Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Monkey and Dog enter Spirit Wandering Temple with surprising ease. Monkey suspects an unseen ally deliberately cleared their way, while Dog assumes their success is proof of their skill.
• Inside the temple, night gives way to an artificial daytime scene. Monkey recognizes it as an illusion or other supernatural construction, and the pair press on.
• They find the Gourd of Longevity Equal to Heaven, guarded by the Wandering God True Person. The guardian’s presence terrifies them: Monkey believes she may rival the Royal Attendant Hall’s head.
• Monkey attacks with the Dragon-Head Executioner, a Demi-Divine Weapon capable of severing destiny—the exact force needed to disrupt the gourd’s restoration. The blade wounds the guardian’s palm, but her injury heals almost immediately.
• The guardian’s overwhelming spiritual pressure leaves Monkey and Dog nearly helpless. She then sends a sword-light attack at them, and Monkey believes they are certain to die.
• Wang Ping appears in time to save them, revealing he had been watching from the start. Monkey realizes Wang was the hidden figure who helped them reach the temple.
• Wang rejects Monkey’s despairing belief in an insurmountable “divide between immortals and mortals,” saying the guardian is not as powerful as she seems. He has already discerned the puppet’s origins.

Character developments and interactions

• Monkey is cautious and perceptive, noticing the staged circumstances and the temple’s illusion. Though prepared to sacrifice himself, he prioritizes ensuring the Attendant Hall can learn from his death. His confidence falters after the guardian effortlessly withstands his strongest weapon.
• Dog remains more optimistic and impulsive, celebrating their easy entry and the apparent promise of the Dragon-Head Executioner. Monkey repeatedly tries to protect him, even dragging him down to evade the sword.
• Wang Ping is revealed as the unseen observer and eventual rescuer. His calm confidence contrasts with Monkey’s conviction that resistance is futile.
• You Xuexin, acting through the Wandering God True Person’s body, regards Monkey and Dog as insignificant mortals. Her dismissive, almost pitying attitude reveals her belief that ordinary people cannot oppose transcendent beings.

Significant themes

• Mortality and power: Monkey sees the guardian as a force of nature, illustrating how overwhelming power can make resistance seem meaningless.
• Appearances and hidden agency: The easy entry, the false daytime sky, and the guardian’s puppet body suggest that events and identities are not what they first appear to be.
• Courage and duty: Even when defeat seems certain, Monkey thinks first of warning others and preserving knowledge.
• Limits of weapons: The Dragon-Head Executioner is exceptionally powerful and well suited to the mission, but it cannot overcome the vast difference in skill and strength on its own.

Key plot points and events

• After killing Xu Bingzheng, Wang Ping reaches the Spirit Wandering Temple but holds back while Monkey and Dog confront the Wandering God True Person. Watching the puppet spend Dharma Power to resist Monkey’s executioner weapon, he realizes it is powered by the same finite resource as the Six-Desire Demon Banner.
• Wang Ping’s plan is to win through attrition: he believes the puppet has less Dharma Power than his banner. He releases the banner’s demon horde against You Xuexin, who is controlling the puppet.
• You Xuexin tries to reclaim control of the banner but fails. She counters the demons with the Immortal Sect spell Demon-Subduing Divine Light, destroying many of them.
• Wang Ping then uses the Three Corpses Nine Worms Calamity-Relief Secret Record to greatly strengthen the remaining demons. Their numbers and enhanced abilities overwhelm the divine light’s initial attack, forcing You Xuexin to conserve her limited power.
• You Xuexin shifts to defense, surrounding herself with a durable azure-dragon barrier that seals nearby spiritual energy and withstands the demons’ attacks. Wang Ping cannot identify the spell and recognizes that his ignorance of Immortal Sect techniques puts him at a disadvantage.
• The chapter also cuts to the Immortal Sect, where Xuan He notices that the Gourd of Longevity Equal to Heaven is taking too long to refine. You Xuexin conceals the trouble, insisting that the process is proceeding normally. She expects the gourd to be repaired within three days.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping proves observant and strategic: he waits for others to test the puppet, identifies its weakness, and uses a team-enhancing technique to turn ordinary demons into a serious threat. He knows, however, that You Xuexin’s superior training and unknown defensive spell may undermine his advantage.
• You Xuexin remains confident in her orthodox techniques but is increasingly pressured by the banner’s rebellion and her limited Dharma Power. At the furnace, she hides the setback from Xuan He to protect her status as a True Disciple.
• Monkey and Dog are briefly confused when Wang Ping claims to have uncovered the puppet’s nature; their earlier attack helps reveal its weakness.
• Xuan He questions the delay in the furnace but defers to You Xuexin’s authority.

Significant themes

• Knowledge versus raw power: Wang Ping can exploit what he understands about Dharma Power, but You Xuexin’s unfamiliar spells create a tactical threat.
• Resource management and attrition: Both fighters must weigh the cost of attacking and defending, and Wang Ping’s advantage depends on exhausting his opponent.
• The overlooked becoming dangerous: A cultivation method associated with Rogue Cultivator laborers becomes a powerful battlefield tool against an elite disciple.
• Overconfidence and concealed failure: You Xuexin insists she has the advantage, even as her plans and artifacts repeatedly go wrong; her bravado contrasts with the growing uncertainty of her situation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The battle at Spirit Wandering Temple reaches a stalemate after You Xuexin forces Wandering God True Person into a defensive posture. Wang Ping realizes that prolonging the fight is dangerous.
• Monkey proposes that he and Dog sacrifice themselves by using the [Dragon-Head Executioner] to create an opening for Wang Ping. Wang Ping refuses, instead suggesting that all of them combine their strength for one decisive attack.
• Wang Ping takes the [Dragon-Head Executioner] and discovers that Divine Intent can activate the Demi-Divine Weapon, revealing a possible method for using Dharma Treasures before condensing Dharma Power.
• His Divine Intent warns him that breaking through You Xuexin’s azure dragon defense will trigger a deadly counterattack. Wang Ping suspects that Shouchong is hiding nearby and waiting to exploit the conflict.
• Wang Ping briefly considers retreating, reasoning that You Xuexin has already obtained enough lifespan and that the city’s inhabitants bear some responsibility for their own suffering. However, the demons transformed from Blackheads gather behind him and voluntarily offer their lives and cultivation to strengthen him.
• Their support weakens the “shadow of death” surrounding Wang Ping and reveals a narrow path to survival. Using the [Peace Scripture] and the completed condition of [A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold], Wang Ping borrows immense power and achieves a transformation of his Divine Intent.
• His transformed Divine Intent gains perfect control over his body, allowing him to accelerate far beyond the sound barrier. With the support of the demons, the [Six-Desire Demon Banner], Daoist Nun You’s Dharma Power, and [The Courage of the Worthy Gentleman], Wang Ping continues accelerating toward near-light speed.
• He finally reaches the realm where matter seems to collapse into light and delivers a devastating strike with the [Dragon-Head Executioner], shattering You Xuexin’s defensive formation—or preparing to do so—as the chapter ends on his declaration of a “Near-Light-Speed Slash.”

Character Developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates compassion and leadership by refusing to sacrifice Monkey and Dog, while also revealing his willingness to risk himself when others place their trust in him.
• He experiences a major breakthrough in his understanding of Divine Intent, advancing from enhanced thought speed to complete bodily control and extraordinary physical acceleration.
• Wang Ping’s hesitation exposes his growing awareness of mortality and strategic danger. His eventual resolve comes not from reckless heroism, but from the demons’ voluntary support and the hope they give him.
• Monkey and Dog show loyalty and self-sacrifice, offering to use the [Dragon-Head Executioner] even at the cost of their lives.
• The transformed demons retain enough instinct or lingering attachment to Wang Ping to support him without being ordered, emphasizing their bond with him.
• You Xuexin remains a dangerous opponent whose defense is also a lethal counterattack. Her confidence in the gap between immortals and mortals is directly challenged by Wang Ping’s new technique.
• Shouchong is portrayed as a likely hidden opportunist, possibly waiting for Wang Ping or You Xuexin to weaken each other before striking.

Significant Themes

• Courage versus self-preservation: Wang Ping must decide whether risking death is justified when retreat is rational and the conflict is not entirely his responsibility.
• Trust and collective strength: The demons’ voluntary sacrifice, along with Monkey and Dog’s willingness to fight, enables Wang Ping to surpass his previous limits.
• Mortal potential challenging immortality: The chapter questions the presumed superiority of immortal cultivators, suggesting that martial power, determination, and unconventional methods can bridge the gap.
• Sacrifice and responsibility: Wang Ping rejects using others as expendable tools, while the demons willingly contribute themselves to his strength.
• Breakthrough through pressure: The [Dragon-Head Executioner], the threat of death, and the completed promise force Wang Ping’s Divine Intent into a higher realm.
• Strategic deception and hidden threats: The battle is shaped not only by direct confrontation but also by suspected schemes from Shouchong and You Xuexin’s defensive trap.

Character Interactions

• Wang Ping and Monkey negotiate over the [Dragon-Head Executioner], with Wang Ping persuading Monkey that he can control a demon through Divine Intent.
• Monkey unintentionally reveals that Great Shun’s Divine Weapons can be activated through Divine Intent, giving Wang Ping an important tactical insight.
• Wang Ping reassures Monkey and Dog that he will not allow them to sacrifice themselves merely to create an opening.
• The demons silently respond to Wang Ping’s wavering resolve by gathering behind him and lending him their strength.
• Wang Ping’s final strike directly confronts You Xuexin’s belief that immortals are fundamentally beyond mortals, turning the battle into a symbolic challenge between immortal cultivation and martial transcendence.

Key plot points and events

• You Xuexin’s protective spell, the Azure Dragon Concealment Divine Light, absorbs attacks and returns their force through a hidden golden blade. Wang Ping’s Near-Light-Speed Slash breaks through its defense, however, leaving the counterattack weak enough to do him only minor harm.
• Wang Ping is nearly spent, and the Wandering God True Person puppet is badly damaged. At the decisive moment, Liansheng Bodhisattva appears and uses stolen incense offerings to disable You Xuexin’s control of the puppet.
• Liansheng reveals that she is Liansheng Yue, the white-robed, sword-bearing True Disciple Wang Ping saw fighting You Xuexin before. She calls You her senior sister and confirms their conflict.
• Liansheng destroys the Gourd of Longevity Equal to Heaven, refining it together with thirty-three Lifespan-Extending Golden Pills and the previous dynasty’s Destiny into a Tribulation-Dispelling Everlasting Pill. Its radiance heals Wang Ping, Monkey, and Dog.
• Liansheng laments that she could not also seize Great Shun’s Destiny and transfer resources from the Eight Trigrams Furnace to the Divine Farmer Cauldron. Wang Ping infers that the two True Disciples’ dispute concerns competing methods of using the furnace and cauldron.
• When Liansheng seems to sense Wang Ping’s thoughts, he retreats into the Peace Scripture. Meanwhile, You Xuexin—back at the Immortal Sect—learns her plan has failed and attacks Liansheng in fury.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping demonstrates extraordinary power with his slash, but it leaves him almost incapacitated. He quickly pieces together the larger conflict and protects himself when Liansheng turns her attention toward him.
• You Xuexin shifts from confidence in her carefully chosen defenses to shock, anger, and humiliation. Her attempt to secure a powerful artifact and win her master’s favor is undone by Liansheng.
• Liansheng Yue emerges as a composed, powerful rival who has been secretly working against You. She uses You’s stolen incense offerings against her, takes control of the outcome, and appears to have a broader plan involving pill refinement.
• Monkey and Dog witness the arrival of the Bodhisattva they had wondered about, then recover alongside Wang Ping.
• The exchange between the two women is openly antagonistic: Liansheng taunts You and dismisses her as incompetent, while You accuses her of sabotaging their master’s undertaking and ultimately attacks her.

Significant themes

• Power turned against its wielder: You’s defensive spell converts attacks into strength, but Wang Ping’s overwhelming slash defeats the tactic; later, Liansheng uses You’s stolen incense offerings against her.
• Rivalry and ambition: The conflict between the True Disciples is tied to different plans for serving their master, as well as You’s hopes of earning greater cultivation and status.
• Hidden agendas and escalating stakes: The gourd, furnace, cauldron, Destiny, and pill-refining ritual reveal that the battle is part of a larger struggle over resources and the Immortal Sect’s plans.
• Survival through restraint: After recognizing the danger of Liansheng’s attention, Wang Ping avoids exposing his thoughts by withdrawing into the Peace Scripture.

Summary: “A Strong Hand Above a Strong Hand”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Ping awakens inside the [Peace Scripture] space and discovers that Liansheng Bodhisattva has taken possession of the [Six-Desire Demon Banner].
• His situation is extremely dangerous: his consciousness is trapped in the scripture realm while his physical body remains outside, and his only remaining escape method, [Perish with the Sun], is nearing its time limit. If he dies in this state, he will truly die.
• Wang Ping realizes that the imperial court, the White Lotus Sect, and factions within the Immortal Sect were never merely cooperating temporarily. They were part of interconnected schemes from the beginning.
• He deduces that:
  • You Daoist Nun represents the Immortal Sect’s Divine Weapons Institute.
  • Liansheng Bodhisattva represents the Immortal Formula Institute.
  • The conflict in Longxing County was a contest between these two True Disciples over the refinement of a life-prolonging treasure or pill.
  • Regardless of which disciple won, the ultimate result would benefit the same powerful Immortal Sect Qi Refiner—likely You Daoist Nun’s master.
• Wang Ping recognizes that his own efforts—saving civilians, distributing grain, suppressing corruption, and preventing mass bloodshed—did not overturn the Immortal Sect’s plan. His resistance merely helped shape the desired outcome.
• He initially believes that Shouchong would have been Liansheng Bodhisattva’s backup plan, using transformed citizens and demons to defeat You Daoist Nun if necessary.
• However, Wang Ping notices a flaw in his deductions: the timing of the demon cultivation does not fit the established scheme.
• He realizes that Lin Sheng was implanted with the forbidden [Life-Stealing Thief] technique before You Daoist Nun obtained it, meaning the person who created the demon network could not have been You Daoist Nun.
• Liansheng Bodhisattva could not have been responsible either, since she and the Great Shun Emperor opposed Xu Bingzheng and the Imperial Academy.
• Wang Ping concludes that a third Immortal Sect cultivator secretly acted alongside Xu Bingzheng. This person operated outside the control of both You Daoist Nun and Liansheng Bodhisattva.
• He further reasons that this hidden figure used the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman] to cloud You Daoist Nun’s mind, causing her to overlook the presence of [Life-Stealing Thief].
• Since Liansheng Bodhisattva also failed to notice the forbidden technique, Wang Ping suspects that someone close to her may have deceived or ambushed her as well.
• The clues ultimately lead him to identify Shouchong as the most likely hidden conspirator.
• Outside the scripture space, Liansheng Bodhisattva examines the Six-Desire Demon Banner and considers taking it away for later study. She then detects Wang Ping’s return and prepares to search his soul.
• Wang Ping is no longer helpless because a mysterious man in white approaches from behind Liansheng Bodhisattva.

Character Developments

• Wang Ping moves from despair and regret to renewed clarity. He realizes the apparent “victory” of one Immortal Sect faction may conceal a deeper, independent conspiracy.
• His ability to connect inconsistencies, especially the timeline surrounding Lin Sheng, demonstrates growing strategic intelligence and investigative skill.
• Wang Ping’s view of the Immortal Sect changes dramatically: he now sees it as an organization capable of turning every form of resistance into assistance.
• Liansheng Bodhisattva is revealed as confident, calculating, and curious about the Six-Desire Demon Banner. Although powerful, she is not omniscient and appears unaware of the hidden third party.
• You Daoist Nun is shown to have been manipulated without realizing it. Her apparent escape from the mind-clouding talisman may have been deliberately permitted by the true conspirator.
• Shouchong becomes increasingly suspicious as a possible independent schemer who may have deceived both major factions.

Significant Themes

• Resistance being absorbed by power: Wang Ping’s efforts to save lives and oppose injustice ultimately become part of the Immortal Sect’s predetermined design.
• Political and religious corruption: The imperial court, sects, and supposedly opposing factions are deeply intertwined, making conventional distinctions between allies and enemies meaningless.
• Layers of conspiracy: The apparent conflict between You Daoist Nun and Liansheng Bodhisattva may itself have concealed a third player acting beyond the main scheme.
• Limits of perception and knowledge: Even powerful True Disciples can be manipulated, deceived, or kept ignorant.
• Fatalism versus agency: Wang Ping initially believes everything was destined to fail, but discovering the hidden variable gives him a possible opening to change the outcome.
• The cost of power: The suffering of tens of thousands is treated as a tool in a contest over life-prolonging cultivation treasures.

Character Interactions

• Wang Ping and Liansheng Bodhisattva: Their confrontation is indirect at first, with Liansheng possessing the Demon Banner and attempting to search Wang Ping’s soul. Wang Ping, however, gains confidence after uncovering the deeper conspiracy.
• You Daoist Nun and Liansheng Bodhisattva: They are rival True Disciples whose opposing plans in Longxing County ultimately serve a common superior. Neither realizes the full extent of the third party’s interference.
• Wang Ping and Shouchong: Although they do not directly interact in this section, Wang Ping’s investigation turns toward Shouchong as the likely person manipulating events behind both factions.
• Liansheng Bodhisattva and the Six-Desire Demon Banner: She treats the banner as a mysterious relic, speculating that it may be connected to the previous dynasty, while preparing to take it for further study.
• Wang Ping and the man in white: The chapter ends with the unexpected arrival of the white-clothed man behind Liansheng Bodhisattva, suggesting a sudden shift in the balance of power.

Key plot points and events

• During her battle with You Xuexin, Liansheng Yue suddenly loses contact with Liansheng Bodhisattva. You Xuexin recovers memories of her past death and realizes they were fabricated through God-Stealing Thief, a power that can alter memories and knowledge. She identifies the culprit as Heaven-Stealing Thief.
• In the Eight Trigrams Furnace, Wang Ping watches a mysterious white-clad figure approach. The figure—Heaven-Stealing Thief, appearing alongside Shouchong—kills the nameless woman who had been searching Wang Ping’s soul.
• Disguised as Liansheng Bodhisattva, Heaven-Stealing Thief claims the Tribulation-Dispelling Everlasting Pill was made to aid his cultivation, then eats it and releases the lifespans it contained back to Longxing County’s residents. He also gives Wang Ping Time-Stealing Thief, causing the Otherworldly Celestial Demon scroll to reactivate.
• Once the deception lifts, Wang Ping realizes Heaven-Stealing Thief had impersonated the Bodhisattva, undermined the Qi Refiner’s scheme, and left Wang Ping holding the clues most likely to draw the Immortal Sect’s attention. Wang Ping activates the Peace Scripture as a powerful presence appears above Longxing County.

Character developments and interactions

• You Xuexin recognizes that her memories were tampered with before her death and that her resurrection’s memory gap concealed the manipulation. Her discovery reveals how thoroughly Heaven-Stealing Thief can deceive even an Immortal Sect True Disciple.
• Wang Ping moves from bewilderment to understanding, but his relief at receiving a powerful technique quickly turns to alarm when he realizes he may have been set up as a scapegoat.
• Heaven-Stealing Thief proves both ruthless and strategic: he kills the woman investigating Wang Ping, frees the stolen lifespans, teaches Wang Ping a valuable art, and disappears under another person’s identity.
• Shouchong kneels before the apparent Bodhisattva, confirming his devotion. Wang Ping recalls that Shouchong had benefited from a time-related power, suggesting his allegiance to Heaven-Stealing Thief goes back further than it first appeared.

Significant themes

• Memory and truth: Altered memories make apparent evidence unreliable, while gaps in recollection can hide prior interference.
• Deception and identity: Heaven-Stealing Thief’s impersonation allows him to act openly while concealing who he is.
• Manipulation and collateral damage: His schemes protect or benefit some people while leaving Wang Ping exposed to the consequences.
• Power and consequence: The stolen lifespans are returned, but Heaven-Stealing Thief’s interference is likely to provoke a dangerous response from the Immortal Sect.

Plot points and events

• A colossal, divine-looking face appears over Longxing County, frightening Wang Ping with its immense power. Everyone else instinctively bows without seeing it; Monkey and Dog suffer severe bleeding from sensing its presence. The face soon vanishes without attacking.
• At the Immortal Sect, a powerful youth examines the Eight Trigrams Furnace and explains that the Heaven-Stealing Thief escaped after hiding inside it. He identifies the theft of the artifact spirit as the thief’s work, then orders You Xuexin and Liansheng Yue to train in seclusion for the next ten years. You Xuexin must leave her damaged Six-Desire Demon Banner behind as furnace fuel.
• Wang Ping concludes that powerful Qi Refiners are restricted from directly interfering in the mortal world, giving him some hope of surviving future confrontations.
• He realizes the Heaven-Stealing Thief used the Time-Stealing Thief art to steal seven days, restoring Wang Ping’s Otherworldly Celestial Demon and enabling his escape. Wang Ping suspects the thief deliberately exposed his resurrection ability, though he cannot determine the thief’s motives.
• Since the Six-Desire Demon King identity is now too conspicuous, Wang Ping spends all 53 Destiny points to create a new identity: an azure scholar known as the Shu Region Rebel King, famed for opening granaries and distributing food.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping shifts from immediate terror to cautious relief, then anxiety about how much the Heaven-Stealing Thief knows about him. Unable to resolve the threat, he chooses to keep advancing and adapt by adopting a new identity.
• The Heaven-Stealing Thief is revealed as both Wang Ping’s indirect rescuer and a potential long-term threat: he appears to know about Wang Ping’s abilities and may be manipulating him.
• The Immortal Sect youth shows restrained authority, reprimanding neither disciple harshly but sending them into seclusion and postponing their chance to redeem themselves until the Immortal-Brahma Sword Duel.
• You Xuexin and Liansheng Yue respond with fear and submission, accepting their punishment and the loss of You Xuexin’s damaged treasure.
• Monkey and Dog demonstrate how dangerous the apparition was, despite never seeing it directly.

Significant themes

• Power and limits: Even seemingly godlike figures may face restrictions on acting in the mortal world.
• Uncertainty and manipulation: Wang Ping cannot tell whether the thief saved him strategically or accidentally, leaving him wary of being used.
• Survival through adaptation: Rather than dwell on danger, Wang Ping changes identities and presses on.
• Walking on thin ice: Wang Ping’s survival feels precarious, dependent on narrow escapes and forces beyond his control.

Plot points and events

• A secret message from Longxing County reaches the Imperial Academy: officials Bingzheng and Yiran are dead, and local people have seized the autumn tax grain. The Royal Attendant Hall has sealed off details, but the Golden Cavalry Guard may be involved.
• A senior scholar, Cheng Bochun, concludes that the Attendant Hall may have acted without the emperor’s approval. Believing he has nevertheless profited from the affair, he swallows an “immortality pill” obtained through Bingzheng. The pill is actually poisoned: he collapses after a talking brush frightens him.
• News of Cheng’s poisoning spreads through the Royal Attendant Hall, where Rooster reports that Cheng is unconscious and near death.
• Monkey returns from Longxing County and meets Dragon, a powerful Attendant Hall officer. Monkey says the mission is finished and that he has brought back an exceptional martial talent.
• Dragon reveals that Wang Ping has already become prominent through the upheaval in Longxing County. The Weapon Ranking now lists him sixth, under the title “Dragon-Head Executioner,” describing him as a rebel leader who seized government grain and rallied over ten thousand followers.

Character developments and interactions

• Cheng Bochun shifts from calm confidence to alarm when he learns of the deaths and grain seizure. His greed and belief in the pill’s supposed benefits lead directly to his apparent poisoning.
• The young Imperial Academy messenger is intimidated by his teacher but insists on delivering the disturbing news.
• Monkey returns with knowledge of the Longxing affair and teases Rooster, then presents Wang Ping as a rare talent.
• Dragon connects the turmoil at the Reputation Bureau, the palace, and the Imperial Academy to Longxing County. His awareness of the Weapon Ranking shows that Wang Ping’s rise has become impossible to ignore.
• Rooster acts as an enthusiastic messenger, spreading Cheng’s downfall and welcoming Monkey back.

Significant themes

• Political intrigue and competing authority: The emperor, the Attendant Hall, and the Imperial Academy appear to be maneuvering around one another, while the truth about Longxing remains concealed.
• Greed and false promises: Cheng’s desire for extended life makes him vulnerable to the counterfeit—or poisoned—elixir.
• Rebellion and reputation: Wang Ping’s local uprising has rapidly become a realm-wide story, transforming him into a ranked figure and symbol of resistance.
• Irony and reversal: The scholar who prizes order and “peace under heaven” is undone by his own confidence and avarice, while a supposed county disturbance becomes a major political crisis.

Plot and key events

• Monkey reviews the Weapon Ranking, which places Wang Ping sixth, and accepts that the position reflects his extraordinary strength. He recounts Wang’s decisive attack during the Longxing County incident.
• Dragon identifies Wang’s breakthrough as Divine Intent Metamorphosis, a rare step that brings him close to Grandmaster status. To become a Grandmaster, however, Wang must still transform his physical body—a dangerous process that can turn him into an Aberration.
• Monkey reports that the Liansheng Bodhisattva was a puppet of a Transcendent, likely connected to an Immortal Sect in the heavens. He also describes Wang’s three successive identities, each documented but impossible to verify through other living people.
• Monkey fears Wang may be a heavenly spy, perhaps a Divine Weapon that gained sentience and took over a mortal identity. Dragon dismisses the suspicion: Wang’s actions helped thwart the heavenly scheme and saved Longxing County.
• Dragon decides to travel to meet Wang and consider recruiting him into the Royal Attendant Hall. The First Seat intervenes, ordering Dragon to go immediately and setting escalating tests: Wang must master the Martial God Illustrated Manual within a thousand days to become the next Tiger, qualify for the title Five-Weapon Sacred Lord within a hundred days, and meet the First Seat within ten.
• Dragon assumes the First Seat intends the tests to humble Wang and prevent him from taking reckless risks. Privately delighted to have an extended break from capital duties, he looks forward to traveling.

Character development and interactions

• Monkey shifts from astonishment at Wang’s ranking to serious concern about the mysteries surrounding him. He shares his investigation with Dragon rather than concealing the risks.
• Dragon is impressed by Wang’s talent but remains pragmatic and good-humored. He reassures Monkey about Wang’s loyalty, agrees to meet him, and eagerly welcomes the chance to leave the capital.
• Rooster reacts with surprise to Wang’s apparent path toward Grandmaster status and briefly compares Wang’s talent with his own.
• The First Seat, though absent in secluded cultivation, exerts authority through a mysterious voice. His demanding orders show intense interest in Wang and suggest he may have a deeper purpose for testing him.

Significant themes

• Talent and the limits of achievement: Divine Intent Metamorphosis is an exceptionally rare breakthrough, but physical transformation remains a perilous final barrier.
• Identity and suspicion: Wang’s successive, unverifiable lives raise doubts about whether he is a martial artist, a Divine Weapon’s vessel, or an agent of the heavens.
• Loyalty judged by action: Dragon considers Wang’s role in defeating the heavenly plan stronger evidence of allegiance than his suspicious origins.
• Ambition, testing, and freedom: Wang faces severe expectations from the Attendant Hall, while Dragon sees the mission as a welcome escape from the constraints of life in the capital.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Ping tests his newly restored body, whose strength is far below his former peak: he can break the sound barrier, but cannot yet reproduce his devastating Near-Light-Speed Slash.
• His transformed Divine Intent can now control every part of his own body. He suspects this is the Martial Dao’s next stage—using Divine Intent to evolve the body—but recognizes the danger of experimenting without guidance.
• Dog asks Wang Ping how to achieve Divine Intent Metamorphosis. Unable to explain a breakthrough he gained through supernatural assistance, Wang Ping gives a blunt, discouraging answer.
• Dragon arrives and reframes Wang Ping’s remarks as a lesson in steadfast resolve. He reveals that the Dragon-Head Executioner was once his weapon, but the blade no longer responds to him and remains with Wang Ping.
• Dragon recruits Wang Ping into the Royal Attendant Hall. Wang Ping refuses to abandon the Blackheads, who followed him into rebellion, so Dragon proposes that he join secretly while remaining rebel king in public. The court will recognize him as an undercover informant and refrain from attacking him.
• Just as Wang Ping accepts, a powerful Spirit Sense sweeps into the training ground. Madam Su arrives with a formidable woman, who promises to secure justice for her cousin.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping shows ambition and caution: he sees a path to recovering his former combat power, but prioritizes learning safe methods before altering his body. He also demonstrates responsibility by refusing to desert the Blackheads for personal advancement.
• Dog is insecure about his stalled progress and takes Wang Ping’s taunt to heart. Dragon challenges his sensitivity and urges him to develop the resolve required for Divine Intent.
• Dragon is pragmatic and politically flexible. He values Wang Ping enough to devise a way for him to serve the court without betraying his followers. His failed attempt to reclaim the Dragon-Head Executioner also hints at the weapon’s new bond with Wang Ping.
• Wang Ping and Dragon build an alliance through negotiation; Dragon’s strategic offer lets Wang Ping preserve both his public role and his obligations.
• Madam Su and her companion interrupt the new arrangement, setting up a confrontation whose cause and outcome remain unknown.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and responsibility: Wang Ping will not abandon people who trusted and followed him.
• Resolve and self-belief: Dragon presents steadfastness under judgment and mockery as essential to Divine Intent.
• Evolution and its risks: Transformed Divine Intent may allow humans to transcend bodily limits, but uncontrolled change can be fatal.
• Political compromise: Wang Ping can serve the empire while remaining a rebel king in public, blurring the line between rebellion and official duty.

Chapter Summary: “Cousin, Step Outside for a Moment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with an awkward confrontation in the training ground. Chen Luoyan, Madam Su’s outspoken cousin, reprimands Wang Ping for failing to visit Madam Su during the half month since the Longxing County incident.
• Wang Ping and Chen Luoyan unexpectedly recognize that they practice the same foundational technique: the Three Corpses Nine Worms Calamity-Relief Secret Record. Their prolonged eye contact reveals that both are examining the other’s cultivation.
• Dragon and Dog leave after Chen Luoyan requests privacy. Madam Su initially expects to remain with Wang Ping, but Chen Luoyan then asks her to leave as well. Wang Ping supports this request, implying that he and Chen Luoyan must discuss confidential matters.
• Once alone, Chen Luoyan identifies herself as a disciple of Book Mountain, a blessed land connected to the Way of Fangxian in the Central Province. She questions Wang Ping about his sect and the origin of his technique.
• Chen Luoyan believes Wang Ping may have obtained one of the three thousand “destined opportunities” left behind by Book Mountain’s patriarch before ascending. She invites him to return with her so the sect can investigate and potentially accept him.
• Wang Ping refuses to follow her blindly, emphasizing the danger of trusting strangers. Instead, he cleverly asks her to explain Book Mountain, the Way of Fangxian, Transcendent cultivation, and the First Tribulation Realm.
• Chen Luoyan reveals the shocking doctrine of her sect: the world is a furnace, while the Central Plains, Great Shun, and all its people are merely fuel used by the Vast Void Immortal Realm to refine artifacts.
• Wang Ping pretends to dismiss the revelation as absurd, prompting Chen Luoyan to offer proof. She finally discloses that Book Mountain possesses a path to the Vast Void Immortal Realm—the same route their patriarch used to ascend.
• Wang Ping is privately astonished. He realizes that Great Shun may contain a second route to the Immortal Sect, potentially an official passage rather than the dangerous or obscure connection he previously knew about.

Character Developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates caution, skepticism, and strategic manipulation. Rather than accepting Chen Luoyan’s invitation, he uses questions and feigned disbelief to extract increasingly valuable information.
• He also confirms that his cultivation method is directly connected to the Way of Fangxian, strengthening the possibility that his technique originated from or is linked to the Immortal Sect.
• Chen Luoyan is shown to be blunt, protective of Madam Su, and surprisingly trusting when discussing her sect’s beliefs. Her eagerness to defend the truth causes her to reveal more than Wang Ping initially expected.
• Madam Su remains affectionate and concerned about Wang Ping. She is confused when asked to leave, briefly worrying that something inappropriate might occur between Wang Ping and her cousin, but ultimately trusts him and recognizes the discussion may involve Chen Luoyan’s Transcendent identity.
• Dragon and Dog provide comic relief through their awareness of the romantic awkwardness and their teasing departure.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge and information as power: Wang Ping gains more by questioning Chen Luoyan than by accepting her invitation. His apparent ignorance becomes a tool for extracting secrets.
• Trust and caution: The chapter emphasizes the danger of following unfamiliar sects or cultivators without understanding their motives.
• Hidden connections between worlds: The shared cultivation technique suggests that the Way of Fangxian and the Immortal Sect are closely related.
• The world as a sacrificial system: Chen Luoyan’s revelation introduces a grim cosmic worldview in which ordinary people and entire civilizations exist as fuel for higher realms.
• Truth versus credibility: Chen Luoyan speaks sincerely, but her claims sound so unbelievable that Wang Ping initially rejects them. The chapter explores how extraordinary truths require evidence.
• Political and sectarian concealment: The existence of a direct route from Book Mountain to the Vast Void Immortal Realm suggests that Great Shun’s Transcendent factions may have a far more organized relationship with the Immortal Sect than Wang Ping realized.

Character Interactions

• Chen Luoyan confronts Wang Ping over his neglect of Madam Su, while Madam Su tries to soften the conflict and defend her husband.
• Wang Ping and Chen Luoyan silently assess each other’s cultivation before beginning a guarded conversation about their origins.
• Wang Ping and Madam Su communicate through subtle trust: he asks her to leave, and she accepts that the matter is serious despite her emotional unease.
• The central interaction is between Wang Ping and Chen Luoyan. She attempts to recruit or guide him, while he maintains a skeptical façade and carefully steers her into revealing Book Mountain’s secrets.
• Their conversation ends with Chen Luoyan unintentionally disclosing the existence of a passage to the Vast Void Immortal Realm, giving Wang Ping a major new lead.

Summary

• Key updates/events: The author announces that the first twenty updates have been completed and that a new volume is beginning. Future chapters will continue to be released at noon, maintaining the schedule of four updates per day.
• Monthly ticket lottery: Because Immortal Sect has become a premium work, the author introduces commemorative metal tokens for loyal readers. Each token bears “Immortal Sect True Disciple” on one side and “Holy Sect Disciple” on the other.
• Eligibility and selection: Readers who vote with monthly tickets between midnight on July 1 and 8 p.m. on July 7 will be entered automatically, with no registration required. The top twenty voters are guaranteed tokens, while another 100 readers will be selected by lottery, creating 120 total “True Disciple” positions.
• Lottery process: Participants receive monthly ticket numbers displayed in the upper-right corner of the voting page under “Monthly Ticket Commemorative Booklet.” The winning numbers will be drawn and announced in a later chapter, after which winners can join the reader group for verification.
• Character developments/interactions: There is no fictional plot or character interaction in this chapter. The focus is on the author’s relationship with readers, who are addressed as disciples and encouraged to participate in voting and the lottery.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes reader participation, community loyalty, premium serialization, reward-based engagement, and the continuation of the author’s regular publishing schedule.

Chapter Summary: “Book Mountain”

• Chen Luoyan recounts Book Mountain’s origins. Its founder, Ren Changsheng—also known as Daoist Xuan He—was supposedly a sword immortal who founded the sect to protect the people from the Demonic Path. Before ascending, he established three thousand “karmic connections” and foretold that fulfilling them would allow the entire sect to ascend within five hundred years.
• Wang Ping suspects the story hides a scheme. His experience with the Immortal Sect makes the founder’s claims of compassion and public service seem implausible. He reasons that Book Mountain’s location inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, a place used to refine artifacts, is likely central to Xuan He’s real purpose.
• He connects Book Mountain’s cultivation path to smuggling. Chen explains that the sect’s sword cultivators refine Natal Flying Swords and can eventually ascend, unlike Great Shun’s martial artists. Wang Ping concludes that ascension may let Book Mountain disciples carry valuable Dharma Treasures out of the furnace—effectively smuggling the Immortal Sect’s assets.
• Chen describes the route to ascension. Transcendents progress through four stages, with the fourth involving the refinement of Dharma Power. Those who reach it are called Loose Immortals. They must then accumulate incense Destiny through good deeds and temper their flying swords before using Book Mountain’s ascension path.
• Wang broadens his theory. He suspects incense Destiny can be converted into Dharma Coins, making the system not only a means of smuggling treasures but also of laundering money. He believes Xuan He must have been a powerful Immortal Sect insider—at least an Inner Sect Disciple, perhaps backed by a Qi Refiner.
• Wang decides Book Mountain could benefit him. If Xuan He created the system to exploit its disciples, he may still have left behind genuine Immortal Sect teachings to ensure the scheme could continue. Wang sees Book Mountain as a possible way to learn the Immortal Sect’s orthodox methods and gain entry through legitimate channels. He keeps his suspicions to himself and plans to take advantage of the sect’s internal rivalries.

Character Developments and Interactions

Chen is proud of Book Mountain and readily explains its history and teachings, unaware of Wang’s suspicions. Wang begins the conversation by flattering her, then carefully steers it toward the karmic connections and ascension. His skepticism turns into strategic interest: rather than challenge Chen’s beliefs, he decides to investigate Book Mountain’s potential value to himself.

Plot points

• Wang Ping recognizes Chen Luoyan’s interest in bringing him to Book Mountain and readily agrees, while using the prospect of leaving Madam Su behind to persuade her to reveal the secret of the Borrowed Manifestation Technique.
• Chen explains its four-word key: “Drawing Out Kan and Filling Li.” By refining true yin and yang within the body, a cultivator can sense Heaven and Earth’s solar terms and turn spiritual energy into Dharma Power.
• Wang Ping grasps that Immortal Sect cultivation is a pursuit of “truth,” but realizes the process may take decades. Chen tells him of a shortcut: the sect leaders’ orally transmitted Inner Landscape Scripture, which helps practitioners find yin and yang faster. She does not know it herself, but offers to recommend him to the sect leader.
• When Chen urges him to leave for Book Mountain immediately, Wang postpones the trip, claiming he has something else to do. She realizes he has manipulated her and leaves angry after Madam Su is called in.
• Dragon arrives with Dog. Wang asks about the Transcendent who caused trouble in Longxing County. Dragon distinguishes the human-rooted Transcendents of the Way of Fangxian from beings “from above,” who are no longer human and cannot be reconciled with.
• Wang concludes that Book Mountain is colluding with those beings and proposes wiping it out.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping shows himself to be shrewd and opportunistic: he flatters Chen, appeals to her concern for Madam Su, and secures valuable teachings without committing to an immediate departure. His understanding of cultivation advances, and he openly reveals that he is a Transcendent to Dragon.
• Chen Luoyan struggles between sect rules and family loyalty. Concern for her cousin Madam Su leads her to disclose teachings she should not share; afterward, she recognizes Wang’s maneuvering and becomes angry.
• Dragon reveals that the court’s leadership understands the existence of powers “above” and regards those beings as fundamentally hostile.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and authority: Immortal Sects preserve crucial teachings orally, using access to knowledge to distinguish their disciples from outsiders.
• Truth and cultivation: The Borrowed Manifestation Technique marks a shift from ordinary power to a deeper pursuit of spiritual truth.
• Loyalty versus rules: Chen’s care for her cousin conflicts with her obedience to Book Mountain.
• Deception and political maneuvering: Wang uses personal appeals to obtain information, then turns that knowledge toward a possible confrontation with Book Mountain.

Key plot points

• Wang Ping proposes that the Royal Attendant Hall attack Book Mountain, capture Chen Luoyan, and seize its Transcendent inheritances. Dragon sees through his real motive: Wang wants the inheritances and is testing the Hall’s strength.
• Dragon rejects the plan, explaining that destroying Book Mountain could provoke the powerful forces “above the heavens.” However, he reveals that the Attendant Hall could defeat Book Mountain in a direct war—and likely overpower any Transcendent sect—though it avoids the political and supernatural consequences.
• Dragon gives Wang the Martial God Illustrated Manual, an exceptionally important internal art written by the Chief Seat. Wang is ordered to memorize it within three days and then destroy the copy.
• Wang uses his Spirit Sense to memorize the entire manual almost instantly and burns it. Dragon realizes Wang’s Transcendent abilities make the feat possible, but warns that they will not help him master the manual: success must come from genuine Martial Dao talent.
• Dragon will remain in Longxing County for three months, offering guidance as Wang trains. Inwardly, he regards the manual as a test that will determine whether Wang merits special recognition from the Attendant Hall.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping shows ambition, strategic curiosity, and confidence. Though he disguises his interest in Book Mountain’s inheritances as loyalty to the state, he is also genuinely willing to act boldly. He accepts Dragon’s instruction respectfully.
• Dragon is shrewd enough to recognize Wang’s probing, yet takes him seriously and invests in his development. He values Wang’s courage even more than his demonstrated ability, but remains uncertain whether Wang has authentic Martial Dao aptitude.
• Their exchange is teasing but also becomes a mentorship moment: Dragon tests Wang, explains the distinction between Transcendent advantages and Martial Dao talent, and offers continued instruction.

Significant themes

• Courage and talent: Dragon believes courage must come before martial training; ability without daring is wasted, while courage without ability can lead to needless death.
• Purity of the Martial Dao: Transcendent powers may aid early martial progress, but true mastery demands undivided focus and talent.
• Power and restraint: The Attendant Hall is extraordinarily strong, yet avoids attacking Book Mountain because of the dangers of provoking higher powers and alienating potential allies.
• The cost of advancement: Martial Grandmasters risk being taken away by the heavens, and greater martial attainment can mean an earlier death. Some powerful fighters refuse to advance out of fear.
• An uncertain future: Dragon worries that the world has not produced a rival to the Chief Seat in decades, leaving the future of Martial Dao in doubt.

Chapter Summary: “The Fifth Scripture: Deity Possession!”

Key plot points and events

• Wang Ping studies the Martial God Illustrated Manual, a profound art of forty-nine diagrams. Its diagrams can be arranged differently for each practitioner, shaping an Inner Force physique uniquely suited to their body.
• He realizes that choosing the best arrangement through trial and error could take years—too long for his Debt-Free Talent to help. Unable to wait, he decides to create the Peace Scripture’s fifth volume using Will-Bearing Spiritwood from the ruined Wandering God puppet.
• To complete the scripture, Wang Ping sacrifices the corpse of the real Liansheng Bodhisattva, which he secretly recovered during the Longxing County incident.
• The fifth scripture, Deity Possession, can collect a person’s lingering consciousness fragments and invite that person into Wang Ping’s body to assist him. Gathering fragments naturally would take years, but the scripture detects a vast store in the Dragon-Head Executioner, once Dragon’s weapon.
• Deity Possession reconstructs Dragon’s consciousness. Wang Ping invites him in, gaining the Martial Grandmaster’s complete understanding of the Martial God Illustrated Manual.
• With Dragon’s insight guiding him, Wang Ping cultivates for three days and nights and successfully completes the art. His body is radically rebuilt, gaining twenty-two changes—including layered, scale-like skin, reinforced bones and organs, and a second heart.

Character developments

• Wang Ping moves from frustration at the manual’s daunting complexity to decisive action. He accepts the cost of using rare spiritwood and discovers that his scripture-based talent can turn accumulated knowledge into extraordinary progress.
• Dragon becomes more than a mentor: even after leaving, the traces he left in his former weapon allow his consciousness to return and guide Wang Ping’s cultivation.
• Liansheng Yue is revealed as the Immortal Sect True Disciple behind the creation of Liansheng Bodhisattva, a flesh-made puppet. This connects her to Daoist Nun You, who likewise controlled a puppet, but with less valuable materials.

Significant themes

• What suits the individual can surpass what is universally “best”: the manual adapts to each practitioner rather than imposing a fixed method.
• Knowledge and experience as power: Dragon’s expertise dramatically accelerates Wang Ping’s progress.
• Costly choices and opportunity: Wang Ping gives up the chance to save a rare material for later because delay carries its own risks.
• Identity, memory, and embodiment: Deity Possession turns fragments left on an object into a reconstructed consciousness capable of acting through another person.

Character interactions

• Wang Ping’s earlier conversation with Dragon shapes his understanding of the manual and helps him recognize that mastering it requires personal insight.
• Through Deity Possession, Dragon’s consciousness guides Wang Ping from within, effectively cultivating the art through his body.
• The Peace Scripture’s visions reveal the link between Liansheng Yue and Liansheng Bodhisattva, while Wang Ping interprets the connection by comparing her puppet-making to Daoist Nun You’s.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• After three days of studying the Martial God Illustrated Manual, Wang Ping emerges and tests his newfound physical power. He accelerates to nearly five times the speed of sound with ease, though his movement damages the surrounding ground and air.
• Wang Ping realizes the manual has transformed his body by merging Inner Force cultivation with his flesh. Unlike an ordinary Martial Grandmaster, he believes he may now undergo a Second Physical Transformation, potentially reaching a level comparable to a Divine Weapon. He suspects another martial art may be needed to achieve it.
• Eager for answers, Wang Ping visits Dragon. Dragon mistakenly assumes Wang has only just reached a cultivation bottleneck and, disappointed by what he takes to be Wang’s slow progress, decides to leave Longxing County early. He claims the Attendant Hall has urgently recalled him.
• Before departing, Dragon demonstrates a saber strike and asks Wang to explain what he learned. Wang instead recognizes Dragon’s emphasis on intent over strength and suggests Dragon has not fully mastered the Thirteen Guardians’ Iron-Body Qigong.
• Wang demonstrates his own saber technique, impressing Dragon with its speed and force. Dragon then shows him the Unmatched Slash, a technique built around overwhelming saber intent.
• Wang reproduces the strike almost perfectly after seeing it once, then suggests Dragon has not mastered the technique completely. Dragon loses his temper and strikes Wang’s shoulder—but uses the contact to discreetly examine the changes in his body.

Character developments

• Wang Ping discovers that the manual has made him far stronger than he expected and becomes excited by the prospect of further transformation. His talent proves startling: he quickly grasps and reproduces Dragon’s saber techniques, though his confidence and bluntness make him tactless.
• Dragon begins the scene convinced Wang is merely an average martial talent. His judgment is repeatedly overturned by Wang’s demonstrations. His disappointment gives way to embarrassment, anger, and growing suspicion about how much Wang has truly learned.

Significant themes

• Unrecognized potential: Dragon’s assumptions about Wang are repeatedly challenged by evidence of his extraordinary abilities.
• Different paths to strength: Wang’s saber style relies on speed and brute force, while Dragon’s technique emphasizes intent and precision.
• Transformation and limitless advancement: The manual may let Wang build upon an already-supernatural body, opening a path beyond the usual limits of martial cultivation.
• Appearance versus reality: Dragon hides his disappointment behind a false explanation for leaving, while Wang’s seemingly casual remarks conceal how much he has achieved.

Character interactions

• Dragon tries to spare Wang’s confidence by withholding his true opinion of Wang’s progress, but Wang’s claims and demonstrations quickly upend the situation.
• Their exchange becomes a comic contest of assumptions: Dragon offers instruction, Wang critiques his mastery, and Dragon’s astonishment turns into exasperation.
• Dragon’s final slap serves two purposes—punishing Wang’s cheekiness and secretly investigating his transformed body.

Chapter Summary: “Titled Tiger, the Unwelcome Guest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Long tests Wang Ping’s body and discovers that, after only three days, Wang Ping has completely mastered the [Martial God Illustrated Manual], forged an Inner Force physique, and completed his first Physical Transformation.
• Impressed by Wang Ping’s extraordinary talent, Chen Long gives him the [Divine Generals Register], a royal-house ranking comparable to the [Weapon Ranking]. Unlike the Weapon Ranking, which divides fame among 360 martial artists worldwide, the Divine Generals Register grants its fame among only twelve Attendants.
• Wang Ping signs the register using the title “Tiger,” officially becoming one of the twelve royal Attendants.
• The act triggers a powerful transformation in Wang Ping’s consciousness. He experiences Divine Intent, gaining the ability to perceive his body’s acupoints, organs, and internal functions with extraordinary clarity.
• This advancement dramatically accelerates the recovery of Wang Ping’s borrowed Divine Intent. He expects to restore his Debt-Free Talent within three months instead of the one or two years he had anticipated.
• Chen Long explains that Wang Ping, as both a Weapon Ranking expert and a Divine Generals Register Attendant, will receive unusually abundant fame and benefits.
• Wang Ping is given a Great Restoration Pill, a rare treasure capable of restoring grievous injuries, adding ten years of Inner Force, and greatly increasing the chances of success during Physical Transformation.
• He also requests a suit of armor. Chen Long agrees to seek a Named Treasure–level armor, though a full Divine Weapon is beyond what he can promise.
• A hostile Transcendent arrives outside Longxing County. Chen Long and Wang Ping both sense the visitor’s killing intent.
• The intruder is the Blissful Old Immortal, an evil cultivator from the [Demon Cave]. Seeking revenge against the [Way of Fangxian] and especially its leader Xuan He, he intends to capture and spiritually ruin Chen Luoyan, whom he believes is essential to [Book Mountain]’s five-hundred-year ascension plan.

Character Developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates astonishing martial talent, mastering an advanced manual in an impossibly short time. His transformation into “Tiger” marks his formal elevation into the royal Attendant system.
• His new Divine Intent gives him far greater control and awareness of his own body, representing a major step in his cultivation.
• Wang Ping also becomes more comfortable accepting elite resources and privileges, humorously recognizing that he has become one of the “beneficiaries” of the feudal system he criticizes.
• Chen Long shifts from stern examiner to openly enthusiastic supporter. Wang Ping’s talent overwhelms his usual restraint, and he becomes eager to provide him with resources, fame, medicine, and armor.
• The Blissful Old Immortal is revealed as a bitter, vengeful antagonist. His hatred of Xuan He stems from a past defeat that damaged his Spiritual Root and destroyed his hopes of advancing as a Dao cultivator.

Significant Themes

• Extraordinary talent and accelerated cultivation: Wang Ping’s rapid progress challenges ordinary measures of martial achievement and causes established rules to bend around him.
• Power, recognition, and political legitimacy: The Divine Generals Register shows that fame is not only public; recognition from the royal house can be equally powerful and perhaps more concentrated.
• Privilege and hypocrisy: Wang Ping’s amused realization that he is now enjoying the same elite advantages he condemns adds humor while highlighting the benefits attached to status.
• Revenge and institutional conflict: The Blissful Old Immortal’s actions arise from a long-standing feud between rival Daoist factions, showing how personal resentment can threaten large-scale sectarian plans.
• Destiny and strategic importance: Chen Luoyan’s identity as a crucial piece in [Book Mountain]’s ascension scheme raises the stakes and makes her the target of the incoming threat.

Character Interactions

• Chen Long and Wang Ping: Chen Long examines Wang Ping, grants him the title “Tiger,” explains the Divine Generals Register, and equips him with rare resources. Their relationship becomes more supportive and informal as Chen Long recognizes Wang Ping’s exceptional potential.
• Wang Ping and the royal Attendant system: By signing the register, Wang Ping enters a powerful institution and gains both status and access to treasures.
• Chen Long and the approaching Transcendent: Though they have not yet confronted one another, Chen Long immediately detects the Blissful Old Immortal’s hostile presence, setting up an imminent conflict.
• Blissful Old Immortal and Xuan He: Their relationship is defined by old enmity. The Blissful Old Immortal seeks revenge indirectly by attacking Chen Luoyan and sabotaging [Book Mountain]’s ascension plan.

Chapter Summary: “Hero Saves the Beauty”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In Longxing County Yamen, Chen Luoyan tells her cousin Madam Su that she intends to bring Wang Ping to Book Mountain because he may be connected to her sect.
• Chen reveals that her master has found a secret method for refining a “Defective Spiritual Root.” Though it cannot lead to the Great Dao, it could allow Madam Su—who lacks a Spiritual Root—to become a Loose Immortal and live for centuries.
• Chen also warns that she is destined to face a dangerous calamity, possibly involving Madam Su. She plans to leave after giving her cousin the cultivation manual and return once the danger has passed.
• Madam Su and Chen briefly recover their childhood closeness by reminiscing together. However, an invisible attack suddenly destroys the boudoir and appears to crush Madam Su to death.
• In reality, Wang Ping rescues Madam Su at the critical moment. Chen’s perception has been distorted, causing her to believe that Madam Su has died and that the attacker has taken her.
• Chen angrily pursues Blissful Old Immortal into the sky, demanding that he return her cousin.
• Wang Ping realizes Chen may be in greater danger because Madam Su is alive and Chen is now determined to save her. He prepares to intervene.
• Dragon and Dog observe the situation from the Attendant Hall. Dragon decides not to interfere immediately, treating the confrontation as a test of Wang Ping’s abilities.
• Blissful Old Immortal deliberately encourages Chen’s misunderstanding, pretending to have captured Madam Su in order to provoke her.
• Chen attacks with her Golden Snake Sword, but Blissful Old Immortal neutralizes it using a magical handkerchief depicting eighteen celestial figures.
• He infects Chen with Blissful Poison, threatening that her Spiritual Root and Dao Path will be destroyed unless she submits to him within three days.
• Just as Chen is about to despair, Wang Ping launches a devastating blade attack from Longxing County. The strike destroys the celestial figures, breaks Blissful Old Immortal’s control, and sends him crashing toward the wilderness.

Character Developments

• Chen Luoyan: Demonstrates deep loyalty and affection toward Madam Su. Her protective instincts overpower her caution when she believes her cousin has been killed. She is also shown to be vulnerable to emotional manipulation and is placed in serious danger by Blissful Old Immortal.
• Madam Su: Gains a possible path to cultivation through the Defective Spiritual Root technique. Her relationship with Chen shifts from distant, benefactor-and-beneficiary formality back toward genuine familial affection.
• Wang Ping: Shows strong concern for Chen Luoyan, confirming his romantic feelings for her. He acts decisively to save Madam Su and later intervenes when Chen is threatened, revealing both tactical awareness and powerful combat ability.
• Blissful Old Immortal: Appears cunning, cruel, and exploitative. He takes advantage of Chen’s confusion, using a false accusation and the threat of Blissful Poison to control her.
• Dragon: Remains composed and analytical, viewing the crisis as an opportunity to test Wang Ping and help him gain experience against Transcendent-level enemies.

Significant Themes

• Love and familial loyalty: Chen’s willingness to risk herself for Madam Su contrasts with their initial emotional distance and restores their childhood bond.
• Manipulation of perception: The attack demonstrates how altered cognition can make characters mistake illusion for reality, turning grief and anger into weapons.
• Protection and sacrifice: Wang Ping risks himself to protect both Madam Su and Chen, while Chen is willing to sacrifice her own Dao Path for her cousin.
• Growth through danger: Dragon deliberately allows Wang Ping to face the crisis so that he can develop the strength and experience necessary for future battles.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a Transcendent such as Chen can be overwhelmed through specialized techniques, emotional exploitation, or poison.

Character Interactions

• Chen Luoyan and Madam Su: Discuss Madam Su’s cultivation prospects, share memories of childhood, and briefly rebuild their emotional closeness before the attack.
• Wang Ping and Madam Su: Wang Ping rescues her from the apparent killing blow, then knocks her unconscious when he suspects she is still affected by the distortion.
• Chen Luoyan and Blissful Old Immortal: Chen confronts him to save Madam Su, while he exploits her grief and defeats her initial attack.
• Dragon and Dog: Dragon explains that he will observe rather than intervene, using the battle to evaluate Wang Ping.
• Wang Ping and Chen Luoyan: Though they do not directly interact before the chapter ends, Wang Ping’s immediate intervention reflects his romantic feelings and determination to save her.

Key plot points and events

• Dragon watches Wang Ping defeat the Blissful Old Immortal and proudly recognizes his own saber style, [Unmatched Slash], in Wang Ping’s technique. He immediately compares Wang Ping favorably with Dog, whose past praise from Dragon has faded.
• The Blissful Old Immortal realizes Wang Ping is a warrior affiliated with the Royal Attendant Hall, but chooses to fight rather than abandon his pursuit of the fleeing Chen Luoyan. He traps Wang Ping inside his life-bound artifact, the [Human Desire Furnace], intending to kill him first.
• Wang Ping uses the furnace’s confinement to push his body beyond its previous limits. By combining the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art with [Qi Suppression], he reaches roughly Mach 100 and destroys both the furnace and the Blissful Old Immortal with a single saber strike, [Cleanse the Immortal’s Side].
• Wang Ping survives, though badly burned and exhausted. His body rapidly heals, and the Blissful Old Immortal’s portrait appears in the [Deity Possession] scripture of Wang Ping’s [Morgue].
• Wang Ping notices that [The Courage of the Worthy Gentleman], which should activate when he acts for righteousness, remains dark. He realizes something about his motives or actions may have been influenced by [Fate]. Dragon praises him for regaining his senses, saying few warriors can do so.

Character developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates tremendous combat power and ingenuity, but his extreme self-sacrifice leaves him drained. His confident story that he acted out of pure love is shaken when he recognizes the scripture’s failure to activate.
• Dragon is delighted by Wang Ping’s skill and sees him as a reflection of himself. He is also quick to deny responsibility for Wang Ping’s use of Dragon’s technique when Dog points out the potential consequences.
• Dog feels displaced by Wang Ping’s arrival and Dragon’s changed attitude. He also worries about the political and practical fallout of killing a powerful Transcendent.
• The Blissful Old Immortal lets anger and wounded pride override caution. He underestimates Wang Ping and is killed before he can resume his pursuit of Chen Luoyan.

Significant themes

• Mentorship, favoritism, and rivalry: Dragon’s admiration for Wang Ping makes Dog’s loss of status plain.
• Power and its cost: Wang Ping’s extraordinary speed depends on a dangerous technique and leaves him needing days to recover.
• Self-deception and moral uncertainty: Wang Ping frames his intervention as noble, but the dark scripture suggests his motives—or the circumstances shaping them—may be more complicated.
• Fate and agency: Dragon’s praise implies that Wang Ping was affected by [Fate] yet managed to regain control of himself.

Character interactions

• Dragon scolds Dog while praising Wang Ping, deepening Dog’s sense of rejection.
• Wang Ping openly stands between the Blissful Old Immortal and Chen Luoyan; the Immortal responds by attacking him.
• Dog questions Dragon about the consequences of the killing and Wang Ping’s apparent use of Dragon’s saber technique. Dragon denies any connection.
• After Wang Ping recovers, Dragon celebrates his achievement and compares him to himself, while Wang Ping is left privately troubled by what his actions mean.