Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Fat Dragon continues investigating the Imperial Preceptor’s identity and motives. He theorizes that the Imperial Preceptor may actually be targeting Scholar, using Ji Taiping as a “whetstone” to help shape him into Great Xia’s strongest sword cultivator.
• Fat Dragon further suspects that the Imperial Preceptor manipulated Ji Renjian’s memories and emotions, convincing her that Ji Taiping—not Scholar—was the person who saved and protected her.
• Ji Renjian speaks with Ji Taiping through a Voice-Transmission Ring. She reassures him that the Imperial Preceptor predicted he would be her destined husband. Ji Taiping apologizes for his earlier anger and promises to return after completing his military duties.
• The Zhang Clan is forced by a palace decree to remain in the Capital City and guard it during the upcoming Prodigy Rankings. This prevents them from pursuing White Robe and Scholar immediately, but the clan intends to capture White Robe once he comes to the Capital—or after the tournament ends.
• At the Flower-Offering Sect, the Sect Master reveals that the palace ordered them to torture the Walking Celestial Maiden without killing her. The Great Elder distrusts the palace’s involvement, sensing that the arrangement will eventually carry a hidden cost.
• The injured Walking Celestial Maiden thinks fondly of Fat Dragon while enduring her imprisonment. An ominous black Otherworld Flower grows secretly within her Dao Foundation, resembling Chen Qiu’s Eight-Petaled Fire Lotus but composed of death energy.
• In the Underground Sea of Fire, a mysterious cloaked young man discovers that the Eight-Petaled Fire Lotus has disappeared. He kills the giant tiger guarding it, revealing that a powerful and ruthless figure is searching for the lotus.
• Scholar repeatedly enters the Sword Cultivator Inheritance Secret Realm, suffering severe injuries each time. After persistent attempts, he finally clears the inheritance and obtains a complete Nascent Soul Body.
• With Scholar’s success, Chen Qiu gathers all the materials needed for his Golden Core breakthrough: three Nascent Soul Bodies, nine Second-Grade Golden Cores, Fierce Baleful Wood, an Eight Desolations Fruit, nine White Traits, Heavenly Dao fortune, Heavenly Dao Foundation, and a Rainbow Trait.
• Chen Qiu begins forging his Golden Core within the Minor World. His core successfully develops ten cloud patterns, but then continues evolving rather than stopping.
• The Golden Core begins consuming spiritual energy at an extraordinary rate and forcibly draws in the Eight-Petaled Fire Lotus. Scholar, Fat Dragon, and the others exhaust all their Spirit Stones trying to sustain the breakthrough.
• Fat Dragon throws six Eight Desolations Fruits into the formation. The fruits are absorbed by the Fire Lotus, weakening it enough for the Golden Core to devour it.
• After absorbing the lotus, Chen Qiu’s Golden Core stabilizes. He initially believes he failed to create a Tenth-grade Golden Core, but discovers that it possesses twelve cloud patterns—a previously unimaginable Twelfth-grade Golden Core.

2. Character Developments

• Fat Dragon becomes increasingly consumed by his theories about the Imperial Preceptor, displaying both sharp insight and comic self-doubt. He also proves resourceful and loyal during Chen Qiu’s breakthrough.
• Ji Renjian appears emotionally dependent on Ji Taiping and remains convinced that he is her destined husband, though her subdued behavior and melancholy suggest possible hidden doubts or psychological manipulation.
• Ji Taiping shows irritation and stress from the war but softens after realizing he has hurt Ji Renjian, reaffirming his love and promising to return.
• The Zhang Clan Patriarch shifts from frustration to cold confidence, deciding to wait for White Robe to enter the Capital City before striking.
• The Flower-Offering Sect Master reveals his willingness to obey the palace in exchange for promised influence and protection, while the Great Elder remains wary of the arrangement.
• The Walking Celestial Maiden endures torture without losing her affection for Fat Dragon. Her secret Otherworld Flower suggests that her cultivation or fate is being altered by an unknown force.
• Scholar demonstrates perseverance and growing mastery, eventually clearing the long-unconquered Sword Cultivator Inheritance. His success directly enables Chen Qiu’s breakthrough.
• Chen Qiu progresses from nervous preparation to an unprecedented achievement. His Golden Core does not merely reach the legendary tenth grade but surpasses it, forming a Twelfth-grade Golden Core.

3. Significant Themes

• Manipulation of fate and identity: The Imperial Preceptor’s possible psychological conditioning of Ji Renjian raises questions about whether love, destiny, and personal memories can be engineered.
• Hidden schemes and political power: The palace influences the Zhang Clan and Flower-Offering Sect from behind the scenes, showing how powerful institutions manipulate factions without exposing their true motives.
• Perseverance through suffering: Scholar’s repeated failures and injuries emphasize persistence as the path to mastering seemingly impossible inheritances.
• Unexpected evolution beyond established limits: Chen Qiu’s breakthrough overturns all known assumptions about Golden Core ranks, suggesting that the cultivation system’s apparent limits are incomplete.
• Loyalty and mutual support: Scholar, Fat Dragon, and the others risk their resources and safety to protect Chen Qiu during his breakthrough.
• Foreshadowing of danger: The mysterious cloaked man, the black Otherworld Flower, and the palace’s hidden orders all suggest larger threats developing beyond Chen Qiu’s immediate success.

4. Character Interactions

• Fat Dragon debates the Imperial Preceptor’s identity with Scholar’s younger brother, though the latter remains silent.
• Ji Renjian and Ji Taiping reconcile through the Voice-Transmission Ring, with Ji Renjian expressing eternal devotion and Ji Taiping promising to return.
• The Zhang Clan Patriarch discusses the clan’s inability to attack Scholar and White Robe, ultimately deciding to wait for an opportunity.
• The Flower-Offering Sect Master and Great Elder argue over the wisdom of obeying the palace and tormenting the Walking Celestial Maiden.
• The Walking Celestial Maiden privately remembers Fat Dragon and treasures the hairpin he gave her.
• Scholar thanks Chen Qiu after clearing the Sword Cultivator Inheritance, acknowledging that Chen Qiu’s guidance made the achievement possible.
• During Chen Qiu’s breakthrough, Scholar, Fat Dragon, and the others desperately supply Spirit Stones and other resources. Fat Dragon ultimately sacrifices the six Eight Desolations Fruits, unintentionally helping the Fire Lotus merge into Chen Qiu’s Golden Core.
• Chen Qiu shocks everyone by revealing that his supposedly failed Tenth-grade Golden Core is actually a Twelfth-grade Golden Core.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu examines his newly formed Golden Core, discovering that it is a seemingly unprecedented Twelfth-Grade Golden Core adorned with cloud patterns, Traits, and an Eight-Petaled Fire Lotus.
• He tests the core by launching it into the earth, demonstrating that it is an extremely fast and devastating single-target weapon. Even at the First Layer of the Golden Core Realm, its power could nearly kill an Early Golden Core cultivator.
• Scholar explains the known hierarchy of Golden Cores, emphasizing that even a one-grade difference creates overwhelming suppression. He concludes that Chen Qiu’s Twelfth-Grade Golden Core could potentially threaten Golden Core Peak cultivators.
• Chen Qiu discovers that his divine sense has an extraordinary range of 130 li, far surpassing ordinary Golden Core cultivators. This gives him a major advantage in detection, targeting, and long-range attacks.
• His Nine-Heavens Divine Sense Formation fully activates after his breakthrough, protecting his Sea of Divine Sense from attacks such as those previously used by the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect Master.
• Chen Qiu examines the rare divine sense spell Heart-Piercing Thorn, which can kill enemies with weak divine sense defenses and reaches Major Accomplishment immediately upon learning.
• After leaving the Minor World, the Heavenly Dao announces that Chen Qiu has formed a Heavenly Dao Peak Golden Core, rewarding him with Prodigy Fortune and Heavenly Dao Fortune.
• A massive auspicious phenomenon covers Great Xia, the Hundred Kingdoms, and the surrounding forbidden lands. Rainbow clouds, immortal music, an Auspicious Dragon, and twelve Fire Phoenixes appear, while everyone within the area has illnesses, old wounds, damaged Dao Foundations, and injured divine sense restored.
• Because of this healing phenomenon, Chen Qiu receives the title “Heavenly Dao Saint,” and the permanent Great Xia Merit Rankings are created.
• Chen Qiu gains 9.8 billion Merit Value, vastly surpassing the current emperor and every other person on the rankings.
• His new title grants protection against illusions, memory manipulation, dreams, and other bewildering techniques used by people with lower Merit Value. It also automatically destroys ghosts, demons, and monsters.
• This power unintentionally destroys the Golden Core Wraiths he carried, rendering his Vengeful Spirit Summoning Trait useless.
• Chen Qiu and his companions disguise themselves and travel to Fat City to stabilize his cultivation before heading to the Capital City for the Prodigy Tournament.
• News spreads that Chen Qiu formed a Fifth-Grade Golden Core, revealing to the world that such legendary cores truly exist and are also called Heavenly Dao Golden Cores.
• In the Capital City, the Heavenward Sect Master realizes that Zhao Yishi can no longer hope to match Chen Qiu’s talent. The sect decides to keep Zhao Yishi but drastically reduce his resources so they can be given to more promising disciples.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu advances into the Early Golden Core Realm and gains overwhelming combat potential, superior divine sense, strong defensive protection, and immense merit.
• He becomes recognized by the Heavenly Dao as both a Heavenly Dao Peak Golden Core cultivator and a Heavenly Dao Saint.
• Chen Qiu’s rise also causes a practical loss: his merit destroys all nearby wraiths, making his long-standing Vengeful Spirit Summoning Trait nearly unusable.
• Scholar demonstrates extensive knowledge of Golden Core theory but is repeatedly stunned by how far Chen Qiu’s abilities exceed established understanding.
• Fat Dragon remains openly amazed and provides humorous reactions to Chen Qiu’s extraordinary achievements.
• The Heavenward Sect Master is forced to confront the immense gap between Chen Qiu and Zhao Yishi. Though disappointed in Zhao Yishi, he still shows personal attachment by allowing him to remain in the sect.
• Zhao Yishi suffers a major reduction in status and resources, as the sect prioritizes nurturing more talented disciples.

3. Significant Themes

• Transcending established limits: Chen Qiu’s Twelfth-Grade Golden Core surpasses the known ten-grade limit, challenging the world’s understanding of cultivation.
• Power through quality rather than cultivation level: His superior Golden Core and divine sense allow him to threaten cultivators many realms above him.
• Recognition by Heaven: The Heavenly Dao repeatedly publicly validates Chen Qiu’s achievements, elevating him from an extraordinary cultivator to a figure of historical and almost sacred importance.
• Merit and benevolence: Chen Qiu gains enormous merit not through deliberate philanthropy, but because the Heavenly Dao’s auspicious sign heals countless people through him.
• The costs of advancement: His new merit-based authority invalidates one of his old abilities, showing that growth can also eliminate familiar advantages.
• Institutional succession and talent: The Heavenward Sect’s decision to redirect resources reflects the harsh cultivation-world principle that sects must invest in the most promising successors.
• Reputation and public impact: Chen Qiu’s actions and Heavenly Dao announcements reshape the entire political and cultivation landscape of Great Xia.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu demonstrates his Golden Core before Fat Dragon and Scholar, who react with awe and confusion.
• Scholar explains the combat implications of Golden Core grades and divine sense, helping Chen Qiu understand the true significance of his abilities.
• Fat Dragon repeatedly voices amazement at Chen Qiu’s ability to challenge cultivators across multiple realms.
• Chen Qiu discusses his future plans with his companions, ordering them to rest in Fat City before traveling to the Capital City.
• After the Heavenly Dao titles Chen Qiu a saint, Scholar explains the significance of merit and the unprecedented scale of the auspicious phenomenon.
• Fat Dragon speculates that the Great Xia Emperor may be unhappy because Chen Qiu’s heavenly omen far surpasses the emperor’s former record.
• In the Heavenward Sect, the Sect Master speaks directly with Zhao Yishi, informing him that he may remain but will receive fewer resources as the sect begins favoring other disciples.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenward Sect Master explains to Zhao Yishi that the sect elders want to redirect resources toward more battle-oriented disciples because Zhao avoids combat and has shown no obvious cultivation potential. Zhao remains indifferent, saying he is satisfied as long as he is fed. The Sect Master still promises to help him reach the Golden Core Realm, partly because he suspects Zhao possesses an extraordinary bloodline.
• The Sect Master recalls discovering Zhao as an unusually tall, nearly two-zhang-tall man with a simple mind and the rare “Sky-Piercing Giant” Trait. Despite years of investment, Zhao has shown no miraculous development, causing the Sect Master to question whether he is merely an abnormal giant rather than a hidden genius.
• In the Qu Family, Qu Qi angrily smashes objects after learning that Chen Qiu formed a Fifth-Grade Golden Core while he only formed a Third-Grade one. His father slaps him and reflects that even a Fourth-Grade Golden Core requires a Nascent Soul Body, making Chen Qiu’s achievement almost incomprehensible.
• The Qu Family Supreme Elder, who is also a transmigrator, enjoys his extended lifespan after the heavenly omen associated with Chen Qiu’s breakthrough. He views his life as a passive choice between waiting for death and waiting for the chance to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Chen Qiu stabilizes his First-Level Golden Core cultivation and receives three Trait choices:
  • Merit Golden Core, which could produce a Fourth-Grade-equivalent core.
  • Blessing Descendants, which would improve the potential of his future descendants.
  • Prodigy’s Son, which can enhance one Spirit Treasure.
• Chen Qiu chooses Prodigy’s Son, intending to use it on the Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure he hopes to obtain from the Prodigy Rankings. He also plans to combine it with his Heavenly Dao Fortune.
• After upgrading his Lightning-Channeling Art into a Heavenly Dao Spell, Chen Qiu tests it in the wilderness. A single attack destroys a massive area, while his full power produces thousands of Thunder Dragons and creates a crater nearly one hundred li wide.
• Chen Qiu realizes that his Twelfth-Grade Golden Core, numerous Traits, Spirit-Control Art, and Heavenly Dao Spell amplify his power far beyond that of ordinary First-Level Golden Core cultivators. He concludes that participating in the Prodigy Rankings may be unfairly easy.
• July Cat, currently reborn as an Earth-Eating Mouse, is caught near Chen Qiu’s testing ground. His lightning attacks ruin her underground palace, and she accepts that she will likely die again because Chen Qiu seems to be her unavoidable “calamity.”
• Chen Qiu’s cultivation rises only 0.1% after more than a day of absorbing ambient spiritual energy. Scholar explains that Golden Core cultivators usually rely on expensive Golden Core pills, Spirit Stones, or Spirit-Gathering Arrays, since advancement becomes much slower at this level.
• Chen Qiu, Scholar, and their companions travel toward the Capital City to participate in the Prodigy Rankings. After entering the Golden Core Realm, Chen Qiu fulfills his previous promise that he would not enter the Capital City until reaching that realm. The chapter ends with their arrival at the prosperous, brightly lit city.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes a First-Level Golden Core cultivator and confirms that his combat strength is vastly above normal. He grows more confident, though he recognizes weaknesses in movement and defense.
• Zhao Yishi remains emotionally detached and uninterested in the sect’s judgment, while the Sect Master continues protecting him because of his mysterious physique and potential.
• The Heavenward Sect Master is shown as compassionate and loyal to Zhao despite pressure from the elders. His faith in Zhao is weakening, but he refuses to abandon his disciple.
• Qu Qi reveals his immaturity and insecurity by reacting violently to Chen Qiu’s achievement. His father begins questioning whether indulging him has damaged his character.
• The Qu Family Head is forced to reconsider his plans after learning that Fifth-Grade Golden Cores are possible, while his own Second-Grade Golden Core and Qu Qi’s Third-Grade Core appear much less impressive.
• The Qu Family Supreme Elder becomes more hopeful about surviving long enough to witness a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm, though he remains largely passive.
• Scholar continues recovering rapidly through recultivation and Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, reaching the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer.
• July Cat remains comically unlucky, repeatedly losing peaceful lives and homes because of Chen Qiu’s overwhelming attacks.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus effort and resources: The chapter contrasts Zhao’s hidden potential, Qu Qi’s privileged upbringing, and Chen Qiu’s extraordinary achievements.
• The widening gap between ordinary and exceptional cultivators: Chen Qiu’s Twelfth-Grade Golden Core and stacked Traits place him far beyond conventional Golden Core standards.
• The burdens of cultivation and longevity: Golden Core advancement slows dramatically, making lifespan and resources essential. Several characters view survival itself as a major achievement.
• Fate and helplessness: Zhao accepts his treatment passively, the Supreme Elder cannot actively change his circumstances, and July Cat repeatedly suffers from Chen Qiu’s seemingly unavoidable presence.
• Power and restraint: Chen Qiu’s destructive strength raises the question of whether he can participate fairly in competitions designed for ordinary prodigies.
• Family expectations and status: Qu Qi’s rage reflects the pressure of family prestige, while the Qu Family Head’s plans are disrupted by Chen Qiu’s unprecedented breakthrough.

Character Interactions

• The Heavenward Sect Master and Zhao Yishi have a paternal relationship: the Sect Master worries about Zhao’s future, while Zhao responds with simple indifference.
• Qu Qi and his father clash over Chen Qiu’s success; the father physically reprimands Qu Qi for behaving disgracefully.
• The Qu Family Supreme Elder indirectly enjoys Qu Qi’s humiliation and gains hope from the heavenly omen, highlighting his detached attitude toward family drama.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar discuss cultivation methods, with Scholar providing practical knowledge about Golden Core advancement.
• Chen Qiu and July Cat never directly communicate, but their recurring encounters create a running gag: Chen Qiu’s experiments repeatedly destroy the life July Cat tries to build.
• Chen Qiu’s imminent arrival in the Capital City sets up his confrontation with the wider cultivation world and the upcoming Prodigy Rankings.

Chapter Summary: “Chen Qiu, That’s Me!!!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu arrives at the Great Xia Capital with Scholar and Fat Dragon shortly before the Prodigy Rankings Competition.
• He wears a mask to block divine-sense probing and deliberately avoids revealing his full strength or attracting attention.
• Before entering the capital, Chen Qiu secretly placed the Mountain-Cleaving City shopkeeper—an expert at breaking storage-ring restrictions—inside his Minor World. He plans to use the shopkeeper during the Prodigy Secret Realm to seize other contestants’ treasures.
• Chen Qiu intends to rob the participating prodigies of heavenly treasures and use them to forge a Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure, since he currently lacks both treasures and Spirit Stones.
• Liu Zide and his men remain in Fat Prefecture to purchase Fierce Baleful Wood and Eight Desolations Fruit. Chen Qiu has no money to fund them, but Liu Zide’s master agrees to advance the costs.
• In the capital, Scholar explains its layout, including the four main roads leading to the Imperial Palace. Scholar then proposes visiting the city’s entertainment districts, claiming that true detachment from worldly affairs requires first experiencing them. Chen Qiu agrees in principle, but they ultimately abandon the plan after realizing they have no Spirit Stones.
• Meanwhile, Qu Qi receives a large stockpile of heavenly treasures from his father, including the materials needed to forge a Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure. His father warns him not to confront Chen Qiu and urges him to aim for the top three.
• The Qu Family Supreme Elder overhears this conversation and realizes Qu Qi’s treasures may become an easy target for Chen Qiu. He begins considering betraying the Qu Family and informing Chen Qiu in exchange for protection.
• Chen Qiu spends the night at an inn, paying with useless spirit treasures from his Minor World. He then travels to the plaza five li north of the capital, where the Prodigy Secret Realm and rankings competition will begin.
• Because of Chen Qiu’s reputation, the organizers seat the Mocking Heaven Sect at the very front.
• Chen Qiu reunites with Zhao Dezhu, the Heavenward Sect Master, who previously gave him a storage ring filled with Fierce Baleful Wood. Chen Qiu pretends to return the valuable gift, but Zhao Dezhu refuses to accept it.
• The competition grounds are protected by six Golden Core Peak imperial attendants, whose purpose is to prevent contestants from being assassinated after leaving the secret realm.
• Members of the Great Xia Imperial Family arrive, displaying the empire’s extraordinary talent and resources.
• A young woman from the Liu Family confronts Chen Qiu, declaring that he killed her elder sister and that she will seek revenge inside the secret realm. Chen Qiu realizes she belongs to the Hidden Family whose members he previously killed at Furnace Peak.
• The chapter ends with Chen Qiu being publicly announced as the competition’s leading contender: a Heavenly Dao Saint with a Grade-Five Heavenly Dao Golden Core who single-handedly slaughtered over one hundred thousand members of the Evil Race.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates his strategic, opportunistic nature. He openly plans to acquire other people’s resources through force, relying on his combat strength to compensate for his lack of wealth. He remains cautious, refusing to trust claims that the competition grounds are completely safe and keeping his companions in his Minor World.
• Scholar: Becomes more worldly and less rigid. He humorously reinterprets “staying outside worldly affairs” as experiencing worldly pleasures before achieving detachment.
• Fat Dragon: Continues serving as the blunt, sarcastic voice of the group, mocking Scholar’s philosophical rambling.
• Qu Qi: Reveals strong confidence and considerable preparation. With many Heavenly Dao Traits, powerful spells, talismans, treasures, and pills, he believes the top three are within reach despite being warned about Chen Qiu.
• Qu Family Supreme Elder: Shows pragmatism and survival instinct. He loses faith in Qu Qi and begins considering abandoning the Qu Family to gain Chen Qiu’s favor.
• Zhao Dezhu: Is portrayed as generous, humble, and unusually free of the arrogance common among Golden Core experts. His friendly relationship with Chen Qiu continues to develop.
• Liu Family girl: Establishes herself as a new hostile force motivated by revenge, though Chen Qiu barely takes her threat seriously.

Significant Themes

• Strength determines access to resources: Chen Qiu’s belief that “everyone else’s reserves become your reserves” reflects the chapter’s ruthless cultivation-world logic.
• Preparation versus raw power: Qu Qi has overwhelming material support and extensive preparation, while Chen Qiu possesses superior combat ability but almost no wealth.
• Pragmatism and betrayal: The Qu Family Supreme Elder considers abandoning his own family once he believes its destruction is inevitable, emphasizing survival over loyalty.
• Public reputation versus private intentions: Chen Qiu is publicly celebrated as a heroic prodigy, while privately preparing to rob other contestants.
• Worldly experience and detachment: Scholar’s discussion satirizes conventional claims of spiritual detachment, arguing that one cannot reject worldly desires without first understanding them.
• The many faces of humanity: The crowd’s varied reactions to Chen Qiu’s introduction—admiration, envy, fear, jealousy, and unwillingness—illustrate how reputation provokes different emotions in different people.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Scholar: Discuss the capital, worldly affairs, and their lack of Spirit Stones; their exchange highlights Scholar’s changed personality and Chen Qiu’s relaxed attitude.
• Chen Qiu and Zhao Dezhu: Share a warm, teasing conversation about the Fierce Baleful Wood. Chen Qiu deliberately returns the storage ring knowing Zhao Dezhu will refuse it.
• Qu Family Head and Qu Qi: The father equips Qu Qi for the competition but urges him to avoid Chen Qiu, while Qu Qi insists he is strong enough to contend for victory.
• Qu Family Supreme Elder and himself: After overhearing the father and son, he privately debates betraying the Qu Family to seek Chen Qiu’s protection.
• Chen Qiu and the Liu Family girl: She announces a blood feud over her sister’s death. Chen Qiu remembers killing the woman’s relatives and dismisses the threat, intending to deal with her inside the secret realm.
• Chen Qiu and the public: His dramatic introduction turns him into the central figure of the event, making clear that every major faction is watching him closely.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu is introduced first at the Prodigy Rankings event. The elders praise his humility despite his Grade-Five Heavenly Dao Golden Core and status as a Heavenly Dao Saint.
• Qu Qi, jealous and resentful of Chen Qiu, reacts angrily when introduced as the “former” strongest spell-cultivator prodigy. The official clarifies that Qu Qi has merely been surpassed by Chen Qiu, further embarrassing him.
• Chen Qiu privately decides to kill Qu Qi in the Prodigy Secret Realm, though he intends to restrain himself against the other weaker contestants.
• The Qu Family’s Supreme Elder secretly contacts Chen Qiu through divine sense and reveals that Qu Qi’s storage ring contains valuable materials for forging a Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure. He claims Chen Qiu may be the person destined to save Great Xia.
• The Prodigy Secret Realm opens under new rules caused by the approaching Under-Heaven Strife. Instead of selecting the top hundred prodigies, it will choose only one Peerless Prodigy, who will receive the strongest Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure.
• Chen Qiu stores Scholar and his companions in his portable Minor World before entering, revealing this ability to the other contestants.
• A Hidden Family prodigy from the Liu Family recognizes Chen Qiu as the person who killed her elder sister and decides to assassinate him while seizing his Minor World.
• Inside the secret realm, 216 prodigies are placed into 108 arenas. All materials capable of forging a Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure are extracted and gathered as the final reward.
• Chen Qiu defeats his Foundation Establishment opponent with a severely weakened Lightning-Channeling Art, but even this nearly kills the man. Chen Qiu realizes how difficult it will be to fight weak opponents without accidentally killing them.
• The Liu Family assassin brutally tortures and kills a Warhammer Sect disciple, provoking the Warhammer Sect. Its master orders the sect’s Supreme Elder and forces to descend the mountain and kill the Liu Family prodigy.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Displays composure, humility, and strategic caution in public. Internally, however, he remains ruthless toward Qu Qi and views the competition primarily as a chance to obtain materials for his Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure. His overwhelming strength becomes evident when even a deliberately weakened attack nearly kills a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• Qu Qi: His pride and insecurity deepen. He cannot tolerate being publicly labeled as a former prodigy and becomes openly hostile toward Chen Qiu, unaware that Chen Qiu has already decided to kill him.
• Qu Family Supreme Elder: Secretly betrays Qu Qi by informing Chen Qiu about his resources. His hidden motivation is based on his belief that Chen Qiu is the world’s true protagonist and future savior.
• Xia Jiqiu: Introduced as a remarkably powerful nineteen-year-old Seventh Prince and Golden Core Second Layer cultivator. His detached cruelty is illustrated when he methodically crushes every ant around him.
• Liu Family assassin: Revealed as a ruthless expert specializing in assassination and concealment. She views Chen Qiu’s weak physical defenses and portable Minor World as opportunities to claim glory for her family.
• Warhammer Sect Master: Demonstrates the sect’s aggressive, uncompromising nature. Rather than tolerate the Liu Family’s cruelty, he immediately orders retaliation.

3. Significant Themes

• Humility versus pride: Chen Qiu’s calm behavior contrasts with Qu Qi’s wounded ego and desire for recognition.
• Overwhelming power and restraint: Chen Qiu is so far above most contestants that even his weakest attacks risk killing them, forcing him to consider how to control his strength.
• The coming chaotic age: The approaching Under-Heaven Strife changes the rules of the rankings and makes the title of Peerless Prodigy politically and strategically important.
• Predestination and protagonist imagery: The Supreme Elder’s belief that Chen Qiu is destined to save Great Xia introduces the idea that individuals may be acting according to a larger narrative or fate.
• Violence and retaliation: The Liu Family’s assassination methods and the Warhammer Sect’s immediate response establish a world where humiliation and murder quickly escalate into sect-wide conflict.
• Resources and opportunity: The secret realm transforms the competition into a struggle over the materials needed to forge an exceptionally powerful Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure.

4. Character Interactions

• Elders praise Chen Qiu’s temperament, while one sect master bizarrely describes his aura as resembling delicious pastries.
• Qu Qi publicly challenges the event’s announcer, then uses Chen Qiu as the target of a provocative stare. Chen Qiu outwardly avoids the attention but inwardly vows to kill him.
• The Qu Family Supreme Elder secretly communicates with Chen Qiu and offers information about Qu Qi’s treasures.
• Scholar warns Chen Qiu that the secret realm’s rules vary unpredictably. Chen Qiu responds by placing Scholar and others in his Minor World for safety.
• The Liu Family assassin notices Chen Qiu’s Minor World and marks him as a target.
• The Warhammer Sect and Liu Family become direct enemies after the Liu assassin tortures and kills a Warhammer disciple, prompting a vow of revenge.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Warhammer Sect’s sect master publicly announces his intention to fight Chen Qiu after the tournament, promising to wait until they leave the Capital City because combat is forbidden there. The threat alarms the audience, including the Hidden Families, who begin sending word of the situation.
• In the second round of the Prodigy Secret Realm, Chen Qiu’s opponent deliberately stabs himself to enter a near-death state and be expelled. When the injury is insufficient, Chen Qiu repeatedly stabs him with a normal sword until the man is finally removed.
• During the third round, Chen Qiu faces the only devil cultivator in the tournament, a Golden Core prodigy wielding a powerful Myriad Souls Banner filled with demon-beast wraiths. However, Chen Qiu’s Heavenly Dao Saint ability effortlessly destroys all the wraiths.
• Before the devil cultivator can reveal his “second form,” Chen Qiu uses the divine sense technique Heart-Piercing Thorn to defeat him instantly. Chen Qiu realizes that the opponent’s powerful physical and spiritual abilities are useless against an undefended Sea of Divine Sense.
• In the fourth round, Chen Qiu fights a Golden Core Second Layer assassin from the Liu Family. She uses dozens of clones, concealment techniques, a supreme dagger, and armor that blocks divine sense locks, making her a natural counter to spell cultivators.
• Despite her advantages, Chen Qiu does not need to identify her true body. He summons thousands of Thunder Dragons, annihilating the entire arena and killing her before she can exploit her techniques.
• Chen Qiu then prepares an enormous attack instead of fighting the remaining contestants individually. Tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons gather over the secret realm, terrifying the other prodigies. Most contestants voluntarily injure themselves to escape before the attack lands.
• The remaining fighters, including Qu Qi and the Seventh Prince of Great Xia, are caught in Chen Qiu’s indiscriminate bombardment. The arenas and their barriers are destroyed, leaving behind a massive crater.
• The Seventh Prince survives the attack and attempts to challenge Chen Qiu with his ultimate sword technique, Qi Tian, which he has trained since childhood. Before he can swing it, Chen Qiu prepares another wave of Thunder Dragons. Realizing he has no chance, the Seventh Prince stabs himself and exits the realm, deeply humiliated.
• The Heavenly Dao announces that Chen Qiu has become the Peerless Prodigy, ascending to the top of the Prodigy Rankings through overwhelming dominance. Chen Qiu is disappointed that the title comes without a special reward, but he quickly turns his attention to the heavenly treasures that reappear afterward.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu demonstrates that his strength far exceeds ordinary Golden Core cultivators. His Heavenly Dao Saint ability destroys ghostly creatures, while his divine sense attack bypasses conventional defenses. He also reveals that his repeated Thunder Dragon attacks are not even his strongest technique.
• Chen Qiu becomes increasingly confident and theatrical. Rather than carefully defeating opponents one by one, he openly overwhelms the entire field, treating the tournament almost like an experiment to test the durability of the secret realm’s arenas.
• The devil cultivator is established as exceptionally powerful among First Level Golden Core cultivators, but his reliance on external wraiths and lack of divine sense defenses makes him helpless against Chen Qiu.
• The Liu Family assassin remains a formidable specialist and a perfect counter to conventional spell cultivators, but her techniques fail against Chen Qiu’s area-wide attacks.
• The Seventh Prince is portrayed as proud, determined, and desperate for recognition. His painstakingly cultivated sword technique never reaches Chen Qiu; his frustration and humiliation culminate in his decision to eliminate himself from the realm.
• The other contestants’ willingness to injure themselves rather than face Chen Qiu emphasizes the overwhelming fear his power inspires.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming strength versus specialized techniques: Many prodigies possess abilities designed to counter certain cultivation paths, but Chen Qiu’s sheer scale and versatility make such counters ineffective.
• The futility of pride before absolute power: The Seventh Prince’s lifelong dream of revealing his sword technique is reduced to a desperate self-inflicted wound when Chen Qiu refuses to give him a meaningful opening.
• The limits of conventional cultivation logic: Chen Qiu repeatedly wins without relying on standard methods such as divine sense locks, defensive spiritual energy, or close combat.
• Spectacle and dominance: The tournament shifts from a contest between equals into a demonstration of Chen Qiu’s supremacy. His attacks reshape the battlefield and force nearly everyone else to flee.
• Recognition versus reward: Although the Heavenly Dao formally acknowledges Chen Qiu as the Peerless Prodigy, the lack of a material reward highlights his casual, somewhat irreverent attitude toward fame and status.

Character Interactions

• The Warhammer Sect master openly threatens Chen Qiu, setting up a future conflict outside the Capital City.
• Chen Qiu mockingly responds to the Liu Family assassin’s taunts by promising to show her what a true spell cultivator can do, then destroys her with overwhelming lightning.
• Chen Qiu and the Seventh Prince briefly interact with unexpected courtesy: Chen Qiu agrees to let him make one sword strike, but the prince abandons the attempt when another Thunder Dragon barrage appears.
• The tournament spectators, sect masters, Hidden Families, and remaining prodigies all react with growing shock as Chen Qiu shifts from defeating individual opponents to destroying the entire secret realm battlefield.

Chapter Summary: “Too Exaggerated, Isn’t It?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Qiu’s battle in the Prodigy Secret Realm, the storm and destruction subside, leaving a massive crater. The tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons have killed Qu Qi and all other remaining competitors.
• Chen Qiu’s accumulated treasures begin merging under Heaven-and-Earth Power. After he adds a wisp of Heavenly Dao Fortune, they form a new Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure.
• The Rainbow Fishing Rod becomes the treasure’s core, but the finished item transforms into a rainbow-colored wooden umbrella. Chen Qiu uses the one-time “Prodigy’s Son” trait to raise its grade.
• Chen Qiu is expelled from the secret realm and officially declared the champion of the Prodigy Rankings. He receives the imperial champion’s reward, including 20,000 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones.
• The Seventh Prince promises to defeat Chen Qiu someday. Chen Qiu responds casually and encouragingly.
• Chen Qiu relaxes in the Capital City with Fat Dragon, Scholar, and Scholar’s younger brother, visiting the Ten-Mile Spring Breeze Tower, playing cards, and enjoying his victory.
• His victory spreads throughout Great Xia and the Hundred Kingdoms through Image Recording Stones. Chen Qiu becomes the undisputed “Peerless Prodigy.”
• A mysterious old fortune-teller reveals that Chen Qiu’s Golden Core is actually a legendary Tenth-grade Golden Core, not merely the Fifth-grade core believed by the public.
• The Qu Family head demands revenge for Qu Qi’s death. Though reluctant because of his limited lifespan, the Qu Family Supreme Elder agrees to act and reveals the existence of a special Minor World accessible only to someone without spiritual energy.
• At the chapter’s end, Chen Qiu prepares to refine the rainbow umbrella into his natal dharma treasure.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates overwhelming combat power despite being only at the First Level of the Golden Core Realm. He becomes the most uncontested champion in Prodigy Ranking history. Although celebrated publicly, he remains relaxed, pragmatic, and more interested in resting, entertainment, and refining his new treasure than in fame.
• Fat Dragon: Becomes highly excited by Chen Qiu’s victory and enjoys recounting how stunned the sect masters were. He helps create a lively, celebratory atmosphere after the competition.
• Scholar: Initially restrained at the pleasure house, but gradually relaxes under Fat Dragon’s influence. He shares in Chen Qiu’s post-victory celebration.
• Seventh Prince: Despite defeat and injury, retains his ambition and declares that he will eventually surpass Chen Qiu.
• Sect Masters and Elders: Their view of Chen Qiu changes from seeing him as a talented young spell cultivator to recognizing him as someone capable of threatening even Fourth-Layer Golden Core cultivators.
• Qu Family Head: His grief and rage over Qu Qi’s death turn into a determination to assassinate Chen Qiu, even at the cost of mobilizing the family’s nearly exhausted Supreme Elder.
• Qu Family Supreme Elder: Revealed to be powerful but near the end of his life. He is wary of acting but is pressured into assisting the Qu Family head.
• Mysterious Old Man: Revealed to possess deep knowledge of Chen Qiu’s true cultivation foundation and the legendary nature of his Tenth-grade Golden Core.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming talent and disparity: Chen Qiu’s strength is so far beyond his peers that it threatens their confidence and Dao hearts, illustrating the psychological impact of absolute superiority.
• Appearances versus reality: The public believes Chen Qiu has a Fifth-grade Golden Core, while the truth is far more extraordinary. Similarly, his apparently ordinary fishing rod becomes a powerful Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure.
• The dangers of fame: Chen Qiu’s victory spreads rapidly, bringing admiration, commercial interest, political attention, and assassination attempts.
• Ambition and resilience: The chapter contrasts the Seventh Prince’s determination to keep improving with the possibility that crushing defeat can destroy a prodigy’s confidence and ambition.
• Calm amid chaos: While Great Xia becomes increasingly unsettled by Chen Qiu’s rise and the approaching Under-Heaven Strife, Chen Qiu finds peace in ordinary pleasures and emotional stillness.
• Impending conflict: The frequent Heavenly Dao Edicts, the mysterious Prodigy Road, and the Qu Family’s planned retaliation suggest that Chen Qiu’s victory is only the beginning of larger upheavals.

Important Character Interactions

• The sect masters debate Chen Qiu’s supposed weakness—his poor divine-sense locking—and whether faster Golden Core cultivators could evade his Thunder Dragons. Even this proposed weakness only gives stronger opponents a chance, not certainty.
• The Seventh Prince confronts Chen Qiu and vows to defeat him; Chen Qiu treats the declaration lightly but offers encouragement.
• Fat Dragon enthusiastically praises Chen Qiu while walking through the Capital, emphasizing how completely Chen Qiu shocked the cultivators watching the battle.
• Chen Qiu celebrates with Fat Dragon and Scholar at the Ten-Mile Spring Breeze Tower, later playing Sanmo Cards with them in a relaxed atmosphere.
• The Qu Family head pressures the Supreme Elder to avenge Qu Qi, arguing that a guardian elder must act when the family needs him. The Supreme Elder reluctantly agrees and reveals the hidden Minor World.
• The mysterious old man’s observations provide the reader with secret information about Chen Qiu’s true cultivation and foreshadow future developments.

Chapter Summary: Rainbow Heavenly-Mystery Umbrella

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu refines his Rainbow Jade Umbrella into his natal spirit treasure. His Twelfth-Grade Golden Core instantly completes the refinement, revealing another of its powerful abilities.
• The artifact’s formal name is revealed as the Rainbow Heavenly-Mystery Umbrella. It is a top-tier Heaven-Grade, Lower-Grade Golden Core growth-type spirit treasure with no upper limit to its development.
• The umbrella grants three major abilities:
  1. Enhances spell power while reducing spiritual-energy consumption by half.
  2. Provides a defensive barrier capable of blocking a full-power attack from a Fourth-Layer Golden Core cultivator or below.
  3. Automatically locks onto every enemy within Chen Qiu’s divine-sense range—an astonishing radius of 130 li.
• In the Imperial Palace, a mysterious hooded man opens the thirteenth of thirty-six sealed brocade pouches after the Prodigy Rankings reach the required condition. The message instructs that the Flower-Offering Sect should begin its operation and that Ji Taiping must return to the capital within thirty days.
• The chapter reveals that the Imperial Preceptor has repeatedly used an Illusion Stone to live thirty-six different lives, succeeding spectacularly in twenty-seven of them. His current whereabouts remain unknown.
• Another sealed instruction orders the Capital Zhang Clan to target White Robe, Great Xia’s foremost sword cultivator, causing his realm to fall and preventing him from joining any faction.
• The Flower-Offering Sect receives the palace’s support. Its master is thrilled by the promise of fifty thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, while the First Elder worries that the sect is vulnerable because its former Supreme Elder has secretly died.
• Chen Qiu learns that the Flower-Offering Sect’s Walking Celestial Maiden is scheduled for public execution. Fat Dragon, who was once humiliated by the sect, initially refuses to act because he fears Chen Qiu may be injured fighting its Fourth-Layer Golden Core sect master.
• Chen Qiu nevertheless leads Fat Dragon, Scholar, and the others to the Flower-Offering Sect.
• Upon arrival, he knocks out the gate guards with divine-sense attacks, opens the umbrella, summons dark clouds and a violent storm, and locks onto every person within the sect.
• The Walking Celestial Maiden recognizes Fat Dragon and urges him and the others to flee, warning that Chen Qiu cannot defeat the sect master.
• The Flower-Offering Sect master attempts to justify the sect’s use of mortals as cultivation supplements by comparing their deaths to casualties caused by natural disasters and claiming that even the Heavenly Dao kills mortals.
• Chen Qiu rejects the attempt at debate, stating that destroying a Dao he dislikes is more efficient than persuading its adherents.
• He unleashes tens of thousands of Thunder Dragons. The mountain-protecting formation is destroyed, and nearly the entire sect—including more than a thousand disciples and elders—is annihilated. Only the sect master and a Golden Core grand elder survive, both badly wounded.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu gains a major increase in combat ability through the Rainbow Heavenly-Mystery Umbrella. His already overwhelming offensive power is supplemented by efficient spellcasting, automatic enemy targeting, and a reliable defensive measure.
• He demonstrates a decisive and ruthless approach to evil: rather than argue with the Flower-Offering Sect, he chooses to eliminate it. His confidence has grown enough that he does not regard a Fourth-Layer Golden Core opponent as a serious threat.
• Fat Dragon shows emotional maturity. Although he deeply desires revenge against the Flower-Offering Sect, he prioritizes Chen Qiu’s safety and is willing to delay revenge rather than risk his friend’s injury.
• Scholar supports Fat Dragon’s caution and emphasizes the immense difference between early- and mid-stage Golden Core cultivation.
• The Walking Celestial Maiden is shown to retain concern for Fat Dragon despite her abuse and imminent execution. Her joy at seeing him confirms their past connection.
• The Flower-Offering Sect Master is revealed as both arrogant and manipulative. He attempts to cloak the sect’s crimes in philosophical reasoning, but panics when Chen Qiu attacks without negotiation.
• The Imperial Preceptor becomes a more mysterious and important figure through the revelations about his repeated reincarnated lives and hidden plans.

Significant Themes

• Power and refinement: Chen Qiu’s exceptional Golden Core allows him to instantly master and vastly enhance a powerful spirit treasure.
• Offense versus defense: The umbrella addresses the traditional weakness of Dharma cultivators by combining overwhelming spell output with strong protection.
• Justice and revenge: Fat Dragon seeks revenge for past humiliation, while Chen Qiu frames his intervention as both avenging his brother and punishing the sect’s abuse of mortals.
• Destruction over persuasion: Chen Qiu rejects moral debate with entrenched evil, arguing that eliminating a harmful ideology is more effective than attempting to reform it.
• Moral hypocrisy: The Flower-Offering Sect rationalizes killing mortals by comparing itself to natural disasters, exposing its willingness to misuse grand principles to excuse deliberate cruelty.
• Hidden political manipulation: The palace’s secret orders reveal that major factions and prodigies are being maneuvered according to an unseen long-term plan.
• Sacrifice and unequal bargains: The First Elder suspects that the palace’s offer to revive the Flower-Offering Sect demands a price far greater than merely sacrificing the Walking Celestial Maiden.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and his companions discuss whether attacking the Flower-Offering Sect is worth the risk; Fat Dragon and Scholar urge caution, but Chen Qiu calmly overrules them.
• The Walking Celestial Maiden emotionally reunites with Fat Dragon and warns him to escape, showing concern despite her own suffering.
• Chen Qiu and the Flower-Offering Sect master exchange opposing views on the sect’s treatment of mortals. The sect master seeks justification through the Heavenly Dao, while Chen Qiu dismisses the argument and attacks.
• The palace figure acts through sealed messages and indirect commands, manipulating the Flower-Offering Sect, the Zhang Clan, White Robe, and Ji Taiping without revealing his identity or full objectives.
• The chapter ends with Chen Qiu advancing through the devastated sect, while the wounded sect master angrily accuses him of hypocrisy. Chen Qiu maintains that he has freed the mortals from their miserable existence and implies that the true targets of his attack are the sect’s leaders.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The severely wounded Flower-Offering Sect Master attempts to unleash his ultimate technique, Demon-Heaven World Annihilation, after Chen Qiu destroys his defensive treasure with thousands of Thunder Dragons.
• Before the technique can be completed, Chen Qiu uses a powerful divine-sense attack that shatters the sect master’s Sea of Divine Sense, despite the man possessing a treasure capable of defending against attacks from stronger Golden Core cultivators.
• Chen Qiu kills the immobilized sect master and captures his escaping Golden Core with Scholar’s sword. He then kills the Flower-Offering Sect’s Grand Elder, while Scholar prevents the elder’s Golden Core from self-destructing.
• In less than the time needed to drink tea, the prosperous Flower-Offering Sect is reduced to ruins.
• The Walking Celestial Maiden, still chained to a pillar, expresses joy at believing Fat Dragon came to rescue her. Fat Dragon angrily denies this, explaining that he sees her only as an enemy who tortured him.
• Their conversation reveals a tragic misunderstanding: the Celestial Maiden believed Fat Dragon’s jokes, gifts, and apparent kindness signified affection, while Fat Dragon had merely been manipulating her to survive.
• Overwhelmed by shame and sorrow, the Celestial Maiden’s Dao Foundation cracks. A black flower inside her body rapidly matures, triggering a dramatic transformation.
• She changes repeatedly between male and female forms before becoming a powerful half-man, half-woman demon. Her cultivation suddenly rises from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core Sixth Layer.
• Chen Qiu shelters Fat Dragon and the others in his Minor World and fights the transformed Celestial Maiden alone. Ordinary Thunder Dragons and divine-sense attacks prove ineffective because she has no Sea of Divine Sense and possesses extraordinary regenerative abilities.
• Chen Qiu activates his Self-Destruct Trait, sacrificing his “Forging Aptitude” to unleash the strongest attack possible beneath the Nascent Soul realm: a lightning strike comparable to a Half-Step Nascent Soul attack.
• The Celestial Maiden is finally destroyed. No Golden Core remains in her body; instead, an Eight-Petal Demonic Lotus emerges from the corpse.
• Chen Qiu stores the lotus in his Minor World, where it replaces the Eight-Petaled Fire Lotus and fills the Mocking Heaven Sect with a cold, deathly atmosphere.
• A Heavenly Dao Edict announces that the Walking Celestial Maiden was actually the Devil Race’s Saintess. Her death causes Under-Heaven Strife to begin six months early, while a Sea Clan Invasion will begin in three days.
• Chen Qiu and his companions travel toward eastern Great Xia, where coastal civilians are fleeing in anticipation of the invasion.
• At the chapter’s end, Chen Qiu begins questioning whether his recent opportunities—including the Eight-Petaled Fire Lotus, the Demonic Lotus, and his encounters with Old Cao—were arranged by someone skilled in divination.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, combining divine-sense attacks, Thunder Dragons, teleportation, defensive treasures, and powerful strategic judgment. He also shows growing suspicion that his fate and opportunities may be manipulated.
• Scholar proves extremely efficient and loyal in battle, swiftly capturing the Flower-Offering Sect’s escaping Golden Cores. His past connection to the Imperial Preceptor is explored: he may once have been intended to become Great Xia’s greatest sword cultivator through Ji Renjian’s influence.
• Fat Dragon rejects the Walking Celestial Maiden’s romantic interpretation of their relationship. His anger reflects the trauma of being tortured and exploited, though Chen Qiu recognizes that the situation has deeply damaged her emotionally.
• The Walking Celestial Maiden undergoes the greatest transformation. Her unrequited attachment collapses into despair, allowing the demonic flower within her to mature and turning her into the Devil Race’s terrifying Saintess.
• Old Cao becomes increasingly suspicious in Chen Qiu’s eyes. His repeated appearances, knowledge, and apparent guidance may indicate that he has been influencing Chen Qiu’s path through divination.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstood affection and psychological trauma: The contrast between Fat Dragon’s survival-based deception and the Celestial Maiden’s romantic interpretation highlights how suffering can distort relationships.
• Power and hidden identities: The Celestial Maiden’s sudden transformation reveals that appearances and cultivation levels can conceal much greater forces.
• Fate versus manipulation: Chen Qiu begins to suspect that his “opportunities” may not be coincidences but parts of a larger design.
• The cost of power: Chen Qiu sacrifices his Forging Aptitude to unleash a stronger attack, showing that advancement and survival require permanent losses.
• Heavenly upheaval: The Saintess’s death accelerates Under-Heaven Strife and heralds the Sea Clan Invasion, suggesting that individual battles are triggering large-scale changes in the world.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and the Flower-Offering Sect Master: Chen Qiu interrupts the sect master’s ultimate attack and kills him effortlessly, establishing the overwhelming gap between them.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon: Chen Qiu allows Fat Dragon to decide what to do about the Celestial Maiden, showing trust and consideration, but later protects him from the truth about her transformed body.
• Fat Dragon and the Walking Celestial Maiden: Their confrontation exposes the tragic difference between her imagined romance and his experience of imprisonment and torture.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar: Chen Qiu questions Scholar about the Imperial Preceptor’s plans and whether combining an unparalleled sword cultivator with an unparalleled spell cultivator could break Great Xia’s Nascent Soul restrictions.
• Chen Qiu and Old Cao: Though Old Cao does not appear directly, Chen Qiu’s reflections suggest that their repeated encounters may be connected to a larger divination-based scheme.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu deduces that “Old Cao” is likely the Imperial Preceptor of Great Xia. Old Cao appears to be cultivating Chen Qiu into an unparalleled spellcaster to help break Great Xia’s cultivation restrictions, possibly in combination with an unparalleled sword cultivator.
• Scholar describes the Imperial Preceptor as an ageless-looking man with murky eyes and the White Trait Nonsense Trait, which increases his cultivation whenever he deceives others. Chen Qiu connects this description to Old Cao’s past actions and recognizes his habit of manipulating people through fortune-telling and false predictions.
• Chen Qiu accepts that he may be a chess piece in the Imperial Preceptor’s plans, since their goals—surviving, reaching Nascent Soul, and breaking Great Xia’s shackles—currently align. However, he remains determined not to let Old Cao control him completely.
• The Prodigy Rankings grant Chen Qiu ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills. Each pill increases his cultivation progress by roughly 5%, allowing him to advance from 0.1% to 50.1% of the First Layer of the Golden Core Realm overnight.
• Chen Qiu plans to exploit the upcoming Sea Clan Invasion to kill demonic beasts, expand his dantian, strengthen his spells, and further improve his combat ability. He also intends to find injured Sea Clan beasts for Fat Dragon to use with his dual-cultivation trait.
• A cultivator in Chen Qiu’s Minor World successfully breaks the restrictions on three storage rings taken from the Flower-Offering Sect Master. The rings contain nearly two thousand Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.
• Chen Qiu gives the pills to Scholar, potentially allowing him to advance toward Foundation Establishment Peak Great Perfection and eventually become another Golden Core powerhouse.
• The chapter also follows several distant figures:
  • The city lord of Fat City continues guarding the Boundless Ice Wastes because the Imperial Preceptor has not recalled him, believing this must still be part of a larger plan.
  • Ji Taiping remains trapped in the Hundred Kingdoms, frustrated by repeated failed peace talks and anxious about losing Ji Renjian to White Robe.
• After another day of cultivation, Chen Qiu uses the next batch of Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills to break through to the Second Layer of the Golden Core Realm.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes more politically aware and recognizes the Imperial Preceptor’s possible influence over his path. Although he accepts assistance, he privately maintains his independence and refuses to become fully controlled.
• His confidence grows as his cultivation accelerates. He realizes that the Prodigy Rankings’ rewards may allow him to reach higher realms far sooner than expected.
• Chen Qiu also becomes increasingly strategic, planning to use the Sea Clan Invasion not only for survival but as an opportunity to strengthen himself and his companions.
• Scholar remains loyal and grateful to Chen Qiu. Receiving the large supply of cultivation pills gives him a realistic chance to rebuild his cultivation and eventually reach the Golden Core Realm.
• Fat Dragon looks for ways to exploit the coming invasion to advance through his Destiny Dual Cultivation Trait.
• The Fat City Lord continues to interpret his assignment as evidence of the Imperial Preceptor’s meticulous long-term planning, even though he is uncertain why he has not been recalled.
• Ji Taiping is revealed to be deeply possessive and insecure about Ji Renjian’s relationship with White Robe. His duty as a Nation-Guarding Sword Envoy conflicts with his desire to return home.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation versus independence: Chen Qiu accepts that he may be part of someone else’s plan but insists that cooperation does not equal submission.
• Strategic use of fate and opportunity: Characters repeatedly interpret events as pieces of a larger design, while Chen Qiu actively turns rewards, invasions, and enemies into resources for advancement.
• Rapid cultivation and accumulated advantage: The Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills dramatically alter Chen Qiu’s progress, emphasizing how special opportunities can transform a cultivator’s future.
• Power and survival: The characters’ decisions are driven by the need to grow strong enough to survive invasions, overcome realm restrictions, and secure longer lifespans.
• Comedy amid danger: Repeated jokes about defecation, Fat Dragon’s crude humor, and Scholar’s awkward flattery provide comic relief against the serious backdrop of political schemes and impending war.
• Loyalty and dependence: Chen Qiu supports Scholar and Fat Dragon, while others depend on the Imperial Preceptor or Great Xia’s authority to determine their place and future.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu discusses the Imperial Preceptor with Scholar and uses Scholar’s description to confirm Old Cao’s identity.
• Scholar and Fat Dragon are confused by Chen Qiu’s cheerful reaction to discovering he may be a pawn, but continue following him.
• Chen Qiu gives Scholar nearly two thousand Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, strengthening their alliance. Fat Dragon teases Scholar for his overly stiff gratitude.
• Chen Qiu promises to help Fat Dragon obtain injured Sea Clan demonic beasts for cultivation through his trait.
• The Fat City Lord and his elderly aide discuss why the Imperial Preceptor has not recalled him, with the lord repeating the Imperial Preceptor’s vulgar philosophical example.
• Ji Taiping communicates with his subordinates to ensure Ji Renjian remains safely in Azure Edge, revealing his anxiety over White Robe’s possible influence.

Chapter Summary: “Raging Wind and Torrential Rain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After advancing to the Golden Core Second Layer, Chen Qiu receives three random traits:
  • Raging Wind and Torrential Rain: greatly strengthens water and lightning techniques in watery, stormy environments.
  • Self-Destruction and Re-cultivation: resets his entire life and cultivation.
  • Escape Method: allows his Golden Core to flee faster after his body dies.
• Chen Qiu chooses Raging Wind and Torrential Rain, realizing that his Lightning-Channeling Art naturally creates storms, allowing the trait to function almost constantly whenever he uses the spell at full power.
• He reflects on the advantages of his instant-casting Lightning-Channeling Art, especially compared with slower but more intimidating techniques such as the Flower-Offering Sect Master’s skeletal phantom.
• Over the next two nights, Chen Qiu consumes Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and raises his cultivation to Golden Core Second Layer, 80.2%.
• The anticipated Sea Clan Invasion begins. Storm clouds cover the coast, enormous waves flood the shore, and countless Sea Demons emerge across Great Xia’s coastline.
• Chen Qiu observes that the Sea Clan is likely attacking from many locations simultaneously, intending to identify the weakest defensive area before concentrating its main force there.
• He orders several Golden Core cultivators to retreat with their Foundation Establishment forces and deliberately appear weak, hoping to lure the Sea Clan’s main army toward them.
• Using Scholar’s flying sword, Chen Qiu scouts nearly a thousand li of coastline. At each battlefield, he unleashes vast numbers of Lightning-Channeling Arts, enhanced by the storm, slaughtering huge numbers of Sea Demons.
• His dantian expands dramatically from 21,000 li to 60,000 li, tripling his spiritual-energy capacity. His maximum simultaneous Thunder Dragon output rises from roughly 10,000 to 30,000.
• Chen Qiu returns to Little Fish City, where the Sea Clan’s forces are far denser than elsewhere. He waits until the main assault force gathers, ordering the allied cultivators to withdraw and leave the battlefield to him.
• The enormous Sea Demon army finally arrives, followed by three Golden Core First Layer Sea Demons, confirming that Chen Qiu’s strategy has succeeded and that this location is the true focus of the invasion.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes even more powerful and confident after reaching the Second Layer of the Golden Core Realm. His cultivation speed, immense spiritual reserves, and instant-casting techniques make him exceptionally dangerous.
• He demonstrates growing strategic maturity, looking beyond individual battles to manipulate the enemy’s movements and create the most advantageous battlefield.
• His practical and opportunistic nature is emphasized: he views the invasion not only as a crisis but also as an ideal opportunity to kill demons and expand his dantian.
• His reputation continues to grow. Other cultivators obey his orders despite having no formal relationship with him, while dharma cultivators regard him with near-reverence.
• Scholar remains a vital supporter, providing transportation and helping Chen Qiu scout the coastline.
• The Golden Core cultivators initially feel uneasy about Chen Qiu’s orders but gradually trust his judgment. A newly arrived bald dharma cultivator openly admires him.

Significant Themes

• Preparation and perseverance: Chen Qiu’s relentless cultivation allows him to advance far faster than ordinary cultivators.
• Instant power versus preparation time: The chapter contrasts Chen Qiu’s immediate Lightning-Channeling Art with slower, more elaborate techniques that can be interrupted before completion.
• Strategy over brute force: Chen Qiu wins an advantage by understanding the Sea Clan’s likely tactics and intentionally feigning weakness.
• Turning crisis into opportunity: The invasion is both a national disaster and a chance for Chen Qiu to increase his spiritual reserves by killing demons.
• Reputation and authority: Chen Qiu’s past achievements have transformed him into a figure whose strength commands obedience and inspires admiration.
• Environmental power: The stormy battlefield greatly amplifies Chen Qiu’s lightning techniques, demonstrating how cultivation abilities can become overwhelming when conditions are favorable.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu consults Scholar about the rarity of Upper-Grade Retrospection Talismans before accepting his chosen trait.
• He gives orders to two Golden Core cultivators, explaining his theory that the Sea Clan is testing multiple landing points before concentrating its main army.
• The cultivators question whether they can withstand the enemy’s eventual Golden Core forces, but Chen Qiu confidently assures them that they can.
• A third Golden Core dharma cultivator joins the defensive force after hearing Chen Qiu’s plan and expresses strong admiration for him.
• Chen Qiu repeatedly commands the allied cultivators to retreat and minimize casualties among the Sea Demons, preserving the enemy force for his planned decisive strike.
• The chapter ends with Chen Qiu displeased that the newly arrived Golden Core Sea Demons trample large numbers of his intended prey, as the real battle is about to begin.

Chapter Summary: “This Is What a Dharma Cultivator Should Be!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu confronts a massive Sea Clan invasion near Little Fish City. After the Sea Demons’ numbers begin to thin, he unveils the full power of his Heavenly Secrets Umbrella and Lightning-Channeling Art.
• He summons nearly 30,000 enormous Thunder Dragons, creating black clouds, violent rain, and a storm that blankets the battlefield. The lightning annihilates nearly 400,000 Sea Demons, including three Golden Core Sea Demons, leaving behind a massive crater that fills with seawater and becomes an inland sea.
• Chen Qiu’s attack dramatically expands his dantian from roughly 20,000 li to 460,000 li, greatly increasing his spiritual reserves. His ordinary attack method can now theoretically produce around 230,000 Thunder Dragons.
• A second wave appears: nine Golden Core Sea Demons, including several Third- and Fourth-Layer cultivators, followed by a female Golden Core Fifth-Layer Sea Demon who uses pink hallucinatory mist.
• The hallucination technique has no effect on Chen Qiu because of his Heavenly Dao Saint status. While the Sea Demons attack from the front, three more hidden Golden Core Sea Demons ambush him from behind.
• Chen Qiu locks onto thirteen Golden Core Sea Demons and unleashes hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons. Twelve are completely obliterated, while the female Fifth-Layer Sea Demon survives only because Chen Qiu deliberately restrains his attack. He captures her in his Minor World for Fat Dragon to use.
• The attack destroys Little Fish City and further reshapes the landscape. No additional Sea Demons emerge, and the Heavenly Dao announces Great Xia’s total victory.
• Chen Qiu departs to eat, recover his spiritual energy, and arrange for the reconstruction of the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Recordings of the battle spread throughout Great Xia. Chen Qiu’s fame and commercial value increase dramatically, with storytellers, merchants, and even opportunists profiting from his legend.
• The Seventh Prince studies the recorded battle and analyzes Chen Qiu’s technique. He concludes that many Thunder Dragons are illusions and that avoiding Chen Qiu’s divine sense lock may allow him to charge through the attack and defeat him in their next battle.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates overwhelming battlefield power and complete confidence. He treats hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons as a routine attack, experiments with his divine sense’s targeting capacity, and deliberately spares the strongest Sea Demon for later use. His strength, fame, and resources continue to grow, though his attacks cause severe environmental destruction.
• The bald Golden Core dharma cultivator: Becomes an enthusiastic admirer of Chen Qiu, repeatedly declaring that his display represents what a true dharma cultivator should be. He tries to help Chen Qiu but retreats in terror when he realizes the scale of the incoming lightning, suffering internal injuries from abruptly stopping his attack.
• The other cultivators: Initially fear Chen Qiu’s power but gradually become spectators, recording the battle despite the danger because the footage will sell for a high price.
• The Seventh Prince: Moves from frustration after his previous defeat to determined analysis. He identifies a possible weakness in Chen Qiu’s Myriad Thunders Overhead and begins preparing a counterstrategy rather than giving up.
• The female Sea Demon: Revealed as the strongest enemy on the battlefield, but her overwhelming cultivation cannot withstand Chen Qiu’s controlled attack. She is left unconscious and captured.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and spectacle: Chen Qiu’s attacks resemble natural disasters or heavenly punishment, emphasizing the extraordinary destructive potential of a high-level dharma cultivator.
• The rise of a legend: Chen Qiu’s rapid transformation from mortal woodcutter and rogue cultivator into a Heavenly Dao Saint becomes a public myth, satisfying society’s fascination with sudden, improbable success.
• Fame as an industry: His battle is recorded, copied, sold, retold, and exploited by people across Great Xia. His legend benefits merchants, storytellers, and opportunists.
• Equality before overwhelming force: In the face of Chen Qiu’s lightning, Golden Core and low-level Sea Demons alike become “cannon fodder,” suggesting that immense power erases conventional differences in status or cultivation.
• Confidence versus strategic adaptation: Chen Qiu relies on overwhelming strength, while the Seventh Prince responds through careful observation and tactical planning, setting up a future rematch.
• The cost of power: Chen Qiu wins decisively, but his attacks destroy cities and permanently alter the landscape, raising the implicit tension between victory and collateral damage.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu’s overwhelming attack inspires the bald dharma cultivator to praise him as the ideal spell-user, though the same cultivator later flees to avoid being killed accidentally.
• The bald cultivator and the bare-chested Golden Core cultivator argue afterward: one defends spell cultivators, while the other mocks his injuries and calls him fragile.
• The Sea Demons coordinate a frontal assault and concealed rear ambush against Chen Qiu, but his divine sense detects them and allows him to destroy them all at once.
• Chen Qiu deliberately preserves the female Fifth-Layer Sea Demon, intending to hand her over to Fat Dragon.
• The Seventh Prince and his maid discuss Chen Qiu’s latest battle. After viewing the recording, the prince recognizes Chen Qiu as his most worthy rival and vows to defeat him in their next encounter.

Chapter Summary: “Heaven’s Chosen Token”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Seventh Prince watches a recording of Chen Qiu’s battle against the Sea Clan. Chen Qiu instantly summons nearly 30,000 Thunder Dragons, annihilating countless low-level sea demons.
• The Sea Clan then attacks Chen Qiu with twelve Golden Core sea demons, including experts at the Fourth and Fifth Layers, attempting to surround and ambush him.
• Instead of fleeing or moving, Chen Qiu calmly remains beneath the Heavenly Secrets Umbrella and summons hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons, destroying the attackers and transforming the battlefield into an enormous inland sea.
• The Seventh Prince’s confidence collapses. He realizes that Chen Qiu’s growth has left him far behind and that he can no longer regard Chen Qiu as a rival. His Dao heart is shaken, and he abandons sword practice, walking back to the capital in despair.
• The Heavenward Sect Master is similarly stunned by Chen Qiu’s astonishing rate of cultivation and begins to suspect that Chen Qiu may be the only person capable of breaking Great Xia’s barrier to the Nascent Soul realm.
• In Flying Fish City, Chen Qiu attracts widespread attention after forgetting to wear his mask. The City Lord asks him to write “Strongest City Lord” in calligraphy and to leave behind a trace of his aura.
• The City Lord later compares Chen Qiu’s handwriting with an old, yellowed note and reacts with terror, implying that Chen Qiu’s writing may be connected to a significant hidden identity or past event.
• Chen Qiu and his companions relax at a brothel before returning to cultivate. Chen Qiu gives Fat Dragon a captured Golden Core Fifth Layer demoness to use for cultivation.
• Chen Qiu considers exploring the depths of the Boundless Sea in search of another powerful fire lotus, but Scholar warns that Nascent Soul experts reside there, convincing him to postpone the idea.
• Chen Qiu consumes Heavenly Dao Golden Core pills and breaks through from Golden Core Second Layer to Golden Core Third Layer, reaching 15.2% progress.
• Shortly afterward, the previously neglected Heaven’s Chosen Token activates. Chen Qiu is suddenly transported to an unknown secret realm, leaving behind only a shattered teacup.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar investigate his disappearance. Scholar concludes that Chen Qiu was likely forcibly transported into a secret realm and reassures Fat Dragon that he should be able to return safely.
• Chen Qiu finds himself on an ancient, deserted Azure Stone Plaza. A panel reveals that the token has registered him for the Prodigy Road, which will open in one year.
• The current realm is a preliminary screening. All holders of Heaven’s Chosen Tokens have been transported there and cut off from the outside world. Only those who clear the trials may participate in the Prodigy Road, and their performance will earn them a ranking of Human, Earth, or Heaven.
• The first trial, the Heaven-Piercing Steps, begins. Participants must climb an enormous staircase using only physical strength and willpower, without spiritual energy or external items, within the time of one incense stick.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates a vast increase in combat power, effortlessly defeating opponents who should be far beyond his apparent cultivation. He remains calm, confident, and generous toward his companions. His cultivation continues advancing at an absurd rate, and he is now drawn into a larger world beyond Great Xia.
• Seventh Prince: Experiences a severe psychological defeat. His lifelong confidence as an unmatched prodigy is shattered when he recognizes that Chen Qiu’s strength and growth are completely beyond his reach. He temporarily loses his motivation to practice the sword.
• Fat Dragon: Receives Chen Qiu’s support in the form of the captured demoness and shows sincere gratitude, though Chen Qiu dismisses his formal thanks.
• Scholar: Remains rational and observant, warning Chen Qiu against recklessly entering the Boundless Sea and later analyzing Chen Qiu’s disappearance logically.
• Heavenward Sect Master: Begins viewing Chen Qiu not merely as a talented cultivator but as a possible hope for overcoming Great Xia’s cultivation limitations.
• Flying Fish City Lord: Initially acts out of admiration and vanity, but his attitude changes to shock and fear after recognizing something unusual about Chen Qiu’s handwriting.

Significant Themes

• The crushing gap between prodigies: The chapter contrasts ordinary genius with Chen Qiu’s nearly incomprehensible rate of growth, showing how even the strongest individuals can become powerless before a truly exceptional figure.
• Loneliness at the summit: The Seventh Prince’s despair reflects the isolation of someone who has always been unrivaled but finally encounters a person he can never catch.
• Rapid cultivation and destiny: Chen Qiu’s unnatural progress suggests that he may be tied to a larger fate or cosmic system beyond Great Xia.
• Hidden identities and mysteries: The Flying Fish City Lord’s reaction to Chen Qiu’s handwriting hints at an important secret concerning Chen Qiu’s past or identity.
• Transition to a larger world: The Heaven’s Chosen Token and Prodigy Road expand the story beyond the Great Xia Kingdom, introducing a broader competition among elite cultivators.
• Strength versus restraint: Although Chen Qiu possesses overwhelming power, he remains cautious about the Boundless Sea and preserves his ability to select future traits strategically.

Important Character Interactions

• The Seventh Prince watches Chen Qiu’s battle and mentally compares their abilities, ultimately accepting that he can no longer challenge him.
• Chen Qiu and the Flying Fish City Lord interact cordially, with Chen Qiu humorously questioning the request for “Strongest City Lord” calligraphy before complying.
• Chen Qiu casually gifts Fat Dragon a powerful captive, while Fat Dragon attempts to express his gratitude.
• Chen Qiu discusses the dangers of the Boundless Sea with Scholar, who persuades him not to act recklessly.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar cooperate after Chen Qiu vanishes, examining the evidence and deciding to wait for his return.
• In the secret realm, Chen Qiu interacts with the mysterious Heavenly Dao interface, learns the purpose of the Heaven’s Chosen Token, and prepares to face the first trial.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the Prodigy Road Preliminary Screening Realm, the first trial appears to require contestants to climb an impossibly long set of Heaven-Piercing Steps without using spiritual energy or external items.
• Chen Qiu quickly realizes that the stairway is largely an illusion and suspects the trial has another solution. He returns to the starting plaza, enters the clouds from a different direction, and reaches the second trial in only forty-eight breaths.
• The ranking reveals that Chen Qiu is the only contestant to clear the trial initially. Later, 1,298 Sky Prodigies pass, but Chen Qiu remains overwhelmingly first.
• Dao Sword Sect disciple Li Shiyi, dissatisfied with losing, uses his Supreme Prodigy Token to request a rematch, claiming the trial must have malfunctioned. The majority votes in favor.
• During the rematch, Chen Qiu uses Shrinking Earth to Inches immediately and reaches the next stage in one breath, proving that the clouds themselves provide the true shortcut.
• In the second trial, contestants must fight 100,000 puppets of their own cultivation level and kill at least ten within one incense stick. They may use spirit stones and treasures to restore spiritual energy, as well as Fierce Baleful Wood to broadcast messages to all participants.
• Chen Qiu destroys all 100,000 puppets in one breath using an enormous storm of Thunder Dragons, instantly reaching the third stage.
• He then spends hundreds of Fierce Baleful Woods broadcasting relentless taunts to the other contestants, especially Li Shiyi, while they struggle through the puppet battle. His mockery damages their mental states and Dao Hearts.
• By the end of the stage, only 438 of the original 1,298 contestants remain. Li Shiyi, distracted and enraged, ranks only seventeenth instead of among the leading contestants.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu demonstrates exceptional intelligence, caution, and adaptability. Rather than blindly following the apparent rules, he analyzes the secret realm’s design and discovers hidden routes.
• His overwhelming strength becomes increasingly clear: he clears both trials almost instantly and treats the combat assessment as meaningless.
• Chen Qiu also reveals a pragmatic and ruthless competitive mindset. He intentionally weakens future rivals by undermining their confidence and damaging their Dao Hearts.
• Li Shiyi changes from a confident leading prodigy into an enraged and humiliated rival. His obsession with defeating Chen Qiu causes him to lose composure and perform far below his ability.
• The other Sky Prodigies, initially focused on surviving the trials, become increasingly furious and demoralized by Chen Qiu’s constant provocations.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance versus perception: The first trial is designed to test whether cultivators continue forward despite seeing no end, reflecting the uncertainty of the cultivation path.
• Breaking assumptions: Chen Qiu succeeds by questioning the apparent structure of the trial rather than accepting its intended challenge.
• Mental strength and Dao Hearts: The chapter emphasizes that emotional stability is as important as physical or spiritual power. Chen Qiu’s taunts weaken his rivals more effectively than direct combat.
• Wealth and preparation: The second trial introduces resources such as spirit stones, heavenly fruits, and Fierce Baleful Wood, showing that a Sky Prodigy’s backing and treasures are part of their overall strength.
• Strength through weakening others: Chen Qiu believes victory is not only about becoming stronger but also about making future opponents weaker.
• Comedic arrogance and humiliation: Chen Qiu’s absurd confidence and casual insults create a humorous contrast with the other contestants’ serious struggles.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Li Shiyi become direct rivals after Li Shiyi publicly challenges the validity of Chen Qiu’s first-place result.
• Chen Qiu responds to the rematch by taking first place in one breath, deliberately humiliating Li Shiyi again.
• During the second trial, Chen Qiu broadcasts insults to all contestants, mocking their abilities, sects, weapons, and cultivation.
• Li Shiyi retaliates by accusing Chen Qiu of wasting valuable Fierce Baleful Wood, but Chen Qiu answers by using hundreds more messages to overwhelm him.
• The contestants cannot physically confront Chen Qiu because they are isolated on separate plazas, leaving them helpless to respond except through the broadcast system. By the chapter’s end, nearly all survivors want to find Chen Qiu and take revenge.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking Certain Death”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The third and final trial of the Prodigy Road Preliminary Screening ranks contestants by Golden Core quality. Only the top 108 pass; cultivation level breaks ties.
• Chen Qiu ranks first again, ahead of Li Shiyi and Zhang Mo. His exceptional Golden Core is not revealed, sparing him from immediately attracting even greater danger.
• The screening ends, and the Heaven’s Chosen Tokens of the 108 successful prodigies become permanently bound to them. Prodigy Road will officially begin in one year, with preliminary evaluations determining entry order.
• Chen Qiu receives the highest possible evaluation: Sky Prodigy 100. Zhang Mo ranks second with Sky Prodigy 17, while Li Shiyi falls to Sky Prodigy 4 after his poor performance in the second trial.
• Li Shiyi’s Dao Heart is badly shaken by repeatedly losing to Chen Qiu. He labels the results rigged and orders an investigation into Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect, declaring that Chen Qiu must die.
• Many other prodigies likewise develop resentment toward Chen Qiu. He becomes an “inner demon” preventing them from peacefully advancing to Nascent Soul.
• After returning to Flying Fish City, Chen Qiu considers the danger posed by the powerful prodigies, especially Li Shiyi, who has Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivation and defeated over nine hundred equivalent puppets.
• Chen Qiu chooses the blue-grade Trait Self-Derivation Forty-Nine, which causes diviners attempting to investigate him to receive false and chaotic clues.
• Chen Qiu visits Liu Zide in Fat City and receives tens of thousands of pieces of Fierce Baleful Wood, along with several Eight Desolations Fruits. He gives Liu Zide more Spirit Stones and asks him to continue acquiring materials and find skilled builders to repair a large sect.
• Chen Qiu resumes cultivation. His Golden Core Third Layer progress rises steadily, reaching 45.3% and later 75.3%, though he realizes reaching Golden Core Peak Great Perfection within a year may be difficult.
• Fat Dragon begins dual cultivation with the awakened demoness imprisoned in Chen Qiu’s Minor World. Thanks to his Heaven-Mandated Dual Cultivation ability, he rapidly advances from Foundation Establishment First Layer to Second Layer.
• A newly exposed passage beneath the Boundless Ice Wastes attracts numerous cultivators. Chen Qiu investigates and learns it may lead to ancient ruins containing treasures from earlier Heavenly Dao eras, possibly including rare, obsolete pills.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Chen Qiu remains confident and composed after taking first place in all three trials, but he becomes more aware of the danger his success creates. He balances arrogance toward his rivals with a realistic respect for their strength.
• Li Shiyi changes from proud peerless prodigy to humiliated and enraged rival. His repeated defeats damage his Dao Heart and turn Chen Qiu into an obsession and potential inner demon.
• Fat Dragon finally gains access to a method that dramatically improves his cultivation. His previous envy of his companions’ rapid progress motivates him to cultivate relentlessly.
• Scholar reaches Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer and receives Chen Qiu’s praise. He comments on Fat Dragon’s extreme dedication.
• Liu Zide demonstrates resourcefulness by disguising the large-scale purchase of Fierce Baleful Wood as a contest between wealthy young masters, preventing prices from rising.
• Chen Qiu continues to act as leader and benefactor toward Fat Dragon, Scholar, Liu Zide, and his other companions, providing resources while directing their cultivation and preparation.

Significant Themes

• Talent, envy, and psychological defeat: Chen Qiu’s overwhelming performance damages the pride and Dao Hearts of other prodigies more severely than a physical defeat would.
• The danger of fame: His perfect evaluation brings prestige but also makes him the target of countless powerful sects and future enemies.
• Dao Heart and inner demons: Emotional resentment and humiliation can obstruct cultivation and prevent advancement to Nascent Soul.
• Preparation and flexibility: Chen Qiu carefully stores resources outside his Minor World, plans for multiple possible futures, and refuses to commit to Prodigy Road unless his cultivation becomes sufficient.
• Cultivation through opportunity: Traits, rare resources, dual cultivation, ancient ruins, and Heavenly Dao pills all demonstrate how advancement depends on both effort and access to exceptional opportunities.
• Hidden secrets and divination: Chen Qiu’s choice of Self-Derivation Forty-Nine reflects his growing concern about powerful diviners and the need to conceal his origins and abilities.

Ending Development

The chapter concludes with Chen Qiu entering a newly revealed underground passage beneath the Boundless Ice Wastes. Believed to be the remains of an ancient civilization, the ruins may contain rare treasures and pills, setting up the next major opportunity—and potential conflict—for Chen Qiu and his companions.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu, Fat Dragon, and Scholar investigate a newly opened passage beneath the ice. Although others believe it may contain Ancient Ruins and a Golden Core Fifth Layer beast, Scholar and Chen Qiu notice that the passage resembles a constructed dwelling rather than natural ruins.
• Chen Qiu leads the group underground, while Scholar first takes Chen Qiu’s younger brother to Fat City for safety. Many cultivators follow Chen Qiu, hoping to benefit from whatever treasures lie below.
• The passage is lined with inexplicably burning fox-oil lamps and murals that provide no useful information. A poisonous gas fills the tunnels. Two Foundation Establishment cultivators die instantly after lowering their spiritual-energy protection, causing weaker cultivators to retreat.
• A Golden Core cultivator asks Chen Qiu to protect him with spiritual energy and offers half of his future gains. Chen Qiu advises him to turn back instead. The man secretly develops murderous resentment and considers collapsing the passage behind him. Detecting his hostility, Chen Qiu kills him by destroying his Sea of Divine Sense.
• After descending for a long time, the group reaches several Azure Stone Plazas marked “First Trial,” “Second Trial,” and “Third Trial.” The plazas closely resemble the trial grounds of the Prodigy Road Preliminary Screening Secret Realm.
• Chen Qiu discovers a skeleton holding an old Heaven’s Chosen Token, which is highly similar to his own. This suggests the underground structure is a replica of the Prodigy Road rather than an ordinary ancient ruin.
• At the deepest plaza, Chen Qiu finds a frightened wolf cub with Golden Core Fifth Layer cultivation. He also discovers inscriptions revealing that the Mocking Heaven Sect was imprisoned in the Land of Heavenly Imprisonment for 8,760 years and created this “False Heavenly Prodigy Road” in an attempt to escape Heaven’s restrictions.
• The inscription ends abruptly, implying that the sect’s plan was interrupted by an unforeseen disaster. Chen Qiu realizes that Great Xia’s prison was not necessarily built for Great Xia itself, but may originally have existed to imprison the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• The wolf cub possesses three storage rings: one containing food and water, another containing fox oil used to maintain the lamps, and a third protected by exceptionally complex restrictions. Chen Qiu brings the wolf cub and the rings into his Minor World.
• Chen Qiu recruits the wolf cub into his group and plans to establish a beast-taming contract. Back in the Minor World, the cub bites Fat Dragon when he tries to pet it, though it becomes more obedient after Chen Qiu explains that Fat Dragon and the others are allies.
• The shopkeeper begins trying to break the restrictions on the mysterious storage ring, finding them more complex than any he has previously encountered.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates caution, overwhelming spiritual reserves, decisiveness, and a willingness to kill hidden threats before they can endanger him. He becomes increasingly interested in the connection between the False Heavenly Prodigy Road, the Mocking Heaven Sect, and the Land of Heavenly Imprisonment. He also adopts the wolf cub and accepts the strange possibility that he is now connected to the Mocking Heaven Sect as its sect master.
• Scholar: Acts as a perceptive and reliable companion. He identifies clues about the structure’s purpose, protects Chen Qiu’s younger brother, and helps Chen Qiu manage the wolf cub and beast-taming contract.
• Fat Dragon: Provides comic relief and shows his usual impulsiveness by trying to pet the wolf cub, only to be bitten. He nevertheless quickly accepts the cub after realizing it is intelligent.
• Golden Core cultivator: Reveals himself to be resentful and potentially treacherous. His secret hostility confirms Chen Qiu’s suspicion that he would eventually scheme against him.
• Wolf cub: Appears timid and obedient toward Chen Qiu but defensive toward strangers. Despite its young appearance, it possesses powerful cultivation, high intelligence, and unusual resistance to the poisonous atmosphere.
• Shopkeeper: Shows intense enthusiasm for solving complex restrictions and treats the sealed storage ring as an exciting challenge.

Significant Themes

• Danger beneath apparent opportunity: The promise of ancient treasures attracts cultivators, but the ruins are filled with poison and hidden threats.
• The need for vigilance: Chen Qiu’s killing of the resentful Golden Core cultivator emphasizes that concealed hostility can be more dangerous than open conflict.
• History being misunderstood: What appears to be an Ancient Ruin is revealed to be a failed escape project created by the Mocking Heaven Sect, forcing Chen Qiu to reconsider the origins of Great Xia and its forbidden lands.
• Imprisonment and defiance of Heaven: The Mocking Heaven Sect’s attempt to construct a False Heavenly Prodigy Road reflects its struggle against heavenly restrictions and confinement.
• Power versus fear: The wolf cub possesses much greater cultivation than Chen Qiu’s companions but is still terrified and dependent, showing that strength does not eliminate vulnerability.
• Formation of a new family or sect: Chen Qiu brings the wolf cub into his group and defines his companions as brothers, gradually building the foundation of the Mocking Heaven Sect.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu consults Scholar about the oil lamps, poison, the trial plazas, and beast-taming.
• Scholar protects Chen Qiu’s younger brother and later helps integrate the wolf cub into the group.
• Chen Qiu warns the Golden Core cultivator to retreat, but the man’s resentment leads to his death.
• Chen Qiu gently questions and recruits the wolf cub, which responds obediently and eagerly follows him.
• Fat Dragon attempts to befriend the wolf cub, is bitten, and then learns to approach it more carefully.
• Chen Qiu establishes boundaries by telling the wolf cub not to attack the people inside the Minor World.
• The shopkeeper works independently to decipher the sealed storage ring, suggesting that it may contain important secrets about the Mocking Heaven Sect or the False Heavenly Prodigy Road.

Chapter Summary: “Sword Cultivators Were Not Strong Enough”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Scholar and Fat Dragon discuss Scholar’s parents and the phrase “Stockholm Syndrome,” revealing that Scholar’s mother may have been a transmigrator. Scholar explains that he once modeled himself after the legendary White-Clad Sword Cultivator, a peerless swordsman who reached Golden Core Sixth Layer and could defeat Golden Core Peak experts.
• Chen Qiu successfully forms a Beast-Taming Contract with the wolf pup, naming it Little Wolf. Although Little Wolf is a Golden Core Fifth Layer demon beast, its awe and obedience toward Chen Qiu allow the contract to succeed.
• Chen Qiu discovers that Little Wolf is a Nightmoon Wolf Demon, matching one of his previously useless Traits. The Trait will eventually cause the wolf to grow ten times larger and absorb moonlight essence once it matures.
• Returning to the lowest level of the Ancient Ruins, Chen Qiu discovers a hidden mechanism in the character “sin” of an inscription. His Mocking Heaven Sect Master Token fits into the mechanism and opens a secret passage.
• Inside the hidden chamber, Chen Qiu finds old documents revealing the true history of the world:
  • Mocking Heaven Sect was founded by transmigrators from Blue Star.
  • Its members, almost all sword cultivators, were once one of the strongest forces on the Mystic Heaven Continent.
  • Native cultivators eventually united against them, forcing the sect to retreat and seal itself inside a concealed Minor World.
  • The Deceiving-Heaven Grand Formation was created by the sect itself to hide their descendants from the outside world.
  • Great Xia and the Hundred Kingdoms are populated entirely by descendants of transmigrators, not native inhabitants.
• The formation’s four forbidden lands contain Nascent Soul puppets. If a Golden Core cultivator can defeat all four, the cage surrounding Great Xia can be broken. The puppets were specifically designed so that only sword cultivators could destroy them completely.
• Chen Qiu learns that the legendary White-Clad Sword Cultivator once challenged one of the puppets, failed to defeat it, and left behind the words: “Sword cultivators are not strong enough.”
• Chen Qiu suspects the Imperial Preceptor’s plan is to cultivate him into the strongest spell cultivator and Scholar into the strongest sword cultivator, allowing them to jointly damage and destroy the four puppets.
• Chen Qiu tells Fat Dragon the truth but withholds it from Scholar for the moment. He resolves to raise his cultivation and eventually escape the cage to investigate the Mystic Heaven Continent and the history of their ancestors.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu gains a powerful potential companion in Little Wolf and finally finds a use for his Nightmoon Wolf Demon Trait. He also becomes aware of his larger mission: breaking the formation and uncovering the truth behind Great Xia.
• Little Wolf is established as an exceptionally powerful juvenile demon beast, already at Golden Core Fifth Layer despite being immature. Its familiarity with the secret chamber hints at a mysterious connection to the White-Clad Sword Cultivator.
• Scholar is revealed to have possible transmigrator ancestry through his mother. His admiration for the legendary White-Clad Sword Cultivator strengthens his identity as a sword cultivator and may connect him to the Imperial Preceptor’s plan.
• Fat Dragon reacts with shock to the revelation that Great Xia’s people descend from transmigrators. He remains more concerned with survival and cultivation than with legendary glory, but Chen Qiu entrusts him with the truth.
• The White-Clad Sword Cultivator is recontextualized: although once considered invincible, he could not defeat the Nascent Soul puppet and may have died pursuing the goal of freeing Mocking Heaven Sect’s descendants.

Significant Themes

• Lost history and forgotten origins: The descendants of the transmigrators have forgotten their true heritage, while the original purpose of Mocking Heaven Sect and its prison has been obscured over thousands of years.
• Freedom versus self-imposed imprisonment: Great Xia’s “cage” was created by its own ancestors for protection, yet later generations mistook it for an external prison and struggled unsuccessfully to escape.
• The limits of strength: Even the greatest sword cultivator of his era could not overcome the formation. The chapter questions whether talent and individual power are enough to change history.
• Inheritance and legacy: The ancient transmigrators hoped a future prodigy would restore Mocking Heaven Sect, while Chen Qiu and Scholar may now be the people capable of fulfilling that hope.
• Identity and connection across worlds: The revelations about Blue Star, transmigration, and mixed heritage force the characters to reconsider who they are and where they truly belong.

Important Character Interactions

• Scholar and Fat Dragon discuss Scholar’s parents, Stockholm Syndrome, and the legendary White-Clad Sword Cultivator, revealing Scholar’s unusual family history and admiration.
• Chen Qiu bonds with Little Wolf through the Beast-Taming Contract, naming it and recognizing their mutual good fortune.
• Chen Qiu investigates the hidden chamber with Little Wolf, whose familiarity with the room raises the possibility that its former owner was connected to the White-Clad Sword Cultivator.
• Chen Qiu confides in Fat Dragon about the origins of Great Xia and the transmigrator legacy. Fat Dragon is overwhelmed but agrees that cultivation must remain their immediate priority.
• Chen Qiu encourages Fat Dragon to cultivate seriously as the Mocking Heaven Sect’s Grand Elder, while teasing him about being challenged by a powerful Golden Core demoness.

Chapter Summary: “A Thousand Holes”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu reflects on the immense reputation of the ancient Mocking Heaven Sect and the responsibilities attached to being its Sect Master. After clearing the Ancient Ruins, he removes the obstructive stone steps, preserves their valuable materials, seals the entrance, and returns to Fat City.
• He continues cultivating with the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, advancing to the Fourth Layer of the Golden Core Realm. His progress reaches 90.3% after several days, placing him close to the Fifth Layer.
• Upon breaking through to the Fourth Layer, Chen Qiu receives three possible traits:
  • Acting on Heaven’s Behalf, which could create a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm at the cost of lifespan.
  • Fate of the Death Remonstrance, which allows memories to be altered through physical contact at the cost of lifespan.
  • Die Cleanly, which erases all traces of him after death.
• Chen Qiu selects Fate of the Death Remonstrance, though he realizes the ability is dangerous and can only be used through direct contact. His brief attempt to test it on himself nearly costs him lifespan.
• While the group cultivates, the shopkeeper attempts to break the restrictions on a mysterious storage ring found by Little Wolf. The restrictions are extraordinarily complex, and opening the ring may take three to five years, but the shopkeeper believes the process could greatly improve his understanding of restrictions.
• Liu Zide suddenly calls for help. Chen Qiu and Scholar arrive in the wilderness outside Fat City, where a huge underground opening is releasing endless Wraiths.
• Old Master Wang has been using his Self-Destruct Traits to hold the Wraiths back, but he is close to exhaustion. Chen Qiu suppresses the Wraiths with Thunder Dragons and his Heavenly Dao Saint power.
• Liu Zide explains that his large-scale purchase of Fierce Baleful Wood weakened the suppression beneath Fat Prefecture. Removing all the wood from the surrounding area caused the underground Wraiths to break through.
• The group realizes that Fierce Baleful Wood is not merely fuel for warmth: it suppresses the Wraiths beneath Fat Prefecture. If the balance had collapsed naturally, countless openings might have appeared throughout the region, turning Fat City into a massive ghost domain.
• They place thousands of pieces of Fierce Baleful Wood around the opening, successfully preventing more Wraiths from escaping. Chen Qiu, Scholar, Fat Dragon, Liu Zide, and the others then descend into the underground passage.
• At the bottom, they discover an enormous space filled with an immeasurable “sea” of Wraiths, comparable to the sea of fire beneath the Boundless Desert.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu continues growing into the role of Mocking Heaven Sect Master, balancing sect responsibilities, cultivation, and crisis management. He remains cautious about dangerous abilities and prioritizes protecting others.
• His cultivation progresses rapidly, and he gains a flexible but unsettling memory-altering trait. This also makes him more aware of how vulnerable cultivators could be to similar abilities.
• Fat Dragon advances quickly through dual cultivation with the Golden Core Fifth Layer Demoness, reaching Foundation Establishment Third Layer. Chen Qiu warns him to stabilize his realm rather than pursue reckless speed.
• Scholar reaches Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer after rebuilding his cultivation and using Heavenly Dao pills, revealing that the group’s cultivation is progressing at different but impressive rates.
• The shopkeeper demonstrates humility and dedication. Although overwhelmed by the storage ring’s restrictions, he remains eager to continue, believing the challenge could transform his mastery of restriction techniques.
• Liu Zide shows initiative and investigative ability. His experiment uncovers the connection between Fierce Baleful Wood and the Wraiths, though his actions unintentionally trigger a dangerous breach.
• Old Master Wang proves brave but desperate, exhausting his Self-Destruct Traits to defend Liu Zide until Chen Qiu arrives.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and legacy: Chen Qiu must uphold the Mocking Heaven Sect’s ancient reputation while dealing with problems created by its renewed fame.
• Hidden dangers beneath ordinary things: Fierce Baleful Wood appears to be a common source of warmth, but it is actually part of a vast supernatural sealing system.
• Balance and unintended consequences: Liu Zide’s attempts to purchase and study the wood disrupt a long-standing equilibrium, nearly causing a regional catastrophe.
• Power versus caution: Chen Qiu’s rapid cultivation and powerful traits are tempered by his concern over lifespan, memory manipulation, and the dangers of unchecked strength.
• The buried history of death: The Wraith Sea suggests that Fat Prefecture—and possibly the Boundless Ice Wastes—rests above enormous hidden burial grounds or ancient battlefields.
• Teamwork and mutual reliance: The group’s survival depends on Chen Qiu’s power, Old Master Wang’s sacrifice, Liu Zide’s discovery, and the others’ willingness to investigate the threat together.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu advises Fat Dragon to slow down and consolidate his cultivation; Fat Dragon explains that his rapid progress comes from the Demoness and his ninefold cultivation-speed trait.
• The group compares their cultivation progress, with Scholar expressing surprise at Fat Dragon’s advancement.
• Chen Qiu reassures the shopkeeper that opening the storage ring can take as long as necessary and urges him to protect his health.
• Liu Zide explains his discovery to Chen Qiu, Scholar, and Fat Dragon, who gradually understand the danger created by the removal of Fierce Baleful Wood.
• Chen Qiu rescues Liu Zide and Old Master Wang, suppresses the Wraith outbreak, and leads the group into the underground Wraith Sea to investigate the source of the threat.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu, Fat Dragon, Scholar, and the others descend beneath Fat Prefecture and discover an apparently endless sea of Wraiths. The Wraiths attack mindlessly, replenishing themselves almost immediately whenever Chen Qiu clears an area.
• Chen Qiu uses his Heavenly Dao Sacred Body and the Lightning-Channeling Art to annihilate the Wraiths. He continues fighting for three days and nights, eventually exhausting both his mind and body.
• After the final Wraith disappears, Scholar investigates the enormous underground cavern. The cavern extends beneath Fat Prefecture and into the Boundless Ice Wastes, passing beneath the area of the Nine Great Inheritances and surrounding the Ancient Ruins passage of the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• At the deepest point, Chen Qiu discovers a dark-green lotus similar to the Eight-Petaled Demonic Lotus. It radiates resentment rather than death energy, so he names it the Eight-Petal Grudge Lotus and stores it in his portable Minor World beside the Demonic Lotus.
• The removal of the Wraiths causes Fat Prefecture’s temperature to return to normal, though the Boundless Ice Wastes remain freezing for an unknown reason.
• Chen Qiu tells Liu Zide and the Wang Family patriarch to purchase Fierce Baleful Wood freely, since it is no longer needed to suppress the Wraiths. However, because the Wraiths are gone, no new Fierce Baleful Wood will grow.
• After returning to Fat City, Chen Qiu collapses into an exhausted sleep without taking the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills he has accumulated.
• Within the Mocking Heaven Sect, Fat Dragon complains that the two lotus flowers have made the sect dark and sinister, while Scholar views the oppressive atmosphere as useful training for a sword cultivator.
• The middle-aged shopkeeper makes progress on deciphering a mysterious storage ring. By reverse-engineering its restriction instead of attempting to break it directly, he realizes the restriction’s creator thinks much like he does and imagines they would become close friends.
• In the Boundless Desert, the young Brown Bear rejects his clan’s plan to invade Xuzhou for food. Fearing Chen Qiu’s overwhelming strength, he proposes peaceful trade with the Star-Dipper Sect, offering Brown Bear urine in exchange for food.
• The chapter ends by mentioning a powerful new Demon Race prodigy who has defeated all other demon geniuses and is arrogantly seeking someone capable of defeating him.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates extraordinary endurance and destructive power by fighting continuously for three days and nights. His determination turns into stubborn obsession as he refuses to stop until every Wraith is eliminated, but the effort leaves him mentally numb and physically strained. His acquisition of the Grudge Lotus further expands his collection of dangerous treasures.
• Fat Dragon: Remains humorous and pragmatic. He comments on the absurdity of the endless Wraiths, complains about the increasingly sinister appearance of the Mocking Heaven Sect, and supports avoiding unnecessary conflict with Chen Qiu.
• Scholar: Acts as the group’s investigator, exploring the underground cavern and locating the Grudge Lotus. He is also more accepting of the sect’s dark atmosphere, believing it can temper his sword cultivation.
• Liu Zide and the Wang Family Patriarch: Cooperate smoothly despite Liu Zide handling most communication with Chen Qiu. Their relationship suggests that the patriarch values family stability more than personal authority.
• The middle-aged shopkeeper: Shows growing excitement and intellectual confidence as he reverse-engineers the storage ring’s restriction. His fascination shifts from merely solving the problem to imagining a meaningful friendship with its creator.
• Young Brown Bear: Develops as a surprisingly cautious and peace-oriented leader. Unlike his hungry clansmen, he has no personal reason to fight and recognizes that challenging Chen Qiu would likely destroy the Brown Bear Clan.

Significant Themes

• The futility of violence: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes that fighting and killing have no future when facing an overwhelmingly powerful opponent like Chen Qiu. Survival and negotiation are presented as wiser than pride or conquest.
• Endurance and obsession: Chen Qiu’s victory comes through relentless persistence, but the chapter also highlights the physical and mental cost of pursuing a goal without rest.
• Balance between opposing forces: The Demonic Lotus and Grudge Lotus represent death energy and resentment, creating a strange balance within Chen Qiu’s Minor World.
• Nature and environmental consequences: The Wraiths, Fierce Baleful Wood, underground fire, and extreme regional climates are connected through natural cycles and hidden forces beneath the land.
• Different paths in life: Chen Qiu reflects on how people build lineages for power, glory, or family warmth, contrasting those choices with his own goal of achieving overwhelming strength and security.
• Peace through pragmatism: The Brown Bear’s plan to trade rather than invade demonstrates that diplomacy, compromise, and practical survival may be more effective than warfare.

Character Interactions

• Fat Dragon and Scholar exchange sarcastic remarks about the terrifying atmosphere of the Mocking Heaven Sect and Fat Dragon’s desire to visit a brothel. Their conversation reveals their contrasting personalities: Fat Dragon is crude and playful, while Scholar is restrained and serious.
• Chen Qiu gives Liu Zide and the Wang Family patriarch instructions regarding Fierce Baleful Wood, showing his practical concern for the economic consequences of eliminating the Wraiths.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar cooperate in investigating the underground cavern, with Scholar’s sword acting as a remote scout while Chen Qiu remains focused on the larger mystery.
• The young and elderly Brown Bears argue over whether to invade Great Xia. The young clan chief convinces his father that opposing Chen Qiu would be suicidal and proposes trading with a nearby human sect instead.
• The shopkeeper’s imagined connection with the storage ring’s creator introduces a more intellectual form of character interaction: although they have never met, he feels a strong kinship through their shared methods of thought.

Chapter Summary: “The Year Draws Near, the Nian Beast Descends”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu wakes refreshed at the inn and begins cultivating with his accumulated Golden Core Prodigy Cultivation Pills.
• He breaks through from the Golden Core Fourth Layer to the Fifth Layer. A new trait selection appears:
  • Myriad Arts Unified: compresses multiple spells into one concentrated sphere.
  • Umbrella Over All Under Heaven: prevents divine-sense locking while an umbrella is open, except by opponents a major realm stronger.
  • Myriad Golden Cores: causes his Golden Core to scatter into illusory copies after death.
• Chen Qiu chooses Myriad Arts Unified, prioritizing greater single-target offensive power over defense or post-death escape.
• Continued pill consumption raises his Golden Core Fifth Layer cultivation to 94.3%, putting him close to the Sixth Layer.
• A Heavenly Dao Edict announces three year-end trials involving three Nian Beasts. Participants can receive blessings according to the damage they deal, with special rewards for dealing over half the damage or landing the final blow.
• Chen Qiu immediately travels with Scholar, Fat Dragon, and the others to Pingzhou, where the first Nian Beast will appear.
• Scholar has reached the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer through recultivation and Heavenly Dao pills, while Fat Dragon has reached the Fourth Layer.
• Chen Qiu tests his new trait by creating a nearly ordinary-looking Thunderball containing hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons.
• The first Nian Beast, a tiger-dragon creature at the Golden Core First Layer, descends. Chen Qiu destroys it instantly with the Thunderball, dealing all the damage and landing the final blow.
• He receives two Upper-Grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talismans. He uses one to reclaim Umbrella Over All Under Heaven, strengthening his defenses against divine-sense attacks.
• The second Nian Beast, a gigantic half-toad, half-turtle beast at the Golden Core Third Layer, reflects attacks and kills several cultivators who attempt to fight it.
• Chen Qiu bypasses its shell by drilling a Thunderball through the earth and striking its unprotected underside, killing it instantly.
• His rewards are a Heavenly Dao Escape Talisman, capable of transporting him ten thousand li while ignoring spatial restrictions, and a Heavenly Dao Spirit-Communing Ring.
• The ring greatly expands storage capacity, enhances divine-sense attacks, and is the first of eight Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasures needed to form a powerful set. Three treasures will unlock a bonus that strengthens the Lightning-Channeling Art.
• After restoring his spiritual energy, Chen Qiu prepares for the third Nian Beast: a half-wolf, half-tiger beast at the Golden Core Sixth Layer. He launches another Thunderball while surrounding cultivators join the attack, hoping to claim part of the reward.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes increasingly powerful and confident. His rapid cultivation growth brings him to the Golden Core Fifth Layer, and his combat abilities now allow him to instantly kill opponents several levels above ordinary cultivators.
• He demonstrates greater strategic maturity by selecting offensive traits according to his current advantage, then later reclaiming a defensive trait with a reward talisman.
• His growing collection of Heavenly Dao treasures gives him stronger escape options, divine-sense attacks, storage capacity, and future set bonuses.
• Scholar and Fat Dragon continue progressing rapidly through recultivation and pill support, though they remain far behind Chen Qiu.
• Little Wolf is shown to possess Golden Core Fifth Layer cultivation and an eager, battle-hungry temperament. Chen Qiu becomes curious about its true fighting methods.
• Other cultivators increasingly recognize Chen Qiu as Great Xia’s strongest Peerless Prodigy, even if some outsiders remain skeptical of his reputation.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through opportunity and preparation: Chen Qiu’s success comes from combining cultivation pills, traits, powerful techniques, and careful resource management.
• Offense versus defense: His choice of Myriad Arts Unified reflects his confidence in overwhelming enemies before they can threaten him, while reclaiming Umbrella Over All Under Heaven shows the importance of maintaining defensive options.
• The difference between cultivation realms: The chapter emphasizes that higher realms provide not only stronger spiritual energy but also entirely new combat methods, especially divine-sense locking and attacks.
• Reward and merit: The Nian Beast trials create competition among cultivators, while Chen Qiu’s earlier actions—such as healing others through Heavenly Dao phenomena—continue to earn him gratitude and influence.
• The Heavenly Dao as both judge and provider: The Heavenly Dao governs the trials, distributes rewards, grants blessings, and offers rare treasures that cannot be created by ordinary cultivators.
• Concentrated power and tactical innovation: Myriad Arts Unified transforms Chen Qiu’s broad destructive Lightning-Channeling Art into a precise, devastating single-target weapon.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu casually discusses cultivation progress with Scholar, who admires his astonishing advancement.
• The surrounding cultivators warn Chen Qiu about the second Nian Beast’s attack-reflection ability and express gratitude for the healing effects of his earlier Heavenly Dao blessing.
• Foreign-looking cultivators observe and discuss Chen Qiu’s reputation, with one woman jokingly considering using her charm to approach him.
• Chen Qiu largely ignores the surrounding cultivators’ ambitions, focusing instead on testing his abilities and securing the Nian Beast rewards.
• His companions remain nearby during the trials, while Little Wolf repeatedly attempts to join the battle and must be restrained.
• The chapter ends with Chen Qiu and the other cultivators attacking the third, strongest Nian Beast, setting up the next confrontation.