Chapter Summaries

Chapter 351 Summary — “Cognition”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Zui continues enduring his Nascent Soul tribulation and boldly demands more Tribulation Lightning, shouting, “Again! Again!”
• In response, Heaven sends increasingly powerful lightning bolts, shocking even the trapped Spirit Transformation cultivator, who realizes that both Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou’s tribulations are unusually fierce.
• Chen Zui focuses entirely on surviving the lightning, ignoring the Spirit Transformation cultivator. Although badly injured and covered in blood, he continues fighting after taking healing pills supplied by the Black Mist.
• Unknown to Chen Zui, his Golden Core begins transforming under the lightning. It disperses and merges into his meridians, initiating the crucial process of Core Transformation required for Nascent Soul formation.
• Chen Zui does not notice the transformation or understand its significance. Because of his Perfect Foundation Establishment and exceptionally high pain tolerance, he experiences little of the agonizing pain that causes many cultivators to fail their tribulations.
• During the fourth and fifth bolts, Chen Zui repeatedly gathers his strength and meets the lightning with his blade. He begins worrying about whether his treasured weapon will survive the tribulation.
• He concludes that his blade should endure the lightning just as his body does and channels spiritual power into it. The blade responds with a hum, seemingly accepting his intent.
• Chen Zui leaps directly toward the fifth bolt, appearing both reckless and overwhelmingly heroic.
• The final bolt descends. Chen Zui consumes all remaining pills, barely able to move or even find his own mouth because of the numbness. The chapter ends as he prepares to face the last strike.

Character Development

• Chen Zui: Demonstrates extraordinary endurance, courage, and single-minded persistence. His simplistic way of thinking prevents him from overanalyzing the tribulation, allowing instinct and determination to carry him forward. His bond with his blade deepens as he begins viewing it as a companion and partner rather than merely a weapon.
• Bian Chunchou: Becomes intensely worried while watching Chen Zui and the other tribunees. His perspective shows that Chen Zui’s reckless effort is far more extreme than Bian’s own experience, and he anxiously wishes he could protect both companions at once.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivator: Shifts from confidence to fear and regret after realizing the strength of the tribulations. He recognizes too late that the situation is far beyond what he expected.
• The blade: Though not a speaking character, it is presented almost as a living companion that shares Chen Zui’s resolve and responds to his spiritual power.

Significant Themes

• Endurance versus understanding: Chen Zui succeeds not through knowledge of cultivation theory but through instinct, stubbornness, and an extraordinary tolerance for pain.
• The body and weapon as one: Chen Zui’s realization that his blade should withstand the tribulation alongside him reflects the blade cultivator’s unity with their weapon.
• Natural transformation: The Golden Core’s silent transformation emphasizes that profound growth can occur even when the cultivator does not consciously understand it.
• The danger and fairness of Heaven’s Dao: Tribulation Lightning cannot be bypassed through tricks such as Pain-Free Pills; genuine physical and spiritual endurance is required.
• Comedic simplicity amid deadly danger: Chen Zui’s concern over his hair and blade, combined with his lack of awareness about Core Transformation, contrasts humorously with the life-threatening tribulation.

Character Interactions

• Chen Zui effectively challenges Tribulation Lightning itself by demanding stronger attacks.
• His actions leave the Spirit Transformation cultivator terrified and regretful.
• Bian Chunchou watches helplessly from outside, anxiously supporting Chen Zui and worrying about both of his companions.
• Chen Zui forms a deeper, almost mutual relationship with his blade by infusing it with spiritual power and trusting it to endure the tribulation with him.

Chapter Summary: “Disguise”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Zui undergoes his Nascent Soul Tribulation while focused almost entirely on his blade. He gives no thought to fear, failure, or even whether he will survive.
• The final Tribulation Lightning strikes his Dantian, but Chen Zui’s mind remains completely empty of hesitation. His lack of understanding about “defying the heavens” allows him to face the tribulation without fear.
• He successfully survives all six bolts and is restored by the power of heaven and earth. His Golden Core transforms into a metallic Nascent Soul resembling his own form, holding a great blade and fused with it.
• Chen Zui briefly remembers that he and Wen Xu had been fighting a Spirit Transformation cultivator before the tribulation. However, he is too exhausted to investigate what happened.
• Wen Xu also begins undergoing his Nascent Soul Tribulation during the battle. He makes the decision instinctively, driven by the need to kill the Spirit Transformation cultivator and inspired by Chen Zui’s equally decisive choice.
• As Wen Xu faces the tribulation, he reflects on his past, his cautious nature, and the insecurity hidden beneath his reputation as a genius.

Character Developments

• Chen Zui: His extreme single-mindedness is revealed as a source of unexpected strength. Unlike most cultivators, he does not consciously frame cultivation as rebellion against heaven, so he experiences no fear before the Tribulation Lightning. His successful breakthrough produces a distinctive, blade-centered Nascent Soul, reinforcing his identity as someone wholly devoted to his weapon.
• Wen Xu: He reaches a major turning point by abandoning his usual caution and forming his Nascent Soul without preparation. Seeing Chen Zui make the same dangerous choice helps him stop obsessing over whether his decisions are correct. He begins confronting the emotional restraints he has placed upon himself since childhood.
• Wen Xu recognizes that his apparent confidence and exceptional talent conceal fear, insecurity, and a deep desire to control outcomes. His Dao Heart, the “Dao of Control,” developed from having too little and fearing further loss.

Significant Themes

• Fearlessness through ignorance versus conscious courage: Chen Zui’s lack of theoretical understanding leaves him without fear, while Wen Xu must consciously overcome years of caution and anxiety.
• The Dao Heart and personal nature: Advancement depends not only on talent or Spiritual Roots but also on the cultivator’s inner character. Chen Zui’s purity and Wen Xu’s guarded complexity shape their tribulations differently.
• Breaking free from self-imposed restraints: Wen Xu realizes that many of his limitations were created by his own fear, caution, and need for control rather than by external forces.
• Individual paths to cultivation: The chapter contrasts conventional teachings about tribulation transcendence with Chen Zui’s instinctive, unconventional approach and Wen Xu’s deeply personal struggle.
• Appearances versus reality: Wen Xu is publicly viewed as an extraordinary genius, but internally he doubts himself and fears falling behind. His outward reputation disguises his vulnerability.

Character Interactions

• Chen Zui and Wen Xu are fighting a powerful Spirit Transformation cultivator together when both decide to undergo their Nascent Soul Tribulations.
• Chen Zui’s decisive action influences Wen Xu, giving him the courage to act without certainty or preparation.
• Their contrasting temperaments—Chen Zui’s pure, uncomplicated determination and Wen Xu’s cautious, analytical nature—highlight their different approaches to cultivation while also showing their mutual influence and camaraderie.

Chapter 603 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Trapped in Pill Fragrance City, Wen Xu’s previously controlled emotions have become increasingly unstable. He fears dying—not only for his own sake, but because of the grief and consequences his death would bring to his master, friends, and Yonglu Mountain.
• He chooses to undergo his Nascent Soul tribulation despite having little confidence in succeeding. His plan is strategic: even if the tribulation severely injures or kills him, the combined force of his tribulation and those of Chunchou and Chen Zui may leave the enemy Spirit Transformation cultivator vulnerable.
• Wen Xu confronts the first bolt of Heavenly Thunder while riding the waves and wielding Windfold. The pain in his Dantian marks the beginning of the Golden Core’s dissolution, but he finds it bearable and gains confidence.
• During the second lightning strike, he is badly injured, yet continues attacking with his sword. He realizes that the tribulation strips away his usual emotional restraint and reveals his true nature.
• As the third bolt approaches, Wen Xu puts away Windfold to preserve it for his future battle against the Spirit Transformation cultivator. He instead forms a Wind Sword and prepares to continue the tribulation.

Character Development

• Wen Xu: His fear of death reveals how deeply he has come to value his relationships. Although he presents himself as calm, rational, and self-sacrificing, he recognizes that this composure has largely been a disguise.
• The tribulation awakens his suppressed ambition, desire for power, and latent recklessness. He realizes that his Dao Heart is rooted not in detachment, but in control.
• He also begins to understand why others believed he was naturally suited to the sword. Beneath his restrained exterior lies a fierce, even “mad,” Sword Cultivator’s nature.
• Wen Xu finally allows himself to abandon his carefully maintained persona, finding freedom and strength in acting according to his true instincts.

Significant Themes

• The Heavenly Tribulation as self-revelation: Under extreme pressure, a cultivator’s authentic nature emerges.
• Fear and courage: Wen Xu’s fear of death does not make him weak; it gives meaning to his choice to fight.
• Disguised identity: His role as the composed “eldest parent” among his friends has concealed his ambition and emotional turmoil, even from himself.
• Sword Cultivator madness: True swordsmanship requires releasing suppressed instincts and confronting one’s deepest nature.
• Purpose after revenge: Having achieved revenge and severed his former ties, Wen Xu had lost direction; the crisis forces him to rediscover his desire to live and grow stronger.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu’s thoughts center on Chunchou and Chen Zui, whose upcoming tribulations and potential danger motivate his decision to fight.
• He recalls Chunchou’s advice that once a person stands beneath the tribulation, unnecessary fear disappears.
• He also remembers Chen Zui’s insight that a person’s weapon reveals more of their true nature than their behavior does. Wen Xu’s relentless sword intent confirms that his gentle, rational exterior is not his whole self.
• Wen Xu’s concern for his master, friends, and Yonglu Mountain demonstrates that he has developed attachments he once believed he lacked.

Chapter Summary

• Wen Xu undergoes the final stages of his Nascent Soul tribulation. His Wind-Spiral Golden Core has already begun dissolving, and he confronts increasingly powerful bolts of heavenly lightning. After the third bolt, the tribulation shifts from merely destroying the core to testing his Dao Heart, forcing him to confront what he truly believes and desires.
• During the fourth bolt, Wen Xu briefly sees himself smiling like Chen Zui, startling him and suggesting that his true nature—or the shape of his future Nascent Soul—may differ from the image he has consciously imagined. Despite severe pain and bodily damage, he continues enduring the tribulation.
• Wen Xu realizes that the lightning’s pain is not simply punishment. It functions as a reminder to preserve his original heart and maintain the spiritual energy in his Dantian. Physical suffering, distorted perception, and blood loss are survivable as long as his fundamental will remains intact.
• After taking pills to restore his damaged meridians, Wen Xu focuses on forming his Wind Sword. He recognizes that the intangible form of his Windfold Sword is better suited to opposing lightning than its tangible form. This insight allows him to merge more completely with the surrounding wind and command it as an extension of himself.
• The fifth lightning bolt descends. Although Wen Xu can no longer see, his connection to the wind lets him sense everything around him. He gathers the surrounding winds to resist the lightning, creating a violent clash that sends enormous waves across the sea.
• Bian Chunchou watches Wen Xu suffer and prays fervently for his successful breakthrough. He is largely indifferent to the Spirit Transformation cultivator caught in the tribulation’s spillover, caring only that Wen Xu survives.
• The unnamed Spirit Transformation cultivator is badly injured merely by the residual power of the tribulation. He is shocked that a Nascent Soul tribulation can rival the tribulation he once endured and bitterly hopes Wen Xu and Chen Zui will die in the final strike. Instead, his expectations are proven wrong.
• As the final and strongest bolt gathers, Wen Xu remains unexpectedly calm. He has moved from a desperate willingness to fight to the death to complete confidence and ambition, firmly believing that he will successfully form his Nascent Soul.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Wen Xu gains a deeper understanding of his Dao Heart and learns to trust his own unique path as a Wind Spiritual Root cultivator. His relationship with the wind becomes almost symbiotic, and his confidence strengthens dramatically.
• Bian Chunchou reveals intense concern for Wen Xu, praying for him with unusual devotion, while showing little sympathy for the hostile Spirit Transformation cultivator.
• Chen Zui’s influence appears indirectly when Wen Xu momentarily sees himself smiling like him, hinting at Wen Xu’s emotional or spiritual connection with Chen Zui.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivator serves as an outside observer whose disbelief and malice emphasize how extraordinary Wen Xu’s tribulation is.

Significant Themes

• Pain as a test of identity: Suffering strips away distractions and tests whether a cultivator can preserve their essential self.
• Dao Heart and self-knowledge: True spiritual growth requires confronting one’s authentic desires rather than relying on an imagined ideal.
• Innovation and individual paths: Wen Xu succeeds by developing an unconventional understanding of wind instead of depending solely on established techniques.
• Transformation through confidence: The chapter contrasts desperate survival with determined ambition, showing Wen Xu’s evolution into someone certain of his own power and destiny.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu faces the final bolt of Tribulation Lightning while on the brink of death. Rejecting despair, he gathers his resolve and unleashes his full sword intent.
• He survives the tribulation and successfully forms his Nascent Soul. The process transforms his Dantian: a small figure resembling him now supports a vortex of wind, while a mysterious golden light appears alongside his Windfold sword.
• Wen Xu suspects the golden light may be connected to the gift the Dragon Vein gave him before he left the Mortal Realm, possibly related to his Imperial Destiny.
• Once his body is restored, Wen Xu immediately attacks the wounded Spirit Transformation cultivator who has been pursuing them.
• Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou also complete their Nascent Soul formations and join Wen Xu in battle. Though newly advanced and inexperienced with their new powers, the three fight with remarkable coordination.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivator refuses to retreat or surrender, believing that doing so would damage his Dao Heart. He attempts to fight the three new Nascent Souls despite his injuries and the lingering effects of the tribulation.
• Wen Xu’s sword, Chen Zui’s blade, and Bian Chunchou’s talismans combine in a powerful, tightly coordinated assault. Wen Xu pierces the enemy’s Dantian, while Chen Zui strikes his heart.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivator dies in the sea, unable to accept that he was defeated by three cultivators who had only recently been Golden Core experts.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: Overcomes his fear and physical exhaustion, displaying a newfound, almost arrogant confidence. His survival allows him to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. His swordsmanship and command over wind power become dramatically stronger, and he begins investigating the mysterious golden light within his Dantian.
• Chen Zui: Experiences a surge of confidence after advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm. He feels powerful and eager to test his new strength, treating the battle as an opportunity to spar.
• Bian Chunchou: Quickly recognizes the need to support Wen Xu and Chen Zui, joining their attack with his talismans.
• Spirit Transformation Cultivator: His arrogance and unwillingness to surrender ultimately contribute to his downfall. His belief that his superior cultivation made him invincible collapses when the three newly advanced Nascent Souls defeat him.

Significant Themes

• Defiance against fate: Wen Xu’s survival represents his refusal to accept death or submit to the tribulation.
• Growth through crisis: The characters’ breakthroughs occur under extreme pressure, showing that desperate circumstances can force extraordinary advancement.
• Unity and cooperation: Although individually inexperienced in the Nascent Soul Realm, the three protagonists overcome a stronger opponent through trust and coordinated attacks.
• Pride and Dao Heart: The enemy refuses to surrender because he fears damaging his Dao Heart, but his pride prevents him from recognizing the danger of continuing the fight.
• Mysterious destiny and power: The golden light in Wen Xu’s Dantian hints at a deeper connection to the Dragon Vein and Imperial Destiny that may become important later.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and the Spirit Transformation cultivator immediately clash after Wen Xu’s breakthrough.
• Chen Zui views the enemy as an ideal opponent for testing his new Nascent Soul strength, while Wen Xu focuses on killing him.
• Bian Chunchou joins them, completing a three-person formation whose sword, blade, and talismans work together seamlessly.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivator attempts to intimidate or challenge them, but the three ignore his claims of superiority and defeat him through collective effort.

Chapter 354: “Shattered” — Summary

• Battle within the possessed body: Black Mist observes the violent conflict at sea between the three young cultivators and the Spirit Transformation cultivator, realizing the battle has escalated as the youths advance into the Nascent Soul Realm. Meanwhile, it confronts the demon occupying Shu Wenzhou’s body. The demon questions whether Black Mist is truly the body’s master, recognizing that its power and identity are not entirely those of the original owner.
• Black Mist’s identity and motivations: Black Mist is revealed to be the remaining power and memories of the deceased Shu Wenzhou. Although it inherited some of Shu’s emotions, it is largely detached from human morality and sentiment. Shu’s suicide left Black Mist without a reason to exist, but Bian Chunchou’s presence helped it retain its sanity. It had willingly followed the dragon to recover Shu’s missing corpse, believing that reuniting with it would finally erase the remaining distinction between itself and Shu Wenzhou.
• Conflict with the demon: Black Mist refuses to let the demon control the body. Unlike the demon, which restrains itself to avoid damaging the body needed for its plans, Black Mist is willing to destroy the body entirely rather than surrender it. It identifies the demon’s greatest weakness: the demon is deliberately clinging to its sanity, and its consciousness limits its power. Black Mist threatens to drive it mad.
• Defense of Bian Chunchou: When the demon questions why Black Mist is interfering, Black Mist bluntly explains that the demon harmed “its son.” It considers itself Bian Chunchou’s father because Bian calls it “Dad,” regardless of blood relation. This highlights Black Mist’s fierce, possessive loyalty to Bian and its willingness to fight without moral or ideological justification.
• The demon’s resentment: The demon reveals that its hatred stems from the destruction of the Scarlet Pill Clan. It condemns humanity and the Heavenly Dao, blaming them for the clan’s destruction. It also admits that the people of the sealed city are descendants of its enemies and that it treats them as tools or “dogs” because of this inherited resentment. Black Mist points out the contradiction in the demon’s revenge, since the original enemies have long since died, suggesting that its violence is driven more by impotent rage than justice.
• The demon’s origins: Black Mist realizes that the demon was originally the sacred artifact protecting the Scarlet Pill Clan. Like Black Mist, it is not truly a human being but an abandoned concentration of power, memory, and obsession. Its fixation on purity and ritual reflects its former role and the clan’s traditions.
• Character interactions and development: The exchange between Black Mist and the demon becomes both a physical and psychological battle. Black Mist mocks the demon’s excuses and exposes its contradictions, while the demon attempts to justify its cruelty and manipulate Black Mist through shared experiences of abandonment. Despite recognizing the demon’s tragic origins, Black Mist remains utterly unforgiving because of its attack on Bian. It even suggests it might have helped the demon had the demon not targeted its “son.”

Major Themes

• Identity and possession: Both Black Mist and the demon struggle with being remnants of beings or groups that are no longer alive, raising questions about who truly owns a body or inherits an identity.
• Abandonment and attachment: Black Mist’s desire to reunite with Shu contrasts with its new emotional attachment to Bian. Both entities are shaped by what their former masters or creators left behind.
• Revenge versus justice: The demon disguises ancient resentment as righteous vengeance, while Black Mist exposes its revenge as misplaced and self-perpetuating.
• Family beyond blood: Black Mist’s declaration that Bian is its son because Bian calls it “Dad” emphasizes chosen familial bonds over biological relation.
• Sanity as restraint: The demon’s consciousness limits its strength, whereas Black Mist’s lack of conventional humanity allows it to fight without hesitation or concern for collateral damage.

Chapter 355: “Parting in Life” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The demon insists that the Scarlet Pill Clan was persecuted because Heaven envied their pure, upright nature. It reveals its larger plan: formations have been placed in four major Cultivation Realm cities, cutting off vital resources and potentially causing the decline of high-level cultivation.
• Black Mist rejects the demon’s explanation, arguing that the Scarlet Pill Clan is exaggerating its importance and that its resentment has likely tainted the sacred relic from which the demon was born.
• Black Mist and the demon fight for control of the deteriorating body. Although the demon has occupied it for a thousand years, Black Mist’s familiarity with his original body gives him the advantage.
• Realizing the body cannot be preserved, Black Mist deliberately allows it to collapse, intending to deprive the demon of its vessel. The demon escapes into Shen Lü’s body and attempts to pursue him, but Shen Lü’s Spirit Transformation cultivation is far too weak to contain Black Mist’s power.
• Bian Chunchou, Wen Xu-Xu, and their companion identify the weak point of the Pill Formation and wait near the formation’s barrier for Black Mist to arrive. After reclaiming his body, Black Mist orders them to move aside and uses the last of his strength to shatter the formation.
• The demon, now controlling Shen Lü, attacks the three youths in fury. Just as they are about to be killed, their powerful protector intervenes, declaring that no one may kill his disciples before him.
• Black Mist’s body is fatally damaged by the demon’s corruption. Bian Chunchou catches his shattered upper body, but Black Mist tells him that pills cannot save him and that his remaining resources should be kept for himself.

Character Developments

• Black Mist demonstrates strategic skill and self-sacrifice. Rather than cling to a dying body, he uses its collapse to defeat the demon’s possession and spends the last of his strength protecting the younger generation.
• The demon becomes increasingly desperate and vengeful. Its grand justification about the Scarlet Pill Clan contrasts with its willingness to seize Shen Lü’s body and kill the three youths after its plan is ruined.
• Bian Chunchou experiences intense remorse and grief. He realizes that, despite initially acknowledging Black Mist as “Second Dad” for pragmatic reasons, Black Mist’s genuine care and willingness to die for him have made their bond real.
• Wen Xu-Xu and the third companion contribute actively to the plan to destroy the formation, showing their cooperation and trust in Black Mist.
• The unseen protector/Dragon Venerable-associated figure confirms his authority and affection for the youths by intervening at the critical moment.

Significant Themes

• Parting and sacrifice: Black Mist’s final act is a deliberate sacrifice to save both the youths and the Cultivation Realm from the formation’s effects.
• The meaning of family: Bian Chunchou distinguishes between his biological father and “Second Dad,” recognizing that emotional bonds are created through care and action rather than blood or obligation.
• Regret and belated sincerity: Bian Chunchou regrets that his original acceptance of Black Mist was not wholly sincere, only to discover that Black Mist’s love for him was unconditional.
• Resentment and corruption: The demon’s hatred, inherited from the Scarlet Pill Clan, has transformed into something destructive, suggesting that justified grievances can become corrupted by obsession.
• Mortality and legacy: Black Mist cannot survive, but his protection, teachings, and expectations—especially his wish to see Bian Chunchou reach the Body Integration Realm—become part of the legacy he leaves behind.

Important Character Interactions

• Black Mist and the demon: Their ideological argument becomes a struggle for control of the same body, ending with Black Mist outmaneuvering the demon through self-destruction.
• Black Mist and the three youths: The youths help locate the formation’s weakness, while Black Mist repays their efforts by using his remaining power to destroy the formation and save them.
• Black Mist and Bian Chunchou: Their final exchange reveals the depth of their adopted father-son relationship. Bian Chunchou breaks down over Black Mist’s sacrifice, while Black Mist gently comforts him and refuses to let him waste his resources.
• The protector and the demon: The protector’s intervention halts the demon’s attempted revenge and reinforces the protection surrounding the younger characters.

Chapter 608 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Black Mist, using Shu Wenzhou’s corpse, begins rapidly dissipating after helping destroy the Pill Formation and defeat the demon possessing Shen Lü.
• Before vanishing, Black Mist gives Bian Chunchou instructions: restore Shu Wenzhou’s corpse, burn it to eliminate the demon’s remnants, and bury it in Bian Family Village near the hidden spirit sword.
• It asks Chunchou to build a separate cenotaph using that spirit sword, which had accompanied Black Mist for many years.
• Bian Chunchou desperately begs Black Mist to stay and promises to find the Dragon Venerable to save it, but Black Mist refuses. It explains that it is merely Shu Wenzhou’s abandoned power and has long wished only to return to its original body.
• Black Mist reveals that it waited a thousand years in No-Shu City for Shu Wenzhou to return, but Shu never came. Instead, Chunchou entered its life and gradually became someone it genuinely cared about.
• Despite Wen Xu freezing the surrounding winds, Black Mist cannot stop its own dissolution and disappears completely.
• The battle leaves the outer sea around Pill Fragrance City devastated. The Bewildering Formation is nearly destroyed, and the demon is badly beaten by two Body Integration Divine Venerables.
• Chunchou and his friends recover Shu Wenzhou’s scattered corpse. Although the Cultivation Realm can restore the body physically, Black Mist itself cannot return.
• Chunchou breaks down in grief, blaming himself for failing to appreciate Black Mist while it was alive.
• Wen Xu comforts him, assuring him that Black Mist treated him kindly because it recognized Chunchou’s sincerity. Chen Zui also remains silently beside him.
• After the battle ends, Yonglu Mountain’s disciples take control of Pill Fragrance City.
• Wushan apologizes to Cheng Wei, admitting that he brought Black Mist out of the Bright Moon Secret Realm despite anticipating that it might die. Chunchou realizes that Black Mist did not come of its own accord and notices guilt in Wen Xu’s expression.

Character Developments

• Black Mist accepts its death peacefully, having fulfilled its wish to return to Shu Wenzhou’s body. Though it claims to be emotionless “power,” its attachment to Chunchou reveals that it has developed genuine affection and parental love.
• Bian Chunchou suffers the loss of his “Second Dad” and begins to understand the importance of becoming stronger. His grief is intensified by regret over not treating Black Mist with enough respect, motivating his determination to better protect those he loves.
• Wen Xu demonstrates emotional maturity and compassion by encouraging Chunchou to grieve openly. His own past loss allows him to empathize with Chunchou.
• Chen Zui may not fully understand death and separation, but he shows loyalty by standing beside Chunchou and remaining ready to help.
• Wushan reveals remorse, acknowledging responsibility for bringing Black Mist into the dangerous situation.
• Shu Wenzhou’s absence remains central: his abandonment shaped Black Mist’s existence and left it waiting for a reunion that never came.

Significant Themes

• Love and chosen family: Black Mist and Chunchou are not related by blood, yet their bond becomes genuinely parental. Chunchou’s willingness to call Black Mist his Second Dad gives the abandoned entity a sense of belonging.
• Abandonment and longing: Black Mist’s thousand-year wait for Shu Wenzhou highlights the pain of being discarded and forgotten.
• Mortality and irreversible loss: Even powerful cultivation techniques cannot restore Black Mist, emphasizing that physical repair cannot undo death or emotional separation.
• Regret and appreciation: Chunchou realizes too late that he failed to value Black Mist properly, reinforcing the need to cherish loved ones while they are still present.
• Strength and responsibility: Chunchou understands that caring for others requires the power to protect them, marking an important step in his growth.
• Grief and emotional expression: Wen Xu encourages Chunchou to cry rather than suppress his sorrow, presenting mourning as necessary and healthy.

Character Interactions

• Black Mist and Chunchou share a final, deeply emotional farewell, with Black Mist offering parental reassurance and Chunchou pleading for it to remain.
• Wen Xu comforts Chunchou and validates his grief, while Chen Zui quietly supports him.
• Wushan apologizes to Cheng Wei, indirectly revealing that Black Mist’s presence in the battle was partly the result of his decision.
• Chunchou’s realization of Wushan’s role and Wen Xu’s guilt suggests that further emotional conflict may follow.

Chapter Summary: “Still”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Wei reveals that Shu Wenzhou’s corpse and the power dispersed from it were dangerous, ownerless sources of Body Integration-level energy. Such power could attract demons and destabilize the Cultivation Realm, so Cheng Wei searched for it and intended to secure it by force if necessary.
• He explains that the Black Mist attached to the Bright Moon Secret Realm had become one with it. Although Shu Wenzhou’s corpse was destroyed, the true essence of the secret realm survived as a weak mass of Black Mist.
• Cheng Wei gives the Black Mist to Bian Chunchou and apologizes, acknowledging that Bian may resent him for what happened. He reassures Bian that Shu Wenzhou—and No-Shu City—are not truly lost.
• Cheng Wei abruptly leaves, leaving Bian and Wen Xu stunned. Wushan explains that Cheng Wei’s apparently cold behavior masks his concern and advises Wen Xu to comfort his master.
• Wushan examines the Bright Moon Secret Realm and offers to repair it. Shu Wenzhou’s consciousness still survives within it, though it is extremely weak. Wushan estimates that the secret realm may awaken after being restored and nourished with heavenly treasures.
• Bian gratefully entrusts the secret realm to Wushan, who promises to return it in three days. He explains that Shu Wenzhou’s sacrifice for Pill Fragrance City was recognized by the Heavenly Dao, granting him a remaining chance at life.
• Wushan discovers that Bian, Wen Xu, and Chen Zui have all advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. Bian explains that they used Tribulation Lightning to survive pursuit by a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
• Chen Zui casually reveals that the three of them joined forces and killed that Spirit Transformation cultivator. Wushan is astonished by their achievement and realizes that their cultivation is exceptionally stable despite their youth.
• Wushan concludes that the three, all under forty, are likely to dominate the Prodigies Ranking for decades.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou: Moves from guilt and despair over Shu Wenzhou’s apparent death to relief and renewed hope. He realizes that Cheng Wei did not destroy his second father but preserved the part of him connected to the secret realm.
• Cheng Wei: Reveals a more compassionate and protective side beneath his stern exterior. His willingness to apologize and secure Shu Wenzhou’s remaining power shows that his harsh decisions are motivated by responsibility rather than malice.
• Wen Xu: Is shocked by both his master’s unexpected apology and Cheng Wei’s actions. His relationship with Cheng Wei is shown to include concern, embarrassment, and the expectation that he should help comfort his master.
• Wushan: Acts as a practical mediator and expert. He repairs the Bright Moon Secret Realm and recognizes the extraordinary achievements of the three young cultivators, though he humorously reacts with envy and disbelief.
• Chen Zui: Displays confidence and understatement, matter-of-factly announcing the group’s victory over a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility versus personal feelings: Cheng Wei prioritizes protecting the wider Cultivation Realm, even when doing so risks being hated by Bian.
• Sacrifice and survival: Shu Wenzhou’s sacrifice is not meaningless; his connection to the Bright Moon Secret Realm preserves a path toward recovery.
• Power and danger: Uncontrolled power can become a threat regardless of its original owner’s intentions, emphasizing the risks of extraordinary cultivation resources.
• Misunderstood compassion: Cheng Wei’s coldness conceals deep concern, showing that care may be expressed through decisive or ruthless actions.
• Youthful prodigies and changing power structures: The trio’s rapid advancement signals the emergence of a new generation capable of reshaping the Cultivation Realm.

Important Character Interactions

• Cheng Wei speaks directly to Bian about Shu Wenzhou’s fate, accepts the possibility of Bian’s hatred, and gives him the surviving Black Mist.
• Bian reacts emotionally, nearly crying with relief, while Wen Xu remains stunned by Cheng Wei’s apology.
• Wushan mediates between them, defending Cheng Wei’s awkward nature and encouraging Wen Xu to console him.
• Wushan and Bian cooperate to preserve the Bright Moon Secret Realm, with Bian expressing sincere gratitude.
• Wushan questions the trio about their cultivation and learns of their extraordinary victory, shifting from concern to astonishment at their potential.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wushan learns that Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui have all reached the Nascent Soul stage at an astonishingly young age. He is jealous that Cheng Wei, their “Big Dragon” master, seems to receive all the benefits.
• The Pill Formation sealing Pill Fragrance City has been broken. Wushan begins collecting its remnants to study, hoping to discover how to break the formations surrounding the other three cities.
• Wen Xu and the others recount their dangerous experiences inside the city. They admit that many dangers arose because they actively took risks rather than waiting for rescue, but they maintain that fighting was preferable to passively awaiting death.
• Bian Chunchou attempts to contact Shi Yijian but receives no response, raising fears that Shi has encountered serious trouble.
• Wushan receives word that Cheng Wei has arrived at the City Lord’s Office. He leaves the three disciples to meet their sect master while he searches beneath the city.
• Upon seeing Cheng Wei, Wushan realizes that Wen Xu’s blindfold was likely intended to conceal his identity. He accuses Cheng Wei of teaching his disciple to deceive the cultivation world, though Cheng Wei denies responsibility and silently accepts the blame.
• Bian Chunchou preserves Shu Wenzhou’s frozen corpse in Wen Xu’s miniature secret realm so that it can be properly buried later.
• At the City Lord’s Office, Gu Wufang is dealing with the aftermath of the city’s unsealing and the evacuation and stabilization of hundreds of millions of citizens. He receives the possessed City Lord, Shen Lü, as a prisoner for interrogation.
• Gu Wufang becomes alarmed when he realizes the disaster was caused by demons, suggesting that the situation behind the other sealed cities may be even more dangerous.
• Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui arrive safely. Gu Wufang is astonished to discover that all three have advanced to Nascent Soul without relying on Heaven-grade pills or time-accelerated cultivation.
• The three explain that they survived by joining forces to kill a Spirit Transformation cultivator. Bian Chunchou provides Shadow Recording Stones that captured the battle from multiple angles, proving their claim.
• Before the exhausted disciples can rest, Zhi Lianshan reports the discovery of a massive formation beneath the City Lord’s Office. It resembles a sacrificial immolation formation, and its core is Shi Yijian, whose condition is extremely serious.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui demonstrate extraordinary growth, reaching Nascent Soul at an exceptionally young age. Their ordeal has strengthened both their cultivation and their mental states.
• Wushan remains sharp-tongued, suspicious, and unwilling to praise Cheng Wei, but he is also actively investigating the city’s formations and working to free the remaining sealed cities.
• Cheng Wei is protective of Wen Xu. Although he denies teaching Wen Xu to disguise himself with a blindfold, he chooses to bear Wushan’s accusation rather than expose or embarrass his disciple.
• Gu Wufang shifts from relief at the city’s liberation to renewed anxiety over the demonic threat. He is also impressed—and somewhat incredulous—at the disciples’ achievements.
• Bian Chunchou shows loyalty and foresight by preserving Shu Wenzhou’s body and recording the battle in case the group perished.
• Shi Yijian is revealed to be in grave danger, having been used as the core of a powerful sacrificial formation.

Significant Themes

• Exceptional growth through adversity: The disciples’ advancement is linked not to shortcuts or pills but to surviving extreme danger and maintaining clear minds.
• Loyalty and responsibility: The characters repeatedly protect one another, preserve the dead, and accept blame on behalf of their companions.
• Hidden demonic conspiracies: The possession of Shen Lü and the sacrificial formation suggest that the crisis extends far beyond Pill Fragrance City.
• Recognition versus disbelief: The disciples’ accomplishments are so extraordinary that even their sect master initially suspects an impossible explanation, highlighting how far they have surpassed expectations.
• The cost of rescue: Liberation from the city does not end the crisis; the discovery of Shi Yijian shows that victory has come with severe sacrifices.

Character Interactions

• Wushan teases and criticizes Cheng Wei while defending his own assessment of Wen Xu’s character.
• Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui report their experiences and achievements to Gu Wufang, who reacts with astonishment and pride.
• Gu Wufang takes custody of the possessed Shen Lü and prepares to interrogate him.
• Bian Chunchou’s concern for Shi Yijian becomes central when the formation beneath the City Lord’s Office is discovered.
• Zhi Lianshan delivers the critical report about Shi Yijian, abruptly interrupting the group’s relief and returning the focus to the broader crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Defense Breached”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou learns that Senior Brother Shi Yijian was not physically injured but had been parasitized by a Demon Seed.
• Wen Xu recalls his own past encounter with a Demon Seed, which nearly consumed his Dao Heart while he was still at Qi Refining. His Destiny Pattern ultimately protected him.
• Zhi Lianshan explains that Shi’s parasitization is not yet complete, but it soon will be. Once completed, Shi will likely be beyond saving.
• Gu Wufang realizes the terrible choice facing Yonglu Mountain: activate the Demon-Slaying Grand Formation and sacrifice Shi to protect Pill Fragrance City, or risk the entire city by attempting to save him.
• The situation is made worse because Pill Fragrance City’s defensive Pill Formation has already been destroyed, and Shi is trapped within an unknown sacrificial formation.
• Gu Wufang confronts the demon occupying the body of “Shen Lü.” The demon reveals that Shi is supposedly a naturally born Demon Womb, whose eventual corruption could make him powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth.
• The demon also claims to have tampered with Shi’s fate, explaining why Shi’s cultivation progressed so slowly despite having an intact Spiritual Root and good comprehension.
• It is revealed that the demon’s plans were disrupted by the presence of three Nascent Souls and by Wen Xu’s intervention. The demon recognizes Wen Xu and mocks Yonglu Mountain for having him pretend to be blind.
• Wen Xu dismisses the accusation with his usual composure, saying that pretending to be blind is his personal freedom.
• The demon recalls Wen Xu’s previous resistance to a Demon Seed and asserts that Wen Xu survived only because of his Destiny Pattern, warning that he will not escape so easily this time.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou shows strong loyalty and compassion toward Shi Yijian. Though he understands the practical need to protect the city, he cannot accept abandoning Shi.
• Gu Wufang is placed in a painful leadership dilemma. His softhearted nature conflicts with the responsibility of protecting countless lives, revealing his difficulty with ruthless political calculation.
• Wen Xu remains calm and sharp under pressure. His brief response to the demon’s accusation demonstrates his confidence and ability to undermine an enemy psychologically.
• Zhi Lianshan provides crucial information based on his firsthand experience with Demon Seeds and Wen Xu’s earlier battle.
• Shi Yijian is portrayed as both a victim and a potential catastrophe. His desire to survive conflicts with the possibility that his parasitization could transform him into a devastating demonic entity.
• “Shen Lü” becomes increasingly enraged as its schemes unravel. Its confidence is shaken by the unexpected strength and unity of Yonglu Mountain’s cultivators.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice versus loyalty: The sect must choose between saving one disciple and protecting an entire city.
• Fate and identity: Shi’s slow cultivation and misfortune may be the result of deliberate manipulation, while Wen Xu’s Destiny Pattern has shaped his survival.
• The vulnerability of the Dao Heart: Demon Seeds exploit a cultivator’s deepest pain and weaknesses, making inner resolve as important as physical strength.
• Appearances and deception: Wen Xu’s false blindness, the demon’s possession of Shen Lü’s body, and the concealment of Shi’s true nature all emphasize the gap between appearance and reality.
• Moral ambiguity: The demon’s claims about Shi may be manipulative, but the possibility that they contain some truth creates uncertainty about whether Shi is merely corrupted or inherently dangerous.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou and Zhi Lianshan: Zhi informs Bian of Shi’s condition, prompting Bian’s immediate concern.
• Gu Wufang and Zhi Lianshan: Zhi’s warning forces Gu to confront the decision of whether Shi must be abandoned.
• Gu Wufang and the demon: Gu restrains and confronts “Shen Lü,” struggling to control his anger while seeking a way to save both Shi and Pill Fragrance City.
• Bian Chunchou and the demon: Bian passionately rejects the demon’s claim that Shi is a Demon Womb.
• Wen Xu and the demon: Their exchange becomes a battle of composure and provocation. The demon tries to expose Wen Xu’s secrets, but Wen Xu responds with detached confidence, leaving the demon visibly frustrated.
• The assembled cultivators: Chen Zui’s pedantic correction that they are Nascent Souls rather than Golden Cores briefly breaks the tension, highlighting the group’s contrasting personalities amid the crisis.

Chapter Summary: “Various Matters”

Key Plot Points and Events

• “Shen Lü,” the demon possessing or controlling the situation, reveals that Wen Xu once possessed an extremely rare Imperial Destiny combined with a Mutated Wind Spiritual Root. Had Wen Xu remained in the Mortal Realm, he might have become an emperor capable of unifying the realm.
• Wen Xu abandoned this Imperial Destiny when he returned to the Mortal Realm and severed his blood ties. The demon mocks him for giving up such a powerful advantage and claims that Wen Xu is now merely an ordinary genius who cannot break the current stalemate.
• Wen Xu refuses to regret his choice. Gu Wufang seals Shen Lü again after becoming irritated by the demon’s taunts.
• Gu Wufang asks whether Wen Xu’s Imperial Destiny still exists and whether he can truly resolve the crisis. Wen Xu explains that the Destiny Pattern remained in the Mortal Realm and is gone from him.
• Wen Xu reveals that after forming his Nascent Soul, he discovered a mysterious strand of Golden Light within his body. He believes it may be connected to a gift granted by the Dragon Vein before he left the Mortal Realm and might be effective against the Demon Seed.
• The Golden Light is shown to Gu Wufang and the others. Its nature is unknown, but its immense and unusual spiritual power gives them reason to test it.
• Cheng Wei arrives and confirms that Wen Xu has successfully formed his Nascent Soul. He cannot identify the Golden Light either, but recognizes that it likely came from the Mortal Realm.
• After hearing that the crisis again involves a Demon Seed, Cheng Wei becomes serious. Wen Xu is considering using the Golden Light to confront it, despite not knowing whether the attempt will succeed.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: Demonstrates extraordinary resolve by showing no regret over abandoning his Imperial Destiny. He views it as a burden rather than a blessing. His formation of the Nascent Soul and discovery of the Golden Light mark a new stage in his cultivation. He also begins to recognize that he can act on instinct and intuition rather than always waiting for complete certainty.
• Gu Wufang: Gains a deeper appreciation of Wen Xu’s character and realizes how much resolve was required to discard such a rare Destiny Pattern. Though initially doubtful of Wen Xu’s plan, he becomes willing to experiment after seeing the Golden Light.
• Cheng Wei: Arrives as a protective and perceptive master. His playful pride in Wen Xu’s advancement quickly shifts to concern when he learns about the Demon Seed.
• Shen Lü: Becomes increasingly arrogant while exploiting Wen Xu’s loss of destiny, but its taunts unintentionally prompt Wen Xu to consider using the Golden Light.
• Bian Chunchou: Remains observant and eager to continue an earlier conversation with Cheng Wei, though he restrains himself because of the serious circumstances.

Significant Themes

• Destiny versus personal choice: Wen Xu rejects the idea that a magnificent Destiny Pattern determines his worth or future. He chooses cultivation and personal freedom over the imperial path assigned to him.
• Sacrifice and burdens: The Imperial Destiny, although powerful, brought Wen Xu hardship and made him a target. Giving it up is presented not as foolishness but as an act of liberation and foresight.
• Uncertainty and intuition: Wen Xu does not know what the Golden Light is or whether it can defeat the Demon Seed, yet his cultivator’s intuition tells him it may be important.
• Hidden potential: Wen Xu may have lost his original destiny, but the Golden Light suggests that abandoning one form of power allowed another, more mysterious power to emerge.
• Demonic persistence: Cheng Wei’s remarks emphasize that the demons repeatedly rely on the same Demon Seed scheme across the ages, suggesting an old and ongoing conflict.

Character Interactions

• Shen Lü taunts Wen Xu about abandoning his Imperial Destiny, while Wen Xu calmly refuses to show regret and challenges the demon’s assumption that he is powerless.
• Gu Wufang acts as interrogator and mediator, sealing Shen Lü when its provocations become excessive, then questioning Wen Xu about his remaining power.
• Wen Xu shows Gu Wufang and the others the Golden Light, shifting the group from skepticism toward cautious experimentation.
• Cheng Wei warmly acknowledges Wen Xu’s Nascent Soul achievement, but his tone becomes grave once he learns that Wen Xu intends to test the Golden Light against the Demon Seed.
• Bian Chunchou attempts to reconnect with Cheng Wei about their unfinished discussion, but the danger surrounding the Demon Seed takes priority.

Chapter Summary

Plot and Events

• Cheng Wei encourages A-Xu to attempt a dangerous method rather than retreat out of fear. He argues that abandoning the attempt would damage A-Xu’s Dao Heart and leave him haunted by cowardice. Cheng Wei promises to support and protect him, while Gu Wufang humorously questions whether he, as sect master, should not be the one making the decision.
• The chapter then shifts to Shi Yijian, who sits inside a sacrificial formation and reflects on how fate has controlled his life.
• Shi recalls his childhood as an orphan taken in by the Shi Household. Treated as less valuable than servants, he became a sword slave—an expendable tool used and abused by the clan’s favored descendants. He endured severe physical abuse and deliberately disfigured himself to avoid further humiliation.
• After awakening an exceptionally rare Spiritual Root, Shi experienced joy and vindication. His former abusers, many of whom lacked talent, suddenly fell beneath him. He retaliated against them harshly, reproducing the Shi Household’s law that the strong prey upon the weak.
• He reflects on his name and identity, recognizing that his deliberately “cheap” name symbolized how little he believed his life was worth and served as a reminder that he was always considered disposable.
• Realizing that the Shi Household would never truly accept or value him—especially because his Water Spiritual Root could not inherit its central alchemical legacy—Shi planned his escape. The escape succeeded, but he was gravely injured, his Spiritual Root was damaged, and his cultivation stagnated.
• By chance, he entered Yonglu Mountain’s Inner Sect, where he found safety and outwardly rebuilt himself. However, despite gaining a handsome, unscarred appearance and a peaceful life, he remained emotionally hollow and felt that he did not belong.
• His indifference was challenged when Bian unexpectedly defended him despite being a stranger. Shi initially viewed such behavior as foolish, but instead of hating Bian, he became attached to and jealous of those close to him—especially Wen Xu.

Character Development

• Cheng Wei demonstrates faith in A-Xu’s courage and growth, encouraging him to preserve his Dao Heart by confronting danger rather than surrendering to fear.
• A-Xu/Wen Xu is presented as someone standing at an important crossroads, with the chance to prove that he has not lost his youthful determination.
• Gu Wufang provides comic relief through his irritation at being bypassed in an apparent leadership decision.
• Shi Yijian is revealed as deeply shaped by abuse, disposability, and resentment. His talent gave him power, but not true healing. He moved from survival, to revenge, to escape, yet remained internally damaged and alienated.
• Shi’s feelings toward Bian and Wen Xu expose a desire for genuine connection. His jealousy of Wen Xu reflects not simple dislike, but grief that another person with a similarly tragic past seems to have received more kindness and fortune.

Themes

• Courage and the Dao Heart: Choosing to act despite fear is necessary for spiritual and moral growth; cowardice can leave lasting damage.
• Fate versus self-determination: Shi believes he has repeatedly been manipulated by fate, though much of his life also consists of determined efforts to survive and escape oppression.
• Abuse and internalized worthlessness: Years of being treated as a tool caused Shi to view himself as inherently cheap and disposable, even after gaining status and physical beauty.
• Power and revenge: After receiving talent, Shi reproduced the same hierarchy that had oppressed him, showing how victims can internalize and perpetuate the values of their abusers.
• Belonging and human connection: Safety and outward transformation cannot erase emotional isolation. Genuine concern from another person becomes more meaningful to Shi than institutional acceptance.
• Jealousy and unequal salvation: Shi envies Wen Xu because both rose from near-death circumstances through their Spiritual Roots, yet Wen Xu appears to have found greater favor, companionship, and happiness.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Wei supports A-Xu directly, promising that his master will “hold the line,” while Gu Wufang reacts with exasperation at the presumptuous decision-making.
• Bian’s unexpected defense of Shi becomes a pivotal emotional event for Shi, forcing him to reconsider his belief that kindness toward strangers is foolish.
• Shi compares himself with Wen Xu, seeing them as similar survivors of hardship but viewing Wen Xu as luckier and more loved.

Chapter Summary: “Targeting”

Plot and events

Shi Yijian returns to the Shi Household after receiving an invitation, hoping to find answers about his life. Instead, he is trapped in a sacrificial formation, where the Demon Seed consumes his Golden Core, vitality, and consciousness. Bound and helpless, he realizes that he has always been treated as a tool—first by his childhood circumstances, then by the supposedly beautiful but false refuge of Yonglu Mountain. As his blood is drained and the Demon Seed prepares to take complete control of his body, he hears Bian’s voice and sees a mysterious Golden Light break through the black sea of the formation. Wen Xu urges him to follow it out.

Wen Xu’s intervention

Wen Xu explains that Demon Seeds begin their parasitic takeover in the victim’s Sea of Consciousness, exploiting buried fear, despair, and inferiority. He recalls his own experience of being invaded at the Qi Refining Stage, when the Demon Seed nearly seized his body before the Destiny Pattern’s Golden Light helped him resist. Drawing on that experience, Wen Xu sends the Golden Light into Shi Yijian’s consciousness to rescue him.

Character development

Shi Yijian’s inner collapse reveals the depth of his trauma and his belief that his entire life has been controlled by others. His realization that his survival was not a blessing but part of a crueler design deepens his despair. Wen Xu, meanwhile, moves from emotional distance to active compassion. Though he and Shi Yijian were merely rivals and indifferent fellow disciples, Wen Xu chooses to save him, partly because he knows Chunchou would be devastated by Shi Yijian’s death.

Character interactions

Wen Xu cannot locate Shi Yijian’s weakened consciousness within the dark mental sea, so he uses Chunchou’s voice as a means of reaching him. Chunchou repeatedly calls to Shi Yijian, and the familiar voice finally draws a faint response. This demonstrates the strength of Chunchou’s bond with Shi Yijian and allows Wen Xu’s Golden Light to begin searching through Shi Yijian’s fragmented memories.

Significant themes

The chapter explores identity, exploitation, and the struggle to escape a predetermined role. Shi Yijian’s fear of becoming a killing tool parallels Wen Xu’s earlier experience of losing control to the Demon Seed. It also emphasizes the power of memory and human connection: even when Shi Yijian’s will is nearly extinguished, Chunchou’s voice provides an emotional anchor, while Wen Xu’s past suffering enables him to understand and help another victim.

Chapter Summary: “Ranking”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu enters Shi Yijian’s memories while attempting to rescue him from the Demon Seed. He witnesses fragments of Shi’s bleak childhood and realizes that the Shi Household may have been involved in secretive, suspicious activities.
• The memories transform into a dark forest beneath the sea, where Shi Yijian’s consciousness is hidden among countless trees. Wen Xu cannot identify him, but uses a strand of golden light to guide him out.
• When Shi refuses to respond, Wen Xu first invokes Bian Chunchou’s concern, then deliberately provokes Shi by suggesting that Shi resents being rescued by him.
• Shi finally answers and admits that he is exhausted. He reveals that he possesses an Innate Demon Fetus, a constitution that explains why he was excluded from the Prodigies Ranking despite his talent.
• Believing that his fate is predetermined and that the cultivation world will always despise him, Shi questions the value of surviving. He argues that Wen Xu is rescuing him only to prevent the Demon Seed from harming others, not out of concern for him.
• Wen Xu counters Shi’s despair by telling him that Bian Chunchou has successfully formed a Nascent Soul and risen to second place on the Prodigies Ranking, despite everyone believing his Fire-Water Spiritual Root made advancement impossible.
• Wen Xu insists that Yonglu Mountain will not abandon Shi as long as he remains its disciple. He challenges Shi directly, asking whether Shi intends to lose to him and disgrace both himself and the sect.
• The provocation succeeds. Shi grasps the golden light and allows Wen Xu to pull him from the Demon Seed. As he escapes, the dark manifestations of his childhood pursue him, but the warmth of the golden light restores his desire to live.
• Wen Xu is severely drained by the rescue. Once Shi is freed, the Demon Seed is forced out of his body. Cheng Wei restrains it while Wushan destroys the sacrificial array.
• The City Lord’s Office collapses with the destruction of the array. From Bian Chunchou’s back, Shi sees the dark inner images associated with his suffering shatter as well, suggesting that the immediate crisis may finally be over.

Character Developments

• Shi Yijian: Moves from despair and resignation toward a renewed will to live. He confronts the trauma of his childhood, his hatred of his Innate Demon Fetus, and his belief that he is fated to be rejected. His jealousy of Wen Xu ultimately reveals itself as admiration and a longing for the warmth and acceptance Wen Xu represents.
• Wen Xu: Shows unusual patience and emotional insight despite his normally blunt, intimidating manner. Rather than comforting Shi conventionally, he uses sharp provocation and appeals to Shi’s pride, loyalty, and rivalry to pull him back from surrender.
• Bian Chunchou: Though absent from most of the direct exchange, he serves as Shi’s emotional anchor. His successful breakthrough becomes the key piece of information that reignites Shi’s competitive spirit.
• Cheng Wei and Wushan: Demonstrate precise cooperation and overwhelming power in restraining the Demon Seed and destroying the sacrificial array.
• Shi Yijian’s view of the sect: His belief that Yonglu Mountain will abandon him is challenged by Wen Xu, who reaffirms the sect’s loyalty and responsibility toward its disciples.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus self-determination: Shi believes his Innate Demon Fetus has condemned him from birth, but Wen Xu urges him to resist the fate imposed on him by others.
• The power of belonging: Wen Xu’s reminder that Shi remains a disciple of Yonglu Mountain suggests that community and loyalty can counteract isolation and despair.
• Rivalry as encouragement: Wen Xu uses Shi’s competitiveness more effectively than sympathy could have. Bian Chunchou’s success gives Shi a reason to continue living.
• Trauma and healing: The Demon Seed manifests Shi’s painful past and self-loathing. Escaping it does not erase his trauma, but the destruction of the array and the shattered shadows symbolize a significant emotional breakthrough.
• Prejudice and identity: Shi’s Innate Demon Fetus causes society to judge him as inherently dangerous or worthless, raising questions about whether a person’s nature should determine their value.
• Life despite exhaustion: Shi does not recover because his suffering disappears; he chooses survival despite it, largely because someone refuses to let him give up.

Important Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and Shi Yijian share their first truly candid conversation. Their exchange is sarcastic and confrontational, but beneath it lies Wen Xu’s determination to save Shi and Shi’s reluctant trust.
• Wen Xu invokes Bian Chunchou to reach Shi emotionally, using Chunchou’s concern and advancement as both comfort and provocation.
• Wen Xu’s declaration that Yonglu Mountain will not abandon Shi reframes Shi’s relationship with the sect and gives him a reason to return.
• Bian Chunchou physically carries Shi after his rescue, reinforcing their bond and Shi’s continued place among his fellow disciples.
• Cheng Wei and Wushan work together seamlessly to contain the Demon Seed and destroy the sacrificial formation, bringing the rescue operation to a successful conclusion.

Chapter 616 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Yijian survives his severe blood loss after receiving treatment from a Mysterious Physician in Pill Fragrance City, though he remains unconscious.
• Bian Chunchou collapses from exhaustion after confirming that everyone is safe. Wen Xu has also fainted after using Golden Light.
• Chen Zui tries to carry both exhausted disciples back to Yonglu Mountain, but Yanshan Venerable intervenes and takes responsibility for them, intending to help them stabilize their cultivation.
• The collapse of the City Lord’s Office leaves Pill Fragrance City unsafe and creates numerous administrative problems. Zhi Lianshan stays behind to manage the aftermath.
• Yanshan Venerable notices that five of the top six positions on the Prodigies Ranking now belong to disciples of their sect. He realizes that the rankings are accurate: Chen Zui, Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Zhi Lianshan have all reached the highest level among their peers, with three of them recently advancing to Nascent Soul.
• Wen Xu awakens around midnight at a mountain residence. His master, Cheng Wei, gives him another protective jade slip and checks whether the Demon Seed left any harmful effects.
• The Demon Seed has been placed into the Demon-Slaying Grand Formation and is expected to be destroyed. However, Cheng Wei warns that the demon’s claims about the Pill Fragrance Clan and the locations of other formations cannot be trusted.
• Cheng Wei explains that the Pill Fragrance Clan’s destruction resulted from complicated conflicts over interests and vengeance, rather than a simple righteous cause.
• He tells Wen Xu to return to Yonglu Mountain while he and Master Wushan travel to the other three cities. Zhi Lianshan will handle the matters in Pill Fragrance City.
• Cheng Wei warns that demons will likely target Wen Xu because he helped lure out the Demon Seed and possesses the Golden Light, which is their natural enemy.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu has grown considerably in both power and maturity. He has successfully formed his Nascent Soul, strengthened his Golden Light, and accepted that he can no longer remain uninvolved in the Cultivation Realm’s larger conflict.
• Cheng Wei reveals his deep concern for Wen Xu. He once felt relieved when Wen Xu lost his extraordinary Destiny Pattern, hoping it would keep him out of danger, but now recognizes that his earlier judgment was too limited.
• Chen Zui demonstrates his sense of responsibility by attempting to care for both Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou despite being nearly exhausted himself. His behavior also humorously reflects his tendency to act tough.
• Bian Chunchou shows his loyalty and courage by expending himself to protect the others, though his lack of remaining strength leaves him unconscious.
• Zhi Lianshan takes on the burden of managing the devastated city, showing his reliability and willingness to step into responsibility despite normally avoiding administrative affairs.
• Yanshan Venerable remains stern but protective. His actions show pride in his disciples’ achievements as well as concern for their health and cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and commitment: Wen Xu realizes that once he entered the struggle against the demons, he could no longer preserve himself by remaining uninvolved.
• The burden of power: The Golden Light makes Wen Xu a target, illustrating that extraordinary abilities bring danger as well as strength.
• Master-disciple bonds: Cheng Wei’s protective actions and emotional confession emphasize his love for Wen Xu and his acceptance of Wen Xu’s growing importance.
• Growth and destiny: Wen Xu’s transformation from a detached, confused young man into a powerful and resolute cultivator reflects the chapter’s focus on personal growth and unavoidable destiny.
• Unreliable truth and complicated history: Cheng Wei warns that the demon’s story should not be accepted at face value. The Pill Fragrance Clan’s downfall was shaped by tangled grievances, greed, and karma rather than a simple good-versus-evil narrative.
• Collective strength: Wen Xu is reminded that he is not fighting alone; he has the support of Yonglu Mountain and his fellow disciples.

Character Interactions

• Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou/Wen Xu: Chen Zui tries to carry both unconscious disciples, showing concern while also jokingly overestimating his remaining strength.
• Chen Zui and Zhi Lianshan: Zhi Lianshan offers assistance, but Chen Zui refuses out of pride. Yanshan Venerable then steps in and chastises Chen Zui for acting tough.
• Yanshan Venerable and the disciples: He takes charge of transporting and stabilizing them, while privately recognizing how dramatically their cultivation and status have risen.
• Cheng Wei and Wen Xu: Their nighttime conversation is the emotional center of the chapter. Cheng Wei gives Wen Xu protection, questions him about the Demon Seed, expresses concern about his destiny, and reassures him that Yonglu Mountain will stand behind him.
• Wen Xu and Cheng Wei: Wen Xu responds with greater confidence and acceptance, acknowledging that he now has both enemies and allies in the larger conflict.

Chapter Summary: The Sky Falls

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Wen Xu successfully forms a Nascent Soul, he and his master, Cheng Wei, share a lighthearted conversation. Cheng Wei is impressed by Wen Xu’s rapid progress and teases him about his age and reckless breakthrough.
• They discuss Shu Wenzhou—nicknamed Chunchou—and Cheng Wei’s guilt over leaving him behind during the crisis. Wen Xu assures him that Chunchou does not hold a grudge and greatly admires him.
• Cheng Wei promises to give Chunchou a dragon scale as a gift, prompting playful banter when Wen Xu points out that he does not even possess one himself. Cheng Wei eventually reveals that he has enough scales for all of his disciples.
• Cheng Wei and Wushan leave Pill Fragrance City to respond to Jun Zhaoying’s urgent summons. Wen Xu and the others later travel back to Yonglu Mountain by flying vessel.
• News of Wen Xu’s Nascent Soul Formation spreads rapidly, eclipsing even the danger surrounding the four sealed cities. The Prodigies Ranking is dramatically reshuffled:
  • Zhi Lianshan remains first.
  • Wei Zhou reaches Nascent Soul Middle Stage and takes second.
  • Wen Xu rises to third.
  • Bian Chunchou ranks fourth.
  • Chen Zui enters the ranking at fifth.
  • Zheng Jin falls to sixth.
• Yonglu Mountain now dominates the upper ranks, with three of its young cultivators becoming Nascent Soul True Lords in their thirties. Outsiders speculate that they may reach Spirit Transformation before age one hundred.
• When Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui return to Yonglu Mountain, the sect reacts with awe and intense curiosity. Their sudden advancement has made them objects of fascination, and everyone wonders what opportunities or dangers they encountered.
• Bian Chunchou visits Founding Peak and discovers that nearly every available mission concerns the three newly promoted True Lords. He is appalled that so many people appear eager to follow them into potentially deadly situations.

Character Development

• Wen Xu has matured significantly after forming his Nascent Soul. He remains modest and rational, but his playful teasing of Cheng Wei shows increased confidence and emotional ease.
• Cheng Wei is proud of Wen Xu and openly treats him as a remarkable success. His joking manner hides genuine affection and some guilt over having used Chunchou’s strength without fully considering the consequences.
• Bian Chunchou is portrayed as loyal, admiring, and good-natured. Despite being left behind, he does not resent Cheng Wei. His new status as a True Lord is humorous and somewhat inconvenient, as people now treat him with exaggerated reverence.
• Chen Zui remains difficult for others to approach, contrasting with Chunchou’s approachable personality.
• Zhi Lianshan, Wei Zhou, and Zheng Jin are indirectly developed through the ranking changes: Zhi remains the leading prodigy, Wei Zhou is an established rival, and Zheng Jin is implied to be frustrated by the younger trio’s astonishing advancement.

Significant Themes

• Rapid growth and overwhelming talent: The three young cultivators’ leap from Golden Core to Nascent Soul challenges conventional expectations and makes their progress seem almost inhuman.
• Fame and pressure: Their achievements bring admiration, speculation, and unwanted attention from both the cultivation world and their own sect.
• Master-disciple affection: Cheng Wei and Wen Xu’s teasing conversation reveals a close, affectionate relationship beneath their irreverent humor.
• The absurdity of cultivation rankings: The changing Prodigies Ranking emphasizes how quickly status can shift in the cultivation world and how difficult it is for ordinary cultivators to keep up.
• Curiosity and envy: Other cultivators are fascinated and intimidated by the trio, with some even pushing themselves into dangerous cultivation breakthroughs in response.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Wei and Wen Xu exchange affectionate jokes about Wen Xu’s age, his reckless Nascent Soul breakthrough, and Cheng Wei’s desire to give Chunchou a dragon scale.
• Wen Xu reassures Cheng Wei that Chunchou does not blame him and humorously exaggerates Chunchou’s admiration.
• The sect’s disciples treat Bian Chunchou with exaggerated respect, calling him “vigorous and dashing,” which makes him uncomfortable.
• At Founding Peak, a disciple speaks candidly with Chunchou because of his approachable nature, then shows him the wall of missions focused on the trio. Chunchou reacts with disbelief at the apparent willingness of others to risk their lives for the group.

Chapter 618 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou jokingly—or perhaps literally—describes the “secret” to successful Nascent Soul Formation: surviving imprisonment in Pill Fragrance City, near-death encounters with demons, and pursuit by a Spirit Transformation cultivator. The disciples are stunned, recognizing that the three cultivators’ recent breakthroughs resulted from an absurd series of life-threatening events.
• Wen Xu brings Windfold to Artifact Refining Peak for repairs and maintenance before entering seclusion himself. He and the others have postponed visiting Bian Family Village to bury Master Shu Wenzhou because they must first consolidate their new Nascent Soul cultivation and deal with the ongoing crisis involving the three cities.
• Wen Xu learns that his senior brother, Zheng Jin, is still in seclusion. Shortly afterward, a tremendous explosion erupts from Zheng Jin’s residence.
• Wen Xu and Lu Qiao rush to the site, where they find the Artifact Refining Peak master and several disciples observing the smoke. Zheng Jin crawls out of the wreckage, having apparently blown up his furnace room.
• Zheng Jin initially fails to recognize that Wen Xu has advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. Shocked by how much Wen Xu has progressed during his seclusion, he briefly assumes he has been unconscious for years before fainting from exhaustion.
• After being treated with spiritual medicine, Zheng Jin wakes and confirms that Wen Xu truly has become a Nascent Soul cultivator. He then anxiously asks where his master is, clearly relieved not to immediately face his reaction to the destroyed furnace room.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou maintains his playful, sardonic personality while reflecting on the extraordinary hardships that led to his Nascent Soul breakthrough. His comments also reinforce how unusual—and dangerous—the recent experiences of the three newly advanced cultivators have been.
• Wen Xu has successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. His increased power is evident in his ability to fly rapidly without external aid and protect Lu Qiao while carrying him. He is also becoming more responsible, arranging Windfold’s repairs and preparing for temporary seclusion.
• Lu Qiao has progressed from a Daoist attendant to the youngest disciple of Artifact Refining Peak’s master and has reached Foundation Establishment. He admires Wen Xu’s rapid advancement while humorously comparing Wen Xu’s reliability favorably with Zheng Jin’s.
• Zheng Jin remains talented but disastrously unreliable as an artifact refiner. His failed breakthrough or experiment destroys his seclusion room, yet his reaction to Wen Xu’s advancement shows genuine shock and affectionate concern for his junior brother.
• The Artifact Refining Peak master remains calm and good-natured despite Zheng Jin’s repeated disasters. His refusal to help Zheng Jin up emphasizes the exasperated but familiar relationship between master and disciple.

Significant Themes

• Growth through extreme adversity: The chapter humorously presents survival, danger, and near-death experiences as the unlikely path to Nascent Soul Formation.
• The absurdity of cultivation progress: Wen Xu’s rapid advancement contrasts sharply with Lu Qiao’s more ordinary progress and Zheng Jin’s bafflement, emphasizing how unpredictable cultivation fortunes can be.
• Comedic misfortune and camaraderie: Exploding furnaces, fainting disciples, and indifferent masters create humor while also revealing the warmth and familiarity among the sect members.
• Preparation after crisis: The characters are beginning to stabilize themselves after the events in Pill Fragrance City, focusing on consolidation, equipment repairs, and the eventual burial of Master Shu Wenzhou.
• Time and change: Zheng Jin’s confusion highlights how dramatically Wen Xu has changed during what felt to him like a short period of seclusion.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou exchanges sarcastic explanations with the younger Founding Peak disciples, who tease him about spreading increasingly outrageous rumors.
• Wen Xu speaks with Lu Qiao about Zheng Jin’s continued seclusion and later carries him swiftly to the explosion site.
• Lu Qiao internally compares Wen Xu’s considerate transportation to Zheng Jin’s unreliable personality, though he immediately feels guilty for thinking poorly of his senior.
• The Artifact Refining Peak master greets and congratulates Wen Xu before calmly watching Zheng Jin emerge from the wreckage.
• Zheng Jin relies on Wen Xu for assistance, warmly praises him as a “good” martial granduncle, and is stunned to discover that Wen Xu has become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chapter Summary: “Zheng Jin”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu explains that the Peak Master is busy forging magical artifacts because the Demon Seeds incident in Pill Fragrance City consumed the sect’s stock of artifacts used for the Demon-Slaying Grand Formation.
• Zheng Jin is shocked to learn that Wen Xu has already reached the Nascent Soul Early Stage after only twenty years. He becomes anxious and jokingly worries that Wen Xu may have surpassed him on the Prodigies Ranking.
• After recovering from his wounded pride, Zheng Jin asks Wen Xu about the upheaval in Pill Fragrance City and the disappearance of Mingxuan City.
• Wen Xu admits he knows little about Mingxuan City, prompting Zheng Jin to reveal that it is his hometown.
• Zheng Jin explains that Mingxuan City is the continent’s largest spirit-plant trading center, supplying nearly half of the central region’s cultivated spirit plants. Its disappearance threatens the alchemy and medical communities throughout the Cultivation Realm.
• The nearby Ghostmist Forest is a dangerous but exceptionally rich source of rare spirit plants. Its treasures, including heaven-grade plants and the legendary Ten-Thousand-Year Emperorfall Flower, attract spirit diggers despite the deadly risks.
• The city holds an annual Spirit-Digging Competition, where participants search for valuable plants such as the Fragrant Elixir King Grass.
• Zheng Jin explains that Mingxuan City has no conventional city lord. Instead, it is effectively governed by the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, a sect specializing in cultivating spirit plants and protected by the Hehe Sect.
• He reveals that his father was an Outer Sect disciple of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion with a rare Five-Element Spiritual Root, though he had hoped Zheng Jin would inherit a Wood Spiritual Root suited to their family’s traditions.

Character Developments

• Zheng Jin is shown to be humorous, self-deprecating, and emotionally vulnerable beneath his usual composure. Wen Xu’s rapid cultivation progress makes him feel pressured and insecure about falling behind.
• His discussion of Mingxuan City reveals a deeper personal connection to the recent crisis. He is not merely curious about the city’s disappearance—his homeland and family history are directly involved.
• Zheng Jin’s identity is further developed through his unusual Single Metal Spiritual Root, which contrasts with Mingxuan City’s strong association with Wood Spiritual Roots and spirit-plant cultivation.
• Wen Xu continues to demonstrate remarkable cultivation speed and maturity. Although he is concerned about Zheng Jin, he responds respectfully and patiently, allowing his senior brother to speak rather than worsening his embarrassment.
• Wen Xu’s position as an outsider to Mingxuan City also allows readers to learn about the city and Zheng Jin’s background naturally through their conversation.

Significant Themes

• Pressure and comparison: Zheng Jin’s reaction to Wen Xu’s advancement highlights the anxiety caused by comparing one’s progress with that of others.
• Home and identity: Zheng Jin’s connection to Mingxuan City reveals how personal identity can be shaped by one’s birthplace, family expectations, and spiritual aptitude.
• Talent versus circumstance: Spiritual roots influence social standing, career paths, and family hopes, yet Zheng Jin’s Metal Spiritual Root places him outside his hometown’s traditional strengths.
• The importance of resources: Mingxuan City and Ghostmist Forest demonstrate how spirit plants, magical artifacts, and cultivation materials support the wider Cultivation Realm.
• Humor amid crisis: The playful exchange between Zheng Jin and Wen Xu contrasts with the serious threats facing the sect and Mingxuan City, giving the chapter a lighter interpersonal tone while building tension around the larger crisis.

Character Interactions

• Zheng Jin initially teases Wen Xu and complains about being surpassed, but his joking quickly exposes genuine insecurity.
• Wen Xu remains tactful and silent when Zheng Jin becomes depressed, showing consideration for his senior brother.
• Their conversation shifts from friendly teasing to sincere trust when Zheng Jin decides to share his family background and hometown history.
• Zheng Jin’s openness suggests that he regards Wen Xu as more than a junior sect member—someone trustworthy enough to hear about matters he normally considers “family shame.”

Chapter Summary — Page 620

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zheng Jin recounts his childhood and explains that his father dreamed of becoming an Inner Sect disciple of Hundred Herbs Pavilion and finding a ten-thousand-year spiritual plant. Because Zheng Jin possessed a rare Single Spiritual Root, his father placed his ambitions on him instead.
• After awakening his Spiritual Root, Zheng Jin was expelled from his family and later revealed that his father ultimately sold him because a Single Spiritual Root cultivator was highly valuable.
• Zheng Jin originally intended to join the Hehe Sect, but missed its recruitment due to a series of misfortunes. He also considered the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect, but feared the poverty associated with sword cultivation. With no money left, he joined Yonglu Mountain and learned artifact refining.
• Wen Xu asks whether Zheng Jin will return to Mingxuan City now that it has vanished. Zheng Jin refuses, having severed ties with his father and built a new life under a different name.
• Wen Xu reports that Lord Jun, his master, and the Mist Mountain God Venerable have gone to investigate Mingxuan City and the crisis affecting the four cities. Since even three Divine Venerables have been unable to resolve the situation, Wen Xu and Zheng Jin agree that the problem is extremely serious.
• They discuss why the other vanished cities have not reappeared even after the demon responsible for the formation was subdued and the Pill Formation was broken.
• Zheng Jin asks Wen Xu to hand over Windfold for repairs, since Wen Xu’s cultivation has advanced rapidly and may soon damage the artifact again. Wen Xu also offers Zheng Jin materials he collected during his travels.
• Zheng Jin examines Wen Xu’s improved swordsmanship.
• Wen Xu later visits Ruoshui Peak to find Bian Chunchou, but discovers that Chunchou has been taken to Founding Peak to submit a mission. Wen Xu retrieves him and gives him a mysterious gift covered in dazzling golden light.

Character Developments

• Zheng Jin: His tragic and exploitative family history is revealed. Though gifted, he was abandoned and sold by his father, leaving him deeply distrustful of his family and unwilling to return to Mingxuan City. He has overcome his fear of poverty by establishing himself as an artifact refiner at Yonglu Mountain.
• Wen Xu: His cultivation has advanced dramatically, apparently reaching the Nascent Soul stage, and his swordsmanship has continued to improve. Despite this power, he remains respectful toward his seniors, generous with materials, and attentive to his friends.
• Bian Chunchou: His popularity has become a source of comic frustration, as he is repeatedly called upon to handle missions. He is easily intrigued by gifts, particularly when he thinks they may be miraculous elixirs.
• Zheng Jin and Wen Xu’s relationship: Their senior-and-junior bond is shown to be warm and cooperative. Zheng Jin repairs Wen Xu’s weapon, while Wen Xu offers him valuable materials and willingly demonstrates his progress.

Significant Themes

• Parental ambition and exploitation: Zheng Jin’s father treats him as a vehicle for fulfilling an ambition he could not achieve himself, ultimately selling him for profit.
• Independence and chosen identity: Zheng Jin rejects his biological family and embraces the life and identity he created at Yonglu Mountain.
• The cost of cultivation: Talent does not guarantee an easy path; sect choices, poverty, failed opportunities, and dangerous breakthroughs all shape the characters’ lives.
• Friendship and mutual support: The characters assist one another through repairs, gifts, missions, and cultivation guidance.
• A widening supernatural crisis: The disappearance of Mingxuan City and the other cities remains unresolved, suggesting that defeating the original demon and breaking the formation may not have solved the deeper problem.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu listens sympathetically to Zheng Jin’s history and questions his decision not to return home.
• Zheng Jin dismisses his former family and expresses satisfaction that his father may soon die without achieving his dream.
• The two discuss the involvement of powerful cultivators in Mingxuan City and the limits of their own ability to intervene.
• Zheng Jin requests Windfold for repairs while teasing Wen Xu about his rapid cultivation progress.
• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou exchange lighthearted banter about Chunchou’s unwanted popularity before Wen Xu presents him with the mysterious golden object.