Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Then Let’s Slaughter a City First!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng emerges from the magma chamber with Queen Medusa and Hai Bo Dong after enduring the Heavenly Flame for several days.
• Queen Medusa becomes suspicious when Xiao Meng refuses to fly. To hide his inability to fly, he jokingly claims to enjoy swimming in magma and later says he is afraid of heights.
• Xiao Meng sends Hai Bo Dong to Wutan City with orders to protect it if a catastrophic disaster occurs, but not to interfere in unrelated matters. Hai Bo Dong’s attitude toward Xiao Meng has shifted from cooperation to genuine reverence and loyalty.
• Xiao Meng and Queen Medusa travel toward the Snake-People’s territory. Big Old Two, Xiao Meng’s giant rooster-like mount, eventually returns and carries Xiao Meng through the desert.
• Queen Medusa is deeply shocked by Big Old Two’s overwhelming bloodline and pressure. She realizes that the magical beast is far more powerful and noble than herself, yet it willingly serves Xiao Meng.
• Big Old Two jokingly suggests eating Queen Medusa’s magic core, provoking Xiao Meng to beat and reprimand it. Queen Medusa nevertheless becomes increasingly convinced that associating with Xiao Meng may greatly benefit the Snake-People.
• A mysterious black-robed transmigrator arrives at the buried passage after pursuing Yun Yun, who escaped from him. He angrily discusses his plans with his hostile “Demon King System.”
• The black-robed man learns that killing Xiao Yan would yield an enormous amount of Sin Value, while killing Xiao Meng would yield far less—though Xiao Meng’s true value remains uncertain because he may also possess a system.
• After discovering that the Green Lotus Core Flame has already been taken, he concludes that Xiao Meng must have obtained it ahead of schedule. He then decides to slaughter Stone Desert City, kill Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, and eventually target Hai Bo Dong.
• The chapter ends with the black-robed figure heading toward Stone Desert City to commit a massacre and increase his strength.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Continues disguising or concealing his abilities, especially his inability to fly. He maintains a confident, irreverent personality, but also shows strategic caution by sending Hai Bo Dong to protect Wutan City and avoiding conflict with Queen Medusa.
• Queen Medusa: Her suspicion of Xiao Meng grows, but so does her respect and caution. Seeing Big Old Two’s terrifying bloodline convinces her that Xiao Meng possesses mysterious and extraordinary power. She begins to view friendship with him as potentially advantageous for the Snake-People.
• Hai Bo Dong: His loyalty toward Xiao Meng increases dramatically after witnessing his endurance in the Heavenly Flame. He obeys Xiao Meng’s orders without pressing for explanations.
• Big Old Two: Returns after disappearing to obtain food, revealing its immense strength and high bloodline. It remains powerful but foolish, openly threatening to eat Queen Medusa and earning repeated punishment from Xiao Meng.
• The black-robed transmigrator: Is revealed to be cruel, lustful, ambitious, and obsessed with accumulating Sin Value. Despite calling himself a Demon King, he lacks intelligence and repeatedly argues with his sarcastic system. He becomes determined to grow stronger, massacre cities, and eliminate Xiao Yan and Xiao Meng.
• Yun Yun: Though she does not appear directly, her escape from the black-robed man establishes her as one of his immediate targets and reveals his abusive intentions toward her.

Significant Themes

• Concealed identity and power: Xiao Meng deliberately hides his weaknesses and origins, while the black-robed man suspects that he is another transmigrator with a system.
• Power and submission: Queen Medusa’s reaction to Big Old Two highlights the importance of bloodline and strength in determining status among magical beasts and the Snake-People.
• Loyalty through awe: Hai Bo Dong’s submission and Queen Medusa’s growing respect demonstrate how extraordinary power can inspire loyalty even when its source is unknown.
• Moral inversion: The black-robed man’s system rewards cruelty and destruction, while he ironically fails to understand what genuine evil entails. His idea of being a “Demon King” contrasts with the system’s insistence that he must commit meaningful evil to gain Sin Value.
• Fate versus disruption: The black-robed man relies on knowledge of the original plot, but Xiao Meng’s presence has already altered events by acquiring the Green Lotus Core Flame early.
• Comedy amid danger: Xiao Meng’s excuses about flying, Big Old Two’s stupidity, and the system’s insults provide comic relief despite the approaching threat of a city-wide massacre.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Queen Medusa: Their journey is marked by mutual suspicion and teasing. Queen Medusa questions his inability to fly, while Xiao Meng tries to preserve his mysterious image. Her fear of Big Old Two causes her to reassess Xiao Meng’s importance.
• Xiao Meng and Hai Bo Dong: Xiao Meng gives Hai Bo Dong a serious protective mission in Wutan City. Hai Bo Dong’s respectful obedience reflects his strengthened loyalty.
• Xiao Meng and Big Old Two: Their relationship is humorous and domineering. Xiao Meng treats the rooster as both a mount and an unruly subordinate, while Big Old Two complains, boasts, and repeatedly tests Xiao Meng’s patience.
• Big Old Two and Queen Medusa: Big Old Two casually proposes eating Queen Medusa, revealing its arrogance and lack of social awareness. Queen Medusa is offended but refrains from attacking, partly because of her curiosity about Xiao Meng.
• The black-robed man and his system: Their exchanges expose the man’s incompetence and violent worldview. The system mocks him, corrects his misunderstandings, and urges him to commit greater atrocities to gain power.
• The black-robed man and Xiao Meng: They have not yet met, but the man identifies Xiao Meng as a possible rival transmigrator and future enemy, setting up a major confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Nine Nether Sea and the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng arrives at the heavily fortified Snake-People tribe with Medusa. The tribe’s defenses are formidable, but Medusa openly escorts him inside and orders her people not to provoke him.
• After spending the night in the palace, Xiao Meng learns that the clan elders have agreed to let him enter the Ten Thousand Snake Grotto, though they initially wish to meet him. He arrogantly dismisses the elders, surprising Medusa by revealing that he already knows four peak Dou Emperors are hidden within the tribe.
• Medusa eventually agrees to personally guide him into the grotto. The area is dark, misty, and filled with giant Soul Snakes whose hissing can affect the soul.
• The system directs Xiao Meng to the smallest of nine caves rather than the central one. Deep inside, they reach the Snake Nether Pool, the birthplace of the Snake-People’s Soul Snakes.
• Xiao Meng reveals that the item he seeks—the Taishi Tree seed—is inside the pool. Because the pool is sacred and tied to the survival of the Snake-People, Medusa initially refuses to let him enter.
• Xiao Meng persuades her by promising to protect the Snake-People, provide them with superior territory, and help them gain ten Dou Emperors and one hundred Dou Kings within five years. Medusa agrees on the condition that he fulfills his promises whether or not he succeeds.
• The pool’s soul-drawing power overwhelms Xiao Meng’s True Essence. However, the Taixu Divine Lotus protects him, allowing him to enter. Medusa is stunned, as even Snake-People cannot approach the pool safely.
• Beneath the pool, the system reveals that the Snake Nether Pool is actually the remains of the ancient Nine Nether Sea, the birthplace of the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python.
• Xiao Meng discovers that the Soul Snakes are merely condensed “waste gas” released from the python’s Reincarnation Womb. The Taishi Tree seed rests atop that womb, which takes the form of a stone egg held in the python’s mouth.
• When Xiao Meng attempts to take the Taishi Tree seed, the system informs him that he must also take the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python’s Reincarnation Womb.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng remains arrogant, shameless, and confident, frequently mocking Medusa and the Snake-People elders. However, his confidence is tested when the pool’s power harms him and the possibility of awakening an ancient python becomes apparent.
• He also demonstrates political awareness: rather than forcefully invading the Snake Nether Pool, he negotiates with Medusa and offers long-term benefits to secure her cooperation.
• Medusa becomes increasingly impressed and wary of Xiao Meng. His knowledge of the hidden elders, exceptional cultivation, alchemy talent, and ability to enter the Snake Nether Pool all deepen her uncertainty about his true strength.
• Despite her pride and distrust, Medusa proves herself responsible as queen. She refuses to gamble with the survival of her race and only agrees after Xiao Meng provides substantial guarantees.
• Big Old Two, previously presented as an extremely powerful Nine-Colored Heavenly Phoenix, is revealed to be terrified by the residual aura of the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python. This highlights the enormous gap between ordinary divine beasts and primordial lifeforms.
• The system provides increasingly important revelations about the Taishi Tree, the Nine Nether Sea, and the python’s Reincarnation Womb, though its evasiveness frustrates Xiao Meng.

Significant Themes

• Power versus responsibility: Xiao Meng possesses overwhelming confidence, but Medusa must consider the consequences of allowing him access to a sacred source tied to her people’s survival.
• Trust and bargaining: The chapter centers on negotiated trust. Xiao Meng’s promises and blood oath eventually persuade Medusa to risk her people’s most sacred territory.
• Hidden ancient powers: The Snake Nether Pool is revealed to be far more than a breeding ground for Soul Snakes; it is the remnant of a primordial sea connected to a potentially living ancestral entity.
• Appearances versus reality: The apparently weak Soul Snakes are actually byproducts of a primordial creature, while the ordinary-looking Taishi Tree seed and stone egg conceal extraordinary power.
• Cosmic hierarchy: The chapter establishes a vast difference between beings such as Big Old Two and primordial entities like the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python and Primordial Undying Bird.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng repeatedly teases and insults Medusa, especially about her dependence on the clan elders, while Medusa responds with irritation and silent exasperation.
• Medusa protects Xiao Meng from her hostile subjects by ordering them not to act against him.
• Their discussion at the Snake Nether Pool becomes a serious negotiation: Medusa emphasizes her duty to the Snake-People, while Xiao Meng appeals to his talent, blood oath, and promised future support.
• Once Xiao Meng enters the pool, Medusa attempts to approach but is nearly dragged in herself, forcing her to retreat and recognize that Xiao Meng can accomplish what even her people cannot.
• Xiao Meng’s interaction with Big Old Two reveals the phoenix’s instinctive fear of the primordial python’s residual presence, reinforcing the danger of the discovery.
  Ending: Xiao Meng reaches the Taishi Tree seed but learns that taking it requires him to remove the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python’s Reincarnation Womb as well, potentially involving the still-living ancestral python.

Chapter Summary: Primordial Nether Heavenly Python Emerges

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng discovers that obtaining the Taishi Tree’s seed requires him to also take away the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python’s Reincarnation Womb.
• The system explains that the current Soul Snakes in the Snake Nether Pool are merely waste gas produced by the dormant Python; the original Soul Snakes have already been devoured.
• Although removing the Reincarnation Womb will greatly reduce the number of Soul Snakes, the true Soul Snakes born afterward will be far more valuable. Those who successfully fuse with them may reach the Dou Venerable or Dou Saint realm and eventually cultivate in the Nine Nether Sea.
• Concerned about his blood oath and promise to the Snake-People, Xiao Meng returns to consult Medusa instead of taking the treasure without permission.
• Medusa initially refuses, fearing damage to the Snake Nether Pool, but changes her mind after learning that the change could allow the Snake-People to produce vastly stronger experts.
• Xiao Meng returns to the depths of the pool and learns that the Reincarnation Womb weighs more than ten Dou Qi Continents. The only way to remove it is to use his blood to awaken the Primordial Nether Heavenly Python.
• The stone egg greedily absorbs Xiao Meng’s blood, forcing him to consume a dangerous Blood-Replenishing Herb and open wounds on his hands and foot so the egg can continue feeding.
• The Reincarnation Womb begins absorbing the energy of the Nine Nether Sea and finally cracks open after several days.
• The Python’s emergence causes violent upheaval throughout the Nine Nether Sea and the Ten Thousand Snake Grotto. Its pressure severely injures Medusa, destroys the existing Soul Snakes, and causes the Snake-People to collapse in fear.
• The system creates a barrier that protects the region from complete destruction.
• A palm-sized young snake emerges. It calls Xiao Meng “Boss,” confirming its submission to him. After absorbing the remaining energy in its eggshell, it grows larger.
• Xiao Meng takes the Taishi Tree’s seed and stores the young Python inside his body before leaving the pool.
• The young Python gives Medusa one of its scales, allowing her to command the Soul Snakes and granting her a powerful cultivation aid.
• Xiao Meng recovers from his wounds, though the damage caused by the Blood-Replenishing Herb remains unresolved. As he and Medusa leave the cave, something outside causes him to react with alarm.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates responsibility by honoring his promise and consulting Medusa before taking the Reincarnation Womb. He also gains a powerful new companion, though awakening it nearly kills him and leaves lasting damage to his body. His humorous, reckless nature remains evident throughout the ordeal.
• Medusa: Initially suspicious and defensive, Medusa becomes receptive once she understands the potential benefits for the Snake-People. Her priorities are revealed to be the long-term strength and survival of her race. Despite being injured by the Python’s aura, she accepts Xiao Meng’s apology and receives a valuable scale.
• Primordial Nether Heavenly Python: Emerges in a weakened, juvenile form after countless years of reincarnation. Despite its small size, it possesses an overwhelming bloodline and terrifying pressure. It immediately recognizes Xiao Meng as its master and displays an arrogant, intelligent personality.
• The System: Provides crucial information about the Reincarnation Womb, the Soul Snakes, and the Python’s awakening, though its delayed explanations repeatedly frustrate Xiao Meng.

Significant Themes

• Power and collective survival: Medusa accepts the loss of quantity because stronger individuals offer the Snake-People a better chance to rise.
• Trust and responsibility: Xiao Meng’s willingness to consult Medusa reflects the importance of keeping promises and respecting ownership, even when he could act unilaterally.
• Rebirth and transformation: The Primordial Nether Heavenly Python emerges from a long cycle of reincarnation, while the Snake-People’s Soul Snakes are also destined to change from inferior remnants into rarer, stronger beings.
• Humor amid danger: Xiao Meng’s complaints, sarcasm, and absurd struggles with the Python’s weight and blood consumption contrast with the apocalyptic scale of the event.
• Hidden greatness: The young Python appears ordinary and small, yet contains an ancient, godlike bloodline, emphasizing that true power is not always reflected in outward appearance.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and the system argue repeatedly over the dangers and consequences of removing the Reincarnation Womb.
• Xiao Meng and Medusa initially clash over the Snake Nether Pool, but their discussion develops into mutual trust based on the potential benefits to her race.
• The newly born Python treats Xiao Meng as its master, calling him “Boss,” while dismissing Medusa’s weak bloodline.
• Xiao Meng reprimands the Python for disrespecting Medusa and establishes that she is his friend.
• The Python then offers Medusa one of its scales, creating a practical alliance between them.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng exits the Ten Thousand Snake Grotto and finds himself surrounded by the Snake-People’s Four Great Elders and numerous powerful experts, who have gathered because all the Soul Snakes in the grotto have disappeared.
• The Snake-People accuse Medusa of failing to control Xiao Meng and demand an explanation, while secretly coveting whatever treasure or power he obtained inside the grotto.
• Medusa attempts to prevent conflict, recognizing that the Snake-People cannot withstand Xiao Meng’s strength. Xiao Meng exposes the elders’ greed and insults their hypocrisy.
• Xiao Meng summons the young snake, whose overwhelming bloodline and aura instantly suppress everyone except Medusa. The elders and surrounding experts vomit blood and collapse in terror.
• Although Xiao Meng considers killing them, he spares them because of Medusa, warning that any future provocation will result in their deaths. He then leaves the Snake-People tribe with Big Old Two and the young snake.
• During their journey, the young snake and Big Old Two nearly fight after each expresses a desire to eat the other. Xiao Meng forces them to stop and declares that they are now family.
• Xiao Meng names the young snake Nether Emperor, revealing that the creature may retain some memories of its past. Big Old Two resents that Nether Emperor has an impressive name while it remains stuck with the nickname “Big Old Two.”
• Xiao Meng decides to travel to Stone Desert City to hunt Qiong Leng’s clone, but the system informs him that the city has already been massacred.
• The system reveals that Qiong Leng was not responsible. Instead, another transmigrator—possibly connected to the Misty Cloud Sect—committed the massacre. This person’s opportunity is concealed from the system, suggesting possession of an extremely powerful system or divine artifact.
• Worried that this unknown transmigrator may target the Xiao Clan, Xiao Meng hurries to Stone Desert City and discovers that hundreds of thousands of residents have been slaughtered.
• He initially believes the living presences detected by Big Old Two and Nether Emperor are survivors, but discovers they are Jia Ma Empire soldiers searching the ruins.
• A one-star Dou Wang commander questions Xiao Meng. Xiao Meng gives the alias Yan Xiao and claims to be from Wutan City, saying that he became lost in the Tagor Desert.
• The commander distrusts him and orders the soldiers to detain him. Xiao Meng refuses, warning the commander and the soldiers not to provoke him.
• Just as the situation is about to escalate, an approaching rider interrupts the confrontation. Xiao Meng recognizes the newcomer, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng displays both restraint and ruthlessness. He tries to avoid unnecessary conflict with the Snake-People but decisively humiliates and threatens the elders when they act out of greed. His concern for Medusa is evident in his decision to spare them.
• He becomes more protective and responsible toward Nether Emperor and Big Old Two, forcing them to regard one another as family despite their hostility.
• Xiao Meng’s concern for the Xiao Clan grows after learning about the mysterious transmigrator tied to the Stone Desert City massacre. He recognizes that this enemy may be more dangerous than ordinary cultivators.
• Medusa shows concern for her people but also understands the danger posed by the elders’ actions. She tries to mediate and protect them from Xiao Meng’s retaliation.
• Nether Emperor reveals a dominant, gluttonous, and aggressive personality, as well as possibly retaining fragments of its former identity or memories.
• Big Old Two remains sarcastic and combative but is visibly excited at the prospect of no longer being Xiao Meng’s only companion. It also feels jealous of Nether Emperor’s prestigious name.
• The Jia Ma commander is cautious and professional at first, but his suspicion turns into aggression when Xiao Meng refuses to cooperate.

Significant Themes

• Greed and political hypocrisy: The Snake-People elders disguise their desire for Nether Emperor’s power as concern for their tribe’s future, while placing blame on Medusa.
• Power and submission: Nether Emperor’s bloodline instantly reverses the balance of power, demonstrating that status and strength determine who can command respect.
• Family formed through loyalty: Xiao Meng treats Nether Emperor and Big Old Two as companions and insists that they stand together despite their rivalry.
• Hidden threats and uncertainty: The appearance of a mysterious transmigrator introduces a powerful new enemy whose abilities cannot be predicted by Xiao Meng’s system.
• The cost of unchecked power: The massacre of Stone Desert City contrasts with Xiao Meng’s own use of overwhelming force, making him reflect on the brutality of the unknown killer.
• Identity and deception: Xiao Meng adopts the name “Yan Xiao” and fabricates his origins, while the chapter also emphasizes the hidden identities and unpredictable motives of transmigrators.

Important Character Interactions

• Medusa attempts to mediate between Xiao Meng and the Snake-People elders, but Xiao Meng openly confronts the elders and exposes their greed.
• Xiao Meng uses Nether Emperor’s presence to intimidate the elders, sparing them only because Medusa pleads for their lives.
• Nether Emperor and Big Old Two trade threats and attempt to devour one another before Xiao Meng forces them to stop fighting.
• Xiao Meng establishes himself as the leader of the group, demanding obedience and redefining the two beasts as family.
• The Jia Ma commander interrogates Xiao Meng and attempts to arrest him, while Xiao Meng responds with open defiance and threatens the commander.
• The arrival of a familiar but unnamed figure interrupts the confrontation and sets up the next chapter.

Chapter Summary: “Seeing Yaoye Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng encounters Yaoye, the Jia Ma Empire’s armored princess, while she investigates the destruction of Stone Desert City.
• Yaoye’s soldiers are surprised by their apparent familiarity and by her claim that Xiao Meng is powerful enough to threaten her safety, suggesting that he possesses strength comparable to a Dou Wang or greater.
• Yaoye reports that Stone Desert City was completely massacred. Everyone—including the peak Dou Ling city lord—died without signs of battle, their organs and souls shattered by overwhelming energy.
• She identifies the culprit as someone at least at the Dou Emperor level, though the Jia Ma Empire has no confirmed suspect.
• Xiao Meng suspects the Misty Cloud Sect and asks about its relationship with the Jia Ma Empire. Yaoye reveals that mysterious, powerful figures have repeatedly attempted to abduct her and her sister over the past two years.
• Investigations connected several attackers to former-generation disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect. These individuals possessed strength ranging from advanced Da Dou Shi to Dou Wang, implying that the sect has acquired an alarming number of powerful experts.
• Xiao Meng warns Yaoye not to confront the Misty Cloud Sect openly, insisting that doing so would lead to the Jia Ma Empire’s destruction. He cryptically explains that the sect has produced a “monster,” referring to the recently arrived transmigrator.
• Yaoye reveals that she has discovered Xiao Meng’s true identity as the supposedly useless but infamous young man from Wutan City. She teases him about his reputation as a “good-for-nothing,” bastard, and pervert.
• Xiao Meng confirms that the Stone Desert City massacre was committed by the new transmigrator, based on the residual aura detected by his system. The system also suggests the murderer is bloodthirsty and that the massacre may have been connected to his system.
• Xiao Meng learns that Qiong Leng’s energy clone has already left the Tagor Desert, ruining his plan to use it against Qiong Leng.
• While experimenting with his fishing rod in the desert, Xiao Meng hooks into a mysterious jade-filled structure containing valuable medicinal ingredients and reels in what initially appears to be a piece of rotten wood. The chapter ends as the object suddenly undergoes an unexplained change.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Becomes increasingly concerned about the transmigrator’s rapid rise to Dou Emperor-level strength and recognizes the danger posed to the entire region. Although he hides his knowledge from Yaoye, he begins treating the Jia Ma Empire as a potential ally against the Misty Cloud Sect. His frustration with his own slow cultivation is contrasted with his cleverness, caution, and powerful hidden trump cards.
• Yaoye: Shows herself to be brave, perceptive, and politically aware. She has personally used herself as bait to investigate the attacks against her and her sister, despite nearly being captured. Her initial hostility toward Xiao Meng is mixed with admiration, curiosity, and a subtle disappointment when he leaves.
• Big Old Two: Provides comic relief by speaking insultingly to Yaoye after she mistakes him for a pet. Xiao Meng continues to treat and discipline him casually.
• The transmigrator: Emerges as the chapter’s major unseen threat: extraordinarily powerful, connected to the Misty Cloud Sect, and apparently cruel enough to massacre an entire city.
• Qiong Leng: Becomes more difficult for Xiao Meng to oppose after his energy clone leaves the desert.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and deceptive reputations: Xiao Meng is publicly known as a useless delinquent despite possessing formidable strength, while the Misty Cloud Sect conceals a rapidly growing force.
• The danger of unchecked power: The massacre demonstrates the terrifying consequences when a powerful individual acts without restraint or accountability.
• Political caution versus open conflict: Xiao Meng argues that the Jia Ma Empire must endure and avoid provoking the Misty Cloud Sect until it has a better chance of survival.
• Isolation and unequal growth: Xiao Meng feels inferior because the newer transmigrator has reached Dou Emperor-level cultivation in only a few years, emphasizing the unfair advantages created by systems and rapid power escalation.
• Uncertainty and concealed motives: The reason for the massacre, the transmigrator’s identity, and the purpose of his system remain unknown, creating a growing sense of danger.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Yaoye trade insults and playful banter, reflecting their antagonistic but increasingly familiar relationship.
• Yaoye’s soldiers react with shock to her private conversation with Xiao Meng and to his implied overwhelming strength.
• Yaoye shares sensitive intelligence about the Misty Cloud Sect, while Xiao Meng withholds the full truth to avoid causing panic and because the Jia Ma Empire cannot yet act on the information.
• Xiao Meng mocks and disciplines Big Old Two, while Yaoye is startled by the bird’s ability to speak and wary of its true strength.
• Yaoye’s teasing about Xiao Meng’s reputation embarrasses and irritates him, but it also confirms that she has begun viewing him with admiration rather than simple hatred.

Chapter Summary: “Tragic Misadventures”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng fishes for a wooden block from a distance, unaware that Zi Yan, a young Ancient Void Dragon known for her immense strength, grabs it.
• Zi Yan pulls on the block, dragging Xiao Meng headfirst through the sand and burying him underground. His attempts to escape with Soul Force only worsen the situation.
• The system ignores Xiao Meng’s desperate pleas for help. He remains trapped until Nether Emperor emerges and creates a tunnel through the earth.
• Xiao Meng tricks Zi Yan into looking away, then reels in the wooden block and hides it. The block cannot be placed inside his Storage Ring.
• After escaping the tunnel, Xiao Meng accidentally breaks through the roof of a residence and falls into a bathing pool.
• He discovers a naked woman, later identified as Hu Jia, the “Little Demoness” and Vice Principal Hu Gan’s granddaughter. His attempt to defend himself accidentally knocks away her towel, worsening the misunderstanding.
• Xiao Meng leaves the room but finds the area surrounded by several powerful Dou Emperor experts. He returns and takes Hu Jia hostage after the tunnel is sealed.
• Hu Gan and numerous elders enter, furious at seeing his granddaughter restrained. Xiao Meng negotiates for safe passage while students gather outside and condemn him for peeping at and kidnapping Hu Jia.
• The chapter ends when someone recognizes Xiao Meng by name.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: His ordinary fishing trip becomes a disastrous chain of accidents. He displays resourcefulness by using Soul Force, relying on Nether Emperor, deceiving Zi Yan, and taking Hu Jia hostage. Despite his embarrassment and panic, he remains bold and quick-thinking under pressure.
• Zi Yan: Her childlike curiosity, immense physical strength, stubbornness, and appetite are emphasized. She treats the mysterious wooden block as a toy and unknowingly causes Xiao Meng’s underground predicament.
• Nether Emperor: He proves highly useful and loyal, effortlessly digging a passage through the earth when Xiao Meng’s own power fails.
• Hu Jia: Initially appears as a beautiful, powerful, and fiercely proud woman. After being exposed while bathing, she becomes humiliated and enraged, attacking Xiao Meng before he subdues her.
• Hu Gan and the academy elders: They are shown as powerful, protective figures who immediately react to Hu Jia’s danger and attempt to force Xiao Meng to release her.

Significant Themes

• Comic misfortune and escalating misunderstandings: Xiao Meng’s harmless fishing attempt produces increasingly absurd consequences—being buried alive, trespassing, witnessing Hu Jia bathing, and taking her hostage.
• Resourcefulness under pressure: Xiao Meng repeatedly survives through improvisation rather than superior strength.
• Appearance versus reality: Xiao Meng appears to the academy as a shameless peeping intruder and kidnapper, even though the situation arose accidentally.
• Power and vulnerability: Zi Yan and the Dou Emperor elders possess overwhelming strength, while Xiao Meng must depend on tricks, allies, and hostages to survive.
• Curiosity and stubbornness: Zi Yan’s unwillingness to let go of the wooden block drives the first crisis, while Hu Jia’s anger and Xiao Meng’s desperation fuel the second.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Zi Yan engage in a bizarre tug-of-war over the wooden block, with Zi Yan unknowingly dragging him through the ground.
• Xiao Meng depends on Nether Emperor for escape, treating him warmly after the latter rescues him.
• Xiao Meng and Hu Jia have an immediately hostile encounter caused by his accidental intrusion into her bath. Her humiliation turns into fury, while his panic leads him to take her hostage.
• Xiao Meng confronts Hu Gan and the academy elders, attempting to negotiate while threatening that he will harm Hu Jia if they attack.
• The academy students misinterpret the entire incident and collectively treat Xiao Meng as a perverted criminal, setting up further conflict when someone recognizes him.

Chapter Summary: “Challenge Jia Nan Academy’s Alchemy”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng is recognized by Xiao Yu, his cousin and Xiao Ning’s older sister, after he is discovered inside Jia Nan Academy’s bathhouse with Hu Jia—the academy’s “Little Demoness”—under his control.
• Xiao Yu demands Hu Jia’s release, but Xiao Meng mocks her, reminding her that she used to bully him when he was unable to cultivate. He now reveals that he has grown vastly stronger and is no longer someone she can challenge.
• The system announces that Void Divine Soil, an extraordinarily valuable treasure capable of nurturing the Taishi Tree, is located in Jia Nan Academy’s Outer Academy medicinal fields. Xiao Meng decides he must remain at the academy to obtain it.
• Xiao Meng claims that he entered the bathhouse accidentally after traveling from the Tagor Desert. Though the academy elders doubt him, the desert sand still clinging to his clothes supports his explanation.
• Vice Principal Hu Gan agrees to let Xiao Meng leave peacefully if he releases Hu Jia. Xiao Meng complies, but instead of leaving, he announces his wish to exchange pointers with Jia Nan Academy’s alchemists.
• When an elder dismisses him, Xiao Meng escalates the matter into a direct challenge—not against the students, but against the elders of the Alchemy Department.
• To demonstrate his power, Xiao Meng casually unleashes a devastating black finger attack, creating a massive crater and shocking everyone present. His strength proves that he is far beyond ordinary cultivators of his age.
• Jia Nan Academy accepts the challenge. Xiao Meng proposes that he fight every Outer Academy alchemy elder alone:
  • If he loses, he will surrender an Earth-Rank Peak Dou Technique.
  • If the academy loses, he may choose any item from the Outer Academy’s medicinal fields.
• The competition is scheduled for noon three days later. Xiao Meng is given lodging among the fire-element instructors.
• Before leaving, Xiao Meng teases Xiao Yu about remaining only a Dou Zhe and mocks her as he did when they were younger. Their argument ends with Xiao Yu regaining some emotional satisfaction when she manages to silence him by reminding him that she is still his older sister.
• Hu Gan later summons Xiao Yu, Hu Jia, and several elders to his office, presumably to discuss Xiao Meng and the upcoming alchemy challenge.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, confidence, cunning, and exceptional alchemical ambition. Although he appears to be provoking the academy, his true goal is securing the Void Divine Soil. His interactions with Hu Gan show that he can be practical and respectful when necessary, while his treatment of Xiao Yu remains deliberately arrogant and playful.
• Xiao Yu: Learns that the former “waste” she once bullied has become an extraordinary powerhouse. She is shocked and frustrated by the reversal in their relationship, though she still clings to her status as his older sister and retains their familiar argumentative dynamic.
• Hu Gan: Acts as a measured and reasonable authority figure. He is willing to release Xiao Meng after Hu Jia is freed, but becomes wary when Xiao Meng challenges the academy’s elders.
• Hu Jia: Is humiliated and enraged after being captured and released. Her hostility toward Xiao Meng remains intense, suggesting that she will not accept the incident easily.
• The Alchemy Elders: Initially dismiss Xiao Meng as an arrogant and ignorant youth, but his display of power and willingness to wager an Earth-Rank Peak Dou Technique forces them to reconsider him as a potentially unprecedented genius.

Significant Themes

• Reversal of fortune: Xiao Meng’s transformation from a powerless, ridiculed youth into a peerless prodigy overturns Xiao Yu’s understanding of him and changes the balance of power between them.
• Confidence versus arrogance: Xiao Meng’s boldness borders on provocation, but his strength and confidence make his claims credible.
• Hidden motives: His apparent challenge to Jia Nan Academy is primarily motivated by the Void Divine Soil, showing how he disguises strategic objectives behind grand gestures.
• Prestige and reputation: Jia Nan Academy cannot easily refuse Xiao Meng’s challenge without appearing weak, demonstrating how public reputation influences the elders’ decisions.
• Power as proof: Xiao Meng settles doubts about his strength not through explanation, but through a single overwhelming attack.
• Family rivalry and affection: Xiao Meng and Xiao Yu continue their old antagonistic relationship, but their insults and exchanges retain a playful familiarity beneath the hostility.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Xiao Yu: Their confrontation exposes the dramatic change in Xiao Meng’s status. Xiao Meng taunts her, while Xiao Yu responds with anger and pride, preserving their old sibling-like rivalry.
• Xiao Meng and Hu Gan: Their negotiation reflects mutual caution. Hu Gan offers leniency after Hu Jia’s release, while Xiao Meng remains at the academy and skillfully redirects the situation toward his alchemy challenge.
• Xiao Meng and the Alchemy Elders: Their exchange begins with contempt from the elders and develops into a formal high-stakes challenge after Xiao Meng provokes them and proves his strength.
• Xiao Meng and Hu Jia: Though he releases her, Hu Jia remains furious and distrustful, creating an ongoing antagonistic relationship.

Summary of “Mu Zichen’s Undying Body”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng spends two days trying to avoid Little Demoness, who relentlessly harasses him while the academy elders seemingly encourage her. Concerned about preserving his strength and preparing for his wager with Jia Nan Academy, he hides in the shabby Miscellaneous Duties Division.
• There, he discovers Chief Steward Zhao and several servants brutally beating a powerless miscellaneous-duty disciple named Mu Zichen. Zhao plans to kill Mu Zichen and feed his body to magical beasts because Mu Zichen previously offended him.
• Xiao Meng intervenes. After initially pretending to be harmless, he defeats all the servants with one punch each and severely kicks Zhao, leaving him helpless.
• Xiao Meng allows Mu Zichen to decide Zhao’s fate. After encouragement from Xiao Meng, Mu Zichen kills Zhao and the other servants, avenging the abuse and humiliation he suffered.
• The system reveals that Mu Zichen possesses the rare Undying Body, but his Qi Vortex has been shattered. Xiao Meng realizes that the shattered Qi Vortex has actually released Mu Zichen’s sealed Undying Body Origin.
• Xiao Meng also discovers that an Undying Leaf, a damaged divine artifact from the Undying Divine Tree, is lodged inside Mu Zichen’s body. It has been suppressing his origin and draining his power.
• Xiao Meng recruits Mu Zichen as a follower, promising to restore his ability to cultivate. He brings him to a secluded cave and uses a piece of wood containing a powerful Wood-Attribute Origin, amplified by the Taixu Divine Lotus, to lure the Undying Leaf out.
• The Undying Leaf leaves Mu Zichen’s body, allowing the full power of his Undying Body Origin to awaken. Mu Zichen’s physical resilience becomes extraordinarily powerful, making him nearly impossible for opponents of the same realm to kill.
• Xiao Meng considers keeping the Undying Leaf but ultimately returns it to Mu Zichen, recognizing that it will be more powerful in its owner’s hands and can be restored through Mu Zichen’s origin power.
• Mu Zichen expresses profound gratitude and swears lifelong loyalty to Xiao Meng. Xiao Meng then spends three days refining roughly ten batches of Fifth-Grade Pills in preparation for his arranged match and the wager involving the Earth-Rank Peak Dou Technique.
• Once his preparations are complete, Xiao Meng leaves with Mu Zichen for the academy’s largest plaza to honor the match he arranged. Mu Zichen is stunned when they arrive.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, cleverness, and confidence. Although he mocks Jia Nan Academy’s elders and refuses to be intimidated by authority, he remains pragmatic, avoiding unnecessary conflict because of the Void Divine Soil. He also shows compassion and leadership by saving, recruiting, and restoring Mu Zichen.
• Mu Zichen: Begins as a powerless, abused disciple whose cultivation has been crippled and who expects death. After taking revenge on Zhao, he regains hope when Xiao Meng explains his true condition. His Undying Body awakens, transforming him from a “cripple” into an exceptionally gifted cultivator. His gratitude develops into absolute loyalty toward Xiao Meng.
• Chief Steward Zhao: Revealed as cruel, corrupt, and cowardly. He abuses his authority, orders Mu Zichen’s execution, and becomes terrified once Xiao Meng proves stronger than expected.
• Little Demoness: Though absent from most of the central events, her harassment drives Xiao Meng into the Miscellaneous Duties Division and indirectly leads to his meeting Mu Zichen.

Significant Themes

• Hidden potential beneath apparent weakness: Mu Zichen’s crippled cultivation conceals the rare Undying Body. What appears to be a catastrophe—the destruction of his Qi Vortex—is actually the first step toward awakening his true power.
• Justice and revenge: Zhao abuses the weak with impunity, but Mu Zichen eventually gains the power to punish him himself. The chapter presents revenge as both an emotional release and a response to systematic oppression.
• Loyalty forged through salvation: Xiao Meng’s willingness to restore Mu Zichen’s body creates a bond far deeper than ordinary master-servant relations. Mu Zichen views Xiao Meng as someone who has given him a second life.
• Power versus authority: Zhao relies on his position and connections, while Xiao Meng relies on genuine strength. The chapter contrasts institutional corruption with the freedom granted by overwhelming power.
• Mentorship and cultivation: Xiao Meng recognizes Mu Zichen’s value and chooses to nurture him, suggesting that future strength may come not only from personal cultivation but also from building a capable group of allies.
• Divine treasures and ancient legacies: The Undying Body, Undying Leaf, Undying Divine Tree, Wood-Attribute Origin, and Taixu Divine Lotus expand the story’s larger mythology and establish Mu Zichen as someone connected to powerful ancient forces.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Little Demoness: Their antagonistic relationship provides comic tension and motivates Xiao Meng’s temporary retreat.
• Xiao Meng and Zhao: Zhao shifts from threatening authority figure to frightened victim after Xiao Meng effortlessly defeats his servants and exposes his weakness.
• Xiao Meng and Mu Zichen: Their relationship evolves rapidly from rescuer and rescued victim into a partnership based on trust, cultivation, and loyalty. Xiao Meng encourages Mu Zichen to act according to his own feelings rather than fear consequences.
• Mu Zichen and Zhao: Their confrontation gives Mu Zichen the chance to reclaim his dignity. Mu Zichen personally kills Zhao after declaring that he will repay the hatred inflicted upon him.
• Xiao Meng and the academy’s authorities: Xiao Meng remains openly contemptuous of figures such as Hu Gan and the elders, believing that his own status and strength protect him from ordinary academy punishment.

Chapter Summary: “Cauldron Explosion”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The entire academy gathers in the plaza to watch Xiao Meng’s mysterious challenge, attracting the vice dean, instructors, and elders.
• Xiao Meng reveals that he has challenged Fire Elder, the academy’s most respected Outer Academy alchemist, to an alchemy competition rather than a physical fight.
• The contest will be judged by the quality of identical pills refined from the same formula. To ensure fairness, Xiao Meng agrees to use a formula supplied by Jia Nan Academy.
• Fire Elder chooses the extremely difficult Top-Tier Fifth-Grade Soul-Nourishing Pill, a rare pill that increases Soul Force and is notoriously difficult to refine.
• Xiao Meng tricks the academy into providing two sets of valuable ingredients, secretly storing one set away for himself.
• The competition begins with an eight-hour limit and two attempts each. Fire Elder uses his powerful Flame Iron Cauldron and an extraordinary flame, while Xiao Meng uses the bizarre frog-shaped Myriad Furnace God.
• Both alchemists carefully extract the impurities from the forty-six ingredients and begin fusing the medicinal liquids.
• Xiao Meng appears calm and confident, while the audience remains skeptical that someone so young can refine a Fifth-Grade Pill.
• As both enter the final stage of pill formation, a sudden, powerful explosion erupts, leaving the result unresolved at the chapter’s end.

2. Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates extreme confidence, cunning, and shamelessness. He manipulates the competition to obtain the academy’s formula and extra ingredients, while concealing the true extent of his alchemical abilities. Despite his casual attitude, he takes the match seriously and aims to defeat Fire Elder decisively.
• Fire Elder: Shows pride in the academy’s reputation and accepts the challenge alone to protect Jia Nan Academy’s honor. He recognizes Xiao Meng’s provocations but remains determined to win, using his best cauldron and flame.
• Mu Zichen: Is stunned to discover that Xiao Meng is capable of alchemy at the Fifth-Grade level. Though previously burdened by hostile figures watching him, he supports Xiao Meng and hopes he wins.
• Little Demoness: Remains furious at Xiao Meng for previously bullying her and repeatedly demands that he be punished. Her impulsive behavior contrasts with Hu Gan’s attempts to maintain order.
• Hu Gan: Tries to restrain Little Demoness while secretly wanting to punish Xiao Meng himself. He also begins to suspect that Xiao Meng has a powerful hidden master because of his astonishing talent.
• Xiao Yu: Despite her irritation with Xiao Meng, supports him as family and silently prays for his victory.
• Hu Gan and the middle-aged man: Become wary of Xiao Meng’s background, believing that such talent may indicate the protection or instruction of a Dou Zong or even Dou Venerable.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden talent and underestimated ability: Xiao Meng’s apparent youth and former reputation as a “useless trash” contrast sharply with his strength and alchemical mastery.
• Pride and honor: Fire Elder accepts the challenge alone because Jia Nan Academy cannot afford to appear dependent on numbers, making the contest a matter of institutional prestige.
• Cunning versus convention: Xiao Meng exploits technicalities and social expectations to gain an advantage, highlighting his unconventional and opportunistic personality.
• Fear of unknown power: The academy’s leaders become cautious because Xiao Meng’s abilities suggest the influence of an immensely powerful hidden master.
• Family loyalty amid conflict: Although Xiao Yu and Little Demoness resent Xiao Meng for different reasons, family ties still lead Xiao Yu to support him.
• Public spectacle and reputation: The enormous audience and presence of academy leaders emphasize how victory or defeat may affect Xiao Meng’s and the academy’s standing.

4. Character Interactions

• Mu Zichen questions Xiao Meng about the challenge, but Xiao Meng deliberately withholds the answer until the contest begins.
• Little Demoness angrily insults Xiao Meng and tries to attack him, while Hu Gan restrains her and promises they will deal with Xiao Meng privately afterward.
• Xiao Meng and Fire Elder negotiate the rules, with Xiao Meng cleverly insisting on the academy’s formula and ingredients.
• Xiao Meng repeatedly provokes Fire Elder through his smug remarks and by storing away one set of ingredients, intensifying their rivalry.
• Hu Gan evaluates the medicinal waste from Xiao Meng’s cauldron and begins to recognize that Xiao Meng may genuinely be a Fifth-Grade Alchemist.
• The academy’s leaders discuss whether Xiao Meng’s background should be investigated, but fear provoking the powerful figure they assume is behind him.
• The chapter ends during the climactic pill-refinement process with a sudden cauldron explosion, leaving the winner and the cause of the blast unknown.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

During the pill-refinement competition, a massive explosion shocks the arena. Everyone initially assumes Xiao Meng’s furnace has exploded, but the blast actually comes from Fire Elder, whose furnace is thrown into a building. Fire Elder is badly burned and internally injured. Despite his embarrassment, he tries to continue the competition and refine another Soul-Nourishing Pill.
Xiao Meng stops him and reveals the pill he has already completed. The pill releases an extraordinary fragrance and is revealed to be a perfect-quality Fifth-Grade Soul-Nourishing Pill. Fire Elder examines it and admits that even he might not be able to produce such a pill after another twenty years. He formally concedes, and Vice Principal Hu Gan announces Jia Nan Academy’s defeat. Before the crowd disperses, Xiao Meng calls out to Hu Gan, implying that he has something further to say.

Character developments

• Xiao Meng proves that his alchemy ability is far beyond everyone’s expectations. He successfully refines a perfect Fifth-Grade pill despite being only fifteen or sixteen, establishing himself as an unprecedented prodigy. He remains confident and playful, even teasing the injured Fire Elder.
• Fire Elder suffers a humiliating furnace explosion and is forced to confront the vast gap between his own alchemy and Xiao Meng’s. Although frustrated and shocked, he displays dignity by honestly acknowledging Xiao Meng’s victory.
• Hu Gan, the vice principal, is overwhelmed by Xiao Meng’s achievement and struggles to respond appropriately, especially because Xiao Meng is an outsider to the academy.
• Mu Zichen, Xiao Yu, and the Little Demoness are deeply shaken by Xiao Meng’s success. They realize that his talent in both cultivation and alchemy surpasses even the academy’s most gifted figures.

Significant themes

• Genius and impossible achievement: Xiao Meng’s success challenges all established expectations, demonstrating talent so extraordinary that the witnesses regard it as a miracle.
• Humility and recognition: Fire Elder, despite his pride and embarrassment, openly recognizes Xiao Meng’s superiority rather than denying the result.
• Reputation and status: Xiao Meng’s accomplishment dramatically changes how the academy views him, elevating him from a young challenger to a continent-level prodigy.
• Outsider superiority: The academy is forced to acknowledge that someone outside its institution has surpassed its elders.

Character interactions

Xiao Meng humorously interprets Fire Elder’s explosion as an extravagant celebration of his own success, then offers Fire Elder the completed pill and advises him not to worsen his injuries. Fire Elder initially reacts irritably but ultimately praises the pill and concedes defeat. Hu Gan formally declares the academy’s loss, while the surrounding students, elders, and spectators react with disbelief and awe. Xiao Meng’s final interruption of Hu Gan leaves the chapter poised for another exchange.

Key plot points and events

• During a public gathering, Xiao Meng invites Mu Zichen into the arena to settle his grievance. Though Mu is dressed as a servant, he identifies himself as a student of Yellow Class Three and accuses Instructor Situ Nan of abusing his authority and attempting to have him killed.
• Mu recounts that his roommate Feng Shaoyou wanted to buy his Heavenfrost Lingzhi cheaply. After Mu refused, Situ allegedly pressured him to hand it over, then arranged a training trip to Qingming Mountain Range where Situ destroyed Mu’s Qi Vortex and pushed him off a cliff.
• Mu says he survived, but Situ arranged for him to be sent to the Miscellaneous Duties Division and watched, hoping to have him killed and his death blamed on beasts.
• When Situ challenges him to provide witnesses or physical evidence, Mu exposes a serious inconsistency: Situ cannot explain how he reported Mu’s status during six months of absence, despite academy rules requiring absences over three days to be reported.
• Situ claims Mu had taken leave, but Mu points out he never requested it and asks why a student on leave would have been recruited as a servant. He also catches Situ revealing knowledge of Mu’s time in the division.
• Mu identifies Feng Shaoyou as Situ’s brother-in-law and suggests Feng’s connection helped keep Mu alive: Steward Zhao was waiting for Feng to provide a Qi Condensation Pill. Mu then states that he killed Zhao and more than a dozen servants three days earlier.

Character developments

• Mu Zichen appears composed, bold, and strategically observant. He turns the accusation into a public examination of Situ’s contradictions, despite lacking direct evidence of the original attack.
• Situ Nan begins as a powerful instructor but becomes visibly shaken as Mu’s questions expose gaps in his account and suggest he knew more than he should.
• Feng Shaoyou reacts defensively to being named as Situ’s brother-in-law. His panicked denial makes him appear more suspicious.
• Hu Gan, the vice dean, shifts into a grave, forceful role, recognizing the threat to the academy’s reputation and demanding answers.
• Xiao Meng supports Mu by bringing him forward, though he is surprised by the revelations.

Significant themes

• Abuse of authority and institutional responsibility: The accusation threatens the academy’s credibility, and its leadership must determine whether it will protect its reputation or confront wrongdoing.
• Truth through questioning: Although Mu lacks witnesses or physical proof of the attack, careful questions reveal Situ’s apparent inconsistencies and privileged knowledge.
• Power, silence, and accountability: Situ’s status does not prevent him from being challenged publicly, while the audience’s mood changes from confusion to serious scrutiny.
• Revenge and consequences: Mu’s final admission that he killed Zhao and others signals that the conflict has already turned violent beyond the academy’s formal process.

Character interactions

• Xiao Meng publicly gives Mu an opportunity to speak, while Hu Gan controls the proceedings and demands that Situ answer.
• Mu confronts Situ directly, using the academy’s own rules and Situ’s slips to undermine his defense.
• Situ tries to discredit Mu by pointing to the lack of evidence and by highlighting his survival, but Mu redirects the questioning toward Situ’s knowledge and handling of his absence.
• Mu’s revelation about Feng provokes Feng into an emotional denial, which Mu uses to deepen suspicion.
• The crowd, initially bewildered, becomes silent and attentive as the accusation turns into a serious challenge to the academy’s authority.

Key plot points and events

• Mu Zichen reveals that he killed Chief Steward Zhao and thirteen others in the academy, prompting Feng Shaoyou and Situ Nan to accuse him of murder and slander.
• Mu proves that Situ Nan stole his Storage Ring by summoning it back from inside Situ’s robes. The proof confirms Situ’s connection to the false accusations and Mu’s disappearance.
• Hu Gan orders Situ taken away by the Enforcement Team, who silence him.
• Mu challenges Feng to a death duel. Both sign waivers, and Feng attacks with his ice-based Dou Qi.
• Mu withstands the attack unharmed, uses an ice spike to strike Feng’s Qi Vortex, and kills him by snapping his neck in one move.
• Mu admits to the deaths in the Miscellaneous Duties Division and asks to be punished. Hu Gan absolves him, citing self-defense; Xiao Meng’s influence and the academy’s own negligence also shape the decision.
• Mu then surprises everyone by asking to withdraw from the academy immediately.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Zichen is calm and self-assured throughout, revealing both his strength and his willingness to accept responsibility. His power has grown dramatically during his six-month absence, leaving even the elders unable to judge his cultivation. He remains protective of Xiao Meng, having confessed early to prevent the incident from implicating him.
• Situ Nan collapses once his possession of the ring is exposed and is removed by the Enforcement Team.
• Feng Shaoyou, confident that Mu is still weak, accepts the duel and is killed almost instantly.
• Hu Gan first reacts with anger and concern over the killings, but ultimately uses his authority to spare Mu punishment—partly out of courtesy to Xiao Meng and partly to avoid exposing the academy’s failures.
• Xiao Meng quietly supports Mu and appears pleased by Hu Gan’s leniency. His presence commands enough respect to change Old Man Huo’s attitude toward him.
• Old Man Huo is repeatedly caught off guard, first by the shift from an alchemy contest to a duel and then by Mu’s overwhelming strength.

Significant themes

• Revenge and justice: Mu settles his conflict with Feng through a sanctioned duel after exposing Situ’s role.
• Hidden strength and transformation: Mu’s return reveals how profoundly he has changed since being cast aside.
• Institutional responsibility and self-preservation: The academy’s decision to let the matter go protects its leaders from scrutiny as well as Mu.
• Loyalty and gratitude: Mu’s concern for Xiao Meng and Hu Gan’s deference to him shape the outcome.
• A new beginning: Mu’s request to leave the academy suggests he intends to move beyond its authority and past treatment of him.

Chapter Summary: “Obtaining the Void Divine Soil”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Zichen asks Dean Hu Gan for permission to leave Jia Nan Academy. Hu Gan initially assumes he is upset about the academy’s handling of the day’s conflict and worries that his departure will damage the academy’s reputation.
• Mu Zichen clarifies that he wants to leave because he has decided to follow Xiao Meng and serve him. This shocks everyone, since Mu Zichen is a talented disciple giving up the academy voluntarily.
• Xiao Meng jokingly questions Mu Zichen’s decision and pretends to praise the academy, leading both of them to chant, “Long live Jia Nan Academy.” Their shameless behavior leaves the others speechless.
• After the commotion, Xiao Meng insists that the academy honor its wager. Old Man Huo escorts him to the Medicine Garden so he can select his reward.
• The Medicine Garden is revealed to be an enormous mountain-range-like area containing countless rare and ancient medicinal plants, including Fuye Grass and a Mystic Spirit Tree.
• Xiao Meng ignores the valuable plants and uses the system to locate the Void Divine Soil, which is buried deep underground inside a mysterious bronze cauldron.
• With the system’s guidance, he digs up the cauldron and uses the power of the Taixu Divine Lotus to store it in his Heavenly Abode.
• The Void Divine Soil is invisible to ordinary people, but Xiao Meng can perceive it with the Lotus’s power. The cauldron contains a large quantity of radiant, mystical soil.

Character Developments

• Mu Zichen demonstrates complete loyalty and determination by choosing to follow Xiao Meng rather than remain at Jia Nan Academy. His calm declaration contrasts with Xiao Meng’s irreverent behavior.
• Xiao Meng further establishes himself as bold, shameless, resourceful, and highly influential. He easily wins Mu Zichen’s allegiance and confidently claims the academy’s promised reward.
• Dean Hu Gan shifts from anger and concern to relief when he learns Mu Zichen is not leaving because of resentment. However, he remains frustrated by Xiao Meng’s disrespectful attitude.
• Old Man Huo is shown to be both powerful and closely connected to the academy’s treasures, yet Xiao Meng treats him casually and even demands the Soul-Nourishing Pill he had refined. His curiosity about Xiao Meng’s true objective grows throughout the chapter.
• Xiao Yu and the Little Demoness continue to dislike Xiao Meng but also admire his abilities and charisma, adding complexity to their feelings toward him.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and chosen allegiance: Mu Zichen’s decision emphasizes that genuine loyalty can be earned through personal character and conviction rather than institutional ties.
• Reputation versus individual ability: The academy worries about the damage caused by the incident, while Xiao Meng remains focused on results and personal gain.
• Irreverence toward authority: Xiao Meng repeatedly undermines formal hierarchies, treating the dean and Fire Elder with playful disrespect while still getting what he wants.
• Hidden treasures and perception: The Void Divine Soil is concealed from ordinary sight, reinforcing the importance of Xiao Meng’s system and his unique access to powers others cannot detect.
• Greed and opportunity: Although surrounded by priceless medicinal plants, Xiao Meng seeks the rarest and most secret treasure, showing his instinct to pursue extraordinary opportunities.

Character Interactions

• Hu Gan and Mu Zichen discuss the disciple’s decision to leave, with Hu Gan misinterpreting his motives at first.
• Xiao Meng turns Mu Zichen’s solemn declaration into a ridiculous chant, and Mu Zichen unexpectedly plays along, revealing their similar personalities.
• Xiao Meng pesters Old Man Huo about the Soul-Nourishing Pill during their journey, while Old Man Huo responds with silent irritation.
• Old Man Huo and Mu Zichen are baffled when Xiao Meng ignores the garden’s rare plants and begins digging in an apparently worthless canyon.
• Their confusion turns to amazement when Xiao Meng uncovers the ancient bronze cauldron, proving that his strange actions were guided by a valuable secret.

Key plot points and events

• Jia Nan Academy allows Xiao Meng to stay in its Medicine Garden and use its herbs, in exchange for refining Soul-Nourishing Pills. He makes many without wasting ingredients, keeps several, and shares one between Xiao Yu and Mu Zichen.
• Xiao Meng consumes four Soul-Nourishing Pills at once, enduring four days of intense pain as he refines their power. His Soul Force grows to two or three times its former strength, making him confident he can use the Desolate Demon Eye.
• The Little Demoness ambushes him outside the cultivation chamber. Xiao Meng quickly restrains her and shuts her inside.
• He prepares to make Great Origin Pills, which accelerate the conversion of Origin Force into True Essence. While gathering herbs with Xiao Yu and Mu Zichen, he learns they plan to return for their clan’s coming-of-age ceremony and agrees to travel with them.
• Hu Gan and Old Man Huo ask Xiao Meng to remain at the academy, offering him continued freedom and access to its resources. He accepts, despite their dismay at how freely he takes the garden’s valuable herbs.
• Xiao Meng makes strange-looking Great Origin Pills that Old Man Huo refuses to believe are pills. He then spars with academy instructors, rewarding them with Fourth-Grade Pills and earning the nickname “Pill God.”
• Hu Gan and Old Man Huo join the sparring, repeatedly beating Xiao Meng in public—often with the Little Demoness watching. After more than ten days of this, Xiao Meng hides in his room and asks Xiao Yu and Mu Zichen to keep the two elders away. He then begins cultivating with a Great Origin Pill.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Meng grows substantially stronger in Soul Force, but remains irreverent, resourceful, and unabashedly opportunistic. He is generous with pills toward friends and instructors, yet casual about taking the academy’s herbs. His confidence gives way to genuine fear when facing the elders’ relentless beatings.
• Xiao Yu and Mu Zichen receive a share of a valuable Soul-Nourishing Pill and accompany Xiao Meng to gather herbs. They plan to return home for the coming-of-age ceremony; Xiao Yu is amused by Xiao Meng’s predicament but also notices how badly he has been hurt.
• Hu Gan and Old Man Huo first accommodate Xiao Meng to secure his pill-making help, then invite him to stay permanently. They are alternately impressed, horrified, and exasperated by his behavior. As sparring partners, they take advantage of their strength and repeatedly thrash him.
• The Little Demoness continues her antagonistic, playful rivalry with Xiao Meng, but he easily overpowers her in their latest encounter.

Significant themes

• Power and risk: Xiao Meng’s rapid growth comes through dangerous, painful methods, and his reckless use of powerful pills nearly overwhelms him.
• Reciprocity and self-interest: The academy exchanges resources and hospitality for pills, while Xiao Meng accepts eagerly because the arrangement benefits him.
• Comedy through clashing personalities: Xiao Meng’s bluntness and disregard for convention repeatedly collide with the elders’ concern for their herbs and dignity.
• Resilience: Despite being beaten severely day after day, Xiao Meng recovers quickly and continues pursuing cultivation.

Chapter Summary: “Divine Flame”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng remains in seclusion in the Medicine Garden for over two weeks while converting his Origin Force into True Essence with the help of Great Origin Pills.
• His conversion reaches seventy percent, greatly strengthening his cultivation, but the extended seclusion causes him to miss the Xiao Clan’s once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony.
• Xiao Yu returns to the Xiao Clan without him, and Xiao Meng becomes frustrated, especially when the system refuses to send him back.
• Hu Gan and Old Fire visit after his breakthrough. Xiao Meng learns that Mu Zichen’s cultivation has advanced rapidly since releasing his Undying Origin; Mu is now capable of defeating ordinary three- or four-star Da Dou Shi.
• Xiao Meng rewards Mu Zichen by teaching him additional battle techniques and giving him the first half of the Heavenly Evolution Scripture.
• Xiao Meng checks on the two beings sleeping within his body after consuming medicinal pills, but they remain unconscious.
• Unable to sleep, Xiao Meng uses his remaining fishing attempts. His first catch is the powerful Nine Heavens Profound Flame, a Divine Flame born in the eighteenth level of the Hell Abyss.
• The Primordial Origin Flame demands to devour it. Although Xiao Meng distrusts the flame because of its potential to consume its master, he allows it to proceed, hoping it will help him oppose Qiong Leng in the future.
• After consuming the Nine Heavens Profound Flame, the Primordial Origin Flame becomes significantly stronger—roughly comparable to the Green Lotus Core Flame—but gains far less power than Xiao Meng expected.
• Xiao Meng realizes that the Primordial Origin Flame may need to devour dozens of Divine Flames before reaching the level of the Nihility Devouring Flame.
• During another fishing attempt, Xiao Meng views an unfamiliar, ancient world and discovers it is the Ancient Clan, Xiao Xun’er’s homeland. He becomes intrigued and amused, but his reaction abruptly changes when he notices what is attached to the fishing hook.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: His strength increases substantially through True Essence conversion and the fusion of the Nine Heavens Profound Flame into his Primordial Origin Flame. Missing his coming-of-age ceremony leaves him resentful toward the unreliable system, strengthening his determination to confront it someday.
• Mu Zichen: His cultivation progresses at an extraordinary rate, making him powerful enough to defeat several-star Da Dou Shi opponents. His relationship with Xiao Meng develops as Xiao Meng takes on a mentor-like role and shares advanced techniques and scriptures.
• Xiao Yu: She worries about Xiao Meng’s prolonged absence but eventually returns to the Xiao Clan, leaving him behind.
• Primordial Origin Flame: It demonstrates an increasingly dangerous appetite by seeking to devour the Nine Heavens Profound Flame. Its power grows, but its enormous potential cost and possible threat to Xiao Meng remain concerns.
• The system: Its refusal to help Xiao Meng return for the ceremony further damages his trust and intensifies his hostility toward it.

Significant Themes

• Power and cultivation: The chapter emphasizes the rewards and risks of rapid advancement, as Xiao Meng’s True Essence conversion and Divine Flame fusion greatly increase his strength.
• Uncontrolled ambition and danger: The Primordial Origin Flame’s hunger suggests that power can become difficult to control, even when it serves Xiao Meng’s goals.
• Regret and missed obligations: Xiao Meng’s frustration over missing his coming-of-age ceremony highlights the conflict between personal cultivation and family responsibilities.
• Trust and self-reliance: Because the system is unreliable and the Primordial Origin Flame may eventually threaten him, Xiao Meng increasingly relies on his own judgment and vigilance.
• Exploration and discovery: The fishing ability continues to connect Xiao Meng to distant realms, bringing him rare treasures and opening the possibility of future encounters with major factions.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Yu anxiously waits for Xiao Meng to leave seclusion before finally returning home.
• Mu Zichen informs Xiao Meng about the missed ceremony and later discusses his impressive cultivation progress with him.
• Xiao Meng acts as Mu Zichen’s mentor by providing techniques and the Heavenly Evolution Scripture.
• Hu Gan and Old Fire visit Xiao Meng after his seclusion, likely checking on his progress and discussing his condition.
• Xiao Meng maintains a wary relationship with the Primordial Origin Flame, allowing it to consume the Nine Heavens Profound Flame while fearing that it may eventually turn against him.
• His discovery of the Ancient Clan, Xiao Xun’er’s home, ends the chapter with the promise of an unexpected encounter or development.

Chapter Summary: Beauty in the Coffin

Key Plot Points and Events

• While fishing in an ice cellar within the Ancient Clan, Xiao Meng’s hook catches an object attached to a crystal coffin.
• He discovers an extraordinarily beautiful woman lying inside. Although she appears dead, the system informs him that she can still be saved—but only if he acts quickly, before her body turns to ash.
• Xiao Meng decides to rescue her and begins pulling the coffin from the cellar. The disturbance causes the entire ice cellar to shake violently.
• As the coffin rises into the air, an enraged middle-aged man—later implied to be an immensely powerful member of the Ancient Clan—appears and uses Dou Qi to seize the coffin. Numerous Ancient Clan experts rush to the scene, leaving Xiao Meng surrounded and in serious danger.
• The narrative then shifts to Wutan City, where the Xiao Clan is holding its coming-of-age ceremony.
• The ceremony is unusually impressive because nearly two hundred young clan members have reached the Dou Zhe realm, largely due to pills supplied by Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan attends with Xiao Xun’er, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Xiao Yu. The group discusses his tremendous strength, which appears to surpass even the Da Dou Shi realm.
• Xiao Yu praises Xiao Meng as an incomparable genius and reveals that he is currently studying at Jia Nan Academy. Her account of his achievements shocks the others, especially Xiao Xun’er.
• During the ceremony, Xiao Zhan proudly observes the clan’s progress but regrets that Xiao Meng has not returned.
• When Xiao Yan is called forward for his ritual retest, he prepares to suppress most of his strength so that he will not destroy the testing monument.
• Just as Xiao Yan is about to touch the stone tablet, a sudden cry from the sky warns him to move. Xiao Yan reacts instantly, grabs the Second Elder, Xiao Ying, and escapes the stage. The chapter ends with a violent explosion.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Displays both compassion and an attraction to beauty when he chooses to save the woman in the coffin. His rescue attempt also reveals his boldness and willingness to challenge a powerful clan, though he is now confronted by overwhelming opposition.
• The woman in the coffin: Her identity remains unknown, but the system confirms that she is not beyond saving. Her extraordinary beauty and mysterious condition establish her as an important future figure.
• Xiao Yan: Has become vastly stronger and is now capable of defeating Xiao Yu effortlessly and potentially matching or surpassing Da Dou Shi-level opponents. He remains cautious, deliberately concealing his true strength.
• Xiao Xun’er: Shows intimate knowledge of Xiao Yan’s abilities and openly praises him. She also reacts with subtle dissatisfaction when Xiao Yu speaks admiringly of Xiao Meng, suggesting emotional investment in both brothers.
• Xiao Yu: Her opinion of Xiao Yan has improved after losing to him in a single move. She continues to regard Xiao Meng as the true peerless genius of the family and provides important information about his life at Jia Nan Academy.
• Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li: Become increasingly proud and excited by the Xiao Clan’s rapid rise. Xiao Zhan especially feels pride in Xiao Yan but regrets Xiao Meng’s absence.

Significant Themes

• Beauty and mortality: The woman’s beauty contrasts sharply with her imminent destruction, raising questions about whether beauty can survive death and decay.
• Rescue versus consequences: Xiao Meng’s decision to save the woman is morally compassionate but immediately places him in conflict with the Ancient Clan.
• Hidden strength: Both Xiao Meng and Xiao Yan possess abilities far beyond what others understand. Xiao Yan consciously conceals his power, while Xiao Meng’s true level is discussed indirectly through others’ astonishment.
• Family prosperity and pride: The Xiao Clan’s younger generation has grown dramatically stronger, transforming the coming-of-age ceremony into a symbol of the clan’s revival.
• Foreshadowing and sudden disruption: The peaceful ceremony is abruptly interrupted by an unknown attack, while Xiao Meng’s rescue similarly triggers a dangerous confrontation. Both plotlines end at moments of crisis.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng consults the system before deciding whether to save the woman, showing his dependence on its knowledge and guidance.
• Xiao Xun’er teases Xiao Yan about his strength, while Xiao Yan responds with mild exasperation, reflecting their close relationship.
• Xiao Yu’s praise of Xiao Meng creates tension with Xiao Xun’er, who questions her connection to him and appears displeased by her admiration.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li react with astonishment and pride upon learning how strong Xiao Yan has become.
• Xiao Yan protects Xiao Ying when danger suddenly appears, demonstrating both his reflexes and his willingness to safeguard members of the clan.
• Xiao Zhan’s warning and Xiao Yan’s immediate response suggest that the attack comes from a powerful enemy whose arrival threatens the entire ceremony.

Chapter Summary: A Special Way of Returning

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Meng suddenly crashes from the sky onto the Xiao Clan’s platform while carrying a massive crystal coffin. His impact creates a huge crater, spreads cracks across the ground, and disrupts the clan’s coming-of-age ceremony.
• Xiao Yan’s mysterious inner energy rescues several disciples who fall into the fissures caused by the impact.
• Despite the tremendous fall, Xiao Meng survives with only minor discomfort. His appearance shocks the Xiao Clan, who recognize him as a long-absent family member.
• Xiao Meng explains awkwardly that he has simply “come home,” though his extraordinary arrival and coffin make the excuse difficult to accept.
• Because the ceremony has been completely ruined, Xiao Zhan postpones it and dismisses the invited guests.
• Afterward, Xiao Meng reunites with Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Xun’er. The family members welcome him with a mixture of affection, disbelief, teasing, and astonishment at his strength.
• Xiao Meng carries the crystal coffin back to his residence. Xiao Xun’er recognizes it as resembling something from the Ancient Clan, though Xiao Meng’s claim that he took it from her family is not believed.
• In the basement, Xiao Meng consults the system about awakening the woman inside the coffin. She is suffering from a Life-Devouring Gu, which has nearly consumed all her life force.
• The chapter ends with Xiao Meng becoming troubled after learning that the system’s method of saving her is highly problematic.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Returns to the Xiao Clan in a spectacular and embarrassing manner, displaying immense strength by surviving the fall. He remains playful and sarcastic but is deeply concerned about rescuing the woman in the coffin.
• Xiao Yan: Welcomes Xiao Meng respectfully and is revealed to have grown considerably stronger, likely after refining two Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Zhan: Experiences both pride and frustration. He had hoped the ceremony would symbolize the clan’s rise, but Xiao Meng’s arrival destroys the event.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li: Reconnect with Xiao Meng through humor and physical affection. Xiao Ding jokes about the coffin, while Xiao Li’s blunt comment earns him simultaneous slaps.
• Xiao Xun’er: Shows curiosity and suspicion toward the coffin, recognizing a possible connection to the Ancient Clan.
• The woman in the coffin: Her condition is revealed to be critical, as the Life-Devouring Gu has almost exhausted her life force.

Significant Themes

• Family reunion amid chaos: Xiao Meng’s return is absurd and destructive, yet it ultimately becomes a warm reunion with his relatives.
• Humor and dramatic contrast: The grand, earth-shaking entrance contrasts with Xiao Meng’s casual claim that he is merely returning home.
• Hidden identities and secrets: The coffin’s connection to the Ancient Clan and the identity of the woman inside remain concealed from the Xiao family.
• Urgency and sacrifice: The woman’s rapidly failing condition creates a serious life-or-death problem beneath the chapter’s comedic surface.
• Power and cultivation: Xiao Meng’s survival reinforces how far his strength has advanced, while Xiao Yan’s improvement hints at his own continued growth.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng reunites with the Xiao family after initially pretending to be a random passerby.
• Xiao Zhan questions him about the bizarre arrival and later struggles with the ruined ceremony.
• Xiao Ding embraces Xiao Meng and teases him about carrying a coffin.
• Xiao Li makes a tactless remark about Xiao Meng’s survival and is slapped by both Xiao Meng and Xiao Ding.
• Xiao Yan greets Xiao Meng sincerely, leading to a more respectful and affectionate exchange.
• Xiao Xun’er questions Xiao Meng about the coffin, but he evades her questions with jokes and lies that are technically close to the truth.
• Once alone, Xiao Meng turns from joking with his family to seriously seeking a way to save the woman inside the coffin.

Chapter Summary: “Gathering”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The system informs Xiao Meng that the woman in the coffin—Gu Yuan’s younger sister—has almost completely lost her vitality. By using his own blood vitality as bait, he can lure the Life-Devouring Gu out of her body and preserve her remaining life with the coffin’s properties.
• Xiao Meng cuts his palm and connects it to hers, drawing the enormous, disgusting Gu out from her heart. He plans to burn it with the Primordial Origin Flame once it enters his body.
• The system warns him that the Gu contains a strand of soul consciousness and may become difficult to extract if alarmed. Xiao Meng therefore conceals the aura of his flame and endures the process.
• After more than an hour, he successfully draws the Gu into his own body and confines it in an acupoint for later removal. The woman’s vitality is preserved, but she remains unconscious.
• Xiao Meng considers using the Wood Origin to revive her, but the system explains that it lacks the necessary ability to awaken someone whose vitality is nearly gone. A difficult catalyst is required, so Xiao Meng decides to wait for a future opportunity.
• Later, Xiao Meng joins a family meal hosted by Xiao Zhan. The First Elder, Second Elder, and their families also attend, turning the gathering into a large clan event.
• When asked about his strength, Xiao Meng jokingly claims that he recently fought several Dou Saints to a standstill. Xiao Yu exposes his embarrassing experiences at the academy, including being beaten by powerful experts, creating confusion over his actual abilities.
• To shift attention away from himself, Xiao Meng brings up Xiao Yan’s mysterious teacher, Yao Lao, claiming he is a Dou Venerable and asking when the teacher will visit. Xiao Yan is consequently placed under scrutiny.
• After the gathering, Xiao Yan angrily confronts Xiao Meng for sacrificing him to escape attention. Their argument leads to a fight in the back mountain, where Xiao Meng beats Xiao Yan before the two, along with Yao Lao, speak at length about personal and clan matters.
• Exhausted after the day’s events, Xiao Meng returns home and immediately falls asleep.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates courage and responsibility by risking his own body to save the woman in the coffin despite his disgust and fear of the Gu. He remains unable to awaken her but gains time to find another solution. His mischievous, shameless personality is also evident in his exaggerated boasting, schemes, and willingness to redirect trouble toward Xiao Yan.
• The woman in the coffin: Her vitality is successfully preserved, though she remains unconscious. Her condition becomes a continuing mystery and future objective for Xiao Meng.
• Xiao Yan: Becomes an unwilling target of Xiao Meng’s deflection tactics. He is embarrassed before the clan, challenges Xiao Meng afterward, loses the fight, but ultimately joins him and Yao Lao in a serious discussion.
• Xiao Yu: Teases and humiliates Xiao Meng by recounting his failures at the academy, exaggerating them for entertainment. Her stories inadvertently reveal that Xiao Meng’s apparent strength is more complicated than the family realizes.
• Xiao Zhan and the clan elders: Participate in the family gathering and become increasingly shocked by the revelations about Xiao Meng and Xiao Yan. Xiao Zhan remains calm because he already knows the truth about Xiao Meng’s strength.
• Yao Lao: Takes part in the later conversation with Xiao Meng and Xiao Yan, discussing their affairs and the Xiao Clan’s situation.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and responsibility: Xiao Meng accepts physical and psychological discomfort to preserve the woman’s life, showing that he values saving others despite his usual irreverent behavior.
• Hope and delayed rescue: Although the woman cannot yet be awakened, preserving her vitality creates the possibility of saving her later.
• Hidden strength and deception: Xiao Meng’s true power is concealed behind jokes, exaggeration, and misleading appearances. His ability to fight stronger opponents depends partly on special trump cards rather than straightforward cultivation.
• Family bonds and conflict: The meal, teasing, arguments, and eventual discussions show a lively but supportive family dynamic.
• Humor amid danger: The grotesque Gu incident and serious threats are contrasted with Xiao Meng’s comedic reactions, boasting, and schemes against Xiao Yan.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and the woman: He uses his blood vitality to draw out the Gu and preserve her life, forming the chapter’s main serious event.
• Xiao Meng and the system: The system provides crucial warnings and explains the limitations of the Wood Origin and the conditions needed to revive the woman.
• Xiao Meng and Xiao Yu: Their exchange is openly antagonistic and comedic, with Xiao Yu exposing his humiliating past and Xiao Meng becoming increasingly irritated.
• Xiao Meng and Xiao Yan: Xiao Meng redirects the clan’s attention toward Xiao Yan, prompting a confrontation and physical fight. Their rivalry ultimately gives way to a long, private conversation.
• Xiao Meng, Xiao Yan, and Yao Lao: They discuss Xiao Yan’s circumstances, Yao Lao’s affairs, and the Xiao Clan’s recent developments, reinforcing their alliance and shared concerns.

Chapter Summary: Paying Respects to the Young Master

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xiao Zhan begins a major expansion of the Xiao Clan after hearing Xiao Yan complain that the clan grounds are too small. He purchases nearby streets and constructs new residences, cultivation rooms, and courtyards for the clan’s important members.
• Xiao Meng is assigned the back mountain and spends several days installing powerful defensive and cultivation formations throughout the clan residences. Though exhausted, he treats the work as a form of training.
• Xiao Meng continues studying the Myriad Ages Undying Scripture and postpones dealing with the Life-Devouring Gu inside him, intending to feed it to Big Old Two once the beast awakens.
• The Xiao Clan resumes its delayed coming-of-age ceremony after first conducting ancestral worship. Xiao Meng once again shocks the guests by possessing no visible dou qi, while Xiao Yan deliberately conceals most of his strength.
• Big Old Two awakens stronger after its long sleep, while the Nether Emperor remains unconscious.
• Before Xiao Meng can deal with the Life-Devouring Gu, Xiao Li reports that the Gale Clan has launched a life-or-death attack on the Xiao Clan with the aid of sixteen mysterious black-robed experts.
• The attackers are revealed to be sixteen Dou Wangs, while the Xiao Clan relies on Xiao Yan and Yao Lao to operate its newly established formations. Xiao Zhan and the clan’s experts are badly injured but protected by the formations.
• Xiao Meng leaves the defensive barrier to confront the attackers. He summons Hai Bo Dong, who appears as an overwhelmingly powerful five-star Dou Emperor.
• At Xiao Meng’s command, Hai Bo Dong kills fifteen of the sixteen enemies and leaves the weakest one alive to deliver a warning to the force behind the attack.
• The surviving enemy is ordered to report that stronger opponents must be sent next time. The Gale Clan is left terrified and helpless.
• The chapter ends with Hai Bo Dong unexpectedly bowing to Xiao Meng and addressing him as “Young Master,” shocking everyone present.

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng: Demonstrates his growing authority, confidence, and strategic control. He casually handles a crisis involving sixteen Dou Wangs and reveals that he possesses an even more powerful subordinate. His mysterious background becomes increasingly difficult for others to comprehend.
• Xiao Zhan: Acts decisively as clan leader by expanding the clan’s territory and facilities. Despite his own considerable strength, he is shown to be helpless against the mysterious attackers and increasingly dependent on Xiao Meng’s hidden power.
• Xiao Yan: Continues concealing his true cultivation. He contributes by operating the clan’s formations, with Yao Lao’s assistance, showing his growing tactical importance.
• Hai Bo Dong: Awakens to the surprising reality that Xiao Meng’s “powerful organization” is actually a small, relatively weak clan in a remote city. Despite his confusion, he obeys Xiao Meng without hesitation and publicly reveals their master-servant relationship.
• Big Old Two: Returns from its long sleep with increased strength, while the Nether Emperor’s continued slumber emphasizes the different growth rates of magical beasts.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and mistaken identity: Outsiders underestimate Xiao Meng because of his appearance and apparent lack of dou qi, while his true strength and connections remain concealed.
• The contrast between appearance and reality: The Xiao Clan appears to be a small local force, yet it is protected by formidable formations, Xiao Yan’s hidden abilities, and Hai Bo Dong’s overwhelming strength.
• Protection and clan expansion: The new residences and formations symbolize the Xiao Clan’s growing influence and Xiao Zhan’s efforts to prepare it for future threats.
• Absolute confidence and dominance: Xiao Meng treats sixteen Dou Wangs as insignificant, reinforcing the vast gap between his apparent status and his actual power.
• Mystery surrounding Xiao Meng’s origins: Hai Bo Dong’s respectful address of Xiao Meng as “Young Master” suggests that Xiao Meng belongs to a far more powerful background than anyone in the clan realizes.

Important Character Interactions

• Xiao Zhan’s earlier reaction to Xiao Yan’s complaint leads directly to the clan’s large-scale reconstruction.
• Xiao Meng works for the benefit of the entire clan by personally setting up formations for its members.
• Xiao Li warns Xiao Meng of the Gale Clan’s attack, prompting him to intervene.
• Xiao Zhan worries about whether Xiao Meng can face the sixteen Dou Wangs, but Xiao Meng dismisses the threat.
• Xiao Meng summons Hai Bo Dong and commands him to eliminate the attackers while sparing one survivor.
• Xiao Meng taunts the surviving black-robed figure and sends him back with a warning.
• Hai Bo Dong’s final bow and greeting expose his deep respect for Xiao Meng and leave the Xiao Clan, the Gale Clan, and the surrounding spectators stunned.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hai Bo Dong formally joins Xiao Meng’s side and is revealed to be a five-star Dou Emperor, shocking Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan, and the entire Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Meng effortlessly kills all sixty-three members of the Gale Clan, including Jia Lie Bi, eliminating the clan’s threat.
• He brings Hai Bo Dong into the Xiao Clan and arranges a residence for him, casually joking that Hai’s former home was worse than the clan’s latrine.
• Xiao Meng returns to the mountain cave after sensing an awakening will within the Life-Devouring Gu implanted in his body.
• He brutally removes the gu from himself and burns it with the Primordial Origin Flame.
• A powerful will emerges from the gu, initially believing that Gu Yuan is attacking him. Xiao Meng realizes the figure is likely Hun Tiandi, one of the strongest beings on the Dou Qi Continent.
• Xiao Meng pretends to be a divine being, claiming that Hun Tiandi has offended a god and is being purified by divine fire.
• Hun Tiandi quickly sees through the deception. Although the Primordial Origin Flame is strange, it is still immature, while Xiao Meng’s physical strength is far below Hun Tiandi’s.
• Hun Tiandi overwhelms Xiao Meng, injuring him and nearly breaking free. At the critical moment, the system intervenes, causing Hun Tiandi’s will to vanish.
• Xiao Meng survives, gives the Life-Devouring Gu to Big Old Two, and is disgusted when the creature swallows it. The chapter ends with Hun Tiandi’s lingering confusion: “Gu Yuan, are you the one attacking this Emperor?”

Character Developments

• Xiao Meng demonstrates overwhelming authority by commanding a Dou Emperor and annihilating the Gale Clan, greatly elevating the Xiao Clan’s status.
• Despite his confidence and theatrical behavior, Xiao Meng is genuinely frightened when confronted by Hun Tiandi. His bold “divine” persona is revealed to be a desperate bluff supported by the system.
• Hai Bo Dong formally becomes Xiao Meng’s subordinate and protector of the Xiao Clan, marking a major increase in the clan’s power.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan gain a deeper understanding of Xiao Meng’s extraordinary influence and connections.
• Hun Tiandi is shown to possess terrifying strength even through only a fragment of his will, but he is also momentarily deceived by Xiao Meng’s bluff.
• Big Old Two proves capable of consuming the extraordinary Life-Devouring Gu, though its behavior disgusts Xiao Meng.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: The appearance of a Dou Emperor completely changes the Xiao Clan’s position, showing the immense gap between different cultivation realms.
• Deception versus true strength: Xiao Meng survives not through personal power but through intimidation, improvisation, and the system’s intervention.
• Hidden danger: The Life-Devouring Gu is more than a parasite; it contains the will of a peak Dou Saint, making it an extremely dangerous weapon and surveillance method.
• Humor amid danger: Xiao Meng’s crude jokes, exaggerated divine act, and disgust at Big Old Two’s eating habits contrast with the chapter’s otherwise terrifying conflicts.
• External protection and dependence: Xiao Meng’s survival relies on the Primordial Origin Flame, the Taixu Divine Lotus, Big Old Two, and ultimately the system, emphasizing that his apparent dominance is not yet matched by his own cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Meng and Hai Bo Dong: Hai Bo Dong shows complete respect toward Xiao Meng, while Xiao Meng treats him casually and arranges his place within the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Meng and Xiao Zhan: Xiao Meng asks his father to provide Hai Bo Dong with a residence; Xiao Zhan worries about showing insufficient respect to such a powerful figure.
• Xiao Meng and the Xiao Clan: His arrival with Hai Bo Dong leaves the clan stunned but greatly reassured about its future security.
• Xiao Meng and Hun Tiandi: Their confrontation is built around misunderstanding and bluffing. Hun Tiandi mistakes Xiao Meng for Gu Yuan, while Xiao Meng pretends to be a god until Hun Tiandi recognizes his weakness.
• Xiao Meng and Big Old Two: Xiao Meng entrusts the gu to Big Old Two, only to recoil when the creature swallows it and reacts with obvious delight.