Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Falling off a Cliff”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu is born with severe prosopagnosia: although his eyesight is excellent, he cannot remember or distinguish human faces. Because he comes from a poor background, this condition makes social interactions especially difficult.
• As a child, Wen Xu lives as a beggar. Since the beggars around him rarely change clothes or appearance, he can identify them without relying on facial features.
• Determined to escape poverty, he deliberately creates opportunities to impress the elderly scholar Wen and becomes his adopted son. Old Scholar Wen adopts him both as a future heir and because he hopes Wen Xu will fulfill his own unachieved dream of passing the imperial examinations.
• Wen Xu excels academically because he has an exceptional memory for written material. He advances rapidly through the examination system and becomes the youngest Provincial Graduate in Jade Isle Commandery at eighteen.
• His success brings wealth, visitors, and social prestige to the Wen household. Old Scholar Wen is overjoyed, and his health briefly improves from the excitement.
• After the attention fades, Old Scholar Wen’s illness worsens. Before dying, he releases Wen Xu from the obligation to continue pursuing the imperial examinations, admitting that his own obsession had made him overly strict.
• Wen Xu is unexpectedly devastated by his foster father’s death. He realizes that, despite their limited emotional expression, he had genuinely cared for the old scholar.
• Wen Xu follows his foster father’s wishes by burying him and beginning three years of mourning in a hut beside the grave. He isolates himself completely, even dismissing his pageboy.

Character Development

• Wen Xu: He is introduced as intelligent, disciplined, and highly capable, but also emotionally guarded and deeply insecure because of his facial blindness and childhood abandonment. His academic success demonstrates his determination to overcome poverty, while his reaction to Old Scholar Wen’s death reveals a strong capacity for attachment and gratitude beneath his calm exterior.
• Old Scholar Wen: Initially presented as a practical and somewhat self-interested guardian who adopts Wen Xu for an heir and examination success, he gradually appears more caring. His final words show that he understands Wen Xu must be allowed to choose his own future.
• Wen Xu’s pageboy: Though not deeply developed, he represents Wen Xu’s ability to conceal his condition from those around him; the pageboy assumes Wen Xu merely has an ordinary weakness for remembering faces.

Significant Themes

• Accepting personal limitations: Wen Xu’s facial blindness shapes his entire life, but it does not prevent him from becoming talented, educated, or successful. The chapter suggests that a limitation need not define a person’s worth.
• Self-made identity and perseverance: Wen Xu rises from an abandoned beggar to a respected scholar through intelligence, effort, and adaptability.
• Family and emotional bonds: Although Wen Xu and Old Scholar Wen’s relationship begins for practical reasons, genuine affection develops between them. Family is shown as something formed through care rather than blood alone.
• Freedom from inherited expectations: Old Scholar Wen’s deathbed blessing allows Wen Xu to pursue his own ambitions instead of living solely to fulfill another person’s dream.
• Isolation and belonging: Wen Xu’s inability to recognize faces contributes to his emotional distance from others, while his solitary mourning emphasizes both his grief and his lifelong difficulty forming ordinary relationships.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu carefully stages encounters with Old Scholar Wen to prove his intelligence and earn adoption.
• Old Scholar Wen focuses heavily on Wen Xu’s studies, creating a relationship centered on academic achievement and expectations.
• Wen Xu hides his prosopagnosia from his foster father and pageboy, leading them to misunderstand his difficulty with faces.
• The local elite visit and flatter Wen Xu after his success, interpreting his calmness as extraordinary composure.
• In their final interaction, Old Scholar Wen softens, apologizes indirectly for his strictness, and gives Wen Xu permission to abandon the examinations if he wishes. Wen Xu cannot express his feelings before the old scholar dies, but his grief shows how meaningful their relationship had become.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu, once a street beggar and now a provincial graduate, has spent three years living quietly near the old scholar’s grave, reading, walking in the mountains, and tending vegetables.
• After reflecting on the scholar’s final words and receiving a reminder about the capital examinations, Wen Xu decides to leave Jade Isle Commandery and experience the wider world.
• Shortly after arriving in the capital, however, he is pursued for seven days and nights by three assassins. Though his martial ability is limited, his careful observation of clothing, voices, movements, and mannerisms helps him evade them.
• Severely wounded and trapped at a cliff, Wen Xu refuses to surrender. Choosing death on his own terms over execution, he leaps from the cliff as a mysterious demonic wind carries him into the notorious Dead Man Forest.
• The assassins decide to wait outside the forest, assuming his injuries will kill him, though their leader senses that Wen Xu’s fate may not be so straightforward.
• The story then shifts to the cultivation world in the 485th year of the Xinlu Era, during the six-yearly recruitment season of the major sects.
• Bian Chunchou arrives at Yonglu Mountain to compete for admission as an outer disciple. As a poor rogue cultivator with little talent, no powerful family, and only modest resources, he envies the better-equipped candidates.
• Yonglu Mountain’s Preliminary Trial transports applicants into a secret forest realm, where they must gather spirit plants. The number and quality of plants they retrieve determine their chances of passing.
• Bian Chunchou equips himself with his father’s low-grade treasured sword and inexpensive recovery pills before entering the trial, feeling anxious but determined.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: Develops from a sheltered, cautious scholar into someone willing to take decisive risks. His years of preparation and observation have made him resourceful, but his near-death experience awakens a powerful determination to survive and control his own fate.
• Bian Chunchou: Is introduced as an ordinary, underprivileged rogue cultivator and a transmigrated former university student from Earth. His envy and anxiety reveal his lack of confidence, but his optimism and willingness to try show practical resilience.

Significant Themes

• The struggle for survival: Wen Xu’s desperate leap and Bian Chunchou’s dangerous entrance into the secret realm both emphasize survival in hostile worlds.
• Fate versus personal choice: Wen Xu rejects a passive death and makes a final gamble, while Bian Chunchou attempts to improve his lowly circumstances through the sect examination.
• Class inequality: Bian Chunchou’s poverty contrasts sharply with the privileged children of cultivation families, highlighting the disadvantages faced by rogue cultivators.
• The value of preparation and adaptability: Wen Xu relies on meticulous observation, while Bian Chunchou carefully gathers information and supplies despite his limited means.
• New beginnings and transformation: Both characters stand at turning points, leaving behind former lives and entering dangerous, uncertain stages of development.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu’s interactions with the three assassins are hostile and coercive: they mock his appearance, pursue him relentlessly, and demand his death without explaining the reason for the attack.
• The assassins’ conversation reveals their fear of failure and uncertainty about the Dead Man Forest, while their leader remains outwardly cold and authoritative.
• Bian Chunchou’s interactions with Yonglu Mountain officials are brief and procedural, involving registration, token collection, and trial instructions.
• His silent comparison with the wealthy applicants underscores his isolation and resentment as a rogue cultivator.

Chapter Summary: “Mistaken Entry”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou arrives in the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm and is immediately crushed by Wen Xu, who has fallen from a great height.
• Angry at first, Bian Chunchou quickly realizes Wen Xu is badly injured and may be dying. Despite being in a time-sensitive disciple-selection examination, he chooses to help.
• After taking a Qi-Replenishing Pill for himself, Bian Chunchou gives Wen Xu two Blood-Recovery Pills. Wen Xu soon regains consciousness.
• Wen Xu is shocked to discover that he has survived both his pursuit and the fall. He learns that he is in the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm, a preliminary trial for Yonglu Mountain, and that his rescuer is a cultivator.
• Bian Chunchou introduces himself only indirectly and leaves quickly to gather spirit plants for the examination, treating his aid as a minor good deed.
• Wen Xu reflects on his situation. He has been hunted for seven days and nights by three people, apparently because of his appearance, and can no longer safely return to the capital to pursue the examinations.
• He resolves to survive, grow stronger, and eventually uncover the mastermind behind the pursuit. Meanwhile, he begins feeling hunger and the itching of his healing wounds.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou is impulsive and outspoken, initially furious at being landed on, but ultimately reveals himself to be cautious, practical, and compassionate. He values his own survival yet still spends precious time and medicine helping a stranger.
• Wen Xu demonstrates endurance, intelligence, and emotional restraint. Even near death, he remains wary and conceals the truth about being hunted. Once safe, he quickly adapts, setting aside his failed examination plans and forming a long-term goal of revenge and investigation.
• Wen Xu’s scholarly, formal manner contrasts sharply with Bian Chunchou’s casual and blunt speech.

Significant Themes

• Unexpected kindness in a harsh world: Although the cultivation world follows the law of the jungle and is filled with murder and competition, Bian Chunchou chooses to save a stranger.
• Survival and resilience: Both characters prioritize staying alive, while Wen Xu’s survival after his pursuit and fall suggests a possible change in fate.
• The clash between ordinary life and cultivation: Wen Xu, a scholar unfamiliar with spirit plants, secret realms, and medicinal pills, interprets cultivation through folk stories and legends.
• Revenge versus patience: Wen Xu cannot forget his enemies, but recognizes that he must first rebuild his strength before seeking justice.
• Comedic misunderstanding: The chapter’s title reflects Wen Xu’s accidental “entry” into the secret realm by falling onto Bian Chunchou, creating an absurd first meeting.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou angrily confronts Wen Xu after the accidental collision, then shifts into concern when Wen Xu appears close to death.
• He repeatedly calls Wen Xu “brother,” feeds him healing pills, and stays until he wakes.
• Wen Xu mistakes Bian Chunchou’s voice for that of a death messenger before realizing he has been rescued.
• Wen Xu formally thanks Bian Chunchou and promises repayment, but Bian Chunchou dismisses the debt and leaves to continue his examination.
• Their interaction establishes a humorous but meaningful contrast: Bian Chunchou is direct and pragmatic, while Wen Xu is cautious, formal, and strategic.

Chapter Summary: “Pretending to Be Blind”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu awakens after being gravely wounded and discovers that most of his injuries have miraculously healed. His fractured arm remains painful at first, but soon recovers as well, likely because of the two Blood-Recovery Pills given to him by his unknown benefactor.
• Using rudimentary bone-setting skills learned during his childhood as a beggar, Wen Xu initially resets and binds his broken arm with strips of cloth.
• Weak from blood loss and prolonged hunger, Wen Xu searches for food while exploring the strange secret realm. He notices that his senses—especially his sense of smell—have become unusually sharp.
• The realm appears unnatural: it has abundant vegetation and water but no visible animals, while the fruits and plants look bizarre and unfamiliar. Wen Xu suspects the place may not belong to the mortal world.
• Guided by the strong scent of grass, wood, and possible spirit plants, Wen Xu follows the fragrance, believing that finding his lifesaver may be the key to escaping the realm.
• Meanwhile, Bian Chunchou searches unsuccessfully for valuable spirit plants. He finds only common Pill-Fragrance Herbs, which are nearly worthless, and complains that his luck is terrible despite having helped Wen Xu earlier.
• Just as Bian Chunchou is about to give up, Wen Xu finds him and gratefully calls him his “Benefactor.” Bian Chunchou is startled by Wen Xu’s ghostly pale appearance and initially fears that Wen Xu is trying to deceive him.
• Wen Xu nearly collapses from hunger, revealing that he may not have eaten for several days. Bian Chunchou begins questioning why he has no Grain-Repelling Pills.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: Demonstrates resilience, resourcefulness, and gratitude. His difficult childhood taught him basic medical skills and survival techniques. His heightened senses may indicate that the secret realm or the pills have altered him in some way. Despite his weakness, he remains determined to repay Bian Chunchou and escape the realm.
• Bian Chunchou: Is frustrated by his poor luck and lack of valuable discoveries, but remains fundamentally kind and practical. He is startled and suspicious when Wen Xu appears, yet immediately becomes concerned about Wen Xu’s condition. His humorous complaints and dramatic reactions reveal a self-deprecating personality.

Significant Themes

• Miraculous survival and second chances: Wen Xu’s recovery gives him a renewed life and a debt of gratitude toward Bian Chunchou.
• Kindness and reciprocity: Although Bian Chunchou gave the pills casually, Wen Xu views the act as life-saving and feels obligated to repay him.
• The mysterious and unnatural: The secret realm’s strange plants, lack of animals, and altered sensory atmosphere create an ominous sense that it operates by different rules from the mortal world.
• Hardship and resilience: Wen Xu’s beggar background explains his ability to endure pain, treat himself, and survive without assistance.
• Comedic contrast: Wen Xu treats Bian Chunchou with solemn gratitude, while Bian Chunchou responds with suspicion, complaints, and exaggerated panic.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu approaches Bian Chunchou with sincere gratitude, calling him “Benefactor” and apologizing for frightening him.
• Bian Chunchou rejects the title as awkward and warns Wen Xu not to come closer, joking that his pale face makes him look like a ghost.
• Their exchange reveals a contrast between Wen Xu’s earnestness and Bian Chunchou’s irreverent, wary manner.
• When Wen Xu collapses, Bian Chunchou’s teasing gives way to concern, and he begins investigating Wen Xu’s injuries, hunger, and lack of supplies.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Wen Xu explains that his possessions were stolen and claims he entered the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm accidentally after fleeing three people who were trying to kill him. He says he survived by jumping off a cliff and landing on Bian Chunchou.
• Bian Chunchou remains suspicious and draws his sword, questioning Wen Xu’s motives. Wen Xu admits he approached Bian because he is starving and cannot identify which fruits in the secret realm are safe to eat.
• Bian proposes a trade: one Grain-Repelling Pill in exchange for Wen Xu guiding him to the fruit. Wen Xu accepts immediately, and Bian reluctantly decides to trust him.
• After eating the pill, Wen Xu’s hunger disappears. Bian notices that Wen Xu’s eyes are unfocused and realizes he is blind.
• Wen Xu chooses to pretend that his blindness is the result of being an ordinary mortal rather than reveal everything about himself. However, Bian discovers that Wen Xu’s Qi Sea has been opened, proving that he possesses the foundation of a cultivator.

Character developments

• Wen Xu demonstrates considerable intelligence and adaptability. He carefully manipulates Bian’s assumptions while avoiding outright deception when impersonating a cultivator would be too risky.
• He recognizes that appearing blind and helpless may lower Bian’s defenses, so he adopts the identity of a blind mortal. Despite his calculating nature, Wen Xu feels genuine gratitude toward Bian and does not want to exploit his kindness unnecessarily.
• Bian Chunchou is cautious but inexperienced. Although he suspects Wen Xu may be dangerous, his curiosity, compassion, and desperation to find food lead him to accept the bargain.
• Bian’s trust is easily influenced by Wen Xu’s weakness and handsome appearance, and he begins feeling guilty for suspecting him.

Significant themes

• Trust and deception: Both characters conceal information, but Wen Xu’s deception is primarily defensive, while Bian struggles to determine whether to trust him.
• Appearance versus reality: Wen Xu looks like a helpless, starving mortal but possesses an opened Qi Sea; Bian’s assumptions repeatedly prove unreliable.
• Kindness amid suspicion: Bian’s willingness to share a cheap pill contrasts with the danger and mistrust of the cultivation world.
• Adaptability and survival: Wen Xu survives through quick thinking, strategic vulnerability, and careful evaluation of others.

Character interactions

• Their exchange begins with Bian threatening Wen Xu with a sword, but shifts into a practical bargain when Wen Xu reveals his hunger.
• Wen Xu’s straightforward request for food disarms Bian, while Bian’s generosity earns Wen Xu’s reluctant respect.
• Bian discovers Wen Xu’s blindness through observation, prompting Wen Xu to alter his strategy and pretend to be an ordinary blind man.
• The chapter ends with Bian exposing a contradiction in Wen Xu’s story: despite claiming not to be a cultivator, Wen Xu’s Qi Sea has clearly been opened.

Chapter Summary: “Confession”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou discovers that Wen Xu possesses a Qi Sea, meaning Wen Xu has actually entered the Qi Refining Stage and may be capable of cultivation.
• Wen Xu is delighted by this revelation, especially because it offers him a future beyond the scholarly and imperial-examination path he had previously expected to follow.
• Wen Xu offers Bian Chunchou all the Red Pearl Fruits in the area in exchange for guidance and assistance. Bian Chunchou initially suspects he is being deceived but quickly accepts after seeing the fruits’ value.
• The two introduce themselves properly. Wen Xu rejects his courtesy name, Bu Jing, because he no longer intends to live according to his adoptive father’s scholarly expectations.
• While Bian Chunchou gathers the Red Pearl Fruits, Wen Xu notices an increasingly strong vegetal fragrance resembling flowers and decay.
• Bian Chunchou identifies the scent as evidence of the rare and valuable Fragrant Elixir King Grass, which grows hidden among large quantities of ordinary Pill-Fragrance Herb.
• They hurry to find it before it matures. Once mature, the King Grass loses its distinctive scent and becomes indistinguishable from ordinary herb, making it extremely difficult to locate.
• They arrive at an enormous expanse of Pill-Fragrance Herb already being searched by other examinees. Although Bian Chunchou is disappointed by the competition, he decides to search anyway, confident that the Red Pearl Fruits have already given them a good chance of passing the trial.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu learns that he is not merely a mortal but possesses the foundation for cultivation. This discovery restores his hope and eases his earlier despair.
• He begins distancing himself from his former identity as a scholar. By abandoning the courtesy name “Bu Jing,” he symbolically rejects the path of imperial examinations and officialdom.
• Wen Xu proves observant and useful despite his blindness, relying on his exceptionally keen sense of smell to detect the rare spirit plant.
• Bian Chunchou is shown as opportunistic and highly motivated by valuable treasures, eagerly collecting the Red Pearl Fruits and becoming excited at the possibility of finding King Grass.
• Despite his greed, Bian Chunchou feels some guilt about taking advantage of Wen Xu’s innocence. He also begins to treat Wen Xu more like a companion, accepting the name “Brother Wen Xu.”

Significant Themes

• Hope and transformation: Discovering his Qi Sea gives Wen Xu a new future and allows him to move beyond the life he thought was closed to him.
• Identity and self-determination: Wen Xu’s rejection of his courtesy name represents his decision to abandon inherited expectations and choose a new path.
• Appearance versus reality: The rare Fragrant Elixir King Grass looks exactly like common Pill-Fragrance Herb once its identifying scent disappears, reflecting how true value may be concealed beneath an ordinary appearance.
• Greed and cooperation: Bian Chunchou’s desire for wealth drives the search, but success depends on Wen Xu’s senses and cooperation, creating a mutually beneficial partnership.
• Luck and opportunity: Both characters stumble into unexpected advantages—the Red Pearl Fruits, Wen Xu’s hidden cultivation potential, and the possibility of finding King Grass.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou questions Wen Xu’s claim of ignorance, while Wen Xu sincerely explains that he never knew he had a Qi Sea.
• Wen Xu offers all the Red Pearl Fruits to Bian Chunchou, reinforcing Bian Chunchou’s impression that he is unusually innocent and generous.
• Their conversation becomes more familiar as they exchange names and begin calling each other “Brother.”
• Wen Xu’s sensitivity to the plant’s fragrance leads the pair toward a potentially far more valuable discovery, making him an essential partner despite Bian Chunchou initially viewing him as naïve.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu accompanies Bian Chunchou while they search for the rare Fragrant Elixir King Grass during the Preliminary Trial.
• Bian Chunchou repeatedly chooses the wrong direction based on his book knowledge, while Wen Xu tracks the fading and strengthening scent. After six failed attempts, Bian finally gives up.
• Wen Xu then reveals that he may have detected the herb’s scent. Bian immediately resumes the search, excited by the possibility of finding the legendary plant.
• They discover the King Grass, but it has not yet matured. Bian decides to wait rather than harvest it prematurely, since an immature plant would be useless.
• Wen Xu secretly confirms the herb’s location and agrees to signal Bian when it ripens. Their behavior attracts no attention because many examinees are resting and searching nearby.
• As the trial nears its end, the Fragrant Elixir King Grass finally matures. Wen Xu alerts Bian, who swiftly harvests it and stores it in his jade box.
• The surrounding Pill-Fragrance Herbs immediately wither, revealing that someone has found the King Grass. The secret realm then transports all examinees back to the formation’s center.
• The examinees speculate about who obtained the herb, but no one knows the truth. Bian remains silent, intending to profit from his discovery.
• He then realizes that Wen Xu has not returned with the examinees. Fearing that Wen Xu was never an examinee and may be trapped in the secret realm, Bian becomes deeply anxious and begins searching for him.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou: Initially overconfident in his book-based reasoning, he repeatedly fails to locate the herb and eventually accepts that he may not be destined to find it. His attitude changes dramatically once Wen Xu suggests the scent is nearby. Though greedy and excited about the herb, he ultimately shows genuine concern for Wen Xu, prioritizing the blind man’s safety over quietly enjoying his unexpected fortune.
• Wen Xu: Continues pretending to be blind and physically helpless, carefully concealing his true abilities. His exceptional sense of smell allows him to locate the King Grass, and he deliberately helps Bian find it in hopes of forming a sincere friendship. His manipulation remains restrained: he does not claim the herb because he is not an examinee and believes it properly belongs to Yonglu Mountain.
• Their relationship: Their partnership grows more trusting and cooperative. Wen Xu provides the crucial information, while Bian acts on it. Bian’s growing emotional attachment is revealed when he becomes alarmed at Wen Xu’s disappearance.

Significant Themes

• Friendship and sincerity: Wen Xu treats helping Bian as worthwhile if it leads to a genuine friendship, while Bian’s later panic demonstrates that he has begun to care about Wen Xu beyond their practical arrangement.
• Luck versus persistence: Bian repeatedly fails and nearly gives up, but patience and Wen Xu’s assistance allow him to obtain the rare herb at the final possible moment.
• Appearances and hidden identities: Wen Xu’s false blindness remains undetected, and his unusual abilities contrast sharply with the helpless persona he presents.
• Greed tempered by responsibility: Bian is thrilled by the herb’s value, yet his excitement is overshadowed by concern that Wen Xu may have been abandoned.
• Fate and timing: The herb matures just before the trial ends, emphasizing how narrowly Bian’s success depends on timing and chance.

Important Character Interactions

• Wen Xu repeatedly corrects Bian’s mistaken search routes, creating a humorous contrast between Bian’s confidence and Wen Xu’s quiet accuracy.
• Bian writes instructions on Wen Xu’s hand to communicate discreetly, strengthening their secret cooperation.
• Wen Xu signals the herb’s maturation by tapping Bian’s hand, allowing Bian to harvest it without alerting the other examinees.
• After returning to the formation, Bian ignores the surrounding speculation and immediately searches for Wen Xu, revealing that their bond has become personally important to him.

Chapter Summary: “Fished Out”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou submits a jade box containing a genuine Fragrant Elixir King Grass, shocking the Yonglu Mountain disciples because the herb is extremely rare.
• Elder Zhan, a Pill Peak elder overseeing the trial, verifies the herb and immediately wants Bian Chunchou to join Pill Peak.
• Bian clarifies that he did not discover or steal the herb. Instead, he explains that it was found by Wen Xu, who remains trapped inside the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm.
• Impressed by the story and eager to recruit a potential genius, Elder Zhan enters the secret realm to rescue Wen Xu.
• After the Fragrant Elixir King Grass is picked, all the surrounding Pill-Fragrance Herbs suddenly wither, suggesting they existed solely to nurture the King Herb. Everyone else disappears, leaving Wen Xu alone.
• Elder Zhan finds Wen Xu lying among the withered herbs. He discovers that although Wen Xu is blind and appears mortal, he has already opened his Qi Sea and entered the Qi Refining stage.
• Elder Zhan tells Wen Xu that Bian Chunchou sent him and requested that Wen Xu be rescued. Wen Xu is relieved and grateful, believing Bian has kept his promise.
• Elder Zhan transports Wen Xu out of the secret realm and gives him Qi-Replenishing Pills, intending to recruit him into Pill Peak.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou demonstrates strong morals and loyalty. Although the Fragrant Elixir King Grass could secure his own advancement, he refuses to claim credit for it or abandon Wen Xu.
• Wen Xu remains calm and realistic despite being abandoned in a dangerous secret realm. He understands that relying on another person means accepting the possibility of being saved or discarded, yet he still trusts Bian’s character.
• Wen Xu also shows humility and practical judgment: he accepts Elder Zhan’s help and medicinal pills without false pride, recognizing that he currently has no resources.
• Elder Zhan appears kind and patient, but he is also ambitious and opportunistic. His desire to rescue Wen Xu is partly motivated by the hope of gaining a promising disciple for Pill Peak.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and conscience: Bian chooses honesty and concern for Wen Xu over personal advancement.
• Trust and dependence: Wen Xu’s calm acceptance of his situation highlights both his vulnerability and his willingness to trust Bian.
• Hidden talent: Wen Xu’s blindness and humble appearance conceal an unusual cultivation aptitude, drawing Elder Zhan’s attention.
• Opportunity and ambition: The rare herb creates a chance for Bian and Wen Xu to enter the cultivation world, while Elder Zhan sees Wen Xu as a valuable potential recruit.
• The mysterious nature of cultivation resources: The withering of the surrounding herbs after the King Herb is picked suggests that the secret realm operates according to hidden rules and purposeful design.

Character Interactions

• Bian and Elder Zhan interact indirectly: Bian’s honesty about Wen Xu earns the elder’s respect and prompts the rescue.
• Elder Zhan initially suspects Bian may have stolen or violently seized the herb, but his attitude softens once Bian explains the truth.
• Elder Zhan treats Wen Xu gently, reassures him, escorts him from the secret realm, and gives him pills.
• Wen Xu warmly attributes the rescue to Bian, while Elder Zhan allows the misunderstanding to stand, strengthening Wen Xu’s trust and making it easier to recruit him.

Chapter 9 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Elder Zhan gives Wen Xu a Qi-Replenishing Pill and a jade slip containing basic cultivation knowledge. He explains that Wen Xu can read the slip by channeling spiritual energy into it, then leaves to announce the Preliminary Trial list.
• Alone, Wen Xu struggles to control the sluggish spiritual energy in his Qi Sea. He realizes that his energy dissipates before reaching the jade slip and concludes that the pill is intended to help him pass this implicit test.
• After taking the Qi-Replenishing Pill, Wen Xu’s Qi Sea becomes active. He circulates his spiritual energy through his body and successfully injects a wisp into the jade slip.
• The jade slip floods his mind with information about the Cultivation Realm. Wen Xu is astonished and delighted to discover that cultivation, immortals, and the supernatural abilities described in old tales are real.
• He learns that he possesses an unusually valuable talent, making his transformation into a cultivator a blessing in disguise after being hunted and nearly killed.
• The jade slip introduces the Hengze Continent, cultivation realms, Spiritual Roots, Spirit Stones, pills, major sects, and the continent’s geography.
• Wen Xu focuses especially on Yonglu Mountain, the sect he is connected to, and learns about the four active members of the supposed “Five Major Sects.”
• He also studies the hierarchy of Spiritual Roots and realizes that cultivation depends heavily on innate talent, not merely effort.

Character Development

• Wen Xu demonstrates patience, determination, and an unwillingness to give up when he cannot initially control his spiritual energy.
• He shows strong observational and analytical abilities, quickly deducing why Elder Zhan gave him the Qi-Replenishing Pill and recognizing that the jade slip may be a test.
• His outlook changes from confusion and resentment to excitement and hope. The cultivation world gives him the possibility of gaining power and eventually taking revenge on those who pursued him.
• Wen Xu remains cautious and inquisitive. Despite his joy at discovering his potential, he continues questioning how he opened his Qi Sea and how he would cultivate without access to replenishing pills.

Significant Themes

• Adversity becoming opportunity: Wen Xu’s misfortune and persecution unexpectedly lead him toward cultivation and a potentially greater future.
• Talent versus effort: The chapter emphasizes that while perseverance matters, Spiritual Root quality and innate ability strongly determine a cultivator’s prospects.
• The unknown world revealed: Wen Xu’s understanding of reality expands as legends and stories are confirmed to be genuine.
• Ambition and revenge: His newfound cultivation potential gives him hope of returning to confront those who tried to kill him.
• Adaptation and self-reliance: Wen Xu must learn to control unfamiliar powers through patience, experimentation, and careful reasoning.

Character Interactions

• Elder Zhan and Wen Xu: Elder Zhan acts as both instructor and examiner. He provides the pill and jade slip, explains how to use them, and leaves Wen Xu to solve the problem independently.
• Their brief interaction establishes Elder Zhan’s confidence that Wen Xu has already opened his Qi Sea, while Wen Xu’s successful use of the jade slip confirms his developing abilities.
• Although Wen Xu is alone for most of the chapter, his thoughts remain shaped by his conflict with the unknown enemy who hunted him and by his connection to Yonglu Mountain.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu recovers after escaping the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm.
• Bian Chunchou visits him, apologizes for previously doubting him, and excitedly announces that he passed Yonglu Mountain’s Preliminary Trial.
• Bian invites Wen Xu to participate in Yonglu Mountain’s disciple selection with him.
• Bian explains the preliminary rankings:
  • Li Zishen placed first by harvesting a tier-four spiritual plant.
  • Li’s spiritual-plant-aristocrat background gave him a major advantage, likely securing him an Inner Sect position.
  • Bian himself barely passed, partly benefiting from Wen Xu’s help in the secret realm.
• The conversation turns to the existence of cultivation aristocratic families specializing in spiritual plants, beast taming, pill refining, talisman making, and other disciplines.
• Bian asks whether Wen Xu intends to remain in the Cultivation Realm or return to the Mortal Realm.
• Wen Xu explains that he has no intention of returning for now because he was hunted into the secret realm and going back would likely mean certain death.
• He reveals that his foster father died three years earlier and that he has no family, household, or betrothal tying him to the Mortal Realm.
• Bian shares that his own father also died and uses their similar circumstances to encourage Wen Xu to join him in applying to Yonglu Mountain.
• Wen Xu asks why Bian chose Yonglu Mountain rather than one of the Five Major Sects.
• Bian explains his choices pragmatically:
  • He has no interest in Bitter Crossing Temple’s Buddhist tradition.
  • The Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect is too far away and too expensive to reach.
  • Harmony Sect is prestigious but attracts too many geniuses, making admission too uncertain.
  • Yonglu Mountain is therefore his safest and most realistic option.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu remains calm and thoughtful, showing gratitude toward Bian while carefully considering his future. His strong competitive nature is revealed: although he is considering Yonglu Mountain, he actually aspires to enter the higher-ranked Harmony Sect.
• Wen Xu’s past becomes clearer. He is a former scholar with traditional manners, was raised by a foster father, and now stands alone after that guardian’s death. His refusal to return to the Mortal Realm shows both caution and unresolved danger from whoever pursued him.
• Bian Chunchou is shown as energetic, sincere, and socially straightforward. He feels guilty for doubting Wen Xu and recognizes that Wen Xu was largely responsible for his own success in the secret realm.
• Bian’s humorous, modern outlook contrasts with Wen Xu’s formal and restrained personality. Despite his self-deprecating attitude about lacking an aristocratic background, he is practical and capable of making realistic decisions.

Significant Themes

• Ambition versus practicality: Wen Xu secretly aims for the prestigious Harmony Sect, while Bian chooses Yonglu Mountain because it offers a safer chance of success.
• Privilege and background: Cultivation aristocratic families provide advantages, but Bian’s success demonstrates that talent and opportunity can still matter.
• Belonging and isolation: Both men have lost their fathers and lack close family ties, creating a basis for mutual understanding.
• The difficulty of cultivation: Foundation Establishment is presented as broadly attainable, while reaching the Golden Core Realm requires individual insight and exceptional effort. This emphasizes the vastness and uncertainty of the cultivation path.
• Cultivation and emotional attachments: Wen Xu’s lack of obligations in the Mortal Realm may help him cultivate, but his past persecution remains a potential psychological burden.
• Friendship and cooperation: Bian’s invitation marks the beginning of a partnership based on shared circumstances, mutual assistance, and contrasting personalities.

Character Interactions

• Bian apologizes warmly and checks on Wen Xu’s health, while Wen Xu responds politely and acknowledges Bian’s assistance.
• Bian’s lively celebration clashes humorously with Wen Xu’s subdued reaction to the news of his passing.
• Their discussion of family losses creates emotional solidarity between them.
• Bian repeatedly asks Wen Xu to call him by his given name, while Wen Xu’s scholarly upbringing makes him continue using respectful forms of address.
• Wen Xu questions Bian’s motivations, prompting Bian to explain his sect preferences and revealing his down-to-earth personality.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou discuss why Wen Xu should choose Yonglu Mountain over the other major sects. Yonglu Mountain recruits the fewest disciples but offers its Outer Sect members the best benefits, including monthly Spirit Stones and medicinal pills.
• Bian explains the structure of cultivation sects: disciples are divided into Outer Sect and Inner Sect, with superior resources reserved for those judged most talented, diligent, and virtuous.
• Wen Xu’s main concern is whether he can return to his homeland to take revenge. Bian tells him that cultivators below the Golden Core Realm are forbidden from entering the Mortal Realm because the Boundary Sea is extremely dangerous.
• Wen Xu learns that reaching Golden Core could take anywhere from a few years for an extraordinary genius to nearly an entire lifetime. This alarms him because his enemy might die before he can return.
• Bian describes Mei Xi Sword Venerable, the youngest Golden Core cultivator, whose rare Thunder Spirit Root and Innate Sword Body make him an almost impossible standard to match.
• Wen Xu decides to pursue Yonglu Mountain despite missing its Preliminary Trial. His success in obtaining the Fragrant Elixir King Grass allows him to register for the Mountain Examination.
• Elder Zhan realizes Wen Xu has agreed to join Yonglu Mountain. He recalls his own youthful days, though the scene is undercut humorously by Bian’s attempt to convince Wen Xu to change out of his bloodstained clothes.
• Wen Xu and Bian head toward Langyuan City to obtain a cloak and prepare for the examination.

2. Character Developments

• Wen Xu reveals his strong sense of resentment and determination. He is deeply committed to returning home and avenging those who tried to kill him, even if doing so requires decades of cultivation.
• His practical and somewhat petty nature becomes clearer: he remembers every attempt to take what little he possessed and refuses to let injuries or insults go unanswered.
• Wen Xu also shows flexibility and strategic thinking by selecting Yonglu Mountain because it offers him the best chance of advancement and survival.
• Bian Chunchou becomes increasingly friendly and supportive toward Wen Xu. He acts as an adviser, guide, and potential companion, volunteering to help Wen Xu navigate the sect’s recruitment process.
• Elder Zhan develops a warm, nostalgic view of Wen Xu and Bian’s youthful energy, though his idealized perception contrasts humorously with their actual bickering.

3. Significant Themes

• Unequal access to resources: The Outer and Inner Sect system reflects the broader unfairness of society, where talent and status determine who receives the best opportunities.
• Persistence and determination: Wen Xu rejects the idea that difficult goals should be abandoned. His belief that even “forcibly twisted melons” are worth claiming reflects his stubborn will to seize his own fate.
• Time and revenge: The cultivation system creates a conflict between Wen Xu’s long-term path to power and his urgent desire for vengeance. His enemy may be dead before Wen Xu reaches the required realm.
• Friendship and mutual support: Bian’s willingness to guide and lend money to Wen Xu marks the beginning of a genuine friendship.
• The divide between cultivators and ordinary people: The chapter introduces a world where cultivators dominate society while mortals live under their protection and use ordinary currency rather than Spirit Stones.

4. Character Interactions

• Wen Xu questions Bian about sects, cultivation levels, and the possibility of returning home, using Bian as his primary source of information.
• Bian responds enthusiastically, encouraging Wen Xu to join Yonglu Mountain and offering to help him register for the Mountain Examination.
• Their friendship is shown through playful disagreement, particularly when Bian urges Wen Xu to change his filthy, bloodstained clothes and Wen Xu refuses to remove them.
• Elder Zhan silently observes their interaction and interprets it nostalgically, recognizing Wen Xu’s acceptance of Yonglu Mountain while amusingly misunderstanding the immediate situation.
• The chapter ends with Bian taking responsibility for helping Wen Xu enter the city, including lending him money for a cloak.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou descend from the mountain after leaving the secret realm, discussing the enormous value of Spirit Stones. A single Low-Grade Spirit Stone is worth ten taels of silver, making the journey to the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect prohibitively expensive for ordinary people.
• Villagers recognize them as candidates for Yonglu Mountain’s disciple selection. They offer Wen Xu new clothes, but he accepts only a borrowed black cloak to conceal his identity and blindness.
• The pair enter Langyuan City, a bustling place where cultivators and mortals coexist. The city’s cultivation shops and sect-owned establishments reveal the wealth and social superiority of cultivators.
• They purchase clothes and bathe before exploring the city. Wen Xu receives an eye-covering strip of cloth from a sympathetic shopkeeper.
• Bian Chunchou guides Wen Xu through the city, explaining its districts, shops, cultivation customs, and prominent organizations—especially the wealthy Golden Cauldron Pavilion.
• They eventually arrive at Yonglu Mountain’s city market, where successful Preliminary Trial participants can shop at discounted prices. Bian Chunchou attempts to buy healing pills and talismans for the upcoming Mountain Examination.
• The chapter ends with Bian Chunchou trying to bargain for Wind-Riding Talismans by flattering the Yonglu Mountain disciple running the stall.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: Becomes more comfortable with his blindness and begins viewing it as an advantage rather than purely a limitation. He discovers that spiritual perception allows him to navigate and read jade slips without sight. He also starts adapting to the Cultivation Realm while maintaining his restrained, scholarly personality.
• Bian Chunchou: Demonstrates his energetic, shameless, and humorous nature, especially when discussing wealth or bargaining. At the same time, he is considerate and protective of Wen Xu, deliberately walking ahead to guide him and honoring his promise to act as Wen Xu’s eyes.
• Their relationship: Their companionship deepens as Bian Chunchou becomes Wen Xu’s guide to the unfamiliar Cultivation Realm. Wen Xu appreciates his friend’s kindness even while being exasperated by his vulgar jokes and opportunism.

Significant Themes

• Class and social hierarchy: The enormous value of Spirit Stones and the exclusive, castle-like cultivation shops emphasize the economic and social gap between cultivators and ordinary mortals.
• Adaptation and self-acceptance: Wen Xu begins recognizing that blindness does not prevent him from cultivating and may even free him from judging people by appearance.
• Friendship and mutual support: Bian Chunchou’s practical care balances his irreverent personality, showing that loyalty can exist beneath teasing and comic behavior.
• Access and inequality in cultivation: Sect markets and cultivation resources are controlled by powerful organizations, while newcomers like Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou must carefully manage limited funds.
• Humor amid danger: Bian Chunchou’s jokes and bargaining lighten the tension surrounding the upcoming Mountain Examination and the uncertain rules governing competition.

Important Character Interactions

• Villagers kindly offer Wen Xu clothing, demonstrating goodwill toward the candidates.
• Bian Chunchou teases Wen Xu about his appearance and eye covering, while also carefully helping him navigate the city.
• Wen Xu rebukes Bian Chunchou for calling himself an “old servant,” revealing Wen Xu’s concern for dignity and propriety.
• At the Yonglu Mountain market, Bian Chunchou uses flattery to try to secure cheaper talismans, contrasting his streetwise boldness with Wen Xu’s reserved nature.

Chapter Summary: “Sour Chickens”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou visit a market in Langyuan City. A Qi Refining disciple recognizes Wen Xu’s distinctive token as proof that he ranked first in Yonglu Mountain’s Preliminary Trial.
• The merchant offers Wen Xu a ninety percent discount, hoping to build a relationship with a future Inner Sect disciple. Bian Chunchou decides to lend Wen Xu all his Spirit Stones so they can take advantage of the bargain.
• Wen Xu realizes that the attention he has been receiving comes from his first-place token, which is recognizable even to outsiders. Bian Chunchou worries that Wen Xu’s sudden fame may attract hostility during the Mountain Examination.
• Elder Zhan returns to Yonglu Mountain with the Preliminary Trial rankings and the precious Fragrant Elixir King Grass. He reports directly to Sect Master Gu Wufang, explaining that Wen Xu, a youth from the Mortal Realm, found the rare herb and was therefore ranked first.
• Gu Wufang is surprised and pleased by Wen Xu’s background and talent, becoming eager to see how he performs in the Mountain Examination.
• In Langyuan City, Wen Xu’s name has become widely known. Merchants, sect-affiliated businesses, and even the Cloud Immortal Pavilion offer him special treatment, including a free room with a First-Rank Spirit-Gathering Formation.
• At the same time, jealous cultivators mock and criticize him, dismissing his success because he came from outside the Cultivation Realm. Bian Chunchou defends Wen Xu and calls these people “sour chickens.”
• During the three-day wait before the Mountain Examination, Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou cultivate in the Spirit-Gathering Formation. Wen Xu instinctively absorbs spiritual energy, completes a Greater Celestial Circuit, and experiences a profound improvement in his physical health.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: Becomes more aware of the consequences of fame and his first-place ranking. He remains modest and cautious, accepting benefits without being overly concerned with reputation. Although he appears mild, he hints that his patience has limits and that he is deliberately avoiding unnecessary enemies. His cultivation begins to transform his body, easing the illnesses and hidden injuries caused by his difficult past.
• Bian Chunchou: Develops into a loyal and protective friend. He worries about Wen Xu’s vulnerability as a newcomer from the Mortal Realm, lends him his Spirit Stones, defends him against gossip, and helps him navigate the social advantages and dangers of sudden fame. His outspoken and humorous personality contrasts with Wen Xu’s calm restraint.
• Elder Zhan: Shows confidence in Wen Xu by ranking him first despite his Spiritual Root not yet being tested, recognizing that obtaining the Fragrant Elixir King Grass demonstrates extraordinary ability.
• Sect Master Gu Wufang: Becomes intrigued by Wen Xu and anticipates his future performance, suggesting that the sect is already taking his potential seriously.

Significant Themes

• Fame and scrutiny: Exceptional talent brings both opportunities and danger. Wen Xu receives discounts and preferential treatment but also attracts envy and malicious gossip.
• Merit versus status: Wen Xu comes from the Mortal Realm rather than an influential clan, yet his achievement earns him recognition based on ability rather than lineage.
• Practicality over reputation: Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou value tangible benefits over empty pride, willingly accepting discounts and hospitality.
• Friendship and loyalty: Bian Chunchou’s generosity and defense of Wen Xu establish a genuine friendship built on mutual trust.
• The beginning of transformation: Wen Xu’s first real experience with cultivation brings physical healing and emotional exhilaration, marking the start of his change from an unhealthy mortal into a cultivator.
• Hidden strength and restraint: Wen Xu’s gentle behavior may conceal greater firmness and capability than others realize.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou share playful, increasingly familiar banter. Bian is protective and outspoken, while Wen Xu responds calmly with understated humor.
• The market disciple flatters Wen Xu and tries to exploit his status to secure future goodwill, revealing how quickly social relationships become transactional in the cultivation world.
• Elder Zhan presents Wen Xu’s achievement to Gu Wufang, causing the sect master to shift from surprise to anticipation.
• Bian Chunchou repeatedly counters public criticism, while Wen Xu remains composed, showing the contrast between Bian’s fiery loyalty and Wen Xu’s deliberate restraint.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu reflects on his future in cultivation, especially his desire to form a Golden Core and eventually return for revenge.
• The chapter explains the importance of Spiritual Roots, which determine a cultivator’s potential. Spiritual Roots are often hereditary, though they may develop or change after adulthood.
• Aristocratic cultivation clans commonly test children early with Spirit-Testing Stones and give special training to those with exceptional talent. Wen Xu compares these clans to the nobles and royalty of the Mortal Realm.
• The Mountain Examination is about to begin. Of the original examinees, only around one hundred Qi Refining cultivators remain after the Preliminary Trial.
• Yonglu Mountain’s selection process consists of:
  • The Preliminary Trial, which tests resourcefulness and the ability to find spirit plants.
  • The Mountain Examination, which tests martial talent.
  • The Mind-Question Trial, which examines character and temperament.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou converse as friends while waiting. Another examinee insults them, calling them “country bumpkins” and accusing Wen Xu of cheating.
• The examinee claims Wen Xu secretly entered the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm without registering for the Preliminary Trial, obtained the Fragrant Elixir King Grass by luck, and fraudulently took first place.
• Wen Xu calmly redirects the accusation to Yonglu Mountain’s examiner, forcing the matter into the open.
• Elder Zhao Qi of Yonglu Mountain’s Discipline Hall appears and confirms that Wen Xu did not violate any announced rule. He states that Yonglu Mountain accepts those who obtain opportunities through fortune and refuses to exclude Wen Xu because of his unconventional entry.
• Elder Zhao rebukes the accuser’s rigid, clan-based thinking and implies that anyone dissatisfied with Yonglu Mountain’s rules may leave.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: Shows increasing confidence and composure. Although he is still inexperienced and blindfolded, he responds to hostility with controlled wit rather than defensiveness. His handling of the accusation demonstrates growing social intelligence and a willingness to stand up for himself.
• Bian Chunchou: Becomes a genuine friend and openly supports Wen Xu. He is impressed by Wen Xu’s unexpectedly sharp response, viewing it as evidence that his friend is becoming more mature and assertive.
• Elder Zhao Qi: Is established as a strict but fair defender of Yonglu Mountain’s rules and reputation. He dislikes privileged disciples who assume that aristocratic customs should govern the sect.
• The Cloud Deer-robed examinee: Represents the arrogance and prejudice of cultivation aristocracies. He assumes Wen Xu’s success must be illegitimate because Wen Xu lacks status and came from the Mortal Realm.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus social status: Wen Xu’s success challenges the belief that only those from powerful clans deserve opportunities.
• Fortune and merit: The chapter emphasizes that unexpected opportunities, such as finding the Fragrant Elixir King Grass, are legitimate parts of a cultivator’s path.
• Institutional fairness: Yonglu Mountain’s rules are presented as more open-minded than the rigid traditions of aristocratic clans.
• Growth and self-confidence: Wen Xu is beginning to move beyond his earlier awkwardness and insecurity.
• Prejudice against outsiders: Wen Xu’s Mortal Realm origins make him a target, revealing the contempt many established cultivators hold for those without influential backgrounds.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou speak warmly as friends, with Bian encouraging Wen Xu before the examination.
• The arrogant examinee provokes both men by insulting their origins and questioning Wen Xu’s legitimacy.
• Wen Xu answers him calmly and cleverly, avoiding a direct confrontation while exposing the weakness of his accusation.
• Elder Zhao intervenes and firmly sides with fair procedure, defending Wen Xu and chastising the aristocratic examinee’s assumptions.

Chapter Summary: “Teaming Up”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A challenger questions Yonglu Mountain’s rules but quickly apologizes after Elder Zhao reprimands him and orders him to leave.
• Elder Zhao announces the Mountain Examination’s rules:
  • Participants must form teams of three to five people.
  • Fifteen low-grade Yonglu Mountain dharma artifacts are hidden in the examination area.
  • Each team must obtain one artifact and reach the finish line within one day and one night.
  • Every team member must arrive for the result to count.
  • High-grade artifacts are forbidden; only Qi Refining-level talismans, pills, and artifacts may be used.
  • Killing is prohibited, and Shadow Walls will monitor the examination.
• Most competitors have already formed teams, leaving Wen Xu-Xu, Bian Chunchou, and one gloomy-looking participant without a group.
• The remaining participant, Chen Zui, voluntarily joins them, preventing Wen Xu-Xu and Bian Chunchou from being disqualified for lacking a complete team.
• Chen Zui reveals that he is at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, significantly stronger than the other two, who are only at the Second and Third Layers.
• He promises to carry them to the finish line, although he openly regards them as burdens and a way to prove his own superiority.
• Wen Xu explains that his blindness will not prevent him from moving or locating the artifact, though obtaining it may still be difficult because of rival teams and Yonglu Mountain’s hidden challenges.

Character Developments

• Elder Zhao is established as severe, authoritative, and uncompromising in enforcing Yonglu Mountain’s rules.
• Bian Chunchou remains optimistic and sociable, immediately worrying about finding teammates and trying to view their weak position positively.
• Wen Xu-Xu demonstrates calm confidence despite his blindness and low cultivation. He is polite, perceptive, and aware that finding the artifact will involve more than simply locating it.
• Chen Zui is introduced as blunt, self-assured, and unusually powerful compared with the other examinees. Despite his rude manner, he is willing to help weaker participants and is direct about his expectations.
• The new team dynamic is formed around Chen Zui’s strength, with Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou depending on him while potentially contributing in less obvious ways.

Significant Themes

• Rules and authority: Yonglu Mountain’s examination is tightly controlled, and the repeated warnings emphasize that cleverness cannot override the sect’s regulations.
• Teamwork and dependence: Success requires cooperation, forcing strangers with different strengths and personalities to work together.
• Appearances versus ability: Wen Xu’s blindness and the trio’s low cultivation make them appear weak, while Chen Zui’s rough appearance hides his considerable strength.
• Pride and self-interest: Chen Zui helps the others partly because carrying them would demonstrate his superiority, blurring the line between altruism and self-promotion.
• Hidden competence: Wen Xu’s confidence suggests that his lack of sight may not be the disadvantage others assume.

Character Interactions

• Elder Zhao humiliates and dismisses the rule-breaking challenger, reinforcing his authority.
• Bian Chunchou worries that he and Wen Xu will be excluded, but Chen Zui unexpectedly chooses to join them.
• Chen Zui openly insults their weakness while simultaneously offering protection and support.
• Wen Xu responds respectfully and offers to help Chen Zui when needed, creating a more balanced relationship beneath the apparent power difference.
• Chen Zui questions how Wen Xu can search while blind, prompting Wen Xu to clarify that locating the artifact will not be the main challenge.

Summary

Wen Xu analyzes the rules of Yonglu Mountain’s Mountain Examination and concludes that the fifteen marked low-grade magical artifacts are likely intended to help candidates with lower cultivation levels compete. Since the rules require each team to obtain an artifact but do not limit the number they may claim, he reasons that the examination is designed to test intelligence, teamwork, adaptability, and luck—not merely strength or spiritual-root talent. This reflects Yonglu Mountain’s rejection of the belief that cultivation and Spiritual Roots alone determine a person’s worth.
Bian Chunchou understands the danger of teams hoarding artifacts, while Chen Zui enthusiastically suggests taking as many as possible. However, after wandering the mountain for half a day without finding anyone or any treasures, the group risks eliminating itself through sheer bad luck. Wen Xu then notices that the wind has completely stopped in one area, something he can sense because of his connection to the wind after opening his Qi Sea. He suspects that a magical artifact is nearby, though he admits it could also be a trap.
Chen Zui tests the area by swinging his ordinary iron saber and generating a powerful hurricane through sheer strength and cultivation. The wind is immediately swallowed by the unseen force, confirming that something unusual is suppressing it. Instead of retreating, Chen Zui treats the phenomenon as a challenge and prepares to attack again, displaying his courage and immense physical power but also his impulsive, somewhat foolish nature. Bian Chunchou privately recognizes that Chen Zui is formidable yet dim-witted.
The chapter then shifts to Yonglu Mountain’s Artifact Refining Peak. A young Daoist attendant confronts the sect’s mischievous “Little Martial Uncle,” accusing him of tampering with the examination’s magical artifacts. The artifact originally intended for the examination—a beginner-grade defensive bowl—has been discarded in the garbage heap because Little Martial Uncle considered it ugly and unsuitable. He has apparently replaced it with something else, though the nature of the replacement is not revealed. The attendant worries because Elder Zhao Qi of the Discipline Hall is supervising the examination and may punish Little Martial Uncle for interfering.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Wen Xu proves himself observant, analytical, and skilled at interpreting rules. His ability to sense the absence of wind becomes crucial to locating the hidden artifact.
• Bian Chunchou is thoughtful and cautious, recognizing the possible consequences of candidates monopolizing multiple artifacts. He also serves as the more sensible observer of Chen Zui’s behavior.
• Chen Zui demonstrates extraordinary strength and enthusiasm, but his impulsiveness and lack of subtlety make him unpredictable. His interactions with the others establish him as both the group’s strongest fighter and its comic liability.
• The Little Martial Uncle is revealed as a talented but irresponsible artifact refiner who enjoys provoking others and disregards rules for the sake of personal taste or amusement.
• The Daoist attendant acts as the anxious, practical counterbalance to the Little Martial Uncle, trying to prevent further trouble with the Discipline Hall.

Significant Themes

• Intelligence versus brute strength: The examination is structured so that cleverness and cooperation can compensate for differences in cultivation.
• Adaptability and teamwork: Success depends on interpreting ambiguous rules, recognizing unusual clues, and working together.
• Challenge to conventional hierarchy: Yonglu Mountain appears to value judgment and capability over Spiritual Root talent alone.
• Order versus mischief: The candidates face a carefully designed test, while the sect’s artifact refiner disrupts that design through irresponsible experimentation.
• Humor amid danger: Chen Zui’s reckless enthusiasm and the Little Martial Uncle’s antics create comedy even as the examination becomes increasingly uncertain.
  The excerpt ends with the identity and function of the replacement artifact still unknown, while Chen Zui is about to confront the force suppressing the wind.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The little martial uncle of Artifact Refining Peak learns that one of his exchanged artifacts, Calm the Storm, has caused trouble in the Mountain Examination. He had designed it to gather wind within a wide radius and release it as indiscriminate Wind Blades.
• Inside the examination, Chen Zui accidentally activates the artifact by stubbornly dancing and competing with it. The artifact begins releasing increasingly dense Wind Blades.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou struggle to evade the attacks, while Wen Xu discovers an unusual instinctive ability to sense and dodge the wind before consciously perceiving it.
• Chen Zui eventually stops provoking the artifact after realizing his companions are being overwhelmed. The attack intensity decreases, allowing them to infer that the Wind Blades are the artifact’s offensive mechanism.
• The trio considers locating and claiming Calm the Storm, but repeated attempts leave Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou injured and exhausted without revealing its position.
• Chen Zui senses approaching cultivators. The newcomers include Li Zishen, a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator who resents Wen Xu for surpassing him in the Preliminary Trial, and his companions.
• Li Zishen deliberately tracks them down, intending to reclaim his lost reputation and seize the artifacts. Confident in his numerical and cultivation advantage, he confronts them and demands that they surrender or be defeated.

Character Developments

• The little martial uncle is revealed as both careless and mischievous. He is proud of Calm the Storm despite knowing its flaws, especially its inability to distinguish friend from foe.
• Lu Qiao becomes visibly frustrated with his eccentric senior, suggesting a familiar but exasperated relationship.
• Chen Zui displays extreme stubbornness and confidence. Although he initially treats the artifact like an opponent in a contest, he ultimately shows responsibility by returning to protect Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou.
• Wen Xu reveals a remarkable natural talent: he can sense incoming attacks through an instinctive perception of wind, despite his low cultivation. However, his limited stamina remains a major weakness.
• Bian Chunchou acts as the group’s practical observer and strategist. He recognizes the artifact’s value and helps interpret its attack pattern.
• Li Zishen is characterized as proud, competitive, and vindictive. He uses the Mountain Examination’s rules as justification to confront Wen Xu openly.

Significant Themes

• Unintended consequences of invention: Calm the Storm is powerful but unfinished, making it dangerous to everyone nearby, including its owner.
• Talent versus cultivation: Wen Xu’s instinctive ability allows him to evade attacks far beyond what his second-level cultivation would suggest.
• Teamwork and mutual dependence: Though the three protagonists have different strengths, surviving the artifact requires them to rely on one another.
• Pride and competition: Chen Zui’s stubborn contest with the artifact and Li Zishen’s pursuit of Wen Xu both demonstrate how pride can drive reckless behavior.
• Luck and opportunity: The artifact may be dangerous, but obtaining it could provide a major advantage in the examination.

Character Interactions

• The little martial uncle and Lu Qiao exchange humorous accusations, with Lu Qiao clearly regretting engaging his senior in conversation.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou struggle together against the Wind Blades, while Chen Zui initially ignores their warnings before returning to defend them.
• Bian Chunchou identifies the Wind Blades as the artifact’s attack and encourages the group to keep searching for it.
• Chen Zui and Wen Xu discuss the approaching competitors, revealing Chen Zui’s confidence in his own combat ability.
• The chapter ends with Li Zishen confronting the trio, setting up an imminent battle over both reputation and artifacts.

Chapter Summary: “Folding Fan”

Key plot points and events

• Bian Chunchou recognizes that Chen Zui’s group is badly outnumbered by Li Zishen and three other newcomers, but Chen Zui refuses to retreat.
• Wen Xu unexpectedly provokes Li Zishen, leading to a confrontation. Li Zishen orders his companions to attack, and Chen Zui charges in alone.
• The mysterious artifact unleashes Wind Blades, striking enemies and allies indiscriminately. However, the attacks weaken whenever Chen Zui is forced to stop restraining the artifact and fight directly.
• Wen Xu realizes that the artifact’s Wind Blades are powered by wind. He studies the traces left by the whirlwinds and deduces that the wind must originate from a specific point—the artifact itself.
• Using two Wind-Riding Talismans given to him by Bian Chunchou, Wen Xu begins flying through the battlefield to locate the artifact. He considers either disabling it or deliberately causing it to release more Wind Blades, creating chaos among their enemies.
• Wen Xu resolves that he must win the Mountain Examination. Unlike Li Zishen, who has powerful family connections and alternatives if he fails, Wen Xu has little protection and cannot afford to lose.

Character developments

• Wen Xu becomes more decisive and courageous. Previously timid and physically weak, he now applies careful reasoning to the artifact and takes an active role in turning the battle around.
• Bian Chunchou remains anxious about the overwhelming odds but demonstrates complete trust in Wen Xu, immediately agreeing to cover him.
• Chen Zui continues to embody fearless aggression, charging into a four-on-one fight despite the danger.
• Li Zishen is shown as confident, ruthless, and willing to exploit his numerical advantage to eliminate Wen Xu.
• The elders watching the examination recognize Wen Xu’s unusual insight and begin competing over which peak will claim him as a disciple, particularly Artifact Refining Peak and Pill Peak.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity over brute strength: Wen Xu succeeds by understanding the artifact’s mechanism rather than matching his enemies physically.
• Trust and friendship: Wen Xu relies on Bian Chunchou’s support, while Bian’s unquestioning faith helps Wen Xu act decisively.
• Desperation and unequal opportunity: The contrast between Wen Xu and Li Zishen highlights how wealth, status, and family connections shape survival in the cultivation world.
• Growth through adversity: Wen Xu’s first experience of flight and combat marks a turning point as he begins to recognize his own potential.
• Talent recognized by others: The elders’ argument over Wen Xu suggests that his quick understanding may secure him a place within Yonglu Mountain.

Character interactions

• Wen Xu challenges Li Zishen, surprising Bian Chunchou and revealing his growing determination.
• Bian Chunchou promises to protect Wen Xu, reinforcing their friendship.
• Chen Zui’s reckless attack forces the others to adapt when he can no longer contain the artifact.
• The observing elders—especially the junior martial uncle, Elder Zhan, and Zhao Qi—argue over Wen Xu’s future, while Sect Master Gu Wufang attempts to restore order.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou watches Wen Xu-Xu enter the battle and realizes that, beneath Wen’s courteous and open personality, he possesses remarkable determination and ruthlessness. Unable to assist directly, Bian encourages him loudly from the sidelines.
• Wen discovers that Bian’s shouting interacts with the wind. By matching the rhythm of Bian’s voice with the air currents, Wen improves his Wind Riding technique and locates a hidden folding fan.
• The folding fan is revealed to be a powerful magic artifact controlling the Wind Blades attacking the contestants. Wen suffers injuries while retrieving it but successfully takes control of the artifact.
• After swallowing healing pills, Wen uses the fan to reverse the battle within the Shadow Wall, gaining the advantage over Li Zishen’s team.
• Li Zishen accuses Wen of relying unfairly on a magic artifact. Wen calmly argues that the artifacts were placed to be used and that, since Yonglu Mountain has not stopped him, using the fan is a legitimate part of his team’s strength.
• Despite Chen Zui’s strong combat instincts and cooperation with Li Zishen, their team is close to defeat. In desperation, Li Zishen removes another magic artifact from his storage pouch, preparing to escalate the conflict.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu-Xu: Demonstrates courage, adaptability, and strategic intelligence. Though blind and inexperienced in cultivation, he instinctively perceives the relationship between sound and wind, endures injuries to obtain the artifact, and uses calm reasoning to defend his actions. He also begins responding to insults with dry, understated sarcasm.
• Bian Chunchou: Shows deep admiration and loyalty toward Wen. Though unable to fight effectively, his encouragement becomes crucial by helping Wen synchronize with the wind.
• Li Zishen: Reveals increasing desperation and resentment as his team loses its advantage. His unwillingness to accept defeat drives him to use another artifact.
• Chen Zui: Though not intellectually strategic, he displays excellent combat instincts and follows instructions effectively, making him a significant asset to Li Zishen’s team.
• Little Martial Uncle: Becomes increasingly impressed by Wen’s talent and recognizes in him the same drive he once possessed. He speculates that Wen could have reached Foundation Establishment much earlier if born in the Cultivation Realm.
• Zheng and Zhao Qi: Observe Wen’s performance. Zheng is curious about the unusual talent that has caught Little Martial Uncle’s attention, while Zhao Qi remains largely indifferent.

Significant Themes

• Determination overcoming disadvantage: Wen’s blindness, injuries, and lack of experience do not prevent him from adapting and succeeding.
• Resourcefulness and perception: Wen’s ability to notice connections others miss allows him to turn Bian’s shouting into a tool for detecting and controlling the wind.
• Legitimate use of available strength: Wen challenges the idea that relying on a discovered artifact is dishonorable, arguing that tools provided within a trial are meant to be used.
• Admiration for inner drive: The observers value Wen not merely for his current power but for his vitality, ambition, and refusal to surrender.
• Desperation versus composure: Wen remains calm and rational while Li Zishen becomes increasingly emotional and reckless.

Character Interactions

• Bian’s enthusiastic cheering indirectly helps Wen locate the folding fan and changes the course of the battle.
• Wen defeats Li Zishen’s accusations with calm, sarcastic logic, frustrating Li further.
• Li Zishen directs Chen Zui’s attacks, but Wen’s control of the fan gradually overwhelms their coordinated defense.
• Little Martial Uncle and Zheng discuss Wen’s potential, with Little Martial Uncle expressing strong but partly concealed admiration.

Chapter Summary: “Bodhisattva”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zheng Jin accidentally reveals that the artifact intended for the Mountain Examination is not one of the official fifteen artifacts, but his personal Wind-Treasure Gourd, which he uses to stoke his pill furnace.
• Removing the gourd’s jeweled cap unleashes a powerful wind vortex that nearly strikes Bian Chunchou. Bian panics and hides behind Wen Xu, while Zheng Jin’s careless behavior infuriates Discipline Hall Elder Zhao Qi and concerns Sect Master Gu Wufang.
• Although the artifact was mistakenly introduced into the examination, Yonglu Mountain’s elders decide not to interfere. They believe the examination should test adaptability, and the unexpected change will not fundamentally disrupt its progress.
• Li Zishen uses the Wind-Treasure Gourd to attack Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou. Wen Xu, pretending to be blind, blocks the wind with the Calming Storm Fan and realizes that the fan can absorb the gourd’s wind power.
• The fan instinctively flies from Wen Xu’s hand and absorbs the entire wind vortex, neutralizing Li Zishen’s advantage. Li Zishen is stunned that the supposedly low-grade fan possesses such useful abilities.
• While Li Zishen is distracted, Chen Zui approaches and cuts down the hand holding the gourd. He wounds Li Zishen, takes the artifact, caps it, and challenges Li Zishen’s companions to continue fighting.
• Li Zishen, enraged by repeated humiliation and the collapse of his carefully planned path to entering Yonglu Mountain, orders his companions to kill Wen Xu’s group and seize the fan.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu continues concealing his true abilities by pretending to be blind, but he skillfully uses the fan’s powers and quickly understands how it counters the Wind-Treasure Gourd. His amusement at Li Zishen’s misfortune reveals his growing confidence.
• Bian Chunchou remains comic, cowardly, and dependent on Wen Xu for protection. His panic provides humor but also emphasizes the danger of the wind artifact.
• Zheng Jin is shown as reckless, eccentric, and irresponsible, having unknowingly placed his personal tool into the examination. However, his actions also reflect Yonglu Mountain’s unconventional nature.
• Chen Zui demonstrates decisiveness and combat awareness. He takes advantage of Li Zishen’s distraction, defeats him efficiently, and confidently claims the gourd.
• Li Zishen suffers a major emotional collapse. His privileged upbringing, high cultivation, promising spiritual roots, and expectation of success have made him arrogant and unable to accept setbacks. His humiliation turns into murderous rage.
• Zhao Qi becomes increasingly frustrated with Zheng Jin and intends to punish him, highlighting the tension between discipline and Zheng Jin’s carefree behavior.

Significant Themes

• Adaptability over rigid rules: Yonglu Mountain accepts the accidental addition of the Wind-Treasure Gourd because the examination is meant to reveal who can respond intelligently to unexpected circumstances.
• Appearances versus reality: Wen Xu appears to be a blind, disadvantaged mortal, yet he possesses superior judgment and an artifact capable of countering Li Zishen’s weapon. The “broken” fan likewise proves far more valuable than expected.
• Privilege and entitlement: Li Zishen’s sheltered upbringing and family support have convinced him that success is his natural right. When events contradict that belief, he cannot cope.
• Luck and destiny: The gourd, which might have helped another contestant, becomes useless against Wen Xu’s fan. The chapter humorously frames Li Zishen as someone cursed by bad luck, while Wen Xu appears favored by circumstance.
• Unconventional cultivation methods: Zheng Jin’s absurd mistake and the fan’s instinctive behavior both reflect Yonglu Mountain’s unpredictable and nontraditional approach.

Character Interactions

• Zheng Jin’s joking attitude clashes with Zhao Qi’s strict sense of responsibility, producing both comedic tension and the threat of disciplinary punishment.
• Wen Xu protects Bian Chunchou from the wind, while Bian relies on Wen Xu and alerts him to Li Zishen’s attack.
• Wen Xu and the Calming Storm Fan share an unusual relationship: although he has not contracted with it, the fan responds instinctively to danger and appears almost emotionally pleased when absorbing the gourd’s power.
• Chen Zui cooperates with Wen Xu’s defensive maneuver by attacking Li Zishen while the latter is distracted, turning the battle decisively in their favor.
• Li Zishen’s companions, originally loyal because of favors from the Li Family, are caught between their duty to him and the increasingly dangerous situation. His furious command to kill marks the conflict’s escalation.