Chapter Summaries

Cultivators across Cosmic Universe Heaven learned that Universe Palace was opening its gates, while students at Void Cloud Academy discussed their chances of being selected. The Restrictions beyond the stars then changed as a vast, ancient river and a terrifying Cloud Beast appeared, leaving Universe Palace, Bodhi Hall, and Humanity Academy watching the unfolding threat.

• Students at Void Cloud Academy discussed the Universe Palace selection and how Humanity Academy’s Son of the Human Emperor and other prodigies could affect the competition.
• Cultivators across Cosmic Universe Heaven began hearing the sound of rushing water as ancient Restrictions changed beyond the stars.
• Teachers at Void Cloud Academy saw a vast river approaching and sensed that Humanity Providence was being drawn toward it.
• Onlookers glimpsed a colossal Cloud Beast within the river and wondered whether it came from the Primordial Era or beyond the heavens.
• The old cultivator beneath Bodhi Hall’s bodhi tree considered the ancient aura and recognized what was happening.

Students and cultivators watched the growing disturbances Beyond the Heavens as Cloud God Sect and Fuyao Mountain entered the Primordial First Heaven together. At his secluded cultivation site, Lu Qing observed a wave rise from the Long River of Time as all living beings fell silent.

• The old man watched the Long River of Time and considered how the Human Path’s strivers sought to transcend Destiny and extend their Lifespans.
• Students from various academies looked Beyond the Heavens, though most believed the changes were harmless remnants of Primordial Restrictions.
• Cloud God Sect and Fuyao Mountain entered Strange Gate Temple together and arrived in the First Heaven aboard a tower ship.
• True Person Cloud God used a disguise technique to make the group appear aligned with the Human Path and evade Heaven’s Way’s scrutiny.
• Lu Qing watched the cycles of the sun, moon, stars, extinction, and Reincarnation as a wave rose from the long river and all living beings fell silent.

Lu Qing emerged from a silent world and discovered the Primordial Era’s broken Yellow Springs Reincarnation River, gaining insight into reincarnation and the Dao Transmission realm. After entering the river and observing the failed figures trapped within it, he reflected on the Fangxian Reincarnation faction and the uncertain path to Longevity, while a divination tied to a past stellar collision faded from his Sea of Consciousness.

• Lu Qing glimpsed the broken Yellow Springs River and recognized it as the source of the Primordial Era reincarnation traces in the First Heaven.
• Lu Qing uploaded information to the sect’s mission registry and entered the Azure River, experiencing how the power of bygone years projected into the present.
• Lu Qing contemplated Dao Transmission and recognized that his understanding of the final step toward that realm remained incomplete.
• Lu Qing saw decayed former powerhouses trapped as Yellow Springs ghosts after their attempts to interfere with reincarnation had failed.
• Lu Qing considered whether the Fangxian Reincarnation faction had discovered a reincarnation-based method of Longevity, then watched his Calming Hexagram divination fade.

Lu Qing discovered that the Yellow Springs River carried a chaotic mixture of energies and that Reincarnation had lost its balanced order. After concealing the Heavenly Secrets and leaving, he set out to explore a Humanity Stellar World and learn more about its Providence.

• Lu Qing recognized the Reincarnation aura in the Yellow Springs River and saw that Tribulations, old Dao Rhymes, and resentment had unbalanced it.
• Lu Qing judged that the Reincarnation River could draw powerful figures, since its existence beyond the West Sea Portal would attract attention.
• Lu Qing erased the Heavenly Secrets, departed, and wondered whether the Cosmic Heaven held famous Humanity Path Supreme Treasures.
• Lu Qing decided to tour the Cosmic Heaven and study the Humanity World, the Great Net of Humanity, and its Providence.
• Lu Qing chose a nearby Stellar World after examining its Fate Allotment and heard the river’s waters as powerful figures began investigating their origin.

At Void Cloud Academy, cultivators worried over a mysterious river and a possible Variable Fate Beyond the Heavens. In Voidcloud City, Lu Qing watched a Son of the Human Emperor arrive with Humanity Academy and realized the First Heaven’s two Human Emperor heirs might soon face greater turmoil.

• Void Cloud Academy’s experts failed to divine the nature of the strange river beneath the starry sky and suspected a Variable Fate Beyond the Heavens.
• Lu Qing boarded a pleasure boat in Voidcloud City and spotted a Son of the Human Emperor on a pavilion sent by Humanity Academy to choose followers.
• Lu Qing judged that the Son of the Human Emperor had enjoyed a smooth path and did not know that Destiny Patterns could be seized.
• Lu Qing inferred that two Sons of the Human Emperor were in the First Heaven and that others from the Nine Heavens might soon enter, bringing more conflict.

Lu Qing watched Qin Yu meet Zhao An, the other Son of the Human Emperor, and recognized an ancient reincarnated presence hidden within Zhao An’s soul. By reading the threads of Cause and Effect, Lu Qing uncovered how the presence had shaped Zhao An’s rise and sensed that his Reincarnation Authority worked much like the Book of Life and Death.

• Qin Yu and Liu Ziyue discussed the academy’s mission to search for other Sons of the Human Emperor.
• Cultivators from Universe Palace arrived with Zhao An, whose timid appearance contrasted sharply with his dazzling Humanity Providence.
• Lu Qing examined Zhao An and sensed an ancient aura of Reincarnation within his Divine Soul.
• Lu Qing traced the Cause and Effect behind Zhao An’s cultivation and identified the presence as one of Fangxian Reincarnation’s Old Ghosts.
• Lu Qing realized that his Reincarnation Authority let him perceive the Old Ghost’s True Spirit and resembled the Book of Life and Death.

Lu Qing examined the Human Path’s Destiny and Humanity Grand Trend, then considered the hidden power of the Human Path lineages and the Nine Immortal Sects. As the First Heaven began to change, powerful figures from beyond the river revealed a Heavenly Net Chessboard that trapped the fates of countless beings, prompting wary calculations from the experts of Heaven of Universe.

• Lu Qing used his insight into Reincarnation to examine the tangled Destiny of Old Ghost and the Human Emperor’s sons, and saw that the Human Path’s grand trend was bound within a vast Great Net of Humanity.
• Lu Qing considered the restrictions imposed by the Humanity Grand Trend, the hidden Supreme Treasures of Universe Palace and Bodhi Hall, and the lost Seeking Dao Immortal Cauldron.
• Void Cloud Academy received Zhao An and another Son of the Human Emperor, while its cultivators speculated that the visitors were searching for the remaining sons needed to open the Human Emperor’s Path.
• Restrictions across the First Heaven began dissolving as supreme experts in Heaven of Universe joined forces to glimpse figures on Cloud Platforms across the river.
• A figure on a Cloud Platform cast a vast Heavenly Net Chessboard into the river, revealing a board that bound the Destiny, Heavenly Secrets, Cause and Effect, and Karmic Affinity of countless beings.
• The experts of Heaven of Universe recognized that figures from Beyond the Heavens had caused the upheaval in Heavenly Secrets, while a Cloud Platform figure said they were seeking a path to survival.

Lu Qing sensed another change in the Heavenly Secrets, then set aside thoughts of the Heaven of Universe when a message invited him back to the Profound Heaven Dao Academy for its once-in-a-century opening. He returned with the White Crane Boy, suspecting he might be asked to serve as an examiner, and met with the academy’s elders.

• Lu Qing sensed a new Variable Fate in the changing Heavenly Secrets and concluded that the new game would not alter the grand trend of heaven and earth.
• Lu Qing decided to leave the Heaven of Universe to his incarnation and considered traveling between worlds as a form of Dao Transmission.
• Lu Qing received an invitation from the Dao Academy to attend its once-in-a-century opening and called for the White Crane Boy.
• The White Crane Boy suggested that the Dao Academy might want Lu Qing to serve as an examiner.
• Lu Qing and the White Crane Boy returned to the Profound Heaven Dao Academy, where Lu Qing exchanged pleasantries with the elders before they turned to the reason for his visit.

Lu Qing returned to the Profound Heaven Dao Academy and agreed to design its Dao Heart assessment for the mountain gate trials. He created a world of fate and reincarnation for the trial, drawing the elders’ attention as he completed its refinement.

• Song Wen and Elder Zhou asked Lu Qing to oversee the Dao Heart assessment, and Lu Qing agreed to devise the trial.
• Lu Qing settled at the Dao Academy, visited Liu Changquan, and considered how the new Great Era required the assessment to protect the sect’s Providence.
• Lu Qing used his understanding of Reincarnation, Fate, Cause and Effect, and Heavenly Secrets to create a world of countless possible destinies for candidates to explore.
• Lu Qing refined the trial world with his divine radiance, and the Dao Academy’s highest elders turned their attention toward it.

Lu Qing presented the Destiny World he had forged for the Profound Heaven Dao Academy’s Centennial Sect Admission Examination, and Song Wen praised its magic treasure and Lu Qing’s Great Dao. As the examination was prepared, Lu Qing focused on how the entrants’ Dao Hearts would shape Variable Fates within the world.

• Lu Qing’s shifting Destiny World appeared before Song Wen, who said it was more than sufficient for the examination.
• Song Wen praised Lu Qing’s progress and reflected on how his calm, complete Dao Heart had accompanied his rapid cultivation.
• Lu Qing considered how entrants with different Dao Hearts would collide with destiny and create Variable Fates within the trial.
• Lu Qing looked toward the gathering candidates as the white jade stairways and the sect’s formations formed a grand display of Providence and sect fortune.

Lu Qing observed the crowds arriving to take the Profound Heaven Dao Academy’s mountain-gate examination as the Great Era drew talented cultivators from across the Mortal World. Zhuang Xiaochen reached the Dao Academy determined to become an Immortal Cultivator, while Lu Qing watched the candidates begin the Mirror Flower Water Moon trial.

• Lu Qing surveyed the bustling mountain gate and saw that many people carried promising cultivation Providence.
• Zhuang Xiaochen arrived after traveling a thousand li and recalled how witnessing an Immortal Practitioner’s power turned him away from the jianghu and toward seeking the Dao.
• Zhuang Xiaochen received a wooden plaque from an Immortal Practitioner from Dajing, traveled aboard a tower ship, and resolved to enter an immortal sect.
• The Dao Academy’s gates filled with candidates ascending the white jade stairs as Teleportation Arrays and tower ships brought people from across the region.
• Lu Qing identified the examination’s formation as Mirror Flower Water Moon, which connected the Dao Academy, Dao Sect, and Mission Hall.

Lu Qing observed the Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation testing the applicants’ composure and watched the people of Providence pass through the trial. As the mountain-gate examination continued, he used the formation’s shifting illusions to deepen his understanding of the laws of heaven and earth.

• Lu Qing recognized that the White Jade Stone Steps held a Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation that tested applicants amid visions of the chaotic Mortal World.
• A richly robed youth tried to kick a beggar off the steps, but the illusion made him believe he had nearly died before he realized he was unharmed.
• Applicants reacted to the trial in different ways, from attacking others to calmly climbing while ignoring the surrounding chaos.
• Lu Qing saw that the several dozen people of Providence at the front had all passed and expected them to stir many Variable Fates in the trials ahead.
• Lu Qing considered how the Destiny World could temper the applicants’ Dao Hearts, then used the opportunity to observe the laws of heaven and earth beyond the chessboard.

Lu Qing discovered that Wang Chunfeng had fallen into a Heart Demon Tribulation after falling in love with a mortal woman, leaving his Dao Heart shattered and his cultivation stagnant. Wang Chunfeng visited Lu Qing only to bid him farewell, refusing to continue pursuing the Immortal Path.

• Wang Chunfeng arrived at Lu Qing's mountain peak looking worn and diminished, and Lu Qing recognized signs of a shattered Dao Heart.
• Lu Qing asked what had happened, and Wang Chunfeng explained that his tribulation began when he fell in love with a mortal woman during his travels.
• Lu Qing calculated that no outside scheme had caused the tribulation and considered offering Wang Chunfeng a chance to undergo reincarnation in his Destiny World.
• Wang Chunfeng admitted he had come to bid Lu Qing farewell because he no longer wished to cultivate or pursue the Immortal Path.

Wang Chunfeng told Lu Qing that he had chosen to leave cultivation and spend a hundred years in the Mortal World with Wanyun, and that their Master had agreed. As Wang Chunfeng departed, Lu Qing accepted his choice and reflected on how Destiny could part even fellow disciples.

• Wang Chunfeng recounted his past experiences and told Lu Qing that he planned to return to the Mortal World with Wanyun.
• Lu Qing asked whether Wang Chunfeng intended to abandon cultivation despite surrendering control of his Destiny, and Wang Chunfeng confirmed his decision.
• Wang Chunfeng said their Master had agreed to his departure and that he would leave the mountain gate in a few days.
• Wang Chunfeng and Lu Qing exchanged farewells, and Wang Chunfeng wished his junior brother success on the Great Dao.
• Wang Chunfeng left the Dao Academy, prompting brief speculation among its disciples about his Dao Heart Obstacle.
• Lu Qing watched Wang Chunfeng depart and chose to let him follow his own path.

Lu Qing observed the shifting destinies within his Destiny World and noticed a new Variable Fate enter it. In a jade pavilion beneath the Jade Firmament, Xin Ren awakened in his youthful body with memories of a future life and confronted his younger self.

• Lu Qing watched the people in the Destiny World pass through varied fortunes and tribulations, using their fates to glimpse the Nine Heavens’ greater trend.
• Lu Qing noticed a Providence strand from outside the river of fate become a new Variable Fate in his world.
• Lu Qing observed Xin Ren awaken in a young body and realize that he had returned to the past.
• Xin Ren’s younger self demanded that the future Xin Ren leave his body, but the future Xin Ren proved his identity by recounting private memories.
• The younger Xin Ren stopped believing him when Xin Ren warned that he would soon be framed for stealing spirit herbs.

Xin Ren found himself bound to his younger self in a different cultivation world, where powerful watchers had exposed him but allowed him to remain nearby. He learned that his younger self had entered Profound Heaven Dao Academy instead of Bright Moon Sect, and watched him struggle among a vast number of talented disciples.

• Young Xin Ren rejected the older Xin Ren’s claim that the sect forced him to steal spirit medicines, then reported the matter to an elder.
• Powerful beings examined Xin Ren’s origins and let him stay beside his younger self, leaving his life in the youth’s hands.
• After three days, Xin Ren learned that the two versions of himself had followed different paths of fate and that the youth had entered Profound Heaven Dao Academy.
• Young Xin Ren promised to help Xin Ren reshape his body once the situation ended, and Xin Ren thanked him.
• Xin Ren watched batches of gifted disciples compete and saw that, even with his guidance, young Xin Ren barely rose above the others.

Xin Ren reflected on the Era of Variables as Lu Qing and the Dao Academy elders examined the strange fate surrounding his arrival from Golden Core Heaven. Lu Qing considered whether Primordial Immortals whose True Names and Dao forms endured might have a chance to return from the past.

• Xin Ren compared the Era of Variables with Golden Core Heaven while learning about the two forms of Floating Light.
• Lu Qing and the Dao Academy elders discussed whether Xin Ren's Variable Fate came from the past or future of the Long River of Time.
• Lu Qing observed new possible Fate Rivers forming around Xin Ren, whose original destiny had ended in an early death.
• Lu Qing connected the surviving True Names and Dao forms of Primordial Immortals to the possibility of returning from time's past.
• Lu Qing recalled the two mountain spirits in Shouyang Mountain and the White-robed Daoist who had looked across the Long River of Time.

Lu Qing divined that Taihao’s past-life cause and effect had been severed by reincarnation, and considered what this might mean for other Primordial Immortals. At the West Sea Portal, a Cloud Beast emerged after months of silence, drawing the attention of waiting cultivators.

• Lu Qing divined that Taihao’s True Name had become disconnected from its Primordial Era cause and effect, though it remained faintly linked to the Human Path.
• Lu Qing suspected Taihao’s reincarnation might involve a Son of the Human Emperor and considered informing the mountain spirit immortals of Shouyang Mountain.
• Lu Qing reasoned that reincarnation had cleansed the True Spirits of the Sons of Providence, leaving their destinies largely unconnected to the Primordial Era.
• After several months of silence, a vast Cloud Beast carrying palaces and pavilions emerged from the depths of the West Sea.
• Cultivators and disciples gathered outside the West Sea Portal, watching the newcomers and asking whether they had made a great harvest.

After the upheaval at the West Sea Portal, Cloud God Sect and Fuyao Mountain planned a joint exploration of Heaven of Universe’s dangerous Starry Voidland and prepared to select disciples to enter. Lu Qing watched time and destiny grow increasingly chaotic, as new Variable Fates and Spiritual Heart Tribulations began to emerge.

• True Person Cloud God told Cloud God Sect and Fuyao Mountain’s gathered figures that Heaven of Universe’s greatest opportunities lay in the perilous Starry Voidland and linked them to the Primordial Era.
• True Person Cloud God proposed an early sect selection, and Cloud God Sect and Fuyao Mountain agreed to form an alliance to explore the Cosmic Starry Space.
• Lu Qing observed that his incarnation and other cultivators had not yet returned, while the Cloud Beast had come back and no major Variable Fate or mass casualties had appeared.
• More cultivators became eager to enter Heaven of Universe after news of the opportunities spread.
• Lu Qing stirred time and Heavenly Secrets within Destiny World, causing countless Fate Rivers to branch toward new destinies as Variable Fates and Spiritual Heart Tribulations arose.

Xin Ren completed the Destiny trial and emerged shaken by hazy memories of another life, while Lu Qing reflected on the trial’s place in the wider order of Destiny. As the Profound Heaven Dao Academy selected its new disciples, its elders discussed the growing influence of the Nine Heavens rankings and the prodigies competing for Providence.

• Lu Qing observed Xin Ren withstand the trial of another self from Destiny and explained his fleeting sense of the Reincarnation pull.
• Xin Ren regained clarity, reflected on the strange experience, and wondered whether he could enter the Profound Heaven Dao Academy.
• The other candidates awoke, and a richly dressed youth noticed Xin Ren’s composure and considered befriending him.
• A list of selected recruits appeared, and Song Wen and Elder Zhou praised their Providence and temperaments while noting the competition ahead.
• Song Wen and Elder Zhou discussed how the Nine Heavens rankings had gathered Providence and begun to influence the grand trend, especially through the Hidden Dragon Ranking.