Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Battle or Surrender?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Immediately after the Joyful Union Sect’s Grand Tournament, Black Tortoise Sect Grand Elder Xuan Kui announces that the Joyful Union Sect will become a branch hall under the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Xuan Kui reveals that the Joyful Union Sect’s ancestor has died, exposing the sect’s greatest secret and removing its primary protection.
• Su Mei, a respected elder, alchemy grandmaster, and Ye Chenyu’s junior sister, admits that she informed the Black Tortoise Sect of the ancestor’s death. She argues that betrayal is necessary to preserve the sect’s legacy and protect its members.
• The Black Tortoise Sect surrounds Joyful Union Mountain with a powerful formation and deploys the Black Tortoise Seal, a supreme spiritual artifact capable of unleashing power equivalent to a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator.
• Xuan Kui demands that the Joyful Union Sect:
  • Submit and become the Black Tortoise Sect’s Joyful Union Hall.
  • Hand over the top one hundred tournament disciples as cultivation partners for Black Tortoise Sect disciples.
  • Surrender large quantities of spiritual herbs and spirit stones.
  • Send the Holy Maiden, Liu Fuyao, to serve the Black Tortoise Sect’s Holy Son.
• Ye Chenyu rejects the idea that the Joyful Union Sect needs the Black Tortoise Sect’s help to gain entry into the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly.
• Xuan Kui declares that the Joyful Union Sect will cease to exist unless it submits.
• The chapter ends with Ye Chenyu forced to choose between fighting the overwhelmingly stronger Black Tortoise Sect or surrendering the sect and sacrificing its disciples.

Character Developments

• Ye Chenyu is portrayed as fiercely protective of her sect and deeply angered by Su Mei’s betrayal. Although she remains defiant, the loss of the ancestor and the enemy’s preparations leave her facing an almost impossible decision.
• Su Mei is revealed as a traitor who believes survival requires submission to a stronger power. Her claim that she acted “for the good of the sect” contrasts sharply with the devastating demands she has enabled.
• Xuan Kui displays arrogance and confidence, treating the Joyful Union Sect as already defeated. His demands reveal that the Black Tortoise Sect seeks not merely submission but the destruction of the sect’s future.
• Liu Fuyao, the Holy Maiden and a gifted cultivator with a Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root, becomes a direct target. Her forced transfer would represent both personal humiliation and a major loss for the Joyful Union Sect.
• Jiang Yingyue and the other elders react with outrage, especially toward Su Mei, and support resisting the Black Tortoise Sect.
• The disciples, particularly those ranked in the top one hundred, realize that their success in the tournament has made them targets. Their fear and indignation heighten the tension.
• Su Qingqing, ranked sixty-first, is personally endangered by the Black Tortoise Sect’s demands, making Ye Chenyu’s decision directly affect her fate as well.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal versus loyalty: Su Mei’s betrayal exposes internal fractures within the Joyful Union Sect and raises questions about whether survival justifies abandoning one’s principles.
• Resistance versus submission: The central conflict is whether the sect should fight despite overwhelming odds or surrender to preserve some form of existence.
• Power and exploitation: The Black Tortoise Sect uses its superior strength to demand resources, talented disciples, and the Holy Maiden, revealing its intention to cripple the Joyful Union Sect permanently.
• Leadership and responsibility: Ye Chenyu must choose between risking the lives of the entire sect and accepting humiliating terms that may destroy its future.
• The survival of a legacy: With the ancestor gone, the Joyful Union Sect’s traditions, successors, and independence are all threatened.

Important Character Interactions

• Xuan Kui publicly confronts Ye Chenyu and demands her sect’s submission.
• Su Mei openly challenges Ye Chenyu, revealing that she gave away the ancestor’s secret and defending her alliance with the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Jiang Yingyue condemns Su Mei as a traitor, while the Green Bamboo Peak master urges Ye Chenyu to fight.
• Xuan Kui mocks the sect’s defensive array and demonstrates that the Black Tortoise Sect has already prepared to suppress them.
• The disciples look to Ye Chenyu for leadership, making her final decision the decisive event to come.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Tortoise Sect surrounds Joyful Union Mountain with overwhelming force, using the Black Tortoise Seal, powerful formations, and elite cultivators.
• To protect her disciples, Joyful Union Sect Master Ye Chenyu surrenders. The sect is officially reduced to the Black Tortoise Sect’s Joyful Union Hall.
• The Black Tortoise Sect demands:
  • The top one hundred disciples from the Joyful Union Sect’s Sect Grand Tournament, who will be taken as dao companions for Black Tortoise disciples.
  • Large quantities of spirit herbs and Spirit Stones.
• Xuan Kui, the Black Tortoise Sect’s Grand Elder, gives Ye Chenyu only three days to provide the demanded resources and even takes over the sect master’s throne.
• News of the Joyful Union Sect’s downfall spreads throughout Hehuan Town.
• Lu Chen emerges from seclusion at the House of Ten Thousand Beauties and learns of the crisis, including the danger facing Liu Fuyao and the other female disciples.
• He orders Liu Yan’er to announce that the mysterious Pill King has emerged, attracting cultivators seeking pills.
• Yun Feiyan begs Lu Chen to save the Joyful Union Sect and threatens suicide rather than submit to the Black Tortoise Sect. Lu Chen, despite wanting to help, admits internally that he currently lacks the strength to confront them.
• Jiang Yingyue, secretly the Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder and only Alchemical Grandmaster, asks Lu Chen to refine Nascent Soul Pills.
• Lu Chen realizes that a Nascent Soul Pill might allow Ye Chenyu, who is at Peak Golden Core, to break through and potentially become the sect’s hope.
• Jiang Yingyue already possesses the necessary ingredients and agrees to Lu Chen’s condition: dual cultivation in exchange for the pills. The chapter ends as Lu Chen asks her to remove her veil, joking internally that he is about to become Liu Fuyao’s “grandmaster-uncle.”

Character Developments

• Ye Chenyu: Shows self-sacrificing leadership by surrendering to protect her disciples, while secretly harboring resentment toward Xuan Kui and the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Xuan Kui: Demonstrates arrogance and ruthlessness by humiliating Ye Chenyu, occupying her throne, and imposing an impossible three-day deadline.
• Lu Chen: Becomes increasingly concerned for the Joyful Union Sect, especially Liu Fuyao and the other disciples. Though powerless in direct combat, he begins seeking a solution through alchemy and strategic alliances.
• Liu Yan’er: Remains loyal and efficient, gathering the ingredients for the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill and spreading news of Lu Chen’s emergence.
• Yun Feiyan: Reveals her desperation and emotional dependence on Lu Chen, appealing to their intimate relationship and framing the crisis as a matter of life and death.
• Jiang Yingyue: Her identity as the veiled white-clad woman and the Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder is revealed. She places her trust in Lu Chen’s supposed alchemical mastery and sees him as the sect’s final hope.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and leadership: Ye Chenyu surrenders her authority to preserve her disciples’ lives.
• Powerlessness versus responsibility: Lu Chen wants to save the sect but lacks the strength to fight the Black Tortoise Sect, forcing him to rely on ingenuity instead.
• Humiliation and resistance: The Black Tortoise Sect’s demands turn military victory into social and personal domination, particularly through forced dao-companion arrangements.
• Deception and mistaken identity: Jiang Yingyue believes Lu Chen is a mysterious reclusive Pill King, while he is actually much less powerful than she assumes.
• Alchemy as a path to power: Nascent Soul Pills may provide a way for the Joyful Union Sect to resist without direct confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Ye Chenyu pleads with Xuan Kui for more time, but he dismisses her requests and asserts control over the sect.
• Ye Chenyu consults Su Mei about the sect’s resources, confirming that the demanded payment cannot be assembled quickly.
• Lu Chen learns the full situation from Liu Yan’er and reacts angrily to the threat against the Joyful Union disciples.
• Yun Feiyan kneels before Lu Chen and begs him to intervene, invoking their dual-cultivation relationship.
• Jiang Yingyue approaches Lu Chen for Nascent Soul Pills, and their negotiation establishes a transactional arrangement involving the ingredients and dual cultivation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Joyful Union Sect faces imminent destruction after the Black Tortoise Sect’s Grand Elder, Xuan Kui, gives them only three days before completely annexing the sect.
• Jiang Yingyue, the Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder and an accomplished Alchemical Grandmaster, seeks Lu Chen’s help in refining a Nascent Soul Pill. She removes her veil at his insistence, revealing herself as a stunning beauty.
• Lu Chen discovers that Jiang Yingyue possesses a Supreme Fire Spiritual Root, explaining her exceptional talent in alchemy. He agrees to “martial cultivate” with her, hoping to deepen their connection and assist her cultivation.
• While Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue cultivate, his three half-demon companions—Bing’er, Huo’er, and Qing’er—continue training in the spiritually rich Heavenly Room. Their cultivation advances rapidly, reaching the fourth and fifth levels of Qi Refining.
• Zhou Tianqi plots against Liu Yan’er, intending to steal the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill once Lu Chen refines it and use it to break through to the Golden Core Realm.
• Xuan Kui and the Black Tortoise Sect begin occupying the Joyful Union Sect. They force open the sect’s secret realm, intending to seize its inheritance and the Yin-Yang Joyful Union Sword.
• Ye Chenyu is powerless to resist and can only wait for news from Jiang Yingyue. Xuan Kui humiliates her further by claiming ownership of the sect, its resources, and even its people.
• Su Mei betrays the Joyful Union Sect and assists the Black Tortoise Sect, earning the promise of advancement within the invading sect. Resistant disciples are killed.
• The Blissful Sect takes control of Hehuan Town, with the Lin Household submitting to it while the Yun Household is placed under effective house arrest. Yun Feiyan returns after reaching the Golden Core Realm, giving her family new hope.
• A tremendous spiritual phenomenon erupts above the House of Ten Thousand Beauties. Jiang Yingyue, after dual cultivation with Lu Chen, enters enlightenment and begins breaking through from Peak Golden Core to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes increasingly captivated by Jiang Yingyue’s beauty and talent. He also learns that his cultivation method can trigger extraordinary breakthroughs in others.
• Jiang Yingyue: Reveals her true identity and exceptional constitution. Her enlightenment during cultivation places her on the verge of becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator, potentially giving the Joyful Union Sect a chance to survive.
• Ye Chenyu: Is forced to endure Xuan Kui’s occupation and insults despite her anger and determination. Her hope shifts entirely toward Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough.
• Xuan Kui: Displays his arrogance and cruelty, treating the Joyful Union Sect as conquered property and openly abusing his authority.
• Su Mei: Fully commits to betraying the Joyful Union Sect in exchange for status within the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Bing’er, Huo’er, and Qing’er: Show gratitude and loyalty toward Lu Chen while rapidly improving their cultivation through diligent training.
• Zhou Tianqi: Reveals himself as a malicious opportunist, secretly planning to steal Liu Yan’er’s pill and sabotage her.
• Yun Feiyan: Returns as a Golden Core cultivator, becoming a source of support for the frightened Yun Household.

Significant Themes

• Hope amid oppression: The Joyful Union Sect is being dismantled, but Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough offers a possible reversal of fortune.
• Power and humiliation: Xuan Kui’s treatment of Ye Chenyu and the sect emphasizes the cruelty of unchecked strength and political domination.
• Betrayal and loyalty: Su Mei’s betrayal contrasts with the loyalty of Lu Chen’s companions and the perseverance of Ye Chenyu and the sect’s remaining disciples.
• Cultivation through relationships: Lu Chen’s unique “martial cultivation” creates unexpected breakthroughs, linking intimacy, trust, and spiritual advancement.
• Hidden potential: Jiang Yingyue’s Pure Yin Constitution and sudden enlightenment show that great power may remain concealed until the right opportunity appears.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue negotiate her request for assistance, leading to their dual cultivation and her impending breakthrough.
• Jiang Yingyue’s relationship with Ye Chenyu is significant: as Ye Chenyu’s martial aunt, her success may determine the sect master’s survival.
• Xuan Kui repeatedly humiliates and commands Ye Chenyu, while Su Mei taunts her and reinforces the Black Tortoise Sect’s control.
• Bing’er, Huo’er, and Qing’er discuss their devotion to Lu Chen and encourage one another to cultivate harder.
• Zhou Tianqi secretly targets Liu Yan’er, creating another threat separate from the invasion of the Joyful Union Sect.
• The chapter ends with Ye Chenyu witnessing Jiang Yingyue’s fiery breakthrough phenomenon and becoming hopeful that the sect’s fate may finally change.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yingyue begins breaking through from the Peak Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm inside the House of Ten Thousand Beauties, with Lu Chen assisting her.
• The immense pressure of her breakthrough throws Hehuan Town and Joyful Union Mountain into chaos. Guests flee, weaker cultivators are forced away, and the House of Ten Thousand Beauties is evacuated.
• Lu Chen remains completely unaffected because the Yin-Yang Cauldron shields him. He discovers that each of the 108 Greater Celestial Circuits produced ten strands of Yin-Yang Essence during his night of cultivation with Jiang Yingyue, increasing his total reserves to 2,506 strands.
• The Blissful Sect Leader initially approaches the room, intending to investigate, but Liu Yan'er warns her not to offend the mysterious Pill King. The Sect Leader therefore orders the House of Ten Thousand Beauties sealed and personally guards it.
• Black Tortoise Sect elder Chu Xiao arrives, intending to enter, but the Blissful Sect Leader convinces him that a powerful cultivator is assisting someone’s Nascent Soul breakthrough. Fearing the consequences, Chu Xiao backs down and helps guard the building instead.
• Members of the Black Tortoise Sect and the Lin Household gather outside, unknowingly protecting Jiang Yingyue. Their combined presence prevents anyone from disturbing the breakthrough.
• Ye Chenyu secretly observes the scene and realizes that her Martial Uncle—not the mysterious Pill King—is undergoing the breakthrough. She is astonished that he has advanced so quickly and becomes even more eager to meet the Pill King.
• A spectacular “Fire Phoenix Descends into the World” phenomenon appears. The fire-attributed spiritual energy enters Jiang Yingyue’s body and forms a fire lotus beneath her emerging Nascent Soul.
• Jiang Yingyue successfully enters the Nascent Soul Realm. Afterward, she kneels before Lu Chen, symbolizing her submission and acknowledging his overwhelming influence.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yingyue: Successfully advances to the Nascent Soul Realm, gaining a transformed temperament and greatly increased power. Her kneeling before Lu Chen suggests deep respect, gratitude, or submission.
• Lu Chen: Demonstrates exceptional composure and mysterious strength. His Yin-Yang Creation Art proves highly efficient, rapidly replenishing his Yin-Yang Essence and bringing his goal of restoring the Spirit Transformation Pill within reach.
• Blissful Sect Leader: Shows prudence by choosing not to interfere with Lu Chen’s activities. She shifts from suspicion to cooperation and personally protects the breakthrough.
• Liu Yan’er: Acts quickly to prevent her master from offending Lu Chen, largely because she still hopes to obtain the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill. Her warning indirectly helps ensure Jiang Yingyue’s success.
• Chu Xiao and the Black Tortoise Sect: Initially alarmed and ready to intervene, they become cautious after realizing that a Nascent Soul-level expert may be involved. They ultimately assist in guarding the area.
• Ye Chenyu: Becomes increasingly amazed by her Martial Uncle’s progress and more curious about the mysterious Pill King, whom she believes possesses extraordinary abilities.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and status: The chapter emphasizes how Nascent Soul cultivators command fear and respect, while Lu Chen appears powerful enough that even such figures bow before him.
• Misunderstanding and accidental protection: The various factions misunderstand who is breaking through and who is assisting, yet their mistaken assumptions unite them in protecting Jiang Yingyue.
• Rapid cultivation and hidden potential: Jiang Yingyue’s sudden breakthrough and Lu Chen’s extraordinary cultivation efficiency highlight the story’s emphasis on miraculous advancement.
• Reputation and influence: Lu Chen’s identity as the mysterious Pill King causes others to treat him with extreme caution despite not knowing his true strength.
• Loyalty, gratitude, and submission: Jiang Yingyue’s final gesture toward Lu Chen reflects the bond formed through his assistance and reinforces his dominant position.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue: Lu Chen calmly supervises and supports her breakthrough while benefiting from their shared cultivation. After succeeding, Jiang Yingyue kneels before him.
• Liu Yan’er and the Blissful Sect Leader: Liu Yan’er urgently persuades her master not to interfere, while the Sect Leader accepts her advice and protects the room.
• Blissful Sect Leader and Chu Xiao: She blocks Chu Xiao from entering and warns him of the danger. He accepts her explanation and helps maintain the seal.
• Ye Chenyu and the surrounding factions: Ye Chenyu watches secretly, realizing that the people guarding her Martial Uncle are unaware of his identity and importance.

Chapter Summary: A Grudge Avenged at Once, a Fairy Maiden Becomes a Killing Goddess!

Key Plot Points and Events

• During dual cultivation with Lu Chen, Jiang Yingyue unexpectedly enters a state of enlightenment and breaks through from the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Grateful for Lu Chen’s guidance, protection of the Joyful Union Sect, and their intimate relationship, Jiang Yingyue accepts Lu Chen’s declaration that she will become his Dao companion.
• Lu Chen is secretly delighted by the relationship, though he is disappointed that the Yin-Yang cultivation only grants him Yin-Yang Essence and does not advance either his body cultivation or Dharma cultivation.
• At dawn, Jiang Yingyue exits the House of Ten Thousand Beauties. The Blissful Sect, Black Tortoise Sect, and Lin Household mistake her for the mysterious Pill King’s newly advanced companion and congratulate her.
• When the Blissful Sect Master claims not to know the Pill King, Jiang Yingyue attacks without warning, severely injuring them with a flaming palm.
• She announces that everyone from the Blissful Sect and Black Tortoise Sect must die. Revealing herself as the Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder, she formally reignites the conflict among the sects.
• Jiang Yingyue rapidly begins slaughtering her enemies. She cripples Chu Xiao, defeats Xuan Xiao, and cuts down numerous Blissful Sect and Black Tortoise Sect members with her crimson flying sword.
• Liu Yan’er attempts to flee, but Jiang Yingyue’s sword stops directly between her brows, leaving her terrified and apparently at her mercy.
• The Lin Household panics after realizing it recently pledged allegiance to the Blissful Sect, while the Yun Household is overjoyed because the situation may have reversed its fortunes.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yingyue transforms from an aggrieved and suppressed sect elder into a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator. Her breakthrough restores her confidence and unleashes her long-suppressed anger.
• She becomes decisive, ruthless, and openly vengeful, choosing immediate retribution rather than negotiation.
• Lu Chen gains Jiang Yingyue as a Dao companion and enjoys watching the enemies outside unknowingly approach disaster. He remains cautious about revealing his true strength.
• The Blissful Sect and Black Tortoise Sect shift from arrogant aggressors to frightened victims once they realize Jiang Yingyue has surpassed them.
• The Yun Household moves from despair to hope, while the Lin Household becomes fearful of the consequences of its recent allegiance.
• Liu Yan’er is reduced from a confident Holy Maiden to a terrified fugitive facing death.

Significant Themes

• Power bringing justice: Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough allows her to repay the humiliation inflicted on the Joyful Union Sect.
• Revenge and righteous anger: The chapter emphasizes that long-endured oppression can erupt into immediate and overwhelming vengeance.
• Hidden identities and misjudgment: The surrounding sects misunderstand both Jiang Yingyue’s identity and Lu Chen’s true influence, leaving them vulnerable.
• Reversal of fortune: Formerly dominant factions suddenly face destruction, while supposedly doomed groups regain hope.
• Triumph after humiliation: Jiang Yingyue’s transformation represents the Joyful Union Sect reclaiming dignity and power.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue establish a Dao-companion relationship after their dual cultivation.
• Jiang Yingyue rejects Chu Xiao’s congratulations and attacks the Blissful Sect Master when questioned about Lu Chen.
• She openly identifies herself to the enemy factions, turning the confrontation into a declared sect-wide struggle.
• Chu Xiao and Xuan Xiao both attempt to resist or escape but are swiftly defeated.
• Jiang Yingyue’s attack terrifies the Lin Household and inspires hope in the Yun Household.
• Liu Yan’er directly faces Jiang Yingyue’s killing intent when the crimson sword is placed between her eyes.

Chapter Summary: The Might of a Nascent Soul

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yingyue successfully shatters her Golden Core and advances to the Nascent Soul Realm during the attack on the House of Ten Thousand Beauties.
• She immediately turns the tide, slaughtering the attacking disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect and Blissful Sect with her crimson flying sword. Zhou Tianqi escapes using an Earth-Escaping Talisman, while the Blissful Sect Master and another ally also flee.
• Lu Chen secretly saves Liu Yan’er by warning Jiang Yingyue not to kill her. From the House of Ten Thousand Beauties, he observes Jiang’s overwhelming power.
• Jiang confronts the Lin Household, who had joined the Blissful Sect and captured the Yun Household. Lin Xiaotian begs for mercy and reveals that his daughter, Lin Yue, is connected to Jiang’s enemy Su Mei.
• Jiang learns that Su Mei helped the Black Tortoise Sect attack the Joyful Union Sect by revealing that its former Nascent Soul ancestor had died. Enraged, Jiang prepares to kill Lin Xiaotian.
• Yun Feiyan intervenes and requests control of the Lin Household. Jiang agrees, allowing Yun Feiyan to cripple Lin Xiaotian and declare that the Lin Household will be erased.
• Jiang’s disciples recover the injured Black Tortoise Sect leaders Chu Xiao and Xuan Xiao. Xuan Xiao threatens Jiang by invoking his grandfather, Xuan Kui, the Black Tortoise Sect’s Grand Elder.
• Jiang responds by severing Xuan Xiao’s arms and then kills both captives after they refuse to provide useful information about the Black Tortoise Sect’s leadership.
• Jiang orders Ye Chenyu to deal with the Black Tortoise Formation while she personally attacks Joyful Union Mountain. She rapidly departs, displaying the terrifying speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• Ye Chenyu, Yun Feiyan, and the Yun Household begin carrying out Jiang’s orders. Lu Chen returns to the Waste Pill Repository to reconstruct the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill and Nascent Soul Pill.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Yingyue entering Joyful Union Mountain alone to confront the Black Tortoise Sect, while its Grand Elder remains unaware and is still enjoying himself inside the Joyful Union Secret Realm.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yingyue: Transforms from the Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder into a Nascent Soul ancestor. Her elegant appearance contrasts sharply with her decisive and merciless actions. She becomes the dominant force in Hehuan Town and begins planning retaliation against the Black Tortoise Sect and Blissful Sect.
• Lu Chen: Reveals his influence by secretly saving Liu Yan’er and observing events from a distance. He remains focused on alchemy and begins reconstructing pills capable of aiding future breakthroughs.
• Liu Yan’er: Survives the massacre because of Lu Chen’s intervention. She is left stunned by Jiang’s power and the sudden reversal of the situation.
• Yun Feiyan: Emerges from hiding and actively takes revenge on the Lin Household. She demonstrates authority and strength by crippling Lin Xiaotian and freeing her family.
• Ye Chenyu: Shows loyalty to Jiang and readiness to lead the counterattack against the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Lin Xiaotian and the Lin Household: Their attempt to destroy the Yun Household collapses completely. They go from confident aggressors to helpless prisoners facing annihilation.
• Xuan Xiao and Chu Xiao: Their threats and status prove useless against Jiang’s overwhelming power. Xuan Xiao’s reliance on his grandfather’s reputation only provokes Jiang further.

Significant Themes

• Power reversal: The Black Tortoise Sect attacks because it believes the Joyful Union Sect is defenseless, but Jiang’s breakthrough instantly reverses the hierarchy.
• The consequences of ambition and betrayal: The Lin Household and Su Mei’s alliance with the Black Tortoise Sect leads to devastating retaliation.
• The frightening authority of Nascent Soul cultivators: Jiang’s speed, sword control, and ability to kill with a thought establish the vast gap between Nascent Soul and lower realms.
• Justice versus vengeance: Jiang punishes those responsible for the Joyful Union Sect’s suffering, while Yun Feiyan personally chooses to destroy the Lin Household.
• Hidden strength and preparation: Lu Chen’s quiet intervention and continued pill research suggest that the larger conflict will depend not only on immediate battle strength but also on preparation and cultivation resources.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue: Lu Chen sends Jiang a warning that saves Liu Yan’er, showing their tacit cooperation and his ability to influence events despite remaining in the background.
• Jiang Yingyue and Lin Xiaotian: Jiang confronts Lin Xiaotian over his alliance with the Blissful Sect and Su Mei, while he desperately attempts to use Lin Yue’s identity as protection.
• Jiang Yingyue and Yun Feiyan: Jiang permits Yun Feiyan to handle the Lin Household, recognizing her desire for revenge and allowing her to restore the Yun family’s dignity.
• Jiang Yingyue and Xuan Xiao: Xuan Xiao threatens her with Xuan Kui’s status, but Jiang humiliates and ultimately kills him, demonstrating that she no longer fears the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu: Jiang entrusts Ye Chenyu with the Black Tortoise Formation and begins the direct assault on Joyful Union Mountain, marking the start of open war.

Chapter Summary: “Liu Fuyao Hunted Down?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yingyue attacks Joyful Union Mountain alone, cutting down Black Tortoise Sect disciples as she forces her way to the summit.
• She declares that the Joyful Union Sect and Joyful Union Hall will be eliminated, revealing the conflict between the two sects has erupted into open war.
• Elder Hu confronts Jiang Yingyue but is killed instantly by a single sword strike, demonstrating her newly acquired Nascent Soul Realm strength.
• Xuan Jinghong, a powerful Black Tortoise Sect cultivator seated on the Black Tortoise Seal, descends to fight Jiang Yingyue directly.
• Meanwhile, Lu Chen returns to the Waste Pill Repository and plants the spirit herbs obtained from Liu Yan’er and Jiang Yingyue inside the Yin-Yang Space. The herbs rapidly mature to over a thousand years of medicinal age, making them extremely valuable for alchemy.
• Lu Chen begins restoring Liu Yan’er’s waste Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill using 200 strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
• His work is interrupted when Liu Fuyao, the Joyful Union Sect’s saintess, flees into the repository while being pursued by Xuan Aotian of the Black Tortoise Sect.
• Xuan Aotian, a Golden Core Middle Stage cultivator, attempts to seize Lu Chen’s pills and cauldron and threatens both Lu Chen and Liu Fuyao.
• Lu Chen uses a box of waste pills to release a cloud of lethal Pill Poison. While Xuan Aotian protects himself with the Black Tortoise Divine Fist, Lu Chen’s Yin-Yang Cauldron smashes through his defense and sends him flying.
• Xuan Aotian responds by threatening Lu Chen with the influence of his powerful family, claiming connections to the Black Tortoise Holy Son, Sect Master, Supreme Elder, and Nascent Soul ancestor.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yingyue: Reveals overwhelming power after breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Her confidence and aggression indicate that she is prepared to confront the entire Black Tortoise Sect for the sake of the Joyful Union Sect.
• Lu Chen: Demonstrates increasing mastery of the Yin-Yang Space, alchemy, and the Yin-Yang Cauldron. He remains cautious about revealing his identity to Liu Fuyao, but decisively protects her when threatened.
• Liu Fuyao: Despite being a gifted saintess with a Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root, she is temporarily weakened after being poisoned by Bone-Softening Incense. Her helpless situation contrasts sharply with her usual status and reputation.
• Xuan Aotian: Is established as arrogant, abusive, and reliant on his family’s authority. Although powerful at the Golden Core Middle Stage, he underestimates Lu Chen and is quickly defeated.
• Xuan Jinghong: Emerges as Jiang Yingyue’s principal opponent, setting up a battle between two major experts.

Significant Themes

• Sect conflict and revenge: The Joyful Union and Black Tortoise Sects are locked in a violent struggle, with both sides willing to destroy the other completely.
• Hidden strength and identity: Lu Chen conceals who he is while quietly revealing extraordinary abilities through alchemy and the Yin-Yang Cauldron.
• Power versus arrogance: Xuan Aotian’s cultivation and family background make him overconfident, but Lu Chen proves that actual ability matters more than status.
• Transformation and growth: Jiang Yingyue’s advancement to the Nascent Soul Realm and the rapid maturation of Lu Chen’s spirit herbs show the characters’ rising power.
• Exploitation versus protection: Xuan Aotian seeks to abuse Liu Fuyao, while Lu Chen intervenes and shields her despite keeping his identity secret.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yingyue confronts Elder Hu and then challenges Xuan Jinghong, turning the sect war into a clash between elite cultivators.
• Liu Fuyao and Xuan Aotian have a hostile pursuit relationship, with Xuan Aotian attempting to capture and humiliate her.
• Liu Fuyao unexpectedly encounters Lu Chen in the Waste Pill Repository and is indirectly saved by him.
• Lu Chen and Xuan Aotian clash when Xuan Aotian tries to seize Lu Chen’s alchemical equipment and attack him.
• The chapter ends with Xuan Aotian threatening Lu Chen through his family connections, foreshadowing further conflict.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen is nearly discovered while reconstructing discarded pills in the Joyful Union Sect’s Waste Pill Repository.
• The sect’s saintess, Liu Fuyao, flees into the repository while being pursued by Xuan Aotian, a member of the powerful Black Tortoise Sect.
• Lu Chen emerges wearing a bronze mask and uses the Yin-Yang Cauldron to absorb all the deadly Pill Poison in the repository, shocking both Liu Fuyao and Xuan Aotian.
• Xuan Aotian covets the cauldron and orders Lu Chen to hand it over, relying on his formidable family background. Lu Chen seemingly complies by throwing it to him, but the cauldron crushes and pins Xuan Aotian beneath it.
• Lu Chen mocks Xuan Aotian’s reliance on his brother, father, grandfather, and Nascent Soul great-grandfather, calling him an idiot for assuming his status will protect him.
• Liu Fuyao steals Xuan Aotian’s storage ring, finds an antidote, and cures the poison affecting her. Lu Chen is irritated that she saves herself without accepting his help.
• The Black Tortoise Sect activates the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation, surrounding Joyful Union Mountain and threatening to exterminate the Joyful Union Sect.
• Xuan Aotian boasts that his grandfather, Xuan Jinghong, has arrived and will kill everyone. Lu Chen responds by brutally beating him despite the threat.
• Xuan Aotian activates a jade distress talisman, summoning his grandfather’s terrifying pressure. Even under this pressure, Lu Chen refuses to back down.
• When Xuan Aotian taunts him to stomp him if he dares, Lu Chen does exactly that, crushing Xuan Aotian’s head and killing him.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates overwhelming confidence, strength, and fearlessness. He refuses to be intimidated by powerful sect affiliations and openly mocks those who depend on their family status. His resentment toward Liu Fuyao remains unresolved, but he maintains control and superiority during their encounter.
• Liu Fuyao: Shows resourcefulness by taking the antidote from Xuan Aotian’s storage ring. She becomes increasingly shocked by Lu Chen’s strength and begins to suspect that the masked man resembles her discarded fiancé, though she still refuses to believe they could be the same person.
• Xuan Aotian: Reveals himself to be arrogant, entitled, and heavily dependent on his family’s reputation. Even while helpless beneath the cauldron, he continues threatening Lu Chen with his relatives’ power. His confidence collapses into terror before Lu Chen kills him.
• Xuan Jinghong: Is established as a powerful Black Tortoise Sect elder, capable of activating a vast formation and projecting immense pressure, though he does not appear directly in the chapter.

Significant Themes

• Power versus backing: Lu Chen rejects the idea that prestigious ancestry guarantees safety, proving that personal strength matters more than family status.
• Arrogance and consequences: Xuan Aotian’s belief that his background makes him untouchable directly leads to his death.
• Revenge and unresolved resentment: Lu Chen’s interaction with Liu Fuyao is shaped by her past rejection of him for the sake of cultivating the Ruthless Dao.
• Hidden identity and transformation: Liu Fuyao senses a familiarity in the masked man, while Lu Chen’s dramatic increase in power contrasts sharply with her former view of him as useless.
• Defiance against overwhelming authority: Lu Chen’s decision to kill Xuan Aotian even under the threat of a Nascent Soul expert establishes his willingness to challenge entire sects without hesitation.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Xuan Aotian: Their exchange is dominated by mockery and intimidation. Xuan Aotian threatens Lu Chen with his family’s influence, while Lu Chen humiliates him, beats him, and ultimately kills him.
• Lu Chen and Liu Fuyao: Their conversation is tense and emotionally charged. Lu Chen offers to cure her poison if she kneels and begs, reflecting his bitterness toward her, while Liu Fuyao remains cold and suspicious of his identity.
• Liu Fuyao and Xuan Aotian: Liu Fuyao ignores Xuan Aotian’s demands, takes his storage ring, and uses the antidote inside it, showing that she does not submit to his authority.
• Lu Chen and Xuan Jinghong: Though they do not meet directly, Lu Chen’s killing of Xuan Aotian under Xuan Jinghong’s pressure sets up a major confrontation with the Black Tortoise Sect.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen kills Xuan Aotian by crushing him beneath the Yin-Yang Cauldron. Although Xuan Aotian was stronger, his severe injuries and unfortunate position leave him unable to resist.
• Xuan Jinghong, Xuan Aotian’s grandfather, becomes enraged and abandons his fight with Jiang Yingyue. He activates the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation and commands the Supreme Spirit Artifact, the Black Tortoise Seal, to descend upon Joyful Union Mountain.
• The enormous seal draws on the spiritual energy of the surrounding region and releases power comparable to a Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator. Everyone on the mountain believes destruction is imminent.
• The formation traps Joyful Union Mountain, preventing outsiders—including Ye Chenyu—from entering or escaping. The Blissful Sect Master also assists the attack while harboring resentment toward Jiang Yingyue.
• Meanwhile, Xuan Jinghong’s five disciples arrive at Waste-Pill Valley to punish Lu Chen for killing Xuan Aotian. They intend to mutilate him and leave him alive in agony.
• Jiang Yingyue senses Lu Chen’s presence and discovers that he is in Waste-Pill Valley with Liu Fuyao. She orders Liu Fuyao to obey Lu Chen completely, declaring that his words and commands are equivalent to her own.
• When a Black Tortoise Sect disciple attacks Lu Chen, Liu Fuyao intervenes and blocks the attack. The five disciples then surround her, beginning a battle while Lu Chen stands aside and watches.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates his willingness to exploit circumstances rather than fight stronger opponents directly. After killing Xuan Aotian, he remains calm and even amused despite the danger, enjoying Liu Fuyao’s forced submission.
• Xuan Jinghong is driven into irrational fury by his grandson’s death. His grief and rage lead him to unleash the full might of the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation against the entire Joyful Union Sect.
• Jiang Yingyue remains composed in the face of overwhelming danger. Her confidence in Lu Chen is evident when she orders Liu Fuyao to follow his commands without question.
• Liu Fuyao becomes trapped in an extremely humiliating situation. Unaware that the masked man is Lu Chen—the fiancé she previously rejected—she is forced to protect and obey him.
• Ye Chenyu is shown to be powerful but helpless against the formation, while the other disciples and sect leaders react with fear to the impending catastrophe.

Significant Themes

• Consequences of revenge: Xuan Jinghong’s desire to avenge Xuan Aotian threatens the lives of everyone in the Joyful Union Sect, showing how personal vengeance escalates into collective destruction.
• Power and authority: Jiang Yingyue’s command forces Liu Fuyao to submit to Lu Chen, reversing their former relationship and emphasizing Lu Chen’s growing influence.
• Irony and humiliation: Liu Fuyao unknowingly protects the man she once rejected and must now obey his every order.
• Cunning versus strength: Lu Chen succeeds not through superior cultivation, but by taking advantage of Xuan Aotian’s injuries and vulnerable position.
• Calm amid chaos: Jiang Yingyue and Lu Chen contrast sharply with the panic surrounding them, suggesting that they possess hidden confidence and control over the situation.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Xuan Aotian: Lu Chen kills him decisively after exploiting his weakened state.
• Xuan Jinghong and Jiang Yingyue: Their battle is interrupted when Xuan Jinghong learns of his grandson’s death. Although Jiang Yingyue has reached the Nascent Soul Realm, Xuan Jinghong temporarily matches her through the formation’s power.
• Jiang Yingyue and Liu Fuyao: Jiang orders Liu to treat Lu Chen’s commands as her own, forcing Liu into obedience.
• Liu Fuyao and Lu Chen: Liu is unaware of Lu Chen’s identity and is distressed that she must follow the orders of a masked stranger who caused the crisis. Lu Chen privately relishes this reversal.
• Liu Fuyao and the Black Tortoise Sect disciples: Liu protects Lu Chen from their attack, after which the five disciples surround her and engage her in combat.

Chapter Summary: “Are You Lu Chen?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen kills Xuan Aotian, the arrogant young heir of the Black Tortoise Sect, by stomping him to death after Xuan Aotian’s provocation.
• Enraged, Xuan Aotian’s grandfather, Xuan Jinghong, vows to destroy the Joyful Union Sect and torture Lu Chen. He sends five of his disciples to capture Lu Chen while personally attacking the sect with the Black Tortoise Seal.
• In the Waste-Pill Valley, Liu Fuyao, the Joyful Union Sect’s Holy Maiden, battles the five Black Tortoise Sect disciples. Lu Chen watches rather than intervening.
• Jiang Yingyue reveals that the Joyful Union Sect can activate its legendary Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Immortal-Enchanting Array even without hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples, because she has reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
• The array manifests a starry sky and three hundred sixty-five stellar formations, blocking the Black Tortoise Seal and opposing the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation.
• The Joyful Union Sect’s formation traps the Black Tortoise Sect forces in powerful illusions featuring seductive immortal maidens while secretly draining their vital essence.
• The five disciples fighting Liu Fuyao fall into the illusion and are immediately killed when she pierces their brows with her flying sword.
• The Black Tortoise Sect’s allied leaders—including the Blissful Sect Master and the masters of four other major sects—flee after nearly being caught by the formation. Their retreat weakens the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation.
• Joyful Union Sect disciples counterattack and begin slaughtering the disoriented Black Tortoise Sect forces.
• Zhou Dazhuang arrives in the Waste-Pill Valley searching for Lu Chen. He recognizes that the masked, disguised man is wearing Lu Chen’s clothing and asks whether he is Lu Chen.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His willingness to kill Xuan Aotian is justified by his confidence in Jiang Yingyue’s hidden strength. He remains calm and observant during the battle, but his disguise is endangered because he forgot to change clothes.
• Jiang Yingyue: She reveals herself as a Nascent Soul cultivator capable of activating the Joyful Union Sect’s greatest defensive and offensive formation. Her decisive action reverses the sect’s seemingly hopeless situation.
• Liu Fuyao: She displays exceptional combat ability by holding off five Black Tortoise Sect inner disciples and killing them once they are trapped in the formation’s illusion.
• Xuan Jinghong: His rage over his grandson’s death drives him to launch a massive attack, but his confidence collapses as the Joyful Union Sect’s formation overwhelms his forces.
• Zhou Dazhuang: His arrival unintentionally threatens Lu Chen’s identity by recognizing his clothing and revealing that Lu Chen was sent to guard the Waste-Pill Repository.

Significant Themes

• Power versus status: Xuan Aotian’s privileged background cannot protect him from Lu Chen’s strength, demonstrating that inherited authority is meaningless against genuine power.
• Hidden strength and strategic confidence: Jiang Yingyue’s concealed Nascent Soul cultivation and the Joyful Union Sect’s secret formation show that apparent weakness can conceal overwhelming advantages.
• Home-ground advantage: The sect’s ancient formation has accumulated spiritual energy for thousands of years, allowing the Joyful Union Sect to defeat stronger enemies on its own territory.
• Illusion and deception: The formation’s seductive illusions mislead the Black Tortoise Sect forces while silently draining their vitality, emphasizing the danger of appearances and overconfidence.
• Identity and disguise: Lu Chen’s masked identity remains concealed, but his failure to change clothes creates an immediate risk of exposure.

Important Character Interactions

• Xuan Jinghong threatens Jiang Yingyue and Lu Chen, while Jiang Yingyue confidently reminds him of the Joyful Union Sect’s superior formation.
• Jiang Yingyue and Xuan Jinghong engage in a clash of formations: the Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Immortal-Enchanting Array against the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation.
• Liu Fuyao battles the five Black Tortoise disciples and kills them when the formation leaves them vulnerable.
• Zhou Dazhuang informs Liu Fuyao that Lu Chen was sent to guard the Waste-Pill Repository, then notices that the masked man is wearing Lu Chen’s clothes.
• The chapter ends with Liu Fuyao directly asking the disguised Lu Chen, “Are you Lu Chen?”

Chapter Summary

• Lu Chen conceals his identity: Liu Fuyao and Zhou Dazhuang recognize that the masked figure is wearing Lu Chen’s clothes and suspect he is Lu Chen. He firmly denies it, claiming to be an old friend of Lu Chen who has already sent him away. To preserve his carefully cultivated identity as a reclusive Pill King, he refuses to reveal his face or admit the truth.
• Liu Fuyao submits to his authority: Lu Chen invokes the order of Liu Fuyao’s grand martial uncle, reminding her that she is supposed to follow his commands. Although suspicious because of his familiar manner, Liu Fuyao ultimately obeys him, shocking Zhou Dazhuang.
• Lu Chen rewards Zhou Dazhuang: Moved by Zhou Dazhuang’s loyalty and past kindness when others bullied Lu Chen, he gives him ten valuable Spirit-Gathering Pills. He urges Zhou Dazhuang to cultivate diligently and considers teaching him the Five-Element Body-Refining Art, a powerful foundational technique capable of eventually allowing a cultivator to contend with Nascent Soul experts.
• The Joyful Union Sect gains the upper hand: The Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Immortal-Enchanting Array binds the Black Tortoise Seal and traps Xuan Jinghong in an illusion. The array drains most of his vital energy, leaving the Black Tortoise Sect’s Supreme Elder emaciated and near death. Lu Chen recognizes that the Joyful Union Sect has effectively won the battle.
• Jiang Yingyue breaks through: At the decisive moment, Jiang Yingyue reaches the Nascent Soul Realm and merges with the sect’s mountain-protecting array. Empowered by the stars and the array’s three hundred and sixty-five platforms, she becomes nearly invincible beneath the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• The Black Tortoise Sect is devastated: The invading disciples and traitors are horrified to discover that the Joyful Union Sect possesses a second method of activating its killing formation. The Black Tortoise disciples on the mountain are drained of their vital energy and die, while their sealed Joyful Union Secret Realm prevents them from realizing what is happening outside.
• The enemy’s internal failure is revealed: Jiang Yingyue explains that the Black Tortoise Sect’s Great Elder is trapped inside the sealed Joyful Union Secret Realm with Xuan Kui and Su Mei, unaware of the battle. The surviving disciples are enraged that their leaders’ actions have isolated them from aid.
• Ye Chenyu breaks the enemy formation: Taking advantage of the suppression of the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation, Ye Chenyu reaches the peak guarded by the Blissful Sect Master and destroys an array flag. This creates a breach and sharply weakens the formation, allowing Jiang Yingyue to prepare to seize the Black Tortoise Seal.
• Two Nascent Soul patriarchs arrive: Before Jiang Yingyue can suppress the Black Tortoise Seal, two powerful Black Tortoise Sect patriarchs appear together. Their arrival restores the surviving Black Tortoise disciples’ hope and places the Joyful Union Sect in immediate peril.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Lu Chen demonstrates caution, authority, generosity, and gratitude. He protects his Pill King persona, commands Liu Fuyao through her grand martial uncle’s order, and repays Zhou Dazhuang’s sincere friendship.
• Zhou Dazhuang proves his loyalty by risking himself to search for Lu Chen. His concern deeply affects Lu Chen, strengthening their brotherly bond.
• Liu Fuyao remains suspicious of the masked stranger but is forced to acknowledge his authority. His familiar presence suggests she may eventually uncover his identity.
• Jiang Yingyue undergoes a major power increase by breaking through to Nascent Soul and taking control of the sect’s supreme defensive formation.
• Ye Chenyu contributes decisively by destroying the formation flag and weakening the Black Tortoise Sect’s strongest formation.
• The Black Tortoise Sect’s leaders and disciples suffer from arrogance, poor coordination, and sealed information. Their apparent victory collapses until the late arrival of the two Nascent Soul patriarchs.

Major Themes

• Concealed identity and reputation: Lu Chen must balance his true identity with the influential Pill King persona he has created.
• Loyalty revealed through crisis: Zhou Dazhuang’s actions show that genuine friendship is proven during danger, unlike the false loyalty of the Black Tortoise Sect’s followers.
• Hidden strength and reversals: The Joyful Union Sect’s secret formation and Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough overturn the Black Tortoise Sect’s presumed victory.
• Arrogance and consequences: The invaders’ confidence, internal betrayal, and failure to understand the sect’s defenses lead to disaster.
• Escalating danger: Just as the Joyful Union Sect appears victorious, the arrival of two Nascent Soul patriarchs creates a new and potentially overwhelming crisis.

Chapter Summary: Arrow Strikes a Nascent Soul Patriarch

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Tortoise Sect’s two Nascent Soul patriarchs, Xuan Wentian and Xuan Daochen, personally arrive at Joyful Union Mountain to reclaim the Black Tortoise Seal.
• Xuan Jinghong, the Black Tortoise Sect’s Supreme Elder, is nearly dead but recognizes that Jiang Yingyue has activated the Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Immortal-Enchanting Array.
• Xuan Wentian attempts to retrieve the Black Tortoise Seal from outside the formation. Jiang Yingyue uses the formation’s Starry Chessboard technique to suppress the seal and disperse its Black Tortoise phantom.
• Xuan Wentian and Xuan Daochen combine their strength to form a giant hand and forcibly seize the seal. Their attack terrifies everyone present, demonstrating the overwhelming power of Nascent Soul cultivators.
• While the two patriarchs struggle against the formation, an assassin sent by the young master of the Qin Household arrives in Hehuan Town with orders to kill Lu Chen.
• Jiang Yingyue counters the patriarchs’ assault by using the Astral Bow and the Moon-Piercing Arrow, amplified by the grand formation.
• Her arrow pierces Xuan Wentian’s body before he can react, severely wounding him. Xuan Daochen immediately abandons the attempt to recover the seal and flees with him.
• The Black Tortoise Sect disciples and Lin Yue retreat as well. The Black Tortoise Seal remains completely suppressed.
• Ye Chenyu destroys the formation flags, causing the Black Tortoise Heaven-Refining Formation to collapse. The gate to the Joyful Union Secret Realm opens, and Xuan Kui emerges carrying Su Mei.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yingyue proves that, while inside the grand formation, she can challenge even extremely powerful Nascent Soul experts. Her control of the formation and mastery of the Astral Bow establish her as a formidable protector of the Joyful Union Sect.
• Xuan Wentian, despite being close to Nascent Soul Great Perfection, is shown to be vulnerable when caught off guard. His confidence collapses after Jiang Yingyue’s arrow pierces him.
• Xuan Daochen reveals a pragmatic and cautious nature by immediately fleeing once Xuan Wentian is injured rather than risking another attack.
• Lu Chen remains calm under the terrifying pressure of two Nascent Soul patriarchs because of the protection provided by the Yin-Yang Cauldron. His admiration for their power strengthens his determination to cultivate.
• Liu Fuyao becomes increasingly convinced that the composed man beside her cannot be the supposedly useless Lu Chen at Qi Refining First Level.
• Ye Chenyu celebrates the Joyful Union Sect’s victory and the acquisition of the Black Tortoise Seal.
• A new threat is introduced through the Qin Household’s assassin, who is actively searching for Lu Chen.

Significant Themes

• Power and cultivation ambition: The spectacle of Nascent Soul power inspires Lu Chen and reinforces his goal of eventually reaching that level himself.
• Strength through formations and artifacts: Jiang Yingyue’s victory shows that strategic use of a powerful formation and Spirit Artifact can overcome opponents with superior cultivation.
• Overconfidence versus preparation: The Black Tortoise patriarchs avoid entering the formation but underestimate Jiang Yingyue’s ability to attack them from within it.
• Hidden identity and misunderstanding: Liu Fuyao continues to misjudge Lu Chen because of his disguised cultivation and calm behavior.
• Rising external danger: Even as the Joyful Union Sect defeats the Black Tortoise Sect, Lu Chen faces a new threat from the Qin Household.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Yingyue confronts Xuan Wentian and challenges him to enter the formation, establishing their direct conflict.
• Xuan Wentian and Xuan Daochen cooperate to retrieve the Black Tortoise Seal, but their partnership fails when Jiang Yingyue wounds Xuan Wentian.
• Lu Chen and Zhou Dazhuang react very differently to the patriarchs’ presence: Zhou is paralyzed with fear, while Lu remains composed.
• Liu Fuyao observes Lu Chen’s calmness and uses it as further evidence that he is not the weak cultivator he claims to be.
• Ye Chenyu and the Joyful Union Sect benefit from Jiang Yingyue’s victory when the seal is retained and the secret realm is finally opened.
• Xuan Kui’s emergence with Su Mei closes the chapter’s battle sequence while leaving the consequences of the secret realm’s opening unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Remolding the Failed Nascent Soul Pill”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xuan Kui emerges from the Joyful Union Secret Realm with Su Mei and arrogantly declares that he will make the realm his private cave abode. He demands the spirit herbs and Spirit Stones promised by the Joyful Union Sect.
• Ye Chenyu reveals that the Joyful Union Sect has killed Elder Hu and Xuan Aotian, two important figures of the Black Tortoise Sect. Their deaths enrage and terrify Xuan Kui, since Xuan Aotian’s family holds immense power within the sect.
• The Joyful Union Sect also reveals that it has taken the Black Tortoise Seal. When Xuan Kui attempts to flee, Jiang Yingyue’s formation prevents his escape.
• Su Mei tries to run as well, but Ye Chenyu confronts and pursues her. Su Mei claims she betrayed the Joyful Union Sect to preserve its legacy through the Black Tortoise Sect, but Ye Chenyu denounces her justification as shameless betrayal.
• Xuan Kui attacks Jiang Yingyue with the Black Tortoise Divine Fist, believing his Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivation makes him superior. Jiang Yingyue, having broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, defeats him effortlessly with a single slap.
• Xuan Kui begs for his life and offers to become Jiang Yingyue’s servant, but she rejects him as despicable and kills him by crushing his head beneath her foot.
• Meanwhile, the Black Tortoise Sect’s two Nascent Soul ancestors return severely wounded, and the sect loses the Black Tortoise Seal. Xuan Daochen vows revenge against Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu at the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly.
• At Waste-Pill Valley, Lu Chen begins remolding the Failed Nascent Soul Pill using six hundred strands of Yin-Yang Essence. During the process, Qin Fan’s gaunt assassin enters the repository carrying Lu Chen’s portrait and asks whether anyone has seen him.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yingyue fully demonstrates her newly achieved Nascent Soul cultivation. Her overwhelming strength turns the Joyful Union Sect’s former crisis into a decisive victory.
• Ye Chenyu becomes more assertive and vengeful after the sect’s humiliation. She openly condemns Su Mei’s betrayal and pursues her personally.
• Xuan Kui changes from an arrogant aggressor into a terrified coward. Once faced with Jiang Yingyue’s superior cultivation, he abandons his pride and begs to become her dog before being executed.
• Su Mei is exposed as a traitor who collaborated with Xuan Kui. She attempts to portray her actions as necessary for the sect’s survival, but Ye Chenyu sees them as self-serving betrayal.
• Lu Chen continues taking major risks to improve his cultivation resources. Despite the heavy cost of remolding the pill, he proceeds because he expects to recover the Yin-Yang Essence through dual cultivation with Jiang Yingyue.
• Xuan Daochen becomes the Black Tortoise Sect’s voice of vengeance, swearing to retaliate for the deaths of its members and the loss of the Black Tortoise Seal.

Significant Themes

• Reversal of power: The Joyful Union Sect, once threatened with subjugation, completely reverses the situation after Jiang Yingyue’s breakthrough.
• Pride and humiliation: Xuan Kui’s arrogance collapses into abject fear, emphasizing the dangers of underestimating an opponent’s true strength.
• Betrayal versus loyalty: Su Mei frames her defection as an act of protection, while Ye Chenyu insists that abandoning one’s sect to serve its enemy is still betrayal.
• Strength and justice: Jiang Yingyue’s superior cultivation allows her to punish those who sought to exploit the Joyful Union Sect.
• Escalating conflict: Although the immediate threat is defeated, the Black Tortoise Sect’s vow of revenge foreshadows a larger confrontation at the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly.
• Cost of advancement: Lu Chen’s remolding of the Failed Nascent Soul Pill shows that powerful cultivation breakthroughs require significant resources and sacrifice.

Character Interactions

• Ye Chenyu and Xuan Kui: Their initially formal exchange becomes openly hostile when Ye Chenyu reveals the deaths of Black Tortoise Sect members.
• Jiang Yingyue and Xuan Kui: Jiang Yingyue dominates their confrontation, rejects his plea for submission, and executes him without mercy.
• Ye Chenyu and Su Mei: The two former fellow disciples clash over Su Mei’s betrayal, with Su Mei defending herself and Ye Chenyu condemning her.
• Joyful Union Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect: The conflict shifts from Black Tortoise dominance to Joyful Union victory, though it creates a blood feud between the sects.
• Lu Chen and the assassin: The chapter ends with Lu Chen unexpectedly confronted by an assassin searching for him, setting up the next immediate danger.

“Vengeance for the Green Hat” — Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Fan, the young master of the Qin Household, seeks revenge against Lu Chen for the humiliation connected to Li Yunsheng. He sends the gaunt elder Tu Qianjue to assassinate Lu Chen, providing him with a portrait of Lu Chen’s true appearance.
• Tu Qianjue locates Waste-Pill Valley and barges into the Waste Pill Repository while Lu Chen is restoring a Failed Nascent Soul Pill.
• Lu Chen recognizes that the portrait is connected to the man who previously caught him with Li Yunsheng and realizes that his identity has been exposed.
• When Tu Qianjue demands information and tries to remove Lu Chen’s mask, Jiang Yingyue arrives and confronts him.
• Tu Qianjue arrogantly threatens the Joyful Union Sect, but Jiang Yingyue prepares to fight using her great bow and the sect’s formation.
• Tu Qianjue notices the powerful pill fragrance and realizes that Lu Chen is apparently refining a Nascent Soul Pill. Believing Lu Chen to be a highly respected Pill King, he chooses not to provoke the sect and withdraws.
• Lu Chen successfully restores the failed pill. The process produces a flawless Grade-Five Nascent Soul Pill with five pill patterns, giving a Golden Core cultivator at Great Perfection roughly a fifty-percent chance of forming a Nascent Soul.
• Lu Chen gives the pill to Jiang Yingyue, who intends to use it for Ye Chenyu.
• Before teleporting away, Lu Chen tells Jiang Yingyue that “Lu Chen” is his friend and warns her not to hand him over to Tu Qianjue. This confuses her, since she does not realize that the masked Pill King is Lu Chen himself.
• Tu Qianjue waits outside Waste-Pill Valley, intending to ambush and kill Lu Chen when he emerges.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates exceptional alchemical skill by restoring a Grade-Five Nascent Soul Pill. He remains cautious about his identity and uses the misunderstanding surrounding his masked identity to escape danger.
• Jiang Yingyue: Shows fierce protectiveness toward the Joyful Union Sect and its supposed Pill King guest. Her admiration for Lu Chen increases after witnessing his successful pill restoration, and she receives an invaluable pill for Ye Chenyu.
• Tu Qianjue: Is revealed to be arrogant and aggressive, but also perceptive enough to recognize the importance of a Pill King. Although he retreats temporarily, he remains determined to assassinate Lu Chen.
• Qin Fan: Does not appear directly, but his hatred and revenge drive the chapter’s central conflict.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and deception: Lu Chen’s mask allows him to maintain two separate identities, causing Jiang Yingyue and Tu Qianjue to misunderstand his true role.
• Revenge and humiliation: Qin Fan’s hatred originates from the perceived disgrace involving the “green hat,” motivating the assassination attempt.
• Power and status: Tu Qianjue’s attitude changes immediately after discovering that Lu Chen is believed to be a Pill King, highlighting the social influence of alchemical talent.
• Skill overcoming danger: Lu Chen’s mastery of pill restoration unintentionally protects him by making his enemies fear his importance.
• Irony and misunderstanding: Jiang Yingyue protects Lu Chen from Tu Qianjue without realizing the masked Pill King and the supposedly endangered “Lu Chen” are the same person.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Tu Qianjue: Tu Qianjue demands Lu Chen’s identity and attempts to uncover his face, while Lu Chen responds with hostility and refuses to cooperate.
• Jiang Yingyue and Tu Qianjue: Jiang Yingyue confronts and threatens Tu Qianjue for trespassing, while he dismisses the Joyful Union Sect until he realizes he has entered the territory of a powerful Pill King.
• Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue: Lu Chen relies on Jiang Yingyue’s arrival to avoid a fight, gives her the Grade-Five Nascent Soul Pill, and manipulates the misunderstanding by claiming that Lu Chen is merely his friend.
• Tu Qianjue and Lu Chen’s identity: Tu Qianjue correctly tracks Lu Chen but mistakenly believes that the masked alchemist and Lu Chen are different people, allowing Lu Chen to escape.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After witnessing the overwhelming power of a Nascent Soul ancestor during the battle between the Joyful Union Sect and Black Tortoise Sect, Lu Chen becomes increasingly fearful of exposure. His false identity as a reclusive Pill King—and his relationships with several powerful women—make him determined to improve his cultivation and act cautiously.
• Upon returning to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties, Lu Chen restores several failed pills using Yin-Yang Essence:
  • A Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill for Liu Yan’er.
  • A Nascent Soul Pill for Jiang Yingyue.
  • These restorations consume 800 strands of Yin-Yang Essence, leaving him with 1,706.
• Liu Yan’er has remained behind in Hehuan Town rather than fleeing with the Blissful Sect. She has been waiting for Lu Chen because she wants the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill he promised her.
• Lu Chen gives Liu Yan’er the restored pill. In exchange for helping her, she offers herself to him, and the two engage in dual cultivation.
• Their cultivation session produces 490 strands of Yin-Yang Essence, increasing Lu Chen’s total to 2,196. This reinforces his belief that the amount of Essence generated depends on the Yin-Yang Creation Scripture and his cultivation partner.
• Liu Yan’er asks Lu Chen to protect her while she attempts to condense a Golden Core. She also intends to use the opportunity to eliminate an enemy. Lu Chen agrees and instructs her to make preparations.
• Meanwhile, Zhou Tianqi, the Blissful Sect’s Holy Son, secretly returns to Hehuan Town and monitors Liu Yan’er. He wants to steal her Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill and violently punish her for what he views as betrayal.
• Zhao Hong informs Lu Chen that the Yun Household has destroyed the Lin Household, while the Joyful Union Sect has expelled the Sacred Pill Sect from Hehuan Town. The Yun Household is now the town’s dominant force.
• Lu Chen also learns that Little Xixi, a girl with a Supreme Heavenly Spirit Root whom he had considered taking as a disciple, has been asking for him. Although he previously abandoned the idea after seeing the danger posed by Nascent Soul experts, he suddenly thinks of a way to deal with her situation when someone arrives outside the room.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes more cautious and security-conscious after recognizing how powerless he is before Nascent Soul cultivators. He continues exploiting his pill-repair ability and dual-cultivation technique to strengthen himself while carefully managing his various identities and alliances.
• Liu Yan’er: Shows loyalty—or at least dependence—by remaining in Hehuan Town for Lu Chen. She becomes more ambitious and decisive, seeking to break through to the Golden Core Realm and remove Zhou Tianqi as a rival.
• Zhou Tianqi: Reveals intense resentment and cruelty toward Liu Yan’er. His plan to steal her pill and ruin her demonstrates that he is willing to use ruthless methods to regain power.
• Zhao Hong: Continues serving Lu Chen faithfully and acts as his source of information about developments in Hehuan Town.
• Little Xixi: Though she does not appear directly, her importance grows because of her extraordinary spiritual talent and her desire to reunite with Lu Chen.

Significant Themes

• Powerlessness and the pursuit of strength: Lu Chen’s fear of Nascent Soul cultivators motivates his urgent cultivation and pill refinement.
• Secrecy and danger: His concealed identity, relationships, and manipulation of powerful factions force him to remain constantly vigilant.
• Power through dependency: Liu Yan’er’s life is controlled by Lu Chen’s God-Slaying Forbidden Curse, while her advancement depends on his pill. Their relationship combines loyalty, desire, ambition, and coercion.
• Political upheaval: The destruction of the Lin Household and expulsion of the Sacred Pill Sect reshape the balance of power in Hehuan Town, leaving the Yun Household dominant.
• Cultivation as both intimacy and strategy: Lu Chen’s dual cultivation with Liu Yan’er is simultaneously a physical relationship and a means of producing Yin-Yang Essence to accelerate his growth.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Liu Yan’er interact as master and servant, but their relationship is also deeply sensual and transactional. He gives her the pill she needs, while she offers obedience and intimacy in return.
• Liu Yan’er and Zhou Tianqi are positioned as bitter enemies. Zhou seeks to seize her breakthrough pill and destroy her, while Liu Yan’er plans to use her advancement to remove him.
• Lu Chen and Zhao Hong maintain a master-servant relationship, with Zhao Hong providing intelligence and Lu Chen deciding how to respond.
• Lu Chen’s thoughts turn toward Little Xixi’s future, suggesting that the arriving person may be connected to a new plan involving her cultivation or discipleship.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yingyue visits Lu Chen after he returns from Waste-Pill Valley disguised as the Reclusive Pill King. She has been unable to stop thinking about him and urgently summons Ye Chenyu back to Joyful Union Mountain.
• Ye Chenyu is pursuing Su Mei, a traitor to the Joyful Union Sect. She nearly captures Su Mei, but Su Mei repeatedly escapes using Teleportation Talismans and is close to entering Black Tortoise Sect territory.
• Jiang Yingyue’s summons forces Ye Chenyu to abandon the pursuit. She gives Ye Chenyu a Nascent Soul Pill, then leaves to find Lu Chen. Ye Chenyu enters secluded cultivation in the Joyful Union Secret Realm.
• Jiang Yingyue’s sudden romantic behavior leads Ye Chenyu to suspect that her usually aloof, hundred-year-old Martial Aunt has developed feelings for a man—specifically the mysterious Reclusive Pill King.
• Lu Chen, Jiang Yingyue, and Zhao Hong travel to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties to find Little Xixi. Lu Chen’s bronze mask causes the crowd to recognize him as the famous Reclusive Pill King, drawing a massive gathering of cultivators.
• Jiang Yingyue releases Nascent Soul-level pressure to clear the crowd, shocking everyone. Lu Chen remains unaffected because of the Yin-Yang Cauldron’s protection.
• Little Xixi joyfully reunites with Lu Chen but refuses to leave him, declaring that she wants to practice Dual Cultivation with him. Lu Chen discovers that Zhao Hong and others have irresponsibly taught her misleading ideas about cultivation and reprimands Zhao Hong.
• Lu Chen arranges for Jiang Yingyue to take Little Xixi as a registered disciple and care for her for three years. Though reluctant, Little Xixi eventually agrees after Lu Chen promises to visit and return for her.
• While exploring Zhao Hong’s Divine Armory Pavilion, Lu Chen discovers a mysterious broken sword recovered from the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Upon touching it, Lu Chen’s special ability identifies it as an Immortal Artifact that can be reforged only by consuming one million strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
• Learning about the upcoming Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly and its connection to the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, Lu Chen becomes determined to participate.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His Reclusive Pill King disguise has become highly successful and influential. He demonstrates responsibility toward Little Xixi by arranging her education and planning to become strong enough to protect and keep her in the future. His discovery of the broken sword also awakens a strong interest in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Jiang Yingyue: Her feelings for Lu Chen become increasingly apparent. She is distracted and embarrassed by her attachment to him, while also showing her powerful cultivation by suppressing the crowd with Nascent Soul pressure. She agrees to take responsibility for Little Xixi.
• Ye Chenyu: She is dutifully committed to enforcing sect rules and punishing Su Mei, but Jiang Yingyue’s unusual behavior leaves her confused. She receives a Nascent Soul Pill and begins secluded cultivation.
• Little Xixi: She is deeply attached to Lu Chen and fears being abandoned. Although she initially resists leaving him, she eventually accepts Jiang Yingyue as her temporary teacher after Lu Chen reassures her.
• Zhao Hong: His careless teaching about Dual Cultivation frightens him when Lu Chen discovers it. He apologizes and promises not to mislead children again.
• Su Mei: She remains defiant while fleeing from Ye Chenyu and uses numerous Teleportation Talismans to avoid capture, apparently seeking refuge with the Black Tortoise Sect.

Significant Themes

• Romantic awakening: Jiang Yingyue’s normally restrained personality contrasts with her growing affection for Lu Chen, creating both humor and emotional tension.
• Responsibility and guardianship: Lu Chen’s relationship with Little Xixi shifts from affectionate companionship toward formal responsibility, as he arranges her cultivation and future protection.
• Power and reputation: Lu Chen’s assumed identity as the Reclusive Pill King gives him enormous prestige, allowing him to influence crowds and move through the cultivation world with growing authority.
• Ancient mysteries and ambition: The broken Immortal Artifact and the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm introduce a larger mystery involving the lost immortals and hidden treasures of the ancient world.
• Humor through misunderstanding: Little Xixi’s innocent misunderstanding of Dual Cultivation, Zhao Hong’s panic, and Ye Chenyu’s speculation about Jiang Yingyue’s love life provide comic relief.

Important Character Interactions

• Jiang Yingyue and Ye Chenyu: Jiang Yingyue summons Ye Chenyu away from her pursuit of Su Mei, then gives her a Nascent Soul Pill. Ye Chenyu notices Jiang Yingyue’s lovestruck behavior.
• Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue: Their relationship grows more intimate, though Jiang Yingyue cannot openly admit that she sought Lu Chen because she missed him.
• Lu Chen and Little Xixi: Their affectionate reunion establishes a three-year separation pact, with Lu Chen promising to visit and eventually bring her back.
• Lu Chen and Zhao Hong: Lu Chen reprimands Zhao Hong for teaching Little Xixi inappropriate and misleading ideas about Dual Cultivation.
• Lu Chen and the broken sword: Lu Chen’s contact with the weapon reveals its true nature as an Immortal Artifact and points him toward the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly and Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.

Chapter Summary: Hand Over the Nascent Soul Pill, or Die!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen discovers that the seemingly worthless, rust-covered broken sword in Zhao Hong’s Divine Armory Pavilion is actually a legendary Immortal Artifact. Though it costs only ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones, reforging it would require one million strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
• Realizing the sword may be connected to the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, Lu Chen becomes determined to attend the upcoming Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly and enter the realm.
• Jiang Yingyue invites him to travel with them to Void Mountain. She explains that only cultivators below the Golden Core Realm can enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, while Nascent Soul cultivators and above will be destroyed by the Bronze Immortal Gate’s restrictions.
• Since everyone believes Lu Chen is a powerful, mysterious Pill King, he cannot openly reveal that he is actually only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. He therefore invents a “friend” whom Jiang Yingyue can take to the assembly—secretly referring to himself and creating an excuse for his participation.
• Lu Chen chooses the broken sword over Zhao Hong’s superior Mid-Grade Spirit Sword, Azure Peak. He casually gives Azure Peak to Little Xixi, astonishing and frustrating Zhao Hong with his disregard for valuable treasures.
• Lu Chen arranges for Little Xixi’s future and reaches a three-year agreement with her.
• The Yun Household arrives to pay respects to the Pill King, hoping to gain his favor, but Lu Chen refuses to meet them. Their disappointment is intensified because their relationship with the Joyful Union Sect had already benefited them greatly.
• As Lu Chen leaves the Divine Armory Pavilion, the mysterious old man who previously invaded the Joyful Union Sect’s Waste Pill Repository confronts him and demands the Nascent Soul Pill.
• Jiang Yingyue steps between Lu Chen and the old man. When she identifies herself as the Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder, the crowd is shocked.
• The old man dismisses Jiang Yingyue and claims that even Spirit Transformation cultivators avoid him. He then threatens Lu Chen: surrender the Nascent Soul Pill or die.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes more ambitious after discovering the Immortal Artifact and begins planning how to enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm. He continues carefully maintaining his false identity as the all-powerful Pill King, using the persona to secure protection and opportunities despite his weak true cultivation.
• Jiang Yingyue: Shows increasing concern for Lu Chen and readily protects him from the threatening old man. Her identity and immense reputation are publicly revealed, reinforcing her status as one of the cultivation world’s most formidable figures.
• Zhao Hong: Remains impressed and bewildered by Lu Chen’s behavior, especially his preference for a worthless-looking broken sword and his casual gift of Azure Peak to Little Xixi.
• Little Xixi: Receives a powerful Spirit Sword from Lu Chen and is given a more secure future through their three-year agreement.
• The Old Man: Emerges as a mysterious and extremely confident antagonist. His ability to ignore Jiang Yingyue and claim superiority even to Spirit Transformation cultivators suggests an immense hidden strength.
• The Yun Household: Their eagerness to curry favor with Lu Chen is emphasized, along with their disappointment when he refuses to receive them.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and deception: Lu Chen’s greatest advantage comes from others’ mistaken belief that he is a powerful Pill King. He must continue constructing false identities to compensate for his true lack of status.
• Value beyond appearances: The rusted broken sword appears worthless but is actually an Immortal Artifact, reflecting the danger of judging people or objects by outward appearance.
• Power and reputation: Jiang Yingyue’s reputation alone shocks the crowd, while the old man’s confidence suggests that even fame and recognized authority may not reveal someone’s true strength.
• Opportunity and ambition: The discovery of the Immortal Artifact gives Lu Chen a new goal and motivates him to seek entry into the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Protection and relationships: Lu Chen’s care for Little Xixi and Jiang Yingyue’s instinctive defense of him demonstrate the growing importance of personal alliances.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Jiang Yingyue: She invites him to Void Mountain and explains the restrictions of the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm. Lu Chen manipulates the situation by presenting himself as a powerful figure with a mysterious friend.
• Lu Chen and Zhao Hong: Lu Chen selects the broken sword from Zhao Hong’s shop and casually gives away the much more valuable Azure Peak Sword, leaving Zhao Hong stunned.
• Lu Chen and the Yun Household: The Yun family seeks an audience, but Lu Chen refuses to see them, causing them to lose a valuable chance to gain his favor.
• Lu Chen, Jiang Yingyue, and the Old Man: The chapter ends with a tense confrontation. Jiang Yingyue shields Lu Chen, while the old man demands the Nascent Soul Pill and threatens to kill Lu Chen if he refuses.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A mysterious old man appears in Hehuan Town and demands the Nascent Soul Pill from the masked “Pill King,” further convincing everyone that Lu Chen is truly a powerful Reclusive Pill King.
• When Lu Chen refuses, the old man attacks. Jiang Yingyue intervenes, but the old man effortlessly cuts through her flaming palm attack and knocks her into a house.
• The old man releases overwhelming Nascent Soul-level pressure, immobilizing everyone nearby. He then seizes Lu Chen by the collar and flies away with him.
• Jiang Yingyue pursues them, while the surrounding cultivators panic. During the chaos, Zhou Tianqi steals Liu Yan’er’s storage pouch, believing it contains the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill.
• Liu Yan’er chases Zhou Tianqi, killing the black-clad men he sends to stop her. Zhou Tianqi escapes using a prearranged Teleportation Talisman.
• After opening the stolen pouch, Zhou Tianqi discovers that Liu Yan’er replaced the pill with a lump of feces. Furious and humiliated, he curses her.
• Liu Yan’er returns to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties and orders her trusted subordinates to investigate the mysterious old man. The Joyful Union Sect also begins searching for him.
• Meanwhile, the old man takes Lu Chen to a remote mountain range, tears off and destroys his bronze mask, and compares his face to a portrait.
• The old man recognizes Lu Chen as the person wanted dead by a mysterious “Young Master.” Lu Chen realizes he was captured because he carelessly failed to disguise his appearance.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: His deception as a Reclusive Pill King is exposed to the old man. Despite maintaining his composure under Nascent Soul pressure, he is revealed to be only at the fifth level of Qi Refining and is now in serious danger.
• The mysterious old man: Demonstrates overwhelming strength, easily defeating Jiang Yingyue and identifying Lu Chen as the target of a killing order. His motives appear connected to a powerful Young Master.
• Jiang Yingyue: Despite being a Nascent Soul cultivator, she is decisively defeated, emphasizing the old man’s terrifying power. Her concern for Lu Chen leads her to pursue them.
• Liu Yan’er: Shows fierce loyalty and leadership by investigating Lu Chen’s abduction. She also proves cunning by replacing the valuable pill with feces to trick Zhou Tianqi.
• Zhou Tianqi: Reveals his shameless ambition and rivalry with Liu Yan’er. His attempt to steal the pill fails, leaving him enraged and humiliated.
• Zhao Hong and the other cultivators: React defensively to the battle, retreating to protect themselves and Little Xixi.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Lu Chen’s disguise convinces nearly everyone that he is a powerful Pill King, while his true cultivation is extremely weak.
• Power and vulnerability: Even respected cultivators such as Jiang Yingyue are helpless before the mysterious old man, showing the vast hierarchy of strength in the cultivation world.
• Deception and counter-deception: Lu Chen impersonates a Pill King, Zhou Tianqi steals the wrong item, and Liu Yan’er outsmarts him with a humiliating fake.
• Rivalry and ambition: The competition between Liu Yan’er and Zhou Tianqi reflects the intense struggle for status and access to the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly.
• Carelessness and consequences: Lu Chen’s failure to change his appearance ultimately leads to his capture.

Character Interactions

• The old man confronts and overpowers Lu Chen after Lu Chen refuses to surrender the Nascent Soul Pill.
• Jiang Yingyue attempts to protect Lu Chen but is defeated almost instantly.
• Zhou Tianqi betrays Liu Yan’er by stealing her storage pouch, while Liu Yan’er retaliates by deceiving and humiliating him.
• Liu Yan’er orders her followers to investigate Lu Chen’s abductor, while the Joyful Union Sect separately searches for the old man.
• In the final confrontation, the old man removes Lu Chen’s mask and identifies him as the person targeted by the Young Master, ending the chapter on a major reveal.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads through Hehuan Town that the mysterious Pill King has been captured. Since Lu Chen was traveling under that identity, his capture causes widespread panic among people seeking his pills. Jiang Yingyue and Liu Yan’er also begin searching for him.
• Lu Chen is imprisoned in a mountain cave by a powerful old man, later revealed to be Tu Qianjue, the Blood-Handed Butcher.
• Tu Qianjue explains that he is acting on behalf of Qin Fan, the young master of the Qin Household of the Eastern Continent. Qin Fan wants Lu Chen dead because Lu Chen supposedly humiliated him by “cuckolding” him.
• Realizing the enormous difference between his own strength and Tu Qianjue’s Nascent Soul cultivation, Lu Chen considers using the Yin-Yang Cauldron as his last means of survival.
• Lu Chen provokes Tu Qianjue by openly mocking Qin Fan and claiming that he cuckolded him. Enraged, Tu Qianjue brutally attacks him, repeatedly smashing him into the cave walls and ground.
• Tu Qianjue uses a powerful technique to freeze the surrounding space, preventing Lu Chen from activating the Yin-Yang Cauldron’s escape function.
• Planning to cripple Lu Chen’s dantian and torture him, Tu Qianjue pours his own vital energy into Lu Chen’s body.
• Instead of being destroyed, Lu Chen’s dantian uses the Yin-Yang Cauldron’s devouring power to absorb Tu Qianjue’s energy. Lu Chen channels the refined power into the Five-Element Body-Refining Technique, intending to break through to the Iron Bone Stage.
• Tu Qianjue gradually realizes that Lu Chen’s dantian is an abnormal “bottomless pit.” When he attempts to withdraw, his hand is trapped by the suction force.
• Lu Chen announces that it is now his turn to counterattack and punches Tu Qianjue in the face.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates exceptional resilience, cunning, and willingness to gamble with his life. Though vastly weaker, he uses provocation and the hidden power of the Yin-Yang Cauldron to turn Tu Qianjue’s attack into a source of cultivation energy.
• Tu Qianjue: Introduced as a terrifying Nascent Soul Great Completion expert and former Blood-Handed Butcher. His confidence and arrogance lead him to underestimate Lu Chen, ultimately allowing Lu Chen to absorb his energy.
• Qin Fan: Although absent, he is established as Lu Chen’s powerful enemy and the reason behind the assassination attempt. His humiliation of Qin Fan has drawn the attention of the Qin Household.
• Jiang Yingyue and Liu Yan’er: Their searches for the mysterious Pill King show the importance of Lu Chen’s disguised identity and suggest that his disappearance will have wider consequences.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus ingenuity: Lu Chen cannot compete with Tu Qianjue directly, so he survives through strategy, provocation, and the unusual abilities of his artifact.
• Underestimation and arrogance: Tu Qianjue assumes Lu Chen’s low cultivation makes him helpless, failing to recognize the extraordinary nature of his dantian and body-refining techniques.
• Turning danger into opportunity: Lu Chen converts an apparently fatal attack into a chance to absorb power and advance his cultivation.
• Revenge and humiliation: Qin Fan’s desire to kill Lu Chen stems from personal disgrace, while Lu Chen deliberately uses that humiliation to provoke Tu Qianjue into making a mistake.
• Determination against overwhelming odds: Despite severe injuries and the vast gap in cultivation, Lu Chen refuses to submit and vows to eventually surpass those who currently dominate him.

Character Interactions

• Tu Qianjue interrogates and threatens Lu Chen, explaining Qin Fan’s grudge.
• Lu Chen taunts Tu Qianjue by claiming he cuckolded Qin Fan, provoking the old man into a rage.
• Tu Qianjue physically dominates Lu Chen and attempts to destroy his dantian.
• Lu Chen secretly reverses the power dynamic by absorbing Tu Qianjue’s energy, trapping his hand, and launching the first successful counterattack.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen traps Tu Qianjue’s hand against his dantian and uses the Devouring technique to drain the Nascent Soul expert’s vital energy.
• Taking advantage of Tu Qianjue’s shock, Lu Chen repeatedly punches him and then severs his dagger-wielding arm with the broken sword.
• Tu Qianjue summons his Nascent Soul incarnation to kill Lu Chen, but Li Yunsheng suddenly intervenes. With a single sword strike, she destroys the incarnation and severely cripples Tu Qianjue’s cultivation.
• Li Yunsheng allows Lu Chen to continue absorbing Tu Qianjue’s remaining power. Lu Chen drains him nearly to death and uses the energy to break through from the Peak Copper Skin Realm to the Iron Bone Stage.
• Lu Chen’s bones shatter and reform with a metallic strength, while his blood vitality becomes extraordinarily powerful, turning his body into a formidable weapon.
• After leaving the collapsed cave, Lu Chen learns that Tu Qianjue served Qin Fan and possessed the Godslayer Dagger, a Divine Artifact capable of harming even Spirit Transformation experts’ Primordial Spirits.
• The dagger is buried when the cave collapses, much to Lu Chen’s regret.
• Li Yunsheng jokingly asks Lu Chen to repay her rescue by engaging in dual cultivation. Lu Chen responds by asking whether she wants Literary Cultivation or Martial Cultivation.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates growing cunning and combat ability by exploiting Devouring against a far stronger opponent. His successful breakthrough into the Iron Bone Stage greatly strengthens his physical body and establishes him as an increasingly dangerous body cultivator.
• Tu Qianjue: His arrogance and confidence collapse after being ambushed, mutilated, stripped of his cultivation, and reduced to helplessness. His fury and humiliation culminate in his death from anger after Li Yunsheng provokes him.
• Li Yunsheng: Reveals overwhelming strength by destroying Tu Qianjue’s Nascent Soul incarnation with one sword. She also displays a playful, teasing relationship with Lu Chen while remaining hostile toward Qin Fan and his followers.

Significant Themes

• Strength through risk and opportunism: Lu Chen defeats a superior enemy not through conventional power, but by exploiting Tu Qianjue’s mistake and using Devouring.
• Transformation and cultivation: Tu Qianjue’s stolen energy enables Lu Chen’s physical evolution into the Iron Bone Stage, emphasizing growth through absorbing and refining power.
• Arrogance punished: Tu Qianjue’s contempt for Lu Chen leads him to underestimate his opponent, resulting in the loss of his arm, cultivation, artifact, and life.
• Humor amid violence: The brutal confrontation is contrasted with Lu Chen’s shameless flirting and Li Yunsheng’s teasing, giving the chapter a comedic tone despite its deadly events.
• Literary versus martial cultivation: The closing exchange introduces a playful distinction between two forms of dual cultivation and hints at the intimate, competitive dynamic between Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Tu Qianjue engage in a reversal of power: the supposedly weak Lu Chen becomes the attacker, while the powerful elder is reduced to prey.
• Li Yunsheng intervenes to save Lu Chen but respects his desire to use Tu Qianjue for cultivation.
• Lu Chen flirts openly with Li Yunsheng, while she responds with amusement and provocative suggestions.
• Tu Qianjue reacts with outrage to their apparent intimacy and dies after Li Yunsheng taunts him about his defeat.