Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Rumors”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Pill Fragrance City survives its crisis, the Cultivation Realm’s panic eases, and public attention shifts to the astonishing advancement of the Three-Four-Five True Lords—Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui.
• Their rapid progression to Nascent Soul in their thirties becomes the subject of intense speculation. Bian Chunchou, especially, gains recognition after advancing first and rising dramatically on the Prodigies Ranking.
• Cultivators begin questioning whether the supposedly weak Fire-Water Spiritual Root possesses hidden potential, leading to a temporary movement dedicated to “reforming Waste Spiritual Roots.”
• Because Wen Xu remains ranked above Bian Chunchou despite their similar cultivation levels, observers search for another explanation. They focus on Wen Xu’s blindness and connect it to his mysterious Destiny Pattern.
• Rumors escalate until people claim Wen Xu can divine heavenly secrets, manipulate fate, and calculate the perfect moment for all three disciples to form their Nascent Souls.
• After three months of seclusion, Wen Xu hears the exaggerated rumors and confronts Sect Master Gu Wufang about why they were not suppressed.
• Gu Wufang reveals that Wen Xu’s master never explained the truth about Wen Xu’s eyes. Wen Xu finally clarifies that his blindness is not related to an all-powerful divination ability, leaving Gu Wufang stunned and confused.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu: His reputation grows into something wildly beyond reality. Although normally reserved, he becomes more candid when explaining his eye condition. His blindness remains mysterious to outsiders but is treated humorously within the sect.
• Bian Chunchou: His rapid advancement earns him enormous recognition, especially because he reached Nascent Soul first among the three and briefly rose to second place on the Prodigies Ranking. He remains comically protective of his master’s dragon scales when Wen Xu jokingly suggests they could be ground into talisman powder.
• Chen Zui: Though the youngest and technically the current record holder for youngest Nascent Soul, he ranks behind Three-Four because the Prodigies Ranking considers Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou more talented or promising.
• Gu Wufang: He acts as the practical and somewhat exasperated sect master, accepting that rumors are impossible to control. His curiosity about Wen Xu’s eyes reveals both his ignorance of the matter and his blunt, humorous personality.
• Wen Xu’s Master: His continued secrecy frustrates Gu Wufang and contributes to the rumors surrounding Wen Xu.

Significant Themes

• The power of rumors: The Cultivation Realm transforms limited observations into increasingly absurd claims, showing how fame invites speculation and distortion.
• Hidden potential and prejudice: The success of a Fire-Water/Waste Spiritual Root challenges conventional beliefs about talent and inspires others to reconsider supposedly inferior cultivation paths.
• Destiny versus ability: Wen Xu’s blindness becomes associated with Destiny Patterns, divination, and heavenly secrets, reflecting the tendency to explain extraordinary achievements through fate or hidden powers.
• Public image versus reality: Wen Xu is imagined as an omniscient genius, while the truth is far more mundane and personal.
• Rankings and reputation: The Prodigies Ranking shapes how cultivators interpret talent, causing them to search for hidden reasons behind each character’s position.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou share a playful exchange over Bian Chunchou’s treasured dragon scales, highlighting their familiar and teasing relationship.
• Wen Xu challenges Gu Wufang about allowing the rumors to spread, while Gu responds with blunt sarcasm.
• Gu Wufang questions whether Wen Xu’s eyes are connected to his Destiny Pattern. Wen Xu’s honest explanation leaves Gu wondering whether Wen Xu literally sees people differently—even asking if Gu and Wen Xu’s grand-uncle appear identical to him.

Summary

Wen Xu explains to Gu Wufang that he cannot distinguish people by their faces, perceiving them as similarly indistinguishable as black cats. Gu Wufang realizes this unusual trait is why outsiders have been unable to identify Wen Xu, but warns that the rumors surrounding his mysterious “Golden Light” may eventually expose him. Although Gu’s faction has secretly encouraged rumors crediting the “Eye Destiny Pattern,” they cannot openly suppress the speculation without making people more suspicious. Gu urges Wen Xu never to use his Golden Light after leaving Yonglu Mountain, even in mortal danger, because its power could reveal his identity and provoke dangerous reactions.
Wen Xu asks about the three cities still trapped by demonic formations. Gu explains that Mist Mountain God Venerable has found clues toward breaking them, but the formations differ from the one in Pill Fragrance City, and the demon’s deceptive methods make any mistake potentially fatal to the citizens inside. Gu also tells Wen Xu that Shi Yijian returned unconscious after suffering severe physical and psychological damage. Wen Xu visits him, only to discover that Shi has awakened and is pretending to sleep to avoid him. Wen Xu teases him by calling him “Junior Brother Shi” and mentions that Bian Senior Brother is worried, provoking Shi’s anger and desire to recover his Demon Seed so he can challenge Wen Xu.
The narrative then shifts to Wushan, who has spent three months laboring to decipher the formations around the besieged cities. Jun Zhaoying and Cheng Wei repeatedly pressure him for progress, prompting him to scold and threaten them. Cheng also boasts that his disciple Wen Xu may soon reach Spirit Transformation, though Wushan mocks the exaggeration. Wushan’s task is especially difficult because the three city formations were designed according to local conditions and rely partly on pillcraft, an area in which he is not skilled. After seven more days of study, he finally develops a workable, if crude, method for breaking the formation in Mingxuan City. At that moment, the demon attempts to undermine his resolve by questioning why Wushan cares about the Cultivation Realm’s decline when he has already reached the Body Integration Realm.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Wen Xu: Reveals his face-blindness and shows practical self-awareness about his limitations. He understands the danger surrounding his Golden Light but remains concerned about the suffering citizens trapped in the cities. His playful, provocative treatment of Shi Yijian demonstrates his confidence and sharp sense of humor.
• Gu Wufang: Acts protectively toward Wen Xu, warning him about public suspicion and the danger of revealing his power. He is also politically calculating, secretly manipulating rumors while pretending to offer neutral advice.
• Shi Yijian: Has survived a devastating ordeal but remains physically and psychologically fragile. His immediate hostility toward Wen Xu, even after waking from his coma, reveals lingering resentment and embarrassment.
• Wushan: Displays perseverance and responsibility, dedicating months to solving the formations despite exhaustion and lack of expertise. His irritation with Jun Zhaoying and Cheng Wei adds comic relief, while the demon’s taunts test his commitment.
• Jun Zhaoying and Cheng Wei: Function as persistent companions and sources of pressure. Cheng’s proud boasting about his disciple contrasts with Wushan’s practical frustration.
• Wen Xu and Shi Yijian: Their exchange is antagonistic but playful. Wen Xu sees himself as Shi’s lifesaver, while Shi remains deeply resentful and wants the power to confront him.

Significant Themes

• Self-awareness and personal limitations: Wen Xu’s inability to recognize faces and Wushan’s lack of pillcraft expertise show that even capable characters must understand and work around their weaknesses.
• Concealed identity and dangerous power: Wen Xu’s Golden Light must remain hidden, emphasizing the risks of reputation, public opinion, and the fear surrounding extraordinary abilities.
• Manipulation and deception: Both political factions and demons influence perception through rumors, persuasion, and psychological attacks.
• Responsibility and sacrifice: Gu, Wen Xu, and Wushan remain focused on rescuing the citizens despite the prolonged danger and personal cost.
• Persistence under pressure: Wushan’s painstaking work and Shi Yijian’s survival highlight endurance in the face of physical, emotional, and strategic hardship.
• Humor amid crisis: Teasing, boasting, threats, and sarcastic exchanges provide comic relief while the broader situation remains grave.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

Wushan confronts the imprisoned demon, which continues to insist that the Scarlet Pill Clan was destroyed by the righteous Cultivation Realm rather than through self-inflicted ruin. The demon tries to tempt Wushan into doubting his plan to break the formation, but Wushan recognizes the manipulation and prepares to seal it away.
Meanwhile, Mingxuan City remains hidden and sealed after its disappearance. With the city’s destruction disrupting the spirit-herb trade and leaving prospectors vulnerable to robbery, the Cultivation Realm eagerly awaits its recovery, much as it had awaited Pill Fragrance City’s restoration. Wushan devises a method to disrupt Mingxuan City’s Pill Formation rather than destroy it outright, imitating the way Pill Fragrance City’s formation had previously been broken.
Wushan, Jun Zhaoying, and Cheng Wei work together to interfere with the formation. Jun Zhaoying uses her exceptional control over wind to assist Wushan, while Cheng Wei contributes his overwhelming power. When the city briefly becomes visible, Jun Zhaoying transforms into Radiant Flow and enters before the formation can close again. Mingxuan City is successfully revealed, though its internal condition remains unknown.
The chapter ends with Bian Chunchou returning from visiting Shi and observing that Shi has become unusually irritable and particular about how he is addressed since returning from Pill Fragrance City.

Character developments

• Wushan remains perceptive and composed, seeing through the demon’s psychological manipulation. Although powerful and confident, he is also concerned about the ordinary people trapped inside Mingxuan City and takes a careful, strategic approach to rescuing it.
• Jun Zhaoying demonstrates extraordinary mastery of her Wind Spiritual Root. Her ability to become a wisp of wind makes her the ideal person to infiltrate the formation.
• Cheng Wei displays increased emotional maturity and steadiness. Though he misses the simplicity of life on Springless Peak, he accepts his responsibility to stand with humanity during the crisis.
• Shi appears to have changed after the events in Pill Fragrance City, becoming more emotional and demanding, possibly because of the Demon Seed’s influence.
• Bian Chunchou responds to Shi’s unusual behavior with patience and tolerance, assuming that his emotional instability is connected to the Demon Seed.

Significant themes

• Stubbornness and manipulation: The demon’s refusal to accept the truth reflects how rigid beliefs can persist even in the face of evidence.
• Responsibility and limited power: Wushan and Cheng Wei recognize that they can only do what lies within their power, yet still choose to act for those endangered by the crisis.
• Cooperation and trust: The successful plan depends on the complementary abilities of Wushan, Jun Zhaoying, and Cheng Wei.
• The human cost of calamity: The disappearance of Mingxuan City threatens not only cultivators but also ordinary citizens who depend on the city’s spiritual-plant economy.
• Change and adaptation: The Cultivation Realm begins rebuilding after the destruction of Pill Fragrance City, while individuals such as Cheng Wei and Shi adjust to new responsibilities and emotional consequences.

Character interactions

Wushan rejects the demon’s accusations and attempts at provocation, while the demon challenges his certainty about breaking the formation. Wushan then gives Jun Zhaoying and Cheng Wei specific roles in the rescue plan, ultimately favoring Jun Zhaoying as the infiltrator because of her superior control and subtlety. Cheng Wei privately feels left out when Wushan and Jun seem to communicate without him, but still cooperates successfully. Wushan and Cheng Wei also share a moment of mutual understanding about doing their best under impossible circumstances. Finally, Bian Chunchou reflects sympathetically on Shi’s strange behavior, choosing to be patient with his fellow disciple rather than confront him.

Chapter Summary: “Snow Mountain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three months after returning from Pill Fragrance City, Bian Chunchou feels his cultivation has stabilized. Chen Zui has also completed a trip through the Back Mountain Secret Realm, while the Bright Moon Secret Realm has improved despite Second Dad remaining asleep.
• Bian decides to escort Second Dad and his deceased “cheap father” back to Bian Family Village so the corpse can be buried there. Because the body has been drained of power by demonic parasites, it no longer requires an elaborate cultivator’s tomb.
• Chen Zui and Wen Xu insist on accompanying him. Senior Brother Zheng Jin also joins them after pressuring Wen Xu into bringing him along, hoping to find opportunities for cultivation advancement.
• The group travels toward Bian Family Village in the remote Southern Luo Mountains. Their journey is complicated by a powerful natural formation that traps them in a dense forest for three days.
• Wen Xu determines that the formation can be escaped by moving against the direction of the wind. The group eventually reaches a snow mountain and the fertile land surrounding it, where Bian Family Village is located.
• Upon arriving, they are met with hostility. The villagers refuse to let them bury the corpse in the ancestral graveyard, calling them outsiders and threatening to drive them away. Bian Chunchou refuses to resolve the matter through force, leaving the burial situation unresolved.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou shows strong attachment to his family and hometown. Though embarrassed by the others’ concern, he is secretly pleased that Chen Zui and Wen Xu accompany him. He also demonstrates restraint by refusing to use violence against the villagers.
• Chen Zui remains blunt, protective, and ready to support Bian physically—his silent threat to draw his sword makes clear that he will not tolerate Bian being opposed.
• Wen Xu continues to be calm and resourceful in dangerous situations. He expertly identifies and navigates the natural formation, while maintaining a composed, almost deceptive optimism about the group’s repeated misfortunes.
• Zheng Jin becomes increasingly exasperated by the group’s bizarre adventures. His experience with them reinforces the idea that Bian, Chen, and Wen attract extraordinary trouble wherever they go.

Significant Themes

• Family and remembrance: Bian’s determination to return home and bury his father reflects his lingering sense of filial duty despite the complicated and even supernatural circumstances surrounding his father’s death.
• Belonging and exclusion: The villagers’ refusal to recognize Bian or accept the corpse highlights the tension between returning to one’s origins and discovering that one may no longer be accepted there.
• Adventure and absurdity: A simple funeral journey quickly turns into another dangerous expedition, continuing the humorous pattern of the group encountering unlikely crises.
• Power and restraint: Although the protagonists could easily overpower the villagers, Bian chooses not to impose his will through force, emphasizing respect for ordinary people and the moral limits of cultivation power.

Character Interactions

• Chen Zui and Wen Xu insist on accompanying Bian, revealing their loyalty and the close bond among the three.
• Wen Xu explains that Zheng Jin has effectively forced his way into their traveling group, creating humorous tension and expanding the “three-person household” into four.
• Zheng Jin repeatedly questions whether the group’s dangerous experiences are normal, while Wen Xu humorously disguises their chaotic journeys as ordinary “training.”
• At the village, Bian attempts to approach the burial respectfully, but the villagers immediately reject him and the others. Their hostility creates the chapter’s central conflict and sets up the next stage of the story.

Chapter 625 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu reflects on the villagers’ chaotic pursuit of the group, realizing that the scene reminds him of his former life in the Mortal Realm. He recognizes that his past contained happy memories as well as hardship.
• Bian Chunchou and his companions are initially driven away by the people of Bian Family Village, who believe they are desecrating their ancestral land by bringing in a coffin.
• Chunchou claims that his ancestor came from the village and reveals that his father was known as “Old Zhou,” a blacksmith. An elderly villager recognizes the name, confirming that Old Zhou had once lived in the village.
• The villagers’ hostility immediately turns into warmth. They welcome Chunchou and his companions, show them Old Zhou’s former home, and explain that the simple courtyard and old forge belonged to him.
• Chunchou learns more about his adoptive father’s hidden past. Shu Wenzhou had lived in the village under the identity of Old Zhou and had changed identities repeatedly over the years, leaving a remarkably extensive genealogy entry.
• The group locates the ancestral burial site and finds the grave where the two spirit swords were hidden. Chunchou decides to bury the swords with the coffin, since their only true owners were the deceased pair.
• The following day, villagers accompany the group to retrieve the coffin. They insist on checking its contents and performing the village’s funeral rites before bringing it into the ancestral hall.
• After confirming the coffin’s legitimacy, the villagers take responsibility for carrying it, treating Chunchou as one of their own.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu becomes more accepting of his past. Instead of focusing solely on its misery, he allows himself to remember the few joyful experiences he had.
• Bian Chunchou demonstrates both awkward honesty and emotional loyalty. He struggles to provide details about his origins but remains determined to fulfill his father’s final wish.
• Chunchou also shows practical resourcefulness by invoking his father’s reputation and involving Senior Brother Zheng when the villagers ask about blacksmithing.
• Senior Brother Zheng is humorously dragged into Chunchou’s explanation and accepts the burden of pretending to be the family’s craftsman.
• Shu Wenzhou/Old Zhou is revealed to have lived a quiet, secluded life in Bian Family Village, suggesting a less-known and more domestic side to his character.

Significant Themes

• Belonging and ancestry: Chunchou discovers that, despite his uncertain upbringing, he genuinely has roots in Bian Family Village.
• Family beyond blood: The villagers accept Chunchou through his connection to Old Zhou, while Chunchou honors his adoptive father even though he knows little about his early life.
• Reconciliation with the past: Wen Xu’s changing attitude toward his memories parallels Chunchou’s effort to give his father a proper resting place.
• Community and tradition: The villagers’ funeral customs initially create conflict but ultimately provide support, protection, and a sense of communal belonging.
• Hidden identities and forgotten lives: Old Zhou’s multiple identities and long residence in the village reveal how much of a person’s history can remain concealed.

Character Interactions

• The villagers first confront and chase the group, but their attitude changes dramatically after an elder identifies Chunchou as Old Zhou’s son.
• The elderly granduncle treats Chunchou warmly, shares memories of Old Zhou, shows him the family home, and encourages him to remain in the village.
• Chunchou relies on Senior Brother Zheng to answer questions about blacksmithing, creating a lighthearted but burdensome exchange.
• Chunchou and Wen Xu discuss the location of the grave and the proper fate of the spirit swords.
• The village men insist on inspecting the coffin and carrying it themselves, demonstrating both their suspicion of outsiders and their willingness to support someone they recognize as family.

Chapter 366: “Searching for Someone” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou returns safely to Bian Family Village with Shu Wenzhou’s coffin.
• Following village customs, Shu’s body remains in state for three days while villagers offer incense. During this time, Second Great-Uncle tells Chunchou about his father and ancestors, revealing that the Bian family men were traditionally solitary and rarely married.
• Chunchou reflects on Shu Wenzhou’s tragic past. After fleeing the Bright Moon Secret Realm, Shu had lived like a shell of a person, sustained only by his devotion to the woman he loved and by his determination to protect their bloodline.
• At the end of the mourning period, Chunchou carries out the funeral rites and buries Shu beside the woman he loved. He silently promises to obtain heavenly treasures to restore the secret realm Shu left behind.
• Wen Xu and Chen Zui accompany Chunchou through the ceremony, just as they had supported others during visits to graves in the past.
• After the burial, the villagers hold a customary feast. Wen Xu, Chen Zui, and Zheng Jin discuss the unusual spirit swords buried with Shu.
• Zheng Jin learns that the swords were forged by Shu Wenzhou, whom he had assumed was an ordinary mortal. Chunchou later explains that they are a pair of low-grade spirit swords made from Mortal Iron and were Shu’s most treasured possessions.
• Zheng Jin, fascinated by the swords and by Wen Xu’s Wind Sword, tries to persuade Wen Xu to let him examine Windfold again. Windfold remains unrepaired because Zheng Jin refuses to restore it in a way that might reduce its power for a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou: Completes his duty as Shu’s adopted son and gains emotional closure by returning Shu to the family graveyard. His grief has eased by the end of the chapter, and he reaffirms his responsibility to preserve Shu’s legacy and restore the secret realm.
• Shu Wenzhou: Although dead, his history becomes clearer. He was a skilled swordsmith and a deeply devoted man who protected the descendants of the woman he loved for centuries.
• Wen Xu: Demonstrates loyalty and discretion by supporting Chunchou without exposing unnecessary details about his family. He also teases Zheng Jin rather than revealing everything about the swords.
• Chen Zui: Remains quiet and focused primarily on weapons, fitting his established personality.
• Zheng Jin: His curiosity about exceptional weapons becomes increasingly obvious. He is respectful enough not to disturb Shu’s grave, but eagerly seeks information and another opportunity to inspect Windfold.

Significant Themes

• Returning to one’s roots: Shu’s burial beside his beloved represents a thousand-year journey finally reaching its end.
• Duty and filial devotion: Chunchou fulfills Shu’s final instructions despite his grief, honoring both his adoptive father and his family’s history.
• Love enduring through time: Shu’s protection of his beloved’s bloodline shows how devotion can survive separation, death, and centuries of hardship.
• Hidden identities and underestimated people: Shu appears to have been an ordinary villager, yet he was a masterful artifact maker capable of forging unusual spirit swords.
• Craftsmanship and perfectionism: Zheng Jin’s refusal to repair Windfold inadequately highlights the importance of treating weapons as extensions of their wielders and of pursuing true mastery rather than merely functional results.

Character Interactions

• Second Great-Uncle comforts Chunchou while sharing stories about Shu and urging him not to repeat his family’s isolated lifestyle.
• Chunchou responds respectfully but internally reacts with humor to being encouraged to marry even in the Cultivation Realm.
• Wen Xu and Zheng Jin exchange teasing remarks over Zheng Jin’s interest in the spirit swords. Wen Xu deliberately withholds information, frustrating Zheng Jin.
• Zheng Jin later questions Chunchou directly, and Chunchou openly explains the swords’ origin and sentimental value.
• Zheng Jin attempts to trade on his work repairing farm tools in the village to gain access to Wen Xu’s Wind Sword, revealing both his resourcefulness and his intense fascination with weapon refinement.

Chapter Summary: “Arriving Home”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu, Zheng Jin, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui remain traveling together after completing their previous mission. None of them is eager to return to the sect, and Wen Xu accepts that his mysterious guidance may eventually force him to use the Golden Light again.
• Bian Chunchou explains that Seventh Granduncle from his village asked him to find his missing daughter, Bian Xiaoyi. Because Chunchou resembles Xiaoyi and emotionally reacted when Seventh Granduncle cried, he wonders whether he might be her son.
• Chunchou secretly obtains Seventh Granduncle’s fingertip blood to make a kin-seeking talisman. The group travels to Nanluo City, where Xiaoyi was last believed to have gone, but the talisman shows no reaction. She may be dead or may never have gone there.
• After seven days in Nanluo City, the group is expelled after provoking trouble—even in the black market. Zheng Jin jokingly complains that the others must all be cursed with bad luck.
• Chen Zui realizes that the region beyond Nanluo City may lead to his childhood home. He recalls that he became lost while leaving home and eventually reached Yonglu Mountain by following a group of people who were seeking masters.
• The group decides to visit Chen Zui’s A-Niang. They leave the city and prepare to camp in the wilderness, while continuing to discuss their unresolved searches.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu shows increasing acceptance of his uncertain destiny. Rather than resisting the possibility that he will need to use the Golden Light, he chooses to “go with the flow.” He also appears more emotionally steady after extended travel.
• Bian Chunchou reveals a strong sense of responsibility and compassion. Although he insists he is not simply softhearted, he keeps his promise to investigate Bian Xiaoyi’s disappearance despite the lack of evidence. His concern about his possible parentage adds a more personal dimension to his journey.
• Chen Zui demonstrates his blunt honesty and unusual simplicity. His poor sense of direction, willingness to accept a low-quality saber in exchange for helping strangers, and lack of concern about gain or loss all reflect his straightforward values. His decision to return home suggests a growing willingness to confront his past.
• Zheng Jin remains humorous, adaptable, and relaxed. He jokes about the group’s misfortune and willingly follows their increasingly chaotic plans, though he is also visibly frustrated by their tendency to attract trouble.
• Chen Zui’s A-Niang is characterized indirectly. Though Chen remembers her as practical and accepting, Wen Xu recalls that she could also be fierce and verbally aggressive, suggesting a more complex personality than Chen’s simple description implies.

Significant Themes

• Home and belonging: The chapter centers on the meaning of returning home, whether for Chen Zui’s literal reunion with his A-Niang or Chunchou’s search for his possible mother.
• Family and chosen relationships: Biological ties are uncertain or distant for several characters, while their companionship during travel functions as a kind of chosen family.
• Fate versus personal choice: Wen Xu’s acceptance of his apparent destiny contrasts with the group’s active attempts to pursue personal goals, such as finding relatives or revisiting home.
• Simplicity and contentment: Chen Zui’s belief that people should not be overly concerned with gain and loss reflects a theme of valuing necessities, trust, and personal principles over material advantage.
• Bad luck and adventure: The group’s repeated misfortunes are treated humorously, emphasizing the unpredictable and disorderly nature of their travels.

Character Interactions

• Zheng Jin teases Wen Xu about remaining outside the sect and later mocks the group’s disastrous luck.
• Bian Chunchou openly discusses his possible connection to Bian Xiaoyi with Chen Zui and the others, while Zheng Jin and Wen Xu react with surprise and skepticism.
• Chunchou and Chen Zui engage in a lively debate about Chen’s journey to Yonglu Mountain, his broken saber, and whether he was cheated.
• Wen Xu and Zheng Jin are quieter during the argument but remain involved as observers and commentators.
• The group collectively agrees to accompany Chunchou in searching for Xiaoyi and then to visit Chen Zui’s home, reinforcing their loyalty and willingness to support one another.

Chapter 628 Summary

Plot and Events

• Wen Xu reflects on Feidu City and the Scarlet Pill Clan’s devil. He recognizes that the truth behind the clan’s destruction was morally complicated: the devil’s account was exaggerated, but Feidu City’s ancestors had undeniably exploited the disaster. With the devil captured and Feidu City’s people freed, he considers the matter finished.
• The group encounters a Hou spirit beast that Chen Zui claims once chased him when he was only at the Qi Refining stage. This reveals that Chen Zui began cultivating—and surviving dangerous situations—from a very young age.
• Chen Zui insists he remembers the way home, but the group spends several days traveling in circles. His refusal to ask his mother for directions stems from her condition that he reach the Nascent Soul stage before finding his own way home.
• They discover that Chen Zui’s home lies in a remote, highly spiritual area. Zheng Jin notices that the landscape resembles the dangerous Ghostmist Forest, though Chen Zui is unfamiliar with the name and cannot confirm their location.
• The journey becomes extremely perilous, involving roughly eighty-one dangerous trials. Zheng Jin marvels that Chen Zui once survived this route as a Qi Refining cultivator, speculating that Chen Zui’s mother may have secretly protected him.
• Near the end, Chen Zui announces that they have finally reached the vicinity of his home.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu continues to show insight into morally ambiguous historical events, but also acts as the group’s social mediator and prankster. He deliberately tells the others that Zheng Jin fears ghosts, turning the discussion about Ghostmist Forest into a joke.
• Chen Zui is revealed to be extremely stubborn, literal-minded, and directionally hopeless despite his confidence. His childhood was more dangerous than the others realized, and his survival suggests either extraordinary luck, hidden protection from his mother, or remarkable resilience.
• Zheng Jin gains a deeper appreciation for Chen Zui’s unusual past and recognizes how much Chen Zui has endured. He also reflects on his own growth, noting that he is no longer the helpless child he once was.
• Bian Chunchou remains familiar with Chen Zui’s personality and family history, teasing him about his mother’s frustration with his “straight” thinking and explaining why he was sent away to study.
• The three companions’ closeness is emphasized: Wen Xu’s presence keeps Chen Zui and Bian Chunchou cooperative and prevents them from arguing or overthinking.

Themes

• Moral complexity and historical ambiguity: The Feidu City incident demonstrates that historical events are rarely entirely good or evil; both the devil and Feidu City’s ancestors bear responsibility.
• Home and independence: Chen Zui’s journey home is tied to his mother’s expectations and his attainment of Nascent Soul, making the return a test of maturity and cultivation.
• Friendship and group dynamics: The companions’ ability to endure danger together—and Wen Xu’s ability to keep them united through humor—highlights their strong bond.
• Growth through hardship: The perilous journey functions like years of training, strengthening Zheng Jin’s confidence and giving the group a greater understanding of Chen Zui’s past.
• Comedy through contrast: Chen Zui’s confidence despite his terrible sense of direction, Zheng Jin’s exaggerated “fear of ghosts,” and the others’ willingness to accept absurd explanations provide much of the chapter’s humor.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu teases Zheng Jin by claiming he fears ghosts, while Zheng Jin protests that the joke damages his reputation.
• Bian Chunchou and Chen Zui casually discuss Chen Zui’s inability to navigate, with Chunchou urging him to ask his mother for directions.
• Zheng Jin questions how Chen Zui survived such a dangerous route at a young age, prompting discussion of Chen Zui’s powerful but exasperated mother.
• Bian Chunchou reveals that Chen Zui’s mother sent him away because teaching his overly literal son was exhausting, reinforcing the affectionate but comedic family dynamic.

Chapter Summary: “No One”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Zui leads Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Zheng Jin across the dangerous Dark Marsh in the center of Ghostmist Forest, claiming that his home lies beyond it.
• He uses a specially prepared wooden strip whose fragrance clears a safe path through the marsh. Contrary to its fearsome reputation, the crossing is uneventful.
• The group reaches a peaceful hidden lakeside surrounded by two simple thatched huts. Chen Zui reveals that this secluded place is his home, where he lived with his mother.
• The scenery is beautiful, and the area contains an enormous field of valuable, heaven-grade spirit plants.
• Zheng Jin realizes how extraordinary Chen Zui’s upbringing was. Chen, however, is largely unaware of the value of his surroundings and casually recalls once digging up the medicinal plants to practice his blade, earning a severe beating from his mother.
• Chen enters the larger hut to look for his mother but cannot find her. He then dives into the lake to search beneath it, leaving the others to speculate about the strange isolation of the place and how his mother received the clothes and gifts he sent her.
• The chapter ends with the group discussing how mysterious the location is, though Wen Xu and Bian Chunchou are relatively unfazed because they have previously encountered people from the equally enigmatic Awakening Sea.

Character Development

• Chen Zui: Shows a rare mixture of excitement, nervousness, and childlike attachment as he returns home. His casual attitude toward the priceless spirit plants highlights how sheltered and unusual his upbringing was. His concern over his mother’s absence also reveals his dependence on and affection for her.
• Zheng Jin: Becomes increasingly astonished by Chen Zui’s background and recognizes that Chen has been “born above the clouds,” possessing access to resources others could spend their entire lives pursuing. He also continues to provide dry commentary about the group.
• Wen Xu: Demonstrates practical judgment and strong trust in Chen Zui, while also observing the sealed and isolated nature of the hidden residence.
• Bian Chunchou: Adds humor and curiosity, recording the beautiful scenery and questioning the mystery of Chen Zui’s communications with his mother.

Significant Themes

• The contrast between appearance and true value: The humble huts conceal a breathtaking landscape and priceless medicinal plants, suggesting that true wealth may be hidden beneath simplicity.
• Privilege and ignorance: Chen Zui takes extraordinary resources for granted because they were part of his ordinary childhood, while Zheng Jin sees their immense value.
• Home and belonging: For the three characters who lack homes, Chen Zui’s simple declaration that the huts are “my home” carries emotional weight.
• Mystery and isolation: The hidden residence, sealed environment, unusual lake, and missing mother deepen the mystery surrounding Chen Zui’s family.
• Friendship and trust: Despite the danger and strangeness of the place, the group follows Chen without hesitation and responds to his eccentricities with teasing rather than suspicion.

Character Interactions

• The group jokes about Zheng Jin’s supposed fear of ghosts, with Chen offering to protect him; Zheng Jin sarcastically rejects the offer and chooses to walk behind them.
• Bian praises Chen’s beautiful home, making Chen visibly pleased.
• Zheng Jin teases Chen about failing to recognize the value of the spirit plants, while Chen innocently recounts destroying them during childhood blade practice.
• After Chen disappears into the lake searching for his mother, the remaining three discuss how he could have communicated with her from such an isolated place.
• Their conversation about the Awakening Sea reinforces the trio’s unusual experiences and their tendency to treat extraordinary events as commonplace.

Chapter 630 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Zui discovers his mother’s true body sleeping beneath the spiritual lake and finds a letter from her. She has left on a journey to buy fashionable clothes, apparently offended by the “ugly” practical garments he chose for her.
• He explains that his mother frequently disguises herself, suppresses her cultivation, and sometimes seals her memories so she can experience ordinary life—and recklessly socialize with young men. Chen Zui also claims she gave birth to him without a father, prompting widespread disbelief.
• Since Mother Chen is absent, the group leaves her secluded medicinal field. Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Zheng Jin are deeply impressed—and envious—of Chen Zui’s extraordinary family background and privileges.
• After resting, the four resume traveling through Ghostmist Forest. Zheng Jin guides them by reading the traces left by cultivators and Spirit Beasts, estimating that they will soon leave the forest.
• They unexpectedly arrive at Mingxuan City, the same city connected to their larger crisis. Bian Chunchou’s Kin-Seeking Talisman reacts, indicating that his missing relative, Bian Xiaoyi, is somewhere nearby, possibly inside the city.
• Rather than leaving, the group decides to remain and investigate. Zheng Jin mentions that the Dragon Venerable is also in Mingxuan City.
• Before Wen Xu can contact his master, Cheng Wei appears and takes him away. Wen Xu explains everything that happened during his journey.
• Cheng Wei concludes that the demon behind Pill Fragrance City likely has accomplices, or that multiple Demon Seeds exist. Jun Zhaoying has been inside Mingxuan City for nearly half a month without breaking its formation, suggesting that the situation is extremely serious.
• Cheng Wei reveals that Rongyuan and Pagoda City are also deteriorating after he and Wushan investigated them. The threat is spreading, and further delay may cause all three cities to fall into ruin.

Character Developments

• Chen Zui: Shows his usual straightforwardness and unusual acceptance of his mother’s eccentric behavior. His austere life contrasts sharply with the immense wealth and power of his family.
• Mother Chen: Is characterized as powerful, independent, playful, and unpredictable. Her habit of suppressing her cultivation and memories highlights her desire to experience life freely.
• Zheng Jin: Becomes the group’s practical guide through Ghostmist Forest. Though eager for comfort and luxury, he willingly changes plans when Mingxuan City and Bian Xiaoyi become involved.
• Bian Chunchou: Moves closer to finding Bian Xiaoyi. His mixed emotions reflect both relief at locating her and anxiety about the dangers of entering the city.
• Wen Xu: Demonstrates responsibility and perceptiveness by following the clues surrounding the Demon Seeds. His close bond with Cheng Wei is also emphasized.
• Cheng Wei: Shifts from waiting impatiently for developments to taking decisive action. He recognizes that the crisis is broader than a single city and that Wen Xu’s special connection to the golden light may be important.

Significant Themes

• Family and unconventional relationships: Chen Zui’s strange but affectionate relationship with his mother contrasts with the group’s conventional assumptions about parents and family.
• Privilege and fate: The others envy Chen Zui’s ability to move freely through a treasure-filled sanctuary simply because he was born into a powerful family.
• Growing supernatural threat: The possible existence of multiple Demon Seeds expands the scope of the danger and suggests a coordinated or widespread crisis.
• Responsibility versus personal comfort: Zheng Jin’s desire to rest in a comfortable city is overridden by the need to rescue Bian Xiaoyi and investigate Mingxuan City.
• Decay and urgency: The worsening conditions in Mingxuan, Rongyuan, and Pagoda City create a sense that the protagonists must act quickly before the corruption spreads further.

Chapter 369 Summary

Plot and events

Wen Xu volunteers to enter the dangerous situation involving the demon disturbances. Cheng Wei strongly objects, worried that his young disciple is only at the Nascent Soul Realm and has already been forced into repeated life-threatening situations. He reflects on how he, Jun Zhaoying, and Wushan once carried the burden of protecting the Cultivation Realm, and realizes that this responsibility is now beginning to pass to the younger generation.
Cheng Wei updates Wen Xu on the crisis in the three affected cities:

• Pagoda City is in the best condition, though both Venerable Chishan and Wen Xu’s Buddhist friend Bushi are trapped there.
• Rongyuan City is struggling. Meixi Sword’s powerful lightning technique has been ineffective against demons that were evidently prepared in advance. Wei Zhou has forced a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage because his cultivation method can somewhat counter the demons.
• Mingxuan City has gone silent since Jun Zhaoying entered half a month earlier. Since she should have been strong enough to break the formation, her failure to act suggests she is being restrained by an overwhelming or unusual force.

Character development

Cheng Wei’s normally carefree and irreverent personality gives way to sincere anxiety and solemn responsibility. His concern for Wen Xu reveals how deeply he regards him as a disciple and how much he fears seeing him repeat the painful path of the older generation. He also recognizes that Wen Xu’s involvement may be part of a larger movement of fate, comparable to Cheng Wei’s own transformation and entry into the Cultivation Realm’s struggles centuries earlier.
Wen Xu shows emotional growth by openly acknowledging Cheng Wei’s kindness, despite normally struggling to express his feelings. He also demonstrates increasing awareness of the wider crisis and begins to understand the significance of fate, Golden Light, and the burden being placed upon him.

Themes

• Responsibility across generations: The duty of preserving the Cultivation Realm is shifting from legendary elders to younger cultivators.
• Protection versus independence: Cheng Wei wants to shield Wen Xu, while Wen Xu is determined to participate and accept responsibility.
• Fate and choice: Wen Xu’s arrival in the Cultivation Realm and current involvement appear connected to larger “nodes of fate,” though he still chooses to enter the conflict himself.
• The cost of cultivation: Cheng Wei reflects on how past struggles harmed innocent beings and explains why he once withdrew from the world.
• Hidden dangers and uncertainty: The demons’ preparation, Jun Zhaoying’s disappearance, and the unusual situation in the cities suggest a deeper conspiracy or power at work.

Character interactions

Cheng Wei and Wen Xu share a tender but teasing master-disciple exchange. Wen Xu thanks Cheng Wei for caring about him, while Cheng Wei deflects the sentiment with jokes about him being lured into the Blissful Union Sect. Their conversation also reveals Cheng Wei’s extensive knowledge of the crisis and establishes Wen Xu’s connections to Chishan, Bushi, Wei Zhou, Meixi Sword, and Jun Zhaoying. The chapter ends as Wen Xu begins to respond seriously to Cheng Wei’s warning, leaving his decision and next action unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Entering the Game”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu decides to enter the sealed Mingxuan City despite the danger. He believes avoiding the crisis will not protect Yonglu Mountain, his friends, or his elders forever; instead, entering the city may offer a chance to survive and understand the threat.
• His master, Cheng Wei, initially worries about him but ultimately supports his decision. He acknowledges how much Wen Xu has matured in the past twenty years, though he regrets that his disciple has been forced to grow up so quickly.
• Wen Xu plans to enter the city with Jun Zhaoying’s possible assistance, since she is already inside. He also hopes to help Bian Chunchou locate the person identified by his kin-seeking talisman.
• Bian Chunchou and Chen Zui refuse to let Wen Xu go alone. They interrupt his attempts to persuade them otherwise and insist on accompanying him, accusing him of being disloyal for trying to leave them behind.
• Zheng Jin joins them as well, humorously calling himself another “dog-skin plaster.” What begins as Wen Xu entering alone becomes a group of five.
• Cheng Wei persuades Wushan to approve the plan, despite Wushan’s doubts about its safety and Cheng Wei’s reliability. Wushan sarcastically warns him not to complain if Wen Xu is lost.
• The group begins preparing for the expedition by gathering pills, talismans, magical artifacts, talisman paper, and cinnabar. Zheng Jin can repair or create artifacts, while Bian Chunchou can make talismans.
• Because Mingxuan City has been sealed for three months, the Hehe Sect has established a camp outside it for displaced mortals and cultivators seeking information. The camp has developed into a small marketplace. When the group attempts to trade for high-grade pills, their preparations attract the Hehe Sect’s attention.

Character Development

• Wen Xu demonstrates major growth in courage, responsibility, and resolve. Rather than hiding behind his elders, he accepts that he must confront danger himself. His Dao of Control is reflected in his decision to face an unavoidable crisis directly.
• Cheng Wei reveals deep affection and pride toward Wen Xu. He recognizes that his disciple has become capable and compassionate, but also feels guilty that Wen Xu has had to mature so quickly. Their relationship is affectionate, teasing, and protective.
• Bian Chunchou and Chen Zui show their loyalty by refusing to abandon Wen Xu. Their determination transforms them from companions into committed comrades willing to share the danger.
• Zheng Jin reinforces the group’s growing cohesion by joining the expedition and lightening the tension with his humor.
• Wushan remains skeptical and pragmatic, but ultimately respects Cheng Wei’s judgment and permits the dangerous plan.

Significant Themes

• Facing danger instead of avoiding it: Wen Xu understands that retreat cannot permanently protect him or those he loves.
• Growth through responsibility: Wen Xu’s maturity is shown by his willingness to bear risk for his sect, friends, and elders.
• Friendship and loyalty: Chunchou, Chen Zui, and Zheng Jin refuse to let Wen Xu face the crisis alone.
• Family and mentorship: Cheng Wei’s pride, worry, and affection emphasize the emotional bond between master and disciple.
• Preparation before confrontation: The group’s careful gathering of supplies highlights that courage must be supported by planning.
• Humor amid danger: The banter about “dog-skin plasters” and Cheng Wei’s exchanges with Wushan relieve tension while emphasizing the group’s close relationships.

Important Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and Cheng Wei: Cheng Wei questions Wen Xu’s decision but ultimately supports him, joking that Wen Xu should cling to Jun Zhaoying if things go wrong. Their exchange shows mutual trust and affection.
• Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, and Chen Zui: Wen Xu tries to avoid putting them in danger, but they physically prevent him from making a persuasive speech and insist on joining him.
• Zheng Jin and the group: Zheng Jin teases Chunchou and Chen Zui as “dog-skin plasters,” then adds himself to the expedition.
• Cheng Wei and Wushan: Cheng Wei persuades Wushan to approve Wen Xu’s entry. Their sarcastic conversation reveals both their long familiarity and Wushan’s concern beneath his irritation.
• The group and the Hehe Sect: Their attempt to acquire supplies at the encampment draws the sect’s notice, suggesting that outside forces are beginning to monitor their actions.

Chapter 633 Summary

• Guan Xinglan joins the group: Guan Xinglan, former champion of the Prodigies Ranking and a senior disciple of the Hehe Sect, arrives to deal with the group. After learning that they are gathering pills, she offers her assistance on the condition that she accompany them into Mingxuan City. The group therefore expands from three to four companions, alongside Wen Xu.
• Permission to enter Mingxuan City: Cheng Wei demands convincing reasons before allowing the disciples into the dangerous city. Rather than offering practical explanations, Chen Zui, Bian Chunchou, Zheng Jin, and Guan Xinglan appeal to their bond, insisting that they have always faced life and death together. Cheng Wei agrees after consulting the Hehe Sect’s master, who readily approves Guan Xinglan’s involvement because she hopes to meet Jun Zhaoying. Cheng Wei and Wushan exchange sharp remarks about sending so many elite disciples into danger.
• Arrival and personal tensions: Upon landing, Guan Xinglan immediately leaves to investigate the Hehe Sect’s local situation. With her gone, Wen Xu can stop pretending to be blind and confront the others for covering his mouth and eyes. Zheng Jin tries to evade blame, while Bian Chunchou apologizes. Chen Zui remains blunt and unapologetic, arguing that Wen Xu’s exclusion from the mission was itself unfair. Their exchange highlights the group’s close but chaotic camaraderie.
• Zheng Jin and Mingxuan City: The group learns that Zheng Jin was born and raised in Mingxuan City, though he claims he has no home there and shows little interest in returning. Bian Chunchou suggests visiting Zheng Jin’s former home, but Zheng dismisses the idea. Instead, the group decides to accompany Bian Chunchou as he searches for relatives using a talisman.
• Mingxuan City’s decline: The city was once famous for its flourishing spiritual plants, with even ordinary households cultivating herbs and flowers. Now, despite its buildings remaining intact, the city is nearly devoid of vegetation and filled with an atmosphere of decay. Chen Zui detects that the soil has been altered by an array that is draining the city’s life force. Wen Xu also senses that the wind contains almost no vitality.
• Understanding Jun Zhaoying’s restraint: Wen Xu realizes why Jun Zhaoying has not forcibly broken the city’s Pill Formation. Jun’s wind-based power is rich in life force, but using it to destroy the formation would further damage Mingxuan City. The formation’s creators appear to have anticipated the Hehe Sect’s intervention and deliberately prepared a situation that limits Jun’s options, exploiting his concern for the city and demonstrating careful control over people’s actions.
• Character development and themes: Guan Xinglan is shown as responsible and loyal to her sect, while also revealing her admiration for Jun Zhaoying. Wen Xu becomes more assertive after being treated as incapable, and the group’s playful arguments reinforce their trust and willingness to protect one another. The chapter emphasizes loyalty, comradeship, the cost of power, and the strategic exploitation of compassion.

Chapter Summary: “Rescue”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group—Chunchou, Zheng Jin, Wen Xu, and Chen Zui—travels through the devastated Mingxuan City while following the strong reaction of Chunchou’s Kin-Seeking Talisman.
• The city is nearly deserted. The streets contain only frightened cultivators, while ordinary mortals are nowhere to be seen. Hidden observers create an atmosphere of hostility and impending collapse.
• The group reaches an abandoned spiritual-plant trading center, where they find no people despite the talisman’s strong reaction.
• Wen Xu uses a formation disk to uncover a hidden formation eye. Chen Zui destroys part of the formation, revealing an evil formation connected to a larger city-wide array.
• Zheng Jin realizes the formation is draining the vitality of the land. He also discovers that people are buried beneath it and leads the group in digging them out.
• They uncover forty-nine local residents—both mortals and cultivators—who have been used as human sacrifices. Many are dead or near death, their blood and vitality drained to power the formation.
• Wen Xu treats the survivors with restorative pills, saving those who are still alive.
• The group determines that the city’s destruction is being caused not merely by demons, but by an Evil Cultivator working with demonic forces. Their methods involve using the residents’ deathly aura and blood qi to poison the city’s vitality.
• A wounded Hundred Herbs Pavilion disciple provides only fragmented warnings about a great calamity threatening both the Pavilion and Mingxuan City.
• The chapter ends with Chunchou approaching a relatively healthy mortal woman among the survivors, suggesting she may possess information or a personal connection relevant to the rescue.

Character Developments

• Chunchou becomes increasingly aware of the horrifying implications of the Kin-Seeking Talisman and is shaken by the discovery of the blood-soaked victims. His concern shifts from merely finding someone to helping the survivors.
• Zheng Jin demonstrates expertise in artifacts and formations. Though frightened and pessimistic about facing demons and Evil Cultivators, he takes decisive responsibility for identifying the formation and rescuing the victims.
• Wen Xu proves practically useful through his knowledge of formations and medicine. He uses the stolen formation disk to expose the hidden formation and administers pills to stabilize the survivors.
• Chen Zui contributes direct combat strength by breaking open the formation once its location is identified.
• The group operates more cohesively than before, combining formation knowledge, artifact use, physical strength, and medical aid.

Significant Themes

• Rescue amid devastation: The group’s mission expands from searching for a person to saving an entire population subjected to brutal sacrifice.
• The consequences of unchecked evil: Mingxuan City’s decay reflects how Evil Cultivator techniques can corrupt both human lives and the natural vitality of the land.
• Hidden danger and deception: The apparently empty trading center conceals both the formation and the victims, emphasizing that danger lies beneath the city’s surface.
• Cooperation and specialized ability: Each character’s distinct skill is essential to uncovering the truth and preserving the survivors.
• The cost of large-scale calamity: The victims include both mortals and cultivators, showing that the crisis affects the entire city regardless of status or power.

Character Interactions

• Zheng Jin guides the group through the unfamiliar city and shares memories of the trading center’s former prosperity.
• Chunchou questions the talisman’s apparent failure, while Wen Xu proposes testing the area with his formation disk.
• After Zheng Jin identifies the hidden victims, the group immediately works together—digging, defending one another, and treating the wounded.
• Zheng Jin’s grim assessment of the formation contrasts with his usual lighter attitude, alarming the others.
• Wen Xu notices Chunchou speaking with a surviving mortal woman, setting up the next stage of their investigation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bian Chunchou discovers that the Kin-Seeking Talisman reacts to a severely injured woman, suggesting a blood relationship. However, the woman is far too young to be Bian Xiaoyi, so her identity remains uncertain.
• The group rescues twenty-three survivors from Mingxuan City, but the city’s corrupted soil prevents them from burying the dead. The corpses must be burned, while the survivors are gathered in the only usable building.
• Without a Mysterious Physician or sufficient medicine, Wen Xu, Bian Chunchou, Zheng Jin, and Chen Zui can provide only basic treatment. Zheng Jin notes that the true shortage is likely spirit plants, not alchemists.
• The group concludes that breaking the city’s formation is the only realistic way to save everyone. Wen Xu hesitates to use the jade slip to summon reinforcements, fearing that disrupting the formation could kill everyone inside.
• Bian Chunchou removes the evil energy from the suspected blood relative and gives her Grain-Repelling Pills. She awakens during the night in a state of terror.
• The woman identifies herself as Su Yao, a twenty-five-year-old who had disguised herself as a married woman. She begs the group to help her escape Mingxuan City.
• Su Yao claims that the disaster is retribution against Hundred Herbs Pavilion for greedily harvesting spirit plants and provoking their resentment. She attempts to attack a Hundred Herbs Pavilion disciple but collapses from weakness.
• Bian Chunchou impulsively promises to take Su Yao out, but Wen Xu stops him and suspects that Su Yao is using a bewitching artifact or talisman.
• Wen Xu confronts Su Yao, pointing out that her intense hatred of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion disciple proves she knows more than an ordinary survivor. He offers to protect her life if she cooperates.

Character Developments

• Bian Chunchou shows compassion and emotional vulnerability. His possible blood connection to the woman deeply affects him, but he is willing to help her even without confirmation. His instinctive promise to save Su Yao reveals his trusting and soft-hearted nature.
• Wen Xu demonstrates sharp observation and skepticism. Although he is face-blind, his inability to perceive bewitching techniques normally makes externally assisted enchantments conspicuous to him. He protects Bian Chunchou from being manipulated and takes control of the interrogation.
• Su Yao appears frightened, helpless, and inexperienced, but her behavior suggests deliberate concealment. Her panic may be genuine, yet her knowledge and hatred of Hundred Herbs Pavilion imply that she has a hidden connection to the disaster.
• Zheng Jin provides practical insight into the crisis, recognizing that the lack of spirit plants is a greater obstacle than the lack of alchemists.
• Chen Zui remains reliable and obedient, immediately following Wen Xu’s order to remove Bian Chunchou from the room.

Significant Themes

• Trust and deception: In a city where survivors have been betrayed and manipulated, no one can be accepted at face value. Su Yao’s apparent vulnerability may itself be a strategy.
• Compassion versus caution: Bian Chunchou responds emotionally to suffering, while Wen Xu insists on investigation and restraint.
• The consequences of exploitation: Su Yao’s explanation frames the catastrophe as punishment for Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s reckless harvesting of spirit plants, emphasizing the destructive consequences of greed and environmental imbalance.
• Blood ties and chosen bonds: The Kin-Seeking Talisman raises questions about Bian Chunchou’s family, while his attachment to Yonglu Mountain shows that chosen family may matter more to him than biological relations.
• Survival under oppression: The survivors’ desperation, fear, and aggression reveal how the formation and the city’s disaster have eroded ordinary morality and trust.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou and Wen Xu cooperate in treating the injured, but their different temperaments become clear when Bian Chunchou wants to reassure Su Yao and Wen Xu intervenes.
• Su Yao initially appeals to Bian Chunchou’s sympathy, asking whether he can save her. Wen Xu counters her emotional appeal with direct questioning.
• Wen Xu’s confrontation with Su Yao shifts the group’s relationship with her from rescue to interrogation, establishing that she may be both a victim and a potential threat.

Chapter 372 Summary — Gently, Gently

Key plot points and events

• Su Yao passionately accuses the Hundred Herbs Pavilion of using human lives to cultivate Spirit Plants while the Hehe Sect ignores its crimes. She condemns cultivators as hypocritical and morally corrupt.
• When Wen Xu demands proof, Su Yao reveals that her entire body is covered in scars. She explains that the Hundred Herbs Pavilion treats people like her as “Medicine Cauldrons”—humans kept alive and exploited for cultivation purposes.
• Su Yao reveals that she was orphaned, sold into the Pavilion after trusting the wrong people, and now desperately wants to escape Mingxuan City.
• Zheng Jin admits that he also came from Mingxuan City and was sold when he was younger, creating an unexpected bond between them. He realizes that the people used in the city’s evil formation are likely sacrificial victims, while Su Yao is its central and most important component.
• Zheng Jin proposes that Su Yao help them destroy the Hundred Herbs Pavilion rather than merely flee. He and his companions reveal that they are Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Su Yao warns them that the Pavilion’s master is actually at the Spirit Transformation stage. Wen Xu’s companions nevertheless remain confident, revealing that they have previously killed a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
• Su Yao agrees to cooperate and lead them to the gathering place of the Medicine Cauldrons.
• She also explains the “alluring object” she possesses: dried pulp from Star Spirit Moon Fruits, which she secretly salvaged while caring for the Pavilion’s Spirit Tree.

Character developments

• Su Yao shifts from defensive distrust to cautious cooperation. Her hatred and trauma are revealed to be genuine, and her willingness to fight back shows that she has not completely lost hope.
• Zheng Jin empathizes with Su Yao because of his own experience being sold in Mingxuan City. He takes the initiative in offering her a chance for revenge and justice.
• Wen Xu demonstrates skepticism born from experience with human corruption, but he immediately apologizes once Su Yao reveals her scars, showing compassion and integrity.
• Zheng Jin’s companions appear exceptionally powerful and fearless, casually dismissing the threat of a Spirit Transformation opponent.

Significant themes

• Institutional corruption and hypocrisy: The chapter challenges the supposed righteousness of major cultivation sects and exposes how respectable institutions may conceal atrocities.
• Exploitation of the powerless: Medicine Cauldrons are treated as disposable resources, reflecting the dehumanization of mortals by powerful cultivators.
• Trauma and shared suffering: Zheng Jin’s past allows him to understand Su Yao in a way the others cannot.
• Justice versus escape: Su Yao initially wants only to flee, but Zheng Jin encourages her to turn her suffering into an opportunity to expose and destroy the people responsible.
• Trust and proof: Su Yao’s scars become undeniable evidence, transforming suspicion into sympathy and cooperation.

Important character interactions

• Su Yao confronts Zheng Jin and Wen Xu over their defense of the cultivation world.
• Wen Xu challenges her claims but sincerely apologizes after learning the truth.
• Zheng Jin reveals his shared history of being sold, earning Su Yao’s attention and trust.
• Zheng Jin offers Su Yao his hand in a formal alliance, and she accepts.
• Su Yao warns the group of the Pavilion master’s true strength, while one of Zheng Jin’s companions reassures everyone that such an enemy can still be defeated.

Chapter Summary: “Tracing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Yao reveals that she cultivated the supposedly delicate Star Spirit Tree using blood and obtained an unusually large harvest of Star Spirit Moon Fruits. Their abundance allowed her to secretly take two without arousing suspicion.
• Zheng Jin realizes that the Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s hidden crimes may have gone unnoticed because of the scale of the harvest, but he and the others still need to confirm whether the pavilion truly committed evil deeds.
• Zheng Jin and Wen Xu investigate Zheng Jin’s biological father, Zhu Chang. Because Mingxuan City is under lockdown, they enter the Zhu Household by climbing over the wall after receiving no answer.
• They learn from Zhu Chang’s nine-year-old son that Zhu Chang has been missing for over three months. His wife even searched for him at the Hundred Herbs Pavilion but found nothing.
• The timing suggests Zhu Chang may have been taken during the city’s sealing and possibly sacrificed or used to maintain the pavilion’s formation.
• Meanwhile, Bian Chunchou learns that Su Yao’s parents are dead and suspects that his own missing relative, Bian Xiaoyi, may also have died.
• Bian’s concern makes Su Yao uncomfortable. She assumes he pities her and firmly rejects sympathy or the possibility that he is using her to gain favor with the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.
• Bian offers to help her after she takes revenge and escapes Mingxuan City, but Su Yao has no plans beyond surviving. Their conversation ends in awkward silence, though Bian continues caring for the many people under his protection.

Character Developments

• Zheng Jin becomes more proactive in investigating his origins and the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, confronting his complicated feelings toward Zhu Chang with a mixture of resentment and grim satisfaction.
• Wen Xu acts as Zheng Jin’s practical and protective companion, accompanying him despite the possibility that the investigation may yield nothing.
• Zhu Chang is further characterized as ambitious and morally corrupt: despite poor talent, he allegedly sold off children in hopes of producing one with a Wood Spiritual Root.
• Su Yao remains deeply distrustful of cultivators and kindness. Her traumatic past has made her highly perceptive of others’ emotions but unable to trust their intentions. She wants revenge and freedom, yet has no vision for life afterward beyond staying alive.
• Bian Chunchou demonstrates genuine concern for Su Yao and a desire to help her beyond the immediate conflict, though he struggles to communicate this. His emotional reaction also reveals his growing anxiety about his own missing family member.

Significant Themes

• Exploitation and abuse of power: The Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s suspected use of people in secret formations parallels Zhu Chang’s treatment of his children as tools for achieving cultivation goals.
• Trauma and distrust: Su Yao’s inability to accept sympathy reflects how prolonged abuse has distorted her understanding of relationships and safety.
• Family and abandonment: Zheng Jin investigates the father who sold him, while Bian Chunchou confronts the possibility that his own relative is dead.
• Survival versus hope: Su Yao can imagine only escaping and surviving, showing how trauma has narrowed her future. Bian’s offer of help hints at the possibility of rebuilding a life beyond revenge.
• Uncovering hidden crimes: The characters continue piecing together evidence against the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, using disappearances and unusual events to trace its secret actions.

Character Interactions

• Zheng Jin and Wen Xu discuss the risks of the investigation and speculate about Zhu Chang’s disappearance.
• Zheng Jin confronts the Zhu Household’s child and learns that his father has vanished.
• Su Yao and Bian Chunchou struggle to communicate: she rejects his presumed pity, while he awkwardly attempts to assure her that his concern is sincere.
• Their tense but non-hostile exchange establishes a fragile relationship in which Bian offers support and Su Yao remains guarded.

Chapter Summary — Page 638

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu and Zheng Jin investigate the ruins of Hundred Herbs Pavilion, believing Zhu Chang may have disappeared there while they search for information about the Dark Cauldron.
• They discover that the entire sect has been burned and stripped bare. There are no bodies or signs of blood, suggesting the destruction was deliberate and that the sect’s defensive formation was breached from within.
• The legendary Jade Banyan Tree, No Spring, has been removed completely, along with nearly every other spirit plant and the Medicine Cauldrons. The excavation was so precise that not even a root was damaged, implying the tree may have willingly cooperated.
• Wen Xu theorizes that Hundred Herbs Pavilion intentionally destroyed its own grounds to erase evidence and avoid retaliation from Lord Jun of the Hehe Sect after Mingxuan City was sealed.
• Zheng Jin recalls that Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s disciples have also vanished, including his father and an Outer Sect disciple found among the people used to power the sealing formation.
• Wen Xu suggests that the sect’s plants and treasures were moved into a secret realm, possibly one of several owned by the wealthy Hundred Herbs Pavilion.
• After recording the ruins with a Shadow Recording Stone, Wen Xu and Zheng Jin inspect other spirit-plant markets but find no traces of the Bewildering Formation.
• When they reunite with Chunchou, Chen Zui, and Su Yao, Su Yao is shocked by the destruction and asks to return to investigate personally. The group decides not to act immediately, recognizing that Lord Jun and Guan Xinglan are likely investigating the same mystery.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu demonstrates sharp deductive reasoning, noticing the unusually perfect excavation of No Spring and quickly proposing the secret-realm theory. His possession of a secret realm also highlights his privileged status as a Divine Venerable’s disciple.
• Zheng Jin continues to provide personal insight into Hundred Herbs Pavilion through his memories of Mingxuan City and his resentment toward his missing father. His humor and envy of Wen Xu’s resources lighten the otherwise grim investigation.
• Su Yao reacts with disbelief and renewed concern over the fate of the Medicine Cauldrons. Her request to return shows both her emotional investment and her desire to take action, though she promises not to act recklessly.
• Chen Zui remains practical and detached, recognizing that the recording is unlikely to reveal anything further and asking instead whether he has a task to perform.
• Lord Jun’s absence becomes significant: her failure to respond suggests she is occupied or unable to leave, likely because of the larger crisis surrounding Mingxuan City.

Significant Themes

• Erasure and concealment: The destruction of Hundred Herbs Pavilion appears designed to eliminate evidence and conceal the sect’s activities.
• Power and institutional survival: The Pavilion may have sacrificed its home and reputation to protect itself from Lord Jun and the Hehe Sect.
• Mystery and hidden spaces: The possibility that the missing plants, artifacts, and disciples were transferred to a secret realm expands the investigation beyond the visible ruins.
• Loss and impermanence: The obliteration of the once-prosperous Pavilion contrasts sharply with its former abundance, emphasizing how quickly power and wealth can disappear.
• Trust and cooperation: No Spring’s undamaged removal suggests that the tree—or perhaps other spirit beings—may have participated willingly, complicating the assumption that everything was taken by force.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu and Zheng Jin work as investigative partners, combining Wen Xu’s analysis with Zheng Jin’s familiarity with Hundred Herbs Pavilion.
• Their exchange about Wen Xu’s secret realm reveals friendly teasing and Zheng Jin’s humorous jealousy of the resources available to Divine Venerable disciples.
• Su Yao’s emotional response to the ruins contrasts with Chen Zui’s restrained practicality.
• The group collectively chooses caution, acknowledging that stronger figures such as Lord Jun and Guan Xinglan are already likely pursuing the same clues.

Chapter Summary: “Bound Feet”

Plot Points and Events

• Wen Xu and the others investigate the destruction of Hundred Herbs Pavilion, trying to determine what happened to the people allegedly used as medicine cauldrons.
• They awaken an unconscious Outer Sect disciple with a Barrier-Breaking Pill. The disciple claims that a terrifying Evil Cultivator returned to the pavilion, killed the Pavilion Master and several disciples, and set the place ablaze.
• The survivor’s memories are fragmented by trauma. He cannot explain what happened to the pavilion’s Sacred Tree, No Spring, or where the bodies went.
• Wen Xu notices that the scene has been unusually well cleaned up, suggesting deliberate concealment. The missing corpses may have been destroyed by a flesh-eating demon plant or another Evil Cultivation technique.
• The group theorizes that demons and Evil Cultivators may be cooperating in the crisis surrounding Mingxuan City: demons created the Bewildering Formation, while Evil Cultivators drained the city’s vitality or exploited its inhabitants.
• Zheng Jin proposes using a Kin-Seeking Talisman to locate Zhu Chang. He provides Bian Chunchou with blood taken from a child, since Zhu Chang’s own blood connection may have been severed after he was sold.
• The group decides to find a safe residence for the people they have rescued rather than immediately breaking the formation and alerting the enemy.
• Su Yao insists on accompanying them because of their agreement and because she wants answers about Hundred Herbs Pavilion. Wen Xu accepts her request.

Character Developments

• Wen Xu becomes increasingly suspicious and analytical, connecting the pavilion massacre to the wider crisis in Mingxuan City rather than accepting the survivor’s account at face value.
• Su Yao shifts from distrustful outsider to committed participant. Her concern over the pavilion and her determination to uncover the truth show that she is willing to remain with the group despite the danger.
• Zheng Jin demonstrates practical judgment and strategic thinking. He avoids prematurely confronting the Evil Cultivators and instead prepares a method to locate Zhu Chang.
• Bian Chunchou acts as the group’s healer and talisman-maker, while also providing a more pragmatic perspective on the possible disappearance of the corpses.
• The surviving disciple reveals the brutality of the attack but is too traumatized to provide reliable or complete information.

Significant Themes

• Truth hidden beneath destruction: The fire appears intended not merely to destroy the pavilion but to erase evidence of its crimes and the fate of its victims.
• Moral ambiguity: It remains unclear whether the “Evil Cultivator” was the true villain, a former victim of the pavilion, or part of a larger conspiracy.
• Human exploitation: The use of people as medicine cauldrons highlights the cruelty and corruption within the cultivation world.
• Cooperation against a larger threat: The possibility of demons and Evil Cultivators working together expands the danger facing Mingxuan City.
• Duty and compassion: The group continues rescuing civilians and seeking missing people despite limited numbers and overwhelming circumstances.

Character Interactions

• Wen Xu questions Su Yao about alternative ways to locate the medicine cauldrons, prompting her to challenge his assumptions.
• The group interrogates the rescued disciple, whose testimony creates more questions than answers.
• Bian Chunchou and Zheng Jin discuss the missing bodies and possible demonic plants, with Bian privately noticing Wen Xu’s improved ability to flatter Zheng Jin.
• Zheng Jin entrusts Bian Chunchou with the materials needed to create a Kin-Seeking Talisman.
• Su Yao reminds Wen Xu of their agreement and asks to remain with the group; after a brief hesitation, Wen Xu agrees.

Summary of “Prior Offenses”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Yao agrees to cooperate with Bian Chunchou and his companions. She wants to expose Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s crimes so the sect cannot continue being viewed as righteous after its collapse.
• Bian Chunchou moves Su Yao and the captured Hundred Herbs Pavilion disciple to a safe residence. He gives her protective talismans, a powerful spiritual attack stored in a jade slip, and a Communication Talisman so she can call for help.
• After erasing evidence of their presence, Bian Chunchou, Wen Xu, Zheng Jin, and Chen Zui use a Kin-Seeking Talisman to search for another person connected to their mission: a Hundred Herbs Pavilion Outer Sect disciple.
• The talisman leads them to a barren mountain whose spiritual vitality has been destroyed. Though the landscape appears empty, the talisman indicates that their target is nearby.
• As they approach a gorge, Wen Xu’s formation-detecting disk reveals nothing unusual. However, Radiant Dawn Tower contacts him through the Jade Bottle Mini-Secret Realm and urgently warns the group to turn back.
• Wen Xu learns that his Martial Uncle Jun is trapped nearby in a formation specifically designed by Hundred Herbs Pavilion to counter Wind Spiritual Roots. Jun is in serious danger, and Radiant Dawn Tower fears the group will only worsen the situation.
• Wen Xu insists that he may have a way to help, particularly because the formation appears intended to suppress or fight demons. Radiant Dawn Tower reluctantly agrees to hear his plan.

Character Developments

• Su Yao shifts from reluctant hostility to active cooperation. Although she still hates cultivators and is surprised by Bian Chunchou’s kindness, she chooses to survive and testify against Hundred Herbs Pavilion.
• Bian Chunchou continues to act protectively and pragmatically. He prepares Su Yao thoroughly for danger and demonstrates confidence in his group’s survival methods, though his judgment is questioned by Zheng Jin.
• Wen Xu shows increasing maturity and decisiveness. Rather than retreating when warned of Jun’s danger, he takes responsibility and argues that he has a legitimate method of helping.
• Zheng Jin remains wary and sarcastic, especially about whether their target is an enemy or someone worth rescuing. He also questions Bian Chunchou’s risky leadership choices.
• Chen Zui displays strong instincts and caution. His intuition detects that the mountain is dangerous, and the others trust his judgment.
• Radiant Dawn Tower and Her Majesty Zhaoxia are fiercely protective of Jun. Zhaoxia remains skeptical of Wen Xu because of his relatively low cultivation, but she is concerned enough to listen to his proposal.

Significant Themes

• Exposing hidden evil: The group seeks evidence to reveal Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s atrocities and challenge its false reputation as a righteous sect.
• Trust and cooperation: Su Yao must trust former enemies, while Wen Xu asks Radiant Dawn Tower to trust his judgment despite his limited power.
• Protection versus independence: Bian Chunchou protects Su Yao without completely controlling her, while the group debates whether entering danger together is wiser than splitting up.
• Persistence and survival: The characters repeatedly choose to continue despite overwhelming risks, relying on teamwork, caution, and past experience.
• Abuse of righteousness: Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s use of specialized formations against vulnerable cultivators highlights how a respected public image can conceal cruelty and exploitation.

Character Interactions

• Bian Chunchou persuades Su Yao to cooperate and equips her for survival, creating an unexpectedly supportive relationship between them.
• Zheng Jin questions whether the target should be rescued or buried, implying hostility toward the Outer Sect disciple.
• Bian Chunchou and Wen Xu jokingly defend the decision to stay together, while Zheng Jin points out Bian Chunchou’s hypocrisy.
• Chen Zui’s warning about the mountain causes the others to become more cautious.
• Radiant Dawn Tower urgently warns Wen Xu away from the gorge and criticizes the group—especially the absent dragon—for their recklessness.
• Wen Xu challenges Radiant Dawn Tower’s doubts and offers to help rescue Jun, setting up the next stage of the conflict.