Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan obtains Zhu Ying’s Asura Dharma Ruler, a former Fourth Rank treasure that has degraded to Third Rank after countless ages. He realizes Zhu Ying’s inheritance trial was designed to test qualities such as temperament, aptitude, and ideals, but Chen bypasses it immediately using his Insight Art.
• He reflects on the remains of the Sumeru Immortal Sect and concludes that the treasures within central Sumeru Mountain may be even more valuable, possibly including degraded Fifth Rank treasures.
• While waiting for Xiao Lan to escape the Minor Sumeru Realms, Chen secretly searches the surrounding realms himself. He obtains:
  • Three additional Third Rank magic treasures
  • One hundred and twenty thousand Origin Stones
• Chen finds Xiao Lan trapped in an illusionary battle within another Minor Sumeru Realm. He destroys the realm’s foundation, freeing her and allowing her to acquire a Third Rank magic sword.
• As they cross the Sevenfold Mountains, Chen secretly breaks the Minor Sumeru Realms whenever Xiao Lan is captured by them. Xiao Lan notices the realms are unusually easy to escape but attributes it to the formation’s age and deterioration.
• They encounter Fire-in-the-Stone, a Third Rank strange flame capable of controlling mountain fire and refining stone. Chen identifies it with Insight Art, while Xiao Lan had been unable to detect it.
• Xiao Lan uses her expensive Firecloud Gourd, purchased for two million Origin Stones, to capture Fire-in-the-Stone. Chen leaves the flame in her possession temporarily while planning to refine it later with his Grand Luo Heavenly Fire.
• After Fire-in-the-Stone is removed, the Sevenfold Mountains become much less dangerous. The pair quickly crosses the remaining mountains.
• In the Sevenfold Sea, Chen locates the second strange flame, Seaheart Flame, and Xiao Lan captures it with the Firecloud Gourd as well.
• With both the Sevenfold Mountains and Sevenfold Sea subdued, the two finally reach Sumeru Mountain, the heart of the ancient Sumeru Immortal Sect ruins, and prepare to enter.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates his exceptional Insight Art, allowing him to see through illusions, locate hidden treasures, identify disguised strange flames, and dismantle Minor Sumeru Realms with ease.
• He remains pragmatic and emotionally detached from Zhu Ying’s legacy, valuing the lost Fourth Rank treasure more than the deceased cultivator’s unfinished hopes.
• Chen becomes increasingly interested in the immense wealth and history of the Sumeru Immortal Sect. His curiosity about Xiao Lan’s unexplained fortune also deepens.
• Xiao Lan displays considerable wealth and preparation, possessing specialized treasures such as the Firecloud Gourd. Her long-standing determination to enter Sumeru Mountain is rewarded after more than a century of effort.
• Xiao Lan grows puzzled by Chen’s apparent good fortune and the unusual ease with which the Minor Sumeru Realms are overcome, but she never suspects that he is secretly helping her.

Significant Themes

• The erosion of time: Powerful treasures and inheritances deteriorate over the ages, emphasizing the destructive and indifferent nature of time.
• Hidden ability versus outward appearance: Chen’s Insight Art allows him to perceive truths concealed from Xiao Lan and bypass trials designed for ordinary cultivators.
• Preparation and wealth: Xiao Lan’s expensive Firecloud Gourd shows how resources and specialized tools can overcome dangers that would otherwise be nearly impossible.
• Fortune and opportunity: The ruins contain enormous wealth, but only those capable of recognizing and exploiting hidden opportunities can benefit.
• Legacy and decline: The Minor Sumeru Realms preserve traces of the Sumeru Immortal Sect’s former greatness, even though its cultivators, treasures, and formations have largely decayed.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Xiao Lan travel as cooperative partners, but Chen conceals the full extent of his abilities from her.
• Chen repeatedly rescues Xiao Lan from the Minor Sumeru Realms without revealing that he is responsible, allowing her to believe the weakened formations are simply malfunctioning.
• Xiao Lan explains the Firecloud Gourd’s value and capabilities to Chen, unknowingly revealing one of her major advantages.
• Chen assists Xiao Lan in reaching Sumeru Mountain while privately evaluating her confidence, wealth, and motivations. Both characters are eager to explore the mountain, though Chen remains more cautious and observant beneath his outwardly compliant behavior.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan and Xiao Lan step onto Sumeru Mountain and trigger the Lesser Sumeru Upright-Reverse Nine-Palace Immortal Formation.
• The formation casts them into the Great Thousand Mortal World, obscuring their memories and subjecting them to mortal-life trials meant to test their hearts and deepen their connection to the Sumeru Immortal Sect.
• Chen Jichuan uses the Insight Art to see through the formation and escape back to Sumeru Mountain. He deliberately leaves Xiao Lan inside so she can undergo the trial and gain the benefits of tempering her mind.
• He climbs the mountain and discovers that its magnificent scenery is an illusion; the real Sumeru Mountain is barren and ruined.
• At the summit, he finds the Fourth-Rank Seven Treasures Pool, the core treasure of the formation and the Sumeru Immortal Sect’s main inheritance vessel. Its lotuses conceal countless techniques, treasures, pills, artifacts, and Origin Stones.
• Chen Jichuan fails to refine the pool because doing so would require breaking or fully comprehending the entire Fifth-Rank formation.
• Instead, he enters the pool and discovers that its water is the legendary Eight Samadhi Waters, which purify the soul, temper the body, awaken wisdom, harmonize magic power, nourish the Primordial Spirit, strengthen conviction, eliminate distractions, and stabilize one’s foundation.
• Recognizing the pool as an ideal cultivation sanctuary, Chen Jichuan decides to use it to strengthen his foundation and advance the Vermilion Bird Glazed Scripture from Heterodox Grade to Orthodox Grade.
• To improve the technique, he repeatedly lowers his cultivation back to the beginning of Spirit Transformation and rebuilds it. Each cycle takes only seven months in the Eight Samadhi Waters.
• After three successful enhancements and thirty percent progress toward a fourth, he calculates that he must repeat the process roughly 108 times, or about sixty-three years, to complete the full advancement.
• While cultivating, he also searches the pool’s lotus flowers. Most ancient pills, talismans, and artifacts have decayed, while cultivation methods are often incomplete. Origin Stones, however, remain intact and become the most valuable surviving treasures.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates insight, caution, and moral restraint. Although he could interfere with Xiao Lan’s trial, he chooses to preserve her opportunity while keeping watch in case she faces real danger.
• He remains highly pragmatic, quickly adapting when he realizes the Seven Treasures Pool cannot be refined directly.
• His cultivation philosophy shifts toward strengthening his foundations rather than merely pursuing rapid advancement. Rebuilding earlier realms allows him to correct gaps in his understanding.
• Chen Jichuan’s confidence and ambition grow as he recognizes that the Eight Samadhi Waters may allow him to reach higher realms and perfect his cultivation method.

Significant Themes

• Trials of the heart: The mortal-world tribulation tests genuine character and attachment rather than raw strength.
• Cultivation through repetition and refinement: Chen Jichuan improves by revisiting earlier stages, correcting weaknesses, and rebuilding his foundation.
• Illusion versus reality: The mountain’s beauty is revealed as false, emphasizing the importance of perception and insight.
• The passage of time: Even a powerful immortal sect’s accumulated treasures deteriorate over ages, while naturally formed Origin Stones endure.
• Opportunity and restraint: Chen Jichuan recognizes that some opportunities must be allowed to unfold rather than forcibly seized, as shown by his decision not to interrupt Xiao Lan’s trial.
• Legacy and decay: The Seven Treasures Pool preserves the Sumeru Immortal Sect’s inheritance, but much of that inheritance has been damaged or lost through the passage of time.

Character Interactions

• Chen Jichuan and Xiao Lan: They enter the formation together and are separated by the mortal-world trial. Chen Jichuan cares about Xiao Lan’s safety and future, but respects her need to face the trial independently.
• Chen Jichuan and the Sumeru Immortal Sect’s legacy: He investigates the formation and pool with a mixture of reverence and opportunism, seeking to understand and benefit from the sect’s ancient inheritance without recklessly provoking the formation.

Chapter Summary: “A Sixty-Year Cycle! [Monthly Ticket Request!]”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan spends sixty years cultivating inside the Seven Treasures Pool, repeatedly rebuilding his foundation, deducing techniques, gaining Insight, and collecting treasures.
• His Vermilion Bird Glazed Scripture, created by fusing the True Scripture of Li Fire, Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning Art, and Nine-Turn Glazed Body, reaches Orthodox Grade after 108 reconstructions by the forty-seventh year.
• He then fuses the Longevity Canon, Azure Dragon Wood-Essence Scripture, and Everlasting Spring Technique to create the Azure Dragon Longevity Scripture, initially of Heterodox Grade. After ten more years of deduction, it is only two final breakthroughs away from Orthodox Grade.
• At the end of the sixty-year cycle, Chen notices that Xiao Lan’s Numinous Light Realm is weakening. Her mortal-world tribulation is failing, and her soul is in danger of being destroyed.
• Refusing to abandon her, Chen restores his cultivation to its former level, breaks open the Great Thousand Mortal World, and frees Xiao Lan. The formation recognizes that she has passed the trial and rewards her with treasures.
• The Lesser Sumeru Upright-Reverse Nine-Palace Immortal Formation then begins a massive spatial-temporal relocation, attempting to move the entire Sumeru Mountain and planet elsewhere.
• Chen uses his true body and Ten Thousand Leaf Sword River to escape with Xiao Lan, while secretly leaving behind a Second Primordial Spirit formed from the Pure Yang Immortal Lotus Root.
• The formation and planet vanish across the stars, but Chen’s Second Primordial Spirit remains hidden inside the formation and reaches the summit of Sumeru Mountain.
• Chen discovers that the relocation consumes the Eight Samadhi Waters and vast quantities of Origin Stones. The Seven Treasures Pool is completely drained, explaining why many lotus flowers were previously empty.
• Although Chen is devastated by the loss of the pool’s resources, he is relieved that his Second Primordial Spirit remains behind, preserving a chance to locate or exploit the formation in the future.
• After escaping, Xiao Lan begins examining the treasures she received, and Chen asks what reward she obtained.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Becomes increasingly powerful and methodical through constant reconstruction and deduction. His cultivation foundation and wealth improve greatly, while his Vermilion Bird technique reaches Orthodox Grade. Despite his opportunistic nature, he demonstrates loyalty and a strong conscience by risking his gains to save Xiao Lan. He also proves highly resourceful by secretly leaving behind his Second Primordial Spirit.
• Xiao Lan: Endures sixty years of mortal-world tempering but ultimately fails to complete the tribulation without Chen’s intervention. She survives, receives substantial rewards, and gains intangible benefits from the trial. Her suspicion of Chen’s abilities increases after witnessing his escape from the formation.
• Relationship between Chen and Xiao Lan: Their partnership deepens through shared danger and mutual benefit. Chen’s decision to save her reflects gratitude for her role in bringing him to Sumeru Mountain, while Xiao Lan becomes increasingly curious about the true extent of his formation expertise.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance and repetition: Chen’s success comes from endlessly rebuilding and refining rather than pursuing constant novelty. His tranquil state of mind allows him to repeat the process without becoming impatient.
• Karma, gratitude, and peace of mind: Chen chooses to save Xiao Lan because abandoning her would violate his conscience, emphasizing his belief that cultivation requires inner peace as well as power.
• Gain and loss: Chen acquires powerful techniques and treasures but loses access to the Seven Treasures Pool when the formation relocates. His emotional distress highlights how deeply he values accumulated resources.
• Hidden mechanisms and impermanence: The formation’s relocation reveals that the ruins were never static. Even a seemingly stable treasure site was gradually deteriorating and consuming its own reserves.
• Preparation and contingency: Chen’s decision to leave behind a Second Primordial Spirit demonstrates foresight, ensuring that the opportunity is not completely lost even after the formation disappears.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen rescues Xiao Lan from the collapsing mortal world and escorts her out of Sumeru Mountain.
• Xiao Lan notices Chen’s apparent ability to escape the formation and questions whether he can truly break it. Chen conceals the extent of his abilities by claiming he only escaped because the formation was incomplete.
• Both lament the disappearance of Sumeru Mountain, though Chen’s regret is far more intense because he personally witnessed the Seven Treasures Pool’s resources being consumed.
• Xiao Lan begins sorting through her rewards, while Chen seeks to compare their gains and learn what treasure she received.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan trades a powerful cultivation method for Xiao Lan’s treasures. He claims to possess a complete, top-tier Yi-Wood Great Dao technique and negotiates for:
  • The Firecloud Gourd containing the Seaheart Flame and Fire-in-the-Stone
  • Two million Origin Stones
  • A Fourth Rank Dharma treasure
• Chen gives Xiao Lan the Eighth Edition of the Azure Dragon Longevity Scripture, a method he deduced himself. Although he limits it to the Fourth Rank, it is nearly Orthodox Grade and far more valuable than Xiao Lan realizes.
• Xiao Lan initially claims to have obtained only two incomplete cultivation methods, but Chen later realizes she was concealing the truth. Her real reason for offering the Inverted Eight Gates Immortal-Sealing Banners is that she cannot use them because she lacks formation expertise.
• The trade strengthens their relationship. Xiao Lan is delighted by the cultivation method, while Chen hopes her future growth will benefit him.
• Xiao Lan leaves to continue traveling independently, while Chen heads toward Demonic Sound Mountain on the Dual-Element Immortal Spider.
• Chen reviews his gains from Sumeru Mountain:
  • An Orthodox Grade

Vermilion Bird Glazed Scripture

• The Heterodox Grade

Azure Dragon Longevity Scripture

• Three Fourth Rank Dharma treasures
• The Firecloud Gourd and two exotic flames
• 14.4 million Origin Stones
• He calculates that this fortune is enormous compared with ordinary cultivators’ wealth, though his unusually high cultivation expenses mean it will sustain only about four hundred years of advancement under his most extravagant plan.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates sharp negotiation skills and strategic foresight. He recognizes Xiao Lan’s desperation for a superior cultivation method but does not exploit her to the fullest extent, valuing their relationship and her potential future usefulness.
• Chen’s long-term planning is revealed: by helping Xiao Lan cultivate the Azure Dragon Longevity Scripture, he expects to benefit from her insights during her lifetime and potentially obtain them through a Subsidiary Dao Fruit after her death.
• Xiao Lan is shown to be pragmatic, decisive, and skilled at judging opportunities. Though she hides information and bargains carefully, she is willing to sacrifice a valuable but unusable treasure for a method that will directly improve her future cultivation.
• Xiao Lan’s dissatisfaction with Chen disappears once she sees the quality of the Azure Dragon Longevity Scripture, and their relationship becomes more harmonious.

Significant Themes

• Strategic exchange and mutual benefit: Both characters trade what they value least for what they need most.
• Wealth and opportunity: The chapter emphasizes how a single adventure can yield more wealth than centuries of ordinary work, explaining why powerful cultivators risk exploring the dangerous starry sky.
• Long-term planning: Chen views relationships, cultivation methods, and even death as part of a broader strategy for future advancement.
• The limits of wealth: Although Chen obtains a fortune, his extraordinary cultivation requirements mean even 14.4 million Origin Stones cannot guarantee lifelong security.
• Talent versus opportunity: Xiao Lan’s success comes not only from luck and heavenly favor but also from her ability to make clear, practical decisions.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Xiao Lan engage in a tense but friendly negotiation over the Azure Dragon Longevity Scripture.
• Xiao Lan repeatedly increases her offer when Chen rejects her initial terms, eventually adding the Fourth Rank formation treasure.
• Their successful trade deepens mutual trust and establishes a more cooperative relationship.
• Despite their cordial farewell, both prefer to travel separately: Chen’s slow, stop-and-start journey does not suit Xiao Lan’s plans, while Chen wants freedom to consolidate his insights.

Chapter Summary: “The Ancestor Arrives!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After spending sixty years in the Seven Treasures Pool, Chen Jichuan obtains several powerful treasures:
  • The Five-Thunder Gale Mother Chariot, a Fourth Rank vehicle with immense speed and devastating wind-and-thunder attacks.
  • The Taiyi Azure Spirit Bamboo Leaf Divine Talisman, which protects the soul, counters evil arts, and relentlessly attacks enemies.
  • The Inverted Eight Gates Immortal-Sealing Banner, acquired from Xiao Lan, which divides into eight banners and can form powerful offensive and defensive formations.
• Chen reflects that the Seven Treasures Pool’s supreme treasures survived the passage of time while most other treasures degraded. He is pleased to possess two of the pool’s seven treasures, in addition to the immortal-sealing banners.
• His 152 rounds of cultivation reconstruction in the pool have given him an exceptionally stable foundation in the Spirit Transformation Realm. Although still at the Third Layer of the Heavenly Man Realm, he expects rapid future progress.
• Chen plans to return to Demonic Sound Mountain, buy cultivation resources, meet Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch, reconnect with Xiao Lan, and arrange for the Dual-Element Immortal Spider to be delivered to Huang Quan. He also intends to use purchased pills to cultivate two or three Spirit Transformation experts on Wu River Star.
• Ten years later, Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch finally reach Demonic Sound Mountain after traveling through the starry sky for 352 years. Galaxy Ancestor is unharmed, but True Martial Patriarch is seriously injured.
• They learn that Chen Jichuan had arrived at Demonic Sound Mountain 183 years earlier but left after staying for sixty-six years. They narrowly miss him because of their delayed journey.
• The two ancestors search Demonic Sound Mountain for healing methods. They discover that True Martial Patriarch has been struck by the Six Absolutes Divine Needles of Lunar Yin, a devastating Lunar Yin Sect technique that slowly erodes the divine soul.
• Removing the needles requires either a powerful Spirit Division expert or extremely expensive medicines. Even the weakest treatment, Five Aggregates Extinction Powder, costs twenty million Spirit Crystals.
• Galaxy Ancestor proposes selling the Azure Grain Sword and their other treasures to save True Martial Patriarch, despite the sword being crucial to their survival against the Lunar Yin Sect.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan becomes substantially stronger and better equipped. His treasures now give him exceptional mobility, defense, soul protection, and formation-based combat ability.
• His confidence grows as he recognizes that his improved foundation and abundant resources will allow him to advance rapidly and strengthen his faction on Wu River Star.
• Galaxy Ancestor remains optimistic and practical. He focuses on finding a solution to True Martial Patriarch’s injuries and is willing to sacrifice valuable equipment to save his companion.
• True Martial Patriarch is revealed to be severely weakened and increasingly desperate. His injury threatens both his survival and the pair’s ability to resist the Lunar Yin Sect.
• Their arrival at Demonic Sound Mountain exposes their inexperience with its enormous costs, especially the high price of cave dwellings and healing resources.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through perseverance: Chen’s sixty years of effort yield treasures and a stable cultivation foundation, contrasting with Xiao Lan’s apparently effortless acquisition of a Fourth Rank treasure.
• The value and cost of survival: True Martial Patriarch’s treatment requires sacrificing nearly all of their remaining wealth and potentially an essential weapon.
• Fate and timing: Chen and the two ancestors repeatedly miss one another because of their different travel schedules, emphasizing how chance shapes their reunion.
• Material wealth versus true strength: Treasures and Spirit Crystals are necessary, but Chen’s reconstructed foundation and cultivation potential are portrayed as more important long-term gains.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Galaxy Ancestor is prepared to sell the Azure Grain Sword to preserve True Martial Patriarch’s life, placing personal bonds above future security.

Character Interactions

• Chen internally compares his difficult treasure-gathering experience with Xiao Lan’s fortunate acquisition, showing admiration mixed with exasperation.
• Chen’s plans involve reconnecting with Xiao Lan and relying on allies such as Huang Quan to strengthen the Wu River Star faction.
• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch discuss Chen’s whereabouts and assume his familiarity with the starry sky has kept him safe.
• After learning the cost of treatment, Galaxy Ancestor urges selling the Azure Grain Sword, while True Martial Patriarch hesitates because the sword helped them escape the Lunar Yin Sect. Their exchange highlights the tension between immediate survival and future protection.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The True Martial Patriarch agrees to prioritize staying alive and, together with the Galaxy Ancestor, goes to the Four Directions Gate to buy Five Aggregates Extinction Powder for his injuries.
• To pay for treatment, the Galaxy Ancestor sells the Azure Grain Sword and two Third Rank magic treasures. Because the Four Directions Gate offers low prices, they initially search for other buyers but eventually sell everything there:
  • Azure Grain Sword: 15.5 million Spirit Crystals
  • Two other treasures: 1.68 million Spirit Crystals
• After selling their remaining medicines, materials, pills, talismans, and personal treasures, the two Patriarchs barely gather enough money to treat the True Martial Patriarch. Their remaining funds can sustain only about ten years in Demonic Sound Mountain, forcing them to share a cave abode.
• For three years, the True Martial Patriarch uses the poisonous Five Aggregates Extinction Powder to suppress and refine the Six Absolutes Divine Needles of Lunar Yin, while the Galaxy Ancestor is unable to cultivate and desperately searches for ways to earn money.
• Chen Jichuan finally returns to Demonic Sound Mountain and reunites with the two Patriarchs after 355 years apart.
• The True Martial Patriarch explains that their delayed arrival was caused by an ambush involving the Lunar Yin Sect. The sect uses bloodstained, abandoned cave abodes as bait to lure and attack low-level Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• During the encounter, the True Martial Patriarch was struck by the Six Absolutes Divine Needles of Lunar Yin. The Galaxy Ancestor wounded the attackers with the Azure Grain Sword, seized two treasures, and escaped with his injured companion, but the Lunar Yin Sect pursued them for over a hundred years.
• Chen Jichuan identifies Five Aggregates Extinction Powder as an inferior and harmful treatment. He promises to cure the True Martial Patriarch properly and agrees that the Lunar Yin Sect must eventually be dealt with.
• The chapter ends with Chen leaving briefly and returning to the cave abode, where the Galaxy Ancestor has also arrived, setting up a discussion among the three brothers.

Character Developments

• True Martial Patriarch: His former confidence has been replaced by caution and humility after suffering the dangers of the starry sky. He feels guilty for exhausting the Galaxy Ancestor’s resources and is resigned to merely preserving his life, but Chen’s return restores some hope.
• Galaxy Ancestor: Demonstrates strong loyalty and responsibility by sacrificing his wealth, treasured magic weapon, and cultivation opportunities to save the True Martial Patriarch. His inability to cultivate and constant efforts to earn money reveal his anxiety and devotion.
• Chen Jichuan: Returns as a capable and dependable senior figure. His broad experience in Demonic Sound Mountain allows him to identify the Lunar Yin Sect and recognize the flaws in the Patriarch’s treatment. He takes responsibility for healing the True Martial Patriarch and plans to retaliate against the sect.

Significant Themes

• Brotherhood and loyalty: The Galaxy Ancestor’s sacrifices and Chen’s willingness to help emphasize the strength of their sect brotherhood.
• The harshness of the starry sky: The characters’ losses, poverty, prolonged journey, and constant danger contrast sharply with their earlier ambitions.
• The coexistence of opportunity and danger: The cave abode offered valuable treasures but was actually bait for an ambush, showing that gains in the starry sky often come with hidden risks.
• Humility and changing ideals: The True Martial Patriarch’s pride has been tempered by experience, teaching him that survival and trust are more important than ambition.
• Predation and moral corruption: The Lunar Yin Sect’s use of bait cave abodes to prey on weaker cultivators highlights the ruthless and deceptive nature of the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• The Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch cooperate closely despite their desperate circumstances, with the former acting as caretaker and provider while the latter focuses on healing.
• The True Martial Patriarch is deeply ashamed that his injuries have burdened the Galaxy Ancestor.
• Chen and the True Martial Patriarch share an emotional reunion, exchanging news about their long separation and hardships.
• Chen reassures the True Martial Patriarch that setbacks are normal and that he should not feel guilty about their losses.
• Chen firmly rejects the Patriarch’s willingness to settle for a dangerous treatment, insisting that his injuries deserve proper care.
• The reunion restores the brothers’ sense of solidarity and prepares them to confront the Lunar Yin Sect together.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan reunites with Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch on Demonic Sound Mountain.
• Galaxy Ancestor urgently asks whether Chen can cure True Martial Patriarch’s injuries. Chen produces:
  • 120 Two-Aspects Pills to remove the remaining Six Absolutes Divine Needles of Lunar Yin.
  • Profound Dragon Pills to restore True Martial Patriarch’s severely depleted vital energy.
• The medicines are worth approximately 42 million Spirit Crystals, astonishing both patriarchs and deeply moving True Martial.
• Chen also gifts each patriarch:
  • Three valuable magic treasures.
  • Two hundred thousand Origin Stones.
• Including the medicinal pills, Chen gives them resources worth roughly 1.22 million Origin Stones, insisting that they are fellow disciples from Wu River Star and should support one another.
• The three brothers spend several days reminiscing and planning how to handle the Lunar Yin Sect. Chen and Galaxy Ancestor then begin secluded cultivation, while True Martial focuses on recovering.
• After refining the Seaheart Flame and Fire-in-the-Stone, Chen’s fire arts improve enough for him to attempt merging the Fire Phoenix Ring and Fire Dragon Immortal Standard.
• Chen summons Granny Gan, whose lifespan is nearing its five-thousand-year limit, and proposes that she become the spirit of the newly fused magic treasure.
• He promises that, if she helps him by managing the treasure and refining pills, he may eventually free her, restore her physical body, and return her to cultivation.
• Granny Gan realizes that Chen is not merely making a request: he is issuing an ultimatum. If she refuses, Chen may kill her to prevent her from revealing his secrets.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates immense wealth, loyalty, generosity, and growing confidence. He has become powerful enough to assist high-level patriarchs and is increasingly calculating in securing useful allies and resources.
• Galaxy Ancestor remains warm and appreciative toward Chen. He accepts the gifts and encourages True Martial Patriarch to do the same, recognizing their shared poverty and brotherly bond.
• True Martial Patriarch is overwhelmed by Chen’s aid. His gratitude and emotional reaction reveal how deeply he values their brotherhood after years of hardship.
• Granny Gan is shown as aging, irritable, proud, and fearful of losing her remaining freedom. Her internal conflict intensifies as she weighs the humiliation of becoming an artifact spirit against the possibility of survival and eventual restoration.
• Chen’s attitude toward Granny Gan becomes more complex: he presents himself as sincere and compassionate, but privately prepares to eliminate her if she cannot be controlled.

3. Significant Themes

• Brotherhood and mutual support: Chen’s aid to the two patriarchs emphasizes loyalty among fellow disciples and the idea that shared origins create familial obligations.
• Generosity and repayment: Chen gives freely, but also expects future cooperation and eventual repayment, showing that generosity can coexist with practical calculation.
• Life, death, and the limits of longevity: Granny Gan’s approaching lifespan limit highlights that even powerful Primordial Spirits cannot escape mortality.
• Freedom versus survival: Granny Gan must choose between retaining independence and surrendering herself as an artifact spirit in exchange for a chance at continued existence.
• Hidden motives and conditional trust: Chen’s outward sincerity conceals a threat, revealing how alliances in the cultivation world depend on usefulness, leverage, and secrecy.
• Ambition and self-confidence: Chen increasingly believes that becoming an immortal and patriarch is achievable, and he is willing to build the resources and relationships needed to reach that goal.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen and the two patriarchs share an emotional reunion centered on healing, financial assistance, and their common history as disciples of the Wu River Immortal Sect.
• Galaxy Ancestor acts as a mediator, persuading True Martial Patriarch to accept Chen’s gifts and view their relationship as one of family.
• Chen and Granny Gan engage in a tense psychological confrontation. Chen flatters her, emphasizes his extraordinary talent and future prospects, and offers her hope—but simultaneously makes clear that refusal could lead to her death.
• Granny Gan understands the concealed threat beneath Chen’s affectionate language, leaving her trapped between resentment, fear, and reluctant hope.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After prolonged deliberation, Granny Gan abandons the pursuit of an uncertain illusory afterlife and submits to Chen Jichuan, asking him to help her become an immortal in the future.
• Chen immediately begins refining the Fire Phoenix Ring together with the Fire Dragon Immortal Standard. After five years, the fusion is complete: Gan Chen becomes the artifact spirit of the Fire Dragon Immortal Standard.
• As an artifact spirit, Gan Chen gains a form of immortality as long as the treasure survives, though she is also confined within it and can no longer freely leave.
• Chen learns about Gan Chen’s previous alchemical work, especially Heavenly Man Pills and Yang-Restoring Pills. Their profits are considerable but fail to satisfy his ambitions.
• Because Gan Chen’s oath prevents her from revealing Starfall Pavilion formulas, Chen gives her his improved Jinling Pill formula instead. The formula has far greater profit potential, with a theoretical profit of 1.75 million Spirit Crystals per batch.
• Gan Chen begins learning the formula and reaches the break-even point after fourteen years, eventually generating steadily increasing profits. This frees Chen from relying primarily on Spirit Candle Pills.
• With Gan Chen’s income, Chen’s own alchemy, treasures from Sumeru Mountain, pills, and cultivation aids, he greatly accelerates his training.
• Over the following decades, Chen advances from the Third Layer to the Sixth Layer of the Heavenly Man Realm:
  • Third Layer: forty-four years after arriving at Demonic Sound Mountain.
  • Fourth Layer: after returning to Demonic Sound Mountain and cultivating for five years.
  • Fifth Layer: twenty-nine years later.
  • Sixth Layer: fifty-eight years after that.
• Chen spends 1.45 million Origin Stones using Enlightenment twenty-nine times to improve his techniques.
• Sun-Chasing Traversal reaches the Fourth Layer after eight uses of Enlightenment, allowing Chen to travel through the starry sky at three times the speed of light.
• He then redirects his efforts toward improving Great Luo Heavenly Sleeve, while postponing the difficult goal of transforming a Transcendent Art into a divine ability.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan becomes more strategically ambitious and financially capable. He treats Gan Chen not only as a subordinate but also as an invaluable long-term source of alchemical wealth and expertise.
• His cultivation foundation becomes increasingly solid, and he grows more willing to spend enormous sums on rapid advancement.
• Chen’s confidence rises as his improved formulas, wealth, techniques, and external cultivation resources give him a realistic path toward becoming an immortal ancestor.
• Gan Chen undergoes a major transformation. She changes from a proud, independent alchemy master into Chen’s loyal artifact spirit.
• Although imprisoned within the Fire Dragon Immortal Standard, she gains a form of eternal existence and receives Chen’s valuable Jinling Pill formula, increasing her faith in his future.
• Gan Chen’s extraordinary alchemical talent allows her to steadily improve her pill-formation rate and generate immense profits.

Significant Themes

• Submission versus survival: Gan Chen chooses continued existence and the possibility of future transcendence over an uncertain, idealized afterlife.
• Immortality and imprisonment: Becoming an artifact spirit grants Gan Chen longevity, but at the cost of freedom and companionship.
• Wealth as a path to cultivation: Pills, treasures, and Spirit Crystals become essential tools that allow Chen to convert financial resources into rapid cultivation progress.
• Knowledge and mutual benefit: Chen supplies a superior pill formula, while Gan Chen contributes her experience and labor, creating a mutually profitable partnership.
• Long-term cultivation strategy: Chen balances immediate gains—alchemy and wealth—with future goals such as mastering Transcendent Arts, creating divine abilities, and becoming an immortal.
• The limits of genius: Even with Enlightenment, Chen recognizes that advancing techniques to the Fifth or Sixth Layer remains extraordinarily difficult, especially at higher realms.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Gan Chen’s relationship shifts from confrontation and negotiation to formal master-and-subordinate cooperation.
• Chen ensures Gan Chen’s loyalty by having her participate directly in refining the Fire Dragon Immortal Standard.
• He consults her about alchemy, values her professional expertise, and gives her the Jinling Pill formula to maximize their joint profits.
• Gan Chen’s reaction to the formula shows her growing respect for Chen and her increasing belief that he may truly achieve immortality.
• Their collaboration allows Chen to devote more time to cultivation while Gan Chen handles increasingly profitable alchemical production.

Chapter Summary: “Procurement and Crisis!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After using Sun-Chasing Traversal, Chen Jichuan gained twenty-one Enlightenments, all of which he invested in improving Great Luo Heavenly Sleeve. His understanding advanced significantly, though reaching the fifth layer would still require roughly ten to twenty thousand years of cultivation—or about two hundred more Enlightenments.
• His cultivation also progressed. After advancing to the Sixth Layer of the Heavenly Man Realm in his fifty-eighth year at Demonic Sound Mountain, he spent two years consolidating his realm before ending his seclusion.
• At age 803, Chen Jichuan emerged to handle several outstanding matters involving the Lunar Yin Sect, Wu River Star, and the Dual-Element Immortal Spider.
• He visited Four Directions Gate to stock up for a long journey. He purchased:
  • Forty times his usual supply of Enlightenment-recovery medicines.
  • Large quantities of cultivation pills.
  • Ingredients for five hundred batches of Jinling Pills and other medicines.
• These purchases cost him several million Origin Stones, though he recovered some wealth by selling 1,080 Jinling Pills for 1.728 million Origin Stones.
• Chen Jichuan’s large purchase prompted Four Directions Gate steward Zhang Qiao to suspect that he knew about an impending crisis in Demonic Sound Mountain.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates increasing strength, wealth, preparation, and long-term planning. He remains focused on improving his techniques and cultivation but recognizes that his journey away from Demonic Sound Mountain may last more than a century.
• He also shows caution and foresight by stockpiling pills and disguising some purchases with additional medicinal ingredients, suggesting he is preparing carefully without revealing his true plans.
• Zhang Qiao has become increasingly close and respectful toward Chen Jichuan because of the enormous business Chen conducts with Four Directions Gate. He is not merely a shopkeeper but also an information gatherer for the organization.
• Zhang Qiao’s concern about Chen Jichuan’s purchases reveals his awareness of the unstable political situation surrounding Demonic Sound Mountain.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation requires immense time and resources: Advancing Transcendent Arts is extraordinarily difficult, even for Chen Jichuan, and requires both centuries of effort and vast quantities of wealth.
• Preparation before departure: Chen Jichuan’s stockpiling reflects the importance of planning for long journeys and uncertain future circumstances.
• Declining power and looming instability: Demonic Sound Mountain’s strength depends on its Rogue Immortal patriarchs, but repeated deaths during tribulations have weakened its deterrence.
• Wealth as a cultivation advantage: Chen’s enormous financial resources allow him to accelerate cultivation, purchase rare medicines, and maintain reserves that ordinary cultivators could not afford.
• Information and appearances: Zhang Qiao interprets Chen’s spending as a possible sign of insider knowledge, while Chen deliberately downplays his intentions and conceals his actual plans.

Character Interactions

• Chen Jichuan receives an exceptionally warm welcome from Zhang Qiao, reflecting their long-standing commercial relationship.
• Zhang questions Chen about his sudden, extravagant order, subtly suggesting that Chen may know Demonic Sound Mountain is facing danger.
• Chen explains that he is merely leaving because his cultivation has slowed and insists that Demonic Sound Mountain will remain safe for at least two to four centuries.
• Zhang disagrees, arguing that the deaths of the Fourth and Seventh Patriarchs—both important formation experts—have already weakened the mountain’s defenses. He considers Chen fortunate to be leaving now.
• The two then return to business, with Zhang arranging Chen’s supplies and Chen verifying the purchases before completing the transaction.

Chapter Summary: “Ambush and Counterkill!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gan Chen’s alchemy has improved dramatically over sixty years. He can now refine ten batches of Jinling Pills annually with a twenty-percent success rate, earning roughly 3.8 million Spirit Crystals per year.
• Chen Jichuan’s own pill-refining ability remains much weaker, but he can at least break even and hopes to become profitable alongside Gan Chen.
• Chen calculates that he has spent 13.66 million Origin Stones over the past sixty years, nearly exhausting the fortune gained from Sumeru Mountain. His remaining pills and herbs, however, can support him for centuries.
• His main objective is returning to Wu River Star, where he plans to use twenty-four Fauxuan Pills and his Enlightenment ability to cultivate twenty-four new Spirit Transformation experts.
• Four days after leaving Demonic Sound Mountain with Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch, the group is ambushed in the starry sky by all six Spirit Transformation experts of the Lunar Yin Sect.
• The ambush is led by He Lengchan, the Lunar Yin Sect’s master, and Ding Bo, its Grand Venerable. They intend to eliminate Chen Jichuan and the two patriarchs.
• Chen Jichuan immediately takes the initiative, ordering the patriarchs to delay the other four enemies while he handles He Lengchan and Ding Bo.
• He easily counters Ding Bo’s Yuan-Magnetism Pagoda, strips away his defensive treasures, and kills him with divine thunder in fewer than three breaths.
• At the same time, Chen traps He Lengchan inside the Seven-Star Sword Diagram. He destroys He’s talismans and ultimately annihilates his body, spirit, and soul.
• With their leaders dead, the remaining four Lunar Yin Sect experts attempt to flee. Chen pursues and kills all four in rapid succession.
• The entire battle ends in only a few breaths, effectively destroying the Lunar Yin Sect’s top forces.
• Chen collects the corpses for future corpse-refining purposes and leaves the area with the two patriarchs, wary that other experts from Demonic Sound Mountain may have witnessed the battle.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: His true strength is revealed to be vastly beyond the Heavenly Man Realm level he previously displayed. He can effortlessly kill peak Heavenly Man cultivators and defeat multiple Spirit Transformation experts while dividing his attention between several opponents. His confidence and strategic decisiveness are also evident.
• Gan Chen: His status as a highly capable alchemist is reinforced. He has become the main source of pill profits for Chen Jichuan’s group.
• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch: Both witness Chen’s overwhelming power firsthand and gain even greater respect and confidence in their junior fellow disciple. True Martial, formerly victimized by the Lunar Yin Sect, finally sees the sect’s enemies destroyed.
• He Lengchan and Ding Bo: Once powerful leaders of the Lunar Yin Sect, they are exposed as badly underestimating Chen Jichuan and are killed almost instantly.
• The remaining Lunar Yin experts: Their confidence collapses after witnessing their leaders’ deaths, and their attempted escape proves futile.

Significant Themes

• Investment and long-term planning: Chen’s enormous spending on pills, treasures, cultivation resources, and future experts is portrayed as strategic investment rather than waste.
• Overwhelming power and hidden strength: Chen deliberately conceals his actual cultivation and abilities, allowing enemies to misjudge him before he reveals his devastating strength.
• Preparation versus revenge: The Lunar Yin Sect carefully arranges an ambush, but Chen’s superior preparation, magical treasures, and combat insight turn the trap into a counter-killing.
• The value of resources: Fauxuan Pills, alchemy, magical treasures, and corpses all represent potential future power and wealth.
• Caution despite victory: Although Chen annihilates the attackers effortlessly, he refuses to linger and remains alert to possible observers or stronger enemies.

Character Interactions

• Chen communicates tactically with Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch, assigning them to hold off four enemies while he confronts the two leaders.
• He Lengchan attacks Chen directly with the Lunar Yin Divine Palm, while Ding Bo relies on the Yuan-Magnetism Pagoda to suppress or seize Chen’s treasures.
• Chen mocks and dismantles both strategies, overwhelming Ding Bo with divine thunder and trapping He Lengchan with sword techniques.
• After the battle, True Martial Patriarch reassures Chen that killing the Lunar Yin cultivators is sufficient, even if they could not be made to suffer as revenge.
• Galaxy Ancestor openly praises Chen’s strength, recognizing that the Wu River Immortal Sect has gained an extraordinary protector and ally.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan finishes looting the six Spirit Transformation cultivators of the Lunar Yin Sect. Their magical treasures, Spirit Crystals, and Origin Stones are worth nearly five hundred million Spirit Crystals, or about five million Origin Stones.
• He reflects that the Lunar Yin Sect’s wealth came from robbery, while legitimate powers such as Fallen Star Pavilion, Four Directions Gate, and Demonic Sound Mountain earn far more through commerce, rent, and taxation.
• Chen Jichuan plans to develop Wu River Star by cultivating many Spirit Transformation experts and eventually establishing groups such as the “Ten Patriarchs,” “Twenty Patriarchs,” and “Thirty Patriarchs.”
• Silver River and True Martial refuse any share of the spoils because they did not participate in the battle. Feeling they have contributed little, they leave together to wander the starry sea rather than return to Wu River Star.
• Using his exceptionally fast Sun-Chasing Traversal, Chen Jichuan returns to Wu River Star in twenty-seven years. He arrives in the year 1700 of the Wu River Calendar, after being away for 330 years.
• In Wu-Slaying City, Huang Jiao and her husband, Wang Bing, beg Huang Xuan to forgive their son, Wang Tan, who has committed a grave offense. Huang Xuan rejects their pleas, declaring that Wang Tan’s cruel nature makes him beyond saving.
• Huang Xuan orders all Huang Family descendants within five generations to gather, implying that the family will face a serious reckoning or disciplinary action.
• The chapter explains the Huang Family’s strict laws and Huang Biao’s punishment. Huang Biao, the family head, had abused family authority and was sentenced to endure three years of thunder strikes atop the Thunder God Pagoda.
• Just as Huang Biao suffers another lash of thunder, he is suddenly transported home, where he discovers Chen Jichuan has returned. He immediately recognizes Chen Jichuan as his master and kneels before him.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Returns more powerful and wealthy after eliminating the Lunar Yin Sect. His ambitions have expanded from personal cultivation to building a large network of Spirit Transformation patriarchs and strengthening Wu River Star.
• Silver River and True Martial: Display pride and integrity by refusing Chen Jichuan’s rewards. Their decision to wander the starry sky reflects their sense of failure and reluctance to benefit without contributing.
• Huang Xuan: Demonstrates his uncompromising commitment to family discipline and justice. Despite pressure from his daughter and son-in-law, he refuses to excuse Wang Tan’s crimes and even summons the wider family for accountability.
• Huang Jiao and Wang Bing: Reveal their weakness as parents, prioritizing their only son over the family’s principles. Their appeal to Huang Quan’s influence angered Huang Xuan, who viewed it as ungrateful and presumptuous.
• Huang Biao: Experiences the humiliation of being punished under the same family laws he once enforced. His punishment emphasizes that even the Huang Family’s highest-ranking members are not exempt from discipline.
• Chen Jichuan’s return: His sudden appearance shocks and delights Huang Biao, signaling that an important reunion—and likely major changes for Wu River Star—is beginning.

Significant Themes

• Wealth and power: The chapter contrasts the quick profits and dangers of banditry with the stable, enormous wealth generated by legitimate institutions and organized commerce.
• Justice over favoritism: Huang Xuan insists that family status cannot excuse wrongdoing, reinforcing the importance of impartial law.
• Consequences of power: The Lunar Yin Sect loses everything after provoking a stronger opponent, while Huang Biao and Wang Tan face punishment for abusing their family’s influence.
• Ambition and institution-building: Chen Jichuan is no longer focused only on cultivation; he now seeks to build a powerful, structured force centered on Wu River Star.
• Family honor and responsibility: The Huang Family’s reputation rests on discipline, but its growing power also creates temptations, internal conflicts, and greater scrutiny.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Jichuan and Silver River and True Martial discuss the spoils of war; the two patriarchs refuse compensation and depart.
• Huang Jiao and Wang Bing plead with Huang Xuan to spare Wang Tan, but Huang Xuan rebukes them for relying on family influence.
• Feng Heng sympathizes with her daughter but supports Huang Xuan’s view that the family’s present glory depends on Chen Jichuan’s past support.
• Huang Xuan orders Huang Run to summon the family descendants, expanding the punishment beyond Wang Tan to the entire Huang lineage.
• Chen Jichuan’s return culminates in his reunion with Huang Biao, who immediately kneels and addresses him as “Master.”

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan returns to Wu River Star after a long absence and immediately visits Wu-Slaying City to see Huang Xuan, honoring the friendship and support Huang Xuan gave him when he first entered this life.
• He learns that Huang Xuan recently executed his grandson, Wang Tan, for committing severe crimes against ordinary people and virtuous women. Huang Biao, Huang Xuan’s son and Chen’s disciple, had tried to conceal Wang Tan’s actions and was punished by being tortured on the Thunder God Pagoda.
• After hearing the full story, Chen Jichuan pardons Huang Biao from the remainder of his punishment. To preserve the Huang Family’s reputation, he leaves a technique on the pagoda that makes it appear Huang Biao is still being punished for the full three years.
• Chen advises Huang Xuan not to exhaust himself managing his descendants and encourages him to spend time traveling with his wife.
• Chen then travels to Wu River City, where Huang Quan and Xiao Lan report on the development of Wu River Star and the Wu River Immortal Sect over the past 330 years.
• Chen discovers that Xiao Lan’s cultivation has advanced dramatically: her human clone has reached the sixth layer of the Heavenly Man Realm, while her Cloudveil Vine true body has broken through to the second layer of the Primordial Unity Realm.
• By contrast, Huang Quan has advanced only to the second layer of the Heavenly Man Realm. His slow progress is attributed to limited resources, an unsuitable environment, and the fact that his original breakthrough relied on external assistance rather than his own foundation.
• Chen asks Huang Quan to compile detailed records of the sect’s high-rank True Persons, likely to identify those with potential for Spirit Transformation.
• He offers Huang Quan and Xiao Lan several extremely valuable Third-Rank magical treasures and encourages them to leave Wu River Star to explore the wider starry sky.
• Both refuse to leave for different reasons: Huang Quan wants to remain and protect Chen and the sect, while Xiao Lan prefers to keep her clone stationed on Wu River Star to maintain a relationship with Chen and learn more about him.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Demonstrates loyalty, gratitude, generosity, and political tact. He protects Huang Biao without undermining the Huang Family’s public reputation, understands the limits of bloodlines and legacies, and plans to strengthen the sect by identifying future Spirit Transformation candidates.
• Huang Xuan: Reveals the burden of maintaining a powerful family and his fear that future descendants may disgrace the Huang Family. His harsh execution of Wang Tan shows his commitment to justice and to preserving the family’s reputation.
• Huang Biao: Becomes deeply remorseful after realizing that his favoritism nearly brought disaster upon himself and his family. Remembering Chen’s past destruction of the Duan Family, he recognizes how serious Wang Tan’s crimes were.
• Huang Quan: Remains loyal and humble despite his limited cultivation prospects. He prioritizes guarding Wu River Star and repaying Chen’s kindness over pursuing personal advancement.
• Xiao Lan: Emerges as an exceptionally gifted cultivator whose rapid progress surpasses Chen’s expectations. Her continued strategic interest in Chen shows that their relationship involves both genuine cooperation and careful observation.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus familial favoritism: Wang Tan’s execution shows that family ties cannot excuse atrocities, while Huang Biao’s intervention demonstrates the danger of protecting relatives from consequences.
• Responsibility and reputation: Chen’s concealment of Huang Biao’s early release preserves the Huang Family’s credibility and illustrates the importance of public appearances among powerful cultivators.
• Limits of legacy and immortality: Chen reflects that even powerful cultivators, bloodlines, and family institutions will eventually decline, emphasizing the impermanence of worldly glory.
• Cultivation depends on foundation and opportunity: Huang Quan’s slow growth contrasts sharply with Xiao Lan’s rapid advancement, showing how aptitude, resources, techniques, experience, and luck determine progress.
• Loyalty and repayment: Huang Quan’s refusal to leave Wu River Star reflects his desire to repay Chen, while Chen’s gifts and concern for his companions show reciprocal loyalty.
• The vastness of the cultivation world: Chen encourages Huang Quan and Xiao Lan to explore the starry sky, suggesting that remaining isolated on Wu River Star limits both experience and future potential.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Huang Xuan share a warm, respectful relationship built over many years. Chen treats him as an honored elder while gently urging him to prioritize his personal life.
• Chen rescues Huang Biao from continued punishment but also warns him indirectly through secrecy and the demand for seclusion, balancing mercy with discipline.
• Huang Biao’s remorse is shaped by memories of Chen’s past revenge against the Duan Family, reinforcing Chen’s authority as both master and moral example.
• Chen’s reunion with Huang Quan and Xiao Lan is formal but affectionate. He recognizes their contributions while candidly assessing their differing cultivation abilities.
• Chen’s generosity toward Huang Quan and Xiao Lan strengthens their bond. Xiao Lan, in particular, realizes that although Chen may be calculating, he is sincerely generous toward those he considers part of his circle.
• Huang Quan and Xiao Lan both reject Chen’s offer to leave Wu River Star, but their motivations differ: Huang Quan acts from devotion and responsibility, while Xiao Lan acts from caution, stability, and a desire to deepen her connection with Chen.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan gives Huang Quan and Xiao Lan several treasures and encourages them to explore Wu River Star’s surrounding starry regions rather than remain confined to the planet.
• He entrusts the Dual-Element Immortal Spider to Huang Quan, assigning him responsibility for finding it a suitable star and managing its long-term production.
• Xiao Lan leaves to refine her treasure, while Huang Quan compiles a report on the Wu River Immortal Sect’s High-Rank True Persons.
• Chen reviews the sect’s 186 High-Rank True Persons, including 41 Peak True Persons, and evaluates them based on character, conduct, and aptitude as candidates for advancement to the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• He rejects Yao Xingyu for becoming too invested in political power and rejects Huang Biao because of his tendency to indulge problematic relatives. Zhang He, who continues fighting demon beasts and striving for a breakthrough, is selected as a promising candidate.
• After repeated screening, Chen narrows the candidates to 27. He possesses 24 Fauxuan Pills, though his secret use of Enlightenment means that all 27 may still have a chance to advance.
• Huang Quan and Xiao Lan begin systematically exploring the surrounding starry sky, discovering rare minerals, Spirit Crystal, Origin Stone deposits, and planets suitable for cultivating spirit herbs.
• Chen focuses on teaching and cultivation. He lectures all High-Rank True Persons publicly but reserves private Enlightenment and Fauxuan Pills for the 27 chosen candidates.
• Chen continues guiding Huang Quan, teaching him the Seven-Star Sword Diagram, Wind-Thunder Heavenly Realms Grand Escape, and Three-Unity Indestructible Golden Light Bodyguarding Method.
• He secretly uses Enlightenment on Huang Quan, allowing his previously stagnant cultivation and mastery of the three arts to begin advancing.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Demonstrates strategic leadership and a careful understanding of human nature. He balances fairness with hidden favoritism toward those he believes worthy, while cautiously withholding the dangerous Orthodox Grade of the White Tiger Sword-Prison Scripture.
• Huang Quan: Shows loyalty and responsibility by accepting the Immortal Spider and preparing the sect’s records. His curiosity about the wider starry sky awakens, and his stagnant cultivation finally begins progressing under Chen’s guidance.
• Xiao Lan: Remains committed to Wu River Star but becomes involved in exploring and developing its surrounding resources after receiving a treasure.
• Zhang He: Emerges as a determined and battle-hardened candidate for Spirit Transformation, continuing to fight demon beasts in hopes of breaking through.
• Yao Xingyu: Has gradually abandoned cultivation in favor of administrative power, causing Chen to judge him unsuitable for advancement.
• Huang Biao: Is disqualified because Chen distrusts his character and fears he would abuse greater power to protect or indulge his relatives.

Significant Themes

• Character over cultivation: Chen prioritizes moral reliability and temperament over talent when choosing future Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• Leadership and resource development: Wu River Star begins transitioning from a guarded, isolated world into a developing regional power through exploration and organized resource extraction.
• Hidden preparation and strategy: Chen publicly treats the sect equally while secretly arranging advantages for selected candidates, preserving unity and preventing resentment.
• Mentorship and inheritance: Chen’s guidance dramatically improves his disciples, but he carefully controls what knowledge and techniques he passes on because of the dangers surrounding superior cultivation methods.
• Perseverance versus complacency: Zhang He’s relentless struggle contrasts with Yao Xingyu’s surrender to political comfort, illustrating different responses to stalled progress.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Huang Quan share a close master-disciple relationship built on trust; Chen recognizes Huang Quan’s limitations but continues investing in him.
• Chen gives Huang Quan practical responsibilities, including managing the Immortal Spider and assisting in sect administration.
• Chen’s evaluation of Zhang He, Yao Xingyu, and Huang Biao reflects his personal history and judgments of their conduct.
• Huang Quan and Xiao Lan cooperate indirectly in developing Wu River Star’s surrounding resources, each using Chen’s gifts to expand the sect’s capabilities.
• Chen publicly supports and teaches the broader sect while privately selecting and empowering a smaller group, preserving outward equality while shaping the sect’s future leadership.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan spends two centuries cultivating, studying alchemy and formations, refining Jinling Pills, and developing a defensive formation around Wu River Star based on the Lesser Sumeru Upright-Reverse Nine-Palace Immortal Formation.
• His Second Primordial Spirit remains on Sumeru Mountain, studying the Sumeru Immortal Sect’s supreme formations, while Chen reconstructs a similar large-scale formation across Wu River Star and the surrounding starry sky.
• Under Chen’s guidance and the instruction provided in White Tiger Hall, twenty-five True Persons successfully break through to Spirit Transformation over 174 years.
• These cultivators become known as the “Twenty-Five Ancestors of White Tiger Hall.” Together with Chen Jichuan, Huang Quan, and Xiao Lan, they raise the Wu River Immortal Sect’s total number of Spirit Transformation cultivators to around thirty.
• Patriarch Xu Ning’s influence rises dramatically. Although Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch remain the senior leaders in name, Xu Ning becomes the sect’s dominant figure because of the twenty-five experts who advanced through his teachings and White Tiger Hall.
• The newly advanced Spirit Transformation cultivators explore the undeveloped starry regions around Wu River Star, gathering resources while consolidating their cultivation and developing secondary skills such as alchemy, artifact refining, talisman-making, and beast taming.
• Chen Jichuan delays sending them to prosperous regions such as Demonic Sound Mountain because of potential instability there. He intends for them to build a stable economic and cultivation foundation first.
• A major threat emerges when Di Xu, a former Demon Emperor who fled Wu River Star centuries earlier, returns seeking revenge. He arrives with ten additional Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• Di Xu’s group attacks Mystic Radiance Star, where Xu Ning’s valuable Dual-Element Immortal Spider is being kept. They are attempting to break through the protective Dual-Element Five-Phase Miasma surrounding the star.
• The enemy force is far stronger individually: four attackers are at the Sixth Layer of the Heavenly Man Realm, seven are in the Late Stage, and Di Xu’s leader is at the Ninth Layer.
• The gathered White Tiger Hall cultivators prepare to defend against them using the Inverted Eight Gates Immortal-Sealing Formation.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan becomes the central pillar of the Wu River Immortal Sect. His instruction, pills, formations, and Enlightenment assistance enable an entire generation of cultivators to reach Spirit Transformation.
• Patriarch Xu Ning rises from being the weakest of the original Three Patriarchs to becoming the sect’s most influential figure, supported by the twenty-five Spirit Transformation cultivators connected to White Tiger Hall.
• Huang Quan acts as Chen’s trusted informant and reports the enemy’s movements and strength. His earlier role in defending Wu River Star is also clarified.
• Xiao Lan and Huang Quan remain the principal older-generation Spirit Transformation cultivators, while the twenty-five new Ancestors begin expanding the sect’s presence into the surrounding starry sky.
• Jin Nan, a former Formation Hall Master and one of the Twenty-Five Ancestors, demonstrates confidence in the sect’s defensive preparations. His formation team has even fought Huang Quan to a draw during training.
• Di Xu returns as a vengeful former enemy, transforming an old conflict into an immediate military crisis.

Significant Themes

• The power of mentorship and institutional legacy: Chen’s teachings create a whole generation of powerful cultivators, allowing his influence to spread beyond his personal strength.
• The rise of a new order: The Wu River Immortal Sect shifts from dependence on a few ancient patriarchs to a broader foundation of Spirit Transformation experts.
• Patience and long-term planning: Chen focuses on cultivation, infrastructure, formations, and resource development rather than rushing into expansion.
• Economic development and specialization: The sect is gradually moving from isolated self-sufficiency toward a broader exchange economy in which cultivators specialize in mining, gathering, alchemy, artifact refinement, and other professions.
• Preparation versus immediate danger: Although the sect is still consolidating, the sudden return of Di Xu forces its young experts to confront a threat far beyond their individual cultivation levels.
• Formation and cooperation overcoming individual weakness: The newly advanced cultivators may be weaker than the enemy individually, but their coordinated formation provides a possible means of resistance.

Character Interactions

• Chen Jichuan works closely with Gan Chen in alchemy and relies on his Second Primordial Spirit for formation research.
• He instructs Huang Quan and the True Persons of White Tiger Hall, personally supplying pills, magical treasures, formation knowledge, and Enlightenment assistance.
• The twenty-five new Spirit Transformation cultivators depend on Chen, Huang Quan, and Xiao Lan for cultivation advice and technical guidance.
• Huang Quan briefs the assembled cultivators in White Tiger Hall about Di Xu’s return and the enemy’s overwhelming strength.
• Zhang He voices concern about the attackers’ cultivation levels, reflecting the group’s awareness of the danger.
• Jin Nan responds confidently, emphasizing the power of the Inverted Eight Gates Immortal-Sealing Formation and the group’s ability to fight collectively.
• Chen watches the discussion and evaluates the gathered cultivators as they prepare for the coming confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan prepares Wu River Immortal Sect for a confrontation with Di Xu and the hostile forces approaching Wu River Star. He explains that the enemy’s strength is not truly threatening to him, but the battle will give his younger Spirit Transformation cultivators valuable experience.
• He leads twenty-seven Spirit Transformation cultivators from Wu River Star toward Mystic Radiance Star aboard the Five-Thunder Gale Mother Chariot. Thanks to its extraordinary speed, they arrive in just over half an hour.
• Wu River Star has been heavily fortified over the past two centuries. Even with its strongest cultivators away, its linked formations can resist several Spirit Transformation cultivators for a limited time.
• During the journey, Huang Quan eagerly anticipates his first serious battle. He has reached the Fourth Layer of the Heavenly Man Realm, mastered three Transcendent Arts, and acquired powerful Third Rank treasures. Xiao Lan remains calm due to her extensive combat experience and is more interested in Chen Jichuan’s ability to cultivate large numbers of Spirit Transformation experts.
• At Mystic Radiance Star, Lang Jian, sect master of Milo Sect, waits with Di Xu and other Spirit Transformation cultivators. Milo Sect has discovered a rare Dual-Element Immortal Spider and hopes to harvest Five-Ore Essence from the planet without alerting it.
• The chapter explains Di Xu’s history: after fleeing Wu River Star and recovering for over two centuries, he joined Milo Sect by revealing Wu River Star’s location. Milo Sect eventually came to the region after upheaval in Demonic Sound Mountain, unexpectedly encountering the Immortal Spider along the way.
• Three Milo Sect cultivators enter Mystic Radiance Star to investigate and gather resources. After three days, Lang Jian’s group is suddenly surrounded by Chen Jichuan and twenty-seven Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• Di Xu recognizes Xu Ning, one of Wu River Star’s original human Spirit Transformation cultivators, and is shocked by the sect’s rapid growth. Lang Jian realizes that the newcomers include twenty-five newly advanced Spirit Transformation cultivators, revealing the extraordinary development of Wu River Immortal Sect.
• Before Lang Jian can negotiate or question them, Chen Jichuan orders an immediate attack. Huang Quan targets Di Xu, Xiao Lan attacks Lang Jian, and the remaining Wu River cultivators divide themselves among the other Milo Sect experts.
• A large battle begins outside Mystic Radiance Star.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan: Demonstrates his confidence, strategic control, and impatience with empty negotiations. He treats the battle primarily as training for his disciples and allies, confident that Wu River Immortal Sect possesses overwhelming strength.
• Huang Quan: Has grown substantially over two hundred years, reaching the Fourth Layer of the Heavenly Man Realm and greatly improving his combat arts and equipment. He is eager to test himself and specifically attacks Di Xu, though he knows he cannot fight stronger late-stage opponents alone.
• Xiao Lan: Remains composed and experienced, contrasting with Huang Quan and the younger cultivators. Her admiration and curiosity toward Chen Jichuan deepen as she observes the rapid rise of Spirit Transformation cultivators on Wu River Star. She also appears to be deliberately drawing closer to Chen Jichuan.
• Di Xu: Has recovered from his past defeat and gained protection by joining Milo Sect, but his confidence collapses when he sees Wu River Star’s astonishing growth. Recognizing Xu Ning brings back his fear and hatred, while also making him suspect that Wu River Star may now be supported by a major power.
• Lang Jian: Initially confident in Milo Sect’s advantage and pleased with Di Xu’s contributions, he becomes cautious upon seeing Wu River Immortal Sect’s numbers. He attempts to assess the newcomers but is denied the opportunity to negotiate.
• Zhang He and the other Spirit Transformation cultivators: Move from sheltered cultivation into their first major starry-skies confrontation. They act in coordinated groups under Chen Jichuan’s command.

Significant Themes

• The transformation of a local force into a major power: Wu River Star has changed dramatically in two hundred years, producing twenty-five new Spirit Transformation cultivators under Chen Jichuan’s guidance.
• Strength through cultivation and organization: Chen Jichuan’s greatest achievement is not merely his personal power but his ability to build a powerful foundation and nurture many experts.
• Broadening horizons: The battle is intended to expose Wu River’s cultivators to the wider starry skies and prevent them from becoming arrogant or narrow-minded.
• Confidence versus fear: Milo Sect initially possesses the numerical and strategic advantage, but Di Xu’s recognition of Xu Ning reveals how completely the balance of power has shifted.
• Preparation and foresight: Wu River Star’s defensive formations ensure that the sect remains secure even while its strongest cultivators leave to fight.
• Old grudges resurfacing: Di Xu’s past conflict with Wu River Star directly connects the present confrontation to earlier events and makes the battle personally meaningful.

Character Interactions

• Chen Jichuan instructs Huang Quan, Xiao Lan, Zhang He, and the others throughout the expedition, acting as their commander and mentor.
• Xiao Lan’s private thoughts reveal her growing interest in Chen Jichuan and her belief that Wu River Star could become the foundation for a greater pursuit of the Immortal Dao.
• Lang Jian praises Di Xu for leading Milo Sect to both Wu River Star and the Dual-Element Immortal Spider, though Di Xu remains deferential because of his low status within the sect.
• Di Xu identifies Xu Ning and informs Lang Jian of her connection to Wu River Star, exposing his anxiety about the sect’s unexpected expansion.
• Chen Jichuan rejects Lang Jian’s attempted conversation and orders an immediate attack, establishing the hostile tone of the confrontation.
• Huang Quan and Di Xu are positioned against one another, while Xiao Lan engages Lang Jian. Zhang He leads a coordinated formation against the strongest Milo Sect cultivators, and the remaining Wu River experts surround the others.

Chapter Summary: “Demonic Sound Mountain in Chaos!”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The battle outside Mystic Radiance Star ends after half an hour.
• Chen Jichuan, Xiao Lan, and Huang Quan emerge relatively unharmed, while Zhang He, Jin Nan, and the other twenty-three members of the White Tiger Hall are all seriously injured.
• Xiao Lan fights Lang Jian and Huang Quan battles Di Xu. Chen Jichuan supports them with the Inverted Eight Gates Immortal-Sealing Banner, helping them kill their opponents.
• The twenty-five Spirit Transformation cultivators are badly outmatched by six Spirit Transformation Venerables from the Milo Sect. Chen Jichuan repeatedly intervenes to save them, preventing many deaths.
• Chen Jichuan returns with the group to Wu River Star, satisfied that the battle has taught them the dangers of the starry sky and the strength of outside experts.
• Meanwhile, Demonic Sound Mountain falls into crisis. The Tenth Ancestor fails his tribulation and dies, leaving only two Five-Tribulation patriarchs.
• Yellow Springs Manor attacks Demonic Sound Mountain, seriously injuring its First Ancestor. Although the Third Ancestor uses the mountain’s formation to repel the attackers, the organization’s defenses and reputation are severely weakened.
• Tens of thousands of Spirit Transformation cultivators flee Demonic Sound Mountain, while Yellow Springs Manor hunts many of them. The entire Ninth District descends into disorder.
• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch return to Wu River Star after 642 years and explain the situation to Chen Jichuan.
• They discuss whether to relocate to Medicine-Dust Star in the Sixth District, but decide it is too far away. Instead, they plan to endure the chaos and maintain contact with their former allies.
• The two patriarchs encourage Chen Jichuan, Huang Quan, and Xiao Lan to venture into the wider starry sky, while they remain behind to protect Wu River Star.
• Chen Jichuan reveals that Huang Quan and Xiao Lan are not the only new Spirit Transformation cultivators. Twenty-five additional disciples have reached that realm.
• The twenty-seven cultivators return to Wu River Star and formally greet Chen Jichuan as their Patriarch, shocking Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan demonstrates his overwhelming battlefield control and protective role. He deliberately exposes his disciples to danger so they will learn humility and caution, but repeatedly saves them from death.
• Xiao Lan and Huang Quan prove capable of fighting powerful opponents on relatively equal terms. Their growing strength allows them to prepare for exploration beyond Wu River Star.
• Zhang He, Jin Nan, and the other White Tiger Hall cultivators suffer a humiliating defeat. Their injuries force them to recognize their lack of experience and the dangers of overconfidence.
• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch return as experienced elders concerned with the future of Wu River Star. They are willing to let the younger generation seek opportunities while taking responsibility for their homeland.
• The twenty-five newly advanced Spirit Transformation disciples reveal the rapid growth of Chen Jichuan’s faction and the expanding strength of the Wu River Immortal Sect.

3. Significant Themes

• The danger of arrogance: The brutal defeat of the twenty-five cultivators serves as a practical lesson that strength within Wu River Star does not guarantee survival in the wider starry sky.
• Rise and decline of powerful organizations: Demonic Sound Mountain’s collapse illustrates how even a major force can weaken when its succession of powerful cultivators fails.
• Chaos as both threat and opportunity: Although the Ninth District becomes dangerous, instability may allow a new leader or organization to rise and replace Demonic Sound Mountain.
• The importance of unity and reputation: Demonic Sound Mountain succeeded because its patriarchs shared deep bonds and maintained trust over thousands of years. Loose alliances lack the same stability.
• Generational succession: The older patriarchs begin transferring responsibility to Chen Jichuan and his disciples, while the younger cultivators prepare to explore and establish themselves in the starry sky.
• Attachment to one’s homeland: Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch hesitate to leave Wu River Star despite the advantages of other regions, emphasizing their emotional connection to their birthplace.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Jichuan silently evaluates the injured cultivators and uses their defeat as a lesson rather than scolding them extensively.
• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch brief Chen Jichuan on Demonic Sound Mountain’s collapse and discuss the future of the Ninth District.
• The patriarchs encourage Huang Quan and Xiao Lan to leave Wu River Star, believing they deserve the chance to gain experience and seek greater opportunities.
• Chen Jichuan playfully contradicts their assumptions and reveals that he will take Huang Quan and Xiao Lan—as well as twenty-five other Spirit Transformation disciples—with him.
• The returning disciples bow to Chen Jichuan and call him “Patriarch,” creating a dramatic reveal that leaves Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch astonished.

Chapter Summary: “A Long Road Ahead!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch return to Wu River Star after more than six hundred years away and are astonished to find twenty-five newly advanced Spirit Transformation cultivators gathered in White Tiger Hall.
• Chen Jichuan explains that he personally trained these cultivators over the past two hundred years, using lectures, guidance, and twenty-four Fauxuan Pills to assist their breakthroughs.
• The twenty-five cultivators were selected not only for talent but also for their character. Chen removed several morally questionable candidates despite their potential.
• Chen tells the patriarchs that this mass advancement cannot be repeated immediately. The sect will need several centuries for another generation of geniuses to mature.
• He decides to leave Wu River Star again and take a group into the wider starry sky, treating Wu River Star as the sect’s “cradle” and the starry sky as its “battlefield.”
• During the ten years following Galaxy and True Martial’s return, Chen arranges the sect’s defenses, resource inventories, formations, future development, and exploration plans.
• Chen’s expedition consists of:
  • Himself
  • Galaxy and True Martial
  • Eight Spirit Transformation cultivators, including Huang Quan, Xiao Lan, Zhang He, Kong Xiang, and Yan Liuqi
  • Five hundred True Persons
• Thirty of the five hundred True Persons are specially selected for intensive cultivation. Chen plans to train them during the journey rather than leaving their talents unused at home.
• The group’s journey may last several hundred to several thousand years. Meanwhile, the remaining cultivators will guard Wu River Star and continue developing the sect.
• Chen hopes this method will eventually produce hundreds of Spirit Transformation cultivators over the next several thousand years.

Character Developments

• Chen Jichuan is reaffirmed as an extraordinary teacher and strategist. His reputation grows from “Immortal Tutor” to potentially the “Immortal Tutor of Ten Thousand Ages.”
• He becomes increasingly ambitious for Wu River Immortal Sect, refusing to rely solely on natural talent or slow, ordinary advancement. He believes he must actively shape the sect’s future.
• Chen also demonstrates greater responsibility: although he wants to take all valuable people with him, he deliberately leaves capable cultivators behind to prevent disorder on Wu River Star.
• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch are humbled and impressed by the sect’s transformation during their absence. They recognize how dramatically Chen has advanced Wu River Immortal Sect.
• Huang Quan, Xiao Lan, Zhang He, and the other White Tiger Hall cultivators move from being local disciples and promising talents to becoming members of a major interstellar expedition.
• The remaining cultivators of Wu River Immortal Sect are motivated by the success of the Twenty-Five Ancestors and compete to become future Spirit Transformation patriarchs.

Significant Themes

• Mentorship and cultivation: Chen’s teaching ability is as important as his personal strength. Advancement comes through instruction, resources, discipline, and moral judgment.
• Talent versus character: Chen values conduct as well as aptitude, showing that powerful but untrustworthy individuals may threaten the sect’s future.
• Building a lasting legacy: Chen is not merely pursuing personal cultivation; he is creating a system capable of producing strong cultivators for generations.
• Preparation and responsibility: The expedition requires careful planning because Wu River Star must remain stable as a long-term base.
• The cradle and the battlefield: Wu River Star represents safety, growth, and roots, while the starry sky represents danger, opportunity, exploration, and true advancement.
• Defying natural limitations: Chen believes that relying on one naturally gifted Spirit Transformation cultivator every several centuries is insufficient. He intends to accelerate the sect’s development through deliberate intervention.
• Exploration and resource gathering: Success in the starry sky depends on specialized methods, knowledge, tools, and planning rather than blind luck.

Character Interactions

• Galaxy and True Martial openly question Chen about the newly advanced cultivators, initially unable to believe that Wu River Immortal Sect could produce so many in only a few centuries.
• Their amazement turns into admiration when Chen explains his teaching methods and selective use of Fauxuan Pills.
• The two patriarchs praise Chen as an unmatched teacher and express a desire for him to remain on Wu River Star permanently.
• Chen respectfully but firmly rejects that path, explaining that continued cultivation on Wu River Star would yield diminishing returns and that he must venture into the starry sky.
• Chen’s relationship with his disciples and students is shown through his long-term planning: he not only takes Huang Quan, Xiao Lan, Zhang He, and others with him but also intends to cultivate a new generation during the journey.
• The expedition creates a balance between Chen and the traveling cultivators, who will seek resources and growth, and the remaining sect members, who will protect and develop Wu River Star.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Jichuan organizes an expedition from Wu River Star to Ten-Ring Star in the Eighth District. He leaves seventeen Spirit Transformation cultivators, led by Shao Yizheng, to defend Wu River Star while taking thirteen Spirit Transformation cultivators and five hundred True Persons with him.
• The journey lasts four hundred years. During that time, many True Persons die or age, while some advance to Spirit Transformation. Upon arrival, Chen settles the remaining low-level cultivators outside Ten-Ring Star and enters with a smaller group.
• The party learns that Demonic Sound Mountain has fallen. The Demon-Sound Ancestors have all died beneath the Rogue Immortal Tribulation, while Yellow Springs Manor was destroyed from within after Seven-Refinement Sword Lord and Bloodcloud Prison Lord betrayed and killed Heavenly Dragon Lord.
• Chen reflects on the tragic fate of powerful cultivators who became Rogue Immortals. The repeated failures of the Demon-Sound Ancestors, the Ten Star Lords, and Bloodcloud Prison Lord convince him that he must never become a Rogue Immortal.
• Chen spends most of his time cultivating and refining Jinling Pills. Together with Gan Chen, he earns over fifteen million Spirit Crystals annually, giving him a stable source of wealth without needing to risk himself outside.
• Over three thousand years on Ten-Ring Star, Chen progresses steadily:
  • He reaches the peak of the Heavenly Man Realm after twenty years.
  • After receiving guidance from a Spirit Division Realm expert, he breaks through to the Primordial Unity Realm in the two-hundredth year.
  • He uses Enlightenment 205 times to raise the Great Luo Heavenly Sleeve to its fifth layer.
  • He tests the technique by collecting and refining a small celestial body into the Three-Flower Divine Shuttle.
• The chapter ends after Chen has spent three thousand years on Ten-Ring Star, continuing his quiet cultivation and preparation for the future.

Character Development

• Chen Jichuan becomes increasingly cautious and detached from external conflict. Rather than pursuing fame or dangerous opportunities, he focuses on steady cultivation, pill refinement, and improving his techniques.
• His reflections on the destruction of Demonic Sound Mountain deepen his understanding of the dangers of the Rogue Immortal path. He develops a firm personal resolve to avoid becoming a Rogue Immortal, even if reaching the Immortal Realm becomes more difficult.
• Chen’s strength grows substantially. His breakthrough into the Primordial Unity Realm and mastery of the fifth layer of the Great Luo Heavenly Sleeve greatly increase his combat power, allowing him to threaten even stronger opponents.
• Galaxy Ancestor admires the final defiance of Demonic Sound’s Third Ancestor but is also shaken by the fate of the Demon-Sound group, making him more apprehensive about the Immortal Dao.
• Gan Chen, living within the Fire Dragon Immortal Standard, remains an essential partner in Chen’s pill-refining enterprise and contributes significantly to their financial stability.
• Bloodcloud Prison Lord is portrayed as an exceptionally talented but desperate cultivator. With his lifespan nearing its end, he appears likely to attempt violent liberation into the Rogue Immortal realm.

Significant Themes

• The cruelty and uncertainty of cultivation: Even renowned experts and entire sects can be destroyed by tribulations, internal betrayal, or stronger enemies.
• The cost of immortality: The Rogue Immortal path offers continued existence but makes true ascension extraordinarily difficult, creating a grim choice between death and an almost hopeless future.
• Prudence versus ambition: Chen chooses gradual accumulation, preparation, and economic independence instead of pursuing dangerous shortcuts.
• The passage of time: Centuries pass with little outward change, while lives, sects, and friendships disappear. Longevity does not protect cultivators from eventual decline.
• Power and legacy: The Ten Star Lords and Demon-Sound Ancestors demonstrate how even legendary figures can eventually be eclipsed or forgotten.
• Myth and exaggeration: The appendix’s folk tale about the Ten Star Lords presents them as enormous, absurdly powerful heroes whose abilities serve ordinary people, contrasting with the darker historical reality of their later struggles.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Galaxy Ancestor react together to the destruction of Demonic Sound Mountain, sharing grief and reflecting on the Third Ancestor’s final battle.
• Galaxy Ancestor and True Martial Patriarch provide Chen with intelligence gathered around Ten-Ring Star, especially concerning Yellow Springs Manor and Bloodcloud Prison Lord.
• Chen’s relationship with Gan Chen remains mutually beneficial: Chen supplies cultivation and direction, while Gan Chen refines Jinling Pills and helps generate wealth.
• Chen’s interactions with the wider group are largely organizational rather than dramatic. He assigns guards, divides the travelers into smaller groups, and maintains a low profile to avoid attracting attention.
• The chapter emphasizes Chen’s growing independence: after settling in Ten-Ring Star, he rarely ventures out and relies on cultivation, pill-making, and his own developing techniques rather than alliances or risky exploration.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens by describing the Wu River Immortal Sect’s mountain gate in the Ninth District’s Eighth District. Xu Ning/Chen Jichuan has spent three thousand years relocating stars and arranging countless formations to create the grand Lesser Sumeru Upright-Reverse Nine-Palace Immortal Formation.
• The mountain gate is centered on the magnificent Central Sumeru Mountain, surrounded by palaces, treasure structures, sacred scenery, and powerful defensive formations.
• Chen Jichuan enters seclusion to break through from the peak of the Primordial Unity Realm, the second realm of Spirit Transformation, into the Spirit Division Realm, the third realm.
• He uses an extraordinary collection of rare cultivation treasures, including the Vast Origin Meditation Mat, Pure Spirit Incense, Four-Pillar Spirit-Protecting Immortal Formation, Profound-Ice Misty Pure-Void Spirit Liquid, and Qianyuan Heavenly-Heart Spirit-Illuminating Treasure Mirror.
• During the breakthrough, his White Tiger Divine Lord and sword qi attack the restraints around his Primordial Spirit while medicinal treasures nourish his soul. After a climactic spiritual and Daoist resonance, the chains binding his Primordial Spirit shatter.
• His Primordial Spirit grows beyond nine feet nine inches and reaches ten feet, signifying his successful advancement to the First Layer of the Spirit Division Realm.
• After breaking through, Chen Jichuan reflects on his cultivation history, his limited remaining lifespan, and the difficulty of eventually reaching the Divine Metamorphosis Realm.
• The chapter also explains his broader preparations: refining pills, gathering resources, developing the Wu River Immortal Sect, and recreating the sect’s immense mountain-gate formation.

Character Development

• Chen Jichuan/Xu Ning achieves a major milestone by reaching the Spirit Division Realm after three thousand years of preparation and over two thousand years of cultivation in this life.
• His progress demonstrates both extraordinary perseverance and the advantages of his wealth, Creation ability, optimized pill formulas, and access to powerful treasures.
• Despite his joy, Chen Jichuan remains realistic and cautious. He recognizes that he has already used nearly half of his five-thousand-year lifespan and may not have enough time to reach the Fourth Realm in this life.
• He nevertheless retains confidence because he is relatively young for a Spirit Division cultivator and can rely on future reincarnations if necessary.
• His ambitions have expanded beyond personal cultivation. He is now building an entire immortal sect, securing resources, cultivating allies, and establishing a lasting foundation across multiple lifetimes.
• Gan Chen, residing within the Fire Dragon Immortal Standard, has become an important contributor by refining pills and earning resources for Chen Jichuan. His pill-making abilities are even greater than Chen Jichuan’s.

Significant Themes

• Persistence and long-term cultivation: Chen Jichuan’s breakthrough is the result of thousands of years of accumulation rather than a sudden miracle.
• The cost of advancement: Even with immense resources and rare treasures, each higher realm requires more time, effort, and increasingly difficult breakthroughs.
• Time and mortality: Chen Jichuan’s concern over his remaining lifespan emphasizes the pressure facing Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• Preparation and resource accumulation: Advancement depends not only on meditation but also on pills, treasures, formations, allies, and organizational strength.
• Reincarnation and long-term strategy: Unlike ordinary cultivators, Chen Jichuan can plan across several lives, allowing him to remain calm even when a breakthrough may be impossible in the present life.
• Building a legacy: His efforts to establish the Wu River Immortal Sect and recreate the Sumeru formation show that his goals extend beyond personal power to creating a powerful and enduring sect.

Character Interactions

• Chen Jichuan’s most significant “interaction” is with the heavens, the Dao, and his own Primordial Spirit during the breakthrough. He seeks harmony with heaven and earth while the White Tiger Divine Lord and sword qi help sever the spiritual restraints.
• His relationship with Gan Chen is collaborative: Gan Chen refines pills within the Fire Dragon Immortal Standard, allowing both men to accumulate resources more efficiently.
• Chen Jichuan also maintains an indirect connection with the Wu River Immortal Sect’s arriving cultivators. Successive groups of Spirit Transformation Venerables and Second-Order True Persons travel from Wu River Star to join the sect.
• His main body and Second Primordial Spirit divide responsibilities: the Second Primordial Spirit studies the Sumeru formation, while the main body continues developing the sect and reproducing the formation in the starry void.

Summary

• Key events: A new month begins, and the narrator announces a small batch of updates. They also ask readers to vote and subscribe for the coming month.
• Character development: The narrator’s enthusiasm and appreciation for their audience are emphasized, though no major personal development occurs.
• Themes: Gratitude, audience engagement, ongoing creative updates, and anticipation for the future.
• Character interactions: The narrator directly addresses readers, requesting their continued support through votes and subscriptions.