Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Wang Ping arrives at Prove-the-Dao Mountain, a celestial rift surrounded by cultivators and Radiant Mirrors broadcasting its challenges and rankings. Blessed-land representatives also run a betting operation for spectators.
• Xuan He Daoist offers to lend Wang Ping money at 50 percent interest. Wang Ping accepts and wagers 3,000 Incense Dharma Coins on breaking You Xuexin’s record.
• Xuan He privately doubts Wang Ping can succeed and places a much larger counterbet on You Xuexin’s record remaining unbeaten, expecting to profit either way and leave Wang Ping in debt.
• Near the mountain, Wang Ping overhears three Inner Sect Disciples—Redbrow, Qixia Fairy, and Yuhong—worrying that talented juniors may surpass their records. They joke about eliminating likely challengers, then quickly insist they were only kidding when Xuan He arrives.
• The three criticize Xuan He for bringing a supposed “firewood-tending disciple” from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, objecting to Human Firewood being promoted through favoritism. Xuan He says he only wants Wang Ping to see the world.
• At the mountain entrance, the group meets Xiaoxiang, a talented disciple backed by a True Disciple. Xuan He refuses to discuss business and again presents Wang Ping as a firewood-tending disciple. This draws the crowd’s attention, and Xiaoxiang wonders if Wang Ping is actually a Rogue Cultivator.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping remains composed despite being underestimated. He sees through Xuan He’s loan as an attempt to gain leverage, but accepts it because he believes he has a strong chance of winning.
• Xuan He Daoist reveals himself as opportunistic and calculating: he schemes to profit from Wang Ping’s wager while treating the debt as a means to control him later. He also publicly emphasizes Wang Ping’s low-status origins.
• Redbrow, Qixia, and Yuhong expose the insecurity and self-interest beneath their senior status. Their joking talk of killing promising juniors suggests the ruthless atmosphere of the sect.
• Xiaoxiang approaches Xuan He as a fellow Pavilion member, but Xuan He shuts down any request for help. His attention then shifts to Wang Ping’s uncertain background.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Reputation, lineage, and cultivation rank shape how people are treated; Wang Ping is dismissed because of his supposed origins.
• Exploitation and self-interest: Gambling, debt, and mentorship are all shown as tools for profit or influence.
• Ruthless competition: Even established disciples fear being surpassed and contemplate eliminating rivals.
• Appearances versus ability: Others judge Wang Ping by his background, while he privately believes he can challenge You Xuexin’s record.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

• Wang Ping gives the Daoist name “Battle Victor” when Xiaoxiang asks his name. Though Xiaoxiang initially shares the sect’s prejudice against someone from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he quickly turns friendly because he hopes to stay safe by traveling with Daoist Xuan He.
• Xiaoxiang explains Prove-the-Dao Mountain’s three routes: Technique, Dharma, and Artifact. Each rewards Qi Count toward improving spells, Dharma Power, or Dharma Treasures. The mountain has a thousand steps, and the Dharma route’s rewards can raise a cultivator’s Dharma Power through nine grades.
• Wang Ping chooses the Dharma path, despite Xiaoxiang’s tactful warning that a Rogue Cultivator’s Dharma Power is likely inferior to that of sect disciples. Wang Ping enters to test his strength.
• The watching Rogue Cultivators bet that Wang Ping will fail quickly, while prominent Outer Sect Disciples Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden and Changyang Zi dismiss him and decide to wait until he is eliminated before entering.
• At the first step, Wang Ping is matched against Xiaoxiang. Xiaoxiang assumes the pairing means the mountain considers him overwhelmingly strong and offers Wang Ping a Dharma Treasure as compensation for an inevitable defeat.
• Wang Ping strikes before Xiaoxiang can finish. Xiaoxiang is knocked out in a single, unseen move and immediately ejected from the mountain.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping remains composed and practical: he accepts Xiaoxiang’s explanation, asks about Dharma Power, and enters mainly to find out how strong he has become. His effortless victory reveals that his ability far exceeds others’ expectations.
• Xiaoxiang acts ingratiatingly toward Wang Ping because he needs Xuan He’s protection, but still looks down on Rogue Cultivators. His confidence collapses after Wang Ping defeats him instantly.
• Xuan He is treated with admiration by Xiaoxiang, whose praise seems to please him.
• Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden and Changyang Zi display open disdain for Rogue Cultivators. Changyang Zi is focused on strengthening his Flying Star Sword and eventually condensing a Divine Ability.

Significant themes

• Prejudice versus demonstrated ability: Wang Ping is judged as weak because he is a Rogue Cultivator, only to overturn that assumption immediately.
• Self-interest and social maneuvering: Xiaoxiang’s friendliness is driven largely by his need for protection.
• Testing one’s limits: Wang Ping uses the mountain as a chance to measure his growth.
• Irony and reversal: Xiaoxiang mistakes his favorable-seeming matchup for proof of his own greatness, when it instead ends in a humiliating defeat.

Chapter summary

Key events

• Xiaoxiang reveals that Wang Ping defeated him in a single strike. The loss is especially shocking because Xiaoxiang’s Thousand Peaks Demon-Subduing Qi is renowned for its powerful defensive and suppressive qualities. Wang Ping also took some of Xiaoxiang’s Qi Count.
• Xiaoxiang suspects Wang Ping is either an extraordinary talent or the possessor of a powerful inheritance. Though tempted to tell Senior Brother Kun Yun about the possibility of an inheritance, he recognizes that Wang Ping is not someone to provoke.
• Daoist Xuan He realizes his large wager against Wang Ping may cost him dearly. He tries to reassure himself that Wang Ping’s victory over Xiaoxiang may have been due to a Dharma Treasure advantage.
• When Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden and Changyang Zi ask what happened, Xiaoxiang hides the truth, partly out of embarrassment and partly because he hopes they will suffer the same fate.
• Changyang enters Prove-the-Dao Mountain, hoping to face and defeat the imprint of his deceased Senior Brother Yuhong. Meanwhile, Wang Ping effortlessly defeats three opponents and reaches level 333.
• Wang Ping inscribes “Battle Victor” on the mountain, leaving an imprint that can challenge future climbers and potentially earn him Qi Count. He then receives a powerful cultivation reward that greatly strengthens his Dharma Power.
• At level 333, Changyang is matched against Wang Ping’s newly established imprint rather than Yuhong’s. He freezes at the sight of the blade-bearing Wang Ping.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaoxiang shifts from anger to fear and caution after recognizing the scale of Wang Ping’s strength, but his pride leads him to conceal his defeat.
• Xuan He moves from confidence to panic over his wager, then attempts to rationalize the situation. His exchange with Xiaoxiang highlights both his concern about Wang Ping and his financial self-interest.
• Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden senses something is wrong and suspects Wang Ping may have defeated Xiaoxiang. Changyang Zi dismisses the idea as implausible and enters the mountain determined to test himself.
• Wang Ping remains calm and casual as he overwhelms each opponent, showing growing confidence in his strength. His inscription turns that strength into an ongoing advantage.
• Changyang’s encounter with Wang Ping’s imprint sets up a confrontation between Changyang’s ambitions and the unexpected obstacle Wang Ping has become.

Significant themes

• Strength determines status: The Immortal Sect’s “weak are prey to the strong” rule is demonstrated through Xiaoxiang’s lost Qi Count and the mountain’s imprint system.
• Pride and face-saving: Xiaoxiang hides his defeat, while others prefer a reassuring explanation over the alarming truth.
• Ambition and advancement: Wang Ping pursues cultivation gains, while Changyang seeks to overcome Yuhong’s imprint and continue his own path.
• Misjudgment and irony: Changyang confidently expects a different opponent, unaware that the “Rogue Cultivator” he considers incapable is already waiting at the decisive level.

Key events and plot

• Wang Ping’s one-strike defeat of Xiaoxiang is repeated with Changyang Zi. Changyang senses danger and unleashes his powerful Edgebreaker Sword Pill, which reveals Wang’s otherwise invisible attack—but cannot stop it. He discovers Wang is wielding a Dharma Treasure and is knocked out.
• Outside Prove-the-Dao Mountain, Xiaoxiang and Changyang compare their defeats. Changyang takes smug comfort in having at least seen that Wang used a blade, then refuses to warn Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden.
• Phoenix suspects both men are concealing what happened. Meanwhile, the crowd discovers that a Rogue Cultivator called Battle Victor has left his mark on the mountain’s 333rd floor. The Immortal Sect disciples are astonished, and Xuan He Daoist privately worries Wang may go on to challenge Senior Sister You.
• Wang reaches the 665th floor, where opponents can increasingly counter Time-Stealing Thief. He must rely on his broader martial skill and, in his latest fight, wins with a final strike formed after 360 slashes.
• At the 666th floor, Wang deliberately summons You Xuexin’s imprint, expecting a matchup suited to his Desire-Realm Celestial Body. He recognizes that he is stronger and eagerly prepares to fight her.

Character developments and interactions

• Changyang Zi shifts from confidence to shock at Wang’s hidden speed and superior weapon. His rivalry with Xiaoxiang briefly gives way to mutual recognition, then to one-upmanship over who understood the attack better.
• Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden becomes wary after detecting that both men are hiding something, but has not yet decided whether to enter the mountain.
• Xuan He Daoist outwardly accepts congratulations for Wang’s achievement but privately fears Wang will surpass expectations and threaten his own position.
• Wang Ping shows growing confidence as his climb tests the limits of his signature technique. He also considers how to present his past—his connection to the Eight Trigrams Furnace and the Heaven-Stealing Thief—as a persuasive case for joining the Immortal Sect. His martial “principles” reveal a ruthless streak: he intends to use overwhelming force against weaker opponents.

Significant themes

• Technique versus adaptability: Time-Stealing Thief is devastating but not unbeatable; Wang must supplement it with skill and endurance as challenges grow harder.
• Reputation and belonging: Wang’s unexpected success as a Rogue Cultivator challenges the Immortal Sect’s assumptions, while he thinks strategically about shaping his background to gain acceptance.
• Concealment and suspicion: Changyang and Xiaoxiang withhold information, and Phoenix’s ability to sense hidden thoughts highlights the growing mystery around Wang.
• Confidence and ambition: Wang’s rapid ascent inspires public amazement and private anxiety, while his anticipation of facing You Xuexin signals his next major test.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Ping fights the imprint incarnation of You Daoist Nun on Prove-the-Dao Mountain. Her opening combination—Body Binding followed by Swordsmanship—once would have overwhelmed him, but he uses his transformed Hidden Concealment Dharma Power to erase himself from the world and evade both attacks.
• Wang Ping launches a sustained assault with the Demon-Subduing Victory Blade. You Daoist Nun withstands his barrage with an Azure Dragon–shaped protective halo, then escapes his Law Contract–enhanced “Sever” strike by using Scene Transposition to create untouched space around herself.
• You Daoist Nun strengthens Swordsmanship with Exorcise Deities, unleashing a devastating strike. Wang Ping counters with the Spirit Treasure technique Heaven’s Will Wields the Profound Blade, pouring his full strength into the blow and invoking the Worry-Free Flower transformation. Its fragrance briefly clouds her senses, allowing his blade to land first.
• Wang Ping destroys the imprint incarnation. The loss drains You Xuexin’s accumulated reserves and pushes the Divine Ability she was nearing further out of reach.
• Outside the mountain, observers witness You Xuexin’s name shatter on the stele and a new title appear: Battle Victor. Xuan He Daoist, who evidently wagered on the outcome, realizes he has lost his money.

Character developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates how much he has grown: techniques that once left him helpless are now understandable and counterable. He remains composed, adapts to his opponent’s defenses, and wins through both overwhelming power and precise timing.
• You Xuexin / You Daoist Nun proves a formidable opponent, using layered defenses, spatial manipulation, and an empowered sword strike. But the destruction of her imprint exacts a serious cost on her cultivation preparations.
• Xuan He Daoist shifts from anxious speculation to comic despair when the outcome confirms his feared loss.
• The witnesses, including Qixia Fairy and Redbrow Daoist, move from guessing at the omen to recognizing that a True Disciple’s standing has been overturned.

Significant themes

• Growth through mastery: Wang Ping’s former helplessness gives way to clear understanding and confident counterplay.
• Adaptation and tactical timing: Both fighters answer each other’s techniques; Wang Ping’s victory hinges on making his opponent’s sword strike arrive a fraction too late.
• Power has a price: Breaking You Xuexin’s imprint wins Wang Ping recognition but damages her reserves and cultivation progress.
• Public reputation and consequence: A private duel produces a visible change on the mountain’s stele, altering status before the watching sect and crowd.

Key plot points and events

• After shattering You Daoist Nun’s imprint incarnation, Wang Ping crosses the 666th step of Prove-the-Dao Mountain. His Dharma Power transforms into third-grade Dharma Power, giving him a deeper, intuitive grasp of the workings behind Hidden Dragon Meridian Movement and Communicate with the Netherworld.
• He realizes that the Supreme Yin Chain-Form Heavenly Ascension Register Scripture is not a true route to orthodox immortality. It reshapes cultivators to match a particular cosmic force, potentially turning them into restricted, half-living Corpse-Liberated Immortals. Wang Ping concludes it is chiefly a desperate path for cultivators with few other prospects—and perhaps a way to cultivate followers for orthodox Refiners.
• Though 334 steps remain, Wang Ping stops, deciding to digest his gains and explore farther another time. He descends after accomplishing his main goal.
• His achievement causes a sensation: Rogue Cultivators and Immortal Sect disciples debate his Daoist title, Battle Victor, and many Rogue Cultivators celebrate winning bets on his performance. When Wang Ping emerges, the gathered observers’ Spirit Senses converge on him, much of it openly hostile. He conceals himself until Xuan He Daoist arrives.
• Xuan He reports that Myriad Colors Blessed Land refuses to pay the full three-million-Dharma-Coin payout on Wang Ping’s thousand-to-one bet, offering only 30,000 instead. Wang Ping offers Xuan He 10,000 and keeps 20,000, while Xuan privately mourns his own gambling losses.
• Xuan says You Daoist Nun will likely seek Wang Ping out within three days. He then invites Wang Ping and the other rising outer-sect figures to learn how to cultivate in the Immortal Sect without money.
• Xuan reveals a hidden talisman in his Sea of Consciousness: the Object-Stealing Thief. Wang Ping recognizes it and realizes that the seemingly upright Xuan is secretly a Marauder Cultivator.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping grows in cultivation and understanding, moving beyond merely using techniques to grasping their underlying principles. He also shows a practical, unhurried approach by stopping before the summit. His confident, generous manner with Xuan contrasts with his sharp judgment of the scripture.
• Xuan He Daoist is torn between financial desperation and his need to preserve his cooperation with Wang Ping. He presents himself as above worldly money, even as his losses and envy are obvious. His secret Marauder identity adds a surprising new dimension to his character.
• Wang Ping and Xuan He maintain a cooperative relationship, but money tests it. Xuan controls his urge to keep the payout, recognizing that their future partnership—and his life—matters more than the disputed sum.
• The gathered Rogue Cultivators and sect disciples treat Wang Ping as both a celebrated figure and a potential target, highlighting the danger behind his sudden fame.

Significant themes

• True cultivation versus desperate shortcuts: The scripture offers a possible route to power, but at the cost of autonomy, ordinary life, and perhaps the pursuit of genuine immortality.
• Understanding over rote practice: Wang Ping’s breakthrough lets him see the principles beneath his techniques and reevaluate what he has learned.
• Power, money, and self-interest: The bet exposes the Immortal Sect’s corrupt, transactional environment, while Xuan’s losses reveal how easily ideals give way to financial anxiety.
• Fame brings danger: Wang Ping’s public success earns admiration and winnings, but also attracts hostile attention and speculation about his secrets.

Key plot points and events

• Xuan He Daoist admits he practices the forbidden Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Method and recruits Wang Ping into a plan to kill a True Disciple. They agree to target Outer Sect Disciples rather than risk fighting powerful Inner Sect Disciples directly.
• Xuan He proposes killing Xiaoxiang, whom he considers vulnerable. Wang Ping objects: because Xuan He is already suspected of turning against Heaven and Earth Pavilion, Xiaoxiang’s death would make Xuan He an obvious suspect.
• Wang Ping suggests staging a failed attempt to protect Xiaoxiang, with other Marauder Cultivators carrying out the killing. Xuan He says trustworthy allies are scarce, so Wang Ping proposes exploiting the plots already underway among the Inner Sect Disciples.
• Xuan He suspects Yuhong plans to kill Changyang Zi and take his master’s inheritance, with Redbrow and Qixia posing as attackers. Wang Ping uses his Six-Eared Spirit Monkey ability to listen to lingering sounds from the past and confirms the scheme.
• His listening also reveals that Changyang Zi has enlisted Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden and her Dao companion for protection. Since Yuhong’s group and Changyang Zi’s defenders are both preparing for a confrontation, Wang Ping and Xuan He see an opportunity in the likely chaos.

Character developments

• Wang Ping proves more observant and strategically capable than Xuan He expected. He takes control of their discussion, anticipates the risks of Xuan He’s plan, and verifies the other disciples’ schemes with his unusual ability.
• Xuan He Daoist shifts from treating Wang Ping dismissively as “Human Firewood” to recognizing his potential and listening to his judgment.
• Changyang Zi is shown to be wary rather than naïve: he anticipates Yuhong’s betrayal and arranges protection.
• Yuhong, Redbrow, and Qixia are revealed to be plotting together to kill Changyang Zi and divide his assets and inheritance.

Significant themes

• Hypocrisy and self-interest: Disciples who speak of morality and brotherhood secretly plot murder and theft.
• Pragmatism over rules: Xuan He treats forbidden cultivation as acceptable if it remains undiscovered, reflecting a world where survival and advantage take precedence over sect ideals.
• Deception and reputation: The characters plan not only to kill, but to shape how the death will appear and who will be blamed.
• Information as power: Wang Ping’s ability to uncover private conversations turns knowledge into a strategic advantage.

Character interactions

• Wang Ping challenges Xuan He’s choices and guides him toward a safer, more calculated plan.
• Xuan He initially directs Wang Ping, but increasingly defers to his reasoning.
• The hidden alliance between Yuhong, Redbrow, and Qixia contrasts with the protection Changyang Zi secures from Phoenix Origin and her Dao companion.
• The chapter ends with Wang Ping and Xuan He recognizing that the clash between these groups may provide cover for their own plans.

Plot points

• Changyang Zi grows suspicious when Wang Ping and Xuan He join his group, but Xuan He claims they are merely traveling the same route.
• Before the group can settle its uneasy alliances, two disguised Marauder Cultivators launch a devastating Divine Ability attack. Everyone survives, thanks in part to Yun Xuantong protecting Changyang Zi.
• Xuan He’s arrival disrupts the attackers’ and Yuhong’s plans: with too many defenders present, killing Changyang Zi or Xiaoxiang becomes difficult.
• Xuan He persuades Yuhong and Yun Xuantong to turn the tables on the Marauder Cultivators. Xuan He traps them with Corpse Dwelling, Dragon Appearing, and the three Divine Ability cultivators attack.
• Below, Wang Ping, Changyang Zi, Xiaoxiang, and Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden each flee alone rather than cooperate. Wang Ping reveals that this chaos was his real opportunity: he plans to ambush the others while the powerful cultivators are occupied.

Character developments and interactions

• Xuan He appears to protect Wang Ping and Xiaoxiang, but is also maneuvering strategically. He and Yuhong move from mutual suspicion to a temporary alliance when the Marauder Cultivators become a more profitable target.
• Yuhong presents himself as Changyang Zi’s devoted senior brother, though his earlier willingness to have Changyang killed suggests otherwise. He quickly adapts when the original plan becomes impractical.
• Yun Xuantong protects Changyang Zi and speaks warmly of their friendship, but is portrayed as politically flexible and potentially open to changing sides.
• Wang Ping reveals himself as the most calculating player: he has used Xuan He’s plan and the resulting battle to create an opening for his own attack.
• Changyang Zi and Xiaoxiang are caught between competing schemes, while Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden and Yun Xuantong’s intervention help keep Changyang alive.

Significant themes

• Deception and shifting alliances: Nearly everyone conceals their motives, and partnerships last only while they serve a purpose.
• Opportunism over loyalty: Characters evaluate danger and profit before acting, even when family-like bonds are claimed.
• The danger of individualism: The four weaker characters scatter instead of defending one another, leaving themselves vulnerable.
• Nested schemes: The chapter’s central joke—and threat—is that Xuan He’s maneuvering to profit from the conflict is itself exploited by Wang Ping’s “heist within a heist.”

Key events

• Wang Ping tracks down cultivators from Myriad Colors Blessed Land to collect a wager they had underpaid. He sends in a temporary double to confront them while he remains hidden.
• Using divination and Sound Listening, he locates Xiaoxiang and prepares an underground ambush. Xiaoxiang arrives hoping to hide, but Wang Ping kills him instantly, captures his soul, and has Kong Bei and Zong Ji destroy the body and evidence.
• Wang Ping repeats the method against Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden, using a Law Contract to immobilize her before killing her, then ambushes and kills Changyang Zi as well.
• After collecting the victims’ possessions and concealing all traces, Wang Ping returns to Myriad Colors Blessed Land disguised as his double. He judges that the deaths of three Outer Sect Disciples are unlikely to prompt a major investigation, though he remains wary of the Immortal Sect’s powers.
• From afar, he senses the battle among five Divine Ability cultivators changing: one of the great spiritual forces suddenly collapses, suggesting the fight may be over.

Character developments

• Wang Ping grows more practiced and confident as an assassin. He combines divination, concealment, ambush, soul capture, and evidence destruction into a swift, repeatable routine. He remains cautious, carefully weighing the risk of investigation.
• Xiaoxiang is exposed as resentful and politically calculating: he blames Xuan He, fears Wang Ping’s rise, and considers influencing Senior Brother Kun Yun to eliminate rivals. His scheming ends before he can act.
• Kong Bei and Zong Ji respond to Wang Ping’s killings with shock and increased respect, then follow his orders efficiently.

Themes

• Pragmatism and ruthlessness: Wang Ping treats killing as a matter of efficiency, showing no distinction between male and female enemies.
• Power and factional competition: Xiaoxiang views talent and resources as threats in a zero-sum struggle for status.
• Secrecy and consequence: Wang Ping goes to great lengths to erase physical, spiritual, and causal traces, while recognizing that powerful institutions may still uncover or punish him.
• Skill through experience: Repeated actions become smoother, reinforcing the value of preparation and adaptation.

Character interactions

• Wang Ping uses his double to confront Myriad Colors Blessed Land while he operates unseen.
• He orders Kong Bei and Zong Ji to erase Xiaoxiang’s remains; they comply.
• Xiaoxiang privately plans to turn Senior Brother Kun Yun against Xuan He and Wang Ping, but never gets the chance.
• Wang Ping’s careful solo operation contrasts with the distant, unresolved conflict among the five Divine Ability cultivators.

Key plot points and events

• A fierce battle on the Immortal Peak of Ultimate Bliss ends with Redbrow, posing as a Marauder Cultivator, dead and Qixia Fairy surviving. The collapse of Redbrow’s power devastates the area and is expected to turn it into marshland.
• Xuan He Daoist, Yuhong Daoist, and Yun Xuantong seize the dead cultivator’s inheritance. Xuan He’s Object-Stealing Thief abilities let him claim the largest share.
• The surviving Marauder Cultivator escapes. While the three pursue him, they encounter Qixia, who has disguised herself and returned to her Inner Sect identity. With no proof of her past involvement, they cannot openly attack her, so they pretend to move on.
• Once the group has left, they disguise themselves as Marauder Cultivators and attack Qixia. She realizes their deception and flees.
• Listening from Myriad Colors Blessed Land, Wang Ping reflects that Immortal Sect disciples often become Marauder Cultivators to compete for scarce resources. He suspects the practice is widespread and decides not to investigate deeper mysteries until he is strong enough.
• Wang Ping examines his spoils: three Outer Sect Disciples’ souls, more than ten thousand Dharma Coins, and five jade slips. The souls strengthen his Six-Desire Demon Banner to its numerical limit of 129,600 fiends, though it still needs something more to develop another mystery. Among the slips, the alchemy art Pill Molding catches his interest.

Character developments and interactions

• Xuan He, Yuhong, and Yun Xuantong demonstrate both ruthless opportunism and practiced deception. Though they cannot attack Qixia openly, they quickly change disguises and resume the pursuit.
• Qixia Fairy is resourceful and alert: she escapes, erases evidence of her Marauder identity, and returns under her true status. Her brief relief turns to alarm when she recognizes the attackers’ plan.
• Wang Ping shows growing understanding of the Immortal Sect’s harsh, resource-driven culture. He also thinks tactically about new ways to use his demon banner and considers broadening his combat tricks.

Significant themes

• Scarcity and ruthless competition: Limited resources push even sect disciples toward outlawed or morally dubious roles.
• Identity, evidence, and impunity: Disguises and the sect’s evidence-based rules let people evade consequences, even when others know what happened.
• Deception as a survival skill: Characters switch roles and appearances quickly, making trust difficult.
• Power and preparedness: Wang Ping assesses both his gains and his limitations, recognizing that greater influence—and involvement in the sect’s deeper affairs—requires stronger cultivation.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Ping studies Pill Molding, the Immortal Sect’s most basic form of alchemy. Unlike mortal alchemy, it draws essence from heaven and earth to create ingredients—but even slight errors can make a pill useless or cause a furnace to explode.
• He learns why the Four Arts—alchemy, artifact refining, formations, and talismans—are dangerous and difficult, yet highly coveted: together, they can be used to create Grotto-Heaven Paradises, powerful mobile cultivation residences.
• Wang Ping realizes Xiaoxiang had been secretly studying alchemy and left behind both the Pill Molding jade slip and an expensive furnace. He suspects this generous windfall may be another scheme by the elusive Heaven-Stealing Thief, as earlier events have made him wary.
• Deciding to check the text’s accuracy with Xuan He before committing himself, Wang Ping is interrupted by Xuan He, Yuhong, and Yun Xuantong. They report that three Outer Sect Disciples—Feng Yuan, Xiaoxiang, and Changyang—have been killed, and blame the Marauder Cultivators.
• Yun Xuantong questions Wang Ping about where he was. Wang Ping feigns surprise and agrees that the killings must be investigated, concealing his own involvement.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping is intrigued by alchemy’s promise but cautious about its risks. His suspicions about the Heaven-Stealing Thief show how past deception has made him distrust unexpected good fortune. When questioned, he smoothly performs innocence.
• Xuan He Daoist is relieved to find Wang Ping unharmed and shields him from scrutiny before explaining the deaths.
• Yun Xuantong remains suspicious of Wang Ping and presses him for an account of his whereabouts.
• Yuhong Daoist reacts with grief and anger over Xiaoxiang’s death, vowing vengeance on the Marauder Cultivators.
• Wang Ping and Yun Xuantong both publicly call for an investigation, though Wang Ping’s agreement is a calculated attempt to deflect suspicion.

Significant themes

• The cost and danger of ambition: The Four Arts promise wealth and power but demand rare aptitude, resources, and risk; alchemy is especially hazardous.
• Creation through balance: Pill Molding depends on precisely reproducing the balance of nature’s essence, and even a small mistake can turn medicine into harm.
• Power and opportunity: The Four Arts matter not just for profit but because they enable the creation of Grotto-Heaven Paradises.
• Suspicion and deception: Wang Ping’s windfall and the disciples’ deaths place him in a tense position where he must hide what he knows while appearing to support the truth.

Key plot points and events

• Divine Ability cultivators search Myriad Colors Blessed Land after an ambush leaves several disciples dead. Wang Ping keeps his role in the killings hidden while Xuan He Daoist shields him from suspicion.
• Yuhong Daoist mourns Changyang Zi publicly, though Xuan He and Yun Xuantong recognize his grief as self-serving. Yun is also angry over the death of Phoenix Origin Immortal Maiden, whom he had intended to use as a cultivation vessel.
• Yun suspects Wang Ping killed the victims and uses a Qi-Examining Dharma Mirror on the recovered corpses. The mirror detects no trace of Wang Ping’s power: he killed with Martial Dao rather than Dharma Power.
• The corpses then emit Buddhist light and chants, apparently implicating the Brahma Kingdom. Xuan He declares the deaths part of a Brahma conspiracy and proposes reporting it to the True Disciples.
• Yuhong and Yun oppose a broader investigation, fearing it could expose their own dealings and cost them their gains. Xuan He accepts a private investigation instead, and Yun drops his suspicions of Wang Ping for the moment.
• Just as Wang Ping thinks he has survived the crisis, Kun Yun—a powerful Third Tribulation Realm True Disciple—arrives and challenges Xuan He’s conclusion.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping remains outwardly composed, conceals his Martial Dao killings, and successfully avoids Yun’s investigation. He briefly tries to display grief for Xiaoxiang, then realizes he barely knew him.
• Xuan He Daoist protects Wang Ping while maneuvering to keep the matter away from the True Disciples. He intends to claim Redbrow Daoist’s estate after the crisis.
• Yun Xuantong begins openly suspecting Wang Ping, but abandons the accusation when the mirror appears to implicate the Brahma Cultivators. His self-interest and fear of scrutiny outweigh his desire to pursue the case.
• Yuhong Daoist uses Changyang Zi’s death to craft an excuse for his martial uncle, and quickly supports keeping the investigation limited.
• The three senior cultivators cooperate in a politically convenient cover-up, despite suspecting one another’s motives. Kun Yun’s sudden arrival threatens that arrangement.

Significant themes

• Deception and misdirection: Wang Ping hides his methods, while the apparent Buddhist evidence redirects blame toward the Brahma Kingdom.
• Self-interest and corruption: The cultivators prioritize wealth, personal schemes, and avoiding exposure over uncovering the truth.
• Power and danger: Wang Ping’s survival depends on Xuan He’s protection, but Kun Yun’s arrival introduces a far greater threat.

Key events

• Wang Ping is stunned when Kun Yun, a powerful True Disciple, suddenly arrives. He suspects Wang Ping’s scheme has become part of Kun Yun’s Life Tribulation, though he worries the plan could fail and expose him.
• Kun Yun questions Xuan He. Xuan He reports the group’s agreed-upon story—that Redbrow and Brahma Kingdom cultivators killed Xiaoxiang and two others—then presents Wang Ping as his gifted personal disciple, hoping to secure him a path toward becoming a True Disciple.
• Kun Yun probes Wang Ping, first inspecting his body and then attempting to search his Sea of Consciousness. Wang Ping’s hidden treasures and fate remain concealed, while the Five Thieves Steal Heaven talismans in his mind repel the soul search. He pretends to collapse.
• Kun Yun rejects Xuan He’s explanations and presses him again. Xuan He holds firm, claiming he has nothing more to report.
• Kun Yun reveals the terrifying power of his Fate: without visibly using Dharma Power, he alters the surroundings and seems able to impose an outcome directly. Wang Ping realizes Kun Yun could potentially kill him with a thought.
• Kun Yun ultimately relents, allowing Xuan He to step down from his Furnace-Watching Disciple position. He vanishes, and You Daoist Nun arrives.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping shifts from cautious optimism to alarm as Kun Yun’s strength becomes clear. He keeps his secrets protected and recognizes the danger posed by a Third Tribulation Realm cultivator’s Fate.
• Xuan He remains composed under pressure and refuses to reveal more, choosing to protect Wang Ping despite the risk.
• Kun Yun is calm, formidable, and perceptive. He sees through Xuan He’s cover story but does not force a confession or act against him.
• Yuhong and Yun Xuantong are terrified by Kun Yun’s status, then quietly admire Xuan He for standing his ground.

Significant themes

• Fate and causality: Kun Yun’s power suggests Fate can bring about effects without ordinary action, while Wang Ping’s plan may itself be part of Kun Yun’s Life Tribulation.
• Secrecy and trust: Hidden treasures, protected minds, and carefully managed truths are essential in a world where powerful people can probe others.
• Power and restraint: Kun Yun’s overwhelming ability contrasts with his decision to withdraw rather than force the issue.
• Opportunity and danger: Wang Ping’s ambition to advance within the Immortal Sect is tied to risks that could destroy his plans.

Plot points and events

• Kun Yun abandons his confrontation with Wang Ping when You Daoist Nun arrives. Wang Ping realizes Kun Yun’s retreat reflects the political risks of attacking someone under a True Disciple’s protection.
• Wang Ping recognizes that he knows too little about Kun Yun to rely solely on their original plan. He and Xuan He Daoist suspect Kun Yun’s sudden permission for Xuan He to resign as Furnace-Watching Disciple is a trap.
• Wang Ping proposes redirecting Kun Yun’s suspicion toward the Heaven-Stealing Thief, who supposedly rescued Ye Chao and helped exchange fate and Destiny. Xuan He agrees to report the story.
• You Daoist Nun privately investigates Wang Ping, then decides to recruit him as a True Disciple. Secretly, she intends to make him her Blissful Slave through her Blissful Immortal Physique, which can enslave a weaker partner through dual cultivation.
• Wang Ping plays the obedient prospective recruit, relieved that You Daoist Nun has taken the bait and hoping Xuan He’s diversion will work.
• Xuan He reports the Heaven-Stealing Thief’s supposed role to Kun Yun. Kun Yun finds the account suspicious but considers whether it explains his inability to calculate the fate of Wang Ping’s former “firewood-feeding” identity.
• Despite finding no concrete evidence against Xuan He, Kun Yun kills him. He follows the True Disciples’ brutal rule for dealing with a Life Tribulation: act first, justify the target afterward.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping becomes more cautious, recognizing Kun Yun as a dangerous, perceptive opponent and preparing a backup plan. He uses You Daoist Nun’s ambition and Kun Yun’s suspicions to manipulate both sides.
• Xuan He Daoist remains an uneasy accomplice, understanding and carrying out Wang Ping’s diversion—but is killed before he can escape suspicion.
• You Daoist Nun shifts from anger over Wang Ping’s past actions to seeing him as a valuable future ally and potential asset. Her welcoming offer conceals a plan to control him.
• Kun Yun appears calm and calculating, but his response to uncertainty reveals the ruthlessness of the sect’s True Disciples: suspicion alone can be enough to justify killing.

Significant themes

• Power and factional politics: Status and connections determine whether violence can be carried out openly or punished.
• Manipulation and misdirection: Wang Ping tries to redirect danger by making another suspect appear more plausible.
• Fear-driven justice: Kun Yun’s approach shows that, under the pressure of a Life Tribulation, lack of evidence may increase rather than reduce suspicion.
• Control disguised as opportunity: You Daoist Nun’s offer of advancement masks her desire to bind Wang Ping to her.

Chapter summary

• After leaving the Immortal Sect with You Daoist Nun, Wang Ping witnesses the [Sea of Learning] collapse. You Daoist Nun confirms that Kun Yun killed Xuan He, apparently to eliminate a possible threat. Kun Yun is protected for now because he is a True Disciple preparing for his Life Tribulation; any karmic debts from his killings will be settled afterward.
• You Daoist Nun explains the sect’s brutal hierarchy: cultivators without True Spiritual Roots are treated as expendable assets, while True Disciples are valuable investments. If Kun Yun survives his tribulation, the deaths may be justified as sacrifices; if he fails, others can claim what remains of his power to settle his debts.
• Wang Ping is shaken by the sect’s values but quickly turns to adapting his plans. He suspects Xuan He may have anticipated his apparent death and could be revived. Meanwhile, Wang Ping pretends gratitude toward You Daoist Nun, intending to subdue her and use her as an inside connection.
• On the way to her abode, they are confronted by Xuan Yin, an Inner Sect Disciple who pursues You Daoist Nun. He flirts with her and questions her choice of Wang Ping. You Daoist Nun rebuffs him, invokes her authority as a True Disciple, and conceals Wang Ping from his scrutiny because she fears he could discover Wang Ping’s True Spiritual Root and seize it.
• Once inside her familiar-looking abode, You Daoist Nun activates its formations to seal it off. Wang Ping recognizes the setting from his past humiliation there, but the balance of power has changed. As she imagines cultivating with him, he launches a surprise blade attack.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Ping moves from shock at Xuan He’s apparent death and the sect’s cruelty to a pragmatic resolve to seize an opportunity. His outward gratitude hides his intention to make You Daoist Nun his captive.
• You Daoist Nun presents herself as Wang Ping’s protector but expects his gratitude to become leverage for intimacy and cultivation. She also guards her status and conceals Wang Ping’s spiritual root from Xuan Yin.
• Xuan Yin is possessive and suspicious, challenging You Daoist Nun’s choice of companion. He backs down when she asserts her superior rank but remains hostile toward Wang Ping.
• The chapter’s central interaction is a reversal: You Daoist Nun believes she has brought Wang Ping under her control, while Wang Ping sees her as prey—and attacks before she realizes the danger.

Significant themes

• Hierarchy and exploitation: The Immortal Sect treats most cultivators as expendable resources, reserving protection for those with the potential to become Qi Refiners.
• Power, privilege, and karmic debt: Kun Yun’s status shields him temporarily, but his actions carry a price that may be collected if he fails his tribulation.
• Adaptation and uncertain plans: Wang Ping accepts that events can derail even careful schemes and focuses on responding to what is immediately possible.
• Reversal of power: Familiar places and past humiliations acquire new meaning as Wang Ping shifts from victim to aggressor.

Chapter Summary: “You’re Afraid!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• You Daoist Nun realizes that Wang Ping and Xuan He deliberately destroyed her mark on [Prove-the-Dao Mountain] to lure her into retrieving it and expose her to an ambush.
• Wang Ping launches a surprise attack using [Law Contract] and a technique involving three hundred and sixty slashes, corresponding to the heavenly cycle.
• You Daoist Nun’s robes and defensive treasures absorb much of the attack. She attempts to escape by creating a new heaven and earth, repeating a method used by her incarnation previously.
• Because Wang Ping has already witnessed this technique, he reverses the stolen moment of time, disrupting her spell. He cuts her in half, but she quickly regenerates.
• You Daoist Nun attempts to reopen her residence and summon Xuan Yin, hoping his arrival will protect her and reveal the situation to her master, Mingyou.
• Wang Ping’s preparations are revealed: he secretly slows her thoughts and movements, preventing her from completing the spell. He then transports her into the mysterious [Martial Arena].
• Inside the arena, You Daoist Nun discovers Wang Ping’s “Master,” a mysterious woman whose cultivation appears to reach at least the Third Tribulation Realm. The realm exists beyond the reach of the [Twenty-Four Qi], cutting off Mingyou’s ability to sense or rescue her.
• Wang Ping formally acknowledges the woman as his master. She orders him to resolve the matter quickly because she does not wish to leave traces in [Fate].
• You Daoist Nun argues that Wang Ping still cannot kill her safely: Xuan Yin will notice her absence and summon Mingyou once they leave the arena.
• Wang Ping identifies her hidden fear—“You’re afraid”—causing her confidence to falter.
• Taking advantage of her hesitation, Wang Ping unleashes his strongest attack yet, combining near-light-speed movement, Blood-Qi True Astral Force, [Hidden Concealment], and [Heaven’s Will Wields the Profound Blade]. The slash is stronger than the one that defeated her incarnation and shatters her body.

Character Developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates increased strategic maturity and ruthlessness. Rather than simply killing You Daoist Nun, he carefully plans to capture her in a place where Mingyou cannot interfere.
• His cultivation has advanced since the battle on [Prove-the-Dao Mountain], particularly through his Second Physical Transformation, making his ultimate blade attack significantly more powerful.
• Wang Ping also gains a formal master: the mysterious woman known as the “Head,” whose authority and abilities appear vastly beyond You Daoist Nun’s expectations.
• You Daoist Nun shifts from outrage and confidence to shock, confusion, and genuine fear. Her reliance on her master’s protection is exposed when Mingyou fails to respond to her summons.
• Her status as a True Disciple, once a source of overwhelming confidence, becomes useless within the [Martial Arena].

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus raw power: Wang Ping succeeds not merely because he is stronger, but because he anticipated You Daoist Nun’s techniques and prepared counters.
• The limits of authority: You Daoist Nun’s identity and protection as Mingyou’s disciple cannot help her in a realm beyond his perception.
• Fear beneath arrogance: Her threats conceal an increasing fear of abandonment and death. Wang Ping defeats her psychologically before delivering his final blow.
• Time, fate, and causality: Wang Ping manipulates stolen time, while his master worries about leaving traces in [Fate]. The battle operates on a level beyond ordinary combat.
• Capture over destruction: Wang Ping deliberately avoids immediately killing You Daoist Nun, understanding that her death could allow Mingyou to reverse time and revive her.

Important Character Interactions

• Wang Ping and You Daoist Nun: Their exchange evolves from a tactical battle into psychological confrontation. You Daoist Nun attempts to intimidate Wang Ping with Mingyou’s power, but Wang Ping exposes her fear and turns the situation against her.
• Wang Ping and his Master: He respectfully accepts her demand that he call her “Master,” establishing their new teacher-disciple relationship.
• You Daoist Nun and Mingyou: Though she calls for her master using his name—a powerful emergency signal—he cannot sense her inside the [Martial Arena], destroying her final hope of rescue.
• You Daoist Nun and the mysterious Master: You Daoist Nun is unable to comprehend the woman’s existence or cultivation, and the woman barely acknowledges her, emphasizing the vast difference in their power.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• You Daoist Nun is repeatedly struck by Wang Ping’s blade and even explodes into pieces, but her divine recovery technique reconstructs her body.
• Wang Ping suppresses her consciousness with the Divine Intent Heart Ape and Sea-Calming Divine Treasure, but a Sword Pill hidden in her Sea of Consciousness destroys his mental attack.
• Forced onto the defensive, Wang Ping uses the Six-Desire Demon Banner, releasing over 100,000 demons to overwhelm her Sword Pill. Although the demons are heavily slaughtered, the banner rapidly regenerates them into a full army of 129,600.
• Recognizing the banner’s enhanced power under Wang Ping’s cultivation method, You Daoist Nun unleashes her powerful Matchmaker Dharma Power, combining six spells into a single attack.
• She executes the secret art Taiyi Light-Dividing Separation-and-Union Sword Qi, cuts through the demon horde, and seemingly kills Wang Ping by splitting his head and dispersing his soul.
• The apparent victory is revealed to be a trap: Wang Ping had used the Six-Desire Demon King as a substitute. The substitute possessed the same aura and could deceive her killing technique.
• While You Daoist Nun is distracted, an ordinary-looking demon uses Life-Stealing Thief to stab and drain her essence. The surrounding demons join in, leaving her powerless and unconscious.
• Wang Ping confirms his victory, exhausts her remaining strength, and is transported out of the Martial Arena by his “master.”
• Back in You Daoist Nun’s cave dwelling, he prepares to use the Nondual Emptiness-Bliss Dharma Consort Talisman to refine her.

Character Developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates increasingly sophisticated use of his artifacts, demons, mental attacks, substitutes, and resurrection abilities. He acknowledges that without the Peace Scripture, he likely could not have defeated You Daoist Nun.
• His confidence and shameless reliance on his “cheats” are reinforced. He concludes that talent and resources matter less than possessing overwhelming special advantages.
• You Daoist Nun reveals herself as a formidable True Disciple with exceptional recovery abilities, a Dharma Treasure Sword Pill, and a secret art approaching the level of a Divine Ability.
• Despite her strength and tactical skill, she is overwhelmed by Wang Ping’s unorthodox methods, regenerative demon army, and substitute technique. Her confusion at the end reflects her inability to understand how he survived her ultimate attack.

Significant Themes

• Advantages of hidden trump cards: Wang Ping’s Peace Scripture, Six-Desire Demon King, and demon banner allow him to survive attacks that should have been fatal.
• Talent versus cheats and preparation: The chapter humorously argues that conventional talent and resources are meaningless against someone with overwhelming supernatural advantages.
• Deception and misdirection: The battle is decided less by direct strength than by Wang Ping’s ability to conceal his identity and make a substitute appear to be his true body.
• The danger of underestimating opponents: You Daoist Nun is powerful enough to challenge techniques near the Divine Ability level, but Wang Ping recognizes that even an Immortal Sect True Disciple cannot be underestimated.

Character Interactions

• Wang Ping and You Daoist Nun engage in a deadly duel involving mental suppression, sword techniques, demons, and layered Dharma arts.
• You Daoist Nun reacts with shock and anger upon recognizing the Six-Desire Demon Banner that had previously betrayed her, especially because it performs far better under Wang Ping’s control.
• After apparently killing Wang Ping, she realizes too late that the “Wang Ping” she struck was a substitute.
• Wang Ping mocks her attachment to her status as a True Disciple, telling her that surviving him would be her greatest achievement.
• He respectfully but manipulatively addresses the controlling woman first as “First Seat,” then as “Master,” prompting her to send him back to the cave dwelling.
• The chapter ends with Wang Ping preparing to refine the unconscious You Daoist Nun through the Dharma Consort Talisman.

Chapter Summary: Dharma Consort, Gazing at Heaven and Earth Qi

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Ping activates the Nondual Emptiness-Bliss Dharma Consort Talisman on the unconscious You Daoist Nun, You Xuexin.
• The talisman merges into You Xuexin’s body, spreading through her meridians, dantian, limbs, bones, and eventually her Sea of Consciousness.
• You Xuexin recognizes the technique as a dangerous Brahma Sect method and warns Wang Ping that refining her as a Dharma Consort could make him fall into the Desire Sea and abandon the Immortal Dao.
• Wang Ping rejects her warnings. He believes the Desire Sea, which represents human emotions and desires, can instead temper his Martial Dao Divine Intent.
• He uses the talisman to overcome You Xuexin’s resistance and establishes a permanent spiritual connection with her.
• Wang Ping suppresses his own desires through the image of a Heart Ape wielding the Sea-Calming Divine Treasure, maintaining control over his mind despite the talisman’s seductive influence.
• After the process succeeds, You Xuexin’s hostility disappears. She becomes obedient to Wang Ping, greets him as “Master,” and accepts the new bond.
• Wang Ping inspects the benefits of the Dharma Consort connection. He gains access to You Xuexin’s mastered techniques, mana, cultivation experiences, and memories.
• Among her memories, he discovers private instruction from her master, the Qi Refiner Mingyou, at Sun-Moon Lake.
• The chapter ends as Mingyou begins teaching You Xuexin the secret doctrine of “Gazing at Heaven and Earth Qi.”

Character Developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates extreme determination and confidence in his Dao heart. Rather than avoiding desire, he treats it as a trial capable of strengthening his Martial Dao.
• His ability to suppress temptation becomes a central test of his mental discipline, though he acknowledges that future encounters with the Desire Sea may become even more difficult.
• Wang Ping also becomes more powerful through his bond with You Xuexin, gaining her spells, mana, memories, and access to Immortal Sect teachings.
• You Xuexin changes from a hostile, resisting True Disciple into Wang Ping’s compliant Dharma Consort. Her Sea of Consciousness is exposed, and her relationship with him is fundamentally altered by the talisman.
• Her identity and expertise remain valuable, particularly her knowledge of Immortal Sect cultivation and her private lessons from Mingyou.

Significant Themes

• Desire versus self-mastery: The chapter explores whether desire must be rejected or can be transformed into strength. Immortal cultivation treats desire as an obstacle, while Wang Ping’s Martial Dao uses it to refine the self.
• The danger of power: The Dharma Consort Talisman offers enormous benefits but risks corrupting Wang Ping’s path and turning him toward Brahma cultivation.
• Control and resistance: Both characters struggle for control—You Xuexin over her Sea of Consciousness and Wang Ping over his own desires.
• Knowledge as power: By obtaining You Xuexin’s memories, Wang Ping gains not only techniques but also access to secrets normally reserved for Immortal Sect True Disciples.
• Righteousness and rationalization: Wang Ping justifies subduing You Xuexin as an act of justice, despite the coercive and morally complicated nature of the process.

Character Interactions

• You Xuexin repeatedly warns Wang Ping about the consequences of the Brahma Dharma, attempting to persuade him to stop.
• Wang Ping dismisses her arguments, asserting that his Martial Dao allows him to withstand the Desire Sea.
• After the bond is completed, You Xuexin obediently acknowledges Wang Ping as her master.
• Wang Ping continues to struggle with attraction when she appears before him, but repeatedly suppresses his thoughts using his Heart Ape and Divine Treasure.
• Through the spiritual bond, Wang Ping gains access to You Xuexin’s inner world and witnesses her receiving secret instruction from her master, Mingyou.

Chapter Summary: “Twenty-Four Qi Dao Treatise”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Within a recovered memory, a young Dao Practitioner teaches You Xuexin about the Twenty-Four Qi, which arise from the interactions of the Three Talents—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—along with yin-yang and the Five Elements.
• He explains that You Xuexin’s cultivation, the Central Heaven True-Origin Harmonizing Qi, is Yin Earth Qi. Its nature is to balance, contain, store, and reconcile conflicting forces, earning it the titles “Central Pivot” and “Heaven-Earth Union.”
• The young Dao Practitioner initially asks You Xuexin to determine which types of cultivators her qi can restrain or benefit. She correctly begins with the Five Elements, identifying Water as restrainable and Fire as beneficial, but her answer is deemed too superficial.
• He emphasizes that true Dao understanding requires knowing why a principle is true, not merely memorizing its result. Insufficient Dao attainment may allow rapid early progress but will eventually limit a cultivator’s advancement.
• You Xuexin studies the Yin Earth section of the Gazing at Heaven and Earth Qi. Wang Ping studies along with her, using the Peace Scripture and A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold to borrow insight and dispel the confusion in his mind.
• Wang Ping realizes that the relationships among the Twenty-Four Qi must be analyzed in three stages:
  1. The Five Elements,
  2. Yin and yang,
  3. The Heaven-Earth positions among the Three Talents.
• He discovers the core rule: “Like sexes restrain, opposite sexes generate.”
• From this principle, Wang Ping identifies:
  • Yin Earth restrains Gui Water, or the Hidden Dragon Vein-Walking Nether-Piercing Qi.
  • Yang Fire generates Yin Earth and is represented by the Radiant Illumination of the Six Directions Qi.
  • His own Gui Water Qi can restrain Yin Fire, benefit from Yang Metal in Heaven, and is itself restrained by Yin Earth.
• The young Dao Practitioner confirms Wang Ping’s deductions and explains that his own cultivation is Yin Fire, called the Insight into Truth and Falsehood, Illuminating Qi. This qi illuminates reality, exposes falsehood, and grants enlightenment, but is naturally countered by Wang Ping’s concealed Yin Water.
• The teacher warns that elemental advantages are only auxiliary: a cultivator with stronger mana can overcome an unfavorable generation or restraint relationship.
• The discussion then turns to why Human Qi does not participate in the same generation-and-restraint system. The young Dao Practitioner explains that Human Qi once belonged to the Heavenly-Earthly Order but became independent after an ancient “change in heaven.”
• He reveals a much larger historical secret: the change in heaven was connected to the birth of the Twenty-Four Qi. Although the Three Talents, yin-yang, and Five Elements should theoretically produce thirty kinds of qi, only twenty-four remain.
• The chapter ends with the shocking revelation that, in ancient times, a Great Rebellion expelled the Six Heavens’ Ancient Qi, causing both Human Qi’s independence and the reduction from thirty qi to twenty-four.

Character Developments

• Wang Ping demonstrates exceptional comprehension. Although he initially struggles with the Yin Earth text, he uses his scripture-based abilities to achieve sudden enlightenment and reconstruct the complete logic behind qi generation and restraint.
• His understanding develops from a basic Five Elements framework into a more sophisticated system involving yin-yang polarity and the Three Talents. This marks a major step toward the level of a true disciple.
• You Xuexin is portrayed as a talented but still developing disciple. She reaches many correct conclusions independently, earning praise from her master, though her reasoning remains incomplete and more speculative than Wang Ping’s.
• The young Dao Practitioner appears patient, perceptive, and deliberately indirect in his teaching. Rather than simply giving answers, he forces You Xuexin to reason for herself, reflecting his belief that genuine Dao attainment must be personally understood.
• Wang Ping’s relationship to You Xuexin’s memory is also significant: he learns through her experience while independently applying his own insight, effectively surpassing the original student’s understanding of the lesson.

Significant Themes

• True understanding versus memorization: The chapter stresses that knowing a rule is inferior to understanding its underlying cause. This distinction determines how far a cultivator can progress.
• Balance and harmonization: Yin Earth represents mediation, storage, and the reconciliation of opposing forces. It serves as a symbolic center connecting Heaven, Earth, and the other elements.
• The structure of the Dao: The chapter presents cultivation as a layered system in which the Five Elements provide the foundation, yin-yang refines the relationships, and the Three Talents determine their precise positions.
• Strength versus natural advantage: Generation and restraint create tendencies rather than absolute outcomes. Superior cultivation and mana can overcome an unfavorable elemental relationship.
• Hidden history and cosmic upheaval: The explanation of Human Qi and the Twenty-Four Qi hints at a lost ancient order and a catastrophe that reshaped the Immortal Dao.
• Enlightenment through breakthrough: Wang Ping’s sudden clearing of confusion illustrates the transformative nature of insight—complex doctrine can condense into a simple, powerful principle.

Character Interactions

• The young Dao Practitioner repeatedly challenges You Xuexin with questions instead of immediately instructing her, encouraging independent thought.
• You Xuexin respectfully asks for clarification when she cannot understand the relationship between the Five Elements, yin-yang, and the Three Talents.
• The teacher praises her progress and recognizes her as an unusually gifted True Disciple, even though her answer is incomplete.
• Wang Ping silently participates in the lesson through the memory, comparing his own deductions with You Xuexin’s and the master’s explanations.
• The teacher’s discussion of his own Yin Fire cultivation reveals a direct conceptual connection between his power and Wang Ping’s Yin Water, making their respective abilities natural counters.
• The final revelation about the Great Rebellion affects both Wang Ping and You Xuexin, leaving them equally stunned and opening a much larger mystery concerning the origins of the current Dao system.

Chapter Summary: “Great Shun’s Waters Ran Deep Too”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Ping awakens from viewing You Xuexin’s memories and discusses the forgotten history of the former Great Rebellion Dynasty with the First Seat.
• He realizes that Great Rebellion may have rebelled against the Immortal Sect, suggesting that its civilization and the Eight Trigrams Furnace were far more advanced than previously believed.
• Wang Ping questions the origins of the Martial Dao, divine weapons, Dharma Treasures, and the highest weapon grade known as “Heavenly Craft.”
• The First Seat clarifies that these are actually Heavenly Official Artifacts, supreme treasures descended from Heaven and created through Grandmaster blood, Divine Intent, offerings, and countless lives. Only ten exist, including the terrifying Heaven’s Will Wields the Profound Blade.
• Wang Ping realizes that Great Shun is not merely an underdeveloped “beginner village,” but contains deep and dangerous secrets comparable to those of the Immortal Sect.
• The First Seat introduces Aberrations, supernatural manifestations of past historical events that repeat themselves in the present. They are as dangerous as Transcendents and must often be solved through investigation and insight rather than brute force.
• He recounts the Sinful Dragon Plague, in which people became infected after encountering or even hearing about a former Great Rebellion crown prince, eventually becoming powerful attackers of the imperial palace.
• Wang Ping learns that resolving Aberrations reveals fragments of genuine historical truth, making them the best way to uncover Great Rebellion’s past—though the closer they are to major historical events, the more dangerous they become.
• Wang Ping then asks You Xuexin about her upcoming tribulation. She expresses confidence in surviving two tribulations and forging a Great Divine Ability.
• You Xuexin reveals that she plans to forge the Supreme Immortal-Slaying God-Sealing Flying Sword, a powerful Metal Qi killing technique.
• Wang Ping challenges why an Earth-position cultivator would use a Metal Qi Divine Ability. You Xuexin explains that her rare Central Heaven’s True-Origin Harmonizing Qi connects to and harmonizes all five elements, making an external elemental Divine Ability more advantageous.
• Her choice of Earthly Yang Metal creates a balance of generation and restraint with her Earthly Yin Earth foundation, avoiding elemental conflict and supporting her future cultivation.
• Impressed by the sophistication of True Disciples’ cultivation methods, Wang Ping becomes even more eager to obtain that status.
• You Xuexin responds flirtatiously, offering herself as a substitute for the True Disciple position. Wang Ping gives in to his desire and decides to personally experience the Desire Sea with her.

Character Developments

• Wang Ping expands his understanding of Great Shun, realizing that its history, Martial Dao, artifacts, and supernatural threats conceal immense depth. His ambition to become a True Disciple also intensifies.
• He demonstrates growing curiosity, analytical ability, and willingness to investigate historical mysteries rather than relying solely on cultivation strength.
• The First Seat reveals significant knowledge about Great Shun’s lost history, Heavenly Official Artifacts, and Aberrations. He also shows concern for Wang Ping’s safety by warning him to approach historical Aberrations cautiously.
• You Xuexin displays absolute confidence in her tribulation and cultivation path. Her mastery of elemental theory and her intimate, possessive affection toward Wang Ping become increasingly apparent.

Significant Themes

• Hidden depth beneath apparent weakness: Great Shun may look inferior to the Immortal Sect, but its past contains powerful civilizations, artifacts, and secrets.
• History as a living threat: The past is not merely forgotten knowledge; through Aberrations, it can manifest physically and endanger the present.
• Wisdom over force: Aberrations cannot always be defeated through strength. Understanding their origins and rules is essential.
• The cost of power: Heavenly Official Artifacts require blood, sacrifice, and death, emphasizing that supreme treasures are born from immense violence.
• Harmony and balance in cultivation: You Xuexin’s Divine Ability reflects the need to balance elemental generation and restraint rather than simply maximize destructive power.
• Ambition and desire: Wang Ping’s yearning for the True Disciple position parallels his growing willingness to indulge his attraction to You Xuexin.

Character Interactions

• Wang Ping and the First Seat engage in an important teacher-student discussion about Great Rebellion, the Martial Dao, Heavenly Official Artifacts, and Aberrations.
• The First Seat gives Wang Ping both historical insight and a dangerous new avenue for investigation.
• Wang Ping and You Xuexin discuss her tribulation and Divine Ability in detail, with Wang Ping questioning her cultivation choices and You Xuexin explaining their deeper theoretical basis.
• Their conversation gradually shifts from serious cultivation matters to flirtation. You Xuexin deliberately clings to Wang Ping and offers herself as a replacement for his True Disciple ambitions.
• Wang Ping ultimately abandons restraint, deciding to enter the Desire Sea with You Xuexin.