Chapter Summaries

Unable to break through the Windrise Kingdom’s blockade, Huo Hai decided to enter its territory and travel to Shattered Bone Mountain to seek unusual insects and a place to develop his strength. Wind Fox anticipated his move, ordered the Frontier Fortress sealed, and began the next stage of his plan.

• Huo Hai avoided the increasingly dense search squads and realized every route back to the Southern Cloud Kingdom had been sealed.
• Huo Hai decided to remain in the Windrise Kingdom and searched his map for Shattered Bone Mountain, where he hoped to find bone-absorbing insects and a secluded place to work.
• Huo Hai used Little Butterfly’s illusion and the Star Gu’s flight to cross the Frontier Fortress undetected.
• After two days without finding Huo Hai’s tracks, Wind Fox concluded that he had entered the Windrise Kingdom and ordered the Frontier Fortress sealed while freeing troops for the next stage of the plan.

Huo Hai searched Shattered Bone Mountain for the Bone-Eating Worms that had strengthened Huo Yan and the others’ exoskeletons. He discovered that the worms were hidden inside strangely formed bones and confirmed they could consume bones and secrete stronger bone matter.

• Huo Hai traveled in secret through the Windrise Kingdom and reached Shattered Bone Mountain after asking locals for directions.
• Huo Hai found rotting corpses and signs of failed Half-Demonfolk transformations around the mountain, then searched its fields of bones with his Star Gu.
• Huo Hai noticed that several oddly shaped bones were unusually hard and suspected the Bone-Eating Worms had formed them.
• Huo Hai had his Star Gu excavate beneath the bone formations, but the search revealed no worms in the surrounding soil.
• Huo Hai cracked a bone with repeated punches and sensed an insect aura inside it.
• Huo Hai broke open the bone, found wriggling translucent Bone-Eating Worms, and watched them eat bone and secrete pale mucus.

Huo Hai discovered that the Bone-Eating Worms built structures from bone and found their powerful Insect King inside a bone mountain. He refined the Insect King and planned to use its offspring to produce bone spikes for his Steel Stingers.

• Huo Hai controlled the Bone-Eating Worm swarm and learned that its leader lived in a nearby mountain.
• Huo Hai sent his Star Gu to break apart the bone mountain and uncovered the spirit practitioner realm Bone-Eating Worm Insect King.
• Huo Hai learned that the worms consumed bones, secreted new bone, and used their structures to gather and convert spiritual energy.
• Huo Hai refined the Insect King, raising it to the peak spirit practitioner realm and adding it as the sixth insect he controlled directly.
• Huo Hai brought the Insect King into his inner space and ordered it to have its offspring produce bone spikes modeled on his Steel Stingers.

Huo Hai bred and refined thousands of earthworms to create an Earth-Attribute Crystal, while a Windrise Kingdom Insect Spirit Master traced the disturbance to Shattered Bone Mountain. The general led his forces there, believing Huo Hai was responsible.

• Huo Hai made a medicine that accelerated the earthworms’ growth and division, then replenished the spiritual energy in his Inner Space when they began to weaken.
• Over three days, Huo Hai raised more than three thousand earthworms and began refining them in the Spirit Beast Refining Formation.
• After the first thousand earthworms were refined, a nearly complete Earth-Attribute Crystal appeared, and Huo Hai continued feeding earthworms into the formation.
• A young Insect Spirit Master in the Windrise Kingdom detected an insect disturbance and concluded that Huo Hai was at Shattered Bone Mountain.
• The general ordered his men to move out for Shattered Bone Mountain in pursuit of Huo Hai.

Huo Hai completed the earth attribute essence at Shattered Bone Mountain, bringing him within one essence of condensing his summoning space. A Windrise Kingdom military team led by a Spirit General Realm expert found him with the help of an Insect Spirit Master and demanded that he join them or die.

• The Windrise Kingdom team hurried toward Shattered Bone Mountain as their Insect Spirit Master sensed the insects reacting to Huo Hai's power.
• Huo Hai completed the earth attribute essence, released the remaining earthworms, and realized that someone was approaching.
• Huo Hai identified the approaching group as Windrise Kingdom military members, including a Spirit General Realm expert and Demon Spirit Masters.
• The leader revealed that their Insect Spirit Master had helped them track Huo Hai and offered him the choice of joining them or dying.
• Huo Hai realized his Refining Spirit Formation had exposed his location and understood that he had been careless.

Huo Hai refused Li Er’s demand to become a Demon Spirit Master, and the Windrise Kingdom’s forces tried to capture him. As Li Er pinned him down and his Insect Spirit Master failed to control the Star Gu, the others prepared a Spirit Formation ballista while Huo Hai secretly commanded insects underground.

• The young Insect Spirit Master resented Li Er’s plan to recruit Huo Hai, while Huo Hai rejected the demon seeds and their cultivation method.
• Li Er used an Innate Battle Spirit Art to pin Huo Hai in place, and Huo Hai sheltered behind a shield of Star Gu.
• The young Insect Spirit Master tried to turn the Star Gu against Huo Hai, but their permanent control left them unmoved.
• The Star Gu blocked Li Er’s attacks and tore the skin on his palm, while the failed Insect Spirit Master exhausted his spiritual power.
• Li Er ordered his subordinates to prepare Spirit-Breaking Arrows and a Spirit Formation ballista as Huo Hai secretly controlled insects underground.

Huo Hai fought Li Er and his Demon Spirit Masters, using the Star Gu and earthworms to defeat the attackers despite being repeatedly immobilized. Li Er escaped, while Huo Hai killed the remaining enemies and decided to leave before more pursuers arrived.

• Huo Hai attacked Li Er with the Star Gu and Steel Stingers, forcing him to reinforce his weak spiritual power shield.
• Huo Hai used earthworms' Earth Attribute power to turn the ground beneath the ballista into a swamp, trapping the weapon and its operators.
• A Star Gu killed the interfering Insect Spirit Master, while Huo Hai's Star Gu shield blocked the archers' Spirit-Breaking Arrows.
• Huo Hai's spell swallowed the ballista crew, and Li Er pretended to attack before shielding himself and fleeing.
• Huo Hai sent the Star Gu after the fleeing Demon Spirit Masters, killed them, and prepared to leave the area and dispose of the corpses.

Huo Hai hid in a cave in the Windrise Kingdom and began a carefully concealed breakthrough to the Spirit General Realm. His spiritual power condensed into mist and then a droplet, leaving him with a stable foundation and a path toward the peak of the realm.

• Huo Hai used earthworms to turn the ground into a swamp, retrieved five hundred of them into his inner space, and left the area.
• Huo Hai traveled through the mountains and hid in a cave as the Windrise Kingdom searched for him and its conflict with the Southern Cloud Kingdom weakened.
• Huo Hai reached a small valley, set up a Concealment Spirit Formation, and prepared to break through using the three star cores of his Celestial Star Transformation.
• Huo Hai’s star cores drew in stellar force as his spiritual power circulated, compressed, and formed mist inside his spirit source.
• Huo Hai’s spiritual power condensed into a droplet, then spread through his body as mist before stabilizing, leaving the droplet intact as a foundation for further cultivation.

Huo Hai consolidated his breakthrough to the early Spirit General Realm while hiding in Windrise Kingdom, strengthening his mental power and body through ten days of secluded training. After adapting to his new strength and evading the search, he examined his greatly expanded Inner Space and considered turning it into an ecosystem.

• Huo Hai’s spiritual power filled his body and formed a droplet, while his mental power also condensed into liquid as he broke through to the early Spirit General Realm.
• Huo Hai’s spiritual power nourished his flesh and blood, and he planned a routine of combat practice, spellcasting, and cultivation to adjust to his increased strength.
• Huo Hai trained in seclusion for ten days, practicing ordinary techniques and spells while avoiding disturbances and keeping his Spirit Insects from advancing.
• People searched for Huo Hai across Windrise Kingdom, but his Hidden Spirit Formation, Gu Insects, and remote hideout kept him undiscovered.
• After adapting to his strength, Huo Hai found that his Inner Space had expanded tenfold and considered developing it into a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Chapter Summary: “Leaving Seclusion”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After ten days of intense cultivation, Huo Hai fully adapts to his breakthrough. His spirit energy control becomes more precise, and his physical strength stabilizes.
• He estimates that his raw physical power—and even his strength when enhanced by spirit energy—now surpasses that of Li Er, a former Demon Spirit Master opponent.
• Believing he cannot improve significantly through further short-term training, Huo Hai leaves seclusion and vows revenge against Windrise Kingdom.
• He approaches a heavily guarded city but refuses to enter through the gates because all travelers, including Demon Spirit Masters, are strictly inspected and the city is protected by powerful Spirit Formations.
• Using Earth-Attribute Earthworms, Huo Hai travels underground toward the city. He discovers that the city walls are protected underground as well, forcing him to consider entering through the drainage system.
• While beneath the city gate, he overhears guards discussing the search for him. Their conversation reveals widespread public resentment toward the Demon Spirit Masters, who secretly abduct soldiers and villagers and transform them into Demonfolk.
• Huo Hai learns that a large shipment of High-Grade Spirit Stones will soon pass through the city on its way to the front lines.
• Recognizing that the Spirit Stones are exactly what he needs, he abandons his plan to enter the city and gather intelligence. Instead, he decides to intercept the shipment, believing the loss will seriously damage the Demon Spirit Masters.
• He silently retreats underground, emerges in a secluded forest, and hides while deploying the Star Gu to monitor the area and track the shipment.
• Since the Spirit Stones will arrive that night and leave the following morning, Huo Hai chooses noon the next day as the ideal time to strike. Exhausted from his recent cultivation and underground travel, he sleeps in a tree hollow while the Star Gu keeps watch.

Character Developments

• Huo Hai: Becomes significantly stronger after stabilizing his Spirit General Realm breakthrough. His improved spirit energy control and physical strength increase his confidence, but he remains cautious and strategic rather than reckless.
• He demonstrates greater resourcefulness by using Earthworms for underground movement and Little Butterfly for navigation.
• His priorities shift from infiltrating the city and gathering information to seizing a valuable strategic resource.
• His exhaustion becomes clear after prolonged cultivation and mental strain, prompting him to finally rest.
• The city guards: Though loyal to their duties, they fear Huo Hai’s reputation and the cruel punishment imposed by the Demon Spirit Masters.
• The elderly guard: Voices a more reflective understanding of the political situation, recognizing the irony of Windrise Kingdom being ruled by the very Demon Spirit Masters associated with the ancient Demon Calamity.

Significant Themes

• Oppression and resistance: The people of Windrise Kingdom are secretly dissatisfied with Demon Spirit Master rule and sympathize with Southern Cloud Kingdom, even though they are afraid to openly rebel.
• Strategic intelligence over brute force: Huo Hai avoids the city’s defenses and changes plans when a more valuable opportunity appears.
• The cost of power: His breakthrough gives him greater endurance and strength, but maintaining underground travel and controlling multiple spirit creatures heavily drains his mental energy.
• Moral corruption under tyranny: Soldiers and villagers are forcibly turned into Demonfolk, showing how the ruling powers exploit ordinary people.
• Resources as instruments of war: High-Grade Spirit Stones are essential for combat, recovery, explosives, and Spirit Formations, making the shipment a major strategic target.

Character Interactions

• Huo Hai does not directly interact with the guards, but he secretly listens to their conversation beneath the city.
• The guards discuss Huo Hai’s frightening battle record and admit that ordinary soldiers would not dare confront him.
• The captain warns the guards to protect the Spirit Stone shipment, emphasizing the severe consequences of failure.
• Huo Hai works closely with his spirit creatures: Little Butterfly guides him, Earthworms enable underground travel, and the Star Gu provides surveillance while he hides.

Huo Hai ambushed a Windrise Kingdom convoy carrying concealed spirit stones by turning the road between two hills into a swamp. He recognized Li Er among the defenders and confronted him, leaving the battle underway as Star Gu slaughtered the advancing soldiers.

• Huo Hai watched a guarded convoy leave the city and followed it, discovering that it was headed toward a town near the front lines.
• Huo Hai identified a narrow road between two hills as the convoy’s likely route and planted expendable earthworms and concealed Star Gu there.
• The convoy stopped to rest before entering the road, and Huo Hai used the earthworms’ earth power to turn the road and both exits into swampland, trapping the wagons and soldiers.
• Li Er emerged from a carriage, and Huo Hai recognized the Spirit General Realm expert as the opponent who had escaped him days earlier.
• Li Er identified Huo Hai and charged with the soldiers, but Huo Hai unleashed the hidden Star Gu, which killed soldiers as they approached.

Huo Hai defeated Li Er and the Windrise Kingdom soldiers after discovering that Li Er’s Battle Spirit Art could not suppress someone at the Spirit General Realm. He then uncovered the convoy’s crates and found a haul of high-grade spirit stones.

• Li Er attacked Huo Hai with a chain weapon, but Huo Hai deflected it with the Frost Sword and wounded Li Er.
• Li Er realized Huo Hai had reached the Spirit General Realm and tried to flee after Huo Hai pierced his shield with Bone Spikes.
• Huo Hai used Bone-Eating Worms hidden in the spikes to grow bone inside Li Er’s chest and kill him.
• Huo Hai sent out a swarm of Star Gu, which killed the remaining Windrise Kingdom soldiers.
• Huo Hai uncovered the convoy’s crates and opened one to find high-grade spirit stones.

Chapter Summary: “An Unexpected Windfall”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huo Hai transfers the convoy’s Spirit Stones directly into his Inner Space, taking advantage of its expanded collection range and efficiency.
• He discovers more than one million high-grade Spirit Stones, a major loss for Windrise Kingdom that could weaken its frontline forces.
• Three unusual carriages attract his attention. After sending Star Gu to investigate, he finds them empty but discovers that their interiors are much smaller than their exteriors suggest.
• The carriages conceal Spirit Formation-protected compartments containing more than a thousand pieces of Spirit Jade. Huo Hai realizes the Spirit Stones were likely decoys intended to hide the more valuable cargo.
• He dismantles the convoy and searches the corpse of Li Er, the slain Spirit General Realm expert. Although Li Er carries no Battle Spirit Art, Huo Hai finds a mysterious golden sparrow sculpture.
• The sculpture cannot be damaged even by Huo Hai’s strength and spirit power, proving that it is made from an exceptionally tough material.
• A hidden fur lining in the box reveals that the golden sparrow is one of seven keys to an ancient relic. The fur also contains a detailed map showing the relic’s location and the positions of the other keys.
• The relic is supposedly located near the borders of Southern Cloud Kingdom, Windrise Kingdom, and Bright Yang Kingdom. Intrigued despite suspecting a possible trap, Huo Hai decides to investigate.

Character Development

• Huo Hai demonstrates increasing mastery of his Inner Space, using it effortlessly to collect and store enormous quantities of resources.
• His cautious nature remains evident: he investigates the mysterious carriages indirectly with Star Gu before approaching them himself.
• He becomes more confident and opportunistic, happily benefiting from Windrise Kingdom’s losses while showing little concern for their consequences.
• His curiosity and willingness to pursue uncertain opportunities emerge strongly when he chooses to investigate the ancient relic despite doubts about the suspiciously convenient map.

Significant Themes

• Hidden value and deception: The Spirit Stones serve as a distraction while the truly valuable Spirit Jade and relic key are concealed.
• Fortune and opportunity: Huo Hai unexpectedly gains resources that would be extremely costly for an entire kingdom to replace.
• Caution versus curiosity: Although Huo Hai carefully checks for traps, his desire to uncover the relic ultimately outweighs his doubts.
• Ancient mysteries and treasure hunting: The golden sparrow introduces a larger mystery involving an ancient expert, seven keys, and an unknown relic.

Character Interactions

• Huo Hai has no direct living opponents in the chapter, but his actions undermine Windrise Kingdom, depriving it of crucial military resources.
• His interaction with the deceased Li Er consists of searching the body for valuables and uncovering the relic key.
• Huo Hai relies on his Star Gu as investigative and destructive tools, using them to enter the carriages and break through their concealed compartments.

Chapter Summary: “Northward in Search of Treasure”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huo Hai leaves the destroyed caravan site and travels north toward the ruins, suspecting that the golden statue he acquired is connected to the destination.
• Windrise Kingdom investigators arrive and determine that Huo Hai killed the caravan guards, including Li Er. They identify the Frost Sword’s wounds and discover that Li Er’s internal organs were pierced by Huo Hai’s hidden insects.
• The black-clad officials realize they have underestimated Huo Hai. They are especially concerned that he has taken the golden statue, along with the Spirit Stones, Spirit Jade, and other valuables.
• The officials decide that Huo Hai will probably go to a specific location, so they leave the interception to forces stationed farther north. They return toward the Imperial Capital rather than pursue him personally.
• Huo Hai encounters repeated interception attempts as he approaches the border. At the only visible passage, Windrise Kingdom has deployed a large force, including at least five Spirit General Realm experts.
• Rather than confront them directly, Huo Hai uses Earth-Attribute Earthworms to tunnel roughly one hundred meters underground. He maintains an underground air passage with additional earthworms and secretly bypasses the checkpoint.
• The border is heavily defended against insects, with sharp wire traps, bells, and Insect-Repelling Grass. Huo Hai avoids releasing his insects until he is safely beyond the danger.
• Exhausted from the underground journey, Huo Hai rests and cultivates overnight near Blade Mountain. At dawn, he confirms through Star Gu that the checkpoint remains sealed and that the enemy does not realize he has already escaped.

Character Developments

• Huo Hai demonstrates increasing caution, resourcefulness, and tactical flexibility. Instead of relying on combat, he uses stealth, underground movement, and his insects to evade a superior force.
• His reputation has grown substantially: Windrise Kingdom’s experts now regard him as a dangerous enemy capable of killing Spirit General Realm cultivators.
• Huo Hai remains determined to uncover the purpose of the golden statue and reach Blade Mountain, despite recognizing that he may be walking into another trap.
• The black-clad officials become more wary of Huo Hai’s abilities, particularly his varied and unpredictable insects. Their confidence turns into caution, and they choose not to pursue him directly.

Significant Themes

• Strategic intelligence versus brute force: Huo Hai survives by avoiding direct confrontation and exploiting weaknesses in the enemy’s defenses.
• Underestimation and growing reputation: His enemies gradually realize that he is far more capable and dangerous than they initially believed.
• Traps and manipulation: Both sides attempt to predict and control the other’s movements, with Huo Hai knowingly following a path that may have been prepared for him.
• Persistence under pressure: Despite exhaustion, danger, and overwhelming opposition, Huo Hai continues toward his objective.

Character Interactions

• The black-clad investigators discuss Huo Hai’s methods and analyze the evidence left behind at the caravan site.
• Their leader warns the others to be careful, acknowledging that Huo Hai’s insects and assassination techniques can threaten even Spirit General Realm experts.
• Huo Hai does not directly confront the border forces; instead, he outmaneuvers them through stealth and underground travel.
• His insects—especially the Earth-Attribute Earthworms and Star Gu—serve as essential partners in scouting, tunneling, maintaining airflow, and monitoring the enemy.

Huo Hai reached Blade Mountain with the final Golden Sparrow key, where Orthodox Spirit Masters and Demon Spirit Masters gathered to open the ruins. He handed two of his entry slots to Yun Yihan, and the factions prepared to proceed.

• Huo Hai sent Little Butterfly to scout Blade Mountain and learned that six of the seven Golden Sparrow keys had already been placed on the altar.
• The gathered experts argued over which faction should receive the final key’s entry slots, then agreed to split them between the two sides.
• Huo Hai arrived, revealed that he had the missing key, and joined the Orthodox Spirit Masters while Windrise Kingdom’s Demon Spirit Masters glared at him.
• The vice dean introduced Huo Hai to Yun Yihan, Southern Cloud Kingdom’s only Spirit Marshal Realm expert and the ruler’s grandfather.
• Huo Hai gave Yun Yihan his two additional entry slots, and the Demon Spirit Masters urged everyone to stop talking and search for treasure.

Huo Hai helped authorize the selected Spirit Masters to enter the ruins, then entered with them as the altar’s formation activated. The group arrived at a new location through a powerful spatial Teleportation Spirit Formation, while those left outside waited by the now-inert altar.

• Huo Hai placed the Golden Sparrow on the altar, received an entry credential, and used the altar’s lights to authorize ten chosen Spirit Masters.
• The altar opened a ring of light that expelled anyone without credentials, and Huo Hai entered with the other qualified Spirit Masters.
• Yun Yihan warned Huo Hai that people on his own side might be more dangerous to him than the Demon Spirit Masters, and Huo Hai discreetly watched those around him.
• The formation activated and transported the seventy-seven Spirit Generals and Spirit Marshals to the ruins, where Huo Hai recognized the spent formation beneath them as a spatial Teleportation Spirit Formation.
• The people outside saw the ring of light and altar lose their power, but stayed behind to wait.

Huo Hai and the other treasure seekers found a passage lined with valuable boxes, but learned it was a deadly one-way trial called the Life-and-Death Road. After a Demon Spirit Master died trying to seize spirit crystals, the groups faced the perilous crossing with no way to retreat.

• Huo Hai joined the five other entrants from the Southern Cloud Kingdom as the groups surveyed the enormous chamber.
• A mechanism raised a door, revealing a passage lined with treasure boxes, including one containing spirit crystals.
• A Demon Spirit Master rushed for the spirit crystals but became trapped inside the passage as fire and ice tore through his defenses and killed him.
• A stone stele identified the passage as the Life-and-Death Road and warned that anyone who entered could only advance.
• Huo Hai assessed the long, dangerous passage and noted that Demonicized Spirit Masters might struggle to survive it, while Yun Yihan dismissed their taunts.

Chapter Summary: “Life-and-Death Road”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group enters the Life-and-Death Road, a deadly passage where no one can help anyone else. Survival depends entirely on each person’s cultivation foundation, spiritual-energy purity, and endurance.
• The passage generates individualized forces of ice, fire, and spiritual tearing. Moving faster does not make crossing easier, since speed increases the pressure and consumes more spiritual energy.
• Spirit Marshal–realm experts appear less affected by the formation and can sometimes seize one item from the boxes lining the passage. One such expert crosses successfully with a box, though its contents remain unknown.
• Several people die while attempting to cross. Those strong enough take a box; weaker cultivators focus only on reaching the other side alive.
• Huo Hai discovers that the formation prevents him from remotely drawing objects into his Inner Space. He must physically touch anything he wants to collect.
• Although the passage barely threatens him because of his abundant spiritual energy, Huo Hai deliberately hides his true strength and pretends to struggle like everyone else.
• Huo Hai takes one box while crossing. He then notices a Spirit Crystal left behind by a dead cultivator and cleverly kicks it toward the Vice Principal, shouting for him to catch it.
• This distraction draws everyone’s attention away from Huo Hai. Using the opportunity, he physically bumps a second box and secretly stores it in his Inner Space.
• After reaching the other side, Huo Hai pretends to be exhausted and absorbs Spirit Jade to maintain appearances. Everyone who failed to cross has died.
• The Vice Principal praises Huo Hai for giving him the Spirit Crystal, believing it may help him break through to the Spirit Marshal Realm and strengthen the Southern Cloud Kingdom.
• Huo Hai destroys the box and discovers that his own box contains a Spatial Ring. Although valuable in the Southern Nations, it is nearly useless to him because his Inner Space is far superior.
• After resting, the survivors realize that the passage has tempered their spiritual energy, making the ordeal dangerous but beneficial.

Character Developments

• Huo Hai: Demonstrates exceptional strength, intelligence, caution, and opportunism. He remains calm under pressure, conceals his true abilities, and manipulates the others’ attention to obtain two items. His humility and controlled behavior also improve Yun Yihan’s opinion of him.
• The Vice Principal: Receives the Spirit Crystal and becomes hopeful that it will allow him to reach the Spirit Marshal Realm. His reaction shows both his ambition and the political value of the treasure.
• Yun Yihan: Becomes increasingly impressed with Huo Hai, viewing him as humble, capable, and potentially destined for greatness.
• The other cultivators: Their fear and selfishness become apparent as they focus on their own survival. After seeing Huo Hai’s trick, they regret not realizing they could have kicked valuable items out of the passage.

Significant Themes

• Individual responsibility and survival: The Life-and-Death Road forces everyone to rely solely on their own foundations and abilities.
• Strength versus deception: Raw cultivation is important, but Huo Hai succeeds mainly through restraint, cleverness, and misdirection.
• Hidden ability and humility: Huo Hai’s decision to conceal his real strength protects him from becoming a target and earns him respect.
• Risk and reward: The passage offers valuable treasures and spiritual tempering, but pursuing them can easily lead to death.
• The limits of material wealth: The Spatial Ring is precious to others but almost worthless to Huo Hai, emphasizing how exceptional his Inner Space is.

Important Character Interactions

• A Spirit Marshal expert demonstrates the dangers and opportunities of the passage by taking a box and crossing successfully.
• Huo Hai’s actions attract the suspicion and hostility of the Demon Spirit Masters, who realize he is far stronger than expected.
• Huo Hai deliberately sends the Spirit Crystal to the Vice Principal, creating a public impression of loyalty while using the distraction to steal another box.
• Yun Yihan praises Huo Hai for his contribution and admires his lack of arrogance. Huo Hai responds respectfully, reinforcing the image he wants others to believe.

Chapter Summary: “Maze”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After recovering, Huo Hai notices that everyone who obtained a box is being watched suspiciously. Many Spirit General Realm cultivators fear being attacked and hand their items over to Spirit Marshal Realm experts in exchange for protection.
• Huo Hai refuses to surrender his belongings, unwilling to strengthen the Southern Cloud Kingdom’s forces despite having little use for the Spatial Ring he obtained.
• He learns from the Vice Principal that the group is waiting for someone else to investigate the corridor ahead rather than risking their own lives.
• The Vice Principal explains the rules of the Life-and-Death Road: it can only be crossed once, and no one can return after leaving it. A Spirit Master who attempted to reenter was instantly annihilated by the corridor’s ice-and-fire powers.
• The Orthodox and Demon Spirit Masters argue over how to proceed. Eventually, they agree to advance together, though both sides remain distrustful and guarded.
• Yun Yihan avoids being placed at the front by claiming that his talent makes him too valuable for future battles. As a result, Huo Hai is spared from serving as the group’s primary scout.
• The group travels uneventfully for a long time until a hidden Spirit Formation activates. The party is instantly separated, leaving Huo Hai alone in a vast network of passages.
• A mysterious light enters Huo Hai’s body and reveals the truth about the next trial:
  • The group has entered an enormous Maze.
  • Numerous treasures and guardians are hidden inside.
  • The Maze has no ordinary entrance or exit.
  • Only thirty keys exist, and each key allows one person to leave.
  • Of the seventy-seven people who entered, at most thirty can survive the trial and advance.
• Huo Hai tests the Maze’s walls and discovers that they are virtually indestructible, even to his Star Gu.
• Realizing that he will be trapped for a long time, Huo Hai decides to inspect the box he secretly obtained earlier. He also confirms that his Inner Space has returned to normal.

Character Developments

• Huo Hai remains cautious, independent, and unwilling to rely on or assist forces he distrusts. His refusal to surrender the box demonstrates both his opposition to the Southern Cloud Kingdom and his confidence in protecting himself.
• His understanding of the ruins deepens, and he becomes more alert to the danger posed by the trials. Although he recognizes his relative lack of strength, he does not panic and instead calmly plans his next move.
• The Vice Principal abandons his former dignity and adopts a practical, self-protective attitude in the presence of numerous Spirit Marshal experts. His explanation helps Huo Hai understand the rules of the Life-and-Death Road.
• Yun Yihan shows political awareness and self-preservation by manipulating the others into sparing him from walking at the front.
• The surrounding cultivators become increasingly suspicious and opportunistic, prioritizing survival, protection, and valuable treasures over cooperation.

Significant Themes

• Survival and competition: The limited number of keys ensures that the Maze is a deadly contest in which most participants are destined to die.
• Distrust and political rivalry: The Orthodox and Demon Spirit Masters cooperate only when necessary, constantly fearing betrayal from the opposing side.
• The cruelty of the ruins: The trials were designed not to allow everyone to survive. The creator deliberately established a system in which only a minority could advance.
• Pragmatism versus honor: The Orthodox faction values reputation and refuses to openly use weaker members as sacrifices, while the Demon faction is more direct. In practice, however, both sides manipulate the situation to minimize their own losses.
• Isolation and self-reliance: The teleportation formation separates everyone, forcing each individual to rely on personal strength and judgment rather than group protection.

Character Interactions

• Huo Hai questions the Vice Principal about the unexplored corridor and learns why no one dares proceed or return.
• The Vice Principal speaks frankly about using others as “cannon fodder,” revealing his practical survival strategy.
• Orthodox and Demon Spirit Marshal experts negotiate how to explore the passage, ultimately agreeing to move forward together while remaining suspicious of one another.
• The group’s stronger members attempt to avoid taking the dangerous front position, with Yun Yihan successfully using his future value as an excuse.
• Once the Maze activates, all previous alliances and rivalries are temporarily disrupted, leaving Huo Hai alone and preparing him for a more individual struggle.

Huo Hai inspected his haul and found five Profound Grade Mid-tier Spirit-Gathering Pills in a Spatial Ring. He used a pill to strengthen his cultivation and successfully formed a fourth star core, though the new core began drawing spiritual power from his spirit source.

• Huo Hai confirmed that his Star Gu still worked and put on the Spatial Ring to conceal his inner space.
• Huo Hai found five Profound Grade Mid-tier Spirit-Gathering Pills inside the ring and decided to use them to improve his strength.
• Huo Hai swallowed a Spirit-Gathering Pill and absorbed the Maze’s dense spiritual energy as it circulated through his body.
• Huo Hai focused his mental power on the vortex in his leg and formed a solid fourth star core.
• Huo Hai watched anxiously as the new star core drew spiritual power from his spirit source.