Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen is confronted by Senior Sister Su Qingqing and Manager Pang Yong for abandoning his post and descending the mountain without permission. Su Qingqing threatens to cripple his cultivation and expel him from the Joyful Union Sect.
• Lu Chen considers killing them, knowing that his current body-cultivation strength far exceeds theirs. However, the sect’s warning bell suddenly tolls nine times, signaling a major emergency.
• Su Qingqing and Pang Yong immediately abandon the confrontation and rush back toward the sect. The nine bells summon the Inner Sect Disciples and Personal Disciples to Joyful Union Hall, though the nature of the crisis remains unknown.
• Lu Chen speculates that the Black Tortoise Sect may have attacked or be preparing to attack the Joyful Union Sect, but chooses to focus on strengthening himself rather than becoming involved.
• In the Waste-Pill Repository, Lu Chen uses the Yin-Yang Cauldron and Yin-Yang Essence to restore failed pills:
  • Six Fourth-Grade Body-Tempering Pills
  • Seven Fifth-Grade Marrow-Washing Pills
• He discovers that the spiritual herbs inside the Yin-Yang Space are growing at an astonishing rate. The Soul-Condensing Grass, planted only days earlier, has already reached five hundred years of age.
• Lu Chen consumes the restored Body-Tempering Pills to strengthen his flesh. Although he suffers intense pain and fails to break through to the Peak Copper Skin Realm, his body becomes significantly stronger.
• After consuming six Marrow-Washing Pills, Lu Chen’s Low-Grade Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root transforms into a Mid-Grade Five-Element Spirit Root. His affinity for spiritual energy and his cultivation speed double.
• After nightfall, Lu Chen leaves the Waste Pill Repository, returns briefly to bathe, and then descends the mountain. He is unconcerned about Su Qingqing’s threat, believing the sect’s current crisis will prevent anyone from focusing on him.
• He remains concerned about the safety of his disciple, who possesses a Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes increasingly confident in his overwhelming physical strength and adopts a pragmatic, self-focused approach. He commits himself to body cultivation, spell cultivation, and Dual Cultivation while using the sect’s crisis as an opportunity to advance quietly. His spirit root improves substantially, greatly increasing his future potential.
• Su Qingqing: Initially acts aggressively and authoritatively toward Lu Chen, threatening severe punishment, but immediately prioritizes the sect’s emergency once the nine bells ring.
• Manager Pang Yong: Attempts to influence Su Qingqing’s punishment of Lu Chen but quickly follows her when the alarm sounds, revealing his dependence on her authority.
• Lu Chen’s disciple: Does not appear directly, but Lu Chen’s concern for the disciple’s safety emphasizes his protective side and suggests an important future responsibility.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus authority: Su Qingqing invokes sect rules, but Lu Chen’s actual power far exceeds that of those attempting to punish him.
• Survival amid crisis: While the sect’s elites gather to confront an unknown calamity, Lu Chen concentrates on improving his own strength so he can survive whatever follows.
• The decline and revival of body cultivation: Lu Chen’s painful progress contrasts with the dominance of spell cultivation in the modern cultivation world, while highlighting the immense potential of ancient body-refining methods.
• Resourcefulness and hidden advantages: The Yin-Yang Cauldron, restored pills, and rapidly growing spiritual herbs give Lu Chen extraordinary resources that allow him to advance quietly.
• Personal cultivation versus sect loyalty: Lu Chen remains detached from the sect’s emergency, choosing self-preservation and concern for his disciple over obedience to sect authority.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen clashes with Su Qingqing and Pang Yong over his unauthorized absence from his post.
• Su Qingqing asserts authority by threatening to cripple Lu Chen’s cultivation, while Pang Yong pushes for harsher punishment.
• Lu Chen views both as insignificant threats and nearly attacks them, but the nine tolls interrupt the confrontation.
• The bell indirectly exposes the difference between the characters: Su Qingqing and Pang Yong rush to fulfill their sect duties, while Lu Chen withdraws to cultivate and prepare for the looming danger.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen returns to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties wearing a bronze mask and finds that the place is now effectively under his control.
• A large crowd of cultivators surrounds him, offering spirit herbs in exchange for pill-refining services. Many female cultivators mistakenly believe his payment method involves ordinary dual cultivation.
• Lu Chen clarifies that cultivators who provide the necessary herbs can buy their refined pills for one-third of the normal price. Those without Spirit Stones may instead undergo his “decent” form of dual cultivation, in which he absorbs only a small amount of vital essence to convert into Yin-Yang Essence.
• Zhao Hong escorts Lu Chen to the top-floor Heaven-grade room prepared by Liu Yan’er. The luxurious room contains a powerful Gathering Spirit Formation and overlooks Hehuan Town.
• Liu Yan’er visits Lu Chen and presents him with two portable teleportation platforms. She demonstrates that they can transport a person between the platforms across a distance of up to five hundred li, though each use consumes six High-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Lu Chen discovers that Liu Yan’er possesses dozens of High-Grade Spirit Stones, confirming her immense wealth and the resources of the Blissful Sect.
• Liu Yan’er asks Lu Chen for a Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill so she can break through to the Golden Core Realm and defeat the Blissful Holy Son, thereby improving her chances of becoming the next sect master.
• Lu Chen agrees to help if she gathers the spirit herbs required to refine the pill, although he privately knows he lacks enough Yin-Yang Essence to restore one of his ruined pills.
• At the end of the chapter, Zhao Hong informs Lu Chen that a woman in white has arrived to discuss the Dao of alchemy. Lu Chen realizes that the visitor he expected has finally come.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen continues expanding his influence as an alchemist and becomes increasingly comfortable exploiting his unique cultivation and pill-refining abilities. He remains financially cautious, especially regarding the enormous cost of operating the teleportation platforms.
• He also shows strategic restraint by promising Liu Yan’er a pill only after she gathers the required herbs, buying himself time to solve his shortage of Yin-Yang Essence.
• Liu Yan’er demonstrates her wealth, influence, and ambition. Her request reveals that she is determined to surpass the Blissful Holy Son and seize control of the Blissful Sect.
• Zhao Hong has completely rejected Madam Chun after learning about her betrayal or attempted escape. His disgust toward her is severe, suggesting a dramatic collapse in their relationship.
• Madam Chun becomes resentful and vengeful after Zhao Hong calls her “dirty.” Rather than giving up, she decides to use force and remains determined to control or punish him.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and reputation: Lu Chen’s “dual cultivation” arrangement is repeatedly misinterpreted by the crowd, creating comic tension between his self-image as a decent man and others’ assumptions.
• Power through resources: Spirit herbs, Spirit Stones, pills, formations, and wealth determine status and influence. Liu Yan’er’s enormous resources give her major advantages, while Lu Chen must carefully calculate every expenditure.
• Ambition and political struggle: Liu Yan’er’s desire to reach the Golden Core Realm is tied directly to the succession struggle within the Blissful Sect.
• Betrayal and resentment: Zhao Hong and Madam Chun’s hostile exchange highlights how betrayal destroys trust and can transform affection into hatred.
• Strategic bargaining: Lu Chen continually negotiates rather than giving aid freely, using promises, prices, and conditions to protect his own interests.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen negotiates with the crowd of cultivators, establishing clear terms for pill refining and rejecting their exaggerated assumptions about dual cultivation.
• Zhao Hong publicly supports Lu Chen by organizing the crowd and escorting him upstairs, while privately severing his relationship with Madam Chun.
• Madam Chun confronts Zhao Hong, but he rejects her harshly, intensifying her anger and desire for revenge.
• Liu Yan’er demonstrates the teleportation platforms for Lu Chen, then offers him High-Grade Spirit Stones and respectfully requests his help with her cultivation breakthrough.
• Zhao Hong’s final announcement introduces an approaching woman in white, setting up the next major interaction involving Lu Chen and an apparent alchemical rival or acquaintance.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A powerful veiled woman in white visits Lu Chen, causing him to deliberate over whether meeting her is worth the risk. He knows she previously flew on a sword and rescued Little Xixi from Lei Xuan, proving her extraordinary cultivation.
• Lu Chen invites her in after sending Liu Yan’er away. He treats the visitor politely, serving her expensive spirit tea while attempting to appear mysterious and knowledgeable.
• The woman reveals that Lu Chen’s previous remark about “Red-Dust Tempering of the Dao Heart” deeply influenced her. She has come specifically to seek his guidance on the Dao of alchemy.
• Although Lu Chen knows almost nothing about alchemy, he improvises by quoting profound philosophical sayings such as “Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature.”
• The woman interprets his words as profound truths and becomes convinced that Lu Chen is an extraordinarily advanced alchemy master, perhaps even a Pill King or Pill Sage.
• Believing she has received valuable enlightenment, she prepares to leave and enter seclusion.
• Before departing, she gives Lu Chen a mysterious black pill fragment obtained from an ancient ruin. She has studied it for over ten years without identifying it and asks him to determine its origin.
• The Yin-Yang Cauldron in Lu Chen’s dantian identifies it as a fragment of a Spirit Transformation Pill that can be restored by consuming ten thousand strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
• Lu Chen correctly announces its identity, astonishing the woman. She realizes the fragment may reveal the lost formula for the Spirit Transformation Pill, a supreme pill capable of helping a peak Nascent Soul cultivator break into the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• While she believes the pill fragment is destined to fulfill its potential in Lu Chen’s hands, Lu Chen internally panics at the enormous cost required to restore it.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates cleverness and improvisational skill rather than genuine alchemical knowledge. He successfully maintains his false image as an unfathomable master, but the discovery of the pill fragment exposes how difficult it will be to sustain that image. His confidence turns to alarm when he learns that restoring the fragment requires ten thousand strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
• Jiang Yingyue/the woman in white: Her admiration for Lu Chen grows dramatically. She is spiritually affected by his philosophical remarks and now regards him as a senior expert far beyond her own level. Her long-standing mystery regarding the pill fragment is finally solved.
• Liu Yan’er: Briefly interacts with Lu Chen before leaving, allowing him to meet the woman privately.
• Zhao Hong: Carries out Lu Chen’s instruction and escorts the visitor into the room.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Lu Chen’s reputation as a profound master is built largely on bluffing and borrowed wisdom, yet others sincerely interpret his words as deep enlightenment.
• The power of interpretation: Ordinary philosophical quotations become transformative teachings when heard by someone desperate for guidance and convinced of the speaker’s greatness.
• Fortune and burden: Lu Chen receives an invaluable treasure, but its immense restoration cost turns the opportunity into a daunting challenge.
• Cultivation through enlightenment: The chapter emphasizes that spiritual progress can come from insight, reflection, and the unity of knowledge and action, not merely from cultivation resources.
• Comic dramatic irony: Jiang Yingyue believes Lu Chen is an alchemical sage, while readers know he is improvising and internally terrified of being exposed.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen carefully manages his conversation with Jiang Yingyue, using hospitality and cryptic sayings to preserve his disguise.
• Jiang Yingyue responds with intense respect, treating Lu Chen’s casual remarks as revelations about the Dao.
• Their interaction shifts from a potentially dangerous meeting into one of mutual benefit: Jiang Yingyue receives what she believes is profound guidance, while Lu Chen obtains a rare Spirit Transformation Pill fragment—along with the enormous problem of restoring it.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Jiang Yingyue leaves, Lu Chen realizes the black object she gave him is a Failed Spirit Transformation Pill. Though useless to Jiang Yingyue, it could become a supreme divine pill if restored. However, doing so requires 10,000 strands of Yin-Yang Essence, leaving Lu Chen dismayed about the enormous amount of cultivation required.
• Zhao Hong returns with Little Xixi, who happily embraces Lu Chen. Concerned about her safety—especially because of her Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root—Lu Chen considers sending her to the Yun Household if the Joyful Union Sect’s coming conflict with the Black Tortoise Sect becomes dangerous.
• Lu Chen begins “proper” dual cultivation with Bing’er, Huo’er, and Qing’er, using the Yin-Yang Creation Scripture and the Yin-Yang Cauldron. Each completed circulation generates one strand of Yin-Yang Essence while simultaneously helping the women open their meridians and improve their cultivation.
• By the end of the night:
  • Bing’er reaches

Qi Refining, Third Level

• Huo’er reaches

Qi Refining, Second Layer

• Qing’er reaches

Qi Refining, Fourth Level

• Lu Chen obtains 82 strands of Yin-Yang Essence
• When Bing’er wonders why Lu Chen did not engage in more intimate dual cultivation, he jokingly explains that dual cultivation can be divided into “Literary Cultivation” and “Martial Cultivation,” claiming they practiced the former and would try the latter another time.
• Lu Chen prepares a teleportation array, placing one platform in his room and carrying another to establish in Waste-Pill Valley. This gives him an escape route before the Joyful Union Sect’s Sect Grand Tournament and the expected conflict with the Black Tortoise Sect.
• He returns to the mountain without being confronted, then secretly sets up the array in Number Eighteen Waste-Pill Room and begins restoring failed pills.
• Meanwhile, the Joyful Union Sect’s sect master recalls all Inner Sect Disciples for the Sect Grand Tournament in three days.
• In the Joyful Union Secret Realm, Jiang Yingyue continues studying the two impressive lines Lu Chen spoke while pretending to be a supreme expert. She cannot understand their supposed profound Dao principles.
• Sect Master Ye Chenyu sees the lines and becomes convinced that Lu Chen’s masked identity belongs to an extraordinary master. She regrets nearly offending him by opposing Jiang Yingyue’s decision to return Little Xixi.
• Believing Lu Chen may be the sect’s salvation, Ye Chenyu decides to seek his help in refining Nascent Soul Pills. The chapter ends with her going to find him.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Gains a potentially invaluable Spirit Transformation Pill but is burdened by the immense Yin-Yang Essence needed to restore it. He becomes more cautious and strategic, preparing a teleportation escape route and considering Little Xixi’s protection. His ability to use “proper” dual cultivation also provides a safer way to strengthen his companions.
• Bing’er, Huo’er, and Qing’er: Make rapid cultivation breakthroughs through Lu Chen’s guidance. Qing’er proves especially talented, advancing the farthest.
• Little Xixi: Remains affectionate and obedient toward Lu Chen, while her rare spiritual root makes her a valuable and vulnerable target.
• Jiang Yingyue: Continues to admire and puzzle over Lu Chen’s fabricated wisdom, unable to decipher the true meaning behind his words.
• Ye Chenyu: Shifts from suspicion and disagreement with Jiang Yingyue to deep respect and reliance on the mysterious masked expert. She now views Lu Chen as a possible savior of the Joyful Union Sect.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation and innate talent: The women’s different breakthroughs emphasize the importance of spiritual roots and bloodlines in Spell Cultivation, while Body Cultivation is presented as a path based more on persistence and effort.
• Deception and mistaken identity: Lu Chen’s casual, improvised words are treated as profound Dao teachings, allowing him to gain an exaggerated reputation as an unparalleled master.
• Preparation amid looming danger: The coming Sect Grand Tournament and possible war with the Black Tortoise Sect drive Lu Chen to make escape plans and protect vulnerable allies.
• Mutual benefit through cultivation: Proper dual cultivation is portrayed as a method that strengthens both partners rather than exploiting one side.
• Power and political dependence: The Joyful Union Sect, facing possible crisis, begins to see the mysterious expert as a crucial source of pills and protection.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Little Xixi: Their affectionate master-disciple-like bond is shown through her enthusiastic embrace and his concern for her safety.
• Lu Chen and Bing’er, Huo’er, and Qing’er: They cooperate in alternating cultivation sessions, with Lu Chen guiding their breakthroughs. Bing’er later questions whether his restrained approach means he no longer favors them, prompting his humorous explanation of Literary and Martial Cultivation.
• Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu: Their disagreement over returning Little Xixi creates tension, but Ye Chenyu ultimately recognizes Jiang Yingyue’s judgment as correct and fears the consequences of offending Lu Chen.
• Ye Chenyu and the “masked master”: Although Lu Chen is unaware of it, Ye Chenyu now intends to seek his assistance, turning his accidental false reputation into a major opportunity—and potential complication.

Chapter Summary: “Su Qingqing Came to Seek Pills Too?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen restores a large number of waste pills in preparation for the Joyful Union Sect’s upcoming Sect Grand Tournament, which will take place in three days.
• He restores:
  • Sixty-six ordinary ninth-grade pills using two strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
  • Ten Realm-Breaking Pills, costing 150 strands.
  • Five Foundation Establishment Pills, costing another 150 strands.
• His Yin-Yang Essence drops from 427 strands to 125, making him worry about how to acquire more.
• Lu Chen plans to sell the pills to wealthy inner sect disciples, especially those who need Foundation Establishment Pills, Realm-Breaking Pills, Dragon Soaring Pills, and Blood-Burning Pills.
• He hopes strengthening the Joyful Union Sect’s disciples will make it harder for the Black Tortoise Sect to annex the sect.
• The chapter explains the Joyful Union Sect’s powerful defensive formation, the Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Immortal-Enchanting Array, which requires 365 Foundation Establishment cultivators and was once powerful enough to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• With no one bringing in more waste pills because everyone is preparing for the tournament, Lu Chen uses the teleportation array in the Waste-Pill Repository to return instantly to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties.
• At the House of Ten Thousand Beauties, he reviews the customer ledger and discovers that more than a hundred people have registered to seek pills.
• Among them are Su Qingqing, an inner sect disciple seeking a Realm-Breaking Pill, and Pang Yong, who wants a Blood-Burning Pill.
• Lu Chen orders Pang Yong to be charged triple, suspecting he intends to use the pill during the tournament to defeat Manager Zhao of the Black-Character Alchemy Room.
• He also arranges to meet three female inner sect disciples seeking Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Finally, he summons Su Qingqing to his room. When she hears his voice, she realizes it sounds familiar, creating a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes more ambitious and calculating. He is no longer merely restoring pills for personal profit; he intends to strengthen the Joyful Union Sect and interfere with the Black Tortoise Sect’s plans. He also enjoys the opportunity to retaliate against Su Qingqing, who previously sought to cripple and expel him.
• Su Qingqing: Revealed to be actively seeking a Realm-Breaking Pill to advance from Early Foundation Establishment. Her desperation to improve her cultivation explains why she has not yet dealt with Lu Chen.
• Pang Yong: His request for a Blood-Burning Pill suggests he is preparing for a decisive fight in the Sect Grand Tournament and may be willing to risk serious consequences for temporary power.
• Zhao Hong: Continues serving Lu Chen faithfully, managing the ledger and handling customer arrangements without questioning his master’s orders.

Significant Themes

• Power and factional conflict: Lu Chen’s pill business becomes tied to the larger struggle between the Joyful Union Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Resource scarcity and profit: Lu Chen must carefully manage his limited Yin-Yang Essence while maximizing the value of the pills he restores.
• Retaliation and reversal of status: Su Qingqing once held power over Lu Chen, but she now comes to him as a customer seeking something only he can provide.
• Preparation and competition: The Sect Grand Tournament drives disciples to seek pills, improve their cultivation, and gain recognition.
• Technological and organizational power: Teleportation arrays and defensive formations demonstrate how powerful sects maintain influence over large territories.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen gives Zhao Hong detailed instructions about pricing pills and notifying customers.
• He deliberately raises Pang Yong’s price as punishment or as a test of his desperation.
• Lu Chen summons Su Qingqing, privately anticipating the satisfaction of confronting her from a position of power.
• Su Qingqing enters the House of Ten Thousand Beauties unaware of Lu Chen’s identity and becomes suspicious when she recognizes his voice.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Qingqing, an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple of the Joyful Union Sect, seeks Lu Chen’s help before the sect’s once-in-a-decade Grand Tournament. She hopes to advance to the rank of True Inheritance Disciple.
• She visits Lu Chen intending to fulfill what she assumes are the conditions for obtaining a Realm-Breaking Pill, but Lu Chen stops her and instead introduces his unusual forms of Dual Cultivation: “Literary Cultivation” and “Martial Cultivation.”
• Through the Yin-Yang Creation Scripture, Lu Chen and Su Qingqing complete eighty-one Greater Celestial Circuits. Su Qingqing breaks through from Early to Mid-Foundation Establishment and awakens the destructive power of her Thunder Spiritual Root.
• Lu Chen gives her the promised Realm-Breaking Pill. He also asks her to protect a young man named Lu Chen—unaware that the person he is discussing is himself.
• The cultivation session produces eighty-one strands of Yin-Yang Essence. Since reconstructing a Realm-Breaking Pill requires only fifteen strands, Lu Chen makes a substantial profit and realizes this method may eventually provide enough energy to restore a Failed Spirit Transformation Pill.
• Encouraged by the result, Lu Chen summons another Joyful Union Sect Inner Sect Disciple, Qin Feiyan, who seeks a Realm-Breaking Pill.
• Qin Feiyan initially appears to be a stunning beauty, but when she removes her veil, Lu Chen is horrified to discover that she resembles the famously unattractive “Ru Hua.” He tries to avoid Martial Cultivation and suggests Literary Cultivation instead.
• When Qin Feiyan grabs his hand, Lu Chen discovers her hidden attribute: a Supreme Chaos Spiritual Root. Realizing she may possess the potential to become a legendary cultivator with a Chaos Supreme Immortal Body, he immediately changes his mind and insists on Dual Cultivation.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes more confident in the benefits of his Yin-Yang Creation Scripture and its ability to generate Yin-Yang Essence while helping others advance. He remains cautious about intimacy, claiming he will not practice Martial Cultivation with just any woman. However, Qin Feiyan’s extraordinary spiritual root causes him to abandon his reluctance despite her appearance.
• Su Qingqing: Gains a major cultivation breakthrough and becomes deeply grateful and loyal to Lu Chen. She is now obligated to protect the seemingly insignificant Lu Chen within the sect.
• Qin Feiyan: Is revealed to be far more important than she initially appears. Beneath her unattractive appearance lies the rare Supreme Chaos Spiritual Root, suggesting immense hidden potential and possibly a special destiny.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden potential versus outward appearance: Qin Feiyan’s unattractive face conceals a spiritual root of supreme quality, emphasizing that true talent and destiny cannot be judged by appearance.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Lu Chen’s moral hesitation disappears when he recognizes the enormous value of Qin Feiyan’s talent, showing how cultivation opportunities can override personal preferences.
• Mutual benefit and cultivation advancement: Lu Chen’s Dual Cultivation benefits both participants, allowing others to grow stronger while helping him accumulate the energy needed for alchemy.
• Misunderstanding and reputation: Onlookers assume Su Qingqing has become intimate with Lu Chen, illustrating how appearances and rumors distort the truth.
• Comedy through contrast: The chapter repeatedly contrasts Lu Chen’s lofty self-image and cultivation ambitions with his panic, vanity, and inability to accept Qin Feiyan’s appearance.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Su Qingqing: Their interaction begins with a misunderstanding about the nature of Dual Cultivation but develops into a mutually beneficial cultivation session. Lu Chen helps her break through, gives her a pill, and asks her to protect his sect identity.
• Su Qingqing and Zhao Hong: Zhao Hong escorts her from the Heaven-grade room while the surrounding male cultivators assume she has been physically intimate with Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen and Qin Feiyan: Their interaction shifts dramatically from Lu Chen’s disgust and avoidance to eager cooperation after he discovers her Supreme Chaos Spiritual Root. Qin Feiyan’s attempt to investigate Lu Chen’s abilities inadvertently reveals her own extraordinary potential.

Chapter Summary: “Someone Had Their Eye on Him?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen discovers that the woman disguised as “Ru Hua” possesses a hidden Supreme Chaos Spiritual Root, a talent comparable to—or even superior to—a Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root.
• He brings her to the training room to cultivate through the Yin-Yang Creation Scripture. Because he cannot tolerate her appearance in a conventional dual-cultivation context, he uses a method involving only palm contact and circulating spiritual energy.
• Lu Chen realizes that “Ru Hua” is not actually a Joyful Union Sect cultivator. Her identity and name are false, suggesting that someone may have deliberately targeted or investigated him.
• During cultivation, Lu Chen discovers that she is a Golden Core cultivator with a Nascent Soul already forming inside her core. She is actually at the Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm.
• Her pure and powerful vital essence produces an extraordinary result: each Greater Celestial Circuit generates ten streams of Yin-Yang Essence instead of the usual one. After forty-nine circuits, Lu Chen obtains 490 streams and approaches the Peak Copper Skin Realm.
• The mysterious woman, Qin Feiyan, also benefits greatly. Her Golden Core begins cracking, indicating that she is on the verge of breaking through into the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Lu Chen intentionally stops the cultivation before her breakthrough can occur, partly because he is annoyed that she deceived him and partly because he refuses to continue with someone disguised as “Ru Hua.”
• Qin Feiyan desperately tries to persuade him to continue, even offering to accept any conditions, but Lu Chen rejects her, punches her twice—giving her panda eyes—and forces her out.
• Lu Chen gives Qin Feiyan a bottle of Foundation Establishment Pills before shutting the door. She leaves reluctantly, determined to investigate his true identity and background.
• The surrounding cultivators misunderstand the situation and assume Lu Chen willingly dual cultivated with an unattractive woman. Their gossip causes ordinary-looking female cultivators and even some men to believe they may have a chance with him.
• Lu Chen reforges five Foundation Establishment Pills using 150 streams of Yin-Yang Essence. He gives them to Zhao Hong to sell to Joyful Union Sect inner disciples at ten times the market price, taking advantage of the sect’s upcoming grand tournament.
• Lu Chen then enters seclusion and returns to the Waste Pill Repository.
• Meanwhile, Joyful Union Sect leaders Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu realize they lack three Foundation Establishment cultivators needed to activate a powerful killing formation. They decide to buy Foundation Establishment Pills and promote qualified Qi Refining disciples.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes increasingly cautious and suspicious of Qin Feiyan’s intentions. He recognizes the immense value of her spiritual root and cultivation but refuses to let greed override his judgment. His Yin-Yang Creation Scripture advances rapidly, bringing him close to the Peak Copper Skin Realm. He also demonstrates growing business sense by exploiting the sect’s urgent need for Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Qin Feiyan: Her disguise is exposed, revealing her true name and extraordinary cultivation. She realizes that Lu Chen’s cultivation method can purify her energy and accelerate breakthroughs, viewing him as an invaluable “human Nascent Soul Pill.” Although she briefly considers capturing him as a cultivation resource, she becomes cautious after sensing his power and mystery. Her frustration intensifies when Lu Chen deliberately interrupts her imminent breakthrough.
• Zhao Hong: Continues serving Lu Chen and gains a more exaggerated, comedic misunderstanding of his master’s preferences after witnessing Qin Feiyan leave.
• Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu: Show increasing urgency over the sect’s lack of powerful disciples and begin relying on Lu Chen’s pills to solve a major strategic problem.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Qin Feiyan’s disguise and the crowd’s assumptions highlight how easily people judge others by appearance while missing their true identity and abilities.
• Hidden motives and suspicion: Qin Feiyan has deliberately concealed her identity, making Lu Chen question whether someone is plotting against him.
• Cultivation as exchange and exploitation: Both Lu Chen and Qin Feiyan view the other’s abilities as resources—Lu Chen uses her energy to advance, while she sees him as a means to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Power and leverage: Lu Chen’s rare cultivation method and refined pills give him enormous influence. His control over scarce resources allows him to charge exorbitant prices.
• Comedic misunderstanding: The serious cultivation breakthrough is contrasted with the absurd gossip about Lu Chen’s supposed tastes and Qin Feiyan’s disguised appearance.
• Strategic preparation: The Joyful Union Sect’s preparations for the grand tournament establish a larger conflict and explain the sudden demand for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Qin Feiyan develop a tense relationship built on mutual benefit, deception, curiosity, and distrust. Their cultivation session helps both of them, but Lu Chen’s refusal to let her complete her breakthrough creates significant hostility.
• Lu Chen’s blunt insults and physical rejection clash with Qin Feiyan’s increasingly desperate attempts to persuade him to continue.
• Zhao Hong serves as an observer whose mistaken interpretation reinforces the chapter’s humor.
• Lu Chen and Zhao Hong interact as master and subordinate, with Lu Chen entrusting him with the sale of the newly refined pills.
• Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu discuss the sect’s crisis, revealing the importance of Lu Chen’s pills to the Joyful Union Sect’s upcoming plans.

Chapter Summary: The Blissful Saint Son with a Green Hat

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen returns to Waste-Pill Valley and prepares to enter seclusion. He plans to use the Yin-Yang Cauldron to restore discarded Advanced Body-Tempering Pills and break through to the Peak Copper Skin Realm before the upcoming Sect Grand Tournament.
• Li Yunsheng, disguised as the ugly “Ru Hua”/Qin Feiyan, investigates the mysterious alchemy master in Hehuan Town. She is also interested in the Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root and orders her subordinates to investigate both. Unaware of Lu Chen’s identity, she vows that neither opportunity will escape her.
• Liu Yan’er learns that Lu Chen has entered seclusion just as she has gathered materials for the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill. Her plans are delayed.
• Zhou Tianqi, the Blissful Sect’s Saint Son, visits the House of Ten Thousand Beauties and discovers that Liu Yan’er’s chastity mark has vanished. He realizes she has lost her virginity and angrily accuses her of betraying him.
• Liu Yan’er retaliates by pointing out Zhou Tianqi’s own relationships with his maidservants. Their argument exposes the double standard between them: Zhou Tianqi claims a man may take multiple partners, while Liu Yan’er sarcastically insists that a woman should have the same freedom.
• Humiliated and enraged, Zhou Tianqi leaves and orders an investigation into the person who slept with Liu Yan’er, intending to kill him.
• Lu Chen remains unaware that Zhou Tianqi is targeting him. He restores sixty discarded Advanced Body-Tempering Pills by consuming ten strands of Yin-Yang Essence, then begins swallowing them in seclusion to force a breakthrough.
• In the Joyful Union Sect’s secret realm, Jiang Yingyue comprehends the insight Lu Chen previously expressed and breaks through to the Peak Golden Core Realm. She plans to refine Nascent Soul Pills after the Sect Grand Tournament.
• The sect purchases five Foundation Establishment Pills from the mysterious alchemy master at the enormous price of 3,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones each. The purchase significantly strains the Joyful Union Sect’s resources but may give its disciples a better chance of surviving the coming conflict with the Black Tortoise Sect.
• The sale causes an uproar in Hehuan Town. Zhao Hong regrets not charging more and hides in the House of Ten Thousand Beauties with the 15,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones he received.
• Li Yunsheng returns to seek Lu Chen, but learns that he has entered seclusion. The House of Ten Thousand Beauties becomes crowded with customers waiting for the mysterious master.
• Powerful outsiders begin arriving in Hehuan Town, including experts from the Blissful Sect. The chapter ends with the Blissful Sect Leader confronting Liu Yan’er and demanding that she answer for her “crime,” accompanied by Zhou Tianqi.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Focuses on rapidly strengthening his body cultivation before the Sect Grand Tournament and the Black Tortoise Sect’s planned annexation of the Joyful Union Sect. His restored pills and willingness to consume them in large quantities demonstrate his determination and growing access to resources.
• Li Yunsheng: Reveals herself as a powerful and ambitious figure, likely competing for the holy maiden position of the Grand Void Immortal Sect. She becomes interested in both Lu Chen’s alchemy and the Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root, while her panda eyes remain an embarrassing reminder of Lu Chen’s earlier attack.
• Liu Yan’er: Shows independence and sharp confidence during her confrontation with Zhou Tianqi. Rather than submit to his accusations, she exposes his hypocrisy and refuses to accept his authority over her private life.
• Zhou Tianqi: His pride is badly wounded after discovering Liu Yan’er’s lost chastity mark. His anger turns into a personal vendetta against Lu Chen, although he does not yet know who his rival is.
• Jiang Yingyue: Makes a major breakthrough to the Peak Golden Core Realm after interpreting Lu Chen’s seemingly casual words as profound wisdom. She becomes more capable of protecting the sect and preparing for the coming crisis.
• Ye Chenyu: Acts as Jiang Yingyue’s assistant and is visibly envious that she failed to gain the same insight. She nevertheless efficiently handles the sect’s pill purchases and resource gathering.
• Zhao Hong: Profits enormously from the Foundation Establishment Pill sale but regrets underpricing the pills and fears being robbed.

Significant Themes

• Rapid cultivation and survival: Lu Chen and the Joyful Union Sect must grow stronger quickly because of the approaching Sect Grand Tournament and the Black Tortoise Sect’s planned invasion.
• Hidden identities and misunderstandings: Li Yunsheng does not realize that the mysterious alchemy master is Lu Chen, while Zhou Tianqi likewise has no idea that Lu Chen is the man he seeks.
• Power and resource inequality: High-grade pills and spirit stones are enormously valuable, yet the sect is forced to spend a fortune to survive. Lu Chen, meanwhile, can consume rare pills almost casually through the Yin-Yang Cauldron.
• Gender double standards: Liu Yan’er’s argument with Zhou Tianqi directly challenges the idea that men may have multiple partners while women must remain faithful.
• Unexpected wisdom: Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough comes from Lu Chen’s offhand remarks, emphasizing how ordinary words can be interpreted as profound enlightenment by powerful cultivators.
• Escalating conflict: The arrival of Blissful Sect experts and the confrontation with Liu Yan’er signal that Lu Chen’s secret activities are beginning to attract dangerous attention.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Yunsheng and her subordinate: Li Yunsheng asserts her authority while ordering an investigation into Lu Chen and the Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root.
• Zhou Tianqi and Liu Yan’er: Their heated confrontation reveals mutual resentment, Zhou Tianqi’s hypocrisy, and the personal consequences of Liu Yan’er’s relationship with Lu Chen.
• Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu: They discuss Jiang’s breakthrough, the scarcity of Nascent Soul Pill materials, and the costly purchase of Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Lu Chen and the Yin-Yang Cauldron: Lu Chen uses the cauldron to restore sixty powerful pills, preparing for a major cultivation breakthrough.
• Blissful Sect Leader, Zhou Tianqi, and Liu Yan’er: The chapter concludes with the sect leader arriving to punish or interrogate Liu Yan’er, bringing the conflict over her chastity and Zhou Tianqi’s humiliation to a dangerous new stage.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yan’er is confronted by the Blissful Sect Master after losing her virginity. Holy Son Zhou Tianqi accuses her of violating sect rules by sleeping with another man before marrying him.
• Liu Yan’er turns the accusation against Zhou Tianqi, arguing that he has repeatedly been unfaithful to her. She points out the hypocrisy of condemning her while excusing his own behavior.
• She reveals that the man she was with is a mysterious Pill King from Hehuan Town, an alchemist capable of refining extremely valuable pills, including the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill.
• Liu Yan’er claims she plans to have the Pill King refine pills for her so she can attempt to break through to the Golden Core Realm. She conceals the fact that the Pill King actually controlled her.
• The Blissful Sect Master immediately abandons her anger and praises Liu Yan’er, recognizing the potential advantage of gaining the Pill King’s support. She orders Liu Yan’er to introduce him.
• Zhou Tianqi secretly plans to steal Liu Yan’er’s future pill and use it to reach the Golden Core Realm himself, after which he intends to discard her.
• The Blissful Sect Master shifts attention to the urgent threat posed by the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Meanwhile, Lu Chen remains in secluded cultivation at the Waste Pill Repository. After consuming nearly all sixty High-Grade Body-Tempering Pills, he finally breaks through to the Peak Copper Skin Realm.
• His body becomes extraordinarily powerful and durable, comparable to a humanoid spiritual artifact. He can damage Vajra Jade with his strength, though his body eventually returns to its ordinary appearance.
• As Lu Chen exits the repository at dawn, the bell announcing the Joyful Union Sect’s Grand Tournament rings out. He prepares to take action after the tournament.

Character Developments

• Liu Yan’er demonstrates sharpness, boldness, and considerable verbal confidence. Rather than submit to Zhou Tianqi’s accusations, she exposes his hypocrisy and uses the Pill King’s value to protect herself politically.
• Zhou Tianqi is revealed as hypocritical, possessive, and driven by ambition. His outrage over Liu Yan’er’s infidelity contrasts with his own repeated betrayals. His main goal is to seize the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill and surpass her.
• The Blissful Sect Master proves highly pragmatic and profit-oriented. Her anger disappears as soon as she learns Liu Yan’er has a connection to a Pill King, showing that sect interests outweigh personal morality.
• Lu Chen achieves a major physical breakthrough. His perseverance through intense pain allows him to reach the Peak Copper Skin Realm, greatly increasing his combat strength and confidence.

Significant Themes

• Hypocrisy and double standards: Zhou Tianqi expects loyalty from Liu Yan’er while excusing his own affairs.
• Power and utility over morality: The Blissful Sect Master overlooks Liu Yan’er’s loss of virginity because her connection to a Pill King could benefit the sect.
• Ambition and betrayal: Both Liu Yan’er and Zhou Tianqi view the Pill King and his pills as tools for advancement, while Zhou secretly plans to betray her.
• Cultivation through endurance: Lu Chen’s breakthrough emphasizes the pain, persistence, and determination required to reach a higher realm.
• Political danger and competition: The looming Black Tortoise Sect threat and the Joyful Union Sect tournament suggest that larger conflicts are about to unfold.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yan’er and Zhou Tianqi engage in a hostile verbal confrontation, with Liu Yan’er reversing his accusation and humiliating him.
• Liu Yan’er carefully presents her relationship with the Pill King to the Blissful Sect Master, knowing the information can shield her from punishment.
• The Blissful Sect Master’s attitude toward Liu Yan’er changes instantly from condemnation to approval once she learns of the Pill King.
• Zhou Tianqi outwardly remains involved in the discussion but privately plots to steal Liu Yan’er’s pill and eliminate her advantage.
• Lu Chen does not directly interact with the sect characters in this chapter, but his breakthrough and the tournament bell position him to enter the unfolding conflict.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Joyful Union Sect’s Sect Grand Tournament begins with the ringing of the dawn bell. Inner sect disciples compete at the summit, while male outer sect disciples are restricted to a plaza halfway up the mountain.
• Lu Chen leisurely eats and drinks before attending, showing his confidence and unwillingness to be hurried by the tournament.
• The chapter explains the sect’s discriminatory rules: male outer disciples can never enter the inner sect and are expected to become cultivation furnaces for female inner disciples.
• Wu Dalong mocks Lu Chen for participating despite his supposedly weak Qi Refining cultivation. Zhou Dazhuang warns Lu Chen that Manager Pang intends to kill him during the tournament.
• Lu Chen openly provokes Manager Pang by calling Wu Dalong his “dog,” making his hostility toward Pang public. Manager Pang declares that Lu Chen will die that day.
• Outer sect steward Li Yuan opens ten Life-and-Death Arenas and announces the tournament rules: disciples fight one-on-one, and the victor determines life and death. The top three receive especially valuable rewards, including spirit stones, magic weapons, and Spirit-Gathering Pills.
• Lu Chen reveals that he is not interested in the prizes. He entered the tournament to confront Manager Pang and force him to reveal which inner sect senior sister ordered his death.
• While the outer sect tournament begins, Lu Chen observes a battle at the summit between Yun Feiyan and Lin Yue. Both have apparently reached the Golden Core Realm and fight evenly.
• Wu Dalong boasts that he has advanced to the third level of Qi Refining. Lu Chen calmly promises to kill him but ignores his further taunts.
• In the sky nearby, Li Yunsheng—disguised as “Ru Hua”—watches the sect. Her disciple reveals that the Joyful Union Sect’s Nascent Soul ancestor has died, explaining why the Black Tortoise Sect may be preparing to attack despite their comparable strength.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Displays confidence, composure, and growing boldness. He deliberately provokes Manager Pang and appears far stronger than others believe, having recently reached the peak of the Copper Skin Realm. His true goal is revenge and uncovering the plot against him.
• Manager Pang: Is established as Lu Chen’s main immediate enemy. He is vindictive and confident that Lu Chen’s apparent low cultivation makes him easy to kill.
• Wu Dalong: Remains arrogant and dependent on Manager Pang’s protection. He underestimates Lu Chen and proudly announces his breakthrough to Qi Refining, Third Level.
• Zhou Dazhuang: Shows concern for Lu Chen and attempts to warn him about Manager Pang, suggesting that he is one of Lu Chen’s few allies.
• Yun Feiyan and Lin Yue: Both are revealed to have broken through to the Golden Core Realm, dramatically increasing their importance and suggesting a major power struggle within the sect.
• Li Yunsheng: Continues secretly observing events while disguised. Her understanding of the sect’s power balance leads her to suspect that the death of its Nascent Soul ancestor has created a serious vulnerability.

Significant Themes

• Institutional inequality: The Joyful Union Sect’s rules prevent male outer disciples from gaining true inheritance or entering the inner sect, reducing them to tools for female cultivators.
• Underestimation and hidden strength: Lu Chen is widely dismissed as a weak first-level Qi Refining disciple, but his calm behavior and enhanced perception hint that his real abilities are being concealed.
• Revenge and justice: Lu Chen knowingly enters a deadly tournament to confront those plotting against him rather than avoid danger.
• Power struggles and instability: The simultaneous Golden Core battle and the possible death of the sect’s Nascent Soul ancestor suggest that the tournament is taking place amid a broader political crisis.
• Greed as motivation: The enormous rewards for the top three places are designed to drive the outer disciples into risking their lives.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Wu Dalong: Wu Dalong taunts Lu Chen, while Lu Chen responds with a direct death threat, demonstrating that their conflict is escalating.
• Lu Chen and Zhou Dazhuang: Zhou warns Lu Chen to avoid the tournament because of Manager Pang, but Lu Chen refuses to retreat.
• Lu Chen and Manager Pang: Lu Chen publicly insults Pang through Wu Dalong, and Pang answers with a promise to kill him, establishing the chapter’s central confrontation.
• Yun Feiyan and Lin Yue: Their evenly matched Golden Core battle signals rivalry between two of the sect’s strongest figures.
• Li Yunsheng and her disciple: They discuss the Joyful Union Sect’s strength and discover that the death of its Nascent Soul ancestor may have prompted the Black Tortoise Sect’s planned attack.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen watches the brutal outer-sect battles in the Joyful Union Sect’s Life-and-Death Arenas. The contests are essentially survival matches: disciples may die, their belongings become the victor’s property, and corpses are discarded in a mass grave.
• Two consecutive victories allow a fighter to leave the arena and recover, but otherwise the rules are deliberately harsh and indifferent to life.
• Lu Chen observes the sect officials enjoying refreshments while watching the fights, highlighting the hierarchy and disregard for outer disciples. Manager Pang stands at the back of the administrators and hopes to replace Manager Zhao, though he can only do so by defeating him.
• Wu Dalong, now at Qi Refining, Third Level, enters an arena and frightens away a weaker opponent. Zhou Dazhuang, who dislikes Wu Dalong, challenges him.
• Zhou’s powerful body-refining technique, the Great Strength Ox Demon Art, gives him overwhelming physical strength. However, Wu Dalong avoids direct confrontation with his Spirit Serpent Steps and gradually looks for an opening.
• Wu Dalong uses a hidden rope to bind Zhou’s legs, trips him, kicks him in the dantian, and pins him beneath his foot. He mocks Zhou for being defeated through trickery.
• When Wu Dalong prepares to kill Zhou, Lu Chen intervenes. Wu Dalong demands that Lu Chen kneel and kowtow if he wants Zhou spared.
• Manager Pang secretly promises Wu Dalong three Low-Grade Spirit Stones if he kills Lu Chen. Wu Dalong therefore changes his offer: Lu Chen can save Zhou by entering the Life-and-Death Arena himself.
• Everyone assumes Lu Chen, who appears to be only at Qi Refining, First Layer, will refuse. Deacons Li Yuan, Mu, and Tu even wager on whether he will dare to enter.
• Lu Chen unexpectedly climbs onto the arena, stunning the crowd and setting up a seemingly impossible battle between a First-Layer cultivator and a Third-Level opponent.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Displays loyalty, courage, and composure by risking his life to save Zhou Dazhuang. Although he must conceal his true strength and cultivation, he chooses to confront Wu Dalong rather than abandon his friend.
• Zhou Dazhuang: Proves himself powerful but straightforward. His physical strength nearly overwhelms Wu Dalong, yet his lack of caution leaves him vulnerable to underhanded tactics. Even while injured, he refuses to let Lu Chen humiliate himself by kneeling.
• Wu Dalong: Reveals himself as arrogant, calculating, and unscrupulous. Unable to defeat Zhou through strength, he relies on evasion and a concealed weapon. His confidence increases after receiving Manager Pang’s backing.
• Manager Pang: Shows his willingness to manipulate the arena and arrange Lu Chen’s death for personal benefit and advancement.
• Sect deacons and officials: Their amusement and betting emphasize their indifference toward the suffering of outer disciples.

Significant Themes

• The cruelty of the cultivation world: The arena embodies the principle that the weak are prey for the strong, with death treated as entertainment and property transferred to the victor.
• Hierarchy and exploitation: Outer disciples exist to serve the inner sect, while managers and deacons compete for status and profit.
• Honor versus pragmatism: Zhou values a fair fight, while Wu Dalong believes any method is acceptable if it produces victory.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Lu Chen’s decision to enter a battle he appears certain to lose demonstrates his loyalty to Zhou and his willingness to endanger himself for a friend.
• Hidden strength and underestimated characters: The crowd judges Lu Chen solely by his apparent First-Layer cultivation, creating dramatic tension around why he willingly accepts the challenge.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Zhou Dazhuang share a bond of friendship, with Lu Chen concerned for Zhou’s safety and Zhou resisting any rescue that would require Lu Chen to sacrifice his dignity.
• Zhou and Wu Dalong clash as longtime antagonists. Their confrontation contrasts Zhou’s direct strength with Wu Dalong’s evasive and deceitful methods.
• Wu Dalong manipulates Lu Chen by offering Zhou’s life in exchange for Lu Chen’s participation.
• Manager Pang secretly supports Wu Dalong, turning the personal conflict into a deliberate plot against Lu Chen.
• The deacons treat Lu Chen’s decision as a wager and joke, but his unexpected entrance causes their confidence and amusement to vanish.

Chapter Summary: A Single Punch Stuns the Entire Crowd

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen shocks everyone by voluntarily climbing onto the Life-and-Death Arena to face Wu Dalong, a Qi Refining, Third Layer cultivator, despite publicly appearing to be only at the First Layer.
• Deacon Mu and Deacon Tu lose a wager to Li Yuan, who correctly predicts that Lu Chen will accept the challenge because of his composure.
• Wu Dalong releases Zhou Dazhuang, whom he had been crushing beneath his foot, and sends him off the arena after severely weakening him with a kick to the dantian.
• Lu Chen calmly refuses to flee and provokes Wu Dalong to attack, insisting that his opponent will not get another opportunity.
• Wu Dalong launches a punch at Lu Chen’s chest, but Lu Chen strikes first, slapping him so hard that he is sent flying.
• The spectators, officials, and even Li Yuan are stunned that an apparent Qi Refining, First Layer cultivator could overpower someone at the Third Layer.
• Wu Dalong realizes Lu Chen has concealed his true strength and attempts to escape.
• Lu Chen catches him instantly and kills him with a single punch through the chest, then mocks him by asking who the real “trash” is.
• Manager Pang becomes suspicious and concludes that Lu Chen may have been deliberately concealing his power. He decides he may need to deal with Lu Chen personally.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Reveals extraordinary combat ability while continuing to conceal his actual cultivation realm through the Yin-Yang Cauldron. His calmness, confidence, and ruthless decisiveness contrast sharply with everyone’s expectations of him as a weak cultivator.
• Wu Dalong: Begins arrogant and confident because of his higher cultivation level, but quickly becomes enraged, frightened, and desperate once Lu Chen exposes his superior strength. His attempted escape confirms his loss of confidence before Lu Chen kills him.
• Zhou Dazhuang: Demonstrates loyalty by worrying about Lu Chen even after being injured and thrown from the arena. He is astonished when Lu Chen defeats Wu Dalong.
• Li Yuan: Shows sharp judgment by correctly predicting Lu Chen’s decision and wins twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones from the bet.
• Deacons Mu and Tu: Shift from disbelief to embarrassment after losing their wager and witnessing Lu Chen’s unexpected victory.
• Manager Pang: Initially believes Wu Dalong will easily complete the task of killing Lu Chen, but becomes suspicious and decides to intervene himself.
• Li Yunsheng: Takes interest in Lu Chen after witnessing his strength and begins wondering whether he is a hidden genius. Her curiosity is intensified by her inability to identify the mysterious dual-cultivation partner who previously angered her.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Lu Chen’s apparent weakness is a disguise, allowing him to surprise opponents who judge him solely by his visible cultivation.
• Arrogance versus composure: Wu Dalong’s contempt causes him to underestimate Lu Chen, while Lu Chen’s calm confidence gives him control of the confrontation.
• Reversal of status: The supposed “trash” defeats and kills the stronger opponent, overturning the crowd’s assumptions.
• Loyalty and friendship: Zhou Dazhuang’s concern for Lu Chen highlights his loyalty even while injured.
• Public reputation and shock: Lu Chen’s victory dramatically changes how the outer sect disciples and influential figures perceive him.

Character Interactions

• Li Yuan, Deacon Mu, and Deacon Tu: Li Yuan wins a wager by accurately reading Lu Chen’s determination.
• Wu Dalong and Zhou Dazhuang: Wu Dalong humiliates and injures Zhou Dazhuang, but later releases him when Lu Chen enters the arena.
• Lu Chen and Wu Dalong: Their exchange moves from mockery and provocation to a decisive battle, ending with Lu Chen killing Wu Dalong.
• Li Yunsheng and her maid: Li Yunsheng orders her maid to investigate the mysterious dual-cultivation partner, but the search fails, increasing her frustration.
• Manager Pang and Lu Chen: Manager Pang’s plan to have Wu Dalong kill Lu Chen fails, leading him to consider confronting Lu Chen directly.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the third Life-and-Death Arena, Lu Chen kills Wu Dalong—who is at the Qi Refining Third Layer—with a single punch. This shocks the entire plaza, since everyone believed Lu Chen was only at the First Layer.
• The spectators speculate that Lu Chen may be a powerful body cultivator. Even the naturally strong Zhou Dazhuang admits he could not have produced such force.
• Lu Chen ignores Wu Dalong’s corpse and leaves the arena. Manager Pang, who wants revenge against him, does not challenge Lu Chen because he must first deal with Manager Zhao.
• Zhou Dazhuang approaches Lu Chen, excited by his victory and concerned about his own injuries. Lu Chen tells him to treat his bloodied head, but Zhou dismisses the injury as minor.
• The remaining outer-sect tournament matches conclude. Ten disciples occupy the Life-and-Death Arenas, and their rankings are determined largely by cultivation level rather than further combat. Gao Cheng, at the Tenth Layer, is accepted as first place.
• The top ten disciples gain the right to challenge the sect’s managers and potentially replace them.
• The managers then begin their own challenges. Manager Pang openly challenges Manager Zhao for control of the Black-Character Alchemy Room.
• Manager Zhao reveals himself as a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining sword cultivator and uses the basic Sword-Controlling Technique. Pang shocks everyone by revealing that he is also at the Ninth Layer and possesses a Wind Spiritual Root.
• Pang avoids Zhao’s sword attack, uses wind blades to force Zhao into defense, and then strikes him with a low-grade Thunderbolt Talisman. Zhao is severely injured and quickly defeated.
• Pang kills Zhao, takes his belongings, and claims the position of manager of the Black-Character Alchemy Room. His victory intimidates the entire plaza.
• Just as Pang declares that no one dares challenge him, Lu Chen unexpectedly volunteers to fight him, leaving Zhou Dazhuang and the spectators stunned.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates overwhelming physical strength by killing a stronger opponent with one punch. He remains calm and detached despite the attention surrounding him. His decision to challenge Manager Pang shows confidence and suggests that he may possess even greater hidden abilities.
• Manager Pang: Reveals that his apparent low cultivation was deliberately concealed. He is actually a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining cultivator with a Wind Spiritual Root, strong combat abilities, and a Thunderbolt Talisman as a trump card. His victory fulfills a ten-year ambition, but his arrogance and ruthlessness are emphasized by his execution of Zhao.
• Manager Zhao: Appears confident because of his sword cultivation and Sword-Controlling Technique, but is outmaneuvered by Pang’s deception and talisman. He dies after losing control of the fight.
• Zhou Dazhuang: Becomes even more impressed by Lu Chen but remains anxious about Lu Chen’s safety, especially after Lu Chen challenges the dangerous Manager Pang.
• Gao Cheng and the other top disciples: Their willingness to accept rankings based on cultivation highlights their pragmatism and the importance of status within the sect.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Both Lu Chen and Manager Pang are underestimated because they conceal their true abilities.
• Power and social hierarchy: The tournament offers outer disciples and managers a chance to rise in rank, gain authority, and escape their previous status.
• Pragmatism over honor: The top ten disciples avoid unnecessary battles, while Pang wins through strategy, deception, and a talisman rather than a straightforward contest.
• Ambition and revenge: Pang has spent ten years preparing to replace Zhao, while Lu Chen’s challenge suggests unresolved conflict between them.
• Calm confidence versus arrogance: Lu Chen remains composed after his victory, whereas Pang becomes increasingly boastful after killing Zhao.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen advises the injured Zhou Dazhuang to treat his wounds, while Zhou reacts with admiration and concern after witnessing Lu Chen’s strength.
• Pang and Zhao exchange insults before fighting, each initially underestimating the other.
• Pang defeats Zhao through a combination of wind techniques, misdirection, and a Thunderbolt Talisman, then publicly challenges anyone to oppose him.
• Zhou Dazhuang urgently questions Lu Chen’s decision to fight Pang, while Lu Chen remains unconcerned.
• The chapter ends with Lu Chen stepping forward to challenge Pang, transforming the crowd’s fear and silence into shocked anticipation.

Chapter Summary: “One Punch Cripples Manager Pang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Manager Pang Yong defeats Manager Zhao of the Black-Character Alchemy Room with a Thunderbolt Talisman and brutally kills him by stomping on his head.
• Because no one dares challenge Pang Yong on the Life-and-Death Arena, he appears poised to replace Manager Zhao as manager.
• Lu Chen unexpectedly volunteers to challenge Pang Yong, despite publicly appearing to be only at the First Layer of Qi Refining while Pang Yong is at the Ninth Layer.
• Zhou Dazhuang tries to stop Lu Chen, but Lu Chen remains confident and enters the arena.
• Several deacons, including Li Yuan, Mu, and Tu, bet on the outcome. Mu and Tu assume Pang Yong’s victory is certain, while Li Yuan wagers that Lu Chen will win.
• Pang Yong attacks first, expecting to crush Lu Chen. Lu Chen meets his punch directly and sends Pang Yong flying, shattering the bones in his right arm.
• Pang Yong attempts to use another Thunderbolt Talisman, but Lu Chen quickly steals it from him and places it inside Pang Yong’s clothing. When it detonates, Pang Yong is burned black and publicly humiliated.
• Desperate, Pang Yong swallows a Blood-Burning Pill, sacrificing his qi and blood to raise his strength to the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining.
• The chapter ends as Pang Yong launches another furious attack against Lu Chen.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Reveals that his true physical strength is far greater than his apparent First-Layer cultivation suggests. He is calm, confident, and highly perceptive, defeating Pang Yong’s initial attack with overwhelming physical power. His clever use of Pang Yong’s own talisman also demonstrates quick thinking and ruthlessness.
• Pang Yong: His arrogance and brutality are exposed. Though confident after defeating Manager Zhao, he is shocked when Lu Chen breaks his arm with one punch. His own Thunderbolt Talisman backfires, causing severe humiliation. Driven by rage and desperation, he resorts to the Blood-Burning Pill.
• Zhou Dazhuang: Shows concern for Lu Chen and recognizes the extreme danger of challenging Pang Yong.
• Li Yuan: Displays unusual confidence in Lu Chen and bets heavily on his victory, suggesting that he has noticed Lu Chen’s hidden abilities.
• Li Yunsheng: Watches with interest and realizes that Lu Chen has concealed his true strength.
• Deacons Mu and Tu: Underestimate Lu Chen and confidently wager their entire fortunes on Pang Yong, risking major losses.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Lu Chen’s apparent weak cultivation conceals extraordinary physical power, challenging everyone’s assumptions.
• Arrogance and humiliation: Pang Yong’s confidence collapses when his own methods are turned against him, illustrating how cruelty and arrogance can lead to disgrace.
• Cunning versus brute force: Although Lu Chen wins the first exchange through overwhelming strength, he also uses speed and strategy to steal Pang Yong’s talisman.
• Desperation and escalation: Pang Yong’s use of the Blood-Burning Pill shows how pride and fear drive him to sacrifice his health for greater power.
• Justice and retribution: Pang Yong kills Manager Zhao with a Thunderbolt Talisman, only to suffer the same weapon’s effects himself.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Dazhuang attempts to restrain Lu Chen, but Lu Chen reassures him and proceeds to the arena.
• Pang Yong taunts Lu Chen and dismisses the need for a reason to kill him, reinforcing his cruel and arrogant nature.
• Lu Chen questions Pang Yong about his motives and whether someone else ordered his death, but Pang Yong refuses to answer.
• Lu Chen and Pang Yong clash directly, with Lu Chen decisively overpowering him.
• Pang Yong tries to repeat his earlier victory using a Thunderbolt Talisman, but Lu Chen steals it and causes it to explode on Pang Yong.
• After being humiliated, Pang Yong takes the Blood-Burning Pill and attacks again, setting up the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen realizes Manager Pang Yong obtained a Blood-Burning Pill despite the pill’s greatly increased price, revealing Pang’s considerable wealth and determination to kill him.
• On the Life-and-Death Arena, Pang Yong launches a seemingly desperate attack using his Ninth Layer Qi Refining cultivation and the pill’s enhancement, briefly disappearing to strike Lu Chen from behind.
• Lu Chen easily withstands Pang’s full-force punch, despite it being comparable to a Tenth Layer Qi Refining attack, and sends Pang flying with a simple burst of physical strength.
• Terrified, Pang attempts to flee by jumping off the arena, but Lu Chen catches him by the ankle, drags him back, and repeatedly slams him into the ground.
• Lu Chen demands to know who ordered Pang to kill him. When Pang refuses, Lu Chen brutally threatens and kicks him in the crotch until Pang loses consciousness.
• Pang Yong then reveals that his fainting was a ruse. He ambushes Lu Chen from behind and spits a hidden black weapon or attack toward Lu Chen’s head.
• The attack cannot pierce Lu Chen’s skull, exposing the overwhelming strength of his body. Lu Chen grabs Pang by the nape and effortlessly subdues him.
• From the distant sky, Li Yunsheng recognizes Lu Chen’s distinctive method of grabbing Pang. She realizes he is the mysterious alchemy expert who humiliated her two nights earlier and exclaims that she has finally found him.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates extraordinary physical defense and strength despite appearing to possess only First Layer Qi Refining cultivation. He remains calm, mocking, and dominant throughout the fight, while also showing ruthlessness in forcing Pang to reveal his backer.
• Pang Yong: Initially appears confident due to the Blood-Burning Pill, but his confidence collapses once Lu Chen withstands his strongest attack. He becomes desperate and tries to escape, then proves cunning by faking unconsciousness and launching a final ambush.
• Li Yunsheng: Moves from suspicion to certainty regarding Lu Chen’s identity. Her recognition of his signature technique creates a direct connection between him and the mysterious expert she has been seeking.
• Zhou Dazhuang: Continues to support Lu Chen and openly celebrates when Pang begins fleeing.
• Wu Feng: Shows vindictive hostility toward Lu Chen because Lu Chen killed his cousin, but is left shocked when Pang is defeated.
• The surrounding deacons and disciples: Their earlier confidence that Lu Chen would lose turns into disbelief as they witness his overwhelming strength.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Lu Chen’s apparent low cultivation conceals a body powerful enough to defeat a far stronger opponent.
• Reversal of expectations: Pang’s surprise attack, attempted escape, staged unconsciousness, and final ambush repeatedly create reversals, but each is ultimately overcome by Lu Chen.
• Pride versus survival: Pang’s refusal to betray his employer reflects his stubborn pride, even as fear drives him to flee and resort to deception.
• Humiliation of the powerful: The respected Manager Pang is reduced to helplessness before the spectators, exposing the danger of judging Lu Chen by his cultivation level.
• Identity and recognition: Li Yunsheng’s realization that Lu Chen is the mysterious alchemist sets up a future confrontation and links this battle to the unresolved events of the previous night.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Pang Yong engage in a brutal battle marked by taunts, deception, and repeated attempts at reversal.
• Zhou Dazhuang defends Lu Chen verbally against Wu Feng’s malicious expectations.
• The deacons debate and observe the fight, with Deacon Mu prematurely celebrating Pang’s victory while Li Yuan remains cautious.
• Li Yunsheng watches from above and identifies Lu Chen through his characteristic technique, transforming the battle into the moment when his hidden identity is nearly exposed.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen decisively defeats Pang Yong in the Life-and-Death Arena. Even after Pang Yong consumes a Blood-Burning Pill and reaches combat strength comparable to a peak Qi Refining expert, Lu Chen kills him effortlessly by crushing his neck.
• The outer sect disciples and the Outer Affairs Hall stewards are stunned by Lu Chen’s strength. His victory proves that his apparently low Qi Refining cultivation conceals an extraordinarily powerful physical body.
• Since no one else dares challenge him, Li Yuan officially appoints Lu Chen as the new supervisor of the Black-Character Alchemy Room, replacing Pang Yong.
• This promotion greatly improves Lu Chen’s position and protection within the Joyful Union Sect. As a supervisor, he is no longer an insignificant menial disciple and becomes much harder for the person targeting him to eliminate secretly.
• Lu Chen returns to Waste-Pill Valley, expecting further attacks and determined to uncover the mastermind behind the attempts on his life.
• News of Pang Yong’s death reaches Yun Feiyan and Jiang Yurou. They suspect that Lu Chen’s sudden rise in power may be connected to their youngest junior sister secretly helping him.
• Yun Feiyan, already injured from her earlier battle with Lin Yue, orders Jiang Yurou to keep watch over the youngest junior sister.
• The chapter ends when Li Yunsheng—whom Lu Chen remembers as “Ru Hua”—suddenly appears behind him in Waste-Pill Valley. Lu Chen is alarmed, wondering how she found him and whether his identity has been exposed.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His reputation changes from that of a useless menial disciple to an almost monstrous figure among the outer sect. He remains calm and calculating, using his new position to gain safety while continuing to investigate who wants him dead.
• Pang Yong: Revealed to be desperate and willing to consume a Blood-Burning Pill, but his enhanced power still cannot match Lu Chen. His death removes a major immediate threat and allows Lu Chen to take his position.
• Li Yunsheng/Ru Hua: She recognizes Lu Chen’s distinctive neck-grabbing technique and realizes he is hiding within the Joyful Union Sect. She intends to find him because she believes another session of Dual Cultivation could help her break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and secure the Void Immortal Sect’s saintess position.
• Yun Feiyan: Though she defeats Lin Yue and retains her status as eldest senior sister, she is seriously enough injured to bleed internally. She becomes suspicious of Lu Chen’s transformation and worries that her youngest junior sister may still have feelings for him.
• Jiang Yurou: Acts as Yun Feiyan’s informant and shares the theory that the youngest junior sister may be secretly aiding Lu Chen.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and mistaken identity: Lu Chen’s low cultivation level causes others to underestimate him, while his true physical power makes him capable of defeating far stronger opponents.
• Rising status and protection: Victory in the arena transforms Lu Chen’s social position, showing how power and official rank can provide security in a dangerous sect.
• Conspiracy and survival: Lu Chen continues to search for the person behind the assassination attempts, while others also investigate the secret behind his sudden strength.
• Romantic entanglement versus cultivation: Yun Feiyan worries that the youngest junior sister’s lingering emotions conflict with her pursuit of the Ruthless Dao, while Li Yunsheng views Dual Cultivation with Lu Chen as a path to greater power.
• Public reputation versus private truth: The sect now worships or fears Lu Chen as a prodigy, but the true source of his strength remains hidden.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Pang Yong clash in a public life-or-death battle, ending with Lu Chen’s execution of Pang Yong.
• Lu Chen’s victory changes how the outer disciples, supervisors, and stewards treat him; they now fear and respect him rather than ridicule him.
• Yun Feiyan and Jiang Yurou discuss Lu Chen’s unexplained transformation and suspect their youngest junior sister’s involvement.
• Yun Feiyan entrusts Jiang Yurou with monitoring the youngest junior sister.
• Li Yunsheng tracks Lu Chen down and confronts him unexpectedly while he is preparing dinner, creating a cliffhanger centered on whether she knows his true identity.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ru Hua, accompanied by a black-clad maid, discovers Lu Chen disguised as a menial disciple in the Joyful Union Sect’s Waste Pill Repository.
• Lu Chen denies being the masked expert they are seeking and attempts to bluff them into leaving.
• Ru Hua orders her maid, Black Feather, to capture him. Black Feather reveals overwhelming power by forming a dragon claw from spiritual energy, indicating at least Foundation Establishment or Golden Core cultivation.
• Before Lu Chen can resist, Liu Fuyao—the Joyful Union Sect’s Holy Maiden and Lu Chen’s former fiancée—intervenes with a sword strike.
• Liu Fuyao has advanced to the Golden Core Middle Stage and confronts Ru Hua and her attendants. She insists they cannot take Lu Chen from the sect.
• Black Feather blocks Liu Fuyao while Ru Hua uses an Upper-Grade Spirit Artifact, the Immortal-Binding Rope, to restrain Lu Chen.
• Ru Hua forcibly breaks through the Waste-Pill Valley’s protective formation and escapes with Lu Chen.
• Black Feather delays Liu Fuyao by summoning dust-formed warhorses and later using powerful Primordial Unity Thunderbolt Pellets before fleeing.
• Liu Fuyao defeats the dust steeds but fails to stop the escape. The commotion alerts the Joyful Union Sect’s senior experts.
• In a remote valley, Lu Chen remains bound and continues denying that he is the masked man. Ru Hua orders Black Feather to castrate him as punishment for refusing to confess.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Reveals greater awareness of the danger surrounding his hidden identity. Though physically strong at the Peak Copper Skin Realm, he recognizes that he cannot defeat Ru Hua, a Half-Step Nascent Soul expert. His confidence gives way to alarm when confronted with the threat of castration.
• Ru Hua/Li Yunsheng: Demonstrates considerable authority, confidence, and ruthlessness. She possesses powerful treasures and is willing to abduct Lu Chen by force rather than negotiate.
• Black Feather: Establishes herself as a highly capable Golden Core cultivator and loyal subordinate. She can use vital energy offensively, wield a powerful saber, and employ rare Thunderbolt Pellets.
• Liu Fuyao: Shows major cultivation progress, having advanced from Early to Middle Golden Core. She remains emotionally distant toward Lu Chen but intervenes when outsiders attack within the sect’s territory.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and deception: Lu Chen’s disguise as a low-ranking servant is challenged, while he continues trying to conceal his true identity.
• Power imbalance: Lu Chen’s strength is insufficient against high-level cultivators and superior spirit artifacts, emphasizing the danger of his current situation.
• Possession and control: Ru Hua’s determination to seize Lu Chen contrasts with Liu Fuyao’s refusal to let outsiders violate the sect’s authority.
• Cultivation advancement: Liu Fuyao’s rapid breakthrough and the advanced techniques and artifacts displayed by Ru Hua’s group highlight the competitive nature of the cultivation world.
• Humor amid danger: The absurd threat of castration creates comic tension despite Lu Chen’s genuinely perilous predicament.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Ru Hua engage in a tense exchange of denials and accusations over his identity.
• Ru Hua commands Black Feather to capture Lu Chen, while Lu Chen attempts to appear weak and unthreatening.
• Liu Fuyao and Ru Hua clash over Lu Chen, with Liu treating the incident as an intrusion into the Joyful Union Sect.
• Black Feather fights Liu Fuyao to protect Ru Hua’s escape, demonstrating loyalty and preventing Liu from rescuing Lu Chen.
• The chapter ends with Ru Hua asserting complete control over Lu Chen and Black Feather preparing to carry out her cruel order.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Yunsheng confronts Lu Chen, who continues denying that he was the mysterious man she encountered previously.
• To force him to confess, she orders her subordinate, Black Feather, to castrate him with an Upper-Grade Spirit Artifact saber. Terrified of the weapon, Lu Chen immediately gives in and admits his identity—though he disguises the confession with an absurd claim that he is an ancient cultivator who sealed his cultivation to temper his Dao heart.
• Li Yunsheng initially considers whether his story might be true, but she remains suspicious and has Black Feather keep him restrained.
• Rather than releasing him, Li Yunsheng orders Lu Chen to swallow a Ten-Thousand-Poison Heart-Eroding Pill. Lu Chen attempts to bargain by offering to help her reach the Nascent Soul Realm, but she demands not only his assistance and Dual Cultivation technique, but also control over him entirely.
• Black Feather forces the pill into Lu Chen’s mouth. Li Yunsheng then uses a small drum to activate the poison, causing excruciating pain in Lu Chen’s heart. He quickly submits and promises to obey her.
• Li Yunsheng reveals that she possesses the antidote and intends to use Lu Chen’s Dual Cultivation method to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm before the Eastern Continent Immortal Gate opens.
• She orders Black Feather to guard the valley while she begins Dual Cultivation with Lu Chen. The chapter ends with Lu Chen reluctantly lying down and lamenting that his supposed handsome and glorious future has ended in humiliation.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His confidence and scheming persona collapse under physical threats and the poison’s effects. He relies on bluffing, bargaining, and humor to survive, but ultimately becomes temporarily subservient to Li Yunsheng. He secretly hopes that his Yin-Yang Cauldron may be able to neutralize the poison.
• Li Yunsheng: She is shown to be ruthless, calculating, and highly ambitious. She sees through Lu Chen’s attempts to escape and uses the poison to secure absolute leverage over him. Her priority is advancing her cultivation before the Immortal Gate opens.
• Black Feather: She remains absolutely loyal and obedient to Li Yunsheng, carrying out her mistress’s threats and orders without hesitation. However, she is visibly shocked when Li Yunsheng announces her intention to practice Dual Cultivation with Lu Chen.
• Qin Fan: Though absent from the scene, he becomes relevant as Li Yunsheng’s fiancé. His existence highlights the impropriety and irony of her decision to pursue Lu Chen.

Significant Themes

• Power and coercion: The chapter centers on Li Yunsheng reversing the power dynamic and forcing Lu Chen into obedience through threats, restraint, and poison.
• Deception and bluffing: Lu Chen invents an elaborate identity as an ancient, sealed cultivator, while Li Yunsheng anticipates his attempts to flee and manipulates him accordingly.
• Ambition and cultivation: Li Yunsheng’s desire to reach the Nascent Soul Realm—and eventually gain greater opportunities through the Eastern Continent Immortal Gate—drives her extreme actions.
• Humiliation and comedic reversal: Lu Chen’s self-image as a future immortal is repeatedly undercut by his panic, helplessness, and sarcastic complaints.
• Possession and autonomy: Li Yunsheng’s declaration that Lu Chen “belongs” to her turns their relationship into one of forced control rather than cooperation.

Character Interactions

• Li Yunsheng and Lu Chen engage in a battle of intimidation and verbal manipulation, with Lu Chen trying to deceive or negotiate his way out and Li Yunsheng consistently outmaneuvering him.
• Black Feather acts as the enforcer of Li Yunsheng’s will, threatening Lu Chen with her saber and forcing him to consume the poison.
• Lu Chen mocks Li Yunsheng’s appearance and questions how she could be considered beautiful or have a fiancé, provoking Black Feather’s anger.
• Black Feather’s shocked reaction to Li Yunsheng’s plan emphasizes how extreme and unexpected the arrangement is, while Lu Chen reacts with disbelief that a woman with a fiancé is still pursuing him.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen is captured by Li Yunsheng, whom he previously believed wanted to practice “martial” dual cultivation with him.
• He discovers that Li Yunsheng actually agrees to “literary cultivation,” meaning they cultivate while remaining clothed and without physical intimacy. Lu Chen explains that “martial cultivation” involves sharing a bed.
• Li Yunsheng orders her subordinate, Black Feather, to guard the valley and kill anyone who attempts to enter.
• Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng begin dual cultivation by pressing their palms together and circulating vital essence through the Yin-Yang Creation Method.
• The process produces ten strands of Yin-Yang Essence for Lu Chen—far more than ordinary dual cultivation partners provide.
• Li Yunsheng’s Golden Core begins cracking as her refined vital essence reaches a new limit. Her divine sense gathers around the core, revealing the process of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Lu Chen secretly observes and learns the method of shattering a Golden Core and forming a Nascent Soul, greatly benefiting his future cultivation.
• Qin Fan, Li Yunsheng’s fiancé and the young master of the powerful Qin Household, arrives at the valley.
• Black Feather attempts to prevent him from entering, but Qin Fan overwhelms her and rushes inside.
• Qin Fan sees Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng cultivating naked after their clothes were destroyed by their powerful energies. Believing Li Yunsheng has betrayed him, he erupts in fury and attacks them with a devastating palm strike.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates cleverness by redefining dual cultivation to avoid physical intimacy. He continues exploiting the Yin-Yang Creation Method to strengthen himself and gains invaluable insight into Nascent Soul formation by observing Li Yunsheng’s breakthrough process. He also realizes how weak he currently is compared with Peak Golden Core cultivators.
• Li Yunsheng: Becomes increasingly interested in Lu Chen’s mysterious cultivation technique and intends to obtain it once she reaches the Nascent Soul Realm. Her cultivation advances rapidly, with her Golden Core beginning to crack as she approaches transformation into a Nascent Soul.
• Black Feather: Shows absolute loyalty to Li Yunsheng, obeying her command even when confronted by Qin Fan. Although anxious about her mistress’s behavior, she still attempts to defend the valley.
• Qin Fan: Is introduced as Li Yunsheng’s powerful fiancé. His initially calm demeanor collapses when he senses another man inside the valley, and jealousy drives him into a violent, irrational rage.

3. Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and deception: Lu Chen manipulates the ambiguous meaning of “dual cultivation” to protect himself, while Qin Fan misinterprets the situation and assumes Li Yunsheng has betrayed him.
• Power imbalance: Lu Chen recognizes the enormous gap between his strength and Qin Fan’s Peak Golden Core cultivation, emphasizing his need for further advancement.
• Cultivation as mutual exchange: The Yin-Yang Creation Method benefits both practitioners—Lu Chen gains Yin-Yang Essence, while Li Yunsheng’s vital essence is purified and her breakthrough is accelerated.
• Knowledge and opportunity: Lu Chen’s ability to observe Li Yunsheng’s breakthrough gives him a rare advantage and turns her cultivation progress into a lesson for his own future.
• Jealousy and possessiveness: Qin Fan’s reaction reveals the destructive consequences of pride, romantic entitlement, and acting on incomplete information.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng negotiate the meaning of dual cultivation before beginning their practice.
• Li Yunsheng commands Black Feather to protect the valley, while Black Feather struggles to understand her mistress’s interest in Lu Chen.
• Black Feather confronts Qin Fan and refuses to let him enter, but he defeats her with ease.
• Qin Fan accuses Li Yunsheng and Lu Chen of betraying and humiliating him, then launches a massive attack against them.
• The chapter ends with Lu Chen trapped beneath Qin Fan’s overwhelming palm pressure as the valley is torn apart.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• During Li Yunsheng’s breakthrough from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul Realm, her fiancé, Qin Fan, suddenly attacks her and Lu Chen, mistakenly believing they are adulterers.
• Qin Fan’s massive golden palm covers the valley, but Li Yunsheng forcibly summons her Nascent Soul Incarnation to destroy the attack and send him flying.
• Qin Fan survives but is badly injured and vows revenge against both Li Yunsheng and the supposed “adulterer,” Lu Chen.
• Li Yunsheng suffers severe backlash from using her Nascent Soul Incarnation prematurely. Lu Chen uses the Yin-Yang Creation Scripture through their “Literary Cultivation” to stabilize her chaotic energy.
• After completing the required Greater Celestial Circuits, Li Yunsheng successfully shatters her Golden Core and forms a Nascent Soul. The resulting energy storm blasts Lu Chen out of the valley and devastates the surrounding area.
• Her breakthrough produces the extraordinary phenomenon of an azure lotus emerging from Primordial Chaos, alarming powerful cultivators such as Ye Chenyu. The phenomenon confirms Li Yunsheng’s exceptional potential.
• Black Feather assumes Lu Chen has died, but Li Yunsheng doubts this, recognizing that he is not truly a weak First-Layer Qi Refining cultivator.
• Li Yunsheng receives a summons from her master and leaves with Black Feather before she can search for Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen survives, calculates that he has gained 1,426 strands of Yin-Yang Essence, and hides in a mountain cave. Using the Yin-Yang Cauldron, he successfully refines away the Heart-Devouring Ten Thousand Poisons Gu.
• He returns briefly to Hehuan Town, learns that a Nascent Soul cultivator recently appeared in the mountains, and then goes back to the Joyful Union Sect.
• At the sect’s closing ceremony, Grand Elder Xuan Kui of the Black Tortoise Sect arrives and declares that the Joyful Union Sect will become a branch hall of his sect. He threatens Ye Chenyu and the entire sect, creating a new crisis.

Character Developments

• Li Yunsheng successfully reaches the Nascent Soul Realm, revealing her extraordinary talent and gaining an even more transcendent, “immortal” aura. Her breakthrough confirms her status as one of the most powerful and gifted cultivators of her generation.
• Lu Chen remains resourceful and resilient. Despite being caught in a Nascent Soul breakthrough and presumed dead, he survives, profits greatly from the cultivation session, and removes the deadly Gu from his body.
• Qin Fan is humiliated and severely injured, intensifying his hatred toward Li Yunsheng and Lu Chen. His misunderstanding is likely to fuel future conflict.
• Black Feather continues to protect and serve Li Yunsheng, though she underestimates Lu Chen’s strength and survival ability.
• Ye Chenyu recognizes the significance of Li Yunsheng’s breakthrough but is soon confronted with a direct threat to the Joyful Union Sect.
• Xuan Kui is established as an arrogant and domineering antagonist who intends to exploit the Joyful Union Sect’s weakened position.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and mistaken identity: Lu Chen is labeled an “adulterer” despite having done nothing improper, while the true nature of his and Li Yunsheng’s cultivation partnership remains misunderstood.
• Cultivation and transformation: Li Yunsheng’s Golden Core shatters and becomes a Nascent Soul, symbolizing a major spiritual and personal advancement.
• Hidden strength: Lu Chen appears to be a weak Qi Refining cultivator, but his survival, unusual techniques, and ability to refine the Gu reveal that his true capabilities are far greater.
• Risk and reward: Li Yunsheng risks death to complete her breakthrough, while Lu Chen endures the dangers of their cultivation to gain vast amounts of Yin-Yang Essence and eliminate the Gu.
• Power struggles and sect survival: The chapter shifts from personal cultivation and romantic misunderstanding to a larger conflict involving the Black Tortoise Sect’s attempt to dominate the Joyful Union Sect.

Character Interactions

• Li Yunsheng and Qin Fan: Qin Fan attacks her in a jealous rage, but Li Yunsheng effortlessly defeats him with her Nascent Soul Incarnation. His humiliation deepens their hostility.
• Li Yunsheng and Lu Chen: Their cultivation partnership proves essential to both of them. Lu Chen stabilizes Li Yunsheng after her forced attack, while she unknowingly blasts him away during her breakthrough. Their relationship remains awkward because of the misunderstanding surrounding their intimacy.
• Li Yunsheng and Black Feather: Black Feather protects her young lady and assumes Lu Chen is dead, while Li Yunsheng shows greater confidence in Lu Chen’s hidden abilities.
• Lu Chen and Liu Yan’er: Lu Chen relies on Liu Yan’er for information about the recent Nascent Soul breakthrough and the situation near the Joyful Union Sect.
• Ye Chenyu and Xuan Kui: Xuan Kui openly challenges Ye Chenyu’s authority and threatens to absorb the Joyful Union Sect, ending the chapter on a major political and sectarian confrontation.