Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Meeting Depu Before the Azure Cloud Examination

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian, Song Baige, and Qiu Ye travel from Divine Capital toward Azure Cloud Mountain for the Azure Cloud Examination.
• They discuss the differences between the Eighth Rank examination and the more unpredictable Seventh Rank Myriad Phenomena examination. Li plans to rely on prepared spirit talismans because he has little time to establish formal spell formations during combat.
• At midday, the procession stops near the ruins of Depu, a town destroyed when the Dead Devil Lands erupted. The tragedy had nearly reached Divine Capital before being suppressed by the Jade Imperial Seal.
• Li learns that many civilians, including children and families from Divine Capital, died at Depu. He notices Han Anbo silently observing the ruins while others perform memorial rites.
• Song Baige bitterly comments that lower-ranking Devil Sect members were punished, while powerful figures escaped meaningful consequences and eventually returned to office.
• Li compares Depu to the Eerie Village he once encountered. Song Baige urgently warns him not to mention it near the Dead Devil Lands, emphasizing the danger and taboo surrounding the subject.
• Near evening, the group reaches Azure Cloud Mountain and settles into Chen One Building in Area Yi Seven. Li shares a room with Song Baige, while the others organize accommodations and prepare for the examination.
• Before dawn, the examination grounds become crowded with tens of thousands of candidates. Li arrives with the Eighth Rank examinees, dressed for combat and carrying his preparations.
• His Night Guard comrades promise to protect him from interference by the Devil Sect, even if doing so costs them their own chance to pass.
• The first examination stage begins: candidates fight hundreds of puppets. Li watches the proceedings and mentally rehearses the entire examination process using the method Jiang Youfei taught him.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates caution and preparedness by bringing extensive talisman paper and mentally simulating the examination. He remains confident in his abilities but recognizes that the examination may contain unexpected dangers.
• Song Baige acts as a practical and protective friend. He warns Li about the examination, supplies historical context about Depu, and strongly cautions him against invoking dangerous supernatural subjects.
• Qiu Ye provides a realistic assessment of Li’s strengths, noting that Fate Arts are difficult to use under combat pressure and that talismans are more practical.
• Han Anbo is shown to have a quiet emotional connection to Depu, standing near the mourners without participating directly in the rites.
• The Night Guard examinees reveal strong loyalty toward Li, treating his success as important to the future and reputation of their organization.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus unpredictability: Although the examination appears straightforward, its dangers and possible interference make careful planning essential.
• The lasting impact of tragedy: Depu’s ruins and memorial rites show how supernatural disasters continue to haunt the living.
• Institutional injustice: Song Baige’s anger highlights the unequal punishment of ordinary officials and powerful figures within the government and Devil Sect.
• Loyalty and collective identity: The Night Guard candidates are willing to sacrifice their own advancement to protect one of their comrades.
• Caution in a dangerous world: Song Baige’s warnings reinforce the idea that survival depends on respecting taboos and avoiding unnecessary risks.
• Memory and foreshadowing: Li’s comparison between Depu and the Eerie Village suggests possible connections between past supernatural experiences and the dangers surrounding the examination.

Character Interactions

• Li, Song Baige, and Qiu Ye exchange advice about examination tactics, with Song emphasizing caution and Qiu analyzing Li’s combat limitations.
• Song and Li discuss Depu, its destruction, and the government’s inadequate response. Their conversation deepens their friendship while exposing Song’s cynicism.
• Li’s mention of the Eerie Village alarms Song, creating a brief but serious confrontation over forbidden topics.
• The group shares food and accommodations, reflecting their camaraderie and dependence on Li’s resources.
• At the examination entrance, the Night Guard candidates joke with Li about his strength, then openly pledge to defend him against Devil Sect interference.
• The chapter ends with Li separating from his friends, entering the examination line, and preparing mentally for the first puppet-combat trial.

Chapter Summary: A Thunderclap Secures Beyond-Grade

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian enters the first round of the Eighth Rank Azure Cloud Examination, a puppet battle in which candidates must defeat or withstand a steel puppet within set time limits.
• Spell Cultivators are allowed to cast three spells before the puppet begins attacking. Li Qingxian immediately uses the Thunder Arts and fires a massive lightning bolt.
• His single attack pierces through and completely destroys the puppet in fewer than ten breaths, earning him a rare Beyond-Grade result—higher than the standard Grade A.
• Because the result is unusually powerful, a Fifth Rank official is summoned to verify that Li Qingxian did not use a magical artifact. After examining the damage, the official confirms the result and encourages him to compete for first place.
• Li Qingxian proceeds to the second round, known as Thorn Crossing, which requires candidates to cross a swamp, river, and forest while avoiding hidden weapons and puppet-fired arrows.
• He learns that Thunder Arts cannot be used offensively in this round, but spirit talismans and Fate Artifacts are permitted. The examiners make an exception for his Fate Artifacts because they cannot directly attack or defend.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates that his abilities far exceed expectations for a Fate Arts Master. His Thunder Arts are powerful, fast, and precise enough to destroy the puppet instantly.
• His victory confirms that he has been concealing much of his strength. Others already knew he could resist Bone Filth Child, but this display reveals that his combat power is even greater.
• His reputation rises sharply among both candidates and officials. He is now viewed as a serious contender for the top position in the examination.
• Li Qingxian also reveals his extensive preparation: he may possess several thousand Thunder Talismans and is willing to exhaust his mana nightly to produce more.
• Song Baige remains outwardly confident but privately recognizes Li Qingxian as a potential rival, even admitting that Li may surpass him.
• Wang Buwu likewise acknowledges Li Qingxian’s strength and admits he could eventually overtake him.
• Qiu Ye serves as a more openly astonished observer, realizing that Li’s lightning attack would be nearly impossible for an ordinary Seventh Rank Martial Cultivator to block or evade.
• The Fifth Rank official shifts from suspicion to approval after verifying that Li Qingxian’s achievement was legitimate.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Li Qingxian’s classification as a Fate Arts Master causes others to underestimate his combat abilities, but his Thunder Arts defy conventional expectations.
• Preparation and resourcefulness: His large stockpile of spirit talismans shows the value of relentless preparation, especially for a candidate whose abilities may be restricted by examination rules.
• Competition and rising reputation: Li’s performance changes the way his peers view him, transforming him from an unusual participant into a likely rival for the examination’s highest honors.
• Rules versus ingenuity: Although the examination limits weapons, spells, and artifacts, Li carefully studies the rules and looks for legal ways to use his Fate Arts and talismans to his advantage.
• Recognition of exceptional ability: The Beyond-Grade result establishes Li as someone whose talents may surpass both his peers and the expectations associated with his background.

Character Interactions

• The examiners carefully verify Li Qingxian’s identity, equipment, and result, especially because his attack appears too powerful for a typical Fate Arts Master.
• Song Baige, Wang Buwu, Han Anbo, and Qiu Ye discuss Li’s performance from a distance, comparing it with their own earlier struggles against the puppets.
• Song Baige tries to maintain his superiority but grudgingly acknowledges Li’s potential, while Wang Buwu gives a similarly honest assessment.
• The Fifth Rank official questions Li about his teacher and the source of his Thunder Arts, then accepts Li’s explanation that he possesses a natural affinity for lightning cultivation.
• Before the second round, Li questions the examiner about acceptable tools and receives permission to use spirit talismans and Fate Artifacts, giving him new strategic options.

Chapter Summary: “Through the Dense Forest Without a Miscalculation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian asks whether he can use Fate Arts to manipulate others during the second trial. The examiner confirms that Fate Arts Masters may use any available methods, though killing is forbidden.
• Before entering Thornland, Li Qingxian studies the rules. The trial consists of three increasingly difficult sections:
  1. A swamp guarded by puppets firing arrows.
  2. A pool containing concealed puppets with fast-firing crossbows.
  3. A dense forest filled with nets and hidden weapons attacking from all directions.
• Contestants may use spirit talismans, but they must craft them during the examination. Li Qingxian spends an hour making nearly five hundred talismans, repeatedly recovering his mana through meditation.
• His excessive preparation astonishes and annoys the other examinees, especially Song Baige, Qiu Ye, and Wang Buwu, who joke that he is overly afraid of dying.
• Before entering the course, Li Qingxian analyzes the puppets’ positions, firing patterns, speeds, and trajectories with several Fate Artifacts.
• Realizing that his own strength is insufficient to create a complete predictive map, he uses the Fate-Setting Disk given to him by Shen Xiaoyi. It allows him to see transparent projections of the puppets that act one second before the real attacks.
• Li Qingxian enhances himself with numerous movement and defensive talismans, including Light Body, Drifting Feather, Flying Wind, Vajra, Iron Armor, Water-Treading, and Wave-Stepping.
• He then speeds through the swamp, crosses the pool, and enters the forest without being struck once. By predicting every attack in advance and using trees as cover, he evades the forest’s overwhelming barrage of nets and hidden weapons.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Demonstrates exceptional preparation, caution, resourcefulness, and mastery of both talisman-making and Fate Arts. Rather than relying solely on personal speed or strength, he combines planning, artifacts, predictive calculations, and talismans to eliminate nearly every danger.
• Song Baige and the other examinees: Their teasing reflects their initial view of Li Qingxian as excessively cautious, but his performance forces them to recognize the overwhelming advantage created by his preparation.
• The examiners and officials: They move from skepticism and amusement to astonishment as Li Qingxian displays an unprecedented number of talismans and uses several rare Fate Artifacts with remarkable effectiveness.
• Shen Xiaoyi: Though absent, his earlier gift of the Fate-Setting Disk proves crucial to Li Qingxian’s success.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus improvisation: Li Qingxian succeeds because he prepares far more extensively than his competitors, showing that careful planning can overcome dangerous obstacles.
• The power of information and prediction: Fate Arts transform the trial from a test of reflexes into a problem Li Qingxian can solve through advance knowledge.
• Resourcefulness and versatility: Li Qingxian combines Daoist talismans, Fate Artifacts, physical movement, and environmental cover instead of relying on a single discipline.
• Caution as strength: What others mock as cowardice or excessive fear becomes the foundation of his flawless performance.
• Limits and support: Li Qingxian acknowledges that his own Fate Arts ability is not yet strong enough for complete analysis, so he wisely uses the Fate-Setting Disk to compensate.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian interacts with the examiner about the legality and conditions of using Fate Arts and Fate Artifacts.
• Song Baige, Qiu Ye, and Wang Buwu discuss and mock Li Qingxian’s prolonged talisman-making, while the examiners visibly struggle to comprehend his preparation.
• The high-ranking officials observing through silver mirrors debate whether Li Qingxian’s many artifacts indicate genuine mastery or merely external assistance.
• The chapter ends with Li Qingxian proving the skeptics wrong, moving through the entire opening portion of Thornland as though every attack had been revealed to him in advance.

Chapter Summary: Special-Selected Demon-Devils, Fallen Yellow Blossoms

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian completes the second round of the Eighth Rank Azure Cloud Examination in under fifty breaths, completely avoiding an overwhelming barrage of arrows and concealed weapons.
• The examiner awards him a Beyond-Grade result after confirming that Li’s Fate Arts and Dao arts allowed him to predict the projectiles’ trajectories.
• Proctors observe a replay of the test and debate whether Li’s performance reflects exceptional Fate Arts, scholarly foundations, or both. His success is especially impressive because the examination’s puppets were stronger than in previous years.
• Li proceeds to the third round, known as “special selection.” Candidates may choose a field suited to their abilities. The available categories include agility, concealed weapons, physical strength, inner qi and magical power, destructive force, and weapon techniques.
• Rather than risk competing in magical power, Li chooses destructive force, relying on his Thunder Arts and ability to banish evil.
• He requests a Sixth Rank evil creature as his target, explaining that defeating a Seventh Rank creature would only earn him Grade A and would not display his full strength.
• The examiners unexpectedly provide a Sixth Rank Demon-Devil, a far more dangerous and unstable creature than an ordinary demon. This appears to be a deliberate increase in difficulty because Li has already achieved two Beyond-Grade results.
• The creature’s presence terrifies the surrounding candidates and causes a Seventh Rank demon bull nearby to collapse in fear.
• Li prepares to attack without using his most powerful hidden techniques. Since altars are prohibited and he refuses to reveal the Lightning-Wrapped Drum-Bearing Strongman, he decides to use the strongest Thunder Art available to him: the Kanggan Curse Thunder.
• He purifies himself with several mantras and performs the Astral Dipper Steps. His magical power spreads across the ground in the form of white blossoms and yellow Bagua diagrams, creating a field of layered formations beneath the Demon-Devil.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates that he is not merely talented in Fate Arts but also possesses exceptional combat judgment, magical control, and confidence. His ability to predict attacks and his decision to select a stronger opponent reveal both skill and ambition.
• He remains cautious about exposing his most powerful abilities, showing strategic restraint. Even when facing a Sixth Rank Demon-Devil, he keeps his strongest trump card hidden.
• Li’s understanding of his own strengths develops further: he recognizes that his Thunder Arts and the Divine Firmament Thunder Seed give him greater destructive power than his raw magical reserves alone would suggest.
• The examiners and proctors become increasingly impressed and suspicious of Li. His results are so outstanding that the authorities intentionally raise the difficulty to prevent him from easily earning a third Beyond-Grade.
• Jiang Youfei is mentioned as a legendary precedent, having reportedly achieved Beyond-Grade results in every round of a previous Azure Cloud Examination. Her reputation provides a standard against which Li’s performance is implicitly measured.
• The Demon-Devil is characterized as highly dangerous, intelligent, emotionally unstable, and infused with both demonic power and devil qi.

Significant Themes

• Exceptional talent versus institutional standards: Li’s performance challenges the limits of what the examiners consider possible, forcing them to alter the test rather than simply evaluate him normally.
• Preparation and foundation: The proctors emphasize that a scholar’s foundation can greatly enhance Fate Arts and Dao techniques, suggesting that success depends on accumulated learning as much as raw power.
• Strategic restraint: Li deliberately avoids revealing his strongest abilities, balancing the desire for a Beyond-Grade score against the need to preserve hidden techniques for future threats.
• Risk and escalation: Each time Li excels, the examination responds by increasing the danger. His success creates new challenges rather than making the path easier.
• The nature of evil and instability: The discussion of Demon-Devils explores the uncertain boundary between demons and devils. Their disputed origins and unstable emotions reflect broader tensions between the Human Race, Demon Race, and Devil Sect.
• Combat efficiency: Li’s observation that spells consume too much energy and should ideally kill an opponent in one strike reinforces the chapter’s emphasis on decisive, economical power.

Character Interactions

• Li and the examiner: The examiner confirms Li’s Beyond-Grade result, explains the special-selection round, and warns him about the danger of facing a Sixth Rank Demon-Devil. Though concerned for Li’s safety, the examiner also recognizes that the challenge was deliberately arranged by higher authorities.
• Li and the proctors: The proctors watch his performance and debate its significance, with Literary Cultivators praising his Fate Arts and the Martial and Dao Cultivator proctors reacting skeptically or dismissively.
• Li and the Demon-Devil: Their confrontation has not yet begun physically, but Li approaches it with deliberate preparation while the creature’s aura overwhelms weaker demons and unsettles everyone nearby.
• Li and Jiang Youfei’s legacy: Although Jiang Youfei does not appear directly, her earlier achievements serve as an implicit benchmark for Li’s attempt to earn multiple Beyond-Grade results.

Chapter Summary: “Gai Thirty Percent Shifts Disaster Eastward”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• While the Azure Cloud Examination matches are underway, Prince Yuan secretly meets Grand Fate Arts Master Gai Fengyou in a hidden chamber of his residence.
• Prince Yuan commissions Gai to cast a fate curse on Li Qingxian, supposedly to avenge Prince Yuan’s deceased son, Tang Enxuan.
• The ritual uses:
  • Li Qingxian’s spirit tablet and birth information
  • Tang Enxuan’s spirit tablet
  • Seven bowls of blood from people whose lives were connected to Li Qingxian, including individuals whose lives he had previously purchased in the Imperial Prison
  • Extensive ritual treasures, blood channels, and offerings
• Prince Yuan is concerned about being discovered, especially because directly targeting Li Qingxian’s relatives could provoke political consequences. Gai assures him that the curse will merely injure Li Qingxian and leave no evidence.
• During the ritual, Gai discovers that Li Qingxian possesses unusually powerful fortune and demands an additional thirty percent payment, reinforcing his nickname, “Gai Thirty Percent.”
• The ritual manifests eight blood pythons and beams of starlight. Blood threads connect the seven offerings, Tang Enxuan’s tablet, and Li Qingxian’s tablet.
• Two strands of deathly aura emerge from Tang Enxuan’s tablet: one attaches to Li Qingxian, while the other unexpectedly attaches to Prince Yuan himself, suggesting that the curse implicates its instigator.
• Gai completes the curse, stabbing Li Qingxian’s tablet with a treasured sword. Instead of merely damaging Li Qingxian, the ritual releases foul Yellow Springs water.
• A powerful voice demands to know who dared to cast the curse. Gai realizes that the curse has reached the Yellow Springs Emperor and fears that Li Qingxian may be the emperor’s mortal incarnation.
• Terrified, Gai immediately betrays Prince Yuan, kneeling and claiming that the prince deceived him into attacking the emperor. He offers a valuable Fate Star as a bribe for mercy.
• The chapter ends as the Fate Star enters the crack in Li Qingxian’s tablet, leaving the consequences unresolved.

2. Character Developments

• Prince Yuan: Shows political caution and desperation. He wants revenge for Tang Enxuan but is careful not to attack Li Qingxian’s close associates directly. His willingness to use forbidden or dangerous fate arts reveals how far he will go against his enemies. The black thread linking him to the curse hints that he may suffer consequences himself.
• Gai Fengyou: Is presented as greedy, manipulative, and morally cowardly. He repeatedly raises his fee and uses the ritual to exploit Prince Yuan. However, when the Yellow Springs Emperor appears, his confidence collapses, and he instantly abandons Prince Yuan to save himself.
• Li Qingxian: Does not appear directly, but his extraordinary fortune becomes central to the chapter. The ritual’s backlash suggests that his identity and destiny are far more powerful and mysterious than Prince Yuan or Gai expected.
• Tang Enxuan: Though dead, he remains a driving force behind Prince Yuan’s actions. His spirit tablet serves as the ritual’s emotional and magical link to the curse.
• Gai’s disciples and Prince Yuan’s steward: Their frightened reactions emphasize the terrifying scale of the ritual and the danger created by the Yellow Springs manifestation.

3. Significant Themes

• Backlash and karmic consequence: The curse does not remain directed solely at Li Qingxian; it rebounds toward Prince Yuan and ultimately reaches a far greater supernatural power.
• The danger of underestimating one’s enemy: Prince Yuan and Gai treat Li Qingxian as a target they can manipulate, only to discover that his fortune is protected by forces beyond their understanding.
• Greed and self-preservation: Gai’s constant price increases and immediate betrayal show how greed governs him until genuine danger appears, at which point survival becomes his only concern.
• Political intrigue and plausible deniability: Prince Yuan carefully avoids directly harming Li Qingxian’s family or allies because he fears political retaliation and public scandal.
• Fate as interconnected: The ritual reveals that people’s destinies are linked through blood, purchased lives, Fate Stars, and spiritual relationships. Attempts to alter one person’s fate can ensnare others.
• The limits of power: Gai presents himself as a Grand Fate Arts Master, but his reaction to the Yellow Springs Emperor exposes the gap between his reputation and his true strength.

4. Character Interactions

• Prince Yuan and Gai Fengyou: Their partnership is transactional and distrustful. Prince Yuan wants controlled revenge, while Gai exploits the situation for greater payment. Their relationship collapses when the ritual summons the Yellow Springs Emperor.
• Prince Yuan and Gai’s disciples: They interact minimally, but the disciples assist with the ritual and visibly react when the curse links itself to Prince Yuan.
• Prince Yuan and the chief steward: The steward supports the prince’s preparations but becomes cautious and silent once the ominous black thread appears.
• Gai Fengyou and the Yellow Springs Emperor: Their interaction is one-sided and driven by terror. After the emperor’s voice challenges the ritual, Gai immediately kneels, blames Prince Yuan, and offers a Fate Star.
• Gai Fengyou and Li Qingxian: Although Li Qingxian is absent, Gai’s ritual directly targets him and unexpectedly opens a connection to the Yellow Springs Emperor, transforming the intended curse into a supernatural crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Four Upper Ranks Decide the Top Scorer”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Prince Yuan’s scheme against Li Qingxian backfires disastrously. His attempt to use Gai Fengyou’s Fate Arts accidentally targets the terrifying Yellow Springs Emperor, a Great Eerie whom even Beyond-Rank experts cannot provoke.
• The Yellow Springs Emperor manifests a massive hand of Yellow Springs water, drenches the five conspirators, and then withdraws. The wooden tablet used in the ritual is left cracked.
• Afterward, everyone involved suffers severe losses:
  • Gai Fengyou falls from Third Rank to Fourth Rank.
  • His male disciple loses two ranks, while his female disciple is left devastated.
  • Prince Yuan drops from Third Rank to Fifth Rank.
  • Prince Yuan’s steward falls from Third Rank to Fifth Rank.
• Gai Fengyou realizes that the Yellow Springs Emperor has stripped them of both cultivation and destiny. He pressures Prince Yuan to increase his payment by another thirty percent and demands the Old Kingdom Jade Imperial Seal as compensation, claiming it may help resolve the lingering calamity.
• Prince Yuan, terrified of further punishment from the Yellow Springs Emperor, reluctantly agrees to retrieve the seal.

Li Qingxian’s Battle and Advancement

• At the third examination ground, Li Qingxian displays the astonishing Flowing-Light Hexagram Shadow, a technique normally associated with much higher-ranked Dao Cultivators.
• His mana surges through his body, and his qi channels begin merging with the blood vessels in his legs, suggesting that he is close to advancing from Eighth Rank to Seventh Rank.
• Rather than immediately assisting elsewhere, Li Qingxian launches a powerful thunder technique against a Sixth Rank tiger Demon-Devil.
• He summons the phantom of a formidable thunder deity and uses the Jade Pivot Execution Method of the Divine Firmament Method. The resulting lightning strike pierces the Demon-Devil, destroys its cage, and blasts the surrounding area.
• The attack severely wounds the Demon-Devil and leaves Li Qingxian exhausted and faint. An examiner supports him and records the feat as a Beyond-Grade performance: an Eighth Rank cultivator has defeated a Sixth Rank Demon-Devil with a single technique.

Character Development

• Prince Yuan shifts from arrogant confidence to complete fear and helplessness. His reliance on imperial fortune proves fragile, and he is forced to surrender valuable possessions to survive the consequences of his plot.
• Gai Fengyou becomes furious and bitter after losing cultivation, but quickly regains his composure and exploits the situation to demand greater payment and the Jade Imperial Seal. He also realizes that Li Qingxian may be essential to recovering what was lost.
• Li Qingxian demonstrates a major increase in combat power and technical mastery. His ability to use advanced thunder arts places him far above what his Eighth Rank should allow and confirms his extraordinary potential.
• Jiang Youfei is indirectly elevated by the examiners, who reveal that he transmitted rare and nearly complete Sky Firmament Sect techniques to Li Qingxian.

Character Interactions

• Gai Fengyou angrily confronts Prince Yuan, blaming him for the disastrous ritual and accusing him of endangering everyone by provoking the Yellow Springs Emperor.
• Prince Yuan and Gai Fengyou bargain over compensation, with Gai Fengyou using Prince Yuan’s fear to force him into surrendering the Jade Imperial Seal.
• The examiners observe and discuss Li Qingxian’s technique, identifying its origins and praising Jiang Youfei’s generosity and foresight.
• The four Upper Rank judges unanimously recognize Li Qingxian’s achievement and declare him the likely top scorer of the Eighth Rank examination. They challenge anyone who disagrees to prove it through a life-and-death battle in the fourth round.

Significant Themes

• The danger of meddling with forces beyond human control: Prince Yuan’s scheme shows that even powerful figures are helpless before Great Eeries such as the Yellow Springs Emperor.
• The fragility of cultivation and destiny: Rank, fortune, and years of effort can be stripped away instantly when one violates a higher power.
• Consequences and accountability: Prince Yuan must pay heavily for his reckless plot, while Gai Fengyou seeks compensation and a way to repair the damage.
• Hidden potential and inherited power: Li Qingxian’s extraordinary performance reveals the value of rare techniques and mentorship, especially the teachings passed down by Jiang Youfei.
• Merit recognized through overwhelming ability: Li Qingxian’s single-strike victory decisively establishes him as the leading candidate for top scorer.

Chapter Summary: A Fate Star Gained in a Muddle

Key Plot Points and Events

• During the third round of the Eighth Rank Azure Cloud Examination, four Upper Rank examiners remain nearby to protect Li Qingxian. Their intimidating presence discourages Devil Sect and Evil Sects examinees from interfering with him.
• Inside his Spirit Platform, Li Qingxian absorbs lightning and mana until his reserves are full. Just before leaving, he senses a new Fate Star appearing in his Fate Mansion.
• The Fate Star is identified as Heaped Earth Reaches Mountain, an Upper Rank Human Fate Star. It is one of the potentially limitless Fate Molds, comparable to Dripping Water Forms a Lake, because its power can accumulate endlessly rather than reaching a fixed limit.
• Li Qingxian places the Fate Star in his Youth Fate Ground, where it joins Dripping Water Forms a Lake and Cleaving Hairs and Splitting Fibers. Its arrival strengthens the entire Fate Mansion, especially Sunlit Golden Mountain and the Little Broken House.
• He cannot determine whether the Fate Star came from his examination performance, killing a Demon-Devil, or his previous life-buying activities. He resolves to investigate later.
• Inspired by the new Fate Star, Li Qingxian decides to work harder on his cultivation. He also considers refining the Prince’s Golden Seal into an Upper Rank Fate Artifact, but remains uncertain whether to enhance the Fate Fishing Rod or the Great Principle-Slaying Sword.
• After awakening, Li Qingxian learns that his third examination round also received a Beyond-Grade evaluation. The four chief examiners have already designated him as the champion unless another examinee challenges him.
• A challenger would have to sign a life-and-death agreement and defeat Li Qingxian to claim the championship.
• The examiner explains that becoming champion may earn Li Qingxian Fortune, a Fortune Treasure, and an official position. The most valuable possible reward is a Fortune Official Seal, which can channel the National Fortune of a region and greatly increase a person’s power.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian gains a powerful new Fate Star and becomes more confident in the growth of his Fate Mansion. He also shows increased determination to cultivate diligently.
• He continues to think strategically about his future power, weighing the practical advantages of strengthening the Fate Fishing Rod against the combat power of the Great Principle-Slaying Sword.
• Li demonstrates political awareness by respectfully thanking the Upper Rank examiners and calling them “honored teachers,” deliberately building a favorable relationship with them.
• His status rises sharply: he is not merely performing well but is already regarded by the chief examiners as the likely champion of the examination.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation and gradual growth: Heaped Earth Reaches Mountain represents the power of small efforts gathering into something immense. Its presence reinforces Li Qingxian’s decision to improve through sustained cultivation.
• Fate and causality: Li is unsure why the Fate Star appeared, suggesting that his deeds have consequences beyond his immediate understanding.
• Strategic relationships: Li’s respectful behavior shows that advancement depends not only on strength but also on recognizing and cultivating influential connections.
• Official power and national authority: The discussion of Fortune Official Seals reveals how court recognition and national Fortune can transform an individual’s strength, particularly in the struggle against the Demon Race.
• Risk and reward: Although Li is effectively guaranteed the championship, a formal life-and-death challenge could still force him into a dangerous final battle.

Character Interactions

• The Devil Sect examinees suppress their hostility after noticing the Upper Rank examiner’s warning gaze, illustrating the authority of the examiners.
• The four Upper Rank examiners silently protect Li Qingxian and depart after confirming that he is safe.
• Li respectfully bows to them and thanks them, impressing or amusing the other examinees with his tact.
• The round’s examiner explains Li’s championship status and the possible rewards, giving him important information about the examination’s political and military significance.

Chapter Summary: “The First Eighth-Rank Azure Cloud Scholar”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian and an examiner arrive at the enormous arena for the fourth and final round of the Eighth-Rank Azure Cloud Examination: the Top Scholar Battle.
• The examiner explains that only the ten highest-ranked candidates may enter the arena, and that the final top scholar ceremony attracts enormous crowds because people seek inspiration and “invisible food”—learning, hope, spirit, and national pride.
• They discuss Chief Minister Zhao Yishan, also known as the Complete-Understanding Duke, whose insights on the needs of ordinary people deeply impress Li Qingxian.
• After passing the first three rounds, Li Qingxian is approached by many fellow candidates who wish to establish connections with him. Because he is preparing to leave the Divine Capital, he remains polite but avoids forming deep alliances.
• The candidates come from various traditions, including Literary, Martial, Dao, Devil, Heretical, and Puppet Cultivation. Li Qingxian observes that most are from powerful families or sects, while only a few are genuine commoners.
• By evening, over thirty thousand participants have completed the first three rounds, but only six or seven hundred remain at the final arena.
• The chief examiner announces the top ten candidates. Li Qingxian is declared top scholar, having achieved three Beyond-Grades and becoming the first Eighth-Rank Azure Cloud Adept in three hundred years.
• The chief examiner permits the other nine candidates to challenge Li Qingxian in a life-and-death battle, but warns them that his strength is extraordinary.
• Several Devil Sect candidates protest, arguing that a Fate Cultivator should not automatically be placed above cultivators from the other major paths. They attempt to provoke the other candidates into challenging Li Qingxian.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates humility, social awareness, and careful political judgment. He understands the value of connections among fellow examinees but deliberately avoids building factions because he intends to leave the Divine Capital.
• His reputation grows sharply. His three Beyond-Grades and unprecedented status make him the clear favorite for top scholar, even before the final battle.
• Li Qingxian also gains a deeper appreciation for ordinary spectators, realizing that their interest in the examination comes not from idleness but from a need for hope and spiritual nourishment.
• The examiner acts as Li Qingxian’s guide to the examination’s customs, political relationships, and social significance. He admires Chief Minister Zhao and subtly encourages Li Qingxian to cultivate ties with his peers.
• The other candidates become divided: many approach Li Qingxian respectfully and seek acquaintance, while the Devil Sect candidates resent his preferential treatment and attempt to undermine his position.
• Chief Minister Zhao Yishan does not appear directly, but his influence is evident through his philosophy and prestige. Li Qingxian regards him with great respect.

Significant Themes

• Visible and invisible sustenance: The chapter emphasizes that people need more than material food; they also need knowledge, ideals, hope, culture, and a sense of belonging.
• Reputation and institutional recognition: Li Qingxian’s unprecedented achievements allow the examiners to treat him as top scholar before the formal battle, showing how exceptional merit can reshape established procedures.
• Social networks and official culture: Fellow examinees begin forming connections that may later become useful in officialdom. Shared examination experiences create lasting political and professional bonds.
• Class and privilege: Candidates from wealthy families and major sects possess greater confidence, eloquence, and social polish than commoners, revealing the advantages gained through upbringing and status.
• Factional tension between cultivation paths: The Devil Sect’s objections reflect rivalry among Literary, Martial, Dao, Fate, and other cultivators, as well as suspicion that Li Qingxian’s Fate Arts may be overrated in direct combat.
• Hope and public spectacle: The enormous audience views the examination as more than entertainment; the success of candidates gives society something to admire and place its hopes in.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and the examiner discuss the Fortune Official Seal, the Top Scholar Battle, Chief Minister Zhao, and the meaning of public support.
• Fellow candidates approach Li Qingxian after recognizing him as the son of the late Mr. Gangfeng and praising the extraordinary thunder during his examination.
• Li Qingxian converses with candidates from many cultivation traditions, carefully memorizing their names and backgrounds while studying their social positions.
• The chief examiner publicly elevates Li Qingxian above the other candidates and warns them against challenging him.
• Devil Sect candidates openly confront the official announcement, mocking the other candidates for supposedly fearing a Fate Arts Master and attempting to provoke a battle.

Chapter Summary: “Life and Death Are Decided on the Life-and-Death Field”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The top ten examinees are summoned before the Top Scholar Platform. Li Qingxian is officially recognized as the leading candidate, but the chief examiner invites anyone to challenge his position.
• Most examinees remain silent, though many outside the top ten protest that Li Qingxian’s Fate Arts should not count as true combat strength.
• Pei Changyun, an Eighth Rank Devil Cultivator from Devil-Transforming Mountain, steps forward and challenges Li Qingxian.
• Because the match is a life-and-death contest, both sign a Life-and-Death Writ. The rules prohibit external magical items but otherwise allow unrestricted techniques.
• Li Qingxian subtly warns Pei Changyun to reconsider, claiming that his Thunder Arts are too powerful to control and expressing concern that the Devil Sect might seek revenge. Pei Changyun refuses, while Li’s remarks provoke and embarrass the surrounding Devil Cultivators.
• On the arena, Pei Changyun releases poisonous insects and Devilish Poison. The chief examiner seals the arena with literary aura to protect the spectators.
• Li Qingxian invokes the Kanggan Curse Thunder. A Thunder Duke phantom appears, and a massive bolt of lightning instantly strikes Pei Changyun, killing him and blasting apart his head.
• The lightning also completely purifies Pei Changyun’s devilish insects and poison, demonstrating that Li’s technique is not merely destructive but especially effective against evil forces.
• Li sarcastically counters the claim that Fate Arts Masters are weak in battle, stating that while others may be weak, he is not.
• The audience finally understands why the chief examiner had already named Li top scholar and insisted on the Life-and-Death Writ.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Displays remarkable composure, confidence, and restraint. He avoids openly boasting but repeatedly warns Pei Changyun of the danger. His decisive victory proves that his Thunder Arts give him overwhelming direct-combat ability despite his identity as a Fate Arts Master. His connection to both the Sky Firmament Sect and Literary Cultivation is emphasized.
• Pei Changyun: Initially confident and eager to defend the Devil Sect’s honor, he underestimates Li and dies almost instantly. His death highlights the danger of challenging Li without understanding the true power of his techniques.
• The Devil Cultivators: Begin the chapter mocking Li and Fate Arts Masters, but their attitude changes to fear and silence after witnessing the purifying power of his lightning.
• The Chief Examiner: Shows clear awareness of Li’s strength by naming him top scholar and requiring the challenger to sign a Life-and-Death Writ. He also protects the crowd from Pei’s poison.
• The Other Examinees: Their skepticism turns into shock, admiration, envy, or fear after Li’s effortless victory.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Li is dismissed as a Fate Arts Master who should be weak in direct combat, but his battle power completely overturns that assumption.
• The danger of underestimation: Pei and the mocking examinees fail to recognize the scale of Li’s abilities and pay the ultimate price.
• Power and legitimacy: Li’s victory validates his position as top scholar and proves that his achievements are not merely the result of Fortune manipulation.
• Justice and purification: His Thunder Arts do more than kill; they eradicate poison, devils, and evil influences, suggesting a force aligned with order and the human way.
• Pride and provocation: The challenge is driven partly by the Devil Sect’s wounded pride, while Li uses understated sarcasm to expose the weakness behind their bravado.
• Teacher and sect inheritance: The power of Li’s Thunder Arts reflects the Sky Firmament Sect’s willingness to entrust him with exceptional techniques, while his Literary Cultivation foundation demonstrates the breadth of his training.

Character Interactions

• The chief examiner formally asks whether anyone will challenge Li and warns Pei that the fight may end in death.
• Li and Pei exchange courteous but pointed remarks before the battle. Li pretends to worry about Pei’s safety and the Devil Sect’s possible retaliation, which irritates the Devil Cultivators.
• A Devil Cultivator mocks Li’s combat ability, but Li challenges him to sign a Life-and-Death Writ as well; the man retreats behind the excuse that Li must first become top scholar.
• After Pei’s death, Li’s sarcastic declaration directly answers the earlier criticism that Fate Arts Masters are weak.
• The Dao Cultivators admire Li’s Thunder Arts and his relationship with the Sky Firmament Sect, while a Literary Cultivator adds that Li was also personally taught by Mr. Gangfeng, prompting the Dao Cultivators’ exasperation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian decisively secures first place in the Eighth Rank Azure Cloud Examination. Although the chief examiner offers the remaining competitors a chance to challenge him under a Life-and-Death Writ, none dares to do so, including the Devil Sect disciple ranked among the top ten.
• The chief examiner officially declares Li Qingxian the top scholar. The remaining competitors battle for second and third place, and the examination concludes.
• Outside the examination grounds, more than one hundred thousand spectators gather to celebrate. The Night Guards, Song Baige, Wang Buwu, Literary Cultivators, Dao Cultivators, and ordinary spectators all cheer “Top scholar!” for Li Qingxian.
• Meng Huaichuan and his companions discuss Li Qingxian’s victory. Shen Xiaoyi praises Li’s combat ability despite being a Fate Arts Master, while Meng Huaichuan regrets that Li is only Eighth Rank and therefore cannot participate in the following day’s Myriad Phenomena Azure Cloud Examination.
• Ye Han struggles with jealousy and anxiety as Li’s reputation continues to rise. He fears Li may eventually retaliate against him, especially given Li’s connection to Tang Enxuan’s death and his growing influence.
• At Prince Yuan’s Residence, Prince Yuan admits that he will no longer target Li Qingxian personally. However, he asks his steward to contact Minister Weng, an elder of the Devil Sect, intending to influence events indirectly after losing his son, rank, and military authority.
• During the victory celebration, Li appears on the reviewing platform with Chief Examiner Zhang Shoucheng and receives overwhelming public acclaim.
• Gai Fengyou and his disciples observe Li from a distance and discuss whether he may be the mortal incarnation of the Yellow Springs Emperor. Gai’s divination reveals that Li possesses an “Empty Fate Mansion, carrying a Strange Star.”
• Impressed by Li’s potential and believing his inheritance to be incomplete, Gai Fengyou orders his disciple Tong Ling to approach Li with gifts, including a Jade Imperial Seal, a talisman disc calling card, half of the Abyssal Sea Book of Fate, and a Communication Talisman Disc. Gai hopes to guide and establish contact with Li.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Achieves a major milestone by becoming the Eighth Rank top scholar. His success elevates his reputation across the capital and among multiple factions. His unusual fate and possible connection to the Yellow Springs Emperor attract powerful attention.
• Ye Han: Becomes increasingly bitter and insecure. Though he claims to be happy for Li, his remarks reveal resentment and social clumsiness, causing several people to view him unfavorably. He privately vows to defeat Li in the Myriad Phenomena examination.
• Meng Huaichuan: Recognizes Li’s exceptional strength and believes Li’s assistance would greatly improve his own chances in the next examination.
• Shen Xiaoyi: Publicly acknowledges that Li’s achievement is far beyond that of an ordinary Fate Arts Master. He is subtly offended when Ye Han implies that he should merely support Meng Huaichuan.
• Prince Yuan: Accepts that his direct opposition to Li has failed and that his own position has sharply declined. Nevertheless, he begins seeking indirect means of retaliation through the Devil Sect.
• Gai Fengyou: Takes a strong interest in Li’s fate and potential. Rather than immediately treating Li as a threat, he attempts to recruit or mentor him by offering rare resources and a method of communication.

Significant Themes

• Public recognition and rising reputation: Li’s victory transforms him into a celebrated figure, showing how success in the Azure Cloud Examination can reshape political and social standing.
• Jealousy and insecurity: Ye Han’s resentment illustrates how another person’s advancement can intensify feelings of failure and fear.
• Direct versus indirect conflict: Prince Yuan abandons open attacks but seeks influence through intermediaries, emphasizing the danger of political maneuvering.
• Fate and hidden identity: The possibility that Li is connected to the Yellow Springs Emperor, combined with his strange divination result, reinforces the mystery surrounding his origins and destiny.
• Alliance-building and investment: Gai Fengyou’s gifts demonstrate how powerful figures attempt to secure relationships with promising talents before they fully rise to prominence.
• Strength transcending rank: Although Li is only Eighth Rank and cannot enter the next examination, his combat ability and accomplishments make him valuable even to high-ranking cultivators.

Important Character Interactions

• The chief examiner challenges the other competitors to face Li, but their refusal confirms his overwhelming superiority.
• Meng Huaichuan, Shen Xiaoyi, and their companions praise Li while discussing his influence and potential.
• Ye Han attempts to flatter Meng Huaichuan by claiming that Shen Xiaoyi’s presence will guarantee success, but the remark insults both men by implying Shen is merely a supporting figure.
• Prince Yuan and his chief steward discuss Li’s threat and the decision to contact Minister Weng.
• Gai Fengyou and his disciples debate Li’s identity and fate, then plan to approach him with gifts and an offer of guidance.

Chapter Summary: “A Beauty Appeared Before Me in the Night”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Shoucheng officially announces Li Qingxian as the top scholar of the Eighth Rank Azure Cloud Examination.
• It is revealed that Li Qingxian and the champion of the upcoming Seventh Rank examination will travel together to the capital to meet the emperor.
• Li Qingxian returns to camp with Song Baige, Wang Buwu, and the others, recounting how he defeated Pei Changyun with a single Thunder Arts spell.
• His companions are astonished by the feat, though Li Qingxian dismisses it by claiming his spell was merely fast and that Devil Sect cultivators are inexperienced in true life-or-death combat.
• The group holds a large bonfire celebration. Even candidates preparing for the next day’s examination join in the festivities.
• During the celebration, Tong Ling, a beautiful woman in red and a disciple of the respected Upper Rank Fate Arts Master Gai Fengyou, approaches Li Qingxian.
• Tong Ling asks to speak privately on her master’s behalf. She explains that Gai Fengyou has been observing Li Qingxian since he won the Fate-Seeking Sect’s prize on Beast Bridge.
• She also reveals that her own cultivation recently suffered an accident, leaving her temporarily reduced to Ninth Rank, though she expects to recover within six months.
• Tong Ling explains Gai Fengyou’s complicated past: he rose from an ordinary background and low-ranking sect, relying on powerful connections and questionable schemes to reach Upper Rank, but never committed any grave wrongdoing.
• Now reformed, Gai Fengyou hopes to support talented Fate Arts practitioners from modest backgrounds. He particularly admires Li Qingxian’s potential and has sent Tong Ling to establish contact because he could not come personally.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian gains considerable prestige by becoming the Eighth Rank top scholar and defeating a highly ranked Devil Sect cultivator. His friends now view him as a formidable expert among his peers.
• Despite his achievement, Li Qingxian remains modest—or at least pretends to be—downplaying his Thunder Arts and attributing Pei Changyun’s defeat partly to the Devil Sect’s lack of genuine combat experience.
• Li Qingxian also shows caution and political awareness. Although attracted to Tong Ling’s appearance, he remains alert to the possibility that she may be attempting to seduce or manipulate him.
• Tong Ling is introduced as charming, confident, and socially bold, but also sincere and capable of discussing serious matters. Her temporary loss of cultivation creates a vulnerable side beneath her seductive appearance.
• Gai Fengyou is presented as a morally complicated but ultimately well-intentioned figure. His past ambition and opportunism contrast with his current desire to help gifted outsiders.
• Song Baige and the other companions act as Li Qingxian’s teasing friends, celebrating his success while remaining curious and envious of his unexpected attention from Tong Ling.

Significant Themes

• Recognition and rising status: Li Qingxian’s examination victory marks a major step in his public advancement and brings him closer to the imperial court.
• Humility versus reputation: Li Qingxian’s friends question whether his modest explanation of the battle is genuine, while the chapter explores how accomplishments shape others’ perceptions.
• Prejudice and redemption: Gai Fengyou’s story challenges the idea that a person’s past compromises permanently define them. His questionable methods are acknowledged, but so is his later attempt to use his influence constructively.
• Talent beyond social background: Gai Fengyou’s interest in Li Qingxian reflects the importance of supporting capable individuals who do not belong to powerful sects or families.
• Appearance and hidden motives: Tong Ling’s beauty and provocative behavior initially make Li Qingxian suspect manipulation, but her conversation reveals deeper intentions and a more complex relationship between attraction, trust, and political maneuvering.
• Friendship and celebration: The bonfire gathering emphasizes camaraderie and provides a contrast to the danger and competition of the examination world.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian exchanges playful banter with Song Baige and Wang Buwu as they question how he defeated Pei Changyun.
• His friends tease him about Tong Ling and react with envy when she physically assists him.
• Tong Ling uses charm and physical closeness to gain Li Qingxian’s attention, but their private conversation gradually becomes more respectful and serious.
• Li Qingxian responds cautiously yet fairly, defending Gai Fengyou from unverified criticism and listening openly to Tong Ling’s explanation.
• The chapter ends with Gai Fengyou’s interest in Li Qingxian established, suggesting that their future relationship may provide Li Qingxian with guidance, support, or new opportunities within the Destiny Arts world.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tong Ling visits Li Qingxian on behalf of her master, Gai Fengyou, to reward him for placing first among the Eighth Rank Fate Arts Masters.
• Originally, Gai Fengyou intended to give Li only the upper volume of the Abyssal Sea Book of Fate, but after learning that Li had refined a Seeking Immortal Bee, he added an Old Kingdom Jade Imperial Seal.
• Tong Ling explains that the Fate-Seeking Sect traditionally invests in promising Fate Arts Masters. Those given major treasures—especially a Seeking Immortal Bee—often later become Grand Fate Arts Masters and enter the Ancient Death Realm.
• Gai Fengyou hopes Li will eventually help him and his successors, and possibly prioritize him if Li obtains a rare Longevity Fate Star in the Ancient Death Realm.
• Suspicious of the unusually generous gift, Li contacts Zhou Chunfeng for confirmation. Zhou confirms that Gai had informed him beforehand and advises Li to accept the benefits while remaining cautious.
• Zhou suggests that Gai may be “betting” on Li’s future potential, treating him less as a disposable pawn and more as a possible inheritor of his knowledge and ambitions.
• Li accepts the Book of Fate and the Jade Imperial Seal. The seal once belonged to Gao Kingdom, a former vassal state, and contains immense national fortune.
• Tong Ling advises Li to place the seal in his Fate Mansion to protect and increase his fortune. Li realizes it may also be refined into a Son of Heaven’s Mandate Seal, greatly strengthening his Fate Mansion.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian remains wary and politically perceptive. He recognizes that Gai Fengyou is concealing deeper motives but is willing to accept the treasure because of its immense value.
• Li becomes more ambitious after understanding the seal’s connection to national fortune and its potential to transform his Fate Mansion.
• Tong Ling presents Gai’s offer persuasively, combining factual explanations with a charming, seemingly innocent demeanor. Her words reassure Li while still leaving him aware that she may be withholding information.
• Gai Fengyou is established as a calculating but not openly malicious Upper Rank Fate Arts Master. He seeks to cultivate Li as a future ally, inheritor, or useful investment.
• Zhou Chunfeng acts as Li’s cautious adviser. He confirms the legitimacy of the gift, warns Li about Gai’s schemes, and explains the distinction between being controlled as a chess piece and being deliberately nurtured as an inheritor.

Significant Themes

• The politics of fate and investment: Powerful Fate Arts Masters cultivate promising individuals in hopes of securing future benefits.
• Inheritance versus manipulation: The chapter questions whether being chosen by a powerful master makes someone a pawn or an inheritor. Such relationships can provide extraordinary opportunities while creating hidden obligations.
• Power and national fortune: The Jade Imperial Seal represents more than wealth; it contains the fortune of an entire kingdom and may significantly reshape Li’s destiny.
• Suspicion and calculated cooperation: Li must balance caution with practicality. Refusing Gai’s gifts could provoke danger, while accepting them may bind him to future expectations.
• Longevity and mortality: The immense value placed on Longevity Fate Stars highlights the desperation of Grand Fate Arts Masters to extend their lives.

Important Character Interactions

• Tong Ling attempts to persuade Li that Gai’s gift is motivated by long-term goodwill rather than immediate schemes.
• Li challenges Tong Ling directly about the reward’s excessive value and probes her explanation.
• Zhou Chunfeng provides an independent assessment: Gai is scheming, but probably does not intend to harm Li immediately. He advises Li to accept the gifts and wait for Gai’s true purpose to emerge.
• Li and Zhou discuss the broader structure of Fate Arts society, including the roles of chess players, chess pieces, and inheritors.
• After speaking with Zhou, Li accepts Tong Ling’s gift, marking a practical decision to benefit from Gai Fengyou’s investment while keeping his guard up.

Chapter Summary: After Meeting a Stranger, Encountering an Old Friend

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian strengthens the foundation of his Little Broken House Fate Mansion with the Jade Imperial Seal provided through Gai Fengyou.
• Tong Ling delivers Gai Fengyou’s additional gifts: a new Communication Talisman Disc and Gai Fengyou’s personal calling card. Gai also offers to answer Li’s questions about Fate Arts directly.
• Li is grateful but suspicious, since he has never met Gai Fengyou and cannot understand why Gai is offering him such valuable assistance. He decides to accept the benefits while remaining cautious, especially because he plans to travel to Jiangnan and develop quietly.
• Upon returning to the gathering, Li encounters Gui Changsheng, known to Wang Buwu as “Uncle Birth.” Gui gives Wang an Upper Rank lightness technique and prepares to leave the Imperial Prison Bureau to continue cultivating in seclusion.
• The group discusses Gui Changsheng’s mysterious history. Though officially only Fourth Rank and once considered hopelessly untalented, he possesses enormous strength, an unusually deep reserve of True Essence, and possibly an unknown powerful background. Even Prince Blessing treats him as an equal in seniority.
• Li’s old friend Luo Jing arrives with Duan Heng and other subordinates. Luo reveals that he has recently broken through to Seventh Rank and intends to participate in the Myriad Phenomena Azure Cloud Examination.
• Li introduces Luo to the others, shifting everyone’s attention away from Tong Ling and the earlier mystery.
• The chapter ends with Tong Ling reporting to Gai Fengyou that she has delivered the treasures. Gai instructs her to change back into her usual clothes, implying that her current appearance or identity may have been part of a deliberate disguise.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Gains greater support for his Fate Mansion but becomes increasingly wary of Gai Fengyou’s motives. He demonstrates both gratitude and strategic caution, planning to make use of the gifts without allowing himself to be controlled.
• Tong Ling: Acts as Gai Fengyou’s messenger and follows his instructions precisely. Her graceful, mysterious presence and final exchange with Gai suggest she may be more than a simple disciple or attendant.
• Gai Fengyou: Remains enigmatic. His generous gifts and offer of guidance indicate strong interest in Li, though whether his intentions are benevolent or manipulative remains unclear.
• Wang Buwu: Shows deep respect and affection for Gui Changsheng, while also revealing more about his own family connections and the protection he has received over the years.
• Gui Changsheng: Emerges as a mysterious and potentially formidable figure. Despite his low official rank and humble self-assessment, his age, strength, endurance, and hidden connections suggest he may be far more powerful than he appears.
• Luo Jing: Reveals significant advancement by breaking through to Seventh Rank and preparing to compete in the Azure Cloud Examination, reinforcing his continued development as Li’s ally.
• Song Baige and Qiu Ye: Provide rumors and historical context about Gui Changsheng, helping establish the senior cultivator’s frightening reputation.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Gui Changsheng appears to be an ordinary, unsuccessful cultivator, yet rumors suggest he may possess extraordinary power. Likewise, Tong Ling’s identity and role may not be what they seem.
• Uncertainty and hidden motives: Li’s unease over Gai Fengyou’s gifts emphasizes the danger of accepting unexplained favors. The chapter repeatedly suggests that powerful figures act according to plans hidden from ordinary people.
• Accumulated relationships and protection: Wang Buwu’s connection to Gui Changsheng and Li’s friendship with Luo Jing demonstrate how old bonds and personal networks provide support in a dangerous cultivation and political world.
• Late-blooming talent and persistence: Gui Changsheng’s rise from apparent mediocrity to a figure of mysterious power highlights the possibility of advancement through perseverance, opportunity, and hidden potential.
• The importance of reputation and seniority: Gui’s rumored age, connections, and treatment by Prince Blessing show that status is determined not only by official cultivation rank but also by history, influence, and hidden strength.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and Tong Ling: Tong delivers Gai Fengyou’s gifts and invitation for future consultation. Li responds with formal gratitude but privately doubts Gai’s intentions.
• Gui Changsheng and Wang Buwu: Gui behaves like a protective elder, gives Wang a valuable technique, and instructs him how to seek help in emergencies. Wang responds with sincere respect and gratitude.
• Li and his companions: Song Baige, Qiu Ye, and the others explain Gui’s mysterious background and warn Li to treat him as a powerful expert.
• Li Qingxian and Luo Jing: The two friends reunite warmly. Li introduces Luo to the group, while Luo announces his recent breakthrough and intention to enter the upcoming examination.
• Tong Ling and Gai Fengyou: Tong reports that she has completed her mission. Gai’s instruction that she resume her usual clothes hints that her visit involved a deliberate disguise or concealed identity.

Chapter Summary: “Wolf, Wolf, What Time Is It?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tong Ling reports to her master, Gai Fengyou, about Li Qingxian. She describes him as restrained, suspicious, mature, and possessing above-average potential—qualities Gai considers ideal for the Yellow Springs Emperor’s incarnation.
• Gai explains that he cannot accurately assess Ye Han’s fate and has no strength left to cultivate a relationship with him after Li Qingxian’s actions cost him half his life. Instead, he chooses to rely on his connection with Li Qingxian and the Fate-Seeking Sect.
• Gai reveals that he has fallen from Upper Rank and may need to enter prolonged seclusion. He instructs Tong Ling and the male disciple to cultivate in seclusion and, afterward, continue supporting Li Qingxian—especially Tong Ling.
• He reflects on the chaotic state of heaven and earth, emphasizing that survival and cultivation require struggle. His years of appearing greedy and undignified were, he explains, necessary for survival.
• The scene shifts to the Divine Capital, where over three hundred thousand spectators gather for the Azure Cloud Examination. Nearly thirty thousand examinees are expected to participate.
• Li Qingxian enters the venue with Song Baige, Wang Buwu, Han Anbo, Zheng Gaojue, and Yu Ping. They discuss the previous Myriad Phenomena Azure Cloud Examination and rumors that it transfers the fortune of dead participants to survivors, allowing them to advance rapidly.
• Li Qingxian dismisses the danger and claims that, as the top scholar, the Emperor’s reward will provide him with fortune comparable to—or greater than—that gained through surviving the examination. He mainly looks forward to seeing Song Baige fail.
• Heaven’s Mandate Sect’s Fate Arts Masters begin summoning the Myriad Phenomena Diagram. A strange black fissure appears above the altar, but the expected phenomenon does not immediately occur, leaving the examiners and spectators confused.
• Black fog suddenly pours from the fissure, covering the entire venue and darkening the heavens. Then countless childish voices cry out together: “Wolf, Wolf, What Time Is It?” The chapter ends as everyone freezes in alarm and the voices repeat the question.

Character Developments

• Gai Fengyou is shown as severely weakened but still farsighted and pragmatic. His apparent greed is reframed as a survival strategy, and he accepts that his future depends partly on Li Qingxian.
• Tong Ling appears increasingly tied to Li Qingxian’s fate. She respects and obeys Gai Fengyou, but her reaction when instructed to support Li suggests emotional conflict or deeper personal investment.
• Li Qingxian remains confident, irreverent, and risk-aware. He jokes about Song Baige, relies on his status as the top scholar, and uses his mana casually to clean grease from food.
• Han Anbo provides historical knowledge about the examination and understands its extreme danger, warning that spectacular phenomena often signal greater casualties.
• Yu Ping imitates Li Qingxian’s mana technique after seeing him clean his chicken leg, adding a brief moment of humor.
• Song Baige is positioned as a rival whom Li Qingxian expects to embarrass, though the examination’s danger makes his survival uncertain.

Significant Themes

• Survival versus dignity: Gai Fengyou’s willingness to endure humiliation illustrates the sacrifices required to survive in a dangerous world.
• Fate and fortune: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes extraordinary Fate Molds, the transfer of fortune, imperial backing, and the unstable balance of heavenly destiny.
• Chaos and uncertainty: The chaotic state of heaven and earth is reflected in the unpredictable manifestation of the Myriad Phenomena Diagram.
• Risk and ambition: Although the examination offers immense rewards, participants knowingly risk death in pursuit of power and status.
• The contrast between childishness and horror: The innocent children’s game, “Wolf, Wolf, What Time Is It?”, becomes ominous when echoed by countless unseen voices amid supernatural darkness.

Character Interactions

• Tong Ling and Gai Fengyou discuss Li Qingxian and Ye Han, revealing Gai’s strategic plans and Tong Ling’s likely future involvement with Li.
• Gai gives Tong Ling and the male disciple final instructions before seclusion, stressing their duty to continue aiding Li Qingxian.
• Li Qingxian and his companions discuss the examination’s history, dangers, and potential rewards while waiting for the Myriad Phenomena Diagram.
• Li jokingly provokes Song Baige and responds playfully to Yu Ping, maintaining a relaxed attitude just before the terrifying supernatural event begins.

Chapter Summary: “Finding, Finding, Finding Friends”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During the Seventh Rank Azure Cloud Examination, a spatial rift opens in the altar, releasing hundreds of thousands of eerie children into the arena.
• The children appear to be reenacting a traditional game, beginning with “Wolf, Wolf, What Time Is It?” and then shifting to the song “Finding, Finding, Finding Friends.”
• A strange blue, four-petaled pinwheel mark appears on the left leg of every examination candidate. Although Li Qingxian is not officially a candidate, the same mark appears on him, while the examiners and spectators remain unaffected.
• The appearance of the mark causes panic. The candidates are warned not to flee, but those who attempt to escape become immobilized near the fence.
• When the children begin singing, all the candidates—and Li Qingxian—are magically forced to sing and clap along.
• A little girl named Fangfang takes Li Qingxian’s hand and calls him “Brother Ye Han,” reminding him that Ye Han is his formal name. Her touch seems to trigger a moment of mental confusion and then clarity.
• Li Qingxian suddenly finds himself inside the examination arena, separated from Han Anbo, Yu Ping, and the others. He realizes that Zhou Chunfeng’s earlier registration of him has effectively made him part of the examination.
• The chapter ends with a shocking escalation: a Martial Cultivator candidate cuts off his own left arm, apparently in response to the eerie mark or the children’s game.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Becomes an unwilling participant in the supernatural examination. He is frightened and irritated at being targeted despite not being a candidate, but he remains observant and tries to reason through the rules of the Eerie. His connection to the children—especially Fangfang—suggests that he may have a deeper link to the phenomenon.
• Han Anbo: Acts as Li Qingxian’s primary source of practical guidance. He deduces that the Eerie is likely governed by the rules of a children’s game and advises Li Qingxian to behave as though he is genuinely playing.
• Yu Ping: Maintains his irreverent humor despite the danger, joking that Li Qingxian should eat and drink well while waiting to win top honors.
• Zheng Gaojue: Reacts with fear and pessimism, assuming that Li Qingxian’s situation is hopeless.
• Fangfang: Introduced as a cheerful, innocent-looking little girl, but her presence is unsettling because she can forcibly draw Li Qingxian into the game and affect his mind.
• Zhou Chunfeng: Though absent, his decision to register Li Qingxian becomes the immediate cause of Li’s involvement.

Significant Themes

• The danger hidden beneath childhood innocence: Familiar children’s games and nursery rhymes become mechanisms of supernatural control and violence.
• Loss of autonomy: The candidates are forced to sing, clap, hold hands, and obey the game’s rules, emphasizing their helplessness.
• Fate and entanglement: Li Qingxian is drawn into danger despite believing he is merely an observer, suggesting that personal connections and prior actions determine one’s fate.
• Appearance versus reality: The children look harmless and joyful, but their presence produces terror, bodily marks, and deadly consequences.
• The importance of understanding rules: Han Anbo’s advice implies that survival depends on recognizing and correctly following the Eerie’s game-like logic.

Character Interactions

• Li Qingxian and Han Anbo exchange information about the mysterious marks and discuss how the children’s game may work.
• Han Anbo, Yu Ping, and Zheng Gaojue react differently to Li Qingxian’s forced participation—offering caution, jokes, and despair respectively.
• Fangfang directly selects Li Qingxian as her playmate, calling him “Brother Ye Han” and holding his hand.
• After Li Qingxian is trapped inside the arena, he looks to Han Anbo for guidance, while Han urges him to remember prior experience and play carefully.
• The chapter closes with the candidates’ terror becoming physical and extreme when one Martial Cultivator amputates his own arm.

Chapter Summary: “Gold Lock, Silver Lock, Lock the City Gate”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A mysterious little boy seizes an examinee’s hand, demonstrating supernatural strength when the man’s attempt to overpower him fails.
• Vice Minister Zhang Shoucheng orders everyone to stop resisting and cooperate, recognizing that the children cannot be fought conventionally.
• The children force the examinees to participate in the nursery game “Finding Friends.” Most victims remain frozen after the game, but Li Qingxian secretly follows Han Anbo’s instructions and completes the ritual properly with Fangfang, exchanging places with her.
• Li Qingxian becomes one of the few people who successfully avoids being completely immobilized. Han Anbo confirms that he acted correctly.
• More children emerge and organize the examinees into various traditional games and nursery rhymes. Li Qingxian uses his Fate Disk to memorize every game, realizing that the rules may be crucial to survival.
• Fangfang privately warns Li Qingxian to steal any small toys he sees—such as pinwheels or paper butterflies—and not to tell anyone else. Li Qingxian records the instruction in his mind and through dharma script.
• The children lead the examinees through the gate while singing a rhyme about entering the Imperial City and becoming loyal ministers. The examinees are dragged forward against their will, while their families outside panic and cry helplessly.
• Zhang Shoucheng confronts the surviving Fate Arts Masters of the Heaven’s Mandate Sect, blaming them for activating the Myriad Phenomena Diagram and creating the Eerie phenomenon. He orders them to return to the capital and answer to the emperor.
• After the examinees pass through the gate, people outside recognize some of the children as missing relatives—children, siblings, and other family members who vanished long ago. Their loved ones attempt to enter the arena but are blocked by an invisible barrier.
• Li Qingxian emerges in a gray wilderness before a massive city wall. The children begin playing “Lock the City Gate,” using enormous ghostly child figures as the gate’s “lock.”
• The rules become clear: the children pass beneath the raised arms while chanting. When the arms fall, anyone trapped between them loses and becomes part of the mechanism, potentially becoming one of the figures who locks the city gate.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates composure, adaptability, and growing mastery of Eerie rules. Rather than resist blindly, he observes Han Anbo and imitates the correct ritual, allowing him to avoid the fate suffered by most examinees.
• He becomes increasingly suspicious of the children’s games and treats every rhyme, gesture, and instruction as potentially significant. His use of the Fate Disk to memorize the games shows his preparation and strategic thinking.
• Fangfang appears friendly and affectionate toward Li Qingxian, calling him her good friend, but her behavior remains unsettling and possibly manipulative. Her secret warning suggests that she may be helping him—or directing him toward another dangerous objective.
• Han Anbo acts as an important observer and strategist, communicating through gestures and recognizing how to complete the “Finding Friends” ritual.
• Zhang Shoucheng maintains authority amid the disaster and holds the Heaven’s Mandate Sect responsible for unleashing the Eerie phenomenon.
• The families outside the arena shift from confusion to horror when they recognize the children as long-lost relatives, revealing the personal and tragic consequences of the supernatural event.

Significant Themes

• The danger of innocence: Familiar children’s games and cheerful nursery rhymes become terrifying supernatural rituals.
• Rules over force: The Eerie cannot be defeated through physical strength. Survival depends on understanding and obeying hidden rules.
• Identity and transformation: Victims may be frozen, absorbed into the games, or transformed into components of the city gate, while the children may be remnants of missing people.
• Grief and helplessness: The relatives outside recognize lost loved ones but are unable to reach them, emphasizing the irreversible separation between the living world and the Eerie realm.
• Institutional responsibility: The confrontation with the Heaven’s Mandate Sect raises questions of blame and accountability for unleashing the disaster.
• Entrapment and ritual progression: Passing through each game appears to move the examinees deeper into an organized supernatural process, with the city gate suggesting they are entering another realm.

Important Character Interactions

• The little boy physically overwhelms an examinee, establishing the children’s terrifying power.
• Zhang Shoucheng commands the examinees to cooperate and later threatens the Heaven’s Mandate Sect.
• Han Anbo silently guides Li Qingxian through the “Finding Friends” ritual.
• Fangfang forms a bond with Li Qingxian, gives him a secret warning, and leads him through the gate.
• The examinees are collectively controlled by the children and forced to sing and march together.
• Families outside the arena recognize the children and desperately call to them, but the children remain unresponsive.
• The chapter ends with Li Qingxian and the other examinees facing the next supernatural game, in which being caught beneath the closing “lock” may permanently change their identities and roles.

Chapter Summary: “United as One”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian, disguised as Ye Han, is approached at the city gate by Song Baige and a group of familiar candidates.
• The group confirms that they are trapped inside the Myriad Phenomena Diagram, which has merged with an Eerie Ground during the Myriad Phenomena Azure Cloud Examination.
• They realize the situation is especially dangerous: they must take an examination while also obeying the rules of an unpredictable supernatural realm.
• Li Qingxian accepts leadership reluctantly, insisting that everyone who stays must obey his orders. The group of twenty-four unanimously agrees to follow him.
• He explains that the Eerie Ground may be centered on dangerous children’s games. Survival depends on understanding and following the rules rather than pursuing examination rewards, treasures, or personal advancement.
• Li establishes a binding contract among all twenty-four participants to prevent betrayal, harm, or secret plotting within the group.
• The contract is completed through talismans, signatures, handprints, and the infusion of inner energy.
• Li questions Fangfang, the strange child beside him, and learns that they must enter the city before eight in the morning. The timing may affect their chances of survival.
• He orders everyone to communicate with the children accompanying them and learn about the games. Although the children reveal little beyond their names and games, the group gathers useful clues.
• Li records everyone’s observations and theories in his Spirit Platform, preparing to analyze the Eerie Ground. He emphasizes that his conclusions are only probabilities and may change as the environment evolves.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian emerges as the group’s practical and authoritative leader. Although he does not seek leadership, he accepts responsibility because he understands Fate Arts and Eerie Grounds better than the others.
• He demonstrates strong judgment by prioritizing survival over the Azure Cloud Examination and by recognizing the danger of internal conflict.
• His ability to organize information, create contracts, and assess supernatural threats reassures the others.
• Song Baige, Wang Buwu, Luo Jing, Jin Yuan, Lu Gaoming, Qiu Ye, and the other candidates move from anxious individuals to members of a coordinated team. They acknowledge Li’s superior strength and knowledge.
• Wang Buwu shows particular trust in Li’s reasoning and openly supports his decision to abandon examination-related goals.
• Fangfang treats Li with unusual affection, regarding him as an older brother rather than merely another participant. This distinguishes her from the other eerie children and may prove significant.

Significant Themes

• Unity and cooperation: The chapter emphasizes that survival depends on acting as one group rather than pursuing individual interests.
• Leadership and responsibility: Li’s authority is not based merely on power; he accepts the burden of protecting and organizing others in a crisis.
• Survival over ambition: The examination’s usual goals—ranking, treasures, and achievement—become meaningless compared with escaping alive.
• Trust and restraint: The group’s contract reflects the need to prevent selfishness, betrayal, and internal violence in an environment where external dangers are already overwhelming.
• Uncertainty and adaptability: Li repeatedly warns that Eerie Grounds are unpredictable. Even a correct interpretation may only apply temporarily, so the group must continue observing and adjusting.
• Knowledge as protection: Careful listening, information-sharing, and analysis are presented as essential weapons against supernatural threats.

Character Interactions

• Song Baige and the others approach Li with sympathy but also hope that his Fate Arts expertise will save them.
• Li firmly establishes boundaries, telling the group that they may debate his orders but must ultimately obey them.
• The group responds with respect rather than resistance, recognizing that Li’s strength and experience surpass theirs.
• Li and Song Baige share a lighter moment when Li asks him to write the team contract under dictation.
• Li questions Fangfang directly about the city’s entry rules and affectionately pinches her cheek, reinforcing their unusual bond.
• Li criticizes the group for failing to listen to the children earlier, prompting everyone to begin conversations and gather information.
• The chapter ends with the group united under Li’s leadership, pooling their knowledge while preparing for the Eerie Ground’s unknown rules.

Chapter Summary: “Meeting Old Acquaintances Before the Gate”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian briefs his group on the dangers of the Eerie Ground, whose central theme is children’s games. He warns that familiar games may become deadly and that hidden rules must be uncovered.
• He emphasizes three principles: prepare for death, trust no outsiders, and avoid both rashness and excessive hesitation.
• The group decides to observe the Lock the City Gate Game before attempting to enter the city. Li explains that although the game has been transformed into something dangerous, its basic rules should remain intact.
• Wang Buwu observes that the two giant children operating the gate are gradually becoming faster, suggesting that the danger will increase over time.
• Li identifies the game’s apparent core rule: participants must pass between the children’s falling arms before the “gate” closes. However, the nursery rhyme hints at an added danger that may cause participants to slip or fall.
• The twenty-four-person group approaches the giant children and listens to the surrounding children sing the rhyme: “City gate, city gate, how tall are you? Thirty-six feet tall. Eat rice porridge, swallow chili peppers, and slip when you reach the city gate.”
• Before they can investigate further, they encounter Meng Huaichuan’s large faction, including Shen Xiao Yi, Lin Zhenyuan, and Good Fortune Born.
• Meng offers Li’s group a chance to join his team, claiming that cooperation would improve everyone’s chances of survival. When they refuse because they are already bound by a contract, he offers increasingly valuable rewards for their allegiance.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates calm leadership and analytical ability. Rather than being paralyzed by fear, he approaches the Eerie Ground methodically, focusing on identifying the game’s rules and timing.
• Wang Buwu contributes careful observations about the giant children’s movements and the increasing speed of the gate. His strained encounter with Good Fortune Born also reveals unresolved tensions from earlier misunderstandings.
• Song Baige shows loyalty and courage by speaking on behalf of the group, politely rejecting Meng Huaichuan’s invitation despite the latter’s power and influence.
• Meng Huaichuan appears pragmatic rather than openly hostile. He claims not to care about past conflicts and presents himself as someone seeking cooperation, but his increasingly generous offers reveal how badly he wants access to Li and Shen Xiao Yi’s Fate Arts abilities.
• Good Fortune Born and Wang Buwu’s brief exchange confirms that their relationship has deteriorated beyond easy reconciliation.
• Fangfang remains attached to Li and appears comforted by his affection, offering a brief moment of warmth amid the surrounding danger.

Significant Themes

• Trust and survival: The Eerie Ground turns former allies and acquaintances into potential competitors. Survival requires caution even when dealing with familiar people.
• Rules beneath chaos: Li believes the Eerie Ground’s transformations cannot completely erase the basic rules of a children’s game. Understanding those rules is the key to surviving.
• Leadership through reason: The group relies on observation, discussion, and preparation rather than panic or blind faith.
• Power and alliance: Meng Huaichuan’s status and resources make his faction attractive, but the chapter questions whether a large, powerful group is necessarily safer in an Eerie Ground.
• Moral compromise: The examination is no longer a normal contest of achievement. It has become a struggle in which friendship, goodwill, and old obligations may have to yield to the need to stay alive.

Character Interactions

• Li instructs and reassures his group, establishing himself as their strategic leader.
• The group discusses the gate game and agrees to follow Li’s plan.
• Acquaintances approach them, but both sides recognize that mutual friendship cannot guarantee cooperation in a life-or-death setting.
• Wang Buwu and Good Fortune Born exchange a tense, distant acknowledgment, reflecting their broken relationship.
• Song Baige formally declines Meng Huaichuan’s invitation on behalf of the group, protecting their existing contract.
• Meng then appeals directly to Li, emphasizing the value of Li and Shen Xiao Yi as Fate Arts Masters. He offers every member a favor and proposes additional rewards—including rare Fate Arts materials and the Dingnan Prince’s Residence’s “Southern Token”—if they agree to join.

Chapter Summary: “Remembering the Eerie Village, Naming the Eerie Name”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Meng Huaichuan invites Li Qingxian to join his group entering the mysterious city. Li refuses because of undisclosed circumstances connected to the Eerie Ground.
• Shen Xiaoyi defends Li’s decision, while Meng Huaichuan accepts it with humor, asking Li to drink three cups of wine as compensation when they meet again after the Azure Cloud Examination.
• The group discusses whether Meng Huaichuan will be angered by Li’s refusal. Qiu Ye and Wang Buwu explain that the Dingnan Prince’s Residence is so powerful that it does not feel threatened or humiliated by people of their level.
• Li studies the eerie city gate and recalls his previous experience in the Eerie Village:
  • He participated in a deadly ritual involving five Eerie Empresses.
  • Good Fortune Born transformed him into an Eerie Infant.
  • He traded the Great Principle-Slaying Sword and the Sunlit Golden Mountain Fate Star.
  • During the naming ceremony, he erased the Blacksmith’s name and wrote “Ye Han,” establishing his Eerie Name.
  • He planted a ginkgo tree and made Chen Sanwa its Name Guardian.
  • He seized Good Fortune Born’s Heaven-and-Earth Ring and repelled the Weird Mother.
• Li realizes that his apparent victory was really survival until the ritual ended, rather than a complete resolution of the eerie affliction.
• Wang Buwu proposes that the children’s nursery rhymes may control the danger of entering the city. The giant children sing about locks, while the nearby children sing about reaching the gate and “slipping and falling.”
• Li concludes that the group must enter only after the “slip and fall” verse ends and the giant children raise their hands, avoiding any overlap between the songs.
• Li distributes movement-enhancing talismans. When the timing appears safe, twenty-four people rush through the gate with their small companions.
• As Li enters, Fangfang suddenly becomes extremely heavy, and the entire group falters, with several people nearly falling.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian: Demonstrates caution, strategic thinking, and leadership. He refuses Meng Huaichuan’s invitation because of secrets tied to the Eerie Ground, then successfully interprets the gate’s nursery-rhyme mechanism and organizes the group’s entry.
• Meng Huaichuan: Shows generosity and emotional restraint. Although Li refuses his invitation, Meng responds playfully rather than angrily, reflecting the confidence of his powerful aristocratic background.
• Shen Xiaoyi: Supports and understands Li, recognizing that Li’s unusual Eerie Ground circumstances make his refusal reasonable.
• Wang Buwu: Contributes an important observation about the connection between the children’s songs and the gate’s danger, showing increasing analytical ability.
• Good Fortune Born: His past betrayal and manipulation remain important. Li remembers that Good Fortune Born had attempted to exploit him, though Li ultimately took his treasure and resisted the Weird Mother.
• Chen Sanwa: His identity has been altered by Li’s naming ritual: after the Blacksmith’s name was erased, he became known as Chen Sanwa and served as the ginkgo tree’s Name Guardian.

Significant Themes

• Power and emotional perspective: The discussion of Meng Huaichuan’s reaction emphasizes that great powers do not waste anger on people who cannot threaten them. Fear and humiliation often arise from personal limitations rather than actual loss of status.
• Identity and naming: Li’s choice to write “Ye Han” as his Eerie Name suggests that names possess supernatural power and can redefine identities within the eerie world.
• Survival versus victory: Li recognizes that he did not truly cure or defeat the Eerie Village’s curse; he merely endured until the danger passed.
• Caution and preparation: Success in the eerie city depends on careful observation, pattern recognition, timing, and preparation rather than brute force.
• The danger of childish innocence: Nursery rhymes and children’s games appear harmless but conceal deadly supernatural rules, turning familiar childhood imagery into a source of terror.

Character Interactions

• Li and Meng Huaichuan maintain a respectful but teasing relationship. Li apologizes for refusing, and Meng jokingly demands three cups of wine later.
• Shen Xiaoyi acts as an intermediary, explaining Li’s circumstances and reinforcing their shared identity as Fate Arts Masters.
• Qiu Ye and Wang Buwu discuss the psychological difference between powerful aristocrats and ordinary cultivators, helping the group understand Meng’s reaction.
• Li collaborates with Wang Buwu and the others to decode the gate’s mechanism, transforming Wang’s suspicion into a coordinated plan.
• During the attempted crossing, each member pulls a small companion along, but the sudden weight of Fangfang suggests that the group’s interpretation of the gate’s rules may be incomplete or that a new danger has been triggered.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Qingxian’s group escapes the reach of the two enormous children guarding the city gate. When the children begin singing and distract several adults, Li orders everyone to carry the children and keep running.
• The group successfully enters the city, earning cheers from the examinees still outside. Li realizes that the children may be both an obstacle and a potential advantage in the Eerie Ground.
• Inside the gate, four child yamen runners distribute black “examination papers” to the twenty-four participants after they write down their true names. Li uses the alias Ye Han and receives a paper bearing the words “Peace Under Heaven.”
• No one knows how to answer the papers, so Li concludes that the games and dangers within the Imperial City will likely provide clues.
• Fangfang unexpectedly tells Li that his “mother” is waiting for him. Li remembers his previous experience in Eerie Village and recognizes that Fangfang resembles the mysterious girl connected to the Weird Mother. He realizes Fangfang is, in a sense, his sibling through the same mother.
• Li reveals that he became a Weird Mother’s Eerie Infant during his earlier encounter. This shocks the others but also establishes that he has valuable experience with the Eerie.
• Fangfang warns Li that he must reach their mother before lunch or she will become angry and come to find him. Li and the others decide to travel together toward his “household residence” while completing the examination.
• Fangfang explains that several routes lead home: large roads are difficult, quiet roads are frightening, and she usually uses lively roads. At that moment, the mist clears to reveal children playing jump rope throughout the streets.
• The chapter ends as a child joins a jump-rope game and follows the song’s instructions to touch his head and feet, establishing the next eerie challenge.

Character Developments

• Li Qingxian demonstrates leadership by reacting quickly during the escape and carrying Fangfang despite her extraordinary weight.
• He becomes more cautious and reflective after recognizing Fangfang’s connection to the Weird Mother, but he also treats her affectionately, kissing and comforting her to maintain her goodwill.
• Li’s previous survival in Eerie Village becomes an important source of authority. The group now looks to him for guidance because of his familiarity with eerie phenomena.
• Fangfang appears innocent and playful, yet she possesses unsettling knowledge about the city, the route home, and the Weird Mother’s expectations. Her childlike behavior masks a potentially dangerous connection to the Eerie.
• Wang Buwu shows that he understands the seriousness of Li’s revelation and advises him to remain careful.
• Song Baige and the rest of the group choose to trust Li and stay together rather than separate in the unknown city.

Significant Themes

• Childhood innocence as horror: Games, songs, children, and playful behavior are presented as threatening rather than comforting.
• Knowledge and survival: Li’s prior experience with the Eerie gives him an advantage, but it also ties him more deeply to its dangers.
• Family and distorted kinship: Fangfang’s relationship with Li suggests that familial bonds can exist within terrifying, unnatural systems.
• Rules and hidden tests: The examination papers, songs, games, and deadlines imply that the Imperial City operates according to mysterious rules that the characters must decipher.
• Trust amid uncertainty: The group must rely on Li despite not understanding his connection to the Weird Mother or the dangers ahead.

Character Interactions

• Li leads the group during the gate escape and later consults Fangfang about the examination and the route home.
• Fangfang affectionately calls Li “Brother Ye Han,” while warning him about their mother’s anger and deadline.
• Li and Wang Buwu exchange a brief but meaningful conversation about the Weird Mother; Wang recognizes the danger before the others do.
• Wang explains Li’s advantage to the group, and Song Baige openly declares that he will follow Li.
• The entire group ultimately agrees to remain together and accompany Li toward the household residence, even as the jump-rope game begins to block their path.