Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Several days later, He Sheng meets Ying Ruyue at the Moon Embracing Pavilion in Primordial Mist Immortal City.
• He presents her with a fine-grade set of Water Moon United Heart Swords. Ying Ruyue judges them inadequate because their True Water is impure and only marginally useful to her Water Moon Lineage.
• He Sheng then reveals his final exquisite-grade set. These swords, despite being made from first-rank materials, possess thirty to forty percent of the quality of ordinary True Water Dao artifacts and display exceptional spirituality and sword resonance.
• Impressed, Ying Ruyue acknowledges that He Sheng is likely capable of refining genuine True Water Dao artifacts and gives him the diagram for the Thousand Waters Moon Condensation Sword.
• The sword is extraordinarily difficult to refine: it requires more than a thousand individually purified and inscribed drops of spiritual water, with each failure potentially ruining months of work.
• Ying Ruyue offers He Sheng five thousand drops of Lake Moon Bright Water for practice and asks him to refine one Thousand Waters Moon Condensation Sword within five years.
• She then reveals the true reward: the Spirit Water True Tempering Method, a secret Golden Core Formation technique that can greatly deepen spiritual power, increase the chance of forming a Golden Core, and improve compatibility with the True Water path.
• He Sheng agrees after swearing a Dao Heart oath not to transmit the method.
• Ying Ruyue further promises him a Golden Core Formation Pill if he successfully refines three Thousand Waters Moon Condensation Swords.
• He Sheng also commits to supplying fifteen Cold Moon Arc Light Swords annually for nine years, plus one exquisite-grade set and the Thousand Waters Moon Condensation Sword.
• Before he leaves, Ying Ruyue advises him to study the Water Moon Sword Token, hinting that superior sword-refining work will require a foundational understanding of the Sword Path.

2. Character Developments

• He Sheng: Demonstrates substantial advancement in artifact refinement. He remains calm despite Ying Ruyue’s criticism, understands the value of his work, and negotiates cautiously rather than accepting the first offer immediately. His ambition expands beyond short-term profit toward Golden Core formation and mastery of True Water Dao artifacts. He also begins to suspect that Ying Ruyue has a larger, long-term purpose for his skills.
• Ying Ruyue: Initially remains cold and direct, but her attitude changes visibly when she examines He Sheng’s exquisite-grade swords. She begins treating him with genuine respect and invests heavily in cultivating his abilities. Her desire for superior True Water swords—and possibly a powerful Sword Path treasure—becomes increasingly apparent.

3. Significant Themes

• Talent recognized and rewarded: He Sheng’s rare artifact-refining ability allows him to obtain resources normally inaccessible to a rogue cultivator.
• Long-term cultivation and strategic cooperation: Both characters enter a mutually beneficial partnership, exchanging difficult artifact work for spiritual resources, secret techniques, and future opportunities.
• The importance of foundation and purity: Ying Ruyue values the quality and purity of True Water above an artifact’s nominal grade, emphasizing that powerful cultivation depends on refined fundamentals.
• Rogue cultivator versus great sect resources: The agreement highlights the vast advantages possessed by major sects, including access to Golden Core secrets, rare spiritual materials, and valuable pills.
• Hidden ambitions and future escalation: Ying Ruyue’s hints about the Sword Path suggest that He Sheng’s current commissions may be preparation for an even more important and difficult artifact in the future.

4. Character Interactions

• Ying Ruyue bluntly evaluates He Sheng’s first sword set, while He Sheng accepts her criticism without defensiveness and presents a superior set.
• The exquisite-grade swords transform Ying Ruyue’s attitude from detached appraisal to sincere admiration and respect.
• Their negotiation is cautious and strategic: Ying Ruyue offers increasingly valuable incentives, while He Sheng waits to see the full terms before agreeing.
• He Sheng tests whether the Moon Mist Sect can provide a Golden Core Formation Pill, and Ying Ruyue confidently promises one in exchange for three difficult sword refinements.
• Their final exchange establishes a deeper connection: Ying Ruyue offers guidance on the Sword Path, while He Sheng recognizes that she may eventually rely on him to create an exceptional sword or even a Sword Path treasure.

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng receives the annual tribute from the He Family, worth around 30,000 spirit stones.
• He Ziyang's letter details the progress of the Bright Wisdom Water Ape (now named Everbright), the changes in the He Family, and the potential admission of main-branch descendants to Green Bamboo Court.
• The Treasure-Swallowing Snake agrees to help He Sheng find hidden resources in exchange for its freedom and the White Snake's.

Character Developments

• He Sheng: Shows interest in Everbright's growth and provides guidance to He Ziyang through a letter.
• He Ziyang: Demonstrates maturity and concern for the He Family's future, seeking He Sheng's guidance.
• Everbright: Shows intelligence and curiosity, learning to read and asking questions about books.
• Green Snake: Expresses loyalty to He Sheng, understanding the Treasure-Swallowing Snake's true nature, and wishing to remain in the Water Manor.
• White Snake: Enamored with the idea of a free life in the wild with the Treasure-Swallowing Snake.

Significant Themes

• The separation of immortals and mortals in the He Family, leading to renewed vigor and progress.
• The potential disruption of the main branch's influence on the clan's advancements.
• The allure of freedom and the wild life versus the stability of the Water Manor.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng and He Ziyang: A mentor-mentee relationship develops through letters, with He Sheng providing guidance and He Ziyang seeking his advice.
• He Sheng and the Green Snake: They share a mutual understanding and respect, with the Green Snake expressing its loyalty and He Sheng promising not to drive it away.
• The Green and White Snakes: The Green Snake tries to dissuade the White Snake from leaving with the Treasure-Swallowing Snake but ultimately fails.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenly Sea Trading Company's new headquarters is completed in Lower River Market.
• Lin Wanrou learns about the rumors surrounding the Linked Moon Lake incident and the possible involvement of the He Family.
• Chen Keshan reports his findings about the He Family's recent activities and the upcoming celebration for a genius disciple.
• Lin Wanrou decides to visit Long Sun Mountain during the celebration to investigate whether He Sheng is alive.

Character Developments

• Lin Wanrou becomes increasingly paranoid and fearful after learning about the rumors, leading her to decide to confront the situation directly.
• Chen Keshan demonstrates his confidence in his abilities and his commitment to protecting Lin Wanrou.

Significant Themes

• Fear and paranoia: Lin Wanrou's growing fear and paranoia drive her to take action.
• Trust and reliance: Lin Wanrou places her trust in Chen Keshan to protect her and help her uncover the truth about He Sheng.
• Investigation and discovery: Lin Wanrou's decision to visit Long Sun Mountain highlights her determination to uncover the truth behind the rumors.

Character Interactions

• Lin Wanrou and Chen Keshan: Their interaction reveals Lin Wanrou's growing fear and Chen Keshan's confidence in his abilities and commitment to protecting her.
• Lin Wanrou and the rumors: Lin Wanrou's reaction to the rumors about the Linked Moon Lake incident and the possible involvement of the He Family drives her to take action.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng returns to the reed marsh where He Yiyang died, searching for the storage pouch with the help of the Treasure-Swallowing Snake.
• They find the pouch torn open by a demon beast, leading them to a Void-Piercing Rats' nest.
• He Sheng discovers a spatial barrier within the nest, which he breaks through using the Blood Poison Mother-and-Child Blades.
• Inside the barrier, he finds an underground cavern with a stone platform similar to the one in Black Vine Ridge, suggesting a connection to the 'North Garden' secret realm.

Character Developments

• He Sheng demonstrates his strategic thinking and resourcefulness in tracking down the storage pouch and dealing with the Void-Piercing Rats.
• The Treasure-Swallowing Snake shows its keen senses and hunting abilities.

Significant Themes

• The power of formations and restriction runes, and their vulnerability to certain elements like poison.
• The interconnectedness of events and locations, hinting at a larger mystery.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng and the Treasure-Swallowing Snake work together to search for the storage pouch and deal with the Void-Piercing Rats.
• He Sheng's divine sense interacts with the spatial barrier and the formation within the cavern.

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng activates the secret realm's entrance and senses the presence of the Void-Piercing Rat King.
• He uses the Five Thoughts Resonance Talisman to divine the future, receiving an auspicious omen with a hint of danger.
• He enters the secret realm, encounters the Void-Piercing Rat King, and discovers its restriction-breaking talent.
• He finds and collects the He Family's hidden supplies, totaling over one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones and more than ten magical artifacts.
• He subdues the Void-Piercing Rat King as his spirit pet and discovers a high tower emitting a primordial aura within the secret realm.

Character Developments

• He Sheng demonstrates his array mastery by breaking the defensive array patterns in the corridor.
• The Void-Piercing Rat King shows its restriction-breaking talent and is later subdued by He Sheng.

Significant Themes

• The power of divination and its limitations, as seen through the Five Thoughts Resonance Talisman.
• The value of unique talents, such as the Void-Piercing Rat King's restriction-breaking ability.
• The allure of hidden treasures and the risks involved in obtaining them.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng interacts with the Void-Piercing Rat King, first as a pursuer and later as its master after subduing it.
• He Sheng's Blood Poison Mother-and-Child Blades play a role in intimidating the Void-Piercing Rat King during its subduing.

Summary: Thousand Illusion Water Shadows

1. Key Plot Points and Events

He Sheng investigates the unknown "East Garden" within Black Vine Ridge, located past the medicinal North Garden. Sensing a fierce, primordial Core Formation-level aura emanating from a towering structure, he arrives at a plaza bearing a white jade archway inscribed "East Garden" and discovers a black stone stele describing a "Trial Tower" — a testing ground of the previously unknown Heavenly River Sect, offering spell inheritances to those who pass.
Entering the tower, He Sheng witnesses a vision: an old man in dark Daoist robes destroys the majority of the sect's jade-slip spell inheritances, declaring them "dead techniques," retaining fewer than thirty as "living techniques." This vision is not merely historical — the trial itself proceeds. He Sheng chooses the blue orb (water-element), is trapped in a massive indestructible water bubble, and shatters it using Water-Gathering Break.
His reward is a watery-blue jade slip containing the Thousand Illusion Water Shadow Art — a complete cultivation path progressing from spell → Transcendent Art → Artistic Conception, ultimately enabling the Divine Ability Embryo [True Illusion]. The chapter ends with He Sheng entering a new space where the fierce primordial aura rushes directly at him, establishing a cliffhanger.

2. Character Developments

• He Sheng demonstrates: cautious investigation (probing with divine sense before entering), quick strategic thinking (recognizing the jade slip's value and immediately planning to apply its insights to his existing Clear Ripple Water Control Art), and competent water-elemental mastery (reading and shattering the bubble structure).
• No major emotional or philosophical change occurs in this chapter; He Sheng remains pragmatic, treasure-seeking, and analytical.
• The old man (a past Heavenly River Sect figure) is portrayed as a weary, drastic reformer who chose to cull his sect's own inheritance rather than preserve it — willing to destroy knowledge he deemed unworthy of the age.

3. Significant Themes

• "Dead techniques" vs. "living techniques" — the core philosophical question: "At the utmost limit of technique, what lies beyond?" The old man asserts that techniques which cannot reach the divine are "dead" and have no need to exist; only those that can reach the divine are "living."
• Entering the Dao through technique (以技入道) — the cultivation ladder of spell → Transcendent Art → Artistic Conception → Divine Ability Embryo is central to the reward.
• Erasure of sects and lost history — the Heavenly River Sect exists in none of the three known Great Daos (Supreme Mystery Orthodox Unity, Four Bright Mystical True Dao, True Dao of Netherworld Communion), suggesting catastrophic decline or deliberate destruction.
• The value of complete inheritance — the jade slip's true worth is not just a powerful technique, but a clearly articulated cultivation roadmap that can potentially be projected onto other arts, saving decades of groping in the dark.

4. Character Interactions

• He Sheng ↔ Old man's vision: One-sided encounter; the old man's soliloquy is delivered as a lesson to all who come after, though whether he intended the trial to remain functional after erasing the formation is ambiguous — He Sheng explicitly wonders why the trial still operates.
• He Sheng ↔ Trial: The five-element orbs "wait" for his choice; the water bubble actively tests his spell power; the rainbow beam and jade slip serve as the tower's impersonal reward system.
• No direct dialogue between living characters occurs in this chapter.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The author's new book, "On Going Premium," didn't perform well during its new-release period, failing to make the Sanjiang list.
• The author identifies two main reasons for the book's poor performance: starting the story in the middle, which hindered the creation of satisfying high points, and making the golden finger too complex with slow world-building.

Character Developments

• No significant character developments are mentioned in this chapter as it's an author's note, not a part of the story.

Significant Themes

• The importance of starting a story properly and creating satisfying moments for readers.
• The author's commitment to improving and learning from past mistakes.

Character Interactions

• Not applicable, as this chapter is an author's note and doesn't contain any character interactions.
  The author expresses their determination to continue writing "On Going Premium" properly and at a steady pace, with the goal of reaching 1.5-1.6 million characters. They also establish a reward system based on subscription numbers to motivate readers and assure them of their commitment to the story. Lastly, they thank their editor, Zhenguan, for their support and guidance.

Chapter Summary: “A New Lineage”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng reaches a new chamber within the Trial Tower, where he finds himself above a sea of clouds beneath a brilliant starry sky.
• A massive brown flood dragon, radiating genuine Core Formation pressure, is coiled before him. He initially assumes it is alive, but discovers that its vacant eyes and lack of consciousness reveal it to be a living puppet.
• The puppet’s eyes emit blood-red light, triggering another recorded vision of the mysterious white-haired Daoist elder.
• The elder explains the foundations of the

Breath-Absorbing Divine Way

• The thirty-six Dao Fruits represent the fundamental laws of Heaven and Earth.
• Divine Abilities are manifestations of fragments of those laws.
• Practitioners first acquire incomplete Divine Ability Embryos, which must be compatible and later merge during Core Formation through Dragon-Tiger Baleful Intent.
• A cultivator’s fate, chosen spiritual essence, and cultivation method determine which Dao Fruits and Divine Abilities they can pursue.
• Attempting to combine incompatible Divine Ability Embryos can destroy one’s cultivation or cause death.
• The elder speculates that there may be Divine Abilities beyond yin, yang, and the five elements—abilities that do not depend on the existing thirty-six Dao Fruits.
• He suggests that such powers could form an entirely new path for cultivators of the Qi Refining and Void-Unifying Path, implying that he may have been trying to create a new lineage or great Dao.
• The vision ends, and the flood dragon gives He Sheng a Trial Token.
• The token allows He Sheng either to attempt the trial immediately by defeating the Core Formation-stage Flood Dragon Puppet or to leave and return later.
• Remembering the ominous warning from his Five Thoughts Resonance Talisman, He Sheng decides not to fight yet. He plans to attend the Black Demon Secret Meeting, increase his strength, and return later.
• He uses the tower’s teleportation formation to leave the secret realm.

2. Character Developments

• He Sheng demonstrates caution and rational judgment. Although fascinated by the elder’s revelations, he refuses to let curiosity push him into an unwinnable battle.
• His understanding of the Breath-Absorbing Divine Way deepens significantly. He learns that Divine Abilities are not independent techniques but fragments of greater laws that must be carefully matched.
• He becomes aware of the possibility of an entirely new cultivation system, which may have major implications for his future.
• The mysterious white-haired Daoist elder is further characterized as an ambitious and possibly revolutionary cultivator. His words suggest he sought a path beyond the traditional Dao Fruits and may have been attempting to establish a new lineage.
• The Flood Dragon Puppet serves as both guardian and trial opponent, retaining Core Formation strength despite lacking consciousness.

3. Significant Themes

• Limits and dangers of cultivation: Power must be developed according to strict laws; incompatible techniques can destroy the cultivator.
• Creation of a new path: The chapter introduces the possibility of surpassing established systems and discovering laws outside the known Dao Fruits.
• Knowledge versus strength: He Sheng gains valuable understanding but recognizes that insight alone cannot compensate for insufficient power.
• Caution and long-term planning: Rather than acting impulsively, He Sheng preserves the opportunity to return and prepares himself properly.
• The nature of Divine Abilities: The chapter frames them as expressions of universal laws rather than merely powerful techniques.
• Legacy and unfinished ambition: The elder’s teachings hint at an incomplete experiment or lost cultivation path that He Sheng may eventually investigate.

4. Character Interactions

• He Sheng confronts the Flood Dragon Puppet but does not yet engage it in battle.
• The recorded elder directly addresses the viewer—or seemingly He Sheng—through the blood-red light, presenting a philosophical and technical explanation of cultivation.
• The elder’s revelations provoke He Sheng’s speculation that he was attempting to establish a new cultivation lineage.
• He Sheng ultimately chooses to disengage from the puppet and preserve the Trial Token, setting up a future confrontation after he grows stronger.

Chapter Summary: “Beyond Expectations”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After more than half a month, He Sheng travels to Black Water Marsh, a lawless no-man’s-land between the territories of the Supreme Mystery Orthodox Unity and the Four Bright Mystical True Dao.
• He disguises himself as a cold, solitary swordsman and enters Thousand Red Market, a notorious black market populated by bandits, fugitives, rogue cultivators, and traffickers.
• Using a Black Demon Invitation, He Sheng enters the Black Demon Secret Meeting, where participants conceal their identities with Cloud Cover Talismans and trade under the supervision of several Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators.
• He Sheng aggressively purchases Foundation Establishment Pills, paying with spirit stones and high-quality magical artifacts, including the Owl Dragon Banner and Fire Tip Spear.
• By the time he takes the stage, he has acquired eight pills. He then trades nearly all his remaining magical artifacts and spirit stones for ten more, bringing his total to eighteen authentic Foundation Establishment Pills.
• A Golden Core Formation Pill appears during the meeting and sparks fierce bidding, eventually selling for 450,000 spirit stones. He Sheng cannot afford it, even after considering his Dharma Coins and Cold Soul Mystic Crystal Stone.
• After the meeting, He Sheng senses several cultivators tracking him. He uses the Thousand Illusion Water Shadow Art to create decoys, conceals his true body, and escapes through the marsh with Subtle Ripple Water Escape.
• Just as he believes he has evaded pursuit and reached the marsh’s edge, an unknown attacker launches a black, ghostly strike directly toward his spirit platform.

Character Developments

• He Sheng demonstrates careful preparation, strategic thinking, and confidence in dangerous environments. He anticipates the secret meeting’s possible betrayal and remains alert despite the apparent security measures.
• His repeated purchases reveal his strong priority: obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills, likely to support his family or faction’s future development.
• He shows financial decisiveness, sacrificing valuable magical artifacts and almost all his liquid wealth to secure the pills.
• He remains calm under surveillance and successfully uses deception and concealment techniques to escape, though the final ambush shows that his preparations may not have been sufficient.

Significant Themes

• Lawlessness and survival: Black Water Marsh and Thousand Red Market operate outside normal sect authority, where strength and caution determine survival.
• Mistrust and hidden motives: The Cloud Cover Talismans are presented as protective measures but may actually help the organizers identify and exploit vulnerable participants.
• The cost of advancement: Cultivation resources—especially Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Formation Pills—are extraordinarily valuable, forcing cultivators to risk wealth, danger, and betrayal.
• Preparation versus unpredictability: He Sheng plans extensively and successfully avoids obvious traps, yet an unseen opponent still catches him off guard.
• Moral degradation: The market’s trade in stolen artifacts, poisons, and human cauldrons emphasizes the brutality and corruption of the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng has brief, formal interactions with the Black Demon Meeting guards and attendants, who verify his invitation, provide concealment talismans, and explain the rules.
• He competes indirectly with numerous anonymous cultivators during the bidding, especially for Foundation Establishment Pills.
• He negotiates with several sellers, haggling over pills and magical artifacts while accepting slightly unfavorable prices to secure the resources he wants.
• The auction’s participants compete intensely for the Golden Core Formation Pill, reflecting the desperation of rogue cultivators seeking advancement.
• After leaving the market, He Sheng is pursued by multiple unknown cultivators, culminating in a direct attack by a still-unidentified enemy.

Chapter Summary: “Unexpected”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator ambushes He Sheng at the edge of Black Water Marsh with a powerful divine sense technique, the Black Demon Soul-Piercing Art.
• He Sheng secretly withstands the attack using Scattered Stars, which shields his consciousness with the starlight-protected treasure bottle. He pretends to be seriously injured so the attacker will pursue him.
• The ambusher, Xu Kun, reveals himself as a ruthless rogue cultivator and uses a powerful prototype magic treasure—a black trident—to chase He Sheng through the marsh.
• He Sheng deliberately lures Xu Kun into deeper water, where his poison techniques are greatly enhanced. He uses the Blood Poison Mother-and-Child Blades and the Thousandfold Condensed Poison Dragon Break to trap and attack Xu Kun.
• He reverses Xu Kun’s own strategy by launching repeated Scattered Stars divine sense attacks while Xu Kun is distracted by the poison dragon. This disrupts Xu Kun’s control of his trident and leaves him vulnerable.
• Xu Kun counters with the Blood Baleful Dragon-Seizing Hand, but the poison dragon destroys it. His trident is also gradually weakened and contaminated by the poisonous water.
• Facing defeat, Xu Kun self-destructs the prototype magic treasure. He survives the blast and attempts to escape using a blood-escape secret art that consumes his lifespan.
• He Sheng pursues him through the water, uses a concentrated divine sense sword attack, freezes his path with Cold Yin Palm, and finally kills him by decapitating him with the Blood Poison Mother-and-Child Blades.
• After destroying the corpse, He Sheng searches Xu Kun’s soul and discovers his identity: Xu Kun was the second-in-command of No Trace, a prominent bandit group in Black Water Marsh.
• Xu Kun had recently robbed another cultivator of a genuine Golden Core Formation Pill, which He Sheng finds in his storage pouch. He also obtains immense wealth, including over two hundred thousand spirit stones, numerous artifacts, techniques, pills, and talismans.
• He Sheng refines Xu Kun’s lingering resentment into a Vengeful Soul Imprint, recognizing that it may strengthen his future divine sense attacks.
• He hides in an underwater cave for several days to recover, then leaves Black Water Marsh for Heaven Capital Mountain. The chapter ends by revealing that a major upheaval has occurred at Silver Sand River, potentially changing the balance of power there.

Character Developments

• He Sheng demonstrates calmness, deception, tactical planning, and resourcefulness. Rather than confronting Xu Kun directly, he pretends to be injured, chooses the battlefield carefully, and exploits the marsh’s environment.
• His mastery of Scattered Stars develops significantly. He uses it defensively, offensively, repeatedly during combat, and finally condenses it into a powerful one-inch divine sense sword.
• He Sheng becomes more confident in combining his divine sense techniques with poison-based attacks and environmental advantages.
• The victory gives him a major financial and cultivation boost. The Golden Core Formation Pill prompts him to begin seriously planning his advancement toward the False Core Realm.
• Xu Kun is revealed as a dangerous but arrogant predator who specializes in ambushing lone cultivators. Despite his formidable arsenal and experience, he underestimates He Sheng and misjudges him as an easy target.

Significant Themes

• The hunter becoming the hunted: Xu Kun begins the chapter as the ambusher but is gradually lured into a trap and destroyed by his intended victim.
• Preparation and battlefield control: He Sheng wins not through overwhelming strength alone, but by choosing the terrain, concealing his true condition, and forcing Xu Kun into an unfavorable environment.
• Deception and hidden strength: Xu Kun assumes He Sheng is a weak “fat sheep,” while He Sheng deliberately maintains that illusion until the decisive moment.
• Unexpected windfall: Xu Kun’s attempt to profit from another cultivator’s misfortune ultimately benefits He Sheng, emphasizing the unpredictable chain of cause and effect in the cultivation world.
• Cultivation as long-term planning: Obtaining the Golden Core Formation Pill does not lead to an immediate breakthrough. He Sheng recognizes that he must first improve his techniques, divine sense, Dao-heart cultivation, and access to a third-rank spiritual land.
• The dangers of rogue cultivation: Xu Kun’s wealth and power show the rewards of preying on others, while his death demonstrates the risks of relying on ambushes and arrogance.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng and Xu Kun: Their confrontation is built around mutual deception. Xu Kun tries to overpower He Sheng with divine sense attacks and a prototype treasure, while He Sheng feigns weakness, draws him into the marsh, and turns Xu Kun’s own tactics against him.
• He Sheng and Xu Kun’s remnant soul: After killing Xu Kun, He Sheng forcibly searches his soul, learning about No Trace, the stolen Golden Core Formation Pill, and Xu Kun’s final resentment.
• He Sheng and Xu Kun’s spoils: The dead Xu Kun indirectly provides He Sheng with the resources needed for future cultivation, transforming the failed ambush into a major opportunity.

Chapter Summary: “Earth-Spirit Root”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• He Weixiong returns to Long Sun Mountain after delivering the annual tribute and is immediately summoned by Grand Elder He Weixian.
• He Weixian reveals that the He Family has discovered a rare fire-element Earth-Spirit Root disciple: He Jingxing, formerly Liu Jingxing, the son of He Linxue and a child originally sent over by the Liu Family.
• Recognizing Jingxing’s extraordinary potential, the elders decide to redirect the family’s resources away from He Ziyang and devote them to cultivating Jingxing into a Foundation Establishment cultivator within ten years.
• He Weixian insists that talent, rather than branch status, must determine advancement and declares that anyone opposing Jingxing’s promotion will be punished.
• Because Lord Black Tortoise is away, He Weixian sends He Ziyang’s letter to the Lord Manor Master and proceeds with a public celebration of Jingxing’s status.
• He Ziyang struggles with being overshadowed but resolves not to surrender. Remembering Teacher Yun’s lesson that temperament can overcome limited aptitude, he vows to surpass Jingxing through effort and determination.
• During a grand ancestral ceremony, Jingxing is formally entered into the He Family genealogy, incorporated into the main branch, and granted his own branch with the full treatment of a main-branch heir. His life plaque is enshrined in the ancestral hall.
• The Zhou, Wen, Sheng, and Liu Families attend the celebration. The Liu Family is humiliated because Jingxing was originally their blood relative and was nearly neglected or mistreated by them.
• At the banquet, Lin Wanrou of the Celestial Sea Commerce Association arrives with Chen Keshan and presents a valuable but ominous Bloodglow Stone.
• Lin then deliberately disrupts the celebration by demanding that the Zhou and Wen Family Foundation Establishment cultivators fight Chen Keshan together, clearly intending to humiliate the He Family and test whether He Sheng is still alive.
• Just as the guests are forced into an impossible choice, an unknown woman suddenly insults Lin Wanrou from the sky, bringing the celebration to a dramatic halt.

2. Character Developments

• He Weixian: Becomes increasingly decisive and reform-minded. He prioritizes the He Family’s survival over traditional bloodline prejudice and boldly establishes Jingxing’s independent branch.
• He Weixiong: Initially resents Jingxing because he is descended through the daughter’s line, but ultimately accepts the decision after recognizing the threat posed by the Liu Family gaining such a genius.
• He Jingxing: Moves from an outsider with a painful past to a formally recognized He Family heir. Although shy and sensitive, he displays calm manners and grows fiercely protective of his new family when Lin Wanrou insults them.
• He Ziyang: Experiences disappointment and insecurity after losing the position he expected to receive. Instead of collapsing, he develops stronger resolve and commits to overcoming his inferior spirit-root aptitude through discipline and character.
• He Linxue: Gains hope and emotional relief after seeing her son honored and accepted by the He Family, despite her own hardships and crippled cultivation.
• Lin Wanrou: Reveals herself as calculating, provocative, and politically aggressive. Her actions are designed to embarrass the He Family and lure He Sheng into revealing himself.
• Chen Keshan: Serves as the intimidating martial power behind Lin Wanrou’s provocation, apparently confident enough to face two Foundation Establishment opponents.
• Everbright: Continues developing intelligence and human-like behavior, serving as He Ziyang’s loyal companion and emotional support.

3. Significant Themes

• Talent versus lineage: Jingxing’s Earth-Spirit Root forces the He Family to confront whether inherited status or cultivation potential should determine privilege.
• Family survival over tradition: The elders abandon old branch prejudices because the family’s future depends on nurturing its strongest talent.
• Aptitude versus perseverance: He Ziyang’s determination emphasizes that natural talent is important but does not completely define one’s future.
• Belonging and identity: Jingxing’s formal acceptance into the He Family contrasts with his neglect by the Liu Family, showing how family is shaped by recognition and protection as much as blood.
• Political pressure and humiliation: The celebration becomes a stage for rival families and the Celestial Sea Commerce Association to test the He Family’s strength.
• The burden of genius: Jingxing’s elevated status brings honor but also intense scrutiny, resentment, and expectations.
• Hidden power and strategic provocation: Lin Wanrou’s conduct suggests that powerful factions are probing whether the supposedly absent He Sheng is secretly protecting the family.

4. Character Interactions

• He Weixian and He Weixiong: Debate Jingxing’s status and the family’s future, with Weixian insisting on merit-based advancement and Weixiong reluctantly agreeing.
• He Ziyang and Everbright: He Ziyang confides his frustrations to the intelligent monkey, who provides silent companionship as he recommits himself to cultivation.
• He Linxue and He Jingxing: She encourages him to raise his head and accept his new identity as a protected He Family disciple.
• He Ziyang and He Jingxing: Their relationship is defined by contrast: Jingxing receives the honor Ziyang expected, while Ziyang quietly struggles with jealousy and determination.
• The He Family and the Liu Family: Jingxing’s promotion exposes the Liu Family’s disgrace and their failure to recognize or protect their own exceptional descendant.
• Lin Wanrou and He Weixian: Lin maintains a polite surface while deliberately threatening and humiliating the He Family through the Bloodglow Stone and her proposed duel.
• Lin Wanrou, the Zhou Family, and the Wen Family: She attempts to force the two rival patriarchs into a confrontation with Chen Keshan, placing them under political pressure.
• The unknown female speaker and Lin Wanrou: The chapter ends with the unknown woman publicly insulting Lin Wanrou, signaling the arrival of a powerful new participant and an imminent confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Registered Disciple”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A mysterious azure-robed woman arrives above Long Sun Mountain on a streak of sword light, bringing overwhelming Sword Intent that silences the entire gathering.
• She publicly condemns Lin Wanrou for deceiving and humiliating a true disciple of the Mysterious Heaven Sect.
• When Lin Wanrou calls for help, Steward Chen Keshan attempts to protect her, but the woman effortlessly severs his right arm and destroys his weapon.
• She then breaks through Lin Wanrou’s protective third-tier talisman, strips away her clothing, and carves humiliating words into her body as punishment rather than killing her.
• Lin Wanrou endures the disgrace without collapsing, accepts the punishment, retrieves Chen Keshan’s severed arm, and flees.
• The woman reveals that she is Qingyin, a sword puppet serving Guizang True Person of Heavenly Geng Peak.
• Qingyin announces that the Star-Backed Black Turtle has acknowledged Ye Shaochen, a true disciple of the Mysterious Heaven Sect, as its master and will no longer serve the He Family.
• As compensation for the turtle’s century-long relationship with the He Family, Guizang True Person bestows the fourth-tier Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art upon them.
• Qingyin’s sword-searching artifact unexpectedly identifies He Ziyang as someone with a naturally formed Primordial Spirit Sword Aperture and an exceptional destiny.
• She implants the Heavenly Geng Metal Origin Sword into He Ziyang’s body. It purifies his cultivation by dissolving all his accumulated mana, reducing him from a second-layer Qi Refinement cultivator back to a mortal.
• Qingyin gives him a black iron sword containing the Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art and a remnant of Violet-Gold Sky-Piercing Qi.
• He Ziyang is formally made a registered disciple of Guizang True Person and is promised entry into the Mysterious Heaven Sect once he establishes a Dao Foundation.
• Qingyin departs, leaving the mountain’s inhabitants stunned and aware that the balance of power in the Silver Sand River region has changed.

Character Developments

• Lin Wanrou: Her arrogance and manipulative behavior are exposed and punished. Despite suffering extreme public humiliation, she demonstrates resilience and political awareness by suppressing her emotions and maintaining outward composure. Her social standing, however, is severely damaged.
• Chen Keshan: His caution and self-preservation are overwhelmed by his obligation to protect Lin Wanrou. His failed intervention costs him his right arm and weapon, showing the overwhelming strength of the Mysterious Heaven Sect.
• Qingyin: She is revealed to be a sword puppet acting on behalf of Guizang True Person. Though cold and merciless toward Lin Wanrou, she displays genuine excitement and approval upon discovering He Ziyang’s rare talent.
• He Ziyang: He undergoes the greatest transformation. His hard-earned cultivation is erased, but he gains a far more promising future as a registered disciple of a supreme sect. His innate sword aptitude marks him as a potential future powerhouse.
• The He Family: They lose the Star-Backed Black Turtle but receive a powerful cultivation inheritance. They also begin to suspect that the mysterious Lord of the Water Palace may have been connected to the turtle’s true identity or disappearance.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: The Mysterious Heaven Sect’s authority is so great that local powers cannot resist or even question its judgment.
• Humiliation as punishment: Lin Wanrou is spared death but subjected to a punishment designed to destroy her reputation and political influence.
• Endurance and survival: Lin Wanrou’s ability to endure disgrace shows the harsh pragmatism required in the cultivation world.
• Fortune hidden in loss: He Ziyang loses his cultivation, yet this apparent disaster becomes the foundation of a far greater opportunity.
• Fate and talent: His Primordial Spirit Sword Aperture and “Alloy” destiny mark him as someone chosen by extraordinary circumstances.
• Changing political order: The appearance of Qingyin and the recognition of He Ziyang signal that the remote Silver Sand River region is becoming connected to the wider world of powerful immortal sects.

Character Interactions

• Qingyin confronts and verbally crushes Lin Wanrou, rejecting her attempts to justify herself.
• Chen Keshan tries to intervene on Lin Wanrou’s behalf but is decisively defeated and mutilated.
• Qingyin addresses the He Family as an emissary of Guizang True Person, severing their relationship with the Star-Backed Black Turtle while offering them compensation.
• Qingyin examines He Ziyang, recognizes his unique potential, and personally initiates him into the Mysterious Heaven Sect’s lineage.
• He Ziyang’s small monkey, Everbright, provides a quiet moment of emotional support after his cultivation is destroyed and his life is irrevocably changed.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng learns, over a month late, about the upheaval at Long Sun Mountain. He Weixian and numerous He Family elders arrive at his water residence to report what happened.
• He Weixian explains that He Jingxing’s Earth-Spirit Root was discovered, while He Ziyang received the Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art from a female cultivator of the Mysterious Heaven Sect.
• The female cultivator punished Lin Wanrou for manipulating Ye Shaochen, but ignored Ye Shaochen’s earlier attempt to kill Brother Piao. He Sheng interprets this as proof that Mysterious Heaven Sect does not intend to pursue Brother Piao’s identity or defend Ye Shaochen’s reputation.
• He Sheng concludes that Lin Wanrou and the Lower River Branch likely suspected Brother Piao survived and had deliberately provoked the He Family during its celebration. With Chen Keshan badly injured and Lin Wanrou isolated, he decides this is the ideal moment to eliminate them.
• He Sheng orders He Weixian to have He Ziyang copy and secretly preserve the Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art as part of the He Family’s future inheritance. He tells the elders to maintain the status quo until he returns to Long Sun Mountain.
• He refuses to reveal his connection to Brother Piao, telling He Weixian that the truth will be disclosed when the time is right.
• He Sheng spends his remaining cultivation time advancing the Thousand Illusion Water Shadow Art. Through prolonged cultivation, he develops it into the transcendent technique Thousand Waters Phantom Dharma Body and comprehends the Water True Illusion Intent Realm.
• He can now create multiple powerful water-shadow bodies, eventually producing nine bodies with roughly thirty percent of his peak strength each. They can use his water-element techniques, coordinate mentally, and form illusion formations. He can also condense stronger bodies and split them into numerous weaker copies.
• His combat confidence rises sharply, and he believes he now has a strong chance of killing both Lin Wanrou and Chen Keshan.
• The chapter ends with a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator entering Lower River Market and heading toward the Lower River Branch, signaling the beginning of a new confrontation or investigation.

Character Developments

• He Sheng: Becomes more decisive, calculating, and openly murderous toward Lin Wanrou. He continues carefully maintaining separate identities while expanding his combat strength. His mastery of illusion and water techniques gives him a major strategic advantage.
• He Weixian: Appears overwhelmed by the He Family’s sudden connection to a supreme immortal sect and seeks He Sheng’s guidance. He also suspects that He Sheng has a deeper connection to the family, though he does not dare ask directly.
• He Ziyang: Gains access to a fourth-grade cultivation art and a potential future position within the Mysterious Heaven Sect, but struggles to understand it because it follows a completely different cultivation path from his former technique.
• Lin Wanrou: Is revealed to be patient, politically capable, and highly suspicious. Despite public humiliation by the Mysterious Heaven Sect cultivator, she maintains composure and continues supporting the Lower River Branch, making He Sheng regard her as an especially dangerous enemy.
• Chen Keshan: Remains a significant threat despite having lost an arm and suffered serious injuries.
• He Jingxing: His Earth-Spirit Root discovery elevates his importance to the He Family, though his role in the chapter is reported rather than shown directly.
• He Weixian and the He Family elders: Their dependence on He Sheng increases as outside forces and immortal sect involvement exceed their experience and understanding.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and strategic concealment: He Sheng continues balancing his Xiang Yue, residence master, and Brother Piao identities, revealing information only when it serves his plans.
• Power and factional hierarchy: The Mysterious Heaven Sect’s indifference toward Ye Shaochen’s failed attack demonstrates the overwhelming authority of immortal sects and their contempt for weaker cultivators.
• Inheritance and legacy: The Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art may transform the He Family’s future, while He Sheng ensures its knowledge is preserved secretly.
• Calculation versus uncertainty: He Sheng carefully weighs the Mysterious Heaven Sect’s intentions, Lin Wanrou’s suspicions, and the danger of exposing himself before acting.
• Illusion and truth: He Sheng’s cultivation breakthrough reflects the chapter’s title. His water shadows move from simple copies to independent, convincing manifestations, blurring the boundary between reality and illusion.
• Escalating conflict: The chapter shifts from political consequences at Long Sun Mountain to preparation for a direct campaign against Lin Wanrou and the Lower River Branch.

Important Character Interactions

• He Sheng and He Weixian: He Weixian reports the Long Sun Mountain events and seeks direction. He Sheng reassures him, assigns the preservation of the new cultivation art, and postpones revealing his identity.
• He Sheng and He Ziyang: Though they do not meet directly, He Sheng takes responsibility for He Ziyang’s future by arranging for the sword art to be copied and preserved.
• Lin Wanrou and the Mysterious Heaven Sect cultivator: The female cultivator publicly punishes and humiliates Lin Wanrou for manipulating Ye Shaochen, demonstrating the Sect’s authority over her.
• He Sheng and Lin Wanrou: Their conflict becomes irreconcilable. He Sheng concludes that Lin Wanrou must die soon, viewing her intelligence and endurance as too dangerous to leave unchecked.
• He Sheng and his own cultivation: Through the Time-Reversing Water Clock, he undergoes years of simulated cultivation in a short period, transforming illusion techniques into his primary weapon for the coming battle.

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng, disguised as Xu Kun, attacks the Lower River Branch of the Celestial Sea Commerce Association.
• He uses the Thousand Waters Phantom Dharma Body to defeat Chen Keshan and Lin Wanrou, killing them both.
• He Sheng loots the branch, obtaining a significant amount of wealth and materials, including the Long Peachwood Myriad Union Spear and the Mystic Scorching Iceflame Seed.
• He learns from Lin Wanrou's soul that Long Sun Mountain may contain a Heavenly River Sect secret realm.
• He Sheng decides to head to Primordial Mist Immortal City to lie low and purchase Fate-Testing Talismans.

Character Developments

• He Sheng continues to demonstrate his cunning and powerful abilities, easily defeating two Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Chen Keshan and Lin Wanrou are killed, revealing their true intentions and the extent of their power.
• He Sheng shows caution and strategic thinking, deciding to lie low and gather information before making his next move.

Significant Themes

• The power of illusions and deception, as He Sheng uses the Thousand Waters Phantom Dharma Body to great effect.
• The consequences of greed and ambition, as both Chen Keshan and Lin Wanrou are killed for their secrets.
• The importance of gathering information and making strategic decisions, as He Sheng plans his next move.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng interacts with the Dharma Bodies he has created, using them to gather spoils and information.
• He Sheng faces off against Chen Keshan and Lin Wanrou, defeating them both through a combination of strategy and powerful abilities.
• He Sheng reflects on his plans and decisions, showing his strategic thinking and caution.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng and Wind Spirit visit Heavenly Talisman Elder, leader of the Southern Mountain Society, at his secluded residence in Skyglow Ward.
• He Sheng purchases ten Fate-Reading Talismans and orders another Five Thoughts Resonance Talisman, paying a deposit. The talisman’s price is reduced because of his previous assistance to Heavenly Talisman Elder.
• Heavenly Talisman Elder reveals that he hopes to establish a cultivation Lineage through his only daughter. He seeks a live-in son-in-law with excellent aptitude, upright character, and the “fate of Separation Flame,” intending to use the Flame-Slaying Origin Traversal Art to attract such a man.
• He asks He Sheng to watch for a suitable candidate, offering a Five Thoughts Resonance Talisman as compensation. He Sheng readily agrees to strengthen their relationship and gain access to future opportunities.
• He Sheng inquires about renting a third-tier cultivation chamber to attempt a False Core breakthrough. Wind Spirit explains that such rooms cost roughly twenty thousand spirit stones per month and can be rented through Zhu Hong of the Moon Mist Sect.
• Heavenly Talisman Elder warns He Sheng that forming a False Core may permanently damage his future prospects for forming a Golden Core. He Sheng pretends to accept this fate, though he secretly views False Core as a temporary identity and strategic stepping stone.
• After leaving, He Sheng uses Water-Shadow Dharma Bodies to arrange a transaction with Liu Xuanyi and investigate the Celestial Sea Commerce Association’s response to the destruction of the Lower River Branch.
• He learns that the Lin Family has blamed the incident on the deceased Lin Wanrou and has publicly named the bandit Xu Kun as the culprit, based on a Core Formation cultivator’s retrospection technique.
• Lin Yuanxiao has regained power, becoming chief manager of the Celestial Sea Commerce Association’s affairs in Primordial Mist Immortal City. He has also proposed abandoning the Lower River Branch because of its repeated destruction and dangerous location.
• With the Lin Family unlikely to pursue the matter further, He Sheng realizes he can safely return to Long Sun Mountain. After completing his dealings and collecting over fifty thousand spirit stones, he leaves the city for South Marsh Lake.

Character Developments

• He Sheng becomes more deeply connected to Heavenly Talisman Elder and gains another potentially valuable alliance. He also confirms that he is willing to pursue False Core cultivation for practical advantages, while concealing his true long-term plans.
• Heavenly Talisman Elder is shown to be focused on preserving his family’s inheritance. His concern for his daughter and desire to establish a Lineage reveal a more personal motivation behind his cultivation decisions.
• Wind Spirit remains a worldly, humorous figure devoted to fathering descendants and building a Lineage. His attitude was strongly influenced by Heavenly Talisman Elder.
• Lin Yuanxiao rises sharply in status within the Lin Family and uses the Lower River Branch crisis to consolidate authority.
• Lin Tianhai loses power and is forced to apologize to the Mysterious Heaven Sect after Lin Wanrou’s public humiliation.
• Lin Wanrou, though already dead, becomes a scapegoat for the Lin Family’s internal political maneuvering.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism over ideals: He Sheng treats False Core cultivation not as the end of his path but as a calculated means of gaining status, resources, and influence.
• Inheritance and Lineage: Heavenly Talisman Elder and Wind Spirit both seek to preserve their legacies through descendants, showing the importance of family continuation in the cultivation world.
• Political corruption and scapegoating: The Lin Family prioritizes internal power struggles over justice, sacrificing Lin Wanrou’s reputation to protect its interests.
• Information and deception: He Sheng’s Water-Shadow Dharma Bodies, long-range divine-sense surveillance, disguises, and memory manipulation demonstrate the value of controlling information.
• The vulnerability of rogue cultivators: Without powerful backing, rogue cultivators must accept compromises and exploit every available connection to advance.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng and Wind Spirit display a cooperative relationship, with Wind Spirit helping him negotiate matters and explain the city’s cultivation resources.
• Heavenly Talisman Elder and Wind Spirit banter about concubines and descendants, revealing familiarity and mutual respect beneath their teasing.
• Heavenly Talisman Elder offers He Sheng a reward for helping find a son-in-law, creating a new basis for trust between them.
• The Elder’s warning about False Core cultivation becomes a serious moment of mutual recognition: he sees He Sheng’s apparent resolve, while He Sheng conceals his real intentions.
• He Sheng interrogates a controlled commerce-association shop assistant to uncover the Lin Family’s plans, then erases the man’s memory and compensates him, emphasizing He Sheng’s cautious and secretive methods.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Ziyang remains in Green Bamboo Court, troubled by the dramatic change in how the clan treats him after a Mysterious Heaven Sect cultivator publicly accepts him as Guizang True Person’s registered disciple.
• His former classmates now act fearful and overly respectful, while Instructor He Qingyun becomes deferential. The First Elder also repeatedly urges him to move into the clan’s best cultivation site, Returning Origin Cave.
• He Ziyang reflects on whether cultivators truly seek transcendence, questioning why everyone is controlled by status and social ties.
• He Sheng, disguised as an old man, visits him. He Ziyang asks why everyone has changed and what he should do. He Sheng explains that becoming a registered disciple has separated him from ordinary clan members and that he must learn to endure loneliness.
• Concerned by He Ziyang’s emotional state, He Sheng decides to take him to Heaven Capital Mountain for several years of solitary cultivation. He Ziyang agrees, and Everbright chooses to accompany him.
• The First Elder gives He Sheng a jade slip containing He Ziyang’s complete recollection of the Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art, asking him to safeguard it.
• He Sheng studies the technique and discovers that its complete Divine Ability is Golden Firmament Annihilation, formed from three Divine Ability Embryos:
  • Fate Divine Ability:

Violet Firmament

• Sword Path Divine Ability:

Annihilation

• Artifact Divine Ability:

Golden Edge

• He Sheng realizes the technique requires the rare Violet-Gold Sky-Piercing Qi, which must be digested through Sword Intent, making it extraordinarily difficult to cultivate. He also discovers that the Artifact Divine Ability’s method for extracting artifact spirituality resembles the incomplete Origin Refining True Transformation method he previously obtained.
• He Sheng tests six talented clan children for their fates. He Jingxing possesses the fire-element fate Separation Flame, while only one other child has a metal-element fate, Lou Metal, which does not match the Alloy fate required by the sword art.
• He Sheng searches Long Sun Mountain overnight for the hidden Heavenly River Sect Secret Realm but finds nothing. He concludes that the information may be inaccurate or that special conditions are needed to reveal it.
• At dawn, He Ziyang departs with He Sheng and Everbright for Heaven Capital Mountain.

Character Developments

• He Ziyang: Becomes increasingly mature but emotionally isolated. He recognizes that status has changed others’ perceptions of him and feels alienated from his clan. Though confused about cultivation and transcendence, he accepts He Sheng’s guidance and chooses to leave in order to grow stronger and learn to live with loneliness.
• He Sheng: Acts as He Ziyang’s mentor and emotional anchor. He demonstrates insight into the dangers surrounding the Mysterious Heaven Sect and realizes that the clan has neglected He Ziyang’s feelings while focusing on its own security. He also gains a deeper understanding of Divine Abilities and discovers a possible connection to his artifact-refining inheritance.
• He Weixian: Remains cautious and fearful of the Mysterious Heaven Sect’s influence. He is relieved when He Sheng takes responsibility for He Ziyang and eagerly entrusts the dangerous sword-art record to him.
• He Jingxing: Despite losing his privileged status, he remains focused and content as an ordinary disciple. He mysteriously recognizes He Sheng as the person who saved him, suggesting an unusually strong instinctive bond or perception.
• Everbright: Remains fiercely loyal to He Ziyang and immediately chooses to accompany him.

Significant Themes

• Isolation caused by power and status: He Ziyang’s elevated identity creates distance between him and those he once considered family.
• The limits of transcendence: The chapter questions whether cultivators can truly escape worldly bonds when their goals and identities remain tied to family, relationships, and social structures.
• Responsibility versus personal feelings: The He Family treats He Ziyang as a valuable connection to the Mysterious Heaven Sect, unintentionally overlooking his emotional suffering.
• Mentorship and growth: He Sheng teaches that becoming strong requires learning to endure solitude, while still offering He Ziyang practical support.
• Hidden inheritances and cultivation mysteries: The sword art reveals deeper principles of Divine Ability cultivation and may help He Sheng complete his own artifact-related techniques.
• Fate and potential: The children’s fate-testing establishes their differing cultivation prospects and hints at future opportunities or conflicts.

Important Character Interactions

• He Ziyang and He Sheng: Their central conversation explores loneliness, transcendence, family, and the burden of status. He Sheng ultimately assumes responsibility for guiding Ziyang.
• He Ziyang and Everbright: Their affectionate bond is emphasized when the monkey chooses to leave with him and comforts him before his departure.
• He Sheng and He Weixian: He Weixian entrusts the sword-art jade slip to He Sheng and accepts his decision to take Ziyang away, clearly relieved to be free of the difficult situation.
• He Sheng and He Jingxing: Jingxing thanks He Sheng for saving him and instinctively recognizes him despite his disguise. He Sheng responds with unexpected warmth and encouragement.
• He Sheng and the selected children: He tests their fates, searching for someone compatible with the sword art, but finds no suitable candidate.

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Sheng, after three years of intense cultivation, successfully refines three sets of premium-grade Water Moon United Heart Swords and raises his artifact refiner rank to High-Grade Second-Tier.
• He learns that He Ziyang has been in secluded meditation for three days, growing weaker, and rushes to check on him.
• Upon arrival, He Sheng senses He Ziyang's newly formed sword intent and realizes he has finally entered the Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art.

Character Developments

• He Sheng: He continues to dedicate himself to artifact refinement and cultivation, raising his artifact refiner rank and improving his Divine Artifact Treasure Vase Forging Method. He also shows concern and responsibility for He Ziyang's well-being.
• He Ziyang: After three years of struggle, He Ziyang finally comprehends sword intent and enters the Violet Firmament Annihilation Sword Art, demonstrating resilience and determination.

Significant Themes

• Patience and Persistence: Both He Sheng and He Ziyang exhibit patience and persistence in their respective pursuits, with He Ziyang's three-year struggle being a notable example.
• Mentorship and Responsibility: He Sheng's actions show his responsibility and care for He Ziyang, highlighting the theme of mentorship and guidance.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng and He Ziyang: Their interaction is brief but meaningful, with He Sheng expressing his relief and pride in He Ziyang's accomplishment.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• He Ziyang achieves a breakthrough in his sword cultivation by comprehending “Severing Green Silk” Sword Intent, cutting through the doubts and emotional burdens that had troubled him since youth.
• He tests his newly formed Sword Intent against He Sheng. Although He Sheng’s Divine Artifact Treasure Vase blocks the attack, the Sword Intent still stirs faint sorrow and unease in his heart, demonstrating its profound effect on the soul.
• He Ziyang asks permission to return to the He Family’s Long Sun Mountain and cultivate in seclusion. He Sheng agrees, recognizing that Ziyang has matured and found his own path.
• He Sheng gives He Ziyang the Water Moon Sword Token, containing a True Water Sword Intent that He Sheng has been unable to comprehend. Ziyang analyzes it and creates a sword technique called “Moon in Water.”
• The technique allows He Sheng to comprehend the Water Moon Sword Intent by cultivating it to Transcendent Mastery. Its artistic conception revolves around illusion and reality, like moonlight reflected on water.
• He Ziyang leaves for Long Sun Mountain alone as a form of experience, accompanied by Everbright, the Bright Wisdom Water Ape. Everbright has grown into a first-tier demonic beast and chooses to return with Ziyang to Green Bamboo Court.
• He Sheng begins refining the Thousand Waters Moon Condensation Sword. Over six months, he purifies and shapes one thousand drops of Lake Moon Bright Water into individual sword leaves, inscribing complex restriction patterns on each.
• He successfully combines the sword leaves into a translucent Dao artifact capable of scattering into mist and reforming into a sword through “Thousand Waters Transformation.”
• He Sheng brings the completed sword to the Moon Mist Sect’s disciples, Lin Yuejing and Li Yuehua. Lin Yuejing, who has recently reached Foundation Establishment, immediately recognizes the sword’s exceptional quality and compatibility with her True Water spiritual power.
• He delivers the contracted Cold Moon Arc Light Swords and Water Moon United Heart Swords, then announces that he must suspend future deliveries while attempting to break through to the False Core stage.
• Through Lin Yuejing’s assistance and the Moon Mist Sect’s influence, He Sheng secures a stable third-rank cultivation chamber in Primordial Mist Immortal City. He enters the Heavenly Radiance Quiet Chamber and begins his final preparations for core formation.

Character Developments

• He Ziyang matures from an uncertain, overthinking youth into a decisive sword cultivator with a clear personal Dao Path. His Severing Green Silk Sword Intent symbolizes his liberation from doubt and emotional entanglement.
• He Sheng grows more cautious and ambitious. He recognizes the power of Sword Intent, becomes interested in cultivating the Water Moon Sword Intent, and successfully completes his first Dao artifact. He is now shifting his attention from caring for Ziyang and artifact production toward his own False Core breakthrough.
• Everbright develops significantly, becoming a first-tier demonic beast with awakened bloodline power, improved intelligence, and the ability to cultivate by absorbing sun and moon essence.
• Lin Yuejing reaches Foundation Establishment and shows strong discernment regarding the Thousand Waters Moon Condensation Sword. She also becomes an important ally by helping He Sheng obtain a secure cultivation chamber.
• Li Yuehua remains energetic and youthful, reacting with excitement and possessiveness toward the newly forged sword, while continuing to handle deliveries for the Moon Mist Sect.
• Zhu Hong assists He Sheng with the quiet chamber and is shown to care about his official status and reputation.

Significant Themes

• Finding one’s own path: He Ziyang’s breakthrough emphasizes that true cultivation requires overcoming inherited expectations and inner confusion to discover a personal Dao.
• The power of Sword Intent: Sword Intent is shown to affect not only the body but also the emotions and soul, making it far more profound than ordinary artistic conception.
• Growth and separation: He Sheng’s relationship with Ziyang changes as the younger man becomes independent and leaves to pursue his own cultivation.
• Craftsmanship and perseverance: The creation of the Thousand Waters Moon Condensation Sword highlights the patience, precision, and spiritual strength required for high-level artifact refinement.
• Rogue cultivator vulnerability: He Sheng must rely on connections and careful political maneuvering to secure a safe place for core formation, revealing the disadvantages of cultivating without sect protection.
• Harmony between artifact and cultivator: The new sword’s innate True Water resonance makes it especially suited to Lin Yuejing, suggesting that powerful artifacts must harmonize with their wielder’s spiritual nature.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng tests and encourages He Ziyang, then entrusts him with the Water Moon Sword Token.
• He Ziyang repays He Sheng’s trust by deriving the Moon in Water sword technique and helping him enter the realm of Water Moon Sword Intent.
• He Sheng and Ziyang share a final mentor-like farewell before Ziyang departs with Everbright.
• Lin Yuejing and Li Yuehua inspect the completed sword, with Lin recognizing its value and claiming it as the vessel for her Dao.
• He Sheng negotiates with the Moon Mist Sect regarding sword deliveries and his upcoming seclusion.
• Lin Yuejing understands He Sheng’s concerns about being a Rogue Cultivator and arranges protection through Zhu Hong and the Heavenly Radiance Quiet Chamber.
• Zhu Hong personally escorts He Sheng to the secure cultivation site, marking the beginning of He Sheng’s attempt to form his False Core.

Chapter Summary: False Core

Key Plot Points

• He Sheng reviews his accumulated cultivation time: 49 years total, with 29 years, 6 months remaining. He has maximized his mana, divine sense, artistic conception techniques, and True Void Calm Heart Art.
• He uses a Five Thoughts Resonance Talisman, which foretells great fortune and no danger for his breakthrough.
• After half a month of preparation, he consumes a Golden Core Formation Pill in a third-rank quiet chamber in Skyglow Ward, beginning his False Core breakthrough.
• A massive spiritual qi vortex forms over the city center, lasting three months, attracting widespread attention and discussion.
• He completes the "mana trial," compressing 9,999 mana droplets into a vortex with a core light.
• He undertakes the "divine sense shaping" stage, using divine sense threads to compress the vortex for another two months.
• An inner demon attacks him in the form of Brother Piao, the original owner of his body, accusing him of stealing the body and ignoring the He Family.
• He Sheng replies that without him, the He Family would have perished, and promises the He Family will become a Core Formation family. Brother Piao's manifestation fades peacefully.
• He compresses his mana into a water-blue False Core the size of a pigeon's egg, succeeding in his breakthrough.

Character Developments

• He Sheng: Demonstrates meticulous preparation and exceptional willpower, enduring the painful "three treasures" compression (essence, qi, spirit). His True Void Calm Heart Art protects him from the inner demon. He firmly rejects Brother Piao's accusations, showing his pragmatic, unburdened mindset.
• Brother Piao (inner demon): Initially venomous and accusatory, ultimately accepts He Sheng's promise and finds peace.
• Zhu Hong, Zhou Yuanqing, Zheng Shuzhen: Discuss He Sheng's value to the Water Moon Lineage; Zheng Shuzhen seeks a Dao artifact and wants Zhu Hong to investigate his other destinies—revealing political interest in recruiting him.
• Wind Spirit: Celebrates his new son; realizes He Sheng's breakthrough makes him the highest-cultivated member of the Southern Mountain Society.
• Liu Xuanyi: Opportunistically calculates that the Southern Mountain Society may change hands and plans to send lavish gifts to pledge early allegiance to He Sheng.

Significant Themes

• Preparation vs. risk: He Sheng's layered preparations (rolled-back cultivation, talisman divination, mental simulation) make the breakthrough nearly foolproof.
• Karma and identity: The inner demon challenge forces He Sheng to confront his "borrowed" body and responsibilities toward the He Family—he reframes it as fulfilling a promise rather than carrying guilt.
• Political dynamics: The breakthrough shifts power balances; various factions begin plotting how to use or align with the new False Core cultivator.
• False Core vs. true Core: The chapter explains that False Core bypasses the tribulation, relying instead on personal willpower to fuse essence, qi, and spirit—painful but achievable.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng vs. Brother Piao's inner demon: A psychological confrontation resolved through He Sheng's calm assertion and promise.
• Zhu Hong, Zhou Yuanqing, and Zheng Shuzhen discuss He Sheng's future utility and plan to win him over.
• Wind Spirit and Liu Xuanyi react to the breakthrough, with Liu Xuanyi scheming to ingratiate himself early.
• Public reactions range from envy and disdain to sour grapes, reflecting cultivation-world attitudes toward False Core cultivators.

Key Plot Points & Events

• He Sheng wakes from seclusion after completing his False Core breakthrough. His mana more than triples, and his divine sense now covers ten miles—comparable to an early Core Formation cultivator. He quickly stabilizes his realm.
• He invests accumulated cultivation time into the Clear Ripple Water Control Art, evolving the Subtle Ripple Artistic Conception into a Divine Ability Embryo: [Subtle Ripple]. This grants him microscopic perception of the world and can enhance both mana and divine sense.
• Unexpectedly, the Divine Ability Embryo imprints itself permanently on his water spiritual root. Even when He Sheng rolls the cultivation art back to nothing with the Time-Reversing Water Clock, [Subtle Ripple] and all related insights remain. He realizes divine abilities are of an “exceedingly lofty order”—once proven, proven forever—and that he can reclaim the spent cultivation time while keeping the power.
• He worries about conflicts between divine abilities, so he decides not to evolve the True Illusion Artistic Conception into another Divine Ability Embryo for now.
• He leaves seclusion and is greeted by Zhu Hong and Zheng Shuzhen, who recruit him as an elder of Primordial Mist Immortal City. After a banquet, he accepts the position.
• He is formally appointed as Elder Xiang Yue by Zhou Yuanqing, receives a voice-transmission jade talisman made by Heavenly Centipede True Person, an elder token, and a third-rank cave abode.
• He chooses his stipend as 10,000 spirit stones + 1,000 contribution points rather than 20,000 spirit stones, planning to eventually borrow a complete divine ability inheritance.
• After moving into the new cave abode, Liu Xuanyi arrives with a lavish gift.

Character Developments

• He Sheng becomes dramatically more powerful but remains cautious. He values permanent gains, avoids reckless divine ability expansion, and is suspicious of the tracking potential of the voice-transmission jade talisman, deciding to keep the talisman separate from his person.
• Zheng Shuzhen shows savvy recruiting tactics—offering access to inherited cultivation arts—and reveals brief disappointment when He Sheng says he cannot forge a Wu Earth Dao artifact due to his Female Earth fate.
• Zhu Hong acts as a friendly, pragmatic intermediary, helping He Sheng integrate into the Primordial Mist power structure.

Significant Themes

• Permanence vs. reversible investment: The Time-Reversing Water Clock can undo cultivation arts, but Divine Ability Embryos are permanent—suggesting a higher order of achievement.
• Power and caution: He Sheng’s growth is balanced by awareness of potential divine ability conflicts and the danger of hidden surveillance from stronger cultivators.
• Faction recruitment and hidden costs: Joining the City Lord’s Manor offers resources and status, but comes with obligations, monitoring risks, and political entanglement.

Character Interactions

• He Sheng & Zhu Hong / Zheng Shuzhen: They congratulate him, return excess rent, invite him to a banquet, and persuade him to become an elder.
• He Sheng & Zheng Shuzhen: She asks if he can forge an earth-element Dao artifact; he admits his fate does not match. Her disappointment hints at deeper motives.
• He Sheng & Zhou Yuanqing: Zhou presides over the elder ceremony, explains the jade talisman’s functions, and grants He Sheng his cave and stipend.
• He Sheng & Liu Xuanyi: Liu Xuanyi appears at the new residence bearing a lavish gift, showing the social rewards of He Sheng’s new status.