Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Slaughter in the Name of Righteousness”

Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun learns from nearby soldiers that Great Yu has recently conquered Ying and Dai Kingdoms and is now attempting to continue its expansion. Although the government had promised three years of peace, war has resumed after You Kingdom seized Sui City.
• The soldiers debate the cost of endless warfare. Many common people are exhausted, families have lost their able-bodied workers, and resentment toward the ruling powers is growing.
• A battle for Sui City ends quickly, with Great Yu recapturing the city before sunset.
• Li Shun enters the city and discovers that it has been completely devastated. The buildings are burned, and corpses line the streets. The army assumes that You Kingdom massacred the inhabitants.
• The destruction enrages the Great Yu soldiers, restoring their willingness to fight and avenge the city.
• Li Shun is brought before an elderly white-haired general, accompanied by the younger general Yun Lie. Because Li Shun claims to have amnesia but speaks with an authentic Yu Capital accent, he is considered suspicious and possibly a spy.
• The old general orders Li Shun to be escorted to the capital for identification. If his identity cannot be confirmed, he is to be executed.
• Li Shun shocks everyone by accusing the Great Yu army of staging the massacre themselves.
• After dismissing Yun Lie, the old general privately questions Li Shun. Li Shun explains that the corpses were too fresh for You Kingdom to have killed them three days earlier, and that You Kingdom would have had no reason or opportunity to commit such a massacre.
• He concludes that Great Yu fabricated the atrocity to provoke outrage, restore the army’s morale, and justify continuing the war despite the kingdom’s military exhaustion.
• The old general questions whether Li Shun truly has amnesia and threatens him for spreading dangerous rumors. Li Shun responds that the general fears defeat more than he fears Li Shun’s accusation, then boldly claims that he can help Great Yu win the war.

Character Development

• Li Shun: Demonstrates sharp observation, strategic intelligence, emotional composure, and courage. Despite having no memories, he rapidly reconstructs the political and military situation and identifies the likely deception behind Sui City’s destruction. His confidence grows as he positions himself as someone capable of changing the war’s outcome.
• The White-Haired General: Established as a hardened, ruthless military leader whose experience gives him an intimidating presence. He is pragmatic enough to order Li Shun’s death without hesitation, but also perceptive and curious when Li Shun reveals his deductions. His reaction suggests that Li Shun may have uncovered the truth.
• Yun Lie: Initially acts as Li Shun’s accuser and guard. He appears dutiful and aggressive, but remains respectful and obedient toward his father, the old general. His shock at being dismissed hints at the strict separation between family and military authority.
• The Soldiers and Common People: Their dialogue reveals widespread exhaustion, resentment, and skepticism toward imperial ambitions. The massacre transforms their despair into anger, showing how easily public emotion can be manipulated.

Significant Themes

• War and Political Manipulation: The apparent massacre is used to manufacture a moral justification for war and convert public exhaustion into patriotic fury.
• The Construction of “Righteousness”: The title reflects how rulers can present violence as righteous revenge, even when the initial atrocity was deliberately created by their own side.
• The Human Cost of Expansion: The soldiers’ discussion emphasizes that territorial conquest destroys families, agriculture, and social stability even when the state claims to be pursuing unity.
• Truth Versus Official Narratives: Li Shun challenges the army’s accepted version of events through logic and observation, suggesting that truth may be hidden beneath emotionally powerful propaganda.
• Power and Fear: The old general has the authority to kill Li Shun, but Li Shun recognizes that even powerful leaders are driven by fear—particularly the fear of military defeat.
• Moral Ambiguity: Neither side is presented as wholly righteous. The war is framed through competing claims of security, revenge, and unification, while ordinary people bear the consequences.

Character Interactions

• The guards’ conversation gives Li Shun insight into the political climate and exposes the conflict between imperial ambition and popular exhaustion.
• Li Shun’s confrontation with Yun Lie establishes him as a dangerous and unpredictable prisoner, while Yun Lie’s obedience highlights the military hierarchy.
• His private exchange with the white-haired general becomes the chapter’s central interaction. Li Shun uses calm reasoning and bold provocation to challenge the general’s assumptions.
• The general’s decision to continue questioning Li Shun rather than immediately execute him shows that Li Shun has earned his attention. The chapter ends with their relationship shifting from prisoner and commander toward a tense potential alliance.

Chapter Summary: “Secret Art Stuns the World”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun boldly recommends himself to the famed general Bai Xianding, who initially dismisses him as an unknown and arrogant young man.
• Bai Xianding reveals his extraordinary military record: he began fighting at fifteen, achieved immense battlefield merits by twenty-three, helped destroy the ancestral temples of Ying and Dai, and has caused millions of deaths directly or indirectly.
• He unleashes an overwhelming aura of slaughter to intimidate Li Shun, but Li Shun remains completely calm.
• Rather than challenging Bai’s battlefield achievements, Li Shun questions the long-term strategy of Great Yu’s wars. He warns that destroying You Kingdom may leave Great Yu too weakened to face Xiang, Yong, Liang, and Xu Kingdoms, which could unite against it.
• Li Shun also points out Bai’s age and asks who will command Great Yu’s armies after his death, provoking Bai’s murderous anger.
• Bai threatens to kill him, but Li Shun counters that a truly narrow-minded general would be unworthy of leading Great Yu. This causes Bai to suppress his fury and reconsider Li Shun’s words.
• Bai admits that Great Yu’s strategy of conquering the Seven Kingdoms is draining its population and resources, and asks whether Li Shun has a solution.
• Li Shun says he will focus on warfare rather than broad national policy and demonstrates a secret technique that dramatically strengthens the body.
• His skin turns red, his muscles swell, his vitality surges, and his physical strength more than doubles. The technique also removes pain, increases courage, and allows ordinary soldiers to fight without fear.
• Li Shun explains that the method is easy to learn, requires no special talent, and only consumes a small portion of the user’s lifespan.
• Bai Xianding is stunned by the technique and immediately orders his subordinate Bai Yunlie to return so the method can be tested.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Establishes himself as fearless, politically perceptive, and highly confident. He demonstrates that his value lies not only in strategic thinking but also in possessing a revolutionary martial technique.
• Bai Xianding: Shifts from contempt and hostility to surprise and cautious respect. Though proud and aggressive, he proves capable of recognizing a genuinely valuable idea and putting it to practical testing.
• Bai Yunlie: Appears briefly as Bai Xianding’s trusted subordinate, summoned to verify Li Shun’s claims.

Significant Themes

• The limits of military conquest: Victory in one war may create greater strategic danger if a nation exhausts its population and resources.
• The burden of leadership: Bai’s age raises the issue of succession and whether Great Yu’s military strength depends too heavily on one aging commander.
• Innovation versus tradition: Li Shun’s new method challenges Bai’s established understanding of warfare and could transform ordinary soldiers into far more effective troops.
• The cost of power: The technique grants strength, courage, and immunity to pain, but consumes lifespan, emphasizing the human price of war.
• True talent and open-mindedness: Li Shun’s provocation tests whether Bai can look beyond pride, while Bai’s willingness to investigate the technique shows practical wisdom beneath his anger.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Bai Xianding engage in a tense confrontation shaped by pride, intimidation, and strategic debate.
• Bai attempts to dominate Li through his killing aura, but Li’s calmness reverses the power dynamic.
• Li directly challenges Bai’s military worldview and mortality, nearly provoking violence.
• After Li demonstrates the secret art, Bai’s attitude changes dramatically: hostility gives way to urgency and interest, setting up a practical test of the technique.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Xianding orders Bai Yunlie to secretly select 100 physically powerful and absolutely loyal elite soldiers.
• Li Shun teaches them the Blood and Qi Circulation Method, personally correcting their techniques and guiding them through the process.
• Within half a day, the soldiers’ bodies become dramatically stronger, but their bloodshot eyes and enlarged physiques reveal the method’s dangerous nature.
• Bai Xianding confirms that the technique works and orders the soldiers removed under strict secrecy, threatening execution for anyone who reveals the matter.
• He learns that maintaining the enhanced state for one hour costs roughly half a year of lifespan, but considers the exchange worthwhile because such power could determine the outcome of a war.
• Bai Xianding abandons his earlier arrogance, sincerely apologizes to Li Shun, and begins treating him with great respect.
• Li Shun clarifies that he has taught the method only to Great Yu’s army, though similar techniques might exist elsewhere.
• When questioned about his amnesia, Li Shun claims he has forgotten his past but retained the abilities accumulated over many lifetimes, subtly warning Bai Xianding that he possesses far greater knowledge.
• Bai Xianding asks Li Shun to explain “vertical alliances and horizontal alliances” as well as systems of military merit and noble rank.
• Li Shun discovers that this world lacks not only Primordial Qi, but also the entire tradition of the Hundred Schools of Thought—including Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, Legalism, and the Military School.
• He suspects that this unfamiliar world may be part of his specially designed trial, possibly requiring him to alter history and help Great Yu unify the world.
• Bai Xianding leaves to rest, ordering his men to guard Li Shun closely under the pretense of protecting him.
• Li Shun begins considering whether he can use Borrowing Longevity from Heaven and the Twelve Longevity Realm methods in this world to extend Bai Xianding’s life.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Demonstrates exceptional knowledge, confidence, and strategic subtlety. He uses the Blood and Qi Circulation Method to establish his value and hints that he possesses many other powerful abilities. He also begins analyzing the nature of the world and the purpose of his trial.
• Bai Xianding: Changes from a skeptical and arrogant military commander into a humble, cautious, and respectful student. He recognizes both the military value of Li Shun’s technique and the vastness of Li Shun’s abilities.
• Bai Yunlie: Obeys his father’s orders despite being confused and remains stunned by the spectacular results of the soldiers’ transformation.
• The elite soldiers: Become temporarily superhuman through the circulation method, while accepting the hidden cost of reduced lifespan.

Significant Themes

• Power and sacrifice: The Blood and Qi Circulation Method grants immense strength, but consumes the user’s lifespan. The chapter raises the question of whether victory justifies sacrificing years of life.
• Knowledge as power: Li Shun’s understanding of forgotten systems and techniques gives him influence far beyond ordinary military strength.
• Humility before true ability: Bai Xianding’s attitude changes once Li Shun proves himself, illustrating how genuine power can overturn status and pride.
• History and alternate worlds: The absence of the Hundred Schools suggests that this world has been fundamentally altered, making Li Shun question whether his task is to redirect history.
• Heavenly authority and longevity: The chapter introduces the possibility that life extension depends not on Primordial Qi, but on one’s connection with Heaven’s Will and authority over the world.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun acts as both instructor and benefactor to the soldiers, patiently correcting their cultivation and resolving their confusion.
• Bai Xianding and Li Shun move from confrontation to mutual respect: Bai initially doubts Li Shun, then apologizes and seeks his guidance.
• Bai Xianding questions Li Shun about the technique’s origins and his amnesia, while Li Shun carefully reveals only enough information to preserve his advantage.
• Their relationship increasingly resembles that of a commander learning from an extraordinary strategist or teacher, with Bai Xianding now waiting humbly for Li Shun to explain the principles that may reshape Great Yu.

Chapter Summary: The Transcendent Crushes All Living Things

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun reflects on the difficulty of “linking with the will of heaven,” realizing that transcendent power is rare even in Great Qian and apparently absent in the current world.
• Aware of his physical weakness without cultivation, he resolves to establish himself, understand the trial he is facing, and seek other ways to protect himself.
• After seven days of rest and reorganization at Sui City, the Great Yu army resumes its march toward You Kingdom. The massacre at Sui City fuels the army’s grief, vengeance, and morale.
• Li Shun’s secretly taught Blood and Qi Circulation Method produces eight hundred awakened elite soldiers under Bai Yunlie. Their bodies become enormously powerful, transforming them into nearly unstoppable “humanoid beasts,” though their enlarged frames no longer fit standard armor.
• The army reaches Chen City, You Kingdom’s supposedly impregnable border fortress. Built on a steep mountain with cliffs, natural resources, and formidable defenses, it has resisted every previous assault, including three failed attacks led by the aging Bai Xianding.
• The siege initially appears conventional, but the mountain terrain immobilizes nearly all siege engines. Only a specially designed siege ladder advances, pushed by the newly empowered giants.
• When the ladder stops a zhang from the walls, one awakened soldier leaps across the gap and lands on the battlements. He massacres the defending spearmen, survives a barrage of arrows and bolts, and throws the garrison into panic.
• Additional awakened warriors leap onto the walls, signaling the beginning of Chen City’s collapse through overwhelming physical force rather than conventional siege tactics.

Character Developments

• Li Shun becomes more cautious and pragmatic. He recognizes the limits of his current power and begins considering non-transcendent methods of survival and influence.
• Bai Xianding is reminded of his past defeats at Chen City. Seeing Li Shun’s empowered soldiers gives him renewed hope that he may finally overcome the fortress that defeated him in his youth.
• Bai Yunlie’s veterans are transformed from ordinary elite soldiers into terrifying battlefield weapons. Their physical strength and resilience make them capable of breaking normal military assumptions.
• The Chen City defenders shift rapidly from confidence and mockery to fear and psychological collapse after witnessing the first warrior’s impossible leap and slaughter.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power versus conventional strategy: The awakened soldiers render traditional military tactics, siegecraft, and generations of battlefield experience nearly irrelevant.
• Revenge and morale: The massacre at Sui City unites the Great Yu army through grief and vengeance, strengthening its determination.
• Human limits and transcendence: Li Shun’s thoughts contrast the elusive realm of transcendent cultivation with the immediate, brutal power achieved through blood and qi.
• The fallibility of supposedly invincible defenses: Chen City’s natural and artificial fortifications appear unbeatable until confronted by strength beyond normal human limits.
• Psychological warfare: The warriors’ monstrous appearance and impossible feats destroy the defenders’ confidence before the city is even fully stormed.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun works indirectly with Bai Yunlie by training his trusted veterans in the Blood and Qi Circulation Method.
• Li Shun accompanies Bai Xianding and Bai Yunlie while surveying Chen City, listening as Bai Xianding recounts his personal history of failed assaults.
• The awakened soldiers engage the Chen City garrison directly, with the first climber single-handedly battling spearmen, archers, and crossbowmen.
• The defenders’ reactions—first mockery, then disbelief and terror—highlight the widening gap between ordinary soldiers and Li Shun’s empowered elites.

Chapter Summary: “Eight Hundred Men Destroy a Kingdom”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Great Yu’s newly trained elite soldiers use the Blood-Qi Circulation Technique to form a powerful killing formation, overwhelming Chen City’s defenders.
• Chen City’s gates are opened from within, and the city is conquered in less than half a day, with only several dozen casualties among Great Yu’s forces.
• Bai Xianding and Bai Yunlie are stunned by the ease of the victory and worry that the court will suspect the battle report is fabricated.
• Bai Xianding orders that Li Shun and the Blood-Qi Circulation Technique be omitted from the report. He fears that revealing Li Shun’s existence could attract spies, political threats, or an imperial summons that might endanger him.
• Bai Xianding proposes abandoning conventional warfare. Instead of slowly conquering the remaining thirty cities of You Kingdom, he plans to send eight hundred elites directly to You City, the capital, capture its king, and destroy the kingdom in one decisive raid.
• Bai Yunlie is assigned to lead the eight hundred soldiers on a thousand-mile nighttime march, while Bai Xianding remains behind to guard Chen City.
• That night, Bai Yunlie and the elites depart for You City.
• Li Shun questions the risks of such an aggressive plan. Bai Xianding admits that he is rushing because his health has suddenly deteriorated and he fears he may not have much time left.
• Li Shun examines Bai Xianding and offers to treat him, believing he may be able to extend the old general’s life by several months or perhaps a year.

Character Developments

• Bai Xianding: Reveals exceptional strategic insight by recognizing that the new elites make traditional mass-army warfare unnecessary. He also becomes more protective of Li Shun, prioritizing his secrecy and safety. His worsening illness reveals a sense of urgency and a desire to destroy You Kingdom before his death.
• Bai Yunlie: Initially struggles to accept the idea that eight hundred men can destroy an entire kingdom. Though intimidated by his father’s superior military judgment, he accepts the mission and resolves to prove himself.
• Li Shun: Remains a hidden but crucial source of Great Yu’s military advantage. He demonstrates concern for Bai Xianding and hints at his unusual understanding of fate, history, and the relationship between this world and reality.
• Li Shun and Bai Xianding: Their relationship deepens into one of mutual trust. Bai Xianding protects Li Shun politically, while Li Shun offers medical aid and reassurance.

Significant Themes

• The transformation of warfare: Supernatural cultivation techniques overturn conventional assumptions about logistics, numbers, fortifications, and prolonged sieges.
• Secrecy and political danger: Great Yu’s military breakthrough must be concealed because knowledge of Li Shun could provoke internal treachery or foreign interference.
• Speed versus certainty: Bai Xianding chooses a risky lightning strike over a safer, methodical conquest because speed is essential to his personal circumstances.
• Fate and mortality: Bai Xianding’s sudden decline raises questions about whether destiny can be changed. Li Shun’s promise to extend his life introduces a conflict between predetermined fate and human intervention.
• Generational and strategic contrast: Bai Yunlie represents traditional military thinking, while Bai Xianding adapts quickly to the revolutionary power of the new elites.

Character Interactions

• Bai Xianding reprimands Bai Yunlie for doubting the battle report and instructs him to conceal Li Shun’s role.
• Bai Yunlie offers to accompany Li Shun for his protection, but Bai Xianding refuses and instead assigns him the more prestigious mission of conquering You Kingdom.
• Bai Xianding challenges his son’s courage, provoking Bai Yunlie into accepting the dangerous raid.
• Li Shun questions Bai Xianding’s reckless strategy, prompting the old general to reveal his failing health.
• After examining Bai Xianding, Li Shun reassures him that although he may not be able to defeat fate entirely, he can likely prolong his life.

Chapter Summary: Fortune Breaks the Seal

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun treats Bai Xianding with acupuncture and massage, using knowledge from the Azure Wood Invocation and the Medical School to stabilize his severe injuries. However, he believes Bai’s lifespan and fate cannot be fully restored.
• Li Shun senses a mysterious gaze from beyond the Ninth Heavens and suspects that altering people’s predetermined fates has attracted the attention of the Heavenly Dao.
• Bai Xianding works tirelessly to strengthen Chen City’s defenses while Bai Yunlie leads eight hundred elite soldiers on a thousand-mile raid against You Kingdom.
• An escaped deputy general of Chen City infiltrates Li Shun’s room and attempts to assassinate him. Li Shun easily defeats him, but Bai Xianding responds by ordering a thorough purge of the city to prevent further security breaches.
• Li Shun begins practicing the powerful Emperor Fist. Bai Xianding recognizes its lethal precision and asks to learn it. Li Shun agrees to have the technique written down for the army.
• Li Shun explains that combining Emperor Fist with the Blood-Qi Circulation Method could make elite soldiers capable of fighting many opponents alone. Bai Xianding, however, restricts the circulation method to one hundred trusted guards, fearing that its spread would allow You Kingdom to gain the same military advantage.
• On the eleventh day of Bai Yunlie’s expedition, Li Shun suddenly experiences a mysterious spiritual transformation. His consciousness travels across thousands of miles, allowing him to witness Bai Yunlie conquering You Kingdom’s capital and capturing the royal family.
• A purple aura emerges from the defeated You King. Half enters Bai Yunlie, while the other half reaches Li Shun and weakens the seal restricting his Liqi, suggesting that the fall of a kingdom has granted both men a share of its fortune.

Character Developments

• Li Shun demonstrates broad abilities beyond cultivation, including medicine, martial arts, and strategic insight. He remains calm and detached, even when targeted by an assassin, and views the attacker as a loyal man rather than simply a criminal.
• Li Shun becomes increasingly aware that his actions are changing the world’s original fate and attracting the attention of powerful, possibly cosmic forces. His sealed power also begins to recover.
• Bai Xianding is shown as responsible, devoted, and highly pragmatic. Despite his illness, he personally manages Chen City’s defenses. His gratitude and trust toward Li Shun deepen, while his cautious decision to limit the Blood-Qi method reveals his strategic judgment.
• Bai Yunlie proves the extraordinary effectiveness of his elite force by conquering You Kingdom’s capital and capturing the You King without precedent or warning.
• The former Chen City deputy general, though an enemy assassin, is portrayed as courageous and loyal because he seeks revenge for his fallen kingdom.

Significant Themes

• Changing fate and heavenly consequences: Li Shun’s interference in mortal affairs appears to be attracting the attention of the Heavenly Dao.
• The power of knowledge and cultivation: Medical techniques, martial arts, and the Blood-Qi method can dramatically alter ordinary human capabilities even in a world without conventional supernatural energy.
• Military secrecy and strategic advantage: Bai Xianding understands that a powerful technique can be as dangerous as it is useful if it falls into enemy hands.
• Loyalty and moral complexity: Li Shun recognizes the assassin’s devotion to his former city, while Bai Xianding prioritizes security and military necessity.
• The return of supernatural power: The mysterious purple aura and the loosening of Li Shun’s seal suggest that political conquest and the destruction of a kingdom can generate or transfer a form of heavenly fortune.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Bai Xianding develop a relationship based on trust, gratitude, and mutual respect. Li Shun heals him and shares martial knowledge, while Bai Xianding relies on Li Shun’s abilities to protect the city.
• After the assassination attempt, Bai Xianding adopts a harsher security policy, whereas Li Shun responds with unusual tolerance toward the failed assassin.
• Bai Xianding eagerly studies Emperor Fist and supports its distribution to the army, but he independently limits the Blood-Qi Circulation Method to preserve their advantage.
• Li Shun’s supernatural connection to Bai Yunlie during the conquest reveals an unseen bond between their successes: the fall of You Kingdom grants power to both of them.

Chapter Summary: “Killing Intent Rose of Its Own Accord”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun has reached the Profound Insight Realm in reality after partially loosening the seal within his body. Although his Liqi remains extremely limited, the restoration of his divine sense gives him powerful awareness over everything around Chen City.
• He discovers that the purple aura he received when Borrowing Longevity from Heaven resembles the even purer aura transferred to him when the You Kingdom fell. He suspects it may be the destiny or national fortune of a kingdom, possibly connected to Great Qian’s larger trial. The remaining portion has entered Bai Yunlie.
• Bai Yunlie returns to Chen City after half a month with the eight hundred soldiers who accompanied him. He has successfully breached You Capital, captured the King of You and his family, and seized the kingdom’s wealth.
• Bai Yunlie believes capturing the king alive will allow Great Yu to subjugate the You Kingdom with minimal resistance. He initially intends to return triumphantly to the capital and expects the Bai Family to receive lasting glory.
• Bai Xianding warns him that rulers often discard powerful ministers once their usefulness ends, comparing them to hunting hounds killed after the rabbit is caught. This causes Bai Yunlie to question his lifelong belief in absolute loyalty to the sovereign.
• Influenced partly by Li Shun’s earlier suggestion that social rank is not naturally predetermined, Bai Xianding has begun thinking more independently and critically about imperial authority.
• After a long discussion, Bai Yunlie abandons his immediate plan to return to the capital. He remains in Chen City, secretly summons important members of the Bai Family, and begins recruiting more soldiers.
• Over six months, the Bai Family expands its influence across Chen City and five neighboring cities while ignoring orders from the Great Yu capital.
• When an imperial envoy arrives, Bai Yunlie denies the rumors that he destroyed the You Kingdom, sarcastically challenging the envoy to accomplish the feat himself. The envoy’s visit reflects growing suspicion and alarm within the imperial court.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: His strength and divine sense are gradually returning. He remains outwardly passive but carefully observes the effects of the purple aura and subtly influences the Bai Family’s political awakening.
• Bai Yunlie: He returns from victory transformed, losing his youthful immaturity and gaining an imposing, noble presence seemingly linked to the destiny aura. His confidence initially manifests as pride and ambition, but he soon begins questioning whether unquestioning loyalty to the emperor is wise.
• Bai Xianding: Once an unquestioningly loyal general, he has become more cautious and politically perceptive. His improved health and Li Shun’s influence allow him to consider the possibility that the Bai Family may eventually be betrayed by the ruler they serve.
• The imperial court: Though not directly present until the envoy’s arrival, the court is portrayed as suspicious, rumor-driven, and increasingly concerned about the Bai Family’s refusal to return and growing military power.

Significant Themes

• Power changes perception: Bai Yunlie’s military success and contact with the kingdom’s destiny give him a new aura of authority, while battlefield achievements also alter how he views his relationship with the emperor.
• Loyalty versus self-preservation: The chapter questions whether absolute obedience remains virtuous when a ruler may betray or eliminate a loyal servant after victory.
• The rise of ambition: The saying that “killing intent rises of its own accord” reflects how possessing strength naturally generates independence, confidence, and potentially rebellion.
• National destiny and supernatural power: The purple aura may represent a kingdom’s fortune or destiny, suggesting that political conquest is tied to a larger mystical system.
• Political transformation: The Bai Family shifts from loyal military servants into an autonomous regional power, setting up a likely conflict with Great Yu’s central government.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun silently observes Bai Yunlie’s changed demeanor and Bai Xianding’s altered worldview, recognizing his own indirect role in both developments.
• Bai Yunlie proudly reports his conquest to Bai Xianding, expecting praise and imperial recognition.
• Bai Xianding counters his son’s enthusiasm with a warning about the danger of becoming an overly powerful minister.
• Their disagreement forces Bai Yunlie to confront doubts about the values instilled in him since childhood.
• Bai Yunlie later confronts the imperial envoy, dismissing the court’s rumors and asserting his growing authority, while the envoy is intimidated and unable to challenge him.

Chapter Summary: “All Under Heaven United”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An imperial envoy urges General Bai Yunlie to return to the capital, but Bai refuses. He claims he cannot face the king until You Kingdom has been completely destroyed, declaring that he will return only after victory and beg forgiveness with thorns on his back.
• Though Bai treats the envoy courteously with lavish food and wine, he has him constantly guarded and prevents him from investigating Yan’s military position. The envoy eventually leaves without accomplishing his mission.
• Bai Yunlie questions why the Bai family continues pretending to cooperate with the existing powers when they already control Chen City, five surrounding cities, and over ten thousand elite Crimson Blood soldiers.
• Bai Xianding rebukes his son’s impatience. He explains that conquering territory is easier than governing it, and that Bai Yunlie must learn to think like a future ruler rather than merely a battlefield general.
• Bai Xianding reveals that he has spent the past three years manipulating the political situation. Through alliances, covert agents, and factional conflicts, he has encouraged Xiang, Yong, Liang, and Xu Kingdoms to attack Great Yu, keeping Great Yu too occupied to interfere with the Bai family’s northern expansion.
• During this period, Chen City and its surrounding territories are stabilized, while You Kingdom’s officials and influential figures are secretly bought over. Bai Xianding proposes waiting three more years to absorb You Kingdom’s resources and population before launching a sweeping conquest of the realm.
• In the fourth year after Li Shun’s arrival, the Bai family finally attacks. You Kingdom falls in less than a month, and the Bai family establishes Yan Kingdom, immediately becoming one of the era’s major powers.
• While Great Yu remains trapped in a prolonged war against the other four kingdoms, Yan Kingdom appears to remain quiet. Under cover of this apparent inactivity, Bai Yunlie secretly sends four armies of five thousand Crimson Blood Elite soldiers toward the capitals of Xiang, Yong, Liang, and Xu.
• Using communication jade tokens created by Li Shun, Bai Yunlie commands the four armies remotely from Chen City. The capitals fall, and all four kings are captured and transported back to Chen City rather than executed.
• When news of the simultaneous conquests spreads, the entire world is stunned by Yan Kingdom’s military strength.

Character Developments

• Bai Yunlie begins as an aggressive and impatient commander, eager to use his superior military force immediately. Bai Xianding’s lecture makes him recognize that he must become a ruler capable of governing and consolidating power, not merely a victorious general.
• Bai Xianding is revealed as the strategic mastermind behind Yan Kingdom’s rise. His patience, political manipulation, and long-term planning contrast with Bai Yunlie’s impulsiveness. His health and vitality have also improved greatly because of Li Shun’s secret treatment.
• Li Shun remains hidden from the outside world but becomes increasingly important to Yan Kingdom’s success. His medical treatment, military technology, tailored armor, elite troops, and communication jade tokens provide the foundation for the Bai family’s rapid expansion.
• The Bai family evolves from a regional military force into an organized kingdom with the administrative structure and strategic patience needed to pursue control of the entire realm.

Significant Themes

• Conquest versus governance: The chapter emphasizes that taking cities is simple compared with winning the loyalty of their people and maintaining a stable state.
• Patience and long-term strategy: Bai Xianding’s plan shows that victory comes from preparation, political manipulation, and timing rather than reckless force.
• Hidden power and deception: Yan Kingdom conceals its ambitions, allowing rival nations to exhaust one another while Yan quietly consolidates strength.
• The transformation of history: Li Shun’s presence and inventions alter the world’s natural course, increasing Yan Kingdom’s military advantage and changing the balance of power.
• Ambition for universal rule: Bai Xianding and Bai Yunlie are no longer seeking merely to survive or expand locally; they intend to unify the entire realm under Yan Kingdom.

Character Interactions

• The envoy’s conversation with Bai Yunlie highlights Bai’s defiance of imperial authority and his growing independence.
• Bai Yunlie and Bai Xianding clash over strategy: the son favors immediate action, while the father insists on restraint and consolidation. Bai Yunlie ultimately accepts his father’s guidance.
• Li Shun does not directly participate in the major conversations, but his influence permeates the chapter through his treatment of Bai Xianding and the advanced tools that make Yan Kingdom’s coordinated conquests possible.
• The captured kings’ fate—imprisonment rather than execution—suggests Bai Yunlie’s conquests are part of a broader political plan, not simply acts of destruction.

Chapter Summary: Emperor Gan Endures Forever

Key Plot Points and Events

• With the exception of Great Yu, the rulers of every kingdom are captured and brought to Chen City, leaving their nations leaderless.
• Yan Kingdom, led by Bai Xianding and Bai Yunlie, gradually absorbs the surrounding states rather than attempting immediate unification. Over ten years, it annexes Xiang, Yong, Liang, Xu, and several other territories, controlling nearly half the realm.
• Yan Kingdom then invades Great Yu. Empowered by the Crimson Blood Elite, its army defeats Great Yu rapidly, leaving only the capital unconquered.
• The Bai father and son personally lead the final siege of Great Yu’s capital, Yu Capital, confident that victory will make Yan Kingdom the supreme power in the realm.
• The imperial palace falls with almost no resistance. Emperor Gan remains alone in the Golden Hall, calmly awaiting them.
• When Bai Xianding and Bai Yunlie see Emperor Gan, they are overwhelmed by an instinctive terror and involuntarily kneel before him. The same phenomenon affects Yan Kingdom’s entire army and every living being across the realm—except Li Shun.
• Emperor Gan declares, “Having seen a god, why would you not recognize your sovereign?” He then expands into a colossal divine figure and annihilates the entire Yan army.
• Bai Xianding, Bai Yunlie, and every member of the Bai Family are erased, along with all traces that Yan Kingdom ever existed.
• Li Shun awakens outside the imperial city, apparently returned to a reality in which the catastrophe never happened. He realizes Emperor Gan possesses power comparable to an Outer God and has transcended the illusion’s normal laws.

Character Developments

• Bai Xianding and Bai Yunlie: Their confidence reaches its peak after years of military victories, but it collapses instantly before Emperor Gan’s overwhelming presence. Their ambition to unite the realm ends in total annihilation.
• Li Shun: His cultivation advances to the equivalent of the Spiritual Resonance Realm as he absorbs the realm’s fortune, but his growing unease proves justified. He discovers that Emperor Gan’s strength exists beyond the limits of the illusion and may rival that of the Outer Gods.
• Emperor Gan: Initially appears as a solitary, composed ruler, but reveals himself to be an incomprehensibly powerful existence capable of controlling all life, destroying armies effortlessly, and erasing an entire kingdom from history.

Significant Themes

• The limits of human ambition: Yan Kingdom’s seemingly unstoppable rise is rendered meaningless by a power far beyond political or military strength.
• The nature of illusion and reality: Emperor Gan’s existence demonstrates that immense power can transcend the laws of an illusory world.
• True sovereignty and divine authority: The line about recognizing one’s sovereign suggests that Emperor Gan’s rule is not merely political but metaphysical, compelling universal submission.
• Power beyond comprehension: The chapter contrasts ordinary cultivation and warfare with the near-infinite power of beings such as Emperor Gan and the Outer Gods.
• Hidden danger and foreboding: Li Shun’s persistent unease foreshadows the revelation that the apparent trial and political struggle conceal a much greater threat.

Character Interactions

• The Bai father and son act as triumphant conquerors before reaching the imperial palace, but Emperor Gan’s presence silences and subdues them.
• Li Shun stands apart from everyone else, remaining immune to Emperor Gan’s command and witnessing the destruction of Yan Kingdom.
• Emperor Gan directly addresses the invaders with a brief statement that functions both as a rebuke and a declaration of absolute supremacy.
• After surviving, Li Shun reflects on Emperor Gan’s power and questions why the emperor spared him, what the trial truly involves, and why the Imperial Academy failed to warn him.

Chapter Summary: The Incarnation Finally Broke the Deadlock

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun unexpectedly encounters Emperor Gan in the illusory world. Emperor Gan reveals that he knows about Li Shun’s past, including his experience of “having once seen a god.”
• Li Shun realizes that Emperor Gan’s power is far greater than expected, but since the emperor does not kill him, Li Shun concludes that he is still required to complete Great Qian’s test.
• After Emperor Gan’s intervention, the world’s history is abruptly rewritten. The Yan army, the Bai family, and all traces of their previous existence disappear, while time itself remains unchanged.
• Li Shun discovers that the Fortune he accumulated during the war has not vanished. It has risen to more than half of the world’s total Fortune, temporarily restoring him to the Profound Insight Realm.
• For the moment, Li Shun becomes the only active extraordinary being in the world besides Emperor Gan. He spends three years traveling anonymously through the kingdoms, observing their suffering and political conditions.
• He determines that this world lacks both the Hundred Schools and supernatural power. As a result, wars continue endlessly, natural disasters go unchecked, and the people suffer severely.
• Li Shun concludes that the test requires him to recreate the Hundred Schools and provide humanity with intellectual and moral “anchors” against the Long Night and the Outer God’s corruption.
• He takes on numerous identities and introduces the major traditions of the Hundred Schools:
  • Diplomacy through a strategist who unites kingdoms against Yu.
  • Daoism through an old man leaving scripture at Hangu Pass.
  • Confucianism through a teacher who promotes benevolence, ritual, wisdom, and education.
  • Mohism through Mozi’s advocacy of universal love, non-aggression, and technology.
  • Legalism through strict but impartial reforms and laws.
  • Military strategy, medicine, and the School of Names also emerge.
• Although these founders eventually die, their teachings spread throughout the realm. Later thinkers continue expanding them, creating a flourishing age of “a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools contending.”

Character Development

• Li Shun moves from fear and uncertainty after meeting Emperor Gan to calm acceptance and purposeful action. He recognizes that he cannot resist Emperor Gan directly, so he focuses on fulfilling the test.
• He becomes increasingly selfless and visionary, choosing to improve the entire world rather than pursue personal power or escape.
• Despite considering himself primarily a Confucian scholar with only general knowledge of the other schools, Li Shun demonstrates humility and respect for humanity’s ability to develop and deepen the teachings he introduced.
• Emperor Gan remains mysterious and overwhelmingly powerful. His limited intervention reshapes the world, yet he shows no interest in governing its mortal affairs, allowing Li Shun to act freely.

Significant Themes

• Acceptance versus fear: Li Shun learns that anticipation can be more frightening than reality and that once danger arrives, clarity becomes possible.
• Knowledge as resistance: The Hundred Schools represent intellectual, ethical, and cultural defenses against chaos and corruption.
• The value of civilization: Without education, institutions, or extraordinary guidance, the world remains trapped in war and suffering. The spread of ideas becomes a force for peace and progress.
• Individual action and historical change: Li Shun acts as a catalyst, but the people who preserve, refine, and expand the teachings ultimately create lasting civilization.
• Human creativity and inheritance: Even though this world’s doctrines begin less developed than those of Great Qian, later generations build upon them until they become comparable in depth.
• Reality and illusion: Li Shun remains uncertain whether the world is real, illusory, or something between the two, but its consequences and transformations prove meaningful regardless.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Emperor Gan: Their encounter is tense and unequal. Emperor Gan demonstrates complete awareness of Li Shun’s history and possesses the power to destroy him, but instead spares him, implicitly compelling him to continue the test.
• Li Shun and the people of the kingdoms: By adopting different identities, Li Shun interacts indirectly with rulers, scholars, soldiers, and commoners, planting the ideas that reshape their society.
• The Hundred Schools and later generations: The founders provide the initial spark, while later scholars preserve and develop their doctrines, ensuring that the intellectual tradition survives after its originators die.

Summary: “Emperor Gan’s Protection”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After completing his mission in the trial world, Li Shun realizes that his connection to that world’s Fortune has nearly vanished. Once, as the Sage of the Hundred Schools, he possessed most of the world’s Fortune, but it gradually dispersed among the people who inherited his teachings.
• Li Shun concludes that Fortune can allow someone to borrow the power of Heaven and Earth, and he suspects that Emperor Gan may possess a method of forcibly binding or controlling it.
• He reflects on the strange nature of the trial world: it is a genuine, evolving Heaven and Earth created after the history before Great Qian was erased. He suspects it may be one of many experimental worlds.
• The Imperial Academy’s Grand Chancellor retrieves Li Shun from the trial. He and the instructors judge that Li Shun’s actions—especially spreading the Hundred Schools’ teachings and creating a flourishing age—prove he is not an agent of an Outer God.
• Because Li Shun performed exceptionally well, the Grand Chancellor proposes granting him additional resources. The instructors agree, citing Great Qian’s worsening situation, the Grand Arbiter’s prolonged absence, and increasing interference from the Outer Gods.
• The Grand Chancellor gives Li Shun a sealed transparent sphere containing a Deep Profound Gate. Its aura matches the gate in Square Inch Space, which can lead to fragmented worlds originating from the former Primordial Continent. Han Qi is assigned to explain how to use it.
• Li Shun returns to the Imperial Academy after spending sixty-five—or, according to his own memory, sixty-six—years in the trial, despite only one month passing in the real world.
• He realizes that the Academy believes he understood the trial’s purpose immediately and made no mistakes, even though he had actually tried to use the Bai family to conquer the world. Li Shun concludes that Emperor Gan must have concealed this incident from the Academy and begins wondering why.

Character Developments

• Li Shun/Li Fan: Gains a deeper understanding of Fortune and its relationship to the Heavenly Dao. He remains calm about losing the trial world’s Fortune, recognizing that he does not truly belong to that world. His experiences in other dangerous realms have made him more resilient and able to readjust quickly after returning.
• Emperor Gan: Although largely absent from the present events, he becomes increasingly mysterious and important. His past destruction of a million Yan soldiers revealed overwhelming power, and his apparent concealment of Li Shun’s failure suggests that he may be protecting Li Shun—or pursuing a hidden agenda.
• The Grand Chancellor: Moves from suspicion to approval. He accepts Li Shun as trustworthy, praises his performance, and advocates granting him greater resources for the sake of Great Qian’s future.
• The Imperial Academy’s instructors: Initially evaluate Li Shun as a possible Outer God follower, but ultimately accept the evidence of his loyalty and agree to support him.

Significant Themes

• Fortune and power: Fortune is portrayed as a force that connects individuals to the power of Heaven and Earth, but it naturally disperses as society develops. The possibility of forcibly binding Fortune hints at deeper political and metaphysical conflicts.
• Identity and belonging: Li Shun’s lack of attachment to the trial world’s Fortune reflects his awareness that he was an outsider inhabiting another identity and world.
• Reality versus experimentation: The trial world is not an illusion but a real, evolving realm, raising questions about who creates such worlds and why.
• Trust and hidden judgment: The Academy’s evaluation of Li Shun, along with Emperor Gan’s concealment of his actions, shows that important truths are being withheld by powerful figures.
• Time and memory: The discrepancy between Li Shun’s recollection of sixty-six years and the Academy’s stated sixty-five years suggests possible manipulation, concealment, or irregularities in the trial world.
• The looming threat of the Outer Gods: Great Qian’s need for new talent and resources emphasizes the broader crisis confronting the empire.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Emperor Gan: Their direct interaction is not shown, but Li Shun recognizes that Emperor Gan stopped his attempt to dominate the trial world and later hid the incident from the Imperial Academy. This creates a bond of mystery and possible protection between them.
• Li Shun and the Grand Chancellor: The Chancellor formally clears Li Shun of suspicion, praises his achievements, and grants him the Deep Profound Gate artifact. His warmer tone indicates growing trust.
• The Grand Chancellor and the instructors: The Chancellor argues that Li Shun deserves greater support because Great Qian needs powerful young successors. After deliberation, the instructors unanimously approve the proposal.
• Li Shun and Han Qi: Han Qi is assigned to instruct Li Shun in using the Deep Profound Gate, setting up a future exchange and further exploration of the fragmented worlds.

Key plot points and events

Li Shun realizes that Emperor Gan likely intervened during the Imperial Academy trial, concealing Li Shun’s true abilities and effectively helping him cheat. Rather than feeling grateful, Li Shun becomes deeply uneasy upon recognizing that Emperor Gan has noticed him and may possess strength comparable to an Outer God. He considers possible defenses: strengthening his understanding of Square Inch so its power can affect reality, or finding another Outer God to counterbalance Emperor Gan. For now, however, he can only remain cautious and endure the danger.
After returning to Square Inch, Li Shun’s anxiety subsides, as he feels secure within his private domain, where he remains effectively omnipotent and believes Emperor Gan cannot observe him. He recounts the encounter to Ancient Web, who agrees that Emperor Gan’s power likely rivals that of a Chaos deity. Ancient Web then raises a more troubling question: how could a human acquire such strength?

Character developments

Li Shun becomes more wary and strategically cautious. His long-standing habit of hiding his abilities is reinforced by the discovery that Emperor Gan is watching him. Although Square Inch remains his greatest protection, he realizes that Turtle Treasure’s concealment ability alone is insufficient against Emperor Gan’s attention. He also begins questioning his previous assumptions about the limits of cultivation and the relationship between humans, the Spirit Wandering Realm, and Outer Gods.
Ancient Web demonstrates greater certainty about the nature of Outer Gods and challenges Li Shun’s assumptions. It explains that Outer Gods are innately powerful beings whose strength is fixed from birth; they cannot cultivate, grow stronger, or become weaker. Ancient Web also dismisses Li Shun’s belief that the Grand Arbiter’s Spirit Wandering Realm could rival an Outer God, classifying it as merely a variation of the Heaven and Earth Realm.

Significant themes

• Concealment versus exposure: Li Shun’s survival depends on remaining hidden, yet Emperor Gan’s attention threatens to expose his secrets.
• The limits of knowledge: Both Li Shun and the reader discover that previous assumptions about Outer Gods and cultivation were incomplete or wrong.
• Innate power versus acquired strength: Outer Gods are portrayed as eternally unchanging beings whose power is intrinsic, making Emperor Gan’s possible human-derived strength extraordinary and dangerous.
• The danger of attracting attention: If Emperor Gan truly reached Outer God-level power through cultivation, other Outer Gods might investigate Great Qian, potentially bringing catastrophic destruction.
• Uncertainty and hidden motives: Emperor Gan’s reason for helping Li Shun remains unknown, making his actions as threatening as they are beneficial.

Character interactions

Li Shun and Ancient Web analyze Emperor Gan’s strength and motives together. Ancient Web explains the fixed nature of Outer Gods and argues that no ordinary acquired being should be capable of matching them. Li Shun questions this conclusion by citing Emperor Gan’s extraordinary achievements and the Grand Arbiter’s apparent ability to destroy Outer God envoys. Ancient Web rejects both arguments as insufficient proof, leaving Li Shun even more uncertain about Emperor Gan, the Spirit Wandering Realm, and the true hierarchy of power in Chaos.

Summary

Li Shun receives a dangerous fragment of knowledge about Chaos and the Outer Gods from Ancient Web. The information exceeds what most beings could withstand, triggering a violent backlash within his Spirit Wandering realm, the Square Inch Space. Black fissures spread through the void, and Chaos appears to invade the space, accompanied by disturbing murmurs and visions of countless Outer Gods.
Remaining calm, Li Shun returns to Square Inch Mountain and chants a stabilizing verse. His radiance gradually dispels the invading darkness, while his firm mind allows him to repair the damage throughout the Square Inch Space. He realizes that the space’s foundation is tied to his own heart and that, as long as his mind remains steady, it can recover even from Chaos’s erosion.
Li Shun then confronts Ancient Web for revealing knowledge beyond his supposed limit. Ancient Web explains that it did not violate their agreement because Li Shun had become strong enough to endure the invasion. It further reveals that Li Shun’s effortless restoration of the Square Inch Space is an achievement that countless Chaos gods could never accomplish. This makes Li Shun reconsider the true extent of his power and the Grand Arbiter’s claim that the Outer Gods are not invincible. He begins to suspect that the Grand Arbiter may have discovered a method of opposing them.
After returning to reality, Li Shun discovers that more than sixty years spent in the trial Heaven and Earth have distorted his perception of time. Although only half a day has passed in Great Qian, his body and soul feel as though they have aged by decades. He realizes that, if left untreated, this altered perception could cause him to die of old age within a year. Following the Grand Sacrificer’s earlier advice to rest, he uses the Imperial Academy’s sundial to recalibrate his sense of time. After five days of focused meditation, his perception returns to normal.
Han Qi then visits Li Shun and confirms that he has largely recovered. He comes to teach Li Shun how to use the Mind-Communicating Bead, a rare Creation granted to him by the Grand Sacrificer and an object highly valued by the academy’s teachers. Before explaining the bead, Han Qi gives Li Shun a book titled Treatise on Ten Thousand Balances. Li Shun recognizes it as a work from a new intellectual tradition formed in the trial time and space after he spread his teachings: the School of Totality.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Li Shun: Demonstrates exceptional mental stability, gains greater control over the Square Inch Space, survives Chaos backlash, and develops a deeper awareness of his potential against the Outer Gods. He also learns the danger of remaining disconnected from ordinary time.
• Ancient Web: Reveals more about Li Shun’s abilities and implies that his growth has surpassed ordinary Chaos gods. Its evasive, calculating nature remains evident.
• Grand Arbiter: Though absent, influences Li Shun’s thoughts through his assertion that the Outer Gods can be defeated.
• Grand Sacrificer: His warning that Li Shun should rest proves important because of the severe temporal aftereffects of the trial.
• Han Qi: Acts as Li Shun’s instructor and introduces him to the Mind-Communicating Bead and the School of Totality. Their exchange is direct, with Han Qi showing both familiarity and mild envy toward Li Shun’s extraordinary opportunity.

Significant Themes

• The limits of knowledge: Understanding Chaos brings immense power but can also cause destructive backlash.
• Mental stability as strength: Li Shun’s firm mind is the foundation that protects and repairs his inner realm.
• Growth beyond conventional limits: His ability to restore the Square Inch Space suggests that he has reached a level beyond ordinary gods.
• Time and adaptation: The chapter highlights the danger of surviving in altered temporal environments and the need to readjust to reality.
• Hope against overwhelming forces: The possibility that the Outer Gods are not invincible introduces a potential path toward resisting Chaos.
• The spread of ideas: The emergence of the School of Totality shows that Li Shun’s teachings have begun shaping new intellectual and philosophical traditions.

Chapter Summary: “All Methods Give Rise to Primordial Unity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun discovers that works created within the Ancient Past Inquiry trial spacetime can manifest in Great Qian’s real world.
• Han Qi examines the Treatise on Totality, a doctrine that seeks to unify the Hundred Schools by returning their various principles to a common root: Primordial Unity.
• The Treatise argues that Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, Daoism, and other schools each grasp only one aspect of the ultimate Way. True Totality does not forcibly merge them but allows their principles to naturally converge.
• Li Shun initially dismisses the work as grand but impractical speculation because it lacks a complete theory or clear method of realization.
• Han Qi explains that a doctrine qualifies as a new school in Great Qian not only by being accepted and spread, but also by possessing a philosophy capable of resisting Outer God influence.
• The Imperial Academy verifies that the Treatise on Totality can function as a mental anchor against Outer Gods. Though weak, its essential nature is genuine, meaning Totality may qualify as a newly established school.
• Han Qi praises the Treatise’s central practice, the Supreme Unity Complete Method, which teaches practitioners to avoid attachment to any single doctrine and instead guard the empty, central pivot underlying all methods.
• Han Qi asks Li Shun to identify the founder of the Totality school. Li Shun realizes with alarm that he remembers the school’s teachings perfectly but cannot remember anything about its founder—not even the person’s name, appearance, or age.
• Li Shun suspects that Emperor Gan may have secretly influenced the trial spacetime, but he keeps this theory to himself.
• Han Qi proposes that the founder may have been a sage’s manifestation, rather than an ordinary historical person or an Outer God intrusion.
• He rejects the possibility of an undetected Outer God invasion, asserting that the Imperial Academy and Emperor Gan would have immediately detected such interference.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Moves from dismissing Totality as empty idealism to recognizing that it has real defensive power and may represent something mysterious within the trial spacetime. His inability to remember the founder unsettles him and makes him question the nature of the trial world.
• Han Qi: Reveals his broad understanding of how schools are defined and demonstrates serious respect for Totality. His admiration for the Supreme Unity Complete Method contrasts with Li Shun’s initial skepticism. He also displays strong confidence in the Imperial Academy’s ability to detect Outer God influence.
• Emperor Gan: Though absent from the direct conversation, he becomes a possible hidden force behind the appearance of the Treatise. Li Shun wonders whether he secretly intervened to assist him.

Significant Themes

• Unity amid diversity: The chapter explores whether the Hundred Schools can be reconciled without erasing their differences. Totality seeks unity by returning to shared foundations rather than forcing uniformity.
• Limits of partial knowledge: The Hundred Schools are compared to blind men describing different parts of an elephant; each possesses truth but mistakes its partial view for the whole.
• The center and emptiness: The Supreme Unity Complete Method emphasizes guarding the “empty center,” suggesting that strength comes from remaining unattached and allowing all methods to operate through one’s understanding.
• Doctrines as protection: Philosophy is not merely intellectual. In Great Qian, a school’s core principles must also resist Outer Gods, making spiritual and metaphysical defense part of doctrinal legitimacy.
• Identity and historical erasure: Li Shun’s inability to remember the founder raises questions about whether the figure was ever an ordinary individual, a manifestation of a higher being, or an intervention outside normal causality.
• Reality emerging from trials: The chapter reinforces that events and creations within trial spacetimes can influence or become part of Great Qian’s actual history.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun questions Han Qi’s serious interest in the Treatise, prompting Han Qi to explain the requirements for establishing a legitimate school.
• Han Qi uses passages from the Treatise to demonstrate its philosophical depth and its practical value as a defense against Outer Gods.
• Their discussion shifts from academic evaluation to mystery when Han Qi asks Li Shun about the founder and Li Shun discovers his memory has a significant gap.
• Li Shun and Han Qi consider competing explanations—Outer God interference, Emperor Gan’s secret assistance, or a sage’s manifestation—while Han Qi confidently rules out an undetected invasion.

Chapter Summary: Mind-Communicating Passage Through Chaos

Key Plot Points and Events

• Han Qi explains that the removal of ancient sages from trial spacetime causes reality to “restore” itself toward its original course. This restoration can produce temporary phenomena, including entirely new sages or theories that never existed in Great Qian’s history.
• The [Supreme Unity Complete Method] may have been created through this process—a spontaneous product of spacetime’s corrective force.
• Han Qi reveals that the Mind-Communicating Bead can use compatible thoughts or theories as a guide to open doors leading to other worlds. He inserts the contents of the [Supreme Unity Complete Treatise] into a larger blue bead, causing a new door to appear.
• He clarifies that the bead cannot transport physical bodies. Instead, it allows a fragment of the user’s divine soul to travel through the door, potentially reaching worlds outside the Primordial Ancient Domain and perhaps even beyond Chaos.
• Han Qi demonstrates the process by sending a wisp of his divine soul through the door. His body weakens, and traces of Chaos appear around him.
• The door suddenly collapses, destroying part of Han Qi’s divine soul. He returns injured and vomits blood, though he insists the damage is not life-threatening.
• Han Qi recounts what he experienced: a world resembling Great Qian but ruled entirely by a unified, extreme religion rather than competing Hundred Schools, dynasties, or emperors.
• During nearly fifty years in that world, he rose to become its religious sovereign and obtained the [Divine Transmission Art], which shared some principles with the [Supreme Unity Complete Method] but was ultimately not identical.

Character Developments

• Li Shun becomes increasingly perceptive and skeptical. He recognizes that Han Qi’s discussion of spacetime and the Supreme Unity theory is connected to the Mind-Communicating Bead rather than being a mere explanation.
• His caution also deepens when he notices the Chaos aura surrounding Han Qi during the soul voyage, recalling his own past encounters with Chaos.
• Han Qi is revealed to possess extensive knowledge of spacetime, divine-soul travel, and alternate worlds. Despite his confidence and authority, his experiment exposes his vulnerability: crossing worlds carries genuine risks, and even he cannot fully control the dangers involved.
• Han Qi’s account also shows his dedication to finding knowledge capable of completing or validating the Supreme Unity doctrine. His regret at finding only a similar, rather than identical, philosophy reveals the limits of his quest.

Significant Themes

• Restoration of reality and historical possibility: The removal of powerful beings can cause spacetime to generate replacement theories, people, or events.
• Knowledge across worlds: Philosophies from alternate realities may provide insight into resolving Great Qian’s intellectual and ideological conflicts.
• The danger of exploration: Access to other worlds is possible, but divine-soul travel can result in severe injury or annihilation.
• Unity versus conflict: The Supreme Unity Complete Method could reconcile the competing Hundred Schools and bring ideological peace to Great Qian.
• Limits of similarity: Even a doctrine resembling the Supreme Unity theory may not provide the exact answer Han Qi seeks.

Character Interactions

• Han Qi patiently educates Li Shun about trial spacetime and the Mind-Communicating Bead, while Li Shun actively questions the hidden relationship between the bead and the Supreme Unity doctrine.
• Han Qi demonstrates the bead’s power directly, allowing Li Shun to witness the creation of the new door and the dangers of soul travel.
• After Han Qi’s return, Li Shun supports him physically and expresses concern, while Han Qi reassures him and explains the risks.
• Their exchange establishes a teacher-student dynamic, but Li Shun’s sharp observations show that he is becoming more independent and capable of challenging Han Qi’s explanations.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun and Han Qi discuss the Mind-Communicating Bead, an artifact that allows divine souls to cross the Chaos and enter other worlds.
• Han Qi explains that ordinary traversal through the Imperial Academy’s Outer-Heavenly Trial is extremely dangerous because a soul may descend into an unsuitable or powerless body.
• He uses the Church World as an example: most inhabitants are oppressed serfs controlled by a tiny, powerful Church hierarchy. A soul possessing a serf would have almost no chance of survival or advancement.
• The Mind-Communicating Bead solves this problem by scanning an entire world and selecting individuals with the most advantageous identities and origins for possession.
• The bead can also preserve a world’s “beacon,” allowing the user to return repeatedly and reconnect with people related to the previous host.
• Han Qi demonstrates this function. On his second descent into the Church World, he possesses the illegitimate son of a powerful bishop, eliminates his rivals, rises to become pope, and eventually challenges and defeats the world’s original god.
• Han Qi becomes the sole God of the Church World, reaching power comparable to the Heaven and Earth Realm despite being only at the Profound Insight Realm in Great Qian.
• Li Shun is astonished by Han Qi’s rapid advancement and wonders why Han Qi returned to Great Qian instead of remaining a god in the other world.

2. Character Developments

• Li Shun gains a deeper understanding of the dangers and opportunities involved in traversing other worlds. His previous experience as a low-status laborer helps him recognize the importance of choosing the right identity at birth.
• He becomes increasingly impressed—and likely unsettled—by Han Qi’s talent, strategic ability, and accomplishments.
• Han Qi is revealed to be far more formidable than his ordinary status in Great Qian suggests. Through repeated incarnations, he can exploit the rules of other worlds, rapidly accumulate power, and overthrow their rulers.
• Han Qi’s strange speech and lingering aura after becoming God suggest that his experiences and transformation in the Church World have affected him deeply, though he remains capable of returning to his original self.

3. Significant Themes

• The importance of birth and circumstance: Innate identity and social position can determine whether an individual has any chance of changing their fate.
• Opportunity beyond restrictive systems: Great Qian’s cultivation path contains rigid barriers that can permanently limit even the most talented people, while other worlds may provide them with limitless growth.
• Power and adaptation: Success in another world depends not only on talent but also on selecting the right vessel, understanding local systems, and exploiting accumulated experience.
• Identity and transformation: Han Qi becomes a god in another world while remaining a relatively ordinary cultivator in Great Qian, raising questions about whether power belongs to the individual or to the world that enables it.
• The dangers of other worlds: Entire civilizations may mobilize against outsiders, especially those exposed as Outworld Heavenly Demons.

4. Character Interactions

• Han Qi acts as Li Shun’s guide, explaining the Mind-Communicating Bead and demonstrating its functions through visions.
• Li Shun responds with questions and comparisons to his own experiences, particularly his descent into Cold Mountain and the Martial World.
• Their conversation is instructional but also reveals a contrast: Li Shun has struggled through unfavorable circumstances, while Han Qi has mastered the art of selecting advantageous identities and exploiting repeated crossings.
• By the end of the chapter, Han Qi notices Li Shun’s confusion about his return to Great Qian, setting up an explanation of why he abandoned—or temporarily left—his godhood in the Church World.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Han Qi explains that his experiences in another world came from only a divided soul, or divine incarnation. Because of the distance between worlds and the different laws governing them, his achievements there have little direct effect on his true body in Great Qian.
• Despite this separation, Han Qi still retains control over the gods of that world and could potentially recall the incarnation if a way to cross Chaos were discovered.
• Li Shun realizes that the many doors within Han Qi’s Mind-Communicating Bead represent different worlds, each containing one of Han Qi’s incarnations. He understands that Han Qi’s apparent limitation to the Profound Insight Realm conceals an enormous network of powerful incarnations.
• Li Shun concludes that Great Qian’s true strength lies in its connections to countless worlds and the powerful incarnations cultivated throughout them.
• He recognizes the Square Inch Space as a unique advantage because it can bypass Chaos and transport puppets between worlds. This could allow him to summon powerful, potentially immortal Heaven and Earth Realm Saints into Great Qian.
• Han Qi teaches Li Shun more about using the Mind-Communicating Bead and warns that the destruction of a divided soul would damage his foundation, requiring at least three months of recovery.
• Han Qi also asks Li Shun to help gather theories related to the Supreme Unity Complete Method, since Li Shun’s connection to its creation may give him an advantage. Before leaving, Han Qi presents him with an improved version of the Divine Transmission Art.
• Li Shun studies the text, recognizing that it shares certain principles with the Supreme Unity Complete Method but ultimately has no immediate cultivation value in Great Qian.
• Unable to understand the Mind-Communicating Bead’s internal workings, Li Shun consults the Ancient Web. The Ancient Web is surprised by the treasure and theorizes that it may have been forged using the corpse of an Outer God.

Character Developments

• Han Qi is revealed to be far more powerful and influential than his Great Qian cultivation level suggests. He functions as a teacher while maintaining incarnations capable of ruling or reaching the pinnacle of other worlds.
• Li Shun becomes increasingly ambitious and strategically aware. Rather than merely admiring Han Qi, he immediately considers how the Mind-Communicating Bead and Square Inch Space could accelerate his own growth and change the balance of power in Great Qian.
• Li Shun also grows more cautious around Han Qi, suppressing his excitement and carefully hiding his thoughts while listening to the teaching.
• The Ancient Web shows unusual initiative by requesting to inspect the Mind-Communicating Bead directly, indicating that the treasure may be connected to powers even beyond its own understanding.

Significant Themes

• The relationship between incarnations and true selves: Divided souls can achieve greatness independently, yet remain fundamentally linked to their origin.
• The hidden foundations of power: Great Qian appears insignificant on the surface but is supported by countless worlds and incarnations.
• The limits of Chaos and the possibility of transcending them: Distance between worlds normally prevents direct influence, but the Square Inch Space may provide a way around this fundamental barrier.
• Knowledge as power: Understanding the Mind-Communicating Bead could allow Li Shun to reproduce its world-traveling function and multiply his strength dramatically.
• Caution beneath ambition: Li Shun sees the immense potential of the treasure but is reminded that failure carries severe consequences.

Character Interactions

• Han Qi calmly instructs Li Shun about the nature, uses, and dangers of the Mind-Communicating Bead, while Li Shun listens respectfully and conceals his growing excitement.
• Han Qi entrusts Li Shun with the Divine Transmission Art and the task of researching the Supreme Unity Complete Method, suggesting that he views Li Shun as especially suited to the academy’s work.
• Li Shun turns to the Ancient Web for guidance, and its unexpected reaction emphasizes the extraordinary nature of the Mind-Communicating Bead.
• The chapter ends with the Ancient Web’s startling hypothesis that the treasure was created from an Outer God’s corpse, raising the stakes surrounding its origins and capabilities.

Chapter Summary: Mingxing Wangyu Falls

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun and Ancient Web discover that the Great Qian Mind-Communicating Bead was forged from the corpse of an Outer God named Mingxing Wangyu.
• Ancient Web explains that Outer Gods normally return to Chaos upon death, leaving no corpse. A body can remain only if the god dies inside a world, where the Heaven and Earth Membrane prevents its return to Chaos.
• Mingxing Wangyu was one of the earliest and most powerful gods, uniquely capable of traveling through Chaos without hindrance. It had explored countless worlds before mysteriously disappearing.
• Neither Li Shun nor Ancient Web can determine how Mingxing Wangyu died. Possible explanations include natural death or suicide, but both seem extremely unlikely because an Outer God’s death would normally destroy the surrounding world.
• Ancient Web suspects that Great Qian may possess hidden knowledge connected to Mingxing Wangyu’s death, based on its involvement with the former Thunder Pool, the Myriad Treasures Furnace, and experiments involving Heaven and Earth Membranes.
• Ancient Web proposes that Li Shun investigate Great Qian in exchange for help entering the Imperial Academy. Li Shun initially refuses, wary of provoking a powerful and secretive organization.
• Recognizing that Li Shun is negotiating for greater benefits, Ancient Web changes the terms: it will help him understand the Mind-Communicating Bead and travel between worlds, while Li Shun will investigate Mingxing Wangyu’s fall once he becomes strong enough.
• Ancient Web studies the Universal Thought Sphere and concludes that its ability to locate worlds likely comes from Mingxing Wangyu’s memories and experiences. Since Mingxing Wangyu had visited countless worlds, the sphere can match a traveler’s requirements with places the Outer God once explored.

Character Developments

• Li Shun remains cautious, practical, and self-interested. He refuses to involve himself in a dangerous mystery without sufficient compensation or protection, showing that he prioritizes survival over curiosity.
• He also demonstrates cleverness in negotiations, deliberately refusing Ancient Web’s first offer until it provides more valuable assistance.
• Ancient Web displays an unfamiliar emotional side. Its reaction to Mingxing Wangyu’s corpse suggests grief, anger, and kinship with another Outer God. Its normally detached attitude is disturbed by the discovery.
• Ancient Web becomes more proactive and cooperative, agreeing to help Li Shun gain the power and knowledge needed for interworld travel.

Significant Themes

• The mystery of death and identity: Mingxing Wangyu’s corpse challenges the fundamental rules governing Outer Gods and raises questions about whether even primordial beings can truly disappear.
• The limits of knowledge: Despite Ancient Web’s vast understanding, it cannot explain how Mingxing Wangyu died, emphasizing that some secrets remain beyond even cosmic intelligence.
• Power and survival: Li Shun’s refusal to investigate without protection reflects the dangers of confronting Great Qian and the importance of building strength before pursuing truth.
• Exploitation of the divine: The corpse of a mighty Outer God has been reduced to material for a human artifact, highlighting the disturbing imbalance between cosmic beings and mortal civilizations.
• Memory as a source of power: Mingxing Wangyu’s experiences persist through the Mind-Communicating Bead and Universal Thought Sphere, allowing its travels to influence the movement of others long after its death.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun questions Ancient Web about Outer Gods and Mingxing Wangyu’s death, forcing it to explain the unusual existence of the corpse.
• Ancient Web’s emotional reaction to the Mind-Communicating Bead reveals its personal connection to the fate of fellow Outer Gods.
• Li Shun and Ancient Web negotiate over the investigation into Great Qian. Their exchange shows mutual distrust but also growing cooperation.
• After reaching an agreement, Ancient Web examines the Universal Thought Sphere and provides Li Shun with a crucial explanation of how it identifies destinations across Chaos.

Chapter Summary: Heaven-Grasping Soul Travel Method

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun and the Ancient Web investigate the Mind-Communicating Bead and discover that its powers originate from the lingering divine traces of the fallen Outer God, Mingxing Wangyu.
• Although the bead appears to be an independent treasure, it is actually only an access terminal connected to a much larger system.
• The true mechanism behind divine-soul travel is the Heavenly Dao of the Great Qian World. It acts as a protective relay, shielding Great Qian-born users from Mingxing Wangyu’s residual aura and corruption.
• Outsiders who attempted to use a stolen bead without the Great Qian Heavenly Dao’s protection would effectively be exposed directly to Mingxing Wangyu’s power.
• Li Shun realizes that his plan to use soul travel independently may be impossible because all travel is routed through Great Qian’s Heavenly Dao.
• The Ancient Web proposes two possible solutions:
  1. Construct a private Dao web that imitates the Great Qian Heavenly Dao.
  2. Secretly study and copy the soul-travel function of Great Qian’s Heavenly Dao, then reproduce it within another world’s Heavenly Dao.
• The first method could theoretically be completed in three days but would require enormous energy and surviving attacks from the Great Qian Court, so Li Shun rejects it.
• The second method is more practical but extremely dangerous. If discovered, Li Shun would lose his place in Great Qian.
• The Ancient Web demonstrates how information could be stolen from Great Qian’s Dao web and implanted into another world’s Dao web.
• Li Shun recognizes that this idea may be feasible in the Martial World, whose Heavenly Dao is already controlled by Fang Han after being transferred through Fei’s surrender.
• The chapter ends with Li Shun becoming excited and hopeful that he can recreate Great Qian’s soul-travel system in the Martial World.

Character Developments

• Li Shun gains a deeper understanding of the Mind-Communicating Bead and the immense influence of Outer Gods. His initial disappointment over losing access to independent soul travel turns into renewed determination when he realizes the Martial World may provide a workable alternative.
• The Ancient Web demonstrates its analytical ability by uncovering the bead’s true nature and proposing highly advanced methods for replicating Great Qian’s Heavenly Dao functions. It also remains cautious, warning Li Shun about detection and the consequences of violating Great Qian’s system.
• Mingxing Wangyu, though dead, remains an active influence through its corpse and enduring divine imprints. Its residual power forms the hidden foundation of the Mind-Communicating Beads.
• Fang Han and Fei become important indirectly, since their control of the Martial World’s Heavenly Dao may make Li Shun’s plan possible.

Significant Themes

• The lingering power of transcendent beings: Outer Gods leave permanent marks on reality, even after death, emphasizing their overwhelming strength.
• Systems beneath appearances: The Mind-Communicating Bead is revealed not as a self-contained artifact but as a minor interface connected to the Great Qian Heavenly Dao.
• Control versus access: Using a function and understanding its underlying system are very different. Li Shun must move from merely accessing soul travel to reproducing the Dao mechanism that enables it.
• Risky innovation and forbidden knowledge: Replicating Great Qian’s Heavenly Dao could grant Li Shun unprecedented freedom but would also make him an enemy of the Great Qian Court.
• Adaptation through existing structures: Rather than creating an entirely new system, Li Shun may exploit the Martial World’s already-controlled Heavenly Dao.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and the Ancient Web work collaboratively, with Li Shun asking questions and challenging the feasibility of the proposed solutions.
• The Ancient Web provides increasingly dangerous alternatives, balancing technical explanations with warnings about detection and retaliation.
• Li Shun’s past achievements—particularly his connection to the Martial World and its controlled Heavenly Dao—become the key to transforming the Ancient Web’s seemingly impossible theory into a realistic plan.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun discusses stealing Great Qian’s Heavenly Dao soul-traveling method with Ancient Web. Ancient Web proposes being sent into the Great Qian World, cultivating the Twelve Longevity Method as an Enlightenment Seeker, and approaching Great Qian’s Heavenly Dao directly. It estimates a 90% chance of success and a one-in-three chance of avoiding detection.
• Li Shun remains wary of Ancient Web’s true identity. Although it claims not to be the true body of the Outer God Ancient Web Across Time, its independent will and extraordinary power make Li Shun suspect that it is more than a mere remnant imprint.
• Ancient Web hints that possessing a position within Square Inch is more valuable than being a Chaos god who has cultivated for a hundred million years. Li Shun is pleased by the compliment but refuses to release Ancient Web while he is still inside the Imperial Academy.
• Li Shun considers using the Imperial Academy’s soul-traveling research assignment to test a soul-separation technique. Before he can act, Wang Zheng sends him an urgent message about an accident at the Yin-Yang Daoist Grounds.
• During cultivation of the Yin-Yang School’s Grand Primordial Unity art, Shang Qingqiu apparently drains Chen Mo’s vital essence completely. Chen Mo is reduced to a nearly skeletal corpse, barely alive and still smiling at Shang Qingqiu.
• Medical School disciples fail to save Chen Mo, while the surrounding students accuse Shang Qingqiu of deliberately murdering him. Shang Qingqiu insists that the technique initially proceeded normally and that the disaster was not intentional.
• Li Shun doubts Shang Qingqiu could have committed such a foolish act. Her status, reputation, and mastery of the technique make accidental loss of control seem unlikely, but deliberately draining Chen Mo would also bring severe consequences.
• Li Shun notices that no Imperial Academy instructors have arrived despite the seriousness of the incident. At that moment, an indescribable existence passes extremely close to the academy, bending the heavens under its pressure and leaving visible traces in the sky.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Becomes increasingly perceptive and cautious. He no longer accepts Ancient Web’s claims at face value and recognizes the danger of allowing it to leave Square Inch. He also demonstrates sound judgment by questioning the official interpretation of Shang Qingqiu’s actions.
• Ancient Web: Reveals a sophisticated and ambitious plan for infiltrating Great Qian’s Heavenly Dao. Its evasive answer about its identity deepens the mystery surrounding its origins and suggests knowledge beyond Li Shun’s current level.
• Shang Qingqiu: Her previously flawless reputation is damaged by the unexplained accident. Although she remains calm and composed under public condemnation, her inability to explain the event creates suspicion.
• Wang Zheng: Acts as Li Shun’s source of information and brings him to the incident, showing his willingness to involve Li Shun in academy affairs.
• Chen Mo: Is reduced from an active disciple to a nearly lifeless victim, though his continued adoration of Shang Qingqiu raises questions about whether his behavior is natural or influenced by the technique.

Significant Themes

• Trust and hidden identities: Li Shun’s doubts about Ancient Web emphasize the danger of relying on powerful entities whose true nature remains unknown.
• Power and control: Both the soul-traveling method and the Yin-Yang cultivation art involve manipulating immense forces that can produce catastrophic consequences if mishandled.
• Appearances versus reality: Shang Qingqiu’s calm reputation conflicts with the horrifying result of the cultivation session, while Ancient Web’s stated identity may conceal a deeper truth.
• Cosmic danger: The passing of the unknown existence suggests that threats far beyond the Imperial Academy are approaching, placing the academy’s ordinary disputes in a much larger cosmic context.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Ancient Web negotiate over the proposed infiltration of Great Qian, with Ancient Web offering a plan while Li Shun maintains control and refuses to release it immediately.
• Wang Zheng summons Li Shun to the Yin-Yang Daoist Grounds and asks for his interpretation of Shang Qingqiu’s actions.
• Shang Qingqiu faces accusations from fellow disciples but maintains that Chen Mo’s death was unintended.
• Li Shun and Wang Zheng begin to recognize that the incident may be connected to a larger disturbance when they sense the mysterious entity passing outside the academy.