Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Spells, Snowfall Across the Heavens

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu’s Lightning-Channeling Art, empowered by the Myriad Arts Unified trait, instantly kills a Golden Core Sixth Layer Nian Beast by detonating countless thunder dragons inside its body.
• His contribution earns him two single-use Heavenly Dao items:
  • A Merit Defense Token, capable of resisting attacks for up to an hour by consuming Merit Value.
  • A Merit Attack Token, which can unleash a devastating strike proportional to the Merit Value consumed.
• With nearly 9.8 billion Merit Value, Chen Qiu realizes these tokens could make him nearly invincible or capable of destroying vast territories. He decides to preserve them as hidden trump cards.
• A stronger, hidden Golden Core Seventh Layer fire-lion Nian Beast appears. Chen Qiu nearly kills it with one attack, but a foreign Foundation Establishment cultivator attempts to seize the final blow.
• The Nian Beast dies before the cultivator reaches it. The man’s attempt to rally others fails, as everyone fears Chen Qiu’s retaliation. Scholar then kills the reckless cultivator with a single sword strike.
• Chen Qiu receives several valuable rewards for defeating the hidden Nian Beast:
  • The Golden Core upper-grade auxiliary spell

Snowfall Across the Heavens

• An

Enlightenment Stone

• The

Heavenly Dao Gentlewind Boots

• He uses the Enlightenment Stone to raise Snowfall Across the Heavens directly to Great Perfection. The spell creates a wide area of snow that freezes and slows spiritual energy, movement, casting, and other abilities.
• The Gentlewind Boots improve his movement techniques and grant him a third Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure, activating the first set effect: enhanced Lightning-Channeling Art power.
• Before Chen Qiu can properly test his new spell, a Heavenly Dao Edict announces the arrival of the Snow Clan Invasion at the Boundless Snow Mountains.
• Chen Qiu, Fat Dragon, and Scholar travel there after eating at an inn. Upon arrival, a massive avalanche begins, initially appearing to threaten several Hundred Kingdoms.
• The “avalanche” is revealed to be an invasion of Snow People, creatures formed from the falling snow. Since the threat is no longer an unstoppable natural disaster, Chen Qiu decides to remain and fight.
• Chen Qiu casts Snowfall Across the Heavens over several hundred miles. It affects the Snow People only minimally because they are themselves made of snow and possess natural resistance to the spell.
• After testing the spell, Chen Qiu prepares to use his Lightning-Channeling Art against the Snow Clan, with dark clouds beginning to gather over the mountains.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes even more confident in his overwhelming combat strength. His enormous Merit Value and powerful rewards give him both exceptional offense and defense, though he wisely refuses to waste his trump cards.
• He expands beyond his previous specialization in lightning by adopting Snowfall Across the Heavens as his third official spell. This marks his development toward becoming a more versatile spell cultivator.
• His improved equipment and the Gentlewind Boots strengthen both his mobility and his signature lightning technique.
• Despite his strength, Chen Qiu recognizes the limits of Golden Core cultivation. The immense Boundless Snow Mountains make him feel small and temporarily remind him that there are forces he cannot yet overcome directly.
• Fat Dragon remains practical and expressive, reacting with disbelief to the rapid succession of Heavenly Dao events and correctly recognizing the danger of the avalanche.
• Scholar continues to demonstrate extraordinary speed and precision. He also acts decisively and lethally, killing the reckless foreign cultivator while dryly commenting that the man’s behavior was not true swordsmanship.
• The unnamed Hundred Kingdoms cultivator is revealed to be brave but foolish. His confidence that “the law does not punish the masses” collapses when no one supports him, leading directly to his death.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and restraint: Chen Qiu possesses enough Merit Value to perform nearly world-shaking feats, but true strength is shown through his refusal to squander limited resources.
• Specialization versus versatility: Chen Qiu once believed the Lightning-Channeling Art was sufficient for everything. The new control spell broadens his tactical options and represents a shift toward a more complete combat style.
• Ignorance and recklessness: The foreign cultivator’s death illustrates how misunderstanding Chen Qiu’s reputation—or assuming safety in numbers—can be fatal.
• Human limitation before nature: The massive avalanche initially emphasizes the helplessness of Golden Core cultivators before enormous natural forces. Its transformation into Snow People changes the situation from an impossible disaster into a battle Chen Qiu can actually fight.
• The vastness of the world: The Boundless Snow Mountains inspire Chen Qiu’s first strong sense of confinement and insignificance, hinting at the greater realms and powers beyond his current cultivation.
• Heavenly Dao rewards and escalating crises: The chapter links major victories with increasingly valuable rewards, while the immediate appearance of the Snow Clan Invasion suggests that new trials will follow one after another.

Character Interactions

• The surrounding cultivators fear Chen Qiu’s divine sense and deliberately avoid competing for the hidden Nian Beast’s final blow.
• The foreign cultivator tries to manipulate the crowd into attacking together, but everyone—including his own countrymen—abandons him.
• Scholar follows Chen Qiu, kills the reckless cultivator, and offers a sardonic judgment on his supposed swordsmanship.
• Fat Dragon discusses the Heavenly Dao Edict with Chen Qiu and later alerts him to the true nature of the avalanche.
• Chen Qiu and his companions briefly enjoy an extravagant meal before heading toward the new crisis, emphasizing Chen Qiu’s calm and unhurried attitude even in the face of world-changing events.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu unleashes a massive lightning attack over the Boundless Snow Mountains, summoning hundreds of thousands of Thunder Dragons to annihilate the invading Snow Clan.
• The Snow People, mostly Foundation Establishment cultivators with some Golden Core experts, are overwhelmed. Even Golden Core cultivators below the Fifth Layer are easily destroyed.
• Chen Qiu continuously teleports and replenishes his spiritual energy, making his attacks appear endless. The other cultivators are unable to contribute because his indiscriminate lightning kills enemies before they can act.
• After slaughtering several hundred thousand Snow Clan members, Chen Qiu receives a Heavenly Dao Edict declaring the Snow Clan Invasion over and praising him for protecting humanity.
• Although the invasion provides no direct reward or increase to his dantian capacity, Chen Qiu’s cultivation rises dramatically from Golden Core Fifth Layer at 94.3% to Golden Core Sixth Layer at 70%.
• He is awarded the title “Humanity’s Guardian Deity” and two strands of Prodigy Fortune. The title allows him to sense malice directed at him by human cultivators.
• Chen Qiu discovers that three strands of Prodigy Fortune have fused into a golden strand of Peerless Fortune of Heaven’s Chosen. This fortune improves luck and is required to forge a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul.
• Upon reaching the Golden Core Sixth Layer, Chen Qiu chooses the Purple Trait “Omniscience,” allowing him to identify the uses of unknown heavenly treasures through his divine sense.
• He returns to the now partially uncovered Boundless Snow Mountains to search for treasures revealed by the melting snow. He finds Frostsky Grass, Ten-Thousand-Year Frost Ice, and Ten-Thousand-Year Heavenly Frost Tea.
• Chen Qiu uses Snowfall Across the Heavens to slow down several Golden Core cultivators who are also searching for treasures, allowing him to gather treasures first.
• One Fourth-Layer Golden Core cultivator finally accuses Chen Qiu of monopolizing the mountain’s treasures. Chen Qiu challenges him to come up and fight, then sarcastically questions whether these cultivators truly possess “destiny” with the treasures.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu demonstrates overwhelming combat power, endurance, and control over large-scale lightning techniques. His strength establishes him as the decisive protector of humanity.
• He gains greater awareness of the value and function of Prodigy Fortune, especially the rare Peerless Fortune of Heaven’s Chosen.
• His selection of Omniscience marks a practical development: rather than choosing flashy or irrelevant traits, he prioritizes knowledge that can help him understand and exploit his many mysterious treasures.
• Chen Qiu’s personality remains peaceful in principle but becomes opportunistic and mildly possessive when valuable treasures are involved. He claims not to steal others’ opportunities, yet deliberately slows competing cultivators so he can collect everything first.
• Fat Dragon continues to provide comic relief, joking about Chen Qiu’s constant association with wind, rain, and snow. He also helps with Chen Qiu’s plans for creating an extravagant tea set.
• Scholar acts as Chen Qiu’s swift partner in gathering treasures.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming individual power: Chen Qiu single-handedly decides the outcome of a major invasion, reducing the efforts of other cultivators to near irrelevance.
• Recognition and destiny: The chapter explores who deserves heavenly treasures, contrasting Chen Qiu’s belief that treasures go to those with destiny against his mockery of cultivators who cannot compete with him.
• Luck and fortune: Prodigy Fortune is revealed as a valuable resource that can improve luck, support breakthroughs, and help forge higher-grade Nascent Souls.
• Knowledge as power: Omniscience allows Chen Qiu to identify treasures whose value would otherwise remain hidden, greatly increasing the usefulness of his discoveries.
• The rewards of great deeds: Chen Qiu’s contribution is rewarded not only through cultivation progress but also through titles, fortune, and recognition from the Heavenly Dao.
• Enjoyment amid cultivation: Chen Qiu’s desire to brew rare tea reflects his growing interest in comfort, luxury, and savoring life alongside pursuing greater strength.

Character Interactions

• Fat Dragon admires Chen Qiu’s spectacular attacks and jokes about the weather surrounding him, later taking responsibility for finding a master artifact refiner to create a suitable teapot.
• Chen Qiu explains the invasion’s rewards to Fat Dragon, revealing his cultivation breakthrough and the hidden value of Prodigy Fortune.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar work together to locate and collect treasures across the exposed mountain.
• Chen Qiu deliberately hinders the rival Golden Core cultivators with his snowfall spell. When one accuses him of acting tyrannically, Chen Qiu responds provocatively, asking why the cultivator does not simply challenge him directly.

Chapter Summary: “Pink Trait?”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu defeats and intimidates a group of Golden Core cultivators in the Boundless Snow Mountains. His control spell, “Snowfall Across the Heavens,” is powerful enough that they flee rather than risk fighting him.
• News spreads that Chen Qiu has reached the Golden Core Fifth Layer, astonishing the Heavenward Sect Master, who reflects on Chen Qiu’s extraordinary growth compared with his own slow cultivation.
• The Heavenward Sect Master recalls Chen Qiu’s rise:
  • From a Foundation Establishment cultivator who slaughtered devils during the Windward City invasion,
  • To a Dharma Cultivator inheriting a thousand-year legacy,
  • To a Fifth-Grade Peak Heavenly Dao Golden Core user,
  • And finally the first person publicly recognized by the Heavenly Dao as a “Peerless Prodigy.”
• Chen Qiu harvests enormous quantities of medicinal herbs, Ten-Thousand-Year Heavenly Frost Tea, and Ten-Thousand-Year Frost Ice from the Boundless Snow Mountains. He is prevented from excavating deeper because an unseen heavenly force protects the mountains.
• He buys a rare mid-grade Foundation Establishment teapot spirit treasure and brews the tea. Fat Dragon and Scholar discover that the tea not only tastes exceptional but also increases cultivation progress.
• Fat Dragon gains 5% cultivation progress after five cups, while Scholar gains a smaller amount due to his higher cultivation. The tea’s effect reaches a daily limit after several cups.
• Chen Qiu gives Fat Dragon several tea trees and Frost Ice but warns Scholar not to waste the tea because its effect is much weaker for him.
• Chen Qiu examines the Eight-Petal Demonic Lotus and Eight-Petal Grudge Lotus, learning that both are essential materials for forging a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul and can greatly increase the cultivation of suitable demonic or evil cultivators.
• He cultivates continuously, using Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, and advances from the Golden Core Sixth Layer to the Golden Core Seventh Layer.
• Upon breaking through, he receives three trait choices, including a rare

Pink Trait

1. Merit Sage – gains one Merit Value for every demonic beast killed.
2. Merit Protection – reduces Thunder Tribulation damage according to his Merit Value.
3. Merit Sanctuary – increases movement speed based on Sin Points.

• Chen Qiu rejects Merit Sage because accumulating meaningful Merit Value through individual demonic beast kills would require billions of kills. He favors Merit Protection because his existing 9.8 billion Merit Value could make future Thunder Tribulations far less dangerous.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: His power, confidence, and reputation continue to grow. He has reached a level where older Golden Core cultivators avoid confronting him, and he now possesses enough strength to feel relatively secure about traveling to the Mystic Heaven Continent. He also becomes more strategic, valuing traits that complement his existing resources rather than simply choosing the rarest option.
• Heavenward Sect Master: He feels awe, helplessness, and growing humility toward Chen Qiu. He recognizes that Chen Qiu has surpassed him in cultivation within only two months and imagines that he may soon have to regard Chen Qiu as his senior. He also realizes Chen Qiu has become someone he could rely on during a sect-wide crisis.
• Fat Dragon: He benefits greatly from the spirit tea, gaining far more cultivation progress per cup than Scholar. His relationship with Chen Qiu remains friendly and grateful, though he teasingly defends receiving the larger share.
• Scholar: He remains calm and refined but is visibly envious of Fat Dragon’s greater benefit from the tea. His poetic reaction to the tea reflects his imaginative and contemplative personality.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength determines status: The fleeing Golden Core cultivators and the Heavenward Sect Master’s reflections reinforce that the cultivation world respects power above age, seniority, or reputation.
• The rise of a once-in-a-generation prodigy: Chen Qiu’s rapid advancement makes established experts feel obsolete and demonstrates how extraordinary talent can reshape the balance of the world.
• Resource management and practicality: Despite possessing rare treasures, Chen Qiu carefully weighs their value, avoiding waste and prioritizing uses that benefit his companions or future advancement.
• Accumulation versus immediate power: The Pink Trait “Merit Sage” has unlimited potential, but Chen Qiu recognizes that its growth is impractical compared with using his already massive Merit Value through “Merit Protection.”
• Foreshadowing of higher realms: The two lotus treasures and Chen Qiu’s thoughts about a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul hint at future breakthroughs and challenges beyond the Golden Core Realm.
• Humor amid cultivation seriousness: Zhao Yishi disguising himself as a hot spring, the strange teapot spirit treasure, and Fat Dragon’s potential use as a demonic beast-breeding resource provide comic relief.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu humiliates the pursuing Golden Core cultivators by casually calling them “overbearing,” forcing them to retreat rather than risk his powerful spell.
• The Heavenward Sect Master observes Zhao Yishi’s absurd disguise and contrasts Zhao’s strange behavior with Chen Qiu’s overwhelming talent.
• Chen Qiu shares the expensive spirit tea with Fat Dragon and Scholar, turning a rare treasure into a communal experience.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar compare the tea’s effects, with Fat Dragon gaining five times more progress and jokingly defending his share.
• Chen Qiu generously distributes the tea and Frost Ice but sets limits on their use, showing both generosity and practical judgment.
• Chen Qiu’s interactions with the Heavenward Sect Master are mostly remembered rather than shown directly, emphasizing how their relationship has shifted from senior-and-junior to near equality, and perhaps soon to one where the Sect Master must call Chen Qiu “senior.”

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu chooses the “Merit Protection” trait after reaching a new cultivation stage, viewing it as a useful long-term ability against future Thunder Tribulations.
• He briefly leaves the Mocking Heaven Sect’s Minor World to eat Xiangyang City’s local specialty, mutton shumai, before returning to cultivation.
• After ten days of intense cultivation and consuming Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, Chen Qiu breaks through to the Golden Core Eighth Layer.
• His next trait choices are mostly poor: Burning Jealousy, Lifespan-Spirit Conversion, and Adding Frost to Snow. He prepares to choose the ice-enhancing trait, but is interrupted by the middle-aged shopkeeper.
• The shopkeeper has successfully unlocked a mysterious storage ring after exhausting himself for ten days. Inside are only a note and a small fruit.
• The note is written by someone also named Chen Qiu, revealing that the current Chen Qiu has lived through multiple reincarnations. His previous lives repeatedly attempted to escape the “Great Xia prison,” a confined world ruled by powerful Nascent Soul puppets and restrictions.
• Chen Qiu learns that this is his tenth and final life. Across nine previous lives, he accumulated resources, arranged opportunities, manipulated historical events, and prepared allies for his current self.
• His previous selves established or preserved:
  • The Mocking Heaven Sect’s ruins and Minor World
  • The Rainbow Trait and Dantian Expansion opportunities
  • The Twelfth-Grade Golden Core method
  • The Sword Cultivator Inheritance
  • White Robe’s development as a future sword cultivator
  • The Five Demon Lotuses
  • Various political, military, and cultivation arrangements throughout Great Xia
• Chen Qiu discovers that many events in his current life did not follow his original plans. Several major opportunities arose through accidents, misunderstandings, and unintended consequences, yet they ultimately benefited him.
• He realizes that even the three Nascent Soul Bodies were obtained differently from what his ninth-life self had intended: the third was supposed to come from an Alchemy Cultivator Inheritance, but instead came from an Evil Cultivator inheritance.
• The chapter ends with Chen Qiu reflecting on how his carefully planned ten-life strategy became chaotic, yet still produced the desired results.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: His identity and history are radically recontextualized. He is revealed to be an ancient figure who has lived ten lives, repeatedly sacrificing progress and arranging resources for a final attempt to break free of Great Xia. His current calm, seemingly casual personality contrasts with the immense burden of memory, planning, and accumulated failure he now regains.
• Middle-aged shopkeeper: Demonstrates his exceptional ability to break storage-ring restrictions, though he nearly destroys his health doing so. His success becomes the trigger for Chen Qiu’s discovery of his past lives.
• White Robe: Revealed to have been deliberately cultivated and manipulated by Chen Qiu’s previous life. He is intended to become the powerful sword cultivator needed to deliver the final strike against the Nascent Soul puppets.
• Ji Renjian and Ji Taiping: Their relationships with White Robe were influenced as part of Chen Qiu’s long-term plan. Ji Renjian was made to mistake White Robe’s identity and affection, while Ji Taiping was positioned as a rival and training catalyst.
• The Devil Race Holy Maiden / Walking Celestial Maiden: Her memories and emotional state were manipulated so that despair and a small hope would nurture one of the Demon Lotuses.
• Little Wolf: The supposedly mysterious poisonous gas in the ancient ruins is revealed to be accumulated bodily waste from Little Wolf, adding comic relief to the otherwise grand revelation.
• Ning Taiping and the Capital Qu Family: They were intended as political and cultivation pieces in Chen Qiu’s plan to obtain the Golden Cores needed for his Twelfth-Grade Golden Core, though this scheme failed and was replaced by accidental gains.

3. Significant Themes

• Cycles of reincarnation and persistence: Chen Qiu repeatedly dies and starts over, retaining or rebuilding his ambitions across ten lives.
• Free will versus manipulation: Much of the world’s history, including the fates of White Robe, Ji Renjian, the Devil Race Holy Maiden, and various clans, was shaped by Chen Qiu’s deliberate interference.
• Planning versus unpredictability: Chen Qiu’s grand strategy frequently went wrong, but accidental events often produced better outcomes than his original plans.
• The burden of knowledge and memory: Regaining his memories transforms Chen Qiu from a relatively carefree cultivator into someone carrying a thousand years of failures, calculations, and responsibility.
• Defiance against fate and confinement: Chen Qiu refuses to accept the limits imposed by Great Xia, the Nascent Soul restrictions, or the belief that “nine is the ultimate number.”
• Irony and absurdity: The chapter repeatedly undercuts its grand revelations with comic details, such as Little Wolf’s “poisonous gas” being flatulence and Chen Qiu’s carefully arranged plans collapsing into accidental success.
• Sacrifice for a future self: Each incarnation gives up opportunities, power, or personal fulfillment to prepare the next life, making Chen Qiu both the beneficiary and architect of his own destiny.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu gently rebukes the shopkeeper for risking his life, treating him as a valuable asset while still showing concern for his health.
• The shopkeeper’s success in unlocking the ring directly leads Chen Qiu to confront the truth of his identity.
• Chen Qiu’s past selves interacted indirectly with nearly every major faction and character, arranging their circumstances for his final attempt.
• He manipulated White Robe’s emotions and relationships, intending to turn him into the sword cultivator capable of killing the Nascent Soul puppets.
• He shaped Ji Renjian’s perceptions and used Ji Taiping as a rival to strengthen White Robe.
• He altered the Devil Race Holy Maiden’s memories and emotional conditions to cultivate a Demon Lotus.
• He supported the Xia imperial family, guided Great Xia as Imperial Preceptor, suppressed slave traders and neighboring powers, and controlled numerous clans and cultivators to protect his future incarnation.
• The current Chen Qiu’s discovery of these interactions forces him to view familiar events not as random developments, but as the remnants of his own ancient designs.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu confirms that his tenth reincarnation has succeeded far better than expected. With the Under-Heaven Strife approaching in six months, he plans to raise his cultivation to Golden Core Peak Great Perfection, help Scholar break through, destroy the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator Puppet, and create a passage through Great Xia’s prison to reach Mystic Heaven Continent.
• He travels to the Great Xia Imperial Palace with Fat Dragon and Scholar. To force his way inside, Chen Qiu releases his Golden Core Eighth Layer cultivation and summons an overwhelming storm filled with countless Thunder Dragons.
• Although the palace is defended by numerous Golden Core experts, including eight Golden Core Peak Great Perfection attendants, none dare attack. Chen Qiu’s divine sense and thunderclouds convince them that any resistance would mean certain death.
• The Seventh Prince, Xia Jiqiu, confronts Chen Qiu and asks whether he intends to rebel. Their conversation leads to Xia Jiqiu challenging Chen Qiu with his ultimate sword technique, “Qi Tian.”
• Xia Jiqiu removes his protective spiritual energy and stakes everything on one strike, believing this is the resolve required of a true sword cultivator. Chen Qiu effortlessly blocks the attack with the Heavenly Secrets Umbrella.
• Chen Qiu reveals that the Imperial Preceptor’s teachings about Sword One were misleading: Sword One had been unable to use protective spiritual energy because of his trait, rather than refusing to use it out of superior resolve.
• Chen Qiu then reveals his true identity as the long-absent Imperial Preceptor. The cloaked young man “Xiao Liu,” the emperor, the princes, the palace guards, and the Eight Great Attendants all kneel and acknowledge him.
• Xia Jiqiu is devastated to learn that Chen Qiu never considered him Great Xia’s greatest sword cultivator. However, Chen Qiu reassures him that he may one day become Mystic Heaven Continent’s greatest sword cultivator. Rejuvenated by this promise, Xia Jiqiu submits to him as his disciple.
• In private, Xiao Liu reports that the Eight-Petaled Fire Lotus in the Boundless Desert was taken before Chen Qiu’s planned secret realm could open. Chen Qiu accepts the setback because he had already obtained the lotus through an unexpected chain of events.
• Chen Qiu reviews his remaining plans, including collecting hidden opportunities, visiting Fat City, bringing together two mutually interested alchemists, entering an inheritance, and obtaining the two nearly mature Demon Lotuses.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Fully embraces his recovered memories and former identity as the Imperial Preceptor. His overwhelming strength, long-term planning, and history of guiding Great Xia are revealed. He also shows a rare degree of affection toward Xia Jiqiu, choosing to preserve the prince’s confidence rather than destroy his ambition.
• Xia Jiqiu: Begins as a proud and anxious prince convinced that self-sacrifice and abandoning defense are the marks of a great sword cultivator. His failed attack shatters his confidence, but Chen Qiu’s encouragement redirects his ambition toward Mystic Heaven Continent.
• Xiao Liu: Revealed to be a loyal subordinate of Chen Qiu and emotionally overwhelmed by the Imperial Preceptor’s return.
• Fat Dragon: Reacts with comic disbelief to Chen Qiu’s identity reveal. Despite his shock, he quickly kneels along with everyone else.
• Scholar and the palace experts: Their fear and submission emphasize the enormous gap between Chen Qiu and ordinary Golden Core experts.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus reputation: Chen Qiu’s actual power is far greater than his apparent Golden Core Eighth Layer cultivation, demonstrating the difference between ordinary practitioners and extraordinary prodigies.
• Truth and deception: Chen Qiu has built Great Xia’s history and much of its cultivation culture through deliberate lies, some of which have shaped people’s beliefs for centuries.
• Mentorship and emotional responsibility: Chen Qiu once casually encouraged Xia Jiqiu, but the prince treated those words as a lifelong promise. Chen Qiu must now confront the consequences of his past deception and guide him more honestly.
• Submission and authority: Withdrawing protective spiritual energy and kneeling in the rain symbolize complete surrender and recognition of Chen Qiu’s superiority.
• Destiny versus changing circumstances: Chen Qiu’s plans from previous lives repeatedly change, yet unexpected events produce equal or better results, suggesting that success depends on adapting rather than rigidly following fate.
• Reincarnation and accumulated experience: Chen Qiu’s many lives provide knowledge, influence, and hidden preparations, allowing him to manipulate events on a scale far beyond ordinary cultivators.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Xia Jiqiu: Their confrontation shifts from political suspicion to a deeply personal exchange between former mentor and disciple. Chen Qiu destroys Xia Jiqiu’s false belief about Great Xia’s greatest sword cultivator, then replaces it with a new, more ambitious goal.
• Chen Qiu and the Eight Great Attendants: Their silent standoff demonstrates that Chen Qiu can intimidate even the strongest defenders of Great Xia without attacking.
• Chen Qiu and the Imperial Family: The emperor and princes recognize Chen Qiu as their former Imperial Preceptor and willingly kneel before him, confirming his longstanding influence over the Xia Family.
• Chen Qiu and Xiao Liu: Their reunion establishes Xiao Liu as a devoted subordinate and gives Chen Qiu a direct update on the failure of one of his old plans.
• Chen Qiu, Fat Dragon, and Scholar: Their companions’ shocked reactions provide comic relief while highlighting that even those closest to Chen Qiu had not realized his true identity.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Qiu’s identity as the former Great Xia National Preceptor is revealed, Xiao Liu refuses to explain Chen Qiu’s past, insisting that Chen Qiu should disclose it himself.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar discuss Chen Qiu’s possible intention to arrange Ji Renjian—once the Heavenly Dao’s foremost beauty—for Scholar. Scholar is willing to accept out of loyalty, despite having no feelings for her, while Fat Dragon suspects Chen Qiu mainly wants Scholar to benefit from her beauty-related power.
• Chen Qiu reflects on his recovered memories and the thousand years he spent attempting to escape Great Xia, which he regards as a prison. He remembers repeatedly reincarnating, chopping firewood, and struggling through countless lives before finally succeeding.
• Chen Qiu summons Emperor Xia Xundao, the Crown Prince, and the Seventh Prince. He gives the emperor instructions for governing Great Xia after his departure and announces that he will soon travel to the Mystic Heaven Continent.
• The Seventh Prince asks to accompany Chen Qiu. Chen Qiu tells him that he may do so if he defeats one of the puppets guarding the passage out of Great Xia, reinforcing that a sword cultivator must rely on his own sword.
• As Chen Qiu leaves the imperial palace, Imperial Guards and palace attendants solemnly bow to him. Several guards break protocol to express their gratitude for the help he gave them and their families over the years. Their blessings spread throughout the palace and Capital City.
• Chen Qiu and his companions travel to Fat Prefecture and inspect the reconstruction of the ruined Mocking Heaven Sect. Chen Qiu begins recounting his former life as the National Preceptor, though the chapter ends before he gives the full account.
• News spreads that Chen Qiu is the National Preceptor and that Great Xia is a cage preventing access to the wider Mystic Heaven Continent. Cultivators are invited to join the Mocking Heaven Sect and follow him, though they must sign a Contract Life Tablet.
• An alternative route is announced for independent cultivators: defeating a Nascent Soul-level puppet in one of the four forbidden zones will allow them to break through the barrier without joining the sect.
• Cultivators across Great Xia rush toward Fat Prefecture, desperate to seek the Nascent Soul Realm before their lifespans end. Several sect leaders and elders abandon their positions to join Chen Qiu, often bringing Spirit Stones, spirit herbs, beasts, and other resources as “mountain-gate gifts.”

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Fully accepts and confronts his identity as the former National Preceptor. His memories reveal immense age, exhaustion, and determination after a thousand years of struggle. He is portrayed as both a detached survivor and a deeply influential protector whose kindness has shaped countless lives.
• Fat Dragon: Shows fierce loyalty and concern for Chen Qiu’s reputation. He deliberately maintains a stern, intimidating expression in public so that Chen Qiu will appear dignified, though he quickly relaxes once they leave the palace.
• Scholar: Remains bound by loyalty and righteousness. Although he has no romantic interest in Ji Renjian, he considers accepting Chen Qiu’s wishes because he cannot betray someone who has helped him.
• The Seventh Prince: Demonstrates intense admiration for Chen Qiu and a desire to follow him. His confidence is still uncertain, but Chen Qiu’s encouragement gives him a clear test and future goal.
• Xia Xundao: Reveals his deep respect for Chen Qiu and understands that the National Preceptor’s lifelong purpose was to escape Great Xia’s confinement.
• The Imperial Guards and citizens: Their emotional farewell shows that Chen Qiu’s influence extends far beyond political authority; he has personally changed and assisted many ordinary people.
• Various sect leaders and elders: Their desperation exposes how severely the Nascent Soul bottleneck and limited lifespan have affected Great Xia’s cultivators. Many willingly abandon status and independence for even a chance at advancement.

3. Significant Themes

• Freedom versus confinement: Great Xia is repeatedly described as a cage, while the Mystic Heaven Continent represents freedom, opportunity, and a higher path of cultivation.
• The burden of long life and repeated struggle: Chen Qiu’s restored memories reveal that immortality and reincarnation have brought exhaustion rather than simple glory.
• Loyalty and gratitude: The farewell demonstrates how Chen Qiu’s quiet acts of assistance created lasting bonds, even though he disliked public praise.
• Self-reliance and cultivation: Chen Qiu emphasizes that sword cultivators must depend on their own swords, especially when the Seventh Prince asks to follow him.
• Hope overcoming fear: Although the Contract Life Tablet is dangerous, cultivators accept the risk because the possibility of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm is preferable to certain death.
• Status versus opportunity: Sect masters and elders willingly give up authority to become ordinary disciples, showing that survival and advancement matter more than rank.
• Public image and private emotion: The chapter contrasts the solemn, intimidating image Chen Qiu and his companions maintain with their underlying exhaustion, affection, and vulnerability.

4. Character Interactions

• Xiao Liu and Fat Dragon: Xiao Liu maintains Chen Qiu’s secrecy, while Fat Dragon realizes that Chen Qiu’s past is far more complicated than expected.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar: They debate whether Scholar should marry Ji Renjian, mixing crude humor with genuine concern over Scholar’s feelings and loyalty.
• Chen Qiu and Xia Xundao: Their interaction reflects years of trust. Chen Qiu entrusts Xia Xundao with Great Xia’s future before departing.
• Chen Qiu and the Seventh Prince: Chen Qiu refuses to offer him an easy path, instead giving him a sword-based trial to prove himself.
• Chen Qiu and the Imperial Guards: The guards openly express gratitude for his past kindness, while Chen Qiu quietly remembers them and accepts their farewell.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar after leaving the palace: Fat Dragon explains that their severe expressions were meant to protect Chen Qiu’s dignity, revealing his humorous but devoted nature.
• Chen Qiu and his companions at Mocking Heaven Sect: Chen Qiu prepares to reveal the truth of his past lives, while Fat Dragon and Scholar begin to understand the enormous hardships behind his present strength.
• The various sect leaders: Their frantic preparations and arguments show both their desperation and their eagerness to become part of Chen Qiu’s new order.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Numerous Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivators travel to Fat Prefecture, bringing large portions of their sects’ resources as “mountain-visiting gifts” in hopes of joining Mocking Heaven Sect and escaping Great Xia’s cultivation limits.
• Chen Qiu finishes cultivating to the Golden Core Eighth Layer, using Heavenly Dao cultivation pills. He plans to reach Golden Core Peak Great Perfection, reclaim opportunities from his previous life, and then travel to Mystic Heaven Continent.
• Dozens of powerful cultivators arrive in Fat City and publicly kneel before Chen Qiu, proclaiming themselves loyal disciples of Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Chen Qiu conducts a formal recruitment assessment. He evaluates each applicant’s cultivation, abilities, and usefulness, accepting most of them. He even accepts He Tianxia, a Golden Core Sixth Layer cultivator, after the man offers a storage ring containing one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Zhao Dezhu, the former Sect Master of Heavenward Sect, joins Mocking Heaven Sect, followed by his martial uncle, who also gains acceptance through Zhao’s connection with Chen Qiu.
• The first recruitment wave produces fifty-seven disciples:
  • Thirty-eight are Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivators.
  • Nineteen are in the Late Golden Core Realm or possess valuable special abilities.
• Because the sect is still under repair, the new disciples are temporarily housed in Fat City inns.
• Chen Qiu and his companions begin organizing Mocking Heaven Sect’s institutional structure:
  • Fierce Baleful Wood will be used to make disciple tokens.
  • New disciples will begin as Servant Disciples and advance after reaching Nascent Soul.
  • Fat Dragon will oversee resources, contribution points, and sect administration.
  • Scholar and his younger brother will jointly manage the Punishment Hall and handle discipline and external combat.
  • Sect uniforms, rules, and contribution-based rewards will be developed later.
• At the inn, the newly recruited elders celebrate their entry into the sect. Their excitement is tempered by fears that Mystic Heaven Continent may kill them before they reach Nascent Soul.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes more openly confident and authoritative as Sect Master. He enjoys teasing former powerhouses now that his cultivation surpasses theirs, while maintaining a pragmatic approach to recruitment and sect management.
• He continues concealing important truths about his previous identities and past actions, believing that revealing them would damage his relationships with Scholar and Fat Dragon.
• Fat Dragon transitions from a nominal Grand Elder into a genuine administrator. He becomes responsible for the sect’s resources, contribution system, rules, and material organization.
• Scholar gains a formal leadership role as co-head of the Punishment Hall. His cultivation rises to the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer, and he expects to return to Golden Core soon.
• Scholar’s younger brother is appointed deputy of the Punishment Hall and will assist with discipline and combat.
• Zhao Dezhu abandons leadership of Heavenward Sect to join Mocking Heaven Sect, presenting this as an opportunity for younger generations. His connection with Chen Qiu proves valuable to his martial uncle.
• The recruited elders, formerly isolated rivals or sect leaders, begin viewing one another as comrades who must rely on each other in the dangerous future ahead.
• He Tianxia demonstrates resourcefulness and opportunism by offering Chen Qiu spirit stones, earning acceptance despite his relatively low cultivation.

3. Significant Themes

• Hope against impending death: Many elders join because remaining in Great Xia means certain death, while Mystic Heaven Continent offers at least a chance at Nascent Soul and extended life.
• Power and loyalty: Chen Qiu’s authority attracts powerful cultivators, but their loyalty is initially tied to his strength and the opportunities he offers.
• Transformation of a nominal sect into a real institution: Mocking Heaven Sect evolves from a symbolic organization into a major force with dozens of elite disciples, administrative roles, rules, uniforms, ranks, and punishments.
• Pragmatism and moral complexity: Chen Qiu’s past reveals that he often prioritized results over methods. He still withholds painful truths to preserve his companions’ feelings.
• Comradeship amid danger: Former rivals reconcile because they recognize that survival on Mystic Heaven Continent will require mutual trust and cooperation.
• The loneliness and cost of cultivation: The elders’ conversation emphasizes that their strength was built through countless deaths, danger, and sacrifice, and that even their next opportunity may end in death.

4. Character Interactions

• Fat Dragon and Scholar react with astonishment to Chen Qiu’s revelations about his past, then eagerly embrace their new authority within the sect.
• Chen Qiu assigns Fat Dragon administrative responsibilities and entrusts Scholar and his brother with discipline, punishment, and combat.
• Chen Qiu humorously teases Zhao Dezhu about abandoning his own sect and implies that he, too, should eventually step down as Sect Master.
• Zhao Dezhu’s martial uncle follows him into Mocking Heaven Sect, believing Zhao’s relationship with Chen Qiu guarantees acceptance.
• The newly recruited elders quickly begin apologizing for old grudges, exchanging drinks, and promising to support one another on Mystic Heaven Continent.
• The group repeatedly praises Chen Qiu as an unparalleled prodigy who will dominate both Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms, reinforcing their faith in Mocking Heaven Sect’s future.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu finishes preparing Mocking Heaven Sect for its eventual departure from Great Xia. With the Minor World and numerous Nascent Soul cultivators as disciples, he believes the sect will be powerful enough to protect itself on the Mystic Heaven Continent.
• In Fat City, Chen Qiu reunites with Old Cao, the fortune-teller. They discuss Chen Qiu abandoning his former authority as Imperial Preceptor to escape Great Xia’s “cage.” Old Cao asks Chen Qiu to find a successor for his formation inheritance and warns him about the Mystic Heaven Continent: “Never hand your back to a living person.”
• Chen Qiu captures the Second Heavenly Dao Beauty, Xiao Qing, along with her sedan bearers, and separately brings her admirer, an alchemy cultivator named Yuan, into Mocking Heaven Sect’s Minor World.
• Acting as a matchmaker, Chen Qiu reveals that Xiao Qing and Yuan have secretly loved one another for years. They confess their feelings, accept each other despite their insecurities, and kiss. Chen Qiu orders Fat Dragon to arrange their wedding and prepare Yuan to inherit the Alchemy Cultivator Inheritance.
• Liu Zide delivers Chen Qiu’s purchases: over 160,000 pieces of Fierce Baleful Wood, bringing the total to more than 180,000, along with thirty-three Eight Desolations Fruits and an illustrated guide to Great Xia’s resources.
• Chen Qiu invites Liu Zide to leave Great Xia with him. Liu accepts, while the Wang Family master chooses to remain in Fortune City and live peacefully with his family. Chen Qiu respects their different choices.
• A large group of Brown Bear demons travels toward Fat Prefecture under banners declaring them “Chen Qiu’s exclusive pets.” Their young clan leader has abandoned the dream of revitalizing the clan and instead seeks refuge with Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Zhao Yishi of the Heavenward Sect joins the bears after stealing his former sect master’s flying vessel. He, too, intends to join Mocking Heaven Sect and brings local specialties as an offering.
• Chen Qiu receives the newly crafted Disciple and Elder Tokens from Li Jia, his designated artifact cultivator.
• With most preparations complete, Chen Qiu returns to Mocking Heaven Sect and begins secluded cultivation, intending to break through to the Ninth Level of the Golden Core Realm after receiving the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu continues transitioning from a powerful former Imperial Preceptor into a leader focused on freedom, preparation, and building a reliable sect for the future. He values genuine strength over Great Xia’s limited authority and respects that others may choose either adventure or peaceful stability.
• Old Cao is revealed as someone who also longs to leave Great Xia, though he remains bound to his inheritance. His warning suggests the Mystic Heaven Continent will be far more dangerous and politically treacherous.
• Xiao Qing and Yuan overcome their mutual insecurities. Xiao Qing learns that Yuan values her kindness and personality rather than her appearance or status, while Yuan gains the courage to openly pursue the person he has admired for years.
• Liu Zide demonstrates increasing competence and loyalty. His careful resource gathering proves his usefulness, and he chooses to follow Chen Qiu into the unknown.
• The Wang Family master represents the alternative to Chen Qiu’s path: contentment with family, simplicity, and life within Great Xia’s “cage.”
• The Brown Bear clan leader abandons unrealistic ambitions of clan revitalization and pragmatically seeks survival and better living conditions through Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Zhao Yishi reveals a more emotional, dependent side. After his sect master’s departure, he feels lonely and realizes how deeply he relied on their relationship.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus comfort: Chen Qiu and Liu Zide choose the uncertainty of the outside world, while the Wang Family master prefers a peaceful life within Great Xia.
• Great Xia as a cage: The chapter reinforces that Great Xia is only a confined portion of a much larger world, and leaving requires courage, preparation, and sacrifice.
• Love overcoming insecurity: Xiao Qing and Yuan’s romance emphasizes that affection depends on mutual acceptance rather than beauty, cultivation, or social status.
• Pragmatism and survival: The Brown Bears abandon grand ideals in favor of joining a powerful sect, illustrating how survival can reshape ambition.
• Farewell and separation: Several characters part ways, accepting that different paths may prevent them from meeting again. The chapter treats parting as an unavoidable feature of life.
• Building a foundation: Chen Qiu’s stockpiling of resources, recruiting of talent, and creation of sect infrastructure show that his departure is not impulsive but carefully planned.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Old Cao share tea and a philosophical farewell, discussing authority, freedom, inheritance, and the dangers ahead.
• Chen Qiu forces Xiao Qing and Yuan to confront their hidden feelings, transforming their long-standing silent admiration into a relationship.
• Chen Qiu and Liu Zide strengthen their bond as trusted companions, with Liu choosing to follow him to the Mystic Heaven Continent.
• Chen Qiu respectfully parts from the Wang Family master, acknowledging that not everyone desires the same future.
• The Brown Bears and Zhao Yishi form an unlikely traveling group, united by their desire to join Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Chen Qiu maintains a practical but affectionate relationship with Fat Dragon and Li Jia, entrusting them with sect affairs and rewarding their loyalty.

Chapter Summary: “Oh, and There Was Another Batch of Brown Bears”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After ten days of secluded cultivation, Chen Qiu advances from the Golden Core Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer.
• Upon reaching the Ninth Layer, he uses a Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talisman to select the Merit Sage trait and chooses the powerful new trait Movement Technique Supreme, which greatly increases his innate speed based on the spiritual energy in his dantian.
• He continues cultivating for another thirteen days and reaches Golden Core Peak Great Perfection, but discovers that Heaven-and-Earth Power prevents anyone in Great Xia from breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• During his seclusion, the Mocking Heaven Sect is largely rebuilt. Its ordinary formations and essential facilities are restored, though the powerful defensive formations cannot be repaired.
• Chen Qiu learns that maintaining the sect’s daily formations costs one hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones per day. He and Fat Dragon discuss possible ways for the sect to earn resources, eventually deciding that hunting Evil Demons and dividing the spoils between the sect and its disciples is the most suitable future strategy.
• Fat Dragon reaches the Eighth Level of Foundation Establishment, while Scholar successfully breaks through to the Golden Core Realm.
• Chen Qiu formally recruits fifty-seven cultivators as the first batch of Mocking Heaven Sect disciples. Most are Golden Core Peak Great Perfection cultivators who hope to leave Great Xia and seek a Nascent Soul opportunity in the Mystic Heaven Continent.
• More than two hundred Brown Bear demons, led by Zhao Yishi’s group, are also accepted into the sect. They are assigned to the back mountain to care for the spirit beasts and receive disciple tokens and uniforms.
• Chen Qiu establishes the sect’s hierarchy and seventeen rules, emphasizing morality, loyalty, obedience, cultivation, and the prohibition against hunting the back mountain’s demon beasts.
• Various senior cultivators are assigned responsibilities, including alchemy instruction and administration, giving the Mocking Heaven Sect the basic structure of a functioning sect.
• Chen Qiu finally leaves the Minor World with Scholar and others, heading toward Capital Province to continue his plans.
• Meanwhile, the Fat City Lord is devastated that Chen Qiu leaves without inviting him to join. He decides to personally seek Chen Qiu out rather than risk being abandoned.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes significantly stronger, reaching Golden Core Peak Great Perfection and gaining a major improvement in innate speed through Movement Technique Supreme. He also demonstrates increasing practicality and organizational ability by establishing the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Fat Dragon continues acting as Chen Qiu’s administrator and spokesman. He helps rebuild the sect, researches possible income sources, and reaches Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer through an unusually effective cultivation method.
• Scholar breaks through to the Golden Core Realm, restoring some of his former status and regaining the intimidating presence of a premier sword cultivator.
• Zhao Yishi is not accepted as a formal disciple because Chen Qiu considers him too expensive to nurture and insists that disciples must contribute meaningful combat strength. He is told to defeat a puppet alone before seeking Chen Qiu again.
• The Fat City Lord reveals his intense loyalty—and dependence—on Chen Qiu. His expectation of being personally invited into the sect turns into panic and resentment when Chen Qiu departs without him.
• The Brown Bears shift from being potential “pets” to official sect disciples, gaining status, food, uniforms, and duties within the Mocking Heaven Sect.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation and limitation: Chen Qiu’s rapid advancement contrasts with the absolute barrier preventing Nascent Soul breakthroughs in Great Xia, highlighting the importance of escaping the current world rather than merely growing stronger within it.
• Pragmatism over sentiment: Chen Qiu rejects the Dao companion trait because its benefits do not outweigh its risks, and he refuses to nurture Zhao Yishi without a clear practical return.
• Building an organization: The chapter shifts from individual cultivation to sect management, emphasizing resources, infrastructure, discipline, hierarchy, and recruitment.
• Loyalty and usefulness: Chen Qiu values loyalty, but he also evaluates people according to their usefulness and combat potential. The Brown Bears’ loyalty earns them acceptance, while Zhao Yishi’s fearfulness prevents him from joining.
• Humor and absurdity: The serious formation of a powerful sect is undercut by the Brown Bears’ comic enthusiasm, especially their delight at receiving disciple status because it guarantees meals.
• Freedom and future expansion: The Mocking Heaven Sect is being prepared as a vehicle for leaving Great Xia, entering the Mystic Heaven Continent, and pursuing Nascent Soul opportunities.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon discuss the sect’s financial problems and future income, leading to the plan of killing Evil Demons for resources.
• Chen Qiu evaluates Fat Dragon’s cultivation progress and learns that Scholar has reached the Golden Core Realm.
• Chen Qiu addresses the gathered cultivators and formally defines their positions as Servant, Outer, or Inner Disciples according to cultivation level.
• Fat Dragon publicly announces the sect rules and distributes tokens, uniforms, and communication rings.
• The Brown Bear leader eagerly accepts the group’s new status as disciples, while the bears are assigned to maintain the back mountain.
• Chen Qiu assigns the Star-Dipper Sect’s master to oversee alchemy and arranges for younger alchemists to study under him.
• The Fat City Lord argues with his steward after realizing Chen Qiu has left without him; his frustration ultimately drives him to pursue Chen Qiu personally.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Taiping, consumed by rage and fear after Chen Qiu’s rapid rise, destroys his treasured teacups and lashes out at Ji Renjian. He fears both Chen Qiu and Scholar, who has become a powerful elder of the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar arrive at Green Peak to confront him. At the same time, more than thirty Golden Core Peak experts block the Ji Family Supreme Elder, preventing him from interfering.
• Ji Taiping threatens to kill Ji Renjian if Scholar’s allies intervene. He falsely assumes Scholar is still emotionally attached to her and cruelly exposes and humiliates her in an attempt to provoke Scholar.
• A decree from the emperor strips Ji Taiping of his position as Nation-Guarding Sword Envoy, causing him to lose Great Xia’s fortune and destabilizing his cultivation.
• Ji Renjian discovers that Scholar—not Ji Taiping—was the person who secretly escorted and protected her in the past. Overwhelmed by shame and despair, she takes her own life and asks Scholar not to hold back.
• Ji Renjian’s death transfers the power of her Heavenly Dao Beauty to Scholar, granting him new insights into sword intent.
• Scholar challenges Ji Taiping directly. Although initially overwhelmed by the difference in cultivation, he repeatedly endures Ji Taiping’s attacks, using the sword intent embedded in his wounds to comprehend and imitate Ji Taiping’s sword path.
• Scholar eventually enters the realm of Human-Sword Unity and kills Ji Taiping with a single slash. Ji Taiping’s Golden Core is captured and given to Chen Qiu.
• Scholar collapses from his injuries but is taken into Chen Qiu’s Minor World, where he receives immediate medical treatment.
• Chen Qiu orders the assembled experts to kill the Ji Family Supreme Elder and destroy the Ji Family. The group eliminates him without difficulty.
• Chen Qiu buries Ji Renjian in an unmarked grave on Azure Edge Mountain before departing for Fat Prefecture.
• In Fat Prefecture, Chen Qiu recruits the loyal Fat City Lord—“Little Fatty”—into the Mocking Heaven Sect and brings him into his Minor World.
• Ten days later, Chen Qiu receives another batch of Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills and plans to distribute them through the sect’s contribution system, reserving some for Scholar’s future growth and possibly selling others for Spirit Stones.

Character Developments

• Ji Taiping descends completely into paranoia and madness. His fear of death and obsession with maintaining his status lead him to abuse Ji Renjian, use her as a hostage, and ultimately lose both his position and life.
• Scholar demonstrates extraordinary swordsmanship and mental resilience. Despite being heavily injured and fighting across several cultivation realms, he turns Ji Taiping’s sword intent into an opportunity for advancement and reaches Human-Sword Unity.
• Ji Renjian experiences the tragic revelation that the man she truly loved and who protected her was Scholar, not Ji Taiping. Her humiliation and despair lead to suicide, though her final act indirectly enables Scholar’s breakthrough.
• Chen Qiu continues to act as a calm strategist and sect leader. He recognizes Scholar’s unparalleled sword talent, uses the confrontation to strengthen the Mocking Heaven Sect’s cohesion, and expands the sect by recruiting Little Fatty.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect’s disciples begin to develop genuine pride and belonging. Witnessing Scholar’s potential convinces them that the sect has a promising future under Chen Qiu.

Significant Themes

• Swordsmanship as absolute devotion: Scholar’s advancement comes from an extraordinary, almost all-consuming thirst for the sword. His talent contrasts with Chen Qiu, who views the sword merely as a tool and therefore cannot reach its ultimate realm.
• Talent, opportunity, and suffering: Natural ability alone is insufficient for Human-Sword Unity; Scholar needs the opportunity created by Ji Taiping’s sword intent, Ji Renjian’s Heavenly Dao Beauty, and his own willingness to endure immense pain.
• The collapse of false power: Ji Taiping’s title, fortune, cultivation, and reputation all fail him once his mental state breaks down. His claim to be Great Xia’s foremost sword cultivator is exposed as hollow.
• Loyalty and sect cohesion: Chen Qiu understands that people unite behind visible strength and future potential. Scholar’s breakthrough and the sect’s overwhelming victory inspire the disciples to identify with the Mocking Heaven Sect.
• Cruelty and tragic consequences: Ji Taiping’s abuse of Ji Renjian, motivated by fear and selfishness, directly causes her death and seals his own downfall.
• Different paths to strength: Chen Qiu pursues liberation from Great Xia’s prison through any means necessary, while Scholar pursues the sword with complete purity. Their contrasting motivations explain their different limits and talents.

Character Interactions

• Ji Taiping and Ji Renjian: Their relationship is revealed as abusive and possessive rather than loving. Ji Taiping treats her as property and a bargaining chip, while Ji Renjian recognizes the truth too late.
• Ji Taiping and Scholar: Ji Taiping considers Scholar his lifelong rival, but Scholar dismisses him as someone who was never truly his equal. Their confrontation becomes both a personal humiliation for Ji Taiping and a breakthrough battle for Scholar.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar: Chen Qiu deliberately allows Scholar to fight alone, understanding that the battle is necessary for his growth. He later saves and treats him, affirming his value to the sect.
• Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples: By allowing them to witness Scholar’s victory and ordering the destruction of the Ji Family, Chen Qiu reinforces his authority and gives the disciples confidence in the sect’s future.
• Chen Qiu and Little Fatty: Their exchange shows mutual trust. Despite having been kept away from the capital for decades, Little Fatty remains completely loyal and willingly joins Chen Qiu’s sect.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Scholar fully recovers from his injuries under the Star-Dipper Sect Master’s care. Chen Qiu praises his improved swordsmanship, which now surpasses Ji Taiping’s, and prepares to leave with him.
• During the ten-day wait, Chen Qiu strengthens the Mocking Heaven Sect by adding two mature Demon Lotuses and drawing fire from the Underground Sea of Fire into its formations. The sect’s atmosphere becomes an unusual mixture of demonic qi, resentment, frost, and sea energy.
• Chen Qiu returns alone to the Boundless Snow Mountains to challenge the Nascent Soul Puppet guarding the summit, a battle he has failed to win many times before.
• He fights the puppet through repeated hit-and-retreat tactics, using his Minor World to replenish his spirit qi. The puppet’s swordsmanship and overwhelming power force Chen Qiu into a prolonged, exhausting battle.
• After more than an hour of fighting, Chen Qiu severely damages the puppet. He then summons Scholar, who uses his powerful sword intent to destroy the restriction protecting the puppet’s core hub.
• The destruction temporarily removes the pressure blocking the summit. Chen Qiu pulls Scholar into the Minor World and races upward before the puppet repairs itself, finally reaching the white vortex portal at the mountaintop.
• Chen Qiu passes through the portal and escapes the forbidden region after a thousand years of imprisonment. However, an overwhelming force knocks him unconscious.
• He awakens in a snowy town on the Mystic Heaven Continent, having been rescued from an avalanche by a hunter. His injuries are superficial, but his spirit qi is nearly depleted.
• The hunter assumes Chen Qiu is a mortal named “Little Dragon” and attempts to recruit him into his hunting team. When the hunter’s fabricated story becomes absurd, Chen Qiu abandons the pretense of having lost his memory.
• Chen Qiu reveals a small portion of his Golden Core cultivation, terrifies the hunter, and takes him into the mountains to question him about the Mystic Heaven Continent.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates increased patience, strategic thinking, and determination during the battle with the puppet. His escape marks a major turning point: after a millennium in confinement, he finally reaches the outside world. Despite his exhaustion, he remains cautious and immediately seeks information about his new surroundings.
• Scholar: Recovers completely and proves that his swordsmanship has advanced substantially. His sword intent becomes essential to breaking the puppet’s core restriction, showing that he is now a crucial combat partner rather than merely a subordinate.
• The Nascent Soul Puppet: Revealed to be an exceptionally dangerous Sword Cultivator Puppet capable of countering nearly every sword technique. Though ultimately defeated, it repairs itself and resumes its duty, emphasizing its mechanical persistence.
• The Bearded Hunter: Acts kindly by rescuing Chen Qiu but is also opportunistic and somewhat dishonest, inventing a background for him and trying to recruit him. Once Chen Qiu reveals his cultivation, the hunter becomes terrified and submissive.

Significant Themes

• Freedom and imprisonment: Chen Qiu’s escape from the snow mountain is the chapter’s central triumph. His ecstatic declaration of finally leaving prison contrasts with the thousand years he spent trapped inside.
• Persistence and endurance: Chen Qiu wins not through overwhelming superiority, but by repeatedly recovering in his Minor World and gradually wearing down the puppet.
• Strategic strength versus brute force: The battle highlights Chen Qiu’s use of preparation, timing, retreat, and cooperation with Scholar.
• The unknown outside world: Freedom brings uncertainty. Chen Qiu escapes confinement but immediately enters unfamiliar territory and must gather basic information.
• Kindness and deception: The hunter’s rescue is genuinely helpful, but his attempt to manipulate Chen Qiu shows how goodwill and self-interest can coexist.
• The contrast between extraordinary and ordinary life: Chen Qiu, a powerful Golden Core cultivator, is mistaken for a helpless mortal and briefly becomes entangled in the mundane concerns of hunters, poverty, food, and marriage.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu encourages Scholar and credits him for his swordsmanship growth.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar cooperate to defeat the puppet: Chen Qiu weakens it, while Scholar destroys its protected core.
• The hunter treats Chen Qiu as an injured mortal, offers him hot water, and invents the identity of “Little Dragon” to recruit him.
• Chen Qiu initially tries to exploit the hunter’s misunderstanding to obtain information, but the hunter’s absurd lies force him to reveal his cultivation and question the man directly.
• The chapter ends with the hunter kneeling fearfully in the snow, promising to answer Chen Qiu’s questions about the Mystic Heaven Continent.

Chapter Summary: “Heavenly Dao Edict: Long Night Approaches!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu learns about the Mystic Heaven Continent’s social and political structure: there are no nations or universal laws, only sects, lineages, cities, and marketplaces protected by local powers.
• He discovers that he is in Quzhou, within the Fate Sect’s territory, and that Great Xia is likely sealed at the summit of the Boundless Snow Mountains. Returning home will require reaching that summit.
• The continent is revealed to be far more lawless than Great Xia. Assassination, poison, divination, robbery, and rule-based killing are common, with strength serving as the only real protection.
• Chen Qiu hears several bizarre historical accounts, including the destructive “Undying Devotion” trait, the sudden transformation of an evil sect into a righteous one, and the explosive “Heaven and Earth Detonation” trait of the Invincible Sect.
• After repaying the hunter with fifty Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, Chen Qiu returns to his Minor World and confirms that the Golden Core restrictions on his disciples have vanished. However, they refrain from attempting Nascent Soul breakthroughs until they learn the proper method.
• Chen Qiu, Fat Dragon, and Scholar travel to Great Fate City to obtain information about forming a Nascent Soul. They learn that higher-grade Nascent Souls require increasingly rare materials, including Spirit Transformation Bodies.
• Upon arriving, they discover that the Fate Sect is effectively a devil sect despite its respectable name, with its disciples committing murder and robbery under the excuse that treasures are “fated” to them.
• A Heavenly Dao event called “Long Night Approaches” is about to begin outside Great Fate City. For six hours after nightfall, cultivators outside the city will lose access to defensive spiritual energy, divine-consciousness detection, target-locking attacks, defensive treasures, and Nascent Soul protection. Heavenly treasures will appear, turning the night into a lawless battle for resources.
• Chen Qiu initially decides to avoid the event and develop cautiously. While browsing street stalls with his Omniscience trait, he identifies a genuine Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure: a Demon-Exorcising Bracelet requiring Fierce Baleful Wood to restore.
• After hearing that a Spirit Transformation Body may appear during the event, Chen Qiu reconsiders. Obtaining one would make a Fourth-Grade Nascent Soul possible and could eventually make his ambitious Ten-Rank or even Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul goal attainable.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Gains a clearer understanding of the continent’s dangers and realizes that his Golden Core cultivation offers insufficient security. He becomes more cautious but also regains confidence after discovering opportunities linked to the Heavenly Dao event. His greed and ambition are rekindled by the possibility of acquiring Spirit Transformation Bodies.
• Fat Dragon: Continues serving as Chen Qiu’s information-gatherer and adviser. He recognizes the extreme difficulty of obtaining the materials required for a Ten-Rank Nascent Soul and urges Chen Qiu to pursue a lower grade instead.
• Scholar: Remains part of Chen Qiu’s traveling group, supporting the investigation of Great Fate City and the surrounding region.
• The hunter: Receives Chen Qiu’s repayment and becomes convinced that he has encountered an immortal.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect disciples: Their Golden Core shackles disappear, giving them the immediate possibility of breaking into the Nascent Soul Realm, though they wisely wait for proper guidance.

Significant Themes

• Strength over law: The Mystic Heaven Continent lacks meaningful legal order; survival depends on cultivation, vigilance, and personal power.
• Unpredictability of cultivation: Strange traits, Heavenly Dao events, and rule-based abilities can overturn normal differences in strength.
• Risk versus opportunity: The Long Night event offers rare treasures but removes nearly every defensive advantage, forcing Chen Qiu to weigh advancement against survival.
• Ambition and practicality: Chen Qiu dreams of an unprecedented Nascent Soul, yet the overwhelming requirements force him to consider settling for a lower realm.
• Deception and perception: Street vendors exploit rumors and fabricated histories, while cultivators conceal their identities to avoid assassination or bizarre rule-based abilities.
• Adaptation to a new world: Chen Qiu compares the Mystic Heaven Continent with Great Xia and gradually adjusts to its harsher, more chaotic environment.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu questions the hunter about the continent, then repays him before leaving.
• He advises the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples not to attempt Nascent Soul formation without knowing the correct method.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar gather intelligence in Great Fate City and warn Chen Qiu about the approaching Heavenly Dao event.
• Fat Dragon discusses the severe requirements for a Ten-Rank Nascent Soul, prompting Chen Qiu to reconsider his goals.
• Chen Qiu humorously negotiates with and frustrates dishonest street vendors, exposing their exaggerated claims.
• He encourages a nervous female vendor to improve her deception skills after purchasing the apparently worthless-looking but genuine Demon-Exorcising Bracelet.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A female rogue cultivator successfully sells a bracelet to Chen Qiu, though she feels guilty because she had deceived him about its value. Her stray cat, July Cat, quietly observes the transaction.
• July Cat’s history is revealed: she possesses nine lives and reincarnates into different bodies whenever she dies. She previously became an Earth-Eating Mouse, was killed by Chen Qiu’s lightning, later reincarnated as a cat, was eaten by a lion, and eventually arrived in Great Fate City.
• July Cat has repeatedly encountered Chen Qiu despite trying to hide from him. She now fears that their connection will cause her to lose all nine lives, though she remains more concerned with finding fish and eventually building another underground palace.
• Chen Qiu cleansse​s the bracelet of resentment using Fierce Baleful Wood and discovers it is another Heavenly Dao Spirit Treasure, bringing his total to four.
• To prepare for Long Night Approaches, Chen Qiu sends Fat Dragon and the others into his Minor World, then secretly leaves Great Fate City and waits outside in safety.
• Before nightfall, numerous Golden Core cultivators hide around the city, planting array discs, disguising poisonous traps as treasures, and preparing ambushes. Chen Qiu observes that the area has become a deadly minefield.
• When Long Night Approaches begins, all defensive spiritual energy and detection abilities become unusable. Absolute darkness causes panic, and the first careless cultivator is killed after his frightened breathing reveals his location.
• Chaos erupts as spells and hidden formations detonate throughout the area. Most cultivators quickly retreat into hiding, unwilling to fight before the heavenly treasures appear.
• A spirit treasure appears beneath a pillar of light, but two cultivators are killed instantly while trying to seize it. Chen Qiu eventually tests the situation by unleashing a devastating Lightning-Channeling Art from within his Minor World, destroying nearby formations and cultivators.
• Using his Minor World to avoid retaliation, Chen Qiu repeatedly emerges, collects the treasures, and retreats to safety. His lightning attacks become the dominant force of the night, discouraging all other cultivators from acting.
• After twelve treasures appear, the event ends. At dawn, the city’s survivors find eleven enormous craters outside the gates but no bodies.
• Chen Qiu’s greatest prize is a heavenly treasure called Spirit Transformation Body, which guarantees him at least a Fifth-Grade Nascent Soul. He also obtains various spirit treasures and herbs, including the chessboard treasure Playing Chess Against Heaven.
• Returning to the Mocking Heaven Sect, Chen Qiu distributes cultivation resources and offers a Nascent Soul Body to the disciple with the shortest remaining lifespan. An elderly disciple with only one month left volunteers, and Chen Qiu prepares to help him form a Second-Grade Nascent Soul.

Character Developments

• July Cat is revealed to be intelligent, reincarnation-capable, and deeply wary of Chen Qiu. Despite her fear, she remains easygoing and comforted by simple pleasures such as eating fish.
• Chen Qiu demonstrates extreme caution and strategic intelligence. Rather than risk direct combat, he uses his Minor World as a refuge while attacking enemies with overwhelming lightning.
• Chen Qiu also shows growing responsibility as a sect leader by sharing resources and prioritizing disciples nearing the end of their lifespans.
• The unnamed elderly disciple displays desperation and determination, risking his remaining month of life to seize the chance to advance to Nascent Soul.
• The bald rogue cultivator narrowly avoids death because July Cat prevents him from leaving the city, though he mistakenly believes the cat was deliberately warning him.

Significant Themes

• Survival and caution: Long Night Approaches rewards concealment, patience, and initiative rather than reckless bravery.
• Power and preparation: Chen Qiu’s Minor World gives him an overwhelming advantage, showing how preparation can transform a dangerous battlefield.
• Fate and recurring connections: July Cat repeatedly encounters Chen Qiu across different lives and locations, suggesting an almost unavoidable bond.
• Opportunity versus risk: The cultivators leave the city seeking treasures and advancement, but most pay with their lives.
• Sect responsibility and mutual benefit: Chen Qiu strengthens his disciples because their growth also benefits the Mocking Heaven Sect and himself.
• Comic irony: July Cat’s attempts to save herself are misinterpreted by the bald cultivator as concern for him, while she remains focused on avoiding death and obtaining fish.

Character Interactions

• The female cultivator thanks Chen Qiu after selling the bracelet and later celebrates their unexpected earnings with July Cat.
• July Cat internally mocks the female cultivator’s nervousness and repeatedly reflects on her disastrous encounters with Chen Qiu.
• Fat Dragon warns Chen Qiu that the area is saturated with traps, but Chen Qiu refuses to abandon the chance to obtain the Spirit Transformation Body.
• July Cat accidentally saves the bald rogue cultivator by preventing him from leaving the city; he rewards her with the promise of an extra fish, while she privately insists she was only protecting herself.
• Chen Qiu addresses the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples directly, offering the Nascent Soul Body to the disciple with the least lifespan and reinforcing his role as a powerful but supportive sect master.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shiyi investigates Chen Qiu and the mysterious “Mocking Heaven Sect,” discovering records of an ancient sect of powerful sword cultivators that was supposedly destroyed tens of thousands of years ago. He wonders whether Chen Qiu could be its current sect master but ultimately dismisses the possibility.
• News spreads about the deadly appearance of Long Night Approaches in Great Fate City. A mysterious Golden Core Dharma cultivator wielding terrifying lightning techniques seized eleven of twelve pillars of light and survived an event that killed nearly everyone else.
• This mysterious cultivator is, unbeknownst to the public, Chen Qiu. The Quzhou Daily praises the unknown Sky Prodigy and speculates that he is a powerful rogue cultivator.
• Chen Qiu discovers that his enormous merit value has placed him third on the overall Mystic Heaven Continent Merit Rankings and first on the Quzhou Merit Rankings. His sudden appearance attracts attention, particularly because his merit vastly exceeds that of every other person in Quzhou.
• The Fate Sect posts a bounty for the mysterious cultivator responsible for taking the pillars of light, offering rewards for information, capture, or death. Chen Qiu interprets this as proof that the Fate Sect is an evil force that must eventually be dealt with.
• July Cat, fearing Chen Qiu’s inevitable retaliation, abandons her companions after the bald merchant, Brother Chang, announces that he wants to join the Fate Sect.
• Li Shiyi learns that Chen Qiu is in Quzhou and sees his name at the top of the regional merit rankings. Unable to reconcile Chen Qiu’s reputation with such an immense merit value, he convinces himself that this must be someone else with the same name and returns to cultivation.
• The Su Family announces an invitation to Quzhou’s Sky Prodigies: those who clear its ancient Inheritance Secret Realm may obtain the family’s friendship and a valuable Spirit Transformation Body. Since Chen Qiu needs one, he decides to participate despite suspecting possible danger.
• A Fate Sect true disciple approaches Chen Qiu and invites him to travel with him to Su City. Chen Qiu accepts while concealing his identity. The chapter ends as two additional cultivators arrive and begin questioning who Chen Qiu and his companions are.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu becomes increasingly confident and calculating. He recognizes the danger of the Su Family’s invitation but judges the potential reward worth using his numerous defensive and offensive trump cards. He also grows increasingly concerned about the attention drawn by his merit ranking and his natural ability to attract women.
• Li Shiyi remains obsessed with defeating Chen Qiu and recovering his honor after their humiliation in the Preliminary Screening Realm. His pride and resentment drive him, but his disbelief in Chen Qiu’s merit causes him to misjudge the situation completely.
• The powdered man/Su Family associate proves resourceful and pragmatic. He plans to use the Spirit Transformation Body as bait to attract the mysterious lightning cultivator and believes gaining the goodwill of a future powerhouse is worth surrendering the treasure.
• July Cat displays growing self-preservation. Realizing that Chen Qiu will likely destroy the Fate Sect, she abandons her reckless companions and resolves to seek a safer master.
• Brother Chang, the bald merchant, makes a dangerously impulsive decision to join the Fate Sect despite previously disliking restraints.
• The Fate Sect true disciple presents himself as friendly and sophisticated, but his decision to travel with Chen Qiu—likely without recognizing him—creates dramatic irony.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and dramatic irony: Chen Qiu’s identity as the lightning cultivator is widely discussed, while Li Shiyi and others fail to realize that he is standing directly among them.
• Reputation versus reality: Public rankings, newspapers, and rumors construct images of Chen Qiu that are only partially accurate. His enormous merit makes him appear saintly despite his willingness to destroy enemies.
• Risk and opportunity: Chen Qiu accepts the danger of the Su Family’s secret realm because the chance to obtain a Spirit Transformation Body is too valuable to ignore.
• Retribution and moral judgment: Chen Qiu views the Fate Sect as an evil force because it violates the implied rules of Long Night Approaches by hunting survivors afterward.
• Pride and obsession: Li Shiyi’s resentment continues to shape his decisions, while Chen Qiu’s enemies underestimate him because they judge him through incomplete information.
• Survival and self-preservation: July Cat’s departure highlights the contrast between those pursuing power or excitement and those trying simply to avoid being dragged into disaster.

Character Interactions

• Li Shiyi and his powdered friend discuss the lightning cultivator, the upcoming Sky Prodigy gathering, and the plan to use the Su Family’s inheritance as bait.
• Chen Qiu casually reads about himself in the Quzhou Daily and notices the Fate Sect’s bounty against him.
• July Cat silently rejects Brother Chang’s decision to join the Fate Sect and leaves him and the female cultivator behind.
• Li Shiyi is informed that Chen Qiu is in Quzhou but refuses to believe that the highly meritorious person on the rankings is the same Chen Qiu who defeated and humiliated him.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon debate whether to enter the Su Family’s secret realm.
• A Fate Sect true disciple approaches Chen Qiu, praises his appearance, and invites him to travel to Su City aboard an expensive flying boat. Chen Qiu responds courteously while secretly concealing his identity, setting up a potentially dangerous confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu, using the alias Ren Zhi, travels with Fate Sect disciple Qi Mei and several others toward the Su Family’s Sky Prodigy Gathering.
• Qi Mei boasts about the Fate Sect’s wealth and influence, emphasizing how difficult cultivation is for rogue cultivators. He tempts Chen Qiu to join the sect by promising support and the possibility of forming a high-grade Nascent Soul.
• When Chen Qiu shows no interest, Qi Mei’s friendly attitude turns threatening. He suddenly launches three killing attacks: a concealed Palm Sword, a divine sense assault, and his Golden Core.
• Chen Qiu effortlessly blocks all three attacks with the Heavenly Secrets Umbrella and his own Twelfth-Grade Golden Core. Qi Mei’s Seventh-Rank Golden Core is nearly shattered by the collision.
• Qi Mei tries to excuse the assassination as a “test” and secretly summons a Fate Sect elder for help.
• Liu Mei, the Liu Family’s eldest young lady, and a bald monk attempt to shield Qi Mei. They warn Chen Qiu that killing a Fate Sect true disciple will bring certain retaliation, even offering their own lives as barriers.
• Chen Qiu ignores them and uses his umbrella to accelerate his Twelfth-Grade Golden Core. In a single strike, it destroys Qi Mei, Liu Mei, and the monk, including their Golden Cores.
• A Fate Sect elder sends out his wandering Nascent Soul ahead of his body. Despite being a Second-Grade Nascent Soul, it is pierced and destroyed by Chen Qiu’s Twelfth-Grade Golden Core, becoming a Nascent Soul Pill.
• The elder’s true body arrives and attacks with tens of thousands of ice spikes. Chen Qiu remains unharmed behind the Heavenly Secrets Umbrella.
• Chen Qiu counterattacks with a powerful Thunderball, badly injuring the elder. The elder falls onto the damaged flying vessel and attempts to summon further aid, but Chen Qiu crushes his elder token for him before the elder dies.
• Chen Qiu concludes that the Fate Sect elder is unusually weak compared with the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator Puppet he previously fought, deducing that the puppet was likely comparable to a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu displays extreme confidence, composure, and overwhelming strength. He remains calm even when facing assassination attempts and an arriving Nascent Soul cultivator. His Twelfth-Grade Golden Core and Heavenly Secrets Umbrella prove vastly superior to ordinary treasures and cultivation methods.
• Qi Mei is revealed to be arrogant, manipulative, and ruthlessly opportunistic. His cordial recruitment pitch is merely a prelude to violence when Chen Qiu refuses. After his failed ambush, fear replaces his arrogance.
• Liu Mei prioritizes protecting Qi Mei and the Fate Sect’s interests, likely hoping to earn rewards for her family. Her willingness to sacrifice herself shows both ambition and misplaced confidence in the Fate Sect’s protection.
• The bald monk acts self-righteously, invoking his merits and supposed heavenly protection to prevent Chen Qiu from killing him. His confidence proves completely unfounded.
• Fat Dragon remains amused and detached, eating watermelon while observing the confrontation. He understands Chen Qiu’s broader plan and recognizes the three defenders’ behavior as foolish.
• The Fate Sect elder arrives enraged and overconfident but is weakened after losing his wandering Nascent Soul. He severely underestimates Chen Qiu and is ultimately killed by a single thunder attack.

Significant Themes

• The danger of relying on sect backing: Qi Mei believes his Fate Sect status makes him untouchable, but that protection fails when Chen Qiu’s strength exceeds the sect’s expectations.
• The contrast between appearance and reality: Chen Qiu appears to be a poor rogue cultivator, yet possesses extraordinary resources and an unmatched Twelfth-Grade Golden Core.
• Arrogance and misplaced confidence: Qi Mei, Liu Mei, the monk, and the elder all assume Chen Qiu can be controlled or suppressed, leading directly to their deaths.
• The value of hidden strength: Chen Qiu’s calm demeanor conceals abilities powerful enough to cross major cultivation realms.
• Cultivation hierarchy and varying strength: The chapter emphasizes that realm alone does not determine combat power. The grade of a Golden Core, treasures, techniques, and combat experience can create enormous differences between cultivators of the same realm—or even across major realms.
• Violence as a consequence of betrayal: Qi Mei initiates the conflict by attempting to murder Chen Qiu, and Chen Qiu responds decisively rather than allowing threats or authority to restrain him.

Character Interactions

• Qi Mei attempts to establish superiority over Chen Qiu while simultaneously recruiting him, but Chen Qiu’s indifference humiliates him and provokes the ambush.
• Chen Qiu and Qi Mei’s brief exchange shifts from false friendliness to open hostility, exposing Qi Mei’s belief that sect disciples deserve obedience.
• Liu Mei and the monk place themselves between Chen Qiu and Qi Mei, claiming that killing them would bring consequences. Their intervention only adds two more targets.
• Fat Dragon provides comic relief while silently recognizing that Chen Qiu has deliberately allowed the confrontation to unfold.
• Chen Qiu and the Fate Sect elder engage in a direct contest between a Twelfth-Grade Golden Core and Nascent Soul power. Chen Qiu’s victory demonstrates that his foundation and techniques can overwhelm even a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chapter Summary: “Between Laughter and Conversation, Killing Moves Poured Forth!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu waits in the sky after seizing an ownerless flying vessel, anticipating retaliation from the Fate Sect.
• The Fate Sect’s sect master, a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator, arrives with four elders after Qi Mei and the Fifth Elder are killed. Chen Qiu escapes instantly with Scholar’s younger brother, evading their divine senses.
• The Fate Sect concludes that Chen Qiu is the mysterious attacker from the previous night and raises the bounty on him fivefold.
• Chen Qiu secretly hides near the Fate Sect’s mountain gate, deliberately using Scholar and his brother to lure the sect’s strongest cultivators away. He gambles that the returning Nascent Souls will lower their guard.
• When the five Nascent Souls return, Chen Qiu launches a surprise attack by self-destructing five traits. Five massive heavenly lightning strikes descend, instantly killing four elders and severely wounding the sect master.
• Chen Qiu destroys the expendable “Fate of the Death Remonstrance” trait to launch one final attack, killing the Fate Sect master before he can retreat behind the sect-protecting formation.
• Fat Dragon extracts five Nascent Soul Pills from the corpses. Chen Qiu keeps the higher-grade pills for his own future breakthrough and reserves the lower-grade ones for Mocking Heaven Sect disciples.
• Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect openly declare the Fate Sect an Evil Demon sect and attack its already weakened protective formation.
• Once the formation collapses, the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples overwhelm the Fate Sect’s remaining members. Scholar demonstrates his strength by effortlessly killing opponents of the same realm.
• Chen Qiu takes control of the Fate Sect’s grand hall and orders the systematic looting of the sect. Scholar begins breaking the restrictions on storage rings and the treasury, while the other disciples and even the brown bears strip the sect of its resources.
• The Fate Sect’s records reveal information about merit-based guardians and the requirements for forging Eleventh- and Twelfth-Grade Nascent Souls.
• Chen Qiu discovers that he already possesses nearly all the materials needed for a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul. He only lacks two Spirit Transformation Bodies and six Second-Grade Nascent Soul Bodies.
• The chapter ends when Scholar announces that the Fate Sect’s treasury has been opened. Chen Qiu sees its enormous stores of spirit stones, treasures, and medicines and struggles to conceal his excitement.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu grows increasingly confident in his dangerous, opportunistic combat style. He willingly risks death to ambush stronger enemies, relying on preparation, deception, and his trait-based lightning attacks rather than direct confrontation.
• His victory over the Fate Sect’s Nascent Soul Peak sect master marks a major escalation in his reputation and demonstrates that he can defeat even top-level opponents through strategy.
• Chen Qiu also becomes more assertive as the Mocking Heaven Sect’s leader. Rather than remaining hidden, he publicly uses the Fate Sect’s destruction to announce the return of his sect.
• Scholar regains his sealed memories and resumes his natural talent for breaking restrictions. Although overwhelmed by the enormous number of storage rings, he remains indispensable to Chen Qiu’s plans.
• Fat Dragon serves as the group’s practical corpse dissector and resource handler, extracting Nascent Soul Pills from the fallen cultivators.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect disciples become more confident and enthusiastic, eagerly participating in the sect’s first major public campaign.
• The Fate Sect master changes from an enraged pursuer to a desperate survivor, but ultimately dies beneath Chen Qiu’s final lightning strike.

Significant Themes

• Cunning over direct strength: The chapter emphasizes ambushes, deception, concealed movement, and exploiting moments of lowered vigilance. Chen Qiu repeatedly avoids fair fights and wins through preparation.
• Risk and reward: Chen Qiu’s attack is an all-or-nothing gamble. He hides defenseless beneath Nascent Soul cultivators and risks instant death for the chance to eliminate the Fate Sect’s leadership and seize its wealth.
• The addictive thrill of survival: Chen Qiu reflects on the exhilaration of repeatedly escaping death, suggesting that danger and victory are becoming psychologically intoxicating.
• Power through resources: Nascent Soul Pills, traits, fortune, spirit treasures, and sect treasuries are treated as the foundations of future advancement. The destruction of the Fate Sect is valuable not only as revenge but also as a massive accumulation of resources.
• Public emergence and reputation: Chen Qiu uses the victory to announce the Mocking Heaven Sect’s return to the world, shifting from covert survival to open expansion.
• Merit and the Heavenly Dao: The chapter explores how enormous merit can deter murder through Heavenly Dao backlash, while also noting loopholes such as indirect killing or imprisonment.
• Escalating cultivation goals: The discovery of Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul requirements transforms Chen Qiu’s future. What initially seems almost impossible is revealed to be within reach, giving him a clear path toward becoming unmatched in the entire Nascent Soul realm.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu uses Scholar’s younger brother as bait to lure out the Fate Sect’s strongest cultivators, while relying on Scholar’s Bloodline Trait to move around the battlefield.
• He gives Scholar the massive task of breaking storage-ring and treasury restrictions, trusting his rare talent despite Scholar’s exhaustion.
• Chen Qiu directs Fat Dragon to process the Nascent Soul corpses and later encourages him to remain composed while inspecting the treasury.
• Chen Qiu publicly rallies the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples by declaring the Fate Sect an Evil Demon sect, turning the attack into both a military operation and a symbolic reintroduction of the sect.
• Scholar’s killing spree with Azure Edge reinforces his loyalty to the Mocking Heaven Sect and demonstrates his growing confidence after recovering his memories.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect completely break into Fate Sect’s treasure vault and uncover enormous wealth:
  • Nearly 410,000 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones
  • 8,992 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and three High-Grade Spirit Stones
  • Numerous spiritual herbs, treasures, formation disks, talismans, jade slips, Nascent Soul Bodies, and three inheritance treasures
  • Four First-Grade and one Second-Grade Nascent Soul Body
• Zhao Dezhu reports the inventory, and the disciples realize that this single haul could increase the Mocking Heaven Sect’s strength dramatically.
• Chen Qiu pretends to remain calm in front of his disciples, but privately celebrates by lying on nearly 9,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. He reflects on how his long struggle to escape Great Xia has finally paid off.
• Chen Qiu reviews his cultivation panel. His Golden Core cultivation is capped, and he remains determined to form a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul rather than settle for anything inferior.
• The Mocking Heaven Sect systematically strips Fate Sect of everything valuable:
  • Spiritual soil, trees, fruits, beasts, and other living resources
  • Fate Sect’s Alchemy Hall
  • A massive Warm Jade hot spring containing a Desirefire Pearl
  • Even large trees and architectural materials
• The Brown Bear Clan enthusiastically leads much of the transplanting work, treating Fate Sect’s resources as a dramatic improvement over their former life in the Boundless Desert.
• Several elders consider exploiting the chaos to secretly keep some Spirit Stones, but ultimately reject the idea because the risks outweigh the benefits and they fear losing Chen Qiu’s trust.
• After six or seven hours, Fate Sect has been utterly dismantled. Its buildings, vegetation, stones, and even minor pills have been removed or destroyed.
• Outside forces later discover that Fate Sect, once ruled by a Nascent Soul Peak expert, has been completely annihilated. Potential scavengers find nothing left to claim.
• Chen Qiu decides to visit the neighboring Grand Dao Sect and offer to sell it Fate Sect’s former territory. If they refuse to pay and attempt to seize it, he implies that the Mocking Heaven Sect will treat them as enemies.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu shows strong self-control and authority in public, presenting himself as detached from wealth and material desires. Privately, however, he openly enjoys the success of his first major conquest on the Mystic Heaven Continent.
• His ambition becomes clearer: he will not compromise on forming a Twelfth-Grade Nascent Soul, and he views his many Traits as essential parts of his combat strength.
• Chen Qiu also demonstrates practical leadership. Rather than personally manage Fate Sect’s territory, he plans to sell its tax rights to a neighboring faction.
• Zhao Dezhu acts as a loyal and rational administrator. He discourages corruption and explains that even a small act of theft could damage one’s future and eventually lead to death.
• Zhao Buzhu and Qu Gui reveal a humorous but ambitious side. They briefly attempt to lure someone into stealing Spirit Stones so they can claim reporting credit and improve their chances of receiving a Nascent Soul Pill. They eventually abandon the scheme.
• The young Brown Bear is shown thriving under the Mocking Heaven Sect. He takes pride in having left the harsh Boundless Desert and now enjoys comfort, resources, and authority.
• Fat Dragon and the Star-Dipper Sect Master actively help direct the relocation of Fate Sect’s facilities and treasures, showing how thoroughly the entire Mocking Heaven Sect participates in the spoils.

3. Significant Themes

• The rewards of survival and perseverance: Chen Qiu’s wealth represents the payoff from centuries of effort to escape Great Xia’s limitations.
• Power and legitimacy: Chen Qiu considers Fate Sect’s territory naturally belonging to the Mocking Heaven Sect because they destroyed its former owner. Ownership is defined by strength rather than paperwork.
• The foundations of a sect: The chapter emphasizes that a faction’s power includes not only Spirit Stones and combatants, but also land, spiritual resources, infrastructure, medicinal facilities, and living ecosystems.
• Discipline versus greed: Although the disciples are tempted by Fate Sect’s riches, most recognize that loyalty and long-term advancement matter more than small immediate gains.
• Transformation and renewal: The Mocking Heaven Sect’s barren back mountain will be revitalized with Fate Sect’s resources, while Fate Sect itself is reduced to desolation. This reflects the chapter’s closing idea that spring and renewal are approaching.
• Moral ambiguity: Chen Qiu’s group sees itself as eliminating evil, yet its total plundering of Fate Sect is ruthless and excessive. The destruction of even worthless pills highlights the brutal, opportunistic nature of their victory.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and Zhao Dezhu: Zhao Dezhu gives a detailed inventory report, while Chen Qiu responds with calm orders and entrusts the disciples with continuing the plunder.
• Chen Qiu and the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples: His outward composure inspires their admiration. They interpret his lack of visible excitement as evidence of exceptional mentality.
• Chen Qiu and the Brown Bear Clan: Chen Qiu grants the bears access to the Minor World, enabling them to relocate Fate Sect’s resources and improve their living conditions.
• The young Brown Bear and the older Brown Bear: They celebrate their improved status and contrast their current comfort with their former miserable existence in the desert.
• Zhao Dezhu and Zhao Buzhu: Zhao Dezhu prevents his martial uncle from committing a foolish theft and reminds him of the consequences of betraying the sect.
• Zhao Buzhu and Qu Gui: Their attempted “fishing enforcement” scheme turns into a comic alliance as they try to catch fellow disciples stealing resources, only to realize that no one is foolish enough to take the bait.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon: Fat Dragon worries that the Grand Dao Sect might seize Fate Sect’s territory without paying. Chen Qiu replies confidently that refusal will make them enemies, setting up the next conflict.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu travels toward Su City aboard his badly damaged flying boat after destroying the Fate Sect. From the Fate Sect’s treasury and fallen elders, he has obtained enough Nascent Soul Bodies to help eight members of the Mocking Heaven Sect break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Before reaching Su City, Chen Qiu stops at the Grand Dao Sect with Scholar to sell the Fate Sect’s former territory—four cities and one market.
• The Grand Dao Sect’s sect master explains that territory cannot simply be bought. A faction must possess enough strength to defend it, or neighboring factions will unite against it. He proposes publicly claiming that the mysterious destroyer of the Fate Sect sold the territory to the Grand Dao Sect, using Chen Qiu’s reputation to deter rivals.
• Chen Qiu accepts 3,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones for the arrangement. The Grand Dao Sect’s sect master later admits that the payment is primarily meant to avoid provoking Chen Qiu, whom he believes could potentially destroy the sect despite appearing to be only at Golden Core cultivation.
• Chen Qiu continues to Su City, where the Su Family is hosting Quzhou’s Sky Prodigies for an Inheritance Secret Realm that may grant a Spirit Transformation Body.
• At Su City, the Su Family’s young master initially mistakes Chen Qiu for Qi Mei. Chen Qiu reveals that he killed Qi Mei and destroyed the Fate Sect.
• A woman who admired Qi Mei expresses hostility toward Chen Qiu. Before she can act, Scholar instantly kills her with Azure Edge. The woman’s connection to the powerful Seven-Person Sect makes the incident potentially dangerous.
• The Su Family young master nevertheless welcomes Chen Qiu cautiously, offers him lodging, and invites him to a Dao discussion gathering. The secret realm will open the following day.
• At the inn, Fat Dragon reveals that Fierce Baleful Wood is worth roughly ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones per piece. Chen Qiu possesses nearly 200,000 pieces, potentially representing an enormous fortune, though the market cannot absorb all of them at once.
• Fat Dragon explains that Fierce Baleful Wood was once used by a Central Province Holy Maiden to repair a hole in the sky that threatened to drain the Mystic Heaven Continent’s spiritual energy. She sacrificed her life and earned more than 100 billion Merit Value, becoming a revered figure.
• Chen Qiu prepares for the upcoming secret realm, uncertain whether it will test strength, talent, or other qualities.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Becomes increasingly confident and calculating. He uses his reputation as the Fate Sect’s destroyer to negotiate with powerful factions while concealing his true strength and identity under the alias “Ren Zhi.” He remains pragmatic about profit but also shows genuine admiration for the Holy Maiden’s self-sacrifice.
• Scholar: Continues to serve as Chen Qiu’s silent protector and attendant. His swordsmanship is revealed to be terrifyingly fast, killing a Golden Core cultivator before anyone can react.
• Grand Dao Sect’s sect master: Develops strong fear and respect for Chen Qiu. Though initially cautious, he chooses cooperation to protect his sect’s inheritance and improve its chances in the coming territorial conflict.
• Fat Dragon: Acts as Chen Qiu’s source of intelligence and economic information, enthusiastically uncovering the value and uses of Fierce Baleful Wood.
• Su Family young master: Initially friendly and confident, but becomes wary after learning that Chen Qiu killed Qi Mei and seeing Scholar’s overwhelming sword speed. He chooses diplomacy rather than confrontation.
• Chen Qiu’s Mocking Heaven Sect: Gains the potential to receive eight new Nascent Soul cultivators, greatly strengthening the sect.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus legitimacy: Possessing territory is not enough; a faction must have the power and alliances necessary to defend it.
• Reputation as power: Chen Qiu’s mysterious identity and association with the Fate Sect’s destruction are valuable political weapons, even when his actual cultivation appears lower than expected.
• Pragmatism and survival: The Grand Dao Sect pays Chen Qiu partly to gain territory but mainly to avoid becoming his enemy.
• Sacrifice and merit: The Holy Maiden’s death highlights the difference between Chen Qiu’s self-preserving pragmatism and the ultimate sacrifice made for the survival of all cultivators.
• Hidden wealth and resource value: Items considered useless or ordinary in one region can be extraordinarily valuable elsewhere, emphasizing the importance of knowledge and trade.
• Caution beneath apparent calm: Nearly every interaction contains underlying threats, political calculations, and the possibility of violence.

Character Interactions

• Fat Dragon worries about Chen Qiu traveling alone, but Chen Qiu explains that bringing weaker cultivators would offer little benefit and make escape more difficult.
• Chen Qiu and the Grand Dao Sect’s sect master negotiate the Fate Sect’s territory through polite but highly guarded conversation. The sect master tries to avoid provoking Chen Qiu while Chen Qiu presses for compensation.
• The Grand Dao Sect’s elders question the decision to pay Chen Qiu, but the sect master insists that the payment protected their sect from possible destruction.
• Chen Qiu meets the Su Family young master with mutual politeness and concealed suspicion. The young master attempts to maintain hospitality despite recognizing Chen Qiu as a potentially dangerous figure.
• Scholar’s immediate execution of Qi Mei’s admirer demonstrates the lethal power imbalance surrounding Chen Qiu and abruptly changes the atmosphere in Su City.
• Fat Dragon and Chen Qiu discuss the value of their resources, leading Chen Qiu to reflect on the Holy Maiden’s sacrifice before focusing on the next day’s secret realm.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• At night, Chen Qiu—still using the alias “Young Master Ren”—is invited to a discussion gathering of Quzhou’s Sky Prodigies at the Su Family’s inn.
• The Su Family’s young master informs him that his true identity as Chen Qiu has been exposed. His appearance on the merit rankings with 9.8 billion Merit Value, his sudden rise in Quzhou, and rumors surrounding Qi Mei’s death have led several Lineages to investigate him.
• Chen Qiu shows little concern about the exposure and agrees to use his real name openly.
• Around thirty to forty Sky Prodigies attend the gathering. The purpose is to exchange views on cultivation and discuss questions relating to the Dao.
• Chen Qiu finds the discussions shallow and believes disagreements are better settled through force than debate. He remains mostly silent to avoid offending the Su Family before entering their Inheritance Secret Realm.
• Meiya, a beautiful true disciple of the Enchantress Sect, approaches Chen Qiu and tries to tempt him with a “beauty trap.” She intends to control him and make him her powerful Dao companion.
• Chen Qiu appears to accept her advances and carries her to a private room. However, instead of being ensnared, he removes her Golden Core to inspect its entries and ensure she poses no hidden danger. He seals her cultivation, cleans her wounds, and promises to return the Golden Core the next morning.
• Meiya is left traumatized and humiliated by the experience. She abandons the gathering and decides to return to her sect. Her most devoted admirer, already heartbroken, is further shocked upon seeing the bloodstained room.
• The next day, Chen Qiu meets the Su Family’s young master and prepares to enter the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm.
• The Su Family head appears, revealing overwhelming Spirit Transformation-level cultivation. He opens the secret realm and permits the Sky Prodigies to take anything they obtain, including the valuable Spirit Transformation Body, without payment.
• Chen Qiu enters the secret realm, while the Su Family uses a projection to observe the contestants’ performances.
• The Su Family head explains that he is willing to let outsiders attempt the inheritance because unused resources have no value. He remains uncertain whether Chen Qiu truly deserves the status of an exceptional Peerless Prodigy.
• News also arrives that no Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation cultivator was present when the Fate Sect was destroyed, and rival forces have begun fighting over its territory.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Becomes increasingly confident and unconcerned about his exposed identity. He demonstrates extreme caution, ruthlessness, and unconventional thinking by neutralizing Meiya before allowing her beauty trap to affect him. At the same time, his interaction with her briefly makes him appear more “human” and approachable to observers.
• Su Family’s young master: Shows strong faith in Chen Qiu’s talent and is willing to let Chen Qiu obtain the Spirit Transformation Body originally intended for himself. His teasing relationship with his father reveals a close, irreverent, but affectionate family bond.
• Su Family head: Is practical, open-minded, and confident in the value of exchange. Although he respects Chen Qiu’s potential and the threat posed by his immense Merit Value, he remains skeptical until Chen Qiu proves himself.
• Meiya: Is introduced as a confident manipulator who relies on beauty, seduction, and psychological control. Her confidence collapses when Chen Qiu completely reverses her scheme, leaving her frightened, injured, and desperate to retreat from the world.
• Meiya’s admirer: Moves from jealousy and heartbreak toward resignation, but his discovery of the blood-soaked room intensifies his shock and emotional distress.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar: Serve as amused observers of Chen Qiu’s actions and lightly worry about the consequences of his interaction with Meiya.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength over rhetoric: Chen Qiu rejects abstract debate, believing that conflicting convictions cannot be resolved through words alone and that true power is the ultimate answer.
• Caution beneath confidence: Despite his immense talent and Merit Value, Chen Qiu refuses to underestimate hidden abilities or cultivation methods. He inspects Meiya’s Golden Core before trusting her.
• Manipulation and reversal: Meiya attempts to exploit common desires and the “beauty trap,” but Chen Qiu turns the scheme against her, showing that psychological manipulation can fail when the target is more calculating.
• Talent versus long-term cultivation: The Su Family head emphasizes that early advantages, such as a superior Nascent Soul, do not guarantee ultimate success. Longevity, opportunities, and persistence may matter more.
• Resources and exchange: The Su Family’s willingness to open its inheritance reflects the idea that resources are valuable only when put to use, while also allowing the family to gain influence and identify promising successors.
• Reputation and hidden power: Chen Qiu’s identity, Merit Value, and rumored achievements make him a figure watched by many factions, while the Fate Sect’s collapse demonstrates the instability surrounding powerful Lineages.

4. Character Interactions

• The Su Family’s young master warns Chen Qiu about his exposed identity and later jokes with him about Meiya, creating a friendly alliance.
• The Su Family head and his son discuss whether Chen Qiu is worthy of receiving the Spirit Transformation Body, revealing both their family dynamic and differing evaluations of Chen Qiu.
• Meiya attempts to seduce and psychologically control Chen Qiu, but he counters her scheme by physically and spiritually overpowering her.
• Meiya’s admirer reacts with jealousy and heartbreak after seeing her choose Chen Qiu, only to become horrified by the aftermath.
• Fat Dragon and Scholar observe Chen Qiu’s apparent romantic behavior with amusement, while Chen Qiu’s actions ultimately reveal that the encounter was an act of extreme precaution rather than genuine surrender.
• The Su Family head directly addresses the assembled Sky Prodigies before opening the secret realm, establishing a formal relationship between the powerful family and the competing younger cultivators.

Chapter Summary: “New Attack Methods”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qiu enters the Su Family Inheritance Secret Realm and faces five trials.
• In the first trial, he must choose between immortality and combat power. He chooses combat power, explaining that he cares more about preventing his enemies from reaching immortality than achieving it himself.
• He easily defeats the puppets in the second, third, and fourth trials, which contain two, three, and five opponents respectively.
• The fifth trial features a puppet that cannot be harmed by attacks. Every attack instead restores its injuries and makes it stronger.
• Rather than searching for the intended trick, Chen Qiu repeatedly attacks the puppet with his Lightning-Channeling Art. After 101 full-power attacks, the puppet becomes overloaded and shatters.
• The inheritance’s guardian reveals that the puppet was assembled from the fragments of the earlier trial puppets. The intended method was to avoid killing those puppets, allowing the trial timers to expire and preventing the fifth puppet from appearing.
• Chen Qiu obtains the Spirit Transformation Body and returns a spell-inheritance stone to the Su Family, promising them a favor in return for their assistance.
• The Su Family Patriarch, embarrassed by the simplicity of the correct solution, flees after learning Chen Qiu brute-forced the trial.
• After leaving Su City, Chen Qiu retreats to his Minor World to organize his recent gains. He gives Scholar the “Sword Flies Like Time” trait, which strengthens attacks according to flying-sword speed.
• Chen Qiu inscribes thirteen ordinary Trait Jade Slips onto his Golden Core, reserving most for future cultivation and keeping several as emergency trump cards.
• He learns the Invisibility Technique and Golden Light Body-Protecting Technique, then uses a special spoon-shaped treasure to raise the latter to Great Perfection.
• He uses the Heavenly Illusion Stone on the Heavenly Secrets Umbrella, giving it a second form: a powerful blue longbow whose bowstring is made from Heaven-and-Earth Power.
• He discovers that the bow can fire not only ordinary arrows but also his Twelfth-Grade Golden Core. The resulting projectile is so fast and powerful that Chen Qiu believes it could kill a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator in one shot.
• He further shapes the Lightning-Channeling Art into a thunderbolt arrow. The chapter ends as he aims it toward Mocking Heaven Sect, realizing that firing it would likely destroy the entire sect.

Character Developments

• Chen Qiu: Demonstrates extreme confidence, persistence, and an unconventional problem-solving style. He prefers overwhelming force over complicated schemes and treats the fifth trial as a test of the puppet’s limits rather than a puzzle. He continues expanding his arsenal, adding concealment, defense, high-speed single-target attacks, and enhanced lightning techniques.
• Su Family Patriarch: His confidence in the inheritance’s supposed complexity collapses when he learns that the fifth trial could have been bypassed simply by waiting. His Dao heart suffers a blow, prompting him to leave in shame.
• Su Family Young Master: Becomes more respectful and appreciative of Chen Qiu after Chen Qiu returns the family’s spell inheritance and promises future assistance.
• Scholar: Receives a trait perfectly suited to his flying-sword abilities and reacts with great excitement.
• Inheritance Guardian: Reveals that he possesses some awareness and personality, showing irritation at Chen Qiu’s brute-force solution and lamenting the lack of cleverness among the Su descendants.

Significant Themes

• Combat power versus immortality: Chen Qiu defines his path through strength and the ability to stop his enemies, rather than through personal pursuit of eternal life.
• Brute force versus intelligence: The inheritance is designed as a trial of wit, but Chen Qiu succeeds through persistence and overwhelming power. His success challenges the assumption that clever solutions are always superior.
• The danger of overcomplication: The Su Family spent generations seeking an elaborate solution to a problem that could have been avoided by simply waiting.
• Accumulated resources and preparation: Chen Qiu continually converts treasures, traits, spells, and inheritance items into practical combat advantages.
• Sect inheritance versus rogue cultivation: The special spoon demonstrates how sects preserve unique treasures that strengthen their disciples, giving organized factions advantages unavailable to ordinary Rogue Cultivators.
• Adaptability in combat: Chen Qiu turns the Heavenly Secrets Umbrella into a longbow and creatively uses his Golden Core and Lightning-Channeling Art as ammunition, developing entirely new attack methods.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Qiu and the inheritance guardian: The guardian questions Chen Qiu’s values, observes his trials, then criticizes his failure to recognize the intended trick. Chen Qiu realizes the guardian may contain a remnant consciousness of the Su Family ancestor.
• Chen Qiu and the Su Family Young Master: The young master congratulates him on obtaining the inheritance. Chen Qiu returns the family’s spell inheritance and offers future help, establishing a favorable relationship.
• Su Family Patriarch and his son: The Patriarch initially comments on Chen Qiu’s strength and stubbornness, but later becomes so ashamed of missing the simple solution that he avoids the reunion.
• Chen Qiu and Scholar: Chen Qiu gives Scholar the flying-sword trait, directly supporting his companion’s cultivation and combat style.
• Chen Qiu and Mocking Heaven Sect: Though no direct confrontation occurs, Chen Qiu’s final experiment threatens the sect, emphasizing how dangerous his newly developed thunderbolt arrow has become.