Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Yunsheng suddenly reveals that she knows Lu Chen may be the mysterious Reclusive Pill King, shocking everyone in the Joyful Union Hall.
• Liu Fuyao and Jiang Yingyue are especially stunned: the supposedly useless Lu Chen, whom Liu Fuyao abandoned, may actually be the powerful alchemist who repeatedly helped the Joyful Union Sect.
• Lu Chen tries to deny the accusation, fearing that exposure would cause the sect’s female cultivators to imprison him as an exceptionally valuable Furnace Tripod because of his Supreme Five-Elements Spiritual Root.
• Li Yunsheng proposes testing Lu Chen’s cultivation. Since she is an important figure from the Grand Void Immortal Sect—and a Nascent Soul Great Completion expert—the Joyful Union Sect cannot refuse her request, especially with the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly approaching.
• Li Yunsheng secretly tells Lu Chen that she wants to Dual Cultivate with him. Lu Chen is frustrated because she has previously benefited from their Literary Cultivation while leaving him with little compensation.
• She examines his body using the Grand Void Bone-Reading Technique. His unusually powerful muscles and bones produce sounds like a musical instrument, revealing that he possesses extraordinary physical strength despite being only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.
• Li Yunsheng publicly declares that Lu Chen is not the Pill King, claiming she had mistaken him for someone else. This reassures the sect members and prevents his identity from being exposed.
• Li Yunsheng declines the sect’s offer of a banquet, citing preparations for the Cultivation Assembly, but asks to speak with Lu Chen alone. The chapter ends with Lu Chen suspecting that she truly intends to Dual Cultivate with him.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Remains cautious and secretive, desperate to protect his Pill King identity. He is irritated by Li Yunsheng’s repeated exploitation of their cultivation relationship but gains confidence from the knowledge that his physical body is extraordinarily strong.
• Li Yunsheng: Demonstrates her power, authority, and cleverness. She deliberately pressures Lu Chen while pretending to investigate him, using the situation to bargain for another private cultivation session.
• Liu Fuyao: Is shaken by the revelation that the man she rejected may be a celebrated Pill King. Her attitude toward Lu Chen becomes conflicted.
• Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue: Realize they must treat Li Yunsheng carefully because of her status, cultivation, and connection to the Grand Void Immortal Sect.
• Joyful Union Sect elders: Initially panic at the possibility that Lu Chen is the Pill King, then relax when Li Yunsheng publicly denies it.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identity and mistaken worth: Lu Chen is dismissed as useless because of his low cultivation, yet he secretly possesses extraordinary alchemy abilities and physical strength.
• Power and political influence: The Joyful Union Sect cannot risk offending Li Yunsheng because the Grand Void Immortal Sect controls the upcoming Cultivation Assembly.
• Exploitation and bargaining: Li Yunsheng uses Lu Chen’s fear of exposure to secure benefits, while Lu Chen attempts to negotiate protection for his secret.
• Appearance versus reality: Lu Chen’s public status contrasts sharply with his true abilities, while Li Yunsheng’s “inspection” conceals a personal motive.
• Cultivation as intimacy and leverage: Dual Cultivation is presented both as a method of increasing strength and as a tool through which the characters manipulate and negotiate with one another.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng: Secretly exchange voice transmissions while maintaining a public performance. She threatens to expose him unless he agrees to let her Dual Cultivate with him; he reluctantly promises to grant her whatever she wants if she keeps silent.
• Li Yunsheng and the Joyful Union Sect: She commands their respect through her identity as a Grand Void Immortal Sect successor and her Nascent Soul Great Completion cultivation.
• Liu Fuyao and Lu Chen: Her disbelief and complicated reaction emphasize how drastically her perception of her former fiancé has changed.
• Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue: Both defer to Li Yunsheng while privately suspecting that she may be interested in Lu Chen’s valuable spiritual root rather than merely investigating him.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Yunsheng, a powerful cultivator from the Grand Void Immortal Sect, asks to speak privately with Lu Chen, alarming the Joyful Union Sect elders and disciples. They fear she intends to recruit or “poach” Lu Chen, whose Supreme Five-Elements Spiritual Root makes him an exceptionally valuable Furnace Tripod.
• Ye Chenyu arranges a private guest room for them. Li Yunsheng seals the room, causing everyone outside to assume something intimate is taking place.
• Inside, Li Yunsheng tells Lu Chen to begin Dual Cultivation. Lu Chen misunderstands her intention, strips off his clothes, and expects Martial Cultivation. Li Yunsheng clarifies that she means Literary Cultivation, leaving him embarrassed and frustrated.
• The two sit down and practice the Yin-Yang Creation Method, circulating their vital essences through the Greater Celestial Circuit.
• Their cultivation produces a massive spiritual-energy vortex above the guest room, lasting for more than an hour. The women waiting outside become increasingly jealous and envious, believing another woman is making use of their coveted Furnace Tripod.
• Lu Chen gains 1,420 strands of Yin-Yang Essence, while Li Yunsheng successfully stabilizes her newly achieved Nascent Soul Great Completion realm.
• Afterward, Li Yunsheng asks Lu Chen to return with her to the Grand Void Immortal Sect. Lu Chen refuses, fearing retaliation from her former fiancé, Qin Fan.
• Li Yunsheng reveals that she has already broken off her engagement with Qin Fan, declaring that he is unworthy of her. She then insists on taking Lu Chen with her, even saying she will tie him up if necessary.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Chen remains humorous, opportunistic, and wary of powerful forces trying to control him. He is briefly excited by Li Yunsheng’s ambiguous request, then becomes embarrassed when he realizes she meant Literary rather than Martial Cultivation. He also recognizes that traveling to the Grand Void Immortal Sect could place him in danger.
• Li Yunsheng demonstrates her confidence, decisiveness, and disregard for convention. She uses Lu Chen to stabilize her cultivation, openly breaks off her engagement with Qin Fan, and begins asserting control over her own destiny. Her interest in taking Lu Chen back suggests she values both his cultivation ability and his unique Dual Cultivation method.
• Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, and the Joyful Union Sect disciples become increasingly anxious and jealous while waiting outside. Their reactions highlight Lu Chen’s importance as a rare and highly desirable Furnace Tripod.
• Qin Fan, though absent, becomes an obstacle and a source of danger. His former engagement to Li Yunsheng gives Lu Chen reason to fear entering the Grand Void Immortal Sect.

3. Significant Themes

• Personal destiny versus arranged fate: Li Yunsheng’s declaration that her fate is hers to decide signals her rejection of the Qin Household’s arranged engagement and her determination to control her own future.
• Power and exploitation: Lu Chen is treated as a valuable cultivation resource by the Joyful Union Sect and Li Yunsheng, raising the question of whether he is valued as a person or merely as a Furnace Tripod.
• Jealousy and competition: The women outside view Li Yunsheng’s private cultivation session with Lu Chen as an unfair seizure of a prized resource, intensifying the rivalry surrounding him.
• Miscommunication and comedic contrast: The chapter repeatedly plays on the ambiguity of “Dual Cultivation,” contrasting Lu Chen’s expectations of physical intimacy with Li Yunsheng’s practical cultivation goals.
• Cultivation as mutual benefit: Although Li Yunsheng benefits by stabilizing her realm, Lu Chen also gains a substantial amount of Yin-Yang Essence, showing that their partnership can be mutually advantageous.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Yunsheng and Lu Chen: Their banter is teasing and confrontational. Lu Chen jokes and resists being controlled, while Li Yunsheng calmly takes advantage of his cultivation technique and then attempts to claim him for the Grand Void Immortal Sect.
• Lu Chen and the women outside: Their relationship is indirect in this chapter, but the women’s envy reveals how highly they value him and how possessive they are of his role within the Joyful Union Sect.
• Li Yunsheng and the Qin Household: Though Qin Fan never appears, Li Yunsheng’s decision to sever their engagement establishes her independence and creates potential conflict with one of the Eastern Continent’s most powerful clans.
• Li Yunsheng and the Joyful Union Sect: Her presence unsettles the sect because she is a powerful outsider who may deprive them of Lu Chen, one of their greatest cultivation assets.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Yunsheng, a fairy maiden and successor of the Grand Void Immortal Sect, openly declares that she intends to take Lu Chen away from the Joyful Union Sect.
• The Joyful Union Sect disciples object, viewing Lu Chen as their precious Supreme Furnace Tripod. Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue confront Li Yunsheng and defend the sect’s authority over him.
• Li Yunsheng accuses the sect of accepting Lu Chen only to use him for Dual Cultivation. She offers a Supreme Spirit Artifact in exchange for his freedom, but the sect refuses, insisting that Lu Chen is an Inner Sect disciple rather than an object to be traded.
• Jiang Yingyue activates the Joyful Union Sect’s powerful mountain-protecting formation, the Greater Celestial Circuit Starry Joyful Union Immortal-Enchanting Array, preparing for a confrontation.
• Li Yunsheng tries to persuade Lu Chen personally, offering him an immortal fruit from the Grand Void Immortal Sect’s forbidden grounds. The fruit could reshape his body, bones, sinews, and Spiritual Root, potentially transforming his cultivation prospects.
• Although the offer astonishes everyone, Lu Chen firmly refuses. He claims that he cannot betray the Joyful Union Sect, even for such a life-changing treasure.
• Lu Chen’s real motivation is his dependence on the Yin-Yang Cauldron and Yin-Yang Essence. Remaining in the Joyful Union Sect allows him to continue gathering the resources needed to restore the Heaven-Refining Cauldron and complete the Heaven-Mending Artifact Refining Art.
• Ye Chenyu praises Lu Chen’s loyalty and mentions the upcoming Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly, where ancient immortal forbidden grounds may contain treasures superior to Li Yunsheng’s offered fruit.
• Hearing that Lu Chen will attend the assembly, Li Yunsheng abandons her attempt to take him by force and declares, “I’ll be waiting for you at the Grand Void Immortal Sect.”
• She then effortlessly passes through the Joyful Union Sect’s protective barrier and departs, shocking everyone.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates unexpected resolve and loyalty. Despite being treated as a Furnace Tripod by the sect, he refuses an extraordinary chance to alter his fate because his own cultivation plans and long-term goals matter more to him.
• Li Yunsheng: Reveals strong possessiveness toward Lu Chen and confidence in her status and resources. Her initial arrogance softens into strategic patience when she learns they will meet at the Cultivation Assembly.
• Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue: Actively defend Lu Chen and the Joyful Union Sect against an outside powerhouse. Their reactions show that Lu Chen is valuable not only as a cultivator but also as someone important to the sect’s influential members.
• Joyful Union Sect disciples: Their anger highlights their collective desire to retain Lu Chen as their Supreme Furnace Tripod, while his refusal leaves them stunned and forces them to reconsider his priorities.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus personal advancement: Lu Chen rejects a rare opportunity for immense power in order to remain with his sect and pursue his own cultivation path.
• Manipulation and ownership: Both Li Yunsheng and the Joyful Union Sect view Lu Chen partly as a valuable cultivation resource, raising tension between personal autonomy and institutional desire.
• Self-reliance: Lu Chen believes that depending on Li Yunsheng would merely replace one form of exploitation with another. His faith in his own methods and the Yin-Yang Cauldron is stronger than his faith in external gifts.
• Hidden potential: Lu Chen’s refusal suggests that his current “weak” status conceals ambitions and resources capable of surpassing conventional opportunities.
• Power and status: Li Yunsheng’s ability to penetrate the Joyful Union Sect’s protective formation demonstrates the overwhelming strength and prestige of the Grand Void Immortal Sect.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Yunsheng and the Joyful Union Sect disciples clash over whether Lu Chen can be taken away or exchanged.
• Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue confront Li Yunsheng and activate the sect’s defensive formation.
• Li Yunsheng attempts to entice Lu Chen with an immortal fruit, but he rejects her offer and openly declares his loyalty.
• Ye Chenyu supports Lu Chen’s decision and redirects attention toward the upcoming Cultivation Assembly.
• Li Yunsheng ends the confrontation by setting a future challenge, promising to await Lu Chen at the Grand Void Immortal Sect.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Yunsheng abruptly leaves the Joyful Union Sect, easily passing through its powerful protective formation. Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue are impressed by the successor of the Grand Void Immortal Sect and acknowledge that they could not have stopped her.
• Lu Chen is praised for restoring the Joyful Union Sect’s honor. At the disciples’ urging, Sect Master Ye Chenyu rewards him with three days of cultivation in the sect’s forbidden grounds.
• Ye Chenyu announces that the sect will soon travel to the Void Mountain Range to attend the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly.
• Liu Fuyao, the sect’s Holy Maiden, escorts Lu Chen into the Joyful Union Secret Realm. The journey revives memories of their past dual cultivation and her former rejection of him.
• Liu Fuyao deliberately assigns Lu Chen a courtyard far from the Earth-Vein Spirit Spring, where the spiritual energy is weakest. She warns him not to become conceited because of his connection to a mysterious senior.
• Lu Chen pretends to cultivate while secretly aware that others are watching him. He spends the full three days in the forbidden grounds but does not visibly advance beyond the fifth level of Qi Refining.
• Afterward, Liu Fuyao brings Lu Chen to Joyful Union Hall, where Ye Chenyu, Jiang Yingyue, and the elders are preparing ten disciples for the upcoming cultivation assembly and the opportunities within the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen gains recognition and a rare cultivation opportunity, but he continues hiding his true potential. His resentment and ambition deepen as he vows to grow strong enough that those who look down on him will no longer be able to approach him.
• Liu Fuyao remains outwardly cold and emotionally detached, consistent with her cultivation of the Path of Severed Emotions. However, Lu Chen’s mention of a secret dual-cultivation technique clearly unsettles her, suggesting unresolved feelings or regret.
• Ye Chenyu rewards Lu Chen for his contribution but remains focused on judging his cultivation progress. Her disappointment at his lack of visible advancement shows that she expected more from the forbidden grounds.
• Jiang Yingyue continues to view Lu Chen seriously, while the inner disciples increasingly admire and envy his special treatment.
• Wu Fei, Wu Ling, and Ling Shuang remain uncomfortable or hostile toward Lu Chen because of their past conflicts and changed relationship with him.

Significant Themes

• Recognition versus hidden strength: Lu Chen receives public praise, yet his true abilities remain concealed behind his apparent Qi Refining cultivation.
• Pride, humiliation, and revenge: His treatment by Liu Fuyao and the other disciples fuels his determination to surpass everyone who once dismissed him.
• Cultivation as power and status: Access to the forbidden grounds marks Lu Chen as unusually important, provoking envy among ordinary disciples.
• Emotional restraint versus lingering attachment: Liu Fuyao claims emotional detachment, but her reactions to Lu Chen suggest that their past still affects her.
• Masks and identity: Lu Chen’s mysterious alternate identity and secret techniques allow him to manipulate how others perceive him.

Character Interactions

• Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue discuss their inability to stop Li Yunsheng, emphasizing the latter’s overwhelming ability.
• The inner disciples praise Lu Chen and advocate for his reward, while Wu Fei and Wu Ling remain displeased.
• Ye Chenyu assigns Liu Fuyao to guide Lu Chen, forcing the two former dual-cultivation partners into close contact.
• Lu Chen teases Liu Fuyao about regretting her past rejection; she denies it but becomes visibly affected when he mentions his secret technique.
• Liu Fuyao places Lu Chen in the least favorable courtyard, prompting his silent criticism of her supposed emotional detachment.
• At Joyful Union Hall, the elders evaluate Lu Chen’s unchanged cultivation and question whether he benefited from his privileged access to the forbidden grounds.

Chapter Summary: “Turning Black into White?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the Joyful Union Sect’s grand hall, Sect Master Ye Chenyu questions Lu Chen about whether he is concealing secrets. Lu Chen answers calmly that everyone has secrets, avoiding suspicion.
• Lu Chen privately reflects that his disguise as the “Reclusive Pill King”—the mysterious benefactor who once saved the sect—remains secure. He believes the sect would never suspect that he is the person behind that identity.
• Ye Chenyu, Supreme Elder Jiang Yingyue, and ten disciples depart for the Eastern Continent Cultivation Assembly in the Grand Void Mountain Range, where the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm is located.
• The delegation includes Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, Qin Xue, Jiang Yurou, Ling Shuang, Ye Qingluan, Su Qingqing, Wu Yan, Zhao Qingyun, and Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen is only a Fifth-Level Qi Refining Inner Sect Disciple, unlike the others, who are elite personal disciples or powerful Golden Core cultivators. His selection causes intense resentment among the sect’s other disciples, especially the female disciples who believe he is unworthy of the opportunity.
• The flying boat leaves the Joyful Union Sect and travels toward the Grand Void Mountain Range, the ancestral mountain range of the Eastern Continent. Lu Chen is filled with anticipation about entering the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Meanwhile, at the Blissful Sect, Holy Son Zhou Tianqi falsely accuses Saintess Liu Yan’er of colluding with Demon Sect remnants, murdering the Zhou Family ancestor, and attempting to sell him into prostitution.
• Liu Yan’er insists that Zhou Tianqi is the real traitor, but Zhou Tianqi urges the Blissful Sect Master to search her storage ring for Demon Sect items.
• Because Liu Yan’er had collected Demonic Artifacts from the battlefield at Black Mountain Town, she fears that a search would make her appear guilty. She attempts to escape using a Teleportation Talisman.
• The Blissful Sect Master wounds Liu Yan’er but fails to stop her teleportation. Believing her flight proves her guilt, the master orders all Blissful Sect disciples to kill her on sight.
• Liu Yan’er survives the attack because she had already broken through to the Golden Core Realm using the Nine-Turn Boundary-Breaking Pill. Severely injured, she decides to seek refuge with her master at the Joyful Union Sect.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Displays composure and confidence under scrutiny. He continues successfully maintaining his false identity as the Reclusive Pill King and becomes increasingly excited about the opportunities awaiting him in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Ye Chenyu: Shows interest in Lu Chen’s hidden background but ultimately accepts his guarded answer. Her willingness to bring him to the Cultivation Assembly demonstrates her trust in him despite his low visible cultivation.
• Liu Fuyao: Has advanced to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm, making her one of the strongest members of the younger generation in the Eastern Continent.
• Yun Feiyan: Though only at the Middle Golden Core Realm, she is trusted to pilot the flying boat and remains the senior sister of the delegation.
• Zhou Tianqi: Reveals himself as manipulative and shameless, deliberately distorting the truth to portray himself as the victim and Liu Yan’er as a traitor.
• Liu Yan’er: Shows caution and resourcefulness by keeping a Teleportation Talisman as an escape method. Her collection of Demon Sect treasures, however, unintentionally gives Zhou Tianqi convincing evidence against her. She is now injured, hunted, and forced to seek protection from another sect.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Lu Chen’s harmless public identity conceals his true power and influence, while Zhou Tianqi presents himself as an innocent victim despite being the actual culprit.
• False accusations and manipulated justice: Zhou Tianqi successfully twists the truth, while Liu Yan’er’s possession of Demon Sect artifacts makes it difficult for her to defend herself.
• Hidden strength and strategic preparation: Lu Chen’s concealed identity and Liu Yan’er’s emergency Teleportation Talisman both demonstrate the value of keeping secrets and preparing escape routes.
• Envy and social hierarchy: Lu Chen’s low cultivation and ordinary status cause resentment when he receives an opportunity reserved for elite disciples, highlighting the sect’s rigid ranking system.
• Opportunity and danger: The Cultivation Assembly and Ancient Immortal Secret Realm promise great opportunities, while Liu Yan’er’s predicament shows how quickly political and sectarian conflicts can become life-threatening.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Ye Chenyu: Ye Chenyu probes Lu Chen’s secrets, but he responds with calm ambiguity, preserving his disguise and earning her quiet approval.
• Lu Chen and the Joyful Union Sect disciples: The other disciples, particularly the female Inner Sect Disciples, view him with contempt and jealousy because they believe his selection is undeserved.
• Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue: Both senior figures support Lu Chen’s participation, overriding the objections of the sect’s ordinary disciples.
• Zhou Tianqi and Liu Yan’er: Their confrontation is the chapter’s central conflict. Zhou Tianqi accuses Liu Yan’er of his own crimes, while she protests the truth but is unable to prove it before the sect master.
• Liu Yan’er and the Blissful Sect Master: The master assumes Liu Yan’er’s attempt to flee confirms her guilt, attacks her, and orders her execution.
• Liu Yan’er and Lu Chen’s wider circle: After escaping, Liu Yan’er chooses to seek out her master at the Joyful Union Sect, connecting her crisis to Lu Chen’s faction and the ongoing events surrounding the Cultivation Assembly.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The Joyful Union Sect’s flying vessel spends three days traveling toward the Void Mountain Range, where the Cultivation Assembly and the entrance trials for the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm will be held.
• Lu Chen learns that cultivators must pass trials to enter the secret realm, then complete tasks inside it to obtain Ascension Tokens. The Joyful Union Sect possesses ten tokens because its disciples completed ten tasks during the previous assembly.
• The approaching cultivators are mostly gambling on their ability to pass the trials despite having no Ascension Tokens.
• The Archaic Xiao Family’s enormous flying ship catches up with the Joyful Union Sect. Its members mock the sect for having Lu Chen—a male disciple with only Qi Refining, Fifth Level cultivation—among its representatives.
• Liu Fuyao challenges the Xiao Family’s heir, Xiao Rufeng, but they agree to postpone their duel until reaching Void City.
• The group arrives at Void City, a magnificent immortal city packed with Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul cultivators. Lu Chen realizes that his cultivation is exceptionally weak by comparison.
• The Joyful Union Sect pays ten Supreme Spirit Stones to Zhao Jiang, a Golden Core guide from the Grand Void Immortal Sect, for permission to park its flying vessel safely in the city plaza.
• The Artifact Refining Sect’s master, Shen Que, publicly ridicules the Joyful Union Sect for accepting Lu Chen and challenges its reputation.
• Ye Chenyu retaliates by mentioning Shen Que’s two sons, who were killed by supposed Demon Sect remnants. Shen Que becomes furious and declares that any disciple of his sect could defeat Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen accepts the challenge, arguing that defeating a weak Qi Refining disciple would bring no glory, while losing to one would be deeply humiliating. Shen Que sends Shen Kun, the lowest-cultivated disciple of the Artifact Refining Sect, to fight him.
• From a nearby pavilion, Grand Void Immortal Sect saintess Li Yunsheng watches the confrontation with amusement and asks about Lu Chen. A veiled white-robed woman also observes him closely.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Remains calm despite widespread ridicule and the vast difference between his cultivation and that of the other participants. His confidence and pride lead him to accept a seemingly disadvantageous challenge, suggesting he may possess abilities beyond his cultivation level.
• Ye Chenyu: Acts protectively toward Lu Chen and initially tries to stop him from provoking Shen Que. She is also sharp-tongued and willing to exploit Shen Que’s grief to defend the Joyful Union Sect.
• Liu Fuyao: Demonstrates the strength and confidence of a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator by challenging Xiao Rufeng. Her exchange with him establishes her as one of the sect’s strongest younger representatives.
• Xiao Rufeng: Appears composed and self-assured as the Archaic Xiao Family’s heir. He accepts Liu Fuyao’s challenge without haste, implying confidence in his own strength.
• Shen Que: Is arrogant and openly hostile toward the Joyful Union Sect. Mention of his deceased sons exposes his emotional vulnerability and causes him to react impulsively.
• Li Yunsheng: Shows immediate interest in Lu Chen, viewing his bold behavior as entertaining and potentially noteworthy.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden potential versus outward weakness: Lu Chen’s Qi Refining cultivation causes others to dismiss him, but his willingness to challenge a stronger sect raises the possibility that appearances are misleading.
• Pride and reputation: The various sects are highly concerned with status and public perception. Shen Que’s greatest fear is not merely Lu Chen’s strength, but the humiliation of losing to someone considered beneath him.
• Competition among major forces: The arrival in Void City introduces rival sects and ancient clans whose interactions are shaped by status, grudges, and the desire to prove superiority.
• Trials and inheritance: The Ancient Immortal Secret Realm appears structured as a testing ground where cultivators earn rewards through completed tasks, hinting at a larger purpose involving selection, succession, or the inheritance of an ancient sect.
• Prejudice based on cultivation: Lu Chen is treated as worthless solely because of his low cultivation level, emphasizing the rigid hierarchy of the cultivation world.

4. Character Interactions

• The Xiao Family mocks Lu Chen and the Joyful Union Sect, prompting Liu Fuyao to challenge Xiao Rufeng.
• Ye Chenyu and Zhao Jiang conduct the formal parking arrangement for the Joyful Union Sect, highlighting the importance of status and protocol in Void City.
• Shen Que insults Lu Chen and the Joyful Union Sect, while Ye Chenyu counters by invoking the deaths of his sons.
• Lu Chen intervenes in the argument and turns Shen Que’s insult into a formal challenge.
• Shen Que selects Shen Kun to fight Lu Chen, setting up the chapter’s impending confrontation.
• Li Yunsheng and the veiled woman observe Lu Chen from a distance, suggesting that his arrival and provocative behavior have already attracted the attention of important figures.

Chapter Summary: “Life-and-Death Arena!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen, a Qi Refining Fifth Level cultivator, publicly challenges Shen Kun, a Peak Foundation Establishment disciple of the Artifact Refining Sect.
• The spectators are shocked by the enormous difference in their cultivation levels and assume Lu Chen is reckless or suicidal.
• The Artifact Refining Sect mocks Lu Chen and demands that he kneel, kowtow, admit his mistake, and bark like a dog.
• Ye Chenyu and the Joyful Union Sect disciples object to the humiliation, while Liu Fuyao offers to fight Shen Kun in Lu Chen’s place. Shen Kun rejects her challenge, claiming she would be bullying him with her superior Golden Core cultivation.
• Lu Chen refuses to back down and insists that the battle should involve a wager. Shen Kun laughs at his confidence.
• From a nearby pavilion, Li Yunsheng reveals that she believes Lu Chen is deliberately “playing the pig to eat the tiger.” She wagers a pouch of Enlightenment Tea that Lu Chen will win against Shen Kun.
• Her opponent, Xiao Hanyi—the current divine maiden of the Archaic Xiao Family—stakes an immensely valuable Yi Wood Spirit Pearl, capable of healing severe injuries, repairing a shattered dantian, and even restoring a destroyed Golden Core.
• Before the fight can begin in Void City, a disciple of the Grand Void Immortal Sect reminds everyone that private combat is forbidden.
• When someone suggests the Life-and-Death Arena, Lu Chen immediately accepts the suggestion. Shen Kun agrees, eager to defeat him, despite the Joyful Union Sect’s growing concern.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates pride, courage, and absolute confidence. Rather than submitting to humiliation, he deliberately escalates the conflict and appears to be concealing his true strength.
• Shen Kun: Is arrogant and contemptuous, convinced that his superior cultivation makes victory certain. His confidence leads him to accept a potentially dangerous challenge.
• Liu Fuyao: Shows concern for Lu Chen and attempts to protect him by offering to fight Shen Kun herself.
• Li Yunsheng: Reveals that she knows Lu Chen is far stronger than he appears. Her confidence is based on having personally examined his extraordinary physical body.
• Xiao Hanyi: Remains calm and composed while accepting Li Yunsheng’s wager, suggesting both confidence and an interest in witnessing Lu Chen’s capabilities.
• Ye Chenyu and the Joyful Union Sect disciples: Actively defend their sect’s dignity but become increasingly anxious about Lu Chen entering a death match.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Lu Chen’s weak cultivation level may be misleading, as Li Yunsheng expects him to defeat an opponent from a higher realm.
• Pride and sect honor: The confrontation is driven by the Artifact Refining Sect’s attempt to publicly humiliate Lu Chen and the Joyful Union Sect’s refusal to tolerate it.
• Arrogance versus confidence: Shen Kun’s certainty comes from his cultivation advantage, while Lu Chen’s confidence appears to come from genuine hidden power.
• Spectacle and rivalry: The crowd, the wager, and the Life-and-Death Arena turn a personal insult into a public contest watched by multiple powerful factions.
• Rules and controlled violence: Void City forbids private fighting, but the Life-and-Death Arena provides a legal venue for settling conflicts through potentially fatal combat.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Shen Kun exchange insults, with Shen Kun demanding submission and Lu Chen refusing to yield.
• Liu Fuyao confronts Shen Kun and tries to intervene, but he dismisses her offer as unfair.
• Ye Chenyu argues with Song Yingtian, an Artifact Refining Sect Nascent Soul elder, over the excessive humiliation demanded of Lu Chen.
• Li Yunsheng and Xiao Hanyi make a private wager over the outcome, revealing their differing assessments of Lu Chen.
• The Grand Void Immortal Sect interrupts the confrontation, redirecting the conflict from an illegal street fight to the Life-and-Death Arena.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen, publicly known as a Qi Refining, Fifth Level cultivator, challenges Shen Kun—a Peak Foundation Establishment Realm expert from the Artifact Refining Sect—to a duel on Void City’s Life-and-Death Arena.
• The spectators, including disciples of the Joyful Union Sect and the Artifact Refining Sect, are shocked and assume Lu Chen is either reckless or seeking death.
• Despite warnings from Liu Fuyao and doubts from others, Lu Chen insists on proceeding, suggesting he has confidence in his abilities.
• A young disciple of the Grand Void Immortal Sect leads the group to the eastern Life-and-Death Arena, where a large crowd gathers to witness the confrontation.
• Lu Chen and Shen Kun agree to a public wager: the loser must kneel, kowtow, apologize, and bark like a dog three times. The Grand Void Immortal Sect disciple serves as witness.
• Shen Kun mocks Lu Chen and underestimates him, while Lu Chen remains calm and returns the insults.
• Once the duel begins, Shen Kun attacks first, attempting to seize Lu Chen’s arm.
• Lu Chen counters with a single punch that strikes Shen Kun in the face and sends him flying, knocking out several teeth.
• The crowd is stunned that someone apparently at Qi Refining, Fifth Level could defeat a Peak Foundation Establishment expert so effortlessly.
• Ye Chenyu immediately declares that Shen Kun has lost, while Shen Que realizes that Lu Chen had been concealing his true strength and “playing the pig to eat the tiger.”

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Displays remarkable confidence, composure, and hidden strength. Rather than being reckless, he deliberately accepts the challenge and humiliates Shen Kun with one decisive blow.
• Shen Kun: Begins arrogant and contemptuous, believing Lu Chen is helpless. His confidence collapses after being defeated instantly.
• Ye Chenyu: Remains composed and trusts that Lu Chen may possess hidden capabilities. After the punch, she confidently asserts Shen Kun’s defeat.
• Jiang Yingyue: Like Ye Chenyu, suspects Lu Chen may have powerful support or a hidden trump card.
• Liu Fuyao: Shows concern for Lu Chen and tries to prevent him from risking his life, revealing her protective feelings toward him.
• Shen Que: Continues to taunt the Joyful Union Sect but is left furious and humiliated when Shen Kun loses.
• The watching cultivators: Shift from ridicule and disbelief to shock after witnessing Lu Chen’s overwhelming attack.
• The girl in green: Takes an unusually perceptive interest in Lu Chen, recognizing that he may be concealing his true strength.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Lu Chen’s apparent low cultivation level conceals his actual combat ability.
• Underestimation and arrogance: Shen Kun’s certainty that victory is effortless causes him to overlook Lu Chen’s capabilities.
• Honor and humiliation: The wager turns the duel into more than a fight; it becomes a public contest over the reputations of both sects.
• Rivalry and resentment: The hostility between the Joyful Union Sect and the Artifact Refining Sect is fueled by past losses, including the Artifact Refining Sect’s defeat by the Demon Sect.
• Courage and confidence: Lu Chen’s willingness to enter the Life-and-Death Arena challenges everyone’s assumptions about him.

Character Interactions

• Liu Fuyao warns Lu Chen not to enter the arena, but he refuses to retreat.
• Ye Chenyu and Jiang Yingyue privately question whether Lu Chen has been given a powerful Spirit Artifact or some other advantage.
• Shen Que repeatedly mocks Ye Chenyu and the Joyful Union Sect, blaming them for the Artifact Refining Sect’s misfortunes.
• Lu Chen and Shen Kun exchange humiliating challenges before agreeing to the wager.
• During the battle, Shen Kun attacks aggressively, but Lu Chen responds calmly and decisively.
• Lu Chen’s single punch reverses the entire mood of the arena, exposing Shen Kun’s arrogance and leaving the Artifact Refining Sect humiliated.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the Life-and-Death Arena in Grand Void City, Lu Chen, publicly regarded as a weak Qi Refining, Fifth Level cultivator, fights Shen Kun, a Peak Foundation Establishment disciple of the Artifact Refining Sect.
• Lu Chen shocks the spectators by knocking Shen Kun away with a single punch.
• Shen Kun claims Lu Chen succeeded only through a sneak attack and launches his Nine Sons Linked Flying Daggers, nine Mid-Grade Spirit Artifacts.
• Using his Yin-Yang Dao Eyes and Five Elements movement technique, Lu Chen identifies the daggers’ weaknesses, passes through their attack, and strikes Shen Kun in the face a second time.
• Shen Kun is unable to rise, and Lu Chen collects all nine flying daggers.
• Lu Chen forces Shen Kun to acknowledge his defeat and fulfill their wager by kneeling, kowtowing, and barking like a dog.
• When the Artifact Refining Sect objects, Lu Chen reminds them that they had threatened to cripple him. He then crushes Shen Kun’s arms and legs and destroys his dantian, completely crippling his cultivation.
• Shen Peng, the Artifact Refining Sect’s Middle Golden Core senior disciple, threatens to kill Lu Chen in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen demonstrates that his apparent low cultivation level hides extraordinary physical strength, speed, perception, and combat ability. His confidence and ruthlessness become clear as he decisively humiliates and cripples Shen Kun.
• Shen Kun changes from arrogant and aggressive to terrified and helpless after realizing Lu Chen’s first victory was not luck. His defeat severely damages the Artifact Refining Sect’s reputation.
• Shen Peng emerges as a hostile antagonist, furious over Shen Kun’s crippling and openly vowing revenge.
• Shen Que, the Artifact Refining Sect Master, is humiliated but restrains his disciples from violating the arena’s rules.
• Xiao Hanyi is visibly stunned by Lu Chen’s victory, while Li Yunsheng confidently treats the outcome as already decided.
• Lu Chen’s allies and observers—including Qin Xue, Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, Jiang Yurou, Ye Chenyu, and Jiang Yingyue—become tense and concerned during the battle. Yun Feiyan actively prevents the Artifact Refining Sect from interfering.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated individuals: Lu Chen’s low cultivation causes others to dismiss him, but his actual abilities far exceed appearances.
• Consequences and retaliation: Lu Chen responds to the Artifact Refining Sect’s threats by inflicting precisely the kind of crippling they intended for him.
• Honor, reputation, and humiliation: Shen Kun’s defeat before the gathered Eastern Continent sects threatens the Artifact Refining Sect’s prestige.
• Rules versus vengeance: Although the Artifact Refining Sect wants to intervene, the Life-and-Death Arena’s rules prevent them from rescuing Shen Kun.
• Power beyond cultivation level: Lu Chen’s perception, techniques, and combat speed allow him to overcome an opponent several major realms above him.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Shen Kun exchange taunts throughout the duel, with Lu Chen repeatedly mocking Shen Kun’s excuses and demanding that he honor the wager.
• Li Yunsheng and Xiao Hanyi wager over the outcome; Xiao Hanyi is shocked when Lu Chen immediately dominates the fight.
• Qin Xue warns Lu Chen, while his other companions anxiously watch his battle against the flying daggers.
• Shen Peng confronts Lu Chen verbally and attempts to defend Shen Kun, but Yun Feiyan blocks the Artifact Refining Sect disciples from entering the arena.
• Lu Chen’s final warning—“Whoever wants to cripple me, I’ll cripple them”—establishes his defiant stance toward the Artifact Refining Sect and sets up future conflict in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.

Chapter Summary: “Why Were They Here?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen decisively defeats Shen Kun, a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, despite being only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. He cripples Shen Kun, takes his nine flying daggers, removes his storage ring, and claims his Lower-Grade Spirit Artifact armor.
• Shen Kun’s defeat enrages the Artifact Refining Sect, especially Sect Master Shen Que and elder Song Yingtian, who had secured Shen Kun’s place in the Cultivation Assembly so he could enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm and obtain powerful resources.
• Because private fighting is forbidden in Void City, the Artifact Refining Sect cannot immediately retaliate. Song Yingtian instead suppresses his anger and plans to kill Lu Chen inside the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Lu Chen forces the crippled Shen Kun to honor their wager by kneeling and barking like a dog three times. Shen Kun complies through humiliation and rage before fainting.
• When Shen Hong attempts to confront Lu Chen, Shen Peng restrains him, recognizing that fighting in Void City would bring worse consequences. The Artifact Refining Sect leaves with Shen Kun, who is carried away after losing his opportunity to enter the secret realm.
• Lu Chen is praised by Qin Xue and Ye Chenyu for defending the Joyful Union Sect’s reputation. The battle spreads throughout Void City and is widely regarded as an unbelievable miracle.
• In a teahouse, Xiao Hanyi and Li Yunsheng reveal that they had wagered over Lu Chen’s victory. Li Yunsheng had confidence in him because she had examined his extraordinary physique. They agree to compete again in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm through their avatars.
• At Inviting Moon Tower, Lu Chen unexpectedly encounters Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Helan Xue. Since Shen Li and Helan Xue know his true appearance, he immediately realizes that his identity may be exposed.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates overwhelming physical strength, confidence, ruthlessness, and sharp judgment. He not only wins the battle but deliberately humiliates Shen Kun to avenge the Artifact Refining Sect’s earlier attack on the Joyful Union Sect. His actions establish him as a formidable and provocative figure despite his low cultivation level.
• Shen Kun: Suffers both physical defeat and public humiliation. His crippling prevents him from entering the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, destroying the opportunity his elders had arranged for him.
• Song Yingtian and Shen Que: Their anger reveals that Shen Kun’s participation was tied to their hopes of obtaining secret-realm treasures. They are forced to tolerate Lu Chen’s actions temporarily but begin plotting revenge.
• Shen Peng: Though furious, he shows restraint by stopping Shen Hong from attacking Lu Chen and recognizes the danger of violating Void City’s rules.
• Qin Xue and Ye Chenyu: Become openly proud of Lu Chen’s performance. Ye Chenyu’s confidence in him is strengthened, confirming her belief that someone important had recognized his unusual potential.
• Li Yunsheng and Xiao Hanyi: Are portrayed as powerful Nascent Soul cultivators with a history of mutual schemes and rivalry. Their renewed wager highlights their competitive relationship.
• Lu Chen’s identity: His secret becomes endangered when he encounters Shen Li and Helan Xue, who can identify his real appearance.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimated talent: Lu Chen’s victory overturns conventional expectations about the gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.
• Revenge and sect honor: Lu Chen’s humiliation of Shen Kun is presented as repayment for the Artifact Refining Sect’s attempted destruction of the Joyful Union Sect.
• Power and restraint: Although the Artifact Refining Sect wants revenge, Void City’s laws and the authority of the Grand Void Immortal Sect prevent open retaliation.
• The pursuit of opportunity: The Ancient Immortal Secret Realm is portrayed as a place of extraordinary fortunes that can determine sects’ and cultivators’ advancement.
• Public reputation and humiliation: The contest is not only about victory but also about preserving or damaging sect dignity before a crowd.
• Identity and secrecy: The chapter ends by shifting tension from combat to Lu Chen’s fear that his disguise may be exposed.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Chen humiliates Shen Kun publicly by forcing him to fulfill the dog-barking wager.
• Lu Chen provokes the Artifact Refining Sect disciples, daring them to attack him while relying on Void City’s rules to protect him.
• Qin Xue praises Lu Chen, while Ye Chenyu acknowledges that his strength matches her expectations.
• Li Yunsheng and Xiao Hanyi discuss their wager and renew their rivalry over who possesses the stronger avatar.
• Lu Chen’s unexpected meeting with Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Helan Xue creates the chapter’s closing conflict, as two of them know his true identity.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Lu Chen unexpectedly encounters Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Helan Xue outside the Inviting Moon Tower in Void City. He panics because Shen Li and Helan Xue know his true identity as the Reclusive Pill King, while Liu Yan’er does not.
• Lu Chen secretly orders Shen Li and Helan Xue to pretend they do not know him. Shen Li suppresses her gratitude and changes her intended greeting into a formal one.
• Shen Li explains that she is an enemy of her uncle, Shen Que, the sect master of the Artifact Refining Sect. Helan Xue confirms her claim, shocking the Joyful Union Sect members.
• Shen Li offers to help the Joyful Union Sect deal with the Artifact Refining Sect, clearly hoping to borrow their strength. Ye Chenyu avoids committing to her request.
• The group enters the Inviting Moon Tower, where Shen Li and Helan Xue realize that Lu Chen is the mysterious male Joyful Union Sect disciple who defeated a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator despite appearing to be only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.
• The chapter explains how the three women came together: Liu Yan’er met Shen Li at the House of Ten Thousand Beauties while fleeing the Blissful Sect; Shen Li gave her a leaf from Lu Chen’s Ten-Thousand-Year Dragonblood Herb, healing her injuries. Helan Xue later arranged rooms for both women because of their shared connections and past life-saving debts.
• Lu Chen receives his room and worries that his identities may soon be exposed. He decides that once he reaches the Golden Body Stage, he will have enough strength to protect himself.
• Liu Yan’er visits Lu Chen in his room. Alarmed that she may know his secret, he pulls her inside and closes the door.
• Liu Fuyao sees this and misunderstands the situation, accusing Lu Chen of becoming involved with a “demoness” from the Blissful Sect.

Character developments

• Lu Chen: Becomes increasingly anxious about maintaining his multiple identities, but remains confident that his future cultivation will allow him to reveal the truth safely. He continues secretly assisting others while trying to avoid attention.
• Shen Li: Shows deep gratitude toward Lu Chen after recovering from her injuries and approaching a breakthrough to Great Perfection of the Golden Core. She also reveals her intense hatred of Shen Que and seeks powerful allies against him.
• Helan Xue: Demonstrates loyalty and discretion by supporting Lu Chen’s false public identity. Her relationship with Shen Li is strengthened by their shared history and mutual debts.
• Liu Yan’er: Learns that Lu Chen is the Reclusive Pill King and follows Shen Li to Void City in hopes of finding her master. She remains unaware that the male disciple Lu Chen and her master are the same person—or appears not to reveal that knowledge.
• Liu Fuyao: Misinterprets Lu Chen’s private meeting with Liu Yan’er and becomes jealous and suspicious.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and deception: Lu Chen must constantly manage the tension between his identities as a Joyful Union Sect disciple, the Reclusive Pill King, and Liu Yan’er’s master.
• Misunderstanding and secrecy: Characters repeatedly draw incorrect conclusions because the truth is concealed, especially Liu Fuyao’s suspicion of Liu Yan’er.
• Debt, loyalty, and gratitude: Shen Li’s gratitude for Lu Chen’s healing medicine, Helan Xue’s debt to Shen Li’s mother, and the women’s mutual support shape their alliances.
• Power and political maneuvering: Shen Li attempts to use the Joyful Union Sect’s influence against the Artifact Refining Sect, while Lu Chen calculates how much strength he needs before safely exposing himself.
• Healing and cultivation advancement: Lu Chen’s Ten-Thousand-Year Dragonblood Herb not only saves Shen Li and Liu Yan’er but also helps them progress toward higher realms.

Character interactions

• Lu Chen secretly instructs Shen Li and Helan Xue to deny knowing him, and both comply.
• Shen Li and Helan Xue publicly validate each other’s statements about Shen Li’s feud with Shen Que.
• The Joyful Union Sect members react suspiciously to Shen Li’s request for assistance but refuse to be immediately used as her weapon.
• Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Helan Xue’s shared history explains their arrival at the Inviting Moon Tower.
• Lu Chen privately confronts the danger of Liu Yan’er recognizing his true identity, while Liu Fuyao observes the encounter and forms a jealous, mistaken conclusion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Fuyao arrives at Inviting Moon Tower and notices Liu Yan’er, Helan Xue, and Shen Li behaving suspiciously around Lu Chen. She discovers that Liu Yan’er, a member of the rival Blissful Sect, has secretly come to meet him.
• Though furious and disappointed, Liu Fuyao suppresses her emotions through her cultivation of the Path of Severed Emotions. She reminds herself that Lu Chen is no longer her fiancé and leaves without confronting him.
• Inside the room, Lu Chen questions Liu Yan’er about how she discovered his true identity. She claims she guessed, but the narration reveals that she inferred it from Shen Li and Helan Xue’s conversation. Lu Chen warns her never to reveal his identity, relying on the God-Slaying Forbidden Curse to control her.
• Liu Yan’er explains that she and Shen Li came to Grand Void City because Zhou Tianqi framed her as a collaborator of the Demon Sect. The Blissful Sect is now hunting her, and Shen Li led her to Lu Chen’s location.
• Lu Chen learns that Shen Li can locate him because the two halves of the Artifact Refining Sect’s Ancestral Founder Token resonate with each other.
• Hearing that numerous prodigies are gathering to test their Spiritual Roots, Lu Chen decides to attend the event to assess potential rivals before entering the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Lu Chen, Liu Yan’er, Shen Li, and Helan Xue travel to Spirit-Testing Square. A celestial phenomenon reveals that someone possesses a Supreme Wood Spiritual Root.
• The saintess of the Heavenly Doctor Sect, Murong Shanshan, completes her test. Soon afterward, Donglai Yijian, the senior brother of the Donglai Sword Sect, demonstrates a Supreme Sword Spirit Root, producing a massive sword phantom and shocking the crowd.
• Donglai Yijian approaches after seeing Helan Xue with Lu Chen. He reveals that Helan Xue is his fiancée and accuses Lu Chen of behaving improperly with her.
• Helan Xue firmly rejects him, stating that she intends to ask her master to cancel their engagement after the Immortal Cultivation Assembly. Donglai Yijian assumes Lu Chen is the reason for the broken engagement, making Lu Chen an unwilling romantic rival.

Character Developments

• Liu Fuyao: Demonstrates significant progress in suppressing her attachment to Lu Chen. Her Path of Severed Emotions is tested when she sees him with Liu Yan’er, but she successfully regains composure and reinforces her determination not to let him disturb her Dao heart.
• Lu Chen: Remains cautious about protecting his hidden identity and controlling Liu Yan’er. He also shows strategic foresight by attending the Spiritual Root testing to evaluate future competitors.
• Liu Yan’er: Becomes more openly subordinate to Lu Chen due to the curse and her fear of him. She remains curious about his real identity and accompanies him to the gathering of prodigies.
• Helan Xue: Shows trust and familiarity toward Lu Chen while openly rejecting her arranged engagement with Donglai Yijian.
• Donglai Yijian: Is introduced as an arrogant and powerful sword cultivator with a Supreme Sword Spirit Root. His jealousy and possessiveness immediately place him in conflict with Lu Chen.
• Shen Li: Continues helping Liu Yan’er and remains connected to Lu Chen through the paired ancestral tokens. She is also acquainted with Murong Shanshan.

Significant Themes

• Severing emotions versus lingering attachment: Liu Fuyao’s struggle highlights the difficulty of truly abandoning past love, even while pursuing an emotionless cultivation path.
• Hidden identities and secrecy: Lu Chen must carefully conceal his true status, while others gradually piece together his identity.
• Talent and status: The Spiritual Root testing functions as a public competition in which sects display the superiority of their younger generation.
• Jealousy and romantic rivalry: Donglai Yijian’s hostility toward Lu Chen introduces a conflict based on possessiveness and mistaken assumptions.
• Political and sectarian conflict: The rivalry between the Joyful Union Sect and Blissful Sect, along with Liu Yan’er’s false accusation, reinforces the broader tensions among cultivation factions.

Character Interactions

• Liu Fuyao silently observes Lu Chen and Liu Yan’er but chooses restraint over confrontation.
• Lu Chen warns Liu Yan’er not to expose his identity, reinforcing their master-disciple power imbalance.
• Shen Li and Helan Xue formally greet Lu Chen as a senior before settling on addressing him as a fellow cultivator.
• Lu Chen interacts with Helan Xue’s acquaintances at the Spiritual Root testing, including Murong Shanshan and Donglai Yijian.
• Donglai Yijian confronts Lu Chen over Helan Xue, while Helan Xue defends her relationship with Lu Chen and declares her intention to end her engagement.

Chapter Summary: “What Are You Supposed to Be?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen visits Void City to observe the talented cultivators from various sects, but becomes the target of hostility from several factions.
• Donglai Yijian, a Great Perfection Golden Core sword cultivator from the Donglai Sword Sect, confronts Lu Chen after being provoked by Xuan Jingxian of the Black Tortoise Sect and Lei Dong of the Sacred Pill Sect.
• The surrounding cultivators recognize Lu Chen as the Qi Refining, Fifth Level disciple who defeated Shen Kun, a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Artifact Refining Sect. His victory is regarded as an extraordinary feat.
• Donglai Yijian dismisses Lu Chen as an insignificant weakling and challenges him to a battle in the Life-and-Death Arena.
• Helan Xue repeatedly defends Lu Chen, angering Donglai Yijian. Because she is his fiancée by an arranged marriage, Donglai interprets her concern for Lu Chen as romantic affection.
• Liu Yan’er and Helan Xue condemn Donglai’s challenge as shameless bullying, since he is vastly stronger than Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen calmly refuses to accept the challenge, pointing out the absurdity of a Golden Core cultivator challenging someone at Qi Refining, Fifth Level. Donglai is unable to attack him because private fighting is forbidden in Void City and leaves in fury.
• Donglai and Lei Dong threaten to kill Lu Chen if he enters the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• When Lu Chen dismissively asks Lei Dong who he is, Lei Dong identifies himself as a Sacred Pill Sect cultivator and demonstrates his power on the Spirit-Testing Stone.
• Lei Dong reveals a Supreme Thunder Spirit Root, causing lightning to descend and shocking the crowd. Lu Chen, however, remains unimpressed.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Displays confidence, composure, and sharp disdain for empty threats. He refuses to be intimidated by stronger cultivators and uses humor to expose Donglai Yijian’s bullying.
• Donglai Yijian: His arrogance and jealousy quickly turn into rage. Though powerful and respected, he behaves impulsively and damages his dignity by targeting a much weaker opponent.
• Helan Xue: Becomes openly protective of Lu Chen, defending him against Donglai and even threatening to sever their sect-related relationship if Donglai continues. Her feelings toward Lu Chen appear increasingly complicated.
• Lei Dong: Establishes himself as another hostile Golden Core expert aligned against Lu Chen. His Supreme Thunder Spirit Root demonstrates considerable talent and reinforces his confidence.
• Xuan Jingxian: Continues manipulating others against Lu Chen while maintaining hostility toward the Joyful Union Sect.
• Liu Yan’er: Shows a strong sense of fairness by publicly condemning Donglai’s challenge.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance versus true strength: Donglai assumes Lu Chen is helpless because of his low cultivation, but Lu Chen’s previous victory and calm attitude undermine that assumption.
• Bullying under the guise of challenge: The proposed duel is presented as a contest, but everyone recognizes it as an unfair attempt by a powerful cultivator to crush a weaker one.
• Jealousy and possessiveness: Donglai’s anger is fueled less by sect interests than by his apparent jealousy of Lu Chen’s relationship with Helan Xue.
• Hidden potential: Lu Chen’s low cultivation contrasts with his extraordinary combat ability, suggesting that conventional measurements do not reveal his true power.
• Factional hostility: The Black Tortoise Sect and Sacred Pill Sect’s resentment toward the Joyful Union Sect creates broader political and personal tension surrounding Lu Chen.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Donglai Yijian: Donglai provokes and challenges Lu Chen, while Lu Chen responds with calm mockery and refuses to participate in an unfair fight.
• Lu Chen and Helan Xue: Helan protects Lu Chen, while he remains composed and allows her to defend him. Their closeness fuels Donglai’s jealousy.
• Donglai and Helan Xue: Their marriage contract is revealed, but Helan openly rejects Donglai’s authority and criticizes his behavior.
• Xuan Jingxian and Lei Dong with Donglai: They deliberately inflame Donglai’s jealousy and anger, encouraging him to attack Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen and Lei Dong: Lei threatens Lu Chen over the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, but Lu Chen dismisses him, prompting Lei to display his Supreme Thunder Spirit Root as an assertion of power.

Chapter Summary: “Everyone Wants Me Dead, Is That It?!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lei Dong tests his talent on the Spirit-Testing Stone, revealing a Supreme-Grade Thunder Spiritual Root accompanied by the phenomenon of three thousand lightning bolts. He threatens Lu Chen, warning him not to enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Lu Chen refuses to be intimidated and mentally marks Lei Dong as someone he will deal with later.
• Xuan Jingxian of the Black Tortoise Sect claims Lu Chen as his own prey. Lu Chen insults the Black Tortoise Sect by recalling its defeat at Joyful Union Mountain, provoking Xuan Jingxian.
• Xuan Jingxian tests his spiritual root and reveals another Supreme-Grade Spirit Root, this one a Fire Spiritual Root whose manifestation is a blazing Black Tortoise. The surrounding cultivators are amazed by his talent.
• Xuan Jingxian also threatens Lu Chen before leaving. Lu Chen silently decides to surprise both him and Lei Dong inside the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Lu Chen’s group encounters Shen Peng, Shen Hong, and other disciples from the Artifact Refining Sect. The sect members still resent Lu Chen for humiliating their sect and accuse Shen Li of being a traitor.
• Shen Peng challenges Shen Li to the Life-and-Death Arena, believing her cultivation remains severely crippled. In reality, Shen Li’s injuries have been completely healed after consuming the Supreme Ten-Thousand-Year Dragonblood Herb.
• Shen Li accepts the challenge and enters the arena. Shen Peng arrogantly demands that she surrender her storage ring, unaware that she is no longer the weakened opponent he expects.
• Meanwhile, Qin Fan watches Lu Chen from afar with a mysterious black-robed ally. Qin Fan orders Lu Chen’s death for humiliating him, but the black-robed figure says they cannot act within Void City and promises to kill Lu Chen after he leaves.
• The chapter ends just as Shen Li and Shen Peng prepare to fight, with Shen Li confidently questioning Shen Peng’s assumption that he has already won.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Remains calm, sarcastic, and confident despite repeated threats. He deliberately conceals his true strength and looks forward to shocking his enemies in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Lei Dong: Establishes himself as a powerful young genius with a Supreme-Grade Thunder Spiritual Root, but his arrogance causes him to antagonize Lu Chen.
• Xuan Jingxian: Reveals extraordinary Fire Spiritual Root talent and a Fire Black Tortoise manifestation. He is proud and aggressive, immediately treating Lu Chen as an enemy.
• Shen Li: Shows renewed confidence after fully recovering from her injuries. By accepting Shen Peng’s challenge, she suggests that she is prepared to expose how badly he has underestimated her.
• Shen Peng: Is blinded by outdated information and arrogance. He believes Shen Li is still half-crippled and intends to exploit her for the treasures she may possess.
• Qin Fan: Remains consumed by humiliation and hatred toward Lu Chen, plotting revenge through a mysterious black-robed assassin.
• Shen Que: Is revealed to be consolidating power within the Artifact Refining Sect by labeling Shen Li a traitor and placing his supporters among the sect’s chosen representatives.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimation: Lu Chen and Shen Li both conceal or possess strength that their enemies fail to recognize.
• Arrogance before downfall: Lei Dong, Xuan Jingxian, and Shen Peng all boast about their superiority, setting up possible future reversals.
• Sect rivalry and political betrayal: The conflict surrounding Shen Li reflects internal power struggles within the Artifact Refining Sect, with accusations of treason being used to eliminate rivals.
• Revenge and humiliation: Qin Fan’s hatred of Lu Chen and the Artifact Refining Sect’s hostility demonstrate how wounded pride drives many of the chapter’s conflicts.
• The cultivation world as a contest of prestige: Spiritual-root testing, public challenges, and the Life-and-Death Arena all serve as ways for characters to establish status and dominance.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Chen dismisses and verbally clashes with both Lei Dong and Xuan Jingxian, refusing to submit to their threats.
• Lu Chen and Shen Li ridicule the Artifact Refining Sect’s attempts to intimidate them.
• Shen Peng challenges Shen Li, while Shen Hong and the other disciples publicly condemn her as a traitor.
• Lu Chen privately recognizes that Shen Li has a strong chance of defeating Shen Peng, while the Artifact Refining Sect mocks his ability to judge the battle.
• Qin Fan and the black-robed figure discuss killing Lu Chen, establishing another threat waiting beyond Void City.

Chapter Summary: “The Fish Took the Bait”

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads that Shen Li and Shen Peng will fight on the Life-and-Death Arena, drawing a large crowd of cultivators.
• Shen Peng arrogantly demands that Shen Li surrender her storage ring and kneel in defeat, believing her previous injuries make victory certain.
• Lu Chen knows Shen Li has completely recovered because of the Ten-Thousand-Year Supreme Dragonblood Herb. Her injuries have healed, and her cultivation bottleneck has even loosened.
• Before the duel begins, Lu Chen proposes turning the fight into a wager. He offers Shen Kun’s storage ring—taken after Lu Chen crippled Shen Kun—as his initial stake.
• The Artifact Refining Sect disciples mock Lu Chen for being only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but he humiliates them by revealing that the ring contains Shen Kun’s entire fortune.
• Lu Chen then challenges all eleven Artifact Refining Sect disciples to bet against him. He produces ten additional treasures, including Supreme Fire Spirit Iron, Ten-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Ginseng, Earthheart Spirit Marrow, and a Supreme Spirit Artifact.
• Confident that Shen Peng will defeat the supposedly injured Shen Li, the Artifact Refining Sect disciples eagerly contribute their storage rings.
• Lu Chen asks Zhao Jiang of the Grand Void Immortal Sect to act as witness, ensuring the Artifact Refining Sect cannot deny the wager or refuse payment.
• The chapter ends with Lu Chen privately celebrating: the opponents have fallen into his trap, and he expects them to suffer a major loss when Shen Li wins.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Demonstrates confidence, intelligence, and strategic cunning. Rather than confronting the Artifact Refining Sect directly, he exploits their arrogance and greed, baiting them into wagering enormous fortunes. He also openly defends Liu Yan’er against Zhou Tianqi.
• Shen Li: Remains calm and defiant despite Shen Peng’s provocation. Her full recovery and improved cultivation position her to surprise everyone in the arena.
• Shen Peng: Is characterized by arrogance and overconfidence. He assumes Shen Li is still severely injured and believes victory is guaranteed.
• Artifact Refining Sect disciples: Their contempt for Lu Chen blinds them to the possibility of defeat. Their greed and certainty lead them to accept a dangerous wager.
• Liu Yan’er: Shows intense hatred toward Zhou Tianqi after his previous betrayal and false accusations. She remains quick-witted and verbally combative.
• Zhou Tianqi: Continues to slander Liu Yan’er, publicly accusing her of colluding with Demon Sect remnants. His hostility toward Lu Chen also grows after Lu Chen challenges his claims.
• Zhao Jiang: Is positioned as a neutral and credible witness whose presence protects Lu Chen’s wager.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance leading to downfall: The Artifact Refining Sect’s disdain for Lu Chen prevents them from recognizing his trap.
• Hidden strength and deception: Shen Li’s recovery and Lu Chen’s concealed resources allow them to appear weaker than they truly are.
• Justice versus false accusations: Zhou Tianqi manipulates public opinion against Liu Yan’er, while Lu Chen exposes the weakness of his unsupported claims.
• Strategy over brute force: Lu Chen relies on planning, psychological manipulation, and legitimate witnesses rather than direct confrontation.
• Greed and misplaced confidence: The opponents’ desire to acquire Lu Chen’s treasures causes them to overlook the risks of the wager.

Character Interactions

• Shen Peng and Shen Li: Shen Peng taunts Shen Li and demands her surrender, while she coldly refuses to submit.
• Lu Chen and the Artifact Refining Sect: Lu Chen provokes and outmaneuvers them, using Shen Kun’s storage ring and rare treasures to lure them into betting their own fortunes.
• Lu Chen and Liu Yan’er: Lu Chen supports Liu Yan’er by challenging Zhou Tianqi’s accusations with a mocking analogy, earning her approval.
• Liu Yan’er and Zhou Tianqi: Their exchange reveals their bitter history and mutual hatred stemming from Zhou Tianqi’s previous framing of Liu Yan’er.
• Lu Chen and Zhao Jiang: Lu Chen recruits Zhao Jiang as an official witness, converting his scheme into a secure and enforceable wager.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen deliberately displays an astonishing collection of treasures—including Supreme Spirit Artifacts, Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Medicines, and Supreme Spirit Iron—to lure the Artifact Refining Sect and other powerful factions into betting against him.
• Shen Hong and other Artifact Refining Sect disciples wager their entire fortunes on Shen Peng defeating Shen Li, believing Shen Li is “half-crippled.” Zhao Jiang, a successor of the Grand Void Immortal Sect, acts as the impartial holder and inspector of the wagers.
• Murong Shanshan is particularly shocked by Lu Chen’s Ten-Thousand-Year Purple-Gold Ginseng, a vital ingredient for the Golden Sun Nascent Soul Pill.
• Lu Chen recruits Zhao Jiang to serve as the contest’s witness for ten Supreme Spirit Stones. Xuan Jingxian, Lei Dong, and numerous prodigies from other sects are gradually tempted into wagering their own fortunes.
• Lu Chen produces even more treasures—Supreme Wood Spirit Iron, Supreme Earth Spirit Iron, and several Ten-Thousand-Year spirit medicines—causing more than a dozen prodigies to bet on Shen Peng.
• Lu Chen’s apparent recklessness is intentional. He plans to act as bait in the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, encouraging enemies to attack him so he can defeat them and take their possessions.
• Li Yunsheng learns that the Qin Household has arrived in Void City. She assures Black Feather that Qin Fan would not dare attack Lu Chen there, and that she would protect Lu Chen outside the city as well.
• The life-and-death battle between Shen Li and Shen Peng begins. Shen Peng launches a powerful fire-based attack, but Shen Li effortlessly destroys it with the Heaven-Refining Hand.
• Shen Peng and the spectators are stunned when Shen Li reveals that she is not actually half-crippled, exposing the false assumption behind all the wagers.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Reveals himself as calculating and strategically manipulative. Although he presents himself as a weak Qi Refining cultivator, he intentionally flaunts treasures to attract greedy and hostile prodigies, planning to turn their attacks into opportunities.
• Shen Li: Her supposed physical condition is revealed to be a deception or misunderstanding. Her effortless defense demonstrates that she remains extremely powerful and capable of overwhelming Shen Peng.
• Shen Peng: Begins the battle arrogant and confident, believing victory over the “half-crippled” Shen Li is effortless. His confidence collapses after his first attack is neutralized.
• Shen Hong and the Artifact Refining Sect: Their certainty leads them to risk their entire fortunes. They become victims of Lu Chen’s scheme once Shen Li proves stronger than expected.
• Xuan Jingxian and Lei Dong: Despite some hesitation, they follow the crowd and wager their fortunes, showing how greed and confidence in Shen Peng override caution.
• Li Yunsheng: Demonstrates continued concern for Lu Chen and confidence in her ability to protect him from the Qin Household.
• Zhao Jiang: Acts as a stern and reliable guarantor of the bets, intimidating anyone who might consider cheating.

Significant Themes

• Deception and concealed strength: Both Lu Chen and Shen Li are underestimated because of their outward appearances. Lu Chen poses as weak, while Shen Li allows others to believe she is crippled.
• Greed and overconfidence: The prodigies’ desire for Lu Chen’s treasures blinds them to the possibility that the battle’s premise is false.
• Strategic manipulation: Lu Chen transforms his apparent vulnerability into a deliberate trap, using his enemies’ greed against them.
• Hidden identities and power: The chapter emphasizes that status, cultivation level, and outward appearance can conceal a person’s true abilities.
• Risk and reward: The wagers symbolize how easily powerful cultivators can gamble everything when tempted by rare treasures.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen negotiates with Zhao Jiang and entrusts him with all the stakes.
• Shen Hong publicly mocks Lu Chen for supporting Shen Li, reinforcing the false belief that she is helpless.
• Lu Chen challenges Lei Dong and Xuan Jingxian, successfully provoking both into wagering their fortunes.
• Helan Xue warns Lu Chen not to flaunt his wealth, but he remains committed to his baiting strategy.
• Li Yunsheng and Black Feather discuss the Qin Household’s arrival and the danger Qin Fan may pose to Lu Chen.
• Shen Peng attacks Shen Li with confidence, only for her Heaven-Refining Hand to destroy his fire dragons and expose the truth.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the Life-and-Death Arena, Shen Li reveals that she is not actually half-crippled, shocking Shen Peng, the Artifact Refining Sect disciples, and the spectators who had bet against her.
• Shen Hong insists that Shen Li must have used pills to stimulate her potential, since her meridians and dantian had appeared severely damaged at Patriarch Shen Zhennan’s funeral. Lu Chen mocks this explanation and ridicules the Artifact Refining Sect’s disciples for refusing to accept reality.
• Shen Peng attacks with thirteen Spirit Artifacts at once, followed by a powerful Mountain-Splitting Blade strike. His vast arsenal initially impresses the crowd.
• Shen Li counters with the Shen Family’s secret divine ability, the Heaven-Refining Hand: One Palm Subdues Heaven and Earth. A giant flaming palm pins all thirteen Spirit Artifacts to the ground and slams Shen Peng from the air.
• Shen Peng is completely defeated in one move. He is badly burned, stripped of his clothing, and publicly humiliated, causing the crowd to mock him and the Artifact Refining Sect.
• Shen Li confronts Shen Peng and accuses him and his master of scheming against her entire family. She then kills him by kicking his head apart.
• The chapter ends when Shen Que, the Artifact Refining Sect’s sect master, arrives in fury and releases overwhelming Nascent Soul pressure.

Character Developments

• Shen Li demonstrates that her apparent disability was either cured or deliberately concealed. She displays overwhelming combat power, mastery of the Heaven-Refining Hand, and decisive ruthlessness by killing Shen Peng after defeating him.
• Shen Peng is exposed as overconfident and dependent on his numerous Spirit Artifacts. Despite controlling fourteen weapons, including an Upper-Grade Spirit Artifact saber, he is effortlessly crushed by Shen Li and suffers severe public humiliation before his death.
• Lu Chen proves perceptive and confident, having recognized that Shen Li was not truly helpless. He profits from betting against the Artifact Refining Sect and openly mocks their excuses and arrogance.
• Shen Hong and the Artifact Refining Sect disciples shift from confidence to disbelief, then regret and panic as their bets and faith in Shen Peng collapse.
• Shen Que enters as a powerful and enraged authority figure, setting up the next confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and deception: Shen Li’s “crippled” condition was misleading, allowing her enemies to underestimate her.
• Arrogance and humiliation: Shen Peng and the Artifact Refining Sect rely on status, wealth, and weapons, only to be publicly disgraced.
• Retribution: Shen Li frames her actions as repayment for the Artifact Refining Sect’s schemes against her family.
• Power versus external advantages: Shen Peng’s many Spirit Artifacts are useless against Shen Li’s superior cultivation, technique, and understanding of his fighting style.
• Public reputation and face: The spectators’ reactions, the failed bets, and Shen Peng’s humiliation emphasize the importance of prestige in the cultivation world.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Shen Hong: Lu Chen mocks Shen Hong’s disbelief and insults the Artifact Refining Sect’s disciples, while Shen Hong angrily defends Shen Peng.
• Shen Li and Shen Peng: Shen Peng accuses Shen Li of using stimulating pills, but she dismisses him and defeats him with the Heaven-Refining Hand. Afterward, she confronts him over his master’s betrayal and executes him.
• Shen Li and Shen Que: Their direct confrontation has not yet begun, but Shen Que’s furious arrival after Shen Peng’s death signals an imminent clash between the Artifact Refining Sect’s leadership and Shen Li.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Artifact Refining Sect Master Shen Que arrives after hearing that his nephew, Shen Li, killed an Artifact Refining Sect disciple. His Nascent Soul pressure overwhelms the crowd, though Lu Chen secretly remains unaffected because of the Yin-Yang Cauldron and pretends to be frightened.
• Shen Que attempts to attack Shen Li on the Life-and-Death Arena, but Zhao Jiang stops him and reminds him that violence is forbidden inside Void City. Realizing he cannot act without risking death, Shen Que threatens to kill Shen Li once she leaves the city.
• Shen Que demands the return of his disciples’ storage rings, but Lu Chen and Zhao Jiang point out that the rings—and everything inside them—were the stakes of a completed bet. Shen Que is forced to accept the loss, humiliating the Artifact Refining Sect.
• Lu Chen mocks the defeated factions, having acquired twenty-three storage rings filled with Spirit Stones, spirit medicines, talismans, and other resources. The various prodigies, including Xuan Jingxian, Lei Dong, and Tang Xiaoman, recognize that Lu Chen deliberately manipulated them into becoming his enemies.
• The prodigies warn Lu Chen that they will settle accounts with him inside the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, where Void City’s protections will no longer apply.
• Lu Chen decides to distribute the seized resources among his companions before entering the secret realm, believing that additional pills, talismans, and Spirit Artifacts may save their lives.
• Murong Shanshan invites Lu Chen to the Heavenly Doctor Sect’s residence, likely hoping to obtain some of his rare Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Medicines.
• Before Lu Chen can leave with Murong Shanshan, Yun Feiyan arrives with the Joyful Union Sect disciples and insists that he return with them to prepare for the secret realm.
• Li Yunsheng then appears and declares that Lu Chen must accompany her instead, creating tension among the women. The chapter ends with Lu Chen comically wondering whether Li Yunsheng’s suggestive smile means she wants to dual cultivate—or “spar” with him in staff techniques.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen grows more confident and openly provocative. He deliberately antagonizes powerful prodigies, viewing their hostility as part of a larger plan rather than a danger. His immense hidden resources and immunity to Nascent Soul pressure further establish that his apparent weakness is deceptive.
• Shen Que is shown as impulsive and domineering. His rage causes him to forget Void City’s laws, and he is forced into a humiliating retreat when Zhao Jiang intervenes.
• Shen Li remains composed and defiant, rejecting Shen Que’s accusations and affirming that she is no longer part of the Artifact Refining Sect.
• Zhao Jiang acts as a neutral authority figure. He enforces the rules of Void City, protects the integrity of the wager, and warns Lu Chen that his behavior may lead to his death in the secret realm.
• Shen Hong is exposed as cowardly and manipulative for trying to use Shen Que to recover the storage rings.
• Murong Shanshan, Yun Feiyan, and Li Yunsheng each compete for Lu Chen’s attention, while the Joyful Union Sect women become increasingly jealous and hostile toward his other female companions.

Significant Themes

• Rules versus personal vengeance: Void City’s laws prevent even powerful cultivators from acting on hatred, demonstrating the importance of established authority and restraint.
• Hidden strength and deception: Lu Chen conceals his true abilities, pretending to be weak while quietly controlling the situation and accumulating wealth.
• Greed and strategic manipulation: The betting contest allows Lu Chen to turn the arrogance of the various factions against them, transforming their valuable resources into his own advantage.
• Rising danger: Lu Chen’s victory makes him wealthy but also turns him into a common target for the strongest young cultivators entering the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm.
• Romantic rivalry and comic tension: The women’s jealousy over Lu Chen provides a lighter counterpoint to the political and martial conflicts, especially through his exaggerated misunderstanding of Li Yunsheng’s intentions.

Character Interactions

• Shen Que confronts Shen Li, but Zhao Jiang blocks him and reminds him of Void City’s no-violence rule.
• Lu Chen and Zhao Jiang jointly defeat Shen Que’s attempt to reclaim the storage rings, with Lu Chen openly taunting the Artifact Refining Sect.
• The defeated prodigies threaten Lu Chen, while Lu Chen remains unconcerned and treats their hostility as part of his strategy.
• Lu Chen offers the seized resources to Murong Shanshan, Helan Xue, Liu Yan’er, and the others, emphasizing cooperation before the dangerous secret-realm expedition.
• Yun Feiyan attempts to reclaim Lu Chen for the Joyful Union Sect, but Li Yunsheng interrupts and claims him for herself, leaving the women in open rivalry and Lu Chen amused by the situation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Heavenly Doctor Sect’s Holy Maiden invites Lu Chen, but before he can leave, Li Yunsheng arrives and declares that he will accompany her.
• When Qin Xue challenges Li Yunsheng’s authority, Li Yunsheng releases a fraction of her aura, revealing that she has reached Nascent Soul Great Completion. Her overwhelming pressure forces Qin Xue and the other female cultivators—including Liu Fuyao, Yun Feiyan, Murong Shanshan, Shen Li, Liu Yan’er, Helan Xue, and Su Qingqing—to kneel.
• Lu Chen remains unaffected because the Yin-Yang Cauldron protects him. Li Yunsheng is intrigued by his hidden secrets and takes him away for another round of dual cultivation.
• The women are humiliated and powerless to intervene, though Shen Li and Liu Yan’er attempt to pursue them. Most retreat because Li Yunsheng is the Holy Maiden of the dominant Grand Void Immortal Sect.
• Liu Fuyao vows to repay the humiliation after entering the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm and obtaining a Nascent Soul Condensing Fruit, which could allow her to break into the Nascent Soul Realm.
• At the Artifact Refining Sect’s residence, Sect Master Shen Que punishes Shen Hong for plotting against him. Furious over Shen Peng being injured and Shen Kun being crippled, he warns the disciples not to scheme against him again.
• In private, Li Yunsheng asks Lu Chen to begin dual cultivation. When he asks whether it will be Literary or Martial Cultivation, she promises that if he survives the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, she will Martial Cultivate with him. Lu Chen happily accepts the condition.

Character Developments

• Li Yunsheng demonstrates a dramatic increase in strength, confirming herself as a monstrous genius capable of suppressing numerous Golden Core cultivators effortlessly. Her jealousy toward the women around Lu Chen becomes apparent, as does her possessive interest in him.
• Lu Chen remains calm and protected despite Li Yunsheng’s terrifying pressure. He recognizes that she has returned because she wants to dual cultivate, but he also tries to negotiate for Martial Cultivation, which would better serve his body-refining goals.
• Liu Fuyao suffers humiliation but transforms her anger into determination, resolving to use the secret realm and the Nascent Soul Condensing Fruit to become strong enough to retaliate.
• Yun Feiyan is shocked and enraged by Li Yunsheng’s rapid progress, mistakenly believing that Li Yunsheng may have received guidance from her own master—unaware that Lu Chen is actually the mysterious master in question.
• Shen Que reacts harshly to the Artifact Refining Sect’s internal betrayal, reinforcing his authority through violence and intimidation.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: Li Yunsheng’s overwhelming cultivation establishes the immense gap between Nascent Soul and Golden Core realms, reducing even celebrated prodigies and Holy Maidens to helplessness.
• Humiliation as motivation: The women’s defeat, particularly Liu Fuyao’s, becomes a driving force for future cultivation and revenge.
• Hidden identities and secrets: Lu Chen’s true connection to Yun Feiyan’s master remains concealed, while Li Yunsheng continues to suspect that he possesses extraordinary secrets.
• Romantic rivalry and possessiveness: Li Yunsheng’s jealousy reveals her growing attachment to Lu Chen, intensifying the competition among the women surrounding him.
• Cultivation as negotiation: Lu Chen seeks Martial Cultivation for practical strength, while Li Yunsheng uses the promise of it to secure his cooperation and ensure his survival in the secret realm.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Yunsheng and the female cultivators: Li Yunsheng asserts dominance by forcing them to kneel, provoking anger and resentment while making clear that none can currently challenge her.
• Li Yunsheng and Lu Chen: Their exchange mixes teasing, possessiveness, and negotiation. She takes him away for Literary Dual Cultivation but promises Martial Cultivation if he survives the secret realm.
• Liu Fuyao and Li Yunsheng: Liu Fuyao questions Li Yunsheng’s actions but can do nothing against her power; afterward, she vows revenge.
• Shen Que and Shen Hong: Shen Que punishes Shen Hong for scheming against him and warns the Artifact Refining Sect’s disciples against further disobedience.
• Lu Chen and the surrounding women: Lu Chen shows some concern for the women left under Li Yunsheng’s pressure, but ultimately follows Li Yunsheng, leaving them frustrated and humiliated.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Chen prepares to enter the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, hoping to use Li Yunsheng’s Nascent Soul-level vital essence to break through from the Early to the Middle Iron Bone Stage.
• Li Yunsheng warns him that the secret realm will contain exceptionally dangerous heirs of ancient powers. Some Peak Golden Core cultivators may have deliberately suppressed their cultivation so they can break through to Nascent Soul inside the realm and dominate the trial.
• Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng conduct a night of dual cultivation using the Yin-Yang Creation Method. After eighty-one Greater Celestial Circuits, Lu Chen successfully reaches the Middle Iron Bone Stage and gains 1,620 strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
• Lu Chen’s bones become comparable to a Supreme Spirit Artifact, while Li Yunsheng’s cultivation advances to the verge of the Nascent Soul Peak.
• At dawn, the Primordial Immortal Gate appears above the Summit of the Void. Immortal light returns after disappearing for 120 years, and the spiritual energy across the Void Mountain Range surges.
• The appearance of the gate unseals the Thirteen Void Passes, officially beginning the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm trial. Because Lu Chen possesses an Ascension Token, he can bypass the passes.
• Before Lu Chen leaves, Li Yunsheng gives him three mysterious jade talismans that will supposedly provide a surprise when activated during danger.
• Lu Chen returns to the Inviting Moon Tower, where the Joyful Union Sect members react angrily and jealously to his night with Li Yunsheng.
• Lu Chen and the others head to the City Lord’s Manor to use the teleportation platform to reach the Summit of the Void. A huge crowd of Ascension Token holders gathers, including Xuan Jingxian, Lei Dong, and the Artifact Refining Sect’s disciples.

Character Developments

• Lu Chen: Grows stronger by breaking through to the Middle Iron Bone Stage. His confidence and excitement increase, but he also learns that the secret realm will be far more dangerous than expected. He remains humorous and determined to survive.
• Li Yunsheng: Becomes increasingly invested in Lu Chen’s survival because his dual-cultivation technique greatly accelerates her cultivation. She tries to obtain the Yin-Yang Creation Method but is refused, then provides Lu Chen with protective jade talismans.
• Ye Chenyu and the Joyful Union Sect: Become resentful after realizing Lu Chen spent the night dual cultivating with Li Yunsheng instead of them. Their possessiveness toward Lu Chen as their sect’s “cultivation furnace” is emphasized.
• Other cultivators: The appearance of the Primordial Immortal Gate draws powerful figures from across the region, showing that the secret realm will be a major contest involving many factions and prodigies.

Significant Themes

• Power and preparation: Lu Chen’s breakthrough highlights the importance of strengthening oneself before entering a dangerous trial.
• Competition and hidden advantages: Cultivators may conceal their true intentions and suppress their realms to gain an advantage inside the secret realm.
• Mutual exploitation and dependence: Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng both benefit from their dual cultivation, though each remains wary of giving the other too much power.
• Jealousy and possession: The Joyful Union Sect’s reaction reveals their attachment to Lu Chen and their view of him as a valuable sect resource.
• The unknown and destiny: The reappearance of the Primordial Immortal Gate and the unsealing of the Thirteen Void Passes signal the beginning of a grand, perilous trial.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chen and Li Yunsheng discuss the dangers of the secret realm while teasing and bargaining with one another over the Yin-Yang Creation Method.
• Their dual cultivation strengthens both characters and deepens their mutually dependent relationship.
• Li Yunsheng gives Lu Chen the jade talismans and warns him not to die, while Lu Chen responds flirtatiously that he still intends to return for further cultivation with her.
• The Joyful Union Sect members react with anger and jealousy toward Li Yunsheng for monopolizing Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen reunites with Yun Feiyan and the others, then joins the crowd of Ascension Token holders preparing to enter the secret realm.