Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Cheng Rang accuses Acting Magistrate Li Shun of disrespecting the imperial court by restoring sacrifices to the Three Elders.
• Li Shun counters that sacrifice is a legitimate duty of government and argues that the Three Elders laid the foundations for Shangyu’s survival and later prosperity. He accuses Cheng Rang of trying to erase the people’s gratitude and incite disorder.
• Li Shun abruptly orders Constable Li Qing to arrest Cheng Rang, transforming the public debate into a confrontation. Following Li Shun’s secret instruction, Li Qing pretends to be badly injured, making Cheng Rang appear to have attacked an officer.
• Cheng Rang uses Legalist techniques to bind Li Qing with chains and a net of law. Li Qing breaks free of the first restraint and nearly attacks him, prompting Cheng Rang to flee.
• Li Shun stops Li Qing from pursuing Cheng Rang: the flight has allowed them to make the charges of rebellion and resisting arrest stick.
• Li Shun reflects that his advancement to the Grand Simplicity Realm has strengthened his mystical abilities. He has been using “Think Without Learning” to influence Cheng Rang into making increasingly poor decisions.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun displays quick thinking and political ruthlessness. Rather than defend himself passively, he seizes control of the crowd’s interpretation, portraying Cheng Rang as a threat to social and state order. He also directs the staged arrest and exploits Cheng Rang’s escape.
• Cheng Rang arrives confident that his accusation will prevail, but loses control as Li Shun reframes the dispute. He reveals his Legalist powers when threatened, then flees in confusion and panic.
• Li Qing loyally follows his brother’s plan, feigning injury before engaging Cheng Rang for real. His strength lets him break the first restraint, though he is briefly trapped by the second.
• Li Shun and Li Qing coordinate through private transmissions, while Cheng Rang becomes increasingly isolated before the watching crowd.

Significant themes

• Power of rhetoric and public perception: Li Shun turns a debate over ritual into a case about loyalty and rebellion, shaping how the crowd understands events.
• State authority, tradition, and gratitude: The chapter links honoring the Three Elders with social order, filial duty, and respect for government.
• Political manipulation: Li Shun’s staged tactics show how accusations and appearances can be used as weapons.
• Growing supernatural influence: Li Shun’s new realm gives his words and schemes a hidden mystical force.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Rang, after losing the debate, escapes and is pursued by Zhang Mu, the Shangyu County commandant.
• Li Shun reports the incident to the imperial court, requesting a joint effort to capture Cheng Rang.
• Kong Zhao arrives and praises Li Shun's handling of the situation. He reveals that Cheng Rang's actions were orchestrated by political enemies to discredit Li Shun.
• Wanted notices for Cheng Rang are issued across Yang Province.
• Cheng Rang, cornered, is given a poison pill by Su Zhenhan, who threatens to harm his family if he doesn't take it. Cheng Rang commits suicide.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Shows decisiveness and ruthlessness in handling Cheng Rang, demonstrating his political acumen. He also displays calm and composure under pressure.
• Cheng Rang: Initially confident and arrogant, he becomes desperate and terrified when faced with the consequences of his actions. He ultimately chooses suicide to avoid capture and protect his family.
• Su Zhenhan: Reveals a ruthless side, pressuring Cheng Rang to take his own life. He also shows sorrow for his former friend's fate.

Significant Themes

• Power and Politics: The incident highlights the deadly nature of politics, where failure can lead to severe consequences.
• Loyalty and Betrayal: Cheng Rang's actions betray his friendship with Li Shun, while Su Zhenhan's actions show loyalty to his superiors, even at the cost of a friend's life.
• Consequences of Actions: Both Li Shun and Cheng Rang face consequences due to their actions, illustrating the theme of cause and effect.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Kong Zhao: Their interaction shows a mentor-mentee relationship, with Kong Zhao guiding and praising Li Shun.
• Cheng Rang and Su Zhenhan: Their interaction is tense and tragic, ending with Cheng Rang's suicide and Su Zhenhan's vow of vengeance.

Plot points

• Cheng Rang dies by poisoning himself after being branded a wanted criminal. Li Shun believes those who backed him abandoned him to avoid further trouble, and expects the conflict to continue.
• After the Three Elders Peak incident, officials in Shangyu County become much more cautious around Li Shun, impressed by his ruthless ability to turn opponents into apparent enemies of the court. County administration consequently runs smoothly.
• In Square Inch Space, the Mystic Yellow Qi generated from the Three Elders’ remains begins accumulating more than twice as quickly. Li Shun realizes that official recognition has strengthened public faith in the Three Elders, increasing both the Qi’s yield and its sustainability.
• Meanwhile, Yin Fengshuo targets Fang Xun. Fang is burdened with completing land redistribution and refugee resettlement across thirteen counties in just two months, a schedule designed to exhaust him. As a puppet, however, Fang does not actually tire and continues to work effectively.
• The more serious attack comes through mysterious rumors accusing Fang of corruption and brutality in Cold Mountain, and of betraying his disciple Li Shun to gain power. The claims spread rapidly, become accepted as truth, and turn public opinion against Fang despite his efforts to investigate.
• As Fang is already under pressure, shortages and other problems emerge in the supplies and food needed for refugee resettlement, beginning Yin Fengshuo’s next move.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun is confident after the crisis and benefits from the county’s new deference. He also recognizes how the court’s authority can shape public belief and produce tangible spiritual benefits.
• Li Qing reacts angrily to Cheng Rang’s death, condemning the hidden backers; he and Li Shun agree that the conflict may not be over.
• Fang Xun remains composed and competent under extreme workloads, but underestimates how thoroughly the rumors are undermining him. His supposed betrayal of Li Shun becomes a central part of the smear campaign.
• Yin Fengshuo conducts a calculated campaign against Fang: first overwork him, then damage his reputation, and now disrupt essential logistics.
• The public shifts from respecting Fang to privately despising him, while its growing faith in the Three Elders strengthens their influence.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: Court endorsement can shape public belief and reinforce both political authority and supernatural forces.
• Reputation as a weapon: Rumors mixed with partial truths can become accepted fact and isolate a target.
• Political maneuvering: Yin Fengshuo’s pressure campaign attacks Fang through workload, public opinion, and administration rather than direct confrontation.
• Duty and endurance: Fang continues his work flawlessly, though his apparent exhaustion hides his unusual nature.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yin Fengshuo, the prefectural governor, delays supplies to East Mountain, fueling rumors that Fang Xun is embezzling them, leading to public outrage.
• Fang Xun is summoned repeatedly by Yin Fengshuo for meetings on the Ninth-Rank Official System Reform, consuming his time and energy.
• Fang Xun realizes he's in a tribulation, unable to resist or struggle, with his situation worsening daily.

Character Developments

• Fang Xun: Realizes he's in a tribulation, decides to use this situation to his advantage, plans to sacrifice himself to gain the people's gratitude and have a shrine built in his honor.
• Yin Fengshuo: Continues his offensive against Fang Xun, using the reform as an excuse to summon him repeatedly.
• Fang Han: Remains loyal to Fang Xun, immune to the tribulation's influence, argues with officials on his uncle's behalf.

Significant Themes

• The power of rumors and public opinion.
• The struggle between officials and the consequences of corruption.
• The concept of tribulation and endurance.

Character Interactions

• Fang Xun and Yin Fengshuo: Yin Fengshuo uses his position to pressure and manipulate Fang Xun, while Fang Xun secretly plans his countermeasure.
• Fang Xun and Fang Han: Fang Han remains loyal to Fang Xun, defending him against accusations, while Fang Xun observes Fang Han's immunity to the tribulation's influence.
• Fang Xun and the public: Fang Xun allows the rumors against him to spread, aiming to gain the people's gratitude later.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Xun realizes Fang Han's extraordinary nature, which could lead him to the Celestial Phenomenon or even Creation Realm.
• Fang Xun suspects someone is causing trouble secretly, alluding to the rumors about him.
• On the 15th day of the fourth month, Fang Xun experiences the tribulation qi's alteration, causing him to feel greed for the disaster-relief supplies.
• On the 18th day, Commandery Governor Yin Fengshuo summons the garrison commanders, including Fang Xun, to discuss matters.
• A massive black pillar of Heavenly Dao Severed Qi erupts from the earth, accompanied by a voice accusing Yin Fengshuo of betraying the Jun Family.

Character Developments

• Fang Xun begins to see Fang Han's potential and decides to have Li Shun guide him.
• Fang Xun experiences the tribulation qi's alteration, affecting his body and mind.
• Yin Fengshuo is suspected of colluding with the Jun Family by the officials.

Significant Themes

• The power of Heaven's Lifespan Lock Tribulation and its ability to alter one's body, mind, and soul.
• The consequences of betrayal and broken promises, as seen in the Jun Family descendant's resentment toward Yin Fengshuo.
• The potential of extraordinary individuals like Fang Han.

Character Interactions

• Fang Xun and Fang Han: Fang Xun starts to recognize Fang Han's potential and decides to have Li Shun guide him.
• Fang Xun and the officials: The officials become suspicious of Yin Fengshuo after hearing the Jun Family descendant's accusation.
• Yin Fengshuo and the Jun Family descendant: The descendant accuses Yin Fengshuo of betraying their agreement, leading to the eruption of Heavenly Dao Severed Qi.

Plot points and events

• Heavenly Dao Severed Qi erupts across Former Tomb Commandery. Governor Yin Fengshuo rapidly organizes evacuations, relief work, repairs to the earth veins, and a report to the imperial court.
• The first outbreak seems manageable, but a mysterious voice claiming to speak for the Jun Family repeatedly triggers new eruptions. Officials labor for days to suppress the qi and repair the damage.
• As the disturbances continue, officials begin privately suspecting Yin. He realizes he is caught in a Form-Transformation Origin-Substitution Tribulation: tribulation qi can turn rumors into apparent truth, and Shentu Xin’s public accusations are helping shape those rumors.
• A Great Qian Black-Robed Envoy and Vice Censor-in-Chief Lu Hanmo arrive to arrest Yin. Lu cites a letter from the Jun Family claiming responsibility for the disturbances, then accuses Yin of colluding with Shentu Xin, the Imperial Tomb arsonist.
• Yin recognizes that the supposed Jun Family troublemaker is Shentu Xin, whom he believed dead, but insists he is being framed. Lu orders the envoys to seize him.
• Yin initially accepts the arrest as a possible escape from the increasingly dangerous commandery. As he is escorted away, Shentu Xin announces another “gift,” unleashing eruptions of severed qi far more violent than before.

Character developments

• Yin Fengshuo begins as a capable, authoritative crisis manager, but becomes increasingly isolated as suspicion gathers around him. He understands the supernatural mechanism behind his predicament, yet has no clear way to stop it.
• Shentu Xin remains unseen but exerts growing influence through timed attacks and public provocations. His manipulation turns a false accusation into a mounting political crisis.
• Lu Hanmo is composed and decisive, treating the accusations as grounds for immediate action rather than accepting Yin’s defense.
• The local officials shift from confidence in Yin’s management to unease and suspicion as the disasters recur.

Significant themes

• Rumor becoming reality: The tribulation transforms unfounded gossip into something that can threaten a person as if it were true.
• Manipulation and scapegoating: Shentu Xin exploits disaster and political suspicion to make Yin appear guilty.
• Duty under pressure: Yin continues prioritizing public safety even as the crisis threatens his reputation and freedom.
• The cost of ambition and complicity: Yin had secretly supported efforts to endanger Fang Xun; now he fears becoming a sacrifice in the same tribulation.

Character interactions

• Yin commands officials to protect the people and contain the severed qi, but their confidence in him erodes as the crisis persists.
• Shentu Xin taunts Yin from afar, repeatedly claiming Jun Family responsibility and escalating the disasters.
• Lu Hanmo confronts Yin with the allegations and has him arrested; Yin protests that he is being framed but submits without resistance.
• Shentu Xin’s final attack interrupts Yin’s departure, leaving his fate and the commandery’s safety uncertain.

Key plot points and events

• A massive eruption of Heavenly Dao Severed Qi bursts from the earth, forming a black cloud that threatens Former Tomb Commandery. Yin Fengshuo asks Lu Hanmo to help contain it; Lu agrees, and officials combine their strength to raise a barrier around the eruption.
• A luminous vortex appears overhead and begins drawing in the black qi, easing pressure on the barrier. The officials take this as evidence that a powerful expert is intervening, while the court’s Mohist craftsmen are expected the following day.
• In East Mountain Town, Fang Xun’s tribulation qi weakens, clearing his mind and reducing the influence behind his greedy appearance—but it does not disappear, and townspeople still distrust him.
• Fang urges the town to evacuate because its location makes it vulnerable. Zheng Zhi backs him up, recalling the black qi at the town well. When the ground shakes, Fang replaces persuasion with an official evacuation order.
• Fang directs residents from East Mountain Town and thirteen surrounding counties toward the mountains. The refugees, many of whom have already suffered from Severed Qi, follow his guidance.
• Once the evacuation is nearly complete, black qi engulfs the abandoned towns. From the mountain, the refugees see how close they came to disaster and continue climbing as Fang warns them they are still not safe.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Xun shifts from patient pleading to forceful command when time runs out. Despite lingering suspicion toward him, he personally guides the evacuation and repeatedly carries vulnerable people to safety.
• Zheng Zhi uses his standing in the community to validate Fang’s warning, helping overcome the townspeople’s mistrust.
• Yin Fengshuo and Lu Hanmo set aside their immediate concerns to cooperate in containing the calamity.
• The townspeople move from skepticism and resentment toward gratitude after witnessing their homes swallowed by the qi—but Fang refuses to let their relief turn into complacency.

Significant themes

• Collective action in a crisis: Officials cooperate to restrain the eruption, while townspeople and refugees must follow coordinated evacuation efforts.
• Trust, authority, and proof: Fang’s warnings are initially rejected, but Zheng Zhi’s testimony and the visible disaster persuade people to act.
• Duty and sacrifice: Fang and the officials risk exhaustion to protect others, while the commandery’s leaders prioritize public safety.
• Survival amid uncertainty: Even after escaping the towns, the refugees remain in danger; reaching the mountain summit is only temporary refuge.

Key plot points and events

• The Heavenly Dao Severed Qi rises toward East Mountain’s summit, trapping the exhausted townspeople. Fang Xun and dozens of local officials use their Lizheng to hold it back, but their strength is barely enough.
• As the black qi reaches the crowd, Fang Xun burns his life force to stop it. Inspired by him, other officials do the same, briefly halting the advance.
• Yin Fengshuo, Lu Hanmo, and other powerful cultivators arrive and force the Severed Qi back. The survivors celebrate, but Yin Fengshuo receives most of their praise while Fang Xun is left unnoticed.
• The narration then reveals that Li Shun’s use of Threefold Self-Reflection created a different outcome: the qi surged faster, and the rescuers arrived too late. Fang Xun spends all his remaining life force shielding the people and is swallowed by the black mist.
• Fang Han grieves and lashes out at Yin Fengshuo, whom the crowd blames for arriving late. Yin is shocked by Fang Xun’s death and feels unexpected emptiness.
• Yin realizes that the death of Dai Yuan did not redirect the calamity as intended; the powerful cultivator behind events likely died from the backlash. At midnight, Li Shun receives Kong Zhao’s brief order: “Return to East Mountain!”

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Xun proves his devotion to East Mountain through self-sacrifice, ultimately dying as a human shield for its people. In the first version of events, his work is overshadowed; in the altered version, his death is witnessed and honored.
• Fang Han moves from witness to outspoken defender of his uncle, voicing the crowd’s grief and anger toward Yin Fengshuo.
• Yin Fengshuo shifts from self-assured authority to shock and confusion. Though he once resented Fang Xun, the news of his death unsettles him.
• The officials and townspeople are galvanized by Fang Xun’s courage: officials burn their own life force beside him, while the people later unite in condemning Yin.
• Li Shun’s intervention changes the timing and severity of events, setting up the order that he return to East Mountain.

Significant themes

• Self-sacrifice and public duty: Fang Xun chooses the people’s survival over his own.
• Recognition and reputation: Public praise can overlook those who made the greatest sacrifice, while shared witness can reshape how a person is remembered.
• Leadership and accountability: Yin’s delayed arrival exposes the gap between official authority and responsibility to the people.
• Changing fate and unintended consequences: Li Shun’s intervention alters the sequence of events, with deadly results.

Key plot points and events

• Li Shun is summoned back to East Mountain after learning that a disaster of Heavenly Dao Severed Qi has devastated the region and his master, Fang Xun, has died.
• He finds the town scarred and its survivors traumatized. Fang Xun’s body is gone, leaving only an empty coffin and memorial tablet.
• Hearing conflicting accounts, Li Shun questions the official story. He knows Fang Xun had not forced him away, and suspects that rumors about their relationship helped turn the people against his master and delayed their evacuation.
• Li Shun gathers sworn testimony from hundreds of survivors and investigates across the commandery. The witnesses recall their former hostility with shame and describe Fang Xun’s sacrifice to save them.
• Li Shun asks Kong Zhao whether someone had been undergoing a tribulation in East Mountain. Kong confirms it, but warns that the person is dead and the matter should not be pursued. He also hints that Governor Yin Fengshuo may be politically vulnerable, while urging Li Shun to put his own prospects ahead of grief.
• Rejecting that advice, Li Shun writes and circulates a forceful eulogy for Fang Xun that also denounces Yin and calls for an investigation into the disaster.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun moves from performing shock at Fang Xun’s death to pursuing the truth and defending his master’s reputation. His method is deliberate: he gathers testimony, checks events across the region, and then uses a public document to make his case.
• Fang Xun is revealed through survivors’ accounts as a once-maligned official who stayed with the people and gave his life to protect them.
• Fang Han, grieving at the memorial, initially resents Li Shun’s abrupt departure. He then follows him, witnessing the investigation and the drafting of the eulogy.
• Li Qing supports Li Shun and independently notices that the rumor campaign resembles a deliberate transfer of calamity.
• Zheng Zhi recounts Fang Xun’s role in the disaster but cannot explain the suspicious rumors or public response.
• Kong Zhao confirms a tribulation occurred but discourages further inquiry, framing the tragedy as both politically sensitive and an opportunity for Li Shun.

Significant themes

• Truth versus rumor: Slander shaped public opinion and obstructed Fang Xun’s efforts to evacuate the people.
• Sacrifice and official duty: Fang Xun’s final act presents public service as accepting danger rather than retreating from it.
• Justice and reputation: Li Shun seeks to restore Fang Xun’s name and hold powerful officials accountable.
• Politics and opportunism: Kong Zhao’s advice shows how a tragedy can be treated as a matter of career advantage, while Li Shun insists it demands justice.
• Natural disaster or human-made calamity: The eulogy argues that the damage to East Mountain’s earth veins points to deliberate sabotage, not merely an act of heaven.
  The chapter ends with Li Shun’s accusation becoming public: he calls for Yin Fengshuo’s removal and a full investigation into whoever caused the catastrophe.

Key events

• Li Shun’s memorial essay mourning Fang Xun spreads rapidly through East Mountain. It gives voice to the people’s guilt and grief, and public sentiment turns decisively against Yin Fengshuo, despite his role in disaster relief.
• Officials and Confucian scholars arrive to pay their respects. Li Shun, dressed in mourning, manages the visitors calmly and efficiently, impressing Fang Han.
• On April 29, Fang Xun is buried in a cenotaph, since his body is gone. Zhao Cheng attends, recalls his former acquaintance with Fang Xun, and praises Li Shun for honoring his master.
• Li Shun asks Zhao Cheng to help secure court approval for a shrine to Fang Xun in East Mountain. He presents a petition covered with the names and handprints of thousands of local residents. Zhao Cheng accepts it and promises to raise the request with his master.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun proves himself a capable and composed leader as Fang Xun’s disciple. He transforms private mourning into a public movement, gathering popular support for the shrine.
• Fang Han observes Li Shun’s steady handling of the funeral and visitors and comes to admire him.
• Zhao Cheng shows respect for Fang Xun and recognizes Li Shun as a worthy successor. Although he notes that shrine-building requires strict court approval, the people’s petition persuades him that the request is easier to justify.

Significant themes

• Public grief and collective memory: Fang Xun’s sacrifice unites people across social groups, and the memorial essay helps shape how his death is remembered.
• Moral reputation and public opinion: Yin Fengshuo’s actions cannot overcome the public’s grief and disapproval.
• Duty, legacy, and popular support: Li Shun honors his master not only through burial rites but by pursuing a lasting shrine, backed by the will of the people.

Plot points and events

• Li Shun attends the memorial rites for Fang Xun, whose sacrifice has made him a revered local hero.
• Zhao Cheng reveals that Yin Fengshuo has been sentenced to death. Though public outrage over Fang Xun’s death contributed to the case, Yin was made to take the blame for a wider disaster involving the Heavenly Dao Severed Sea.
• The ancient well in East Mountain was built to seal a danger in Old Tomb’s earth veins. Its construction had been ordered by the future Right Chancellor, so the investigation stopped before reaching him. Claims that the well showed traces of the former kingdoms were explained by the workers’ origins.
• Li Shun learns that his rapid advance to the Grand Simplicity Realm qualifies him for a special direct-disciple appointment, though the ceremony will be delayed.
• Fang Xun had been selected to represent the Confucian School at the upcoming Feast of the Hundred Schools. The elders want Li Shun to take his place, but he must reach the Spiritual Resonance Realm within two years.
• Kong Zhao offers access to the Kong Family’s grotto-heaven, which bypasses advancement barriers but makes the next major breakthrough far more difficult. Since Li Shun may reach the Creation Stage before facing another barrier, he accepts.
• Zhao Cheng urges Li Shun to settle his affairs and leave soon; Kong Zhao stresses that he must enter the grotto-heaven alone.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun honors Fang Xun, learns the political truth behind the Old Tomb disaster, and accepts a demanding opportunity to advance and represent his school. He remains wary of going to the Sacred Capital too soon.
• Zhao Cheng explains the court’s handling of the disaster and recruits Li Shun for the vacant position at the Feast.
• Kong Zhao explains the grotto-heaven’s benefits and risks, securing Li Shun’s agreement to train there.
• Fang Xun, though dead, remains central: his sacrifice inspires public mourning and his former place is the one Li Shun is asked to fill.
• Li Shun’s exchange with Zhao Cheng and Kong Zhao shifts from remembrance and political revelations to a high-stakes plan for his future.

Significant themes

• Political expediency and concealed responsibility: A lower official is punished while powerful figures escape scrutiny.
• Public memory and sacrifice: Fang Xun’s death earns lasting honor and shapes the community’s response.
• Ambition and risk: Li Shun’s accelerated path offers great rewards but carries long-term consequences.
• Personal advancement versus duty: Li Shun accepts a demanding role to serve his school, even as it redirects his plans.

Key plot points and events

• Li Shun declines any claim to Warden Fang’s former post, arguing that he is still a commoner and that the court has appointed senior officials to govern the unsettled Former Tomb Commandery.
• Before leaving for the Kong Family Grotto-Heaven to cultivate, Li Shun asks Li Qing to stay in East Mountain and preserve worship at Fang Xun Shrine. He wants Fang Xun’s sacrifice remembered for decades, through stories, public celebrations, good works in his name, and a reputation that prayers at the shrine are answered.
• Li Shun also asks Li Qing to care for Fang Han, the orphan entrusted to him by Fang Xun. Li Qing solemnly accepts both responsibilities.
• In the Square Inch Space, Li Shun discovers that Heaven-and-Earth Mystic Yellow Qi gathered by Fang Xun flows into the space and transforms it. Because Fang Xun became a puppet before gathering the qi, he acts as a special link between the qi and the Square Inch.
• Li Shun learns that Mystic Yellow Qi can bring about a desired result directly, but the more steps it bypasses, the more qi it requires. Returning to his original home would take an incomprehensible amount; reaching the Heaven and Earth Realm would take thirty-six epochs, while reaching Spiritual Resonance would cost ten strands—still an inefficient use of the qi.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun shows deep loyalty to his former master, Fang Xun, and practical concern for Fang Han. He also gains a new understanding of Mystic Yellow Qi and its limits, shifting from excitement about its power to caution about its cost.
• Li Qing initially protests that Li Shun deserves Fang Xun’s post, then accepts Li Shun’s decision. He agrees to preserve the shrine’s influence and protect Fang Han.
• Fang Han does not appear directly, but his losses and vulnerability motivate Li Shun’s request that Li Qing take him in.
• Li Shun’s exchange with Li Qing contrasts Li Qing’s straightforward sense of fairness with Li Shun’s awareness of political convention and the difficulty of sustaining public memory.

Significant themes

• Memory and legacy: Li Shun believes gratitude fades unless people actively preserve it; the shrine’s rituals, stories, and public presence are meant to keep Fang Xun’s sacrifice alive.
• Power and responsibility: Li Shun’s extraordinary cultivation opportunities do not erase his obligations to the shrine, Fang Han, and the community.
• The limits of shortcuts: Mystic Yellow Qi can seemingly fulfill wishes by skipping steps, but the cost grows dramatically with the distance between the present and the desired outcome.
• Faith and public belief: Li Shun intends to sustain worship through both sincere good works and the social momentum of crowds, highlighting how religious devotion can depend on memory, reputation, and communal practice.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun has a premonition about the potential cost of wish fulfillment.
• He realizes the inefficiency of gathering Mystic Yellow Qi using the Three Elders' remains and Fang Xun's ancestral hall.
• The Mystic Yellow Qi transforms into a gate, the Gate of Myriad Mysteries, hinting at a method to obtain vast amounts of Qi.
• Li Shun decides to send a puppet, Shentu Xin's phantom, through the gate to scout, but it's blocked by an invisible fluctuation.

Character Developments

• Li Shun becomes more cautious and strategic, realizing the potential risks and costs of his actions.
• He shows concern for his brother, Li Qing, and the situation in East Mountain Town.

Significant Themes

• Greed and desire vs. caution and strategy.
• The potential costs and risks of wish fulfillment.
• The distinction between living and non-living beings in the context of the gate.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Li Qing: Li Shun reassures Li Qing about his absence, showing brotherly concern.
• Li Shun and the Mystic Yellow Qi: Li Shun interacts with the Mystic Yellow Qi, learning about its measurement units and the gate's requirements.
• Li Shun and Shentu Xin's phantom: Li Shun attempts to use the phantom to scout the gate, revealing the gate's restriction on non-living beings.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Han is critically ill, his life-fire flickering, due to his Creation being forcibly seized.
• Li Shun and Kong Zhao suspect that someone from Fang Han's father's clan, the Fan Clan, is behind this.
• Li Shun decides to save Fang Han by turning him into a puppet, despite his reservations.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Becomes more emotionally invested in Fang Han's fate, willing to save him despite the ethical implications of turning him into a puppet.
• Fang Han: Despite his critical condition, he expresses his will to live and seek revenge.

Significant Themes

• Power and Exploitation: The main house of the Fan Clan exploits their power to seize Fang Han's Creation, highlighting the theme of the powerful exploiting the weak.
• Ethical Dilemmas: Li Shun faces an ethical dilemma in deciding to turn Fang Han into a puppet to save him, raising questions about the ends justifying the means.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Kong Zhao: They work together to understand and address Fang Han's condition, with Kong Zhao providing crucial information and Li Shun making the decision to save Fang Han.
• Li Shun and Fang Han: Li Shun enters Fang Han's mind to confirm his will to live and seek revenge, solidifying their bond.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Han miraculously begins recovering after nearly dying, though his body remains weak. Kong Zhao notes that Fang Han’s future might have been extraordinary if his Creation Realm had not been stolen.
• Li Shun leaves Fang Han in Li Qing’s care and sends Li Qing to Qingyuan County to investigate whether the Fan Clan arranged the theft and who actually took the Creation Realm. He warns Li Qing not to confront anyone until he returns.
• Li Shun travels with Kong Zhao to the Kong Family’s sanctuary on Dai Mountain. Kong Zhao describes the family’s historic ties to the emperor and the mountain’s strict, magically enforced climbing rules.
• After passing through a hidden peach-blossom valley and a concealed cave, Li Shun enters the Kong sanctuary—a peaceful, sheltered world with a lake, a snow-capped mountain, and scattered cottages. He begins seclusion there.
• Meanwhile, Li Qing departs for Qingyuan County. Fang Han closes his doors to visitors, and his body vanishes from the Great Qian World, returning to the Square Inch Space, where he drifts toward the Gate of Myriad Mysteries.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun prioritizes Fang Han’s survival over Kong Zhao’s regret about his lost potential. He entrusts Fang Han’s care and the investigation to Li Qing, then turns his attention to cultivation.
• Li Qing is angry about the theft and eager to protect Fang Han, but agrees to investigate carefully. He accepts responsibility for keeping Fang Han safe.
• Kong Zhao guides Li Shun to his family’s sanctuary. His pride in the Kong Clan’s history and defenses becomes more visible, though he remains welcoming toward Li Shun.
• Fang Han begins to recover physically, but his return to the Square Inch Space and movement toward the mysterious gate suggest that his recovery may involve more than ordinary healing.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and responsibility: Li Shun and Li Qing focus on protecting Fang Han and uncovering who harmed him.
• Loss and potential: Fang Han’s stolen Creation Realm represents the future he may have lost, even as his survival leaves room for hope.
• Seclusion and cultivation: The Kong sanctuary offers a peaceful refuge, contrasting with the pressures of the outside world.
• Mystery and hidden power: The concealed sanctuary, its ancient protections, and Fang Han’s unexplained return to the Square Inch Space deepen the chapter’s supernatural intrigue.

• Fang Han enters a new world: Passing through the Gate of Myriad Mysteries, Fang Han arrives in a world where martial arts dominate society. He inhabits the body of an eighteen-year-old also named Fang Han, who has only recently begun body refinement. The cultivation system is relatively limited: even Grandmasters, the world’s strongest fighters, rarely live beyond a century.
• He learns about “Reclaim the Divine Peak”: Fang Han recalls the tale of Zhao Linjiang, a Grandmaster who briefly returned to his youthful prime when near death, killed his attacker, and revealed the secret art. The technique lets a martial artist regain their former peak for a short time, but can exact a fatal cost. Its legacy has made martial artists especially respectful toward their elderly seniors.
• Fang Han seeks Mystic Yellow Qi: Hoping to find Heaven-and-Earth Mystic Yellow Qi, he visits the Martial Arts Association in Dongning City. There, seven statues honor past champions known as the strongest under heaven. Fang Han senses vast stores of Mystic Yellow Qi around them—far more than he has encountered before.
• The attempt ends in disaster: He touches the statue of Long Xuanji, the most formidable of the seven, hoping to claim its Qi. The Qi does not move. Instead, a tribulation gathers overhead, and a massive lightning bolt strikes Fang Han, reducing him to ash.
  Character and interaction notes: Fang Han is curious, observant, and driven by the prospect of gaining immense power, but his eagerness leads him to approach the statue without understanding the consequences. Zhao Linjiang’s story illustrates the world’s defining martial ideal and shapes how its fighters treat their elders. The chapter ends before revealing why Fang Han triggered a tribulation or whether he can survive it.
  Themes: The limits of martial power and lifespan; the cost of reclaiming former strength; reverence and legacy; and the danger of ambition without understanding.

Key plot points and events

• Li Shun’s vision through the Creation Gate ends, leaving the Fang Han puppet weakened but intact. He concludes that the Great Qian World recognizes and prepares for “Outworld Heavenly Demons,” and that obtaining Mystic Yellow Qi there is dangerous. In the Martial World, he believes he may need to become an Innate Grandmaster to claim it.
• After three days, the puppet recovers and enters another location through the Gate of Myriad Mysteries: Heavenly Eye City. Time appears to pass at the same rate in both worlds.
• Fang Han tests Great Qian’s Borrowing Longevity from Heaven technique. He can send his consciousness into the heavens and perceive the fate vapors of living beings, but heaven does not respond when he asks to borrow lifespan.
• He reasons that Emperor Gan’s authority and cultivation make lifespan borrowing possible in Great Qian; in the Martial World, no one has established such a system, and a weak Body Refinement cultivator has no standing to negotiate with heaven.
• Fang Han attempts ordinary martial training but makes no progress. He recognizes that this borrowed body has poor aptitude and that reaching grandmaster level is extraordinarily difficult.
• Remembering the Primordial Ten Blessings’ Azure Wood Invocation, he tries the Great Qian secret art. It immediately stirs the Martial World’s vitality, suggesting it may offer a way around his poor martial talent.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Shun becomes more cautious about the Great Qian World, while remaining optimistic that the Martial World offers a safer route to Mystic Yellow Qi.
• Fang Han moves from disappointment at heaven’s silence to excitement: the borrowing technique itself works, and he imagines becoming the first person in the Martial World to borrow lifespan if he grows powerful enough.
• He accepts his body’s limitations without giving up, turning instead to a cross-world cultivation method.
• Fang Han’s interactions are mostly with the world’s systems rather than other people: he asks around about the failed tribulation, experiments alone, and attempts to address heaven directly.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: Access to extraordinary benefits depends not only on knowing a method but also on having sufficient status and authority.
• Limits of talent and perseverance: Hard work alone cannot guarantee martial progress, but ingenuity may offer another path.
• Knowledge crossing worlds: Techniques from one world may function differently—or prove valuable—in another.
• Ambition and adaptation: Fang Han continually revises his strategy in pursuit of lifespan and Mystic Yellow Qi.

Key plot points

• In the Martial World, Fang Han activates Azure Wood Invocation and draws in Heaven and Earth’s life force. Unlike the overwhelming surge Li Shun once experienced in East Mountain Town, it now enters his body gently, healing accumulated injuries and dramatically strengthening him.
• After half a day of cultivation, Fang Han believes he has reached—or perhaps surpassed—the Body Tempering Realm. Yet something still seems to prevent him from entering the Qi and Blood Realm.
• Research at the Martial Arts Association library reveals that martial advancement requires more than physical strength: it also demands martial will, forged through repeated combat.
• While browsing a book on ancient myths, Fang Han learns that this world also speaks of a Severing of Heaven and Earth. He notices that the legendary Long Xuanji—an ordinary researcher of myths before his sudden enlightenment—wrote the book. Fang Han wonders whether Long Xuanji might be an outsider or still alive.
• The book explains that Innate Grandmasters may glimpse the ancient era and, if they resonate with a human, god, demon, or shaman, inherit a legacy and awaken a unique martial divine ability.
• Fang Han enters a sparring room and fights Duan Rui, a powerful Body Tempering martial artist. Azure Wood Invocation repeatedly heals Fang Han’s injuries, letting him endure an hour-long brawl until Duan Rui exhausts himself and concedes.

Character development and interactions

• Fang Han becomes more confident in Azure Wood Invocation’s benefits, recognizing that it can strengthen him while repairing the damage caused by training. He also identifies the need to develop martial will and resolves to seek it through combat.
• Fang Han’s curiosity grows when he discovers parallels between this world’s history and the ancient myths he has encountered, especially Long Xuanji’s unusual background.
• Duan Rui initially overwhelms Fang Han with forceful attacks, but Fang Han’s endurance and rapid healing turn the match into a battle of attrition. After conceding, Duan Rui calls him a “turtle shell,” while Fang Han modestly credits luck.

Significant themes

• Strength and will: Physical transformation alone is insufficient; true advancement requires a will tempered by battle.
• Healing as an advantage—and a path to growth: Azure Wood Invocation lets Fang Han survive injuries that would normally halt training or combat.
• Myth, history, and hidden legacies: The shared idea of a cosmic separation between gods and humans raises questions about the relationship between the two worlds and the source of martial power.
• Endurance and persistence: Fang Han’s victory comes not from overpowering Duan Rui outright, but from surviving until his opponent can fight no longer.

Plot points

• After his first victory, Fang Han fights thirteen consecutive Body Tempering matches in one day, winning narrowly each time. He stops when exhausted, having realized that safe, formal bouts no longer challenge his martial will enough.
• Seeking deadlier opposition, he joins the underground Black River Society under the disguised identity Li Shun. For his initiation mission, he chooses Wang Feng, a notorious, powerful martial artist from a prominent family.
• Fang Han stalks Wang Feng for two days, then kills him in an ambush. The Society’s recruiter is shocked by his success and awards him the Divine Crane Palm manual and one million.
• Fang Han dismisses the manual as inferior to his Foundation Fist Technique. He explains that he defeated Wang Feng by burning his lifespan, a far more powerful but costly tactic than the blood-essence methods used by ordinary martial artists. The life-or-death battle substantially strengthens his martial will and brings him closer to the Blood and Qi realm.
• Fang Han continues taking assassination missions to cultivate through dangerous combat. Then Luo Jinghai, a Grandmaster, appears in Fang Han’s home and confirms that he has been sent to kill him.
• Luo explains that Wang Feng’s family called in an old favor because its Astral Qi expert, Wang Quan, was unsure he could defeat Fang Han. Fang Han’s sudden wealth and move out of the Martial Arts Association’s dormitories also made him conspicuous, helping reveal his identity.
• Facing certain defeat, Fang Han asks his questions, then burns his entire lifespan and charges Luo with Foundation Fist Technique. Luo is visibly surprised and turns serious; Fang Han sees the vision of a vast black beast as he attacks. The chapter then cuts to Great Qian, where Li Shun requests close-combat techniques from the Kong Family and receives a selection of manuals.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Han proves relentless, resourceful, and increasingly willing to risk his life for growth. He shifts from public competition to assassination when ordinary sparring ceases to be useful, and remains composed even when confronted by a Grandmaster.
• The Black River Society recruiter begins skeptical of Li Shun, then becomes alarmed and impressed by his success, recognizing his potential and considering reporting him to the Society’s leader.
• Luo Jinghai is calm and almost sympathetic toward Fang Han, patiently answering his questions before preparing to kill him. Fang Han responds not with surrender but with a final, all-out attack.
• The closing scene introduces Li Shun in the Kong Family Grotto-Heaven, seeking versatile close-combat methods; the abrupt shift leaves his connection to the preceding events unclear.

Significant themes

• Growth through danger: Fang Han believes genuine progress requires the risk of injury or death, not merely controlled sparring.
• The cost of power: Burning lifespan gives Fang Han overwhelming strength, but consumes the very life he is trying to preserve.
• Secrecy and exposure: Disguise and an alias cannot fully protect Fang Han; conspicuous changes in his circumstances reveal him.
• A widening power gap: Fang Han can defeat formidable opponents through unusual means, but a Grandmaster remains an overwhelming threat.

Plot and events

• Li Shun studies the Emperor Fist Manual, a brutally practical army martial art said to have been created by Emperor Gan for Great Qian’s Black-Armored Army. He judges it far more lethal than refined techniques such as the Divine Crane Palm.
• Three days later, Fang Han’s puppet can return to the Martial World. He asks to descend again in Heavenly Eye City and receives another life as the Fang Family’s eldest young master, also named Fang Han.
• He learns that the Fang Family’s position depends on his eighty-year-old grandfather, Fang Dian, a Gang Qi expert nearing death. Fang Han’s younger brother, Fang Lie, has already reached Qi and Blood before age twenty and is now the family’s main hope.
• Fang Han uses Azure Wood Invocation to purge and strengthen his new body, then trains in the Emperor Fist. After half a month of seclusion, he masters its forms and decides he needs real combat experience.
• He considers attacking the Wang Family, but discovers its six named heirs—along with other possible heirs—are each protected by True Qi experts. Knowing he cannot yet defeat that level, he withdraws and targets Luo Yu, an Inner Force martial artist whose name he remembers from the Black River Society’s target list.
• Fang Han is initially beaten, but the Emperor Fist’s battlefield-like killing intent disorients Luo Yu and leaves him vulnerable to lethal blows. Fang Han kills him, then uses Azure Wood Invocation to heal his severe injuries. He estimates that he reached Qi and Blood within half a month and plans to challenge the Wang Family’s guards after consolidating his strength.

Character development and interactions

• Fang Han is disciplined, calculating, and increasingly confident: he makes rapid use of his new body’s potential, trains intensively, and changes plans rather than recklessly confronting opponents beyond his ability.
• His new family history introduces a contrast between his pampered former self and his capable younger brother Fang Lie, whose success has cooled their relationship.
• Fang Han and Luo Yu meet in a direct, fatal contest. Luo Yu initially mocks Fang Han as a weak Qi-and-Blood fighter, but Fang Han’s technique turns the fight around.
• Fang Han’s brief observation of the Wang Family’s defenses reveals Wang Quan’s extreme caution and points toward the True Qi guards as his next challenge.

Significant themes

• Martial skill versus cultivation rank: Fang Han’s unusual technique lets him kill someone stronger, though the gap to True Qi remains a serious obstacle.
• Pragmatism and controlled ambition: He seeks opponents suited to his current ability and delays confronting the Wang Family until he is stronger.
• Power and fragile status: The Fang Family’s standing rests on one aging expert, while the Wang Family protects its succession through overwhelming precautions.
• Violence as training: The Emperor Fist is designed for killing, and Fang Han believes mastery must be tested in real combat.