction was exceptionally insightful and rebukes her for blaming others.
• Xiang explains that Emperorfall City is effectively independent of the imperial government, with Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect disciples serving as privileged enforcers who can execute ordinary residents with little accountability.
• Chen recovers by eating large quantities of Treasure Fish, while Hou Hai can manage only a little soup because of his weaker constitution.
• Ning Shuangxu, the blind, white-haired girl rescued from the pirates, visits Chen to ask for help playing a zither piece left by her mother. She offers him control over her life through the high-grade Slave Artifact around her neck. Chen refuses to proceed without knowing who she really is, recognizing that her background must be extraordinary.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cheng remains restrained and guarded: he avoids taking credit for killing Yin Chi, demonstrates striking insight through his martial guidance, and questions Ning Shuangxu rather than accepting her offer.
• Hai Wenyuan shows tact in smoothing over his misunderstanding with Xiang and expresses gratitude to Chen for saving the ship and helping Yunnuan.
• Xiang Wenfeng accepts responsibility for missing the departure, praises Chen’s talent, and grieves openly for his disciple, whom he had raised almost as a son.
• Hai Yunnuan grows in skill and confidence, crediting Chen’s guidance for her breakthrough.
• Hai Xinyu reacts with jealousy and suspicion, but Xiang’s praise of Chen’s instruction leaves her embarrassed and unable to blame Yunnuan convincingly.
• Ning Shuangxu approaches Chen with humility and a desperate personal request, but her unusual collar, history, and willingness to surrender herself hint at a concealed identity.

Significant themes

• Power and inequality: The sect’s authority over Emperorfall City contrasts sharply with the vulnerability of ordinary people.
• Fame and danger: Chen recognizes that public acclaim can bring enemies and obligations as readily as rewards.
• Merit versus blame: Yunnuan succeeds through practice and insight, while Xiang urges Xinyu to examine herself rather than accuse others.
• Hidden identities and uncertain loyalties: The fake Xiang, the secret killer of Yin Chi, and Ning Shuangxu’s unexplained status all emphasize how little appearances reveal.
• Loss and risk: Xiang’s grief underscores the costs of pursuing opportunity in a turbulent world.

Chapter Summary: Heaven Sword

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ning Shuangxu offers Chen Cheng a high-grade Slave Artifact in exchange for his help, allowing him to control her mind and learn her secrets. Chen Cheng refuses, wary of the powerful karma surrounding her identity.
• Two days later, Chen Cheng boards a massive Northern Emperor Sect treasure ship with the Hai family, traveling from Northern Star Port toward Heaven Sword Ferry.
• Hai Wenyuan gives Chen Cheng a first-class cabin ticket as repayment for saving his family and guiding his daughters. He rebukes Hai Xinyu when she complains about Chen Cheng receiving excessive rewards.
• Hai Xinyu mysteriously dies after apparently climbing over the railing and jumping into the sea. The Northern Emperor Sect executive elder claims she suffered a fatal fright-induced mental breakdown, but Chen Cheng suspects Ning Shuangxu used a sound-based mind-control technique.
• The ship survives numerous dangers in the Fallen Immortal Sea, including storms, tsunamis, sea beasts, fog, and violent currents, eventually reaching Heaven Sword Ferry.
• Chen Cheng searches for news of Su Wangshu and Yu Qiongying but finds no trace of them. He also discovers that his belongings and entry token for Emperorfall City remain on Su Wangshu’s ship.
• Hai Yunnuan fails to secure Chen Cheng an invitation into Emperorfall City but gives him a Northern Emperor Currency crystal coin, worth ten thousand taels, and tells him about a dangerous smuggling route through the Ghost Market in the Mist.
• Chen Cheng parts from the Hai family and decides to continue investigating his missing friends. By dusk, he heads toward Lu Bridge to find lodging.
• On the way, he detects at least fifty people divided into several groups moving stealthily through the mist. Sensing an ambush or threat, he releases the Heart-Devouring Gu and Corpse Demon Gu to lie in wait.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Remains cautious, detached, and pragmatic. He refuses to become entangled in Ning Shuangxu’s secrets, shows little emotion toward Hai Xinyu’s death, and focuses on recovering his friends and finding a way into Emperorfall City. His vigilance and combat readiness increase when he detects the hidden groups.
• Ning Shuangxu: Gains Hai Yunnuan’s trust by displaying exceptional zither skills and becomes her personal maid. Her silent zither playing strongly suggests she possesses a mind-affecting spirit-sound technique, implicating her in Hai Xinyu’s death.
• Hai Wenyuan: Demonstrates gratitude and strong principles by continuing to honor his debt to Chen Cheng. He also displays strict authority as a father and business leader, warning Hai Xinyu that her hostility and poor temperament could ruin the family trading company.
• Hai Xinyu: Her resentment toward Chen Cheng remains unresolved, but she is abruptly killed under mysterious circumstances.
• Hai Yunnuan: Shows greater emotional stability and competence than her sister after Hai Xinyu’s death. She takes over practical responsibilities, helps Chen Cheng despite personal risk, and gives him valuable financial assistance.
• Hou Hai: Continues serving the Hai family and assisting Chen Cheng, though he has little knowledge of Ning Shuangxu’s disappearance.
• Northern Emperor Sect elder: Acts as the ship’s powerful protector and controls the handling of Hai Xinyu’s death, insisting that her body be removed before the ship departs.

Significant Themes

• Karma and entanglement: Chen Cheng repeatedly avoids involvement with dangerous individuals and hidden powers, especially Ning Shuangxu.
• Gratitude and repayment: Hai Wenyuan believes favors must be honored regardless of whether the original danger ultimately materializes.
• Hidden danger beneath apparent safety: The ship’s journey appears orderly, but Hai Xinyu’s death and the approaching ambush reveal that danger remains concealed.
• Power and social hierarchy: Entry into Emperorfall City depends on connections with the Northern Emperor Sect, while even wealthy merchants remain powerless before its authority.
• Mystery and suspicion: Ning Shuangxu’s unexplained abilities, Hai Xinyu’s unnatural death, and the disappearance of Chen Cheng’s friends deepen the chapter’s atmosphere of intrigue.
• Pragmatism versus emotion: Chen Cheng remains emotionally detached, while Hai Wenyuan and Hai Yunnuan struggle with grief and familial loyalty.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Ning Shuangxu: He firmly rejects her offer to become her master, refusing both the slavery arrangement and the risks connected to her identity.
• Chen Cheng and Hai Wenyuan: Hai Wenyuan repeatedly compensates Chen Cheng for his protection and guidance, while Chen Cheng accepts the family’s assistance without exploiting their gratitude.
• Hai Wenyuan and Hai Xinyu: He harshly reprimands her for disrespecting Chen Cheng and warns that her temperament threatens her future inheritance.
• Hai Yunnuan and Chen Cheng: She apologizes for failing to secure his entry into Emperorfall City, then secretly gives him a valuable crystal coin and instructions for reaching the Ghost Market.
• Chen Cheng and Ning Shuangxu after Hai Xinyu’s death: Chen Cheng notices her presence and silently connects her soundless zither playing with possible mental manipulation, though he does not confront her.
• Chen Cheng and the unseen groups: The chapter ends with Chen Cheng preparing for a confrontation, deploying his Spirit Gu while concealing himself in the mist.

Chapter Summary: “Helper (Asking for Monthly Votes)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In dense fog near Heaven Sword Ferry, Chen Cheng is ambushed by multiple enemy factions seeking the bounty on his head:
  • Shen Family experts led by Shen Chong and Du Zongheng.
  • Bai Family fighters led by a masked woman in purple.
  • Hired jianghu assassins connected to Huo Tailai and Luo Tianfeng.
  • Two unidentified groups also approach through the fog.
• Before the attackers can overwhelm Chen Cheng, Ning Shuangxu intervenes from a distance with her zither. Her Spirit Sound Flying Blades cut through the assassins, killing nearly all of them and forcing several enemy groups to retreat or hesitate.
• Chen Cheng uses a mirrored afterimage to deceive the Bai Family fighters, then launches a surprise attack on the Shen Family forces. Shen Chong blocks his first strike, revealing himself as an early Seven-Qi Divine Treasury expert.
• As Shen Chong prepares a devastating killing blow, Chen Cheng secretly controls the Blood Immortal Gu to attack Du Zongheng. The Gu’s blood threads consume Du Zongheng’s head and disrupt the formation.
• The Spirit Sound Flying Blade then strikes Shen Chong while his defenses are open. He loses an arm and an ear, allowing Chen Cheng to kill him with the Black Sword. The remaining Shen Family fighters are also slaughtered by Ning Shuangxu’s attack.
• The masked Bai Family leader attempts to retreat but investigates Du Zongheng’s corpse. Du Zongheng’s body suddenly attacks her, revealing that the Blood Immortal Gu is still manipulating it. Though she defeats the corpse and avoids the Gu’s blood threads, she suffers a severe blow to the chest and escapes.
• Chen Cheng finds Ning Shuangxu gravely injured after her massive exertion. He uses all the Innate Essence he has available to stabilize her breathing, but cannot heal her fully.
• He leaves her briefly to search the corpses for medicine. Before he can do so, the Southern Ward Enforcement Hall arrives and arrests him for the slaughter.
• Chen Cheng claims to be connected to Elder Qiu Tongtian, Song Linwei, and Su Wangshu, but lacks his identification token. The enforcement disciples doubt him and decide to detain him while secretly plundering the battlefield.
• Chen Cheng agrees to go peacefully, asking to bring Ning Shuangxu with him. However, she has mysteriously disappeared by the time they return to her location, leaving only bloodstains.
• Chen Cheng is taken to the Southern Ward Enforcement Hall in Heaven Sword South Ward, where even criminals fear the authority of the enforcement organization.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates strategic thinking, restraint, and loyalty. Despite being weakened and surrounded by stronger enemies, he combines deception, swordsmanship, and the Blood Immortal Gu to turn the battle around. He chooses not to resist arrest because he believes the enforcement disciples only want the corpses’ valuables and that Song Linwei can clear up the misunderstanding later.
• Ning Shuangxu: Reveals overwhelming long-range combat power through her Spirit Sound Flying Blades, but the technique severely damages her body. Her continued attempt to fight even while unconscious emphasizes her determination and self-sacrificing nature. Her unexplained disappearance creates a major mystery.
• Shen Chong: Recognizes Chen Cheng’s rapid growth and views him as a future threat to the Shen Family. His confidence and reliance on Du Zongheng ultimately leave him vulnerable when Chen Cheng disrupts their coordination.
• Du Zongheng: Initially appears to be the Shen Family’s dependable defensive expert, but is neutralized by the Blood Immortal Gu. Even after his death, his body is used as a weapon against the masked Bai Family leader.
• The masked Bai Family leader: Displays exceptional cultivation and combat instincts, surviving an unexpected attack from a corpse and the Blood Immortal Gu. Although cautious and powerful, she is shaken by the strange method used to kill Du Zongheng and retreats.
• Ling Qingshu and the enforcement disciples: Present themselves as agents of justice but reveal greed and opportunism. They intend to exploit the battlefield before verifying Chen Cheng’s identity, showing corruption within the enforcement structure.

Significant Themes

• Strategic intelligence over brute strength: Chen Cheng survives because he exploits enemy assumptions, uses an afterimage, coordinates with the Blood Immortal Gu, and waits for the precise moment to strike.
• The cost of power: Ning Shuangxu’s devastating zither technique saves Chen Cheng but nearly kills her, while Chen Cheng’s limited energy prevents him from fully healing her.
• Mistrust and political danger: Chen Cheng’s lack of proof leaves him vulnerable even when he is telling the truth. Authority figures prioritize convenience and profit over justice.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Chen Cheng refuses to abandon Ning Shuangxu, even when doing so would make his escape easier.
• Hidden threats and uncertainty: The Blood Immortal Gu, Ning Shuangxu’s disappearance, and the unknown approaching forces all reinforce the chapter’s atmosphere of danger and unpredictability.
• Rapid growth as a source of fear: Shen Chong admits that Chen Cheng’s swift advancement has made him a serious threat, explaining why the Shen Family seeks to kill him before he becomes stronger.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Ning Shuangxu: Her intervention saves him from being surrounded, while his Essence transfer temporarily keeps her alive. Their mutual dependence and Chen Cheng’s refusal to abandon her suggest a strong bond.
• Chen Cheng and Shen Chong: Shen Chong acknowledges Chen Cheng’s progress but attempts to kill him before he can develop further. Chen Cheng defeats him by exploiting the opening created by the Blood Immortal Gu and Ning Shuangxu’s attack.
• Chen Cheng and Du Zongheng: Chen Cheng secretly uses the Blood Immortal Gu to bypass Du Zongheng’s defense, turning the Shen Family’s strongest defensive arrangement against itself.
• Chen Cheng and the masked Bai Family leader: They do not fight directly, but she recognizes Chen Cheng as part of a terrifying and unpredictable battle after witnessing the deaths of Shen Chong and Du Zongheng.
• Chen Cheng and Ling Qingshu: Their interaction highlights the clash between Chen Cheng’s urgent need for help and the enforcement hall’s suspicion and greed. Ling Qingshu refuses to trust him without proof and orders his arrest.
• Chen Cheng and Ning Shuangxu’s disappearance: After Chen Cheng tries to bring her into protective custody, she is gone, leaving him worried and uncertain about her fate.

Chapter Summary: “Reunion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the violent confrontation of the previous night, Chen Cheng is placed under house arrest in a furnished room at the Law Enforcement Hall rather than imprisoned, because Ling Qingshu and the others suspect he truly knows Song Linwei.
• Chen Cheng secretly deploys the Blood Immortal Gu and Corpse Demon Gu to monitor the area. The Blood Immortal Gu surveils the streets outside, while the Corpse Demon Gu infiltrates the Law Enforcement Hall and listens to Ling Qingshu’s conversations.
• The Law Enforcement disciples divide the spoils taken from the previous battle. Their discussion reveals that the sect’s external selection at Di Luo Plain will begin in five months and will involve geniuses from Southern Shang and Northern Yin, including imperial descendants.
• Chen Cheng realizes that his current cultivation is insufficient for the coming selection. He must obtain high-level resources and advance as much as possible, ideally beyond the Seven-Qi Divine Treasury realm.
• The next morning, Chen Cheng’s vitality has fully recovered. He practices Marrow-Washing Taiji for three hours, strengthening his body and producing more Innate Divine Spirit Qi, but the technique severely exhausts him. He remains close to reaching the middle stage of Six Qi.
• Zhou Qianyun informs him that Song Linwei has gone to Di Luo Plain and cannot be contacted. Su Wangshu’s father, Su Dakang, has arrived to negotiate his release.
• Su Dakang pays Ling Qingshu to classify Chen Cheng’s killings as legitimate self-defense. Chen Cheng is released and retrieves his possessions, including his Mysterious Iron Treasure Bow.
• Su Dakang explains that his ability to help is limited because of his family situation and dependence on the powerful Ling Family. Nevertheless, he promises to assist Chen Cheng within his means if necessary.
• Chen Cheng collects Howling Heaven, his trained Spirit Raptor, from Su Wangshu’s treasure ship. Su Dakang suggests that beast-taming may help him in the upcoming selection, though Chen Cheng remains focused primarily on cultivation.
• Chen Cheng investigates the availability of fourth-order healing pills and restorative dried meat. He discovers that such resources are extremely expensive and largely out of stock. Zhou Qianyun explains that they can be obtained more quickly in Emperorfall City, though at much higher prices.
• Zhou Qianyun also introduces him to the Ghost Market in the Mist, where rare treasures and genuine resources may be found alongside dangerous counterfeits. Chen Cheng decides to visit it eventually.
• Chen Cheng and Zhou Qianyun travel toward Emperorfall City. Along the way, he observes the stark difference between the authority wielded by figures outside the city and their low status within it.
• Using Qiu Tongtian’s token, Chen Cheng enters Emperorfall City through the sect disciple passage without difficulty.
• Zhou Qianyun takes him toward Dingjia Alley, where she lives. There, Chen Cheng unexpectedly reunites with the frail Su Wangshu.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Becomes increasingly aware of the severe challenges awaiting him in Emperorfall City. His determination hardens as he recognizes that cultivation strength, rather than a single powerful token or connection, will determine his fate in the selection. He remains cautious, observant, and courteous, while strategically using his Spirit Gu to gather information.
• Ling Qingshu: Is shown to be arrogant, corrupt, and pragmatic. He accepts a bribe from Su Dakang and uses his authority to close Chen Cheng’s case, while also mocking Su Dakang’s submissive family position.
• Su Dakang: Appears outwardly powerful and respected outside the city but is revealed to be constrained by the Ling Family and dominated within his own household. Despite these limitations, he recognizes Chen Cheng’s character and offers what assistance he can.
• Zhou Qianyun: Initially treats Chen Cheng warmly, hoping he can connect her with the mysterious Song Linwei. When she learns that Chen Cheng does not know Song’s true identity, she feels disappointed, though she continues to help him. Her considerable cultivation and low standing within the city highlight the difficulty of advancement in Emperorfall City.
• Su Wangshu: Is revealed to be physically ill and emotionally distressed, but her mood immediately brightens upon seeing Chen Cheng. Her excited declaration that he killed Yin Chi suggests she knows more about his abilities than previously stated.
• Song Linwei: Remains absent, having gone to Di Luo Plain, but her mysterious identity and influence continue to affect how others judge Chen Cheng.

Significant Themes

• The importance of strength over connections: Chen Cheng’s token and associations offer temporary protection, but Su Dakang emphasizes that only genuine cultivation strength can secure his future.
• Social hierarchy and hidden power: The chapter contrasts the authority people possess outside Emperorfall City with their insignificance within the sect’s inner power structure.
• Scarcity and competition: High-level cultivation resources are rare, expensive, and monopolized, making advancement especially difficult for outsiders.
• Determination in adversity: Despite the overwhelming obstacles, Chen Cheng refuses to abandon his chosen path and resolves to continue advancing.
• Appearances versus reality: Su Dakang’s respected public image masks his lack of influence inside the city, while the Ghost Market’s goods may appear valuable or worthless while being the opposite in reality.
• Trust and reciprocity: Chen Cheng behaves honorably toward Su Dakang, refusing to exploit their relationship and promising to repay his assistance in the future.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Ling Qingshu: Their relationship remains tense and unequal, with Ling Qingshu holding legal authority over him and Chen Cheng relying on caution and surveillance rather than confrontation.
• Chen Cheng and Su Dakang: Su Dakang secures Chen Cheng’s release, and the two develop mutual respect. Chen Cheng understands Su Dakang’s limitations and refuses to burden him.
• Chen Cheng and Zhou Qianyun: Zhou helps him understand the resource market, the Ghost Market, and lodging options in the city. Her initial goodwill is partly motivated by her hope of reaching Song Linwei through him.
• Chen Cheng and Su Wangshu: Their reunion is emotional and significant. Su Wangshu recognizes him with delight, while her public statement about Yin Chi’s death shocks both Zhou Qianyun and the woman standing at the nearby residence.
• Zhou Qianyun and Su Wangshu’s family: The final revelation visibly stuns Zhou and Su Wangshu’s mother, suggesting that Chen Cheng’s connection with Su Wangshu—and his role in Yin Chi’s death—may have greater consequences than he realizes.

Chapter Summary: “Ghost Market”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Wangshu recognizes Chen Cheng as the youth who fought and killed the enormous Yin Chi during the sea disaster. Her relief and joy reveal that she had refused to believe he was dead, despite everyone dismissing her hope.
• Chen Cheng pretends she has mistaken him for someone else, signaling that he wants his role in the Yin Chi’s death to remain secret. Su Wangshu understands and stays silent.
• Su Wangshu’s stepmother, Sun Shuping, forcibly takes her home and tests Chen Cheng with a powerful aura. Chen Cheng remains calm, surprising Sun Shuping.
• Zhou Qianyun explains that Sun Shuping was once a highly talented Outer Sect disciple of the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect. Though her cultivation later stagnated, she helped her husband build his business and has sacrificed resources—including those intended for her own son—to treat Su Wangshu’s illness.
• Zhou Qianyun brings Chen Cheng to a nearby courtyard and rents him a room. Chen Cheng pays for two months and wins her favor by complimenting her appearance, leading her to let him use the entire eastern wing at no extra cost.
• Chen Cheng investigates the prices of cultivation resources in Emperorfall City. They are more than twice as expensive as those in South Market, largely because of the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect’s heavy taxation. Since supplies also take half a month to arrive, Chen Cheng decides to obtain resources from the Ghost Market that night.
• While exploring the city, Chen Cheng unexpectedly encounters the masked woman who attacked him previously. She is seriously wounded and appears to live alone. Chen Cheng considers killing her but decides against acting in daylight because of Emperorfall City’s strict prohibition against private combat and the city’s powerful detection formations.
• Chen Cheng later sees Ling Qingshu leaving an impressive residence in luxurious clothing. He resolves to investigate Ling Qingshu’s background and habits before eventually settling their old score.
• After buying a bed and bedding, Chen Cheng prepares for the Ghost Market. He disguises himself, leaves Emperorfall City, and crosses the dangerous fog-covered Land Bridge toward the market’s entrance.
• During the journey, he encounters terrifying sea-beast roars and deadly astral winds, reflecting the dangers of the Fallen Immortal Sea and the mysterious opportunities hidden within it.
• At the western end of the bridge, Chen Cheng boards a ghostly ferry piloted by an old ferryman. A late-arriving passenger wearing an ox-head mask joins them; Chen Cheng recognizes him as the person who previously supported Ling Qingshu’s attempt to detain him and seize his possessions.
• The ferry travels through a dark, artificially carved underwater passage and arrives at the Ghost Market, a vast subterranean Grotto-Heaven illuminated by dim blue lamps.
• The market contains multiple districts, especially areas for cultivation resources and bargain hunting. Because counterfeit goods are common, most visitors face great risks, but Chen Cheng’s special abilities allow him to sense valuable treasures and judge their approximate quality.
• Using Moon Breath of Avici and his Qi Perception trait, Chen Cheng begins searching the cultivation-resource district. The chapter ends when he detects an unusually powerful treasure nearby.

Character Developments

• Chen Cheng: Demonstrates secrecy, emotional restraint, strategic caution, and growing confidence. He avoids revealing his identity, resists Sun Shuping’s intimidating aura, plans revenge carefully, and relies on his unique perception abilities to exploit the Ghost Market.
• Su Wangshu: Her faith in Chen Cheng is confirmed. Her intense emotional reaction shows that she cares deeply about him and had maintained hope for his survival despite widespread disbelief.
• Sun Shuping: Initially appears domineering and hostile toward Chen Cheng, but Zhou Qianyun reveals that she is protective of Su Wangshu and willing to sacrifice for her treatment. Her assessment of Chen Cheng changes slightly after seeing his composure.
• Zhou Qianyun: Becomes Chen Cheng’s landlady and develops a friendly, playful relationship with him. She offers him favorable housing terms and provides important information about Emperorfall City, its laws, and local power structures.
• Ling Qingshu: Is shown to possess status, wealth, and influential connections. His comfortable public appearance contrasts with Chen Cheng’s determination to secretly investigate him.
• The masked woman: Remains a dangerous potential enemy. Her serious injuries make her vulnerable, but her unknown cultivation and powerful backing prevent Chen Cheng from attacking recklessly.
• The ox-masked man: Reappears as a hostile figure from Chen Cheng’s recent conflict with Ling Qingshu, creating a potential threat within the Ghost Market.

Significant Themes

• Secrecy and concealment: Chen Cheng repeatedly hides his true abilities, identity, and intentions, recognizing that survival depends on avoiding premature exposure.
• Strategic patience versus revenge: Although he wants to kill both the masked woman and Ling Qingshu, Chen Cheng chooses surveillance and preparation over impulsive action.
• Power and social influence: Cultivation strength, sect affiliation, wealth, taxation, and personal connections determine one’s freedom and security in Emperorfall City.
• Hidden loyalty and compassion: Sun Shuping’s harsh exterior conceals her concern for Su Wangshu, while Su Wangshu’s unwavering faith reveals a strong emotional bond with Chen Cheng.
• Danger and opportunity: The Fallen Immortal Sea and Ghost Market are filled with lethal threats but also extraordinary treasures, making risk-taking central to advancement.
• Perception and hidden value: Chen Cheng’s special abilities give him an advantage in a market dominated by counterfeit goods, allowing him to detect treasures others cannot recognize.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and Su Wangshu: Their brief exchange is emotionally significant. Su Wangshu recognizes him, but Chen Cheng’s denial preserves his secret, and she cooperates without protest.
• Chen Cheng and Sun Shuping: Their interaction is tense and adversarial. Sun Shuping tests him with her aura, while Chen Cheng’s calm response earns her surprise.
• Chen Cheng and Zhou Qianyun: Their landlord-tenant relationship quickly becomes warm and teasing. Chen Cheng’s flattery wins her generosity, while she advises him about the city and warns him about Sun Shuping’s motives.
• Chen Cheng and the masked woman: Chen Cheng secretly follows her after recognizing her, weighs the possibility of assassination, and ultimately withdraws because of the city’s laws and her unknown backing.
• Chen Cheng and Ling Qingshu: They do not directly interact in this chapter, but Chen Cheng begins surveilling Ling Qingshu and plans to uncover his strengths and habits.
• Chen Cheng and the ox-masked man: Their encounter on the ferry is silent, but Chen Cheng recognizes him as a former enemy, adding tension to his entry into the Ghost Market.

Chapter Summary: “Picking Up Bargains”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Cheng discovers a palm-sized gourd bottle containing ten Fourth-Order Qi-Deriving Pills contaminated with deadly Fourth-Order poison.
• Thanks to his Endless trait and other poison-resistance abilities—Golden Blood, Stomach-Strengthening, and Liver-Strengthening—Chen Cheng confirms he can safely consume the pills.
• He haggles aggressively with the stall owner, eventually buying the bottle for only 100,000 taels, far below its normal value.
• Realizing poisoned resources are heavily discounted in the Ghost Market but still useful to him, Chen Cheng begins searching for other contaminated cultivation materials.
• He avoids counterfeit goods using Mysterious Breath Inspiration, which allows him to identify valuable or genuine resources through the strength of their mental “pull.”
• Chen Cheng notices Ma Yuanheng, a Southern Ward Enforcement Hall disciple and Ling Qingshu’s subordinate, buying ten boxes of high-quality Fourth-Order exotic beast jerky. Chen Cheng remembers that Ma Yuanheng took part of the corpse-looting profits that should have belonged to him and vows to settle the debt.
• Chen purchases eight additional Fourth-Order Qi-Deriving Pills and seven boxes of top-quality Yellow-Browed Golden Scale Beast jerky, spending nearly all his remaining money.
• During the negotiation, he acquires a strange bronze cauldron and a pink bottle of the aphrodisiac-like medicine “Obedient for a Night” for only 500 taels. When examining the cauldron, his Vertical Eye Mark secretly unlocks the demonic martial art Demon Flame Burning God.
• On the ferry home and afterward, Chen avoids attention and eats some of the jerky. Its powerful nourishing energy rapidly restores his physical strength and mental energy, proving it is exceptionally valuable.
• While traveling through the fog, Chen hears Ma Yuanheng fighting a masked robber. After Ma defeats the robber but suffers severe injuries, Chen ambushes and kills both men.
• He loots their bodies, taking healing pills, Qi-Deriving Pills, money, and Ma Yuanheng’s ten boxes of high-quality exotic beast jerky. He discards the identity tokens and bodies to eliminate future risks.
• With the Ghost Market purchases and stolen resources combined, Chen now possesses enough supplies to maintain peak cultivation for roughly one hundred days. He believes this will allow him to reach the Seven-Qi Divine Treasury realm before the upcoming sect selection.
• The chapter ends with the sound of approaching hoofbeats, hinting at a new confrontation.

Character Development

• Chen Cheng becomes increasingly calculating, confident, and opportunistic. His extraordinary poison resistance lets him exploit resources that are worthless—or lethal—to ordinary cultivators.
• His bargaining skills improve as he manipulates sellers’ desperation and uses the threat of walking away to force steep discounts.
• Chen demonstrates greater caution and strategic thinking by testing resources, checking for hidden poison, avoiding counterfeit goods, and discarding items that could expose his identity.
• His moral restraint continues to erode. Rather than merely reclaiming what he believes Ma Yuanheng owes him, he waits until Ma is gravely wounded, then kills him and takes his possessions.
• Chen’s cultivation path becomes more secure. He now has sufficient resources to pursue a breakthrough while retaining multiple future options: entering the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect or seeking admission to the Divine Physiognomy Sect.

Significant Themes

• Turning weakness into advantage: Poison-contaminated goods, useless to ordinary people, become valuable opportunities for Chen because of his unusual constitution.
• Greed and survival in the Ghost Market: Every transaction is driven by mistrust, negotiation, and the need to avoid being cheated or killed.
• Resource accumulation and cultivation: The chapter emphasizes that advancement depends not only on talent but also on obtaining rare pills, nourishing meat, and other supplies.
• Cunning over brute force: Chen relies on observation, deception, bargaining, concealment, and timing rather than openly displaying his power.
• Moral ambiguity and revenge: Chen’s killing of Ma Yuanheng reflects both practical self-interest and resentment over the earlier division of corpse-looting gains.
• Multiple paths and contingency planning: Chen prepares for both success and failure by building enough strength to pursue different sect opportunities.

Character Interactions

• Chen Cheng and the masked pill seller: Chen intimidates and outmaneuvers the seller, exploiting the seller’s desperation to reduce the price of the poisoned pills from 200,000 to 100,000 taels.
• Chen Cheng and the jerky merchant: Their negotiation is tense but controlled. Chen refuses the merchant’s dubious bonus items, then forces him to sell seven boxes of premium jerky for 200,000 taels.
• Chen Cheng and the cauldron’s hidden secret: Though he pretends not to understand the inscriptions, Chen secretly unlocks the powerful demonic martial art engraved inside.
• Chen Cheng and Ma Yuanheng: Their relationship is defined by concealed hostility. Chen identifies Ma as someone who profited from his stolen share and later kills him after observing his weakened state.
• Ma Yuanheng and the masked robber: Their violent battle leaves both badly injured, allowing Chen to eliminate them without exposing himself or fighting a fresh opponent directly.