Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Immortal Rank—Upper Grade”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After nearly completing his appraisal work, Chen Shaojun becomes the center of attention when Lin Qiang successfully wields a previously difficult-to-control treasured blade as though it were his own.
• The caravan’s martial artists realize that Chen Shaojun can cleanse the lingering aura and baleful intent left by former owners, allowing weapons to display far more of their original power.
• A steady stream of people brings weapons and personal treasures to Chen Shaojun for appraisal. Because the volume becomes unmanageable, Dongfang Bai and Shopkeeper Liu help register the items and organize them in ledgers.
• Although Chen initially offers free appraisals to help himself advance, people voluntarily leave payment. More than a thousand taels of silver quickly accumulate.
• The next day, as the caravan approaches Eastglow City, Chen is given a carriage in which to work privately. Dongfang Bai serves as his coachman, while Shopkeeper Liu and other clerks manage the growing number of appraisal requests.
• To control the workload, Chen begins charging ten taels per treasure. Despite the fee, customers continue coming because professional appraisals would cost far more.
• Chen first appraises a short sword, but the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror still shows the Stacking Talisman at Immortal Rank—Middle Grade. He suspects the technique may have reached a bottleneck.
• He then appraises ten treasures at once. The result raises the Stacking Talisman to Immortal Rank—Upper Grade, with its scale reaching nine points.
• Chen realizes that Immortal Rank—Upper Grade is not the technique’s final stage. Instead, each additional increase in its scale becomes progressively more difficult, and the scale may eventually need to reach ninety-nine or one hundred before the technique is complete.
• Continuing to appraise batches of treasures, Chen steadily raises the scale from nine to twenty-three, then twenty-seven, and eventually seventy points.
• Some weapons contain powerful residual True Qi and launch sudden attacks during appraisal. When one sword releases Sword Astral Force, Chen effortlessly destroys it with a precisely controlled One-Yang Finger without damaging the carriage or wasting power.
• The chapter ends with Chen stopping his appraisal work after reaching seventy points, though the immediate reason is left unrevealed.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: His reputation and demand as an appraiser grow rapidly. He becomes more aware of both the value of his abilities and the limitations he must conceal. His understanding of the Stacking Talisman also deepens: Immortal Rank—Upper Grade is only another stage, not the endpoint. His combat control is displayed when he neutralizes Sword Astral Force with perfect precision.
• Lin Qiang: His successful use of the treasured blade demonstrates how significantly Chen’s appraisal and cleansing abilities have benefited him. The blade now responds naturally to him, increasing his effective combat strength.
• Dongfang Bai: Voluntarily assists Chen by helping with transportation and serving as his coachman, showing loyalty and practical support.
• Shopkeeper Liu: Takes charge of the administrative side of Chen’s growing business. His decades of experience allow him to organize the registrations more efficiently than Dongfang Bai.
• The caravan’s martial artists: They begin treating Chen as a highly valuable specialist rather than merely a fellow traveler. Their willingness to pay despite the supposedly “free” appraisals reflects their trust in his abilities and the economic value of his service.

Significant Themes

• Value and expertise: Specialized knowledge can transform seemingly unusable treasures into powerful weapons, making Chen’s appraisal ability extremely valuable.
• Growth beyond apparent limits: Reaching Immortal Rank—Upper Grade does not represent completion. The chapter emphasizes that advancement becomes increasingly difficult at higher levels.
• Power and restraint: Chen possesses overwhelming strength but deliberately limits how quickly and openly he displays his abilities, protecting his identity and avoiding suspicion.
• Trust and reciprocity: The caravan supports Chen by providing transportation, clerical help, and voluntary payment, while Chen repays them by improving their weapons at a fraction of the usual cost.
• Control over inherited power: Weapons retain the aura and intent of previous owners, and true mastery requires either cleansing, gradual adaptation, or overwhelming superiority.

Important Character Interactions

• The caravan members question Lin Qiang about his newly responsive blade, indirectly drawing attention to Chen’s abilities.
• Chen welcomes the martial artists seeking appraisals but eventually establishes a registration system because demand becomes excessive.
• Dongfang Bai initially helps record items, while Shopkeeper Liu improves the process with more professional ledgers.
• Shopkeeper Liu advises setting a ten-tael appraisal fee, helping Chen manage demand without openly revealing how quickly he can work.
• Dongfang Bai drives Chen’s carriage, allowing Chen to appraise in relative privacy while the caravan continues toward Eastglow City.
• Chen’s interaction with the dangerous sword demonstrates the gap between him and ordinary martial artists: a weapon’s sudden attack is easily neutralized through precise, controlled force.

Chapter Summary: “Rewards, Illusory God Pill”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After appraising a large number of treasures and dispelling their Killing Intent and residual True Qi, Chen Shaojun’s spiritual power becomes depleted.
• He spends an hour restoring it through Spirit-Nourishing Pills and the Sitting-in-Oblivion Scripture while the caravan stops to rest.
• During the break, Chen Shaojun eats with the caravan members and practices the Thundering Sword.
• His swordsmanship has already reached complete mastery, astonishing Dongfang Bai and the other travelers.
• Mo Cheng, chief steward of the Mo Clan Caravan, approaches Chen Shaojun to thank him for warning them about the Red-Clad Cult and Ghosthead Stronghold’s ambush. Because of his warning, the caravan avoided a devastating attack at Dark Gully Ridge.
• Mo Cheng presents Chen Shaojun with one thousand taels of silver and an Illusory God Pill, hoping it will help him advance to Appraisal Grandmaster.
• Chen Shaojun asks about the pill’s connection to the Celestial Star Illusory God Paste. Mo Cheng explains that both use the Illusory God Herb, but the pill is merely an inferior imitation of the rare royal tribute.
• Mo Cheng then asks Chen Shaojun to appraise additional treasures seized from the bandits. Chen readily agrees, since appraisals provide him with rewards from the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror and help him complete his Stacking Talisman.
• After returning to his carriage, Chen Shaojun swallows the Illusory God Pill, intending to test whether it can further increase his spiritual power and provide a believable explanation for his extraordinary appraisal speed.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun: Demonstrates overwhelming efficiency as an appraiser, completing work many times faster than ordinary Appraisal Grandmasters. His martial ability also advances dramatically, with the Thundering Sword reaching complete mastery in less than two days. He remains cautious about revealing his stronger techniques and true capabilities.
• Dongfang Bai: Is deeply shocked and somewhat emotionally conflicted by Chen Shaojun’s rapid mastery of the sword technique he taught him.
• Mo Cheng: Develops greater respect and gratitude toward Chen Shaojun. He recognizes both Chen’s strategic value and his potential as a future martial and appraisal expert.
• Zhou Kuang: Remains seriously injured from the earlier battle, with only part of his former strength, though the caravan’s presence of the Innate expert Fang Ping keeps everyone confident in their safety.
• Caravan members: Treat Chen Shaojun with increased respect and admiration after witnessing both his appraisal abilities and swordsmanship.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and restraint: Chen Shaojun possesses abilities far beyond what he openly displays but deliberately conceals them to avoid attracting dangerous attention from powerful martial artists, cultivators, or imperial authorities.
• Talent and rapid advancement: His extraordinary progress in both appraisal and swordsmanship emphasizes his exceptional gifts and the rewards of his unique opportunities.
• Gratitude and reciprocal benefit: Mo Cheng rewards Chen for saving the caravan, while Chen’s willingness to appraise more treasures benefits both himself and the Mo Clan.
• The value of spiritual power: The chapter highlights spiritual power as essential to treasure appraisal and establishes the Illusory God Pill as a possible aid in Chen’s continued advancement.
• Limits of worldly medicine: The contrast between the Illusory God Pill and the Celestial Star Illusory God Paste shows the vast differences between ordinary spirit medicines and rare divine remedies, while also recalling Dream Consort’s tragic illness and death.

Character Interactions

• Caravan members warmly greet Chen and offer him food, reflecting their newfound respect.
• Chen’s sword practice impresses the entire caravan and provokes Dongfang Bai’s astonishment.
• Mo Cheng praises Chen’s martial and appraisal potential, thanks him for preventing the ambush, and gives him a substantial reward.
• Chen and Mo Cheng discuss the origins and effectiveness of the Illusory God Pill and the Celestial Star Illusory God Paste.
• Mo Cheng entrusts Chen with further appraisal work, while Shopkeeper Liu is expected to negotiate the practical arrangements.

Chapter Summary: Establishing Virtue, Merit, and Words

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun consumes an Illusory God Pill, which increases his mental-power range by six feet, from seventy meters to seventy-two meters.
• While testing his expanded mental power, he discovers that it has unexpectedly increased again to seventy-three meters, despite having stopped cultivating and having already exhausted the pill’s effects.
• Concerned by this unexplained growth, Chen uses his ability Money Opens All Doors to obtain an answer, sacrificing 50,000 taels of silver in the process.
• He learns about the ancient principle of the Three Imperishables: establishing virtue, establishing merit, and establishing words. The last of these—creating writings that benefit and influence others—can earn recognition from heaven and earth.
• Chen’s Appraiser’s Handbook has begun producing this effect. After reading it, Lu Ping gained enough confidence and knowledge to pursue appraisal, while Chief Appraiser Qin used it to achieve a breakthrough into the Appraisal Grandmaster realm.
• Qin’s breakthrough and gratitude toward Chen triggered heavenly feedback, causing Chen’s mental power to increase by an additional meter.
• Realizing that writing useful books can directly strengthen him, Chen considers documenting his knowledge in many fields to expand the handbook’s influence and eventually increase his mental power to far greater levels.
• His excitement is tempered by the painful realization that discovering this information cost him fifty thousand taels.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes more ambitious after learning that writing and teaching can increase his mental power. He now sees scholarship and authorship as a major cultivation path rather than merely a way to share knowledge.
• He also becomes more confident that his vast knowledge and skills could benefit people across many professions, potentially allowing him to gain enormous heavenly feedback.
• At the same time, Chen remains cautious and practical. He is relieved that the mental-power increase has no harmful side effects, but deeply regrets the enormous cost of using Money Opens All Doors.
• Lu Ping develops from someone merely interested in becoming an appraiser into a determined prospective Appraiser Apprentice. His study of the handbook gives him a solid foundation and brings him close to the level of an experienced apprentice.
• Chief Appraiser Qin, initially dismissive of Chen’s abilities and reluctant to let Lu Ping enter the dangerous appraisal profession, is transformed by the handbook. Its teachings help him break through to Appraisal Grandmaster, causing him to develop profound respect and gratitude toward Chen.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as power: Written knowledge can directly transform others, improve their abilities, and even grant power to its creator.
• Recognition from heaven and earth: The chapter introduces a supernatural law in which useful teachings receive feedback from those they help, rewarding the author with cultivation gains.
• Establishing words: Chen unintentionally fulfills one of the Three Imperishables by creating a work that spreads knowledge and produces real change.
• The value and cost of information: Money Opens All Doors provides reliable answers but demands an immense financial price, emphasizing that knowledge can be priceless.
• Unexpected consequences of good intentions: Chen originally wrote the handbook partly out of guilt, never expecting it to influence Lu Ping, advance Qin, and strengthen himself.
• Cultivation through contribution: Advancement is shown not only as personal training but also as helping others and leaving behind teachings that outlast the author.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s handbook indirectly guides Lu Ping, whose determination to become an appraiser forces Chief Appraiser Qin to reconsider his potential.
• Lu Ping’s progress draws Qin’s attention to the handbook, prompting Qin to read it himself.
• Qin’s initial skepticism toward Chen is overturned when the handbook provides insights that allow him to master the Divine Gaze Technique and become an Appraisal Grandmaster.
• Qin’s gratitude and recognition of Chen’s achievement generate the heavenly feedback responsible for Chen’s latest mental-power increase.
• Chen’s interaction with the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror through Money Opens All Doors clarifies the connection between these events, though the cost leaves him bitter and financially pained.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun reflects on the cost of using Money Opens All Doors but is satisfied with the insight it gave him: spreading knowledge through books and teachings can earn spiritual feedback and rapidly increase his spiritual power.
• He recognizes that stronger spiritual power will greatly enhance both his appraisal abilities and his Myriad Spirits Unsealing Technique.
• Although the Appraiser’s Handbook is currently restricted to the Lin Clan Pawnshop, Chief Appraiser Qin has already used it to break through and become an Appraisal Grandmaster.
• As the caravan resumes its journey, Chen returns to appraising the remaining treasures, focusing on completing the Stacking Talisman, which is nearly fully charged.
• He appraises several weapons, including:
  • A bow once used by Zhao Qing, the Life-Reaping Divine Archer and third-ranking member of Ghosthead Stronghold.
  • A heavy saber.
  • Numerous other weapons, steadily raising the Stacking Talisman’s progress from the high seventies to ninety-seven marks.
• The appraisal of Zhao Qing’s bow reveals his history:
  • His father was a mistreated military veteran.
  • Zhao inherited and surpassed his father’s archery skills.
  • He joined the Red-Clad Cult, infiltrated Ghosthead Stronghold, and helped organize the ambush on the Mo Clan Caravan.
  • Ghosthead Stronghold’s Supreme Elder was also connected to the Red-Clad Cult and attained the Innate Realm with its assistance.
• Chen’s successful appraisals remove the lingering True Qi and Killing Intent from the weapons, allowing their new owners to wield them naturally and with greater strength. This causes the caravan members to develop deep trust in his abilities.
• Chen then appraises a strange snake-shaped sword. Its powerful demonic aura and enormous Killing Intent prompt him to use divination before proceeding.
• The sword contains the remnant soul of a snake demon. When the soul attacks during the appraisal, Chen destroys it with overwhelming spiritual power.
• The appraisal reveals that the sword was forged by a three-hundred-year-old snake demon known as Snake Daoist, who founded the Spirit Serpent Cult and tried to gain power through worship and Faith Power.
• Snake Daoist enslaved a village, forced its people to build a temple and golden statue, and created the Spirit Serpent Sword as the cult master’s symbol of authority.
• The cult initially flourished, but neighboring villages learned of its activities. The imperial government, Daoist practitioners, and Buddhist experts eventually joined forces to destroy it, forcing Snake Daoist to flee. The sword was then left to circulate through the martial world.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun grows more confident in the scale of his spiritual power and in the potential of spreading written knowledge. He also becomes increasingly driven—almost obsessive—about completing the Stacking Talisman.
• His appraisal abilities continue to improve, and he demonstrates that he can safely handle treasures containing intense Killing Intent, True Qi, and even demonic remnants.
• Chen also shows caution and maturity by using divination before appraising the suspicious snake-shaped sword rather than acting recklessly.
• Zhao Qing is revealed to have been more than a bandit: he was a skilled archer, a covert Red-Clad Cult operative, and a participant in the larger conspiracy behind the caravan ambush.
• Snake Daoist is characterized as ambitious and manipulative, seeking not merely survival but the status of a revered religious or demonic sovereign.

3. Significant Themes

• Knowledge as power: Writing and teaching can generate spiritual power, making intellectual influence as valuable as martial strength.
• The importance of spiritual cultivation: Spiritual power governs both treasure appraisal and the ability to suppress dangerous forces within weapons.
• Weapons carry history: Treasures retain the True Qi, Killing Intent, and traces of their former wielders, meaning appraisal is also a process of uncovering the past.
• Trust earned through competence: Chen gains the caravan members’ confidence because his work substantially improves their weapons and combat effectiveness.
• Ambition and corruption: Snake Daoist’s desire to become a worshipped demon sovereign leads him to exploit and enslave ordinary villagers.
• Orthodoxy versus heterodoxy: The imperial government, Daoist sects, and Buddhist institutions unite against the Spirit Serpent Cult, emphasizing the danger of demonic religious movements.
• Risk beneath appearances: Both the snake-shaped sword and its history demonstrate that valuable treasures can conceal dangerous spiritual entities and sinister origins.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen works closely with Dongfang Bai, who announces when each appraisal is complete and helps return the weapons to their owners.
• The caravan members interact with Chen indirectly by bringing him treasures to appraise; their satisfaction and improved weapon handling gradually turn into strong faith in his abilities.
• Chen’s appraisal of Zhao Qing’s bow reveals the connections among Zhao Qing, Ghosthead Stronghold, the Red-Clad Cult, and the ambush against the Mo Clan Caravan.
• When the snake-shaped sword erupts with demonic force, Dongfang Bai and the nearby caravan members notice the disturbance but obey Chen’s warning not to interrupt him.
• The chapter also recounts the conflict between Snake Daoist and the combined forces of the imperial government, Daoist experts, and Buddhist masters, who eventually destroy the Spirit Serpent Cult.

Chapter Summary: “Immortal Rank—Upper Grade Reward, Building the Golden Bridge”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun completes the appraisal of the Spirit Serpent Sword, discovering its history:
  • It was originally connected to a snake demon and could borrow the demon’s power through a special law-borrowing technique.
  • After being separated from the snake demon and passed through the pugilistic world, it gradually became an ordinary weapon.
  • Chen Shaojun destroys the remaining fragment of the Snake Daoist’s split soul within it, likely eliminating the sword’s ability to borrow demonic power.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror evaluates the sword as Immortal Rank, Upper Grade, completing all ninety-nine notches of the stacking talisman.
• Chen Shaojun unlocks the reward and receives the supreme Buddhist martial art, the Tathagata Divine Palm.
• The technique contains nine palm styles, culminating in “Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage,” a devastating, forbidden-level attack.
• Through the inheritance granted by the treasure mirror, Chen Shaojun instantly comprehends the technique to perfection.
• He learns that the Tathagata Divine Palm can only be cultivated after reaching the Innate Realm. Since he is currently at the peak of the ninth layer of the Qi Sea Realm, he decides to break through immediately.
• Leaving the caravan under the pretense of relieving himself, Chen Shaojun evades Dongfang Bai and finds a secluded tiger’s cave in the wilderness.
• He begins preparing for his breakthrough by attempting to open the Heaven-Earth Bridge, the defining step in advancing to the Innate Realm.
• The chapter ends as he prepares to perform “Building the Golden Bridge,” using his tongue pressed against the upper palate to connect his internal energy with the forces of heaven and earth.

Character Developments

Chen Shaojun

• Demonstrates increasingly deep knowledge of treasures, demonic techniques, and martial cultivation.
• Gains a powerful new martial inheritance and becomes eager to test its strength.
• Shows confidence in his ability to break through, supported by his mastery of Sword Domain and his refined understanding of Divine Intent, Sword Intent, and Creation True Intent.
• Becomes more proactive and determined, willingly taking risks to reach the Innate Realm.

Dongfang Bai

• Continues faithfully guarding Chen Shaojun during the caravan’s journey.
• Displays concern for Chen Shaojun’s safety and offers to accompany him into the wilderness.
• Is unknowingly outmaneuvered when Chen Shaojun secretly slips away.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and decline: The Spirit Serpent Sword’s fall from a divine, demon-linked weapon to an ordinary blade illustrates how power can diminish when its source and proper method are lost.
• Power through inheritance: Chen Shaojun’s reward shows that supreme martial abilities can be passed down instantly through treasure appraisal, though true use still depends on the practitioner’s cultivation realm.
• Martial arts as an equal path: The chapter emphasizes that martial cultivation is not inferior to Daoist magic. Powerful martial experts can rival golden-core cultivators and nascent-soul Daoists.
• Risk and advancement: Breaking through to the Innate Realm is portrayed as dangerous, requiring both sufficient energy and profound insight. A single mistake can cause crippling injury or death.
• Bridging inner and outer worlds: “Building the Golden Bridge” symbolizes the connection between the body and heaven and earth, marking the transition from internal cultivation to true harmony with external forces.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun and Dongfang Bai interact briefly when Chen leaves the carriage. Dongfang Bai offers to accompany him out of concern, while Chen disguises his true intention to cultivate.
• Chen uses his spiritual awareness and movement skills to evade Dongfang Bai without being detected, showing the gap between his abilities and the guard’s perception.
• The wider caravan continues moving while Chen temporarily separates from it, reflecting both his independence and his need to conceal his breakthrough from others.

Chapter Summary: Breakthrough, Innate, Return from Diarrhea

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter explains why advancing from the Ninth Layer of the Qi Sea Realm to the Innate Realm is extremely dangerous. The cultivator must safely guide True Qi through the tongue, brain, and bone marrow while opening the Heaven-and-Earth Two Apertures.
• Chen Shaojun begins his breakthrough inside a mountain cave. His powerful foundation, Creation True Qi, Sword Domain, spiritual strength, and Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart allow him to control the dangerous process without difficulty.
• After repeatedly striking the Heaven-and-Earth Two Apertures, Chen Shaojun successfully opens them and triggers a massive energy tide spanning hundreds of meters.
• He regulates the incoming energy with his spiritual power and Sword Domain, eventually loosening those controls to absorb the energy more rapidly. The external energy fuses with his Creation True Qi and transforms into golden Innate True Essence.
• Chen Shaojun fully stabilizes his breakthrough, becoming a First-Layer Innate Grandmaster. His body undergoes a major transformation, including stronger flesh, bones, organs, brain, and the beginnings of the Innate Realm’s Forty-Tooth Aspect. His lifespan increases to approximately 150 years.
• After leaving the cave, he encounters a tiger that is terrified by his newly developed aura and collapses submissively before him.
• Chen Shaojun tests the Tathagata Divine Palm, Ninth Form—Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage. The attack splits a massive mountain peak and leaves a deep palm imprint in the rock.
• He concludes that the palm technique is powerful enough to kill even experienced middle- or late-stage Innate experts, including Zhen Pingxun, and then quickly returns to the caravan.
• To conceal his absence and breakthrough, he plans to appear before Dongfang Bai as though he has merely returned from his excuse of having diarrhea.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun advances from the Ninth Layer of the Qi Sea Realm to the First Layer of the Innate Realm, marking a fundamental transformation in both his cultivation and life essence.
• His confidence increases after confirming that his powerful foundation and control abilities make the Innate breakthrough far safer for him than for ordinary martial artists.
• He remains mentally disciplined despite the intoxicating surge of power after his breakthrough, recognizing the feeling of invincibility as a temporary illusion.
• His opinion of the Tathagata Divine Palm changes from cautious anticipation to complete satisfaction after witnessing its overwhelming destructive power.
• His growing strength places him far above former enemies such as Li Kui and Zhen Pingxun.

Significant Themes

• The danger of advancement: The Innate breakthrough is portrayed as a perilous transformation where a moment of panic can cause paralysis, brain damage, or death.
• Foundation and preparation: Chen Shaojun’s success stems from his solid cultivation base, powerful body, spiritual control, and advanced Sword Domain.
• Transformation and transcendence: Reaching the Innate Realm changes not only Chen Shaojun’s strength but also his lifespan, vitality, physical body, and connection to heaven and earth.
• Power and self-control: Although Chen Shaojun gains extraordinary strength, he remains aware that uncontrolled confidence can become dangerous.
• Concealment and caution: Despite his breakthrough and overwhelming power, he avoids attracting attention and maintains his cover within the caravan.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun and the tiger: The tiger, previously the mountain’s dominant beast, is completely overwhelmed by Chen Shaojun’s aura and instinctively submits. Chen Shaojun finds the reaction amusing but ignores it.
• Chen Shaojun and Dongfang Bai: Their interaction is indirect in this chapter. Chen Shaojun is concerned about keeping Dongfang Bai from realizing how long he has been gone and intends to maintain his “diarrhea” excuse.
• Chen Shaojun and former enemies: Though they do not appear directly, Chen Shaojun compares his new palm technique to Li Kui and Zhen Pingxun, concluding that neither could withstand it.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Shaojun leaves the area, several experts—including Fang Ping, caravan guards, monks, Daoists, and martial artists—arrive at the mountain where he tested the Tathagata Divine Palm.
• They discover a massive palm imprint carved three feet deep into the stone. The residual aura is tyrannical, solemn, and terrifying, revealing the enormous power of the strike.
• A monk claims the imprint contains Buddhist truth and attempts to absorb its essence. The remaining aura injures him and partially damages the imprint.
• The Rootless Old Daoist disputes the monk’s claim, arguing that the palm contains broader martial principles rather than belonging exclusively to Buddhism. The two nearly come into conflict over access to the imprint.
• Fang Ping notices that the palm strike was preceded by an immense energy fluctuation resembling a breakthrough. The group speculates that the unknown expert may have broken through into the Innate or Spirit Astral Realm, greatly overestimating Chen Shaojun’s cultivation.
• Meanwhile, Chen Shaojun returns to Dongfang Bai and the caravan, concealing that he caused the disturbance by claiming he took a longer route.
• Having exhausted much of his Innate True Essence, Chen Shaojun enters a carriage and uses the Creation Heart Scripture to restore his strength. By dusk, he has fully recovered.
• The caravan reaches a town. Some travelers depart, while many others join after learning that the caravan belongs to the powerful Mo Clan Trading House and is protected by an Innate Realm expert. Its total number rises to about four hundred.
• That night, Chen Shaojun examines three weapons: Li Kui’s treasured saber, Zhen Pingxun’s longsword, and Wang Xinyuan’s mysterious cone-shaped artifact. He decides to appraise the saber and sword before attempting the more difficult cone-shaped item.
• He explains that weapons tempered by Innate experts retain their former owners’ aura, killing intent, and life-origin essence, making them difficult for others to control. Proper appraisal and cleansing can remove these traces and allow a new owner to wield the weapon immediately.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates the overwhelming power of his newly acquired Tathagata Divine Palm, capable of damaging a mountain from hundreds of meters away. His breakthrough into the Innate Realm is shown to be far more powerful than ordinary experts realize.
• He also displays caution and secrecy by concealing his identity as the palm’s creator and inventing an explanation for his unexpected return.
• His cultivation foundation proves exceptionally solid: although the palm consumes much of his True Essence, the Creation Heart Scripture restores him efficiently.
• Fang Ping shows strong awareness and insight by recognizing the breakthrough-like energy fluctuation and correctly understanding that the palm’s creator is vastly stronger than an ordinary Innate expert.
• Rootless Old Daoist and the monk are portrayed as competitive practitioners, each attempting to claim spiritual authority over the palm imprint.
• The unnamed experts reveal their limited understanding of Chen Shaojun’s true level by speculating that he must be a Spirit Astral Realm grandmaster.
• Chen Shaojun’s growing status is reflected in his interest in replacing his old weapons with treasures suited to his new Innate Realm strength.

3. Significant Themes

• Power concealed beneath appearances: Chen Shaojun quietly returns to the caravan while other experts wildly speculate about the mysterious master behind the palm imprint.
• The limits of human understanding: Even experienced Innate experts cannot accurately identify Chen Shaojun’s cultivation or explain the true nature of his palm technique.
• Martial truth transcending sectarian boundaries: The imprint contains Buddhist elements but also broader principles of creation, martial power, and transcendence, suggesting that profound techniques cannot be confined to one school.
• Weapons possess spiritual residue: Treasured weapons retain their former owners’ intent, aura, and life force. Mastery depends not only on physical compatibility but also on spiritual and inherited connections.
• Order and inheritance: Weapons and techniques follow patterns of affinity. Descendants, disciples, practitioners of the same method, or those with similar auras may inherit treasures more easily.
• Efficiency versus time: Appraisal and cleansing provide a direct way to remove years of spiritual contamination, emphasizing the value of Chen Shaojun’s unique abilities.

4. Character Interactions

• Fang Ping and the gathered experts jointly inspect the palm imprint and debate the identity and cultivation of its creator.
• The monk and Rootless Old Daoist argue over whether the palm belongs to Buddhism or martial arts. Their rivalry nearly escalates into a fight because both want exclusive access to the imprint’s insights.
• Fang Ping’s observations redirect the discussion toward the possibility that the palm was connected to a major breakthrough.
• Chen Shaojun and Dongfang Bai reunite after the disturbance. Dongfang Bai questions Chen about the strange noise, but Chen successfully conceals the truth.
• Chen Shaojun and the weapons form the chapter’s final important relationship: he senses the saber’s resistance and recognizes that its former owner’s spiritual imprint must be cleansed before he can fully use it.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun begins appraising an Innate Realm weapon, a long saber, after using the Divination Art to confirm that the process is auspicious.
• He activates the Myriad Spirits Unsealing Technique, drawing out and purifying the saber’s Blood Baleful Intent, saber intent, resentment, and other harmful energies.
• The saber’s remaining Innate True Essence and life-source aura react violently, releasing a saber beam comparable to an Innate expert’s full-force attack.
• Chen Shaojun effortlessly destroys the attack with the first move of the perfected Tathagata Divine Palm, demonstrating his overwhelming strength and precise control.
• He completes the purification and learns through the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror that the weapon is the Star-Slaying Saber, forged for Li Kui, the grand elder of Ghosthead Stronghold. It cost ten thousand taels of gold and could raise Li Kui’s combat power by roughly thirty percent.
• The saber is judged to be Lower Immortal Rank, and Chen Shaojun receives the Indestructible Vajra Technique, an advanced defensive martial art said to grant near-invulnerability.
• Chen Shaojun then begins appraising a longsword formerly owned by Zhen Pingxun of the Red-Clad Cult.
• After another auspicious divination, the sword releases a dangerous sword beam, which Chen Shaojun again destroys with one palm. He purifies the sword of its baleful energy, life-source aura, and Innate True Essence.
• The sword is identified as the Moon-Chasing Sword, a highly valuable weapon forged from numerous rare materials and worth twelve thousand taels of gold.
• The Moon-Chasing Sword is also judged to be Lower Immortal Rank, rewarding Chen Shaojun with the Nine-Yang Divine Technique, a powerful cultivation method that provides inexhaustible, supremely yang True Qi.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun is shown to have progressed far beyond his earlier fear and insecurity as an appraiser. He now calmly faces attacks capable of matching Innate experts.
• His mastery of the Tathagata Divine Palm allows him to neutralize immense power effortlessly and without collateral damage, highlighting his refined control.
• His appraisal work reveals his growing understanding of the dangers and responsibilities of the profession, especially the reason high-level weapon appraisers are rare.
• Receiving the Indestructible Vajra Technique significantly broadens his combat capabilities by giving him a powerful defensive option.
• The Nine-Yang Divine Technique further strengthens his cultivation, though Chen Shaojun recognizes that his existing Creation Heart Scripture is already highly suitable for him.
• He also develops a deeper appreciation for treasured weapons, their enormous cost, and their importance to martial artists.

Significant Themes

• The danger of appraisal: High-level treasures can unleash deadly attacks during purification, making appraisal a profession requiring strength comparable to the weapons being examined.
• Power and responsibility: Chen Shaojun’s strength enables him to perform dangerous appraisals safely, but the chapter emphasizes that such ability comes with serious risks.
• Weapons as extensions of identity: Martial artists treat their swords and sabers as parts of themselves because of their power, personal cultivation, and immense financial value.
• Wealth and practicality: The chapter humorously reframes sayings such as “the sword is one with the man” as partly a consequence of poverty—many martial artists cannot afford to replace a broken weapon.
• Accumulated refinement: Both weapons have been strengthened by their owners’ Innate True Essence and life force, showing how long-term use can transform an ordinary weapon into a near-divine treasure.
• Continuous growth: The rewards from each appraisal give Chen Shaojun new methods to improve both his offense and defense.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun interacts directly with the Star-Slaying Saber and Moon-Chasing Sword through dangerous appraisal confrontations, suppressing their hostile energies and released attacks.
• The weapons’ histories connect him to their former owners, Li Kui and Zhen Pingxun, whose cultivation and personal attachment shaped the treasures.
• His earlier conflict with Zhen Pingxun is referenced: Chen Shaojun’s One-Yang Finger attacks knocked away the Moon-Chasing Sword, allowing him to obtain and appraise it later.
• Though no other characters appear physically in the chapter, Chen Shaojun’s reflections on martial artists and their weapons provide insight into the values, hardships, and combat culture of the wider martial world.

Chapter Summary: “All Preparations Complete, Turning Misfortune into Fortune, Great Auspiciousness”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun fully comprehends the martial principles contained in the Nine-Yang Divine Technique. Although it does not greatly increase his immediate combat power, it removes cultivation bottlenecks up to the Ninth Layer of the Innate Realm and doubles his energy-refinement efficiency.
• He prepares to appraise a mysterious conical Daoist artifact he previously stole from Treasure Unsealer Wang Xinyuan. The object contains overwhelming Killing Intent and an ancient, supremely powerful phantom.
• Divination initially produces the omen “misfortune and fortune intertwined, turning misfortune into fortune,” warning that the appraisal will be extremely dangerous even though he will ultimately survive.
• Rather than abandon the treasure, Chen Shaojun makes extensive defensive preparations:
  • He relies on the Tribulation-Crossing, Vajra, and Protective Talismans.
  • He strengthens himself with innate true qi, Daoist arcane power, and the Indestructible Vajra Technique.
  • Most importantly, he prepares the Plum-for-Peach Substitution Technique, which transfers danger to another person.
• Chen Shaojun chooses Tian Xiaoguang, a depraved criminal responsible for assaulting numerous women. He secretly steals a lock of Tian’s hair, creates a paper effigy in his likeness, and links it to Tian through the substitution technique.
• After completing his preparations, Chen Shaojun divines again. The omen changes to great fortune, confirming that the appraisal can now proceed safely.
• He begins using the Myriad Spirits Unsealing Technique. The artifact releases a massive wave of Killing Intent, but Chen Shaojun’s mental defenses easily block and break it down.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun grows more confident and methodical. His breakthrough into the Innate Realm improves not only his physical cultivation but also his mental control and ability to withstand dangerous appraisal phenomena.
• He demonstrates increased strategic maturity by refusing to act recklessly. Instead, he uses divination, talismans, martial techniques, and substitution magic together to eliminate the danger.
• His priorities become clearer: while he already possesses abundant martial techniques, he is especially eager to obtain powerful Daoist methods, which he believes offer greater versatility and the potential to transcend worldly limitations.
• Chen Shaojun’s moral outlook is also revealed. He does not claim to be a righteous hero, but he is willing to kill Tian Xiaoguang because of his disgust toward the man’s crimes—and because Tian can serve as a disposable target for the substitution technique.
• Tian Xiaoguang remains unaware that Chen Shaojun has targeted him and unknowingly becomes the recipient of the danger Chen is avoiding.
• The Red-Clad Female Ghost is noted to be weakened after previously sacrificing herself to protect Chen, emphasizing Chen’s reluctance to exploit her further.

Significant Themes

• Preparation transforms fate: The chapter emphasizes that danger is not always fixed. Through adequate preparation, Chen changes a dangerous omen into one of great fortune.
• Turning misfortune into fortune: The title is reflected literally in Chen’s use of the Plum-for-Peach Substitution Technique, transferring deadly consequences away from himself.
• Power through accumulated knowledge: The Nine-Yang Divine Technique shows that martial insight can be as valuable as raw strength, removing barriers and accelerating future growth.
• Pragmatism and moral compromise: Chen’s survival depends on using an evil technique against a criminal. The chapter explores how moral judgments become flexible when survival and opportunity are involved.
• Martial cultivation versus Daoist arts: Chen has already accumulated tremendous martial power, but he views Daoist techniques as offering broader, more mysterious possibilities.
• Danger hidden within treasures: Powerful artifacts can contain extraordinary opportunities as well as lethal risks, requiring both courage and careful judgment.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s earlier connection to Wang Xinyuan is important because the conical artifact originally came from the Treasure Unsealer.
• Chen has a complicated protective relationship with the Red-Clad Female Ghost, valuing her sacrifice and refusing to endanger her weakened soul again.
• Chen has no direct confrontation with Tian Xiaoguang in this chapter. Instead, he covertly steals Tian’s hair, creates a likeness of him, and uses him as the target of a life-saving substitution spell.
• The central “interaction” is between Chen and the conical artifact: its Killing Intent attacks his consciousness, while his strengthened mental force withstands, fragments, and absorbs it.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• While appraising the mysterious conical object, Chen Shaojun triggers its first hidden attack: a streak of golden sword light shoots toward him at tremendous speed.
• The Tribulation-Crossing Talisman activates automatically, shifting Chen Shaojun several inches away and creating a golden shield. The attack pursues him even after missing, demonstrating target-locking abilities.
• Chen Shaojun combines the talisman, One-Yang Finger, and Indestructible Vajra Technique to weaken and finally block the sword light. The talisman is consumed in the process.
• He evaluates his defensive strength and concludes that his Indestructible Vajra Technique can withstand attacks from middle-stage Innate Realm experts and survive strikes from stronger opponents, though late-stage experts could still break through and injure him.
• Chen realizes that this attack cannot be the full danger predicted by the appraisal’s divination. The true crisis begins when the Daoist phantom within the object turns around and commands it.
• The conical object unfolds into a thin, extraordinarily sharp sword. Chen recognizes it as a Sword Pellet, explaining why its previous attack resembled sword light.
• The Sword Pellet launches another lethal attack. Chen uses the paper effigy connected to Tian Xiaoguang to create a substitute target.
• The Sword Pellet mistakes the effigy for Chen and pierces it. At that same moment, Tian Xiaoguang—who is attempting to assault Elder Zhou’s daughter—suddenly dies outside her room without visible injuries.
• The Sword Pellet returns to its conical form after its attack. Chen observes that the Daoist phantom, likely the original owner’s remaining divine soul, has been greatly weakened.
• Chen pours his spiritual power into the Sword Pellet, gradually erasing the phantom and removing the original owner’s influence.
• The appraisal succeeds: the Sword Pellet’s killing intent and worldly traces are cleansed, leaving it purified and effectively reborn.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates quick thinking, resilience, and a growing understanding of his own abilities. Although initially caught off guard, he calmly combines several defensive and offensive techniques to survive.
• He becomes more cautious after realizing that the first attack was only a preliminary danger, not the true crisis.
• Chen gains confidence in his physical defense, recognizing that his current combat strength is comparable to powerful late-stage Innate Realm practitioners when all his techniques are combined.
• He also shows strategic creativity by using Tian Xiaoguang’s paper effigy as a substitute, exploiting the Sword Pellet’s target-locking nature.
• Tian Xiaoguang remains a shameless and reckless lecherous thief. His attempt to assault Elder Zhou’s daughter leads indirectly to his death when the Sword Pellet attacks the effigy linked to him.
• The Daoist phantom, revealed to be the Sword Pellet’s former owner or a remnant of his soul, resists Chen’s appraisal but is ultimately erased after exhausting most of its strength.

Significant Themes

• Danger and fortune in appraisal: The chapter emphasizes that treasures may conceal multiple layers of danger, and initial survival does not mean the crisis is over.
• Resourcefulness over brute force: Chen survives not through a single overwhelming ability but through the coordinated use of talismans, martial techniques, spiritual power, and substitutes.
• Transformation and rebirth: The Sword Pellet is cleansed of its original owner’s killing intent and spiritual imprint, symbolizing purification and renewal.
• The limits and cost of power: The Tribulation-Crossing Talisman saves Chen but is consumed, reminding him that powerful defensive tools are temporary resources.
• Karma and poetic justice: Tian Xiaoguang’s predatory intentions result in his sudden death, while his attempted victim is spared.
• The persistence of a former master: The Daoist phantom represents the lingering will of a treasure’s original owner and the difficulty of fully claiming ancient or spiritually imbued artifacts.

Character Interactions

• Chen interacts indirectly with the Daoist phantom through the Sword Pellet, engaging in a contest of spiritual power and will.
• He uses the paper effigy associated with Tian Xiaoguang to redirect the Sword Pellet’s attack, linking Chen’s appraisal conflict to Tian’s actions far away.
• Tian Xiaoguang’s intended assault on Elder Zhou’s daughter is interrupted by his death, and Elder Zhou’s household discovers his criminal purpose afterward.
• The chapter closes with Chen successfully purifying the Sword Pellet, establishing his control over the treasure and completing the appraisal.

Chapter Summary: Demonic Monk Wuq​​ue, Cloud Riding and Mist Driving

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun successfully appraises the mysterious treasure he has repeatedly failed to identify: a Sword Pellet, an exceptionally rare magical weapon once used by ancient Golden Core sword cultivators.
• The appraisal reveals the Sword Pellet’s history:
  • Its former owner was Demonic Monk Wuq​​ue, an unruly Buddhist monk who indulged in worldly vices and was hunted by his former sect.
  • While fleeing, Wuq​​ue discovered the Sword Hut, the former residence of Lu Sheng, one of Sword Elder’s five honorary disciples.
  • Wuq​​ue inherited Lu Sheng’s sword-cultivation teachings, abandoned Buddhism, and became a powerful Golden Core sword cultivator.
  • He later destroyed several Buddhist temples, including Vajra Temple, provoking the intervention of an Inch Mountain inheritor.
  • After six inconclusive battles, Wuq​​ue was badly wounded in their seventh confrontation by a powerful Buddhist treasure.
  • Knowing his injuries were fatal, he sealed himself and his treasures inside Spirit-Sealing Stones, hoping to recover over time.
• Many of Wuq​​ue’s sealed treasures were eventually discovered and sold. The Sword Pellet was purchased by Treasure Unsealer Wang Xinyuan but remained unappraised because of its overwhelming sharpness.
• Chen Shaojun wonders whether Wuq​​ue himself survived inside his sealed Spirit-Sealing Stone, potentially allowing him to live from ancient times into the present.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror rates the Sword Pellet as Immortal Rank—Middle Grade and rewards Chen Shaojun with the ability Cloud Riding and Mist Driving.
• Chen immediately tests the technique, flying out of his window and rising thousands of meters into the sky.
• He experiences the exhilaration of true flight, observes the land below, and realizes the technique greatly improves his speed, mobility, and ability to evade powerful enemies.
• However, he discovers that the technique consumes enormous amounts of Arcane Cultivation and can only be sustained for roughly a hundred breaths at his current level.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun advances significantly in both knowledge and practical ability. He learns the true origin of the Sword Pellet and gains a powerful flight technique.
• His excitement and wonder at flying reveal that, despite his growing cultivation, he still retains the curiosity and aspirations of an ordinary person.
• He also demonstrates increasing tactical awareness, recognizing that flight can serve not only transportation but also defense and escape.
• Chen remains cautious and realistic: after enjoying his new ability, he immediately recognizes its severe energy cost and returns before exhausting himself.
• Demonic Monk Wuq​​ue is revealed as a rebellious, morally unconventional figure who transforms from a disgraced Buddhist monk into a formidable sword cultivator.
• Lu Sheng is established as an important but absent link in Sword Elder’s fragmented inheritance.
• Sword Elder emerges as the legendary source of the ancient sword-cultivation lineage, whose teachings were passed down through five honorary disciples.

Significant Themes

• The decline and disappearance of sword cultivation: The chapter emphasizes that sword cultivators once possessed unrivaled offensive power, but their inheritance was nearly severed after Sword Elder, with no later cultivator reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Transformation through adversity: Wuq​​ue’s persecution by the Buddhist School leads him to discover a new path and become stronger, showing how crisis can create unexpected opportunities.
• Preservation and the passage of time: Spirit-Sealing Stones offer a way to survive fatal injuries and potentially transcend ordinary lifespans, raising questions about immortality and the return of ancient figures.
• Freedom and transcendence: Chen’s first flight symbolizes liberation from ordinary human limitations and fulfills a long-held dream.
• Power balanced by limitations: Although Cloud Riding and Mist Driving grants Chen extraordinary mobility, its high consumption reminds him that new abilities must still be supported by sufficient cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Wuq​​ue and the Buddhist School: His rejection of Buddhist discipline and later destruction of Buddhist temples turns former religious ties into open hostility.
• Wuq​​ue and the Inch Mountain inheritor: Their repeated battles reflect the conflict between Wuq​​ue’s independence and Inch Mountain’s authority. Neither can defeat the other until the inheritor uses a powerful Buddhist treasure.
• Wuq​​ue and Lu Sheng: Though they never meet directly, Lu Sheng’s abandoned Sword Hut changes Wuq​​ue’s fate by providing the inheritance that allows him to become a sword cultivator.
• Chen Shaojun and the Sword Pellet: Through appraisal, Chen uncovers the weapon’s entire history and gains both knowledge of the ancient sword lineage and a powerful new ability.
• Chen and the world below: While flying, Chen notices a suspicious gathering of officials and briefly wonders whether a major case is unfolding, hinting at a possible future event.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun tests the Cloud-Riding and Mist-Driving Art, discovering that its hundred-breath duration and heavy arcane energy consumption limit its usefulness. He returns to the inn and resolves to increase his arcane cultivation.
• The following morning, he sees the emotionally devastated “old brother” whose belongings he previously appraised. The man apparently failed to reunite with his childhood sweetheart or rescue her from her magistrate husband. Chen recognizes that the man’s infatuation was misguided but chooses not to intervene.
• News spreads that Tian Xiaoguang, a wanted criminal traveling with the caravan, attempted to infiltrate Councilor Zhou’s daughter’s residence and use sleeping powder on her. He mysteriously died outside her room, likely because Chen had secretly dealt with him earlier.
• The caravan avoids investigation because Head Shopkeeper Mo Cheng uses money and a valuable painting to placate local officials. Chen is angered by Tian Xiaoguang’s recklessness and realizes that killing him sooner might have prevented the incident.
• Chen begins refining the Sword Pellet through a heartblood sacrifice. He successfully establishes a connection with it and can transform it into a sword, though mastering its full power will require prolonged cultivation.
• Focused on raising his arcane cultivation from nine years to the ten-year threshold, Chen appraises more than a hundred treasures from the caravan.
• Most rewards are martial arts techniques or spirit pills, yielding only fifteen points of Merit Golden Light, far short of the thirty-six needed to gain another year of cultivation.
• Among the rewards, Chen obtains two Fortune Talismans, a Wish Talisman, several Beggar Sect martial arts, and finally a valuable Double Talisman, which may double the quantity or quality of future appraisal rewards.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes increasingly aware of the imbalance between his powerful martial cultivation and comparatively weak arcane cultivation. His immediate goal is to reach ten years of arcane cultivation and unlock greater spell power.
• He gains a new offensive weapon in the Sword Pellet and begins the long process of refining it.
• Chen demonstrates greater strategic patience: rather than impulsively using his special talismans, he stores them for a moment when they can produce the greatest possible reward.
• He remains detached and observant regarding the old brother’s romantic misfortune, understanding the situation more clearly than the man himself.
• Tian Xiaoguang is revealed as reckless and predatory, willing to attack again despite traveling with the caravan and already being wanted by the authorities.
• Mo Cheng is shown to be politically capable and resourceful, using wealth and connections to protect the caravan from official scrutiny.

Significant Themes

• The need for cultivation and preparation: Chen’s limited arcane reserves prevent him from fully exploiting powerful spells, emphasizing that ability is useless without sufficient foundational strength.
• Accumulation over time: Although fifteen points of Merit Golden Light seems inadequate, Chen reminds himself that small gains eventually build toward major breakthroughs.
• The danger of obsession and misplaced devotion: The old brother’s failed journey illustrates how idealized love can blind someone to another person’s manipulative nature.
• Power, influence, and corruption: The caravan escapes investigation through bribery and gifts, showing how wealth and connections can outweigh ordinary justice.
• Strategic use of resources: The Fortune, Wish, Stacking, and Double Talismans represent the importance of saving rare advantages for high-value opportunities.
• Growth through appraisal: Every treasure, even one that yields an unwanted martial art, contributes to Chen’s long-term accumulation of skills and power.

Character Interactions

• Chen observes the old brother from a distance but deliberately avoids speaking to him, believing that only time can heal his emotional defeat.
• Merchants traveling with the caravan exchange rumors about Tian Xiaoguang’s death, the councilor’s daughter, and Mo Cheng’s dealings with the magistrate. Their conversation gives Chen indirect confirmation that his intervention prevented a tragedy.
• Chen’s relationship with Mo Cheng remains practical: Mo provides treasures for appraisal, while Chen processes them in pursuit of cultivation resources.
• Chen’s imagined connection to the Beggar Sect grows when he receives both the Dog-Beating Staff Technique and the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. He jokingly—but seriously enough—considers competing for the position of Beggar Sect chief.
• The chapter ends with Chen privately safeguarding the Double Talisman alongside his other special talismans, preparing to exploit their combined potential in a future appraisal.

Chapter Summary: Fortune Golden Dragon, Copying Talisman

Key Plot Points and Events

• The caravan continues traveling, gradually splitting apart as its members pursue different goals:
  • Dongfang Bai leaves after hearing news of his enemy.
  • Kong Le and Kong Mingyue stay in a town to seek help from a relative.
  • The three hunters stop earlier.
  • Survivors of the Gold Mountain Bandits return to their village to mourn the dead, including Iron Foot Six.
• Chen Shaojun remains with the caravan and spends most of his time appraising treasures. Aside from minor thieves, the journey is peaceful.
• His recent appraisals mostly produce pills, martial arts, and a few talismans. He has accumulated thirty-three points of Merit Golden Light and needs three more to increase his Arcane Cultivation by a year.
• Chen appraises a mysterious ancient knife-shaped bronze coin. Its Killing Intent is unusually pure and contains a faint dragon-shaped phantom.
• Using divination and the Myriad Spirits Unsealing Technique, he removes the coin’s Killing Intent. A five-clawed golden dragon emerges, but a powerful rainbow light from heaven and earth immediately suppresses it.
• The Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror reveals that the coin is a Mother Coin personally created by the ruler of the ancient Heaven River Dynasty. It once gathered the dynasty’s national fortune and contained a Fortune Golden Dragon.
• The dynasty’s destruction and the passage of time had weakened the dragon, while accumulated Killing Intent had nearly extinguished it. Chen’s cleansing restores it, but the current Great Zhou Dynasty’s national fortune suppresses it because it belongs to a former dynasty.
• Chen uses Money Opens All Doors, spending three thousand taels of silver to learn the reason behind the suppression.
• The knife coin is assessed as a High-Grade Treasure, and Chen receives a Copying Talisman.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates greatly increased strength and confidence. Treasures that would once have endangered him are now easily handled.
• His understanding of treasures deepens, especially regarding national fortune, dynastic fate, and the relationship between historical artifacts and present political power.
• He becomes increasingly ambitious after receiving the Copying Talisman, recognizing that it could let him instantly acquire extraordinary talents, martial arts, and Daoist techniques.
• His cautious but opportunistic nature is emphasized: he spends money to resolve lingering doubts and immediately begins considering how to exploit his new reward.

Character Interactions

• The chapter contains few direct interactions because Chen spends most of his time alone in his carriage.
• The caravan’s separation reflects the conclusion of Chen’s relationships with Dongfang Bai, Kong Le, Kong Mingyue, and the hunters. Though saddened, he accepts their departures and wishes them well.
• Chen’s only significant “interaction” is with the knife coin’s Fortune Golden Dragon and the forces of heaven and earth that suppress it.
• His use of Money Opens All Doors shows his reliance on supernatural means rather than seeking help from others.

Significant Themes

• The rise and fall of dynasties: The knife coin embodies the former Heaven River Dynasty’s national fortune, while the Great Zhou Dynasty’s power suppresses it.
• Fortune and legitimacy: The Fortune Golden Dragon represents a nation’s destiny and prosperity, suggesting that political power is tied to mystical forces.
• Transformation through appraisal: Chen does more than identify treasures; his cleansing restores their original nature and can revive dormant powers.
• Accumulated strength and progress: Chen’s growing cultivation allows him to overcome dangers that once seemed fatal, marking his advancement.
• The value of shortcuts and innate talent: The Copying Talisman offers a way to bypass years of cultivation and even acquire rare physiques or talents, raising the possibilities—and dangers—of instantly obtained power.
• The tension between curiosity and restraint: Chen’s desire to understand the rainbow suppression leads him to spend money, while his excitement over the Copying Talisman hints at future schemes and ambitions.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun completes a ten-item appraisal session using the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, Spirit Eye Technique, Divination Technique, and Myriad Spirits Unsealing Technique.
• The treasures are mostly of respectable quality, ranging from Mid-Grade Dharma Rank to Mid-Grade Treasure Rank.
• His rewards include:

Twenty-three points of Merit Golden Light

• Deep-Sea Fishing Art
• Netherworld Communion Technique
• Thirteen Swords of Death
• Primordial Spirit Pills
• Millennium Ginseng
• Enlightenment Pill
• Moon-Dance Saber Art
• Heart-to-Heart Technique
• Combined with his previous thirty-three points of Merit Golden Light, Chen now has fifty-six points, enough to raise his Arcane Cultivation beyond ten years.
• He uses thirty-six points, equivalent to one year of cultivation, finally reaching the ten-year threshold.
• His arcane power undergoes a qualitative transformation, becoming denser and more refined. His spell comprehension, efficiency, and power increase dramatically.
• Testing the Fireball Technique confirms that even ordinary spells now possess several times their former strength while consuming less arcane power.
• Chen concludes that his combat ability is now comparable to that of a late Core-Formation or Golden Core Realm cultivator. Though he may not defeat such an opponent directly, he believes he could survive, retreat, or potentially kill one by using his strongest techniques.
• Thrilled by his breakthrough, Chen leaves his carriage. He decides to publicly announce his advancement to Appraisal Grandmaster, both to satisfy Shopkeeper Liu’s expectations and to conceal the deeper changes caused by his cultivation breakthrough.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun reaches a major milestone in his cultivation, moving from nine to ten years of Arcane Cultivation. This represents a realm-like transformation rather than a simple increase in power.
• His understanding of spells expands alongside his strength. He gains insight into spell structures, operating principles, and advanced applications.
• Chen becomes more confident in his ability to stand independently among powerful cultivators. He now feels capable of ignoring wealth, authority, and imperial influence like a true Golden Core expert.
• His personality remains practical and somewhat playful: he is interested in the potential uses of his new techniques, jokes about deep-sea fishing possibly involving dragons, and views the Heart-to-Heart Technique humorously as a method for pursuing women.
• He also shows consideration for Shopkeeper Liu, recognizing that his prolonged “seclusion” and failure to advance have disappointed him.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation breakthroughs as qualitative transformation: Reaching ten years of cultivation changes not only Chen’s quantity of power but its nature, efficiency, and potential.
• Knowledge and perception as forms of strength: Chen’s improved understanding of spells is portrayed as nearly as important as his increased energy.
• Accumulation leading to freedom: The Merit Golden Light earned through repeated appraisals allows Chen to transcend his former limitations and approach true independence.
• Hidden strength versus public identity: Chen intends to present his advancement as an appraisal breakthrough while concealing the more significant truth about his cultivation.
• Power and social status: His new strength places him near the level of cultivators who need not fear nobles, wealthy families, or imperial authority.
• The limitless potential of techniques: The Thirteen Swords of Death and similar arts suggest that certain abilities can continue evolving indefinitely.

Character Interactions

• Chen’s main interaction is with Shopkeeper Liu, though Liu does not appear directly in the scene. Chen understands that Liu eagerly hopes he will become an Appraisal Grandmaster so the Lin Clan Pawnshop can strengthen its reputation.
• Chen’s future public “breakthrough” is therefore both a professional favor to Liu and a strategic disguise for his cultivation transformation.
• The Heart-to-Heart Technique introduces the possibility of future intimate or romantic interactions, though Chen currently discusses it in a lighthearted and opportunistic way.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun returns from the carriage looking unusually cheerful, prompting Lin Qiang, Lin Xi, and especially Shopkeeper Liu to wonder whether he has finally succeeded in advancing.
• Chen publicly announces that, after continuously appraising treasures, his Divine Gaze Technique has reached Greater Mastery, allowing him to officially become an Appraisal Grandmaster.
• To prove his advancement, he uses spiritual power to control a large stone freely in the air. The caravan members, including Chief Steward Mo Cheng, Guard Captain Zhou Kuang, and the Innate expert Fang Ping, congratulate him.
• The journey continues peacefully, allowing Chen to cultivate, practice martial arts, appraise treasures, and secretly test his growing collection of spells.
• Chen experiments with the Netherworld Communion Technique, discovering that his spiritual consciousness can descend into a Nether Domain filled with ghosts, skeletons, zombies, and other powerful beings.
• After inhabiting a small skeleton and being attacked by other skeletons, Chen realizes that he can summon the same creature into the real world through the technique. He concludes that the spell may function as a powerful summoning method.
• However, his current spiritual descent is limited to weak creatures. He decides to refine his Sword Pellet, hoping it will accompany him into the Nether Domain and help him subdue stronger beings.
• Several days later, the caravan reaches Burial Heaven Pit and enters Myriad Treasures Town, where merchants begin trading with local businesses.
• Shopkeeper Liu warns Chen and the others that Myriad Treasures Town is filled with desperadoes and powerful experts. The surrounding excavation grounds are extremely dangerous, with frequent battles, murders, and treasure-related conflicts.
• He explains that the town is controlled by the Myriad Treasures Eight Immortals, eight Innate Realm experts who each command an excavation group.
• Chen learns that the strongest known expert is likely Spear King Wang Lin, who had reached the sixth level of the Innate Realm seven years earlier and may now be at the seventh level. Another notable figure is Zhou Chenghu, a saber expert capable of killing a century-old demon with one strike.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun makes a major breakthrough, advancing from a formal appraiser to an Appraisal Grandmaster in less than a month. His spiritual power has also grown powerful enough to control objects remotely and interact with another world.
• Chen’s understanding of the Netherworld Communion Technique expands dramatically. He recognizes its potential for summoning supernatural allies and begins planning how to exploit it more effectively.
• His confidence and curiosity continue to grow, but he remains cautious about the limitations of his current abilities and works to strengthen his Sword Pellet.
• Shopkeeper Liu is revealed as deeply invested in Chen’s success. He anxiously monitors Chen’s mood and reacts to his achievements with overwhelming relief and excitement. His behavior is humorously compared to someone in love.
• Lin Xi and Lin Qiang continue to respect and support Chen. Lin Xi is especially impressed by Chen’s breakthrough and by the mysterious expert who previously saved the caravan.
• Chen and the caravan members become more aware that Myriad Treasures Town presents far greater dangers than Shengjing City.

3. Significant Themes

• Rapid growth and exceptional talent: Chen’s advancement in an extraordinarily short time emphasizes his rare aptitude and supernatural potential.
• Hidden power and strategic restraint: Chen conceals the full extent of his abilities while selectively revealing his Appraisal Grandmaster status.
• The risks and rewards of exploration: Burial Heaven Pit promises valuable treasures but is dominated by violence, greed, and survival-of-the-strongest principles.
• Supernatural expansion of power: The Netherworld Communion Technique introduces the possibility of forming alliances with creatures from another realm, broadening Chen’s resources beyond ordinary cultivation.
• Loyalty and emotional investment: Shopkeeper Liu’s constant concern demonstrates the strong bond and dependence that have formed between him and Chen.
• Order amid chaos: Myriad Treasures Town is relatively safe only because the Eight Immortals impose control; beyond its boundaries, law and morality largely collapse.

4. Character Interactions

• Lin Qiang notices Chen’s changed expression and asks what has happened, while Lin Xi and Shopkeeper Liu immediately investigate.
• Shopkeeper Liu anxiously questions Chen without directly asking whether he succeeded, fearing another disappointment. Chen finally reveals his breakthrough and reassures him.
• The caravan members gather to congratulate Chen, strengthening his standing among them.
• Chen casually discusses his powers and experiments, while the others react with surprise and admiration.
• After arriving in Myriad Treasures Town, Shopkeeper Liu takes responsibility for the group’s safety, arranging lodging and warning Chen, Lin Xi, and Lin Qiang not to wander into dangerous areas.
• Lin Xi recalls the earlier battle and praises the mysterious “Invincible Swordsman” who saved the caravan, reinforcing the group’s awareness of the powerful figures operating in the region.
• Chen questions Shopkeeper Liu about the Eight Immortals and the remaining treasures in Burial Heaven Pit, prompting an explanation of the town’s factions and power structure.

Chapter Summary: “Understanding the Auction, Setting a Target”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shopkeeper Liu explains the origins and dangers of Burial Heaven Pit, a mysterious pit connected to unknown spaces or possibly other worlds. Its supernatural forces continuously bring treasures into the surrounding earth.
• The treasures unearthed range from ordinary valuables to martial weapons, Daoist artifacts, talismans, strange machines, foreign corpses, and unusual beasts.
• Powerful Martial Saints and Daoist True Lords have investigated the pit but refused to enter. Lower-level experts who ventured inside later disappeared.
• Shopkeeper Liu warns everyone—especially Chen Shaojun—to remain within Myriad Treasures Town, though Chen secretly plans to investigate Burial Heaven Pit himself.
• The next morning, Shopkeeper Liu, Lin Qi, and Lin Qiang leave to purchase treasures for the Lin Clan Pawnshop and train its apprentice appraisers.
• Chen uses his improved Empty-Handed Sleight and appraisal techniques to secretly examine objects carried by an inn attendant and a young martial artist. Through these appraisals, he learns detailed information about Burial Heaven Pit and the upcoming auction.
• Burial Heaven Pit originally appeared as a small pond-sized hole more than a century ago but gradually expanded, swallowing nearby land and attracting treasure hunters.
• To control the resulting chaos, the authorities divided the area into twenty regions. After fierce competition, eight powerful experts became the Myriad Treasures Eight Immortals, controlling thirteen regions, while the authorities retained seven regions for public access.
• Public excavation costs one tael of silver per day, while areas controlled by the Eight Immortals cost three taels. Valuable discoveries are difficult for ordinary people to keep and may attract deadly trouble.
• Chen learns that a major auction will take place in three days. Its main attractions are a peerless Divine Weapon and a top-tier Immortal Treasure unearthed months earlier after a violent battle.
• The treasures are now in the possession of Wang Lin, the strongest of the Eight Immortals, who plans to use them as the auction’s final items.
• Numerous elite disciples from powerful sects are expected to attend, drawing major figures from the younger generation to Myriad Treasures Town.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun becomes increasingly intrigued by Burial Heaven Pit and the opportunities it may contain. Although he outwardly agrees to Shopkeeper Liu’s warning, he secretly intends to explore the area.
• His improved cultivation has greatly enhanced his stealth and appraisal abilities. He can now steal and examine objects almost undetectably, especially from people below the Innate Realm.
• Chen receives three Spirit-Communing Pills from one appraisal, though he considers the reward modest.
• After learning about the elite youths attending the auction, Chen identifies a new potential objective: using his Copying Talisman to duplicate their talents, physiques, and powerful martial or Daoist inheritances.
• Shopkeeper Liu is shown to be focused on expanding the Lin Clan Pawnshop. He plans to acquire large quantities of treasures for apprentice training and future resale.
• The young martial artist Chen examines is revealed to be a newcomer to the martial world, visiting mainly to experience the auction and broaden his horizons.

Significant Themes

• Danger and opportunity: Burial Heaven Pit offers seemingly endless treasures, but its mysteries and history of disappearances make every opportunity potentially fatal.
• Power determines ownership: Although ordinary people may legally excavate treasures, truly valuable discoveries are unlikely to remain in their possession without protection.
• Knowledge as power: Chen gains crucial advantages by secretly gathering information through appraisal rather than relying only on public rumors.
• Ambition and strategic growth: Chen’s interest shifts from merely observing events to actively seeking ways to improve his own abilities by copying the gifts of elite cultivators.
• Order imposed on chaos: The division of the excavation zones and the establishment of entrance fees show how authorities attempt to regulate a violent and competitive treasure-hunting society.
• Hidden worlds and ancient mysteries: Burial Heaven Pit’s connection to mysterious spaces hints at larger secrets beyond the known world.

Character Interactions

• Shopkeeper Liu gives Chen and the others a serious warning about the dangers surrounding Burial Heaven Pit, emphasizing Chen’s importance as an Appraisal Grandmaster.
• Chen reassures Liu verbally but privately decides to disregard the restriction and investigate on his own.
• Chen declines the proposal to leave Lin Qiang behind as his guard, demonstrating both his confidence and his desire to act independently.
• Chen interacts indirectly with the inn attendant and the young martial artist, secretly appraising their belongings without either noticing.
• Through the young martial artist’s memories and experiences, Chen discovers the auction’s importance and learns which elite sect disciples will attend.
• Chen’s thoughts about copying the talents and inheritances of those young geniuses establish the auction as his next major target and a possible turning point in his cultivation.

Chapter Summary: Twelfth-Grade Heavenly Fragrance, the Secret Within Burial Heaven Pit

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun reflects on his poor natural talent. Although he currently possesses strength comparable to a Core-Formation Realm cultivator, his progress has mainly come from the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, Merit Golden Light, the Spirit-Sealing Stone, and his cultivation of the Ancient Immortal Method.
• He hopes to use a Copying Talisman on exceptional geniuses to improve his own Daoist and martial talents, possibly awakening Spiritual Roots or special physiques.
• Chen identifies several possible targets, including:
  • Wan Fengnian, who possesses a Five-Element Spirit Body.
  • Zhuang Hanyan, who has a Yin-Moon Body and Martial Saint bloodline.
  • Yan Shuangjie, born with Double Pupils and the Eye of Illusion-Breaking.
  • Xie Xiaoyu, the sword genius known as the Little Sword God.
  • Guo Xianyun, known as the Little Taiji Grandmaster.
• He leaves Myriad Treasures Town and purchases an official pass granting access to all twenty treasure-digging regions surrounding Burial Heaven Pit.
• Using the Spirit Eye Technique, he discovers that the pass token once belonged to the Heavenly Fragrance Sect, a sect destroyed by the imperial court for operating without authorization. The token was later repurposed as a treasure-digging credential.
• Appraising the token with the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror earns Chen Shaojun a Superior Dharma Grade reward: Twelfth-Grade Heavenly Fragrance.
• The incense greatly enhances cultivation and meditation, allowing users to cultivate as though comprehending the Dao. More importantly, it powerfully strengthens the mind, soul, and spiritual power.
• Chen flies rapidly to Burial Heaven Pit using Cloud Riding and Mist Driving. Upon arriving, he is awed and intimidated by the enormous, bottomless pit, which appears to conceal immense danger.
• Through the Spirit Eye Technique, he observes strange whirlpool-like auras and countless cavities within the pit. The cavities seem to exchange mud, stones, and other matter with the surrounding world.
• Chen theorizes that these cavities may be interconnected small worlds, and that their connection to Burial Heaven Pit could explain why treasures constantly emerge in the surrounding region.
• Rather than spend an enormous amount of silver using Money Opens All Doors to investigate directly, he decides to verify the theory by appraising treasures and tracing their origins through the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror.
• He observes numerous “miners” digging for treasures. Powerful treasures often provoke conflict, since major forces can detect their spiritual aura even when hidden in black storage bags.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun becomes increasingly ambitious about overcoming his innate limitations. He recognizes that talent is a major advantage in cultivation and seeks to compensate for his spiritless physique by copying the gifts of extraordinary cultivators.
• His confidence continues to grow alongside his powers. He enjoys his ability to fly swiftly and freely, but his reaction to Burial Heaven Pit shows that he remains cautious before truly unknown dangers.
• Chen demonstrates greater strategic maturity by choosing not to investigate the pit recklessly or waste vast resources. Instead, he plans to use treasure appraisals as a safer and more practical method of uncovering its secrets.
• His powers and investigative methods continue to expand, particularly through the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Mirror, Spirit Eye Technique, and his growing understanding of treasure origins.

Significant Themes

• Innate talent versus acquired power: Chen’s achievements are remarkable precisely because he lacks natural aptitude. The chapter emphasizes how special physiques and bloodlines shape the limits and speed of cultivation.
• The value of opportunity and shortcuts: The Ancient Immortal Method, appraisal rewards, and Spirit-Sealing Stone allow Chen to overcome deficiencies that would normally prevent him from cultivating.
• Knowledge through investigation: Chen relies on observation, appraisal, and inference rather than brute force. His growing understanding of Burial Heaven Pit comes from piecing together partial evidence.
• Power and social hierarchy: Extraordinary bloodlines, sect legacies, and Martial Saint inheritances determine status and ability. The struggles over excavated treasures similarly reveal how the strong dominate access to valuable resources.
• Hidden worlds and cosmic mystery: Burial Heaven Pit is presented as more than a simple excavation site. Its possible connection to countless small worlds introduces a larger mystery concerning the structure of the world and the origin of the treasures.
• Control of belief and authority: The destruction of the Heavenly Fragrance Sect shows the imperial court’s hostility toward unauthorized religious groups and its efforts to regulate spiritual influence.

Character Interactions

• Chen does not directly interact with the famous geniuses he considers as copying targets, but he mentally evaluates their talents, bloodlines, and accomplishments.
• His interaction with the gatekeeper or shopkeeper at Myriad Treasures Town is brief but significant: he follows local customs, pays for access, and receives the repurposed Heavenly Fragrance Sect token.
• Through the token’s history, Chen indirectly encounters the legacy of the Heavenly Fragrance Sect and learns how it was destroyed by the imperial court.
• At Burial Heaven Pit, Chen observes the miners and the unspoken competition among treasure hunters. Their cautious behavior reflects the constant threat of stronger forces seizing valuable discoveries.

Chapter Summary: “Treasure Hunting, Determining the Direction”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun observes ordinary treasure hunters around the Burial Heaven Pit discussing their discoveries and the profits they must surrender to the Myriad Treasures Eight Immortals. Although the hunters keep only about thirty percent of their earnings, the income remains attractive enough to draw many people.
• Using the Spirit Eye Technique, Chen identifies three shallowly buried objects: a mixed-jade pendant, a poor-quality bronze mirror, and a damaged writing brush. He retrieves them without concern for their low value.
• Realizing that the Spirit Eye Technique cannot detect deeper treasures effectively, Chen uses his powerful spiritual energy to search underground. He finds and retrieves numerous objects, including a rusty axe and an ancient jade fragment, using the Earth Escape technique rather than digging all the way down.
• After half an hour, Chen becomes dissatisfied. His spiritual power and arcane energy are heavily depleted, yet the treasures he has found are mostly cheap and yield poor returns.
• He remembers possessing a Treasure-Seeking Spirit Talisman, capable of locating the most valuable treasure within a one-kilometer radius regardless of depth. However, he worries that using it randomly may miss the truly greatest treasure hidden somewhere across the vast Burial Heaven Pit.
• Chen instead activates the divine ability Money Opens All Doors, asking only for the general direction of the strongest treasure outside the Burial Heaven Pit. The ability consumes more than forty thousand taels of silver, demonstrating that the treasure must be extraordinarily valuable.
• Because the indicated direction covers dozens of li—far beyond the talisman’s range—Chen uses the Divination Art and three copper coins to determine where his wealth fortune is strongest.
• The resulting hexagram points to the same direction identified by Money Opens All Doors, confirming Chen’s plan and giving him confidence that the most precious treasure lies somewhere in that area.

Character Development

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates practical judgment and adaptability. He initially enjoys the novelty of treasure hunting but quickly recognizes when the effort and spiritual expenditure are not worth the rewards.
• His experience with poverty makes him sensitive to ordinary people’s earnings, allowing him to understand why treasure hunters tolerate exploitative rules.
• Chen shows increasing strategic sophistication. Instead of relying solely on brute-force searching, he combines spiritual perception, Earth Escape, Money Opens All Doors, divination, and eventually the Treasure-Seeking Spirit Talisman.
• His anxiety over spending more than forty thousand taels reveals his cautious, financially conscious side, while his excitement after confirming the direction reveals his ambition to obtain the greatest possible treasure.

Significant Themes

• Risk and reward: Treasure hunting offers ordinary people substantial income but involves danger, exploitation, and uncertain returns.
• Power and social hierarchy: The Myriad Treasures Eight Immortals control the Burial Heaven Pit, forcing weaker treasure hunters to surrender most of their profits for protection.
• The limits of ability: Even Chen’s exceptional spiritual power is inefficient when used without proper information, emphasizing the importance of strategy over raw strength.
• Fortune versus calculation: The chapter contrasts chance discovery with deliberate methods—divine abilities, divination, and specialized talismans—to turn luck into something more controllable.
• The cost of knowledge: Chen spends an enormous amount of money merely to learn a direction, showing that valuable information can be nearly as costly as the treasure itself.

Character Interactions

• Chen overhears and observes two neighboring treasure hunters discussing their finds and the profits they must hand over. Their conversation gives him insight into the local economy and the dangers of the Burial Heaven Pit.
• The interaction is indirect rather than personal, but Chen’s thoughts reveal sympathy for the hunters’ difficult circumstances and an understanding of why they submit to the existing rules.
• The remainder of the chapter focuses on Chen’s internal reasoning as he evaluates his methods, manages his resources, and combines several abilities to locate the hidden treasure.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun combines Money Opens All Doors with the Divination Art to locate the greatest treasure in Burial Heaven Pit. By repeatedly divining and moving according to the direction of gathered fortune, he narrows the treasure’s location to within five hundred meters.
• He activates a Treasure-Seeking Spirit Talisman, which identifies the treasure’s exact position: 120 meters ahead and 60 meters underground.
• Using Earth Escape, Chen Shaojun reaches an underground chamber and discovers a small jade-green Three-Legged Nine-Dragon Cauldron, an ancient treasure surrounded by an extraordinary aura.
• When he uses the Spirit Eye Technique to examine it, the cauldron awakens. Its spiritual light erupts into the sky, producing five-colored clouds and brilliant celestial phenomena.
• The cauldron attempts to escape, shaking the underground chamber and attacking Chen Shaojun with green qi formed by its nine dragon carvings. Chen Shaojun resists with his physical strength, Innate True Essence, and arcane power.
• After a fierce struggle, the cauldron’s remaining power is exhausted, allowing Chen Shaojun to suppress it and place it in his Storage Ring.
• The treasure’s emergence is visible throughout Burial Heaven Pit. Treasure hunters and powerful experts—including Zhao Qing, Daoist Flying Goose, Zhou Chenghu, Zhuang Hanyan, and Yan Shuangjie—rush toward the location, believing a Spiritual or Immortal Treasure has appeared.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun demonstrates increasing confidence, patience, and resourcefulness. He carefully combines multiple mystical techniques rather than relying on a single method.
• His ten years of Arcane Cultivation and powerful Innate True Essence allow him to withstand the cauldron’s resistance and successfully subdue a treasure of extraordinary quality.
• Chen Shaojun’s judgment improves as he recognizes that the cauldron may be even more valuable than the Sword Pellet he previously acquired.
• Zhao Qing reacts quickly to the treasure omen and immediately mobilizes his subordinates to seize it.
• Daoist Flying Goose reveals his greedy, self-confident personality, declaring himself destined to obtain the treasure.
• Zhou Chenghu is shown to be a powerful but politically cautious figure who treats the distinguished younger experts beside him with respect and even deference.
• Zhuang Hanyan, the Cold Smoke Fairy, displays elegance and remarkable martial skill through her lotus-stepping movement technique.
• Yan Shuangjie, possessing Double Pupils and a powerful Spirit Eye Divine Ability, is established as another exceptionally talented and influential young cultivator.

Significant Themes

• Treasure and destiny: The chapter emphasizes the belief that rare treasures possess spiritual wills and may choose their own masters.
• Persistence and methodical effort: Chen Shaojun succeeds through repeated divination, careful analysis, and disciplined preparation.
• Power awakening: The cauldron’s eruption demonstrates that ancient treasures retain immense spiritual force even after being buried for countless years.
• Competition and danger: Once the treasure’s presence becomes known, powerful cultivators converge, foreshadowing conflict over its ownership.
• Contrast between hidden and public power: Chen Shaojun privately secures the cauldron while the spectacular treasure radiance alerts the entire region to its emergence.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun directly confronts the Three-Legged Nine-Dragon Cauldron, which resists him, attacks him, and attempts to escape before finally being subdued.
• Zhao Qing commands his followers to pursue the treasure immediately.
• Daoist Flying Goose independently races toward the treasure, convinced that fate favors him.
• Zhou Chenghu explains Burial Heaven Pit and his mining territory to Zhuang Hanyan and Yan Shuangjie, revealing his familiarity with the area and his desire to impress them.
• Upon seeing the treasure light, Zhuang Hanyan and Yan Shuangjie instantly abandon conversation and rush toward it, while Zhou Chenghu follows.
• The chapter ends with multiple factions converging on Chen Shaojun’s location, creating an imminent threat of discovery and confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “How Could He Be So Strong?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Shaojun successfully suppresses and stores the mysterious Three-Legged Nine-Dragon Cauldron in his Storage Ring.
• He recognizes that the cauldron’s residual power is extraordinary and believes it may surpass the Immortal Grade, potentially reaching or exceeding the Divine Grade. However, his current spiritual strength is insufficient to appraise it fully.
• Using Earth Escape, Chen Shaojun emerges from underground just as numerous martial artists arrive, drawn by the cauldron’s spectacular treasure light.
• Because the treasure light disappears when he surfaces, the gathered experts assume Chen Shaojun has obtained the treasure and immediately attempt to rob him.
• Zhao Qing, a Qi Sea Realm expert and subordinate of Yuwen Teng, claims Chen Shaojun violated the rules of the Yuwen Mining District. Chen Shaojun counters by displaying his Heavenly Fragrance Token, proving that he legally purchased access and is entitled to anything he excavates.
• Ignoring the token, Zhao Qing and three other mining-district patrolmen attack him to seize the treasure before stronger experts arrive.
• Chen Shaojun effortlessly blocks their combined assault with a powerful protective technique that manifests as several golden bells.
• He then kills the attackers one by one with devastating sword techniques:
  • Zhao Qing is slain by a mesmerizing, seemingly beautiful sword strike.
  • The second attacker is beheaded by a sword that appears slow but is impossible to evade.
  • The third is killed when Sword Qi shoots forward at tremendous speed.
  • The fourth attacker briefly breaks through from the Fifth to the Sixth Layer of the Qi Sea Realm while fleeing, but Chen Shaojun still kills him before he can escape.
• Other experts, including Wang Muzhi, a Ninth-Layer Qi Sea Realm expert from a neighboring mining district, are approaching, setting up a likely confrontation in the next chapter.

Character Developments

• Chen Shaojun displays extreme confidence and composure. Despite being surrounded by several powerful martial artists, he remains calm and dismissive, recognizing that their strength is simply inadequate.
• His strength is revealed to be far beyond what his outward appearance suggests. The attackers mistake him for an ordinary treasure digger, but his defensive martial art and swordsmanship demonstrate power comparable to, or exceeding, the Innate Realm.
• Chen Shaojun’s swordsmanship is shown to be highly refined and unpredictable. His attacks manipulate an opponent’s perception of speed and beauty, making them difficult or impossible to defend against.
• Zhao Qing develops from an arrogant aggressor into a terrified and helpless victim once he realizes Chen Shaojun is far stronger than expected.
• The surviving attacker experiences a momentary cultivation breakthrough while fleeing, but fear overwhelms him. His hope of being rescued by Wang Muzhi proves meaningless when Chen Shaojun catches and kills him instantly.

Significant Themes

• The strong devour the weak: The Burial Heaven Pit is portrayed as a violent environment where rules are secondary to power, and treasure immediately attracts greed and bloodshed.
• Hidden strength and mistaken identity: Chen Shaojun’s unassuming appearance causes others to underestimate him, highlighting the danger of judging characters by outward cultivation or status.
• Power versus authority: The patrolmen use the mining district’s regulations as a pretext for robbery, showing how official rules can be manipulated by those strong enough to enforce their own interpretation.
• Overwhelming mastery: The chapter emphasizes the gap between Chen Shaojun and ordinary Qi Sea Realm experts. Even a coordinated attack from four experienced martial artists cannot threaten him.
• Treasure and ambition: The mysterious cauldron’s immense value fuels conflict and draws increasingly powerful figures toward Chen Shaojun.

Character Interactions

• Chen Shaojun confronts Zhao Qing and the patrolmen over their attempt to confiscate his treasure. He asserts his legal right to excavate through the Heavenly Fragrance Token, but they reject his claim out of greed.
• Zhao Qing’s group coordinates a surprise attack, relying on numbers and speed, but Chen Shaojun’s golden-bell defense nullifies their combined assault.
• Chen Shaojun interacts with the attackers almost entirely through combat, calmly taunting them while defeating them in succession.
• The fleeing survivor places his hopes in Wang Muzhi’s approaching presence, believing the stronger expert can delay Chen Shaojun. Chen Shaojun kills him before that support arrives, reinforcing the chapter’s central revelation: his strength is far beyond what anyone present expected.